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Edited by Dynamic Dave on 13/03/2009 at 18:36
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Just to answer Rob's question about if I am scared of flying.
It is both I don't like flying as it feels like its cheating, I don't get to soak up the culure of the lane below me but I am also scared of it. I have flown in the past and I have been ok on the flights but it has spoiled the holiday a bit. I suffer from a lot of physical problems as a result of flying too.
I get bored very quickly and the idea of spending over a week in a place like Ibiza bores me, but I would love to go to Ibiza and spent 3 or 4 nights there, I do like hot summer type places it is just I like traveling too it was jsut a way of making this trip more fun.
I just now need to work out the cheapest way a lot of good suggestions have been made.
Finally I am not sure I like the idea of sharing a room with strangers which is what I would have to do on one of these sleeping trains.
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You know what I think Rattle? What you really want is to get hold of a viable motor and drive down to Barcelona on ordinary A roads, stopping for the night wherever you like. Just think, you won't even have to bother with boring beaches and discos in boring holiday resorts. A quick dekko at the Gaudi masterpieces, a few saucers of tapas and back by a different route. That's what you really want (or I do anyway).
Edited by Lud on 09/03/2009 at 20:32
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Indeed but I need to get used to the country and faster roads in this country first! In a couple of years time I do hope I have a good enough car and enough confidence to do that.
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What I think is Ibiza is not the place to do. Try going to somewhere else. I don't think you'll enjoy Ibiza only the journey to/from there :-)
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I hear Italy is good for drivers :-)
I don't think you would find driving abroad too difficult Rattle. With all due respect, you are a "less confident" driver and this means that you would take more notice of what's going on around you and be more aware than some drivers. Mostly, foreign motorways are a breeze compared to the UK, mainly due to better lane discipline. Driving around town can be a bit hairy, but so can parking - so stay outside town and get public transport in. The "drive to Barcelona" idea is a stunner.
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On ordinary continental A roads you can sometimes go quite fast if you want, but the speed limits are about the same as here, sixtyish (100ks, with many stretches of 80 and less through villages, 60 or 50 which is 30mph). You can bimble along legally, safely and happily all day at 55 or 60, and you will get phenomenal fuel consumptions if you do that.
It's just a bit tense in Paris and other big towns till you get used to it. But you can avoid them, and what is life anyway without the occasional baptism of fire?
Edited by Lud on 10/03/2009 at 00:05
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But avoid Milan ;-) Not on the way to your destination this time but the roads are a little mad.
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Any major city on the Continent is a recipe for disaster if you are not careful and the same goes for most of the Continental roads network...:-)
But the Germans do have a superb grasp of the discipline required on autobahns, which is probably just as well.
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Barcelona is utter carp for free on street parking, last time I was there anway. I agree with comments re German autobahns. There are lots of them but many are 2 lanes only and there some are still de-restricted ones too. This leaves one in Lane 1 with the trucks = 50 mph or dicing it in lane 2 with BMW/Audi/Merc = 90 mph which candidly isn't much fun! The alternative is constantly moving over to let them past and pulling out again to make some progress. Also, we are not alone in having mega M way roadworks; the German traffic info radio is fullof the deaded word Stau - a Queue and they are measured in many kilometres when they occur.
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Queue and they are measured in many kilometres when they occur.
The queues must often result from the colossal motorway pileups caused not by people going fast, but multiple tailgating at very high speeds, even in the rain, to gain a couple of mph. Germans may have the skills for motorway driving, and the bottle, but a significant minority haven't got the sense. The combination of this sort of traffic with the unaware UK-style mimsers also present on the Autobahnen is a fairly lethal one.
I am surprised AS thinks Germans drive at 90 on unrestricted motorways. That was about what my Skoda could average, but a lot of the locals were going 20 to 40 mph faster than me, and not in BMWs either but long trains of VWs and the like. Anyone (like Rattle) who is nervous about driving fast should avoid continental motorways, especially German ones. The network around Milan is great fun, but again should not be braved in rush hour by the faint-hearted.
Edited by Lud on 10/03/2009 at 15:53
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>>The network around Milan is great fun, but again should not be braved in rush hour by the faint-hearted.
I was not faint of heart or in rush hour. Still got rear-ended by an HGV.
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>>The network around Milan is great fun but again should not be braved in rush hour by >> the faint-hearted. I was not faint of heart or in rush hour. Still got rear-ended by an HGV.
I did that route, I was not faint of heart or in rush hour, and I didnt get rear ended by an HGV.
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I was in rush hour, also not faint-hearted, and I didn't get rear-ended either.
:o}
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I was in rush hour, I was faint-hearted - my mother was navigating in the passenger seat, and I didn't get rear-ended either.
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I left my car at one of the Metro trransport hubs on the Milan "M25", one euro to park all day, one euro to the centre of Milan. Makes you realise that rip off UK is alive and well. I didnt get rear ended but the Italians are scary drivers.
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Many users of German unrestricted autobahns would be happy at 90 mph but they are bullied/hounded by a few other drivers into speeding up or pulling over, was my point.
I do agree, I have seen some batty speeds from cars with 1.4 engines, fiestas, polos etc!
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In a small town near us there's a rectangular stone plaque set into an old(ish) brick wall of a building, approximately halfway up the wall. Engraved into the stone is WALL, underneath which (in slightly smaller font) is FIVE INCH, underneath which is EAVE DROP.
What does it mean/indicate?
Edited by L'escargot on 10/03/2009 at 06:05
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This link might provide some clues:
tinyurl.com/dxyqgq (www.gardenlaw.co.uk)
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I have to fly coach class for business next week to Chicago from Heathrow and I don't really have enough points on a loyalty card to upgrade, the two airlines which come in the cheapest are Amercan and United, I've been on holiday with AA before and they were OK but I have no experience of UA. If you had the choice (and using seatguru to pick the best seat available of course) - who would you choose AA or UA and why?
Answers much appreciated
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My only trip to Chicago was with AA - I was more than happy to be asleep for 90% of the return journey - very much a "pile em on and get them there approach"!
This was from Manchester on an ageing 767 which didn't enhance the experience. IIRC both airlnes use 777 from Heathrow which is a much better aircraft.
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Flown with both AA and United (tho not that route) cattle class.
Both equally as bad
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I'd agree, there's nothing to chose between them in my experience, both hugely inferior to Virgin or BA, who will give you your own TV and a choice of programming.
In my experience, take lots of water on board, get some noise cancelling headphones (they make a HUGE difference) and an mp3 player with some audiobooks loaded. If you get lucky it will be a fairly empty flight and you can stretch out.
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>>..In my experience, take lots of water on board>>
I thought this wasn't possible....
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>>..In my experience take lots of water on board>> I thought this wasn't possible....
You buy it airside ( after security and imigration) at HUGELY inflated prices.
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But still better and cheaper to take water on the plane rather than pay their prices! Especially for transatlantic flights or longer.
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Doesn't one get free drinks on transatlantics any more? I'm off to Florida on Monday with Virgin. One of the highlights is trying to drink the bar dry...ran them out of beer once(with pals!) :-)
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Have to admit to not doing it since 1999! My the time flies past - other end would only be San Francisco though.
Transatlantic possibly do free drinks still but avoid too much alcohol due to dehydration. Can be very bad for you.
Edited by rtj70 on 11/03/2009 at 00:48
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I've done that route more times than I can remember, mostly in business but quite a few in cattle. My preference would be American.
There's very little difference in terms of comfort, entertainment or food quality but I've always found the AA cabin crew to be better.
As far as pre-booking a seat is concerned it's always a lottery in cattle. The person sitting next to you makes all the difference between a comfortable flight and eight hours of hell.
Emergency exit seats with extra legroom are only allocated at checkin so you need to arrive early, be cheerful and ask.
If I'm flying longhaul economy I always try to get an aisle seat about three or four rows up from the rear where it's far enough away from the loos but close enough to the galley to get up and get another coffee or drink without calling the crew. The disadvantage is that you are usually last to get food service so choice is limited. Book a special meal (vegetarian etc.) and you will probably be served before everyone else.
If you are a tea or coffee drinker, take a couple of large Starbucks-style paper coffee cups and get those filled instead of the twin-sip airline cups.
>both hugely inferior to Virgin or BA,
You have to be joking!
Kevin...
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Emergency exit seats with extra legroom are only allocated at checkin so you need to arrive early be cheerful and ask.
with BA you can reserve that seat on-line when you use the on-line check in 24 hours in advance. (If the crew see you are a 4 stone weakling who cant even turn the handle let alone throw the door out the plane you get moved)
service so choice is limited. Book a special meal (vegetarian etc.) and you will probably be served before everyone else.
Yes forgot that tip - I used to book Halal meals but you get "special attention" at security if you do that now. Try booking a kosher meal if flying on a US airlinie. (Friend of mine did that on a Gulf Air flight - and he got one)
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With friends who live in northern CA, I have flown 3 times pa for the last 4 years to Chicago ex Manchester with Bmi on their fantastic Airbus.Great service, great plane, but now that flight has been deleted. The internal United (Star Alliance) flight from Chicago to Sacramento was always a 4 hour nightmare. My recommendation is to fly AA.
I now fly BA ( will try Virgin Atlantic next time) Mter, T5, San Francisco...booking your seats online 24 hours before departure is very simple and an excellent idea. The journey was surprisingly enjoyable from start to finish....and often once 'Airside' you can get free bottled water with certain newspapers!
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Thanks for all the advice so far - as it turns out the AA flights coming back at the time I needed them became £1200 more expensive (all our travel is done through an internal travel agency) so I am left with going on United, as soon as the ticket is confirmed I will use seatguru.com (which I thoroughly recommend). The plane is an older (but recently refurbished) 767 and hopefully won't be too full so I can at least select a decent seat. Good advice about water - usually if I'm going over the pond I'm going on hols so I do all the things I shouldn't like drink alcohol, caffeine etc, but I've got to be fresh when I land so it's water all the way. Going west has never really bothered me from a jet lag perspective (apart from waking up in the middle of the first night). It's the usual "can i sleep on the way back" scenario that's the pain.
I already have the noise cancelling and audiobooks anyway (i travel to Europe every week), but does anyone have any more advice on the handling the eastbound jet lag scenario. Years ago I made the mistake of going to sleep mid morning after a transatlantic flight and it took me about a week to get the body clock back in order. Now I keep myself awake on the first day and go to bed at "normal times" on the first night back.
Cheers
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I would be grateful for any opinions on Miele, Bosch and Siemens dishwashers and washing machines. I?ve looked at a recent issue of a well known consumer magazine and the Miele and Bosch appear to receive a higher rating than the more expensive Siemens.
Thanks in advance.
Clk Sec.
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The Bosch and Siemens will have a lot in common because they are both Siemens brands. You tend to find the bottom of the range Siemens is the equivalent of a mid range Bosch.
We have a Siemens dishwasher and it has been very good - good at cleaning and very quiet. It can clean most things on the fast economy wash (just over 30 minutes). Some features I like which are probably the same on the Bosch are the ability to raise/lower the top rack to adjust for what's being loaded. And you can take out the top rack totally and fit a spray "nozzle" to the rear water inlet to wash big items like the trays out of the oven.
When we got ours, the shop had a deal whereby the Siemens was about the same price as the Bosch but we also got a full 5 year Siemens warranty included.
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we have a bosch washing machine, fridge, freeezer, dishwasher and vacuum cleaner.
In terms of price they are not significanlty dearer than other mainstream brands, but the quality is better.
we have just changed the old bosch washing machine (12 years old) because it had an issue with the water stop valve (probabably caused by grit after major plumbing work to the cold feed) plus the wife wanted more buttons to play with.
we have a creda condensing tumble dryer, which was dirt cheap, is appalingly made, turnip simple, and gets taken to bits every year for a service by me. (and every year the nasty sharp edges of tin inside lacerate my digits) Only this care has kept it going for 8 years and prevening it spontaneously combusting and burning down the house.
Edited by Altea Ego on 10/03/2009 at 15:20
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Bosch and Siemans are both good, but for the highest quality of engineering and reliability you can't surpass a Miele appliance.
Edited by Stuartli on 10/03/2009 at 16:07
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We have a Miele washing machine which replaced a 12 year old Bosch.
The Bosch was excellent but we heard that the new ones were not so good, so we bought a Miele with a free 10 year warrenty. My wife is very pleased with the Miele so far.
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Forgot to mention that we've have a Bosch fridge for five or six years - it's been 100 per cent reliable, just like the LEC freezer on which it stands, except that the British built LEC is at least 25 to 30 years old...:-)
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CLK
we have had a Siemens washing machine for about a year. So far, so good. It's quiet and we're happy with it.
JH
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CLK we have had a Siemens washing machine for about a year. So far so good. It's quiet and we're happy with it. JH
We have a washing machine called Mrs. MD. And a Cook with a similar name...............................YE...GADS!! GOTTA GO. She's on 'er way!!
OUCH!! MD
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When I bought my Bosch dishwasher about four years ago, I noticed it appeared to be 'branded' under several different names. That is different brands of machines appeared to be identical. The only difference being the layout of the controls.
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Bosch washing mashine still going strong after about 10 years with nothing needed.
Miele dishwasher 6 now and equally trouble free.
Leibherr larder fridge, and Siemans fridge freezer and full freezer equally good, the interiors of these better ones are well put together, some other makes just break up and split open.
These makes last, had countless cheap makes over the years previously, just wish we'd realised sooner.
Probably come home tomorrow to a series of white goods failures..;)
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Bosch is a massive company and has many brands; these are just the household appliances links, apart from Bosch and Siemans:
www.bsh-group.com/index.php?page=1588
The automotive division has brought us many innovations over the years, but a full list of the divisions can be found at:
www.bosch.com/content/language2/html/3293.htm
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We have a John Lewis "own brand" which is about £500, which normally would also come with the very good John Lewis warranty. On research it appears to be the Maytag stainless steel machine which retails at £660. Excellent machine. I have to admit to having only paid £60 several years ago for it in an auction, where they were selling appliances which had been damaged in transit. I find the small dent mark on one side does not effect us at all ;-)
Previously we had a Blomberg Silence, which we bought from Curries - good machine, very cheap and we freecycled it after some 10 years, when we got the new one.
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Miele all day long. I used to buy Bosch but the quality isn't what it was.
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Following my posts a week or so back my bank has not returned a call as promised and there is now only one option but to change banks, I have completly lost trust in it now.
I've checked all the letters I have got from them and I can proove that my bank never informed of my change of overdraft status. They are required by law to do so in 28 days.
My question is how many days do they have by law to acknowledge the complaint? I thought it was 5 working days but I cannot find anything on google to back that up.
I've got beyond being nice with them now and there is a couple of things I am going to threaten to report them to the FSA for.
It is wonderful not oweing any money to a bank as I have the upperhand.
Thanks.
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>>My question is how many days do they have by law to acknowledge the complaint? I thought it was 5 working days but I cannot find anything on google to back that up.
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My complaint to my bank generated " We have to reply within IIRC 10 working days according to FSA rules". Nowt to do with law.
Call the FSA and they will confirm their "rules".
After 40 years with my bank I an seriously considering changing to another bank but which other one can be trusted?
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...but which other one can be trusted?...
The Government flatly refuses to let these bust businesses go bust, so the short answer is all of them can be trusted.
Or, perhaps more correctly, there is minimal risk depositing money with them.
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FSA requirement is now for complaints to be responded to "promptly" but doesn't set a time limit for acknowledgement.
You still have the right to progress to the Ombudsman service if you either disagree with their response (when you get one!) or they go over 8 weeks deliberating your complaint.
I'd go onto the bank website - somewhere on it (usually in the 'contact us' section) will be information about their complaint handling process - it will usually give a contact for a central complaints department - ring them.
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Thanks I will just word it prompty then.
I've had enough of phoning my bank everyhthing they have told me on the phone is a pack of lies, and I have proof because the phone calls were recorded. The more I think about the way this has been handeled the more disgusted I am.
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Hi Rattle, I am changing banks too but only because I want better terms! I hope that, if you have recorded the calls, you told them you were doing so? I think this is a legal requirement. This is why they tell us that the call may be recorded for training and security purposes.
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hope that if you have recorded the calls you told them you were doing so? I think this is a legal requirement.
Not so, any more than a Scamera must be yellow
'Can I record telephone conversations on my home phone?
Yes. The relevant law, RIPA, does not prohibit individuals from recording their own communications provided that the recording is for their own use. Recording or monitoring are only prohibited where some of the contents of the communication - which can be a phone conversation or an e-mail - are made available to a third party, ie someone who was neither the caller or sender nor the intended recipient of the original communication. For further information see the Home Office website where RIPA is posted.
Do I have to let people know that I intend to record their telephone conversations with me?
No, provided you are not intending to make the contents of the communication available to a third party. If you are you will need the consent of the person you are recording.'
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wd40, this is what was being alluded to. The recordings cannot be used if the other person did not give consent. So they are not much use then are they....
I still think Rattle's bank wants him to move elsewhere. Make sure this does not affect credit rating in anyway.
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I'm not sure what he wants the recordings for, but I would have thought that the bank is a second party in these matters, so there is nothing to say that he cannot use them in his dealings with the bank, though I don't know if he can make the bank listen.
He probably can't use the recordings in say dealings with the FSA, but I've heard of people using transcripts in such situations
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Morning all.
Have just had a call from my sister, asking me to look up the date on which the government say all domestic fires are to be the " flueless " type?
A quick search finds nothing about any new regulations, just dire warnings about the possibility of carbon monoxide poisoning.
So, has she got the wrong end of the stick or is anyone aware of a proposed date at which the powers at be have decided that these things should be made mandatory?
Many thanks.
Petel
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If there are no hits on the net, which would include urban myths then it's probably "man in a pub" talk.
Flueless gas fires are largely only good at providing dancing flames - if you prefer watching this to the TV all well and good, but not much good if you want to stay warm.
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If the fires are already installed, then the regulations are unlikely to apply unless there is a serious safety issue.
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If the fires are already installed then the regulations are unlikely to apply unless there is a serious safety issue.
My boiler is only 8 years old and at each annual service it gets a "failure to comply" notice. As the gas engineer hands it to me he usually says words to the effect of "dont worry it is perfectly safe and conformed to the regulations when it was fitted".
Edited by Old Navy on 11/03/2009 at 20:03
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Many thanks for the replies so far.
I now note that there is to be a change as from 1st April 2009 to the effect that, the current RGI ( Registered Gas Insaller ) is to change to GSR ( Gas Safe Register )
Could it be that my sister has this mistaken this for the change that she is asking about or is anyone out there, aware of a govt proposal to make these types of fires the compulsary fit by a certain date?
Thank you.
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Many thanks for the replies so far. >>
;-)
Petel:
My observations may be wrong, but I am intrigued and so I have a a questions or two of my own for you.
Is your participation in the Backroom just one-way only?
Or have I formed an incorrect unjustified impression about you?
Your past questions seem to cover a wide range of subjects, and therefore I think, and suggest to you very politely, that surely you must feel able to actively participate in the forum and share your wealth of knowledge for the benefit of other backroomers. ;-:
Edited by jbif on 12/03/2009 at 12:00
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Does anyone know who to contact to request a recording of a 999 call?
Thanks.
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I would suggest contacting BT initially, but a direct approach to whichever emergency service has been used may prove the best bet.
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It was a call for an ambulance, so would it be the ambulance service or the NHS?
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You need to contact whoever made the recording - in this case the emergency service who dealt with the call.
Website of the organisation involved should have info on data protection and Freedom of Information.
As you've now posted it will be whoever provides your ambulance service. Usually county based.
Edited by daveyjp on 12/03/2009 at 10:54
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Just a curiosity question really,
Looking today for a new battery for my Nokia 3310, i found the rating for it was 3.7v 1100mah.
Now, my old 3310 is an old phone by most standards, but you can do with it what it was designed to do, perfectly well, i.e make a call and send a text. The battery usually lasts about 5 days before needing a charge.
Comparing the "specs" for more powerful 'phones, that have cameras, video, bells and whistles etc, i notice that although the voltage rating is the same 3.7v (in most cases) the m AH rating varies between 500-800 mah.
Surely these "high flying" phones would be more useable with a much larger reserve? even if it only matched the 3310's 1100mah.
Billy
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A lot of these phones do have poor battery life. Use all the bells and whistles like playing music, surfing the web on wi-fi etc and they need charging often.
I assume this is partly down to packaging - you cannot fit bigger batteries or the phone would be bigger. Anyone remember the high capacity for the 5110/6210/6310? The battery was the back of the phone and the higher capacity batteries stuck out a lot and were heavy.
I am surprised my latest Noka, the E51 has a decent battery and is fairly big compared to the phone itself and does last well.
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You can get a 1800mah replacement for a tenner - see tinyurl.com/bj47er
I think the kids who use all these bells and whistles plug their phones in every night after they've drained them talking to/texting their mates they've just said goodbye to. So battery life doesn't matter to them as much as street cred.
In my day it was under the eiderdown with Radio Luxembourg!
Terryb
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Nokia 3310
I have the same phone (the original battery is rated at 700mAh and is still in use) and, as you rightly point out, it does its job with the minimum of fuss and excellent sound quality.
However, for those who want their mobile's battery to charge up in the shortest possible time, the solution may be closer than we think (!):
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7938001.stm
Edited by Stuartli on 12/03/2009 at 15:28
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>>the original battery is rated at 700mAh and is still in use
I'd stick with it if I was you - we have a 3310 and bought a new Li-ion battery with capacity in excess of 1000mAh which will run about a week with light use.
But, that battery will be shot in another couple of years (like its predecessor, at about 3 years old) whereas Ni-cads run for years and years if cycled properly.
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>I'd stick with it if I was you >>
Fully agree. After every four or five normal charges, I completely flatten the battery.
I believe this to be the reason it can be left on standby for several days as Ni-Cad batteries have a memory point if recharged after only a little use. I charge it up whilst it is switched on to avoid any memory point.
It's surprising just how many people still use a 3310, despite all the modern phones' features such as cameras.
Edited by Stuartli on 12/03/2009 at 17:52
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This isn't a question.
The DT theatre critic Charles Spencer three days ago recommended the website Spotify. By googling it and jumping through a couple of easy hoops you can download a small bit of software which enables you to play - not download - almost any piece of music ever recorded. There are exceptions - extremely rare artists or stuff in copyright and so on - but really a non-expert music fancier will find most of what they want, of any type.
You need broadband and halfway decent speakers or earphones. Playing stuff doesn't seem to take up much of the computer's brain power (doesn't slow down other functions). Hi-fi buffs will complain ('It's all compressed and digitalized, man...') but no one else will. A great find.
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Lud, I use this and plug my laptop in to the amp in my hifi system. Voila. Sound quality improved.
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>>There are exceptions - extremely rare artists or stuff in copyright
Hmmm. Virtually all music recorded is still in copyright.
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Ts&Cs say only for personal use, cannot be broadcast etc. It's all apparently legal.
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One of the good points that you can (easily) find and play a variety of cover versions of any given record. Some good and some notsogood. The ability to make up bespoke play lists and easily edit is good too.
Dont tell every body else it will slow down!
All Beatles material is missing but Paul McCartney versions are available.
p
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Virtually all music recorded is still in copyright.
Perhaps the site pays royalties in some way. I forgot to mention (because they aren't terribly intrusive) that there are commercials for a minute or two every half-hour.
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>>Hmmm. Virtually all music recorded is still in copyright.>>
Virtually? Hardly...:-)
Copyright legislation can be found at:
www.copyrightservice.co.uk/copyright/p01_uk_copyri...w
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Spotify has had its problems in recent days:
www.trustedreviews.com/mp3/news/2009/03/06/Spotify...1
Some people enjoy Deezer:
www.deezer.com/
Edited by Stuartli on 12/03/2009 at 17:56
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Jango is a good one for pop music fans.
You click on a few artists you like and it plays them interspersed with other stuff it thinks you might like.
Does loads of other things, too, but the above is enough for me.
www.jango.com
Edited by ifithelps on 12/03/2009 at 18:24
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Also good for pop, although has classical as well:
www.we7.com/
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To be able to use spotify free (advert) version you have to be invited.
How do I get an invite?
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tinyurl.com/cf9e2w
All free now for advert version. Currently you get a very short ad every 30mins.
p
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>>How do I get an invite?>>
You don't have to be given an invitation now.
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"You don't have to be given an invitation now."
Yes you do.
I have just tried it again.
It says if you do not have an account they require your email and when they go live they will invite you.
I can't see any way of signing up for free.
Edited by buzbee on 13/03/2009 at 15:36
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I have invites, email me. Address lower down the page (though might not be there for long, highly dangerous apparently... ;-))
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I signed up to spotify yesterday after reading this - no invite, works a treat. www.spotify.com/en/ (maybe the non-English ones require invites)
Edited by smokie on 13/03/2009 at 16:04
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David/Smokie, thanks. I have now got an account using smokie's link. It took me to a page to sign on that I could not previously access.
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I told you that an invite wasn't necessary any more...:-)
Edited by Stuartli on 13/03/2009 at 18:35
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Hey,
I'm planning to apply for a job at a school in Devon as an IT technician. Unfortunately, my CV is totally geared towards the aviation industry and I've written a new one specifically for this role.
Frankly, I have no idea what should really go on it and would hugely appreciate someone from within the industry taking a gander and offering some criticism! My email address is david [at] androidgamer [dot] org.
Much appreciated!
David.
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All I can say is make sure you make clear that you have customer service skills. Don;t make it too geeky.
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And you say that on the CV itself? I assumed it was a given from outside interests and achievements and was discussed in the interview. Oops. Well, this is why I asked for advice. :-)
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Well, this is why I asked for advice. :-)
My advice:
Take care to vet the people you take advice from.
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And I would not use that email address for a job application ;)
p
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It is very foolish, in fact, to make your e-mail address known in such a public arena as this or any other forum.
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It is very foolish in fact to make your e-mail address known in such a public arena as this or any other forum. >> >>
Does that mean he has failed the first test you would set for an IT-job applicant? ;-)
Edited by jbif on 13/03/2009 at 10:11
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Whos to know its not a disposable email address created for the very specific purpose?
(from someone who has an IT type job)
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The email address is vaguely spam proofed - it's so easy to spoof an email address that I can't see anyone would get any advantage from pretending to be me.
I did wonder about the domain name, but it's not as if it's offensive and I decided it was a lot better than something like dave666xyz@hotmail.com, which is what most email addresses tend to be.
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I did wonder about the domain name but it's not as if it's offensive and I decided it was a lot better than something like dave666xyz@hotmail.com which is what most email addresses tend to be.
Its not. Not by a long way. I would bet that you get NO responses from prospective employers to a gamers address. (unless you are applying to a games company)
Hotmail. Gmail. Yahoo mail are perfectly acceptable and expected.
I will send you my CV which is used to hawk me around clients. I know it works I have been employed in various assignments for 38 years.,
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someone from within the industry taking a gander and offering some criticism! My email address is david [at] androidgamer [dot] org.
You have dangerous email
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I have planned my journey there and its doable in just two days with no hotel as I am sleeping on the train.
My concern is now the return journey, I would be bored to death doing the same route so if there any alternatives?
On the way there my plan is:-
Manchester to London by train
London to Paris by train - This will take around 6-7 hours because of connection times, and the hassle of passports at St Pancreas.
Get the night train at 8pm from Paris to Barcelona this will get me into Barcelona at 8:00am the following day.
I have not checked the ferry times yet so I am not sure if I would have to stay over night in Barcelona or not yet.
Get the ferry to Ibiza
Now going back I want to do something completly different between Barcelona and London, I thought about the ferry from Bilbao to the southcoast of England but the ferry is expensive and the trains in the UK are expensive, I can get from London to Manchester very very cheaply.
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I'd love to know how to do Manchester to London early morning for £10 for someone over 26. If secret then email me ;-)
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Rob you can't do it that early, I think 9:10 is the earliest train at this price but that gets you into Euston for 11ish.
.*********
www.mobitix.thetrainline.com/VT/advancepurchase.as...x
It sends the ticket to your mobile phone.
I have not tested this yet I wimped out last time, but I am going to go to down to London again in a couple of weeks to make sure the tickets work. I have to actually see something working before I believe it.
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I know you could get cheaper tickets in the past and then the trainlines changed ticketing a few months back. And now prices tend to be higher.
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Not sure why the swear filter kicked in as I never said a swearword. Ah I said a very very mild one tut tut.
I have noticed this too, you used to print them out too and I much prefered that. Tbh though even £10 is a very cheap price.
I remember the old slam door trains on this route, one train about every two hours and it took over three hours to get there. I think it was the class 43 IC125s on this route if I remember right.
I have found Megabus not too bad either, it does take four and a half hours but they tend to be silent and very dark inside so its very very relaxing but from £2.50 return thats cheaper than the bus from Chorlton into Manchester these days.
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Rob, you can get tickets on line from Megatrain (or Megabus if you prefer), starting at £1 + 50p handling. To get the cheapest you have to book in advance or want to travel on one where few others have booked i.e. an unpopular day.
The bus service is on their own vehicles, the trains have a designated carriage.
They only seem to travel to and from London.
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You are travelling on an overnight train so won't be able to see much other than the inside of the carriage.
Yet you think that doing the same journey backwards would bore you to death and that it would be preferable to see the inside of a railway carriage going over a different stretch of track that you will not see??????
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Parts of the journey will have to be the same - ferry back from Ibiza and the journey from London to Manchester. So perhaps you could just choose to stop somewhere else on the route back from Barcelona to Paris? Or you could fly and save a lot of time and therefore money - you'll be taking less time out of work for a start.
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You are travelling on an overnight train ... over a different stretch of track that you will not see?????? >>
Mapmaker, I can paraphrase all you said as "You cannot be serious!".
I think, like you, I am Well and Truly Rattled.
Edited by jbif on 13/03/2009 at 11:51
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I think Rattle should go via Romsdal in Norway, and climb the Trollveggen.
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Now going back I want to do something completly different between Barcelona and London I thought about the ferry from Bilbao to the southcoast of England but the ferry is expensive
Brittany Ferries are running their Spanish service in a triangle this year - Plymouth/Santander/Portsmouth. You could try them as they have been trying some promotional fares for the "new" route. Normally expensive but foot passenger only to Portsmouth may be more reasonable.
On their website I'm getting £47 for mid-June foot passenger with reclining seat to Portsmouth.
Terryb
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