The carrier bags are killing M&S
High Street stalwart, Marks & Spencer has reported a slump in profits by a third, and like for like sales also down sharply. Basically, customers are not shopping there as often as they did – and the CEO was interviewed…
Warning Messages on London Transport
Prompted by a comment on Annie Moles’s blog about sarcastic warning messages on the tube network I was reminded of a thought I had yesterday about the perpetual audio warning messages which pervade the transport system today. I was sitting…
Heinz Mulligatawny Soup
I am currently feeling somewhat ill (big aww!) and whenever I am ill, I tend to consume fairly large quantities of Heinz Mulligatawny soup. It is the only time I ever eat tinned soup – and I will only ever…
Personal information and high street retailers
Time for a bit of a rant, so are you sitting comfortably? Following the demise of my last less than trustworthy model, I find myself in need of a new printer. I was going to order one online, but as…
Chav-Gulls
Here I am sat at home trying to do some work. The balcony door is open and there is a cool breeze in the flat. There is also an almighty racket outside from the seagulls. Quite staggering amount frankly. So,…
The hottest temperature recorded on earth?
The mens’ deodorant brand, Sure is currently running a campaign on the tube (and probably elsewhere) claiming that their anti-persperant has been proven to work at, and I quote – “58 degrees Celsius – the hottest temperature ever recorded on…
Please think of the environment before printing
Have you noticed a rise in corporate email footers with the admonition to think of the environment before printing an email out? What was once a rare but oddly nice bit of comment has now become a flood as it…
The wrong ladder
One of the many tedious adverts exhorting us to sue people for our own clumsy mistakes is featuring a guy who, in his words “was fitting a fire alarm system but had been given the wrong sort of ladder”. He…
Hearing test
Back to the hospital this morning to get the results of a hearing test to try and work out what is wrong with – well, my hearing. You may have heard of cocktail party syndrome – where people are able…
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year?
Woes with the Post Office. Today I had to make two trips to Royal Mail institutions – one to pay a “fine” of 6p on some postage, along with a £1 handling fee – then off the post office to…
Postage stamps
I have just spent much of this afternoon writing out letters to verious organisations re the heritage railway I am researching – and filling in lots of overdue subscription renewals for various organisations I am a member of. They now…
Bank card fraud
Came home from shopping this lunchtime to a voicemail from the bank urging me to phone them asap – which caused a bit sick feeling in the stomach. It seems someone has managed to clone my debit card and is…
Trade shows and public relations agencies
Within the industry I work in, there is a gargantuan trade show next week. It is quite possibly the biggest trade show of the year, and anyone who is anyone will be there. Also, being the biggest trade show of…
Even a coffee shop?
A press release from the Thames Innovation Centre arrived this morning, which is actually quite interesting in what it is saying. The release comments on a plan to create a new UK science park that addresses environmental concerns on the…
Wednesday Whinges
If you work on a supermarket checkout, please try to slide the customer seperator bar to the back of the queue so that I don’t have to lean over other people’s shopping to pick it up. If you design websites…
Why are people panicking about the Oscars?
There is a lot of coverage on the news that the Oscars could be reduced to a *mere* press conference and wont have the gushing speeches and tedious lengthy presentation. Well, to me that sounds like a great idea! When…
Wednesday Whinges
If I am a subscriber to your magazine (and registered with you via my email address), please don’t send me an email suggesting that I would find a subscription a good idea and explaining what I am missing out by…
The Scientologists are Recruiting
It used to be problematic walking past the Scientologists center on Tottenham Court Road without some smartly dressed person trying to lure you inside for a “brain washing” exercise – but yesterday I saw they had set up a load…
Gizmodo-gate
You may have been following the Gizmodo scandal over the past few days – where one of their staff was visiting the huge CES trade fair, and acquired a TV remote control which enables the user to switch off TV’s…
Place or Plonk?
Something I have noticed quite a lot over the years, but only now remembered when sitting at a computer to comment about… Is how people put their shopping on the conveyor belt at supermaket checkouts. Some people place their food…
It takes a month to remove me from a mailing list?
As I prepare to leave my current employer, one of my tasks is to start closing down all the various newsletters I subscribed to as part of my work. So, I dutifully click on the unsubscribe links on the emails.…