Christmas

So Christmas is over for another year. Pretty shitty for some; I can think of Woolworths for example. What a shame Woolies is no more, lets hope someone resurrects it in some shape or form in the near future. They are still going Strong in the USA and a few other countries, so they're not yet dead! Happy new year, it can only get better (?)

Employment agencies

Aren't employment agencies a pain? I dont think the expression "I'm not interested in that job" is fully understood. We all need to make a living, but when they keep on calling you, it stops you working properly. I've suffered as a client too; we were sent some terrible candidates, and allways took the people who applied directly to the advertisment on our website as they were much better.

Passwords

My MINT credit card uses some new type of security for on-line shopping, in that as well as having to type in the card number expiry date and security code, I have to type in a password too. However, they don't want you to type in the whole password, they want the 3rd, 5th and 8th characters (these numbers change each time). So whats the best way to determine the 3rd, 5th and 8th characters? Write it down. We are told never to write passwords down. You can reset your password, so I do this every time with random keystrokes on the keyboard. So what is the point? Is this any more secure? Sorry MINT, but I wont be using your card any more. Come on guys; keep it simple!
Oh yes and another moan about MINT: They don't have an email address, you have to contact them via a premium rate 0870 number - bloody crooks!

Facebook, what's the point?

Against my better judgement, I joined Facebook yesterday. I cancelled my membership today. Maybe it's just for teenagers, but I just don't get it. Are we all so insecure that we need to know exactly what our friends are doing, and even what they are thinking? I was going to use it to allow old friends to contact me, but I think I'll stick with Friends Reunited. Who chose to have things like a "poke" and "spanking" on the site? Employers often look up potential staff on Facebook, so watch what you put on it, or you may not get that job you wanted.

Salt and Vinegar

Ok, so this is not serious, but what has happened to Salt and Vinegar crisps? The taste is so strong, I just cannot eat them. Maybe I'm getting old, but there are some youngsters who agree with me on this.

Cheapest Mobile Phone Deal?

Which mobile phone company is the cheapest? The answer, of course, is "it depends". Do you want 300 text messages?, 100 minutes?, 2 hours Internet access?, picture messages? etc, etc. I have a pay as you go account with Orange, and when I add money to my account, I get as much or as little of whatever I want. The so called "bundles" offer too many messages and not enough minutes, or the other way around. If you go over your allocated number, the costs escalate to Premiership footballer wage levels! It's in their interest to keep things complicated. The general rule is if it's complicated, you will invariably get ripped off.

Credit Crunch

Ok, so I know naff all about accounting and economics but; How can a company that pays its boss a bonus of 12 million quid one year, can go bust the next year? Whatever happened to saving for a rainy day? At best this looks like greed and incompetence, and at worst it smacks of serious fraud. In the late eighties and early nineties, I worked for a small company that saved its profits during the boom, and then managed to survive during the recession. Short-term-ism is the way to go eh? (is that a word? - It is now!) The fat cats are still around!

What a moaner!

That regular tosser Alex Ferguson is having another whinge about referees again. This time because they have rescinded John Terrys red card. He thinks that referees are biased against his team, but the truth is they are all biased in favour of his team. Whenever he loses or something goes against him, it's always the referees fault. Wake up Fergie, the refs and the FA love you, it's everyone else who hates you; You twatt!

Virgin Trains

I went to Manchester by Virgin trains yesterday. The train was not too crowded this time. But I used to travel to the north west quite frequently, and if you didn't book in advance, it was almost imposible to get a seat. The solution is quite obvious - reduce the number of first class seats. The Virgin trains are 9 coaches long, 4 are first class, 5 are standard class, half of one coach in standard class is the shop. Virgin have admitted that their first class seats are only 50% filled. So why not make 2 of these coaches second class? Probably so that we book first class next time to avoid overcrowding.

The Big Bang?

So the big bang experiment has started, and we are all still alive and well. Or are we? Perhaps we have all been sucked into a black hole, and things will never be the same again. The M25 will start to work properly, Microsoft software wont crash anymore, Banks will start to LOSE money, fat cats will get thin, politians will tell the truth and Man Utd will get relegated. you never know! The scientists are all very smart, but does anyone realy care how the universe was created? It's here and we are stuck with it. Lets make the best of what we have. I'm sure 30 Billion quid could have been better spent on the starving throughout the world.

PayPal SKYPE Scam

My inbox this morning had 4 emails from PayPal detailing payments to Skype, 2 at 11:30 last night, and 2 at 1:30 this morning. Needless to say they were all fraudulent. I do have a Skype account but I have never added funds to it. I use my PayPal account for eBay only. PayPal have refunded the 2 smallest amounts, but now want me to file a claim for the other 2. So they keep my money while this investigation is going on. (or rather; it comes out of my Credit card account). What's the problem guys? You refunded 2 why not the other 2? What a shower! Is it any coincidence that Skype and PayPal are the same company? I shall remove Skype from my PC and close my PayPal account - when I get my money back! Grrr..........

Direct Debits

We were having a bit of a discussion in the pub last night about utility companies and their BILLS. Here is a strange fact: If you are rich, have a bank account and pay by direct debit, you get the cheapest deals. If you cant afford to pay monthly, your bills are more expensive, and if you are poor and have to use a pre-pay meter, you pay the most of all. So much for a caring society! And why are our bills going up when the utility companies make huge profits? It's for the fat cat directors and the shareholders (the rich ones again) - sod the customers eh?

M25

Any minor accident on the M25, becomes a major incident, with hours of delays for us poor motorists. The authorities certainly take their time clearing up. A recent problem was 9 hours to recover a few scaffolding tubes on the Dartford bridge. Of course, if there is a serious accident when life is at risk, then everything should be done to help, but if no one is hurt, then get it clear so we can go home! With the bank holiday comming up, I predict total gridlock on Friday afternoon, watch this space!

Carry on Clamping

Anyone watch the program on ITV about clampers? This is just legalised organised crime. Clamps should be banned, there's no justification for them, it's just another way for companies to rip off the motorist!