About me – Michael Tyler

About me – Michael Tyler

Michael Tyler
Michael Tyler

I was born in Cambridge in 1973. Lived in Southampton, London, Cheshire, Hull, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire and Shropshire.

Went to school at Tarporley County High School and University in Hull.

Worked at various places, most eventfully, for myself on my web venture lonelyplanetexchange, which was written, programmed and maintained by myself.

Since then, I moved away from the UK, working as a teacher. Living in Georgia, and China.

About the blog.

I started the blog in 2004. It was a way to increase the web presence of my other site Lonelyplanetexchange.com. Initially, it was to continue travelling and up-to-date on developments within the travel industry, especially the flights sector which was expanding rapidly with the growth of the EU.

As time went on, I used it to develop some of the technologies which went on to be used on the commercial site, such as the GPS and KML aspects.

The geolocation of the budget hotels on Lonelyplanetexchange. Which I did using the Googlemaps API was a direct result of research and methods I’d developed doing the blog…

Since then, lonelyplanetexchange has ceased to exist, (you can read about that here/ and here). The blog has been continuing sporadically to document my various travels, inanities of the media, the stupidity of the New World Order and my teaching career, which has now dis-continued.

The site’s since migrated to a WordPress platform. (Much more effective than Blogger).

It’s allowed me to vent my spleen, also publish photographs, and to write documents and articles which can’t be found elsewhere on the ‘net – such as the 20 Most useful apps for Visitors to China plus a guide to Getting Google Play to work in China, and the Conspiracy list of dead bankers, which I continue to update.

Death of teaching

No, I don’t mean in the UK. I mean for me personally. My work’s dried up now, with three years experience and good references…. it’s all gone. I spent some time, maybe a year or so, on the dole looking for teaching jobs and working in factories.

After spending just over 12 months on the dole looking for jobs, I found one carrying out research, face-to-face. Interviewing….

Another chapter closes

When I finished University, I did some research work for Chester College. It wasn’t a big project, they just wanted me to ask some local communities their views about the college.

I was given some addresses and I had to go and interview an adult resident at each of the addresses.

I think about 2 people turned me down out of over 100. I had a good hit rate.

I remembered this when I saw a Market Researcher job advertised with a large research company called GFK. In my covering letter, I told them that Market Research was the first job I did when I got out of university.

They invited me to an open-day. Two people turned up. I was told about the job, what was involved and if I wanted to go ahead you could fill in the forms and complete the training, which I did.

I got taken on, and I worked as an interviewer for GFK from April 2016 to June 2019.

I was doing well, they were asking me to work on different projects for people like IKEA, OFGEM and OFCOM and other government bodies, which I always did well on and was asked to more.

I get the impression that I was close to be promoted. Promoted to a decent job with decent pay.

Suddenly and mysteriously, our biggest competitor decided they wanted to take over the Field Interviewing section.

The field interviewing section of GFK was not a small operation. In terms of the business size, I’m told it made up 1/3 or so of a 1.7Billion Euro business.

Overnight. Almost.

In IPSOSMori

I was moved over to the same job, same pay, different employer.

I can’t help thinking, as with previous employments, the whole IPSOS thing acted as a barrier to a better more prosperous future which was oncoming with GFK.

Just like the teaching which ended after 4 years of good references and solid experience. Just like the website which got destroyed by Google. Just like the Unilever thing which got the whole ball rolling.

As an individual, I remain a dissident. An Exile. Not really part of anything.

My boat, is a work in progress needs continuous loving care. The blog now documents this, and where I can, other bits and pieces from around the internet.