Microsoft

Am I the only person in the world that sees Bill Gates leaving Microsoft as a good thing?

To read the Internet news sites one would think all he did was good. It wasn't. He stole to get his first leg up which got him on the road to making his fortune. He never innovated. Ever. Instead he bought everything then put it into his operating system called Windows.

Every single part of Microsoft Windows, from DOS to Vista was bought, rebranded then incorporated into Windows. His latest Windows, Vista, brought nothing new to the operating system world either. The Areo interface that sucks the life out of the average machine is a copy of the Linux Compiz stack. The compiz stack was available for Linux users 2 years before Vista hit the shelves. Areo is a poorly done copy of it.

The UAC in Vista that irritates all but the simplist of users is a poor attempt at creating a 'sudo' like setup for Windows. i say poor because it is so badly done it is a joke. I will say it again. There is nothing new in Vista that Linux and MAC users haven't had available to them for years. In some cases 10 years.

Hopefully, when Windows 7 comes out that will be the final nail in the coffin. Vista is the start of the death knell. The rot has already started and Bll Gates leaving before the death bells toll should not surprise any one.

Bill Gates leaving Microsoft should be seen as a good thing. Not least because his stewardship of Microsoft was what made the company pervaisive in almost every market they bought into. Now he has gone there is no-one to take his place and no-one capable of holding the company together.

Ofcom whitewash.

In this article on the awful thisishull web site Ofcom once again say KC/Karoo are angels in the ISP business. It would not surprise me one bit if Ofcom are taking backhanders from KC/Karoo. I am not saying they do just that whenever things like this come up Ofcom always, and I mean always, comes down on the side of KC/Karoo.

Neither care about customers who are locked into one broadband provider. Neither care that Karoo are, while improving, awful in every area from customer service to provision of service. Their business offerings are laughable. Their home customer offerings are worse.

The broadband offerings from Karoo offer as little by way of extras as they are allowed to get away with. their package offering as as basic as basic is basic. They give their users a no frills service which means you get the connection and that is it. Sure they offer a very very very small amount of 'free' web space and provide email accounts with viri scanning (which incidentally they palm off to a 3rd party who for all we customers know look at every email passing through their systems. More on this later). Hull's broadband users are the laughing stock of almost every other broadband providers users throughout the U.K. and that is it. No frills that most other broadband customers throughout the U.K. take for granted as part of their contracts and usually cheaper too.

Karoo do not care. All they care about are profits and because of that their users will remain the laughing stock of the broadband users the U.K. over.

Ofcom say they received 111 responses from Kcom's Karoo customers as a result of the public consultation process in November last year and that those responses revealed a general discontent about having no choice of broadband. Ofcom did not listen though nor did they investigate further. Instead they trotted out this bilge masquerading as a report what KC/Karoo have said many times and that is that other ISP's felt operating in Hull was not cost-effective. Actually, that is word for word from many emails and conversations I have had with various high up on the ladder at KC. A coincidence? Perhaps.

All in all the report shits in the faces of the people of Hull as KC/Karoo have been doing for years.

Thugs.

Okay. This post could be awkward. But then I have never been one to shirk away from
anything, some of it may be a tad blunt to some.

Teenagers have always congregated in groups and crowds. If anyone older claiming to
be an adult denies this they are quite simply lying. The slogan for the 12 to 20 age
group should be


Do not make the majority suffer due to the actions of the minority

I am racially tolerant. No, really, I am. What I cannot stand is brutal thugs who go around attacking
anyone who is not white or as in some cases, because those they attack are simply different. This difference could be skin colour, dress code or any other minor thing that just happens to be different.

What these thugs do is not racial intolerance, it is out and out thuggery.
Those who behave in this manner are wanton thugs out to attack the very thing that makes this nation great. They have no view of right and wrong. All they see is that somehow their target differs from them.
I see this kind of thought process amongst parents at my children's school. Children are impressionable because of that this thug mentality is obviously passed down to
their children. The school my children go to, like so many other schools, has a lot of non-white pupils. Pupils with dark hair or ginger hair. Pupils that are overweight etc etc. A right mixed bag as you would expect. Children, in the main, have an ability to see passed all these differences, they tolerate each other in a way that somehow gets lost as they grow older. They lose it because of what they hear their parents saying about such things. As these children grow
older what does the future hold for such attitudes?

Take ethnic migration as an example of how people differ in looks as well as in how they act. These differences enrich the country as a whole. If we as a nation are
going to allow these thugs who are so short minded as to believe ethnic differences is a bad thing then I strongly
suggest you look back into this nations history. We have always had a mix of races.
My own children are taught that outwardly we may differ but internally we are all
human beings with the same feelings. I pity the day this mixing of races is stopped because of some shortsightedness or because the thugs won.

Those bastards, the lower level of human scum, that beat up pensioners should be strung with cheese wire which is
attached to the back bumper of a car and then driven the full length of the M6 from
north to south or south to north, whichever way the route runs. Twice. If the sub-human persons body
parts fall off which detaches him/her from the car then the cheese wire should be
reattached elsewhere on the body until the full journey is completed. Same goes for child molesters and anyone else belonging to the sub-human category of human beings.
I would get TV makers to film the journey live on television via a program all of its own, each episode would be on for the length of time the journey takes with snippets being shown during the evening news so that their victims and families of victims and other possible offenders and everyone else, can see we will not tolerate such atrocities
against our pensioners and children.

And before some ¨Human Rights¨ crusader
(AKA Blankethead) comes along and says ¨One cannot do that!¨ I say let your grandparent or child be a victim of either of these heinious
crimes voluntarily. You couldn`t could you. Your crusade is a sham.

Though control

You see, it works like this. We the general public, the great boring unwashed, the very backbone of this
country vote into power a lot of egocentric twits whose only concern is making as much money for themselves as possible and then those same egocentric megalomanical
people shit right into our boring faces by bringing in all manner of Laws that stifle
the words and actions of the very people, boring as they are, that voted them into
power in the first place. The boring unwashed then complain. Around and around it goes in a never ending cycle.

Boring isn`t it? Boring it is, but that
is how it is.

However, these great boring unwashed then start having thoughts about the whole process. We do not
yet have the thought police on our tails (soon baby soon) so having thoughts is still allowed. Once those in power get bored of the great unwashed and their thoughts or if those thoughts undermine the whole process as outlined above then they will seek ways to stop it.

They will attempt to stop thoughts, random thoughts that go off the beaten trail, in schools first. At the primary age level which they will hope that by the time these primary children reach an age when the random thought process could be a problem to those in power the children will be devoid of all such thought traits. But until that time thoughts are allowed and often encouraged because for the great unwashed to think they can make a difference encourages them. Keeps them placid so those in power can do as they please behind teir backs.

But even there there are those who have random power undermining thoughts. These thoughts then get out
and those in power hear them. To stifle these thoughts they bring in more powers
against the great boring unwashed masses. This boring vicious circle goes around and
around and around and around until the day arrives those in power cannot stand by any longer. Until the day the country explodes.

Boring is not
quite the correct word for this circle of events but boring it most certainly is.

Obesity.

I have mentioned before that my two sons from my previous marriage are like chalk and cheese in most things. One plays sport (Rugby League) the other does not. One likes a drink with his mates down the pub, the other likes social drink. One drinks to what is now called excess, the other does not. The one that plays Rugby League is the one that does not. Yet, the one who plays Rugby League is labled 'clinically obese' whereas the other lad is not.

This highlights what is wrong with the current method of measuring peoples weight. The BMI is fundamentally flawed at the core. Because of this one can dismiss the Government scaremongering numbers regarding how many adults and children are any level of obese in this country.

Look at old family photographs, the chances are you will see people of all shapes and sizes. Go further back, to the late 1800's and early 1900's and the chances are you will ever more plump individuals, especially woman because at that time in our history skinny woman where abhored. Plump woman where adored.

People, men especially, have always had a drink. My Grandfather who grew up during the 1920's often recounted tales of drunken brawls at pub chucking out time. Indeed, my Grandfather himself was arrested more than once for 'disturbing the peace' after a few fights. No-one back then suggested he may have a drink problem (which he didn't, he was a seaman who would go months without alcohol passing his lips). He was also of stout stock. Never unfit. Never had a beer belly.

The fact that the Government, in collusion with the medical profession, are sending out specialist teams of civil servants to target several towns and cities around the U.K. should tell you all you need to know about this freedom removing Government as they continue to encroach of our freedoms and private lives. The very fact that they are using a plainly flawed metric in a poor effort to backup their meddling plans shows exactly what they think of the people who put them in power. They are assuming we are badly educated dweebs who cannot think for themselves hence the need for the Government to poke their collective fingers into our way of life.

Don't get me wrong here. There is an element of our late teens and early 20's who are causing problems for the general public with their weekly habit of binge drinking. Back in my own youthful days we went out every night drinking. Rarely got into fights and even rarely did we fall asleep on the streets. Nowadays it seems that during the week the pubs are quiet but come the weekend that minority come out and get blathered. The ale on sale in pubs these days contains so many chemicals it is no wonder the youth of today cannot handle it.

Still, to do as the Government plan on doing is really taking a hammer to break a nut.

Hull City Football Club.

Have after 104 years finally made it to the premier league. We now have 3 top tier sporting teams. Hull FC and Hull K.R. from Rugby League and of course Hull City in the football league. Having 3 teams in their top flight can only be a good thing for the city.

As good as the KC stadium is many, including myself, believe that it will need to be expanded. Currently, the stadium holds 25,000 which is fine for the Championship. They laid plans for a further 5,000 seats to be added to the East Stand and that plan should be executed as soon as it possible. Not the next season though as that should be viewed as a consolidation season where the view is to simply stay in the premier league. However, after next season and assuming they stay in that league then during the close season they should do the upgrade.

The game itself, the Championship play-off final, had some excellent moments with some delightful football from both sides. Bristol City were the more lively side for the opening 10 minutes but for the remainder of the first half it was Hull City who dominated. A wonderful textbook volley from Windass on 37 minutes was all that separated the sides at half time. Hull City played the better football in the first half with some lovely passing that would grace any premier league side. The second half saw Hull City laying back content with their one goal lead which gave Bristol City more chances. Hull City always looked dangerous going forward however. The second half never lived up to the excellence of the firs half but Hull City hung on to their slender lead until the final whistle. Bristol City throughout the game never really looked dangerous. It was not to be their day as time after time their attacks either came to nothing or where snuffed out by a stout Hull City defense. Of the two teams on display Hull City looked the better side. The solitary goal by Windass was excellence personified. It would not have been out of place in any top premier league game. The lead up to the goal came from a counter attack. Campbell ran into the penalty area out wide. Stopped, looked up, saw Windass and placed the perfect pass right onto Windass's foot. Windass then first time volleyed it and the ball went screaming into the Bristol City goal. It was a fine effort and the 1 goal lead reflected the state of the game at the time during the match. Hull City where the better team on the day and fully deserve their chance to play in the premier league.

Will they survive in the premier league? Yes, I think they will. They will finish in the bottom half of the table but for a first effort that is all that can be asked of them. Do they need new players? Undoubtedly. Their is enough self belief in their own abilities as players and as a team to allow them to play some lovely football that is right up their with some of the best teams this country offers. But, in some areas they need new players. Windass and Barmby are not spring chicks anymore and they will struggle with the pace of the premier league. Perhaps the managers method of starting those two then later on in the game replacing them Folan and Fagan, respectively, will allow the two elder players one season of premiership football, but with an eye to the future those two should be replaced because of their age alone.

So, the city of Kingston upon Hull will have 3 teams playing in their respective top leagues next season and if all 3 teams can make an impact in their sports next year, it can only be a good thing for the city as a whole.

Well done Hull City.

Little Swiss.

On the outskirts of Hull, next door to the Humber bridge, is a forest commonly known locally as Little Switzerland. There is a short piece about Little Swiss on this page. As you can see from that last link Little Swiss is part of a national trail walk. Little Swiss is a place of outstanding beauty, it is largely untouched land these days but in earlier times there used to be a quarry there. All that is left of this now is an old black painted mill that was used to crush the chalk from the quarry. Not far from Little Swiss is Hessle foreshore. In fact one can walk from Little Swiss directly to the foreshore itself. Here and there pathways and steps have been laid as well as some protective fencing to, it is hoped, stop people, kids in particular, from falling down some of the steep chalk faced drops.

Also at Little Swiss there are ponds, these are usually dried up during the summer but can be seen in all their spledour during the winter months. Spring time is a particularly splendid time to walk around as everything is in full bloom. My wife and I will take our children there at least once a month throughout the year, though my ability to walk is diminishing evermore with each passing day, I still look forward to walking around and walking around this area in particular. This allows our children to take notice of natures changes during the coming of, during and after each seasonal phase. Of course, being boys, our two elder lads more enjoy the challenges of climbing trees and the slope sides than they do watching nature. Still, time, age and all that will soon see them running around less, assuming we still take these walks by then, they will start to enjoy what an almost unfettered nature walk has to offer. It is one of the few places dog owners are still allowed to take their dogs. For what should be obvious reasons one is expected to keep ones dog on a leash but there are some people who let their dogs roam free. As with everything in life there are the few that destroy the enjoyment of the many. These are the ones who never pick up their dogs muck. However, the vast majority of dog owners do so the fact that dogs are allowed and the added fact that dogs do roam free should not put you off going to Little Swiss.

One thing I have never understood is why our council does not do more in the Little Swiss area. If they did more by way of investment in the area then Little Swiss would soon become the place people would associate with Hull which surely cannot be a bad thing. There are plenty of wide open spaces within it which would lend themselves to, say, an open theme park or perhaps a childrens activity area or some such. Perhaps, open air music displays could be laid on. Not just the rubbish kids listen to today but also classical music. Specialised guided walks could be laid on, run and guided by the council. Walks to show the history surrounding the area and nature walks and so on. As one walks around Little Swiss one can see markers which show the way that various walks should go to get from start to finish but these walks are self servicing in that one gets a walk guide and then decides which walk to take and off you go. These walks are all well and good but the obvious security and safety to the public that a council sanctioned and run guided walk would offer has got to be better. To see what could be done in the Little Swiss area one only has to have driven around Devon and Cornwall to see what could be done with open areas surrounded by trees. Down there they have loads of little theme parks dotted around, and often hidden in the sense that if you did not know it was there you probably would never find it. The possibilities of what could be done are almost endless. But, during my close to 50 years of life on this fragile planet I do not recall ever seeing an advertisement about Little Swiss. In my humble opinion, as one who has enjoyed the beauty of the place for many years, they should be shouting about it to anyone and everyone. It could surely become a major attraction for tourists and local people alike who enjoy life off the beaten track.

However, for this to happen the council would need to spend some money on the place first to ensure that all the relevant health and safety laws that plague modern life are adhered to. And that is the major stumbling block. There is not a council in this country that would speculate to accumulate so, there is really no chance of the council spending money with an eye to the future tourist trade and the simple pleasures it would give to local people all year round. In fact, If anything along these lines where to happen I can almost guarantee they would start charging for entry which would negate the whole thing if they did that.

On a sunny and warm day Little Swiss is the perfect place to have a picnic. Whether you are young or old it does not matter. For the older brethren amongst us there are some lovely walks which do not take you down hundreds of rickety steps. It takes longer to get to the same place but there is more to be seen and enjoyed. For the younger ones, and assuming Mam and Dad are not the type to stifle their kids natural energetic flair, there are chalk faces to climb on. Open areas where parents and kids can play ball games. Long rambling walks to be taken and if you go the right way you could find yourself on the foreshore at Hessle.

In such a short post as these it is impossible to portray the natural beauty of Little Swiss but if you live within a 50-75 mile radius of Hull then it is well worth a couple of hours of your life to get to it and pay the place a visit. If you are planning a visit to Hull, assuming they give you enough time to explore it then Little Swiss is well worth adding to the itinerary. There is a huge car and bus park nearby that is in fact parking for the Humber Bridge viewing folk but right next to the car and bus park is the entrance to Little Swiss itself.

Go on. You owe it to yourself.