Alternatives to flying

[Rantor]

Spain but I got the same in Holland and France and only 50 more in Switzerland. Am I asking too little?

Got any jobs there? I'd like to work in Belgium, possibly for quite a while.

Not me. From around Glasgow, yes.

I'm from the same general area myself - it seems to have spawned a load of Siebel cowboys.

One thing I realised in the Siebel market is that after things started recovering around 2003 the rates increased only slightly BUT the agencies were cranking up their rates. It drifted into a situation where the pimperatti where making monster margins and us suppliers got used to being paid buttons.

It seems to have loosened up a bit lately and 800 is possible if the contract is with an end client and not with a typical config partner consultancy. It is definitely possible to squeeze the agencies margin (do not be surprised if they are on 30+ %) if they need you on site.

In terms of work here, August is a bad month as everyone sods off on holiday. I know for a fact that a large finance company here has been hiring in the last few weeks and one guy (another weegie!) there got over 700 without having to negotiate too hard.

There is other stuff but a wee bit indiscreet to mention on a public forum - PM if you like.

[expat]

It seems to have loosened up a bit lately and 800 is possible if the contract is with an end client and not with a typical config partner consultancy. It is definitely possible to squeeze the agencies margin (do not be surprised if they are on 30+ %) if they need you on site.

Hm yes, another mistake I make. Last contract was to a UK agent, to a German software house, to the client via a Swiss umbrella. One of the reasons I left employment with a software house was the number of people working there who were not profit centres.

[Francko]

Franko, nice to see my advice about you ceasing to be an onanist is paying off.

Don't blame masturbation. Without that, pieces of sperm like you wouldn't be around. Spaccim e'mierd'! (from Naples dialect = tulip sperm, summing up your personality quite well). Now f@$ck off for the good and forever.

Closed connection.

[hyperD]

How many journeys such cars made, twice a day perhaps? That would make it 2 x 300 (say we ignore 65 days of not driving) x 32,000,000 = 19,200,000,000 journeys (conservative figure) and 3000 deaths - roughly this is 0.15 dead per million journeys. Now this is averages, which means that those who drive every day through known blackspots risk more, and those who don't risk less, so in practice it would be common for risk of death to fluctuate at least 5 times: say I drive off peak on empty roads, my risk is probably 10 times less - 0.01 dead per million journeys.

So what's the airline figures? Here are some:

Airline Rate Flights FLE* Events Last
British Airways+ 0.17 8.27M 1.40 2 1985


Rate of 0.17 per million flights. Ohhh what's the rate? Its so called fatal event - Each of these events involved the death of at least one airline passenger.

So how many passengers you think will die when airplane crashes down? More than one ffs, the whole thing about how safe airplanes are is a load of statistical lies.

---

And add to this psycological thing - in car you will get killed quickly, you simple won't have much time to be afraid, but in airplane you will have more than enough to really sh1t your pants while parts of the plane are going down.

I sure leave flying to others.

First of all AtW, check your data and look at EVERYTHING you are comparing it with - taking BA: their last accident was in 1985 and the data you presented was taken from number of fatal events since 1970. Their operating safety procedures have been refined over the decades.

If you took it now it would be zero fatalities. Unlike African/Middle Eastern airlines which have far higher fatalities due to poor maintenance, poor command of English, poor training, hijacks and poor investment in the aviation industry, and in some cases, you become a pilot due to who you know, not what you know.

European and American pilots have the best training, the best maintained aircraft and a plethora of safety equipment onboard the aircraft and procedures while flying in controlled airspace.

In the UK, we have a collection of effectively untrained drivers with severely small IQs, their perceived fantasy of immortality being enforced by the numerous adverts proclaiming the advance of safety devices, their inability to understand simple concepts such as momentum and friction, poor road surfaces and drainage, and severe complacency etc

I mean, it's only a short time ago when an accident at 30 mph would have the steering wheel going straight through your chest killing you instantly.

The problem with driving, unlike flying, is that even if you are the best advanced driver in the road, some fucking chav after a blingful of beer will come careering off a hump back bridge in the rain, straight into your car killing you instantly if you're lucky.

And another thing: this fantasy of thinking that you die quickly in a plane is nonsense: do you remember the flight that broke up and half the depressurised plane was sent higher into the atmosphere for several minutes before crashing into the ground?

What about the planes that have inboard fires that release toxic fumes which, like sitting in a running car in a garage, lead to agonising deaths?

Being slowly crushed and asphyxiated due to fluid in the lungs in uncontrolled descents?

Uncontrolled descents into the sea and watching the water level slowly rise up over your head as you are trapped in the wreckage?

Granted, sudden depressurisation above 30,000 feet will thankfully make you unconscious within seconds before you realise that you have perforated eardrums and frostbite after while...

There are many documented instances of people being trapped in cars slowly dying and only when they are lifted from the cars do their guts and organs pour out and they die.

Personally, I'd fly every time knowing that the pilots and the ATC there are the best of the best.

Compare that to the risk that you are putting into your life as you mix with the thick chavs, foreign lorry drivers and the feckers that think nothing of driving at 90mph on the outside lane during a hailstorm or fog on the british motorways.

[expat]

...There are many documented instances of people being trapped in cars slowly dying and only when they are lifted from the cars do their guts and organs pour out and they die.....

The lamented Roger Rabbit once boasted of a commute that consisted of a 5-minute walk to the office in Edinburgh. Sounds appealing now.

[AtW]

It is true that British Airways (and probably by extention other british air companies) are very good when it comes to safety, I certainly prefer flying BA now rather than Airflot as I know that BA pilots would never allow kids to play with air controls while leaving the cabin thinking its on auto pilot.

Still however I would not fly unless its absolutely necessary - most likely due to fear of flying rather than anything rational, but given current terrorist climate its best to stay away from airplanes.

I now drive car at 60 mph on inside lane, often 55 mph well behind lorries with hard shoulder next to me being aware of possibility of accident and being ready to react to any dangerous situtation. I also drive on good roads and in off peak time, for me I think it reduces risk of car crash by at least 10 times.

[AtW]

The lamented Roger Rabbit once boasted of a commute that consisted of a 5-minute walk to the office in Edinburgh. Sounds appealing now.

Was he hit by a car?

[expat]

Was he hit by a car?

Actually worse can happen, not funny. I once knew vaguely a family who moved out of Lanarkshire for a more countryside life in the Borders. Sadly their house in Lockerbie isn't there any more.

[oraclesmith]

I now drive car at 60 mph on inside lane, often 55 mph well behind lorries with hard shoulder next to me being aware of possibility of accident and being ready to react to any dangerous situtation. I also drive on good roads and in off peak time, for me I think it reduces risk of car crash by at least 10 times.

Why don't you drive at 55mph down the middle lane. You've got more options then if something happens. Also you could put your hazard lights and blip your horn every couple of minutes so that other road users are aware of your presence. You need ample stopping distance, so make sure you are at least 300 yards behind the car in front and if someone jumps into that gap make sure you open it up again by slowing down.

[AtW]

Why don't you drive at 55mph down the middle lane. You've got more options then if something happens.

No I would not have more options - I would in fact have fewer: when driving next to hard shoulder that is empty I always got safe lane to drive into should anything happen, like say my tyre burst or engine failure.

55-60mph save about 20-25% of fuel too - I can get 700 mph out of one tank of fuel.