18
Jun
Radcliffe & Maconie
It’s the 2nd best show on Radio. After Wogan of course.
As regular readers (all three of you) will know, I do make a point of posting not just life’s whines and moans but examples of first class customer service or products. This is one of those happy, gushing posts. You have been warned.
I do miss motorcycling. I haven’t had a bike for almost 15 years, not since my “best mate” Simon suggested that we turn my then aging Honda CX500 into a trike as a summer project one year… that bike sat on the patio for a long time before I finally gave it away piece by piece. Just recently I have been mulling over buying a bike, I’ve even got as far as figuring out where it will be stored (no garage at home – we converted to a playroom). Now contrary to the opinions of close family, I am not having a mid-life crisis. I have enough crises day to day without adding another one to the mix. I simply enjoy motorcycling and want to do some. Of course, the more you consider buying a bike, the more you want one NOW; not a good way to make a buying decision. So, overtaken by a fit of common sense I thought I’d hire a bike for a day, maybe a weekend and see whether I still enjoy it.
That’s where the problems begin. Have you tried to hire a motorcycle recently? Well, it’s not easy and it’s expensive. Over £100 for a day. Plus fuel, plus safety gear.
There’s another problem too. Since parenthood consumed what might at a stretch be called my “free time” for the last six years I have become a lot more risk averse. I like to experience an adrenalin rush but I am, to all intents and purposes these days, chicken. Constantly aware of my responsibilities and my desire not to render my children fatherless, I avoid doing things that place me in clear mortal danger. In fact, bicycling to work is about as risky as life gets these days.
And so it was I found myself googling “back to biking course”. Surely, I figured, there must be a market in old farts wanting to climb back on a bike, but who might be lacking some confidence or, like me, are so sensible these days that growing a tidy beard and becoming a geography teacher is an ever present threat.
Well, I got lucky. The very first site that my searching turned up was back2bikes.co.uk. My first test of any potential new supplier is their website. If it’s crap, I don’t go near. Actually, if I just don’t like it, I don’t go any further. It’s one of the bad habits from being in the Internet business. This site was nice. Most importantly, it was crystal clear. The language used was simple, direct and unambiguous. The courses available obvious. The guidance as to what course you needed was clear. They didn’t have a course entitled “Get back on yer bike – chicken old farts a speciality” but they did have an inviting “If you don’t see exactly what you want, contact us”.
It’s the contacting that usually goes wrong of course. Busy small companies lose your enquiry. Slack small companies just don’t bother. Big companies even more unpredictable. Not with Back2Bikes though. The wonderfully informative and efficient Bev replied inside 24 hours, asked me a series of sensible questions and responded sweetly to my self-deprecating comments about the size of my arse and why a full size bike rather than a 125 was essential for my self-esteem.
Lots of other touches gave me confidence about this company. Every communication, including the impeccable directions, safety info, license requirements etc. that were posted was immaculately presented. Professional letterheads and business cards, a consistent message throughout. Bev clearly has a talent for marketing or a talent for spotting web designers who do.
We settled on the fact that I wanted someone to follow me and tell me how I could ride better and generally make sure I was not endangering myself and others trolling around on two wheels. The date was set, Monday June 29th. I had my helmet, bought from the local BMW dealer several years ago in a fit of retail therapy and never worn in anger. I had my humble walking boots (a sensible footwear choice advised in the back2bike information pack) and I had high hopes of dry roads and blue skies. Armoured jacket, gloves and waterproof trousers to be provided by Back2Bikes.
The start time was set for 8.45, due to finish at 4pm. No itinerary was discussed as the day was to be one to one and tailored to whatever I wanted. Now, I hesitate to publish the price because I think they are doing themselves a disservice and undercharging but… it was £120. Sounds like a lot maybe, but actually compared to hiring a bike quite cheap considering that it includes a brand new 600cc XJ6 to ride around on, full insurance, an entire day’s tuition (or just “rent-a-mate” if it turns out you actually can still ride!), brand new gloves and jacket, and the most fun you can have with your clothes on.
I met Rob who was to be my instructor for the day. He took me through a refresher of stuff I should (and mostly did) remember from my biking days such as road position, observations, roundabout techniques etc. He showed me round the bike and explained all. New fangled stuff to me to be honest. A cutoff switch, the fact that the lights are hardwired these days to always be on, your only choice is dip or main beam, how the indicators cancel, the gearbox, the fact that being a 600cc learner machine it is restricted (this did not affect the fun, we had to follow speed limits after all and the acceleration is still in a different league from cars). I’m pretty sure the silly grin I wore for the rest of the day was well developed at this point.
Rob wired me up with a radio. He talked, I listened. He said Bev found the earpiece painful but once I dragged my Terry Wogan like ear-lobe through it I have to say I didn’t know I was wearing it. We set out on a dry road. Rob talking me through the observations on the way round to the garage to fill up. Ten minutes later, we’re out on the road and heading for Evesham with Rob offering just the right amount of tips as we approached hazards and turns. Now, I have a full bike license and in the last year that I rode a bike I probably rode more miles (despatch riding) than many do in ten years but nonetheless, this is no time to be over-confident. I was here to learn. And learn I did. In the most encouraging, positive manner you can imagine. Rob’s a superb instructor. What a team they are!
We meander through winding roads in the Cotswold countryside eventually ending up at Burford. Now ordinarily I hate Burford. There are only so many antique shops and pricy gift shops you can stand but that’s probably due to all previous visits being done under some duress. Not today though. Today, we’re stopping for lunch in Burford. Today, we’re sat outside in the sun, helmets and gear off with cold drinks (coke, before you ask) and great BLTs served with a smile from the Highway Inn. Bikes parked a few feet away on sidestands, angled slightly uphill. It doesn’t get any better. I was so pleased with my day at this point that I bought Rob’s modest lunch. I still felt that with only one person on the “course” that I was still getting a bloody good deal and taking advantage. Frankly I was so damned happy at this point I had to stop myself from pronouncing “drinks are on me” to the other patrons.
A restful lunch and then back on the bikes. To this point, although Rob had largely stopped given me guidance and seemed to be now focussed on pointing out when I had got something particularly “right” he had been deciding directions. From Burford though we had a chat and I knew a twisty road very well from Burford through Bibury to Cirencester so after a couple of traffic light discussions as to our next move, we found ourselves riding through Cirencester, Chalford, Thrupp, Brimscombe, Stroud then up towards Painswick and over the beacon then down into Whaddon and Gloucester. A brief stop for a drink (the day was blisteringly hot by now) before making our way through Glouceser, Hampstead, Longford and back towards Tewkesbury.
The weather was perfect. The organisation from back2bikes was perfect. From the moment Rob greeted me at the garage where the bikes live, everything was professional, friendly, entertaining and pitched perfectly to my needs, vague thought they were. It was so good that I didn’t mind at all the fact that even with my full license the bike had “L” plates and I had a “Student” vest on. I didn’t care. It was all so good. I admire Bev & Rob. With a young family they have upped sticks (admittedly to the best part of the country), setup a business during the worst recession in most people’s memory and are succeeding. And no wonder; word of mouth will surely stand them well. I hope a long dry summer encourages more people to take to a bike and to do so with Bev & Rob.
Whatever the reason for doing it, whatever your skill level, even if you just want a jolly for the day, don’t look further than back2bikes. They deserve to do well, such attention to detail and professional service is rare and they have it in spades.
I’m now gazing ever more fondly at the BMW tourer in the local dealer but there is no urgency. As I dither about which bike to buy and when, I know exactly where I can get out for a day and satisfy my craving until the next time.
Bev, Rob, thank you. It was the best value for money I can remember in a long while and I will be back. Sorry about the jacket by the way – don’t know my own strength.
Tags: back2bikes, motorbiking, motorcycling
“Facebaulk.com”. A social network to make you vomit with boredom.
It’s great. It’s basically the same as Facebook but instead of the ability to type status updates you are only able to select from the following list.
- “I’m bored”
- “I’m drunk”
- “I’m going to get drunk”
- “I’m going to be bored”
- “I was bored, now I’m drunk and bored”
- “Facebaulk is so boring I want to vomit”
- “I wish I was drunk”
- “I’m going out”
- “I went out, it was boring, I’m drunk”
- “OMG I’m so bored!”
It also has an option to automatically pick one of the above and post it at 3am for those nights when you are just too bored or too drunk to actually type.
I think it’s a winner.
13
Jun
Diy 3d
I wonder… A pair of polarized glasses and similarly polarized sheets placed in front of a of monitor should be all that’s needed, then generate left and right images on relevent side of the screen.
Tags: 3d
13
Jun
Digital Cinema
Aha! So, last night I had a better than typical cinema experience at Gloucester Cineworld. I watched Terminator Salvation which was actually much better than I was expecting and the picture quality was ok this time. Only ok mind you. Not sharp by any stretch. 35mm film may well have much higher resolution than any digital source but if your man on the projector hasn’t tweaked his lens right then the focus will be soft and all that resolution is for naught.
The good news is that it turns out this cinema does have one digital projector. I still haven’t managed to find anyone who can tell me which screen that is (if only because, the screen itself must be better quality than typical screens in order to work with the new 3d digital movies and so, I reason even if what’s playing is a film from a reel at least part of the setup must be improved).
It does seem as though the only way to be assured of seeing a digital film is to see a 3d one. TS, while chock full of CGI you would have thought would be showing in digital but now, only film.
A friend saw Bolt in 3D at the same cinema and tells me there was no blurring as was common in the first generation of polarised light 3d solutions and the experience was tremendous.
So, I hope to take the kids to see Ice Age 3 in 3d when that shows up later in the year. Previous Ice Age films were very watchable so I’m hoping this will be an all-new cinema experience for the whole family.
My eldest wears glasses… does that affect the 3d experience at all? My instinct says it shouldn’t so long as the polarized glasses fit over the regular ones.
Tags: 3d, cinema, terminator salvation
12
Jun
Ether perfume hoax email
So, my Wife received a hoax email. We get a lot of these so I always go straight to google, and try to see if it’s a known hoax. It is so I helpfully told the sender and the other recipients. One of the stunningly clever ones asked…
“How do you know it’s a hoax?”
Well, I don’t KNOW it is a hoax. I believe it is a hoax though. Because to believe it is true also requires me to believe that…
Criminals the world over have tried a slight variation on a theme and the would-be-victims have relayed their worrysome ordeal in such a way that it has found its way into a rich variety of email forms with a remarkable number of words and phrases in common.
Or, there is only a small band of dedicated criminals trying the same scam whilst globetrotting and, judging by the prodigious number of near-misses, being very bad at the criminal game while still being able to fund their travels. A “Whicker’s Gang” if you will. If an email comes to light where the victim is duped by a small group of elderly, charming men wearing horn rimmed glasses and smart blazers you’ll know I’m right.
Or, this is a crime pandemic that Interpol, The FBI, our own home office and regional police forces deem so unimportant that none of us have ever seen a poster, tv ad, crimestoppers, window sticker or a sign in a car park or an appeal from whoever that bloke is who says “Don’t have nightmares”.
Or, despite the fact that there are apparently several perpetrators, instead of rushing the victim and bundling them into the car they send just one of their number to go do it using some Ether and a dubious story. Lots of things to go wrong there. For one thing, Ether is heavier than air so you will need to give it a pretty good sniff to make sure it gets up your snozzle instead of meandering over the neck of the bottle and falling to the floor; secondly – and I expect to be put right by some medical type on the cc list, but what the hell, let’s live dangerously – my lay person’s understanding of Ether is that one gets high, possibly in an explosive and troubling way for some time before becoming compliant and finally, helpless and unconscious. Not very efficient on the abduction front is it?
So, that’s why I (and people who collect these things and put them on hoax slayer et al to help others) believe it’s a hoax. Because it just doesn’t sound plausible. Does anyone think it does sound plausible, really?
No offence to Alan Whicker by the way. I like him. I’m sure if one were to be abducted in the style of Alan Whicker it would be charming and he’d probably apologise afterwards. Of course he’d probably use sherry instead of Ether.
Tags: drivel, email hoax
So, I’ve been to the cinema twice in the last 10 days. First, to see Star Trek and then to see Angels & Demons. Both good films. Star Trek way better in my opinion that any of the other Star Trek films and Angels & Demons is better than the book and better than the previous film, The Da Vinci Code.
Anyway, the point of this particular post is to whine a little about what spoiled the experience for me and, in fact what always spoils the cinema experience for me… PROJECTION!
I’m always amazed that in these days where even DVD is now being replaced by BluRay and digital technology in the home is old-hat, the Nation’s cinemas are still showing brand new films on such old technology. It’s just miserable. Start Trek suffered throughout by what seemed to be an unstable picture with closeups being marred by the whole scene shifting up and down perceptibly. Angels and Demons less so (different cinema as well) but both viewings were grainy, blurry, indistinct, “low-res” pictures. It was (and has been on all cinema trips I can remember of recent years) a very disappointing experience visually. It really did look like watching a VHS tape at home on a modest sized TV. Obviously it is higher resolution being purely optical, resolution may not even be the right word to use but the fact is the quality of picture I get at home on a large (42 inch) but budget plasma TV is in a different league.
Contrast is the other victim of cinema. Not so much with Star Trek but Angels looked like the entire lot was shot through cheesecloth with dull colours and contrast.
It just feels like a waste of money. The only way to see the film soon after release is at the cinema and the quality is dire.
29
May
Chrome Plated Goodness
I’m now using Google Chrome as my browser of choice. It just works. It’s fast. If it dies only one tab dies. It does some things very differently and very nicely. Like downloads appearing at the bottom of the tab you just downloaded them in and staying there in case you need them. A stunning piece of common sense – why would you download something you don’t intend to use?
Unfortunately, I can’t use it at work yet because although its rendering is superb and as far as I can see every bit as good as FF3, IE7, IE8 and Safari and its built-in developer tools are better than all other browsers, it does not have the essential part of our development workflow – Firebug and html tidy. Until it has a plugin comparable to each, it must remain second fiddle at work. I’m using it of course for general purpose but not when I have any page development or testing to do and want the comfort of real-time validation and being able to monitor network requests
I will explore writing plugins myself of course. In reality I will never have the time or, more likely energy to actually implement anything of the sort. Someone though, WILL have the time and energy to create these plugins for Chrome and when they do my day will run just that bit faster and crash less often.
Tags: Browsers, Google Chrome, Plugins
26
Jan
instant access my arse
So, while I’m frustrated by communications difficulties with a… communications company I’ll share another frustrating experience with you.
I sign up for an online share dealing account. It says instant access, just give your bank details etc. So I do this and yes, it really does take just 10 minutes to fill in all the forms. And the final step… “You will now receive a temporary password through the post…”
In which universe exactly does that count as “instant access”?
Please, if you invite someone to a conference call, make sure you are there. Is it too much to expect the host to be there when one dials in at the right time? or a minute later? or five minutes later?
As I write this out of frustration it’s been six minutes… that’s just rude.
Tags: communications, conference calls