Diary Of An ADI - A Driving Instructor's Blog

Annoying Adverts (Revisited)

04/01/2011

It’s back!

The most annoying TV ad in the world (at the moment). That damned Heinz Tomato Soup one where they are all spitting (sorry: blowing) on to spoons of soup to some idiotic tune you cannot make out.

[flv:/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/soup_ad.flv 480 360]

I must admit I thought they’d responded to customer complaints – I got a lot of hits when I posted it back in October, so it’s obvious I wasn’t the only one who hated it. And it hasn’t been shown since then… until just now. But no doubt someone at Heinz has stubbornly decided they can’t just waste all the money they spent on advertising it and resurrected it.

It’s in a different guise (they will have had several made all at once), but it’s still annoying from the first microsecond onwards. It is a surefire guarantee I won’t be buying any Heinz Tomato Soup anytime soon.

EDIT 2/10/2011: I was going to write another article about this damned advert – which has made a very unwelcome return to our TV screens – but the number of hits I’m suddenly getting speaks for itself.

Heinz is staffed by idiots if it think this is going to sell more soup. I lunge for the remote control mute button the second it comes on.

It’s obvious they have grave doubts, because they took it off around the time I first mentioned it, put it back on again, then took it off once more. At no time did it get the usual wall-to-wall showings. They were obviously testing the water.

Look, Heinz people. The advert stinks. You’ve wasted money on it. You will not increase sales of Tomato Soup by showing it (I, for one, will never buy Heinz Tomato Soup again as a result of the damned thing). Get rid of it and make a decent one that doesn’t involve the sound of bodily functions.

EDIT 10/10/2011: Someone said to me yesterday “have you seen that advert where they’re blowing on soup? I have to turn the TV off when it comes on”.

Get wise, Heinz. You’re damaging your sales while you keep showing it. It’s the most annoying ad ever.

Test Fee Changes Due To VAT Increase

04/01/2011

DOAADI

ADI, Driving Tests, DSA

An email alert from the DSA:

Registration and non statutory test fee increases from 4 January 2011
The following registration and non statutory test fees have increased today due to the VAT change:

Registration for large goods vehicle instructors

Registration and test fees for fleet driver trainers

Registration to join the post-test register of motorcycle trainers

Taxi driving assessment

You can find out more for each category on the Business Link website.

Please visit the Business Link website for a list of all fee increases effective from 4 January 2011, including the Cardington special tests for driving and motorcycle instructors.

Note that car tests are not going up.

What Kind Of Person Has Personalised Plates?

03/01/2011

DOAADI

ADI, General

Someone found the blog by Googling “what kind of person has personalised licence plates?”

In my experience…

Such a person will have more money than sense – a plate which doesn’t really have any obvious personalisation will cost you £250; something in the old style (like F4 ABC) will cost £600; and if the letters are even close to spelling any word in the English dictionary, you’re looking at over £1,000. Anything with “MAC” in it is closer to £2,000 – and that’s just the reserve price at auction. And so on.

Such a person will be retired and drive a Jaguar (or large Rover, etc.). They will drive it badly.

Such a person will own a pratmobile, have acne, and usually a problem in the vertical plane. They will drive it badly.

Such a person will be a middle-aged woman trying to look 20-something, driving a Mercedes. She will drive it badly.

Such a person will be an Audi owner. Enough said on that one.

Such a person will be driving a large car of some description – a Merc, Jag, or Land Rover, etc. - but one which has seen better days. They’ll most likely be covered in tattoos and may drive in a vest (usually with a cigarette on the go). They will drive it badly.

You can see the link developing here. They just draw attention to themselves - which is why they bought the plate in the first place – but not in quite the way they had originally intended.

Rip-off Theory (And Practical) Test Booking Sites

03/01/2011

DOAADI

ADI, Driving Tests, DSA

This story has been covered in the press – I saw it in today’s Sunday Mirror, and it is also covered by Autoblog. It concerns various websites which charge a premium priced for booking theory and practical driving tests – apparently the AA has complained to the Office Of Fair Trading (OFT).

It isn’t exactly new. The DSA sent out an email alert in July 2010 on the matter. It’s the same advice that I’ve given on the Information page for the last year, and I also gave this warning back in March 2010.

The thing is, some sites are definitely scams – they deliberately fool people into paying money and they provide nothing in return, not even a test booking in some cases.

The ones that charge a premium price and deliver what they offer aren’t really scams. What they’re doing is highly immoral, particularly if they conceal the fact they are not official sites (and most of them do), but they are still providing a service – albeit of questionable value.

I’m not defending them – I think they are wrong - but we need to be clear on what is actually happening and not just keep labelling things we don’t like as “scams”. After all, stealing money from someone is not the same as overcharging them. It’s similar, but not the same.

But the overall message is this…

BOOK YOUR TEST ONLY VIA THE DSA WEBSITE
DO NOT BOOK IT USING ANYONE ELSE
ALL YOU CAN GET IS A TEST BOOKING – THERE IS NOTHING “EXTRA”, SO DON’T PAY EXTRA IF SOMEONE OFFERS IT
THE THEORY TEST IS EASY - DON’T PAY SOMEONE TO HELP YOU
A SIMPLE DVD COSTING AROUND £6 WILL HELP MORE THAN THEY CAN

Use the DSA’s site, and only the DSA’s site – see the links on the Information page.

The DSA has introduced a CAPTCHA system on its booking pages, designed to inhibit automated test checking and booking.

Apple iPhone Glitch. Again.

02/01/2011

DOAADI

Computers & Tech

Just saw a report on the news about the iPhone alarm not working on New Years Day (and today). It is suggested that the fault just affected Europeans.

However, it looks like those in the Southern hemisphere also encountered the same glitch ( also on ZDNet). This isn’t the first alarm glitch, either.

Apple isn’t the safe haven people used to think it was.

Mind you, it was only ever a safe haven for people who couldn’t use a PC properly, or who put form above function.

It seems that Apple’s programmers are having trouble recognising that countries other than America have time zones which change at various points throughout the year.

The Apple statement on BBC News was typically vague – and I can’t wait to see the one they come up with once they’ve had time to think about it a bit more:

“We’re aware of an issue related to non-repeating alarms set for January 1 or 2,” Apple spokeswoman Natalie Harrison said in a statement quoted by Macworld.

“Customers can set recurring alarms for those dates and all alarms will work properly beginning January 3.”

So that’s OK then.

My HTC Desire doesn’t do this.

Comb Binders

01/01/2011

DOAADI

General

Here’s a handy tip!

If you use one of those spiral binding machines (also called comb binders), make sure the plastic base is firmly attached before you pick it up.

Especially if you have just punched around 250 sheets of paper.

This is because 10,000 little squares of paper (about 2mm x 4mm) make a mess when they get on the carpet. As you can probably guess, I just tested it for you. You’re welcome.

Land Of Confusion

30/12/2010

DOAADI

ADI

A while back, I wrote about an episode of Mythbusters on Discovery Channel – where they had debunked the myth that two cars colliding at 50mph impact with a force equivalent to hitting a solid wall at 100mph.

I noticed tonight that someone has picked up the same episode and has commented on it.

We are all led to believe that if two cars travelling at 50mph hit each other head on, the impact speed would be 100mph.

They proved that wrong.

Talk about wrong end of the stick!

The combined speed of the impact is a mathematical quantity – something going at 50mph hitting something else going at 50mph in the exact opposite direction results in a combined impact speed of 100mph.

What they really did in the show was prove that the forces involved were only equivalent to a 50mph impact against a solid wall and not to those resulting from a 100mph impact against a solid wall.

None of those who have so far replied have spotted the error – which just goes to show what I have often said about ADIs. They really ought to leave some subjects alone!

Cheese-Burger.net

30/12/2010

DOAADI

Food

I was looking for a recipe for sweet onion relish, when I came upon this site: Cheese-Burger.net.

I’ve been obsessed with the TV show Man vs. Food of late, and I cannot believe what you can get in American fast food joints compared with here in the UK.

I’ve made a few Strombolis, and it was the same show which made me want a decent sweet onion relish recipe.

There are some great recipes on this site, so as long as you’re not a muesli-muncher it’s well worth a visit. Actually, they do have at least one vegetarian recipe, so even if you are a muesli-muncher – and you have the energy to click your mouse button – it’s still worth a look.

I’ve not tried any of the recipes yet – I only found the site this afternoon – but I’ll mention them when I do.

Last Test Pass Of The Year

30/12/2010

DOAADI

Driving Tests

Well done to Amy H, who passed her test with 6 driver faults yesterday. We had our fingers crossed that the weather wouldn’t interfere – I’ve had half a dozen tests cancelled since the snow started – and it didn’t.

I don’t care what you say: on the way back, we measured it and your workplace is about half a mile away from your house – so the taxis and buses you’ve been getting are just a sign of how lazy the younger generation is! It isn’t “just over a mile”, like you claimed.

Takeaways In (And Around) Clifton, Nottingham

26/12/2010

DOAADI

Food, General

I keep getting hits for this. Well, I’ve already posted elsewhere that the best Indian takeaway in the area is Curry2Night in West Bridgford. However, there are some other decent takeaways in the area.

Curry2Night in West Bridgford – 0115 9811 712

The best kebabs come from Shaks in Clifton – tel. 0115 9844 666. They also do a passable curry (and pizzas, but I’ve not had one of those).

A good Chinese is had at Yeung Chow in Clifton – tel. 0115 9216 070.

Another decent Indian is Everest Tandoori in Ruddington – tel. 0115 9848 358.

Update (July 2011): I had a kebab from Shaks last week and it was bloody tasteless. They appear to have been infected by the must-remove-all-salt-from-everything disease. Unfortunately, this screws up any meat dish, and totally screws up any form of fast food. To be fair to Shak’s, they’re still one of the best around, and they buy in their kebab meat, so it’s the supplier who is to blame.

Why can’t people get it into their bloody heads that you do not eat kebabs, Chinese, or Indian food from a takeaway because you are on a calorie-controlled, low-sodium diet!!!