Wednesday 12 August 2009

ChuckleVision Howeller

Having cleaned the windows and re-organised my book piles, I caught the end of the Chuckle Brother’s zany antics on BBC2 this morning. During the blooper reel at the end, the name of Colin Ibbotson was mentioned, as one Chuckle got it mixed with the name of a character. The other responded with “you went to school with Colin Ibbotson” (or words to that effect).

Is this another claim to fame of the “UK Super Lightweight Hiker”, Colin Ibbotson? If so, the episode is “Jumping Jackpot” and the Elliott brothers hail from Rotherham in Yorkshire. But it is probably just coincidence.

Blockade Runner Outlook

Getting back to Aberdeen, I find that Yahoo’s blockade of my email address only applies to emails sent from Pipex’s online “Netmail” service. Emails sent from my desktop to Yahoo addresses are fine. Huzzah for the ineptitude of Yahoo. As I rarely use Pipex’s “Netmail” service, I am now not sure how long yahoo have had their blockade active, since they have never told me about it, and – when they did bother to reply to my enquiries – said that it was nothing to do with them. In other words, Yahoo lied. They are not lying now, as they did not reply to my last email. Maybe that’s where the name comes from? Stick a finger in each ear and make the noise “Yahoo” continually until the complaints go away.

Life’s too short to bother with these bozos. Transmission ends.

Saturday 8 August 2009

Stornoway Homecoming 2009

Massed pipe bands in Stornoway today. They were really good, and were having fun.

There was a parade and stalls and the rescue helicopter did amazing feats of control and slides and a fair and dancing and a craft fair and the international market and there was lots and lots and lots of people at it and even the police car had streamers on it.

Friday 7 August 2009

Yahoo’s Blockade Continues

With more important things happening than dealing with some crap from a company that refuses to do anything about stopping me from emailing friends and family who are with them, I forgot to say that a technician from Pipex called me on Wednesday afternoon. He said that Yahoo had installed a new updated spam filter, and it had blocked lots of accounts (including his). Pipex had tried getting through to Yahoo, but there was no response. He suggested that I kept on trying.

I did point out that I was merely a single individual, that Pipex was in a better position to tell Yahoo that they were blockading innocent customers. We laughed then at Yahoo’s deal with Microsoft, where Yahoo were relying on making money from their existing customers – something that would be curtailed by Yahoo’s accountholders not getting mail from their friends and family who are being blockaded.

Today, I laughed when I saw the report on the BBC entitled “The internet's conscientious objectors” and the high-minded words of Martha Lane Fox (unelected, appointed as Digital Champion) “I don't think you can be a proper citizen of our society in the future if you are not engaged online” she said. We are not online citizens, we are users of systems. We have no rights, but merely accept their terms and conditions. How then can we be proper citizens, when the best we can hope for is to be part of a community.

Time I dusted off Hobbe’s “Leviathan”, as we humans have not changed much in over 300 years.

by Art is created that great LEVIATHAN called a COMMON-WEALTH, or STATE, (in latine CIVITAS) which is but an Artificiall Man; though of greater stature and strength than the Naturall, for whose protection and defence it was intended; and in which, the Soveraignty is an Artificiall Soul, as giving life and motion to the whole body; The Magistrates, and other Officers of Judicature and Execution, artificiall Joynts; Reward and Punishment (by which fastned to the seat of the Soveraignty, every joynt and member is moved to performe his duty) are the Nerves, that do the same in the Body Naturall; The Wealth and Riches of all the particular members, are the Strength; Salus Populi (the Peoples Safety) its Businesse; Counsellors, by whom all things needfull for it to know, are suggested unto it, are the Memory; Equity and Lawes, an artificiall Reason and Will; Concord, Health; Sedition, Sicknesse; and Civill War, Death. Lastly, the Pacts and Covenants, by which the parts of this Body Politique were at first made, set together, and united, resemble that Fiat, or the Let Us Make Man, pronounced by God in the Creation.

We are a species that uses communications and tools for advancement. The Internet is merely one of these tools. Online or off-line, we are all part of the leviathan.

Monday 3 August 2009

Yahoo! Customer Care Team - missive 6

Your still blockading my Pipex account. It has been going on since Friday the 24th July, and all I get is the "it isn't anything to do with Yahoo" messages. Strange, I get the same from Pipex. In the meantime, I cannot email friends and family on their Yahoo or BTopenworld accounts.

Thank you for not caring. It just gives Yahoo a bad reputation, and we work round it by me email them on their other accounts, eg Freeserve or Google. And life goes on.

Sunshine over Broad Bay


Sunshine over Broad Bay, originally uploaded by dimacleod.

Low pressure no longer sitting directly over crofthouse and the first sign of sunshine in a week.