On the contrary: Just because a website doesn't look good, doesn't make it bad. To me, the website presents all the information it needs to: the products they stock, their price and where to get them.
Not every business wants to become internet only. Or, for that note, even have a website in the first place. There are plenty of perfectly profitable businesses that don't. Both staff and customers often value the human interactions a physical store brings. They may make more money with a "half-decent web presence" (might not!) but their business will be reduced to one of simple order fulfilment and lose the what makes running the business enjoyable in the first place. Fabricland has a shop in the town we live. My (non internet using) wife goes there often and appreciates their great service. If they went internet only she would lose this and have to go elsewhere, though I don't know where.
By the way, for your housemate, ordering instructions are there on the front page:
"TO ORDER PLEASE CALL US WITH YOUR CREDIT/ SWITCH/ DEBIT CARD DETAILS, WE ARE WAITING TO TAKE YOUR CALL! [...] NO SHOPPING BASKET, JUST CALL PLEASE"
It's not as convenient as clicking an item into your shopping basket and paying by paypal, granted, but it's not too difficult either (though does involve talking to someone).
Deferred entry to University may be a good option. A (little known) benefit of deferred university education in the UK is that as an 'independent student' (or mature student) you may qualify for full payment of your student fees:
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/UniversityA...
I enrolled as an 'independent student' a few years ago (Male, 25 at the time, British citizen, no dependents, no significant savings) and, with part time jobs and moving back to live with my parents, graduated with very little student debt after 3 years.
It's worth considering, of course, that the pace of cuts in the UK may change this between now and when you're 25 (or already has). Just that you know it is an option.
Indeed. Unless i'm mistaken, this is more "hosted by Google" than "provided by Google" - a simple form set up by a Google account holder using Google spreadsheets. Though that's not to say it's not useful or well meaning.
Argument from authority? Hawking's seems quite muddled but not all his remarks are entirely "out there" (see Pagel's "Human language as a culturally transmitted replicator", for example).
Not every business wants to become internet only. Or, for that note, even have a website in the first place. There are plenty of perfectly profitable businesses that don't. Both staff and customers often value the human interactions a physical store brings. They may make more money with a "half-decent web presence" (might not!) but their business will be reduced to one of simple order fulfilment and lose the what makes running the business enjoyable in the first place. Fabricland has a shop in the town we live. My (non internet using) wife goes there often and appreciates their great service. If they went internet only she would lose this and have to go elsewhere, though I don't know where.
By the way, for your housemate, ordering instructions are there on the front page: "TO ORDER PLEASE CALL US WITH YOUR CREDIT/ SWITCH/ DEBIT CARD DETAILS, WE ARE WAITING TO TAKE YOUR CALL! [...] NO SHOPPING BASKET, JUST CALL PLEASE" It's not as convenient as clicking an item into your shopping basket and paying by paypal, granted, but it's not too difficult either (though does involve talking to someone).