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Transfering Hosting from IONOS to Fasthosts

By Creativity, Technology, The WebNo Comments

I recently departed company with IONOS, after being a loyal customer for years. Here is why I left this hosting provider:

  • Their SPAM blocking features in email were rubbish. They blocked people that I regularly email, yet didn’t block clearly SPAM and potentially harmful emails.
  • Their WordPress websites were slow and full of bloatware.
  • They started adding things (at a considerable cost) to my contract, without my permission or at least a discussion. For example, they added PHP Extended Support.
  • They kept changing billing amounts and billing dates. This was making it impossible to keep track of my money and led to a couple occasions where they were paid late.
  • Their prices had increased significantly without any explanation.
  • The IONOS account was constantly trying to sell me products, often ones that I wasn’t interested in or weren’t relevant to me.
  • The customer support agents didn’t always call back when they said they would.

Here’s why I choose fasthosts:

  • They’re UK-based (although the Customer Support isn’t always).
  • They offered a money back guarantee.
  • They offered a reduced price initially, which is perfect when trying something new.
  • They offered WordPress specific hosting.
  • They focus on high performance, quick loading websites.
  • They gave all the standard features I needed: email, access and the ability to upload my own files to the server, SSL certificates, daily back up/restore, etc.
  • Their security and protection of my account is second to none.

I can’t lie, the transfer over wasn’t easy. After having a blog and a domain name for such a long time, challenges were to be expected, but at times it felt maddening and frustrating.

Fasthosts backend could be a little bit easier to use, for example I signed up to two additional contracts for email, before sussing out with the help of Customer Support that I already had email as part of my WordPress Hosting Package. It just wasn’t where I would have expected it to be (i.e. under email).

Fasthosts Customer Support have been brilliant at helping me with my teething problems transferring over. But they could enhance their offer to potential customers by offering a managed WordPress transfer.

Only time will tell is fasthosts turns out to be as good as I hope it is. But I’m more than happy at this moment with their service and products.

If you want to sign up to fasthosts use this link. In the interest of full disclosure I get credit on my account for everyone that signs up using this link, through a referral programme.

Blog soon,

Antony

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Sunday 4 June 2023

Health Tech Review: Daylight Lamp by Beurer

By Amazon, Health, Reviews, TechnologyNo Comments
Daylight-Lamp-Beurer I had been thinking about getting a Seasonal affective Disorder (SAD) lamp for a while. Everyone I spoke to about it had friends that swore by theirs, but nobody that I knew actually had one.

So this Autumn, as evenings started to get darker earlier and there was less light in the mornings I treated myself to a Daylight Lamp by Beurer.

I have popped the daylight lamp on my desk and have used it daily, usually in the evenings after work throughout November & December.So what are my thoughts?

They are mixed. The dark mornings haven’t seemed to affect my mood as bad, but this could be the placebo effect.

Despite the Daylight Lamp box boasting that the lamp is medically certified it doesn’t reference any specific research studies to back this claim up, let alone some good longitudinal research studies.

Here are my Pros and Cons for the Daylight Lamp by Beurer:

Pros Cons
  • It appears to work. Getting up in the dark mornings hasn’t felt as difficult as in previous years. Nor has my mood seemingly been affected as much as normal by the lack of light. This could be the placebo effect, but does it really matter? As long as it works.
  • It is easy to setup and work. Simply position it, plug it in and use the one simple on/off switch on the front.
  • It is super-bright. I have nicknamed it my God Light.
  • It has a stand, so sits on my desk easily.
  • It is thin, meaning that it doesn’t take up much space.
  • It is plastic, meaning that it is easy to dust/clean.
  • It is lightweight meaning that it is easy to move. You could take it to work or other places with you.
  • The lamp made no difference to my blood sugars, which is a good thing as a type 1 diabetic.
  • It was expensive, when compared with other non-SAD lamps, costing nearly £50.
  • Replacement bulbs can only be bought from the manufacturer and not in any high street shops. I haven’t tried looking online, it’s possible that I’ll be able to get bulbs online. Hopefully they are not to expensive.
  • Switching on/off the lamp requires you to hold the back, as the product is so lightweight that trying to press the switch without holding the back results in it moving.
  • The front of the lamp does get warm/hot to the touch once it has been on a while. The manufacturer does recognise this and warms customers about it in the instructions.

Overall the Daylight Lamp by Beurer has more Pros than Cons and can be bought on Amazon.

Review soon,

Antony



I aim for posts on this blog to be informative, educational and entertaining. If you have found this post useful or enjoyable, please consider making a contribution by Paypal:


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Monday 2 January 2017

My India Adventure (Part 3) – Shopping in Delhi

By Adventures, Friends & Family, Happiness & Joy, Love & Relationships, Money / Finances, Shopping, TravelNo Comments
IndiaJuly2015-shopping-0

My spending money in Rupees.

 If you enjoy shopping for clothes as I do, Delhi is the perfect place to visit with an empty suitcase. As Indian’s like their clothes.

I exchanged my money at the airport (see photo left). ₹500 (five hundred Rupee) is currently worth about £5 (five British Pounds).

My first shopping trip was on my first full day in Delhi. Robert, Michael, Neha, Neha’s sisters and brothers-in-law and I went shopping for an wedding outfit. Robert choose an attractive gold colour, Michael choose a grey and gold colour combination and I choose a fabulous purple colour.

Below is a photo of our wedding outfits, see my last blog post for photos of us in our outfits:

IndiaJuly2015-shopping-1

Wedding outfit shopping.

Then we headed to an outdoor market where we bought some wedding shoes. These shoes were more about style than comfort and I named them The shoes of DEATH after they shredded my feet.

Prior to travelling to Delhi, I had been talking to a lovely guy named Eddie. I needed to buy Neha’s parents a thank you gift and was in need of a guide and shopping buddy. So I hired Eddie and a taxi for the day. Eddie was gorgeous, patient, kind and caring. We quickly connected and became more than friends. During my stay in Delhi I visited at least five Malls, two Bazaars and four outdoor market places.

On my first shopping trip with Eddie (there were a few) we went to Benetton where I bought a fleeced hoodie, a smart shirt, two plain t-shirts and two t-shirts with designs all for £55. On another occasion Eddie took me to an outdoor market and I got two pairs of smart work shoes for £8. I bought two real leather belts for £1.90. Delhi could be cheap or expensive depending on where you shopped and who you shopped with.

Eddie helped me buy some small gifts for close family and some of my friends. Believe it or not is where most of my money went – on other people. When Indian’s see foreigners they triple their prices. So having Eddie who spoke Hindi helped barter the prices down. I am extremely grateful to him for his language skills, superb company and for soo much more ;).

My favourite place to shop was Connaught Place. It had a good mix of shops, a Bazaar and an outdoor market place. Plus, it has plenty of places to buy good coffee. However most importantly for me, it was where Eddie and I created some amazing memories.

After much searching, Eddie and I found the perfect gift for Neha’s parents (to thank them for taking such good care of me). We found this lovely stylish mirror in the shape of the sun, which was the perfect gift for them.

Wherever you shop in Delhi there’s plenty of roadside stalls selling drinks and ice cream. There’s copious Tuk Tuk bikes and auto Rickshaws that you can use to get around. Or there’s always the Delhi Metro. The Delhi Metro is cheaper than Tuk Tuk bikes or auto Rickshaws and is quite an experience.

Eddie introduced me to the Metro and we used it together on about six journeys while I was in Delhi. The Metro in Delhi has been so popular that it is currently being extended. By 2020 they want 50% of people travelling on the Metro, which in the sky, and 50% of people using the roads. This will ease the current road congestion problem Delhi has, along with reducing air pollution. The Metro is exactly like the London Underground, just above ground rather than under it.

The first two Metro carriages of every Metro line are reserved for women, along with woman only seats in the other carriages. Getting on and off the Metro was a bit of a challenge at times, with a little fast-paced pushing and feet shuffling required.

I got plenty of stirs on the Metro because of my white skin. They were stirs of curiosity because most people hadn’t ever seen someone with white skin. After a while it did leave me feeling a bit awkward and unsure of how to respond. I wasn’t sure whether to stir back, smile or do a little dance. Luckily for the the other Metro users it was too cramped to allow me to do a little dance. On most journeys Eddie and I held-hands and no one stirred because of this or seemed to even notice it.

Whether you’re shopping or using the Metro there are many security check points. Where civilians in official, security, looking uniforms will ask you to walk through a metal detector and put your bags through an x-ray scanner. They then frisk you with a hand-held metal detector.

Eddie is gorgeous and looks so young. I want to reassure you that he is in fact twenty-two years old and I am twenty-nine years old. He is funny, kind, caring, intelligent and multi-talented. He has already had much success and many achievements. He seems to do well at anything he takes his hand to, which is no doubt due to lots of hard work and determination. I know that I’m a very lucky man. Here are some photos of the gorgeous Eddie and me:

IndiaJuly2015-shopping-2

Eddie and I outside one of the many Malls we visited.
IndiaJuly2015-shopping-3

Eddie & I on a Tuk Tuk Bike.

Can you recognise the brands photographed below?

IndiaJuly2015-shopping-4

Starbucks Coffee :D.
IndiaJuly2015-shopping-5

Me with a scary looking Ronald McDonald statue outside of a vegetarian McDonalds Restaurant.

Yep – Starbucks and McDonalds.

I was pleased to be able to get a decent coffee from Starbucks, but the prices where the same as in the UK making it an expensive luxury in India. Costa Coffee was much more reasonably priced. Coffee’s from both shops tasted the same as they would in the UK.

Other recognisable brands in Delhi, India included: Pizza Hut, Dominos, KFC, Burger King, Vans, Levis, Van Heusen, Nike, adidas and Marks & Spencer’s.

On the departure from London Heathrow my suitcase weighed 11KGS. On the way back home it weighed 20KGS, which just gives you an idea of how much I bought during my time in Delhi. And it didn’t cost me a fortune.

In next part blog post in the series titled My India Adventure (Part 4) – Delicious Food, I will be talking food. It will be coming soon, so don’t forget to check back for updates.

Write soon,

Antony

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Sunday 16 August 2015

Review: Sun Jar by Suck – Disappointing & Flawed Design

By Amazon, TechnologyNo Comments
sun-jar-by-suck-my-photo

My Photo of the Sun Jar I bought myself.

 A Jam Jar stores Jam.
A Sun Jar collects and stores Sunshine.
So that you can use it at Night.

…Or so the Sun Jar box says.

The idea is great: use a solar panel to charge a rechargeable battery during the daytime and then when a sensor senses that it’s dark use the battery to power a small LED light bulb.

The Sun Jar features:

  • Two modes: Auto mode and Charge mode. In auto mode the sensor is supposed to detect when it’s dark and power the light bulb.
  • A solar panel, rechargeable AAA battery and LED light bulb.
  • Waterproof – meaning that it can be used both indoors and outdoors.
  • Comes in a choice of light bulb colours: orange/yellow, blue and pink.
  • The frosted material gives a glow to the light.

But unfortunately, due to a flawed design the Sun Jar is disappointing and essentially useless. The Sun Jar isn’t bright enough to be used on it’s own as a night light; but switching on any sort of artificial light causes the sensor on the Sun Jar to switch off the LED light bulb. Making the product essentially useless.

What’s annoying is that Suck, the creators of the Sun Jar, could have easily solved this problem. They could have had three modes on the Sun Jar: Auto (use of the sensor), On (sensor off but light bulb lit) and Charge (sensor off and just charging). It’s shocking that they didn’t discover this fundamental design flaw in the product prototypes.

The Sun Jar could be significantly improved by alternating the colours of the lights. This could have been done through each Sun Jar unit having a number of different coloured LED bulbs. It would be even better, if through a switch, the customer could choose what colour light will be produced or set it to random.

My final thought on the Sun Jar is that it was expensive, costing £20. I don’t think I would have felt this was expensive if I had been able to use the product as I intended: to be a night light, along with another night light to give adequate light.

The Sun Jar is available to buy on Amazon, but honestly, I wouldn’t bother until they’ve made significant improvements to the design.

Review soon,

Antony



I aim for posts on this blog to be informative, educational and entertaining. If you have found this post useful or enjoyable, please consider making a contribution by Paypal:


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Saturday 3 January 2015
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