Geoff Jones

Inveterate dabbler in business, travel, gadgets & life

Category: Twitters

First post using Windows Live Writer

Thanks to Techmeme I’ve just learned about this great new tool from Microsoft, The Windows Live Writer. I just finished making a post to my WordPress blog at www.geoffjones.net. It worked like a dream, especially the easy integration of images. Ellee is just going to love this when she is back from her hols.

My 58th Birthday party (Last year :-()

Geoff 58th Birthday Party - Tunisia

Dead easy to add an image, Enabling easily to put text around the image.

 

 

 

 

Here is a pretty cool feature – drop a map into your blog.


Write to your MP (Hard copy only) please.

Yesterday I visited tthe inner sanctum of the British political system, otherwise known as Portcullis House, this is where the most fortunate MP’s work in a modern office block with armed guards (Yep, like at Heathrow, we are all terrorists now) and a computer system that is so locked down even the poor MP’s struggle to access it. As for free or paid WiFi – You are kidding right. However, you can get an excellent lunch for just £1.65!

As for this the tale on the BBC today :-

“Roger Kay, president of computer consultancy firm Endpoint, said the impact of the PC on all aspects our lives cannot be over-stated:-

“I have for example an archive of correspondence from people that I diligently wrote letters to and all of a sudden that just stops,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve got a personal letter for five years.”

All I can say is that he has had no contact with his MP. The MP I visited proudly said that all her mails just got deleted and that the best way to contact her was by letter, Oh, did I say that she is on theScience and Technology Committee committee and just visited Budapest.

Well she had at least heard of blogging but obviously far far to busy to do it herself (Its writing all those letters and hanging about in the endless corridors waiting for a division bell to ring and pounding up and down the M1) What a tremendous waste, just like the £46,000 spent on postage and stationary (constituency approx 66,000 folks) compared to the £1,800 spent on computers by her last year.

Question is, do I get involved and set up a blog with feeds from They work for you and a pubsub feed for her name etc and make it easy for her helpers to post up PR releases blah blah etc. Or do I stick with people like Ellee who are passionate about blogging.

Unfair bank charges – how to reclaim

What to do when your bank zaps you for penalty charges (click on post title for full story).

“The Defendant has imposed charges of £30 each time the Claimant has exceeded his overdraft limit. These charges represent a penalty and do not accurately reflect the defendant’s administration costs. Further, they are contrary to the Unfair (Contract) Terms Act 1977 s.4 and the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999. para. 8 and sch. 2(1)(e). Further or alternatively, they are unreasonable within the meaning of the Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982 s.15. The charges the Claimant claims are £30 on 01/06/06, £90 on 02/05/06, £60 on 01/12/05. The total charges he is claiming are £180. The claimant claims interest under section 69 of the County Courts Act 1984 at the rate of 8% a year from the dates that each of the charges were made, a total of £6.01 up until 08/08/06 and continuing interest at a daily rate of £0.39. AND THE CLAIMANT CLAIMS £180, interest, costs.”