Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[tikay]

We all know about the River Severn Tidal Bore (& doubtless you will be bored by such trivialities), but I saw something this week - not in real life, sadly - which blew me away.

So, this is the UK's most famous tidal bore, (should that be upper case "t" & "b" I wonder?) on the Severn....

Can't say I'd heard of a Tidal Bore before seeing this.  Had a quick look a some videos and found this gem.  I like the orderly line of surfers at about 3m 30s.

It's a tad sedate after the Chinese version, did not see too many surfers in that one!

I can't find that e-Mail you sent me (directions via road Southampton to DTD on a Friday afternoon), ring me & I'll talk you through it, you have my number. See you tonight!

[TightEnd]

Remember those chip sets please, for tomorrow

[tikay]

Thoughts on Dan Lobb for Strictly Come Dancing? Thought he might be a jigger @ 10-1?

Jeez, I so wish you would not ask questions like that, if I give an honest reply, bits of it will be quoted out of context, & I'll get battered, for abso sure, but here goes.....

I'm not entirely sure what ticks the appetite of the Great British TV Viewing public, but I reckon I could guess, so....

For;

Good-looking boy, athletic (very), personable, confident, very camera-genic, greatly experienced on TV, v talented & ambitious.

Against;

Takes himself VERY seriously indeed, "thin" sense of humour, does not do - ever ever ever - self-deprecation or humility, apt to throw a diva strop if criticised.

He & I are mutually never likely to want to have Sunday tea together, but I greatly admire ANYONE who works & tries hard to better themselves, & he scores max points for that.

He's done very well for himself already, got a brekkie Show on proper TV, & will go a lot further in TV if he does not get above himself. I have him in the same box as Dale Winton (forget the sexual innuendo's pleas, I don't mean that) in that he will do anything, & he will do it well. He'll be a huge success in his carrer if he sticks at it, imo. I hope he will, anyway.

Whether he can win SCD is another matter - never watched it, don't do tosh, but my bet is "no". The British public prefer, I would think, those who can laugh at themselves.

[tikay]

Remember those chip sets please, for tomorrow

Bit late to remind me now, I left London on Wednesday!

Luckily, my infallible memory never failed me, & they are in the boot, two full sets. I think.

[DaveShoelace]

Thoughts on Dan Lobb for Strictly Come Dancing? Thought he might be a jigger @ 10-1?

Jeez, I so wish you would not ask questions like that, if I give an honest reply, bits of it will be quoted out of context, & I'll get battered, for abso sure, but here goes.....

I'm not entirely sure what ticks the appetite of the Great British TV Viewing public, but I reckon I could guess, so....

For;

Good-looking boy, athletic (very), personable, confident, very camera-genic, greatly experienced on TV, v talented & ambitious.

Against;

Takes himself VERY seriously indeed, "thin" sense of humour, does not do - ever ever ever - self-deprecation or humility, apt to throw a diva strop if criticised.

He & I are mutually never likely to want to have Sunday tea together, but I greatly admire ANYONE who works & tries hard to better themselves, & he scores max points for that.

He's done very well for himself already, got a brekkie Show on proper TV, & will go a lot further in TV if he does not get above himself. I have him in the same box as Dale Winton (forget the sexual innuendo's pleas, I don't mean that) in that he will do anything, & he will do it well. He'll be a huge success in his carrer if he sticks at it, imo. I hope he will, anyway.

Whether he can win SCD is another matter - never watched it, don't do tosh, but my bet is "no". The British public prefer, I would think, those who can laugh at themselves.

He is probably the least famous one on the line up, so I think that works against him quite a bit.

[AndrewT]

Barry, the current jolly is someone I'd never heard of and had to look up who he was.

The breakfast TV presenters who go on this always have a chance because they get a free chance to push themselves to the viewers on their programme every day.

I shall be watching SCD as long as Holly Valance stays in.

[tikay]

Yesterday was a bit testing, went up to Leeds for my fortnightly get-together with Head of Poker, Head of Product, & Head of Marketing.

Ist item on agenda was Year Two of Team Sky Poker, which wil be 12 months old at the end of this month. Overall, we are very pleased with it, but as with all these things, it will need some tweaking for Year Two, so we agreed all that. Quite tough for Back Office this one, with as many as 11 TSP-ers at a time (& that excludes Thewy) it causes quite a bit of Admin. But we all pretty much agreed, & we had no probs agreeing what we want to do in Year Two.

2nd item was MUCH trickier - the Sky Poker blonde sponsorship expires at the end of September, so we had to decide if it continued.

In short, it does not anywhere near wash it's face in direct cost/value comparisions, but it does act as a very useful shop window of Sky Poker to the wider poker world, the problem being the latter is almost impossible to measure, monetise, or quantify. The Sky Poker business is going incredibly well - y-o-y revenues, margin & traffic are all over 50% up - but as with any good business, the pennies gotta be looked after.

Imagine what a spot that was for me, on the one hand doing my Sky Poker role, & looking after our expenditure, on the other hand, trying to "sell" the blonde deal. Very, very, awkward. I just spoke honestly, as I saw it, for both sides. Not sure what else I could do. I do know that blonde is a much easier thing for me when Sky Poker are the sponsors, & if blonde have to look elsewhere for a sponsor (we have several in the queue) it gets a bit uncomfortable for me.

All in all, that meeting was a pretty uncomfortable chair. And Tighty knows all about wearing multi-& conflicting hats. You just have to be honest in these spots, I think.

[cdw1111]

jealous i missed the open day but got tickets for this one    http://www.cvent.com/events/british-airways-open-day/event-summary-2d4f7694f1444f339a951a6368744895.aspx?i=b1d4d9a2-1b24-4407-8148-af692b56cc60     but no idea what it is

This doesn't look legit.

Last day of the open day is today.I work for BA and today you have to be escorted by an engineer.

Website has several mistakes,even the photo gallery says 2010 and is from the 90s or earlier.

Hope you haven't paid any money.

Good Morning Mr cdw.

Was VERY impressed by the array of flying stuff assembled, hopefully next time I'll get a ticket, instead of standing outside & ogling through the fence like a schoolkid.

One question, though, very geeky, but I KNOW you'll know the answer.

Amongst the 747, A380 (wow, what a beast that is!), Concorde, etc, there was one, almost lowly, 757 - but here's the thing. It had the OLD BA Tail Livery (NOT the "waving flag), & no winglets, suggesting perhaps it was "old stock" & about to be pensioned off. But it had just been re-sprayed, or so it seemed, all bright & shiny. What was that all about, please? Oddly, after all the other 'planes were removed from the apron in front of the Maintenance hanger, that 757 remained all week, & was still there when I last left Heathrow yesterday morning.

************For Tikays eyes only************

"BA Bumf"

 British Airways is preparing to bid farewell to one of its longest-serving aircraft types. The 757 will be retiring from operations at the end of October.

British Airways was the global launch customer when the first Boeing 757 took to the skies in 1983 and grew to a fleet that was 54 strong. The aircraft became a familiar sight to customers on British Airways' shorthaul and domestic network.

"In 1983, the Boeing 757 was at the cutting edge of aviation technology, enhancing our capability to land in thick fog." - Stephen Riley, Director of Flight Operations.

To mark the occasion, one of the aircraft, G-CPET, has been repainted in the airline’s 1983 ‘Negus & Negus’ livery.
More than 40 of the fleet were named after famous castles around the UK and the last aircraft will now join its predecessors by being titled “Stokesay Castle” during its final month of service.

"Almost everyone in the operational side of the business has either piloted, repaired, dispatched or looked after customers flying on this aircraft over the past 27 years.

Back in 1983, the Boeing 757, was at the cutting edge of aviation technology enhancing our capability to land in thick fog. This allowed British Airways to fly when rival carriers would be grounded.

Now we are welcoming the Boeing 777-300ERs to the fleet, which are setting their own new standards in customer comfort and environmental performance.” - Stephen Riley.

Stokesay Castle, after which the aircraft has been named, is near Ludlow in Shropshire. The castle is the finest fortified medieval manor house in England. Bought and reinforced by a wealthy local wool merchant at the end of the 13th century, the castle has scarcely been altered since.

English Heritage cares for the castle and its properties director, Tim Reeve, welcomed the naming of the aircraft. He said: “Over the years many British Airways’ aircraft have been named after those great castles in our care, castle like Dover and Kenilworth whose names have echoed down through history.

“But as anyone who has visited Stokesay will know, it is something special, an almost domestic castle. We are delighted that it has been recognised and that its name is now flying across the skies.”

The last scheduled flights for the Boeing 757s, which can carry up to 170 customers, will be on Saturday 30 October 2010.

 

Click to see full-size image.

[gatso]

I shall be watching SCD as long as Holly Valance stays in.

this

I've actually heard of 11 of the 14 contestants, a much better strike rate than celebrity big brother.

no idea who dan lobb is (though I'm assuming something pokery from the last few comments) or chelsee healey or harry judd

[Simon Galloway]

I shall be watching SCD as long as Holly Valance stays in.

On the radio earlier:  "Valance, isn't that a decoration for a bed?"  "Exactly."

[tikay]

The other Agenda item was my job.

I am, as are all the 865 peeps, freelance, ditto I'm freelance for some other bits & bobs for them, but my "Office" role is a a quite seperate rolling Annual Contract.

They have been on my case for some time to go "Staff", & there are any number of benefits to that, including hefty bonuses if targets are met, Healthcare & Pension. But I kinda like the freedom I have, & the ability, if I so desired, to up sticks & disappear into the non-tv & non-internet wilderness whenever I want. In short, retire, & disappear completely, as & when I want. I really love the job, despite the hassle that comes with it, & I am not ready to retire yet, but the day draws ever closer, & I have things to do in life. I am shortly about to enter my 65th year, after all, gulp.

I am going to Australia, on a rather wonderful & sad occasion in 2013, my sister will be 70, but she is "not too well". So I need some time for that, I could do a quick in & out visit, or just retire, & do the whole round the world thing, whilst I have the health & the money. So that is in the equation.

And then there is my house, still wrecked after the Xmas flood, & my need to live in London whilst working. A friend has offered me a 1 year rolling lease on a 3 story townhouse right by the Thames, in East Molesey - that's Hampton Court, well posh - & it's sumptuos, & perfect for work. The house, which stands on the grounds of what used to be Hurst Park Racecourse back in the day, is awesome. My friend does not want to let it via an Agent, she wants someone she can trust to live there, as she has just got married, & is moving up north.

Anyway, I fudged the question, & so I still gotta make the decisuion.

[pleno1]

fwiw i wouldnt hve signed up and deposited on sky if it wasnt for blonde and will hopefully raked tens of thousnads in the future.

[TheChipPrince]

1548 pages and I didn't know you had a sister!

[tikay]

1548 pages and I didn't know you had a sister!

Oh my, that is SUCH a story.......

I'm a bit torn in truth. I never discuss some things on here, or the internet, & that includes family, & my personal relationships. But my Sister & I are a story & a half. My whole life has been shaped by family issues, for better & for worse, & it makes me wince even to think about it, but I took the plunge a few weeks back, & agreed to go over to see her, as she is not so well, & we have been through a wee bit together, one way & another.

[tikay]

fwiw i wouldnt hve signed up and deposited on sky if it wasnt for blonde and will hopefully raked tens of thousnads in the future.

I actually mentioned to them yesterday what you have said you will do, & Eso-Kral has offered to do the same, which we are most grateful for. But businesses don't live on promises, they measure what they can see on the balance sheet, & margin. Tighty also game me a spreadsheet of ammo to take up with me.

The decision has yet to be made, but it will be made before the end of next week. I reckon blonde are about a 40/60 dog to keep the deal. It's close.....

What will be will be, I gave it my best, & fairest, shot.

Whatever happens, hats off to Tighty, nobody could have done more to make it work, he's incredible & indefatigable.