Wishful thinking

The last four times I’ve looked at the BBC News website, I’ve misread the title of this story as “Leslie’s sex change ‘hell'” – it should read charge. I worry about my brain sometimes.

Images

Yes, as suspected, two new graphics have made their way onto the site. as d4d™ is now really dummies-for-destruction, well, it seemed apt to lose the pointy man for a while, and get rid of the “under new management” sign. More changes will be slowly percolating through the site. Then again, as yet I haven’t changed everything to the CSS sheet either. It will all happen though.

Insurance

I spoke to the claims advisor on the insurance yesterday – looks like things will go smoothly, and the list of stolen DVDs to be replaced went in the post to them today. The DVDs will be replaced, and delivered to my parent’s house – until I’ve moved, I’m not going to be replacing any of the missing items, as I don’t see the point in doing it just to get them nicked again. The thing I’ve discovered I miss having most of all is the digital camera – among other things, it’s meant I’ve missed out on the 26 things photographic scavenger hunt, along with several other opportunities for decent shots. Once I’m moved, it’ll be high on the priority list.

As for the laptop, they’ll send me vouchers, I assume to the original purchase price. So, that’ll be playtime when they arrive – the only disadvantage being that they’re supposedly only spendable in places like *shudder* Dixons. All the same, I’m sure I’ll find something I like – even if it does have a touchpad. But we’ll see what’s around once the vouchers arrive.

All in all, I’ve been hugely impressed with MoreTh>n, my insurers. It’s a week today since the break-in, and it looks like the insurance claim is pretty much sorted out, along with their paying for the replacement window that my cuntish landlords insisted I pay for. They’ve managed to do everything on the timescale that was promised when I first called, and so far they haven’t messed me about at all. I just hope that the payout and delivery of replacement items runs as smoothly.

Firebird

I’ve been playing versus various web browsers for a while now (sorry, bsag, but still Windows only) but it’s only in the last 48 hours that I’ve really got into the Firebird browser from Mozilla. My problem with Mozilla itself (an open-source offshoot of Netscape) was that it was – frankly – fucking slow. You know something’s slow when you go back to IE and think “flippin’ ‘eck that’s fast!”

So it was with some trepidation I finally got round to downloading Firebird, the newer, more experimental, shitload-faster-than-Moz browser. And I like it. Lots.

I’m posting this through Firebird – it’s the only browser other than IE that I’ve so far found which works with Blogger’s extra buttons, and renders it properly. Just that is enough to convince me. It means I don’t have to use IE for anything other than my internet banking now (in a fit of “security” the bank that daren’t mention it’s name still only supports IE or Nutscrape 4.7 (not even the latest version)) – and that’s always likely to win me over.

Robbing bastards

No, for once not the little sods that broke into the house. Instead, this is about the other people involved the break-in. I got an invoice this morning from the company that the police called out to board/secure the window that got broken – note, not my request to get it done, but the police’s. But the invoice arrived this morning, to “the occupier”

£60 to board up and “make secure” (we’ll ignore for the moment that half the screws weren’t in properly, and it was a pretty shonky job all round) and another £10.50 in VAT. So it’s cost me more to have the window boarded up than it did to have it replaced. I’m sure there’s a logic there, fighting to get out.

Hiatus

Over at Naked Blog, Peter has announced he’s taking a post-hissy-fit (his words, not mine) break. I can understand his point, wanting to see people commenting on his thoughts, and I certainly hope he’ll return (at the moment it’s in doubt). It’s a blog I read daily, and have always thought was a damn good one (and not just for the support over the Wiley’s farce).

But at the same time I’m as guilty as others – I don’t always leave comments, even when it’s a point I agree or disagree with strongly. Sometimes I simply forget to do so (or, as yesterday, think I’ve commented and then discover I haven’t) and other times I just don’t want to be overly contentious.

Anyway, I hope Peter will return soon. He’ll be much missed while away.

More phone idiots

“Hello, IT department, Lyle speaking“
“Hello, is that Nigel?“
It just went downhill from there…