10 years ahead of his time.

Sir Alf Ramsey, former Tottenham Hotspur right back and England Manager when we won the World Cup in 1966, once said of Martin Peters he was a footballer 10 years ahead of his time. Peters was a midfield player who ghosted in to score a lot of goals. The sort of player fairly common now in 2009, but in the 70's he was the sort of player defenders failed to pick up, hence the goals. Peters also played for Tottenham, the club I have supported all my life of course.

I have often thought I was 10 years ahead of my time. I think most people do enough to get by. Nothing wrong in that, it is what the world expects. If you are riskier, then you take chances, breaking new ground. You are not safe, and lots of employers will not like that. Safe is the better option, nobody notices safe, people notice risk takers.

I remember my first case, the first day I went out as a Trading Standards qualified Inspector. The boss had sent me out with Bill Johnson a trainee to test weighbridges, big road scales for weighing lorries. At lunch time we were in Harrow, and I wandered around the biggest department store we had in the area. I always had a copy of Shaw's Price Guide in my pocket, and just checked a few prices of the toiletries as there was a Sale on. I noticed none of the products, like deodorants, shampoos, soap, were reduced in price, despite the signs stating 33% off. So the rookie Inspector asked to see the Manager. Bill was saying Allan forget it we are on weighbridge duties. No, I said, and we spent the next 4 hours confiscating products and signs as examples and as evidence, because Sopers of Harrow, part of Debenhams were holding a bogus sale, a sale that never was. We arrived back late with a van load of evidence, men's wear, ladies wear, toiletries, much to the complete astonishment of my boss.

That was the 1st day they sent me out. I was always best left to my own devices. Self motivation, bringing in the results. Interfere with me doing the job and I was not happy.

The same happened 20 years later when it took me 3 days to find Alistair Leslie Woods, after Waltham Forest Trading Standards and the Police had been looking for him for 6 months. Woods ran a Good Restaurant Guide scam. He had every Thomson's telephone directory across the UK. He wrote to every cafe and restaurant listed and told them "our inspectors have visited your establishment, unbeknown to you. They found the quality of service was 94%, the quality of food 97%. As such your details will be published in our forthcoming guide. You can have a certificate for £19 to display on your premises". Every restaurant got the same letter. There were no inspectors. Woods printed off a cheap standard certificate template off his computer and made half a million pounds in 6 months. He was South African. But all crooks need to bank the cheques, and I found out his address not to where the Royal Mail delivered the cheques to. That was an accommodation address run by another crook he despised authority and society. No I found out where the Bank sent Woods his statements, and when I knocked on the door posing as the electoral register official, a man with a South African accent opened the window pretending he was a plumber fixing the shower. By the way there was no plumber's van in the road !!!
So Woods little venture came to a halt and his 7 printers would print no more.

At last the dilatory authorities got some good headlines. The Boss at Waltham Forest even got some bridge rolls and orange squash in plastic cups, to shake my hand infront of the new staff.

But, I tell these stories because they were perceived as risk taking. Going above and beyond, showing initiative. I just called it doing my job, earning my salary as opposed to turning up to work having a chat and a giggle and getting a salary.

At the end of the nineties I had my own company Sharper Image. I had Ian, my graduate son, working for me then, he was learning how to make TV programmes. We were on out way to Camden in my car to sign a contract for a series on Discovery Channel regarding Inventions.

Today there are a few programmes informing us about Whittle's jet engine and Baird's early TV set. We know about light bulbs and the telephone. But we don't learn this at school. I never did in science at Grammar School anyway. Biro, was Hungarian . He dies a pauper before the 2nd world war. His patented invention was not taken up till the war when the American army needed a pen that would write in all weathers in the Pacific theatre against Japan. Chester Carlton invented the dry paper copier Xerox, in Greek. The Californian draftsman in the 1920's was fed up drawing and redrawing the same thing over and over again. It took him 28 years to find a company to take up his machine. Again he died a pauper. Fascinating human interest stories behind every day appliances we use.

I had spent 6 months researching for the series proposal, but they reneged on the deal, over ruled by HQ in Washington that they were to run repeats instead. That was a nail in my coffin, one too many.

That was the price to pay for being 10 years ahead of your time, being inventive about inventions, showing initiative, showing a risk. The repeat was the safe option.
Well Sharper Image could not exist against that sort of competition in the market place.

thats all for now folks.........................

Knowing Me Knowing You ha ha

Mr Personality:
I am a Leo, proud, and mild, unless my tail is trod on or my territory is invaded. So I can react if provoked. But I prefer to laze in the sun and be content. I also need a lioness by my side that I can be proud of. Sometimes in life that has happened, other times it has not, and I can be a vacuum without love and affection. I am industrious too, turn my hand to anything and have achieved much in work rest and play.
But, I have also met my Ides of March probably on 5 occasions, 3 at work, 2 at home. I don't suffer fools gladly and I cannot countenance betrayal. Having said that I like beauty, style, poise and grace in all things. I like travel, history, wining & dining and dancing. I can be romantic and charming, even funny at times, but also serious. I am creative and innovative. I have led from the front and by example. I did not get where I am today without the courage of my convictions, to boldly go onward and upward, it's called survival. I would like the elixire of life, but Father Christmas has never answered my wish list.