Firetop

One of the web development projects I’ve been working on since 2004 is for UK charity - African Child Trust (ACT). Whilst working this morning on their ’soon to be launched’ website, one of the trustees brought to my attention a relatively new search engine called ’Everyclick’. Everyclick does exactly what I’ve been planning to build for years - it takes affiliate revenue and splits it 50/50 with member charities. By using Everyclick and clicking on the pay per click adverts, you or I can generate affiliate revenue for Everyclick - 50% of which goes to our nominated charity! In addition, by using the Amazon search option instead of buying directly from Amazon, we generate even more commission. (more…)

Last night Suzie_Q and I had free tickets to see the new Boney M musical ‘Daddy Cool’ at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London. The downside to free show tickets (which we often obtain) is that you invariably find yourself seated in the upper circle with no leg room and a view not suited for sufferers of vertigo. Free tickets are not to be sniffed at though - there’s little room to complain when you’re saving £50! The major downside to the upper circle at the Shaftesbury Theatre was the stifling heat - it was like a sauna; as hot as the tube in summer time and I needed two bottles of water just to stay hydrated. Thankfully Daddy Cool was well worth the trip even if a little slow to get going. (more…)

I was revisiting the TouchGraph Google Browser again this evening to see if it had changed at all in the past year. It hasn’t, but its core functionality remains interesting - utilising Google’s data on ’similar sites’ the tool provides information on Internet nodes and a website’s respective position within one. By entering a URL, an interactive virtual map is generated of a website’s popularity in its main fields. This ‘nodal view’ is useful for understanding why links from relevant websites are worth more than links from irrelevant ones in search engine optimisation, whilst making it easier to visualise how the World Wide Web looks to search engine crawlers like the Googlebot. (more…)

One of the main reasons I don’t live in London, despite working there, is the fact that I can step off the train each night into the relaxing environment of the Surrey countryside. Of course I don’t live on a farm and the station isn’t immediately situated in a field, but a short drive from home gets me away from vehicles, fumes and more importantly other people. Following two weeks of intensely long hours I was feeling a bit stressed by the time the weekend arrived. Suzie_Q reminded me that there was a family dog we could borrow for a quiet stroll down the local public footpaths, and with Sunday being unusually warm it was the perfect opportunity for some gentle exercise.

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Last Thursday saw my colleagues and I take a trip to Karaoke Box ‘Dai Chan’ in Soho. Based in Frith Street, just off Old Compton Street, Karaoke Box is a 5-minute walk from Leicester Square tube station. I’ve been there for a sing-along a few times in the past year and had some good fun. I was therefore quite surprised when I looked up the phone number on a directory website and found a reviewer complaining about the staff. I’ve never had occasion to take a dislike to them and indeed, when I called to make this reservation two weeks ago, I received the best telephone customer service that I can remember. (more…)

‘We’re getting obese in Britain’ is the message we hear and read a lot in the media now. Jamie Oliver goes to schools to sort out unhealthy meals (which actually were quite healthy at my school fifteen years ago), an irritating Scottish woman gets on the box to remind us that if we piled all our week’s food up on a table it would look ridiculous, and the Prime Minister starts advising people to eat more fruit and vegetables. Has it really come to this? I do wonder if food packaging will soon come with large black and white labels stating ‘eating too much sugar could make you fat’ like they’ve done with the ‘oh so effective’ cigarette packets. (more…)

I often blog something which I know will go over the heads of those who aren’t familiar with online advertising. However, I know that when I can’t easily find the answer to a question I have, it helps a lot of people out there when I blog the answer. So, if you don’t know what a clickTag is, then look away now. If on the other hand you, like me, are trying to get to the bottom of whether the clicktag instruction on Flash banners should be clickTAG, clickTag or clicktag then join the club and read on. (more…)

Apologies to my regular readers, I’ve had no time for blogging this past week, having worked a mammoth 6-day 77-hour week which took its toll on my eating plans - a KFC Meal, Domino’s Pizza, Chinese takeaway and an M&S Hoisin Duck wrap providing the main ‘norishment’ for late night dinner from Monday to Thursday. I didn’t even get time to have a drink at the pub after work on Friday (and that’s unheard of for me!). Getting home at later than 10pm each night doesn’t leave much time for preparing anything healthy to eat, especially if you want to get a decent eight-hour sleep. On Wednesday night I was so caught up in my work that when my head hit the pillow I dreamed I was checking my in-box all night long - when I woke up I felt exhausted.  This reminded me of a conversation that was had at lunch with colleagues some weeks back. (more…)

Sunday mornings are sacred - they’re meant for sleeping until 11am… until awaking to watch Holly Oaks, Country File and the Eastenders omnibus, before arising for proper food at about 4pm. It’s for this reason that I rarely venture out of bed to go to a car boot sale, and even rarer that I get up early enough to sell my own wares (I get VERY grumpy at 5am). However, this morning Suzie_Q and I decided we wouldn’t ignore the glorious sunlight, so we headed down to Dorking Station for the weekly car boot sale (10am - far too early for me). (more…)

There are five curry houses in and around Dorking, the worst of which we have found to be Red Chilli on the A24 (formerly a Little Chef - very watery kormas). Thankfully the best one ‘Dorking Brasserie’ is the finest curry house for some miles (rivalled only by ‘Golden Curry’ in Reigate). I strongly advise sampling their Chicken Korma with its tender pieces of chicken and wonderfully flavoured sauce. The Brasserie even offer ‘Weight Watchers’ low-calorie curries if you’re eating out (or taking-away) with a diet-crazy friend. (more…)