Oddball in McDonalds this morning whilst having my coffee. Started going “mmmm” after every mouthful. Freak.
The above has annoyed me.
It’s a clipping from a video on Youtube. I haven’t watched the video, and aren’t going to.
It just shows to me and the world what happens when an imbecile orders a PC, sets it up at his little desk in his nicely decorated room, then one day decides he needs to be online, so orders the internet. He then thinks he could make use of a webcam, and keeping abreast of fashion, orders a nice new grey hoodie. Not wanting to be seen really doing much work, he decides one day that it would be a good idea if he powers his nice PC up in his little room, log on to a website, hit record on his camera, then pull a stupid ridiculous face and then share it with the world.
The above photo, to me, sums up what is wrong with society, and indeed the world, today.
“My wife’s very fussy when it comes to her eggs.” — Andrew D
Couldn’t work out if it was a girl or a boy. It enjoyed it’s breakfast though.
Ah Facebook… Look at what it has become eh? If you ain’t on it, you ain’t nothin’ - or so they say.
Let me take you back in time a little…
In 2007, i joined up to something that I had heard from a few select people about - they called it “Facebook”. I didn’t know what it was - but I had heard a few select people mention it. Being a bit geeky, I decided to check it out and “see what the fuss was about”. In fairness, it started off as a bit of a novelty, and I rather enjoyed it, but it was to go downhill pretty rapidly.
More and more people started signing up and little peculiar ”apps” started to show - most of them with no purpose, function or relevance whatsoever. As time went on, even more people started up - including people that last time I spoke to thm struggled to power a computer on - let alone sign up for a Facebook account!
Next came the politics. Relationship status changes, friend deletions, etc… It was apparent this tool was fast coming the main point of contact for colleagues, friends or family.
I realised this tool was massive when i used to get messages from people on Facebook whilst my e-mail inbox was empty, no missed calls on my phone, and no text messages. It started to annoy me.
Like others, i found myself spending 20 minutes looking through peoples “random” photo albums. (Completely incorrect use of a word - may i add…)
I got e-mails wanting me to join Farmville, Angry birds, daily horoscopes, etc… It was all becoming too much.
And what is it with all these “apps” today? Why do we have to share everything?!
I saw people i know writing updates every two minutes, usually including LOL, OMG, FFS, and other dreadful abbreviations in their speech.
I also saw people spending every minute of their day and eveining on this, writing pointless jargon, and apparently desperately seeking attention.
Why? What has changed? What have we become?!
My final day using the site was when i approached an old colleague in town to say hello. Just days before seeing her, she had written something on my “wall”, or commented on a link, or liked something I had done or said. As i approached, she glanced and turned away. I didn’t understand it. Sat looking at an LCD screen, you can communicate freely, and say and do what you like - so why, in real life, was the behaviour completely different? In that one moment, i knew it was time to rid myself of this disease.
Do i miss it? No. After all, i still use Twitter - which one day i know I won’t use any more, and also this blog - which I probably will still use.
After all, before “social networks”, i created “Rojweb”. Rojweb back in the day, circa 1999 - 2005 was a site i designed which featured entries and updates from events with all my mates and workmates. It had a guestbook where we could all communicate freely (often too freely!). You saw updates from our football teams, donloadable songs, wallpapers, loads of stuff - and it was great, because I created it, and knew how it was used. Eventually, we got a forum - which has long since gone.
Those were the days - the good old days. We weren’t on it every minute of the day - we didn’t have to share anything and everything, and most importantly it didn’t control our lives and stop us from having proper relationships with those around us.
I got e-mails wanting me to join Farmville, Angry birds, daily horoscopes, etc…
And what is it with all these “apps” today? Why do we have to share everything?! What next? Sharing how many pubes we have? Compare excrement? Or how about trying to beat each other online in a farting contest?
No thanks - i’d like to keep some things to myself.
If you want to e-mail me (yes - e-mail - you may remember that??), i’m at roj_v@live.co.uk
Maybe one day we’ll talk again - just maybe…
Here you can see yours truly sat outside the Black Sheep brewery in Masham.
We were just passing through on the way home from an overnight stay at Leyburn for the wife’s birthday. I simply had to buy a couple of beers of Riggwelter whilst I was there!
It’s the wife’s birthday today. Here’s the cat’s gift to her.
…after a perfectly legitimate version of Adobe Photoshop CS2 i was selling (that i’ve had for 3 years), was removed by them.
“Dear eBay,
I want to complain about the way I have been treated.
Why is it you seem to only target me when i am selling legitimate software?
Last month, I sold perfectly legal genuine licences of Adobe Creative Suite. It is a piece of software that complies with all your rules. My buyers are happy, and left posititve feedback. The software was original, genuine and legal. So why is it, your team of busy bodies have acted, once again, in a completely unacceptable manner and decided to remove my item? Surely, if you wanted an item like this blocking, you would be forced to block everyones? This is not the case. If you go look for a copy of Adobe Photoshop, you will see countless ones listed where the sellers are not getting punished. WHY?! Have you got something against me individually?! Have i upset you?! I seem to have all this nonsense about VeRO (which looks made up to me) that you are hiding behind, without any given explanation. Furthermore, i notice when i check my seller “dashboard” (whatever in the blue blazes of hell that is meant to be), i notice you have put my compliance as “medium” and announced that if i’m a good little boy, this will be lifted in October. I presume then i’m allowed to play out again am I? It feels like I have been a petulent little child and you are trying to punish me. It really makes me sick.
I am sick to death of you and your pathetic policies that do nothing to protect your sellers - your sellers who you take a larger than fair percentage of their money from each transaction, yet they are all treated like scum at every given opportunity. Seriously, us honest sellers deserve a little bit more respect. If it wasn’t for us sellers, you imbeciles wouldn’t have any buyers, hence no money, so it’s about time you cut us all some slack.
You people really need to change your seller protection policy. Ever since you removed the option for a seller to leave negative feedback, you have been slowly slipping downhill. As a company, you are now far too big and couldn’t give a flying about us poor individuals who are trying to use your woeful product as a means to generate some income.
I very much doubt i’ll get a human response to this communique - probably more some template saved in a word document somewhere with the name Jean-Paul or Pascal put at the end of it to make me believe I am actually talking to a human. To be honest i aren’t sure i even want a reply - I just want to get it off my chest at how disgusted I am at how you treat people.
Once my fees are paid (which are a rip-off anyway), i’m off. There’s lots of other places to sell stuff where they actually care about you.
I really hope action is brought against you - only then will the true fraudsters be brought to an end, and us good honest citizens finally be free from your poison.”
Mr. Pork!!
I give names in my head to people I see sometimes. I remember whilst using the trains there were the likes of the wasp, beaky, munchkin, Trev, and a whole load of others… All had a reason, and were usually named as a result of my boredom and fascinating habit of people watching…
Anyway, here is Mr. Pork. He used to walk towards me looking flustered, pink cheeked and his jowls moved to the offbeat of his footsteps. That’s as good an explanation I can give, but anyway, here he is on camera eating a McMuffin.
Old bald bloke on the bus with a silly shaped head an massive freckles.