The old man, the cafe and me.

Simple little tale and completely and utterly true. It happened in Quantum Web Café no more than two weeks ago, a web café I own in Reading. Although fully staffed, I sometimes I work the shop floor myself to keep my hand in. It’s also a great way to get real feedback and really understand any issues that the guys may have raised.

It was a warm sunny morning and I’d not long opened the store. I do like working the shop floor sometimes as I get to meet the customers, the vast majority of whom are fun, respectful, polite or at the very least harmless. The grumpy or difficult ones are actually few and far between, possibly because we’re pretty laid back ourselves. There are many regulars both for internet and just lunches etc, but everyday we also see new customers coming through, which is great.

This particular morning, a very elderly gentleman shuffled into the café. He was probably in his late eighties or early nineties, but well dressed, neatly groomed and clearly still mobile, albeit with the aid of a walking stick. I gave him my usual cheery ‘good morning’ and asked if he needed any help. Continue reading “The old man, the cafe and me.”

Glory – A story for Computer Gamers

Originally written in 2005 and inspired by a simple computer game, gamers of a certain age and disposition will  no doubt spot its origins. Are you in the know?
GLORY

I’m alone now. I’m possibly the only one left. My scanner shows no friendlies in range at all. I know there’s at least three left, and one of them has got to be carrying. It’s up to me. Crouched behind the crates, I pause to reload and take a drag of my cigarette. Some of the ash trickles down my front as I inhale and I replace it in the overflowing ashtray – I’ll need both hands and a clear vision to move forward.

I check my weapon, the Bullpup is loaded and a quick view through zoomed lens over the bridge reveals nothing. Silence. No radio chatter, just a soft hiss of the falling rain. Their target is no more than a few seconds sprint, but without a positive sighting it may as well be miles away. With a tense sigh, I stand up and sprint towards the stone room on the other side of the bridge. Continue reading “Glory – A story for Computer Gamers”

Possibly the most powerful seatbelt ad ever?

If you haven’t seen this you’ve got to do so, especially if you sometimes don’t wear your seat belt because ‘it’s a short journey’ or ‘there aren’t any cops about’ (insert own believable and fully self-justified excuse here). No blood, no gore, just three people in a front room with no dialogue and visuals so powerful, it’ll move you unless you’re some kind of emotional freak. Of course, it may be because I’m pretty much the age of the guy in the ad with a young family that it’s particularly effective to me, but judging by the youtube comments, this seems to reach pretty much anyone. Check it out, and make sure you watch it with good sound and totally focus on it for maximum effect. Oustanding film making.

Here’s the main site link:

www.embracethis.co.uk

Alternatively, here’s the youtube link with comments:

youtube embrace this link