Friday Away

June and I are going up to Covent Garden in London tomorrow. There’s a Food Fair we’re both interested in seeing and for the evening, I’ve managed to get a couple of tickets for the live TV Show “Fame Academy“. I’ll let you know how it goes!

Out, Out, Damned Spot

The car’s been in the garage for the past three days, slowly running up a huge bill. The last bits and pieces are being sorted out today and yes, despite the man from AutoGlass doimng his best to fix it, I needed a new windscreen. (See below.) The windscreen is covered by the insurance of course, but there’s a fify pound excess I can’t get out of. In the overall scheme of keeing the car running, I suppose it’s a minor point because when I pick it up tonight, the bill’s going to be over £1,100!

The Ultimate Couch Potato Chair

This cushy marvel they’re calling an “eCliner” (no, I didn’t make that up – honest) combines the comfort of your Dad’s old recliner with the power of the Internet into one high-tech chair. Now get this, the chair comes with a Sony WebTV plus Internet receiver and keyboard so that you can cruise the Web and compose emails right on your TV set. A foldaway table holds the keyboard or your laptop. The chair’s left armrest houses an AC adapter and a phone line connector, while the right armrest contains a drink holder and storage for remote controls and things. If I put one in Steve’s Shop, I’d want one, so I won’t. (If you can follow that.) If you really want to see what it looks like, Click here.

A Word From the WebTalk Guys

I received an email from ‘Web Girl’ Dana Greenlee of ‘Webtalk Guys‘ fame. I thought I’d share it with you. She says, “I read with delight your comments on Mike Daisey. I, too, am reading his book now – page 157. It is screamingly funny, particularly as I worked on that “fortress on the hill” (Amazon) in ’99-’00. I saw Jeff Bezos in the cafeteria and heard his laugh in the halls. It was a wonderful and exhausting time. And I always had a dog sleeping at my feet as I reviewed the finer points of paper napkins and vinyl tablecloths. (I wrote editorial reviews for the Kitchen store.) Rob and I saw Mike on stage in Seattle and he’s been on our show twice.”

Here are some links including two articles Daisey wrote about being close to the World Trade Center on Sept 11th 2001 and the two radio interviews with the WebTalk Guys. Sept 11th Article 1 | Sept 11th Article 2 | Article 3 | Feb.01 interview | June 01 interview.

A 10mm spot is not OK

Just been to get the car MOTd. It failed of course – but because it has a 1cm spot in the windscreen where a stone has hit it. Apparently, an 8mm spot is OK, but 10mm spot is not. So for the sake of 2mm, I have to have a new windscreen. Daft. A 1cm spot does not stop me seeing what’s ahead! Good job the screen is insured. It’s being done tomrrow (Sunday) between 12 and 2. Retest is on Monday when hopefully everything should be OK. No wonder insurance premiums go up!

Meet Mike Daisey

About a year ago, I came across Mike Daisey. If you’re a Nethead (as I occasionally admit to being) you’ll like like him! He worked at Amazon.com in the ‘fairly’ early days and managed to clock up a couple of years in Customer Services during the teething period before Amazon.com became the smoothly operating organisation it is now. When he left, he followed one of his original careers and turned to writing and presenting a one man show entitled “21 Dog Years at Amazon.com”. Not being resident in the USA, the chances of my seeing it were slim, so I was delighted when the book appeared: Twenty-one Dog Years: Doing Time at Amazon.com. I’m reading it now and it’s extremely funny. If you’re into what makes a dotcom tick, or just want a fun read at the expense (occasionally) of Jeff Bezos, go and get yourself a copy. Make sure you buy it from Amazon.com (or .co.uk) of course! if you’re in the UK like me, just click the picture or here. Highly recommended.