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Just a load of random thoughts and stuff i've been up to, probably not worth reading...Friday, January 19, 2007
Why I'm still going to keep a map in my boot....
Ok, I may like driving and I may be obsessed with anything gadget-like, but traveling yesterday was certainly not fun and I partly blame technology...
I was on a grad course down in Bracknell, which we got down to fine and stayed the night before and the night in-between - Although, the least time spent in Bracknell the better...
Anyway.
When we came to drive back yesterday, however, we had slightly more problem! What with the weather issues, the fact we left at half four and just generally the fact that we were in the vicinity of London.
We initially tried to use Steve's Sat Nav to find the quickest route, which it was absolutely sure was via the M25 - hmmm since when is any route via the M25 going to be quick?
Once we got on the M4 we soon realised this was a very very stupid idea, as all the signs said heavy congestion (judging by the news, I think congestion wasn't quite the word..) for the entire circle of the M25, so we thought we'd try the "shortest" route on the Sat Nav instead, taking us off onto backroads.... And I wasn't joking either when I meant backroads...
The problem with things like Sat Nav's is, if you say shortest route, to that it means the nearest route it can get to "as the crow flies". So it tried to take us down god knows what single lane track roads and country lanes, which of course, due to the weather, were all either blocked with tree's or flooded!
Eventually after some "gentle persuasion" we managed to stop it telling us to "Perform a U-turn" as we'd had to do enough of that ourselves to avoid all the tree-blocked roads which the Sat Nav insisted on trying to keep sending us back down!
Five hours later, via Aylesbury, Milton Keynes and god knows where, we finally got back to Nottingham!
So yeah, I may have been all praise for Sat Nav's previously and I still think it's worth it's weight in gold, most of the time. But just goes to prove you can't always rely on technology! If we'd had a map we might have got back in four hours, maybe...
The problem is, the routing software on them needs to vastly improve. To start with they are not intelligent enough to work out the difference between turning round because you can't / don't want to go one way, and making a genuine mistake. So you end up with the bloody thing trying to take you back the way you've just been for half an hour, until it works out you're not going to give in! They also need to have some way of letting you pick a different route if the one it originally decided on is no good i.e. an accident etc. This is probably available on the ones that you pay a subscription for to get traffic updates, but I can't see why it couldn't be a feature of all of them. There's always more than one way to get somewhere!
Perhaps they should start selling Sat Nav's with a free Atlas thrown in...
I was on a grad course down in Bracknell, which we got down to fine and stayed the night before and the night in-between - Although, the least time spent in Bracknell the better...
Anyway.
When we came to drive back yesterday, however, we had slightly more problem! What with the weather issues, the fact we left at half four and just generally the fact that we were in the vicinity of London.
We initially tried to use Steve's Sat Nav to find the quickest route, which it was absolutely sure was via the M25 - hmmm since when is any route via the M25 going to be quick?
Once we got on the M4 we soon realised this was a very very stupid idea, as all the signs said heavy congestion (judging by the news, I think congestion wasn't quite the word..) for the entire circle of the M25, so we thought we'd try the "shortest" route on the Sat Nav instead, taking us off onto backroads.... And I wasn't joking either when I meant backroads...
The problem with things like Sat Nav's is, if you say shortest route, to that it means the nearest route it can get to "as the crow flies". So it tried to take us down god knows what single lane track roads and country lanes, which of course, due to the weather, were all either blocked with tree's or flooded!
Eventually after some "gentle persuasion" we managed to stop it telling us to "Perform a U-turn" as we'd had to do enough of that ourselves to avoid all the tree-blocked roads which the Sat Nav insisted on trying to keep sending us back down!
Five hours later, via Aylesbury, Milton Keynes and god knows where, we finally got back to Nottingham!
So yeah, I may have been all praise for Sat Nav's previously and I still think it's worth it's weight in gold, most of the time. But just goes to prove you can't always rely on technology! If we'd had a map we might have got back in four hours, maybe...
The problem is, the routing software on them needs to vastly improve. To start with they are not intelligent enough to work out the difference between turning round because you can't / don't want to go one way, and making a genuine mistake. So you end up with the bloody thing trying to take you back the way you've just been for half an hour, until it works out you're not going to give in! They also need to have some way of letting you pick a different route if the one it originally decided on is no good i.e. an accident etc. This is probably available on the ones that you pay a subscription for to get traffic updates, but I can't see why it couldn't be a feature of all of them. There's always more than one way to get somewhere!
Perhaps they should start selling Sat Nav's with a free Atlas thrown in...
Labels: Random rants, Work
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Don't forget the Pool, Mike...
I'm not going to bother writing much about this weekend since Mike wrote a (extremely) long post, pretty much covering it... But I felt I had to respond to anyway.... :-)
Four of us (me, Mike, Claire and Surovy) went bowling last night... and as Mike put it, I appeared to completely lose the ability to bowl! I think I actually must have broken some kind of record, I managed to get the measly score of 76, yet, I bowled four strikes in the same game!? Hmmm.... That's probably because after every strike I got one pin down (or less) on the next bowl. Doh!
Anyway, Mike did, however, neglect to mention that we went to play pool afterwards - well after a very nice pizza at Pizza Express first... And Surovy and I beat him and Claire, seven games to nil! Sorry Mike... ;-)
So that helped the embarrassment of the bowling a little at least!
That's all I had to say anyway. Couldn't resist.
Oh yeah, another grad course for work next week, so down in Bracknell again for a couple of days (joy!), the course being Business Writing Basics... oh god, even thinking about it's making me want to fall asleep! Ah well, out the office for a couple of days, can't complain I suppose!
More later...
Four of us (me, Mike, Claire and Surovy) went bowling last night... and as Mike put it, I appeared to completely lose the ability to bowl! I think I actually must have broken some kind of record, I managed to get the measly score of 76, yet, I bowled four strikes in the same game!? Hmmm.... That's probably because after every strike I got one pin down (or less) on the next bowl. Doh!
Anyway, Mike did, however, neglect to mention that we went to play pool afterwards - well after a very nice pizza at Pizza Express first... And Surovy and I beat him and Claire, seven games to nil! Sorry Mike... ;-)
So that helped the embarrassment of the bowling a little at least!
That's all I had to say anyway. Couldn't resist.
Oh yeah, another grad course for work next week, so down in Bracknell again for a couple of days (joy!), the course being Business Writing Basics... oh god, even thinking about it's making me want to fall asleep! Ah well, out the office for a couple of days, can't complain I suppose!
More later...
Labels: Nights out / Nights in, Random rants
Monday, October 23, 2006
Love Clarkson, Hate Caravans
I just found this really funny, seems they were being given out at some caravan and camping show.
Why!? They'll never win! I might get some made up that look exactly the same, but with the the phrase the other way around and go replacing them in caravan windows ;-)
Labels: Random rants
Friday, September 29, 2006
Stressful week
Right, I won't say much about this because its probably best I don't. But I think it's ok talking about it now it's over.
Basically we got told on monday that there was a chance of being made redundant at work, quite a few people and that they were going to make the decision on the people to go by today and announce it. So it's not been the best week ever and todays been the worst!
But thankfully i'm ok! Escaped it this time and I still have a job so it's all good. Bloody IT industry, there's just no job security generally, but i'll have to get used to it I guess!
Feel sorry for the ones who went, its a very harsh way to lose your job, especially at such short notice :(
I need a drink......
Basically we got told on monday that there was a chance of being made redundant at work, quite a few people and that they were going to make the decision on the people to go by today and announce it. So it's not been the best week ever and todays been the worst!
But thankfully i'm ok! Escaped it this time and I still have a job so it's all good. Bloody IT industry, there's just no job security generally, but i'll have to get used to it I guess!
Feel sorry for the ones who went, its a very harsh way to lose your job, especially at such short notice :(
I need a drink......
Labels: Random rants, Work
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Expensive week!
It was very nice getting my car last year and having everything paid for a year, tax, MOT, service etc. But that's now meant that's it's all up at once a year later!!
Took it to Toyota today for the service and MOT, £160 (ouch), but it could have been worse and i'd much prefer to take a car that age to somewhere like that rather than some dodgy backstreet garage! Got an Aygo as the hire car too. The most basic car ever! But suprisingly quick actually - probably cos it's all made of plastic!
Next it's the road tax, another 150 quid!!! Like I said, expensive week...
Oh yeah, we got another 'entertaining' bill today, from the water company this time. Apparently, we are using an average of 2200 litres of water a day! Bearing mind the national average for a whole family is about 150 litres a day! Hmmmmm. I think somebody in one of the other apartments is syphoning off our water to fill their olympic sized swimming pool or perhaps we're helping to top up the local reservoir!?
Why can't utility companies ever get bills right???
Took it to Toyota today for the service and MOT, £160 (ouch), but it could have been worse and i'd much prefer to take a car that age to somewhere like that rather than some dodgy backstreet garage! Got an Aygo as the hire car too. The most basic car ever! But suprisingly quick actually - probably cos it's all made of plastic!
Next it's the road tax, another 150 quid!!! Like I said, expensive week...
Oh yeah, we got another 'entertaining' bill today, from the water company this time. Apparently, we are using an average of 2200 litres of water a day! Bearing mind the national average for a whole family is about 150 litres a day! Hmmmmm. I think somebody in one of the other apartments is syphoning off our water to fill their olympic sized swimming pool or perhaps we're helping to top up the local reservoir!?
Why can't utility companies ever get bills right???
Labels: Random rants
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
Need money! (but need a holiday!)
Me and Alex have been looking at going travelling somewhere next year, probably America or Canada. Would absolutley love to go for like a month or something, but at this rate I don't even know if i'll be able to afford a couple of weeks!
I love my car, but it means I have absolutley no money left over every month :-| Maybe they'll give me a pay rise at work soon... maybe....
I just can't do with another year of not going away anywhere! Whatever happens next year, I am GOING to do something!
Been looking at this company called Trek America who specialise in tours around america and a load of other countries. It does actually seem really good and reasonably well priced too for what you get. But there's sooo many good ones and by the time flights and everything are done with you're talking a couple of grand for two weeks i'd say.
And the best one, by far, is called Southern Sun, it's a tour that basically takes 21 days and stops at *takes deep breathe*....
That one's a minimum of £847 not including flights though....
Must think of a way to make some more money....
I love my car, but it means I have absolutley no money left over every month :-| Maybe they'll give me a pay rise at work soon... maybe....
I just can't do with another year of not going away anywhere! Whatever happens next year, I am GOING to do something!
Been looking at this company called Trek America who specialise in tours around america and a load of other countries. It does actually seem really good and reasonably well priced too for what you get. But there's sooo many good ones and by the time flights and everything are done with you're talking a couple of grand for two weeks i'd say.
And the best one, by far, is called Southern Sun, it's a tour that basically takes 21 days and stops at *takes deep breathe*....
- New York
- Washington DC
- Tennesse
- Alabama
- New Orleans (perhaps not??)
- Texas
- San Antonio
- Del Rio
- Carlsbad
- Arizona/New Mexico
- Mon. Valley
- Grand Canyon
- Lake Powell
- Zion
- Las Vegas
- Disneyland
- Los Angeles
That one's a minimum of £847 not including flights though....
Must think of a way to make some more money....
Labels: Holidays, Random rants
Monday, July 04, 2005
War of the Worlds
Well, I take back what I said yesterday, this was one of the worst films i've seen this year! I really did expect it to be a good film, particularly with Spielberg directing etc.
But it was shocking! I can't really remember the original film so I've got nothing to compare it against, but me and Stu both said the same, it had absolutely no story! I've never seen a film with such a lack of depth or detail. Nothing was explained, e.g. what the red weeds were - They just appeared and nothing was said either way about them. I won't say much more incase anyone's not seen (although i'd say don't bother!) Everything in the film was just left hanging or ended all of a sudden like it had been cut short. They didn't even bloody explain how the son miraculously survived! It was only just over an hour and a half long and it seemed to us like half the film was missing. If that was quite stictly based on the book, as I thought I heard it was, then i've lost all respect for H G Wells!
I'm just annoyed. I wanted that to be a class film and I wish I hadn't wasted 4 quid on it now.
But it was shocking! I can't really remember the original film so I've got nothing to compare it against, but me and Stu both said the same, it had absolutely no story! I've never seen a film with such a lack of depth or detail. Nothing was explained, e.g. what the red weeds were - They just appeared and nothing was said either way about them. I won't say much more incase anyone's not seen (although i'd say don't bother!) Everything in the film was just left hanging or ended all of a sudden like it had been cut short. They didn't even bloody explain how the son miraculously survived! It was only just over an hour and a half long and it seemed to us like half the film was missing. If that was quite stictly based on the book, as I thought I heard it was, then i've lost all respect for H G Wells!
I'm just annoyed. I wanted that to be a class film and I wish I hadn't wasted 4 quid on it now.
Labels: Films, Nights out / Nights in, Random rants
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