new iPod / iPhone application

I have come across a free new application for my iPod called '' 'shapes'. Essentially you have a soft keyboard on screen, but rather than tap the letters out one by one, you drag your finger across the keys and the programme predicts your word. It's very good but heavy on the US dictionary which is irritating if you're from the UK.

I am putting my money where my mouth is in writing the entire post by the programme, Ironically though the programme is free!

If you have the iPhone or iPod touch, try it, I think it is excellent.

Sarah Palin Comments

Here we go again, the next round of American politics. Stand by and wait for months and months of political analysis of why McCain has brought in Sarah Palin as his running mate.

Floating around the web I came across some sites and blogs including one that read "As A woman I'm offended". Perlease.

The site link is here

my comments on the site reads as follows:

I think it's great!

Here in Central England, we're bombarded with American politics on our news bulletins.

Quite frankly I'm sick to death of hearing about the American Primaries, so it's nice to see some eye candy, and she seems to be a nice ordinary mum to boot, about time someone ordinary got in rather than some wrinkled crone spouting platitudes and gathering stories for a multi-million pound autobiography after the next scandal.

We had Thatcher here, and we have the Queen, God bless her (stands to attention and sings the national anthem). I wouldn't get on the phone to Liz and tell her that we're patronising her, because of her gender.I'd be impaled by the steel implements of a dozen Beefeaters and have more than half of the population demanding to string me up.

I've licked the back of stamps for 40 years with the Queens head on, and it's not done me any bad at all. We're not afraid here of putting women in power, why are you?

I have to say that I do find your political system rather odd though. Here in the UK, we announce we're having an election, we put up with some dreary nonsense for around two to three weeks, we vote, and get it over and done with. There's little or no razmataz, we vote and move on. No kids tumbling, no brass bands. Politics here is a little like taking refuse to the council tip, though less enjoyable. If people whooped and hollered at a council by-election, they would be committed, or be clubbed to death, or, even worse, be stared at in a very menacing way and ignored by everyone at Asda.

We've had politics for a thousand years, it's become functional and a necessary evil - a little like using the loo.

England's voting system is very much like my buying a pair of shoes. I get the job done because I'm bored of shopping. I go to a shoe shop, ask for a pair of size 11 shoes, I try them on, buy them and go home. Job done. I've had to endure shopping for 9 minutes, nasty business that it is.

American politics reminds me a bit of my wife shopping for shoes. She goes to the shoe shop, picks up a pair of shoes, looks at baby clothes (my kids are teenagers), wanders over to look at Boots, wanders around a perfume shop, goes back to look at the first pair of shoes, tries to find them cheaper at 6 other shoe shops, wanders around a chemists, looks at wigs (honestly, I'm not kidding), goes to a toy store, back to the chemists, goes home, goes back to the shoe shop, comes home with the shoes, a dozen photo frames from Poundland, Christmas cards (in August) and dozens of other bags then takes them back the next week. Get my gist?

Wheel her on I say!

Credit crunches change for the better

It's very easy to feel down about the rising prices, lower net income, mounting petrol prices and goodness knows what else.

I noticed just a few days ago that most of the traffic on my morning commute stays in the slow lane at a steady 55mph, the boy racers seem less too.

As I sat in the left hand lane trying to get the best fuel economy I could along with most of Britain's other traffic, I realised that there was a noticeable decrease in the 4 x 4's and bigger cars. Most of the cars are suddenly smaller. Peugeot 206's, Fiats and Ka's were in abundance. People are starting to think smarter and adapt as money becomes ever tighter, and petrol / diesel prices even more insane. Not only are people now driving cars that have a better MPG, they're driving at the most fuel efficient too. Having a bigger / posher car just isn't an issue any more, it's about being as sensible as you can with the rocketing cost of motoring in Britain today.

I'm chopping my 1.8i MGF for a little Corsa sxi 1.3i Turbo diesel next week. It's mad not too. I couldn't give a monkey's anymore about looking cool - I want the 70mpg and save, I reckon £100 p/month on fuel, and, get this, pay £35 tax this year, and nothing next year! That's a bit different to the £180 p/a I'm paying now. The group insurance is 3, no doubt another big saving on the premium too. The Kia Sedona 2.9tdi I have will suffer the same fate when I can find a decent enough fuel efficient car to replace it - but it needs to pull a caravan. A Toyota Corolla / Mondeo? Any suggestions?

I'd love to think I could get so efficient I could get a turbine for the house and some solar panels. I'm not at all green, it really goes over my head, I just like the idea of gadgets and saving money. I can bet that others are thinking the same way too. In fact, I know that most of the circle of friends and acquaintances I have are thinking the same way.

Society had definitely taken luxuries for granted while the poorest have sadly become poorer. I actually like the thought of everyone having to be more careful as it seems to provoke a bit more thought. Stretching the thought a bit further, the most contented people I met were in Swaziland. Here we think that having only one TV or an outdated DVD player is something to moan about. In Swaziland, some of the kids don't own a pair of shoes. Lots of the mud houses don't have glass in the windows, yet the folks are the most warm, genuine people you could meet. Britain was a much happier society immediately post war with rationing and without too much of the trappings of today.

I'm ever the optimist and would love to think that we are perhaps a little less selfish and just a bit more thoughtful than the halcyon days of a few years back. Perhaps the credit crunch has some small positive side to it?

Back from holiday.

It's been a bizarre three weeks.

I was away in Spain for a week, back for three days, then a three day course, then a week here in the worst ever weather possible down in Somerset. It rained, rained, rained, shone sun for an hour and then rained torrentially again before thundering down in a cyclone and then more foul weather.

Is it any wonder why Brits go abroad?

podcastpaul - podcast177

Download MP3 direct from this link

Podcast No 177

Music from:

Dave Stewart - yes, that Dave Stewart!
The Cool Waters Band
- both courtesy of Podshow (www.music.podshow.com)

and...

The Orange Lights. The track courtesy from The Orange Lights / Blackbird.

I love indie music - and talk about the fact that I wish John Peel was still alive!

;-)

How to handle a nuisance caller.

Download the MP3 here

This is a special edition of the show. Please note that the language in this show is explicit. Not me - please read on.

As some of you will know, I was away on holiday last week. Sue and I had been receiving nuisance phone calls. Someone had called, it seems either indiscriminately, or alternatively a wrong number.

Anyway, when the caller was told, quite politely that he'd got the wrong number, he rang again and again and again. I spoke to him and told him in no uncertain terms that if he called again I would take some action.

While away, my lads; Mike 19 and Chris 16, stayed at home. Chris was here on his own or with his mates most of the time.... and this idiot phoned again, and again, and again. He phoned at all times of the day and night, calling at 3 in the morning, again and again,

The caller; Chris, from Plymouth (the idiot had forgotten on one occasion to hide his phone number) called Chris threatening him. His language is vile, and he gets very racial, so be warned. Nuisance callers are bullies, and like most bullies try to exert a fear over people. Take away the fear and you're left with a sad idiot.

You have to know Christian to appreciate the audio. Fair play to him. he turned the tables on the nuisance caller and phoned him back, again and again and again, and didn't stop until the nuisance caller relented and apologised. Christian didn't want the caller to think he was in any way intimidated, so spoke back to him, treating him like a total knob. Just listen... and you'll get the drift.

The police are involved, and it's highly likely that the caller will just get a smack across the knuckles... so the best way to deal with this is to show you how Christian handled him. Admirably.

Well done Christian.

..and if you're looking for a plasterer in Plymouth - make sure his name's not Chris and he sounds like this...

Podcastpaul clothing... blimey.

I've actually gone and set up a quick cafe press shop with the original podcastpaul design. I want a ringer / golf and tee short for myself, but if anyone else is interested, please check it out: http://www.cafepress.com/podcastpaul

I'll look around to see if theres anywhere offering better value / same / better quality.

I want to design a 'Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Wherever and Wherever You Are ' or even a 'Babylooooooooon' logo... I'll have to fit in some free time to do it...

podcast176 from Salou, North Spain.

Download the MP3 here

Yay! Back from Spain...

I recorded the show directly in Spain, some great music from Paul Rose, Black Lab and 3 blind mice.

I had a lovely holiday but I'm glad to be home!