The Daily Rant

Galway City Traffic Management

2011-11-09T13:43:00.001-08:00

As everyone is surely aware by now, Galway City Council is changing how traffic is managed throughout the city. Their solution is to replace the roundabouts, a free flow form of traffic management, with signalled junctions (traffic lights). It appears that everyone in Galway can see the folly in this except for the Council who appear to be the only people behind this plan.

The Council need to listen to the people and realise that they are carrying out a major act of foolishness that will have absolutely no benefit for the city. In fact, it will be a complete and utter disaster for Galway. Another well known fact is that signalled junctions work by stopping traffic. How is stopping traffic a solution to traffic that does not move in the first place (or slowly moves).

The Council should be doing what is best for the city and the people that live in the city. How is pushing ahead with this ridiculous plan that nobody wants the best thing for the city or it's people?

A perfect example of the problems that traffic lights cause can be seen on the Stillorgan dual carriageway (N11) in Dublin where a series of signalled junctions have caused endless traffic problems for years. This is what Galway has to look forward to thanks to the stubborn and idiotic Council.

See someone else's view on converting the roundabouts to traffic lights in Galway: Video

As I said, no one in Galway wants this except the morons in the City Council.

Yours,

A Galway City resident.
--
Peter Heylin, BSc (Hons.), H.Dip, MSc
+353 (0)87 9486872
peter@peterheylin.com
www.peterheylin.com

Stay away from Nationwide Media Solutions...

2010-06-19T04:46:00.000-07:00

I was contacted a month ago by someone from Nationwide Media Solutions Ltd (referred to as NMS Ltd hereafter). It was a cold sales call from a UK based company. The following is an account of my experience of their extremely poor level of service.

The sales rep will make the following claims:

1) NMS Ltd will work closely with you as their customer to ensure only the most popular Google search phrases are chosen.

2) The customer is in complete control at all times with regard to what phrases and advertisements are visible on the Google search results page.

3) The customer can contact NMS Ltd at anytime during business hours by phone or by email.

4) The customer is placed on a 30-day rolling contract which can be terminated at anytime and they let the customer believe that it is possible to sign up for 1 month only in order to trial the service.

The reality and the facts are as follows:

1) The phrases are picked at random during the sales call by the NMS Ltd sales rep and using leading questions, seek the customer's approval.

2) The customer has little or no control over the phrases and advertisements that are visible on the Google search results page.

3) It is impossible to contact NMS Ltd by phone because the phone is not answered during business hours and emails are rarely responded to and there is even less action on customer requests.

4) They have ridiculous terms and conditions that prevent the customer from trialling the service for 1 month by requiring 30 days notice to cancel a contract of a 30 duration. This means that to cancel the contract, notice must be provided on the day the contract starts. No legitimate companies operate terms of this nature which effectively force customers to purchase a minimum of 2 months of the service.

My advice if you receive a call from an NMS Ltd sales rep is to immediately hang up the phone. The service is non-existent and extremely overpriced.

It is possible to gain better exposure on the first page of a Google search results through using white hat Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) techniques. This would also be a cheaper option.

Dealing with NMS Ltd is a complete waste of time and money.

Be warned. Be Safe. Be Well.

Best Regards,

That Grinds My Gear.com team

Taxi Drivers...why are they complaining & protesting?

2009-10-06T04:32:00.001-07:00

Recently, a number of taxi drivers parked on O'Connell Street in Dublin and proceeded to block traffic including other taxi drivers from using the Capital's main thoroughfare. Firstly, if anyone else blocked or partially blocked a street, regardless of the location, that person would be arrested. No taxi drivers were arrested. Instead, the Government rewarded bad behaviour by caving in to the demands and calling the face to face meeting as requested.

I disagree strongly with this small number of rogue taxi drivers who prevented other taxi drivers from continuing with their work. Not all taxi drivers appear to agree with this minority.

The taxi drivers complain that due to the number of taxis now on Irish roads, they are finding it difficult to make a living. This a is lie by this minority. I see no problem with the number of taxis now on the road. Customers are now able to receive an acceptable level of service for their hard earned money. Only a few years ago, if a taxi was required, the customer had to order the taxi up to 3 days in advance. As was often the case, the taxi failed to show up resulting in a panic-stricken search for another taxi by the now under-pressure customer. It is now possible for a customer to phone for a taxi and within minutes, the taxi is at the door. Proper order!

A few years ago when there were a lot fewer taxis on the road, the taxi drivers were having a great time. They were making a mint and buying up domestic and foreign property and telling customers all about their Spanish villa and their French apartment. Now that taxi drivers have less disposable income to throw around on property and other luxuries, they are venting undue anger at an already under-pressure and under-fire Government.

My advice to the Government is please ignore the taxi drivers protests. The taxi drivers' standard of living is already very good despite the current economic climate. If they continue to block streets, An Garda Siochana should do their job and arrest them and charge them with a public order offense.

Nokia - Quality Lapse

2009-09-27T10:07:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if people have noticed, but I sure have. Nokia, one of the leading
manufacturers of mobile phones in the world have displayed a serious lapse in the quality
of their products. I don't believe anyone could disagree with the points that I have raised below.

Firstly, Nokia once manufactured standard chargers that worked with any phone in the
Nokia range. This, in my opinion, was a clear advantage over competitors such as Sony Ericsson
and Motorola who manufactured a different charger for every phone that they manufactured. Now
Nokia have decided that it is wrong to make standard products.

- I strongly disagree with Nokia's philosophy against standard products.

Secondly, there is a clear fault with the new chargers that Nokia have manufactured.
I have noticed this fault on more than one charger. I never came across this fault on Nokia's
original chargers. The fault exists with the charger that is supplied with the phone. This
fault makes it extremely difficult to charge the phone. The customer is forced then to purchase
a replacement charger, which does work.

This almost seems like a scam by a large heartless corporation by providing a faulty piece
of equipment with the phone and forcing the customer to spend more money in purchasing a replacement.
If this is true, it is despictable behaviour.

I will welcome any comments that people may have on the above. I am particularly interested
in hearing from people who have experienced the above to share their thoughts and opinions
about Nokia and their new found philosophy.

Airport security and it's pointlessness

2009-09-27T10:05:00.000-07:00

Ah yes since 911 we’ve had to put in all sort of tight measures to stop those troublesome
middle eastern people. Or have we?

As someone with a healthy dislike of authority going through airport security is a difficult
and humiliating experience. Oh shit I forgot to take my belt off, Oh wait now there’s still
change in my pocket!

Recently I went through security at Dublin airport, my bag was scanned and I was asked to open it.
The security person removed a small nail clippers from my hand luggage and told me he’d have to
confiscate it. Why? I asked, he then pulled out the small nail file piece measuring approximately
1 ½ inches and told me he was ‘concerned about it’ I too was concerned as my nails were a fucking
disgrace.

I then proceeded to buy a large bottle of whiskey, which is a highly FLAMABLE substance contained
in a GLASS bottle. I boarded the aircraft with this in my hand.

I don’t think I need to explain the potential this item had as a weapon, broken it could easily
inflict GBH on cabin crew and could also be used to make an incendiary device. However all was
well because I didn’t have that deadly nail clippers!!
This is not an isolated incident, more recently security at a German airport confiscated a
bottle of facial scrub whilst allowing me to carry on a RAZOR and aftershave, again a flammable
substance in a glass bottle. Clearly they felt it was safe though, what might I do with the dreaded
facial scrub, take over the aircraft by threatening to exfoliate the captain’s pores!

Anyone who travel will have had similar experiences and will also have noted the total
inconsistency of security and what they deem as unsafe or even bother checking. Ultimately a
terrorist knows this and If he/she decides to carry out the unthinkable all these measures are
pointless.

Thank you Mr. Bush

Nuclear Energy

2009-09-27T10:02:00.000-07:00

Global warming is now a very serious issue, the polar caps are melting and the earth
is now at a critical stage. Fossil fuels are non-renewable and we are looking for alternatives.

Nuclear Energy is the subject of discussion once more. Throughout Europe and other parts of
the world aging reactors that are reaching the end of their lifespan and licences are being
decommissioned and people are seeking more environmentally friendly options. However, there is a
strong body of argument to extend licences on these reactors and even build many more as they do
not damage the ozone layer or release greenhouse gases.

It is now more than twenty years since the Chernobyl Catastrophe, the long shadow of side affects
will continue to cause suffering indefinately. At present over 3 MILLION children in the Ukraine,
Belarus and Russia require treatment for cancers and other illnesses caused directly by fallout.
This does not include the 650,000 liquidators involved in the cleanup, all of which received very high
doses of radiation. It is estimated that up to 10,000 of these are now dead, the rest of which
have related illnesses.

The unborn are still suffering, the full extent of victims will not be known until 2016, 30 YEARS
after the accident. A 30 MILE exclusion still remains around the town of Prypiat, once the home of
45,000, now a ghost town.

Undeniably this was an unsafe plant which operating outside of normal safety regulations in a
Soviet era of negligence and corruption. However it is not an isolated incident. The UK, Germany,
USA have all had serious accidents, Russia and Japan are the most notable, Japan has had more
nuclear incidents than any other country. Just take a look:http://archive.greenpeace.org/comms/nukes/chernob/rep02.html
France is often used a leading example in the argument for Nuclear Energy as a way forward. They
have had had no major accidents at any of their plants, although this is true, one significant
problem remains; the disposal of nuclear waste and used fuel rods.

At present we have no way of treating or ‘making safe’ the bi-products of the nuclear industry.
Currently they are being buried deep in the ground and we’re hoping for the best. For an industry
that claims to be cutting edge and hi-tec this is hardly safe or good science.

Countries which at one time rejected Nuclear Energy completely, for example, Ireland and Italy are
now reviewing the situation. In 1968 it was proposed to build not one, not two, but four reactors
at Carnsore point, Co. Wexford, but was dropped in 1981 after strong opposition from environmental
groups and flattening energy demands, important to remember this was BEFORE Three Mile Island or Chernobyl.

A strange hypocrisy has existed in Ireland, for years we opposed Nuclear Energy, issued iodine
tablets to the public and lobbied to have Sellafield shut down.
On the other hand, we have not developed enough renewable energy sources and buy energy off the
UK grid, the product of nuclear reactors.

In April 2006, a government-commissioned report by Forfas pointed to the need to reconsider nuclear
power in order "to secure its long-run energy security". Relatively small-scale nuclear plants were
envisaged. In 2007, Ireland's Electricity Supply Board made it known that it would consider a
joint venture with a major EU energy company to build nuclear capacity by 2015.

Ireland is a very small country, should a partial or full meltdown occur this island could become
an exclusion zone. Remember the release of liquid, gaseous, and solid radioactive wastes are
routine at any nuclear plant. Do we really want this on Irish soil?

The Nuclear Industry is a billion dollar one, the construction contract for one plant alone is
worth millions to contractors, investors and developers. Global warming is an ideal way of selling
this rancid apple.

THINK RENEWABLE ENERGY INSTEAD
WindWaveTidalSolarGeothermal

Motoring in Ireland

2009-09-27T09:51:00.000-07:00

Motoring in Ireland, taking your car to the Irish road. Sounds like a good idea, huh?
You might think so, I on the other hand can think of nothing more stressful. I have examined a number
of reasons below explaining why driving in Ireland is such a stressful experience.

Tailgating: This practice of driving practically on another road user's bumper is irritating, frustrating, and downright dangerous.
I see this as an intimidation tactic by ignorant people. If someone does this to me while I am obeying the speed limit,
I deliberately slow down to 5 MPH below the limit. I am doing nothing wrong here. They are in the wrong.
Bad drivers: I will list the worst drivers on Irish roads starting with the worst: - Foreign nationals - they think they know the rules of the road when they quite clearly do not,
they drive on provisional licenses and do not display an 'L' plate and many drive without tax and insurance. - Boy and Girl racers - they drive too fast when they have difficulty controlling a car at 20 MPH. - Taxi drivers - they take over both sides of the road, run red lights, break the speed limit, and never use
their rearview and wing mirrors.
Speeding: This is a crime committed mainly by boy and girl racers in supped up cars and by 'experienced' older drivers
in BMW and Mercedes cars. They think they can control a car at a speed that is higher than the legal limit, but they cannot. I have seen these types of drivers unable to control the car properly at 20 MPH.
Drink driving: This is a crime committed mainly by 'experience' older drivers. These drivers are unable to control a car
without taking a drink, what makes them think they can improve their driving with the addition of alcohol?
The Irish Government: They seem to belive that the way to reduce road fatalities in Ireland is to remove the provisional license
driver. They are 'assuming' that the provisional license driver is largely responsible. This proves that no one
can assume anything because when you assume you make an ass of you and me! One point to remember, it was
the Irish Government who declared an amnesty whereby anyone on the waiting list for a driving test would be given a
driving license regardless of whether they could drive or not. This made matters a lot worse!
The Road Safety Authority: The head of the Road Safety Authority is telling provisional license drivers that they must pass their driving test
when he never sat a driving test in his life because the driving test did not exist that long ago. Why can he not lead
by example?
An Garda Siochana: This group of drivers often have difficulty controlling their vehicles and their urge to drink and drive.
We have seen far too many cases of members of An Garda Siochana being caught drink driving and also causing death by dangerous
and reckless driving.
Foreign Drivers: My request to any foreign drivers on Irish roads is learn the rules, slow down and for the
love of God, please buy tax and insurance for your car. I don't care if the car cost 300 Euro and
your insurance will cost 1,300 Euro, suck it up! Everyone else must do it.

Some examples to highlight the above points are as follows:
- A driver of African origin with an 'L' plate on his car beeped at me when I slowed down to yield at a T-Junction. He was clearly in the wrong.
- A driver of African origin drove the wrong way in a shopping centre car park and took a parking space ahead of me.
I felt I was being punished for doing things the right way and he was being rewarded even though he was in
the wrong. I have many more examples, but not all will fit neatly on this page. If you would like to hear more, please
contact me.

I am simply telling the truth. No one can deny the nightmare that is the Irish road!