How it all began...

Not so long ago, deep in the heart of the Cotswolds, a small group of intuitively-creative yet practical-minded individuals got talking about digital print and happiness.

They reasoned that if you assembled the best team of friendly, caring and highly skilled people and put them together with the latest and greatest digital printing technology, you could achieve uplifting results for print buyers far and wide.

You could offer them breathtaking quality with incredible flexibility, blistering speed with astonishing economy - and a whole lot more besides

Most importantly, by bringing the full spectrum of beautiful digital colour into customers' lives you could make them smile. Life is mostly about seeking happiness after all.

From this noble philosophy the Electric Ink Printing Company was born and has continued to make print buyers throughout the land very happy ever since.

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The banshees scream and my bucket seat presses into my back...

Sooner than I'd like we're approaching the first bend. Set it up, says the impossibly calm voice. If I was him I'd eject now.

The idea is to negotiate the 120 degree left-hander in a perfectly controlled power-slide. To do this you have to induce oversteer by encouraging the back wheels to lose traction.

Trouble is mine decide to stick like glue. Touch the handbrake. I do. It works. The car turns into the apex. Power on now. I floor the throttle and with a cheeky flick of its rear end the car pulls us out of the corner.

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Rousing Finale

We determined to end our days of blissful respite as we had begun – in style. Dressing for dinner added an element of dignity, although at one stage we misplaced the toastmaster who we eventually found addressing an empty room. As evening flowed into morning there were fine words, munificent ovations, exuberant dances, and mildly dangerous liaisons. The arrival of dawn spurred the chorus that we must do this again. Our generous hosts agreed, subject to one small condition – that we returned the house parrot to its customary perch. And that, dear reader, was the last exchange I can recall from a truly memorable weekend

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Into the Wild

The conversation had turned to the subject of adventure with one faction complaining there was no part of the world that remained unexplored. Then a wiser head pointed out that the spirit of adventure was a state of mind unrelated to geography. Deeply unpleasant creatures might be confronted just as readily in the heart of the metropolis as they could in the planet's wilder places. Indeed, many would argue that the urban jungle was infinitely more perilous than the natural sort. His theory seemed to resonate, and when someone suggested an expedition to the wine cellar to replenish supplies, there was no shortage of eager volunteers.

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The Concept of Negative Rights

Imagine you've just invented the gramophone loudspeaker (if you don't know what a gramophone is, ask a vinyl record collector). It's a truly wonderful device that nobody has ever thought of before and so you have no difficulty in obtaining a patent.

Great, now you can go into production and produce better gramophones.

Well no, actually you can't, because someone else has a patent on the rest of the gramophone. That means you would infringe their patent and probably get sued if you tried to manufacture a version of the gramophone fitted with your new loudspeaker. Oops.

You can't even sell your loudspeaker as an accessory to existing gramophone owners because a special adaptor is required that the gramophone manufacturer – showing uncanny foresight – has also patented.

However, the negative right attached to your patented loudspeaker prevents the gramophone manufacturer from improving their product by attaching a loudspeaker similar to yours. If they did they would be infringing your patent and you could sue them .

Seems like a stalemate – so what's the solution?

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Time to be effective.

Most people want to do their jobs to the very best of their ability. TotalMobile helps remove the barriers that stop them.

It’s a common experience. You turn up at the customer’s home to discuss the issue and soon gather all the information you need. You know exactly what should be done and the people you need to liaise with.

In theory you could get the matter sorted out in a couple of hours, but in practice you know it will take days or even longer because you’ll have to wait until you’re back in the office to submit several forms, track down the right individuals, and ensure the task is prioritised.

No wonder the customer can’t understand why it’s all going to take so long...

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Waterside revival

A junk-strewn site once occupied by a derelict pot bank and flanked by a section of the Cauldon Canal wasn’t the most promising setting for a landmark regeneration project. So the success of Shelton Primary Care Centre is all the more satisfying...

It was vital that the community was engaged and involved as the scheme progressed, especially as a number of previous development proposals for the area had promised much but never come to fruition and, understandably, some parts of the community were deeply sceptical about the new plans.

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