A little "peeved" this crimbo/new year....

Been off work since finishing early (about 2pm) on the 23rd and am due back about 0730 on the 3rd.

Fortunately, my time spent with Clare and the family has been pleasant, but the "peeved" comment I'm alluding to in the title is to do with the TV and the "January sales".

Luckily for us, we have the "Sky TV" satellite service and hence one of the largest choices of channels to watch in the country. The only problem has been that most of the so called "christmas selection" of programmes has been complete and utter shite!

The films that are usually shown as a highlight tend to be the bigger, well known ones that have been shown at the cinema to great acclaim, but this year, it seems that all of the ones I've noticed on the programme listings have either been "also ran's" or ones that have been shown so many times as to have become a complete fucking yawn.

The only one of note that I've managed to see and enjoy, was the last of the Harry Potter films and that was on a "pay per view" channel.

Apart from that, our saviour has been "Dave". It's tag line is "the channel that's the home of witty banter". So yes, it has had a lot of reruns of "Mock the Week", "Have I got news for you", "QI", "Top Gear", etc etc. Now it's fair to point out that in just about all cases, we'd already seen the various episodes when they were originally shown, but they're amusing enough to keep us entertained a second time round. Thank fuck for that, otherwise it would have been a complete waste of time pressing the on/off switch!

Also, having had some time to use the PC to have a dig around for any possible bargains, it would seem that the only ones to be found, are probably in the high streets, because looking online has proven a complete waste of time.

Perhaps if you want either "white goods" or electronic stuff, then fine you might find at least some savings, yet the stuff I'm in the market for doesn't seem to have been marked down at all. I'm just looking for some cheap, plain t-shirts, underwear, jeans and a new pair of crocs or two.

I can find fuck all in the way of savings, which is despite the so called "economic down turn" that's currently (according to the news and other media people anyway) happening in the world.

I mean, are all these sales people so determined to earn a penny, so desperate that they must retain every penny of their over priced goods to make money ? Or would it be better to discount the numbers where they can to shift some stock and still make a few quid ?

Come on you sales types. Knock some prices down if you want to sell stuff. The media fuckers have got us all so brainwashed to believe that we must all be skint, just because the banks are (where they fucked up big time a couple of years ago), it's the only way you're gonna make some sales..... especially in the next couple of months a.k.a. the quiet time of the year for most market/sales sectors.....

Who really believes the shit ?

Trundling around for the last few days........... Nothing new there.

So I'm starting to notice, not only adverts on the TV, but also bill boards and other similar type notices put up by various businesses that are "wishing our customers a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year".

Why on earth, would anyone think that any businesses actually give a fuck if we, the money spending customer, actually do have a nice time over the "festive" period ?

Are people that fucking stupid ?

It's like I also notice that companies are also putting up face book pages so we can all hit "like" and get blow by blow accounts of how wonderful they are and how much of a favour they're doing us by telling us of their wonderful bargains.

Surely facebook was started for People to "network" (god I just hate some of the terms that are used in modern language)......

Personally I don't give a monkey's toss about corporate shit! They should just make a fucking web page that's easy to follow/navigate, what the current price or so called "special offer" might be and then shut the fuck up.

The business world is only there to try and extract as much from our collective wallet/purse/handbag/etc and they don't give a fuck about us as human beings. Hell I understand that companies/businesses actually have legal recognition as some sort of "corporate person". I don't know whether that's the case here or not, but either way, any such recognition should be banned and when it comes to elections etc, if the company or any of it's "officers" try to affect the outcome of an election or similar, then those in charge should be dragged out of their offices and be tied to street furniture and publicly electrocuted (oh and their personal assets sequestered and added to the "public purse").

Perhaps the same should be applied to political lobbyists as well........

Cameron and the EU ?

So our great leader, Mr Cameron, was acting in the best interests of the country when he walked on the EU talks about financial integration. Was he now ?
Of course, its entirely coincidental that he made the excuses shouted loud around the streets of "the City" that those nasty foreign types that people the upper echelons of the EU, might use the new treaty/powers, to slap a "transaction tax" on bond, shares and other financial type "business" transactions.....
And of course, equally coincidentally, has no conflict of interest, what with him being exceptionally wealthy, courtesy of the mountain his late father made from share dealing......
Sorry, but IMO, its nothing more that hypocritical self interest, from him and his "city cronies" looking to make yet more money, while pandering to the whims of the small minded "little Englander" types that fill a larger portion of Tory rank and file.
Yes, its fair to point out that I don't entirely trust the most influential EU leaders, but as they are the only people who've granted us (the working majority) any kind of legal rights, I'm inclined to suspect that towing the EU line is probably better than sucking up to the Tory financial backers......
They just want to increase the rich/not so/poor wealth gap....
Perhaps my little bit of throw away sarcasm "the only good Tory is a dead one", has a ring of truth about it......
At least I can stand back, and "hand on heart" say, "you fools voted them in, not me"........

My tram experience ?

It was suggested to me that I watch the "my tram experience" video on youtube.

Now what do I think of it ?

Well, to start with, the very allegation of "racism" is difficult. Why ? Well because here in the UK, it would be considered an insult, or at very least, accusatory of something quite nasty.

So here, it's an insult, yet it would also seem elsewhere it's not so. I understand that in many parts of Africa, the term racism goes hand in hand with the term "tribalism", which alludes to one tribe or specific ethnic group, disliking or even hating another, yet it's considered something to be proud of.

Not sure I agree with that.

The woman who's making all the fuss in the video clip, while making herself look and sound like some sort of "trailer trash chav" (apologies for the poor use of  metaphor i.e. use of American and British english terms), may have a point, inasfaras, she obviously doesn't have much connection with non-white Britains and has been exposed to the kind of views and standpoints that I have trouble with.

Personally I try to treat everyone with the same level of consideration, manners and respect that I expect to receive back. It usually works.

Hell, if I didn't know better, I'd have thought that the woman in the video clip was "a plant" by some sort of "hard right", minority political group. But I just consider her a foolish person who doesn't seem to know when to keep her views to herself and her mouth shut.

At the same time, there's a point that is worth thinking about. Why is it, that when you get a "social ghetto" of some sort (and yes, I can see that while non-white Britains do seem to flock into area's that end up looking like ghetto's, we white Britains also do the same) does it seem such a surprise ?.

Where a non-white group (mainly) are easily identified by various cultural indicators, with white Britains, it's less about obvious things, and more about the class system and finance/consumer indicators i.e. how much you are likely to have paid for your house, the kind of car you drive and the social status of your occupation, and not the colour of your skin, the type of accent, or style of clothes you chose....... but it still shows a certain level of ghetoisation.

Thinking of it on that basis, also gives rise to other questions like "what can be done about this ?".

It's difficult, as it's easily understood why various groups will form these apparent ghetto's, as we all like to go with stuff and places that are familiar to us. Yet if we try to "improve" ourselves in some way and move into the radar of a different group, then there are always those in that new group who will attempt to prevent us from improvement (if "improvement" is actually the right word ? as it suggests that one is better than the other - and that's not what I'm trying to highlight).

Perhaps, if we were all just a little more open about our differences, while at the same time, able to admit it when our knowledge of others falls short, then there'd be less likely to be events such as the one highlighted by the video clip.

So share our joint knowledge of our different situations and I feel that it would be less likely that we'd end up with such highly visible examples of such bigotry !

I can honestly say, that all of the non-white Britains that I've met, as well as those who are white and not necessarily British, have been nice, polite, pleasant people. Who I'm happy to spend time with.

After all, while we're all a little different (apart from the visually obvious differences), we're all, basically, in the same shit pile known as "life". So why make such a big deal of the visible differences ? some of the cultural differences do go to making life just a little more interesting and enjoyable.......

Equality is good, as is fairness, yet until both these qualities are included in our joint (all colours, creeds, political allegiances, and other differences) society, from the top down, there will always be those who think such views are good.  

Something to watch and think about ???

One of many excellent links......

It's the first of 10 short clips. Well animated and voiced by Clive Anderson

Hum ?

So, I was listening to the radio while working (driving) the other day. They were focusing on the priministers' speech and comments about the forth coming public sector strike action, which is due next wednesday.

It happens that they were mainly spot lighting possible consequences of the participation of members of the Immigration and Borders agency staff at the various major airports.

Now Mr Cameron, the current (conservative) priminster was on about how few, percentage-wise, members of the various unions had actually voted for strike action, to try and prevent serious effects on the public service unions pensions etc, how the current government proposals would mean that they end up contributing a higher amount of their wages, end up working for longer, with a lower amount of pension at the end of their service.

Cameron was complaining. No surprise there. Except, a couple of months ago, we had a referendum, about whether it was time to change the current method of how elections are decided. The "Yes" campaign wanted to change to the "alternative vote" method, whereas the "No" campaign (of which, Cameron was part) wanted to leave it as it is i.e. "first past the post", like a horse race.

Now there's a problem with this. First, one of the No campaign points was that it's too complicated for us "mere mortals" to understand. But if that's the case, how is it that an ordinary bloke like me, understands that that is how the leaders of the various political parties are elected, yet I'm too thick to understand.

Second, if he doesn't like it (the "alternative vote for national elections"), then why is he complaining about the unions and industrial action being decided by "first past the post" results ?

Like anything Mr Cameron, you "can't have your cake, and eat it". It's one or the other. Either put up with the result by the current method, or let us change it to something that is fairer and more representative.

After all, I doubt whether we'll get "proportional representation" in my time, even though this is, by far, the fairest method to decide who represents us. But all the time that those in power, insist that we don't vote for a party, we vote for an individual name, then it's unlikely to happen.

Myself ? I consider myself "old Labour". Not because I necessarily agree with all the policies, but because they always seem to offer the fairest deal to the greatest number of people (usually the working classes). Yet I dislike the attachment of the "vocal, woolly headed, educated liberal do-gooder" types, that have got on the band wagon, probably for similar reasons. After all, it's at suggestions of theirs, that have removed so much power/authority from the Police, courts, the family, etc. Which has resulted in a large number of feckless teenagers, who have little or no respect for society. Yes, the parents have some blame in this as well.

Yet "they" won't criticise parents, as it would lose them voters - and given that the current government is a coalition (with the indecisive, power hungry, hedge sitting LibDems), that might change things to them being open to a "no confidence" vote that could remove the tories from power, so they won't do that will they.

Plus, if the kids know that the authorities have little power to "draw a line" that shouldn't be crossed then there's little reason for them to change and "toe the line". They can just continue to be a pain in the arse, as would currently appear to be the case.

But I digress.........

So Mr Cameron, you either have to put up with the self inflicted "first past the post" and work out how to deal with industrial action, or you have to allow us to have a more representative voting system, where you might not get quite as many seats in parliament at the moment, and yes, it would also give a small voice to the more "lunatic fringe" parties, but it would be fairer.

After all, we like to think that Britain is all about "fair play" don't we......

Unless it doesn't do what the politicians want, of course.......

It's "children in need" again tomorrow.....

So, tomorrow, the BBC will be doing it's utmost to dig into our pockets in the name of charity.

With other concurrent events, like "Evans" auction for thing that money can't buy (Wogan used to do that, but since he left the brekkie show, Evans has taken over).

Now none of us really mind donating to charity. There are at least some, properly worthy causes out there, both home and abroad.

Me ? I'll just keep donating to my own favourite charity i.e. the me appreciation society.......

More "ordinary" cynicism !

So the "poison dwarf" (George Osbourne MP, current chancellor of the exchequer) has sold off the nationalised "Northern Rock" to Virgin, albeit at a loss.

It's claimed that the loss is the best possible "value" to the tax paying public.

Couldn't possibly be more Tory shite could it ? Lets face it, a previous Tory government, led by the wicked witch (fucking Thatcher, the hectoring bitch), sold off pretty much all of the other "family silver" to buy votes with tax reduction didn't she/they.

No one on earth will convince me, that the current state of our "public utilites", wasn't already predicted by some smart arsed, right wing, "think tank". I honestly believe that despite all the bollocks that was spoken at the time "it will create competition, etc etc", they knew that in the relatively short space of time, that it would be their mates who'd own the shares, so that the only people who'd benefit would be the corporate element (senior management) and the shareholders.

I mean, it couldn't possibly be that they're all run in a cartel/mafia type way colluding to fix prices as much as they dare to rip the public off. They wouldn't dare, would they ?

Now the little fucker is trying a similar thing again, except he's got less "family silver" too sell hasn't he. So he'll sell off what he can, telling us that it's in our own benefit, not giving a monkies fuck about the working majority. He doesn't have to does he. Like most of the bastards in the highest levels of government, he's minted so it doesn't matter to him does it, as long as he can spin it to "our benefit"

Fuck off, lying twat! It's just yet another way of getting "national" money into your "PLU mates" pockets, all for our own benefit.

TV and Film Discrimination ?

I've come to the conclusion that the TV and Film industry management are discriminatory.

Well, if you watch any amount of TV or Fims/Movies, they go to great pains to make the actors and other who spend their time in front of camera look different.

Now I'm not thinking of making black or asian people look white or even hiding poor complexions with makeup and the like. No I'm alluding to the fact that the casting people seem to always go for the "vertically challenged" i.e. short arses.

Not always of course, but it does seem that unless its completely necessary, they stay away from "normal" or god forbid, tall people!

I mean, surely not all tall actors aren't wooden, like Arnie or Dolph ? Ok, so Clint is a little type cast as he does mean and moody so well, plus with some parts "they" can't just cast one of the taller black actors as in a lot of parts, that wouldn't be believeable.

So it just seems that these industry is run by the short arsed mafia!

They keep all the good jobs to the shorties keeping the lofties in a sort of lanky box, only getting them out when they absolutely have to...

Rememberance - it's that time of year again......

Anyone who know's me, will be aware that I served with the Royal Navy, from September 87 to October 96.

I'm also a "card carrying" member of the Royal British Legion.

So it's no big surprise, that when the Rememberance weekend comes around every november, I can be a little maudlin. I usually look through the list of names at this website. Well not all of them, but from the date I "joined up" to the present day.

I do this, so I can try and properly remember the people who I worked with in one way or another during my time with the RN, who for whatever reason, died during their own service with the RN.

I'm gonna just list them, as I might otherwise, start to forget them, which would be disrespectful of their memory to my way of thinking.

They all died in different ways, mostly not in any kind of combat environment, but other, more "ordinary" ways i.e. car accidents, natural causes, etc etc. So here they are :-

Matthew (Stan) Baldwin - 11/11/91
Dean Marriott - 8/4/92
Michael (Mack) McKenna - 7/6/93
Preston W (Smudge) Smith - 9/10/95
Mark (Beasty) Beeston - 2/4/97
Stephen Atkins - 5/9/97
Carl Meagher - 10/12/98
Carolyn Crumplin - 24/11/02

Those are the people I spotted in the listing, there might be more. Hopefully, if there are, I'll spot them when I look through the list next year at about this time.

If nothing else, I remember them as all being nice, pleasant, good people. So as long as I'm around, you won't have been forgotten.......

Taxation changes to help the economy ?

Apparently, a group of "City Financial experts" is recommending that the "poison dwarf" a.k.a. George Osbourne MP, the current chancellor of the exchequer, change the current taxation rules about the top rate of 50% tax, and reduce it to the current "higher rate" of 40%, as it will help the economy.

Funny that eh! Probably pure chance, that the "City Financial experts" are most likely to be among the highest earners paying the "top rate".

So no conflict of interest there then!.........

Personally, while I don't object to people who work hard at their given profession/job etc, to being paid a bonus for success, what I do object to is the ridiculously high bonuses that are paid by the "City". I believe that government should legislate against any bonuses that are larger than the persons annual salary level.

After all, these people are some of the highest earners in the country, which enables them to live a very pleasant, comfortable lifestyle. So to limit their annual bonuses to match their annual salary, isn't exactly a "kick in the bollocks". It's a very nice, sizeable "thanks for your efforts/hard work this year".

It would give a larger slice of the financial cake to share holders, who, after all, are the ones that provide the finance for the dealers/brokers/experts to play at "casino" in the financial markets in the first place......

Ah well, nothing like that is likely to happen until any type of business/corporate "lobbying" is criminalised. Likewise, any "legal person" status is removed from business as well.

All about as likely as building airports for squadrons of flying pigs..........

the "Big Conference"....

While I remember (and am already on my "soap box" from the previous post), last weeks big conference, held in London and chaired by the UK government (I believe), was also featured on "Click".

There was a nice interview with William Hague (or William Vague as I like to refer to him) MP. They asked various questions about what it was all about and what difference it might make, given that there's all sorts of such IT related "talking shops" already in existence. He gave a suitably bland response to the questions in that "government/ministerial" sort of way.

Yet I couldn't help getting the feeling, that while they asked "Joe Public" for his input, as well as the various industry and government groups to take part, that it was basically about getting the ideas/knowledge of how we all use the net and what else is going on from a potential criminality point of view, just so they can get ideas of how to make further policy of how "it" can be used in the future.

Lets face it, governments are control freaks, and god forbid, that we can communicate with each other directly. That could lead to all sorts of anarchy, like the much lauded "Arab Spring" or the rather less popular "London riots". God forbid, that societies scum bags, and other lower orders get out of hand, so they can obtain their new track suits, designer trainers and plasma screen tellies for nothing. Make them use their benefits, you know, the ones that they have left over after buying their cigarettes, booze and paying their monthly Sky subscriptions.......

No, hang on, it wasn't them was it. It was "the gangsta's" and RIM (the makers of Blackberry smartphones) fault wasn't it.

Heaven knows, the government doesn't like to tell the truth and point the finger at poor parenting, years of taking away methods of successful social control, that has been led by the progressive, outspoken, liberal minority.

Ha ha! of course not. Because if they did tell the truth, then they wouldn't get voted back in would they.......

Tech news and stuff......

One of my favourite TV programmes has got to be "BBC Click". They manage to give well presented, lively, interesting reports on newer technology.

Now I say "newer" because they stuff they show isn't always new, just that there's been a new piece of kit that does "X" that they highlight. In this weeks show, it was about so called "Black box" recorders for cars, that record and measure the car/driver ability.

This isn't new, I saw something like this, what ?, 3 years ago. It comes under the term "Telematics".

It would appear that now, the insurance companies are starting to take more of an interest (not that they ignored it before). They seem to be on the verge of using systems like this, in conjunction with a "financial carrot" of lower insurance costs. Hell, the BBC click programme even got an interview with someone from DHL because they've installed "forward facing cameras" in 600 of their trucks.

Now I'm not against anything that genuinely makes driving safer, but so many of the "good idea club ideas" are just there, so management of businesses that involve/use some sort of road transport, can point the finger.

These devices will continue to be pointless until they can maintain a 360 degree view of the road round a vehicle, so that in the event of an accident, investigators can get a full understanding of the road conditions and what's going on at any given time.

Having mentioned the DHL action above, I'll continue to use goods vehicles as an example.....

So, as any vehicle over 3.5 tonnes gross weight have now been fitted with speed limiters (56 mph I believe, but have also read that the EU directive is for limiting to 10% below the normal vehicles maximum legal road speed).

Now imagine the scenario, with the vehicle trundling down the motorway, with the pedal down, only to come across some crusty old bastard, who thinking that they're saving the planet, sits in the nearside lane at 50mph (I'm not pointing the finger at the older driver per se, but it really does seem to be people of that group who drive like this). Ok, fine I hear you say, just overtake them. Which is Ok, except the longer the vehicle, the harder it is to judge the safe distance to pull back into the appropriate lane, especially when the only way to see where said "crusty old bastard" is positioned, is the use of the near side (a.k.a. "blind side") mirrors.

Well, if you're lucky and the crusty concerned, is a well mannered person, who tries to be considerate, will actually let the truck back in. Whereas what you get in reality, is a miserable old scroat, who thinks "I'm not gonna sit behind that bloody great truck" and speeds up, too "undertake" the truck. Leaving nothing else for the truck driver to do but pull back into the nearside, and eventually catch up with the crusty, who by now, has dropped their speed back down to 50mph again.

What you end up with, is an accident waiting to happen.

So rather than thinking up some clever technological method of pointing the finger, how about making refresher training mandatory ?

The transport world has recently moved over to having to provide 35 hours of "extra training" in a 5 year period (known as a "drivers CPC" a.k.a. drivers certificate of professional competency"). Now at the moment, the drivers CPC scheme is a bit of a joke. Each minimum 7 hour training period, isn't a pass or fail, it doesn't even have any specific syllabus. Just the requirement that it's attended. So it could be "how to make a good cup of tea and bacon sandwich" (yes, I know, that's extrapolating to the "nth degree"). And that "course" is attended 5 times in 5 years.

Fucking brilliant move there Europe, eh!

So why not make it a little more specific ? and focus it on safer, more defensive driving techniques ? Something like one session every 2 or 3 years ? Oh, and make it mandatory for holders of all driving licences. As to whether it should be pass or fail, is probably a different question, as it should be enough to appease any industry groups who'd complain that if it was pass or fail, that all of a sudden, their costs of retaining drivers would go through the roof.....

Lets face it, the vast majority of road traffic accidents are caused by "car drivers", who think that once they've passed their initial road test, that they're "good drivers". Whereas in truth, they're not, the majority aren't even particularly safe drivers. That's not to say that they're all bad, because they're not, but their driving often depends on what it is that they're driving for or too.... i.e. if it's holiday or some other sort of rest/leisure activity, then they're more patient, whereas if it's going to work, or getting somewhere for work etc, then they are suffering from a certain amount of pressure to get somewhere a bit quicker, in a less safe way, than they might otherwise do.

After all, there is so much visual info that we're supposed to be able to assimilate at any given time when driving, then it's a surprise that more accidents don't happen.

Plus, if the insurance industry is given "carte blanche" to insist on installing such monitoring equipment, then they are having "their hand" strengthened even further than now, given that motoring insurance is a statutory requirement. They use that dominant social position to bleed the hell out of drivers of all kinds.....

And I for one, would prefer to see genuine, honest figures as to how the varying different social groups actually cost to insure, and not the usual drummed up, statistical lies that they roll out as an excuse to squeeze yet more money out of us........

And yes, I am being cynical. I've seen such changes abused so many times, when all any specific problem needs, is to properly enforce existing legislation, or possibly create a little new piece, but it's the vested interests that want things a certain way, and lobby government until they get what they want. Business itself, might be necessary, but it's also a craven thief, when it comes to extracting money from the nations collective wallet.... And government does nothing about that (except to enjoy the continual flow of "corporate hospitality" - oh yes, that's right, it's ok for them to accept such goods/services/gifts, as long as they publish it in some hard to understand "register of interests")...........

An ordinary-ish week...

Well, overall, It's been an ordinary week from the point of view of a commercial driver. With the usual up's and downs of busy one day, quite the next.

I guess I'm lucky to not have a dedicated vehicle, just drive whatever the boss needs that day. No "nights out" parked up in shitty layby's moaning at the "JF's" to move their wagon as they've abandoned it in the middle, with no consideration to the rest of us who also need to use the layby, no waking up in the middle of the night busting for a crap, having to "curl one down" in the dark, under a trailer, etc etc.

The rest of the country don't understand how lucky they are, not having to put up with stringent working practices enforced by the stringent requirements of the various pieces of transport legislation, yet with such limited facilities afforded by the roadside here. Mainland Europe does a much better job of facilities for drivers, yet I suppose there's a number of reasons for that. Distances would be one, though the roads here probably need more facilities, because of the population density and that our major roads are probably among the most choked in the entire EU.

A couple of small changes to legislation are all that's needed. But the government don't like upsetting business, so that's not gonna happen is it !

What else ? Oh yes. That was a nasty accident that was reported yesterday, on the Somerset section of the M5. A number of deaths and 20 plus vehicles involved. Perhaps driving too fast in the reported wet and foggy conditions ? Or maybe people driving too close (in truck blind spots) or something like that ? Too early to say I suppose, though people seem to do some really stupid things on the roads, around large vehicles. They seem to have zero idea about how hard it can be to drive a 44 tonner safely, they tailgate, they cut in too soon, all manner of stupidity, and wonder why their vehicle loses the battle. They're often lucky only to get their precious car written off, and not to get killed in some hideous way....

But you cant tell the stupid fucker....... because after all, they are "good" drivers, aren't they.......

NOT !

When "ordinary" turns into stress !

Well, what was a relatively normal, ordinary, nay boring day, has become one of stress, stress, stress.

It just happens, that I've been a linux user for what ? nearly 10 years or so, possibly longer. It appeals to me as it does give a lot of freedoms that you just don't get with windows or Mac etc, yet so far, it's not been so much of a problem.

Now over the past couple of years, there've been a few changes. Not big changes, but enough to make a few things a bit of a challenge.

Oh and I should point out, that I'm not technically proficient with Linux, but I've learned enough to get by, without too many issues, until, seemingly, today.

All I did the other day, was to update the system, which on the face of things, went fine...... but obviously not.

The issue was to do with how the system was rendering fonts on screen. The update couldn't seem to manage how I normally arrange things i.e. install/update/whatever, then pick the apps/progs/facilities I want to use and off I go. I also usually manage to copy the windows fonts (yes I do have a license....), as I prefer the look and "readability" of them. Yet this time, something that seems to be font related confused the fuck out of the system. It left me with a desktop screen that had little boxes where the text should be, as if I'd chosen a font that wasn't installed or something like that. I did ask at the local LUG mailing list and tried the suggestions, without any luck.

So I just said bollocks to it, and downloaded a different distro that I tried and had previously worked OK. That installed, set up, etc etc it was fine.

I did my usual sunday messenger voice clip session with a friend in the US, who only has a windows based PDA/phone device (which is why I have to keep a windows install, as I haven't managed to work out how to use any of the IM clients/Messenger clones from the Linux world to chat with him using voice clips), which all went fine.

When I rebooted the system back into the Linux install (Mint 11), I ended up back at square one with the damn font rendering up shit street.

With no other avenue available to me (only because I don't know enough of how to solve such problems), I downloaded Mandriva (2011), a distro (earlier versions) that I'd used successfully before, in the vain hope that it will work again.

Wrong! I installed it and when I try to log in, I just get a different warning message about a missing config file of some sort.

You can read any amount of articles about whether Linux is ready for the mainstream or not, but stuff like this is just a classic example as to why, whether some of the Linux Guru's would disagree with, that it's not ready and never will be. All the time the average "user" of a pc or other computer type system, encounters problems like this.

It matters not, what they think or say (I have no criticism of their abilities - some of the stuff they, the developers, have produced, is really remarkable, given the tiny amount of money that's involved compared to the big boys of MS and Mac), that until the average user can install it without a plethora of technical questions and use it without something small causing a seemingly big problem, then it's pretty much restricted to the technically proficient "geek" types. I don't mean that in a disrespectful, rude manner, but I have a brother who falls into that category i.e. with his IT degree and damn near 20 years experience in the IT world, he's next to fucking useless. Ask him anything vaguely technical and in less that a sentence he will have reverted to type and start gabbling on in techno-speak that's way over the head of mere mortals. Yes, sit him in front of a computer that's got problems of some sort and he can figure it out and cure any issues (as far as I'm concerned anyway - I'm sure there's a shitload of stuff he doesn't know). What he can't do, is explain, in plain, ordinary english, what it is that he's just done or is currently doing.

The whole of the linux world seems to be like this. There seem to be no clear and concise text books, irresptective of which distro they might be trying to explain, that are accessible or useable by the "man in the street". They just blather on in technoblurb, expecting a huge amount of additional knowledge that the mere mortal doesn't have - and invariably can't find. It doesn't matter how much info fucking google might be able to find, they just don't seem to be able to talk and explain stuff in "plain english"!

That's why linux won't ever be ready for the main stream. Because they just don't have anyone who knows it to an indepth technical level, yet can explain it to a "normal" person. Hell, it seems that even the great and good of the linux world have yet to grasp this. Hence it will continue to be, that Linux get pissed all over by the likes of MS and Mac (even Mac, who use a slightly different version of a "unix like" OS, have tied it down to make it easy for the ordinary user to fuck up).

Right, end of rant (for the moment). I'm gonna have another go at installing it too see if I can get it right.......

Another ordinary week ?

Well, another ordinary week, switching between bulk sand/gravel loads and network pallet deliveries. So nothing interesting really.

My only bugbear has been that because I tend to leave the vehicle radio on radio 2, I notice that a couple of presenters are off for the half term.

Now it seems that when Ken Bruce is off, they often sub with Zoe Ball, who at least, is entertaining, but when Jeremy Vine is off, the last couple of times they've rubbed with Vanessa Feltz.

Now I'm sure she's a nice person, but needs badly to listen to her tapes or whatever, and try and understand how bloody annoying her presenting style is. Talking over guests or listeners who ring in to make a point on a story is not only disrespectful, but also comes across as impatient, abrupt and bordering on the "down right rude".

So come on Radio 2, surely you can come up with someone better......

Perhaps I'm weird ?

Yesterday, the MOL (mother-out-law)brought round a pack of doughnuts. She's good like that, she'll bring us both a few cakes on thursday as that's when she and the F-O-L do their weekly food shop. Then on Saturday morning, they pop round after they've got their morning paper and any other bits they need, plus the ubiquitous cake delivery.

Try as I might, I can't get used to "American style" doughnuts. You know the ones, they've been decorated on one side with whatever i.e icing, "sprinkles" of some sort, etc etc, whereas I like the ones that may or may not have been filled with jam, maybe sweet apple sauce, etc etc and then been dropped in caster sugar and rolled round to cover the cake on all sides. I don't mind if they're ring doughnuts that have just been sugared all over etc, I just can't abide the ones that have been decorated on the one side like a cup cake. The bottom (undecorated) part is bland, greasy, just not very nice. So if "she" brings them, then I just don't bother to eat them......

Dunno if that makes me strange or not!

Apart from that, it was just an ordinary day, a few household jobs completed and veg in front of the tv!

2 ordinary days.....

The last 2 days have both been ordinary i.e. same shit different day, except yesterday was slightly memorable for 2 reasons A) I had to drive "the pride of the fleet" - a 7 year old truck with about 900,000 "kliks" on the clock, no third gear (synchro buggered on that side of the box - it crunches like hell when trying to select 4th/8th as well as not being able to use 3rd/7th), a manic water leak (putting a gallon of water in the rad' every 100 kliks) and an air leak on the drivers seat which made it like trying to drive while sitting in a bucket and B) it was the 15th anniversary of me leaving the Royal Navy.

Strange how a shitty day coincides with the anniversary. It's happened like that before, and I'm sure will happen again.

I just can't see where all the time has gone, it just feels like a couple of years ago since I hung up my uniform for good.......

p.s. Oh and the 21st of October is also "Trafalgar Day" i.e. the anniversary for both the success of the Battle of Trafalgar, and the death of Admiral, Lord Horatio Nelson.

The illegal pikey site in Essex ?

So the police etc have moved onto the illegal travellers site at Dale Farm, which is near/in Basildon, in Essex.

Big fucking deal! They were made aware of the illegality of their act (the pikeys that is). The local council have done the eviction procedures by the book (apparently). The case has been in front of some of the highest courts in the country. Hell, the courts have even allowed a few last minute applications, just to see that "fair play" is seen to be done.....

The pikeys just won't admit that they've lost the legal battle and its time to move on.

In truth, I guess that they just don't like the idea that they've lost and that the rule of law must be respected. I suppose that the police are just doing their job, whether the pikeys like it or not, they can't or haven't found a loophole in the law.

Plus what seems to make it more annoying, is that the pikeys are trying to portray themselves as some sort of oppressed minority group, which as blatantly a load of bollocks. All of the pikey types I've ever encountered have been "travellers" through choice and are just a bunch of drossy scumbags made up of people from various groups.

Plus now there's a load of shit stirrers and so called progressive types. In other words, "do gooders" who seem to carry on looking for causes too support.

Well, as I understand that the eviction is being done entirely legally, then fuck 'em. Evicted the pikeys and bust the do gooders for obstruction of justice.

Irrespective of that lot, its a difference of opinion between do-gooders and nimbies. If local authorities have to provide somewhere for travellers/pikeys/whatever, to go then do so, but then the nimbies get their say and as it tends to be nimbies who own the land, then the law will usually fall on their side.....

It must be my fault.......

So there I am, waiting in the queue to load (I drive a truck), there's 5 wagons in front of me, so as it takes about 20 or so minutes to load each one, then its at least an hour and forty minutes.

The person who "routes" the loads can see the yard and queue of wagons from her desk, yet its my fault that it took nearly 2 hours to get my load.

What a crock of shit !

So Far.......

An ordinary day..... sitting in a fucking queue waiting to load...

More shite!

If Douglas Adams was still alive, if he saw something like this, he'd probably write a book about the kind of fuckwits who post that kind of shite around the net!

It wouldn't be so bad if it was just a single, slightly mad website, but it's not. There's reams and reams of the crap out there.

Two things come to mind..... What's the point of it and why don't the people who run the site get a fucking life!

Fashionable as fuck !

Here in the UK, it seems that we do like our fashion, specifically the fashion in clothes.

But what happens, when a specific fashion is either stupid, or makes us look stupid ?

A good example of this, is "Ugg" boots. Yes, they do have some good points. Yes, they're probably nice and comfortable, and equally probably, nice and warm to the wearer. But, the very nature of them, means that they're only very good in cold, dry weather.

They seem to be made of some type of leather/skin product, like sheep skin, judging by the look of them. They seem to have little or no support for the foot and also have the look of a material which has little or no water proof qualities whatsoever.

In fact, they're fucking ugly looking. They have the appearance of the sort of footwear that used to aimed at old ladies to keep their feet warm while sitting in front of a fire in the winter, mainly in adverts that appeared in the magazine supplements that came with the Sunday newspapers (presumably to justify the increased cost of the newspapers printed for distribution/sale on Sundays).

But, it's rather obvious, that some so called "celebrity" has or had, been photographed wearing them, and that "celeb" had a sufficiently high profile, to be used and upheld by fashion writers/journalists, to be lauded as a "fashion icon" in the press.

Now it so happens, that as a male who spends a lot of time transporting goods around his immediate local area, that I see a lot of people. Also, being a bloke, I realise that I'm genetically programmed to notice the women in the local area as well. Yet I try and be a little objective and not only notice the women, but also how the men/blokes etc appear as well.

Womens fashions change more than mens do, or that's how it seems. Yet it also seems that certain "mens fashions" can also make men look as equally stupid, as some womens fashions make the women look.

It's become clear, that a lot of us have no idea of how we look to others and as a result, make "fashion choices" that are entirely inappropriate, and make us look like idiots/fools to others. That in turn, can make for problems/issues, in how other people react to us.

I've also noticed that you don't need to be dressed in clothes that are of the latest so called fashion, to look good. It would appear that it's more about picking clothes that are suitable to our individual size and shape - something that varies one hell of a lot. The other thing I've noticed, is that we don't necessarily need to "dress our age". I mean, do all women over, say, 50, need wear dresses that make them look like their dress is made from material that might have once been a set of 1970's curtains ? No, of course they don't.

I've concluded that it might be better to teach our kids a little more about understanding what goes with what. Why certain people of certain racial origins and appearances can get away with some styles which would look stupid on people who originate from different cultural/racial backgrounds.

For example, women who have darker coloured skin, can make a piece of clothing that's of a bright pink colour look good/smart, while lighter skinned women can't - it makes them seem like they have a "pig like" quality to their appearance, yet we seem to insist on continuing the social brainwashing of "pink for girls, blue for boys".

It's more about style, than fashion. Yet the so called "Fashion houses" continue to con us, getting fat on the riches of our purses/wallets/bank accounts.....

Me ? I'm just rather lazy with it all. With the exception of the clothes I've been supplied with by various employers, who want to portray a certain look, while they're paying me to work for them, the contents of my wardrobe are almost entirely variations of black. Not because I want to look like something out of a funeral procession, but it just means that whatever I grab to wear on a given day, if nothing else, it all matches. I never look like an explosion in an artists painting set. It just goes together, by virtue of being similar or the same colour. Any kind of accessories I need, are what then gives me a specific "image". I'm unlucky (which is relative) in being reasonably tall, which, because of the ways that the retailers work their ordering/sales practices, means that I'm often limited in the styles/types of clothes available to me. Or that I have to hunt around a lot to find stuff that fits correctly.

Will we ever change ? Not in the foreseeable future. Our youth have been too well brain washed, and it might take a few more riots in the inner cities for all of the less privileged youth to have got new, over priced, yet fashionable clothes to look good. Instead of making themselves look like some sort of sub-species.........

"Pearls of wisdom" found while stumbling around the net......

An interesting read, that I found while stumbling round the net.

Perhaps "Patriotism" isn't something to be lauded about, but should be considered as some sort of malignant canker that somehow pollutes us all.......

The Recent London (and other places) Riots

This is what I found this morning, when I was stumbling around the net.

It makes, IMO, interesting reading. Prompting various different thoughts about what's been going on.

It reminded me of the attitude, that seems prevelant in society these days, that governments of all flavours, don't only want to spoon feed us with crap, but also to keep us scared.

"Keep us scared" ? I hear you say. Yes. I'll use an odd analogy.

Firearms. Yes, firearms. What was it? a decade or two ago, we had the Michael Ryan case (the link is just a memory refresher). Then there was also the "Dunblane" incident. Now, it's cases like this, that caused knee jerk legislation, which has effectively outlawed/banned all hand guns, as well as just about all firearms (as distinct from shot guns). Yes, there are cases where they're allowed (outside of "officialdom" that is).

So if it was such a necessary thing to do, why is it that gun crime is higher now, than it's ever been ? And that's not just hand gun issues. What about these idiots who seem to think that "gangsta" culture is appropriate. These are, after all, the people who seem to find very little difficulty in locating sources of illegal firearms, of a type which couldn't really be described as hand guns. Yes, I'm alluding to automatic weapons of many types.

Legally held firearms, are available for inspection to the authorities. As is the sanction of having a firearms certificate removed from a holder.

So what difference has the legislation made ? Well, IMO, no fucking difference whatsoever!

We're all supposed to feel safer aren't we, yet the various news outlets are happy to keep throwing stories/articles at us that tell us about how much danger is still "out there".

See where I'm going ? They're keeping us scared.

The hand gun thing was just an analogy, but there's many, many issues where "they" are only too happy to tell us just how much danger we're in. Especially the control freak liberal do gooder types. Hell, they're some of the worst.

Yes, those selfish, greedy, "little Englander" types that are found easily among the ranks of the Tory party, as well as the more extreme right, are to be expected to be like that. As long as they're left to live in their "chocolate box lid" home counties villages and small towns, then the rest of us can just fuck off. But to get what amounts to a similar attitude from the liberal do gooder types, in the guise of "New" Labour, you know, all smiles with shining teeth and that patronising "I know best" attitude of Mr Blair et al, really grates.

I'm not saying for a moment, that any kind of "lefty" thinking is required, because that's just "control freakery" of a different type, that gives the same result. It's just that it seems that the moderate "centerist" view is over looked in the same patronising way, whether it be Blairite types, who want to be your friend etc, or the current underhanded bastards who run the country. Lets face it, they all try and condescend to us, telling us how "they understand". Yet I say bollocks. How can a privately educated, Oxford graduate, who's rich in his own right, tell me that he understands what it's like to be working class, having to work 60 hours plus every week, for what would be a poverty wage (if it wasn't for my partner and her full time job as well)....

Sure, the bastard in the top job at the moment also works long hours etc, but in the surroundings provided for his office/position mean that he's wrapped in cotton wool of the highest, most expensive type.

Yes, I'm also aware that some of the rioters, might have had a bit of a reason to protest/complain about "their lot", but most of them are the product of continued "Americanisation" started by that old bitch Thatcher.

It's these people, our so called "Leaders", who want us scared. That way, we'll carry on buying the products of their companies, as those gimmicks/gadgets make us feel safer. They want us to keep paying for food that's tant amount to eating processed dog shit (lowest cost to produce, with the highest mark up). Hell I'm surprised that they haven't suggested reducing the road speed limit to 5 mph and re-instate the requirement for the bloke with the red flag to walk in front of the cars (ha! they won't do that will they, otherwise all the corporate oligarchs would have to slow down as well.... that's not good for business is it).

Yes, I know that for every action, there's a reaction, but these people who "lead" us, are supposed to either be the brightest of us, or have access to the brightest minds as advisors, to get things right. But they're not are they. They're just being partisan enough to keep their boots on our necks.

I mean, they wouldn't like the EU to prevent employers being able to pay a pittance, unless you sign away your right to a 48 hour working week. Because that, is apparently, the only way to keep business profitable isn't it. Of course, it's got nothing to do with keeping us working longer hours, just so "the leaders" know where we are, so we're not causing any trouble, you know, causing riots in the streets and hampering the efficiency of business to make shitloads of cash at our expense....

No, I don't agree with people tearing the various cities where the rioting has occurred apart, but at the same time, I don't entirely disagree with them either. What was initially a protest about the shooting (by police) of someone who may, or may not have fired on them first is for the courts to establish. It's certainly not for some of the various communities to use it as an excuse to bleat about how hard done by they are, and end up ripping places apart and trying to justify their actions of thuggery, thievery and criminal damage.

Ha! I can almost hear them from here, scuttling around Westminster, trying to work out whether they can just get away with tightening up some existing regulations or whether they need to think up some new ones......

Well I hope that my rant reads as if it's got some point to it and doesn't come across like some meandering tirade from my soap box.....

If it does ? Fuck it, what the hell eh! Just goes to show that while some of use don't care about a lot of stuff, because it seems so irrelevant, we do care about our own position and rights (most of which come from Europe anyway, the control freaks don't want us to have our own bill of rights or formal written constitution do they)...