Friday, July 03, 2009

Oh, Blogger

They say the most valued 'customer' is one who complains.

Well, there's one step up from that: one who writes in to help.

From Dave at Solarventi:

Don’t know what the cause might be, but Junkk.blogspot is fine with firefox, but now seems to freeze on any attempt I make to open it using internet explorer. Maybe some of the new bits and bobs you have added in are not compatible with IE? If so, it will radically reduce your readership as 95%+ of the planet’s www users are still using IE. It does the same on two machines here, one running XP and one running Win2000. Might be worth asking someone else using IE to try?

Well, I recently added some 'add this' scripts that may have been the cause, and they are now gone.

I then tried my Mac on IE. It worked...sort of. No freezing, but the page layout was all over the show, and the typeface seems to have defaulted to some 'all caps' job. It's fine on Safari and FireFox.

Readable, but not optimal on IE then.

Now tried two PCs on IE and...phew, it works fine.

With luck it was those new scripts.

Otherwise I'd have been left with asking Blogger to help with IE. Not a prospect to relish:)

QUOTE OF THE DAY - So it must be true

Climate change is shrinking sheep

On the brighter side.... smaller sheep: less methane? Ain't evolution wunnerful?

"But it's too early to say if, in 100 years, we will have chihuahuas herding pocket-sized sheep."

However, on past and present evidence, I am prepared to bet there may be an attempt.

The law vs. the environment.

Often not a happy balance.

As with 'the economy' and the environment.

With my dear old Mum now ensconced, if not yet very happily, in her new nursing home, I have found myself still diverted with the consequences and fallout, and look to be a while yet.

One major aspect is the funding of her care which, thanks to her being over the £23,000 assets (inc. property value. The temptation to flog the cottage and buy a Ferrari is hard to resist in this new 'tax the saver to pay the squanderer' world) limit, is pretty much all in our court.

Hence, to help contribute to the fees, we have opted to rent out the cottage, and I am currently in full renovation mode. Oddly satisfying, if sweaty, these last few days.

One thing that has made it easier, but also inspired the blog, is that the place is totally empty. This is because, unlike the last time I was a slumlord (over two decades ago) the rules have changed a lot. And now, even though they were all there, and we have no need, or space, here, it is simply not worth going 'fully furnished'. All the electricals need annual certification, and all furniture (probably just that with material components, such as chairs and beds) need to be kitemarked. Hence it's simpler, and cheaper, to clear the joint.

I can see the reasons, and merits (even the gas check, the energy cert, electric cert... etc... which all add up to a pretty penny already. I think, after agent's fees, we'll see our first income November), but part of me does feel a pang that all this totally useful kit is now going to have to be disposed of. At long last the main house has exhausted its ability to absorb 'stuff'. Equally, the poor old tenants will need to buy, and transport when they move, a full house load.

Pity.

Going too far. Literally as well as figuratively.

Sometimes, I think the 'green' media rather lose the plot.

What's the carbon cost of the online reaction to Michael Jackson's death?

When they are not being, possibly, total hypocrites (and a tad insensitive).

Maybe the BBC could get on the case?

I think Newsnight's Ethical Man has a colleague well placed...

Next time, Jacko, try to die in London
*

Bless.

I know it was just a question. But the irony of online eco-breast beating about the online costs of 'stuff' being reported was rather rich.

And yes, I see the irony of me adding to this still further. But I think there are areas that, just possibly, set back the notion of sensible environmental progress.

*The further irony of which publicaion has penned this is also not lost on me.