Over this weekend, I’ve finally pulled the plug on Where’s Good, the site I launched a while back with the idea of user-generated content for reviewing restaurants, pubs and places to go. It had been around since May 2006 and while the initial take-up and first-year business was OK, it had faded to nothing by the start of 2008.

If I’m honest, the idea stagnated a bit – there was still stuff I wanted to do on it, but I just never got round to doing the second phase, so it all just kind of stayed there, doing nothing much. It may come back when I’ve done a version two, but I don’t know.

When all’s said and done, it didn’t get the interest – again, some of that is down to the fact I didn’t do a lot to promote it. I still think the idea’s good, but there are other sites around that do a similar thing, so I need some kind of USP (Unique Selling Point) and really that’s something else it just didn’t have. Interestingly, at about the same time I bought the Where’s Good domain name, another one called Where Shall We Eat came up, and that one’s never taken off either – the holding page it now has is the same one it’s had since 2005.

Over the last three or four months the registration was also getting hit hard by spammers. Interestingly, the account set-up process I’d written meant that those spammers names/profiles never actually saw the light of day – the system blocked them, or forced the extra verification that they couldn’t supply – so that’s something I’ll probably take on and use elsewhere. (In truth I already have used it elsewhere, but it’s nice to see that it works when getting attacked upwards of 200 times a week)

I’ve a couple of other ideas that may use the same domain name, or I may let that curl up and die as well. I don’t know yet. In the meantime, I haven’t invested that much time in the work on the site (and yes, perhaps if I had invested more time it would’ve been more successful. I know.) so it’s not a massive loss, but it is a bit of a disappointment to pull the plug on something that could (and perhaps should) have been so much better.

Time will tell whether anything comes from that particular revenant’s remains, though.

Today I’ve been getting stuff organised business-wise. And about bloody time too, I hear you cry. (Besides, Herself has kind of been on about it for ages, so it’s also a good way to appease the beast)

So today has involved:

• Bringing the company day book (I.e. a lopping great big diary) up to date
• Organising all the business cards I’ve kept and accumulated over the last few months
• Sorting out the filing of business paperwork, receipts, contracts etc.
• Filling in some registrations for business things: local directories, hotel account, fuel account, etc. etc.
• Organising all the filing and documents into proper files and putting them all in a now-confirmed resident location
• Emailing the accountant with a few queries and updates
• Sorting out a couple of outstanding invoices that needed completing

So how was your day “off” ?

Well, that’s week one over and done with. It’s been pretty productive, and the clients are happy, so that’s all cool.

It’s also given me some thoughts and material for the company site, which are in the process of being written and published sometime over the next few days.

But I’m on my way home now, completed time-sheet in my little paws so that I’ll be getting paid next week – always a good thing. A weekend at home, and then back to Essex on Monday morning. Oh lucky me.

Still, it’s been a good productive week, and all’s well with the world.

Many moons ago, I had a truly horrible pair of shorts, made from a material like tracksuit bottoms. (proper tracksuit thing, not like a shell suit look) They were scraggy, and had paint over them from some ill-advised decorating attempt or other. (Don’t ask) I used to wear them on slobbed-out evenings when I wanted to just sit down and fuck about on a computer, or whatever.

In short (pardon the pun) they were great for just being scummy and slacking out. And for that they were great. They died the death a few years ago – in fact I’m not even sure Herself ever saw them – and I’ve never got round to replacing them. In most of that time, I haven’t even missed them.

This week, though, I have. I’ve been working in the hotel room, and I would have loved to be able to just put on my scabby old shorts. Just to be crunched out and comfortable for a while, if utterly unpresentable in public – that would’ve been really nice.

So yes, I’ve missed my scabby old shorts, and I’m even thinking about buying some nasty pair of cheap-ass shorts if I have to keep on doing this working away from home lark…

So, this is one of the projects that we’ll be paying for by paying for petrol. A skyscraper that rotates, and constantly changes shape.

The plans have been revealed, and it would be situated in Dubai – with the possibility of a similar one in Moscow.

And while I’d have my reservations about living in it, it does look seriously cool…

Last night, I went off to see “Wanted“, the new film with James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman and Angelina Jolie. I wasn’t expecting loads from it, but the trailers have all looked stunning, so it was definitely on the “want to see” list, if only for the effects, and the fact that I love the other stuff that director Timur Bekmambetov has done. (Night Watch, Day Watch)

And wow, is it worth seeing. Of course, it’s absolute rubbish – but it’s incredibly watchable and visually astounding rubbish. I can think of at least three parts where you do just sit there with your mouth open, wondering how the hell they did [x], or got the idea for it in the first place. It’s that stunning. It’s also surprisingly violent in places – something that seems to be happening less and less, unless you’re into Hostel, Saw and the like. (and I’m not – horror/blood porn does nothing for me at all) It makes sense for the most part, but you certain raise your eyebrows a bit because of some of the scenes.

Even the final scenes carry a surprise – and that’s all I’m going to say about it. It works really well, but there’s at least one serious surprise in there.

More surprisingly, Angelina Jolie is OK as well. She’s someone I’ve never really been a fan of, but in Wanted she carries off the role pretty well.

All told, just go and see it. Don’t expect high art, but do expect to suspend disbelief for two hours, sit down, and enjoy the ride.