Technology

The retention gambit–9 months free O2 broadband

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O2broadbandSo, yesterday I decided to bite the bullet and started signing up for BT Infinity. Despite the customer service rep’s assurances that all transfers would be handled slickly by them, the last stage in the process was the need to enter a ‘MAC’ code from O2, so, needs must, I gave O2 a call. At which point… they offered me nine free months in the next twelve, an extra three on the advertised six months they’re giving customers of two years or more.

That’s just plain silly.

I’m sadly not in a financial position to sign up to an additional 200 of expenditure a year that I don’t strictly speaking need to, and so renewed with O2 for another year. I did take the opportunity to upgrade to the ‘better’ of O2‘s two unlimited bundles. I’m unlikely to see tremendous performance boost but I’ll take what little I can.

I’m often amazed at what these retention lines are empowered to do. Given the cost of acquisition must be significant – I continue to get a mailshot a week about BT Infinity – loyalty is to be encouraged, and there’s limited ongoing cost in keeping a customer signed on.

Gardening

The first fruit*

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These aren't our plums. But they are impressive.After the first ripe tomato depressingly proved unsuitable for consumption, I had held out little hope for our Victoria plum tree. Most people who know about such things had reassured us that the first year was not one in which we should expect fruit, and despite the presence of the 20 or so plums on the tree I had assumed that ants, birds or something else would get them before we would.

I was absolutely wrong. Last night’s stiff wind blew the first ripe plum from its branches and I plucked a neighbouring one as well. On cutting, I had to trim around some slightly overripe flesh but the remainder – absolutely delicious. Amazing. Lush, even. Mega-lush.

This is what its all about.

In other garden updates, there’s continued cropping on the strawberry plant, the blueberries are ripening fast and the yellow courgettes are sprouting in force.

* technically the cucumber was the first fruit, and we have had strawberries too, but the ‘first tree fruit’ just didn’t feel right as a headline

Diet

Diet update

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Big plate small portionTwo weeks in and I’m feeling considerably better already. Still a way to go but some marginal progress is in evidence, I’m sleeping better and my appetite has (somewhat) shrunk). My willpower is also beginning to improve. If I keep going at current rates, I’ll be back to my wedding weight in three months or so. Which is a depressingly long time to get back to where you were, but progress is progress!

Technology

Digital housekeeping

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feather-duster-lamps-cleaningEvery time you get a new PC there’s a necessary process of housekeeping that goes on. Installing all the regular apps, changing the preferences, switching the wallpaper etc. As a younger man with more time on his hands, I’d blitz all this in a late night, gaming-fuelled session of downloads and manic configuration. These days, I can rarely be bothered. I’ve sung the praises of Google Chrome’s ‘Sync’ feature that takes care of that aspect of things for me (and given the truth of this, that takes care of most of it), but really need to find the service that does the rest – a free version of Dropbox and some tool that backs up the rest of my Windows preferences.

In the meantime, every time I come across one of these blips – either on my (finally returned) media centre PC or work PC, I find myself going the long way around – finding the email signature for that account, changing the default formatting of emails, changing the default applications, dismissing the nags, installing the relevant bits of freeware… it simply costs time.

I’m going to resolve to sort out each of these issues as I encounter them for the next couple of weeks and see what a difference it makes to my productivity…

Current affairs

Now is the summer of our discontent…

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Croydon Reeves Corner, London RiotsMy family around the world are looking on the riots in London with concern for us and disbelief that this could be happening. Riots are not something you associate with one of the most developed nations of the world. But times are tough, and the few catalysts have been sufficient to create an atmosphere of volatility and fear. And in this atmosphere, all it takes is a few opportunists to ‘justify’ the behaviour we’ve seen.

It’s happened to all of us, although generally in less dramatic contexts. The line at the airport that forms around a person who’s standing at the new passport control desk – that is unmanned and will continue to be. The perfectly nice boys who end up inexplicably picking on the kid who’s a little bit different at school. Group permission is granted by one or two triumphant acts of wanton illegality, in this case, and suddenly its ‘socially acceptable’. Of course it’s not, but groups sometimes behave in ways that individual people do not.

They should get Derren Brown on the case. His experience of manipulating large groups with psychological trickery is probably what’s needed to diffuse this (as well as the police, and maybe the army if things keep escalating).

In the meantime, I’ll duck and cover when I change trains at Clapham Junction…

Diet, Food

On hating food

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Talladega-Nights-s25The diet has begun again in truth now, having suffered badly for the last 9-10 months with detrimental affects on my weight and sense of self. I’ve regained 30% of the weight I lost, and, no long feeling slim and healthy, am struggling with the running and unlikely to be ready for October’s half marathon. I and am otherwise feeling… diminished. Ironic, as I’m technically enlarged.

The calorie counting has restarted in more approximate terms than when I accomplished the first lot of weight loss; I’m not sticking everything in Dailyburn although I’m leaving the tab pinned in Chrome as a fearful reminder on snack time. It’s been more than two weeks since I touched the office biscuit tin and lunchtime soups and salads have resumed.

It has made me once again look at tasty food with a sort of jealous loathing. I hate you, KFC, for being so wrong and delicious, I thought as the waft passed me in Victoria station last night. Curse you, Papa Johns, for the delicious looking flyers you put through my door. And the food blogs I read…. Damn, double and triple damn all the deliciousness you send my way.

I remember, the first time around all of these stood as incentives; as I progressed on my weight loss campaign (on a diet that’s purely calorie counting, you can eat anything – just not very much of it!) – I’d decide I was going to have Papa Johns for dinner and so not eat much of anything else for the rest of the day. But I’d forgotten how difficult it is to be hungry, and faced with temptation.

That said, two weeks in it is getting easier. The habit of having a decaff coffee every time hunger strikes instead of a biscuit; drinking more water, eating more soups and high-fibre foods, the low-fat alternatives…. all are becoming as familiar to me as once they were.

Wish me luck. If I get back within my BMI I will force myself to run the half marathon – but that means losing 7kg in the next two months, so might be a stretch!

Books

Charles Stross’ Rule 34

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rule34Having taken my time with A dance with dragons I was worried it would take me a while to get into my next read, but as I picked Charlie Stross’ Rule 34, I’ve thankfully fallen straight into it (bonus: Kindle edition is cheaper than paperback!).

The follow up to another favourite near-future read of mine by Stross, Halting State, the world of Rule 34 is a near-future Scotland in which a few polis protagonists cope with a seedy, run down, cyberpunk dystopia – filled with semi-believable technology (AR glasses and overlays, 3D printers and the associated black market, etc etc) – which are absolutely fascinating. And Charlie tells of them with his easy, occasionally impenetrable (due to the need to interpret a written interpretation of strong Scottish accents) prose and dialogue.

A ready pleasure.

Unfortunately, at 360 pages, it’s not going to last long. So I’m going to need more book recommendations…

Books, Dadblogging, Television

Lord Eddard Stark’s parenting qualities

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Eddard-StarkLast night Amanda was away and I was feeling slightly ill – so an evening of extreme vegetation was called for – recorded / downloaded episodes of Chuck and Smallville. A proper veg-out.

Was amused by Chuck’s late season-4 line: "Come on, Eddard, that’s a crazy idea. You can’t let your sons keep direwolves!"

It was a piece of uniquely poor parenting, come to think of it. Eddard, for all his lordly gravitas and honour, caring fatherly looks and love, made a number of poor parenting decisions. Em is never getting a direwolf – maybe a puppy, but that’s where I draw the line!

Here are a few of his parenting highlights:

  • letting all his children, age 4-17, keep direwolves, giant man eating wolves
  • letting his eldest (bastard) son make a permanent, unalterable life choice at the age of 17
  • bringing his two daughters into the most dangerous city in the world

Anyone else pick out any other particularly poor parenting decisions by Lord Stark?

Also, this 16 bit RPG summary of season one of Game of Thrones is brilliant:

Technology, Television

Tivo’s return to the UK

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TiVo everywhere at the momentI’ve been looking on, with not inconsiderable envy, at the Virgin Media / Tivo adverts that seem to be everywhere at the moment.

We were early fans of the Tivo service, signing up via its then-partner Sky in 2000 for the service. The market wasn’t ready for the expense or complexity of it, however, and despite phenomenal expenditure on PR and marketing (I briefly worked for Sky/Tivo’s then PR agency in 2004 and the campaign was regarded as a massive success).

Now, after years of Sky+ and Freeview PVRs, the market is unquestionably ready. But I still don’t live in a cable area and so am exempted from the service. Damnit.

Still, the fact that Tivo’s back is a good thing. I’m sure that they’ll maintain exclusivity with Virgin for a while but I would pay good money for a Freeview PVR, I think, in spite of the fact that I have a glut of DVB and Freesat receivers via my media centre, TV, and old Sony PVR…

Observational

Winter is coming

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Fresh BreathWhen I was a kid I was fascinated by the way breath misted on exhalation when the weather was cool enough. It was a frustration to me that it didn’t happen in Malaysia.

Yesterday, for the first time since the Summer proper began, my breath misted. Which doesn’t quite have the same exciting cachet it did when I was 10 and first visiting the UK, marking as it does the decline of the summer.

<sigh>. At least we have one more summer break to the seaside planned – looking forward to it, Damo!

Armand David's personal weblog: dadhood, technology, running, media, food, stuff and nonsense.