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One year ago today: “A possible terrorist attack has occured accross the London tube network. The whole network has been shut down. On my way to work on the Silverlink this morning we were told that due to an emergency the Victoria line was closed”.

That day I had a strange feeling something wasn’t quite right about half way through my journey to work. When I arrived everyone had gathered in the kitchen watching the TV. We were all in shock, hardly anyone spoke as we watched the live coverage on the BBC. All mobile networks were down and so we sent out emails to all our friends to make sure everyone was safe.

Having only recently started blogging, I searched the web for information and was completely amazed by the ripples accross the blogosphere. It was my first ever experience of networked journalism and also of how the web community could come together to offer support.

The comming months were to be pretty difficult times for Londoners. The atmosphere on the daily commute was seriously tense for many weeks and I know of several friends that were routinely stopped by police and searched simply becasuse of the colour of their skin. One friend was stopped so many times by police wearing machine guns that he temporarily moved back to Australia.

One year on and London has recovered well though I still am very aware that another bomb could be on every tube and bus I board.

Reports filtering through to news stations of a very large security alert in south London. Stockwell tube station has been closed. Passengers witnessed Police shooting a man in Stockwell tube station. Police then shouted “get out, get out” and passengers were evacuated from the station.

There were reports of another man being arrested earlier at Kennington station around 30 minutes ago, which was closed but re-opened earlier. Also reports of an incident at Vauxaul.

An air ambulance has been sent to Stockwell.

Tags: london, explosion, blog, blasts, london bomb blasts

It seems terrorists have returned to the London transport system as reports are now emerging on television networks around the world of bombs at Oval and Warren Street tude as well as on a bus at the Hackney Road/Columbia Road junction.

I’m OK…not caught up in it at all. Its my second last day at Henson’s and I’m safe in Camden.

Tags: london, explosion, blog, blasts, london bomb blasts

Another trip to work, another “is this your bag type” incident. It seems I’m not the only person who has decided speak up in unattended bag situations. A french guy next to me took the batton this morning and asked me whether the two sports bags at my feet were mine. I hadn’t actually noticed them as I was on the phone as I boarded. After I said no, we both looked at each other…paused… he then asked one side of the train carriage and I asked the other. It was kind of neat, we sort of knew exactly what to do. Sure enough two old timer american tourists were the culprits.

Dave Winer linked to these two interesting articles about blogging and their possible unforseen consequences to the blogger: Blog now, regret it later? and Bloggers Need not Apply. Certainly worth a read if you’ve just started like myself. I was already well aware of these things but its nice to get reminded of them. All the more pertinent as I don’t have much longer here at the Creature Shop. I sense a job hunt on the horison….so if you fancy giving me a hand by like making me some offers Email me!

Tags: london, explosion, blasts, blogging, blog

Phew! Made it into work and no one tried to blow me up.

What a strange journey though. Never have I been in a train carriage with so many people on edge. Even mention the word terrorist and I reckon every last one of us would have tried to jump out the windows. The fact that you’d actually only be able to fit a 12 inch pepperoni pizza out of any of these windows wouldn’t have put any of us off, not even a little bit.

Everyone, including myself, was looking from side to side out of the corners of their eyes at every bag more than 15.5 cm away from a commuter. I think the only thing relieving the tension a little was the very scary picture of Steve Jobs on the cover of MacUser that I was reading. I imagine that the fact that I was reading a copy of MacUser made everyone think that if we did all get blown to little bits then at least they weren’t the biggest looser on the train.

So my 3/4 empty carriage did have a man on it with a massive bag above his head. I thought this was kind of odd since there were so many free seats he could of just stuck it on the seat on front of him. Also noticing that several other pairs of eyes seemed to be flicking back and forth between their copy of the morning newspaper and said bag with as much attention as would be given to a Wimbledon final…I leaned over taped the gentleman on the shoulder and asked him if it was his bag. He turned around, smiled as if he kind of expected it and said it was. I said something stupid like “Well you can’t be too careful these days” and the tension in the carriage lowered to DEFCON 3.

I think we’re just going to have to get used to doing this sort of thing. I think everyone there actually found it pretty funny in the end.

What we should do: get people really into bag fashion so that people won’t mind you asking them if its their bag. Quite the opposite: “Excuse me is that your bag” Response: “It certainly is! Its Prada you know. I got it in the sales.” And there are lots of polite ways to ask people…

“Oooh that’s a nice bag…is it yours?”
“Wow what a co-incidence I happen to own the same bag as that. Who’s is it!”

If you can think of any more than add a comments…

Tags: london, explosion, blog, blasts, london bomb blasts

The blogosphere never ceases to amaze me. There is already a wikipedia entry for the 7 July London Bombings with information on the awful event itself, the state of casualties, the cause, official statements from various heads of state and world leaders, responses, the timeline, infrastructure and transport status on the bus, tube, rail, road, air and even river networks; as well as links to blogs, news articles, live streams, photographs and a survivor list.

At some level its kind of weird that all this is up and available as soon as it has happened. I think some people will feel kind of uncomfortable with this sort of communal coverage - this kind of thing where people are recording history as it happens. My view is that different people react to terrible events in very different ways and I don’t think for a second that anyone wishes an event like this to occur. What is amazing to me though, is to see people all over the world reaching out and working together, whether it be to make people aware of what has happened or to offer condolences or indeed to be part of the relief services that have done so well to manage on this day.

Tags: london, explosion, blog, blasts, london bomb blasts, history

The New World Order blog reports that the Home Office has announced that their planned ID card system would have stopped the London blasts.

“Whether these explosions were caused by bombs, terrorismists, communist dictators, weapons of mass destruction or a leaking gas main, we’re confident our proposed ID card system would have prevented it. We are also confident that if there hadn’t even been any explosions today, we would have our ID scheme to thank.”

I wonder at what point exactly the terrorists may have been asked for their ID cards? While they were making the bomb? Maybe as they boarded the bus that blew up? Or maybe indeed as they decended into the underground? Total rubbish.

If ID cards are introduced because of the London blasts….the terrorists will have won.

Tags: london, explosion, blog, blasts

Just heard from an inside source that potentially 4 more bombs in and around London have been found.

[friend of a friend sort of thing]

Tags: london, explosion, blog, blasts

Kosso of the podbat blog has set up a way to keep London blast updates flowing to the net via Google maps using the Google maps API.

Tags: london, explosion, blog, blasts

The BBC reports on the ripples spreading accross the blogosphere.

Uploaded by Peter Nixey of the webkitchen blog.

Tags: london, explosion, blog, blasts