This is good!

(Dear Internet, it's been many months since my last confession^Wposting)

I was thinking on the way to work - For the first time pretty much in the last two decades (1990, 1991 excepted) I'm actually in positive equity.

Okay, so in practice it's on a knife edge, and it won't really stay for long as payday nears, but after the next payment it will.

Now the saving can really commence (so I can get back into debt with a house). Bring on the years on saving for a deposit!

Dual fuel my arse.

Yet another in a series of randomly spaced rants.

I recently moved house, and one of the tasks was to set up new accounts with energy providers (not wanting to stay with the old ones for reasons that I won't go into).

I found a supplier, that seemed to be fairly cheap, and got set up (long story short territory here) with gas and electricity supply.

And it was all fine, until I got the bills. That's right, plural. I have two customer numbers, one for each type. I logged onto their website, and it let me bind both accounts into a single login, but I still can't pay them as one.

So to pay the bills, I have to check out a payment twice. Come on, this isn't rocket science here.

Testing - go on, test it!

I just wanted to see what would happen if I used this

Inside and out

I've just set my current wallpaper on my laptop to this image here. This matches nicely the large sticker I attached to the lid, of the same image. Nice.

For reference this is "The Great Wave off Kanagawa" (神奈川沖浪裏) ,by Hokusai, from his series "36 Views of Mount Fuji". This is an image of a copy of the original, made in 1930, to the same style and standards of the original

Testing, testing

As part of the candidate selection process for a new job (which I got), I was recently required to sit personality and IQ tests, to cut down the small shortlist to just one.

I've done several of these in the past, and I'm always slightly bemused by them.

Personality tests are odd. Remember the test Stan sat in South Park with the Scientologists? They're pretty much like that. Lots of questions that all seem fairly arbitrary, with "Agree/Disagree" options. I know the goal of these things is to prove that I'm a team player who can work independently (this seems like a contradiction in itself) but prefers not to, and that I'm not a potential axe-murderer.

Also, I've done a lot of IQ tests in the past, it's just technique, with a focus on speed. But what do you do with the results? Possibilities spring to mind.

• You must be this smart to join this company
• We like them smart, but not too smart. Anyone too smart would be a problem (although this sounds very Dilbert-like)
  
• We really can't decide between these two people, let's give it to the guy who tests better.

This might sense for big companies that are well known for attracting talent (Microsoft, Google), but this was for a really small company, where hiring all the interviewed candidates would have meant a 50% staffing increase....

Answers on a postcard, please.

Well, Duh.

You're kidding, right? People with nut allergies can't eat nuts?

Oh no.

To go back to an earlier post:

This is bad. This is potentially very bad.
I can post pictures to this blog direct from my shiny new mobile phone.

This is definitely not good.

I take it back

After two weeks of being idiots, 3 relented and decided that I could have my phone after all. But their lack of communication leaves me in no doubt as to why they're losing money...

Good technology doesn't always mean good business

Why are 3 so clueless?

Okay, here's the explanation.

My mobile phone contract with 3 UK is just about to expire, so on Wed 3rd October I went into their shop (on Oxford Street near work- not in the suburbs or anything), to talk to them about a new one. on their keyboard, Oh, you're entitled to an upgrade.

So I take their brochure away with me, so I can make a decision on my own without the salesman's beady eye on me. I decided I liked the look of Nokia's N95 - it's gizmotastic, albeit (with insurance) at little bit more than my current phone - maybe 10-15%, for less minutes, but I don't use all my existing minutes anyway.

I went back on the Friday to get the thing - although I couldn't. Apparently I didn't have the paperwork required, I need proof of address. Why they can't just look in their existing records for my address, which served them well these past 12 months I don't know, but I digress.

Bank statement in pocket, I went back on Monday. After some initial confusion I got handed back to the initial salesman, who recognises me. Yes, that'll do for paperwork, but we don't have any in stock. We've got a delivery due tomorrow (the 9th(, give us your number, we'll ring you.

Today was Saturday, I had heard nothing. Feeling generous, I bundled all my paperwork into my pocket, and went down to the local mall, where there's a shop. Went in, briefly explained the situation, and asked the key question. No, sorry, we don't have any. Nearly exploded, but condensed my rant into something polite. Was told that it was unlikely any other branch would have one either. Apparently managment underestimated the demand, the warehouse don't have any.

Remember now, 3 are haemmoraging money, to the point where their parent company has decided not to take repayments on their loan until their fortunes improve (for notes, search El Reg).

Out of curiousity, I went two doors up the road, to another carrier (headquartered in Newbury). Now obviously I can't just switch like that, I need a PAC code to move, and getting hold of that might take a few days, and I'm angry, so best not do anything rash here, but I tell them what just happened, and ask if they have any in stock - Yes, of course, although we're a little bit more expensive than they are. They give me a catalogue and I head home.

I check the catalogue, and confer with their website - yes, they are more expensive. £3.

If you find a better product, switch to it.