iBlog – if iCan be bothered!

During my time in the computer industry I have noticed something very odd and until now couldn’t put my finger on it, then I heard a builder sending an apprentice for a left-handed hammer and it hit me: we’re devoid of the good old-fashioned practical joke. Whilst there are plenty for the occasions when someone has left their computer in an unlocked state (rude e-mails to the boss…) but there’s nowhere to send our apprentices, and nothing ridiculous for them to fetch. Please, kind readers, help me to fix this.

Short post today to announce that you can save 10% off everything that we do. Normally our January sales only start on January 1st but you lucky readers, yes you, don’t have to wait. Mention blog.glees.co.uk and we’ll give you the discount now.

Pop over to http://www.stokeontrentcomputers.co.uk to have a glance at what’s on offer!

For some stupid reason I ended up waking up at the uncivilised hour of 5:30am, and listening to an episode of the antidote to panel games: I’m Sorry, I Haven’t a Clue. What does this have to do with anything? Well, just like the state of most computers and washing machines these days comedy seems to be short-lasting and cheap with ISIHAC being the exception that proves the rule. For anyone who is bemused by this please listen to BBC Radio 4 at the correct time (that I can’t be bothered to look up right now) or have a glance on BBC iPlayer.

The premise is very simple indeed, a panel game that very humorously and cleverly mocks all other panel games. Thing is, other broadcasters and forms of media have caught on to this (finally) and copied the format mercilessly with such programmes as “Mock The Week” and “Whose Line is it Anyway?” These imitators, as reasonable as they may seem are simply no match for the original. Yes, you have to invest some time and brain-power into ISIHAC, but it never fails to impress, never has one of those stale moments and is the complete package.

Now let’s answer the original question shall we? Why buy a Mac? Macs were out before Windows was invented and ever since Microsoft have been playing catch-up, they’re catching on to some of the ideas in Windows 7 like a dock, for instance. Sure, the machines with Windows on may be cheap, oddly enough if you try and match the Mac specs they’re not! If you want the original instead of some cheap imitator though, get a Mac, the full package, the lot, no hassle!

“Ah-ha, there’s a way to get the software on my PC” I hear the tech-savvy shouting and I can’t deny it, there is. Unfortunately you will be looking behind you all the time, wondering if this is the update that will kill your computer. That’s no fun is it? You’re having to use patched drivers, a patched bootloader and maybe more non-standard files and it kills the formula, could you imagine ISIHAC with Lee Evans as the host? It would still be ISIHAC but it would never be right and nor is Mac OS X on a PC!

If, like with “Mock the Week” you’re happy with what you know, don’t want to sample something clever but slightly different then I feel sorry for you and your wallet. I love my Mac and now you know why!

I’ve been in possession of the hire car now for just over a fortnight, it’s a relatively new, silver Corsa and this gave me a chance to find out what makes a Corsa driver so irritating, is it the car’s fault, or is something else to blame?

It’s not the car’s fault, the car is actually quite nice, not as nippy as my Fiesta (the 1250 Zetec one) but it’s no slouch. Why are Corsa drivers so slow then? and why do they have their headlights on all the time, it’s not automatic, so who or what do we blame?

I blame you, everyone who drives anything else. To the average motorist the Corsa seems to be invisible, Osama Bin Laden may be in one right now and no-one would ever notice! Allow me to explain the problem: People constantly cut you up, get right up your rear end and generally ignore your existence. This isn’t normal small car syndrome though, it’s small car syndrome on a grand scale! You never get let out of a junction, you become surprised if, just once, another car respects your right of way. To see another motorist be kind enough to let you go when it’s their right of way is so rare that many Corsa drivers cast the reports of sightings away with mentions of Area 51 and UFOs.

If you drive this thing like you would in any normal car, then I’m afraid your life expectancy would shrink to levels that would horrify even Afghanistan. You really do need to take extra precautions when driving a Corsa, like running with your headlights on, but even that isn’t enough for people to see you so what else can you do? You have no option other than to slow down to give yourself enough time to react to the idiots on the road.

Next time you see a Corsa then, don’t be awkward, don’t pre-judge and actually let it out, feel the warm glow inside and you never know, it may be me you’re letting out. Until this happens though it saddens me to say that you should steer clear from buying a charming little Corsa.

Back to the Fiesta for me once it’s back from the menders then!