Just in case you were worrying that this post was going to be about some silly love song ("Four hundred children and a crop in the field.") - it isn't. It's the latest in the saga of the Mighty Liverpool Victoria Insurance Company and the Dead Badger.
A piece of marketing junk arrived the other day from none other than the Mighty Liverpool Victoria Insurance Company: "Here when you need us most" - which was an interesting take on things when they had just taken 14 days, less a few hours to replace a couple of bits of broken plastic on the front of my car, and left me stranded without a car for five days.
Actually they didn't replace a couple of bits of broken plastic. In fact I'm not sure what they did, but it cost £1,700. And no - that's not a typo. What I do know is that they recharged the air conditioning because they thought it wasn't working (had the switch in the wrong position) - and charged that to the insurance company. And they left a small dent in the drivers side wing which I noticed when I got home. And they valetted the car - which was nice of them - and did something to the brakes.
What I'm trying to say is that being a vehicle repairer and charging insurance companies for unnecessary work seems to get you a mighty good living - no questions asked - which we all have to pay for. Contrast that with the £10 per day that the Mighty Liverpool Victoria Insurance company offer when your courtesy car isn't there just when you need it most..... Hmmm.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
On yer bike...!
In the latest act of the Mighty Liverpool Victoria insurance company Bodyshop Connect Stafford and the Dead Badger saga I find myself the proud driver of a Chevrolet.
But this isn't the fire breathing, rubber burning, gas guzzling Muscle Machine of a Chevvy that we have come to know and love - more like a tupperware box on castors.
"You'll have to get used to the power." said the recovery driver when he dropped it off his car transporter. (The badgers are safe - it won't go fast enough to kill anything.) The same car transporter that he was expecting to use to collect my dead VW Golf - the one which was about 40ft long without a lift he was expecting to back onto my drive. I don't think so...!
So having left me with my Chevvy and departed without my car I awaited for the next call from the Mighty Liverpool Victoria "We can't organise a Pissup in a Brewery" Customer Service Team. Actually - I didn't wait because I figured it might be at least another three years before I heard anything. However, I did indeed get a call from Clare, their Chief Apologist "We can offer you compensation of £10 per day for the excessive time you have been without a replacement vehicle. To say nothing of the trillions of calls you made to the muppets on our helpdesk who can't even work out that you are making a complaint and just put you on hold then back into the queuing system for good measure."
Having pointed out that £40 would hardly cover a taxi fare these days and that maybe she had noticed that my renewal comes up in March she went away to talk to "Head Office".
I'm still holding my breath.....
But this isn't the fire breathing, rubber burning, gas guzzling Muscle Machine of a Chevvy that we have come to know and love - more like a tupperware box on castors.
"You'll have to get used to the power." said the recovery driver when he dropped it off his car transporter. (The badgers are safe - it won't go fast enough to kill anything.) The same car transporter that he was expecting to use to collect my dead VW Golf - the one which was about 40ft long without a lift he was expecting to back onto my drive. I don't think so...!
So having left me with my Chevvy and departed without my car I awaited for the next call from the Mighty Liverpool Victoria "We can't organise a Pissup in a Brewery" Customer Service Team. Actually - I didn't wait because I figured it might be at least another three years before I heard anything. However, I did indeed get a call from Clare, their Chief Apologist "We can offer you compensation of £10 per day for the excessive time you have been without a replacement vehicle. To say nothing of the trillions of calls you made to the muppets on our helpdesk who can't even work out that you are making a complaint and just put you on hold then back into the queuing system for good measure."
Having pointed out that £40 would hardly cover a taxi fare these days and that maybe she had noticed that my renewal comes up in March she went away to talk to "Head Office".
I'm still holding my breath.....
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Sticking it where the sun don't shine
Have you ever met someone from The Committee who grabs the rule book and promptly dissappears up their own backside with it? Yes? Thought so. It never ceases to amaze me how much brainpower can be applied to finding reasons for not doing perfectly sensible things rather than finding ways of making them happen.
Suffice to say, because of my 360 degree feedback services I find myself in a small group of freelance HR professionals who meet from time to time calling ourselves The SIG. Not surprisingly our attention was turned towards finding ways of promoting ourselves - and as a first step we now have a rudimentary website about our HR services.
So where does the rule book come in? Well - we are a part of the local branch of the CIPD and if The Committee is to be believed it is against our code of professional conduct to promote ourselves. Hmmmm.... Still trying to puzzle that one out.
Suffice to say, because of my 360 degree feedback services I find myself in a small group of freelance HR professionals who meet from time to time calling ourselves The SIG. Not surprisingly our attention was turned towards finding ways of promoting ourselves - and as a first step we now have a rudimentary website about our HR services.
So where does the rule book come in? Well - we are a part of the local branch of the CIPD and if The Committee is to be believed it is against our code of professional conduct to promote ourselves. Hmmmm.... Still trying to puzzle that one out.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Growling at the badger
When I saw the low form of a badger appear in the headlights late on Wednesday night little did I realise the extent to which the mighty Liverpool Victoria insurance company were about to start ruling my life. Badgers, I have now discovered, are substantially bigger and heavier than you might think, and the somewhat louder impact than I was expecting was followed shortly afterwards by a barrage of beeping and flashing lights from the car telling me that I needed to check the coolant level.
This did not sound good and rather suggested significant damage to the car. Fortunately I was only about a mile from home and managed to make it back. On inspection the next morning it turned out that one of the radiator hoses had been torn off by the impact and damaged. Other than that some expensive looking bits of plastic were mangled and I figured a call to the insurers was in order.
"They are the in things to hit at the moment." said the girl on the claims desk. "They're heavy things to hit." said the girls on the repair desk. "Is the badger alright?" said the next one I spoke to. "The badger's fine. It's in Badger Heaven - just my car is in bits."
That was on Thursday morning. As I write this late on Friday night my car is still in bits on the drive and I'm told I should have a replacement car on Monday - should. Of course, we should be able to live without cars. But when you live in the country and your children live seventy miles away it's easier said than done. The X64 bus will occassionally take you into sunny Stoke on Trent but there is no guarantee that it will bring you back again and that's about it.
So - dear Patrick and Philippa. I'm sitting here writing this in bed when I should be with you. I miss you both very much and one way and another, despite having friends like Liverpool Victoria somehow or other I will get to see you this week. Dad.
This did not sound good and rather suggested significant damage to the car. Fortunately I was only about a mile from home and managed to make it back. On inspection the next morning it turned out that one of the radiator hoses had been torn off by the impact and damaged. Other than that some expensive looking bits of plastic were mangled and I figured a call to the insurers was in order.
"They are the in things to hit at the moment." said the girl on the claims desk. "They're heavy things to hit." said the girls on the repair desk. "Is the badger alright?" said the next one I spoke to. "The badger's fine. It's in Badger Heaven - just my car is in bits."
That was on Thursday morning. As I write this late on Friday night my car is still in bits on the drive and I'm told I should have a replacement car on Monday - should. Of course, we should be able to live without cars. But when you live in the country and your children live seventy miles away it's easier said than done. The X64 bus will occassionally take you into sunny Stoke on Trent but there is no guarantee that it will bring you back again and that's about it.
So - dear Patrick and Philippa. I'm sitting here writing this in bed when I should be with you. I miss you both very much and one way and another, despite having friends like Liverpool Victoria somehow or other I will get to see you this week. Dad.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Burning Bush
In a little noticed article in the Independent on Sunday we start to discover just how isolated the Whitehouse Muppet has become in his attitude towards climate change. "Senate's Environment and Public Works Committee voted 11-8 to cut emissions by about 70 per cent by 2050. This would make the US a world leader in tackling global warming." What's more a second bill passed by the House of Representatives by a 235-181 vote will force through real changes such as improved fuel efficiency of road vehicles, greater use of biofuels and renewable electricity generation, and the banning of conventional light bulbs.
And how is all this to be paid for? By repealing a $13bn (£6.4bn) tax break for big oil companies. Not surprisingly Bush has vowed to fight the Bills. Clearly he'd rather go down in flames than acknowledge that not before time the eight year headache he's given the entire planet is about to come to a dramatic end.
And how is all this to be paid for? By repealing a $13bn (£6.4bn) tax break for big oil companies. Not surprisingly Bush has vowed to fight the Bills. Clearly he'd rather go down in flames than acknowledge that not before time the eight year headache he's given the entire planet is about to come to a dramatic end.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Mandarin fingerprints..
I've been reading the reports of HMRC's loss of two CD ROMs containing half the nation's bank account details with some incredulity. Not so much that it happened - that was just a matter of time - but of the sheer boldness of the bollox that has been uttered by senior politicians on the matter.
Asked if the incident now called the wisdom of the National ID card scheme into question Alistair "Teflon Tongue" Darling said "The data for the ID cards has biometric protection." Aha, so that's alright then.
What he actually meant to say was that if the lost disks had contained biometric data then a potential fraudster who got hold of them would have acquired the ability to digitally re-create the fingerprints of half the nation. Or is he just too stupid to realise that?
Asked if the incident now called the wisdom of the National ID card scheme into question Alistair "Teflon Tongue" Darling said "The data for the ID cards has biometric protection." Aha, so that's alright then.
What he actually meant to say was that if the lost disks had contained biometric data then a potential fraudster who got hold of them would have acquired the ability to digitally re-create the fingerprints of half the nation. Or is he just too stupid to realise that?
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Biker Blight
Picture this: a small village on a short straight stretch of the A51 in rural North Staffordshire approached by twisty stretches in both directions. It’s a Thursday evening, a local lass is riding her horse through the village and a number of local people are standing on the narrow pavement outside their houses.
Enter Johnny Fuckwitt and Randy Shitforbrains on their testosterone fuelled suberbikes as they round the last corner and open up for the straight stretch through the village. Meanwhile Eddie Stobbart has slowed his artic down to a crawl and starts to pull out to give space to the horse. Shitforbrains and Fuckwitt can’t see the horse and having completely lost the plot scream past between the artic and the pavement. Fortunately Eddie Driver sees them in time and anchors up giving the girl space to control her horse. Meanwhile two unidentified idiots scream off into the distance – presumably to meet up by the Storming Petrel at Market Drayton.
To be fair – most bikers through here do use their brains. They slow down and try to minimise the noise. In practical terms it’s impossible to identify who the fuckwitts are – but the rest of the biker community must have a pretty good idea. And it’s down to their failure to rein them in that people write to their MPs asking for bikers to be more tightly regulated, asking the police to target bikers, asking councils to install more speed cameras, asking for bikes to be subjected to noise and power restrictions and all the other stuff that bikers moan about.
This particular stretch of road has seen sixteen biker "casualty" accidents in three years with the casualties being not just the bikers themselves but local people as well. I have seen the police records for all of these accidents and it has to be said that by and large responsibility lies fairly and squarely in the hands of the rider.
We respect bikers freedom to enjoy their bikes – all we ask is that they respect our right to peace and quiet and safety in our own communities.
Point made….
Enter Johnny Fuckwitt and Randy Shitforbrains on their testosterone fuelled suberbikes as they round the last corner and open up for the straight stretch through the village. Meanwhile Eddie Stobbart has slowed his artic down to a crawl and starts to pull out to give space to the horse. Shitforbrains and Fuckwitt can’t see the horse and having completely lost the plot scream past between the artic and the pavement. Fortunately Eddie Driver sees them in time and anchors up giving the girl space to control her horse. Meanwhile two unidentified idiots scream off into the distance – presumably to meet up by the Storming Petrel at Market Drayton.
To be fair – most bikers through here do use their brains. They slow down and try to minimise the noise. In practical terms it’s impossible to identify who the fuckwitts are – but the rest of the biker community must have a pretty good idea. And it’s down to their failure to rein them in that people write to their MPs asking for bikers to be more tightly regulated, asking the police to target bikers, asking councils to install more speed cameras, asking for bikes to be subjected to noise and power restrictions and all the other stuff that bikers moan about.
This particular stretch of road has seen sixteen biker "casualty" accidents in three years with the casualties being not just the bikers themselves but local people as well. I have seen the police records for all of these accidents and it has to be said that by and large responsibility lies fairly and squarely in the hands of the rider.
We respect bikers freedom to enjoy their bikes – all we ask is that they respect our right to peace and quiet and safety in our own communities.
Point made….
Monday, July 09, 2007
More Googleperplexion
Given the hassle we have been having with google.com imagine my surprise when I noticed yestarday that my 360 degree feedback site had climbed to position number 8 on the listings.
Past experience has shown that these excursions on to the forst page tend to be short lived, for reasons that I can never fully fathom. This it seemed to be when I looked again this morning and found that we were now at number 9 - albeit hanging on to the first page. The jury is still out on level of benefit of being on the first page as we stil have never been there for long enough to establish how it affects the level of traffic.
By all rational measures we should consistently be on the first page of google.com and the latest hike may be as a result of some blogging posts by blogitive.com - although the short lived hike that seems to occur in response to blogging remains a mystery.
My current investigation: is the best format for a URL 360-degree-feedback or 360degreefeedback?
Past experience has shown that these excursions on to the forst page tend to be short lived, for reasons that I can never fully fathom. This it seemed to be when I looked again this morning and found that we were now at number 9 - albeit hanging on to the first page. The jury is still out on level of benefit of being on the first page as we stil have never been there for long enough to establish how it affects the level of traffic.
By all rational measures we should consistently be on the first page of google.com and the latest hike may be as a result of some blogging posts by blogitive.com - although the short lived hike that seems to occur in response to blogging remains a mystery.
My current investigation: is the best format for a URL 360-degree-feedback or 360degreefeedback?
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Lurid Postings
If you want to know what people are saying aobut my 360 degree feedback site - check this out:
http://www.ijustgotblogged.com/index.php?blog=3&title=pro... http://drealthing.blogspot.com/2007/06/constructive-criti... http://marketoffers.blogspot.com/2007/06/personal-apprais... http://spaceramblings.blogsome.com/2007/06/21/targeted-ar... http://inhairstudio.blogspot.com/2007/06/360-degree-feedb... http://jess2princess.blogspot.com/2007/06/be-good-employe... http://homewithcharisse.blogspot.com/2007/06/testing-emot... http://charissewrites.blogspot.com/2007/06/emotional-inte... http://myacrostics.blogspot.com/2007/06/well-rounded.html http://showintale.blogspot.com/2007/06/from-all-angles.html http://hifidel.blogspot.com/2007/06/top-five-types-of-fee... http://www.munaeem.org/archive/2007/6/251279.html http://recommendedread.blogspot.com/2007/06/360-degrees.html http://llamamamadrama.blogspot.com/2007/06/do-you-really-... http://seniorsolutions.blogspot.com/2007/06/i-did-what.html http://patrick-newmoon.blogspot.com/2007/06/appraisal-360... http://www.healthandwealthtopic.com/2007/06/how-to-evalua... http://www.tammiebeagle.com/2007/06/21/profiling-for-profit/ http://chiutenblack.blogspot.com/2007/06/do-you-really-wa... http://dogsarefunyes.blogspot.com/2007/06/360-feedback.html
http://www.ijustgotblogged.com/index.php?blog=3&title=pro... http://drealthing.blogspot.com/2007/06/constructive-criti... http://marketoffers.blogspot.com/2007/06/personal-apprais... http://spaceramblings.blogsome.com/2007/06/21/targeted-ar... http://inhairstudio.blogspot.com/2007/06/360-degree-feedb... http://jess2princess.blogspot.com/2007/06/be-good-employe... http://homewithcharisse.blogspot.com/2007/06/testing-emot... http://charissewrites.blogspot.com/2007/06/emotional-inte... http://myacrostics.blogspot.com/2007/06/well-rounded.html http://showintale.blogspot.com/2007/06/from-all-angles.html http://hifidel.blogspot.com/2007/06/top-five-types-of-fee... http://www.munaeem.org/archive/2007/6/251279.html http://recommendedread.blogspot.com/2007/06/360-degrees.html http://llamamamadrama.blogspot.com/2007/06/do-you-really-... http://seniorsolutions.blogspot.com/2007/06/i-did-what.html http://patrick-newmoon.blogspot.com/2007/06/appraisal-360... http://www.healthandwealthtopic.com/2007/06/how-to-evalua... http://www.tammiebeagle.com/2007/06/21/profiling-for-profit/ http://chiutenblack.blogspot.com/2007/06/do-you-really-wa... http://dogsarefunyes.blogspot.com/2007/06/360-feedback.html
Sunday, July 01, 2007
Massive and Passive
Always on the lookout to find ways to promote my 360 degree feedback site I was browsing yesterday in Waterstones. I came across a little book called "How to make a Fortune on the Internet: A Guide for anyone who wants to create a massive and passive income for life".
Always a little cynical about these sort of claims I picked it up and started reading - and to be honest it was pretty well written, and with a companion website www.massiveandpassive.co.uk.
What the book said supported by and large a lot of what I have already learned over the last year - but I'm stillreading and learning - so watch this space.
Always a little cynical about these sort of claims I picked it up and started reading - and to be honest it was pretty well written, and with a companion website www.massiveandpassive.co.uk.
What the book said supported by and large a lot of what I have already learned over the last year - but I'm stillreading and learning - so watch this space.
Friday, June 08, 2007
Taxing Virgins
Congratulations to Richard Branson for running Europe's first biodiesel train.
However, regular readers will know that one of the biggest complaints that we have is the high level of tax levied on biofuels by the government. And in his press release Branson makes it clear that one of the factors that has enabled this trial is a concession with the government on the fuel duty that they will be paying to a level which will make it commercially viable. Indeed, in the notes accompanying the last budget there was advance notice that there would be trials to establish the correct level of taxation of biofuels for off road use. And it didn't take a rocket scientist to work out that they were talking about Virgin Trains.
Biofuels currently get a 20p a litre reduction in road fuel duty - which so far the Prime - Minister in Waiting has trumpeted as part of the Government's commitment to carbon reductions. The truth is that biofuels are significantly more expensive to produce than petroleum fuels, the price of the raw materials is significantly more volatile and the 20p a litre rebate is not enough to make them competitive.
Mr Branson as we all know is no fool. He has pledged massive investment in biofuels over the next decade and putting pressure on the government to reduce the level of taxation is a key part of that.
We're right behind you....
For those of you who are wondering - my 360 degree feedback site is now sitting at number 15 on google.com and the reason for the change in layout of my blog is to try and escape Google's dreaded Supplemental Index.
However, regular readers will know that one of the biggest complaints that we have is the high level of tax levied on biofuels by the government. And in his press release Branson makes it clear that one of the factors that has enabled this trial is a concession with the government on the fuel duty that they will be paying to a level which will make it commercially viable. Indeed, in the notes accompanying the last budget there was advance notice that there would be trials to establish the correct level of taxation of biofuels for off road use. And it didn't take a rocket scientist to work out that they were talking about Virgin Trains.
Biofuels currently get a 20p a litre reduction in road fuel duty - which so far the Prime - Minister in Waiting has trumpeted as part of the Government's commitment to carbon reductions. The truth is that biofuels are significantly more expensive to produce than petroleum fuels, the price of the raw materials is significantly more volatile and the 20p a litre rebate is not enough to make them competitive.
Mr Branson as we all know is no fool. He has pledged massive investment in biofuels over the next decade and putting pressure on the government to reduce the level of taxation is a key part of that.
We're right behind you....
For those of you who are wondering - my 360 degree feedback site is now sitting at number 15 on google.com and the reason for the change in layout of my blog is to try and escape Google's dreaded Supplemental Index.
Saturday, June 02, 2007
Spinning on the Axis of Evil
It was never going to be long before the Whitehouse Muppet had another go at destroying the planet. This time apparently it's his ego in the face of the United Nations that seems to be at the root of it.
Shortly before the G8 summit Bush decides that it would be a good idea to launch his own climate change agenda, outside of that which has been painstakingly put together by the UN, effectively destroying any chance of making progress in the immediate future. Clearly this is a diversionary tactic - but why?
We can only presume - apart from his already proven stupidity, Christian fundamentalist credentials and arrogance, that he wants to avoid being seen to make a U-turn, particularly after the hard time that the UN gave him over Iraq. If climate change were not such a serious issue there would be some satisfaction to be had from gloating over his fuckwit behaviour.
The question remains, however, how many of the major developed nations will follow the Bush administration's lead in favour of the UN. Not many I would imagine - and I suspect that when the history books are written the Bush era will be seen as a watershed marking the point at which the wane of America as a world power became irreversible.
Let's hope so - the planet cannot afford another Bush.
Shortly before the G8 summit Bush decides that it would be a good idea to launch his own climate change agenda, outside of that which has been painstakingly put together by the UN, effectively destroying any chance of making progress in the immediate future. Clearly this is a diversionary tactic - but why?
We can only presume - apart from his already proven stupidity, Christian fundamentalist credentials and arrogance, that he wants to avoid being seen to make a U-turn, particularly after the hard time that the UN gave him over Iraq. If climate change were not such a serious issue there would be some satisfaction to be had from gloating over his fuckwit behaviour.
The question remains, however, how many of the major developed nations will follow the Bush administration's lead in favour of the UN. Not many I would imagine - and I suspect that when the history books are written the Bush era will be seen as a watershed marking the point at which the wane of America as a world power became irreversible.
Let's hope so - the planet cannot afford another Bush.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Google who art in Heaven....
Those readers who have been following my 360 degree feedback site in these postings may have noticed that it took a massive hit on the rankings this morning, down to page three or even page four on google.com. A bit of investigation shows that many of the blog entries are showing up in the search engines with unexpected URLs. So my hypothesis is that the homepages of the blogs are being crawled, but not the archives. Obviously after a while each blog posting ends up in an archive and is therefore less visible to the search engine spiders.
My answer to all this: I created a couple of pages PPP BTY which contain links to all the blog entries about my site - in the hope that they will soon be spidered, that the blog entries will be discovered and properly indexed together with the backlinks to my site.
Meanwhile - look at my position in the listings and pray....
My answer to all this: I created a couple of pages PPP BTY which contain links to all the blog entries about my site - in the hope that they will soon be spidered, that the blog entries will be discovered and properly indexed together with the backlinks to my site.
Meanwhile - look at my position in the listings and pray....
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Search Lord in Cyberheaven
Lord Google, of all the cyber Gods;
Thou art the mightiest, of them all.
Hallowed by thy glorious name;
Ever shalt though reign.
Let not temptation fall upon me to spam you,
Lest my penalties be eternal SERP damnation.
Bless my 360 degree feedback site with a one thousand hits a day.
Thou art the mightiest, of them all.
Hallowed by thy glorious name;
Ever shalt though reign.
Let not temptation fall upon me to spam you,
Lest my penalties be eternal SERP damnation.
Bless my 360 degree feedback site with a one thousand hits a day.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
The Great Google Blogging Swindle...
Those of you who have been following the ongoing saga of the optimisation of my 360 degree feedback site - currently stuck at nbr 20 on google.com - may be interested to follow the results of my latest experiment. My observation was that a lot of the sponsored blog entries about the site seemed to have a short lived effect on my position in the listings.
My hypothesis is that when a blog entry is first posted it appears on the front page of the blog and is therefore easily spidered and indexed by google. However, at the end of every month the previous month's entries are archived and therefore become less accessible to the search engine spiders. The links therefore get lost from the index and my position suffers.
Now for the clever bit. Check out my homepage at richard.oppenheimer.org.uk and you will find that I have made a couple of static pages listing all the blog entries that refer to Appraisal360.co.uk. My hope is that google will soon spider these pages and be pointed to the relevant blog entries - which will then be indexed as linking back to my site. Hold your breath and watch this space.
My hypothesis is that when a blog entry is first posted it appears on the front page of the blog and is therefore easily spidered and indexed by google. However, at the end of every month the previous month's entries are archived and therefore become less accessible to the search engine spiders. The links therefore get lost from the index and my position suffers.
Now for the clever bit. Check out my homepage at richard.oppenheimer.org.uk and you will find that I have made a couple of static pages listing all the blog entries that refer to Appraisal360.co.uk. My hope is that google will soon spider these pages and be pointed to the relevant blog entries - which will then be indexed as linking back to my site. Hold your breath and watch this space.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
What now...?
Regular readers of this column will be all to familiar with the constant stream of gloom and doom about the future prospects for the planet - and the incompetence of the fuckwitts who run it.
This week, however, a new source of despair emerged from an unlikely source. New Scientist reported on how the planet's reserves of rare earths like iridium are becoming exhausted. Never heard of it? Well it is vital in minute quantities for the manufacture of computer chips and photovoltaic solar panels.
The prospect of losing our cheap supply of computer chips is more far reaching than most people realise. It will seriously hamper our ability to communicate and to process information. It is these very abilities which have enabled us to live on the planet in the numbers that we have. What's more nobody really knows how much of these precious minerals there are left - because up until now nobody has been counting.
Watch this space....
If you're wondering about my 360 degree feedback site - it's hanging on in there at number 20 on google.com.
This week, however, a new source of despair emerged from an unlikely source. New Scientist reported on how the planet's reserves of rare earths like iridium are becoming exhausted. Never heard of it? Well it is vital in minute quantities for the manufacture of computer chips and photovoltaic solar panels.
The prospect of losing our cheap supply of computer chips is more far reaching than most people realise. It will seriously hamper our ability to communicate and to process information. It is these very abilities which have enabled us to live on the planet in the numbers that we have. What's more nobody really knows how much of these precious minerals there are left - because up until now nobody has been counting.
Watch this space....
If you're wondering about my 360 degree feedback site - it's hanging on in there at number 20 on google.com.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Professional coasting
When my sister and I went round to see our friends at eco-energy it was nice to see that a coaster advertising my 360 degree feedback site was occupying pride of place on the manager's desk. Unlike the google.com listing which is still just hanging on to the second page of google.com at number 20.
I hope the same happens to the 500 coasters that will be given out at the Birmingham Young Porofessional of the Year event in Brum tomorrow. One way and another I'm too mean to pay the £94 a ticket that they wanted for the event - but getting my brand in front of 500 ambitious young professionals seemed like a good idea to me. 360 degree appraisal seems to be catching on in a big way - and a customer of mine told me that there had been a recent public sector edict that 360 degree appraisal was to be used for all senior public sector employees.
This is good news, as is also the interest I have been getting from a number of personal and lifestyle coaches who seem to think that a slimmed down version of the product might work well for confidence building exercises. Watch this space.
I hope the same happens to the 500 coasters that will be given out at the Birmingham Young Porofessional of the Year event in Brum tomorrow. One way and another I'm too mean to pay the £94 a ticket that they wanted for the event - but getting my brand in front of 500 ambitious young professionals seemed like a good idea to me. 360 degree appraisal seems to be catching on in a big way - and a customer of mine told me that there had been a recent public sector edict that 360 degree appraisal was to be used for all senior public sector employees.
This is good news, as is also the interest I have been getting from a number of personal and lifestyle coaches who seem to think that a slimmed down version of the product might work well for confidence building exercises. Watch this space.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Google and the Whitehouse Fuckwitt
My attempts to move my 360 degree feedback site seem to be in the doldrums. I'm starting to think that it may be because a .co.uk site will never do very well on google.com which is looking for american sites hosted on american servers.
It seems a bit unfair that people who voted for the Whitehouse Fuckwitt should get such a good deal - but there we have it.
Sitting at nbr 19 on google.com
It seems a bit unfair that people who voted for the Whitehouse Fuckwitt should get such a good deal - but there we have it.
Sitting at nbr 19 on google.com
Saturday, May 19, 2007
The SEO's Prayer....
Google.com who art in Heaven,
Hallowed be thy first page,
Thy PageRank cometh,
Thy algorithm be done,
In the Adwords as it is on Page One,
Give us this day,
Our targetted inbound traffic,
Forgive us our duplicate content,
As we pray for those who link to us,
Tempt us not to spam,
Deliver us from the Supplemental Index
The listings, the SERPS and the PageRank,
Are yours now and evermore.
Search Google.com - bless our 360 degree feedback website.
Hallowed be thy first page,
Thy PageRank cometh,
Thy algorithm be done,
In the Adwords as it is on Page One,
Give us this day,
Our targetted inbound traffic,
Forgive us our duplicate content,
As we pray for those who link to us,
Tempt us not to spam,
Deliver us from the Supplemental Index
The listings, the SERPS and the PageRank,
Are yours now and evermore.
Search Google.com - bless our 360 degree feedback website.
Friday, May 18, 2007
The search continues....
Next stage in the great Google experiment to see how blog entries affect the ranking of my 360 degree feedback site. Remember I am going to mention it in a post on here every day for the next three or four weeks to see how the ranking is affected.
At the time of writing google.com lists me at nbr 18 for "360 degree feedback" having gone up a notch from yesterday. The highest it has been is nbr 8 on google.com and it is consistently nbr 1 or nbr 2 on google.co.uk.
My hypothesis is that google are picking up on the RSS feed from Blogger and hence we are seeing a fairly immediate step up in the listings followed by a drift back down.
At the time of writing google.com lists me at nbr 18 for "360 degree feedback" having gone up a notch from yesterday. The highest it has been is nbr 8 on google.com and it is consistently nbr 1 or nbr 2 on google.co.uk.
My hypothesis is that google are picking up on the RSS feed from Blogger and hence we are seeing a fairly immediate step up in the listings followed by a drift back down.
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