E-mail (as in Evil, Malicious, Agravaiting, Idiotic and Lying)

Ah the joys of setting up my work e-mail when out on site with a new computer, random unhelpfull error messages and suport pages that don’t answer my problems. Never mind that I’m restricted to a 56k dial up or a site network who’s firewall doesn’t allow even my otherwise unflapable iBook to get mail.

The strange thing is that when on the dial up I can download new messages using an IMAP account but not send them, the account settings are all good as far as I can see, with the ISP as the outgoing server just as normal. The only thing that I can see as causing a problem is the Norton protection software but bugger me if I can see how to get it hacked (I tracked the incoming mail problem to it and got that fixed, port blocking in the end).

But one must persist otherwise I will have to shoot this nice new computer they have given me, oh if only I could get it to work.

Techno Porn

I’m sitting in my cousins very nice house in Sydney after going into town yesterday and falling in love with what I thought was an iPhone but is in fact the new iPod touch, I have to admit to trying to by it then and there only to be told that it’s out of stock and that I would have to wait, bugger that; onto the net and it’s on it’s way to me as I type ( dam that purchasing disorder)

Why do i still have this blog?

Now I realized something not that long ago, my page looked like crap ad was unreadable even if there was nothing to read. So now I’ve bothered to fix that I realise that the bulk of my blogging has been on Bebo and not all of it that good either. Which leads me to this comment, why keep this and if I do what to do with it?

Falafel!

Back from Amsterdam and the first thing that went into my head was “where can I get good falafel in N’Ireland” the stuff’s addictive, must be the special dutch ingredients.

Saw the sights, not just the red ones thank you very much. Did the cultural stuff, well we went to several museums, saw a lot of architecture and had a very long walk to a micro-brewery that was part windmill, part bombed out soviet factory, part most cosy pub in the world and had the strangest urinal outside of Japan (not advisable if your inside leg measurement is under 32″).

Stayed in what was termed a hostel, better than a number of “Hotels” I’ve visited over the years, though the stairs were frightening and anyone who has had to traverse the stairs to my room at home will wonder how bad they could have been.

Expanded the party with a canadian who was traveling through europe for a month before starting their masters degree. Put them back the next day.

Drank far too much, but didn’t eat enough falafel. Found the best bar/restaurant yet, baring the tendency of the male bar-staff to concentrate on the tables with attractive girls at them and not the one with the three progressively drunker, hairy irishmen.

Got phoned at an inappropriate time (eating falafel at three in the morning, oh civilization!), from an inappropriate place (transvestite bar in Glasgow, I think), having to shout at an inappropriate level to be heard, with an inappropriate topic of conversation (at that volume) yet perfectly happy to pay any additional inappropriate call charges simply because of who it was.

All in all well worth the effort, the hand-brake landing at Dublin was just a bit of icing on the cake.

Random mutterings

It’s one of those thoughts that undoubtedly occur to all people who leave a job after several years, “Dam should’ve taken the opportunity to get to know X and Y better, I wonder when we will ever run into each-other again”.

Well it’s happening to me now, as I handed in my resignation two weeks ago. now don’t get me wrong, Bebo and its like; along with e-mail can keep people communicating quite well but it’s a soulless format.

I now find myself having those conversations with people that I don’t know quite as well as I would want, with a feeling of a looming deadline and too much to cover in the time.

Oh well, It will be interesting to see who I’m still in regular contact with in six months.

Bebo: Curse or Revolution

Now this is being written as I hold my first real conversation with a friend on Bebo and I must admit that I’m having trouble deciding whether it is going to be a good thing or not.

Come home from work and start into Beboing (I doubt I’m the first to coin that phrase) people instead of doing real work. TV is bad enough for me and as for books don’t get me, or anyone who knows me, started on what I’m like with them.

Yes it is so much simpler than phoning someone, in the right circumstances, and cheeper than texting; while having the advantage that long lost friends can find you and your family can keep abreast of your life (that’s a bit debatable depending on your family or your life).

The best way that I can think of it is like all the other distractions, schedule it! lacking something in spontaneity but it keeps you in the black.

Never being a big one for written conversations, text or e-mail, yes I know I’ve just started a blog and that it contradicts my last statement; I find the process slightly more taxing than household plumbing. Conversations should be held face to face over a cup of tea and a never ending supply of ginger-nut biscuits. The written word is for imparting information and telling long stories. This view point probably came from being burnt badly by several text conversations with now ex-girlfriends.

Comments would be appreciated, if only to see who is out there reading this.

Colin g

The annoyance of the web

Not yet into the funny comments section yet, just trying to get Bebo set up and this page running at the same time while my net connection is being used for only “non copyright downloads”, ouch, its like being back in the days of 56k modems!

Argh!!!!!

but as there should be no one desperate enough to read this yet I can always fix this latter. I think.

Hello world!

Welcome to my humble alternate world where I can amaze you with the blankness of the page, sorry that was ment to read “the stark post-minimalist design” but I wasn’t sure I would spell that correctly and I’m too tired to spellcheck.

See you when I can next find the time

Colin g