More effort required.

I need to start doing stuff

Music, hobbies, self improvement. I need some. I want to expand my mind. I’m at that mid-life-crisis’y point where I wonder what the point of me is. Apart from bread winner and shouty Dad. How do I go about this? I think to start with I want to start keeping track of what I plan to do, and see whether I can actually start ticking stuff off the list. I guess that means I need a to-do list and start working my way through it.

To-do list:

1. Blog?
2. Teach people about matched betting.
3. Learn Uke.
4. Kite more.
5. Maths.
6. New programming languages.
7. Stretch.
8. Workout.

Refine

That above is a bit bloody broad, but it’s a start. Hopefully nobody will read this and I’ll just have a nagging thought in my head that I started something I need to make good on.

 

 

 

 

Apple Macbook Pro. Cheaper.

A friend asked me for some advice about getting a mac recently. When I say friend, he’s more a sibling of a friend who’s more an ex of a sibling. Anyway, he asked if I thought buying a mac was a good idea. I have to say I think it is. I’m not a through and through fanboy, though I do find myself being the proud owner of a macbook pro 13″, an iPhone 4, a trackpad thing (though I rarely use it!) and an airport express. I moved over from using windows based laptops over two years ago and I didn’t really struggle with the transition. Some things are better, some are worse and to be fair to windows, I’ve not really looked too hard at windows 7 or beyond…

Without doubt the biggest pull of Apple products for me is with the build quality and design. With that brings the peace of mind that the extra cash I fork out now could be recouped if I decide to sell my laptop when I decide to upgrade to a new one. As an example, take a look at this listing which just ended on eBay for a 2009 Macbook Pro 13 http://bit.ly/osrGDa. That’s pretty amazing – a laptop which could have been picked up for as little as £800 has sold two years later for £550 – pretty impressive residuals! Two years ownership for £250 is great value!

Having said that, the price on the Apple Store site (via TopCashBack by the way and also RIP Steve Jobs) for a spanking new Macbook Pro is currently as follows:

• £999 for a base spec Macbook Pro 13
• £1549 for a base spec Macbook Pro 15

Pretty pricey! I decided to take a quick look (not more than an hour) to see how much I could shave off that price by doing a little digging around the net with the following rules:

1. Only the current spec of machine allowed
2. Brand new
3. From a reputable retailer
4. From a UK based retailer

I am prepared to use voucher codes, and given I’ve had some good success with the TopCashBack site, I would endorse using that too.

The cheapest way I could find to buy a Macbook Pro 13:

1. Join TopCashBack
2. Go to PixMania
3. Or Go straight to the page on PixMania
4. Remember the PIXUK12OCT discount code and apply this when you hit the checkout

All told, that should net you a current spec Macbook Pro 13 for £884.08 instead of £999

The cheapest way I could find to buy a Macbook Pro 15:

1. Join TopCashBack
2. Go to PixMania
3. Or Go straight to the page on PixMania
4. Remember the PIXUK12OCT discount code and apply this when you hit the checkout

All told, that should net you a current spec Macbook Pro 13 for £1375.45 instead of £1549

I love getting the best deals…

For starters

The first post to Hoffmonkey’s blog. I’m not going to promise to do anything at all as I’ll almost certainly fail if I do that! I used to be the best programmer I knew, now I realise kids out of school are more on the ball. I used to be a pretty good kitesurfer, but I’ve only been twice in a year, and kids are better at it. I used to think I would never settle down, but I’m really happy with the way home life is giving me a sense of purpose. Time for kids – they’ll do things better than I do. (I promise not to be competitive Dad!)

The ten eleven commandments of Hoffmonkey (they’re just a list of things I kinda like to adhere to sometimes, but I might just be talking drivel – my fingers are writing this, not me):

1. Always wear your heart on your sleeve, that way people see the real you.
2. Treat people the way you would expect to be treated.
3. Remember nothing is more important than family.
4. You only need one or two really good friends and your partner/extended family do qualify.
5. Trying to do your best is more important than any measure of achievement.
6. Why use ten words when you can use a hundred?
7. Remember you WILL turn into the image of your father so try to be patient with his views and opinions even if they are straight from a 1970’s edition of the Daily Mail.
8. Don’t try to be cool, you will fail.
9. Always shop for bargains and only buy an item/product if you:
   • Need it.
   • Can afford it.
   • Have made sure you can’t buy it cheaper anywhere else.
10. Put health above career.
11. Smile at everyone unless they’ve broken into your house in which case you can club them to death with reasonable force.
12. Don’t worry too much about a rounding error ±1 is ok!

My plan is to just write about what is on my mind, no particular rules regarding subject matter…