"At Reading we had a good structure, when we got promoted the club improved the training ground, they improved everything to go with it, " he added.

BBC: Wolves sign winger Stephen Hunt from Hull

He told me about a recent trip to Haiti, where he observed that despite massive amounts of donations and charity given since the catastrophic earthquake, the situation on the ground has improved only marginally.

FORBES: The Future Of Doing Good In Banking, Inspired By Muhammad Yunus

Millions of young Americans will have their opportunities immeasurably improved as this idea gains ground.

FORBES: How to Bomb the Boom

Yet, the situation on the ground has not improved.

BBC: Civilian casualties in Afghanistan fall

Merkulov said the program, which was built with proprietary software from the ground-up, comes with a number of improved technologies that allow IT administrators to see, configure and protect their various networks, including on handheld devices.

FORBES: Russia's Kaspersky Lab Guns For Japan's Trend Micro

The plans would also see the ground floor of Reading Museum redeveloped, with more Abbey artefacts and improved signage.

BBC: Reading Abbey ruins in ?6.7m revamp bid

The improved performance in either direction is a useful boost to on-the-ground performance, as both AnandTech and Storage Review will tell you.

ENGADGET: Samsung SSD 840 Pro caters to speed seekers with faster random access

The latest addition to Rhapsody's product portfolio was built from the ground up and is stunning in its speed and beauty, with markedly improved playback speed.

ENGADGET: Rhapsody launches new iPad app, completely tailored for Apple's tablets

Some safety yardsticks have not improved in many years, while recent accidents and incidents have exposed areas that still need work: safety on the ground at airports, the training of pilots to handle sophisticated computers, and greater awareness of flight hazards in some developing countries.

WSJ: Airlines Count Down to Safest Year on Record