Category Archives: Consumer

Next time you change your ISP…

Posted on 9 December, 2008 by adrian

… consider how you’d feel about them signing up to Cleanfeed, the “Great Firewall of Britain”, which prevents access to websites blacklisted by the Internet Watch Foundation. At present, six UK ISPs are filtering web content in this way… Virgin … Continue reading →

Posted in Consumer, Politics, Technology | Leave a comment

Reclaim the (High) Streets!

Posted on 25 November, 2008 by adrian

Call for street canvasser boycott (BBC) Or, to put it another way, death to the chuggers! The town where I live seems to attract lots of market research and lots of charity muggers. The former are annoying, but easy to … Continue reading →

Posted in Consumer, Drivel | 4 Comments

Liquid security

Posted on 6 November, 2008 by adrian

Oh, and speaking of cool Guardian articles, Bruce Schneier says exactly what I think about the hysterical security procedures we all have to endure in airports.

Posted in Consumer, Drivel | 1 Comment

A foretaste of 2012?

Posted on 20 August, 2008 by adrian

I’m already quite excited about the 2012 Olympics. I mean… the OLYMPICS! IN THE CITY WHERE I LIVE! Apart from the inevitable public transport cock-ups and ridiculous prices, how can that be anything but EXCITING? And if the GB medal … Continue reading →

Posted in Consumer, Sport | Leave a comment

Her Majesty goes phishing

Posted on 19 June, 2008 by adrian

My spam filters tend to grab most of the phishing scam emails doing the rounds (especially those purportedly from Paypal, Ebay or the high street banks) so I never see them. The ones I do see, therefore, have to be … Continue reading →

Posted in Consumer, Local | 2 Comments

Simplicity is not value for money

Posted on 25 April, 2008 by adrian

Farewell to the SuperSaver as train tickets change to simplify travel (Guardian) The complexity of the train ticketing system is not the problem. It’s occasionally a minor annoyance, but not a real problem. The problem is the illusion of choice, … Continue reading →

Posted in Consumer, Travel | 1 Comment

How to deal with dodgy financial institutions

Posted on 4 April, 2008 by adrian

I’ve never yet been the victim of credit card fraud, but I know that the banks tend to treat their guiltless customers like criminals in these cases. On the moneysavingexpert site, forum member “zincoxide” has been plagued with calls from … Continue reading →

Posted in Consumer | 1 Comment

GAS

Posted on 5 February, 2008 by adrian

… being, of course, Gaggia Acquisition Syndrome! And thereby hangs a quick public service announcement. The Croydon branch of House of Fraser are doing a special offer on the appropriately named Gaggia Classic, bundling it with an accessory pack for … Continue reading →

Posted in Consumer, Food/Drink | Leave a comment

GNER vs. The Trainline

Posted on 10 October, 2007 by adrian

If, like me, you use the train as your main form of transport, especially for cross-country journeys, you probably book your tickets from The Trainline, right? You get that clear interface, showing the prices of all available tickets, easy credit … Continue reading →

Posted in Consumer, Travel | 4 Comments

Phishing on Myspace

Posted on 21 April, 2007 by adrian

Just a quick public service announcement, in case it’ll save anyone some bother… I just noticed a comment on the bluesjamtracks Myspace page, where the request “please add me” was accompanied by a hotlinked picture of a comely young maiden. … Continue reading →

Posted in Consumer, Drivel | Leave a comment