I may be pointing out the obvious to some, but it came as news to me. I have poor to non existent mobile coverage at my home and office. At no extra cost I now have coverage. How you may ask? If you have wireless broadband, a BlackBerry which is WiFi enabled, and you are on the Orange or T-Mobile networks you can set up your BlackBerry to choose your own WiFi network at home or work and you will be able receive and make calls on your phone. How good is that?

I understand that this is only applicable to BlackBerry, but suspect that other mobiles with WiFi capability may well work. I also assume that the other networks, Vodafone, Three and O2 will be able to offer this in due course.

As reported in the media today, Orange the mobile network operator owned by France Telecom is to get the Apple iPhone, which until now was only available via O2 owned by Telefonica of Spain.

There is an organisation calling themselves “Commercial Connections” among other names, have been calling users saying that they have to register their supply / meter with them. Beware, I – along with many colleagues believe that this is a scam. When we or our clients have been approached by telephone, and subsequently responded by asking for more details, the caller puts the phone down.

Please do not give away any details of any nature if you get a call like this. Contact your trusted energy adviser. If you don’t have one……………………

As reported in various parts of the UK media, Stephen Timms, a minister in the Gordon Brown government has proposed a 50 pence per month levy, or tax in the real world, on all fixed telephone lines, to help pay for “superfast broadband”. The tax would raise approximately £175 million each year. Working on that basis even people who do not have, perhaps never will have broadband will have to pay up! I thought that modern thinking was along the lines that any tax should be fair on those affected. Oh dear – sorry I forgot, they never ring fence money, so this is just more money to help prop up our severely ailing public finances.
Apologies for the rant!

Electricity may not meet demand.

Well, as the government have finally admitted to this I guess that all the energy industry specialists have managed to get the message across and that they are correct! Electricity generation, or rather the pending lack of it, is a really serious issue because we are closing 9 oil and coal-fired power plants and 4 nuclear plants by 2015. I understand that the new British Energy (part of EDF Energy) nuclear generation plants will not come on line until about 2017 to 2018. The electricity shortfall is predicted to occur around 2015 to 2017. This leaves no leeway for build time slippage, or if the estimated requirement is a bit on the low side.
This is happening because the government didn’t get their act together 10 or so years ago when they were apparently told about the problem. I think this is a classic case of governments not embarking on long term major infrastructure projects as they are unlikely to be in power when they can take the glory at the grand opening before the next election. Am I cynical? Yes – but I am sure I am right!
Anyone got any thoughts?