I’m not, as those who know me will be aware, a fan of phones in general. Rather than being a useful source of communication they’ve become tools of unrelenting sources of spam-mongerers and sales idiots. I have to sign up to the (wonderful and thank you!) Telephone Preference System, ensure that my phone is ex-directory and withheld in order to keep any manner of numpties ringing to sell me a conservatory (for my second-floor flat) or a new telephone line (like I really need one of THOSE!).

But, by far, the worst creation wrought on our society is the mobile phone. Aka MFP’s.

I come into the office, pop my head around the door to say hi to one of the visiting consultants. He’s tapping away at his computer keyboard, the door’s open. I get a frown, then a pointing at his head and I catch a glimpse of the ear-bud, sitting in the ear away from my line of sight. “Sorry,” I hear him say, “Could you repeat that as someone interrupted me while you were saying it.”

Well excuse me for saying good morning!

Many times I’ve been explaining things; the workings of particular accounts or systems that I’ve been asked about. I’m talking, the person’s listening, and then their MFP rings. Yep – the one they should have left on their desk. So I get a phone waved in my face, an “oh I’d better take that”, and a conversation with myself. Just to make matters worse they then trundle back five minutes later and expect you to carry on the explanation that you’d been good enough to previously offer.

My normal reply to that is “fuck off!” and of course they then get all hurt at my unreasonableness.

A lot of people have what I term as “Romain Grosjean Syndrome”. Basically it’s a lack of spacial awareness. They’re on their MFP’s, wandering from side to side, oblivious (or seemingly oblivious) to anyone else walking or working in the vicinity. Even if you’re trying to get past, “Excuse me, can I just slip past?”, they’re just lost in their own little worlds of selfish and inconsiderate oblivion. Even following someone onto the bus last night…he’s ambled towards it, I’m being my normal courteous self and not jumping the queue, and he gets on without any consideration for driver or passengers.

You thought drink, drugs, alcohol and loose women were the tools of the devil?

I ride the bus into work every day. The bus driver has his mobile propped on his dashboard. There are earphones in most ears. The ones I really hate are the ones that have to give regular updates; “Hi. I’m on the bus. Not quite at the station yet. That’ll be fine as the train doesn’t leave for another half hour. Yes I’m a bit closer to the station now….”

WTF???!!

And there’s the Business Person. You know the one that has to organise their whole life in the loudest possible voice. Everyone has to know that HE is having a Really Important Meeting that day (probably to organise an advance payment on his next iPhone!)…that SHE can’t possibly get through the day without letting someone know that she’ll be in work early.

Ummm…’scuse me missus but I reckon they’ll find out when you get through the door anyway…???

They can be useful tools but, for most, they’re a way to cover up a lack of polite conversation. A way to ignore others. A way to self-increase your assumed status in life.

Fuck that. You’re just ignorant gits. You’ve forgotten a very basic standard; it’s called being a human being. Whether you have your dick or your Samsung in your hand, you might want to try and remember that you’re part of it.

MFP’s!

This is a re-written post from the old style journal

29.09.12

I went to Amazon last night in order to buy some mp3 downloads. This happens often on weekends just after payday and I try and expand my music collection. On weekends when I’m decorating or even just cleaning the flat or playing with the website then I like to have the music playing and Amazon’s always been good.

Until now.

1-click ordering. Heard of it? Amazon’s had it for a while as an option; instead of adding things to your shopping basket you can just find the product you want and pay for it with, pretty much, a single click. Sounds cool huh? But you can tell this entry is going downhill so you’re wondering what the problem is.

Option. That’s the key word. When you buy mp3 downloads now it’s not an option; it’s the only way to buy them. This is a similar system to what the i-tunes uses. Either way this is not only a step in the wrong direction but falls in with banks and utility companies who do less for you whilst not giving anything in return.

So, a bit more detail. I want to buy a Whitesnake album so want to add it to my shopping basket. Nope sorry mate (only they didn’t actually say sorry!), now you have to press the 1-click ordering button. A quick warning page and your mp3 is paid for starting to download. So it’s going to do that everytime I buy any track or album. You want 3 albums? That’s 3 separate transactions…and you wouldn’t be the first to have your bank ringing you up wondering if these multiple transactions from the same source were kosher.

I’m fairly up to date. I utilise the computer to pay the bills, send messges on my mobile, keep in touch with my son and that’s just the day to day stuff. I utilise the internet to book tickets, buy clothes, books and, dare I say it. One thing that i keep in mind when I’m writing e-mails or when programming is that you alsways need to keep in mind your recipients, your users and whether there’s any benefit in what you’re doing. To my mind, and a lot of other people, Amazon have screwed up BigTime.

HMV has a new customer!

This is a re-written post from the old style journal

12.08.10

I have to admit that I’m miffed. We house, give benefits and even schools and related language options to people from other countries. We open our national doors wide and invite them in with seemingly little restriction. Yet we can’t look after our own.

My ex-wife hasn’t been blessed with the benefit of wonderful health yet she’s done a lot to struggle to get over any health problems, has had various therapies for various problems and has pushed hard to get herself back to work. Yet today I learned that she has been turned down for DLA - Disability Living Allowance. It’s something for which she has had to try and get with back-up from doctors and friends and I know that, just going to that effort, for a single mum with a teenage daughter, must have been a major effort.

We give succour to those who are just plain lazy and who want to take from a country that pretends to care. Yet someone who has obvious problems and who has done as much as she can to get herself working and not to be a burden on the state has been turned down. If she hadn’t gone out to work, hadn’t tried hard and faced fears to get work, she’d still have various allowances coming in. But, having made the effort, she’s treated like a second-class citizen and I know for a fact that she’s worth more than that.

We live in a country that has few priorities except to be seen to be politically correct. This is a country that has lost its way and should be ashamed of itself.

I live in the United Kingdom and I can honestly say that though I may previously have wondered about its policies I thought of them as being mistaken rather than wrong. Now I am ashamed. Ashamed to be part of this country that licks the ass of others so that it can be seen by other nations to be caring and compassionate. What parent ignores its own children while giving refuge to its neighbours? What parent watches their children suffer whist it tends to the wounds of others?

I am utterly sick of this country, its policies, its holier-than-thou stance and its ability to treat its own like scum.

I am ashamed to be a citizen here.