For my next trick...

It has been a productive time at work, and now I am taking a weeks holiday.

To earn it there were a few jobs I had to complete last week, and the upshot was I had to put together around thirty computer systems and repair about six. It was hard work to complete, but ultimately rewarding. At the same time the recycle side of things is picking up and there is a very good take up for our cycling collection trailer service, which I intend to place prominently on the website soon.

But for now.... Holiday is the thing. I even shutdown my desktop so there could be no temptation to remote in and do a little more! I guess for the REAL guarantee of not doing so I should have to leave the data key with my work SSH encryption code behind, and that's not going to happen!

OK, I shall only post from the weeks holiday if it is relevant to tech stuff, who knows, there amy not even be wi-fi at the Beadnell Towers!

Silver Surfers and Comm-Tech

A lesser known event is the upcoming "Silver Surfer's Day" on Friday. I thought Comm-Tech were sitting pretty with an invite to the local library where we could help and give some level of presentation or at least a presence. But on Wednesday morning I find an email from the librarian which indicates we are not actually invited! This is bad news since we cannot really host an event and it is too short notice now for me to find another organisation we can piggy back on - though I shall try.

But we have still managed to come up with something. I have a one page leaflet linked from our website and the unique offering which we are hoping will appeal is not only that we offer a very affordable computer but that we shall deliver and do a basic install for £40, using our new "cycle person". I'm pretty excited about our having a cycle delivery/collection option anyway, apparently they are tech enough to do the basic install "light" option and it means I can offer them a little more for those than the measley £20 for collections.

I need to find out where we are sourcing them, but the idea is we supply these models complete with preconfigured pay-as-you go dongles so that they are online right off without the hassle of finding and ISP and doing things with their telephone or cable, and no standing bills if they do not take to it or stay a very light user. I guess the only downside would be someone with problematic mobile signal, but in our urban catchment hopefully this will not come up - and if it does we shall just have to deal with it then.

I have taken the idea a little further and am wondering if we can come up with a "Silver Surfer Special" that is preconfigured to take them to the Archers listen again site and has bookmarks for SAGA holidays and discounted insurance etc. This does seem a little like taking the mick - but to really get that right I need the input of actual Silver Surfers groups, which is now hard to get, unless I gatecrash the library event. Or maybe I shall indeed find something at the last minute - watch this space....