IGNITE LONDON

Last week, I was lucky enough to be able to speak at the second Ignite London event. I say "lucky enough", although what I mean is I emailed them and asked if I could speak there and they said "OK".

The rules at Ignite are very simple but very strict:

The idea is simple: presenters are required to stick to a rigid format of 20 slides, each of which changes automatically after 15 seconds, ensuring that each presentation is exactly 5 minutes long.

They add "the format forces presenters to think long and hard about every slide", although possibly I missed that bit when I first signed up.

2009: The Year In Twirls by James Ward from hurryonhome on Vimeo.

There were a few bits where I got flustered and said things which didn't make sense (I got left and right confused at one point). The bit about Adam Smith was garbled gibberish, as was the Twirls In Unexpected Places bit. I wasn't expecting people to whoop and cheer at pictures of maps and graphs. It put me off.

Apart from that, it was enormous fun and I recommend you take the time to watch all of the other videos too (I particularly recommend this look at British sea forts, and this analysis of the role Daves have played in history).

SOME NOTES ON TWIRL SPOTTING - PART 1: EQUIPMENT

I'm very pleased by the way so many people have kindly contributed Twirl information to this blog. I have no idea why they have done so, but they have, and I'm pleased.

Whilst I don't pretend to be any kind of absolute authority on the subject of Twirl Spotting (and I'm not even sure if "Twirl Spotting" is the right name for this activity), I do have a certain amount of experience in this field, and so I thought other budding Twirl Spotters might find the lessons I have learned helpful.

Again, I wish to stress, the following is based purely on my own personal experience. Other people may have devised their own systems and methods which work for them, and I encourage you to develop your own style as a Twirl Spotter. Do what works is what I suggest. If it works for you, do it. This is what works for me.

Firstly, I wanted to include some information on the equipment I use while Twirl Spotting:

CAMERA
In order to illustrate each report, I like to include a picture of the shop I happen to be writing about. I normally just use the camera on my phone, as although the quality isn't great, it's good enough for web. Also I always carry it with me anyway, so it's quite convenient.

NOTEBOOK
If you're only visiting one shop, you can probably store all of the details in your brain until you come to writing up your report. However, if you are visiting a dozen or so shops in one afternoon, you'll probably need to write the details down. I use a Silvine Memo Book (ref: 016) as it fits neatly in my back pocket. You can buy these in most stationery shops – I haven't yet mapped the availability of these and don't intend to. I paid 60p for mine.

PEN
You will need this to write in the notebook. I use a Bic Cristal Clic. This is an ideal pen as it combines the reliability of the Bic Cristal with the convenience of a retractable nib. No fiddling around with a lid, just a simple click action. I haven't had any problems with this pen so far.

MONEY
When I first started the project, I set myself a rule that I would only write about shops where I had actually bought Twirls. I immediately broke this rule. It was unworkable. However, I do still quite frequently buy Twirls whilst Twirl Spotting and for this, I use money. The money I use is pound sterling (£) and so far it has been accepted in every shop I've been to. It is very reliable.

Later, I will post some notes on METHOD.

LONDONER'S EYE INTERVIEW

Rather lovely London based website Londoner's Eye asked me to do an interview.

It might help explain what the project is about:

The London Twirls Project is one of those cool semi-obsessive projects, that I stumbled upon through the quirkiest corners of the internet. The project and idea is simple and rather amusing. To map out the availability of Cadbury’s Twirls in London, their storage conditions and fluctuations in price.

The website also shows some funny comments about each chocolate outlet which I have to admit are the best part of the project. If the site makes you smile check out their twitter profile and you will soon discover how many people are a little obsessed with Twirls. I recently pitched a few questions to the mastermind behind the project:

How did this all come about then?
I’ve always liked Twirls, and tend to get one every day during my lunch break. During the hot weather of the last few weeks, I wanted to find somewhere that kept their Twirls in the fridge so they didn’t melt. Then I started comparing prices. Then I got a bit carried away.

Is there a twirl shortage that I didn’t even realise was on the cards?
I’m actually surprised by the number of shops which don’t seem to have Twirls. Queensway in particular is bad for Twirls. Avoid.

What are you future plans, perhaps you could document other long gone confectionery like drifters and vice versa?
I’m sticking with Twirls for now although I maybe I’ll add some more factors into each report – interaction and friendliness of staff, that sort of thing. And I might do a Worcester Sauce flavour Walkers Crisps spin-off at some stage too.

Is there a team of Twirl hunters or is it a one-person crusade?
At the moment, it’s just me. Although people on Twitter have been very supportive and have been sending in information and photos and stuff like that. I’m trying to think of the best way to include submissions from other people. I might make the whole thing open so anyone can update with Twirl availability details. It’ll be like Wikipedia. Except about Twirls.

What would you recommend as the best way to consume a Twirl (my personal favourite is drinking milk with the Twirl acting as a straw)?
Interesting, I’ll have to try that. Someone suggested using a Twirl as a straw for hot chocolate, although I haven’t tried that yet either. In fact I haven’t tried anything more elaborate than quietly enjoying a Twirl whist drinking a cup of tea.

Presuming you think so, why are Twirls better than Flakes?
The Twirl is SO much better than the Flake. Firstly you get two fingers in a Twirl compared with only one in a Flake (a standard Flake is 34g, versus an impressive 43g for a Twirl – that’s a delicious extra nine grams). Also, if I’m honest, I don’t even know how to eat a Flake. It’s too crumbly and, well, flaky. It’s too messy. No wonder that woman had to eat it in the bath.

ABOUT THIS BLOG

This is a work in progress. Attempting to map the availability of Cadbury's Twirls in Central London, with notes on the storage conditions and pricing.