Fraud - It's a menace and that's official

This is the the new(ish) location for reporting and information about internet and other frauds.  The site is based in the UK and closely tied to the fraud bits of the city of London police.

The site has lots of information about types and operations of internet and other frauds.  419, Phishing, dummy invoicing, ponzi etc.

Useful for victims and consumer organisations that need access to fraud awareness advice, give its read.

Lets be careful out there and keep an ear out for friends losing money.

Gannett

Retail fail - Homebase schoolboy errors

DIY is supposed to be straight forward and easy for the average chap to achieve. Swapping some outside lights is one of those tasks. The wiring is in place so a simple substitution should be possible.  Not so simple if you get this product from Homebase.

This PIR (motion) activated low energy bulb fitting in a plastic casing. Sold at a reasonable £20.  Included in the box are instructions ( Ref INS-OD0035-B) for the wiring, Neutral Earth and Live N, E, L.

Unfortunately not matched by the connections in the fitting that are L1, N, L with a separate Earthing post on the reflector. FAIL.

See that mention in the instructions of the two adjusters on the base of the unit, one for "Dusk" and the other for "Time". Nowhere on the device or in the referenced diagram 4 is there and indication of which adjuster is which. FAIL.

Come on Homebase these are schoolboy retail errors that should be caught well before product get on the shelf.

Cheers

Gannett

Inovation in everything

Inovation in everything is the driver of growth. Take a couple of items as simple as as a comb and brush.  

The comb is a Ferminator de-shedding tool used to remove the excess hair from dogs and cats.  We have a hairy dog and he sheds and moults and loses inch long back hairs at an amazing rate.  We even have a house phrase "Everything tastes better with Griff hair in it." because they just get everywhere.  The Ferminator, applied once or twice a week, removes large handfuls of hair each and every time. Griff still sheds hair just not so much of it gets in the house.  Normal brushing has been tried, and sure he looks better afterwards, but for effective hair reduction this is the tool of choice. 

The brush is a wire brush with the handle of a surface plane. Used for removing rust and flaky paint from all sorts of surfaces this brush really nails the function. Easy to hold and manoeuvre this brush is perfect for cleaning some decking planks this weekend.

The innovation here (which I admire) is to take a simple function, see how it's done now and improve it. Each tool has a patent number, lets hope that protection delivers value to the inventor that had the insight to make a new twist on the simple ideas of a brush and comb.