A very Happy New Year to you all (albeit a tad late). I don't have time for a lengthy blog post, but in these gloomy times (my company was "credit crunched" just before Christmas), I thought I'd just share a song that never fails to cheer me up if I'm feeling depressed:
Friday, 9 January 2009
Friday, 5 December 2008
Blood on the tracks
Anyone unlucky enough to be a regular railwaly commuter between Brighton and London will have found it impossible to ignore the current furore surrounding the new winter timetable, which comes into effect on December 15th. My friend Jen has featured in the Brighton Argus recently, complaining bitterly about the changes. So what's it all about?!
In a bid to meet new government targets, the number of Victoria services is being increased, while the number of trains calling at London Bridge and Clapham Junction is actually being reduced at peak times. The practical impact is that commuters will have to spend on average five hours a week longer on the trains, and rather than having a single uninterrupted journey, they will have to change at Hove or Haywards Heath. The chances of getting a seat when boarding an already-packed train are... not good. And when one pays £3,500 for the privilege... you can understand peoples' fury. On top of this, train fares are going up by an average of 7% in January, adding another £200 a year to the average commuter's bill.
According to the Southern Rail boss Chris Burchell, this genius plan all came out of a 3-year strategic review, in which nobody raised any serious objections... because they never actually asked anyone at London Bridge or Clapham stations. They asked commuters at Victoria, who naturally aren't bothered about services to other stations - and were therefore able to report that 10/10 commuters said they didn't mind the London Bridge connections being reduced. They might have well asked a drainpipe if it cared about an eBay bid on a Morris Minor - quite what these market research companies use to think with is beyond me, but it does make me wonder if money changed hands to guarantee a favourable outcome to support the new government plans.
Today Chris Burchell is being grilled (electronically) on The Argus website. Many of the questions and comments are of a very emotive and personal nature - such as "taking away precious contact time between daddy and baby" - and I have every sympathy with the poor commuters who will be suffering under this ludicrous regime.
The rail industry in the UK is a complete joke. Despite being privatised, it now costs the taxpayer more in subsidies than it ever did under public ownership. Compensation schemes between operators are a farce, while on an individual level monthly or yearly ticket holders are unable to claim compensation for late or cancelled services. Service are run to meet targets, not to meet the needs of the users. You still cannot take a bicycle on mainline trains between 07:00 and 10am, and wheelchair users must often book up to a week in advance to receive help boarding trains.
I have three suggestions to commuters who want to end this misery:
1) Give up your season ticket and get in your car.
2) Leave your job for one nearer to home.
3) Move to London.
I predict that the first political party which vows to clear up this mess will do very, very well. Now where's my manifesto...?
In a bid to meet new government targets, the number of Victoria services is being increased, while the number of trains calling at London Bridge and Clapham Junction is actually being reduced at peak times. The practical impact is that commuters will have to spend on average five hours a week longer on the trains, and rather than having a single uninterrupted journey, they will have to change at Hove or Haywards Heath. The chances of getting a seat when boarding an already-packed train are... not good. And when one pays £3,500 for the privilege... you can understand peoples' fury. On top of this, train fares are going up by an average of 7% in January, adding another £200 a year to the average commuter's bill.
According to the Southern Rail boss Chris Burchell, this genius plan all came out of a 3-year strategic review, in which nobody raised any serious objections... because they never actually asked anyone at London Bridge or Clapham stations. They asked commuters at Victoria, who naturally aren't bothered about services to other stations - and were therefore able to report that 10/10 commuters said they didn't mind the London Bridge connections being reduced. They might have well asked a drainpipe if it cared about an eBay bid on a Morris Minor - quite what these market research companies use to think with is beyond me, but it does make me wonder if money changed hands to guarantee a favourable outcome to support the new government plans.
Today Chris Burchell is being grilled (electronically) on The Argus website. Many of the questions and comments are of a very emotive and personal nature - such as "taking away precious contact time between daddy and baby" - and I have every sympathy with the poor commuters who will be suffering under this ludicrous regime.
The rail industry in the UK is a complete joke. Despite being privatised, it now costs the taxpayer more in subsidies than it ever did under public ownership. Compensation schemes between operators are a farce, while on an individual level monthly or yearly ticket holders are unable to claim compensation for late or cancelled services. Service are run to meet targets, not to meet the needs of the users. You still cannot take a bicycle on mainline trains between 07:00 and 10am, and wheelchair users must often book up to a week in advance to receive help boarding trains.
I have three suggestions to commuters who want to end this misery:
1) Give up your season ticket and get in your car.
2) Leave your job for one nearer to home.
3) Move to London.
I predict that the first political party which vows to clear up this mess will do very, very well. Now where's my manifesto...?
Saturday, 15 November 2008
Quantum of Solace
I went to see the new James Bond film last night, and came away with mixed feelings. It's a fairly decent film, which runs at a fast pace, and is highly entertaining. I've heard it compared to the Bourne films, and it's true, this is probably the least "Bond-like" film ever made. The physical violence is fast and brutal, with Bond killing several times in the first 10 minutes of the film, showing no emotion as he goes. That's actually true to Ian Fleming's books - in which the Bond character is much darker and more brutal than the tongue-in-cheek paff served up by the likes of Roger Moore. In my (humble) opinion, Timothy Dalton was the best Bond to date, being the closest to the character in the books. Anyway, I'll run through the main parts of the film:
The plot
It's not a long film, but the plot twists, turns, and writhes like a snake. All utterly over-the-top, and unnecessary. The film is an immediate continuation from the previous Casino Royale film, and its main themes are Bond's need for revenge against the killers of Vespa (his lover), and the possible existence of a shady society bent on world domination (aka "Quantum"). The action constantly jumps from one country to another, characters come and go without more than a second glance, the true motives of Quantum are only touched on briefly, and it doesn't end satisfactorily - there's plenty of lose ends left untied. The film has three writers (Paul Haggis, Neil Purvis and Robert Wade), and it suffers as a result - too much input, too much confusion.
The gadgets
VERY low on the ground in this film. No laser-cutting watches or wrist-mounted dart guns. Just a swish mobile phone which sends photos of criminal suspects straight to MI6 headquarters at the touch of a button. The computer systems on display at HQ are really impressive, and probably aren't that far off being real, from what I've seen of Microsoft's fledgling touch-screen operating system. The trademark Aston Martin Bond car is thrashed (and shot) to pieces in the opening scene of the film, and isn't seen again - instead we're treated to a new Ford Ka, some Range Rovers, and a new Ford 4x4. There's no part for John Cleese's "Q", sadly.
The women
Two of them - one is a rather morbid ex-Bolivian secret service agent bent on revenge, the other is just a small cameo role for the gorgeous Gemma Arterton, which is really a waste of her acting talents.
The bad guys
No crappy henchmen in this film, gladly (shuddering at the thought of "Mr Kill" from Die Another Day). Mathieu Amalric puts in a very good performance as Dominic Greene, the central force for evil in the film, while Joaquin Cosio is convincing as an ex-dictator seeking to overthrow the Bolivian government.
As a stand-alone film it's a pretty good effort, but as part of the Bond franchise it leaves me wondering what direction they're heading in. There are several totally unnecessary action sequences, done just for the sake of blowing something up, or making the audience pay attention. That's not Bond - they need to look back at the first half of Casino Royale, and figure out how to capture more of that quiet intensity and brooding malice that set the film apart from the others.
Rating: 3 out of 5
The plot
It's not a long film, but the plot twists, turns, and writhes like a snake. All utterly over-the-top, and unnecessary. The film is an immediate continuation from the previous Casino Royale film, and its main themes are Bond's need for revenge against the killers of Vespa (his lover), and the possible existence of a shady society bent on world domination (aka "Quantum"). The action constantly jumps from one country to another, characters come and go without more than a second glance, the true motives of Quantum are only touched on briefly, and it doesn't end satisfactorily - there's plenty of lose ends left untied. The film has three writers (Paul Haggis, Neil Purvis and Robert Wade), and it suffers as a result - too much input, too much confusion.
The gadgets
VERY low on the ground in this film. No laser-cutting watches or wrist-mounted dart guns. Just a swish mobile phone which sends photos of criminal suspects straight to MI6 headquarters at the touch of a button. The computer systems on display at HQ are really impressive, and probably aren't that far off being real, from what I've seen of Microsoft's fledgling touch-screen operating system. The trademark Aston Martin Bond car is thrashed (and shot) to pieces in the opening scene of the film, and isn't seen again - instead we're treated to a new Ford Ka, some Range Rovers, and a new Ford 4x4. There's no part for John Cleese's "Q", sadly.
The women
Two of them - one is a rather morbid ex-Bolivian secret service agent bent on revenge, the other is just a small cameo role for the gorgeous Gemma Arterton, which is really a waste of her acting talents.
The bad guys
No crappy henchmen in this film, gladly (shuddering at the thought of "Mr Kill" from Die Another Day). Mathieu Amalric puts in a very good performance as Dominic Greene, the central force for evil in the film, while Joaquin Cosio is convincing as an ex-dictator seeking to overthrow the Bolivian government.
As a stand-alone film it's a pretty good effort, but as part of the Bond franchise it leaves me wondering what direction they're heading in. There are several totally unnecessary action sequences, done just for the sake of blowing something up, or making the audience pay attention. That's not Bond - they need to look back at the first half of Casino Royale, and figure out how to capture more of that quiet intensity and brooding malice that set the film apart from the others.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Monday, 10 November 2008
My blog has wings - 4 readers and counting
In an incredible development, I appear to have four regular readers. *Gulp!* I'd better start blogging something of worth... I'll start with a rant at the BBC. I turn on my TV in the morning, to find out what (if anything) has happened since I last turned it on. The answer? The Strictly Come Dancing result from last night. WTF?!!! Since when did utter paff like this become "news"? At what point did we as a nation consider that a bunch of B-list celebrities doing pretty shabby dance routines should become an object of serious discussion? In my humble opinion, it's all part of the "Karaoke Culture" which now dominates the mainstream in the UK. Witness the popularity of utter drivel such as the X-Factor, and the so-called "careers" which the so-called "stars" can go on and enjoy. This week's number one? It's Shaun, from X-Factor! Will he still be around in a year's time?... no! Will you be embarrassed by having his CD in your collection? Absolutely!! So why do these people get anywhere? It's a mystery to me. Answers on a postcard - or in the comments box.
In other news, my friend Jen has given a bad review to "Oki-nami", a new Japanese restaurant in Brighton, owned by Mr Fatboy Slim himself. It appears to be a hell-hole serving re-constituted puke, masquerading as Japanese food, but that's just her opinion - I haven't been yet (and don't intend to go). I'll just mention that Pompoko (on Church Road, opposite the Brighton Dome) is still my favourite lunchtime destination. For £3.90 they do a Tofu dish with rice, all drizzled in honey and ginger, with mixed vegetables. On my last count I got 33 pieces of Tofu - probably more that you get in an entire supermarket packet - making it outstanding value for money, and very nutritious too. With such fierce competition, I can't see Fatboy's new venture lasting very long.
In other news, my friend Jen has given a bad review to "Oki-nami", a new Japanese restaurant in Brighton, owned by Mr Fatboy Slim himself. It appears to be a hell-hole serving re-constituted puke, masquerading as Japanese food, but that's just her opinion - I haven't been yet (and don't intend to go). I'll just mention that Pompoko (on Church Road, opposite the Brighton Dome) is still my favourite lunchtime destination. For £3.90 they do a Tofu dish with rice, all drizzled in honey and ginger, with mixed vegetables. On my last count I got 33 pieces of Tofu - probably more that you get in an entire supermarket packet - making it outstanding value for money, and very nutritious too. With such fierce competition, I can't see Fatboy's new venture lasting very long.
Tuesday, 28 October 2008
It's getting crowded... welcome to my 3rd reader!
In a breath-taking development, this blog has increased its reader base by 50%. Yes, I now have THREE regular readers. The new subscriber shall remain anonmyous, but let's refer to him as "Monkey-Boy" for now. I look forward to his witty comments and informed opinion, as I hack away at the dross that makes up 95% of our culture.
This evening I shall touch briefly on 3 topical issues:
1) The Russell Brand / Jonathan Ross phone call to Andrew Sachs (read about it here if you haven't already done so). I'm disgusted by this, not just the fact that it was aired on the BBC, but the fact that some people could find such an escapade to be funny. Why do we pay over £100 every year to line the pockets of such big-headed idiots as Ross and Brand? Is this really the best they could do? Or were they both drunk / and or / high on drugs when they did it? I suggest that a satisfactory course of action would be for both the presenters to make sizeable donations to a charity of Mr Sachs' choice. I'd like to think that they might get sacked, but if they're the best, what kind of muppets would they be replaced with?!
2) The Credit Crunch: The Pound Shop on the London Road has gone bust. Now that IS worrying, especially as I was planning to do my Christmas shopping there. The Bed Centre on Queens Road has also closed, and some shops have started charging 5p for a plastic bag, should you wish to shun the recent social convention of walking around with your purchases on public display. The good news is that petrol is once again at an offordable price (94.9p a litre in Uckfield!), which means that the Bentley is out of the garage for the first time this year. Hurrah!
3) The Stamford Twenty/20 cricket matches. "It's not about the money" opined Kevin Pietersen, but as each of the players stands to make £550,000 for 4 hours' work, it's hard to imagine what else this cricket match might be about. Fair play, perhaps? Or avoiding "the crunch"?
This evening I shall touch briefly on 3 topical issues:
1) The Russell Brand / Jonathan Ross phone call to Andrew Sachs (read about it here if you haven't already done so). I'm disgusted by this, not just the fact that it was aired on the BBC, but the fact that some people could find such an escapade to be funny. Why do we pay over £100 every year to line the pockets of such big-headed idiots as Ross and Brand? Is this really the best they could do? Or were they both drunk / and or / high on drugs when they did it? I suggest that a satisfactory course of action would be for both the presenters to make sizeable donations to a charity of Mr Sachs' choice. I'd like to think that they might get sacked, but if they're the best, what kind of muppets would they be replaced with?!
2) The Credit Crunch: The Pound Shop on the London Road has gone bust. Now that IS worrying, especially as I was planning to do my Christmas shopping there. The Bed Centre on Queens Road has also closed, and some shops have started charging 5p for a plastic bag, should you wish to shun the recent social convention of walking around with your purchases on public display. The good news is that petrol is once again at an offordable price (94.9p a litre in Uckfield!), which means that the Bentley is out of the garage for the first time this year. Hurrah!
3) The Stamford Twenty/20 cricket matches. "It's not about the money" opined Kevin Pietersen, but as each of the players stands to make £550,000 for 4 hours' work, it's hard to imagine what else this cricket match might be about. Fair play, perhaps? Or avoiding "the crunch"?
Wednesday, 1 October 2008
Dell smell ! Or do they...?
In my role as Chief IT Monkey, yesterday I got to order a new Dell server to run ColdFusion 8. Buying hardware from a third party is always a bit of a tough decision for me, as I have a natural inclination towards building systems myself, so that I know exactly what's gone into each one. However, the nice thing about buying from Dell is that if the thing goes wrong, you can have an engineer on-site within a matter of hours. The other good thing is that from what I've seen, Dells don't go wrong very often!
The Dell website is a never-ending source of irritation. If the server isn't too busy, you can peruse a fine selection of machines, all at seemingly low prices. Take the basic T100 server that we bought yesterday - advertised as being "from £219". Click on "customise" - and the price starts to go up very, very quickly. Want a decent processor? Add £100. Want more than 1GB of RAM? That'll cost you. Want a floppy drive? Backup solution? Network card? Optical drive? By the time you've added everything you need, the price has gone up to £1,321 + VAT. This is true of all the Dell systems I've seen - by the time you've added the basics (like a processor, case, mouse, etc. - the bits that make it work), the price has trebled. They really ought to just say "from £800-odd" rather than the mis-leading £219 figure, which would pretty much just buy you an empty box with a 1-year warranty.
The server isn't too bad really, but I costed the parts and could have built it myself around £600 cheaper, minus the operating system. We stipulated that we need it here by the end of this week, and the official delivery date on the system is October 9th, so we might have cause for complaint unless they get a move on.
I managed to avoid the hard-sell from the Dell sales person, who was incredulous that I didn't want a RAID setup, or any backup software. "So... just the one hard disk? Are you sure, sir? If that disk should go wrong...". The trouble with RAID setups is that once they're installed and working, you forget about them. If one of the disks fails a year down the line, you'll have a hard job finding an exact replacement, as new disk models are coming out all the time. If you go RAID, make sure you buy a redundant hot-swap spare, and leave it inside the case - meaning you'll need to buy 3 hard disks as a minimum. We've opted for a 15k RPM SATA drive, which should shift the data at a fair rate of knots, and our in-house backup system provides entire disk images in case of failure. Let's hope Dell deliver a decent server!
Monday, 29 September 2008
Bowls update
Just to keep you updated with what I've been up to, I'm happy to report that I've had a very successful and enjoyable summer of bowls. Despite all this manky weather (which I think was more gloom than rain, as the number of cancelled games was actually very low), I've had a great time. It's been the first season since 2001 that I haven't changed my bowls halfway through (usually out of boredom and/or frustration), and the results speak for themselves. I promised myself in April that I'd play a whole season with the same set of bowls, and see what happens - as it turns out, I've won two club competitions at Lindfield, had a Middleton Cup trial and five Home Counties games for Sussex, won Division 2 of the Brighton League, won Lindfield's Australian Pairs tournament, and lost by 1 shot on an extra end in the Tom Francis Cup final. Along the way I've beaten some of the top players in the county, which is particularly satisfying.
My final competitive tally for the season is: played 72, won 50, drew 1, lost 21.
I'm happy with that :)
After a 2-day off season, I'm now bowling indoors, and start the serious stuff this weekend, with a county trial at Newhaven. Phew! I need a holiday.
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