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Showing posts from February, 2013

Have we reached the end of app innovation?

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With Apple having announced recently that apps have now been downloaded a total of 25 billion times on its App Store, it is clear that mobile phone applications are the current status quo. But is there still anything to innovate? A recent trawl of the Featured page on Apple's iPhone App store - the place where they highlight innovative apps - revealed a lacklustre selection. One app allowed you to make photo-slideshows, hardly innovative; another was an official rugby app for the 6 nations; another was a budget and finance manager (hooray another to add to the 200 already in the store); the rest consisted of games. A key concern of mine is that many apps are simply cookie-cutter apps; developers get web pages and format them nicely for your phone - this isn't innovation. A new Rugby App for example displays scores, the latest news, player biographies - where's the interaction? Where's making use of the features which a phone has over a computer? All this inform

The WDW ICP Costs

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In this blog post I wanted to give you an idea of how much it'll cost you to take part in the programme including any optional costs. Basic Costs: Train travel for 2 interviews - Varies, personally I spent about £60 total. Hotels for 2 interviews - Varies. I spent nothing as I stayed overnight in London at home and it was just a day trip to Manchester. CRB Check - £60 Flights - Varies between £480-600 depending where you are flying from and to where and if you upgrade to a better class of travel. The basic cost of my flight was £580 from Virgin Atlantic. Program Assessment Fee - $100 or about £60 Visa Appointment  Fee - apparently now $160 - about £105 with today's exchange rates! - plus £14.80 for your passport to be returned. Travel insurance - £50-100. Compulsory Medical insurance - $210 which works out to be £138 Spending money to survive on first 2 weeks as you are not paid - $300 minimum recommended. Total: £1280 assuming travel insurance is £75 and $

February Update: 4 months to go

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In exactly 4 months from today I'll be arriving in Florida! Time has flown by and it's incredible to think that it has been 4 months since I was told I'd be working at Disney World and now there's only a few months left. A few updates: my CRB was sent off and has come back clean - woo hoo! I'm not a criminal. So that's another step ticked off my list. February is when our Disney information packs are due to come, which from what I understand include an official offer letter, a Disney Look book, and information on completing our Visa. There's been some talk online about Travel Insurance, which I will be taking out at some point ,but I'm not sure whether to do it through Yummy Jobs or whether I can find a 3rd party that will do it cheaper. I'm going to work there so need some kind of special cover. Medical cover is through Disney and comes out of our wages this year. So the timeline for things to come is: - February - get Disney informatio