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onwards and upwards

After over five varied and enjoyable years working for Siebel (and then Oracle) in Expert Services, I am changing jobs. However, I will continue to work for Oracle as part of the group responsible for ‘Social CRM’.

Although this was a internal transfer, my interview process was quite unusual. Instead of being forced to massage my CV into Microsoft Word format and send an email attachment to a faceless recruitment agency, I was able to publish my CV using Google Docs and the whole interview process was conducted by telephone.

Top of the Podcasts

I recently got an iTouch and, as I have been commuting into London recently, I have been listening to a few podcasts in an effort to usefully pass the time.

• Digital Planet - BBC’s short (30 minute) roundup of technology news. Tends to cover new and interesting topics not on my conventional radar.
• Ricky Gervais - Yes, sometimes he’s repetitive and childish but Ricky Gervais still produces occasional moments of pure genius that bring you to tears. Also features co-writer Stephen Merchant and Karl (perennial scapegoat) Pilkington.
• FIR - Neville Hobson is one of my favourite UK bloggers and this twice weekly ‘For Immediate Release’ podcast (co-hosted with Shel Holtz) covers a wide range of developments in social media and use of new technology in the Enterprise both in the US and Europe.
• Fighting Talk - Like Gervais, Colin Murray seems to provoke strong opinions but I like his sense of humour and quick wit as he comperes a sporting ‘Have I Got News For You’ style quiz.
• This Week in Tech - Leo Laporte’s popular podcast. If you’ve been away from Google Reader for a while, this podcast is a great way to catch up with events from the tech world.
• Linux Outlaws - Last but by no means last, my favourite podcast. Co-hosted by Dan Lynch (Liverpool) and Fabian Scherschel (Germany), Linux Outlaws is a comprehensive summary of OpenSource news, Linux distros, ‘Micro(soft) watch’ including interviews and feedback from the community. Informative, honest and occasionally very funny. Love the theme music (created by Dan) too.

London omnibus bell hell

Last night, I took a number 521, red, bendy bus from St. Paul’s to Waterloo station.

As the journey progressed, someone insistently and repeatedly pressed the bell to indicate they wished to disembark at the next stop. Nothing too unusual in that.

At the next stop, again the bell was sounded early and rang repeatedly. I assumed the ‘Bus stopping’ sign didn’t light up as the individual concerned continued to sporadically, but repeatedly and insistently, press the bell.

Noel goes stage diving

I have a penchant for some of Oasis’ tunes and, although he’s a City fan, I also like Noel Gallagher.

I like his sense of humour, I like his professional Mancunian accent and his occasional digs at United. I also agree with him that Morrissey’s lyrics are hilarious rather than morose. I also love some of his quotes. Just one recent, brilliant example:

‘Amy Winehouse is like a destitute horse.’

Having said all that and although I abhor physical violence and drunken behaviour, this recent clip of Noel doing some impromptu stage diving at a Toronto concert raised a smile.

protected rights restrictions lifted

I have written before about the consolidation of my various pension pots into a self-invested pension plan (SIPP).

One slight irritation was that the Protected Rights elements could not be transferred so I was forced to hold these funds in a stakeholder pension.

However, today I received an email from Sippdeal stating that the Government is lifting these restrictions and that, from October 1, protected rights contributions can be transferred into my SIPP.

R.E.M setlist Twickenham - 30 August 2008

• Orange Crush
• Wake Up Bomb
• Drive
• What’s the frequency Kenneth ?
• I’ve been high
• Horse to water
• Supernatrual Superserious
• Living well is the best revenge
• Man on the moon
• Electrolite
• Walk unafraid
• Ignoreland
• Exhuming Mccarthy
• Let me in
• Fall on me
• Man sized wreath
• I’m gonna DJ
• Country Feedback
• Losing my religion
• Imitation of life
• So fast, so numb
• Bad day
• The one I love
• Disturbance At The Heron House
• Perfect circle
• The great beyond
• End of the the world

These songs were played although not necessarily in this order.

R.E.M/Editors

The time has finally come to shave my head and don blue facepaint.

Gondolas

London calling

So now the whole world knows what living in London is really like.

Clamouring with a crowd of 15 cosmopolitan, wackily dressed people, pushing and shoving trying to get on a red, double decker bus having waited 45 minutes. With some idiot playing Led Zep too loud on his iPod.

Then David Beckham comes along, takes your brand new football and smashes it into the adjacent park and some bastard nicks it.

twitter killed the blogging star

I have tried many times, in many different places, to articluate the idea that micro-blogging reduces ones blogging output but Russell Beattie completely expresses my thoughts on the subject in this brilliant article.

‘Tweeting totally takes away that blogging urge from me… Once I tweet about something, it’s like it disappears from my mind completely.’

I can completely identify with this statement and another sentence also struck a resounding chord with me: