Every journey begins with a single step Fitness (fatness?) situation is shocking so have registered for the Great Edinburgh Run this year.

I did it two years ago but wasn't overly happy with my time so this year I hope to be a wee bit faster.

I've got roughly 18 weeks to get from 0 to 6.2 miles.

I used Hal Higdon's Novice 10k plan before and it worked fine so here's hoping I can repeat my progress of 2 years ago.

Going to try first run of 2 miles tomorrow morning @ 6:45am
Ambulance is booked for 7:15 ;-)

Labels: Running

  ¶ 10:03 PM 2 comments

  Phone Shopping.... Just had my latest phonebill through from O2 and it wasn't pretty.
The reason is that I've got used to using Opera Mini on my phone but the data charges are a total joke.

Given that I can drop the contract and get a sparkly new phone anyway, I think it's time to say bye bye.

So I phone up to get my PAC number to enable me to keep my number and before they give me the number they want a letter containing:
1) Name
2) Signature
3) Hideously complicated ID number
4) Statement I want to cancel
5) My address
6) My account number
7) Blood of first-born child

Sent via registered post

So while I'm organising that (the blood bit is pretty difficult), I had a look to see what my options are:

Network requirements:
At least 200 incl mins a month
Not fussy about texts or MMS
Big ass data package

Phone Requirements:
"Smartphone" (i.e. able to run "external" software like NES Emulator/Weather etc etc)
Good camera with autofocus & half decent video recording
Not a brick

Three (http://www.three.co.uk/xseries/index.omp)
Now the standout contender is "Three" with their add on of unlimited internet access for an extra £5 per month. So it's about £40 per month for an 18 month contract but... you get 8 months half price line rental.
and by unlimited, they mean unlimited. Uploading photos direct to Flickr, listening to Radio over the web, Skype, Messenger etc it's all included.

However, I had a Three phone before. It was rubbish and the customer service is appalling.
Reviews suggest that the phone available (Nokia N73) is good but the software on it is really buggy. They are also making people redundant in Glasgow and only using their notoriously bad Indian contact center.

So it seems like great product but I don't like the sound of an 18 month contract for a flaky phone on a network with appaling customer service.

T-mobile (http://www.t-mobile.co.uk/Dispatcher?menuid=pp_webnwalk_fwnw)
They do a web and walk package that is nearly as good value as Three but it doesn't allow you to use your phone for instant messaging, internet radio/video downloads.

Again the range of smartphones seems to be quite limited with the N73 looking the least bricklike phone available.

I would go for this one but I'd quite like to have option of "full" internet access as three seem to have.

Other Networks
Are nowhere as far as data is concerned, most of them don't even mention it in their stores.
O2 offered me 10mb of data for £10 - yeah, cheers....

I'll wait a few weeks and see if
1) Three fix their phone software
2) T-mobile loosen restrictions
3) Other networks change their prices

Ideally, I would be able to get the Nokia N95....

Labels: Phones

  ¶ 1:36 PM 0 comments

  Mental I made a comment about being bursting for a wii, but it seems some American radio station had a water drinking competition to win one. One of the contestants died....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6261509.stm  ¶ 10:44 PM 0 comments

  Hooses and that Interest Rates up again to 5.25%.
That's still historically a low level compared to average and they're supposedly going up to 5.5% soon enough.

All dull and dry but will this be the trigger for a return to sanity in house prices?
I think sentiment started to shift in Q3 last year but nothing happens without a trigger.
Maybe the next uptick will cause a stampede to the estate agents?

Would houseprices dropping be a bad thing? like everything, the answer is yes and no I think.
Yes:
Priced out First Time Buyers could afford to buy
The rungs of the "ladder" would get closer together for people looking to move up

No:
A drop won't happen without bad news elsewhere in the economy
People who've over extended could feel the pain

It's tulipmania to think that a house is worth 10%, 20% 30% more than the previous year for no underlying reason. The whole bubble has been driven by easy credit, speculation (Buy to Let), and the selling off, without replacement, of council houses.

My own view is prices will steady and decline nominally at least for a while (3-5 years).
But it's hard to think of a bubble that didn't POP explosively....  ¶ 1:36 PM 5 comments