Thought Leadership

No comment on the World Cup

June 25, 2010 • < 1 MIN READ
By Colin Walls

Regular readers of this blog may have noticed that I have not touched on a very topical subject: the Football World Cup. So, I offer this bonus posting to plug the gap.

I am not a football fan. Actually, I have very little interest in any sport as a spectator. But that is just me, and I concur that watching 22 guys running around after a ball gives much pleasure to many people. I have no problem with that.

In reality, I am very pleased about it. I wish the World Cup went on longer. I hope the England team continues to deliver edge of the seat action for weeks to come. The reason is that, whenever a key match is on, the world seems to hold its breath. I can go shopping in comfort. The roads are quiet. We went to the theater the other evening and shared the auditorium with about 30 other people. I ordered some drinks for the interval – a common tradition here. When we came out to the foyer, instead of a long table laden with drinks, there was just a tiny one with two glasses on it – ours.

At a time of financial austerity and general purpose doom and gloom, this is a bit of excitement and glamour for [almost] everyone. And some peace and quiet for yours truly.

Just before I go off for my daily Vuvuzela practice, I would like to leave you with this heartwarming story:

The English football team went to visit a South African orphanage earlier this week. “It was terrible to see their sad little faces without hope” said Jamal aged 6.

Colin Walls

I have over thirty years experience in the electronics industry, largely dedicated to embedded software. A frequent presenter at conferences and seminars and author of numerous technical articles and two books on embedded software, I am a member of the marketing team of the Mentor Graphics Embedded Systems Division, and am based in the UK. Away from work, I have a wide range of interests including photography and trying to point my two daughters in the right direction in life. Learn more about Colin, including his go-to karaoke song and the best parts of being British: http://go.mentor.com/3_acv

More from this author

What to read next:

Comments

0 thoughts about “No comment on the World Cup”

  • As an ex-pat Englishman in France, the only good thing about the embarrassing exit of England was that the French were even worse. But Colin, I have to say that your true colours as a non-fan were revealed by your hoping for “edge of the seat action” from England – in fact that is the LAST thing a true fan wants. A couple of quick goals for his side early on, and the fan can then really relax and enjoy the match, which he won’t mind being safe and boring. But now we English can look forward to real excitement watching Argentina, Brasil et al.

Leave a Reply

This article first appeared on the Siemens Digital Industries Software blog at https://blogs.stage.sw.siemens.com/embedded-software/2010/06/25/no-comment-on-the-world-cup/