Milton Keynes is 50 Years Old

[manic47]

Fishermead and Netherfield will cloud anyone's view of the place

It's really not that bad when you compare it to most places.

[FourWheelDrift]

Attractive original villages, connected by 60mph roads and no speed cameras.

Only a few around but in local areas outside Milton Keynes itself.

[FourWheelDrift]

oyster said:

If your idea of a fun lunch break is to get in your car from your previously paid-for parking space, drive to the shopping centre, spend ages finding a parking space, pay again for the space, have lunch at a drab chain restaurant, drive car back to office, look for parking space again as your original one has gone, pay again for parking if you can't get back in exactly the same zone.

If you have to drive from one paid parking space in the centre to another in the centre just for lunch, then you are lazy, walk it.

And the old site Waitrose multi-story car park right outside the shopping centre is free for up to 2hrs and always spaces available.

[RemyMartin81D]

Go to Aldershot. If there's a worst place in the the south I'd like to go there, must run Jaywick close.

Compared to that MK is inoffensive.

[Composite Guru]

FourWheelDrift said:

If you have to drive from one paid parking space in the centre to another in the centre just for lunch, then you are lazy, walk it.

And the old site Waitrose multi-story car park right outside the shopping centre is free for up to 2hrs and always spaces available.

I use that every time I go.

[Yipper]

Einion Yrth said:

Yipper said:

Passed through Milton Keynes for work a few days ago. Home of WD-40. Built the world's first programmable computer.

Nope. Berlin, 1941, not MK and rather more than 50 years ago.

Nah.

Britain conceptualised it in 1833 and made the first analog computer in 1872.
Britain the first electronic data processing system in 1934.
USA the first electromechanical analog computer in 1938.
Germany the first electromechanical relay computer in 1941.
USA the first automatic electronic digital computer in 1942.
Britain (MK) the first digital electronic programmable computer in 1943.

Of course, the Iraqis invented the abacus about 5k years ago. That was the first pre-analog computer.

[JB!]

oyster said:

If your idea of a fun lunch break is to get in your car from your previously paid-for parking space, drive to the shopping centre, spend ages finding a parking space, pay again for the space, have lunch at a drab chain restaurant, drive car back to office, look for parking space again as your original one has gone, pay again for parking if you can't get back in exactly the same zone.

Then find you've been fired for taking a 3 hour lunch break.


Or there's my current office in London where I have several independent sandwich shops and delis, within no more than 60 seconds walk from the front door.

The lack of little sandwich shops is pretty irritating, but due to the size and spread of the place, the roads get busier around lunch time.

If you are in CMK though, there is now Morrisons at the station, and Sainsburys half way up the hill, and M&S at the top of the hill in Centre MK.

When you're in a little industrial estate miles from the shops, yeah I can see that getting frustrating, but you shouldn't lose your parking.


Also who eats at restaurants for lunch every day?!

[JB!]

Rick101 said:

KAgantua said:

Why did you not like it?

Artificial, dirty, expensive, full of cock-en-knees, dual carriageways everywhere, ste pubs, a mall for a town centre, kebab vans in residential areas, roundabouts, Fishermead, crap drivers, train station with no pub, wierd market, square trees, Netherfield, graffiti ridden piss soaked subways and worst of all locals telling you how wonderful it is.

Working 12 hr shifts and lodging away from home probably didn't help but I really wasn't taken with the place.

Artifical how? Dirty - not really, Expensive - yes, almost London prices for most things except houses (currently), Sorry for coming from London, some of us can't help being superior, Duel carriageways are ace, Yes, chain pubs are st, couple of decent ones to be found elsewhere though, what else is the point of a town centre?, some of the food vans are epic, roundabouts are awesome, you must be Peugeot driver, Fishermead is a dive, but you don't need to go there, ever?, Taxi drivers are awful, as are some of the residents of Fishermead, everyone else flys around quite happily, not signalling on roundabouts is a dick move though, There is a 'spoons about 5 mins walk away, who uses markets nowadays?, whats wrong with topiary?, Netherfield - see Fishermead, Graffiti happens everywhere, and yes some of the underpasses are grim, blame your fellow humans.

[Einion Yrth]

Yipper said:

Einion Yrth said:

Yipper said:

Passed through Milton Keynes for work a few days ago. Home of WD-40. Built the world's first programmable computer.

Nope. Berlin, 1941, not MK and rather more than 50 years ago.

Nah.

Britain conceptualised it in 1833 and made the first analog computer in 1872.
Britain the first electronic data processing system in 1934.
USA the first electromechanical analog computer in 1938.
Germany the first electromechanical relay computer in 1941.
USA the first automatic electronic digital computer in 1942.
Britain (MK) the first digital electronic programmable computer in 1943.

Of course, the Iraqis invented the abacus about 5k years ago. That was the first pre-analog computer.

Did you miss the word "programmable"? Would be a bit odd since you fking wrote it.
And in any event none of that happened in Milton Keynes, not even the abacus.

[Yipper]

Einion Yrth said:

Yipper said:

Einion Yrth said:

Yipper said:

Passed through Milton Keynes for work a few days ago. Home of WD-40. Built the world's first programmable computer.

Nope. Berlin, 1941, not MK and rather more than 50 years ago.

Nah.

Britain conceptualised it in 1833 and made the first analog computer in 1872.
Britain the first electronic data processing system in 1934.
USA the first electromechanical analog computer in 1938.
Germany the first electromechanical relay computer in 1941.
USA the first automatic electronic digital computer in 1942.
Britain (MK) the first digital electronic programmable computer in 1943.

Of course, the Iraqis invented the abacus about 5k years ago. That was the first pre-analog computer.

Did you miss the word "programmable"? Would be a bit odd since you fking wrote it.
And in any event none of that happened in Milton Keynes, not even the abacus.

It's all in there, son. Including the word "programmable". And Bletchley Park is in MK

[K12beano]

JB! said:

oyster said:

<stuff about lunch>.

<more stuff about lunch>!

Yeah, but you've got Mii & U!

[Einion Yrth]

Yipper said:

Einion Yrth said:

Yipper said:

Einion Yrth said:

Yipper said:

Passed through Milton Keynes for work a few days ago. Home of WD-40. Built the world's first programmable computer.

Nope. Berlin, 1941, not MK and rather more than 50 years ago.

Nah.

Britain conceptualised it in 1833 and made the first analog computer in 1872.
Britain the first electronic data processing system in 1934.
USA the first electromechanical analog computer in 1938.
Germany the first electromechanical relay computer in 1941.
USA the first automatic electronic digital computer in 1942.
Britain (MK) the first digital electronic programmable computer in 1943.

Of course, the Iraqis invented the abacus about 5k years ago. That was the first pre-analog computer.

Did you miss the word "programmable"? Would be a bit odd since you fking wrote it.
And in any event none of that happened in Milton Keynes, not even the abacus.

It's all in there, son. Including the word "programmable". And Bletchley Park is in MK

Whatever, I'll let others judge but by your own originally stated criteria it was Zuse's Z3 that was the first programmable computing device, and even that takes significant hand-waving to make Turing complete. Also since Bletchley somewhat pre-dates MK that's at best a questionable claim too. As for "son"; you must be really old.

[technodup]

The Sanctuary.

This spotty Scottish teenager would sit on a bus for nine or ten hours to get there in the mid 90s. Dreamscape, Helter Skelter and many more. The Rollers across the car park. Main room hardcore, the upstairs shaking with the jungle bass. Always a mission, but always an experience. Hunting for the same pills as Leah Betts, dodgy security, bisexual birds, I could go on.

That's my experience of MK. Now an Ikea I believe. fking progress.

[FourWheelDrift]

Have you been in an Ikea? It's exactly the same but without the flashing strobe lights (unless there's a fire alarm).

[XM5ER]

technodup said:

The Sanctuary.

This spotty Scottish teenager would sit on a bus for nine or ten hours to get there in the mid 90s. Dreamscape, Helter Skelter and many more. The Rollers across the car park. Main room hardcore, the upstairs shaking with the jungle bass. Always a mission, but always an experience. Hunting for the same pills as Leah Betts, dodgy security, bisexual birds, I could go on.

That's my experience of MK. Now an Ikea I believe. fking progress.

Now I get your name. LET 'AVE IT!

[Europa1]

JB! said:

Duel carriageways are ace.

They sound much more exciting than dual carriageways. Does one have to bring a second?

[clockworks]

manic47 said:

Fishermead and Netherfield will cloud anyone's view of the place

It's really not that bad when you compare it to most places.

I had a flat on Fishermead when I moved to MK in 1981. Newly built Development Corporation block, much nicer that my previous home - a bedsit in South Croydon. The shopping centre hadn't long opened, and the only supermarket was Waitrose, IIRC.
Compared to Croydon, it was paradise. Clean, green, not much traffic, and plenty of jobs.
After 3 years in the flat, I bought a new semi on Great Holm. Lived there for 14 years, before moving to Cornwall.

I had to go back to the area about 10 years ago for a training course, so I popped down to MK one evening. I was shocked by how much it had changed.

[JB!]

Europa1 said:

JB! said:

Duel carriageways are ace.

They sound much more exciting than dual carriageways. Does one have to bring a second?

Preferably in a faster car. A case of "my mate's faster than your mate"

[Shnozz]

Composite Guru said:

I've worked there for the best part of 20 years.

The place has grown so much in that time and has a good variation of types of work too.

Not to forget the petrolhead aspect that Red Bull Racing is based there. Their place is expanding all the time.

I worked there for a few years and lived not that far away. I too thought it was a decent enough place and the reputation it had was undeserved. Didn't really project itself as being anything other than it was - green space, modern design grid system, parking aplenty, decent enough selection of shops and short train ride to London meant all round decent transport links. Yes, it perhaps lacks character in the way many newer American cities do (it felt very American all round) but it was designed 50 years ago so was never going to have the benefit of years to aid character. It was functional and functioned well in what it was designed to be. I missed a genuine city feel but for all the jibes thrown at the place I thought it wasn't bad at all. I have certainly visited a LOT worse places.

[motco]

New towns give me the feeling that residents are units who are told to live here, work there, shop in the state supermarket, and drink Victory Gin in the bar assigned to their assigned domicile district. Leaving the town is allowed only if you are bright enough to find the exit.