IMS_Blog

The Cost Of Trains

I know I just alluded to it but the cost of trains are really bugging me. It’s not so much the entire expense—though that does seem far too high—but the illogic of the pricing. Take, for example, a journey from Kings Cross, London to Newcastle, up the East Coast Mainline (something I do quite a bit). Ignoring for the moment the wonderful “cheap advanced fairs available” (i.e. if you book crazy times a year in advance…) then the standard saver/cheap day single ticket costs £98.30. However, the standard saver/cheap day return ticket is £99.30. This allows you to make the same journey as the single and then make a return journey within a month. Compare those prices for a moment. There are only two logical conclusions. Either a single journey should cost £1 (the apparent cost of that return journey, for which they’d happily sell you a £98.30 single ticket), and by extension the return ticket £2; or the single should really only cost £49.65. I refuse to accept that we have anything like a sensible public transport system in this country until one of those two situations matches reality. (The open tickets do follow the one double the other pattern, and are completely and totally insanely expensive)

Skype Must Be Easy

Or maybe it’s just my mam getting better at using computers. Because he’s an appreciative cat Pepe bought her a webcam for christmas. Anyway, after I finally convinced the drivers to install, I installed Skype on her computer (and mine, for testing purposes). I have to say the whole Skype setup and testing seemed really smooth. And despite the fact I buggered off without really showing her how to use it she still managed to figure it out. I’d seen the fuss about Skype but now I see what it’s about. Smooth.

Keep It Up!

The reason I’d buggered off (see above) was that I was with Janet. Part of our adventures was a trip to the castle keep in Newcastle. Some photographs were taken.

Miss You

Speaking of Janet, you’re far too far away tiger

A4E Are Awful

This leads me to remember that I really ought to record that Action for Employment (A4E) are a sodding awful firm, one of the very worst I have had the misfortune to deal with. It saddens and sickens me that some of those most vulnerable and in need of help are being forced into the hands of such uncaring companies as this. Rarely have I came across such uncaring staff (for instance, openly admitting to seeing the job as nothing more than a way to pay for holidays) with unprofessional attitudes (constantly disrespecting “clients”, including personally insulting individuals in front of rooms of people). Even when I escaped (no thanks to their “help”—being involved with A4E was actually a major hindrance to my job search process; not least thanks to the almost total lack of appropriate resources), this company continued to pursue myself and my new employer despite it being made clear that neither had any interest in them. One can only assume they were desperate for some entirely undeserved credit. Heed my advice and stay clear of this company and the majority of its employees if you possibly can.

It is of course a personal view one I very strongly hold, and I could not continue without it being said.

A Quick Comment

In the ongoing efforts to combat stupid amounts of spam I think I pretty much broke commenting for a bit. Hopefully it’s unbroken again (thanks to some hackish fixes). Let me know if you run into trouble

Clear About Nuclear

The government have given their backing to nuclear power. I don’t want to say too much on the subject, given the reams of paper which have been written. There are a couple of things worth mentioning. The argument that nuclear can’t provide the full reduction in CO₂ emissions that is being aimed for is foolish. “Renewable” energy sources certainly can’t either. To actually meet the targets (which is of vital importance to the environment of the entire planet, including your bit) will require a mixture of approaches. No one will seriously suggest nuclear as a stand alone answer. The worry about what to do with waste for thousands of years has also always seemed spurious to me. What to do with it for a couple hundred years until we have advanced enough to better deal with it would seem a more sensible question (remember, a mere 150 years ago no-one could have dreamed of having a “nuclear” debate; it is either naive or with a far too great sense of self import to believe what we know now is everything). The government is to be applauded for this decision. Now they must give the same sort of backing to renewable and alternate energy supplies as well (and may I suggest a large injection of funding into fusion research).

New GMail Interface

It seems like very old news by now by GMail (or Google Mail if you prefer) have got round to making some improvements to their interface. I probably wouldn’t mention it if not to boast that my own Attachment Reminder Greasemonkey Script has been updated (at least to beta status) to work with the new interface (I think it should still work with the old one too but that’s untested). Kudos to Google for the official GMail greasemonkey API.

The Music Business Continue To Be Idiots

So Pandora is forced to shut in the UK, due to insane financial demands from the powers that be in the music business. Never mind that it offers a wonderful way for people to find music they like, and therefore might buy, then. It’s no good milking as much money as possible out of records if nobody knows of those records to start with. Not a good way to run a business.

Free Wifi On The Move

I’m managing to write some of this post on a train towards Newcastle. Free wifi on National Express East Coast. Woo!

Right, Just Post

OK, have to get this out the constant draft status it’s in. Post it already, then I can move on…