Latest news with #Jeeves
Spectator
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Spectator
Spare us from ‘experimental' novels
Some sorts of books and dramas have very strict rules. We like a lot of things to be absolutely predictable. In romantic comedies, a girl chooses between a charmer who turns out to be a rotter and another man she hates at first but then falls for. In the BBC's long-running Casualty, if a worried patient turns up with his put-upon wife who coughs twice, it's the wife who's got an undiagnosed fatal disease. Bertie Wooster falls for a girl that Jeeves doesn't care for and the valet goes to some lengths to detach his employer. We like these things because they're safe and a little bit cosy and we all know what the rules are. One of the most rigid genres at the moment is slightly different. Even though it's got a set of incredibly strict rules, it's regarded by its adherents, not as an exercise within conventional boundaries, like an episode of Midsomer Murders, but as a radical demonstration of rule-breaking. I'm talking about the experimental novel. After a while, the sceptical reader has to ask: if the same rule is being broken in exactly the same way, novel after novel, at what point does that turn into a new and very strict rule? Earlier this year, the Irish-British novelist Eimear McBride published a new novel, The City Changes Its Face. I single her out but, to be honest, there is no shortage of other exemplars. It was greeted with rapture by book reviewers. The Guardian observed with awe that 'she uses verbs as nouns, nouns as adjectives'. This magazine's reviewer wrote: 'To say that it is 'experimental' doesn't do justice to its flexibility and force.
Times
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
9 of the funniest books chosen by Miranda Hart, Adam Kay and more
This year marks 50 since England's foremost humourist PG Wodehouse died, aged 93 and with, as Stephen Fry writes in a forthcoming essay for the Sunday Times, 'manuscript on lap'. Wodehouse never stopped writing, producing almost a hundred books and inventing the immortal Jeeves and Wooster, Psmith and Blandings. What's the secret of his enduring appeal, despite his devotion to 'silly people doing silly things'? For Fry, it is the genius of his language, and often his dialogue: 'No actors are as good as the actors we each of us carry in our head … one of the gorgeous privileges of reading Wodehouse is that he makes us feel better about ourselves because we derive a sense of personal satisfaction from the laughter mutually created.'
Time of India
12-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
TV insurance hassle: Bengaluru man wins refund after year-long legal battle
Bengaluru: The I additional district consumer disputes redressal commission has ruled in favour of a Bengalurean who faced months of frustration after purchasing an extended warranty plan for his new smart TV, only to receive neither a valid policy nor KM, a 34-year-old resident of Palace Guttahalli, filed a complaint against Jeeves Consumer Services Pvt Ltd, a Flipkart service partner, for failing to issue the insurance policy despite receiving bought a Thomson 43-inch Ultra HD 4K Smart TV via Flipkart on Feb 11, 2023. Two days later, he noticed a display defect — a single black dot on the screen. When he reported it, a technician visited but declined to provide service, citing a policy that repairs or replacements are initiated only if there are three or more such technician advised him to purchase a three-year complete protection plan worth Rs 2,686, which Basavaraj did on Feb 25, 2023. However, despite repeated follow-ups, Jeeves never issued an invoice or shared the policy details. Basavaraj's attempts included emails, phone calls — including a conversation with a representative named Kamesh on Aug 26, 2023 — and even a legal notice sent on Oct 31, 2023, which went he filed a consumer complaint on April 12, 2024, alleging deficiency in in its response, denied the claims, accusing Basavaraj of fabricating the complaint and asserting he never contacted them for service. It further alleged he was attempting to benefit financially through false the commission, presided over by Syed Anser Kaleem and Sharavathi SM, found Jeeves at fault for failing to provide the policy after receiving payment, a clear deficiency in service. It directed Jeeves to refund the Rs 2,686 paid for the protection plan and awarded Rs 500 as litigation costs. If the payment is not made within 30 days, Jeeves must also pay interest at 6.5% per annum from the date of complaint until the full amount is settled.
Evening Standard
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Evening Standard
Graydon Carter's guide to London: Maison François, Anderson & Sheppard and collecting canoes
Sign up for the best picks from our travel, fashion and lifestyle writers. Sign up I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice. Graydon Carter, whose new book is out now, has never owned a flat in London; these are his favourite spots when he visits from New York. Home is … Greenwich Village. I've lived in New York for almost half a century. Our current apartment is about 200 feet from my first apartment. I know, a distinct lack of imagination. Where do you stay in London? We used to love the Draycott, just off Sloane Square. No spa or proper dining room. And the bathroom showers were tortuous. But it was charming, filled with books, and the rooms had gas fireplaces. Nina Campbell had done the interiors. It was sold recently and went through a renovation that stripped it of all its charm. Where was your first flat in the city? I've never owned a London flat — my loss. I was fired from the Evening Standard by fax by the editor Paul Dacre. I couldn't really blame him Graydon Carter What was your first job in London? I did a column for this paper once. It was about the goings on in New York. I was fired by fax by the editor Paul Dacre. I couldn't really blame him. The column wasn't particularly good. Where would you recommend for a first date? A walk along the Embankment. It's peaceful and you get a sense of the vast history of the city as well as the bustling newness of it. Which shops would you visit to buy presents? I do believe that the Anderson & Sheppard haberdashery shop is about as perfect as perfect gets. I also love Anya Hindmarch's little village of shops in Chelsea. My wife and I love to split a pasta starter and then a branzino The best London meal you've had? At the River Café, with my wife, our youngest son Spike and his wife Pip, and two dear friends, Lucy and Mark Cornell. My wife and I love to split a pasta starter and then a branzino. The River Cafe in Hammersmith Courtesy What would you do if you were Mayor for the day? Allow smoking in restaurants. Outlaw any car worth more than £100,000. Switch driving lanes to the right side. Force the owners of the Draycott to restore the hotel to its former self. Who is the most iconic Londoner? Gussie Fink-Nottle from the Jeeves novels. Or Admiral Nelson. Maybe Tony Hancock. Richard Garnett as Augustus 'Gussie' Fink-Nottle and Hugh Laurie as Bertie Wooster in the 1990 'Jeeves and Wooster' TV adaptation Rex Features Where do you have fun? I happen to love restaurants. So somewhere to eat. And drink. Where do you exercise in London? I don't. I know, shameful. Have you ever had a run-in with a London police officer? No, thankfully. Where do you let your hair down? Not really enough hair to let down anymore. Also, you must think that I'm a much younger person than I am. What's your biggest extravagance? It used to be Anderson & Sheppard suits. Now it's brightly coloured Hermès handkerchiefs. I've downsized. What's your London secret? The roast chicken at Maison François. Dishes at Maison Francois Steven Joyce What's your favourite work of art in London? What are you up to at the moment for work? I have a memoir called When the Going Was Good to promote. And organising and editing the next issues of our weekly news, features and arts dispatch, Air Mail. What do you collect? I have five canoes of varying size. All of them made by the Old Town Canoe Company in Maine. One of them is a hundred-year-old war canoe that can hold 12. Which podcast are you currently obsessed with? The Rest is History and The Rest is Entertainment. Your favourite grooming spot? If I ever do decide to experience a professional shave, I'd probably go to Taylor on Jermyn Street. What apps do you depend on? Nothing too exotic. Uber and Google Maps. I'm hopeless with directions. Who is your hero? Si Newhouse, my old boss at Condé Nast. No man who held so much sway over the minds and tastes of the upper reaches of civilisation ever wore his influence more lightly. He was like a second father to me. And I adored him.
Daily Mirror
05-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Brits are only just realising sad reason why 'Ask Jeeves' disappeared
Ask Jeeves was a popular question-answering service that was launched in 1996, and quickly became a household name, but the "Jeeves" name was phased out in 2006 If you're a '90s kid, then you're bound to remember the days of Ask Jeeves before Google took over our screens. Launched in 1996 by entrepreneurs Garrett Gruener and David Warthen in Berkeley, California, the question-answering platform fast became a household name. It was Gary Chevsky who brought the software to life, although the actual development of the early website was the brainchild of Warthen, alongside Chevsky, Justin Grant and other key players. Who could forget that avuncular virtual butler Jeeves, who helped us trawl through the web for answers? Jeeves might even be considered a sort of trailblazer before Google stepped in. Despite being an internet staple for the better part of a decade, his departure from the limelight was notably understated. A Reddit post recently reignited the discussion, prompting users to reminisce. It read: "What ever happened to just Ask Jeeves? I used just Ask Jeeves all the time. Is that what Siri took the place of?" Curiosity among the online community soared with the Reddit query, leading to a flurry of theories about what happened to the iconic search buddy. Responses flooded in, with a mix of nostalgia and speculation. One person quipped: "Nobody thought to ask how is Jeeves." Another added: "They rebranded to There were those who looked back fondly, as one user said: "I always thought that 'Jeeves' was such an easy thing to remember when I was learning about computers." The "Jeeves" moniker was dropped in 2006 as the brand pivoted to focus on its search engine, which boasted a unique algorithm. However, by late 2010, it found itself struggling against more popular search engines like Google. This led to the company outsourcing its web search technology and returning to its roots as a question-and-answer site. In its prime, "Jeeves" was the name of a "gentleman's personal gentleman", or valet, who could provide answers to any query posed. The character's name was inspired by Jeeves, the valet of Bertie Wooster in P. G. Wodehouse's fictional works. The initial concept was to allow users to get answers to everyday questions using natural language and traditional keyword searching. In 2006, the brand decided to drop the "Jeeves" name and rebrand the search engine simply as "Ask." However, this didn't last long before it was discontinued. In 2010, scrapped its search function, unable to compete with more popular search engines like Google. Ultimately, it seems Jeeves couldn't keep pace with the competition. A summary by EN Gadget reads: "Ask Jeeves was a character-driven search engine, if ever there was one. Founded in 1996, Ask Jeeves featured a well-dressed valet who supposedly fetched search results and was able to understand questions posed in everyday phrasing. "Natural language processing is still tricky for developers today - just ask Siri anything - so this was a daunting pre-Y2K goal. Ask Jeeves lasted until roughly 2005, when it was rebranded as "The company attempted to invade Yahoo Answers' territory by focusing on a real-person QandA site, but ended its foray into search engineering in 2010. is ranked No. 128 in the world, according to Alexa."
