Tech Use and Privacy: A Beginners Guide

“Smartphones make us zombies! They’re turning our children into mindless slaves!” 

- Some arsehole who doesn’t understand technology. 

I love technology. I will advocate it to anyone who will listen. There have been occasions where the people in my life have bandied the word ‘addiction’ around and I can’t honestly say this is without merit.  

I set an alarm in the morning to make sure I’m awake at least 30 minutes before I have to get out of bed so I can spend the time checking out the usual stuff on my phone (Facebook, the apple ‘News’ app and Instagram). 

When I leave the house, I put my headphones on and either listen to music or a podcast while I check the Twitter stream. 

My work involves a computer, so I stare at that screen for a few hours behind a desk. 

On breaks and lunch, I usually flick between Imgur and Facebook. 

When I leave, I put my headphones back in, fire up another podcast, and read through the twitter stream on my way home. 

Once I get home and eat, I sit down with the laptop at another (much nicer) desk and check in with pretty much the same sites every day (The Verge, Gizmodo, Wired, Reddit, and YouTube). While I’m doing this, my Apple TV will be playing something from Netflix as background noise. 

I’ll get into bed, and read my kindle or a few news sites for an hour or so before I go to sleep. 

I am the first to admit that a lot of my free time is spent interacting with technology, but I don’t see that as a problem. In the entire history of humanity, there have never been more opportunities to learn. You can name almost any skill that comes to mind and if there isn’t at least a YouTube tutorial video showing how to do something step by step, I guarantee there’s a website that will teach you. So let's say you spend your day reading news articles online, listening to Podcasts and browsing Reddit. What’s the downside to all this reading? It’s better than staring at a TV for 12 hours watching some fake bimbo keep her light on for some walking haircut in a tight shirt. 

“They’re making people more and more anti-social.”

- The same arsehole as before.

As my friends and I are all responsible twenty-somethings, we pretty much spend most of our time working. This means we may not get to hang out as much as we did when we were teenagers. 

If it wasn’t for WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, I would genuinely only be able to speak to my friends once a month, maybe less. No one will phone each other, mind, and this is something I’m very ok with despite having a phone package with unlimited minutes (Landline, you say? Landline?! Do I look fucking Victorian to you?). Technology allows me to be MORE social, to catch up with my friends during the week and, (I’m assuming, here, as I’ve never actually tried to buy one) saves me a fucking fortune on carrier pigeons. 

I know a number of older people who barely speak to their mates on a regular basis unless there’s a major life event or they happen to run into them on the street. No regular phone calls, no letters, no contact unless it’s a special occasion. 

So who’s anti-social now, Maureen?!

Let's take this a step further. There are a few friends I have that I never would have met if it wasn’t for the Internet. My mate Laura lives in Preston. We’ve known each other since we were like 14 and we met on some Buffy the Vampire Slayer forum. We’ve met precisely once and I still speak to her on a regular basis. Where do I speak to her? ON THE INTERNET!

“They can find me anywhere! I don’t want to be tracked!” 

- Go on, guess who. 

Privacy is the next boogeyman rolled out by the tech nay-sayers (also, an excellent name for a band). Protecting yourself online is important, but a lot of people don’t seem to grasp this. They put a lot of detail about themselves online and then worry about someone finding them. However, they only do this with technology. This is like leaving your doors open and then complaining that someone stole your shit. Of course, they did! You left the bloody door open! Having an online presence works in the exact same way. If you don’t protect yourself and your details, then you can’t complain when they’re misused. 

So, here are some quick and easy steps to protect yourself online: 

Change your password.

If your password contains your name, or your date of birth, or a combination thereof, change it now. It should have no personal details at all. Go for something nonsensical like “BananaC0pterz229”. Random words, a capital letter or two and some numbers. This will make your password almost impossible to guess. 

Update your security questions.

Remember the big iCloud hack a while back where all the celebrities had their booby pics leaked online? In the weeks following it, it turned out the hackers guess their security question answers through information available online. So, if you have your secondary school listed on your Facebook page, and one of your security questions is “Which secondary school did I attend?”, you’re gonna make life a lot easier for anyone wanting access to your info. If that’s the easiest security question, then change it to a nickname. Something only you and your friends called it. You went to Hunter House? Update it to ‘Haunter House’. Whatever makes it harder to guess. 

Change the passcode on your mobile device. 

Seriously, the amount of people who use the year they were born to get into their phones or tablets is huge. Most phones now allow for an alphanumeric passcode. So instead of “1990” being used to unlock your phone, you can use “SouthPark2020”. It sounds like that’s going to be a pain to enter every time, but it’s going to be an extra level of protection and besides, most phones have fingerprint readers these days anyway. 

Disable location services. 

This is a big one if you use Twitter a lot. A lot of apps take your location data when you use them and that’s pretty scary. Whats scarier is the fact that some apps, like Twitter, can post these by default. If you don’t want people to know where you live, I would recommend not letting your phone know. Also, when you do disable location services, be prepared for your battery life to improve big time. 

Check your photos before posting them. 

I upload a lot of pictures online (too many, some would say) but I make sure they don’t have anything that could identify my address, or place of work. You’d be surprised how many photos online show peoples post or their works logo. 

Be very careful about what you do on public wifi. 

This isn’t one you hear a lot about, but it’s something I’m always very wary of. Let's say you’re in your local Starbucks, having your 20oz Strawberry and Cream frappe. You’re on your laptop or phone, connected to their wifi, browsing a site and see something you need to buy then and there. So you put your card details in and purchase it. Little do you know that the guy next to you has set up a fake network called ‘Starbucks UK’ and you’re not only online connected to it, but he sees everything you run through it, including the card details you used to purchase that vintage coffee pot from Etsy. 

There’s a simple workaround to this. It’s called a VPN or a Virtual Private Network. It means that any traffic coming out of your computer is encrypted. So even if you are connected to a false network, the person running it can’t see a thing. This means you're free to use public wifi without the fear of having any details caught by a 3rd party. My VPN of choice is ‘TunnelBear’ and I use it daily. It’s a paid service, but there are free VPNs out there. 

Think before you post. 

Finally, the most obvious and helpful tip I can give. Before you post anything online, think to yourself “Would I feel safe if a total stranger got their hands on this?”

If the answer is no, then don’t post it. 

I say this every time I post, but I’m hoping to make this a regular blog. Once a week, if my schedule allows it. If you’re worried about your data online or have any questions about the above, my details are in the ‘Contact section’. Happy to answer any questions. 

-GWB. 

Mental Health: A Guide

If you are a bloke that suffers from mental health, you are probably genuinely terrified about anyone, especially your male friends, finding out. 

In 2015, there were 318 suicides in Northern Ireland. Of those, 245 were male. We live in this toxic culture where somehow people can’t talk about how they feel because its been drummed into us by an older generation that we aren’t the real men that men used to be, or that men didn’t cry or get sad in their day, they just got on with things. Somehow the fact that John from the coal mines used to go home and beat his wife because of how unhappy he was in himself was something people were more ok with than John sitting down with his mate and telling him that he’s not content in life anymore. 

“What are you crying for, you big girl?”. Emotions are seen as feminine, and therefore weakness, even though women aren’t killing themselves at a terrifying rate. Think about that for a second. As a gender, we have come to accept the fact that some men would rather literally kill themselves than talk about their feelings. They would rather be dead than ‘weak’. 

I am sure almost everyone with mental health issues have been told to ‘cheer up’ or ‘stop being sad’, or that their condition doesn’t exist. My personal favourite is ‘there are people way worse off than you’, like just because other people are suffering, my own state of mind doesn’t matter. There isn’t some internal scale that balances out the problems of other people with your own and decide that you get to be happy all the time. And that’s something that you should always keep in mind on your worst days: Yes, of course other people have lives that, in comparison, are much worse than yours. But their troubles do not negate the ones you have, and that’s something that is so important to keep in mind. 

Mental health is important and should be looked after just as much as actual physical health. I’ve been coping with mine for roughly 12 years or so now and I’ve started to get good at handling the big flare ups. Some still knock me on my ass, but I control more than I let knock me down. So I’ve compiled a little guide on how to cope with things. Honestly, reading through them, you’ll probably think that they are incredibly self-explanatory and they won’t suit everyone, but I know from personal experience that seeing how other people have coped helped me curate my own list. 

1. Distraction

Sitting and listening to your brain tell you what a waste of space you are is not going to help you get over this. The first thing you need to do is get away from your thoughts. You need to step back, and concentrate on something else. I have a few things that help me with this. Top of that list is ambient music. Tycho are a great example of what works best for me (Link here). It’s laid back, but it’s also a little upbeat. I find ambient works better because I can read too much into lyrics on occasion. As there are no lyrics, that also means I can throw myself into something else. I love reading. It’s been my go to hobby since I was a child. And throwing yourself head first into someone else’s problems is always a much better alternative to worrying about your own. Especially if they are the little trivial thoughts that have only been magnified by an anxiety attack. Reading and ambient music are the best thing I can do for myself when it all gets a little much. It puts me in this little bubble that exists outside all the stupid crap my brain is trying to throw at me, and helps me calm down. When I’m calmer, that’s when I can start to be rational. When I can start to get better. 

Now this won’t always work for everyone. But that’s why there are alternatives. TV shows. Movies. Video games. YouTube. I have spent countless hours getting lost in a YouTube hole before realising that hey, I’m not actually freaking out anymore. 

        2) Removal

I find that locking yourself away is sometimes a bigger problem that an attack itself. Taking myself somewhere outside the living room or the house is the best thing I can do for myself. Sitting in panic is awful. Sitting in panic for 3 days convincing yourself that you’re not able to rejoin the outside world is even worse. I love coffee. And when I feel an attack coming on during the day, I grab a book or my tablet and take myself off somewhere I can sit for an hour or so, have a coffee and be outside my regular comfort zone. This might sound counterproductive when you’re anxious, but it works for me. The longer I sit and worry somewhere I’m comfortable, the longer it takes me to get out of my rut. Even just going for that walk makes me feel a little better and brighter. Hell, taking myself out to a coffee shop and doing something productive is the very reason I wrote this. 

        3) Venting

Sometimes I can distract myself, or remove myself and feel better because I’ve been worried about some stupid, trivial crap. On other occasions none of this will actually work because I’m worried about something tangible, something that needs fixed or something that I can’t control. I’m lucky enough that I have someone in my life that I can sit and blow off steam with, who’ll listen to me when I’m worried and not try and tell me how stupid I’m being or outlining, sometimes rightly, that I’m just blowing something way out of proportion. 

Not everyone has that. What’s even more frightening is a lot of people do have this, but are so worried about what other people will think of them that they won’t even attempt to use it. 

This will probably seem a little obvious, but if you’re really worried about talking to anyone, you can always vent to yourself. Write it down, type it up, make a voice memo on your phone and listen to it back. Just get it out of your system. 

        4) Managing the physical symptoms

Not everyone is aware of the physical symptoms that come with an anxiety attack or a serious bout of depression. Some people have trouble breathing and need to take themselves off to be alone, in a good size open space to let them regulate this. Breathing exercises work. Just taking 5 minutes to take long, deep breaths will steady your heart rate. There are apps on most platforms that will help you control your breathing cycle. I use the one that’s built into my watch about once a week. 

The main symptom I get, is the knot in my stomach. And when I need it to go away, I find a wall and I stand in front of it. I put my hands against it, and I start to push with the balls of my feet, up through my legs, and chest and press my hands against the wall. I hold that for about 5 seconds and when I let all the tension go, the knot I have goes with it. Probably the best thing that I’ve come across to date to help me manage my symptoms. 

          5) Remember: You are not alone

There are a lot of people going through depressive bouts, who suffer from anxiety, who think that they’re not good enough to do anything. They get lost in this wave of self-hatred and they get lost in themselves. Look after yourself. 

If you need to talk, you can come talk to me. I’m happy to go through the stuff that works for me, and to see how it can apply to you. If you need help, I can put you in touch with some people who helped me. Or even if you just want to talk or to vent, I’m happy to listen. Just don’t think you’re alone in this. 

- GWB

World Mental Health Day.

Today is 'World Mental Health day'. Normally I never take notice of these world 'blank days' because they're usually something random or downright stupid. (The U.S. has 'Ice Cream for Breakfast' day, for fuck sake. If ever a day described a country...)
Today is different. Mental health is something I've been very aware of my entire adult life. Usually because mine has never been very stable.
I was first diagnosed with depression at the age of 15. Before that, I just chalked my moods up to being a teenager, with the hope they, and my horrible acne, would disappear as I got older.

They didn't.

As I got older, I became better at managing with the awful states I'd find myself in. It never got easier to cope with, but I learned a few things that helped me move past them or distract myself until the mood passed. Reading has always been a huge help to me. When I'm feeling low, or panicky or anxious, a book or a comic has always been my first port of call. There are few things better at distracting you than throwing yourself into someone else's world. Someone else's problems.

Depression is not just being sad all the time.

Depression is not the inability to ever be happy (fuck everyone who's ever said "but you're laughing now, how can you be depressed?").

Depression is not wanting to get out of bed in the morning because you just can't see the point of doing anything.

Depression is not doing anything outside your comfort zone because you know, are certain, that you will be terrible at it.

Depression is enjoying yourself, all the while thinking "This is all going to go to shit soon, isn't it?".

Depression is not seeking help because you think it's not worth bothering someone with your stupid, petty problems.

Depression is learning how to quiet all these things as best you can.

I have came to learn that a lot of people don't consider poor mental health to be real, who consider the people coping with it as weak or faking. I used to hide my depression from others because I believed this. I honestly thought that i was just 'a bit sad' and that I should just learn to get over it. Growing up, I used to think that 'real men' were strong and I wasn't a real man because I felt like this. When I did tell people about it the response, more often than not, was 'just cheer up' as if those words were some magic fucking spell I'd never tried until that point in my life. It used to make me so angry to hear that. I don't get angry anymore. If someone doesn't suffer from depression, I imagine it would be very hard to put yourself in the shoes of someone who does.

If you think you're depressed; seek help. Talk to someone. Do not worry about what anyone might think of you.

There is this bullshit myth that men have to be strong. That men can't cry, or open up.  4,623 men in the U.K. took their own lives in 2014. I'm willing to bet that number would have been a hell of a lot lower if there wasn't this twisted stigma about 'strong men and weak men'. I have a big ass beard. I drink coffee black and whiskey straight. Sometimes I have trouble leaving the house. But I am not less than a man because of my anxiety.

If you need help, get it. It will not make you less of a man. It will not make you weak. It will make you stronger. It might even stop you becoming another statistic.

Mad bastard with a laptop talks tech

I’ve recently been struck by the urge to blog again. I tinker with the idea of writing every so often when i come across a bizarre form of story or verse, which I’ll batter out my own version of and suddenly it’ll dissipate like a spiritual orgasm. But the last few months, it’s hit a lot more often, so I thought I’d pick up this thing again. Hopefully it lasts a lot longer than the last *quickly checks*… jesus, 3 times. Hopefully I stick to it a lot longer this time round. Anyway, I digress (Oh, how I plan to digress. Prepare for a metaphorical fucking hedge maze of digression. Example: everything I’ve just put in brackets). 

I’ve been doing a lot of travelling on the train recently, which leaves me with 2 hours to kill as I hurtle through the Northern Irish countryside at 100 odd miles per hour. 

So I read about random things online (provided I’m near a city, of course, otherwise it’s as fast as a man attempting to push treacle uphill with his erection) that I think will be interesting to me. I’ve been fascinated by the concept of Smart Cities (Or Digital Cities, depending the pompous arsehole you ask [Smart Cities, thanks for asking]).

I’ve always been somewhat of a technophile (and I’ll thank you to google that before calling the constabulary) and as the years pass I find myself in awe of the heights we’ve reached. 

This blog post that all 5 of you are reading has been typed on a combination of metal and plastic, summoning a connection to each one of you through thin air, as if by fucking magic. You, in turn, are reading it on a device that, in most cases, is currently functioning without any sort of external power source. If I were to go back 200 years in the past with this device and show it to the locals, I’d be either worshipped as a very crap god or burnt at the stake as an incredibly hairy witch (or possible werewolf. They believed a lot of nonsense in those days. Thank god things have changed, eh? Now, instead of burning these people at the stake, people who are cripplingly lonely pay them all their money to be told “Your mum loved you probably, and I guess she’s proud you’re not a junkie or something, I don’t know, give me 100 pounds”).

Now I try to read up on future tech, the things we expect to see in 100 years time, and it is honestly amazing. Smart cities will be comprised of buildings and technology, comprised as one sculpture. As you walk down the street, you’ll see a blank billboard, upon which the Google Glasses you’re wearing will project an advert that will interest you, based on what you own in your digital home, an advert only you will see. When you walk past your favourite shop, a subtle buzz from your smart watch will inform you that those jeans you look really good in but you thought were too expensive, and, lets be honest, no one would notice them on you anyway, are now on sale. Opening the door to your favourite coffee house will send a message from the NFC chip in your phone to the till, readying your usual coffee, and allowing you to pay for it with a quick swipe on its finger print scanner. Coffee in hand, you’ll walk to your mates new house, with directions being laid over your vision from the tiny projector in your glasses. When you reach his home, your phone will tell his smart watch you’re at the door and, with a simple gesture, it will open for you. The food will be prepared in a 3D printer in a design that would give Picasso an instant hard on, and a tiny robot on the table will continue to pour glasses of that over priced piss you call wine. 

This is the world I want to live in. A world were knowledge is instant and technology is king. 

And just to be an argumentative bastard, I would like to outline the downside to all of this. 

In a world where everyone is connected (And if you didn’t read that in the stereotypical movie announcer voice, you have no soul), what does that mean for our privacy? If everything is linked to the internet, doesn’t that mean you can always be found, no matter where you are?

That’s why there will always be an argument for cities like we have now. Where you can choose what you have, and what it’s connected to and, more importantly, who can see it. Nothing is safe these days, as everyone who has seen Jennifer Lawerences breasts can attest to. Most internet enable products now come with a basic level of encryption, but no manual on how to enable it. Encryption is a massively important part of any digital society, and it’s not being used correctly, or most of the time. 

In short (hahahahahaha), technology is a wonderful thing if used correctly and I, for one, love every single bit of it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to watch a complete stranger review a Game Boy from the early 90s because THAT'S WHY THE INTERNET WAS INVENTED! 

Hopefully I’ll be back next week for another exciting episode of “What the fuck is this bloke talking about?”

GWB

The Internet

The Internet. Home of free speech, a bucket load of porn, and every moron with an opinion to voice.

I love the Internet. My blog's there for a start. However, some people seem to think that the ability to post anonymously means you can start spewing this hate filled bile everywhere.

 

Recently there has been a lot of controversy regarding a Facebook group called "Dead Baby Jokes". If I have to explain what it contains, then I'm shocked you've gotten this far in life, and I'm sickened by the thought of you breeding.

I understand that the material is upsetting. It's a horrible subject for some. There are those who want the group banned. Which is understandable. They find it in poor taste.

 

They say they're "entitled to their opinion" on the matter. Which gets right up my fucking nose. You cannot use a line like that to have something shut down. Your right to free speech does not, in any way, shape or form, outweigh someone else's.

Have a gander at the group, constant reader. People are posting things like "I'm a Christian and this is disgusting. People like you should be raped and murdered!".

Aye. That's very fucking religious of you, mate. I remember the words of Jesus; "Let he who is without sin commit buggery and murder every bastard who doesn't agree with him".

...actually. Hang on a tick. I'm no bible scholar but isn't one of those commandments about killing?

 

I want to know where we draw the line. If we remove this dead baby joke group, do we then remove those sending the worst threats to the creators? Do we take that particular profile off Facebook or do we ban them from the Internet entirely?

This week saw a young man getting arrested for sending threatening Twitter messages to an Olympic athlete. Fans found it to be in poor taste.

 

You cannot police the Internet. It's where free speech thrives. It's where gits like me are given the chance to complain about other gits who moan too much. And that is wonderful. If I was to walk into the city centre and start shouting about last nights TV, I'd be locked up, with everyone thinking I was mad as arseholes. Quite bloody rightly too.

Can you imagine walking up to a stranger, waving your latest sketch or poem in their face? "Read this!" you'd cry. "Fucking read this and tell me it's good!". The Internet gives us the chance to put ourselves out there. Be it with a big photo of you grinning like Cheshire cat, or with complete anonymity. We can judge and be judged and we can say what we want.

I've read chapters of a book, online, as an author has finished them. I've watched massive fans of a TV show painfully recreate a prop or do dramatic readings of their favourite lines. I have, thanks to a pissload of booze, zero sleep and wonderful group of friends, watched ET being passionately fingered.

Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.

 

So don't let these people ruin the Internet for us. These people up on their high fucking horses, swimming in bile and hypocrisy.

What pisses me off (I can hear your sigh from here, dear reader. "There's more?") is these people who complain about finding humour in the Facebook group? These are the bastards who will shove a photo of some dying baby in your face, tubes out every orifice, and say "Like this photo! Don't ignore it! Like it or this baby will die and it'll be all your fault!".

 

Don't tell dead baby jokes. It's in poor taste. Take a picture of one almost there and ask people to like it because your sad little life has no meaning. Welcome to the Internet. Home of the bastards, bastion of hypocrisy and void of any once of sense. Don't forget to click 'Like'.

GWB

Humanity

 

Humanity. What the fuck is wrong with us? Last week an armed madman stood up in a crowded theatre and opened fire. 58 were injured. 12 people were killed.

The usual rent-a-quote arseholes chimed in, with the usual "Seriously, I'm way more concerned than anyone from the rival parties. Those guys don't give a fuck. Me? I'm all heart. Look at this tear. This is an actual tear from my face." Many, however, said it was far to early to discuss gun control. 12 people died. In the UK last year, there were 11 gun deaths in total. There were over 3000 in America.

Every year, some mental bastard goes on a rampage. Every year, you hear of a campus or a high school being surrounded by police because some lunatic has started shooting people.

So, when is the correct time to talk about gun control?

 

Here's what they have started to discuss; banning costumes in the cinema. Yup. That'll work. Good job, lads. Problem solved.

 

In America, you can walk into a supermarket to buy your bread, a few toys. Maybe a CD. Although, no swear words. God forbid you should have to hear some artist sing "fuck". That's dangerous. Could put ideas in your head. Oh. You can also buy a rifle that will turn deer into a jam-like substance on a tree. Think about that. Rap music is censored, yet you can buy the gun Dirty Harry used to make that criminal shit himself.

 

I know what they'll do next. You can bet some money on this, thank me later. First up;

 

Comic books are too violent! This one doesn't get wheeled out enough, but as it was a Batman movie, it'll come up. They'll talk about the fact that he said he was The Joker, and that's what led to his rampage. They'll fail to mention that without healthcare or a wheelbarrow stuffed with cash, healthcare is impossible to receive, no matter how sick you are. This bloke had problems. No doubt about that. However, would he have had these ideas if he had access to proper medical care?

 

Video games! I fucking love this one, this is my favourite. Every time there's a violent incident in the news some pompous arsehole who hasn't played a game since Pong was the be all and end all sticks his nose in and tells us that if, in a virtual world, you beat a virtual hooker with a virtual baseball bat, then you'll go fucking mental and kill people. Well, Professor Von Ballbag, allow me to disprove your theory; I am 23. I've played games since I was a kid. If a barista gets my coffee order wrong, 9 times out of 10, I drink the fucking thing. I've never snapped and tried to beat him to death with a biscotti.

 

America. Abortions are wrong, gays shouldn't get married but god fucking help you if you try to take away their guns.

 

GWB

Rants

I've been told I complain too much on Facebook. Which is pretty fucking ironic considering the rubbish people post there.


So, in the spirit of the modern age, I've decided to start a blog thinking people actually bloody read the things. I've never had much of an opinion on blogs. I know a bloke who's almost turned his into a career. At the same time, I know many others who fill it with things I honestly, utterly, could not give two tugs of a dead dogs cock about (am vaguely aware that I may be doing this myself right now. No need to point that out, imaginary person reading this). I used to think blogs were something an emo would use to inform all his emo mates that his emo crush is actually shagging that other emo bloke with the bigger scars & thicker eyeliner.


Then I read somewhere that people use blogs to talk about anything. Technology, fashion, games, comics & so forth. People make money & friends because they're a little nerdy in certain areas & can talk about said areas in an interesting manner. This is great! I'm a massive fucking nerd. So I can utilise that when I go off on my wee rants. ...though more than likely, I'll just complain about the very stupid shit humanity gets up to. Which could take an age. Because, if we're honest, we really are morons.



This isn't a proper blog post. This is just to test the water. I'll keep in eye out for viewers, maybe one of you lovely, non-imaginary, lot will send me a bit of feedback.
I'm not sure what the theme of this will be. The first blog post was about blogs, for Christ's sake. That's some M.C. Escher level shit right there.


However, I'll try to add some consistency. Maybe a link between topics (other than sheer hatred of the human race). With any luck I'll do something right in my blog. One among millions. That's the fun of technology. Turns any arsehole with an Internet connection (me, in this instance) into a published writer. Better than nothing I suppose.





GWB.