I'm normally a cynical bastard.....

.... and it's unusual for anyone to impress me, I have 39 years behind me & 21 of those have been in the big wide world working for a living. I've met literally thousands of people in my work over a long period of time, trying to sell to them, or get some kind of agreement from them for a business partnership or something.

I think I'm a fairly good judge of the characters that I meet (not that it's my place to judge anyone), but I'm usually fairly good at sussing out whether someone will do what they say or commit to or whether they are taking the piss, I would even say that I can see through a fuckwit in a matter of seconds.

Today I went to a Technology Briefing at IBM Hursley Laboratories for my customer & met the Director of the Labs - Graham Spittle (biog) . I have been in meetings with him before, but never sat with him & chatted over customer stuff face-to-face.

Today I was impressed, very impressed. It made me understand that IBM really is a league apart from any other business and re-kindled my enthusiasm for working for them.

I've just got connected when mobile...

... with a Vodafone 3G Datacard. And I have to say, it's the muts nuts! It does exactly what is says on the marketing blurb, which in these days is a rare occurance.

The ability to replicate emails or databases on Lotus Notes & personal email on Microsoft Outlook, send relatively large file attachments, browse & send SMS all from my laptop whilst on the move in a central London Starbucks, customer office or on the train (see previous post!) is a godsend and actually makes me more productive & responsive.

If you have been wondering or figuring out whether its worth the monthly investment, my answer is a resounding - YES!

Train strikes....

... with my responsibility for a London based customer, regular train journeys to & from London Waterloo have added a couple of hours of boredom, frustration and general unhappiness of being at the behest of a train operator - South West Trains. (Although of late the boredom & frustration at being dis-connected has been fixed with a Vodafone 3G card for my PC which works brilliantly - apart from losing signal in the huge railway cutting at Weybridge & for some reason Clapham Station!?)

I have in the past, on this very blog praised South West Trains, but last week came the news that because of a disagreement over taxi fares paid to drivers based out of Waterloo, today then the 8th & 11th September there would be strike action - not one train leaving my home station.

As far as I can tell, South West Trains agreed in some way to pay for taxi fares for drivers working out of Waterloo either very early or very late, the drivers then found themselves being taxed on this benefit.

Well Mr Train Driver, f**king wake up! We would all get taxed if the journey to work was paid for in that way!

And as for the Aslef General Secretary Keith Norman said: "I believe the company is using its passengers to try to score points over the union", which begs the question.... was it the company that went on strike - NO it wasn't you f***ing tosser!!!!

I knew it was good for me....

.... an article on the BBC News Website explains the story about a research group in Scotland trying to establish a link between the health benefits of eating an apple a day & drinking cider!

It appears that my youthful enjoyment of the stuff, re-found of late with the advent of Magners Original and Sainsbury's Taste the Difference West Country Cider may not be alcoholic folly after all!? It has to be better for you than those lurid coloured cheap vodka fuelled alcopop things anyway!






Cider 'may have health benefits'

Scientists in Glasgow are examining whether drinking cider may offer the same health benefits as eating apples.

The researchers have found that English cider apples have high levels of "phenolic antioxidants" - linked to protection against strokes and cancer.

The next stage of the study, partly funded by the National Association of Cider Makers, is to analyse how humans absorb these chemicals from cider.

Twelve volunteers have been recruited to take part in the tests.

They will each drink a pint of cider, while avoiding all other dietary sources of antioxidants, and urine and blood samples will then be analysed.

Serena Marks, who is leading the study, said: "Previous research suggests there may be an association between phenolics and protection against some serious diseases, so we are trying to find out how we get phenolics from our diet."

Cider production

The scientists have already found that some varieties of apples and some types of cider have higher levels of phenolics than others.

Ms Marks said the production methods of cider could be adapted so that the phenolic levels remained high, even after fermentation.

The research is part of a project funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the National Association of Cider Makers.

Professor Nigel Brown, of the BBSRC, said: "This exciting research shows how scientists and industry can work together to improve manufacturing techniques, not just for economic gain, but to bring about potential health benefits for the public too."

We are The League....

.... and they are coming to a town near you (and me!)

A band that bring back many memories from my teenage years, like drinking pints of cask Cider at the Sparkford Inn aged 15, wondering why it tasted so shit for the first 1/2 pint, then thinking it wasn't so bad after the first pint, then feeling like shit the morning after only having had 2 maybe 3 pints!?

The League are back on the road & coming to The George Inn on Andover High Street on the 19th October - I will be there. I hope to hear such classics as "We are The League", "I Hate People [they hate me]", "Woman", "So What!", "Animal" and "Streets of London" [yes the one by Ralph McTell!!!]

The other tour dates can be found here. Even if you read this in Australia - Tony & Hazel P & Matthew B you can go along to the Empire Hotel on 11th November.

If you remember with any glee the beginning\middle (delete as appropriate - note I haven't put end as loads of bands are still going) of the punk era and by some strange quirk you never heard these lot, then you missed out, don't miss out again! It was only a few weeks ago that Mr Ports reminded me via his Blog of a gig he went to - The Reoffenders they play covers of punk bands, and from what I can make of it they are a bit good as well.