Playboy Launch A Non-Nude App
I read of this in the Sunday Times, but it’s here in Tech Dirt.
It’s not much good for me, as I don’t buy Apple products.
So perhaps that old chestnut about buying it for the articles might be true. As now you can?
Mother Knows Best
Yesterday, Slummy Mummy in The Times had two interesting thoughts courtesy of her mother.
The first was an absolute gem.
Since it’s people in towns who like badgers, we should exchange them for urban foxes.
Now that’s an idea! But it might get rid of the last few urban hedgehogs. The second was a sensible aside on the subject of horsemeat.
You’ll be glad to know that everything is shop-bought,” she says, opening the fridge door with a flourish. It is full of Findus lasagnes.
“They were on offer. I got them before they were withdrawn
I bet she’s not the only one who took advantage.
This Is Getting Beyond A Joke
After trying to boil me last year, this house is now trying to freeze me to death. I can just about get the heat up to 18.5°C, by having the boiler on full and controlling the valves manually upstairs.
As to having a bath, that is impossible. As we decided to take it out last week. But only on condition, I had a working shower. Guess what both showers are not working. Now they have done this before, so I suspect that could be down to the cold weather too! I just tried the shower again and took this picture.
My Stone-Cold Leaking Shower
Note how the water is leaking everywhere. The water was absolutely stone cold.
I suppose the shower isn’t too important, as I know that I can get one at my physio tomorrow.
But what did I do to deserve to be frozen to death? Or am I drowning, as my nose just never stops running with this rhinitis? But then, I had this chronic rhinitis for some years as a child, so I know despite it’s worst intents, it doesn’t appear to be fatal.
In some ways the worst pain I have is in my left humerus, where the school bully broke it. But that isn’t at all funny.
I suppose I could always move to somewhere like Mali, where I’m told it’s a bit warmer.
Patchy Paperwork
I was interviewed today, by a student from Liverpool University about some of the aspects of widowhood.
One thing that got me at the time of C’s death, was how professional some organisations and companies were and on the other hand how sloppy some others were.
I was moved to write to The Times, and this is my letter they published on April 16th, 2008.
The paperwork carried out when a relation dies should be standardised across all organisations.
I was widowed last year, and it is only now that I’m starting to get my life together. The response of the various government and local authority departments in handling all the paperwork involved has been very patchy.
Registrars: excellent, very sympathetic and efficient; Work and Pensions: bereavement allowance came through with a few hiccups, but not too difficult; Premium Bonds: system worked but could have been better; council tax: this was reduced automatically on signing a form by St Edmundsbury — totally painless; DVLA: its online systems worked well; winter fuel payment: found difficult to claim and missed it for last year.
The private sector wasn’t that much better, with some companies having people whose sole job appeared to be to deal with bereavement faring much better than those that didn’t. Some wanted death certificates, some accepted faxed copies and others took my word.
We need a lot more joined-up thinking in this important area, as, with nearly a million deaths in the UK every year, it would surely help the bereavement process for those left behind if every company, organisation, government department and authority were automatically notified. After all, if St Edmundsbury can do it here in supposedly sleepy Suffolk, then surely everyone else can.
Since moving to London, I could add a few to both lists, although nothing has been specifically about bereavement. In some ways the biggest surprise has been that the London Borough of Hackney hasn’t made any mistake, that has caused me the slightest bit of inconvenience.
My University Scarf Rides Again
I’ve started wearing my Liverpool University Engineering scarf again in this weather.
My University Scarf Rides Again
You don’t seem to see as many university scarves as you did, when I went to University in the 1960s.
But in this weather it’s very warm.
A Real Winner From The Shard
The Shard is not my favourite building, but I do admire the skill of those who designed and built it, even if the overall shape and height are in my opinion not right for London.
But they have now announced that London-based Mace will team up with British firm EC Harris to create the Kingdom Tower in Jeddah. There’s more here in this article on the BBC’s web site.
So we must be good at something!
The Shard Is Now On The Buses
A lot of the buses in London are now promoting The Shard.
The Shard Is Now On The Buses
The picture shows the advert on the side of a 277. I wouldn’t think this is that necessary as for the Leamouth end of the route, if you’re upstairs on the bus, you can actually see the building.
I wonder if advertising the view from a building on the side of a bus, is a bit like advertising a film? With films, they are usually not up to much, so is the view from The Shard, not the best view for the cost.
The ISA Rip-Off
It’s the cash ISA time of the year and I’ve just been looking at the rates. As to what an ISA is, it’s probably best summed up by this page in Money Saving Expert. Here’s the first paragraph.
A cash ISA is just a tax-free savings account. You don’t need to lock the cash away, many are easy-access. Each tax year EVERY person over 16 in the UK can put a new £5,640 in these accounts that pay up to 2.8%. And once in there, the money stays tax-free, year after year.
The rates are derisory and are very poor compared to what I get from Zopa.
Admittedly, there are tax advantages, but why can’t I get those with a peer-to-peer lender if I agree to lock my money away for several years?
The Oscar Pistorius And Vicky Pryce Cases
These two cases going through the Courts in South Africa and London, are in my mind not news and it is wrong they lead the BBC News.
The first is a tragedy for everyone involved and the second is a bit of political tittle-tattle that is all about the breakdown of a marriage, which went a lot more than wrong.
Why is the BBC wasting my licence fee on these sort of stories? The cases should be left to the tabloids.
The third story, the rise in the number of employed in the UK,should have led the News. Jobs are much more important than gossip.
A Glimpse Of The Morning Star
A few days ago, I saw a lady reading The Morning Star on a bus. I hadn’t seen a copy for many years.
The lady was reading the television programs and I wondered whether they carry the information for channels not very well disposed to the left.
Perhaps the funniest story about the paper, was that many years ago, their racing tipster was doing very well in the naps table carried in The Sporting Life, that gave a prize for the best tipster after the season. Their sales went up a couple of notches.
