I’ve often been asked about the plans for a space launch site in west Wales, using a “horizontal launch”, a term that most of us find hard to comprehend. After all, don’t rockets go “straight up”? Horizontal space launch refers to the concept of launching a spacecraft horizontally from an aircraft or a runway, as…
It’s been a while since I have written about the war in Ukraine because so little has changed strategically since the first few months of this conflict when three overarching facts pretty much drove everything – and still do. The first fact is that the war in Ukraine emerged entirely from Vladimir Putin’s head, and…
Football has always been an important part of Welsh culture, and in recent years, the Football Association of Wales (FAW) has taken significant steps to promote the Welsh language and use it as a force for good. The FAW’s efforts to promote Welsh have been commendable, and it is a great example of how organizations…
The term “woke” has been used to describe someone who is socially and politically aware, particularly in regards to issues of inequality and injustice. It is not just a term that describes a person’s beliefs or opinions, but also their actions and behaviors. In that sense, being “woke” can be seen as a way of…
The meeting between President Xi of China and President Putin of Russia comes at a critical juncture in the ongoing war in Ukraine. With 39 previous meetings between the two leaders, they have established a “Partnership with no Limits” and both see the world as a fight against American domination. However, while China has not…
On Friday (24Feb), the world marked the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has been a devastating genocidal war aimed at destroying Ukrainian nationhood and culture. Over the past year, tens of thousands of Ukrainians, including countless innocent civilians, have died, while millions more have been displaced as refugees. Entire towns and cities…
Rail travel has been a staple of transportation for centuries, providing an efficient and eco-friendly way to travel long distances. However, in recent years, rail travel pricing has become increasingly complex and often futile, making it difficult for consumers to make informed decisions and frustrating many would-be travellers. One of the main issues with rail…
TikTok, is a popular social media app, and has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons recently. The app has been the subject of multiple investigations and controversies related to privacy and security concerns. As a result, many experts call for users to delete the app from their mobile phones to protect their personal…
Watching Finn Russell play rugby can be a joy for fans and spectators alike. His dynamic style of play is both thrilling and unpredictable, making him a key player to watch in any game. He has a unique ability to read the game and make split-second decisions that leave opponents struggling to keep up. In…
The naming of The Queen Elizabeth and Prince of Wales aircraft carriers was a strategic move made by the Royal Navy to ensure the survival of the program in the face of potential budget cuts. However, the Prince of Wales has recently suffered a major propulsion failure, putting it out of service for an extended…
I had a hip replacement operation several years ago, using a “metal on metal” joint, a technique that has generated several “issues” globally. As a result, my joint is scanned annually to see if any problems are developing. The situation is manageable and of no concern to me right now. What does concern me though…
In recent months we have all seen the heroic efforts of the NHS and marvelled at the way they have dealt with the challenge of Covid-19. But behind the scenes, there has been a number of other changes that may have gone unnoticed unless they, of course, touched you personally. And I was impressed to…
I send my very best wishes to The 1st Battalion the Welsh Guards, Trooping the Colour in celebration of the Queen’s Birthday. An honour for all Guardsmen on parade.
As I look out of my window, what can I see? Famous words but now more poignant than ever. This morning I’m sitting in my dining room – a room normally only used on high days and holidays – but now setup for WFH!. Like many thousands of others, I am now consigned to days…
What a game – what a match and what a final test there’ll be on Saturday. Well done all!
Back in the 1990s I was running the business team at a company called CableTel South Wales, later to become NTL and now, Virgin Media. We were building the first fibre networks to deliver TV and Telephone services and of course this new “big thing” called “The Internet”. Even then we were concerned that this…
The City Deal is a Treasury driven stimulus for empowering local areas to drive growth by putting greater resources and financial freedoms into the hands of local leaders and it is gaining much attention in Wales. It has the potential to deliver an extra investment of circa £1billion and if used wisely might have a significant…
I met Dido Harding a year or 2 back when she spoke at the Cardiff Business Club. She made a great impact on me as someone who is an inspiring leader, willing and able to get to the heart of the action and she clearly had exciting ambitions for the growth of the company that…
I was there in 2007, in Cardiff, when France took on New Zealand in the Quarter Final of the Rugby World Cup. It was one of those nights when you just knew that something was going to happen. From the moment I walked into the stadium and sat watching the teams warm-up it was clear…
Most days, around about 3.15 the phone rings. Sometimes it’s just quiet at the other end, other times it’s someone from a spurious call center business with a very official-sounding name like the “National Free Window Replacement Service”. Whoever it is, they never leave their number. If I dial 1471 to check on their calling…
Wales are one of rugby union’s greatest sides and will be quietly confident of their chances in this year’s Rugby World Cup. In their opening fixture, Warren Gatland’s men earned a convincing 54-9 victory over Uruguay at the Millennium Stadium but much tougher fixtures lie ahead. Wales will face England at Twickenham tomorrow while they…
With only around 4 hours to go until the RWC starts this evening in Twickenham, I must admit to getting really excited.I absolutely love this competition, the mix of brilliant skills, strength and speed along with the global spirit of camaraderie that exists in rugby, makes it a unique sporting event. This one though is…
For the last 3 years my younger son, Tecwyn, has been working at World Rugby (was International Rugby Board) on the digital team, looking after the development of their websites and apps. This is his interview – in Welsh – for BBC Radio Cymru this morning. It was good to hear him admit that he is…
I didn’t like the spoof of the Haka that Matt Dawson produced earlier this week but even though it was in bad taste it still might have been better than this rendition by the All Blacks against the Barbarians in the famous 1973 match. httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unHsrJ8TYmU&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Today I received my Veterans Badge reminding me of 18 very happy years service to HM The Queen, The Royal Artillery’s Captain General.
The old world order of Vynil was so easy, and offered the joys of playing the old Sleeveface games, but now music is so different. Why buy records when you can just sign up for access to the world’s music for next to nothing?
Here’s a paper I wrote after an interesting project looking at the use of Open Data for Public Sector planning.
I’m waiting in a coffee shop whilst my car gets its MOT done. By “waiting” I really mean “having breakfast” and coffee. It’s a nice, clean, recently opened little place with a reasonable breakfast too. But it doesn’t have many customers, 3 in fact in the hour I’ve been here and I think I know…
Cavalry charges: that’s how it used to be in the good old days! But then came the Tank: dirty, ugly, noisy and of course terribly effective in battle. So the horses moved from the battlefield to other parts of the Army. So it must be a bit of a surprise to find that the British Army still…
I’ve been using Evernote as my note taking app for some time now and to be honest it’s been pretty excellent, it’s sharing is great and it’s integration with Google Chrome is first class. But recently I’ve become seduced more and more by Microsoft products, their smartphone and tablet apps really have shifted the game…
I went to Penarth yesterday, hadn’t been there for some time, but I remembered it as a smart little town but I was shocked when I saw how the centre of the town has changed. Standing in the middle of the shopping area I could count 3 supermarkets, 4 coffee shops and 5 charity shops….
Clearing out a few cupboards this weekend uncovered this old photo of the London County Council run “Welsh Class” in HungerfordRoad School, probably around 1963. I wonder where they all are now. You probably couldn’t call it the Welsh Class now, would infringe some law or other I’m sure.
Imagine being able to look at some of the problems your business is trying to find solutions for in a way that lets you test your ideas thoroughly before going to market. Imagine doing that whilst also working closely with some potential customers in an environment that allows you to work together to develop and…
I had a lovely weekend in Abergavenny this weekend, not having been there for probably 20 years or more. We stayed in a very nice pub in the middle of town: The Kings Arms and would recommend it very highly. It’s a quaint old beamed building that has creaky sloping floors, panelled walls and loads…
The Coral Welsh Grand National is the biggest horse race of the year in Wales, bringing people together in a wonderful social occasion which is a highlight of the festive season. Initial entries for this year’s race include the last two winners Mountainous and Monbeg Dude.
My dear Ben, it’s been a week since I kissed you goodbye and I want you to know that I really miss you. This has been a really long, painful, tearful week, a week that has given me more pain than anything else ever has in my life. Your leaving me has left me in…
I decided recently to diet. I’ve always been a bit of a chunky-monkey but it was after a medical consultation that suggest my cholesterol and blood pressures numbers weren’t quite where they should be that I decided to take action. 5 Weeks later I’m chuffed to find that the following important metrics can now be…
The tone was set by the Americans with videos of missiles in flight to destroy their targets and now the RAF are doing the same. Videos showing the military might of the Western world often against an armed but un-armoured pickup truck are released as part of the media war. Why they are released is not…
Welsh rugby union stars the Scarlets celebrated recently after a heart-stopping win over Italian rivals Treviso. The Pro12 in Llanelli on 20th September saw the Scarlets winning seven tries to nil, with Welsh internationals Gareth Davies and Liam Williams touching down twice. It was the first win for hosting team Scarlets since new coach Wayne…
This morning I had reason to query some payments from my bank account and ended up having to call the fraud team. When they answered they took me through security, but not by using the account or online passwords or codes I normally use. Instead they asked me detailed questions like: my full name and…
Someone asked me this morning: "how is it that we can be prepare to use airpower in Iraq but appear to be so reserved about a response to the situation in Ukraine?"That set me thinking: and the answer is, in my opinion, that we face very different situations. In Iraq we will not project our…
I shed a tear a few minutes ago, only a small one, but an item on the lunchtime news really moved me. It was the report that said it was time to say farewell to a great servant of this country: HMS Illustrious. Lusty, as she was known as been home to hundreds of seamen…
httpv://youtu.be/idjyusDUGSc A lovely day in Siberia changes from a pleasant chance to sunbathe and swim to seeking shelter from great hailstones, in a matter of minutes.
“Well Good Morning Sir, and how are you today?” was pretty much the standard greeting from all the hotel staff during my stay in Boston and they said it in a way that made me think that they meant it. And how that contrasts with the perfunctory British greeting of “Morning”, well that is if you…
I normally go to Wales’ home rugby matches at the Millennium Stadium and take my wife and sons with me whenever we can.And in truth I’d probably like to continue this pattern for the Rugby World Cup matches next year. And if I was lucky I might even go to the games at Twickers. However,…
There’s a really pleasant walk along the riverside in Aberaeron. It’s perfect for a lazy stroll and for many it offers an opportunity to picnic in the shade whilst listening to the sounds of the passing River Aeron. I took a walk down there yesterday with Ben my Labrador and was appalled at the state…
Wales is ready to welcome rugby fans as a busy weekend of sport gets underway in Cardiff
Local authorities complete housing land availability studies to monitor the supply of housing land. The 2013 Newport study is now available.
We are seeking your views on Cross Compliance Proposals of the Common Agricultural Policy.
Ken Skates, will travel to Oxford and Cambridge universities next Wednesday to discuss what can be done to increase the numbers of Welsh students studying at Oxbridge.
Education Minister Huw Lewis has today announced the members of the Schools Challenge Cymru Champions Group.
Give us your views on this draft strategy to reduce fly-tipping in Wales by 15 August 2014.
The Welsh Government is seeking views on the rail services between Fishguard and Carmarthen to shape future services.
As another bank holiday and the half term holiday approaches, research carried out over the Easter period shows tourism in Wales had a successful start to the season with confidence levels high.
The Federation of Maintained Schools (Wales) Regulations 2014 which came into force on 22 May 2014 give effect to local authorities powers to federate schools.
Silver Spring Networks has added a smart grid-enabled mobile thermostat app and an expanded version of its demand optimizer demand response management system (DRMS) application to its demand response (DR) portfolio.
These dates are available for all local authorities in Wales.
This consultation sets out proposals to create a fairer system of support for children and young people with additional learning needs in Wales.
A highly successful grass roots approach to building enterprise in local communities and supporting new business start-ups is to be introduced into Powys.
One of the biggest cruise ships to drop anchor in north Wales called at Holyhead Port with 2200 passengers plus crew.
The purpose of this consultation is to seek user views on the future content and approach to data collection for the Welsh Health Survey.
Mobile phone coverage is pretty patchy in west Wales, but when I was getting a poor service indoors in Aberaeron I decided to look at the service provider map for the area. It gave some interesting results: This first map is off 3’s website and shows the indoor and outdoor coverage for…
When I knew I was going to visit Boston, I thought I’d take advantage of the trip and see those things I couldn’t see at home and try to understand a little more about America. Consequently almost my first reaction was to check if the Boston Redsox were playing a match whilst I was there….
I’m not a keen user of Facebook, but I do read it to keep up with the news from some of my friends. Tonight, in Aberaeron, I had difficulty connecting to the site and when I did a trace of the route being taken got the results in the picture. I don’t know what’s wrong,…
Last week I went on a business trip to Boston, to Massachusetts Institute of Technology in fact on what was my first real visit the the USA. I was away from home for a total of 100 hours, yet the impact the trip had on me and the lessons I learnt, made it feel far…
I’m not usually massively involved in decorating ideas around the house; Mari usually decides on all that sort of thing, and I’m always happy how it turns out! Recently we’ve been thinking about having a bit of an overhaul of the main bedroom, however, and she asked me for a male perspective on the subject….
If you are involved in an Internet business, or just curious about where the Internet is heading, this infographic from Smart.Com may interest you:
The Blue Forces were always the good guys in the Military wargames that we used to play all those years ago on the Central Front of Europe. Russia – or the Warsaw Pact – had claimed bragging rites as the Red Forces and all that colour coding made great sense. In summary: Blue equals good, Red…
The Aviva Premiership is getting close to the half-way point of its 2013/2014 season, with each club having played nine matches entering the weekend of December 20-22. It’s been a tightly contested league thus far, with no single club distancing itself significantly from the pack, and only one side, the Worcester Warriors, lagging significantly behind…
It’s a long time ago now and I can’t remember the specifics, but I was born in London many, many years ago. I loved the place when I lived there up until the age of 18, loved it for its pace, its buzz, the vibrancy. And of course the best club rugby team in the…
The Living Wage has been getting a lot of press recently, most notably when global confectionery giant Nestle decided to make sure that all its employees were paid the standard as set by The Living Wage Foundation. While not recognised by the government as a legally enforceable wage, The Living Wage denotes a standard hourly…
The Physical Size of Big Data infographic
With just over 12 hours to go before the 2013 British and Irish Lions squad is announced, there are probably some nervous players waiting to hear their fortune. For those living in hope but soon to be disappointed, there will always be the national tours. But they will never compare to being a Lion. To…
I bought a new laptop last weekand having been a user of Dell machines for many many years I was seduced by the apparent good looks and power of a new Samsung machine. When I got home I really felt quite pleased with the purchase until, that is, I started using the Windows 8 operating…
Will it be the same 15 as started for Wales last Saturday or will the selector(s) stick with the same team? That’s a question that’s been kicked around in many a bar ever since the middle of the first half of the match against Ireland where the performance was pretty woeful. Here’s my plan for…
I saw this picture on Facebook, and reckoned that if you were walking through a graveyard one winter evening and saw them then they’d have a pretty striking impact!
At around 6.30 this morning Ben decided to let us know that he wanted to go out and play in the snow, he normally sleeps until 8.30 given the chance, but this morning he was absolutely leaping and raring to go. httpv://youtu.be/zsWW8DaKDzw
I know one man’s meat is another man’s poison, but there really was quite a difference in the way that today panned out. Sure, we had some snow and the schools were closed, rail and some bus services were disrupted etc etc and the media reports were talking about the Day of Chaos across Wales. But…
OK, I admit it, I was fiddling. Fiddling with some new calendar Apps on my phone and when I decided that I no longer wanted one I deleted it. And it told me that deletion would also delete my Calendar and I didn’t believe it. How could an App be so dumb as to delete…
This week’s cold snap has caused a plethora of weather warnings/alerts and forecasts of impending danger/chaos and fun. But it did come as a surprise last night when Mari told me what she really wanted for supper. We’d last eaten Grostl on holiday in Austria around 8 years ago and always up for a culinary…
Earlier today I was watching yet another repeat of the timeless 1973 classic match between the Barbarians and New Zealand. It seemed so refreshing to see a game where scrums existed to help restart the game after a breakdown in play. I reckon that on most occasions it took about 40 seconds from the referee…
Having voiced some dissatisfaction with the LinkedIn endorsement process in an earlier item, I was surprised to get a message from the site one day telling me that because I was not visiting a group, even though I was receiving the email digests, they were going to unsubscribe me from group digests “to help keep my inbox…
I was at a very good networking breakfast this morning and before we’d even sat down at our tables, 3 people had mentioned the recent changes on LinkedIn to me. Why on earth were they receiving so many endorsements? What are endorsements about? Why do people I hardly know endorse me for my “Bread…
I’d not heard of the word Enervating until tonight, but when I found it in a review of photo sharing websites and looked up its meaning I realised what a great word it is. All I’d been trying to do is work out a simple way to share some of my photos from my laptop…
There are 2 questions I really hate hearing and they kinda come together every year: What would you like for Christmas? What are you doing on New Year’s Eve? Seasonally the former arrives in our house from around mid-November onwards. And the answer is almost always: “I don’t know!” What use is that as an…
I’d hate to contract the NoroVirus. It sounds really awful and those poor souls who were brought down by it in recent months have my sympathy. There were many: over the Christmas break I read somewhere that over a million people had been affected, and here’s the odd part: only around 4,000 had presented themselves…
I get lots of email and like many people first receive lots of that email on my phone. As a result I realised last year that I was hardly ever without email, it was incessant, pinging its way into my inbox and also my life almost constantly. It was generating some stress, so in November…
httpv://youtu.be/kuBSWta-bG0
Starbucks. Do you love them or hate them? Do you go there as a matter of course to grab a fix on the go, or do you take your time and enjoy the vibe of that overall Starbucks experience? For a long time now I’ve asked myself how they do what they do, how they…
An elderly Aunt of mine is currently living in a private residential home and I recently read the report prepared after an inspection by the Care and Social Services Inspectorate, Wales. I won’t go into the detail of the report, but one thing that stood out clearly for me was the use of English and…
The final family supper of 2012, to start: Baked Camembert with Apple and Chilli Chutney Followed by: Fillet steak with a Stilton sauce Sauté Potatoes Braised leeks Braised Beetroot and onions Mushrooms Wines to suit, making a fine end to 2012, I hope the world will be a much happier and more peaceful place in the New Year of 2013….
Sometimes progress comes at a price. When the British armies of yesteryear replaced their Longbows with Crossbows their rate of fire fell from around 30 arrows a minute to one every minute. The range of course was improved, but the volume was significantly reduced. It was however seen as progress. Nowadays, the cost of progress…
I thought I could moan a bit, but this letter in the Daily Mail made me smile!
For the last few months I’ve had a hankering to make some bread. Whilst I started on some normal recipes, my goal was to make some Sour-dough bread sometime soon. As a result I’ve been reading and researching and trying to learn the techniques and last week I got down to it! It all started with the…
There’s an old adage in rugby that there’s no way to deal with speed on the field, this sums it up really well: httpv://youtu.be/gA5bwqVN5LM The Player is Carlin Isles, who sadly doesn’t appear to have any Welsh blood in him.
Somebody said that it couldn’t be done, But he with a chuckle replied That maybe it couldn’t, but he would be one Who wouldn’t say so “till he tried.” So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin On his face. If he worried, he hid it. He started to sing as he…
I had made 2 predictions for today’s rugby internationals: Wales to beat Australia by 5 points New Zealand to beat England by at least 30 points How wrong was that? How on earth could I have been so far away from the right results. After all, I do think I know a little about the…
I’ve developed an interest in baking bread in recent weeks, I can’t really understand why and it has nothing to do with the success of the BBC’s Great British Bake Off either. There’s just something pretty magical in being able to mix a few ingredients and produce something so very tasty and potentially so varied.
Do you love Christmas? Are you one of those people who get their presents bought in October, the cards written in November and the 10 foot tree up and decorated by the first week of December? Or are you like me and many others I know who just wish the whole thing would start when…
Here are three important questions that a business should ask to try to make sure it is well organised to respond to its current situation: What are the top 10 opportunities or challenges your business faces at the moment? Who are the top 10 people performers in the company? How many of the Top 10…
New Zealand, or is that The New Zealand All Blacks, or is it just the All Blacks? I was confused when I heard the announcers refer to them as all of the above, but there is no denying the power of their brand, a brand that not only commands respect but, far too often, demands…
When I used Windows XP I had a nice little icon on my toolbar to take me back to the Desktop, now having moved to Windows 7 I couldn’t find a similar icon and for the last few months have been “living” without it. You know: just making do, accepting the price of progress is…
Someone told me a great, yet also sad, story recently that is a valuable analogy for business. It concerns a crashing aircraft and how the problem was managed at the time. The story, as I remember it goes like this: a transatlantic flight crashed on its way across the ocean, and all souls were lost….
I like food, and I like trying different foods with different flavours, so I was looking forward to the first ever Cardiff Street Food Festival in Cardiff last Saturday night. Tomos came along with me and we met some friends there, none of us were disappointed. Set out in the Mackintosh Community Centre, it attracted…
I read yesterday that it’s 100 days since the Olympics in London and last night we replayed the opening ceremony that we’d recorded. Until then I hadn’t realised just how much I miss the games and that wonderful few weeks of the summer when we stood proud and tall as a nation in a way that…
It was on 13 November 2009 that Ryan Jones came back to the Welsh team and delivered a storming Man of the Match performance against Samoa. We can but hope he will do the same thing tonight, for he remains a class act and Wales needs him to shine once again. And I chose this…
With acknowledgement to the brilliance of Dilbert!
I love optical illusions and “clever” drawings like this one, I reckon that you can get to double figures, but I’m not saying how many I can see!
I went out to dinner last night to a restaurant that I’d used years ago, I had fond memories of the place run by its owners, serving great beer and wonderful food. How things change. When we arrived, we found that all the real beer was “off”. Actually there’s was only a choice of one…
I live in Cardiff, so logically should welcome the recent announcements about making the city a leading performer in the broadband stakes. But in truth I don’t and the reason is simple: the Cable internet service I already have is really slick and I can’t but help feel that the public money being injected into…
Still poor
I’ve not seen faster upload than download speeds until tonight in Ceredigion. Makes a mockery of the plans to boost speeds in Cardiff and other well supported cities. We need Broadband to be ubiquitous and delivered to the standards of Universal Service of telephone services
It was a good result tonight for the Blues against the Dragons, despite the fact that the overall quality and entertainment value of the match was low. Great too to see Jamie Roberts back in action, the half hour he played will aid the healing process just as much as all the physio has in…
Warren Gatland’s appointment as the Coach to the 2013 British and Irish Lions was not unexpected and it is highly deserved. He is a thoroughly excellent coach, but also someone who can build and manage a team of coaches and staff to ensure success on the field. He now faces a great preparation period when…
Meeting rooms in Aberystwyth sometimes come with a bonus
Mari in the evening sun in Aberaeron
Getting into the spirit of the Olympics, the Met Police’s “Usain Bolt Impersonation Team” go for Gold!
After an Olympic week that began with the most wonderful opening ceremony and a weekend that produced some great results for Britain, the performances and results have been inspiring and truly wonderful. But the games have shown themselves to be far more than just the competition and the results in my opinion. They have delivered a grace,…
At the 2008 Olympics the Irish athletes taking part agreed – contractually – not to undertake in any betting during the course of the games. Yet now we hear that one of them – some say Unnamed, whilst others call him Peter O’Leary – may have bet on other competitors to win.
We can but dream!
There are lots of ways to deal with Telemarketers, but I’d not heard of this one until today:
Like many, I subscribe to daily notification emails about Daily Deals and I suspect that like most people I ignore them a lot of the time. But today was different: I noticed one that caught my eye. It was for a restaurant in Cardiff, one I’d had some great nights in and one I’d not…
When our Sam was sent off in the World Cup match against France it was one of those moments: some said it felt like the air had been sucked from their lung, it was such a big moment.
I saw the Olympic torch last Sunday, it was passing through Aberaeron so it seemed churlish to ignore it. Off we went: me and the family, to get a good view of proceedings as it passed through the town. Expectations were high, the crowd was large and the sun was shining. All looked good.
“Duw Gadwo’r Frenhines” – gan Gwylim Mai (Ffynhonnell: Hanesiaith Gwladol) Duw, cadw ar bob awr, Frenhines Prydain Fawr, Amddifyn hon: Amgaera Di ei sedd, Rhag creulawn rwyg y cledd, O! cadw hyd y bedd Victoria Ion
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I know, it’s a while since we won the Grand Slam this year, but I have to mention a couple of things: 1. The Team : Wales are now a wonderful team: they are committed, physically intense, supportive, creative, intelligent and it was marvellous to see that all their tries were scored by the backs. 2….
It’s been almost a month since I wrote anything here, and I’ve been equally quiet on Twitter as well in recent weeks. But it’s now come to an end. It would be easy to say that I did it for Lent, but I didn’t. I’ve just been too damn busy to get the juices flowing,…
We’ve just got back from the park, Ben and me that is, and whilst watching him sniff his way around it struck me that this was the last walk for us for 2011. I do the morning walk and one of my sons does the afternoon walk (most days that is) so on reflection that’s…
You know the old story about the importance of 3 S’s when on holiday (sun, sand and sex) well I couldn’t quite expect them over my short break to Aberaeron last weekend (not much sun in October, no sand on the beaches and …. I can’t remember the other one!) but I managed to find…
At the start of the Competition I wrote about my 8 hopes for the tournament, I ended up being disappointed by just about all of them! First off: the French team only turned up for the final and even then could proably have made a better fist of it. Second: there might not have been…
Congratulations to the All Blacks on becoming world champions yesterday. A really well deserved crowning of a great side. One area they’ve significantly improved in is their pre-match Haka. Check this out for the way it was done in the 70’s httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unHsrJ8TYmU&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Whilst Rugby might be a team game sometimes it delivers acts of true brilliance. In this clip Shane Williams defeats a defence by running towards them, truly brilliant!
It was a nice enough morning as I recall. The sun was shining and the journey to head office was an easy ride for once. I was meeting my Director in NTL to review the plans for redundancies, and I was “under threat”. The formal meeting went well, the regrets were expressed that all present…
The greatest sporting event in the world started yesterday, my opinion of course, and for the next 6 weeks we will see fantastic athletes knocking lumps out of each other in the best possible spirit of sportsmanship and respect. And as the competition starts, I wonder what would make it great? Here are some of…
I heard a lovely story tonight on Live at the Apollo, probably a repeat, but what the heck. Man comes home from a night out with the boys. Has had a few, may 2 or 3 too many. When he gets to the front door and finds his key the deep breathing begins. And so…
We all moan about sports manager decisions, but the announcement today that the Wales squad for the upcoming World Cup would not contain Martyn Williams cannot pass without comment. And for once I won’t let my emotional side lead my thinking. Wales are about to enter the World Cup with only one specialist Number 7,…
It’s off to hospital early tomorrow for a new hip, a full replacement to match the resurfaced one I had 3 years ago. If I’m lucky I’ll come out more balanced and maybe a little taller!
This is Bridge Street, Lampeter, showing some road improvements. No doubt this costly work was done to improve the roads pavements and did not a lot to provide better management of parking. For some reason it appears necessary to plan wooden bollards on the pavement and also in the middle of a bespoke parking space….
It was a joy to watch the highlights of the famous Barbarians v New Zealand match last night on the Beeb, how they condensed it into half an hour amazed me. But a number of things struck me during and after the programme about how the world of rugby has changed. Here are some thoughts:
There was real footballing beauty in the way that Barçelona beat Manchester United in the Champions League Final last night. But of greater value in my eyes were what Barça stand for, their ethos, values and their beliefs. Because that is what makes them such a powerful team. Some observations: They are owned by their…
The Coalition Government’s proposals for increases to maternity and paternity leave should be resisted. Whilst they are honourable in principle and maybe useful in terms of bonding and developmetn, they are not acceptable for the following reasons: It is immoral to place a cost burden on business owners. This extra leave from work is not…
I’ve recently posted 2posts about a bit of a run-in I’ve been having with Ladbrokes. They wanted to charge me for not using the credit I had deposited on my account, so after a bit of effort I’m now delighted to report that the money is now back in my possession. When I called them tonight it…
I’ve had a response from the company that wanted to fine me £2 for not betting often enough (see previous post). I’ve added some comments in Red: Thank you for your e-mail regarding the closure of your Ladbrokes account. We would be happy to assist you in the matter, however we note from your account…
Here’s an entertaining email I received from an online betting company this week: (as usual I won’t name them and have tried to hide their name where possible). My thoughts are in Red, my comment is at the end. Important Account Information This has been sent to all customers as it contains important account information….
It would have been his birthday today. My Dad would have been 100 years old today, had he still been with us, but sadly he’s not here to celebrate it as he passed away over 20 years ago. The strange things is that I miss him now more than ever. He was a great man, with a wonderful…
Today showed me some extreme examples of Customer Service, one good, one bad and one from the last century. Where to start? The Bad. I have private medical insurance and also have an arthritic hip that needs surgery. I have been trying to get authorisation for the work, and last Friday was asked to get…
It has to be sad when any organisation suffers an upheaval that results in the loss of its Chief Executive, but recent months and years at S4C have not shown real success so change was probably inevitable. Sure: the digital age has increased competition, but the Authority seem to be ignoring the fact there are…
I went to the Royal Welsh Agricultual Show in Llanelwedd on Monday, I’d been before many years ago, but had forgotten how good, seriously good, it all is. I’m a city man, definitely not a country man even though like many I enjoy the so-called country sports. But I’m not really into farming/agriculture/livestock etc. And…
Watching the footie on the tele tonight I was struck by 2 strange ways of supporters showing their support to their team. First: when a Man United player was sent off the crowd applauded as he left the field. How can they possibly support someone who created such pressure for his team? And it was…
This is not a movie of Ben, but if he’d been offered the part I am sure he’d have accepted!
As a little lad in the 60’s I was brought up on the spectacle of rugby that was London Welsh. Great games, great excitement and very often thumping rugby. All washed down with a barrel or two after the game. In those days, players were amateurs, they played for love of the game and also…
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shit grabs
I stayed in a nice hotel in Swansea last night, city centre, 4 star, amazing old building done up to a very high standard etc etc. But when you get into the experience it’s not all that it might be. Yes of course; it looked great. But it was the small things that were irritating:…
I hate manufactured photo shoots for rugby, somehow they just don’t seem to work, and today’s 6 Nations Captains’ gathering did nothing to change my mind. They were on the BBC news – so well done for the PR – but as the camera angle turned to show their backs I spotted something worrying –…
I really laughed when I saw this for the first, second and third time!
This is Ben I think he’s the most beautiful Labrador in Cardiff, Wales, UK, the world!
I’m a bit of a philistine when it comes to the arts, never quite “getting it” when it comes to telling a story through song. But last night I went to see Les Miserables in the Wales Millennium Centre and it was truly fantastic. Story telling through song is a bit beyond me, but some…
“Don’t worry darling, you can stay in bed, it’s a bit cold outside” – words I never heard from my parents yet words that have been spoken in many a home this week no doubt. What ever happened to the notion of “getting on with it”? A little snow falls and we all come to a…
I know it looks lovely, especially first thing in the morning, but it gets into your turn-ups and freezes, then after a while it can get dirty and turns to slush but worst of all it sometimes helps you to land with a bump. But despite the negatives, I think it’s pretty fair to say…
If you’re missing the fun of Christmas already then don’t worry as another “holiday” is on its way as can be seen on this new style KitKat. It’s always nice to have another holiday booked before you finish the current one I find Enjoy!
A man walks into a flying school and books some lessons, lots actually and is prescriptive about what he wants to learn: no take offs, no landings, just a bit of turning and “straight and level”. A flying instructor thinks it strange and tells the authorities. Another man buys a one way ticket and pays…
Christmas isn’t the same now; my children are no longer kids and the days of Father Christmas are long gone. But the memories persist and pevery year we talk about one long-departed Christmas ritual that used to take place in our house. When the kids were small I bought a Santa suit, beard, hat and…
No cards this year, just a ridiculously expensive family video instead. We hope you all have a great Christmas and a very Happy New Year Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!
Earlier this year I passed comment on how good a service I’d had from Linksys (see here) but maybe I spoke too soon. The gist of it was that they gave me great service for a router that was about 5 years old. Today I had the same problem once again and rang the same…
I was on train to London yesterday and did something very different. I said hello to someone. Well actually I said hello and commented on the title of a book that the young lady at my table was reading. It was an introduction to International Relations, and for the next 2 hours we discussed the…
I’m in Marks & Sparks, Carol singers are at the escalators singing and I feel as grumpy as can be. Seasonal Negative Attitude Disorder is what I put it down to, hopefully it’ll clear in a few weeks.
The Welsh team performance was not great last night against Samoa, but the Welsh Captain, Ryan Jones, certainly put in a man of the match performance that was really pleasing. In September I wrote that Wales needed him and suggested that he should stick to playing No 8. Since then – was he listening I…
I came across this sign whilst walking my dog today, I’d not seen a Cold Calling Control Zone before and wondered how or why they are established. So I rang the number on the sign and was told that it was: Set-up by the local authority Meant to deter cold callers Not enforceable in law…
I was dragged into the middle of Cardiff’s shopping centre last night for the first time in many months. Like many men of my age, I hate shopping, especially the way that some people do it. For me it’s all about knowing what you want and going out to buy it at around 9.30 on…
I’m not Cardiff born, nor am I Cardiff bred, but I do live there and have done so for 16 years or more. And for many of those years I’ve followed Cardiff, and sometimes the Blues in all their efforts. But tonight I was faced with the choice of Cardiff v Glasgow on S4C, or…
The Ospreys may have won tonight but they are still not fulfilling their potential and dominating a game as their strong squad ought to. However there was one pleasing thread through the whole game and that was the return on Ryan Jones. He definitely deserved his man of the match award not only for his…
I must admit: I’ve been a slave to email. It’s been a friend, a distraction from real work, it’s given me a sense of being connected when all this exciting must read stuff lands in my inbox. And it’s helped me waste days if not years of my life. But as of today all that…
When I rang a call centre this morning to make a payment on behalf of my wife I was faced with some daft questions. “It’s all to do with data protection”. No it bloody isn’t! It’s to do with inane call centre managers not working out what is really needed. Calling to make a payment…
There’s a fair bit of recruitment activity being discussed in our house at the moment as my son looks for his first steps in a career. He’s keen to work in Cardiff and with a Marketing and Business Management degree is, I would hope, reasonably employable. He’s applied for a few jobs and is attending interviews…
This is a bit like the airborne equivalent of a blow out on your car:
Great hype yesterday that the opium crop production was down 30% in Afghanistan this year (the spinners has spun out the fact that it is still higher than it was 5 years ago). The implicit link was that our military efforts are stopping the production of drugs, reducing the income to the Taleban and therefore…
Whilst sometimes sport can thrill it too can sometimes disappoint. Rugby has always been a great game for me and now for my sons too, but sometimes it can be ruined by stupidity. Last weekend one of my clan was leading a team at the annual Aberaeron 7’s, a small weekend festival in the most…
I’ve got 2 sons, both graduates. One is doing a PhD so is missing out on the challenges of getting a job, whilst the other, a graduate in Marketing in Management is on the trail for his first break. And it’s tough out there. Lots more competition than usual and for those will little practical…
I was reading an interesting result from a YouGov survey earlier that stated that 38% of SME owners planned to increase their marketing spend in this downturn. In another poll the results indicated that 23% of SME owners would spend all of a £10k windfall on marketing. Is this your plan? Do you plan to…
Image by [phil h Saturday is my wedding anniversary: 28 years ago tonight I was still single. But I just can’t look forward to Saturday. No: it’s nothing to do with my marriage, which is fine/great/wonderful etc etc, it’s because bloody Kick Ball is back. Even before I’ve managed to get my shirt off in…
I had to go to London today. I was born there a long time ago and spent 18 years there in my childhood and have many memories. A trip back always creates some excitement and today’s visit was no exception. For example, passing Buckingham Palace in the sunshine I saw the Queen’s Guard Mounting, and…
My earlier post about universal broadband attracted more comments than anything I’ve written before, so that must make it a trending topic here! Anyway: today’s Western Mail talks about how Wales is being left behind in the broadband roll out plan. But they let themselves down in their leader article when confusing the need for…
The question is simple: why is that we can deliver (almost) free TV pictures to every house in Wales, yet we are unable to deliver paid for Broadband even though nearly every house has a phone line? To my mind the answer is simple: BT is excessively domineering in this market. They drive the broadband…
In an attempt to break the monopoly held by pigs, I’m proposing that the current Swine Flu Pandemic be countered with a new epidemic, which could mature into a Pandemic, if we get the right values behind the programme Image via Wikipedia. Duvet Day Flu will hit individuals in different ways, but some triggers might…
I went shopping yesterday with my wife: she needed some new reading spectacles and was after some “off-the-shelf” ones from the chemist. And she struck lucky, found some she liked, looked good in and could see through. Probably all the right boxes were ticked. Image by Getty Images via Daylife But the crowning glory was…
I can remember where I was when they landed on the moon. I was at home in London with my brother: my parents had gone to Ceredigion for a holiday and we were home alone. Alone that is with much of the world watching grainy pictures on black and white television. We watched the landing…
Being a parent has its Ups and its Downs, but sometimes everything gets put into its place by achievements that can only be described as milestones. This week has seen 2 such milestones for our family: one a big one and the other a huge one! One each for my sons and both in Aberystwyth…
Image by Getty Images via Daylife What a day: Cardiff was hosting the first ever Ashes Test match outside England and Australia. And what a great job was done by everyone at Sophia Gardens. The ground looked fantastic, the welcome was warm and friendly and the opening ceremony had a few new twists. A band…
I took my wife to the Hospital today for an MRI Scan and whilst she was in the machine (a bit like a big tumbler dryer) I read the paper in the waiting room and found an interesting fact whilst doing so: Sales of chicken sandwiches increase in warm or hot weather whilst sales of…
In the last couple of weeks there have been some great sporting spectacles and debacles, but one thing that has been clear to me amongst all of them is that Rugby Union is the greatest game in the world, for the following reasons: It’s all about teamwork. People of all shapes and sizes come together to…
When I ran a national team of sales and operations staff I had close to 300 men and women dotted around the country. They were all doing pretty much the same thing, but each had their own job description and reward structure. They also had all the tools needed to do the job and if…
Crisis this morning! Preparing for a Black Tie dinner engagement, couldn’t find my suit….. wife got the blame for hiding it until she found it. Tried my shirt on – it had “shrunk” again, and the top button came off. My sewing skills are pretty non existent: so as my wife had already left for work it…
Image by Danny McL via Flickr The cost of an identity card has been forecast at £60 and was launched today with an introductory offer of £30 off (or is that BOGOF for couples?). Famous for its law-abiding citizens, Manchester will be the test bed for this week’s laughable Government policy. How long it will last…
When Michael O’Leary the Chief Executuive of Ryanair said that only “slumdwellers” were at risk of contracting swine flu, you have to wonder about his sanity. But in truth his message probably wasn’t a statement about medical matters, it was more another headline grabbing act for which he is so famous. And of course when…
I needed to talk to a Solicitor this morning, nothing huge, just a bit of legal jargon that needed to be explained to me. But I didn’t know who to ask. It was a bit specialist so the guy who helped me buy my house would have been no use, and I truly didn’t know…
I’ve spent months developing the Junction 31 website, some of it taking me into uncharted territory, but generally supported by the thousands of developers working on open-source applications. But there was one thing that I could not fix: my “Alan’s Views” blog layout. Whatever I did, it always seemed to align itself off the page…
There’s a big difference between someone who opens the show and someone who’s the headline. For the former it’s quite often an uphill struggle as the audience is still settling in their seats and maybe even still arriving. And they’ve not come to see him any way. But for the real-deal, well it’s peace and…
On Britain’s got Talent…. did you see her? You know: the one the crowd took an instant dislike to and the judges had rejected almost as soon as she walked on the stage. OK, she wasn’t the greatest `Looker`, her dress was pretty frumpy and she was probably pigeonholed by most people there as a…
I like my food, so when I heard there was a meeting of NOCCI I was keen to go, thinking intially that it was an evening of Italian food. How wrong could I be. NOCCI in Aberystwtyth last night, was a meeting of about 25 people involved in the creative and cultural industries in mid…
Anglesey Aluminium have started a 90 day consultation process with their workforce. This is in part a result of the likely increase in the cost of the electricity they use in the production processes. Apparently their electricity usages equates to 12% of the Welsh market. Politicians have said they “will do all they can to…
They’ve got it right: in times of crisis it’s good to talk and in times of real crisis face to face talking is the only way to get things resolved. But let’s face it: how well networked are these G20 guys and gals? How often do they talk? Do they swap notes or build bonds…
I’ve had a bit of a ‘mare this week with my internet/pc/router and that’s caused a real slow down in my blogging and has shown me some interesting approaches to Customer Service. And it all comes down to what do you get and what do you expect to get when you buy something? First off:…
I went to a great meeting of the Wales North America Business Chamber and listened to two really interesting guys talk: the first was Denis Campbell of UK Progressive and the other was Henry Engelhardt Chief Executive of Admiral Insurance Group plc. Whilst Denis was really good I want to focus on what Henry said. In short, he outlined a series…
Years ago when my telecoms customers used to ask me “what guarantee do I get with that?” there was only one answer that I could honestly give. “The only thing I can guarantee is that it will go wrong at some time” and then I told them about our wonderful service standards for fixing it. …
I’ve had 2 really standout, one to one networking meetings this week with individuals who really want to work on a different plane. They reinforced my views that networking is the best way of growing a business. For clarity: I run an online business network called Junction 31 and have positioned that network to complement…
Many years ago I was being reviewed at an annual appraisal where we spent a long time discussing weaknesses: mine of course! And then we spent a bit of time working out how to fix those weaknesses. And you know what: we still spent time talking about the same weaknesses a year later because I…
Anyone who knows me will probably know that I’m not much of an “arts person”, but I’ve been helping someone get a new site going to support and promote the creative industries in Wales. The site is called Cultural Enterprise and is run by Elin Jones. It appears that there used to be…
Have you heard about Twitter, or do you use it? I must admit that when I first saw it I thought it was an even dafter idea than many others that I’d seen on the web. Then a good friend advised me to stick with it and I did. And now: well I think…
There’s a pub/hotel in Aberaeron called The Castle, never liked it much myself, but it’s just had a makeover and in fact it’s just had a great makeover. It’s definitely not just a lick of paint either. Great design, great colour schemes, good lighting and comfy furniture. Accompanied by good beer, it’s now a really…
I’ve just spent a weekend in West Wales and heard a lot of people talking about a proposal to regenerate part of Aberystwyth. It involves the compulsory purchase of 15 surviving, and therefore probably reasonably successful, small businesses and their premises so that they can be bundled in with the empty Woolworths and converted into…
It came as a bit of a surprise to many people in Wales to hear about the proposed refurb of the old Welsh Office in Cathays Park. It’s an old building, a bit like some old Lufftwaffe buildings of yesteryear, quaint, functional but definitely not modern. But it’s probably “OK” as an office block. It…
I’ve just got back from a really good but different breakfast meeting. It was different because I was on my own, not because I’ve got nobody to meet with, but because I wanted some time to think and to reflect on what’s been happening and to shape some thoughts for the coming weeks and months….
Someone told me yesterday that they didn’t have any time for online networking and I found that a bit strange and it set me wondering why or how she got to that view. Is it because she likes to judge people on what she sees? The old “first impression” stuff. Or is it that voices…
When you go out to a “real” networking event, do you go to have a good time, maybe even expecting a good time. Or do you avoid contact, or maybe even hide in the corner. Well I reckon you probably go there with a “let’s get too it” attitude. And you work the room. You…
Why is that Paddy’s day is such a big deal? Globally: parades in places like New York, parties in every part of the globe and a HUGE economic spin off as a result. Meanwhile us Welsh hide in the corner with our Patron Saint and lack of branding and global awareness. Are we not “up…
I’m delighted to be helping CSG Telecom launch their new telephone system with Welsh language support. It’s happening on Monday at the WMC in Cardiff. Why would they do that? As legislation in regards to the use of the Welsh language is under way, this is a great piece of timing by CSG what are…
Tomorrow’s a big day in Cardiff with a great parade in town and much Hwyl on display. The parade details are here Also – if you wondered why us Welsh are so keen on Leeks, here’s some news about their “Special Properties”. Enjoy this Leeks – a bit of a tale
The Welsh rugby team were beaten well last night, but there was a great piece of marketing by their main sponsors, Brains and Co, brewers in Cardiff which has to go down as a victory. For those not aware of advertising regulation in France: it is unacceptable for a sport to be supported by booze….
Somebody got it wrong with both his salary and pension plan, but to hear the Chancellor on the radio this morning suggesting that Fred could make it alright by waving his pension is like expecting all the turkeys to vote for Christmas and Thanksgiving on one day. It just won’t happen. And why should Fred…
Not only is Martyn Williams a great flanker, possibly the best No 7 in the world at the moment, but he is also a really nice guy. I had the pleasure to meet him recently at a small reception in Cardiff and was really impressed with his sense of fun as much as his brilliant…
Sad news from London today that the London Welsh Club in Gray’s Inn Road is in deep trouble financially and may not last. I’ve got such happy memories of the club, from a little lad who used to go there for Urdd all the way to heavy and late nights “socialising” in my twenties. Changes…
Stephen Fry tells a great tale about the difference between English and American by using the phrase “Only in America”. There it implies inspirational activity and comes with a fair polish of pride. On the other hand “only in Britain” seems to me to have a pretty negative meaning. You can almost hear the body…
Time out: it’s 6 nations time. No predictions, just great expectations! and prayers