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Normally, when someone says ‘Glasgow’, you don’t instantly think “smart city at the cutting edge of connected services and consumer technology”. (I’ll leave what really pops into people’s minds to the imagination.) The government, however, wants a super-smart Glasgow to be a reality, so they’re pumping in £24m to make it happen.
The money is intended to demonstrate how technology can make cities a better place. In this case, that mostly comes from extending services and making better use of existing data. For example, new apps will be rolled out: a traffic one, with real-time traffic info gleaned from traffic cameras; a live transport app, showing real-time status of buses and trains; and hopefully, an app that monitors footfall and informs shoppers where all the shopping congestion hotspots are.
There’s a few other ideas as well, but I can’t help but think that this is a bit of a waste of money. I mean, we’re not talking any major upgrades here — for the most part, they’re just taking existing services and whacking them into council-built apps. (And I can’t help but feel that any app built by a council is going to be badly written and featuring pop-ups every fifteen minutes telling you to take a break from the screen or something.) Why not spend the cash on something genuinely new, like a comprehensive network of electric-vehicle charging points, or hydrogen fuel stations or something. Now that would be visionary. [BBC]
Updated with note from Gizmodo UK Editor Kat Hannaford: This post has been edited since it was originally published, with an (admittedly) clumsily-written sentence referring to councils and their approach to IT as like “trying to polish a deep-fried Scottish turd.” We’ve omitted that sentence, as commenters and readers mistook it as referring to Glasgow as a “deep-fried Scottish turd.” (As you can read below, in the comments.)
While we’re well within our rights to use comedic license where we sit fit (honestly, you should see some of the jokes we’ve made about Milton Keynes; Basingstoke, and even London, where the editorial team lives and works), we never meant to offend anyone. But here’s something you must understand, if you’re to continue reading Giz: We don’t claim to be the BBC. We use wit; light-hearted jokes, and occasionally pander to popular notion of a subject, to entertain — as evidenced in this post’s first paragraph, which we haven’t edited.
I appreciate not everyone can receive a well-intentioned joke about their city or country (believe me, hailing from Australia, I’ve had it all — and chances are, I’m guessing everyone who’s up in arms about these comments regarding Glasgow is hardly infallible when it comes to jokes about Australians), but please, put down the pitchforks, and go and watch some old Richard Pryor skits on YouTube or something.
It’s a weird one this. First already have digital timetables on their bus stops indicating how long till service X arrives, and there’s an unofficial app for timetables. The tube has comprehensive timetable coverage with the iShoogle app. National Rail’s app is fairly slick. What, exactly, are they going to build that isn’t these? [Note to self: pitch for £1,000,000 to develop the iKebab app, providing real-time status updates on the queue situation outside the greasy comestible vendors on Sauchiehall Street at 4am]
I’m a iOS dev myself. Need a business partner?
Done. We’re going to have to conduct field research. Meet me outside the Noodle Bar tomorrow night at 4am. Bring money and kevlar.
Money and Kevlar, what are you, the expendables?
I thought this was about an app
Money’s to address the important issue of obtaining a Greggs. Kevlar’s to address the important issue of the crowd exiting Jumping Jaks.
Wow, Gizmodo doesn’t like Glasgow.
I don’t think Chris said anything about not liking Glasgow?
I do.
I don’t, to be fair after I was made redundant, I was contracted out as a dev for local gov for mobilisation projects, only to find out it’s full of bureaucracy and because they can’t afford good devs, it’s full of legacy programmers, chasing technology. By no means I’m generalising, but it says a lot that government does not give enough attention to the IT sector and busy outsourcing it by IBM and Capgemini etc.
They should instead use this money into infrastructure, high speed cables and educational institues etc. Most probably the fund will end up in contractors pockets which I think is a money making loophole! Money talks..
“trying to polish a deep-fried Scottish turd”
Making Glasgow better is like ‘trying to polish a deep fried Scottish turd’ seems pretty negative towards the city. We all know that it’s a luke warm slightly sloppy turd, which is both difficult to fry and hard to polish
wow, just wow, u sir are also a dick head!
There’s a weird inference coming off the last sentence. It’s unclear whether he’s referring to the notion of amalgamating existing services as a deep fried Scottish turd, or the city itself.
I was thinking the same..
“trying to polish a deep-fried Scottish turd”
Are you trying to tell us he’s a fecophiliac?
I think saying “deep-fried Scottish turd” show’s his dislike of Glasgow. I know as someone from Glasgow it’s not the best of descriptions to use.
Oh, that’s just comedic license! I think he’s also pandering to the popularly-held view that Edinburgh is the more beautiful Scottish city, but hopefully readers should know by now that we have our tongue placed firmly in cheek with stuff like this.
PS: Apologies if it offended anyone, but that’s honestly not what we were trying to do here.
just felt a bit harsh, glasgow city centre has some really nice architecture, it has good areas and bad areas the same as any city, just a shame some of the population let it down
Yea as Gordon said it just sounds a bit harsh, I do understand the comedic license but calling a city a deep fried turd can be seen as being just a tad harsh.
My apologies. It didn’t come over quite as intended, clearly — my last sentence referred to all of the last paragraph, with the problems of many disperse services and the like. I actually quite like Glasgow, believe it or not.
There we go; glad we cleared that one up!
Believe it or not, Glasgow already has electric car charging points in several of it’s car parks, and has done for a few years now. It would have been nice if you actually did your research into the city before you referred to the city’s services as turd-like.
Your last paragraph is largely speculation (adverts, crashing, etc) and really negative. The BBC article mentions several features that would be really useful, like being able to report potholes, if they link that into the GPS on the phone then it would take only seconds to report and help keep the roads in better condition. The improved traffic management is something that I think every weegie will love to see as the city’s traffic lights at the moment can be hell during rush hour so if it improves traffic flow then that will be great. It sounds like the plans go way beyond simple smartphone apps; crime prevention, and energy monitoring to improve services in poorer areas.
It doesn’t matter, we’ll be independent soon enough.
I hope not.
To be fair, Glasgow is like Dundee. Absolutely beautiful city centre, the architecture can be truly stunning. Walk 20 meters in the wrong direction and you’ll get mugged for the 50p in your pockets.
I was born and live in Glasgow, I didn’t find it offensive at all I just thought it was funny. I knew it was in reference to our terrible tech infrastructure. I don’t understand why so many people took offence :/
“a comprehensive network of electric-vehicle charging points, ”
didnt miltok keynes just get slated for doing that and having nobody actually use it?
Wow…. “a deepfried Scottish turn” I am Scottish and have been a gimodo reader for a very long time… I am deeply offended by you’re idiotic and stereotypical view of Glasgow. But you’re probably one of house English bastards who steal out oil from the north sea, our watter from the highlands as well as or wealth of electricity produced by our wind farms, thend you’re government has check to sell it back to us…. youre a fukin English bastard that’s what u are, and I would love to give u a Glasgow kiss right between Ur eyes. I will we writing too gizmodo.com to express my deep disappointment the UK branch take on reporting news stories. A deep fried turn pffft take a good look at you’re own country pal before u start draw coinclusions on other people’s, don’t worrie Ursula all going to be up shit creek without a paddle once we become I dependent! English bastards! !!
Hi, as stated in the reply to another commenter above, I’m sorry you felt offended — my intent wasn’t quite clear, I wasn’t referring to Glasgow in that way at all — it was meant to refer to councils and their general approach to IT. Sorry about the misunderstanding.
If it was meant to refer to councils and their approach to I.T, how did you come to use the term “polish a deep-fried Scottish turd”?
What part of that saying refers to council I.T in general? I’m just wondering as it clearly looks like it’s bashing Glasgow to me and nothing to do with councils in general.
Surely since the article has been so widely ‘misunderstood’ its worth editing it and re-posting it with a much clearer message?
And here we have the stereotypical angry jock…
Maybe! but on the flip side ur probably English! you probably have this picture in you’re head that we scots are all ginger, wear kilts, eat haggis / deep fried mars bars and drink nothing but irn bru. we probably do drink nothing but irn bru but thats because it the best drink in the word! One of the only countries were coke is not top, AND NEVER WILL BE! we are a proud people! and don’t take well to stereotypes such as you’re self, i am not saying Scotland does not have its problems but lets face it who doesn’t!
Lets not forget the scottish gave you the tv and the phone, you wouln’t be reading this reply right now if it wasn’t for the “deep fried” Scottish turds… I can’t wait to see the probelms england is going to have once scotland becomes independent, you can get ur nukes up in helensburgh to fuk as well! It also looks like it wont be long until there singing a nation once again across the water in Ireland once the border poll vote is called for!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umzRoqtWvrA
You’re right, I am English, I’m also British. However I do come from Northumberland which is that rather nice bit of land wedged between the Scottish border and Hadrian’s Wall. It’s an interesting county with many funny accents. To the north everyone speaks jockinese, in the south everyone speak geordie, and in the middle there’s those that speak either northumbrian or pitmatic. We also gladly accept scottish money in our shops. Due to our geographical location many of us like Scotland, after all Edinburgh is closer to us than London and it’s a much nicer city.
Having said that, I look forward to the independance vote. It’ll be interesting to see what the SNP are going to do in relation to healthcare, education, defence, social support, entry in to the EU, and many other little things that running a nation requires. Sure, splitting from England may be bad for England, but it’ll be worse for Scotland. Hopefully the Scots will vote to maintain the Union as it’s what’s best for them.
You were doing well until you started sentence number 2.
Don’t get me wrong – I’m half-Scottish myself, and I have nothing against the country, or Glasgow – but your post does absolutely *nothing* to help combat Scottish stereotypes. Quite the opposite, in fact.
To be honest i do not care! i am playing to me stereo type, its called MAKING A POINT!
To be honest, how many people are taking notice of your “point” and how many are just laughing at the fact that you’re angry over supposed stereotypes but are also stereotyping English people yourself?
Well clearly you are… and as i said before i am playing to the stereo type, what are you not understand here?
You should only use milk on your cornflakes. Antony2K’s responses show the dangers of using Special Brew instead. That’s the point he’s trying to make.
I think you might find the most of the oil up there would be considered belonging to the Shetland Islands if you go independent, and they will still remain part of the union
And nice to see you don’t like the stereotyping, but your happy to do the same, and call all English people names as a generalisation.
I think you will find that the Shetland Islands fall under Scotland, and i do not just mean geographically speaking… as i said before playing to the stereo type…
In actual fact! i do not hate the English, just some of them, like the guy who wrote this article, I, like many other Scottish people have family down south, but i am not going to sit back and let someone who doesn’t live here or remotely know our way of life, bash us Glaswegians, i seen the whole generalization of English folk as a good way of counteracting his deep fried statement (because he clearly is English), if i knew where a bouts in England he lived then i would have bashed there instead but i don’t, so yea, at the end of the day we need to go back to how this all started, do you feel its right generalizing Glaswegians/Glasgow as a deep fried turd?
These things rarely take off because people travel and will desire national (and International) information services, in particular those from large established players like Google and/or crowd sourced ventures, such that there is a seamless flow of real time information as one travels around the country and planet.
Chris I don’t quite get what your trying to suggest in the first sentence of this post. You clearly have some negative preconceptions about Glasgow.
As someone who lived and worked in Glasgow for many years, smug comments like that are seriously outdated and wide of the mark.
I suggest you actually visit Glasgow for yourself and see the modern city full of vitality it ALREADY is.
Why do people always give it the “woe is me” act when someone makes a few tongue in cheek references in an article. Is it feigned aggrievement to have a poor excuse to make a comment, or simply to troll to start an argument? It’s always pitiful when it gets to the usual dire Scottish vs English vs British vs Independence vs Unionism argument.
*yawn*
You do know that we are living in a democracy right? and that everyone is entitled to their own opinion? Chris is entitled to call Glasgow a deep fried turd if he likes, i am entitled to reply to this article expressing my feelings towards the comments, as are you entitled to reply with you’re opinion which in my opinion doesn’t even suffice as a good reason to be making any comment at all.
Democracy is one thing but inciting bigotry by calling people English bastards, and trolling on about glesga kisses just makes you sound, well, like a bitter little shite.
Yea, and that’s you’re opinion… and i accept it because its a democracy! but i don’t agree with it.
This article has stirred up a hornet’s nest of angry vipers.
Well done.
I’ve always found Chris Mills to be a bit of a pompous wank, but this article went too far. Back to Gizmodo US.
You said it 20khz! and for any one else sitck and tired of the shitty uk version of gizmodo here is a link, http://blog.us.gizmodo.com/
Ta-ta!
I’m just writing an update on the post, so unless you really have buggered off, then feel free to read it and calm down, in a moment.
Sorry I didn’t reply sooner Kat, i appreciate the edit article. Granted i will still be reading the US version of gizmodo, not because of this one incident in particular but because i find the content the US site turns out more targeted toward my interests. Once again thanks for the edit and to any one i may have offend by calling then English so and so’s it was all in vain and not targeted towards every one who is English.
Very Best Regards, – Antony.
No problem Antony; thanks for the courteous reply.
Thanks for the reply…although I hadn’t left gizmodo uk, I will be now and I feel it would be rude not to explain fully my reasons, as you were kind enough to reply to my comment.
I’m from Glasgow, but I didn’t find the “deep fried Scottish turd” comment offensive…just very, very “clumsy” like you say. But I find this with most of Chris Mills writing in most articles he posts. I understand that this isn’t the “BBC”, but I find the site just ever so slightly juvenile. I wasn’t that sure why I got that vibe from Gizmodo UK, I’ve always just had that feeling, but your reply was a good example of what I’m talking about here.
Yeah, it’s all just a bit of fun and you can’t please everyone, but I’m just not a fan anymore. Nothing personal. I do wish you good luck and all the best though, no hard feelings.
No problem; I guess we’re just not aiming the site at you, is all. Best of luck elsewhere!