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Business fun stuff

Neil tweets #Timico2012

Stapleford Park Hotel - should be on everyone's to do listSometimes you just need a bit of downtime. Timico Marketing Director Neil Armstrong tweets #Timico2012Ever wondered what I do for downtime? Eh? No? I’m going to tell you anyway. I like to chill on the terrace of Stapleford Park Hotel. Club sandwich maybe and perhaps a bottle of Hildon lightly sparkling mineral water. I like to sit out face up to that stranger the new spring sun and soak up its warmth.

There is no rush. Occasionally I take in a frame of snooker and then saunter down to the pool for a wallow – nothing too strenuous. The heat in the steam room acts like a deep massage andon my way to a century break relaxing on the lounger afterwards I drop in and out of a gentle sleep.

Back in my room I pick out my outfit for the evening and head to the bar to join some other guests for a pre- dinner glass of champagne. The meal that follows  in the Grinling Gibbons restaurant is superb, the wines fine and the brandy in the bar afterwards, nursed whilst sunk into a deep armchair, the perfect ending to a wonderful day.

What’s it all about? Follow #Timico2012 tomorrow.

 

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End User fun stuff

Universities getting savvy re recruitment process

Universities having to adopt commercial practices to attract good candidatesMy daughter is in her last year at school. She is a clever hard working girl1 and will do well for herself. She has had 4 good offers from top universities but hasn’t yet made up her mind which one to accept. She is off on her last “site visit” this week. An “overnighter”.

Students from two of the universities have now rung her to “see if there is anything they can help her with, any questions etc?”

This is remarkable and just shows how competitive it is out there, at least for good candidates. It is also mirrors life in the big bad world outside. This is a world where you can’t afford to leave things to chance. Every aspect of your business has to work for you. If you sit back and wait for that customer to place (or renew) his contract you can kiss goodbye to that customer. It means you aren’t giving him enough attention.

I am comfortable that an university that applies business process to its recruitment campaigns will also produce graduates well equipped to face that big bad world. The decision now is all hers. I have done everything I can to help when asked but now for the first time she is on her own. I can’t make that decision for her. Exciting times!

I don’t know about you but the fact that my kids are now at university age makes me wan to step on the accelerator when it comes to progress. It only seems like yesterday that I was there and the time has whizzed by. So much to do, so little time. Lets get on with it 🙂

1 gets it from her mother

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End User fun stuff

A time of innocence – phone boxes and Meccano train sets

Phone number for Lincolnshire Cooperative SocietyWhen I was a kid in the Isle of Man I used to play sports after school – cricket in summer and rugby in winter. Afterwards I’d walk down Bray Hill to the phone box at the bottom and call home for a lift. I didn’t need cash. When the pips went Mam would know it was me and she would set off to Douglas to pick me up.

Mobile phones had not been invented. I really don’t know how we managed but somehow we got by. At university there was one phone to serve the whole hall of residence – 350 or so students. I must have called home every now and again but probably no more often than once a week. I recall I used to write letters. I had terrible handwriting in those days which hasMeccano train set layout since deteriorated – I only ever type these days.

This morning we went to the Museum of Lincolnshire Life on Burton Road in Lincoln. There was an exhibition of old Meccano toys. I used to have a Meccano kit. Today’s layout had a train set from the 1930s. A bit before my time.

A time of innocence.

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End User fun stuff

What’s in a name?

Despite on occasion being known to criticise the UK government for policy matters relating to the internet I am not a particularly political person. I have had a go at both (New) Labour and the current coalition.

The one thing I can’t fault them on, whatever their political hue, is the names of the politicians involved. Here we are talking David (Dave), David, George, Nick and looking back a bit, Tony and Gordon.  at Timico the leadership team comprises a Tim, Chris, Neil, Jonathan, Steve, Andrew, Luke, Sandra, Geoff, Calum and Tref – a good spread from around the British Isles.

What I just can’t understand is how on earth anyone could consider being run by someone with a name like Mitt or Newt. I can ascribe Barack to being a cultural/language thing – a bit like a bloke called Nicola running France. Angela in Germany seems positively normal!

Perhaps the Americans have done some market research and picked the “most electable name”. I fully expect to see a Giraffe or an Aardvark running for the US Senate in future – the only possible reason in my mind that the UK media would want to report such an event.

The only possible excuse I can think of is that they needed to find candidate  names with available domain names but I haven’t done any research to validate this theory. Any original submissions on this proposition could well be published in full.

Call me boring…

 

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End User fun stuff

wistful retrospectives and bold predictions?

I suspect that at this stage of the holidays I normally write a review of progress over the last 12 months (with appropriately satisfied noises) and put my mind to the next year.

Well this year all I have to say about  2011 is that it was another great one – they all are. No doubt there were ups and downs but hey, you have to get on with it.

So what sagatious pearls might I have to impart in making predictions for 2012? I am not a wise man. I can only say this:

“There will be a lot of change in 2012 and how you feel at the end of the year will depend on how you managed that change.”

Whether this is in business or in your personal life it is no different. New things will come your way. Try them out. Throw them away if they don’t suit but don’t sit on the fence muttering that things ain’t what they used to be. That fence is groaning under the weight and one of these days it is going to collapse. If you’re sat on it you can wave goodbye as you go down.

For various reasons we live in exciting times. This is probably the most exciting period of technology change I have known in a short life that has (and I am constantly amazed by this) seen the invention of the mobile phone, the personal computer, the internet, oh and penicillin1 . The excitement may stem from the pace of change but believe you me that pace is accelerating.

So in 2012 embrace the change and make it work in your favour. Work hard, play hard but most of all don’t sit on that fence.

See ya next year.

PS sorry if the title was somewhat misleading -I’ve obviously been reading the tabloids to much recently

1 only joking – not that old 🙂

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Cloud End User fun stuff

2 days til Santa comes yay

Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Concert Band play for the good folks in Waitrose in Lincoln

big wheel outside the Liverpool Echo Arena before last night of Paul McCartney tourThis is undoubtedly one of my favourite times of the year. When you are a believer like me the run up to Christmas Eve is very exciting. I start going to bed early and being a good boy so that there can be no question in Santa’s mind that he should be making that important stop in Lincoln.

Paul McCartney at the Liverpool Echo Arena for the last night of his tour - stunning concert as usualThe mince pie, carrot and brandy get put out before I go to bed and it always amazes me how Santa can get down what must still be a red hot chimney after that fire has been going all evening. The next day he and the reindeer have always scoffed the lot. Every year, without fail.

Timico management team at black tie dinner in private room at Stapleford Park hotelThe run up to the big days is always busy and this year has been no exception. This week has been a particularly good one with a trip to see Paul McCartney at the last night of his tour in the Liverpool Echo Arena.
Eleanor Turner - internationally renowned harpist entertains at the Timico management dinner

Stapleford Park in Leicestershire - qualityWe also had the annual Timico management bash, this time at Stapleford Park.

Stapleford, if you have never been, is a stunningly luxurious country house hotel in Leicestershire – former seat of some duke or other and surrounded by Capability Brown landscapes.I chat with Eleanor Turner who is listening politely to my drivel

You know what it’s like, champagne, cocktails, port, brandy, that kind of stuff. We’d do it more often if it was up to me.

We were lucky enough to be entertained by top international harpist Eleanor Turner who lives locally. Brilliant stuff though the team needs to stick to managing a business because carol singing accompanied by a harp is not their strong point.

The pic on the right is of me wowing Eleanor with my witty and erudite after dinner conversation.

It’s been another great year in business and on the blog. In fact it’s been a great year all round. To all friends out there have a wonderful Christmas break and I look forward to engaging with you anew in a slightly toned down January – life can’t keep going at the same pace when you get to my age you know!

I will be working between Christmas and New year – data centres to launch, world records to smash etc – so keep your eye open for news. Your help is required. 🙂

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End User fun stuff

Rook’s off

I recall a Two Ronnies Rook Restaurant sketch Simon Brown is served by Denise at the Beacon Centre in Newarkon TV from when I was a lad. The only thing on the menu was rook and even that was off.

Today we popped over to the caff at the Beacon Centre in Newark for a quick bite. The lady serving there, Denise, is a lovely person – always has a smile on her face. Today felt a little like the Two Ronnies sketch as they were running down stocks for the Christmas shutdown.

I started off ordering a cheese end onion sandwich (my needs are simple). No cheese left sorry. “The soup was good” shouted someone. Sorry soup’s finished. I then went through a list of possibilities until I ended up with a ham sandwich. Whilst it was being prepared I said “with butter please”. Sorry no butter left. Ok mayo then. No mayo either:) I settled for pickle.

It’s a good caff and they bake their own bread which is of outstanding quality. Happy Christmas to Denise, Sharon and all the staff. They deserve the break.

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End User fun stuff

Now you see it now you don’t

It’s dark out (hence the somewhat cryptic title) and I can see the lights on in other buildings in the business park. In fact I can see lights pretty much all the way on my drive home. That’s 18 miles through Lincolnshire countryside. There is something not right about that.

I quite like the dark nights though even if they do make you think it is going home time around 4pm and then you find out there is an hour and a half still to go.

The dark nights make the living room seem nice and cosy, especially with a fire lit in the grate which I might do tonight. Who needs central heating?!

Tonight I’m picking a couple of the kids up from orchestra rehearsals on my way home. It makes me feel good

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End User fun stuff

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah @ the #dentist

areas of life that need technologyI am currently on hold to the dentist trying to rearrange a dental appointment for one of the kids. This is with a national chain. What I really want to be able to do is go online and alter the date to an available slot earlier in the same day.

As it is I am now three minutes into the call listening to some bland violin music with occasional platitudes apologising for the delay.

The last time I took the kid there we arrived ten minutes early only to be told that we were actually forty minutes early. Whoever had written the letter for the appointment had made a mistake including calling him Miss J Davies. Harrumph. The dentist  was also running late so we were in that waiting room for an hour looking at magnolia paint, posters selling toothbrushes and flicking through copies of “Country Homes”1 from 2009.

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End User fun stuff

What’s love got to do with it?

outside the Visited Hampton Court today. It wasn’t originally on the agenda but we stayed at a pub last night called The Kings Arms – situated just outside the back gate to Ennery 8’th old gaff. He probably used to nip there for a swift one before each marriage – just for a bit of Dutch courage, know what I mean?

Anyway after an early breakfast we still had time before the Convergence Summit South opened for business so Fraser Anderson and I went for a stroll around the maze at Hampton Court. Around the outside of the maze – it was not yet open for business.

Moving on through the gardens we found that someone had left the door open to the bit you have to pay to get in to! 🙂 We thought nobody would really mind if we nipped in for a bit of a look around so we did – some photos below. It was easy to imagine having the run of the place with few people around other than the odd gardener doing his stuff. Of course in Ennery’s day there would have been hundreds of people milling around so we probably had the best of it.

Fraser Anderson takes photo of Hampton Court with a view to applying for planning permission to convert to 500 flats Hampton Court
NewNet Wholesale stand at Convergence Summit SouthYou may have noticed I cheekily slipped in a picture that has nothing to do with Hampton Court. It’s actually of the NewNet Wholesale stand at the Convergence Summit South exhibition. NewNet is a Timico Group company and is launching it’s brand new white label wholesale portal.

The longer term plan is for NewNet to be able to support all the Timico Group technologies and services through this portal giving channel partners a single point of contact for all connectivity sales. That’s the sales pitch over. They are a very genuine bunch of lads. If you are looking for a partner for your connectivity needs you should try them 🙂

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End User fun stuff

Friday afternoon blogging and the Royal Military Tournament

Timico, sales, marketing,We bloggers when it comes to Friday afternoon begin to think about the weekend. For most of us the two precious days off are a chance to recover from the stresses of the week, recharge the batteries and quietly begin to compile the ideas for posts in the week ahead.

By the following Friday afternoon these ideas have been applied, consumed, absorbed and  subsumed into the national consciousness (depending on how many readers you have 🙂 ).

So come Friday a blogger, especially of the tech variety, starts to look around for one last idea to fill his WordPress quota for the week. This is where the truly creative post are born. The cake competition results, details of the lunch with Viv Richards etc etc.

On this occasion I can offer you

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End User fun stuff

Me and Sir Viv Richards go way back

Sir  Viv Richards, Umar Bajwa, Trefor Davies,Timico,MurcoOne of my massive cricketing heroes is Sir Viv Richards and I was privileged to sit at the same table with him at lunch in the City yesterday. Click on the header for a bigger shot – the guy on the left is my friend Umar Bajwa who is IT Director at the Murphy Oil Company (Murco).

We were treated to four hours or so of entertainment that included very interesting anecdotes from Sir Viv and also from Australian Fast bowler Rodney Hogg (41 wickets at 12.85 during the ’78-79 Ashes series for those who like to know these things).

This being a Friday I have another competition for you.  Who is the black guy to the right of Viv Richards in the small inset photo?Sir  Viv Richards, Australian,Rodney Hogg I had not heard of him myself but I’m sure that many will have seen him in action. Again click on the photo for a bigger image. Usual prize is up for grabs (while stocks last). He is also in a couple of the photos below.

friend appears again in bottom left of photo but who is he?

The final photo  is of the auction of a signed print of a photo of Rod Hogg taking the wicket of Sir Geoffrey Boycott. There was not much love lost between both speakers and the bold Sir Geoff. The photo was  signed  by Rod not Geoff.

Print of Rod Hogg bowling Geoffrey Boycott auctioned for charity

sir viv richardsI have to sit on my hands on these occasions otherwise I end up coming away with auction prizes as a “surprise” for my wife.

At a Lincoln rugby club charity dinner I was once used as a stalking horse by an auctioneer trying to drive the price up. Having made the initial bid for a signed photo of the Red Arrows I firmly sat on my hands. The whole room, however, thought I had bought the photo and imagine my wife’s surprise when, after picking the kids up from school the next day, she was asked if she liked her new photo.  Funnily enough she could think of better things to do with a couple of hundred quid 🙂

By the way if you are wondering about the title of this post what I really mean is that I went to see Viv Richards play at Trent Bridge in 1984. He had just scored a massive 189 in the game at Old Trafford and received a standing ovation from the crowd as he walked out to the the crease. Despite being England fans we were there to see the great Viv Richards score a big one. You have to imagine the stunned and disappointed silence of the crowd when he was out caught behind for two runs. Ah well at least I saw him play and have now had lunch with him 🙂

PS Nobody won last weeks competition but  I did get two comments so if you can let me have your address there will be a mug in the post for you.

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Business fun stuff

23 minutes on the phone to my insurance co – where automation can help in a big way

I have just been on the phone to my car insurance company to change the names of two of the kids! What I mean is I added them to the policy on Monday and the insurance company got both names wrong as well as not putting my wife’s full name on.

I had to call because I couldn’t risk the scenario of them having an “incident” and not being able to claim because of their details not being right.

This phone call took me 23 minutes and 35 seconds. This is a classic case for automation of the process. I was sat at the end of the phone waiting for someone at the other end to manually enter name corrections onto their (painfully slow) system.

Whilst I was on the phone I also realised that the activation date of the policy was wrong.

If I had been able to log onto a portal to make these changes it would have saved both of us time and trouble – remember I almost certainly had to go through the same process and time on Monday when I first added the kids to the policy.

I have tried automated portals for insurance policies before and found that I always ended up wanting to ask a question so I would abort the process and make a phone call.

We have the same problem in the communications industry. The initial sales contact often needs human involvement because the products are not straightforward. It might be simple enough to order a broadband connection online but usually there are other products and services involved. Businesses don’t buy just broadband and when you buy something you want to be sure you are buying the right product. It’s a stage at which you need expert advice.

We are  investing a huge amount of time and money in to this area. This is not a big bang process where one day you will come in and – wow – be amazed at the overnight change. There are many aspects of running the business that need to be accommodated.

The most important of these is customer support which is one of the first areas to be upgraded. I do expect though that when we have finished, if that can ever be the case when talking about continuous improvement, customers will find dealing with us a dream.

The goal is to avoid finding ourselves in the situation I have just described with the insurance company. Neither party ends up happy as we will have both had to waste time and money on a problem that I could have fixed on my own in 30 seconds had I had the tools to do it.

Simples.

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Business fun stuff

2011 – a year of frenetic change in prospect

a look ahead to 2011 in the technology space

iPad2,kindle3G,PlayBook,Galaxy,Zeus,Sony Vaio 3D,iPhone5,MacBook Air,Blackberry Torch,Nokia N8,HTC Desire HD,HTC 7 Trophy,LG Optimus 2X,Fossil Connected,impulse smartwatch,HTC tablet,Ubuntu Tablet,7” Dell Streak. Aaaaargggggh! Is there hope? Gadgets coming at us from all directions, no doubt accompanied by massive advertising spend.

Perhaps “Advertising” is the right business to be in for 2011?

Everyone is going be buying one or more of these gadgets. How do they choose the right one? What happens if the gadget they buy has a problem? Not everyone is a geek able to navigate support forums and self help guides. What happens if one of these gadgets is lost? Is it insured? Have you programmed the “phone finder” interface? What do you do?

Maybe supporting mobile gadgets is the right game to be in?

If you are in business these gadgets are going to want to sit on corporate networks. Most of the iPads in the Timico offices are owned personally by staff and not given to them by the company. Ditto iPhone and Android.

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Business fun stuff

Happy Christmas to all on the blogosphere, twittersphere and everywhere else generally

Christmas tree at the Timico management party at Belvoir Castle

I’m a bit of a sentimental old softie really and I love this time of year. I like the warm glow of the traditional Christmas, the log fire blazing in the grate, the tree all beautifully lit up and presents piled high underneath, the pop of the champagne cork, the chink of glasses and the noise and laughter coming from within the pub. For once we even have proper Christmas weather!

I like Christmas Eve with the carol service from King’s College Cambridge on the radio, the last minute preparations for the next day,  I like to go to my local for early doors  and meet the same people we have met there every year for as long as I can remember. I like leaving the drink and mince pie out for Santa and not forgetting the carrot for Rudolf and I especially like the way that Christmas Eve is the easiest day of the year to get the kids to bed.

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Business fun stuff

Will the real Gary Moore please stand up and play the guitar!

image of guitar strings

When I was a kid one of my favourite songs was Parisienne Walkways by Thin Lizzy guitarist Gary Moore.  Imagine my delight when Gary just went and walked right into my office this afternoon. He was visiting Newark and I am honoured to inform you that he said he couldn’t come all this way without popping in to say hello.

Of course he isn’t a rock star any more – happens to the best of them. He now works as a broadband specialist for BT Wholesale. Still plays the guitar though. He saw the NetOps guitar in my office and went straight for it. And yes he sang that song. I don’t remember it being all in the chord of A but who am I to say?

Gary, I am please to say has only lost a little of his old touch. You have to keep practising I said to him and don’t lose touch with your roots. Anyway click on the header photo to see the real Gary Moore (thanks for being such a good sport).

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Business fun stuff

Who will win the Nomura Varsity Match at Twickenham today?

Lincoln Rugby Club in the snow at the Lindum, December 2010

I’m off to the rugby today so this is a pre-recorded message. It’s the Varsity Match – the annual Oxford v Cambridge battle. Rugby isn’t really something you can play on a frozen pitch and apart from under-pitch heating or a covered roof there isn’t much that technology can do to prevent the game being cancelled if that is to be its fate. I don’t know at the time of writing.

Fortunately I’m not slumming it in the sub-zero artic conditions. I’m going to be having lunch in the Spirit of Rugby restaurant with a few drinks in the members lounge. The dress code is “number ones” so I will probably wear my Parliamentary Lions South Africa Tour blazer with perhaps my Pirates tie.

I’ve never been in the Royal Box before so I don’t know whether the seats are heated. Almost certainly not but don’t worry I will wrap up warm. As for the match? I don’t care who wins – I went to Bangor University where I am still a member of the Engineering Department’s Industrial Panel.

I’m sure that the sport itself will be the winner and I expect the internet will continue to grow without my help for a day.

The picture in the header is of my home club – Lincoln – games are off at the moment!

PS yes you are right – it is unashamed name dropping 🙂

PPS thanks to Alex Murphy for the tickets

PPPS if the match is cancelled don’t worry – I’m sure we will stay warm and usefully occupied

PPPPS (and this is definately the last one) – it’s my birthday today – thought you’d want to know 🙂

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End User fun stuff

Winter on trefor.net

Proper winters on trefor.net

It hasn’t been often in my lifetime that we have had real winters that befit our position so far North on this globe. I have to say that the only downer as far as I am concerned from this weather is the fact that the Lincoln Christmas Market had to be cancelled.

The photo strips below are from my journey to work, one of which shows the problems they were going to have with holding the market. You can click on the photos to get a fuller version.

Proper winters on trefor.net

It is a privilege to live in such a beautiful city.

Proper winters on trefor.net

Problems setting up the funfair.

Proper winters on trefor.net

Tudor house in Castle Hill.

Proper winters on trefor.net

Just a short walk from my house.

Proper winters on trefor.net

Frozen milk on the doorstep.

Proper winters on trefor.net

And finally the view across the fields just after sunrise on the A46 on my way to the office in Newark.

PS I’m not going to send out Christmas cards to readers – you can just come back to this post and look at the pictures 🙂

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End User fun stuff

I like a good dip

hot chilli salsa dip competition
hot chilli salsa dip competition entries

Next in the food for thought category is a short post about chilli salsa dips.  A number of us have been growing chillies and tomatoes this summer so we thought we would have a best dip competition.

I didn’t win though my 5 chilli version was commended.  Dawn Spear won with an uber tangy fresh tomato salsa with coriander. Lurvley.

dippers dipping in to the hot chilli salsa dips
dippers dipping in to the hot chilli salsa dips
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End User fun stuff

I like a good book

The high levels of intelligence and stamina required to survive the rigours of life in the engineering department of an Internet Service Provider attracts a certain breed of individual. They are all well rounded, interested in writing code, computer games, sky diving, the occasional glass of beer and like to look after their mental and bodily health.

The standard diet consists of the appropriate mix of fluids (Red Bull, Monster) and health foods (KFC, MCDonalds, Dominos, Taj Mahal takeaway etc) together with an extensive reading list required to help them keep abreast of current affairs, advancement in technology and general mental health.

The photos below show what the lads browse through during their quiet moments (Sunday mornings before, during and after church).

light reading for the Timico Network Operations Teammore light reading for the Timico Network Operations Team

Personally I’m reading Bobby Fischer Goes to War by David Edmonds and John Eidinow. I recommend it. In fact I think I will buy some more chess books.

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End User fun stuff

The Art of communications

A prize for anyone who can guess what I’m playing.

Prize if you can guess what I'm playing
Prize if you can guess what I'm playing
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End User fun stuff

#BP oilspill map superimposed on to UK

The BP oilspill crisis only really hit home today when someone showed me this map of the spill overlaid onto the UK. The area is huge.

map of BP oilspill superimposed on South of England
map of BP oilspill superimposed on South of England

Check out this website to move the overlay to where you live. It includes live streaming from BP. I’ve captured it today so that you can check out the growth with time (macabre I know).

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Business fun stuff

Richard Rodrigo Baxter plays in guest guitar spot at NOC

Richard Baxter of Neos Networks bravely took up the challenge of playing the NetOps guitar when visiting the Timico office last week. Watched by colleague Gary Waterman he entertained the Tech Support teams with a virtuoso performance of Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez, or at least I think it was 🙂

This was such a successful event that I’m thinking of creating a new guest guitar spot on trefor.net. Don’t get me wrong. It doesn’t mean that all suppliers have to entertain the team in the same way in order to get the business. But it might help…

Anyone else wanting to appear in front of a particularly uncritical audience should get in touch. Next time we will have the audio recording facilities lined up and post it on YouTube.

Rodrigo Baxter plays Concierto de Aranjuez
Rodrigo Baxter plays Concierto de Aranjuez at Timico NOC
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End User fun stuff

Volcanic ash cloud has a silver lining

Every volcanic ash cloud has a silver lining, did you know? 

My wife  Anne is a supply teacher.  That’s a substitute teacher for American readers. Normally she does two or three days a month, mostly to keep her hand in but also to help fund feeding the four ravenous children that run rampant around our house.

In the UK we are coming to the end of the Easter Holidays (Spring Break). Funnily enough over the last couple of days the phone has been ringing almost off the hook with calls from head teachers.  Schools are desperately looking for staff to cover for teachers stranded overseas due to flight cancellations. Anne will be doing as much work next week as she normally does in a month.

As I said every volcanic ash cloud has a silver lining.

PS I’ll be making my own sandwiches next!

PPS as long as there is food in the shops to put in the sandwiches. There’s a lot to be said against globalisation.

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End User fun stuff

Radar map showing real time flight information – effect of Icelandic volcano

Live air traffic control radar data as of 7.45am Saturday 17th April. Nothing to do with IP Communications although everything to do with the internet I guess.

An x represents an airport, a plane is a plane. The map shows how the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud is affecting air traffic in Europe – only a few airports in the south are open. Check out what it looks like now here.

photo shows most of airspace in Europe is clear of aircraft due to Iceland volcanic ash cloud
airspace in Europe is clear of aircraft due to Iceland volcanic ash cloud
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Business fun stuff

Network Operations Guitar – strings attached and requests taken

Sometimes you just have to have a bit of fun.  This is  the NetOps guitar.  It is an essential partof the toolkit at an ISP Network Operations Centre. It was in the window of the British Heart Foundation charity shop in Fareham  and we made it ours.

It comes out every now and again for a strum or a singsong. Because we can 🙂  Any requests (keep em clean please)? If we get any sensible ones I’ll record it and put it up on YouTube:-)

the Timico NetOps guitar
the Timico NetOps guitar
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Business fun stuff

telecoms sector says impact of recession is worse this time than in 2001

It was said that during the last recession over 1 million people left the communications industry. I know one person, for example, that decided to run his own Post Office branch. I don’t have any stories this time round – I’m too busy. However the results of a survey I just read from Cobalt Corporate Finance suggests that the industry thinks it is worse this time round.

Of over 100 UK mid-market businesses in the Technology, Media and Telecoms industries questioned, over 50% indicated that the impact of the recession has been worse than the 2000/2001 downturn. This compared to 35% in 2008 survey and 15% in 2007.

The good news is that in 2010 employment levels are expected to increase at 45% of companies surveyed. Only 20% expect a decrease compared to over 50% this time last year. Positive sales growth in 2010 is forecast by over 70% of respondents although the optimism of last year’s survey may have been misplaced (nearly 60% forecasting growth in 2009).

I think that if you have come through last year unscathed you are in a good position to take advantage of opportunities in 2010.  Having said that, experience has shown that it always takes longer than you think so a strategy that involves taking on more staff must be executed with great care.

PS I have no idea if the Post Office branch is still open.  He could have picked a slightly safer alternative career in my mind!

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Business fun stuff

What Santa does after a hard day’s present delivering!

Post present delivery massage for Santa
Post present delivery massage for Santa

When Santa has finished for the day (night) he goes in for some well deserved relaxation. In this case Timico was pleased to be able to offer him a massage. We had a team of therapists, masseuses and beauticians in yesterday to give the staff a bit of a Christmas treat and luckily for Santa it happened on the same day as his visit. It’s a tough old game.

Note part of his outfit visible on the chair.

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Business fun stuff

What Santa does after a hard day's present delivering!

Post present delivery massage for Santa
Post present delivery massage for Santa

When Santa has finished for the day (night) he goes in for some well deserved relaxation. In this case Timico was pleased to be able to offer him a massage. We had a team of therapists, masseuses and beauticians in yesterday to give the staff a bit of a Christmas treat and luckily for Santa it happened on the same day as his visit. It’s a tough old game.

Note part of his outfit visible on the chair.

Categories
Business fun stuff

Santa pays a visit

Santa made it to Timico early this year – some vids below include him meeting some of the staff – they have all been good boys and girls in 2009.

Santa visits the sales floor

Santa visits the Network Operations team