Android

I am a big fan of Android because it is open source, not tied to a single handset, comes with some really great software (including satellite navigation), some new and innovative software (such as Google Goggles and Google Layers) and has a very good user interface. Plus it is JAVA based so easy to develop for and has a very strong developer community.

The only problem is that there are no handsets that I want at the moment. The best one available in the UK is the HTC Desire, but that doesn’t have a front facing camera (neither will the HTC Desire 2). The best (most fully-featured) Android based phone in the world at the moment is the HTC Evo 4G, but this is only available on the Sprint network in America (plus it has really bad battery life). The DELL Streak is nice, but at 152.99mm is really too long for what I want.

There will be a lot of good Android based phones coming out this year – but I don’t know when (and when I am lusting after a new gadget, I don’t like waiting!).

Windows Phone 7

Previous versions of Windows mobile have been out for years and although pretty good, they have always been a bit buggy. I have owned several Windows based phones and have always had problems with all of them (6.1 has given me far fewer issues than previous versions – but it has been far from perfect).

Windows Mobile has always had an okay developer community and you can get most types of applications for it for free with no adverts.

The Windows Phone 7 operating system is due out later this year and it looks promising. All applications for Windows 7 will need to be written in Silverlight and all games will need to be written in XNA. I am a big fan of both Silverlight and XNA.

It doesn’t have Zune incorporated into it, rather a facsimile of it (so basically the same) – this is a very good thing.

The Windows Phone 7 interface as a whole looks very good – I like the concept as they are really making the phones interface personalised to the user.

However I don’t think they are doing enough. While the music interface will be good, I think the mobile interface will end up being clunky and slow to navigate around.

Microsoft do make some really fantastic software, but they suck at promoting it. For example, compare their official Windows Phone 7 website (which was hard to find via a Google search by the way!) to the official iPhone 4 website – if you didn’t know anything about the phones and just saw those 2 websites side by site, the clear winner would be Apple.

Apple iPhone 4

I am not a big fan of Apple. They keep bringing out devices with low-spec hardware – and software missing features that competitors have had for several years. Plus as people spend lots of money on apps, they then feel obliged/trapped into sticking with Apple so that they can retain those apps (with Microsoft or Android, if you buy an App you can then use it on any hardware with that operating system, not just a single device).

I see the Apple iPhone 4 as being a good smartphone for the mainstream, unlike Android which although is gaining on market share, I think is still being bought more by the technical community.

The iPhone 4 was announced this week and it does have some very good features – noticeably:

• A really good quality screen (although small in size compared with other phones)
• Very good battery life
• 802.11n WiFi
• Physically small phone
• The resolution of the iPhones and iPad screens are proportional, meaning that applications can be scaled to run on any of them (although they are better if they are custom-developed for each device)
• Gyroscope

The bad points of the iPhone 4 are:

• Small screen
• Non-standard screen resolution, so it not true 720p (this is because it is 4x the resolution of the previous iPhones – so that applications can be scaled to run on it).
• No kick-stand (so you have to hold it if you want to watch videos, etc.)
• Glass on the back (I think this will be reflective and annoying when it is on your desk)
• No FM Radio (I use the FM radio on my Windows phone every day when I walk into town to get my lunch!)
• CPU is likely to be under-clocked (as per previous versions of the iPhone) in order to improve battery life
• Only 32GB’s (max) internal storage
• No expandable memory (e.g. Micro SD card slot)
• The main camera has a small diameter lens
• Main camera is only 5mp (other mobiles have 8mp)
• Only single LED flash on the main camera
• Only a VGA quality front facing camera
• Video chat is iPhone 4 to iPhone 4 only (this is likely to change in 2011)
• Video chat is only possible over WiFi (this is likely to change in 2011)
• Currently no video Skype support (this is likely to change soon)
• No standard USB connection (this is a big deal when you go to a friend’s house and want to charge your phone!)
• No HDMI output port
• No free satellite navigation software (this is a big deal for me as I use it a lot on my current phone). You can purchase TomTom for £60 – but I would much prefer Google maps
• Not true multi-tasking
• The App Store encourages developers to make all apps either paid for, or to include advertising (many Android and Windows Mobile applications are free with no adverts)

Many applications are being written for Android and Windows first, then the iPhone. This is because the iPhone is:

• Harder and slower to code for
• Many applications are banned on the App Store which are allowed on other devices (this has resulted in some high-profile developers moving from Apple to Android)
• You can develop Apple apps on PC’s, but you need additional software to do this (more hassle) – Apple are not making it easy to do this. There are many more PC’s out there than macs, therefore there are many more PC and JAVA based developers out there than Apple ones.

Summary

The Android and Windows operating systems are more open, have cloud based technologies (this is becoming increasingly important) and have better hardware, but the Apple iPhone 4 is a nice phone (albeit with some serious limitations) and does have a good range of apps.

My personal preference right now would be the Android operating system with HTC hardware (but with the iPhone screen technology – only bigger).

If there was a decent handset for Android I would get that. I am half-tempted by the iPhone – but only half-tempted. I really want Android, but I think I’m going to have to wait a few months for some decent hardware to come out. Then again, I don’t like to wait. So I’ll make my decision once the iPhone comes out.

The idea spawns content, design, usability and interaction.

Once I have an idea in my head, I brainstorm content and features in OneNote.

Then comes usability.

Then comes basic design.

Then comes the coding.

Then comes iteration of all of the above and lots of sleepless nights

Currently I am developing:

http://www.moorespeed.co.uk

http://www.getmecooking.com

I have started:

http://www.baconaholic.com – a fun site about bacon

but I have been too busy with the above websites to spend any time on it. I will get round to it someday.

I created these StackExchange sites:

http://london.stackexchange.com/ – Q&A site about London

http://sapbasis.stackexchange.com/ – Q&A site about SAP BASIS

http://www.starbase24.com/ – Q&A site about the Star Trek Online MMORPG

But they didn’t get off the ground. The feedback I was getting from the Star Trek gaming community was that they didn’t understand the concept of the site, so just stuck with forums and sites with FAQ pages. This is a real shame as forums and FAQ pages are really terrible ways of getting information to questions and the StackExchange sites are excellent.

and then there is:

http://www.performit.co.uk – I updated it recently, but it needs a decent design (currently looks rubbish)

http://www.performit.co.uk/network/ – I haven’t updated this in years and I’m not planning to

http://www.techboy.co.uk – haven’t updated this is ages. Lots I would like to add (in particular results of races) but other things take priority. I haven’t got much incentive to work on this

http://blog.techboy.co.uk – I would like to tweak the design (it is currently quite hard to read) and add my own logo. maybe change the entire template. Any ideas? I would also like to add more content, but I haven’t really got much incentive to do so

What more proof do I need that their visit and marketing regarding ‘Operation Confidence’ is just PR (hot air). I have no confidence in them…

Hello,

Last night I was visited by someone (I think she was a Community Safety Warden) who asked me a few questions and gave me a leaflet which led me to your website http://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/yournh-tvp-pol-area-N338. From that site I have seen http://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/yournh-tvp-pol-area-nh-newsitem?id=116225&nh=New%20Bradwell%20/%20Stantonbury which I assume is why I got the visit.

I would just like to give you some brief feedback on this:

• This is the first time in 7 years of living at my address (Bancroft Park) than I have been visited by someone from the police force. I think that it is a really good idea and would like everyone to be visited at least once a year
• It would have been far better if her visit was announced (by e-mail or post). That way I could have thought about her questions in advance and given better answers, ensured I was in, not having dinner at the time, etc.
• I would suggest that questionnaire itself was far too basic and therefore of no practical use, so I believe it to be just a PR exercise (or at the very least poorly thought out). It would have been far better to post the questionnaire to residents in advance, or have it on a website and completed in advance. The officer could then have collated the results in advance spoken to residents about the top issues. Plus if the officer must ask the residents questions, it should preferably be entered directly onto a PDA and not onto paper (faster and more efficient)
• I think most people when handed a leaflet will not look at the website, especially as the leaflet did not have a direct link to the URL http://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/yournh-tvp-pol-area-N338 – it took some navigation to actually find that URL. Plus the site/scheme is misleading because it mentions the New Bradwell and Stantonbury neighbourhoods and I live in Bancroft Park, so at a first glance it would appear to not apply to me
• The website does not state if it is possible to report non-urgent crimes (such as people without car insurance, drug usage, noisy neighbours, etc.) via e-mail. I would rather send a quick e-mail or complete a form than spend time on the phone. For example 2 issues that I would like to report are:

<I have removed this from my blog post – I don’t want the offending neighbours to read it>

• The leaflet said that victims of crime will be informed of the results of when a criminal is punished. 2-3 years ago a wheel was stolen from my car (Alfa Romeo, registration: <hidden from blog post>) from a public car park, near the MK police station. I reported the crime, then later found the 2 people who stole the wheel (who were in a stolen car). So I called 999 and the police came and retrieved the car, stolen vehicle and later my wheel. I was informed that one of the people was let off, but one was prosecuted. I was not told of the final outcome – i.e. was the person who was prosecuted, punished (prison, fine, etc.)? It would be nice to know because I have been a victim of several crimes and have not had a good result on any of them, which means that I am less inclined to report them because it has been is a waste of time
• The A4 document that I was given last night contained a number of typographical errors

The leaflet also asked for feedback from residents on how offenders should be penalised in terms of community service. I don’t think that is a deterrent. So as well as the standard community service I would like offenders who commit crimes such as theft, drugs, etc. plus more serious crimes:

• Made to have a tour of MK prison and to meet some prisoners
• Shamed by being made to stand in the MK shopping centre, dressed in orange shirts and trousers (I doubt the council would approve this but I would like to see it!)

Please feel free to reply with any comments, etc.

Regards.

Paul Richardson

I have worked in Milton Keynes for 4 years now and have paid (I think) £235 per year to park my car in a public car park outside of my office. This year it has gone up to £270 (more if you live outside of Milton Keynes). For that I am not guaranteed a parking place and there have been times where I have not been able to get one within a 5 minute walk of my office.

I have been fined £30 on each of these occasions:

• They wrote my car registration wrong on my ticket (got 2 letters the wrong way around). This was not noticed for 6 months, then one day I got fined
  • I wrote 2 letters of complaint but did not hear anything back by post/e-mail/telephone (is it illegal to ignore challenges to appeals?)
• I took my car in to get serviced and had a hire car. Out of habit I walked from my hire car to the office without paying for a parking ticket
  • I wrote them a letter and they replied to say ‘tough’
• I have twice forgotten to renew (they don’t send reminders). My fault I know, but I think they should give a reminder or warning first (with 5 days to pay)
  • I appealed once but they said ‘tough’

The really bad things are:

• The parking ticket does not say that you can pay on-line, but you can
• They do not always reply to letters or e-mails
• You can’t order a new parking permit on-line
• You can order a parking permit via the post, but it takes up to 10 days – and they still have to phone you for the credit card payment
• To get a parking permit quickly, you have to visit their office in Central Milton Keynes (which is only open from 0900 – 1700) and in the past it has generally taken 1 hour (queueing)

So tomorrow I will have to:

• Pay for a parking ticket so that I can park outside my office. I will have to do this by mobile phone as I haven’t got change available
• Walk to the council office and buy a 1 year parking permit at £270…

Next time you see a car parking attendant, ask them: What are you? Some bottom-feeding, scum sucking algae eater?

As in most societies, there are nice trolls and naughty trolls. Plus there is a hierarchy of trolls – and trolls have jobs.

The nice trolls like: Flowers, cleanliness, toys and ice-cream.

The naughty trolls like: To misbehave, create disorder, chaos and are messy. The really naughty ones have to be locked up.

I flew from England to Pennadomo, Italy in the hope that I could catch sight of a troll in its natural habitat. I was hoping to meet a nice troll (although they are very shy) and to avoid an encounter with a nasty troll. Even the local Italian villagers rarely see them, although they sometimes hear them scuttle around at night.

Pennadomo  is in the foothills of a mountainous region of Abruzzio, Italy and is a long way from any large town.

The Pennadomo mountainous trolls are not large like most trolls, in fact they are only around 4-5 feet tall and mostly come out in the evenings and early mornings – not in the middle of the night (unless there is a lot of ambient light, e.g. moonlight) and not in the day. It is believed that this is because they are shy and do not like contact with humans.

Also unlike most trolls, they have developed a taste for cats – which is why you do not see many around the area.

Upon first entering the village of Pennadomo, everything seemed normal. The people looked friendly:

People walking in the village of Pennadomo, Italy

Work was being done:

Construction in Pennadomo, Italy

The area was clean and tidy. The residents were obviously religious:

Religious statue in Pennadomo, Italy

However I quickly came across a troll signalling device – their version of a French Horn. So I blew into it with as much air as my lungs could give. This was necessary in order to make them aware that I would be looking for them. You don’t want to surprise a troll – Trolls don’t like surprises (this is partly why they eat cats):

Blowing a troll horn in Pennadomo, Italy

Blowing a troll horn in Pennadomo, Italy

Trolls don’t eat chickens, although in July-August they do like to collect their eggs to make blueberry pancakes:

A chicken - trolls don't eat them

As I walked further up the mountain, into the village; more ‘troll signs’ appeared, such as umbrellas, well-kept plants:

Troll signs - umbrellas and well-kept plants

Troll signs - well-kept plants

Troll signs - umbrellas and well-kept plants

Troll signs - well-kept plants

Troll signs - well-kept plants

Also water bottles and water sources:

Troll signs - water bottles

Troll signs - water sources

Troll signs - water sources

Then I found a troll house:

Troll house

As it was day-time, the door was locked. I noticed the lollypop stick (top left of the door) that had been left there before the troll went inside to sleep.

Troll house

There was a faint zzZZZZzzz noise coming from inside. I didn’t attempt to open the door because:

a) There was a big lock on it

b) It isn’t a good idea to disturb a sleeping troll. Even the nice ones can be aggressive if you interrupt them while sleeping (or eating)

So I kept walking until I came upon another entrance to a troll residence. Note the hole at the bottom of the door:

Troll house

I had a close look and behind the hole was a large piece of cheese. The cheese was resting on top of a large mouse-trap with a rusty spring. As the trolls eat the cats, there are a lot of mice around. Trolls like to skewer mice and roast them in front of an open fire.

Further on (and higher up the mountain) I found the doorway to the house of a naughty troll:

House of a naughty troll

You can see that a naughty troll lives here by the cigarette ends in the doorway.

Half-way up the mountain, near the top of the village I could see the trolls handy-work. Lots of well-kept plants, often in make-up pots, such as paint-pots:

Pot-plants maintained by trolls

Then as I walked I found something a little odd – an entrance to a troll-house with a metal door:

Troll house

Within it I could see a troll’s scooter. They use scooters to get around the twisty streets of villages such as Pennadomo, Italy because they don’t have an engine so are silent.

Troll house and scooter

I opened the door a little and had a quick look in there. I couldn’t see or hear a troll, but I didn’t want to risk disturbing one, so I left.

Then I made my way up a steep part of the mountain, towards the very top of the village where I looked up and saw a troll’s house up high, with a balcony which surrounded with metal bars. This was obviously the home of a level 2 troll:

A level 2 troll's house

A level 2 troll is a senior troll who commands and organises worker trolls. The metal bars of this and the previous houses I had seen gave me the impression that I was in the part of the village where the naughty trolls lived. Lucky for me, it was still day time so I was (relatively) safe – as long as I snuck by quietly without disturbing any trolls.

Onwards and upwards I went – my legs were getting quite tired from all the walking, but I didn’t want to stop (not in naughty troll territory).

Village of Pennadomo, Italy

Then I found something quite disturbing – a troll entrance that had been boarded up and large stones placed against it. This was obviously the dwellings of a very nasty troll who had to be kept under lock and key:

Naughty troll's boarded up house

This was the troll’s rear door:

Naughty troll's boarded up rear door

Then I went just around the corner and stumbled upon something interesting – a troll shrine. Notice all the well-kept plants that the trolls have been looking after:

Troll shrine

Religious troll candles

This is a troll prayer:

A troll prayer

And this was clearly a troll sign:

A troll sign - directing to something

I wasn’t sure what it was leading me to, but I had come all this way so was urged to investigate! So on I went…

Cautiously through the tunnel (trolls often jump out at you and demand payment of a toll if you try to walk through them):

A tunnel

Luckily though there were no trolls to be seen.

As you can see, I was now high above the village of Pennadomo:

Village of Pennadomo, Italy from above

Far in the distance was lake Lago di Bomba which is where trolls like to go at weekends to play and take a relaxing swim (trolls are deceptively good swimmers, learning to swim 25 metres at the age of 4):

Lake Lago di Bomba, near Pennadomo, Italy

Lake Lago di Bomba, near Pennadomo, Italy

Then, after following the troll signs for a while, I discovered a rare sight – and not one I was expecting to see. I actually saw a real-life Italian troll! It looked friendly enough, but was placed behind a series of rusty bars.

An Italian troll

I didn’t know if the bars were to protect me from it, or it from me, so I decided to keep my distance, politely wave back and then make my way all the way back down to the car. That was enough excitement for one day!

If I was homeless I wouldn’t sell the Big Issue because I don’t think it’s worth it:

From http://www.bigissue.co.uk/How_We_Work_14.php

In order to become a Big Issue vendor an individual must prove that they are homeless or vulnerably housed, undergo an induction process and sign up to the code of conduct. Once they have done so they are allocated a fixed pitch and issued with 5 free copies of the magazine (or 10 in London). Once they have sold these magazines they can purchase further copies, which they buy for 75p and sell for £1.50, thereby making 75p per copy.

I see people in Milton Keynes selling the Big Issue and I rarely see them make a sale.

According to the Westminister council (2007), beggars in London can make up to £300 per day and there is competition as not all beggars are homeless, many have office jobs and just beg in their spare time.

So if I was homeless and unskilled I would:

• Go to the council and get information on what to do, details of shelters, etc.
• Look for jobs (it is easy to get temp work)
• On days where I couldn’t get full-time or temp work I would knock on peoples doors (houses, businesses, farms, etc.) and offer to do handyman stuff (gardening, tidying up, fixing things, cleaning, decorating, etc.) in return for money/food/accommodation
  • Organise work-parties of homeless people to do larger-scale jobs, or to do jobs faster

Some ideas I wouldn’t do (well I might lol):

• Go to affluent areas, look presentable and beg (see this beggars guide)
• I would sit outside churches (especially Sundays) and beg for money/food/accommodation. See how charitable those with Christian values really are
  • Try different places of worship to see which people from which religions were the most generous (or aggressive)
• Sit outside take-aways and restaurants just before closing time and beg for left over food. I would alternate between fish and chips, Chinese, Indian, Mexican, etc. depending on what I felt like
• Sit outside shops such as Oxfam and beg for clothes and items before people walk into the shop to hand them in
• Pick up road-kill, cook it and eat it (or sell to other homeless people for money/goods)
• Pick up a stray dog – people are more likely to give money and remember you if you are begging with a pet
• Pick up an instrument and play it (badly) – people are more likely to give money if they see that you are trying to perform instead of just sit/stand there with your hand out
• Do what Derren Brown did (see Derren Brown: How to Control the Nation from 26:10 – 29:45), he ‘earned’ £350 (and a pair of shoes and socks) in under an hour!
• Find empty accommodation and squat in it. Squatting is regarded in law as a civil, not a criminal matter. In 2003, it was estimated that there were 15,000 squatters in England and Wales

For all of the above reasons and these, I don’t give money to people on the street.

If you want to help the homeless:

One way to do it it to just keep paying your taxes. Money from your taxes will go to your local council and the government, which will then go to the relevant areas.

In addition you can also donate money to registered organisations, although some might say that there are too many organisations, so there is wastage in money (in terms of administration), plus as the organisations are getting funds and resolving the problem, there is little need for councils and government to resolve the problem.

Wouldn’t it be more efficient (in terms of money, resource and effort) if there were no organisations, meaning that a central body (government) were tasked to handle the issue?

Or there is Billy Connoly’s idea – the homeless can eat the most dangerous prisoners, then they could live in the prisons. That would solve 2 issues at once!

Unfortunately I can’t leave my car at Stanstead airport where I am flying out of because I’ll coming back via Gatwick airport. I got quotes for taxis to and from each airport (from my house in Milton Keynes) and they are just under £80 each way. So I decided to get a coach from MK to Stanstead airport for the outbound trip and my dad will pick my up from Gatwick airport for the return journey.

So I went onto http://www.nationalexpress.com and found a coach (depart MK at 03:40, arrive at Stanstead Airport at 06:00). The flight departs at 08:30, so check-in opens at 06:30. I got a 10% discount code from http://www.hotukdeals.co.uk (a good site) so it worked out to be just £15.21

Anyway, after purchasing the ticket online (nice and easy) an advert appeared on the National Express website for a saving of £15 off of my next purchase. So I clicked on it and it took me to a sign-up page which had in small writing:

Offer and Billing Details:
Sign up for Shopper Discounts FREE for the next 30 days, with our compliments, and enjoy ongoing savings for only £10 a month thereafter. Get your £15 cash back voucher, (if you make an additional booking at National Express within the next 3 months). Plus, cash back rewards at hundreds of leading websites plus all the valuable benefits of Shopper Discounts. It’s a Special Reward! If you are 100% satisfied during your trial period, do nothing. All your Shopper Discounts savings and protection will automatically continue for just £10 a month billed by Shopper Discounts to the credit card or deducted from the debit card you provided. Shopper Discounts is owned and operated by Webloyalty International Ltd. In the event your monthly membership fee were to ever change, you would be notified before being billed. Shopper Discounts benefits may be enhanced or modified at anytime without prior notice. And you have our Guarantee! If at anytime you are not completely satisfied during your trial period or thereafter, simply call Shopper Discounts on 0808 234 1539 (free phone) to let us know you wish to cancel your monthly membership benefits and owe nothing further. All your benefits and access will then be cancelled. All the money you have saved is yours to keep!

Consent to receive electronic disclosures: Please read carefully and save or print a copy for your records. Shopper Discounts will communicate your benefit and other membership information to you, including payment authorisation made by clicking Yes, by electronic communications, including email and electronic postings on our site. Your Membership Pack email will also include a copy of the Offer and Billing Details for your convenience.

I will highlight the important part of that here:

Sign up for Shopper Discounts FREE for the next 30 days, with our compliments, and enjoy ongoing savings for only £10 a month thereafter. Get your £15 cash back voucher, (if you make an additional booking at National Express within the next 3 months).

I wonder how many people sign up to this without reading it properly? It is how the sales companies leech off of the ignorant. I won’t go into the ‘they are ignorant so they deserve it debate’ (although I agree it is partly true), but I do think that advertisers who come up with ‘deals’ like this which are clearly unethical are scum (like thieves) and it should be illegal.

What do you think?

Plus I have bought some console games that I didn’t like, so I’ve only played a few times.

I have used LoveFilm in the past (on a 3 free month trial) and found it to be a good service. I have just signed up to the Tesco rental service (which I believe uses LoveFilm as a back-end) on a 3 month free service. LoveFilm is cheaper than Tesco for the service I would want (£9.78 per month for 2 discs at a time, up to 4 per month).

I currently subscribe to around 10 SAP RSS feeds, which is okay, although due to the nature of SAP and its modular approach to software; items are cross-posted to various RSS feeds meaning that I see a lot of duplication.

Now SAP have started to use Twitter, but their approach to it is to just export the subject line of their RSS feed ‘SAP Developer Network SAP Weblogs‘ (which I subscribe to) into their Twitter feed which is http://www.twitter.com/sapnetwork

Because of this, the SAP Network Twitter feed is essentially SPAM, so I have unsubscribed. Shame

Large companies (especially large software companies who sell products in this market) need to use tools such as Twitter and RSS responsibly and effectively – and encourage their partners and clients to do the same. Otherwise they will continue to get a bad reputation for it and lack the ‘feel-good’ factor that other companies manage (such as Stackoverflow and 37Signals). Don’t even get me started on the SAP Developer Network (SDN) forum grr!

Oh and in the interest of fairness I shouldn’t just highlight SAP’s failings. I should also point out that the Windows Mobile Development Team Twitter feed is also basically SPAM too.

First of all, I prefer to write ‘xmas’ because the word ‘Christmas’ is too long is too religious for my liking.

I’m not a Scrooge by any means, but I don’t like the xmas period because:

• It’s a religious holiday and I’m an atheist. I haven’t met a single person who I would consider to be any where near religious so don’t get me started on the whole religion thing
• Xmas has nothing to do with religion – even for 99.9% of the people who say they are religious
• Car parking is a nightmare at xmas time – and I work at an office in the Milton Keynes town centre and have to park in a public car park
• The shops start advertising xmas things at around September time
• People always get sick just before xmas, probably because of the close proximity of people as they go shopping
• I often don’t know what presents I want
• Other people don’t know what they want
• The whole present buying thing is rubbish
• Cards are a total rip-off. A small a piece of printed cardboard for over £2 (in many cases £3-4). Plus the content on most of the cards isn’t even good – they are mostly playing on the a dumb, childish type of ‘insult’ humour

I have learned to buy all of the presents as late as possible because sales always start in the 1-2 weeks leading up to xmas.

Still, at least it’s some time off of work (I get a ‘Deloitte day’ – which this year was the 24th December, xmas day, Boxing day and New years day). I (like most other people in my company) have taken the Mon – Thur off of work using my standard holiday entitlement.

I do see the point of New Years day, but on the times that I have ventured out into town in the evening, it has been very quiet indeed and most of the restaurants are closed. People tend to stay at home or go to a local firework display. This year I’m going to see some friends up in Leeds.

I don’t like the concept of New Years resolutions. I check and adjust things as I go, I don’t wait until New Years day to make a resolution. Plus I don’t make a pointless resolution on New Years day – no point really as you can’t predict what is going to happen that year.

Another thing that comes just after xmas (and as mentioned above, just before xmas too) is sales in shops. Sales come about for a few reasons, the main ones are:

• Prices kept artificially high for the time leading up to xmas
• Surplus of unsold stock needs to be shifted before new trends/replacements come out

Every year the shops get crammed with people buying goods for no real reason other than it is in a sale and therefore must be a bargain. However I do most of my shopping online so avoid the sales (and get better/same prices than can be found in the shops anyway). The only things I really go to shops for are clothes and food.

Having said that there are 2 things that I would like to buy:

• HTC HD mobile phone. The mobile phone providers usually do better deals just after xmas (Orange are now giving more inclusive talk minutes for the same prices as of the 27th December). My current contract expires on the 2nd January so I’ll get the HTC HD next weekend, or the following week, either on O2 or Orange. I currently have the HTC TyTn II
• Giant Anthem X1 mountain bike. One online shop has the bike at 15% off (which is a £330 saving), although I’ll want to go for a test ride at another shop first. I’m just not sure if I want to buy the bike now or later as I haven’t got any races planned yet