Demoralising disappointments.com

I'm sick of computers. Actually, not just computers.  I'm sick of 3G internet, iPods, internet explorer and IT specialists who get paid to fix the problem without atcually fixing the problem.
It seems that every time I take on a new task, even if it is just for my own enjoyment, a plethora of technological issues prevents me from doing the task I intended to do, and gives me a whole new set of trouble shooting tasks instead.  As a new Mum, I don't really have time to attend to all of these new issues, or the money to pay some one else to.
So where do I turn to fix the problems that arise?  Google (of course).  And do I find the answers?  Mostly, but unfortunately they're usually not the correct answers. So after awhile I resign myself to the fact that I have two operating systems on my computer.  Or that I can only listen to the first 30 seconds of each song on my iPod before it switches itself off.
To be fair, it is a relief to vent my frustration over the internet.  The irony makes me feel like some sort of sadistic double crosser, reaping pleasure out of exploiting what a technology has to offer in order to badmouth it.
But it's not the technology itself that really frustrates me.  Rather, it is my own expectations of instant gratification that I have allowed to build up along with the evolution of internet and processor speeds over the years.  Now that I don't expect to wait five minutes for each page to load, it really shits me when they do!
Don't get me wrong - I'm not a Luddite and I embrace all of the positive things that computerised technology has to offer.  Really what annoys me is the fact that I have allowed myself to rely on these things while my brain capacity for solving complex problems reclines ever more comfortably in the back seat.
The positive result from this realisation: enjoy the simple things in life!  Forget about the material/commercial world and feel your breath as it moves into and out of your body.  Remember that the body is more complex than any machine and it keeps itself running if you treat it well.  So really, who cares if my computer is running?  As long as I am still running, then all is sweet.

Computer Viruses

How do you really know when you are protected against computer viruses?  Trojans, worms, and other malware are sneaky little ...s, and phishing scams are also hard to detect. 
I used to pay $100 each year for "reputed" protection against these insidious creatures only to, one day, find  (just when I needed it most) that my CD/DVD drive had stopped functioning.  Thinking that it was a hardware problem I adjusted myself to the fact that I would not be burning cds anymore (not that I illegally burn cds or anything...).  A month or two later, Internet explorer suddenly decided I was no longer allowed to access the Internet.  The funny thing was, I could still send and receive emails.  After weeks of agonising over "that bloody computer", calling my I.S.P., my V.P.S.P. and praying to G.O.D. I discovered that there was definitely a virus.  Despite having already paid $100 for that year's protection, I would have to pay another $140 for the same company to remotely clean out my computer.  I asked my IT friends.  They advised me to back up my files and reinstall vista.  To do this, however, required a working disk drive, which meant $150 (without labour) to get a new one installed, or $60 to buy an external drive.  With the new generation of notebooks (that had about three times as much power as my two year old beast, and at about half the price) I considered ditching the whole thing and starting again.
My financial situation made the decision for me, however, and I decided to pay for a virus clean up.  With one hopeful glimmer of wishful thinking I asked the anti-virus rep. if I had any other options.  He told me I could try calling the manufacturer of my computer and see if they could reset it to its factory default.  This would be like turning back time, restoring my computer to its shiny, younger (and lightning fast) self.  No extra software.  No downloaded extensions.  No viruses.  I followed their advice.  One hour later, my computer was back to its original self.  The disc drive was working, the Internet was functioning and my sanity had thankfully returned.  The first site I visited after months of deprivation was AVG - to download their free virus protection.  While not as comprehensive as its commercial comrades, it seems to do the trick - I have had no problems since.

Event management

Hurray for eventbrite!  A free online tool that makes promotion a breeze.  Doodle is helpful for noodles such as myself (my friends know what I'm talking about), but a few telephone calls would also do the trick.  Anyvite is just plain fun, amusing and not at all confusing!  It allows the user numerous options for free online creation of event invitation.  Invitations can be personalised by allowing the user to choose images from flickr, and yet again, this is other application that is linked with twitter.

rss

RSS is pretty convenient for keeping up to date on the latest information,
until you forget that you have these alerts - then you find frustration!
When you check your account after weeks of inactivity
then you spend hours reading old news, and new news and you forget your own identity.
Maybe that's taking it a little too far, to say the least, a melodramatic exaggeration
because really, how can you lose yourself from reading information?
But sometimes that's the way I feel when I'm on the computer for hours
I sit and read until my eyes go grey and I lose my intellectual powers.
Feedrinse is a refining tool to cut back all the useless stuff
limiting your feeds to keywords that search for you - handy in this tough
social climate of ours, where we can't find the time
to spend searching through google or bing or yahoo.
All in all rss is the best especially the reminders
to remind me to check my reader, and email - before I lose my mind-er
that is to say before I lose my mind
perhaps I'm trying too hard to rhyme.
But what else can you do when writing about RSS
other than give yourself a healthy mental test?

How to act

Isn't it funny how so many people don't know how to act?  You would think that when one stepped into a library - a place designed for study and quiet contemplation - one would attempt to keep their noise production to a minimum. But no - most people don't.  Sorry to rant even more than my usual standard, but what on earth is wrong with this world???  (Aside from the fact that the billions of dollars invested in yachts, moving yachts by ship, and the design of even more expensive yachts could feed the billions of people who don't even have access to clean drinking water ...) 
One example: while walking through the library today I discerned the generic melodies (?) of a popular R&B track.  You know the kind - where every crescendo of vocal melody sounds like the sudden strangulation of a robot on ice (I think it was Cher who started the trend - Do you belieieieve in life after love).  A disgruntled gentleman looked over at me and pointed to the other side of the divided desk.  A young lady gawked at her facebook page.  Behind Facebook, YouTube was (not so) quietly lurking.
"Excuse me, the music is a bit too loud, can you please turn it down?"
The young lady looked at me blankly, before moving the audio cursor down.
"Thank you" I replied, before walking away.
Sure, she had done what I asked, the only thing was - the music was still very audible, in fact, it seemed just as loud as it had been before my intermission.  Noticing the same gentleman's agitated expression, and hearing his sigh (just audible above the music) I returned. 
"The music is still too loud" I said.  She pointed to the sound control.  Being at its minimum she said "Its as low as it can go - if I turn it down more I can't hear it."
"This is a library" I returned "We have to try to keep the noise down because there are people trying to concentrate.  Sorry."  With that I walked away. 
Why did I need to explain this?  Perhaps she had never been educated on the primary role of the library in our society.  I guess I shouldn't judge.  We do provide computers with sound after all, and we don't restrict access to facebook or YouTube.... My thoughts were interrupted again with the twitching ring of a mobile phone.
"Yeah?  At the library.  THE LIBRARY.  (Snickers)"  That same girl was now talking without restraint on her phone.  "Cause you're such as CUTIE" She crowed in a Kath and Kim dialect.  So much for my explanations.  Oh well.  I guess some people just don't learn.

Screen casting

What a useful tool!  The online applications that allow the user to upload their powerpoint presentations make the archival of information a breeze.  Instructional clips, lecture notes and advertisements all have a cosy home in Slideshare & Author stream.
Even more impressive is Screenr which allows the user to record their movements on their pc for the purpose of creating an instructional video.  It even records the user's voice (ah if only I had a microphone), making this technology indispensible for education and information providers (and also those who like to muck around.)  The video is then uploaded to Twitter which is also incredibly useful for spreading the word to niche audiences.  What a happy marriage - online informational bliss!

We all wonder, of course, how long this free access will last.  And if the free aspect is currently of the monetary kind, where is Twitter making their money on such ventures?  Do they own the rights to every thing tweeted?  It's hard to imagine that they aren't gaining anything of value from the information we upload each day.

Lamentation for the Ning

Oh nings! Oh nings! We had such a fling,
but now you are charging; commodifying
all of your potential, making money detrimental -
you're no longer free!
And me, and me - what else do I see
without the dollar sign appearing against an endless sea
of communities, all wanting to speak
to each other - but now who will bother?
Thank heavens for the others
who are free - Nings' brothers
who have stepped up in place
of this faceless face
that money has ravaged
and commercialisation has savaged -
Oh Nings - you used to be free!