2018-03-13

Blogs brewing

I am usually the first to "blog first and ask questions later", but for a change I have a list of things that are brewing.

There are some simple things, like one about councils and arsehole neighbours and planning permission. One that will probably be blogged once I get, or fail to get, the necessary permission and the way the law can be an arse, and any way I can make a certain neighbour's life hell. We'll see - you never know, it may all blow over. I'll blog when sorted, or when I am suitably pissed off.

A less simple thing is the way that my grandson was killed by negligence of several parties just over a year ago, and this is one of those that nags at me every day. Some things matter more than others, and this is one of those. Once the lawyers have finished I expect to blog that in some detail, but for all I know that could take another year! That is one that eats at me every day and I really hope blogging it will take a load off my chest one day. We know life is not fair but sometimes it is unnecessarily so.

I may have a blog over one carrier being a dick, but that may be something we agree on and not to blog. At the end of the day if someone can actually sort the issues and reach a good result, I don't have to make it all public. Not telling the world seems odd some times, but may be in all our interests. We'll see. My blog is only a weapon if compliance means I don't use it :-)

I have some technical things I may blog on - waiting on some kit. We'll see how that goes.

I have some interesting stuff on product safety and fascias and things, which may be fun, but waiting on things to happen.

There are always the political blogs - the latest on the stupid stupid age verification for porn, thankfully delayed a few more months at least. That and the way the government are trying to censor shit all over the place with no consideration for human rights and free speech. To be clear, some people's free speech is repulsive and offensive to me, but I'll fight for their right to express it. The day we lose that right we are in a police state with censored media - a day that may have happened already.

I have one relating to trade marks, and stuff, but again waiting for some shit to happen or not happen. Some will have seen the ® on my blog title. All part of a plan.

And then there is the new FireBrick, and new A&A tariffs and stuff, which all are happening. We actually have new install prices today, but more will be added over next few days.

So lots due to happen, honest - some more serious than others.

9 comments:

  1. This all sounds very interesting and, with the notable exception of one of the topics listed (and except insofar as it might have some therapeutic value to put it into words and share it with us as your friends), I’m very much looking forward to reading them all.

    I’d also be interested in any blog articles about how to stay sane in what seems to be becoming an increasingly oppressive society. I find myself biting my tongue a lot these days, for fear that even the most innocent comment will offend someone. Similarly there’s always some jobsworth or public sector functionary looking to boss me around or impose unnecessary restrictions on my liberties. It would be good to hear some rational opinions and advice about all of that.

    Also just any general wisdom or advice you have picked up over the years. It’s always good to learn from a respected mentor figure!

    And maybe a few “tales from tech support” could be interesting!

    Thanks again for a brilliant blog!

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    Replies
    1. We have wondered about tales from tech support before, and I have done the occasional blog post where a customer has been particularly special. As for words of wisdom, I'll see what I can do. To be honest, the blog was started out of frustration with BT, and has help keep me mostly sane over the years even if it has pissed off some people.

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  2. "arsehole neighbours" "any way I can make a certain neighbour's life hell"

    perhaps escalation is not the best path forward?

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    Replies
    1. I echo Anon's comments. You seem to thrive on escalation and confrontation, when many of your encounters appear to me to be entirely avoidable if only you would take a breather and focus more on resolution and being realistic. In the last few months you really do seem to have ramped up your anger at the world. I suspect Twitter doesn't help because it rewards spur of the moment reactionary exchanges and they become drug-like.

      Can I suggest that next time you're on holiday you take the bold step of leaving your electronics and connectivity at home, totally out of reach, and enjoy the physical world with your family and friends, take time to absorb it for yourself without a need to broadcast or record it. Periodically unplugging from being always connected has a huge positive impact in my experience. Perhaps in your role at A&A you've found youself connected for so very long you've lost your sense of that, replacing it with the 'hit' of online anger to and from aliases online.

      With regard to your grandson it's awful, you're clearly hurting and my heart goes out to you. Instead of defaulting to this blog in the first instance take a look at https://selfauthoring.com. This will let you write privately about the event in a way which helps you to understand it and unpack it properly so you can finally end that feeling of it nagging you every day.

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  3. I'm seeing the delay in the porn verification crap as the first positive thing to come from Brexit. The government is so wobbly and so busy trying to sort out Brexit legislation, that it's basically paralysed and doesn't have time to pass more oppression laws.

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    1. As far as I can tell, the delay is not down to Brexit or the government at all. As I understand it, the government legislated that age verification must happen and that is where the government's involvement ends. They have left it up to the BBFC to draw up guidelines, which the BBFC still haven't published. So with less than a month to go until the deadline, the companies implementing systems have had to basically make a guess as to what the guidelines might be and implement according to that instead of having a solid specification. Even if the BBFC publishes their guidelines now, there's probably not enough time for the implementers to adjust their systems to comply with anything that differs from their original guess.

      Second to that, it sounds like the implementers are behind schedule themselves and don't even have anything ready to go for their guessed guidelines. (The behind-scheduleness may well be because they have had to spend time doing the BBFC's job for them and building their own guidelines instead of being able to use a ready made specification, of course).

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  4. Oh, yes, please do something on the Councils that think *they* have rights over *me*, but forget that *I* pay *them*. My enemy today is Westminster City Council (parking matter). Over the last year I have had run-ins with London Borough of Southwark (roadworks licence matter) and Reading Borough Council (Council Tax addressed wrongly, failure to understand the legal implications of Power of Attorney, parking matters and green/recyling bins and failure to mend roads and failure to grit roads and running an awful awful bus company) and Liverpool Council (trying to operate an anti-landlord racket). Awful, awful organisations - the lot of them.

    Overall, I like the fact you have an opinion and are willing to give it. So many people are lame and apathetic and that winds me up. Young people under 25 seem especially apathetic and disinterested in everything and totally remote and detached from the real world. I don't always agree with you, but I do like that you have something to say.

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    1. Apathetic and disinterested? You must know different young people from me. The ones I know smoke and drink less than anyone in the last seventy or so years, work harder, are more socially conscious and more frequently depressed -- and they think the system was rigged against them by their own parents' generation, with jobs they can't get available only in areas they can't even afford to rent accommodation in, pensions they will never be able to save for and that are worthless when they get them, university educations that are required to get any decent jobs but that lumber them with massive debts, houses that are utterly unaffordable -- oh and then they get told they are apathetic as well.

      Oddly, this makes some of them rather annoyed.

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