Category: Rant

Why Facebook is good for Instagram and YOU!

I’ve read a lot of late about Instagram’s supposed ‘sell out’ to Facebook and have decided to add my 2 pennies to the debate.

Im very pleased for Instagram now that it’s been sold as I see that it’s future is much more secure due to this. Instagram has been a free product since launch, free to download, free to user and free from adverts. In fact it’s been free thanks only to Instagrams investors investing cash into the company at an alarming rate.

I know we all love something for nothing, but running Instagram costs!

Instagram spent $57,500,000 in 24 months

How long could this of continued we have no way of knowing, but you can be sure that eventually the owners would have looked at ways of monetizing Instagram through ads or subscriptions some how. In steps Facebook and offers their expertise.

Facebook will of course need to monetize Instagram in the future just as it needs to monetize Facebook itself somehow, hopefully in a tasteful way!

The one worry I did have was, Facebook would change Instagram in some way, maybe make it a Facebook only application, however they announced that it intends on keeping Instagram’s cross posting ability (Twitter/Flickr/Facebook and Instagram) intact, actually stating that it’s a fundamental part of Instagram. To me, Instagram’s heart is not about to be ripped out and stamped on by Facebook, it’s purchase of Instagram was one of the better options that would have faced Instagram in the coming months.

I don’t see what the negative reaction is for, I for one will continue to use Instagram as one of my tools for iPhone photography.

One last thing….

Oh and now Instagram is available on Android I can see what poor people eat and do as well as iPhone owners… That was a joke my friends, well it is from me at least, the guys below may not agree!

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Why will no one share their Cleaners details?

A few months ago I managed to talk Louise into us employing a cleaner, were not middle class and were certainly not rolling in money. My thinking behind taking on this extra expence was to free up Louise (and myself to a lesser degree) from tasks that ate into our already small leisure time. Weekends were predomidantly spent cleaning and if we didn’t clean on the Sunday we chastised ourselves that we should of!

Fast forward a few months…

It was eneviatble I guess, but the cleaning service provided by our cleaners is not meeting our expectations, Louise does have high standards of cleaning. (I know from experince!) However there have been times my somewaht lower expectations have also not been met!

Who you going to call? Dustbusters!

So we decided that we will drop the current cleaners (a large franchise company) and try another cleaner that friends and thier families would recommend… and thats where the weirdness begins…

Good Cleaners never get shared!

No one wants to share their cleaners!! Numerous attempts to garnish a contact number from people who are happily using a cleaner themselves have failed… it seems everyone wants to keep their cleaning supplier for themselves! Im sure there’s a conspiracy, an inner league of people who guard their cleaners indenities like the Holy Grail. We want to use someone recommended rather than a random service. One of the reasons we went with a large franchise was purely from a security point of view, having a insured key keeper was helped us relax letting a stranger into our home twice a month.

Sunday cleaning is back then?

So were binning the current cleaners without a replacement, Our short weekends will get shorter again.

Unless?

Can you reccomend a cleaner you or a close friend/famiy member would recommend in the Fleert area? Were nice people, you may even get an awkward Christmas card from us (Might even be a small cash amount if were in the Christmas spirit), Were not really really messy!  If so please drop me or Louise a facebook message….. but Im not holding out much hope as I know how precious your cleaner is!

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What? Free Latte? Really?

Now there’s a surprise, my normal quiet Starbucks coffee shop is rammed! Most mornings I call in to grab a nice coffee to stroll to work with or stay in to write a blog post or 2, but today I had to queue to get in the door!

Never look a gift horse….

To launch Starbucks new ‘promise’ campaign ’We promise to make your coffee just the way you like it. Thats why we put your name on it. After all, it’s personal.’ they have been offering a tall Latte for anyone who wants one up to noon o’clock today.

You have to admire the British psychie in the love of a freebie. ‘Why is it free?’ ‘Whats the catch?’ ‘You mean I dont need to signup for a Starbucks card? Your just giving me a free coffee and 2 vouchers for 50% off?’ were some of the things I heard in the queue.

Personal? Not today its not!

So personal service? A conveyer belt of Latte’s being knocked out with a hastily writtern name on the cup. At least I made them smile when they asked my name and replied ‘Judy’ and they dutifully wrote it on my sticker for my mug of Latte. :)

I guess it will be back to normal tomorrow, without the freebie on offer! And rather than the free Latte, I’ll go back to my Filter!

Cheapskate Brits I salute you! :)

Funny Startbucks story

I’ve been coming to this particular branch of Starbucks for some time and recently after a solid 2 weeks of ordering a Grande Filter with hot milk I strolled into the store and was greeted by the barista with a big smile and asked ‘Hello, would you like your usual?’ Now, this gave me a nice feeling, I felt just that little bit more important than everyone else in the queue behind me… ‘I bet they don’t get asked if they want their usual.’ I said to myself (I think I said it to myself, however now I think of it I was given a little more room at the collection point….)

I shuffled around to the collection point…. smiling that I must be accepted at this drinking establishment, waited a few minutes and was proudly presented with a Grande Latte with a Vanilla shot…. WTF! Crest fallen I took the wrong drink in an attempt not to loose face and sat down to ‘eat’ my very sweet coffee!

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Whats happend to my beloved Aston Villa?

I may of moved away from the Midlands where I grew up but I’ll always be an Aston Villa supporter, my Sky Sports Subscription is mainly for the Villa games that get shown, I might watch a few other games also but If the Villa’s on I will be watching it! I try to catch a game or 2 each year whenever Im visiting home, in fact I used to own a season ticket a number of years ago (1994-95 and 1995-96) the years that;

  • Opening day of the 194-95 Season Villa beat Manchester United 3-1 (A young David Beckham getting a the Man U Goal)
  • Alan Hansen quoted “You won’t win anything with Kids….” about the United team that we beat.
  • We almost got relegated in 1995 – 1996!

Each season has been full of ups and downs, a few success in the League Cup and an FA Cup appearance. Finishing 2nd in the Premiership in it’s 1st year, Europe Qualification. Through the ups and downs I always enjoyed watching Villa play… but this year Im not enjoying any of the games Im watching!

It’s painful to watch Villa for 90 mins, I have no confidence in Villa getting a result against any opponent, out of both cups and the prospect of a relegation battle ahead. “Villa are too good to go down….”? From the games I see, I think it is possible.

I don’t know whats wrong, in fact I don’t care if it’s player power or managerial issues… whatever it is Im not enjoying watching Villa play, we are much better than this!!!

I wish Roberto Martinez had agreed to manage Villa, it would of been fascinating to see the team he would of developed and probably played more entertaining football.

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Catalogues on your door step.

This photo reminds me of my Argos rant last year when my local Argos store decided in their wisdom that every house in my street should get an Argos catalogue. It happened to be a very wet day and as a consequence my street was littered by 100′s of sodden wet Argos catalogues, of zero use to anyone. They were not even fit for recycling. I was so angered that I wrote to the Argos head office to express my annoyance and Argos total disregard for the environment.

I didn’t receive a reply.

I then vowed that if a catalogue was left on my doorstep I would wrap it, attach another letter advising them that I didn’t ask for a catalogue, and mail it back to Argos HQ (Without any postage) in a hope my act may make them stop this stupid practice of dumping these catalogues onto unsuspecting households.

Apologies in advance to the Postie that has to collect and deliver this!

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americanisms

February THIRD!! NOT THREE!

When did ‘February 3rd’ (Third) turn into ‘February 3′ (Three)?

Every-time I see the movie trailer for ‘Man on a Ledge’ the voice over guy advises that it will be released ‘February Three‘  and it makes me cringe! I do hope it doesn’t catch on as there’s nothing at all wrong with using 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th 5th, 6th etc; with dates.

Where will it end?

Recognise these TV and Movie titles easily?

  • ‘Three Rock from the Sun’
  • ‘Beethoven’s Two’
  • ‘The Four Kind’
  • ‘The Five Element’
  • ‘The Six Day’

Is it another Americanism that will plague the english language soon?

Americanisms: 50 of your most noted examples

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