Author: Richard

Windows Live Messenger for Mac – Longest Beta Ever?

| Richard

You know, sometimes I wish that Microsoft would simply grow up and get over its childish hatred of Apple and because of that its reluctance to embrace (and potentially embrace) Mac users.

A fabulous example of this is Microsoft’s Live Messenger and their long running and unresolved failures to actually support audio-visual conversations for users running a Mac.

I use both a PC (actually a Tablet PC) and a Mac and I have just bought another laptop running Windows Vista (with an upgrade to Windows 7 coming in due course). On the Windows platforms I can run Live Messenger and hook up a webcam to have a face to face conversation with another Windows Live user.

If I’m at my flat on the Mac, I cannot.

Back in December 2008, Microsoft announced a forthcoming beta release of Messenger for Mac which would offer A/V support in 2009. Now, some 10 months later, there’s still no sign of it on the horizon, far less a final release version.

Pathetic!

CIOB Selling e-mail Addresses?

| Richard

Well that’s very disappointing: I’ve today received a Spam e-mail from Karnack Books sent to an e-mail address I set up and use solely for the Chartered Institute of Building.

I’ve checked my profile on the CIOB website and have specifically opted out of third party mailings, so no consent has been given.

So either their membership records have been hacked or they’ve gone against my wishes.

Insurance Settlement

| Richard

Just to bring everything up to date, whilst I was on holiday, eBike Insurance‘s loss adjusters wrote to me offering a settlement of 3,500. I decided to mull this over whilst I was away again, but on my return I found a cheque from them for that sum in full and final settlement.

This amounted to quite a substantial loss to me but when I went through the policy and the small print, I realised they were actually being fair. I’d stated the value of the bike as 4,000 – eBay adverts the week of the theft showed that was under-stated – and whilst I was aware there was a 250 theft excess, I’d ignored/overlooked the clause that says if the bike isn’t garaged at the time in a locked garage, the excess rises by 250.

So quite a loss to me, but I can’t fault them for the speed with which they settled my claim. Recommended.

Bid Rigging and Price Fixing in the Construction Industry

| Richard

As usual, it’s the construction industry getting a hard time for dodgy dealings: first there was the issue about cover pricing that was then somehow translated into bid rigging in the media. A lot of hot air over what was practically nothing…

Now there’s news that the OFT has fined six recruitment agencies £39M for fixing fees.

I wonder when we’ll see similar fines for agencies working in other business sectors?

Or how about some massive fines to the banks for price fixing both in relation to bank charges and interest rates?

Or what about members of the BPI for price fixing? You’ll remember they sued online retailer CD WOW! for daring to sell legitimate CDs in the UK that had been sourced from Hong Kong for less than the prices they were being sold for in the UK. Much the same as the lengthy dispute between Levis and Tescos over parallel importing.

I won’t hold my breath.

Internet-Only Football Coverage

| Richard

So the England -v- Ukraine football match will only be available to view (at cost) on the Internet.

“[Kentaro] said Kentaro would take a maximum of one million subscribers for the match – which he said equates to about 2.5 million viewers – because this would be the “safe number to stop at to ensure the optimal broadcast”.

Hmm. I’m not sure my broadband connection – as much as 768kbps at times… –  will ever provide “the optimal broadcast” for any streaming media.

“Andrew Croker, executive chairman of Perform, insisted England fans would “embrace” the internet broadcast.

“I think consumers are pretty sophisticated now, particularly in the UK, where we have been in the vanguard of adopting new technology,” he told BBC Sport.

“I think people want a choice – the chance to watch football in a different way. This is pioneering, very exciting and I think people will enjoy it.”

Yes it would be a different way for me – rather than high quality and effectively free broadcast on my television, I can have intermittent and choppy images on my Mac if I’m prepared to pay through the nose for it. Well guess what: I’m not!

Cover Pricing

| Richard

So the OFT has fined construction firms £129.5M for cover pricing.

Contrary to what was said on BBC Breakfast this morning, “cover pricing” is not telling other firms what your price is to enable them to price higher – that’s bid fixing or price rigging and is what record companies, banks and insurance companies and the like continue to do.

No, as “Building” magazine succinctly describes it:

“Cover pricing is when a firm tenders for a contract with a high price in order to avoid winning the job. The aim is to remain on the client’s future tender list while avoiding taking on work it does not have capacity for in the immediate term.”

So not as bad as everyone is making it out to be, surely?

Tony Bingham also sums it up quite nicely in an article he wrote here:
http://www.tonybingham.co.uk/column/2008/20080516.htm

But of course the OFT and others need to be seen to be doing something, even if that means driving hard-pressed builders to the wall. One that someone else might have put a cover price in for…

Humberside Police – Speed Enforcement Breaching Guidelines?

| Richard

Last night I was travelling through Waltham when I drove past one of Blunderside’s finest trying to catch speeding motorists.

It was dark, around 9.00pm, and in contravention of ACPO guidelines, the officer was not wearing his high visibility jacket and his marked car was concealed from the main road.

Looks like he was down on his quota…

I probably wasn’t speeding and in any event there was another, similar-sized vehicle I was following (see those guidelines again), so I’ll be very surprised if a ticket comes my way.

Independent Safeguarding Authority

| Richard

Well! Isn’t this a complete waste of time?

The Government’s new Vetting & Barring Scheme comes into effect next year. As a Youth Football Coach, I will have to register with the Independent Safeguarding Authority or face a £5,000 fine. This is over and above my current CRB-checked status (x2 so far…).

So this has to be A Good Thing, doesn’t it, as it will no doubt protect the boys I coach. Well … no, not according to the ISA themselves:

Q21. What does being ‘ISA-registered’ mean?
• ISA-registered means:
- No information is held that demonstrates the person poses a risk of harm to
children or vulnerable adults.
- A person’s registration status is continuously monitored and if any new
information such as a relevant caution or conviction, or information from
employers comes to light, the ISA is informed, they will re-assess the
person’s potential risk to vulnerable groups and they may chose to bar the
individual.
• ISA-registered does not mean:
- That someone is “safe” or has been “cleared to work”
- That the ISA has scrutinised all information held on them, not least because
new information may be coming in all the time.

Q21. What does being ‘ISA-registered’ mean?

• ISA-registered means:

- No information is held that demonstrates the person poses a risk of harm to children or vulnerable adults.

- A person’s registration status is continuously monitored and if any new information such as a relevant caution or conviction, or information from employers comes to light, the ISA is informed, they will re-assess the person’s potential risk to vulnerable groups and they may chose to bar the individual.

• ISA-registered does not mean:

- That someone is “safe” or has been “cleared to work”

- That the ISA has scrutinised all information held on them, not least because new information may be coming in all the time.

[emphasis added]

So yet another complete and utter waste of time from yet another quango, especially as this new ISA Registration will not be replacing CRB checks!

RIP Grib

| Richard

I found out today that a young lady nicknamed Grib died in July when riding her new Fireblade, killed by some idiot who chose to do a U-turn on a dual carriageway in front of her.

She was an experienced road rider and club racer but even she was unable to avoid the collision that took her life and robbed her partner, Tony, of the love of his life.

RIP Lucie.