“If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25.00 cars that got 1,000 miles to the gallon.“

In response to Bill’s comments, General Motors issued a press release stating:

“If GM had developed technology like Microsoft, we would all be driving cars with the following characteristics“:

1. For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash……..Twice a day.

2. Every time they repainted the lines in the road, you would have to buy a new car.

3. Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason. You would have to pull to the side of the road, close all of the windows, shut off the car, restart it and reopen the windows before you could continue. For some reason you would simply accept this.

4. Occasionally, executing a manoeuvre such as a left turn would cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you would have to reinstall the engine.

5. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was reliable, five times as fast and twice as easy to drive – but would run on only five percent of the roads.

6. The oil, water temperature and alternator warning lights would all be replaced by a single ‘This Car Has Performed An Illegal Operation” warning light.

7. The airbag system would ask “Are you sure?” before deploying.

8. Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turned the key and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.

9. Every time a new car was introduced car buyers would have to learn how to drive all over again because none of the controls would operate in the same manner as the old car.

10. Yo would have to press the Start button to turn the engine off.

The jokes were basically mimicking the terms that people have been using incessantly for the last few months to describe the current <insert cliched recession description here>.

Mimicking is a common human trait and is with all of us from birth and its how we learn as babies. Its also what has most of earth’s population acting, talking, and dressing the same way and forming the same opinions as they soak up relentless TV, Radio, Print and Web media. I believe this is partly what caused this recession in the first place, people heard about it so much they just took it for granted.

Anyway, my friend and I chose to joke about it all last weekend as we blamed it for everything from the quality of dinner service to the temprature of the outdoor jacuzzi I frequent!

Heres some cliched recession descriptions I’ve noticed recently:

“Recession/Depression”.

“Credit Crunch”.

“Current Economic Climate”.

“Extraordinary Times”.

“Economic Downturn”.

“Financial Crisis”.

Feel free to add your own in the comments!

Leon.

My Akismet has caught (since I turned it on) 7,980 spam comments with an accuracy of 99.616% and only a handful of false positives so I’m happy! Isn’t it amazing though that 94.39% of all my comments are spam!? Bastards.

Make sure you turn yours on!

Leon.

The Cost of things:

I know certain things have gone up in budgets and the like in an effort to recoup money but some items are currently at great prices and may never be better! Heres a few if you’ve managed to save from the good ole times:

• Cars.
• Houses.
• Interest Rates/Mortgages.
• Lifestyle Gadgets.

Business Opportunities:

“Fortunes are made in bad times as well as good!” Businesses who get real in times like these and offer better value products and service will do well as customers and clients look for increasingly better value. Also, certain businesses may find themselves with more room in their market sector as their less stable competitors go bust.

Efficiency:

Businesses will be forced to streamline their operations in an effort to save money, cutting wasteful practices and energy usage. Old style blatant marketing techniques will not work any more as people resist being ‘sold’ to. This should force many companies to adopt a more ‘honest’ approach.

Every now and then it can be good for a failing system to get a good shock after which it can restart with a more regular heartbeat and healthier direction!

“omnia mutantur et mutantum est in illis”

Leon.

Heres the head shot! Tip – turn your head to the right to make it out..

Heres a nicely formed foot!

Thanks to all Visitors and Contributors,

Leon.

The scan photo reminds me of the one below from the Kubrick film “2001 – A Space Odyssey”!!

It reminds us that we Irish have the talent and dedication to compete on a global IT scale. Polldaddy’s service is mostly free which makes it both cool and weird that they were bought!? Take my own Polldaddy survey here – www.polldaddy.com/s/42024AC96D8B0BF0/ or my Poll below

Ok, so I have a pile of savings in a major irish bank and this credit crunch forces the bank in question to capitulate and take with it my hard earned savings. Pretty gruesome thought and one that tempts a person to go out and get in line around the block demanding withdrawls!

However, what if I had a mortgage/loan from said bank and it went under, would I have to pay it back!!? They’ve lost my money so can’t I loose theirs!?

Think about it.

Leon.

Heres the original interview – www.wordtracker.com/academy/peter-kent

Heres the article in which my words were quoted – www.wordtracker.com/academy/roundup-newsletter-12

The usual feelings of pre scan fear and then post scan renewed purpose and exitement after weeks of no symptoms abounded but we finally got to see some decent images of something that actually resembles a proper bubba. The next scan in a month or 2 will give better visuals as will the 4D scan we plan to do later on but for the minute the image below has blown our minds, seeing a hand (center left) and all its bones makes it real!

Leon.

erm…thinking, thinking…

Ok, heres one. I’d like to talk about living in Leitrim and how great it is to be able to do that!

I’m still not 100% sure how it happened but in August 2003 my partner and I shrugged off city life in kippy Dublin for the quiet life in Leitrim – long regarded as the worst hole in Ireland and the county with the lowest population, bleakest outlook and worst weather on the island. I had lived in the same working class suburb of Dublin all my life apart from the first few weeks in southern England where I was born. My partner had lived in a similar suburb for most of her life but her family had boating connections with Leitrim and she’d lived here briefly as a child.

Two city kids moving to the middle of nowhere then and a potentially nasty shock to the system or so our friends and families thought. The first 2 days of moving and living in Leitrim happened to be the best 2 days weather wize that particular summer and it just so happened that the house we were moving to was right on a lake so after struggling with 2 house loads of junk and when we had a minute to relax, we went and sat on the banks of our garden/lake and agreed that the transition would be a piece of cake. And so it was!

Leitrim in general is one of the most attractive counties in Ireland split by the majestic Shannon and dotted with lakes, hills and mountains. Very scenic. And the people are great too, much more civilized and friendly than the Dubliners! It continues to amaze me how much of a secret Leitrim seems to be and I dread the secret being revealed and the rest of the country piling in on top of us and ruining it!

Carrick-on-Shannon is a deserved centre of attention and one of the fastest growing towns in Ireland. Its got a good buzz about it. If its good pubs, restaurants, shopping and things to do you’re after then you’ll find everything you need here. And with only 1 set of traffic lights (usually faulty!)  and decent roads now, its light years better than spending half your life on the M50 any day!

So I’m chuffed I moved here and I’m here for life I think. You just can’t beat the quality of life and I certainly won’t be going back to Dublin or any other built up place unless I’m dragged.

The West is the Best as Jim Morrison used to say…!

Leon.

I’m managing to step away from the computer a few times a day now to go walk the dogs or mess around outside in some way. The air is fresh, the lambs and calves in the field next door are joyful and hoppidy and you could just sit all day and take it in. The concept of spring is important to me. Clearing out clutter, re-evaluating my business and learning new skills always seem to become more important this time of year. I have made several important decisions recently about my business and hopefully they will bear fruit soon.

Its important for all of us who work hard or are trying to keep our businesses running smoothly to sit back every now and then, take stock, freshen things up and perhaps find a new way of doing things that will make our lives a little easier and better.

Anyway, heres to a fresh approach to life and work for us all!

Leon