General – Page 31 – Ian’s Thing

Bored? I Don’t Have Time For That!

February 10, 2015February 10, 2015 IBM Leave a comment

[ad name=”Banner 728*90″]I don’t get bored. It’s not in my vocabulary. OK, some things are tedious and repetitive. Some of things I have to do to put food on the table.

But, I don’t get bored, and certainly not in my free time. In fact, my complaint would be that there are not enough hours in the day.

For a start, I don’t understand how anyone with an Internet-connected computer can ever be bored. Without even leaving home, I can watch videos, movies, TV. I can listen to music, radio, podcasts. I can play games, chat with friends. I can read, and oh boy, I do lots of that online. I can write too, as I am now.

That little lot alone can easily fill a day.

I enjoy walking. I love to go for a walk in the local park, or ride the bus, and walk along the riverside, or canal.

Then there’s photography. I enjoy combining that with a walk, a photowalk if you like, and then when I get home, I can use that afore-mentioned computer to edit and display my work.

So I don’t get bored, I don’t have time for that!

The Demise Of RadioShack

February 9, 2015February 9, 2015 IBM Leave a comment

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So another one-time major retailer bites the dust. Long-running electronics company RadioShack, which filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy last week, will see the closure of 1,784 stores across North America by March 31, the company confirmed in court documents. RadioShack was good for grabbing all those little bits and pieces you needed for those electronic projects, and for plugs, cables, various other connectors and the like.

In the UK RadioShack was known as Tandy. There was some guy with a store on Finchley Road in London that had the Radio Shack name, and despite being offered a large sum of money back in the 80’s, he refused to sell the name.

Anyway, Tandy, who had 270 stores in the UK, sold out to mobile phone company Carphone Warehouse around the turn of the century, and then concentrated on mobile phones and accessories, as Carphone Warehouse does.

Personally, I found most of their larger items too expensive, such as their hi-fi and computer offerings in the 80’s.

Apparently some of their North American stores are being purchased, similar to the UK operation, by a mobile phone company. However, Sprint, who are looking to transform 1,750 stores into a RadioShack/Sprint combo set-up, are, of course, a wireless service provider, and not just a retailer.

My Thoughts on Superbowl Sunday

February 2, 2015February 6, 2015 IBM Leave a comment

I’m not a sports fan. Period. Occasionally, I’ll watch a bit of F1 or cricket, but it’s barely more than a fleeting glance. Why am I writing this post then? It’s really in response to a friends Facebook posting in which she bemoans all the disdain exhibited about the event. Yes, Superbowl is Superhype. One of those things that the American media excels itself in.

It’s full of over-commercialism. Everyone and their dog that can make a buck or two goes all out for it, to the point (and beyond) of tacky.

Some make more of the Half-Time Performance than the game itself.

The players arguably make way too much money. Of course, the money comes from all that commercialism, in various ways.

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But wait a minute…

Many folks actually enjoy following their team, and for them to appear at the Superbowl is THE big event of the year. Possibly bigger than Christmas even. It’s like one big national party. Even people that don’t follow football enjoy the party atmosphere, or at least the beer and snacks.

Talking of too much money, if some football players earn too much, what about some actors and musicians? Lets not forget those at the top of those huge faceless corporations. Heck some of those CEOs really don’t seem to deserve their pay given their lacklustre performances!

So, I don’t watch these big sporting events, because it’s really not my thing, but I certainly wouldn’t look down on those that do.