(no subject)

There is nothing quite like technology to piss me off.

Having made my jocular post earlier today, about the Gas Mask Buddha, I thought I'd post a photo in response to jfs's comment. To do this, I needed to install the software for my Motorola Razr V3 (show off) so that I could download the picture to my PC and then upload it to the web.

Except that after 3 attempts, I was nowhere close to having the PC and the phone recognise each other's existence for long enough to do anything. The PC insisted it couldn't find a modem despite it being a USB connection. Then, for some inexplicable reason, it started ignoring the CD drive and tried to interrogate the floppy drive, triumphantly telling me there was no disk. To add to the fun, zonealarm then decided that it wanted a floppy disk too. Finally, in one of those coincidences that has you panicing because you think you're the cause, the ADSL line went dead for a half hour.

I have uninstalled the motorola software; it's more trouble than it's worth. Zonealarm is gone too, having caused my machine to crash a number of times in the past month, the latest trick was the straw that broke the camel's back. There is a firewall on the router anyway. As to the photo, once I have recharged my phone, I shall try and bluetooth it to my old Sony Z600 and then download it to the PC from that. That software at least works with the PC. Failing that, I may just take the bloody Buddha downstairs on Thursday when jfs comes round for the gaming session.

My mood was not of the best before all this happened. A few days ago, I ordered some new trousers over the web. Today they arrived. The delivery company (not Parcel Farce for once) had slung the package over the gate and into the open passage way, where it was sitting in a pool of muddy rainwater. Happily, the suppliers had wrapped it all very securely and in plastic, and trousers are not fragile items, so no harm done.

Nonetheless...

Always one to appreciate the richness of irony, I found a delivery card wind-blown further down the passage, in another pool of water. It bore the legend, "Your item securely delivered. Left in - and here were the tick boxes: garden shed/garage/front porch" - the delivery person, probably quite unappreciative of the comedic value and irony, had written underneath, "put over gate".

Still, my new pair of shorts has arrived, so I can display my army surplus legs, and frighten the horses. So all is not lost.

And no, I shan't be posting a photo of that.

(no subject)

There is nothing quite like technology to piss me off.

Having made my jocular post earlier today, about the Gas Mask Buddha, I thought I'd post a photo in response to jfs's comment. To do this, I needed to install the software for my Motorola Razr V3 (show off) so that I could download the picture to my PC and then upload it to the web.

Except that after 3 attempts, I was nowhere close to having the PC and the phone recognise each other's existence for long enough to do anything. The PC insisted it couldn't find a modem despite it being a USB connection. Then, for some inexplicable reason, it started ignoring the CD drive and tried to interrogate the floppy drive, triumphantly telling me there was no disk. To add to the fun, zonealarm then decided that it wanted a floppy disk too. Finally, in one of those coincidences that has you panicing because you think you're the cause, the ADSL line went dead for a half hour.

I have uninstalled the motorola software; it's more trouble than it's worth. Zonealarm is gone too, having caused my machine to crash a number of times in the past month, the latest trick was the straw that broke the camel's back. There is a firewall on the router anyway. As to the photo, once I have recharged my phone, I shall try and bluetooth it to my old Sony Z600 and then download it to the PC from that. That software at least works with the PC. Failing that, I may just take the bloody Buddha downstairs on Thursday when jfs comes round for the gaming session.

My mood was not of the best before all this happened. A few days ago, I ordered some new trousers over the web. Today they arrived. The delivery company (not Parcel Farce for once) had slung the package over the gate and into the open passage way, where it was sitting in a pool of muddy rainwater. Happily, the suppliers had wrapped it all very securely and in plastic, and trousers are not fragile items, so no harm done.

Nonetheless...

Always one to appreciate the richness of irony, I found a delivery card wind-blown further down the passage, in another pool of water. It bore the legend, "Your item securely delivered. Left in - and here were the tick boxes: garden shed/garage/front porch" - the delivery person, probably quite unappreciative of the comedic value and irony, had written underneath, "put over gate".

Still, my new pair of shorts has arrived, so I can display my army surplus legs, and frighten the horses. So all is not lost.

And no, I shan't be posting a photo of that.

What if they gave an election and nobody came...?

Following on from pax_draconis’s St Crispin’s Day message to voters yesterday, and The Lord of String’s (mr_h_r_hughes) observations today, I thought I’d wade in briefly. Well, chuck a pebble into the pool of debate, anyway.

There was an interesting article in yesterday’s Times, written by Dan Snow (Peter Snow’s boy), explaining why, in his view, the young don’t vote in great numbers: It’s best to leave politics to oldies.

His argument is, essentially, that for the young voter, most issues raised by politicians don’t affect young adults directly – or at least are not perceived to do so:

The reasons why older people vote say a lot about why the young do not. They make their decision based on what seems to touch them directly. The health service ranks top, followed by schools, immigration, crime and pensions. Parents worry about their child’s school, older people worry about hospitals and pensioners worry about, well, pensions.

My friends and I have never been near a hospital — after all, we are immortal — so MRSA is not on the radar screen. We couldn’t give a toss about foundation hospitals because we cannot imagine that we’re going to be in one any time soon. We have no children and, having just escaped from the confines of the classroom, we are not motivated to debate the pros and cons of city academies.

He also points out that where the Government and Parliament does impinge on the province of the young, then engagement in politics does take place:

We engage when things seem to affect us. We howled with outrage when we were asked to contribute to the cost of our degrees. We voted as well, and now student-heavy seats such as Oxford West & Abingdon are in the iron grip of the Lib Dems.

It’s an interesting perspective, and worth a read, even if you think his reasoning is drivel.

For myself, I have yet to decide whether I can be bothered to travel from work down to Clapham, vote against Kate Hoey and her 20,000 majority, and then travel all the way back across London to Whetstone.

Normally, it wouldn't even occur to me not to vote; but Vauxhall is hardly a marginal, and even the fact that I appear to be on the Electoral Roll three times wouldn't make the slightest difference to Ms Hoey's re-election.

What if they gave an election and nobody came...?

Following on from pax_draconis’s St Crispin’s Day message to voters yesterday, and The Lord of String’s (mr_h_r_hughes) observations today, I thought I’d wade in briefly. Well, chuck a pebble into the pool of debate, anyway.

There was an interesting article in yesterday’s Times, written by Dan Snow (Peter Snow’s boy), explaining why, in his view, the young don’t vote in great numbers: It’s best to leave politics to oldies.

His argument is, essentially, that for the young voter, most issues raised by politicians don’t affect young adults directly – or at least are not perceived to do so:

The reasons why older people vote say a lot about why the young do not. They make their decision based on what seems to touch them directly. The health service ranks top, followed by schools, immigration, crime and pensions. Parents worry about their child’s school, older people worry about hospitals and pensioners worry about, well, pensions.

My friends and I have never been near a hospital — after all, we are immortal — so MRSA is not on the radar screen. We couldn’t give a toss about foundation hospitals because we cannot imagine that we’re going to be in one any time soon. We have no children and, having just escaped from the confines of the classroom, we are not motivated to debate the pros and cons of city academies.

He also points out that where the Government and Parliament does impinge on the province of the young, then engagement in politics does take place:

We engage when things seem to affect us. We howled with outrage when we were asked to contribute to the cost of our degrees. We voted as well, and now student-heavy seats such as Oxford West & Abingdon are in the iron grip of the Lib Dems.

It’s an interesting perspective, and worth a read, even if you think his reasoning is drivel.

For myself, I have yet to decide whether I can be bothered to travel from work down to Clapham, vote against Kate Hoey and her 20,000 majority, and then travel all the way back across London to Whetstone.

Normally, it wouldn't even occur to me not to vote; but Vauxhall is hardly a marginal, and even the fact that I appear to be on the Electoral Roll three times wouldn't make the slightest difference to Ms Hoey's re-election.

Look nice in the garden

I have just received an e-mail from ebay reminding me that an item I looked at is ending today.

Full size TARDIS, anybody?. It'd look nice in the garden, and it's a snip at £1,500 plus shipping...

Look nice in the garden

I have just received an e-mail from ebay reminding me that an item I looked at is ending today.

Full size TARDIS, anybody?. It'd look nice in the garden, and it's a snip at £1,500 plus shipping...