Adam's Blog

Category: Thoughts

  • How to wean a 2 year-old off The Tiger Who Came To Tea (Channel 4)

    How to wean a 2 year-old off The Tiger Who Came To Tea (Channel 4)

    Today I have been kindly informed by Channel 4 that there are only 8 days left before our 2 year-old’s favourite drug (The Tiger Who Came To Tea) is removed from the streaming service.

    This future video-removal has sent shockwaves across the household. What will happen after? Will the book ever substitute the super-extended musical-video version? Will every evening be an endless tantrum with the little one yelling “TIGER TEA! TIGER TEA!” We the parents are losing sleep over this.

    We’re hoping and praying that Netflix has bought it, along with all the Judith Kerr inspired cartoons from the BBC. Then we will be able to rest again.

  • Do mothers & daughters (of adult age) ever get on?

    Do mothers & daughters (of adult age) ever get on?

    Just asking… for a friend.

  • The joy of multiple currency bank accounts on one card

    The joy of multiple currency bank accounts on one card

    I’ve been using Transferwise for a few years now to sort out foreign currency transactions… very useful and generally cheaper than classic banking rates.

    However, the fact that you can now have your own multi-currency bank accounts within their own card is genius, especially when travelling. I have used it to load Swedish Krona, US Dollars, Euros, and Turkish Lira. And it works a dream for holidays: Just choose your currency, add an approximate amount from your UK debit card (or from any other currency you already have on the card), and you’re sorted. Just use it like a regular Mastercard while abroad and incur no fees on any transaction!

    If someone is transferring foreign currency to you then simply give them your virtual bank account details for that currency, and again you’re not going to get stung with transfer fees. You can choose when to transfer it to another currency, or leave it in the original currency.

    I know there are now a few options on the market, but Transferwise is the one that has served me well. Recommended!

  • I thought UNO-Brush was the future of the toothbrush, now there’s the Y-Brush

    I thought UNO-Brush was the future of the toothbrush, now there’s the Y-Brush

    Per all the press at this year’s CES, it seems my pre-order for what was deemed the future of the toothbrush (last year) has been overtaken!

    The Y-Brush looks like a much more real product at this stage. Unfortunately I put my money on the UNO-Brush which still hasn’t made it into production yet. Per this article in the FT last year, things aren’t looking too promising for UNObrush.

    UnoBrush
    Y-Brush

    Any which way I’m looking forward to actually using a new piece of toothbrushing technology sooner rather than later.

  • Does it froth? Lucy Bee’s coconut milk.

    Does it froth? Lucy Bee’s coconut milk.

    Does Lucy Bee’s coconut milk froth in our Nespresso frother? No! (video below)

    More tests soon.

  • Another great garden sunrise

    Another great garden sunrise with no filter! Thanks to the 2 year-old for waking us up for this one 😉

  • Thank you Google

    Thank you Google

    Google gets a lot of bad press and people slagging it off, but the things that it has done to affect most of our lives is incredible. Below are the mostly-free products which I am thankful for as they have all been a key part of my life:

    • Google Search – where would we be without it? Stuck with Bing?
    • Google Maps – such a solid performer with little competition, both as a reference site and a navigation app.
    • Google Photos – I remember making the switch about 5 years ago and never looking back. Free storage for everyone is a big pull.
    • Gmail – Wow it’s been about 10 years for me now since I moved over from an ‘offline’ email solution. Incredible.
    • Google Ads – serving my businesses with new customers since 2010! The only part of Google that I pay for, but worth it.
    • Google Chrome browser – this is one we need to move on from now to things like Firefox, but it is still a great performer.
  • Greater Anglia train ticket cancellation fail

    Greater Anglia train ticket cancellation fail

    I’ve gone on about how their new trains are nice, but when it comes to after-sales service, and more specifically my attempt to cancel a ticket due to my wife being sick, Greater Anglia‘s policies seem very much like Ryanair.

    I had spent £40 on tickets, and would have appreciated getting a refund as she could no longer use them.

    Instead I was told each leg-cancellation had a ‘£10 admin fee’. (Erm, what? Is there someone who charges for their time clicking a ‘cancel’ button?) So that was £20 lost. Then the remaining cost of £20 would be refunded, except you have to first drive (petrol) to the train station to print and collect the tickets (that you won’t use), then drive (more petrol) to the post office to send via recorded delivery (£3) to Edinburgh (carbon footprint), where someone would then write a refund cheque and send that back (extra cost and carbon footprint).

    I’m sorry not-so-Greater Anglia, but why not just accept the refund request and simply press ‘refund’ on your credit card transaction machine online. Result: much fewer un-needed journeys, wasted carbon, money, and happier customers.

  • Why I use Bulb Energy

    Why I use Bulb Energy

    Why do I use Bulb Energy? Basically because all of the electricity that they provide is renewable, and I like to think I’m doing my bit for the environment.

    The price is very competitive, being the same as (or not too far off) the big names in the UK power industry, and it has a very simple and forward-thinking user-interface.

    It doesn’t offer a smart-meter, but as most of us have discovered ‘smart’ meters are realistically a long way from being smart. So there’s no loss there.

    Highly recommended and they do the switching over for you!

  • White Company men’s pyjamas – critical design flaw

    White Company men’s pyjamas – critical design flaw

    I do love the material and feel of my White Company pyjamas. However there’s a critical design flaw which they need to fix: the trouser-pockets!

    It’s almost as if the White Company thought that pockets in men’s trousers are simply decorative elements. The shape of the pockets is such that anything you put in them falls out as soon as you sit down or make any sudden moves. I’ve never seen anything like it in my trouser-wearing experience…

    I know I’m not alone with this issue as my brother-in-law managed to smash his iPhone while trying to transport it in these very pyjamas!