Tag: slough

Alexa Pizza Skill

We got an email earlier advertising the new Alexa Skill for Dominoes Pizza so decided to give them a go as we both fancied a Pizza.

Took a few minutes to create a Dominoes website account with address and payment details. You then access the Alexa App on your phone to add the Dominoes skill. So far, all worked as expected and was easy enough with Dominoes online guide to the process.

“Alexa, Ask dominoes to feed me!”

Alexa checked her records and asked me a few questions around what I wanted to order. She asked if we wanted to hear a joke whilst she did this and then announced there had been a problem. I asked her for the order details and she dais there had been a problem and I should check my email. Oh dear! Am I going to get a Pizza or not?

Checked my email and there was a Dominoes email confirming my order had been placed.

In the mean time the email said I could check the order status online….

pizzapizza2pizza3pizza4

You can also ask Alexa where your order is…

“Alexa, where’s my Pizza”. She replied “mmm….I Don’t know that”

Apparently if our local Slough branch doesn’t have GPS enabled this wont work.

And the Pizza finally arrived 45 minutes later.

Altogether quite cool. Shame the Alexa skill didn’t fully work

 

Atomic Blond

Went and saw this movie at Slough’s cinema on Tuesday evening as two tickets is only £8.50 so its cheap compared with other cinemas. However once again you get what you pay for. Great film and loved the music as well. Must look out for the soundtrack. Some great fight and x-rated scenes with our blond haired lead. We look forward to its 4K release later in the year.

Slough cinema continues to decline though. There were just a handful of staff present in the cinema. Screen no 8 was about 28 degrees. They are obviously trying to save money but not switching on the air conditioning. There were only about a dozen people in our viewing. There was a group of teenage lads came in 40 minutes into the film. Sat down and proceeded to pull out the phones and record the juicy bits of the film on their mobiles. After a bit of filming they left again. We went and told one of the staff downstairs in their reception area but their security turned up 15 minutes later by which time they had simply left again. There were also a group of girls at the back who could not have been more than 12 giggling away. The film is classified as 15 but with no staff you could easily walk out of one film and straight into another and not be challenged.

I’m sure any locals of a certain age will remember the original Slough cinema near the police station. With torch enabled staff leading you to your seats, Saturday morning matinee’s, interludes with ice cream and popcorn to buy. Damn I must be getting old!

Most people now probably have a smart TV, at least one computer, mobile devices etc that are all capable of streaming film and TV programs. I’m sure a lot of people know how to download/stream content that isn’t even officially released. Its not difficult to find whatever you want to watch online and often not pay for this. With this in mind, people are going to cinemas less. Its not the social event it used be in the 20th Century. If I go the cinema now its generally because I want to see a particular film on a very large screen with a THX sound system that flaps my trouser legs and not have to worry about keeping the neighbours awake with my cinema surround system at home. I’m sure with all this in mind that the only cinemas that will be doing business in the next 10 years will be the ones offering a great customer experience, not just the cheap ones. Hope you’re listening Empire Cinemas!

War of the Planet of the Apes

First day back after our holiday and we decided to pop into Slough Cinema and see the new War of the Planet of the Apes film. There were just four people in the cinema!

Enjoyed the film. Great visual effects compared with the original 1968 Charlton Heston film but I still love the original. Typical Charlton Heston film of the era. Love his final quote of the film…

YOU MANIACS! YOU BLEW IT UP! OH, DAMN YOU! GODDAMN YOU ALL TO HELL!

u4s4b3xRz5gOHwzO2KneDqIl7Bf

A Walk through Slough

Had a great anniversary weekend with lots of indulgences so decided to try to arrest my middle aged spread by walking 6 miles through Slough to work at Langley College. 

I am invigilating GCSE exams today so left my house at about 6.15am to get to work early. It was 13 degrees and cloudy but otherwise dry and pleasant. 

There’s a couple of different routes I could take but today I opted for the one that takes me through Slough town centre as there was some shopping I wanted to pick up en route.

After walking for a couple of miles through the Britwell and Manor Park Estates, I passed through Baylis Park and noticed that all the parks in Slough seem to be getting these outdoor gyms. Great idea.


As you walk through this park you pass the walls of the Baylis House and its grounds, some ducks, a stream and a pond.

I have fond memories as a child when there was a Lido here and you could enjoy paddling on a hot summers day.




As you leave Baylis, you cross a road, past a mosque, under the Main London train line and into Salt Hill Park.

The mosque


Cross the road next to the recycling site walls.


Under the railway tunnel. Often has people smoking cannabis. The council have now erected CCTV to monitor the tunnel but it doesn’t seem to stop people.


Into Salt Hill Park with its outdoor gym, cafe, bowling alley and tennis courts.



As I left Salt Hill Park, I joined the A4 and walked past the old Church, the new curve building and through the Town Centre until I reached the Sainsbury’s where I stopped to pick up some Jack Daniels (on offer at £16 for 70cl) and some bananas for breakfast. Another mile and half along Langley road and I arrived at the College at about 8.00 am. 12800 steps in all. Not a bad way to start Monday morning.

Black Circles, ProTyres, DHL, Ebay, TPMS & More..

So, an update to yesterdays post where I was not happy about the service we received from DHL. No surprise that when we arrived at DHL’s depot this morning to collect my parcel as they told us the night before, the parcel had been sent out already via the courier. Their customer services agreed to call us at about 11.00 am when the delivery had been made again through our letterbox. (why they couldn’t do this the day before, I don’t know) and they did.

The parcel arrived about 11.00am so this was good. Debbie picked me up from work and I made my way to the Tyre fitters, ProTyre in Slough. Within 15 minutes they were taking my car in to the garage for the new tyre. I explained that I had bought a new valve/TPMS sensor assembly as the one on the tyre was faulty. I also explained the front tyre was losing air slowly, perhaps a slow puncture and they quoted me an additional £21.02 to repair it.

A short wait later and the new tyre I ordered online from Black Circles had been fitted with the new TMPS sensor. The front tyre turned out to be a poor seal between the tyre and the wheel rim. They cleaned it up and are confident I will have no more leaks and better still, no cost. Thanks very much ProTyre.

The TPMS sensors normally need to be calibrated and the last time I had a sensor replaced and calibrated by the main dealer, Hughes of Beaconsfield, it cost me about £150. After a short drive down the road with the new sensor it self calibrated and for the first time in quite a while, I had 4 functioning tyre pressure sensors.

Excellent customer service to Black Circles, ProTyre and the Ebay seller where I purchased my sensor. Not so good service from DHL.

Summary:

Ordered tyre from Black Circles – good price, free fitting etc and one of the hew places I can get my size tyre. The earliest date I could get for fitting was today, about 2 weeks wait. I chose ProTyre as the fitter because they are close to me and a preferred fitter from black Circle.s

Ordered new OEM TPMS sensor from ebay seller (£42.59) – tpms-centre. Arrived as per their delivery estimate (about 2 working days)  apart from DHL mucking me around.

21/3/17 – arrived at ProTyre. Tyre fitted, new sensor fitted and repair to leaking front tyre at no extra cost.

Last time I had a new tyre and sensor fitted, the total cost was about £430. Total cost this time was about £160. That’s a pretty significant saving on the main dealer!