Early Sunday Morning

So here I am again, up early and watching India vs Pakistan first ODI. We have six people asleep upstairs - five girls aged from three to seven, and TW. We're having a sleepover to help out some friends who had a party to go to. I'm glad to see the girls are actually sleeping...

Not much going on today, possibly a trip to Arundel later, as TW mentioned she wanted to visit Sparks Yard. It's always nice having a mooch around that shop :-).

We'll see...

And then tomorrow morning it'll be back to work for me, albeit from home, for the morning, and then will we see in the New Year in style? Possibly...

Posted via email from Rob Thorley's Posterous Site

New Year's Resolutions

It's that time of year when thoughts turn to the coming year and how we can improve our lives in the next 52 weeks.
Serious resolutions will be made. Ho yus.

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The Wonder Stuff not Wonderful Any More...

So I went to see the Wonder Stuff on Wednesday; they were appearing on a triple bill with PWEI (Pop Will Eat Itself) and Jesus Jones in a night entitled "Sleigh the UK".

I met up with my sister at Victoria and we made our way to the Shepherd's Bush O2. We got in just as Jesus Jones were starting up, with International Bright Young Thing. They stormed through a number of songs off Liquidizer, as well as a couple from Doubt which I recognised, and of course they played Info Freako - but it wasn't the closer, surprisingly.

The songs were good, but it seemed there was something missing; I'm not sure what it was, but the music didn't seem quite rounded out. It was very enjoyable though, and I felt the hairs on the back of my neck prickle at several points during the set.

Next up were PWEI, which now only contains one original member - Graham Crabb. But he's backed up by (apparently) an ex-member of Gaye Bikers on Acid, and they certainly look like they're having fun on stage. The guitarists looked younger, but also joined in the fun. I saw PWEI last year at the Concorde II in Brighton and was initially sceptical, but they produced a full-on wall of sound and they know how to get their crowd moving. There was some serious moshpit action, which looked scary to me! But from my vantage point, they were the highlight of the night.

Lastly, The Wonder Stuff came on. Again, they only contain one original member, but I think we would all agree that Miles Hunt is the original member; he was the songwriter, the mouthpiece and the creative engine-room of the band. Miles took the stage like the all-conquering hero he is, but the band didn't seem to interact at all. It seemed like they were doing it by the numbers, and the only one enjoying themself was Miles. Things did pick up a bit when Erica left the stage so that the band could "play their boys' music", and the band romped through a few of their hits, but it was 22:45 by this time, and it was too little, too late.

The last time I saw the Wonder Stuff, Malc Treece and Martin Gilks were onstage (must have been 2005 or 2006) and the sense of communal enjoyment was palpable. It just wasn't there last Wednesday, and it probably would have been better billed as "Miles Hunt sings The Wonder Stuff". I still listen to 'Groove Machine and Hup, and I was reminded how good Never Loved Elvissounds (and my sister re-bought that for me a few years ago). I also have Escape From Rubbish Island and Suspended By Stars from their new incarnation, so I think the creative spark is there, but there was some enjoyment, some joie de vivre missing from the gig.

I'm glad I went; it was good to see Caroline and hear Jesus Jones and PWEI again, and Miles had his moments, but I shan't be attending Sleigh the UK 2013.

TTFN !! 

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Gay Marriage

I don't understand what the big deal is. If people want to get married why shouldn't they be allowed to do so?
How can the fact that two people are married have any impact on anyone outside the marriage?
Surely supporting gay marriage should be the default laissez-faire approach of the conservatives.
Why would anyone want to deny the benefits of marriage to others?
If marriage leads to stability in society, why would one want to deny that to anyone?
Just asking...

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Shopping With Hattie

This morning I have taken a day off to help out TW - she's got a Christmas Fair to organise later, and doesn't need to worry about the kids.

So I've got Hattie for the day. I asked her what she wanted to do and she said she wanted to go shopping. And she especially wanted to go to Tesco - that's apparently her favourite shop.

So we went into Worthing, moved from bank to bank, and then went to Caffè Nero, where Hattie could have a melted cheese sandwich - she'd been banging on about it all morning. She also got to run up some steps and down a slope twice. And I collected a birthday parcel from the Post Office. And that took eighty minutes. It's slow going with a youngster... :-)

.

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Apple got Served

So, I see that Apple have been told off for not complying with the judgement handed down by the UK courts. As well as publishing the required apology, they published additional detail confusing the issue and making it look like other courts disagreed with the UK judgement.
Looking at the 'apology' the last phrase is "Samsung willfully copied Apple's far more popular iPad." which kind of misses the point.
Apparently Apple asked for 14 days to make the change but were denied. As someone else pointed out today, they didn't wait 14 days to publish tributes to Steve Jobs. They were obviously playing for time, looking for a way to weasel out of the judgement again.
Well, I don't think it went their way.
Apple make lovely products, they should rely on that. Going after Samsung boosted sales of the SIII - so the action Apple took was self-defeating.
I hope these companies stop their court activities soon, it's getting tedious.

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A London Weekend

We were very lucky that a friend of TW's was going away for the weekend and offered us the use of her flat. We pootled up on Thursday night after work without incident and installed ourselves in Earlsfield, SW18.
Friday we spent the day at London Zoo. It rained but the kids enjoyed it. Saturday we spent walking through London - we visited Leicester Square, Chinatown, Trafalgar Square (the NFL were in town), and we were entertained for hours by the street performers at Coventry Garden. There was a very funny guy who majicked oranges from under hats - great patter! and also a guy on a unicycle, who I think was underselling his skill, but being funny with it.
We also went to the National Gallery and the Tate Modern, and finished the day off with Pizza Express and a walk in the dark back to Waterloo along the Embankment, to see the London Eye illuminated.

Just a Distraction

I'm beginning to get a bit fed-up.

The main stories on Friday were Andrew Mitchell's resignation as Chief Whip and Gideon Osborne's train incident.

I'm reminded of small boys playing in the playground, gloating loudly at each other.

"Naa naa, na-naa naa!"

These stories are just a distraction from the news / real events going on in the world.

Can we just stop it?

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Farewell Strauss

I read with surprise the news yesterday morning, suggesting that Strauss was about to resign as captain of the England cricket team. As the morning wore on, articles and items on the Guardian website and Sky News persuaded me that it was not just an idle flight of fancy. 

And then at 12 midday the press conference took place and Strauss resigned from the captaincy and all international and domestic cricket.

It was a real shock. I can understand resigning from the captaincy and the England team entirely - although if he only resigned the captaincy in order to concentrate on his batting, that would have been okay. But a complete break with the England team makes sense - he won't be a shadow, interfering in Cook's decision-making. He's done the decent thing and given Cook a clear run, so well done to him.

I am surprised that he won't be returning to Middlesex though, I would have thought another season or two could have cushioned the blow of his England departure. But again, I suppose we are coming to the end of the season, and he wouldn't play again until March next year. 

I know Cook is the anointed one, and he's been groomed for this role, but I'm not sure. And his first experience will be against India in India - not the easiest way to bed yourself in. In fact, it may be a bit of a baptism of fire. But let's wait and see, I suppose.

Fingers crossed he makes a good fist of it. I'm looking forward to it.

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Saddened

Kevin Pietersen. I know that pretty much everything has been written already, but I wanted to say that I will miss watching him play. And it's a shame England can't accommodate him because I still think he has a contribution to make to English cricket.
Can't they just accept he's not a team-player and give him his own dressing room or something? That might seem like special treatment, but he wouldn't get to share the highs and he would have to internalise the lows.
That could be seen as a punishment rather than a privilege. And we'd still get to see him play for England.

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Running IV

Woo hoo! I managed a sub-10 minute mile this morning, I'm quite chuffed. Obviously not on a par with any serious runners, but it's good for me...
I was almost sprinting at the end - or that's what it felt like, anyway. Probably not very nice to watch, but I did it!

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Away

So, last weekend we went away.

It was only a short trip, in both time and distance, to stay with the MiL and her man. But we went on Friday and came back on Tuesday, and during that time I completely relaxed and forgot about work.

On the Saturday we went for a walk in the grounds of Blenheim Palace, and despite the distance we walked, The Brood did remarkably well. I had The Youngest on my shoulders for a while on the way home, and they whinged a bit, but they made it. Well done...

On Sunday we had friends and their parents over for lunch. The friends have recently become parents, and their daughter was a delight.

Unfortunately, at the end of the day, I suffered from a bit of food poisoning.  I was a bit concerned I had overdone it on the wine, but looking back now it was obviously something different. Anyway, I spent the evening in bed and missed the Olympics Closing Ceremony.

On Monday TW & I went into Oxford by ourselves; the MiL looked after The Brood. I was still weak from vomiting and lack of food, but appreciated the relative peace and quiet. I managed to rebuild my strength with a McDonalds burger and fries, which was a surprise, but it worked.

Tuesday morning TW and the MiL went into Witney with The Brood, and I creamed The Girl Who Played With Fire. I've finished it now, it's a good book, and I've started with the third in the series, I hope to finish it in the next couple of days.

Any way, it was a good rest. I've been on light duties at work this week, or at least it's felt like that. But things are good.

TTFN.

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Running III

So I continue to amaze myself. We stayed up until 23:30 last night, And I was up at 05:45 ready to go for a run. I'd had a bit of drink taken, but not overly so (and I reckon my unit intake was lower than The Wife's), but I was still surprised to be awake and ready to go.

And this time I decided to extend my run, to a whole 1.24 miles. Again, I ran the entire distance (except for a short stop while crossing the road, to let a car past). I maintained my average running speed at 10m19s per mile; a bit slow, I know, but I'm hoping this will come down as the weeks go on. 

In addition, I'm hoping to push out the distance I run, slowly so that I don't stop or have to take breaks. I may even get up to 20 or 25 minutes running - we'll have to see.

But tomorrow I'm off to the in-laws for a long weekend, so I won't get to run until Weds. Boo!

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Running II

So today I went for my third run in eight days. If I'm not careful, this could be habit-forming. Still just over 10 minutes for a mile, but at one stage today I felt like I was actually running, if that makes any sense?
Normally it's a case of putting one foot in front of the other and trying not to fall over or stop.
Today I realised I could stretch out my pace and run. I'm hoping for a bit more of that when I run again on Thursday.

Again?

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Running

First run in years. I think the last time was with Caroline while we lived in Kemptown, so pre-2003.
One mile in eleven minutes, not great. Room for improvement. And if I'm less wheezy next time, that would be good...

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Tindersticks at Somerset House

Last weekend I went to Somerset House to see Emmy the Great and Tindersticks.
Against the odds, it was sunny and a lovely evening.
I made my way into the courtyard and lots of the audience were sitting down. Then Emmy came on, they were pretty good. Played a good song called Gemini. I think it was their cover of Pixies' Where is My Mind which was used as an advert for a holiday company. The sound was really good and clear. I'd not heard them before, I was expecting something a bit more folky, but I liked what I heard and should search out some of their releases.
Then Tindersticks came on, I have two of their CDs but haven't really got to know them. Again the sound was clear and crisp. The backing band were quite funky, a good rhythm section. Stuart Staples the singer had a lovely voice, like a deep Roland Gift. A bit mannered but lovely and rich, like a good chocolate. As I didn't know the songs, I only stayed for 50 minutes as I had to get home. But it was worth it - I won the tickets in a lottery at work.
All in all a good evening.

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Timoleon Vieta Come Home - a Review

So I bought the book through the Amazon Kindle app on my phone, since it was on offer at 99p.

I enjoyed reading it, it was well-paced, but I think it was a short story padded out into a novel.

A lot of the book was taken up with a series of unrelated vignettes, linked by the dog, and not part of the story of Cockroft.

My final impression was that it was irrelevant to me, and unfulfilling. It's a shame because I wanted it to be more.

 

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Same Ol', Same Ol'...

Another night at the cricket, another crushing victory for Sussex.
What was different about tonight was that it came on the back of England winning the first ODI vs. Australia. Perfect.

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Linux Mint 13 - A New Day

So I bought a netbook a while ago and installed Linux Mint 12. I wrote about that in May, if you recall. Unfortunately once I had installed that version of Linux, it didn't always load properly, and when it did, I had intermittent issues with wireless connectivity.  So I defaulted back to Windows; because actually, what is the difference between Linux and Windows for me? Is there a benefit to running one system in preference to the other? Not really.

What do I use my netbook for? Let me list the ways...

• Watching ripped DVDs
• Reading/Updating Facebook
• Emailing (reading circulars, mostly)
• General net browsing
• Looking for updates on XDA
• Updating a couple of spreadsheets

 

So it's all about what sits on top of the OS, rather than the OS itself.

Having said that, there are some customisations which are nice / different in Mint which make it stand out from Windows, which is nice. But I could get similar desktop pictures in Windows. I do like the fact that with Linux you can experiment with the command line, if you choose not to use the GUI. So I did use the terminal facility to delete multiple installations of Linux, when I was messing things up before, which made me feel like a 'real' programmer :)

So when I heard that Linux Mint 13 had been released, I decided to give it a go. Again, I had a few issues for a couple of days, but then I remembered the Mint4Win approach I adopted last time, and used that. Again, it worked like a charm.

And the great news is that every time I've booted into Mint 13 the load has been successful, and wireless works flawlessly! Sometimes I think it knocks our laptop off the network, but we're getting a new router today, so hopefully the signal will be a lot stronger (our existing router is over five years old).

So because it is reliable, I am more likely to use Mint. What I do need to do is sit down and personalise the menu and options, using the new Cinnamon settings. I might get some time tomorrow - let's see...

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Pietersen, Retirement & ODIs

Having followed the news over the last couple of days, I'm saddened by the fact of Kevin Pietersen's retirement from international limited overs cricket.

Apparently the fella wanted to continue playing T20 for England, but the ECB advised that to be eligible for T20 he had to be available for ODIs (50 over cricket) as well.

ODIs can be a bit tiresome on occasion, but they are still a good way to pass a day. Especially with people of Pietersen's callibre playing, who can sense that the game is dying or becoming dull, and inject a bit of adrenalin into the situation. KP and his ilk can turn a game and make it exciting.

A few days ago, I believe it was Thursday, while we watched the rain at Edgbaston, I listened to Andy Flower talking about the medium- and long-term interests of the team. And I think Flowers and the ECB have got it right.

You can't make an exception for individuals. And I think there is a concern that ODI cricket is the poor relation to Test and T20 cricket. If they (the ECB) allow KP to pick and choose, they will have to let all players pick and choose. And especially with the strains that modern bowling inflicts on the body, I could see the entire first-class England bowling attack retiring with immediate effect from ODI cricket.

T20 is the glamourous form of the game; Test cricket is the strategic mind game. Fifty over cricket is a way to watch a complete game in a day, but it isn't differentiated; it needs to build its own reputation. I don't think that cricketers are crying out to play ODIs, and that needs to change. ODI cricket needs its own image, its own brand and specialists.

Until it does that, ODIs, for England at least, will always be a secondary thought. They might attract large crowds in the sub-continent, but so do T20 matches.

I'll miss KP and the anticipation of his appearance. But his performance was always hit-and-miss. He could be out for a low score or hit a quick 50. The team as a unit needs to be reliable. And with the strength and depth of the English team as it is at the moment, perhaps now is the best time for KP to retire. At the age of 31. Lucky git.

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Corfe and Camping

So we took our annual camping holiday early this year, since it's rained in August for the last three years every time we've been.
We went with new camping companions Carol & Nick, our neighbours, and their kids. And lo, the weather was good. Except when we were packing up the tent and coming home - then the rain pissed down.
We were in Swanage on the bank holiday Monday for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and I've never seen it so busy. Of course we went in on the steam train, which the kids enjoyed.
We also spent a day at Bluepool, where Tilly completed the Squirrel Quest and won a bear. We passed a day at Studland Beach, although not in blazing sunshine. And in the evenings we relaxed around the fire and drank copious amounts of wine. All in all it was great, and I expect we'll go again - in fact, I'm looking forward to it!

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Daredevil (and comics in general)

I have mostly been reading Daredevil this week. After the dark and gothic environment of the Shadowland denouement to Vol. II, the new comics (Vol. III) are a breath of fresh air. The artwork is very bright and summery, people are smiling and enjoying life, and Matt Murdock wears a jumper with "I am not Daredevil" emblazoned across it.

Since deciding to give up the booze, I've caught up with Uncanny X-Force, Astonishing X-Men, and even decided to invest in Iron Man - from 500 onwards (which is the number I picked up Daredevil from, if I remember correctly?  What a coincidence...)

So I have a pile of comics on my bedside table, ready for reading. I'm looking forward to starting Supurbia, a four-part series from BOOM!, as well as catching up with Morning Glories.  I think I'm about a year behind on Incorruptible, and don't even get me started on Haunt...!

But the new system might just work, and if I can read more in a week than I buy on a Saturday, hopefully the pile next to the bed will slowly diminish (we can live in hope...). And if I can continue to read some comics on the train as well, that'll help too.

Job's a good'un!.

TTFN

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Sussex Cricket Season Opens

Last Sunday was the first of many trips this summer to the Probiz County Ground in Hove. Of course to see Sussex play cricket in a CB40 match against the Unicorns, who are (as I understand it) an ECB development side which was formed to give exposure to potential stars of the cricketing future.
As such, Sussex walloped them. 291 from 40 overs, with centuries for Joyce and Machan. When the Unicorns were 45 from 15 overs I realised the jig was up and made my excuses.
It was a good day; the sun was out, it wasn't too hot - in fact when the wind blew it was quite chilly. I had a fleece on for much of the later afternoon. I managed to read a couple of old Guardian Weekends which I've been hoarding for years, and I got to road-test my new, bigger and more powerful binoculars.
I saw a girl from work, M, and exchanged a few words with my fellow spectators. I enjoyed a couple of pork pies courtesy of the Tesco Express by Hove station, washed down with a couple of bottles of Coke - no alcohol was taken! I also enjoyed a cold homemade burger which TW had prepared the night before.
All in all it was a lovely day, a good start to the season and a taste of things to come. Apart from Machan's innings, it wasn't a compelling match, and I'm hoping for better atmospheres and more gripping cricket as the season continues. But there's no better way to spend a sunny afternoon than at the Probiz - especially with Sussex in control.

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Bank Holiday Style Pt. I

It's been a busy three days.

The list of to-dos began even before I got home. TW phoned me at work to let me know that the fuses had blown. "Darling, I wasn't doing anything. Just hammering a picture hook into the wall above the light switch." So job #1 was to rewire an old fuse.
And of course, I left the picture hook in the wall. So, as soon as I put the repaired fuse back in the box and switched the circuit back on, it blew. Dammit!
So I had to redo it. This time I took the picture hook out of the wall. A neighbour came round and reckoned I was on a hiding to nothing, but I thought it was worrth a try. The other alternative was to call an electrician *on a bank holiday* to come out and repair it. We would have had to sell the house, I reckon, to pay a bill like that.
Anyway, this time it worked, thank the lord. Old style fuses are so fiddly. So that was job #1 completed.

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Adventures in Linux / Customizing a Netbook

I may have mentioned I bought a netbook a few weeks ago. It may have slipped my mind to record the fact. But either way, I've had a new toy to play with.
The annoying thing with Windows on a netbook, though, is that it feels like only part of the display is on view.
So I asked a guy at work about Linux and he recommended Mint. I happily bumbled home and looked it up.
Mint's big selling point is it's multimedia capabilities. Aha! I thought, that'll do me.
So I downloaded the ISO onto a USB stick - several times. It appears that 1GB sticks don't hold 1GB of data, so I had to use a 16GB stick I had. Of course, Linux users being more precise, the ISO is actually 1024MB in size, and it won't fit on a USB with 997MB free. My bad.
I tested the system by booting it from the USB and I liked it, so decided to install it. And that's where I came unstuck. The system is supposed to install a dual-boot menu, so that on start-up you get the choice between using Linux or Windows. But the menu didn't kick in. So I reloaded it and tried again. Same thing.
Eventually I had to delete three installations of Linux Mint! And it still wasn't booting as expected.
Then I checked the MD5 value, to ensure the downloaded software wasn't corrupted. No problems there. So I tried again. Went through some serious problem-solving steps and ended up deleting and reinstalling the bootloader - that was a bit worrying since if the procedure had not worked, I would have borked the netbook.
But all this effort was to no avail. I just could not get the boot menu to install from the USB.
So I decided to change my line of attack. I used mint4win to install Linux inside Windows. It took some time; I had to download a virtual drive piece of software, and download a cut-down version of Mint. But it installed as smooth as butter; I then clicked on the 'upgrade to DVD Version' and voila - the full version installed. And the boot menu appeared as desired - so I now have Mint on my netbook! Hurrah.
TTFN.

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Punished by PayPal

So I received an email from PayPal the other day, advising that they were going to withhold my funds for 35 days. So when I try to withdraw funds, I won't receive them for a month.
The only reason for this that I can see is that I've been more active with my account recently - so I am being penalised for using my account in the way it was intended.

Way to go, PayPal! Thanks for your support!

TTFN.

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Commuter Etiquette

So I was on the train on the way home this evening. Admittedly it was a bit more crowded than normal, but I still tried to get a seat. And lo and behold, the crowds parted and there was indeed a seat. Except it was next to the window, and someone was sitting in the aisle seat.
So I asked the gentleman politely if I could please 'sit in there'? People were standing, and this selfish loser was hogging a double seat. We're all travelling together, we've all paid for a ticket. Why make it more uncomfortable and difficult than it needs to be?

Come on people - when commuting, let's look out for each other. Let's make life that bit easier for us all, eh?

TTFN.

Asus Padfone

Ha! Now that I've invested in a two-year contract with O2 for my HTC One X, I see that more details are forthcoming about the Asus Padfone.
For those not in the know, the Asus Padfone was announced in about March 2011, and is a large-screen mobile phone that slots into a tablet. Because of the way the Android development has progressed, they needed to wait for Ice Cream Sandwich (the current version of the Androind operating system) to be ready. Then they had to make their tweaks and changes. And then there was the disk drive shortage due to flooding in Thailand.

Plus, I've been on XDA Developers' Forum, and the devs there are finding it hard going to create workable ICS custom ROMs. So I think Asus probably had a few problems creating a usable software package - but that is just my inference and is not based on any known fact apart from time to market.

Well, I think the Asus Padfone is a damned sexy very exciting bit of kit. Imagine it; you have a phone for mobile use, which then slots into the back of a tablet, so you can play Angry Birds HD or catch up on that latest book you bought on Kindle while you're couch-surfing. Then you need to email a couple of people, so you slot the tablet into its keyboard dock and you can use it as a netbook. That's all the tech you need, right there, in a 10.1 inch foldaway package.

The one area where this package falls down is that the tablet is not a stand-alone device. The tablet is powered by the phone's operating system - so once you take out the phone, the tablet is useless, except as a display screen for another bit of kit, maybe?

But of course, cutting-edge tech like that doesn't come cheap. For the phone and the tablet which is available for pre-order in Taiwan, will cost about $850, and with the keyboard dock, that's $980. I converted that to GBP and added VAT at 20% and arrived at a figure of £740, so I can see this costing £750.

Thinking about it, I'm not sure it's worth it. If a smartphone costs between £400 - £500, that would mean paying £250 for a display and a keyboard. Hmm, I still want one though!

New HTC One X

Wow. I'm so cutting-edge. So, I took the plunge and invested in the HTC One X on Thursday. It is a pretty good phone, but there are one or two settings which are annoying. I'm sure I will overcome those though, and use this device to its full potential.

England Falter

I started today in a very optimistic fashion. Trott and Bell were at the crease and playing sensibly. Then I made the mistake of showering, and upon my return I learned that Bell was out for 13. A sad day.
Then my hopes were revived again by Prior, who managed an impressive 41 before his wicket fell. But it was okay, I told myself, Trott was still in and Broad & Swann could back up.
I guess I knew it was over when Trott fell. Broad and Swann could have made a go of it, but Swann was out sharpish. And from there it was only a matter of time.

Shame. TTFN.

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It is NOT a Granny Tax

I know, it's crazy.

 

But let's remind ourselves of the facts here.

The state pension is £102.15 per week, which means the government, and by extension, we, are giving pensioners £400 per month or £4,800 per year. Then there is a free TV licence, worth £100, and fuel allowances, and cold payments, and other allowances.  There is also the Second State Pension, which apparently pays an extra £25 per week on average, or £1,200 per year. And then, if you are still not receiving enough money to live on, there are pension credits.

 

Pensioners have a higher threshold before they pay any tax at all - over £10,000, compared to £8,100 (approx.) for today's workers.

 

If pensioners have worked and saved they should have a private pension which will provide an additional income over and above all the income sources mentioned above.

 

None of the benefits which pensioners receive today are being taken away. So, if a pensioner is receiving any of the benefits above today, they will continue to receive those.

 

What this budget lays out is that some of these benefits will not be available to future pensioners, nor will the current allowances continue (automatically) to grow with inflation.

 

Yes, it's a tough message. For those who've worked and saved, and have an independent income, all of the above is just gravy. For those who haven't, the above is what they can expect. Anyone retiring in the future can expect less. I believe this government is moving towards a universal pension scheme, where all pensioners will get the same - more or less. By removing anomolous benefits here and there, and baking those into the basic pension, we can save on admin costs and ensure that the basic pension is more generous.

 

I repeat, no-one is losing anything they currently receive. But, things will look different in the future. As time passes, things change. That's a natural phenomenon. The Daily Mail will just have to get used to it. But then, I suppose there are *some* things that don't change :)

 

Posted via email from Rob Thorley's Posterous Site

Changes to Higher Rate Tax

Initially, I read with bemusement the news that George Osborne may reduce the rate of higher tax to 40%. I am hoping that he will do more to raise the threshold at which we start paying tax, as this will be a benefit to me. I thought that if he reduces the top rate of tax, there will be no room to increase the threshold at which we start paying tax - on the grounds that he would be reducing the tax take at both ends.
But I'm thinking that reducing the top rate of tax may increase the tax take. I know it sounds strange, but let's think about it for a moment...
If the top rate is reduced to 40%, fewer people might move abroad, and fewer people might take action to avoid paying taxes. So the %age of tax take may increase, and the overall amount taken in tax may increase. Let's see...
It won't have a big impact any way, as the number of people earning over £150k are few and far between - and I'm not one of them :(
TTFN.

Development Planning Time Again

It's that time of year at work when Management insist we produce Development Plans. This to demonstrate they have our best interests at heart. I'm lucky this year in that I've just changed roles and so my development plan is to get to know my new role. A stretch goal would be to excel in my new role.
I'm becoming more aware, however, that I'm quite happy doing what I'm doing - whatever that is. I'm not sure that I want a promotion, because I see managers having their priorities changed hourly, as information is requested for decks, or Management are planning a visit. As long as I can ensure our standard of living improves, I think I'll be happy with that for now. Which is lucky, since I should now stay in role for 18 months or so. I'm sure by the time I get to the end of that time, I'll be looking for another opportunity / promotion. Happy days.
TTFN.

Woop! Woop!

So today I accomplished two things...

I took possession of my new Motorola bluetooth keyboard, for use with my Tab. It`s a very sexy bit of kit, but the layout is slightly strange. I`ll just blame Android for that. I managed to sync it without instructions and I`m using it now, so it can`t be all bad..!

And the second thing was that I connected up my CD player to my separates - now I can play CDs downstairs! The guinea pig CD was Underworld - `Dark and Long`, so I will have to keep it classy going forward. I predict lots of Wonder Stuff and PWEI to come...

It's a grey Saturday on the South Coast.
I'm feeling pretty lacklustre myself, that's probably due to the wine I imbibed last night.
I had a good whack of sleep though! From 22:30 to 07:00 this morning, and I wasn't aware of being awake for long passages during the night. I was awake for a short time, awake enough to publish a separate blog post, but that is functional and follows a template, rather than this blog which is more reflective and subjective.

I've started a new job, back in GNS. It's good to have job security, but I think it's going to take some time to adjust. Luckily my trainer went on holiday last week so I saw an unfiltered version of the job. I need to get my groove on, though.

Off to Elly's 40th tonight, I am looking forward to a night out although I might be driving so will have to stick to the lemonade :( But that might be a good thing because tomorrow we're off to see Caroline and her new baby son, Daniel! He's a bit jaundiced but I think he's okay apart from that. Might be nice to hold a newborn and be able to hand him back :)

Black Sheep Ale

Ah, what a lovely beer. Brewed in Masham, Yorkshire, at 4.4% abv it is not too strong. But really, the thing is the flavour. It develops on your tongue and gets fuller and riper in the mouth. Absolutely lovely. Well done.

New User UI - Testing

So, testing the new Blogger UI.
It wasn't so good  last time

but they advised they've had lots of feedback and ironed out the bugs.

So if this posts successfully, I might make the switch permanently.

Deficit Reduction

I understand that deficit reduction is high on everyone's agenda. My understanding is that the deficit referred to is the annual deficit, that is - the amount we borrow annually vs. the amount we spend. So, annually, we are still borrowing more money than we spend - as a nation. So, if we are still, on an annual basis, borrowing more than we spend, then we are still adding to the overall amount that we owe. 

Even if we reduce the amount we borrow annually, this is still adding to the amount we owe overall. 

This is like me, as an individual, entering 2011 owing £5k, and promising to only add £1k to the £5k sum - rather than stop borrowing and pay back the original £5k.

What planet are we on, people? How can we, as a nation, agree to adding to our national debt? For the next three years? I am amazed and appalled. Still, until the general populace become aware that "deficit reduction" does not equate to "debt reduction", there won't be an outcry.  Clever...

TTFN.

Winter Lurgy

I have been laid low by the lurgy. Even now I don't feel great.

Hungover & Housebound

Not how I planned to start the New Year. Stuck in the house with three kids demanding to watch kids' TV, and TW playing computer games. We can't go out because it's raining and I'm still drunk - so I can't drive anywhere. And nowhere will be open anyway.

2012 Resolutions

1. Be hungover less often
2. Stop spending money unnecessarily
3. Get a new job
4. Read the comics I buy
5. Sell the comics I don't read
6. Buy flowers for TW more often

That should do it, I reckon.
TTFN.