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Fight Night 2009
I'm a little slower at getting things done today and this is solely down to our Fight Night event last night.
It was a huge success, with 450 people packing out The Brewery in Chiswell Street to see the nine fantastic bouts.
You could tell the fighters had put their heart and soul into their training, and there were some very entertaining fights. Well done to them all.
People were also bidding well for our auction, so hopefully we have raised lots of money for some very worthy causes.
My head is definitely full of cotton wool, as I'm sure many of those who came along to the after show party at the Bedouin Bar will agree.
I am never drinking anything alcoholic again. Famous last words.
I have spoken to some of the boxers today and they are all buzzing from the night and looking forward to next year already.
Keep your eyes on Channelweb in the coming weeks as we post up all the bouts for those who missed the event to see. Well worth watching.
Bring on CRN Fight Night 2010!
The Apprentice
I cannot believe the outcome of the Apprentice last night - Poor old Howard was given the boot for being too cautious. Its probably for the best - he did seem like one of the few decent people in there.
It was my favourite programme last night, as the candidates had to take turns selling items live on a shopping channel. Car crash TV that is for sure!
Some of the products they picked were interesting - but the one they bypassed was one I wish I could get my hands on - a dinosaur who develops a personality dependent on how you treat him. At over £200 he wasn't cheap - but I instantly wanted one and I'm sure a lot of people would have bought one too!
There are now four girls and one dimwit left - it is anybody's game now - although as I keep saying - I wouldn't give any of them a job in a hurry.
Sralan certainly has his work cut out with that lot.
Next week it is the interview stage - I cannot wait to see them all squirming as their lies catch up with them. Brilliant TV.
I can't work in these conditions!
Every day for the past week there has been a pneumatic drill blasting through the road surface outside our office.
The noise is going right through all of us and driving us mad.
This is part of the 'replacing London's Victorian water mains' work that has been going on in Soho for the past TWO YEARS.
Talk about milking a contract for all it is worth.
What I don't understand is the mentality of the so called engineers. They only just left Poland Street (outside our office) about two months ago after leaving it in total disarray for several weeks during the winter.
All the taxi drivers are moaning about the constant road closures this work is causing.
Now they are digging up the same stretch of street for the second time.
For what? Did they forget to put in a certain pipe or a screw perhaps?
Amazing that the Victorian system has lasted 100+ years, but this new system can't even make it through the two-month timeframe.
Somehow I don't think this latest repair is the last we have heard/seen from them either.
I'm particularly looking forward to the noise on Friday, when we all are suffering that post Fight Night hangover.
The Apprentice
I finally caught up with the Apprentice last night and was I glad that Mr Know it All Ben went.
That line Sralan gave about being in the Jewish Boys Brigade when he started banging on about Sandhurst again was TV gold! He really is a cocky, arrogant, little creep and I cannot imagine a company in the land that would give him a job.
But then again I don't know the banking industry that well, maybe he is ideal material for them! I could just see him as a city boy - he already has the braces.
Tonight I will be watching with bated breath - I predict either dimwit James or spoon face will be given the boot.
I also think Margaret and Nick's eyebrows will disappear altogether tonight - they certainly cannot raise them much higher.
I think the blonde one will win now - although to be honest I am still hoping that Sralan fires the lot of them. That would be a fantastic ending.
Bank Holiday
We at CRN are looking forward a long weekend after a hectic two days at Channel Expo 2009.
Bank holidays are a great thing in the calendar - and are always welcome. Now all we need is the weather to hold up.
CRN is gearing up for our second Fight Night event next week - so we need a rest before one of the most hectic nights in our social calendar.
I hope you all have a great bank holiday weekend and that the sun shines.
See you next week!
Thanks again!
Thanks very much to Avaya for its kind donation to Team CRN's Westcoast Challenge run. It is very much appreciated!!
For my avid blog readers, I know there are at least two of you - three of CRN's editorial team - myself, Doug Woodburn and Sam Trendall are running the 10K Westcoast Challenge in July and trying to raise money for the British Heart Foundation. A very worthy cause indeed.
Any donations would be very welcome - please visit our Justgiving page - www.justgiving.com/teamCRN
Thanks very much!
Geography lesson
Talking of imbeciles - I was unfortunate enough today to need to send a parcel, which means having to use the Post Office (shock horror)
After waiting an absurd amount of time to get a letter in the post - I finally was served and the package is on its way.
However I was highly entertained by a man in front of me who wanted to send a parcel to Botswana.
When he said where it was destined, the dimwit behind the counter said (no joke) "Is that in the UK?"
You can't make it up can you?
The Apprentice
Yet another week goes by and yet more proof that this bunch of Apprentices are the biggest bunch of imbeciles yet.
Great entertainment as always, purely because I just cannot believe people can be so useless and thick at the same time!
Their task was to 'rebrand' Margate and one team didn't quite get the concept that a poster was supposed to convey a strong message at just one glance - not be covered in tiny words that people can't be bothered to read. Less is more as the saying goes.
They also had to get a leaflet together and the same team left half an hour at the end to complete an entire leaflet. Those of us in publishing know it takes slightly longer than half an hour to layout a leaflet, write and copy and ensure it looks right.
The hilarious thing was they tried to fob off the panel by saying the blank spaces were deliberate becuase they were hoping to attract local advertisers. What planet do they think people live on? Not planet dumbo with them, that's for sure.
Needless to say, that team lost. Durrrrrrr
I really hopes Sralan sacks them all - that would be a finale worth waiting for.
Searching......
I was sent an email today from a company claiming that it will give Google a run for its money in the search engine stakes.
Hulbee.com is the brainchild of a Swiss software company, and claims it differs from Google because it shows searchers a data cloud of helpful keywords, instead of long lists of potential pages.
I have had a quick go on it - and it is pretty good, but when I'm in a hurry and need to find something, the first thing I type in is Google.
Sorry Hulbee. Good luck with that.
Ahoy there pirates
I have just been to a very interesting round table hosted by IDC and the Business Software Alliance.
The 2008 UK software piracy rate increased to 27 per cent - up 0.04 per cent on 2007. But this equates to a loss of over £1.4bn to the UK economy.
This is down to a mix of an expanding market and also a lack of education among both businesses and consumers.
However it means that one in four pieces of software being used in the UK is illegal which is pretty worrying.
One of the points raised was that businesses need to implement a proper software policy and make it as important as a HR policy or health and safety policy would be. By educating people at work, it would make them more aware as a consumer the theory goes.
According to a solicitor at the event, businesses using the excuse that they were 'unaware' of flouting the law will not wash either.
The way the panel was talking today, it seems like things are going to get tougher for the pirates, but I think they have escaped walking the plank for a little while longer.
It's getting Chili in here
While sitting round a lunchtable with a well known printer vendor recently - we all remarked how much we liked chili on our food.
One of the dishes we ordered was crab and chili linguine, but when it came, all of us were hard pushed to actually find any chili in the dish. It looked very pretty, but actually tasted very mild.
We then asked the restaurant to bring some extra chili oil, becase if you can't feel your mouth burning during a chili-infused meal, there is absolutely no point eating it.
After two attempts at finding chili oil, we gave up asking the waitress in the end. I think despite being in the centre of Soho, with the supposed calibre of restaurants around here - some of them need to learn exactly what chili is, and what it looks/tastes like.
However the lemon meringue ice cream sundae more than made up for that!
Online shopping
According to a press release sent to my inbox this week, customer satisfaction with online shopping has gone down significantly in the last six months.
However surprisingly, the IMRG research also revealed that fashion shopping is on the up.
Judging by the experience I'm having at the moment, trying to buy a pair of specialist motorbike jeans from the US - I won't be shopping online again in a hurry. Two weeks I made the order and not a sign of it arriving anytime soon. Brilliant.
Give me the clothes shop where you can try stuff on and actually see the piece you are buying close up anyday. Old fashioned? Yes I am!
I think I'll stick to just buying CDs and DVDs online.
The Apprentice
I haven't written about The Apprentice for a while because although I still find it fairly compelling viewing - I am finding them such an unpleasant bunch of individuals that I don't quite know what to say about them.
Last night they were tasked with selling new inventions such as double-handed dog lead, a body shaped sleeping bag, a cycle shopping carrier and a cat playhouse. Needless to say they picked these inventions themselves.
Yep, a cat playhouse.
If any of them actually had a cat they would realise that most felines would look at what is essentially a fancy-shaped cardboard box with disgust and simply walk away. If they want to play with a cardboard box, they will only do so if it is one that the owner actually needs.
Anyway cats aside, they really are the biggest bunch of backstabbing, nasty individuals that have ever appeared on the programme, and I think it is ruining the programme. I'm glad the Geordie bully went last night, he deserved to go, although the one he picked on (Lorraine i think it was) was hardly an endearing person either.
Usually there is at least one person you can champion as the potential winner, but this year, I wouldn't be surprised if Sralan gives them all the boot.
I would.
Thanks very much
Team CRN has just had its first sponsor for the Westcoast Challenge - so I would like to say a huge thank you to Teneo for their support.
Much appreciated!
Training is going quite well - I can now 'run' a mile and a half without stopping and I am building up the distance each week - so I should easily be covering the six miles required by July - I'm hoping to have reached that by the end of the month.
It goes without saying that Doug and Sam will be able to run the distance - both of them are keen runners so they are starting with an advantage over me!
Considering I wasn't able to run to the end of the road six weeks ago - I feel I have made quite a significant achievement already. Mind over matter as they say.
For anyone else that is interested in sponsoring us - in aid of CRN's chosen charity the British Heart Foundation - please visit our Justgiving page here
Thanks very much.
Channel Debate - Question 2 now LIVE
We have now posed the second question in our series of five for the Channel Debate.
This time the question is all about the future of the channel.
Please do visit the microsite and leave your valued opinions on the subject here
A happy bank holiday weekend to everyone as well.
