End of the January sales for bargain hunters
The time has come for the January sales to come to an end. Shops will be taking down their window stickers tomorrow morning and it will be back to full price come Sunday 1st February. But will there still be a bargain to grab?
I am impressed with the bargains that I managed to buy during the month, considering that I'm not one to enjoy the retail onslaught of sifting through rails of clothing, etc amongst the crazy shoppers the sales tend to attract.
Like moths to a light and flies to a turd, I really can't see the attraction. They swarm, froth at the mouth, and with aggresive arms being flung out to protect the space they are reviewing for the biggest discounts, it makes you wonder is it worth all the trouble?
At a time that we're being told the end of the world is nigh, and high street retailers are closing down all around us, we are still prepared to spend our way through the credit crunch, if you can nail that special discount and get something you really don't need.
However I set out to get stuff that I do need, and wanted to save some cash at the same time.
My first attempt into getting a deal, was actullally between Xmas and New Year. A trip to Bluewater shopping centre at the height of festive madness, I was ready to use some vouchers for the Diesel store. OMG. What a mistake, there was very little available in Large, and I left disappointed that I came away without a winter jacket.
If you are a XL or XXL then you could have a field day in the sales anytime during the month. No surprise that the standard sizes were first to get sold, but why don't stores stagger the gems throughout the month? The amount of times I went into stores to only leave empty handed was almost everytime.
It was actually mid January that I hunted out a 70% discount on a coat from Gap. I couldn't believe it. This coat was £140.00 and reduced to £40.00. Now that's what I call a successful shopping trip.
A bit more rummaging in the store I then found another bargain and then headed upstairs to Baby Gap. They also had a rail of clothes that were heavily discounted it was beyond believe. I grabbed three jackets that would be ideal for this winter worth over £150.00 and paid around £45.00.
Gap certainly got some spend from me this month, But I wonder how much sale stock is still out? If there are other retailers with some bargains sitting on the shelves ready for the taking? If there is, it's worth trying to haggle and do a bulk buy to get an even bigger discount.
At the end of the day, retailers need to sell it for something. It's always worth remembering that if you don't ask you don't get. So go on, give it a go. Let me know how you get on.
The Friday evening commute home
It only comes once a week, and when it does, it brings a smile that is seen and shared by many. It's the Friday evening commute home.
It seems to bring out the worst out in some people when this happy occasion should really be enjoyed. What is it that makes the commuter turn into the person you just wish was in the next carriage?
I worked out recently that a twelve of my life last year was spent commuting. Yep that's a full month, 30 days or thereabouts. Given the fact that it would have included about 46 Friday night journeys home from work, you'd hope the majority of these would be hassle free.
But they rarely are. Why? I wish I could answer that fully. Trains travel every day. They travel apparently mostly on time, so why is it on the day and time you wish to get home on time everything goes pear shaped.
Friday evening and Monday mornings are favourites with the jumpers. It must have been a rotten week, or an awful weekend, to decide to take that step off the platform. But it really screws up your journey home.
The over crowding is an issue as well. Your think there was enough statistical data to support putting on an additional carriage. Not much to ask for the hours of 5.30pm to 7.30pm. I have 2 or 3 trains to catch each way, so I'd support any initiatives of more stress free commutes. This then affects boarding and departure times.
Now why are people cracking open the cans of beer the moment the train leaves the station? Are they that desperate to taste the Amber nectar before they get home?
Delays, delays and more delays. Is there someone responsible for managing expectations with the train time? If it came early, I'm sure people would me happy and surprised. But you'll find the 1st train is delayed, and this then has on a knick on effect on the next set of trains.
But not as surprised as I am on people pressing the door buttons before the train has stopped. Why? It's pretty easy to understand the instructions, wait for the light to show, then press. That just irritates me immensley.
Knowing you, knowing me, welcome to the Web 2.3
After some blog banter today, and some "ah haa's", thought it best to update that Blogroll on the side navigation to feature some Interesting People. Take a look, I've added some good friends if mine who've digitalised themselves a slice of the Internet pie.
Through life you meet some truly remarkable and interesting people, some from school, then through further and higher education such as college and university, and most from the working environment. Many disappear off the radar and some even reappear later in life, whether that's a good thing or bad thing I'm not sure.
Friends Reunited was the driving force behind getting people back in touch, or allowing you at a safe distance to see which is doing what. I'd given up on counting the number of people who married someone else from school and had a puppy or kitten. Sorry.
With social networking sites booming four years ago with the likes of MySpace, Bebo and then Facebook, it's become almost a popularity competition of how many friends you had. Well I gave it a given on some sites and gave up. Maybe I just don't have any.
It became too time consuming to be writing updates across multiple sites, not sure whether to upload photos or not, do I accept professional contacts or even my mum?
I have a professional profile on LinkedIn.com, which is great to network and develop my visibility, but don't welcome the weekly approaches from headhunters who haven't done their homework. It is very interesting though to see who has been looking at your profile!
The Web 2.0 may well be about social technologies, widgets, engagement with the community and the freedom of two way online communication amongst people and corporations. But getting active on your website and keeping it alive and refreshed, as well as driving traffic to it, will be crucial to making it sticky and growing. Nobody likes visiting a website that us well out if date.
Irrespective of what the Web 2.3 will mean in years to come, it brought you into this posting. You might even click on the links to other websites of people I know. The fact is, people love to read about other people. In some perverse way, it's actually quite interesting the lives that other people lead. So let me coin the phrase Web 2.3 for knowing you, knowing me.
Why not leave a comment and let me know what you think?
If I do know you, and you know me, then get in touch and you reciprocate I'll add you to the blogroll.
Nokia E71 Vodafone Sat Nav should help me on the Wayfinder
Having gone MIA for a day from the blog with no activity yesterday, the question might have been asked, where's Jim Haysom? That's pretty easy. I'm here and I'm back thanks to GPS.
But another question could be, how much do you trust your Sat Nav to give you the best information? Having tried the Vodafone Sat Nav whilst driving this week, it's ironic that today they announce the acquisition of Swedish company Wayfinder, a specialist in location-based services.
I have had my Nokia E71 for a few months now, and I've got to say I'm pretty damn pleased with it. So much so, that I'm more than accommodating when people ask for a recommendation. I am a Nokia mobile phone man, period. Those of you who are as well, are most likely nodding with agreement, once you've been with Nokia, it's hard to switch to another handset manufacturer.
Having flirted with other models such as the visually stunning LG Viewty KU990 in black with its touch screen and the more business functional Orange SPV E650 Windows Mobile Smartphone, Nokia seems to win me back once again. The LG was won in a competition, and the Orange handset was a work mobile, so not exactly my first choices, but as they were free you really can't complain.
So back to the Sat Nav story. Vodafone charge you for the pleasure of using their Sat Nav application as well as the data charges (where appropriate), while in comparison Google offers a free Google Maps Mobile download with directions, maps, satellite images, etc, for free. But given that the Vodafone service has a pleasant tinny sounding women giving me orders, I had to see if she was giving me the best information for a couple of routes that I have done countless times and get my money's worth.
Yesterday's journey was an early morning start, setting off at 7am with the potential to hit 3 motorways, M23, M25 and M3 at the peak commuting time. Not something to be excited with to be honest. But switching on the Sat Nav on the mobile, I thought "let's see what the brain suggests", whilst my heart was set on the journey I've traditionally done to get into west London. Half an hour into the journey the women starts saying "... in 1 mile, turn left". Hang on, I'm still on the M25 going clockwise, and don't really want to be veering off when the junction for the A3 was still to come.
Taking a deep breath, I took the advice and found myself hitting traffic and a standstill. Not happy at this point. As far as the eye can see is traffic and rear brake lights. Not long after cussing at the mobile phone, I was passing Chessington World of Adventures. Is this really the best route I asked myself? Soldiering on, I then drove over the A3 towards Surbiton. Now I would have been on the A3 going underneath this bridge if I'd taken my own advice, but started to get slightly nervous looking at the clock. Time has ticked by and I'm still some distance from my destination.
Thankfully it all came good, and on reflection it took me a more direct and shorter journey. However, I am still convinced that the 1 hour 30 minutes was a time that could have been beaten. So Sat Nav 1, Jim Nav 0.
Which brings me to today, and my approximate 110 - 120 mile journey. The 125-155 minute drive according to Google Maps depends on which of the two routes you take; go left and via the M3, M25, M23 - the faster and shorter route, or go right and along the M27 and cross country - the slightly longer in distance and time, but more scenic route. Although it was dark.
Plugging in my post code, all seemed to be going well and I was thinking the Sat Nav is following my instinctive route. This time I'm travelling in the early evening commuter hell time, 4pm which means motorways will be busy. But at the moment of junction crossroads, I got the "bear right, bear right" directions and it was down the path of no return.
The mapped journey was going to take me along the coastal route, the longer and more countryside alternative to pure motorways. Getting home is now further away from my reach, but this was my own chosen direction as I didn't want to face the M25 at 5.30/6pm. So I can't blame the Sat Nav and maybe the "traffic updates" intelligently guided me this way home.
Suddenly, with 20 miles to go, I got the "turn right, turn right" barking orders, followed by "recalculating route" voice. I'm sure the intonation was raised. But I was already in the zone, the journey was on lock down, and nothing was going to sway me off into the unknown territory of West Sussex. Jim Nav was in charge, and the phone had to accept my rules!
After this GPS misguidance nonsense, it wasn't long until I was home. The roads were clear, so I can't imagine why driving at 70 mph was not the preferred route, to a number of A roads maxing at 60 mph with the overhanging trees and country bends.
With Vodafone's purchase of Wayfinder, it will be interesting to see how they take on the mighty Google, and find a way of monetising a service which gives value and doesn't conflict with stubborn drivers who think they know best. I look forward to seeing if they really can help me find my way, or whether the alternatives can offer something more innovative.
I've yet to use the mobile Sat Nav to tell me where the nearest cash point or petrol station is, but the day I get caught with no cash and the urgent desire to buy a 20kg bag of smokeless coal, I'll be scrambling for the mobile phone faster than the decay of the fresh flowers on the forecourt .
Download movies in iTunes, but rate the movie not the price
It will be 8 months next week, since Apple added movies to rent in iTunes, but they are still plagued with poor user reviews against the price, and not the film.
This is a real shame in the credit crunch as users vote with their wallets and disuade others. I've just read a review that was posted saying something along the lines of, "I'd like to buy 100 movies rather than 10 at this price".
So the price if a recent release is £10.99 to download to own, and £3.49 to rent. Older movies tend to be £6.99 to own and £2.49 to rent. This to many is a bit pricey when you can buy some of these movies cheaper on DVD. Also the movies have DRM which prevents the transfer of movies to your PSP for example.
The comments on iTunes makes purchasing a real hassle as you can't see the wood from the trees. There doesn't seem to be any manual removals of blatant ratings abuse, which should be addressed. Apple please sort this out, or let other iTunes users report the posts.
There is a rental of the week for 99p to rent, which can sometimes offer a retro gem, such as The Cable Guy a couple of weeks ago.
For the convenience of watching a film on the train, bus or even in bed, if you download a film guaranteed to be a winner and one you'll watch a few times, then the download to own price is okay. The rentals are a great way to watch the classics that you might not own. But the price is sure to come down in time, and the demand increases and the movie studios relax their policies on pricing.
However I own Shooter, Cloverfield and Jumper, and got my money's worth. Now I hope that the rentals 21 and What Happens In Vegas are good enough to remind me how I should have played the casino last week.
Week 3 London Marathon training summary
What a week! 7 days ago I found myself running alongside snow and ice in the Swiss capital, Bern, and today I was running in the rain through a forest.
Whilst I managed to do my Tuesday run in Switzerland, I did struggle to do my Thursday and Saturday runs. Terrible I know, but I did get out today and run 1 hour 25 minutes, the longest I'd run this year.
It was a tough run, and it needed to be. Given that two runs were missed, I had to push myself a bit more and decided to run off the beaten track.
I ran through Tilgate Forest to Pease Pottage, on the outskirts of Crawley, and then back through the wooded footpaths until I reached home. It must have been a good 8+ miles through the mud, sodden grass, puddles, and dirt tracks, and my trainers look a right mess!
Surprisingly there were some really odd things lying in the forest, a short distance from the nearest road. I passed a kitchen sink, widescreen television, roll of purple carpet and a fridge freezer. I have no idea how they got there, but you'd think people these days would have some respect for the forest.
Next week I will have to step up the game, as the miles are starting to build. I've not seen any shift off the weight yet, but this will come. As long as I cut out the alcohol and fast food, I'll be okay. On that note, I'm going to make this bottle of Grolsch the last 
Schedule: Tue: 30 mins FR, Wed: RD, Thu: 50 mins SR, Sat: 30 mins HR, Sun: 1 hr 30 mins LR
Achieved: Tue 50 mins SR (in Switzerland), Sun: 1 hr 25 mins LR
Mirror, mirror, on the wall
I'm not one who's mad on DIY, but am quite a perfectionist when it comes to any project I get started. Whether this be building furniture from flat packs or painting and decorating a room, I expect the finest quality and finish.
To the point of making sure pictures are equal distance from the walls, or centred correctly in a room, I must admit that when you invest into making your house a home, you only want it to look its best.
There is one thing that I do find slightly time consuming, but repays you with huge satisafaction. Drilling the holes into the wall for a picture frame and knowing it's spot on and doesn't require filling and doing again.
But drilling into the outside wall for my very heavy and large lounge mirror, has been now prolonged for too many weekends. It's a huge commitment and strikes me with fear. It's an all or nothing piece of DIY, make or break.
Unlike internal walls made of plasterboard, pictures generally are not that heavy. Either a small picture hook or nail is enough to do the job, or a small rawlplug and screw. But this mirror is a whole another beast.
With two fixings on the back of the wooden frame, one each side, it will require double accuracy in the drilling. Unlike making a single hole in the wall and then balancing the string so that the mirror hangs straight, this had fixings that meant any slight difference in height between them when drilling, will result in a wonky mirror.
A lot of time was spent measuring the distance above the mantle, from the ceiling, to each side if the mirror, and even the height of other picture frames in the room. Then it was a simple case of reaching for the electric drill and getting tooled up.
To give you an idea of the size of the holes I needed to drill, I had to use a 8mm drill bit. That alone doesn't leave much allowance for error. Once committed, the steel bit touched the wall and then disappeared at the touch if a button. That was it. First hole drilled and I do hope it was bang on the marker.
The second hole was going to be the test. If this didn't go in straight, or be exactly the right height on the wall, I would be faced with having to sit on the sofa and look at the mirror at a slant. I just couldn't have that happen. So the measuring tape and pencil came out again for a second opinion.
Once the second hole was made, and i had checked the distance between the holes matched that on the back of the mirror, it was almost time to breathe the sigh of relief. A helping hand was needed to get the mirror onto the wall, and then the moment of truth. Out came the spirit level to check that it was straight.
It was. Straighter than a Roman road. This mirror is now hanging perfectly, and goes to show that a job well prepared, is a job well done.
Organise your DVD collection with Slappa cases
Have you got a growing DVD collection that is causing the bookcase to warp or you're running out of space? I have the solution, Slappa.co.uk.
I can't remember who recommended me to check out their website, but I am so glad they did!
The quality of their leather cases and the finishing, really does mean a financial investment on your part, but you'll be thankful for it. They are not cheap, but having got them out for some friends, they have followed suit with purchases and are in total agreement.
So with over 350 DVDs and Blu-Rays, the investment into a storage solution that lasts is imperative. The amount of wasted space from all those cases doesn't bear thinking about.
You will have noticed that movie companies over the last few years have been a bit tight on adding any inserts inside the cases, you know the booklets. It is a real disappointment when you open the case, to find only the disc. What a waste of packaging!
So imagine the amount of wasted space on that bookcase. I therefore went ahead and bought the CD cases, note, not the DVD ones.
I have four of the 240 HardBody PRO CD cases in Graphite, £39.99 each, and now my collection takes up a fraction of the space. Each page has the ability to store 8 discs in 4 pockets, or 4 discs with a CD cover. But being DVDs you really don't need to include the artwork.
I have decided to keep 1 movie per pocket, with the special features disc behind. Or if there is a sequel, I'll group the movies together. With season collections such as 24, Friends, The Office, they are all in one case to make it easy to find.
For almost all movies, you can see the name of the movie on the disc, or you can recognise the movie from the images. A few tough ones include Fight Club and Usual Suspects. You will find movies that you haven't watched for years and will have them queuing up at the DVD player ready to play.
Buy what about all the cases? Good question, they are taking up the space in plastic boxes in the attic!
Slappa have launched a DVD version of the cases, but I find that they are expensive for what they are, and they number of discs you can store. I have one for the PS2 and PS3 games and store them with the booklet instructions. More recently they have a DVD box solution, but that's difficult to lend to a friend of take round to a house party.
Only problem I find is knowing what movies are in each case. It is unrealistic to sort A to Z, so writing them down and keeping them the list in the front pocket could be an idea. But recently I have found the website Collectorz.com, which has a database of movies, games, etc, for people to keep tabs on what they own and can share online their collection. This is something that I'm going to investigate!
Aural pleasure that’s hard to swallow
Whilst in the airport duty free this week, I was faced with a tough decision; how much should I invest into a new pair of headphones for my iPod?
I've unfortunately seen the recognisable white pair of Apple headphones slowly deteriorate over the last year, having been dropped, stood on, rained on and much more!
So with the London Marathon training in progress, I am sure to get another 70 hours of iPod listening when out running, plus over 200 hours whilst commuting until the end of April.
You could say I'm a power user of the iPod and enjoy the aural pleasure, but it's the cost of quality headphones that I find hard to swallow. Although my cost per use would be in the pence, it doesn't justify the price range between brands on what is just headphones.
My DJ friends would be first to argue that there is a difference between them. But I'm not playing a set to thousands of clubbers with music that is of a high quality and low compression. I don't need the over-the-head phones with full on noise reduction.
I do need to hear the traffic and train announcements. They need to stay on my ears and be rain and sweat proof. But how do you choose between the Bose, Denon, Sony and Panasonic brands?
On the display unit in Dixons they had them all on show, from £20 up to over £100. Unfortunately they are all in their plastic casings. There is no chance of product testing these, although in-the-ear headphones could pose a hygenic concern. Not one for sharing international ear wax just yet.
So I'm now having to go back to basics and search the web and rely on product reviews. Do I go for quality vs brand vs features vs style vs function?
At the end if the day, I have to respect my ears, and Don't Lose The Music. Unlike headphones, you only get one pair, so it's about quality of music and not the level of sound that's important. Headphones that protect my ears are going to get my vote!
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