October 16, 2007 at 11:00 pm
· Filed under Miscellany
We've just moved in to our new house Reading, Berkshire. It's a nice little place with plenty of space for the two of us. Paul has done an amazing job of renovating it throughout.
Sophia is turning one of the rooms downstairs into a yoga and Pilates studio. She is teaching private classes and group courses of up to 4 people. She had her first booking yesterday!
If you have friends in Berkshire who are looking for a Pilates/yoga teacher who can work wonders, please point them to these pages on Sophia's website… yoga in Reading and Pilates in Reading.
Have you watched the latest Dairy Milk advert? It has absolutely nothing to do with Dairy Milk chocolate, but it is an outstanding production.
Why did they do it? In the producers words…
Well it just seemed like the right thing to do.
I saw the advert on TV over the weekend and mentioned it to Neil "The Sport" Monnery yesterday who was also raving about it. Everything makes this advert outstanding - the choice of music (In the Air Tonight - Phil Collins), the special effects, the mimicking oh human behaviour, the filming, the timing, the irrelevance.
Web marketers will also nod in approval that the advert (deservedly) has it's own website www.aglassandahalffullproductions.com and is supported by an Adwords campaign. Search on Google for Dairy Milk Advert and it ranks as the first sponsored result. Good attention to detail.
August 4, 2007 at 2:27 pm
· Filed under Miscellany
When little Joey was expelled from school at 15 years old for burning down the science blocks, he said he wanted to be an electrician. The school careers advisor never liked Joey, and that's why he sorted him out with the most important electricians job in the world…
June 30, 2007 at 10:51 am
· Filed under Miscellany
Sophia and I are engaged!
I've not told anyone other than my parents and sister yet. I mean, how are you supposed to announce a huge piece of news like this, especially when you are away from home. So hey, how better than via my blog?
I bought Sophia a diamond (online of course) and used it as bribery to persuade her to accept my proposition. I can't believe she fell for it! We've since visited a few jewellers in KL and her band (ring) is now being crafted.
We have not decided on a wedding ceremony yet though it is likely to be in Asia. It won't be a typical British or Chinese wedding, it will be something different and meaningful. The important thing is that I've found an amazing person and I want to spend a lot more time with her
The local milkman just knocked on my door trying to drum up business. Hats off to him for putting in the leg work to win people over. Face to face contact is what local communities have revolved around for centuries. But that's changing and our milkman left my door without making a sale.
He said that he wanted to keep the local round going. Without more customers, it might go bust. Nobody likes to see long-held traditions die out, but businesses have to keep up with the times. As the years go by, British milkmen are going to come across more and more people like me.
Although my previous experiences with milk delivery has been good, one thing always bugged me - I am out of control of our business relationship:
I have to remember to write notes on scraps of paper when I want more or less milk. (My memory is next to useless).
I have to remember to cancel the milk when I go on holiday.
I have no idea how to contact my milkman (although there is probably a number on www.yell.com).
I have to write a cheque (or leave cash by the door) to pay for my milk. Who writes cheques in 2007?
I don't know how much each months bill is going to cost.
I don't know what other products my milkman can deliver.
I told the milkman that he needs to get a website. He laughed and said "no thanks". But he has no idea how a good website could transform his business…
Every customer would have total control over their orders and change them whenever they want.
His sales would increase dramatically as people discover all the other things he sells.
He can email all his customers and build stronger relationships with them (most people have virtually zero contact with their milkman because they deliver the milk so early in the morning).
He would be paid on time by Direct Debit or credit card. No more chasing bad debts.
He would have a record of all the deliveries he needs to make every day, so he won't get orders wrong.
It could become his accounting system and stock control system.
I love the fact that milkmen reuse the glass milkbottles. I am impressed that they have used low-emission electric milk-carts for decades. I like the quirky British idea that milk should be freshly delivered every day.
But it's not enough to make me buy their milk. They need to make life easier for me. Businesses must innovate to survive and British milkmen will go bust unless they catch up with modern life.
One of the reasons that we always build websites that use email address as the username is because it's easy for the user to remember. I've just remembered another reason - if your website becomes seriously popular, you run out of good usernames.
I just tried all these names while trying to register on Last.fm (Alexa 344):
April 28, 2007 at 7:19 pm
· Filed under Miscellany
BBC journalist, Alan Johnston, was kidnapped 7 weeks ago in Gaza. The good news is that the BBC has information to suggest he is in good health. It has called upon bloggers to help raise awareness of Alans abduction. He is one of the few remaining journalists in Gaza risking their lives to report news from the lawless territory.
"We, the undersigned, demand the immediate release of BBC Gaza correspondent Alan Johnston. We ask that everyone with influence on this situation increase their efforts to ensure that Alan is freed quickly and unharmed."
April 27, 2007 at 12:43 am
· Filed under Miscellany
The world will breathe a sigh of relief when George Bush finally leaves the Whitehouse on 4th November 2008. The decisions made under his presidency have fuelled global terrorism and led to the deaths of thousands of people around the world. At best, he has been a miserable failure. At worst, he is guilty of war crimes.
Who worse to step into his bloodied shoes than all-out Iraq war supporter, John McCain? The 70 year old Republican senator yesterday launched his campaign to become the next president of the United States. Like Bush, he too has a special way with words. When I heard his speech on the radio, I couldn't quite believe what I had heard. So I've checked, and he did indeed say…
Today, I announce my candidacy for President of the United States. I do so grateful for the privileges this country has already given me; mindful that I must seek this responsibility for reasons greater than my self-interest; and determined to use every lesson I've learned through hard experience and the history I've witnessed, every inspiration I've drawn from the patriots I've known and the faith that guides me to meet the challenges of our time, and strengthen this great and good nation upon whom all mankind depends.
That's right, he believes that "all mankind depends upon this great and good nation".
Since when did mankind depend upon the United States, let alone any other nation? You might suggest that mankind depended upon the US for its help in the Second World War but that is not true because "all of mankind" was not involved in the Second World War. So what is mankind dependent upon the United States for? It plays an important role in furthering our scientific knowledge and its corporations have created products that have raised the standard of living for billions of people. That's an outstanding achievement. But in no way whatsoever does the mankind depend upon the United States. If the country were to sink without trace, the rest of us would get by just fine.
Come down from cloud cuckoo land McCain and talk some sense will you? Arrogant, self-opinionated and downright ridiculous statements such as this parade you as an idiot. See what it has done for Bush - he has beaten all 53 men before him to become the worst President in history.
April 24, 2007 at 11:06 pm
· Filed under Miscellany
The clever chaps over at A List Apart have come up with a cunning plan for us webby people to find out more about our industry and each other. They have created the first ever survey for web designers, information architects, usability experts and all the other website professionals. I am looking forward to reading the results some time in June.
April 24, 2007 at 9:18 am
· Filed under Miscellany
It's that time of year when the "culture jammers" at Adbusters encourage the world to turn off their TV's for 1 week and do something less boring instead (quote: Why Don't You?).
Could you cope without TV for a whole week? No problem. But they'd better not go getting any bright ideas about an "Internet Turn Off" week.
Check out the advert below and tell me if you too think that the last child filmed should be cast for the next Poltergeist film…
We've just moved in to our new house Reading, Berkshire. It's a nice little place with plenty of space for the two of us. Paul has done an amazing job of renovating it throughout.
Sophia and I are engaged!
The local milkman just knocked on my door trying to drum up business. Hats off to him for putting in the leg work to win people over. Face to face contact is what local communities have revolved around for centuries. But that's changing and our milkman left my door without making a sale.
The world will breathe a sigh of relief when George Bush finally leaves the Whitehouse on 4th November 2008. The decisions made under his presidency have fuelled global terrorism and led to the deaths of thousands of people around the world. At best, he has been a 
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