You are hereMonthly archive / October, 2008
October, 2008
Get stuck in
If you want to learn something new, there's no better way than getting stuck in and having a go. That's what life is about, yes?
Anyway, having been tempted for some time to create my own website I've finally decided to take what little site-building knowledge I've got and take the plunge.
I'm a print journalist by training, but I've also dabbed in video and audio, as well as a touch of Flash and web-design.
The Credit Crunch - and how to keep smiling when you're on the edge of bankruptcy
Times are pretty tough at the moment. You've only got to look at the news to hear about the ongoing dire conditions for international banks, what with the collapse of Lehman Brothers and indeed the Icelandic economy.
It's not just the banks either. Locally, JCB and Wedgwood have both announced at least 700 redundancies caused by the credit crunch and the sword still hangs over the Fox's Biscuits factory in Uttoxeter.
The top video game cities: but where's City 17?
There's a pundit story about the top video game cities on Popular Mechanics which I enjoyed. Basically it gives a run-down of the top five with places such as Grand Theft Auto's Liberty City, the city at the heart of SimCity and Rapture, the underwater marvel in BioShock all being listed.
Indeed, I've collectively spent many months working in each of these destinations, either working to build the perfect city, or carve out a profitable niche as a gangster or just trying to find my way back to normal civilisation.
When is it going to end?
When is it all going to end? That's the question that's on the lips of most bankers and people in financial services as the shockwaves from the credit crunch threaten to plunge the world economy into recession.
As years of boom built on financial wizardry continue to unravel, there is a distinct lack of certainty among investors, hence today's five per cent fall on shares that make up the FTSE 100 index.
George Bostock
There's a breaking news story on The Sentinel tonight about the death of two-year-old George Bostock after he and his twin brother Harry fell into a pond in the Tean area.
I can't remember what I was like as a child, nor do I have children of my own, but my two-year-old niece is a handful and needs constant watch to protect her from her boundless curiosity for what is around her.
The quotes from the family show just how much grief they must feel, and I can only pass on my sincerest condolences.
JCB: crunch time?
Two days, and two days about JCB. The first blog came before the details of the latest ultimatum emerged. And what do you make of them?
If you missed the details here they are: either the company's reduces its working hours and lose 180 jobs, or do nothing and lose up to 500 jobs.
It's a tough choice: certainly not one I'd like to make.
But it would appear to be sound thinking from a solid manufacturing company, although the manner of the announcement raises some worries.
Man City 3 Stoke 0
Every Stoke City fan knew that this year would be tough. But how tough? Today's 3-0 loss to Manchester City just goes to reinforce just how hard it will be for Stoke City to stay in the Premier League, let alone challenge for the title.
Admittedly, Man City is the richest club in the world after Abu Dhabi United Group paid a reported £200 million to take the controlling share in the club.
Kevin Rose at the Future of Web Applications (FOWA) conference
Three weeks ago I went to the Future of Web Applications (FOWA) conference in London's Docklands where about 2,000 developers, designers, entrepreneurs turned up to meet up, learn and discuss the bleeding-edge of web-based applications.
Although I'm involved with the internet in my job, I'm certainly no techie, so it was an enjoyable experience, even if some of the technology left me open-mouthed trying to get to grips with concepts such as web 3.0, mashups and APIs.
Burslem firefighters bricked by youths
They say you should walk a mile in someone else's shoes before you judge them for their actions, but I could walk for a month and still not figure out why a group of youths hurled bricks at firefighters tackling a fire in Mitchell Street, Burslem, on Sunday night.
From what The Sentinel has reported, it was the second night that Burslem crews came under a shower of bricks after trying to tackle bonfires set in the town.
I know that teenagers are often maligned for 'hanging around on street corners' when they've simply congregating to chat, but this is unacceptable.
Another tragedy on the M6
Motorways might be statistically the safest roads that we have in the UK - after all only eight people died on the M6 last year - but the death of a family-of-six during an accident on Monday shows just how dangerous they still remain.
It still isn't clear exactly what happened on that night except that there was an accident involving two lorries and a car on the northbound carriageway of the M6 below junction 17, the turn-off for Sandbach. The car then burst into flames during which time the Statham family - including three boys and a girl - from Llandudno died.
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