Silly Daddy moment - Maths

I'll admit now this is a silly moment post and also My name is Paul and I suck at mathematics and really, REALLY suck at reading emails.

I've been working with both the school and local parent support teams to help support my children get on in their education in whatever way I can possibly do. While discussing ways to help it was mentioned there was a local course to enable parents to understand the way children do Mathematics in school. I assumed it was a one or two day short session and thought no more about it. This was my fatal flaw.

I was emailed the information, forgot to look at it despite flagging it for checking over and still forgt about it, including the date of the course.

Roll on to today and I recieve a message saying the course starts at 1PM, this is no problem as the day was a bit lazier than normal, then the silly moment come around.

"Welcome to this five week course on....."  Well bugger me, that'll teach me to check my flippin emails.

Youtube G+ fail

What a cockup!

To many content creators we have have accounts for our youtube channel, some of these created when youtube began. Many welcome some updates and improvements bought to the world since Google took over once they realised Google Video was a bag of poop, unless you want to download content.

However they have been asking people to join Google plus and add their channel to G+

Now while I'm not too bothered about the G+ integration in some ways as it's helpful for bloggers I see a clusterfunk of issues when it comes to youtube.

One of them being the damage G+intergration does to existing accounts. We can still create content but we cannot comment to other users. which means if you refuse to switch over your channel loses out through interaction, this could kill a popular youtubers channel if not careful. I'm in no doubt it'll even affect the mega partners on the networks. (RWJ?)

One problem i also see through the videos of Dibber is the links you can now add to YTComments, something which youtube originally nixed in previous updates. But since cosmic panda it all went to pot.

The sub box is b0rked, I see none of my subscribers and lose out on videos, Tubers who rely on the adsense lose revenue and it kills everyone. Including the advertisers.

The community in general hate it. This Sweary video says it all really!
                                !!!!!!!!!!!!!!SWEARY AS HECK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



I'll elaborate tomorrow but my opinion on it is.

Google, Fix youtube, restore it to its former glory. Even liveleak works better than you do!

John Lewis to the rescue!

Operation Bedroom. A grueling monster fueled by the kids needing space and me needing room to blog without the kids turning my desk into a chalkboard, yes. It gets that gruesome at times. That’s without me adding to the mess as well.

I've nearly completed the two areas now, but in tidying up it hit me that I may have messed up. Any clothes washed are left in the living room by my old desk, which is now in the bedroom for taking up too much space, but fits perfectly in the small space given for it in the room. However, through tidy up and putting things in their new place it transpires that Lord Clumsy has broken a few things.  

Bar the computer requiring encouragement to work in any way shape or form I found I’d broken the clothes airer. Panic sets in straight away, knowing I’ll be in the doghouse for sure I start looking for a new one, in the hope I can turn it around and buy a new Clothes airer and at the same time gain some brownie points. I looked around local shops and found the same few, poorly built ones with yet another generic brand on each store. Close to giving up it was suggested I try John Lewis, in hindsight I should have checked first. Yes I didn't think of them. 

I know what we need from a Clothes airer in this house. It has to be strong enough to fit anything from a huge hoodie to the roof of a child trailer and when not being used to dry clothed it’ll become the support for Blode base alpha, the kid’s dinosaur shark hunting base, or their dragon hotel.
On looking through the many John Lewis sell I was able to pinpoint a few good ones from the customer reviews which made the elimination process easy!  

Additionally I needed to get one fast and try and get away with the fact I broke the previous one so it had to be in stock and available to get to me pronto. After all It would be useless of me to buy one if it would not be here when I need it. I would really be in for it. Eventually I chose a large but robust looking one from a well-known brand, what I’d not noticed was it came with a three year warranty. At this price it’s a win. Also next day delivery made the choice even easier.

I got caught out in the end though as the clothes airer arrived while I was on the school run. D’oh!  Luckily I wasn't made to sleep on the couch as the wife had been eyeing a similar model up too. Maybe I should have told her what had happened? Oh well.

Have you tried to hide the fact you've broken something from your significant other and got away with it? If so tell us in the comments below.

Paul

Disclosure:

This post is bought to you in association with John Lewis.  

Giggles: Cheeky Girl

This morning I came in to the living room to find the smalls playing well together. I sit down to be given a huge hug by Lissy and her Roo bear plushie.

In talking to her I ask her if she's a cheeky girl? I was not expecting this response.

She holds Roo bear up to me and begins to sing.

"Roo is a cheeky boy, Roo is a cheeky boy, Dad is a cheeky girl, Dad is a cheeky girllllll" ending with  "Dad your a cheeky girl!"

*facepalm*

Cycle Ninja's

Evening all.
This post comes to you from personal experience of both dealing with and being the Cycle Ninja.

The Cycle Ninja comes out at night, armed with a pushbike, dark clothing no lights and a deathwish, these night dwellers do not keep the streets safe. HELL BLOODY NO they cause chaos by cycling on the road in the darkest of nights at the worst times possible. In some cases getting killed as a result.

For instance. When working at a place on the Luton/Dunstable boarder I had to deal with at least 3 daily, all going the same way. leaving a fat grump going the same way trying to illuminate the other three.
after 3/4 days I got fed up of this and overtook them, leaving them to the whim of the mental drivers going from our town to the motorway. Thankfully none were hurt from what i can gather, but luck runs out people. I for one would hate to have died from being unlit on a dark road or die because a ninja causes an accident. (Remember, to some motorists we are "just cyclists")

Now before people say to me they can't afford a set of lights. In this day that it utter balls.
A visit to Pound shop, armed with £3 is enough to buy Batteries and both front and back lighs. Yes they will fail a damn sight faster than a £30 set from a dedicated bike shop like Chain Reaction Cycles, Halfords or Cyclelife Dunstable. But these will be enough as a start. If splashing £30 is too much many sites do a decent front and rear set for £10. I will link to a few below

I get throughly annoyed when parents let children use bikes late at night with no lights, but. Realize we can't leash our kids. Most do get that being seen is important at night and could keep them alive. but to those who ride without lights you are only encouraging your kids to potentially do the same. And yes I was the ninja when younger. Totaling a £900 bike in the process

A bike can set you back a lot of money if you invest in a good one (not these £50 pile of junk from Indonesia sold through supermarkets and dodgy places that sell "ex catalouge bikes" cheaply) I for one would be ensuring I am visible and safe when on the roads.

I Say this as I witnessed on friday night coming home from the MADS at about 1AM through Leagrave no more than 5 Ninja cyclists, including a near miss sandwiching me and a ninja between a van. (thank the baby jebus the oncoming lane was clear for me to emergency overtake at speed, otherwise the ninja's actions would have injured both me and him)

Keep yourself protected at night. After all nobody else can.

Disclaimer. This is not an advertisement post. far from it. I would be happy to know this post has stopped your child, father, mother, lover, family member, best friend or even enemy from being killed.

Companies i have mentioned here are ones I have remembered off the top of my head, and as a result of this I will link to some sites below with full light sets available cheaply.  If the website wishes for these to be removed as there are other companies listed too. Jog on. This is not for you guys! It's for the protection of my followers and there families (the links are outdated, I'll update them this evening)

Chain reaction cycles (cheapest full set £10 - budget fall apart in weeks set £3) 
Halfords - cheapest decent set £15
Argos - they have some from £6 - spend more than that please
Evans Cycles 
Cyclelife 


Please buy lights. I'm not demanding the full hi viz here, just a light to say you are there!

Paul

2014 Update:

I must urge again people grab a set of lights, £3 is not a lot of money and to be seen and safe is more important that becoming squished under a car. I'm not one of those cyclists who will tell the world what to do with exception of lights, the days are getting darker and too many people risk their lives with this.
If the police used a similar Operation Safeway throught the UK not just the MET how well it would work?
Thoughts please

PC HELL

Heya all.

I've hit a huge stumbling block at the moment. The PC has died.

"But your posts are on blogger. What's the problem?"

Yes some are. But all newer posts are written on the pc before copying to blogger, The PC is the dead one (as i've fixed it before i know everything that could go wrong as it's happened at least twice before. This time Bad caps killed the Bios outright. The chip is fine, but it can't boot as power to the bios is not present)

The data is safe on the hard disk. But for now i'll be buying piece by piece every couple of weeks it's going to take 8 weeks to get it completed! (i may have a spare part for temporary use by then )

So for now I have the netbook hooked up to the monitor (7 and 16 dual screen FTW) and a makeshift desktop setup running. (eek i have to unhook it for cybermummy - GRRR)

posts will start appearing, but expect delays for the moment.

Back to normal soon I promise - Paul

Paul

Guest Post: When school's get it wrong

This one was shared by one of my close friends. This person has asked to remain anonymous so I will respect their wishes.

I remember taking with this person last year about this, and I'm so happy they have offered to share there story.

Paul

I will tell the story of my eldest, he was 9 when it started, 2 boys began to target him in class small things to start with such as mocking his 'moustache' (my child is mixed race...the 2 bully's..black), soon his height/'size became a favourite taunt but by age 10 there was physical pushing, kicking, black eyes and even a lump of hair cut from his head with scissors during lessons.

Many times i complained to the head teacher, each occasion promised the bully's would be dealt with, however this only ever amounted in contact of guardians and detentions. the 2 bully's were not just targeting my child but many others and physically assaulting staff also (one retired from the stress and trauma caused by the 2 boys) i kept asking that the bully's should be removed but was told that the 'head' did not have that authority...then.... one day my child refused to attend school and said they wished they was dead! instantly i removed him from school and sent him on a holiday promising to sort it all, i telephoned parent line and thank goodness i did! i told my story and was informed how the head had mislead me, they DO have the power to exclude a bully and refuse their return, also i learnt that due to being 10 yrs of age i could press charges as actual assaults had occurred, on top of that i was advised on who and how to officially complain to regarding the schools lack of ability to resolve the bullying for such a long period.

I then wrote a long letter of complaint against the head, the school policy's and the bully's then contacted the police, made an official complaint and attended the school with an officer who stood beside me to inform the head that the bully's are likely to be arrested and charged should another incident occur.

Most suddenly after this event the school created a special 'focus group' for troublesome children, in which the 2 bully's were placed along with a small handful of others and there they remain to this day having lessons separate from the rest of the school and privileges such as swimming and school trips only awarded according to their behaviour record.

As a parent i was expected to believe that young kids can get away with the slow torture of others and that a '''''bad home life''''' was to be accepted as an excuse and allowance for such behaviour.my actual words to the head upon that revelation was '''if their home life is so terrible then why are you not helping them escape it'''???? i had to fight long and hard and get clued up on all the laws.rules and policy's, but it was worth it. i stamped out the bullying for all affected by the 2 offenders and my most memorable moment of all of it was when my child came home from school smiling again

A little Rant #Three #NCT #MumsOnly

Hi three.

I see you like mummy bloggers over the daddy Variants?

Looking at the Three on the go event it states on the page

At Three's special On the Go mums event, you'll have the opportunity to attend fun and informative panel discussions and workshops, where you'll discover all the great things that mobile internet on your smartphone can do for you.

Sorry Hutchinson Whampoa. Three, and the NCT I feel you may have missed someone here. DADS!

Are you saying daddy's are not welcome, hence the /Mums page on the site? Well it feels it.

Well i have to say it winds me up somewhat. I thought discrimination was the Daily Mails work, not a GSM provider and a Charity

Three pride themselves on all you can eat data... with no 2g service, meaning many are stuck in contracts they can't use, Check bitterwallet out for the of this and how my email contact with them helped many leave the network. (this issue posted on the link will still get you off your contract so people if your signal is crap use the link)

The NCT Pride themselves to be the UK's leading parent charity. Sorry darlings you chose to help discriminate a huge chunk of parents with this. This is not acceptable, It would cause outcry if you said your charity was mums only, so why this event?

You could always turn the tables and arrange a dad's event too. But, I suppose it's too short notice. But, I hope you listen to this feedback

I want your opinions on this people. Sexism or a niche way of getting mums to sign up for more extras on there contracts?

Paul

Three/Hutchinson Whampoa and the NCT, Please contact me about this, as it stinks. BIG TIME

Update 3 have responded to this with the following

@hooker1uk Indeed! If you're keen to get involved there are opps for all parent bloggers but it is more mum focused.

Hold the front page. so you prefer mum's. I wonder why's that, easier to force a future sale on maybe?

My final thoughts on this are

Remember it's not just mums who blog! It's an attitude that should be squashed NOW!

Secondly those people you burn could have been potential customers (Was looking at coming back to three in 16 months, now i won't bother and Vodafone can have my money. )

Paul.

Uncertain Future!

Something hit me, tonight. After a conversation today at the Shaw Trust.

The lovely people there have been helping many of us who are looking for work specialising on people with specific medical issues resulting in them needing a bespoke approach to finding work.

They are truly amazing people who have done nothing but support me and help find me work that I can do on my current lifting restrictions. (10kg is not a lot, but it's the difference between a job and being called a 'cripple')

Well, sadly this fabulous government has replaced them for an inexperienced company. From what I could understand they took the cheapest, not the ones who get the most people back into jobs.

I understand we are in a recession, but what they have done here is literally leave thousands of people reliant on the specialist help the Shaw Trust offers stuck in a position of unknown certainty.

Job Centre Plus does not have the resources to help someone who has specific disabilities, health issues or restrictions on ability.

Where does this leave many? I wish I knew.

What does this mean to me? Again, I wish I could tell you, all I know is the support many people received comes to an end on Tuesday the 26Th, and while we sit back and ponder, the staff within also lose their jobs unless there is some miracle resulting in them being kept on to run a project.

For now I'm going to ponder the rest of the evening, listening to Staind and contemplate the next few months. in the hope these few jobs I've applied for will once again bring something to the table.

To note: I am not out of work because of choice. The week I got my Diagnosis and restrictions in writing i went looking for employers who would be interested. most were too scared of the risk assessments and implications of taking me on! C'Mon it's classed on paper as a disability, but in real life it's a pain in the ass!

To everyone at the Shaw trust Luton, especially, Amy, Lee, Rekha, Derek, Jenny, Karrina and Karen. Thank you so, so much for the help and support you have offered. Good luck in the future to everyone there. the hard work and dedication you all put into your jobs should be awarded in a lot better way than redundancies.

Oh, and to the company who stereotyped me as a cripple. Be thankful I've not named you. That's staying with me for the moment I can afford to sue your punk ass, Twunts!

Paul.

The Vodafone 543 Review - Part one UPDATED

Well howdy!

It's my first tech review of the year!

My son bought himself a phone the other day and the geek inside me want's to see if it's any good.

The Vodafone 543 is a colourful budget touchscreen device tailor made for Vodafone by Alcatel.

So before we talk tech let's get down to basics

What's in the box.

• The phone itself
• Battery (3.7V 750mAh rated 2.78Wh)
• Interchangeable covers (in this case blue and black)
• Micro USB charger (yes, on a £25 device)
• 3.5mm Headphones
• Sim Card
• Manual

The features of this device are very impressive, even for a basic device aimed at beginners to touchscreen.

• 1.3Megapixel camera (no button, just a shortcut)
• Music Player
• FM Radio
• 2 inch resistive touchscreen
• Physical call and end button
• Joystick
• media player keys
• slim package
• Basic user interface
• 2.5g only GSM, EDGE and GPRS (not compatible with the sure signal)

The handset seems to be of a high build quality, even at the sub £30 bracket. But it seems that's where the good side ends.

I was going to do a more in depth review this week. But, sadly I'll be taking it back to the shop for replacement tomorrow.

Unfortunately the touch screen has stopped responding properly. Now I had read reviews on the Vodafone's reviews pages and between myself and others on a few forums came to the conclusion this was an issue affecting only a handful of devices.

This ties in with another problem I have observed other touchscreen strangeness too, which I will explain further down.

Here are the pros of the handset (there is plenty of goodness here.)

A really sensitive FM reciever, meaning it'll even pick up the pirate stations with ease.

A simple UI

MicroUSB connectivity and charging.

3.5mm jack - top banana

It's clear. even in patchy areas a clear voice can be heard.

Healthy battery life.

Cons some minor some major!

• Double Tap on many menus. Oh dear, Symbian^1 here we go again
• Apps listed as installed in the literature on many sites is not installed. including The PC suite, Facebook and Opera mini.
• No WMA Playback (my Media library is in WMA MP3 and OGG
• Touchscreen requires calibration every few days, sometimes taking 7 or 8 attempts with a stylus or finger
• Poor handsfree kit making the iPhone headset sound glorious.
• Flakey blue-tooth connectivity with my Motorola headset!

So, In current conclusion. The device promises so much, but fails on many levels too!

We shall now review Vodafone Luton's Customer Service. and see if they are as accommodating with a faulty 2 week old device

At the moment. The Vodafone 543 picks up 2 out of 5 stars. hopefully they will make the situation better tomorrow.

Update:

The handset has gone for repair, at two weeks old. I will be blogging about this later.

Update 2:

The first member of staff was really nice, and tried to see about swapping it for a new device. for him (i'll hopefully get his name soon) you get 5 stars for trying.

For the rest of the staff i'll reserve my Judgement until I get home.

For now. It's sleepy time. New painkillers mean sleepy paul!

Paul :)