Author: Anthony Marriage

Pensioner caught transporting carpet with his mobility scooter

Posted on by Anthony Marriage

A pensioner has made the headlines after making full and improper use of his mobility scooter to courier a carpet in Wincanton, Somerset.
 [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tECd-zoBuHM?fs=1]

Hurtling along at 8mph, the elderly daredevil threw caution to the wind to move the hefty carpet roll. Despite this the man in question does appear to be wearing a fluorescent jacket – although that doesn’t stop it being any less dangerous!

The man behind the lens of the now infamous video, Gary McKenna, was a passenger in a car behind. Mr McKenna said: “We waited for him to come past, then we thought it would be funny to video it, because it was quite funny and out of the ordinary.”

A spokesman for Avon and Somerset Police has stated: “Because mobility scooters are not classed as a ‘motor vehicle’, legislation such as the unsafe carriage of goods or driving without reasonable consideration does not apply.”

White van man stuck by mountainside

Posted on by Anthony Marriage

The sat-nav is an invaluable tool to couriers the world over, helping them find the quickest route to their given destinations. But one white van man has made headlines by following its instructions to a fault. Robert Zeigler, the unfortunate courier, became stuck between a rock and hard place when his navigation system told him the shortest route was via a winding and weather beaten footpath through the Swiss Alps.



Taking the directions as gospel, Robert ascended the mountainside before becoming jammed and unable to turn-back. Out of options, Robert then phoned emergency services, who luckily sent a helicopter to airlift his van out of the sticky situation.


Speaking to the Austrian times, he said, “I was lost and I kept hoping that each little turn would get me back to the main road. In the end it told me to turn around but of course I couldn’t by then.” A local fire service spokesman added, “he claims he didn’t see any footpath signs. But you have to take your hat off to him. He must have been a pretty fair driver to get that far up a glorified goat track.”

Pigeon vs broadband

Posted on by Anthony Marriage
If you’re living in rural England, forget broadband because according to a recent experiment, a pigeon is faster! The speed of broadband in rural areas of England was bested by couriers of the feathered variety in a stunt used to illuminate the lack of true broadband in some parts of the country. At a Yorkshire farm, ten carrier pigeons holding USB keys were released to fly to their destination of Skegness – over 120 miles away. At the same time a 300mb file (around half a film) was downloaded at the farm.

Within an hour and a quarter the pigeon post has already arrived whilst the stuttering download was only at 24%. Tref Davies, the stunt’s organiser, co-founder of business ISP Timico and ISPA board member (Internet Service Providers’ Association), said: “This is the UK. It should be well-connected but around a third of homes still can’t get broadband.”
The government has reportedly committed to a minimum speed of 2Mbps to every UK household. Shiply was actually growing fond of the idea of pigeon carriers!

Daily Mirror Discovers the Benefits of Shiply

Posted on by Anthony Marriage
The Daily Mirror knows a bargain one when it sees one! From the worldly minds of “Cash Queens,” Ruki Sayid and Tricia Phillips, comes their latest advice to save you money….Shiply! 
Yes, the Cash Queens have been won over by Shiply and the savings that can be made in comparison to established couriers and delivery companies.
We’ll let the ladies speak for themselves:
“Making a few quid on the side by flogging your unwanted gear online is a smart move, but sky-high delivery costs can turn buyers off.
It’s crucial to find the cheapest route, which can be a bit of a palaver.
The price difference can be hundreds of pounds between delivery firms and defeats the point of a bargain buy. We hit the road to compare prices on 10 typical large items sold on auction websites to save you the bother.”
You can save hundreds of pounds. So check our table below for how to keep costs down and give you the best chance of pulling in the punters and shifting your clobber.”
 

Where is my nearest post box? Free Tool

Posted on by Anthony Marriage


You have the post in your hand but you have no clue where the nearest post box is. Those red pillars can often seem like they’re deliberately hiding from view or placed off the beaten track!

You would think that the first place to find your nearest post box would be the Royal Mail web site. Although through Royal Mail you can find your nearest post office even create your own personalised stamps, Shiply has discovered this simple tool was missing. Come on, this is 2010!

Through the Freedom of Information Act, some clever people* have indexed all the locations of post boxes across the UK. Using this we have built a neat post box finder tool to help you find the closest post boxes to your location – free.

So whether its a letter to your friend, a card to your nan or a small parcel, simply use the post box finder at http://www.shiply.com/postbox-finder.php. If you need to move something big that just won’t fit – use www.shiply.com to get delivery quotes from over 17,500 customer-rated transport companies.


*API data courtesy Matthew Somerville.


Delivering to infinity and beyond

Posted on by Anthony Marriage
The Boeing Company is taking one giant leap forward in transportation services. A “Memorandum of Understanding” between the Boeing Company and Space Adventures Ltd. has been established to work on the future of transportation services to places in low Earth orbit (LEO). Boeing hopes to use the Boeing Crew Space Transportation-100 to man crew and goods transportation to the International Space Station (ISS) and future commercial LEO platforms.


Space Adventures, a US based space tourism company, has paved the way for privatised space tourism. Famous for sending wealthy businessmen into space, the company hopes to create a future market of commercial space travel and transport.

Although prices have not yet been set, a freight tariff would likely be astronomical (ahem). The priority for the moment is allowing a lucky, select few to take their place in of the seven seats on-board the CST-100. although the CST-100 is not scheduled to make its first journey until 2015, commercial shipping in outer-space is taking its first steps towards becoming a reality.

The most likely objects to be transported begin with will be provisions and the ashes of those wishing to be blasted off into space.

Cereal offender

Posted on by Anthony Marriage
News networks have picked up on the now infamous photo of a lorry driver eating his cereal whilst driving on the motorway. The hungry haulier has been snapped with both hands off the wheel, enjoying a bowl of cereal on the move. Spotted travelling along South Mimms, North of London, his dangerous antics have brought a barrage of cereal based puns from “he’s a crunchie nut” to “that’s the bowl truth.”


However, public outrage is not over spilt milk but a genuine concern for road safety that reckless negligence can bring. Joel Hickman, from road safety charity Brake, said, “To put it simply, motorists who eat behind the wheel are putting other people’s lives in jeopardy.”

The driver may have had his Weetabix but we are willing to bet he’s regretting it now!  Awful behaviour and we hope justice is done.

Holy Popemobile!

Posted on by Anthony Marriage
His holiness, Pope Benedict XVI has been eagerly awaited by Catholics across the UK. But if your not religiously inclined there is still reason to be excited….the popemobile!

The customised truck, affectionately dubbed the “popemobile” has wowed the public the world over during Papal visits. Coming in a variety of models and sizes, each one is designed with the Pope’s safety as top priority. The model to be used during the Pope’s visit to the UK will be a closed top, customised Mercedezs-Benz M-Class sport utility vehicle.

At Shiply we’re glad to hear the popemobile keeps up its eye-watering average of 6mph using green petrol. However, don’t let the eco-fuel or boxy form factor fool you as it can reach up to 160mph if a quick get-away is needed!
The customised truck comes with its own unique registration plate, reading SCV 1, short for Status Civitatis Vaticanae – the Latin name for the Vatican City State. Other features include bulletproof glass and reinforced side panels to ensure the Pope’s safety. To enter the truck, the Pope must enter through the back turret and use a hydraulic lift to elevate himself to the perfect position.
Dr Alberto Gasbarri, organiser of all the Pope’s trips, has stated, “the driver will be British and chosen by the local authorities in Britain. He will have to be a competent driver and he will get a chance to accustom himself to the Popemobile.’

Could you drive the Pope?



Aggressive hawk goes postal!

Posted on by Anthony Marriage

A motivated hawk has ruffled the feathers of an unassuming neighbourhood in Calgary, Canada, after its repeated attacks on a Canada Post employee has left over 150 homes without a mail service.
The Swainson’s hawk has singled out one postal worker in particular, who has endured multiple attacks by the bird of prey. Even protection could not stop the hawk, as the bird dive-bombed with enough force to break the postal workers bicycle helmet.
http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/.element/apps/cvp/3.0/swf/cnn_416x234_embed.swf?context=embed_edition&videoId=offbeat/2010/09/06/dnt.hawks.attack.mailmen.cbc
One local, Kathryn Kan, stated, “We had film crews out there on Thursday all morning. Nobody got swooped, nobody…It’s not that big an issue. It’s just that particular carrier that has a problem.”

Local residents are eagerly waiting for the winged menace to leave for its annual migration to Argentina.

Drunk courier loses $1.3 million painting

Posted on by Anthony Marriage
New York art courier, James Haggerty, is at the centre of a bizarre story in which the Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot masterpiece, “Portrait of a Girl,” valued at $1.3m was reported lost by Mr Haggerty after a night of drunken excess.


The revered painting was due to be shipped to a Manhattan hotel on July 28 for the inspection of a potential buyer. After meeting with London gallery owner, Offer Waterman, CCTV footage shows Mr Haggerty heading back to the front desk, stowing the artwork and returning to the bar, alone.
Surveillance cameras recorded a boozy Mr Haggerty after his time in the bar, recollecting the masterpiece as he continued to stumble past the hotel’s doorman. Two hours later it was missing.

“I think he’s a complete fumbling idiot,” said co-owner of the painting, Kristyn Trudgeon, who is currently suing Haggerty for $1.3 million – the work’s estimated value. The case is being treated as highly suspicious.