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Author: anthony
The Verge have done it again with an excellent piece on the difficulties encountered with the HealthCare.gov site in the States. It speaks of the huge problems that procurement processes throw up and of the widening gap between what the private sector can do vs the hamstrung public service. I’ve personal experience of this problem in my work over the past few years so will be keeping a close eye on how the US go about tackling it.
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Never mind the chicken wings
Irish Pictorial Weekly is a satirical sketch show that’s in its second season on RTE Two at the moment. This weeks episode highlighted the fact that that we pay our judiciary €194k. Germany pays €73k. When we have people like Judge Nolan on the bench, it makes it even worse. The video above nails the ridiculous nature of having our politicians able to drink and vote on matters of national importance. Remember this?
I love seeing innovative ways of tying digital advertising with real time data and British Airways have done just that with their latest billboard campaign in Piccadilly Square. The billboard has a child track a real time flight in the sky overhead with the destination details etc. Granted it’s not something smaller brands could do but this is hugely effective. Make it live, make it relevant and you’ll see the benefit.
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Using Parcel Motel
I’ve always had an issue with getting stuff delivered when ordering online and I’d come across Parcel Motel in September on the recommendation of a mate. It works by sending whatever you’ve ordered to an address in either the Republic or the North and then your parcel is delivered to a collection point close to your home (there seems to be about 70 odd). You ramble up at your convenience with a PIN number that’s been sent to your phone and collect it. Each delivery costs you €3.50 and you can top up with credit on their site. I use it predominantly for Amazon as they offer a lot of items with free UK delivery, meaning you get it sooner and often for cheaper.
One pro-tip I’d give in the run in to Christmas is to sign up for the Amazon Prime one month trial. With it you get unlimited next day UK delivery so all you pay is the Parcel Motel fee. You can cancel it at the end of the month for free or continue it for £49 a year. The Parcel Motel site could use some UX love but I reckon I’ll certainly be using the service for a good while to come.