I must admit I have been pretty guilty in the past of seeing disaster recovery press releases and almost rolling my eyes.

Well they are ten a penny I have to say in my defence.

But you may have seen that Incisive's Broadwick Street offices have been hit by a massive power outage and we actually have no firm idea when things are going to be fully up and running again.

The office had no running water, no toilets and no heating - not ideal in these temperatures to be honest.

Luckily we managed to get Monday's issue of CRN sent yesterday before the real problems started - but it was certainly cutting it fine.

Now the CRN editorial team are scattered around various parts of London and the south/midlands - working from home. But to make matters worse our email server is down at the moment as well.

Thank God for Twitter!

I'm sure it will all be up and running again soon, but it certainly made us all think about how we would cope if this became a more permanent occurance. Plus we have the disruption of the Olympics to look forward to in the Summer.

Bear with us! If you have any news please Tweet us for the time being and hopefully email will be up and running again soon.

I may have moaned about having to go into the office in dark and dreary January - but having to work remotely has also made me realise that I will take my daily commute any day to being stuck in an office on my own.

Yesterday saw CRN unveil our first new venture of 2012 - the CRN Sales and Marketing Awards.

Due to take place in Central London on 21 June - the awards are a chance for resellers, vendors and distributors to celebrate the success of individuals and teams within their organisations, and shout about how brilliant they are.

In such tough economic times and surrounded by doom and gloom - we need something to lift our spirits, and what better way than a swanky summer party?

The categories have been picked after close consultation with a selection of leading figures from the industry and we think they will make for some interesting and inspiring entries.

I would love to know what you all think of our latest launch and whether you will be entering.

Please do get in touch either via email or Twitter @Yirrelli.

Best of luck with your entries and find out more about the categories and the awards by clicking here.

Inflation is falling according to the latest consumer price index (CPI) figures.

The rate fell to 3.6 per cent on an annual basis in January from 4.2 per cent in December.

But I have to say I'm amused by the headlines on some of the national news website - screaming that 'pressure is easing' on consumers etc and 'prices are falling'. 

Really? I beg to differ.

The Bank of England continues to pursue its quantitative easing programme which I'm sure is not really helping anyone in the long run. It certainly isn't encouraging anyone to save.

And as for prices going down - fuel in my region has gone up three pence a litre since the start of January and food seems to be increasing on a weekly basis.

Domestic fuel prices have gone through the roof, and council tax is on the up as well.

Rail fares have certainly made the most of inflation and the cost of a season ticket truly is eye-watering.

With wages showing no signs of matching these ridiculous price increases, I really don't see how this is good news at all.

When my weekly living expenses really do show signs of saving me money - I'll let you know.

In the meantime, I'll keep praying for that Lotto win!

Tesco has come under the firing line again in recent days for its role in the new government work experience scheme.

Under the scheme, which is supposed to encourage unemployed youngsters into work, young people are given unpaid work experience in exchange for their Jobseeker's Allowance and expenses.

They are expected to work 30 hours and week for eight weeks, after which - once they have proved their mettle - they can be interviewed for a permanent job.

Anyone that drops out after the first week could have their benefits withdrawn.

Critics are branding it slave labour and protests are springing up everywhere.

But in this age of austerity and with more young people out of work than ever before facing nothing but misery, surely this is better than nothing?

We all know how popular apprentice schemes are becoming once again, with channel take-up growing by the week.

The youngsters involved are still learning valuable skills, and for eight weeks, anything that gives them a decent chance at getting their foot on the employment ladder is surely to be welcomed?

Isn't it?

What is the alternative?

Backers of the scheme have branded the critics 'job snobs', saying youngsters can't just sit around waiting for their dream job to land in their laps, and they are blaming reality shows like the X-factor for raising people's career hopes too high.

If we are having a go at 'reality' shows - I do agree that this obession with being famous and actually having no skills has gone to far. There was a time when hard work was the only thing that guaranteed success, not appearing on some vacuous TV programme and turning into some z-list nobody attending the opening of an envelope.

I really think it is time for more businesses to get more involved in schools and educate these kids on what the real world of work is like, rather than allowing them to fill their heads with dreams of stardom and role models based on plastic airheads with zero talent and brains to match.

I'll put my claws away now.

I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on this.