You are currently browsing the The English Guy's Personal Blog weblog archives for July, 2010.

Posted at 9:42 am • Trackback Trackback

Posted in humour

3 comments - Latest by:
  • richard
    And now she's got the twitter bug Mac :)
  • mel
    LOL. Well visit it again. I have a question there for you.
 

Jul 27
2010

Posted by richard

I know this sounds strange but I’ve never really used rss readers. I always like visiting a site, probably a quirk of the job or something.

So I’ve been trying to force myself to use a reader, mostly because I forget sites. And yes, clearly, forget to bookmark them too.

Here I was again though, thinking about it then I realised I hadn’t read blogs in a while, and had forgotten to use the reader. Either I’m going batty, getting old (not that old though, ok), or just busy. Must be busy I suppose…

The downside as I see it: I just visited Mel‘s blog post.

Posted at 9:00 am • Trackback Trackback

Posted in hot

4 comments - Latest by:
  • mel
    If you do, I'd like to know how they like it. I don't know anyone who has one.
  • richard
    Oh wow that's perfect! I'm going to have to get the parents one :)
 

Jul 11
2010

Posted by richard

This is something that I’m really surprised hasn’t been more of a market.

My mother uses this really old mobile phone, a simple Nokia with no frills, barely even a digital display and fairly large buttons (although not too large IMHO). She doesn’t need anything else, as it’s only for emergencies anyway. She can’t see well, and she’s not too tech savvy, so it’s perfect for her.

My father on the other hand, a bit more tech-savvy although still like comparing a four year old with a five year old. He at least knows he can get information on train/plane times on the internet and recently started asking me about phones that do this. He got a Nokia X6 the other day, but today he called me to say it was awful and he couldn’t get on with it.

So my question is, why haven’t these large mobile phone companies, with all their resources, made phones for the aging? Big buttons, less gadgets and stuff on them, perhaps more intelligent voice control or large video displays or at least bigger icons and text? There must be a market for it, as more and more people use mobiles phones on a daily basis, and generally speaking people don’t see as well when they get older, or hear as well etc.,

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Posted at 3:49 am • Trackback Trackback

Posted in life

3 comments - Latest by:
  • richard
    Yeah I suppose they would, a slice of my credit card action! They're going to be disappointed though, I always ...
  • mel
    I'm guessing that the person you're on the phone with gets some sort of bonus by selling you all the ...
 

Jul 11
2010

Posted by richard

My God getting a credit card activated these days is a really long procedure! I knew in the past that they ask you to get the extra protection cover but these days it’s even longer, they try to sell you insurance, and other plans.

I suppose that it’s good because they want to ensure that the customers stay with them and keep paying them regularly, but surely they can mail us all this stuff rather than keep us on the phone for 15 minutes going through bullshit!

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Posted at 10:22 am • Trackback Trackback

Posted in technology

2 comments - Latest by:
  • macbros
    Ditto to what mel said
  • mel
    Can't IE just go away? I mean, with so many web developers bitching about it, you would think the ...
 

Jul 7
2010

Posted by richard

Ok it’s not here yet, exactly, but it’s on the way.

You can download the new beta version and read about all the new goodies in the release notes. But the real question that I thought the Independent missed on was, or rather what they glossed over quickly, if Microsoft didn’t have a stranglehold on the PC market, would IE be the market leader?

Surely, with something like 31% of the market, Firefox has a good grip on things. Like most people, most journalists, most newspapers, the Independent in that article simply forgot the fact that the “most popular” (it coined Firefox as the “second” most popular) browser has been losing market share for years now…

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Posted at 9:55 am • Trackback Trackback

Posted in life

3 comments - Latest by:
 

Jul 7
2010

Posted by richard

I am livid about this.

A few years ago, the local council decided they wanted to build a leisure centre in town. This had a new swimming pool, gym, and so on. It was largish for a town of our size, very well designed and put together. Of course, our money, our -tax- money paid for it.

Now, fast forward to today when it’s running (it opened a few months ago) and we have to pay for the privilege of a membership to the place. Let me just refresh your memory: our -tax- money paid for it.

So it’s something like £20 a month, all access kind of thing, I suppose it’s a fair price if it was a gym.

Ok, move on Richard.

Today I hear that there is a certain Royal someone coming to our charming little town. Wow, I am so graced! They’re coming (although, to be fair, I’m not sure if it’s -just-) to see our new leisure centre.

What’s pissing me off? The fact that certain local bigwigs are being invited to the Royal reception for the leisure centre. Let me refresh your memory again: our -tax- money paid for it. So even though the tax money went into it, and it’s -for- the public (yet we have to pay for membership/access), to have someone say ‘Ooh aah’ at it, only the bigwigs get invited. How nice.

Surely if it is public money that went to construct it, the public should be involved in any praise, not the local businesses that made money from it’s construction? I really do feel like we, the public, are just the (government/ruling class)’s piggy bank.

I want to move to another country.

Oh, and although I know it will do NO good at all (as I’ve done it in the past), I’m writing to my local MP to complain and whine about it.

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Posted at 8:56 pm • Trackback Trackback

Posted in life

3 comments - Latest by:
  • mel
    I much prefer the sound of crows and roosters at 5 a.m. to police sirens.
  • MrCorey
    Mac's town is too crowded for me!
 

Jul 3
2010

Posted by richard

This happens every time I house-sit for my parents.

For one, their beds are are just ridiculously soft, the proverbial mattress ready for the pea and the princess. You almost sink right into it.

It’s also rather warm right at the moment, the humidity is intolerable. Well, I say intolerable, but I’ve had much worse in the US, but at least in the US there were ceiling fans. We don’t expect such weather here so we don’t install ceiling fans.

Then this morning, at 5am, I hear this raucous sound from the local murder of crows. Let me tell you, I was thinking of murder… I’ve heard crows are some of the most intelligent animals, but at 5am that wasn’t very comforting.

I think I prefer life in towns and cities, at least there you don’t get the added sounds of the country!

Posted at 2:11 am • Trackback Trackback

Posted in sports

No comments so far - add one!
 

Jul 2
2010

Posted by richard

I don’t like to jinx the whole thing, but could this be the year that we get a British Wimbledon champion? With Federer out, Murray has less of a challenge, although he has Nadal coming up which will be tough. That will be a good match.

So, here’s crossing fingers, all hope against hope. Come on Murray, we know you can do it.

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