Monthly Archives: July 2008
Rant: British Gas at it again!
Yesterday’s announcement by Centrica-owned British gas of a record 35% price increase would have been enough for most of their long-suffering customers to content with, if it had been the only rise this year.
But it’s not of course. Let’s not forget the 15% retail price increase in January of this year, the 12.4% increase in September 2006 and the 14% increase in 2005. Taken collectively, they represent a non inflation-adjusted (but still gobsmacking) 96% rise in the last 3 years!
+20Only in Wales…
News today that the Welsh town of Aberystwyth continues to ban Monty Python’s classic film “The life of Brian” almost 30 years after it was first released, made me laugh out loud.
According to the BBC, this came to light after Sue Jones-Davies (who played Brian’s girlfriend in the movie), became mayor of Aberystwyth and was “amazed” to find that the cult film was still barred from cinemas there.
+16Busker Boy makes 70 quid an hour
Fantastic clip on the Beeb’s website today of 13-year old Calvin Prior, who is minting it in as a busker, playing his electric guitar on Brighton’s seafront…and making an average of £70 an hour.
And when you see the video, you can see why!
+15What were the poor kid’s parents thinking?
Quite stunned to read this morning about the family court in New Zealand who were forced to make a 9-year old girl a ward of state, in order to help her change her name legally from…get this: “Talula Does The Hula”.
Sheesh!
+15What’s on YOUR list?
A couple of weeks back, Su was telling me about a book called “Time Enough for Love” by noted Sci-fi author: Robert A. Heinlein.
In this book, the main character Lazarus Long (who as part of a genetics rejuvenation experiment has managed to live over two thousand years) has a conversation, in which he states:-
+24Rant: Indefensible
You know it’s funny…every time I think that Sir Humprey’s snivil servants and the Whitehall worms can’t possibly screw up anything else, I read another story which illustrates even more monumental failings.
The recent reluctant admission by the Ministry of Defense, that more than 100 USB memory sticks, some containing secret information, have been lost or stolen from the Ministry of Defense since 2004, is a new low in data protection balls-ups.
+26New B2 Blog
Our new blog is finally online … albeit with only some of the previous comments at present (I’m still trying to get to grips with the new B2 blog software), but enough to be going on with … 
Enjoy!
+10