Losing the Plot?

The New Year festivities continue unabated here.
Even the blackbird in the garden is eating cake.
Soaked in rum and cherry brandy, he may need a cholesterol reading soon.

Moaning Minnies have been dispatched to wander the mainstream
media, seeking whom they may depress.
One intense voice droned on about the horrors of the past decade as if there was no tomorrow. The fact that he is a high-ranking clergyman did not stop me as I pressed the off button.

A more puzzling problem has not been fully solved,
but it leaves me wondering how I would deal with
trying to contact a person who has blocked my contact
with their online persona if they actually needed help.

Some time back I was made privy to information that is seemingly
protected on Twitter. There is nothing stopping anybody who is
one of your contacts there making a screenshot of material that is
meant to be private and disseminating it privately or otherwise.
I continue to be amazed by the number of people who actually
believe that they are fully safe online.
I do not mean that they are in danger, if they take care,
but bad-mouthing people can often get back quickly to the
butt of one's jokes. Rather than waste time in being personally
offended I find myself being concerned for how easily some people
might be manipulated. They trust, which is proper.
Those who abuse their trust (an unhappy minority) have
almost surreal ways of hiding their tracks.

The other side of this coin is that, human vanity being what it is,
people will often waste much time online trying to find out what is
being said about them. There is a very insightful article by
Curt Monash on who and what to avoid on Twitter (in the title bar here).

Posters are warned over and over that what they post may appear in the public sphere years later,
if a new owner chages the terms of service of the Forum or Chat Room they use.
It really would be a Happy New Year if more people could take this seriously.

Happy New Year

Here's to a wonderful time in 2010...

Quelle Horreur

At last, as far as I am concerned, Chat Rooms are a thing of the past.


I joined one which was yet another baptism in fire and water quite some time back because a friend's enthusiasm and good humour was enough to carry me through the horrors there. Even being accused of trying to take over as a moderator I took in my stride. Certainly I had no such intention, but humoured the accusor, as one does in large, faceless groups where any nonsense might break out.

However, the sad reality is that the mixed messages took on such a bizarre tone there that Twitter is the only way forward. Many of my favourite posters are there already and they don't start fights or try to appropriate my photos, so let's hope that continues.

My favourite chat space, Techfocus the Lounge, which I would happily continue to support, simply disappeared off the radar recently, without any explanation.

Onward for the New Year, to better things, I hope...