PM Podcast 23 October

Ok I listened to the PM's podcast:

• We're still in recession on this quarters figures
• Tightening up on lending practices (no unaffordable mortgages, no credit card cheques, no unrequested raises in credit card limits)
• Bank bonus action
• Limit protectionism to help recovery

So (1) is a big disappointment, they thought it would be positive growth by now.
(2) is shutting that stable door firmly after the horse went about 4 years ago, and it could be counter productive to those with huge mortgages who might feel they deserve a softer landing when they come to remortgage.
(3) I'd like to see him try!
(4) No hope in hell.

Not a bad listen, almost sounded grave and Churchillian.

World's Least Listened to Podcast

A new contender for this award, I did not know Downing Street had a podcast:

http://www.number10.gov.uk/

Yes it's Gordon! Still 10/10 for use of technology, and I am going to give it a try.

One interesting point is what about the archive of "old shows", no politician likes to be reminded of saying something that did not then occur. In this case I think Brown is just starting out, the only link I could find was to Tony Blair's dabbling in the medium!

http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page12045

June 2007, we were a different country then...

Film: Rocky IV directed by Sylvester Stallone

Well a friend challenged me to watch this ridiculous film that has a cold war twist that is so overdone it was hard to take seriously in any way shape of form. Having seen it when he was much younger he always remembered what a good film it was, until he viewed again outside of the 80s and now as an adult.

It is forces of good versus evil stuff, but so unsubtle. Also the fight scenes are like with any Rocky, he manages to take more punishment in an entire fight that any other boxer would see in an entire career.

Reading about it on IMDB, Stallone's authenticity did improve for me where some of the scenes were real boxing and he was almost fatally injured in one of the shoots. Still not the sort of film you want to die making.

A lowly 3/10 now we are outside of the 1980s.

Watch England Play Ukraine

Live on the internet, 4.99 if you order ahead, 11.99 on the night and only 1 million subscribers can watch.

If IPTV is ever to succeed you definitely cannot limit the number of people that can view your event! I understand the reasons for doing it, but as a business model it is kind of having to price your customers out of the market to scale the demand.

Still I expect it will be a flop of an event, it will be interesting to know how many actually watched the game in this form...

Obama Nobel Prize

Much as I think he is a potential great president this is definitely a little too soon! Still it shows the power of a good speech, and also the benefit of following a lightweight Bush presidency that did much to harm America's image overseas.

I also think he know this is the case, but it would be hard to turn it down. I hope this is the motivation to pursue some of the things he has spoken of in terms of making the world a more peaceful place.

Mirco Men

Rather sadly I'd been looking forward to this look back at the micro computer boom of the 1980s. I did not think I would learn much however but I was wrong.

A very interesting history of the two companies Acorn and Sinclair. Sinclair is portrayed perhaps a little unfairly as a driven inventor whose ultimate aim is to produce an electric vehicle. Something we know he all did with bad results. I did not know the link between Curry and Sinclair and the early days of Sinclair Radionics being bailed out by the national enterprise board.

Still a classic British story of pioneering but failing to take share in the final market, i.e. the PC dominated world of today.

BAE Serious Fraud Office

This topic is back on the agenda. From what I have read it is about some shady deals in the companies past. Back in 2006 it was agreed not to pursue the inquiry because of national interests.

The company probably has done a lot of clean up their act - and also the practices of years ago simply do not work now. Of course I can never forgive them for Windows on warships - but that is more a technical gripe.

They do keep engineering jobs going in this country and we do pay a lot of our taxes through defence spending to this company. The biggest scandal in recent years has to be the cost overruns on some projects (submarines, Type 45, aircraft carriers) and not so much corrupt business deals.

It will interesting to see how this progresses.