You Can't Coach That

Monday, June 11, 2007

Sponsored Post

Australia has for a long time lagged behind many countries in the world when it comes to broadband internet services. For years we have endured so-called broadband speeds of 512k and restrictive download limits. My recent research suggests that while we are catching up we still have a way to go.

BroadbandSuppliers.co.uk provides a similar service to our own Whirlpool.net.au and allows potential customers (and interested outsiders such as myself) to compare broadband packages. A comparison of ADSL Broadband packages available from several providers in the UK to the package I use here in Australia revealed that I am paying up to 23% more than my fellow interweb addicts in the UK for a similar service. Can’t say that I am surprised, we do have a much smaller market and competition has been in the past quite limited but it is still frustrating.

So if you are in the UK reading this (and thanks if you are) enjoy your relatively well priced broadband. While you are thinking about broadband why not head over the BroadbandSuppliers.co.uk.  They offer a number of guides to help you find a broadband provider and you can check availability in your area.

“You can’t coach that”

Thursday, May 24, 2007

The cards are dealt, the chips piled high, cigar smoke fills the air and players sweat with anticipatory tension. It’s the weekly poker game where the guys/girls gather to challenge each other in a game of skill and chance - or is it?

As with many aspects of modern life, gambling has secured a firm foothold in the online world. And the game that lends itself perfectly to be played online is poker in its many variations. I have just discovered an online poker resource for users of Mac computers - macpokeronline.com. Not being a Mac user (yet), I have not previously considered the need for a specialist online poker resource such as this. The site offers information on Mac poker sites where Mac users can play and learn. They research and report on online poker rooms that cater for Mac users including No download poker rooms, Mac download rooms and Windows/Emulator rooms. For more information about the site and what they are all about you can visit their about page.

Definitely worth a careful read is their poker spyware and adware page where advice is given on how to keep yourself safe when satisfying that gambling itch online. You can never have too much information when dealing with financial transactions online.

The macpokeronline site is well presented and easy to find your way around with clear navigation. It is available in 8 languages, gambling after all is a universal pleasure. Each of the poker rooms listed are ranked so that a potential user has an idea of what to expect before they visit. The poker novice is not forgotten either with information provided on poker rules and strategy.

So if you are a Mac devotee and enjoy a bit of online risk taking for profit (or loss) you might get something out of macpokeronline.

Remember - “Gamble with your head, not over it”. Seek help if gambling has become a problem for you.

This has been a sponsored post.

“You can’t coach that”

Friday, May 04, 2007

Firstly let me say that I appreciate that you are doing a job and are therefore supporting yourself and your family. Therefore i do not have a problem with you per se. There are a number of issues I have with your behaviour.

Heading the list of gripes at the moment is how many of you introduce yourselves. It is quickly apparent when receiving your call that you are calling from an overseas call centre. While I don’t like the fact that jobs are being lost in Australia as call centres are moved off-shore, I accept it as a fact of life in a competitive global economy. What I object to is the voice at the other end of the line introducing himself as Bruce or Steve or Kevin in a thick Bangalore accent. Please don’t interpret this as a racist comment - it is not meant as one. But please don’t insult my intelligence either. I simply appreciate honesty. I would much rather you say your name is Sanjay or Hitesh or Dhirendra if that is what it is. Do the managers of these call centres really think that I am going to feel more comfortable talking to Bruce than Rajesh?

I do not buy, subscribe, sign up for or change to anything based on a cold call from a telemarketer. I just don’t do it. Ever! This includes giving money to charity. Do you really think that I am going to give my credit card details to someone who has rung me “out of the blue” claiming to be, for example, from the Royal Flying Doctor Service? (a worthy organisation nonetheless).

I do not need an “obligation free” mobile phone, I am not interested in changing telecommunications providers, I know how to pay my mortgage off quicker and I do not want a “free” home security system. Because I know that my answer is going to be negative even before I hear the sales pitch I will often tell you at the beginning of your call. I will get very annoyed when you tell me that you are not selling anything or asking me to sign up for something only to find out 10 minutes later that you are doing just that. Becoming angry, indignant or annoyed when I am being honest with you regarding my intentions will also not help and will probably result in me hanging up on you.

Finally, I recognise that my name is, for some people, difficult to pronounce (although I know some four year olds who can do it). Please do not think that this is an excuse to call me “mate” or “buddy” or “pal”. My first name will be just fine if you must.

Yours sincerely

Coach McGee

P.S. yesterday saw the opening of the National Do Not Call Register. It crashed within hours of going live under the weight of traffic.

Saturday, March 31, 2007

From Store at my house dot com:

Storeatmyhouse.com provides a way for people to rent out, or find storage and parking spaces.

Have extra space around your home? Use Storeatmyhouse.com to advertise storage space in your around home or attic and charge other people to use it.

If anyone has a Porsche 911 or something similar that they can’t find room for you can keep it at my place - I won’t drive it, honest.

“You can’t coach that”

Monday, March 19, 2007

Driving home from work this afternoon I saw a sign on the back of a bus advertising the new DVD hard drive recorder from LG. (now I am sure you are saying to yourself - wow I am glad I tuned into this post - but bear with me).

The tag line for the ad was “make this the last tv ad that you see”.

I would be interested to know what the reaction of those companies that advertise on tv would be to such an ad - on second thoughts, I know - they would be pissed off!

More to the point, I ponder the contrast between this situation and the copying of copyrighted material such as music cds and DVDs. It seems that the general consensus in our society that it is fine to record material from tv and then use that recording to not watch the ads. As PVRs become more widespread (in Australia at least) this situation could escalate and fewer and fewer people will bother to watch ads. This will of course be offset by people’s desire to watch now rather than record and watch later but I know from my own experience that I am in fact recording more content to watch at a time that suites me.

Of course when I do record a program I dutifully watch all the ads in their entirety

“You can’t coach that”

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

I ordinarily wouldn’t give something like a second look. Get paid to surf the Net? I would have put it in the “too good to be true” category.

However, with a number of referrals on blogs that I read, including the well-respected John Chow dot com it looks like it is the real deal. I have signed up and await the release of the “Viewbar” toolbar which is the heart of the money making. Check it out at Agloco.com or better still click on the link in the sidebar at the right of the page so that I get the referral.

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

While I really enjoy John Chow’s blog and love the idea of winning a Nintendo Wii, this is one post it would be better if no-one read. The more people who do read about it you see, the lower my chances of winning the Wii. And no, I don’t have an over inflated opinion of myself - I do realise that there are not thousands of people reading this blog after only a couple of weeks.

The root of all evil, John Chow is giving away a Nintendo Wii. The contest is sponsored by 1234Pens.com. They make promotional pens.

I can’t wait to get my hands on that Wii - it’s mine I tell you, all mine.

“You Can’t Coach That”

Sunday, March 04, 2007

It seems the more I hear people say this in conversation, and that’s a lot, the less I trust the person saying it.

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Saw a photo in the newspaper this morning of an iPod with a new accessory and thought “that’s a strange shape for an iPod speaker”

Vibrations in time with the music - I am thinking “The William Tell Overture” - oh those cannons.

See more - OhMiBod

“You can’t coach that”