beaches | Digital Crosstalk

Talkback

Brian and team, who work for a digital marketing agency run this Digital Crosstalk blog.
Occasionally we might blog about companies and people we work with but for the most part we'll simply be blogging about stories and events which we find interesting.

Comments Read

12th
AUG

Get mobile with your old phone by swapping it for Airmiles

Posted by Brian | Filed under air, beaches

: Image via Wikipedia

Airmiles, those points you collect whenever you use certain branded credit cards can now be collected in another method says This Is Money. According to their report, Airmiles collectors can now build up their points by recycling older, unwanted mobile phones.

As with mobile cash back schemes, the type of phone you are recycling will determine the amount of points you receive. I’ve just upgraded to a new Samsung Jet so out of curiosity valued my old phone, a Samsung u700 and discovered a fully working model would be worth 200 miles. Even some older phones of years gone by, such as the Nokia 3310, Motorola V300 were worth 25 miles – far better than simply gathering dust in the back of a kitchen drawer – for fully working handsets.

Newer handsets, such as the Samsung Tocco Ultra and Nokia 5800 would earn enough points for a free return flight or Eurostar trip to Brussels or Paris..

Research suggests mobile phone users upgrade or replace their handsets every 18 months – the usual length of a mobile phone contract, and the average household has two unused handsets at home.

As many reward credit cards scale back on offered perks, this new facet of the Airmiles scheme is sure to be popular, and collectors of Airmiles with dusty, unused handsets can have them valued via the airmiles website.

Tags: Business and Economy, Mobile, Mobile phone, Motorola, Nokia, Recycling, Samsung Group, Telecommunications

Comments Read

6th
AUG

Swamp Thing: Alive & Well in Brittany?

Posted by Brian | Filed under beaches

: Image via Wikipedia

Holidaymakers have been warned by the French Institute for Sea Research and Exploitation to avoid the beaches of northern France due to the toxic fumes being emitted from rotting seaweed.

The problem has become so bad that a stretch of beach at Saint-Michel-en Greve in Brittany was closed to visitors after a horse died and its rider falling into unconsciousness.

Gilles Youenou, spokesman for the institute delivered the warning, claiming that the seaweed could give off hydrogen sulphide fumes which he attributes to the use of nitrates that have got into the water via agricultural means.

“This is all a result of a problem with agriculture. Nitrates have got into the water and polluted it… A crust forms over stacks of rotting seaweed and when this crust is broken, fumes get out. It can be particularly lethal to dogs and other animals.”

Hydrogen sulphide is a colourless, highly toxic and flammable gas. It is particularly pungent but quickly deadens the sense of smell, and potential victims may be unaware of its presence until well after exposure. Its toxin is a broad-spectrum poison, meaning it can affect different systems in the body.

Eau et Rivieres, the French environmentalist group claim that the problem has been around for decades, but is growing worse and around 70,000 cubic metres of seawood is removed from some 70 beaches each summer in Brittany. The group also claim five beaches are currently unusable as a result.

Pierre Phillipe, a consultant at the Lannion hospital in Brittany said he had treated several instances of poisoning among locals as a result of the seaweed problem and claimed hydrogen sulphide was as dangerous as cyanide.

Its not Swamp Thing after all then!