Rant 27 - 27/1/12 Subject: Weather chaos

Rant number 27


I know, I know.


I'm sorry


but


An Englishman is about to talk about the weather


At least its taken 27 rants to get here hey?

Actually, its not a rant about the weather - so nah... The rant is about the chaos that it causes.

The reason that people across the world say that us British talk about the weather so much, is because they don't have any to talk about. It's just jealousy really.

Because we have lots and lots of weather! Mostly rain I grant thee, but we do get some other stuff too.

Today was a day with a lot of weather. I left the house in the morning to clear sky's, arrived at work to heavy rain and drove home in heavy snow - which is where the chaos comes in.

Because - for a country where it consistently snows every winter (albeit very lightly) we just can't deal with it.
At non rush hour times, my journey home takes around 20 minutes. Double this in rush hour to 40 minutes (pain in the ass already.)

Today it took nearly an hour and a half, just because there was a small shower of snow on a well gritted, well lit road. That I could not see:
A: the reason for obstruction at any point
B: any snow after the first 5 minutes

is what annoyed me.

Even as I left the motorway, the queue extended off into the distance - to god knows where.

What I want to know is - as a country, why can't we just well, deal with it?

We know that every winter it will be cold, that there will be ice & snow, fog & rain, hail & wind.
But all of these things seem to come to a massive surprise to everyone.

Are some people just unable or unwilling to drive with any intelligence as soon as there is a little precipitation? All around the world, people get it worse than us - and they seem to carry on so much better than us!

In Russia for instance, it snows heavily for half a year and goes into minus temperatures. The country does not stop dead because a couple of snow flakes have fallen onto someone's bonnet or onto the train-tracks.

We need to realise that the weather isn't going anywhere, and come up with a way to deal with it!

Rant over.

Rant 22 - 22/1/12 Subject: Bad advertising

Rant number 22


I don't often watch that much TV, however on a cold dark miserable Sunday, I will often flick through what's on the idiot lantern.

Often there is some films on, which are worth watching - or something repeated that I had intended to watch.

Today was such a day (dusky by 2pm) and thoroughly cold and miserable. So - I did do a little channel flicking.

Are adverts ever bloody annoying


Star wars characters can be used to sell phone plans from particular networks or brown goods (Yoda for phones, Darth for Brown goods - because presumably these are the more evil?)

Meercats & fat men, sell car insurance - endlessly.

Bank employees host bad radio programs (ISA ISA baby....)

The list goes on and on!


The thing is, do they really feel that they can sell me a product by getting on my nerves? I mean really? Is that the kind of connection they want to make in my head.

And these are at least the kind of adverts that you can understand.

Those that create perfume adverts for instance - have no restriction within their brief that says that they actually have to identify the product in question. They just have to connect a vague thematic smorgasbord together with some dramatic music.

Then there are those that try and sell you the lifestyle of the product in question. I've just seen one for Quaker Oats that sell you the lifestyle of a fitness freak who is happy in his life and work life and who is going to live to the ripe old age of 750.

Shit a brick - Someone get me a box pronto!


I understand that products need to be advertised. I just wish that they could be a bit sensible about it. I don't want to hear a generic cartoon character singing about car insurance to the tune of YMCA - particularly not one who seems to have hidden her microphone somewhere decidedly dodgy (watch closely next time you see the confused.com add...)

I also don't want to see the same adverts that have been used for years. You have got your product into my consciousness on the last 7000 viewings. I don't need to see it again unless you have something new to say.

Part of me - like many of my friends, would like to go down the route of only watching things online on catchup services. The thing is - many of these now insist on getting adverts in also. They are also subject of my internet connection behaving itself, and the proviso of watching yet more adverts should their be some kind of error with the stream.

I hope that one of these days, their will be some way to avoid them altogether. The closest you can currently get is to use a PVR, never watch anything live & to fast forward everything.

I hate bloody adverts

Rant over.