TBH I don’t think there will be many around there, closest are what you are probably seeing on Google in Kemptown.
Nowhere in Brighton is far, will be 5 min cab etc.

Nike free run are my default post work footwear choice

Great, can I join?
180cm
74kg post Christmas and some time off, want to get back down to 70.5kg.

Use Salesforce here.

Other one thats quite nice for SMEs is http://highrisehq.com from the Basecamp/37 Signals people.

LIGHT

Shocking that they missed out honouring Sir Chris.

Doesn’t he already have an MBE?

Best camera is the one you have on you…

Does it really matter who does what with them, or is this just another ‘anti’ bandwagon to jump on?

This to a degree – for professionals its an issue of course. Can’t imagine Rankin (for example, assumed he used Instagram) being happy that someone could take his work and use it commercially. Likewise all my professional friends have stepped away from the service in the last couple of days. Not just photographers actually but also designers.

As someone who worked in print and prepress when a pro digital camera was 1.25Mp, you are talking bollocks

Not going to argue with someone who thinks a 612×612 could be used in print nowadays.

Two things about this make me laugh.
1. Instagram photos are so low res and bad quality they could never be used for something substantial (print, media etc).
2. Everyone moaning about having their crappy photos ‘stolen’ is continously downloading music for free without second thought!

If your AV amp has a digital optical in you can connect that to your airport express, the 3.5mm jack includes an optical connection(it does in the latest airport express, don’t know about earlier versions)

Yes and yes. Good call. It does do this and now I know is obviously the quick win! Thanks, will give it a go!

No – I’m guessing D/A is happening in the AirTune AirPort thingy? Cable from that to Denon is just a regular jack cable. That’s why I think there is room for improvement somewhere!

I’m looking at something round the £2/300 mark. DAC Magic something like that.

Thanks all.

Some more detail on the set up I’m talking about…..

Streaming Spotify (premium/hbr) from a Macbook Air wirelessly via AirPort Express.

Amp is a mid range Denon AV amp (can’t remember the number) and the speakers are B&W M1/Sub 5.1 set up (Home Cinema)

So not so straight forward and clear weak links to me for music are the AirPort streaming? And Speakers.

I’m thinking swapping out the L&R speakers for some proper floorstanders might be best bang for buck improvement.

As you might have guessed this is for music on a home cinema set up, never intended it for music really but due to a few changes around the house have ended up listening to music on it a lot.

2006, Hermitage, JL Chave

And anyone who can pay £500 for a meal for two there has to convince themselves it was great.

This is just really silly. Most people would think £500 is a lot for a bike.

And I’ve had plenty bad or at least non memorable meals for £500.

I’ve eaten at the Fat Duck and numerous other 3*’s. Food is a big interest of mine, my wife trained at Leiths so her’s also.

Simply, if you’re into food, even in the slightest then view a meal the the Fat Duck as an experience, and for that c£500 for dinner is well worth it.

Obviously if you’re not into food then you’re going to think its a waste of money.

But of all the meals I’ve had then Fat Duck is right up there with Noma.

I am currently the senior design engineer for a small machine builder. I am being told that due to TAX threshold it would be benedicial to split design and service away from manufacture into 2 sepperate companies ( I beleive VAT is payable as soon as invoiced once the company turnover is over £2,000,000)

Not sure of or if that there is a tax benefit here, still get a month to pay VAT when t/o >2MM

Separate out in your head being an Employee and a Director. If a Director you still need a contract of employment, assuming you’re an employee and so on and should continue to negotiate that separately of any discussion re being a Director.

Any profit share will still be taxed at your regular rate, share options more complex but in general when you take a gain it will be at capital gains rate which will be less than you income tax rate.

Clever structuring could further improve this, I would try to see if the new entity could be elegible for entrepreneurs relief for which after a qualifying period would be 10% CGT. You would need to be a Director and be issued shares in NewCo.

Lawyers and Accountants are your friends.

Personally I’d avoid becoming a Director for a company I didn’t own or part own.

Think ill go with the i7 as the price difference isn’t huge.

Performance is better overall basically. Did you go with 2.7 or 2.9ghz?

Nearly £400 no? I went for the 2.9ghz i5 (£1499) – i7 would be £1858

Edit: I’m talking 27″ if that makes a diff

Usage is the usual web, office and interested amateur level aperture/photoshop

Some frantic googling going on tonight

You know more than those teaching at the classes I’ve been to

Get you with your Whisky evening classes!

I find superstition works with a drop but agree on laphroig

Is a bottle a week too much?

£136M turnover last year – with 32% gross margin, means £7M+ running cost each month (including buying the stock) – that’s an enormous amount of sales to make to just break even

Not saying you’re wrong but not following you here?

Thanks all, I too stream Spotify via Airfoil etc. Researching a bit more it does seen that perhaps the Spotify compression is more of a limiting factor as maxtorque mentioned. Wondering now if a DAC in that situation might actually make setup worse ie show up the compression more.
More research needed! Really can’t be assed any more with ripping lossless etc.

I think the difference may be that Boardman is a brand/manufacturer in it’s own right, run by CB himself

Do you really think that?

Yeah I think I’ve had enough. Stuck it (samsung galaxy s2) in the classified here now, see if I fare better with you lot!

second slug of jura superstition here

very easy to run a business that makes no profits if you want to

Spoken like someone who runs their own business!

Ask them rather than drop friendly hints.
What bike?

Why would I want to inconvenience myself by going to a local shop when I can get everything I want from Amazon et al?

Amazon Prime is the best thing ever!

Damo, well spotted. Previously after I helped him (under the radar) he took the credit for my work, openly. Seeing as both of us do a similar job on different sides of the fence my Director has spotted the imbalance and therefore my additional effort, and there are several others complaining about said colleague. Both of us work in support roles.

So my Director is aware, and also aware of the importance of what “we” were working on while he was away, hence the request for a report – and he does ask for said colleagues contribution by name.

Cool, I’d give him what he wants then.

But as a final point I think its a bit weak of your Director to ask you if the situation and his awareness is as you state. He should be acting without relying on you to provide the smoking gun – knowing the trepidation his request will cause you (as evidenced above!).

I would hope he is not going to sit down the other guy and say “kryton said….”!

I’d say the fact that your director has specifically mentioned that he wants to know what your colleagues contribution has/hasn’t been means he’s already ‘onto’ what’s going on.

Just be honest – say you have been ‘covering’ for your colleague, and say something to the effect of “well, if I hadn’t picked up the slack it wouldn’t have got done” and “I think it’s OK to help people up to a point, but not when they just won’t/can’t learn and it happens all the time”.

Knowing how some directors’ minds work – this might be your only chance. He’ll probably be viewing this as a one-off judgement to clear his conscience and the air in general. In my experience, most directors don’t want to leave any meeting/process with unanswered questions. The fact that your director is taking an interest makes him pretty good in my opinion – a lot don’t give a monkey’s how much strain people are under, just so long as the work gets done.

Also, ask yourself if your colleague would lie and play up their contribution if they were giving the report – it sounds like they’d stiff you given half a chance – no reason to be sentimental.

Don’t sweat it – the chances are your colleague may not be cut out for the work anyway – if they can’t cope, it is in their long-term interests to get it sorted as well. What would happen if you left?

Few big assumptions there!

To answer the OP it depends if this is normal behaviour from your Director. Does he normally ask for a debrief after a holiday? I would presume so.

Is him asking for “what my colleagues involvement and actions have or haven’t been” in the context he actually asked you the same as the context and with the same meaning you give it above?

I’d just be careful of projecting your perception onto what might be an innocent and quite usual request from your Director.

Either way I’d report back on what you’ve done. There is no need to mention what others haven’t done. He will figure that out and personally I’d prefer it that way (in his position).

Quiet word with the other member of staff wouldn’t go a miss imo and is the way I’d approach the situation.

Very true, Damo, very true!

Thanks for understanding my point. I did think about it after and I think you’d be right in certain circumstances, perhaps with a v large team (call center etc?) where you may have 200+ staff. But even then I’d expect some team structure such that direct reports were manageable.

If one of my staff was under performing really badly and no one told me, it would be those who didn’t tell me I wouldn’t like.

If you have an under performing member of YOUR staff you shouldn’t be relying on someone else to tell you.

UK company – made anywhere

Orange is a good one, Enigma maybe too small to be in the top?
Raleigh I’m pretty sure overseas owned now.

No, I don’t think he spent enough!

It takes me about 30s to prepare an espresso from beans

This