People carriers

On my way home today I was passed by a string of four people carriers. One Renault thing, two Vauxhall things and one other massive unidentified thing.

Combined number of seats: About 30
Combined length at the traffic lights: About 35 feet
Combined number of passengers: 4

Yep – 4 massive cars, 4 passengers. Crazy.

Windows Update ate my computer

The latest round of Microsoft patches have destroyed my computer. It’s a Window XP computer that is used for one and only one purpose – writing my PhD thesis. So naturally, when you see a bright blue screen with these 4 letters – STOP, your bowels begin to move in uncomfortable directions. The helpful blue page gives you some friendly tips on what to do – well, that if you’ve recently added some new hardware to remove it – which I haven’t, so that’s fucking useless. On rebooting, another blue screen with a different error message. Even better. And after Googling that and trying the various bits of advice…. the computer is still dead. Windows boots, but now just hangs at totally random moments, which is sub-ideal if you’re in the middle of writing technical documents such as PhD theses.

Resigned to the worst (I have some backups after all), I decide to use the handy-dandy-all-in-one Sony VAIO recover discs – a set of 4 discs that just restore your computer to the factory presets. (The fact that I’ve paid for a copy of Windows XP, but they don’t actually give you a disc is a farce, in my opinion). Pop Disc 1 in, gives me a blurb about losing data, yahda yahda yahda, _ERROR_. “Your computer might not work now”. Excuse me?!

So I’m really up shit creek. No computer, let alone any fucking paddles.

And how am I writing this post? On my stable-no-worries-gets-on-with-it Mac. It just works, and I love it.

Pascua Lama

I recently received the email below. My immediate reaction was it’s a hoax, but after a little research, it turns out its not.

http://www.miningwatch.ca/index.php?/257/Barrick_opposition
http://www.hoax-slayer.com/pascua-lama-petition.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pascua_Lama
http://www.google.com/search?q=pascua%20lama

Barrick Mining has a plan to remove large sections of 2 glaciers in the Andes to mine for Gold and Silver (see below and links).

Ask yourself if you really want to see the same thing happen to Chile as happened to Peru?

If you’re a member of environmental groups/interested parties perhaps you know of clever ways of circulating this story for discussion. And maybe even action?

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Dear friends who care about our earth. Judge for yourself if you want To Take action. In the Valle de San Felix, the purest water in Chile runs From 2 rivers, fed by 2 glaciers. Water is a most precious resource, and Wars Will be fought for it. Indigenous farmers use the water, there is no Unemployment, and they provide the second largest source of income for The Area. Under the glaciers has been found a huge deposit of gold, silver And Other minerals. To get at these, it would be necessary to break, to Destroy The glaciers – something never conceived of in the history of the world

And to make 2 huge holes, each as big as a whole mountain, one for Extraction and one for the mine’s rubbish tip.

The project is called PASCUA LAMA. The company is called Barrick Gold. The Operation is planned by a multi-national company, one of whose members Is George Bush Senior. The Chilean Government has approved the project to Start This year, 2006. The only reason it hasn’t started yet is because the Farmers have got a temporary stay of execution. If they destroy the Glaciers, they will not just destroy the source of specially pure Water, but They will permanently contaminate the 2 rivers so they will never again Be Fit for human or animal consumption because of the use of cyanide and Sulphuric acid in the extraction process. Every last gramme of gold Will go Abroad to the multinational company and not one will be left with the People Whose land it is. They will only be left with the poisoned water and The Resulting illnesses.

The farmers have been fighting a long time for their land, but have Been Forbidden to make a TV appeal by a ban from the Ministry of the Interior. Their only hope now of putting brakes on this project is to get help From International justice. The world must know what is happening in Chile. The Only place to start changing the world is from here.

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Can Barrick Mining be trusted that they will do as they say? Or should they not be trusted, after, for example, ommitting the existence of TWO RUDDY GREAT GLACIERS from the Environmental Impact Assessment?

Exactly.

This feels a bit mean

But I had to mention it. I really like Flickr. It’s one of those addictive things where it justs grabs you and takes you. And fuck me if there aren’t a lot of awesome photographs on there. For one, and I don’t know how I stumbled over her, but Rebbekah has got some incredible stuff. To such an extent that it often makes yourself (that is, me…) feel inadequate and pathetic.

That is until you stumble over some photos which… well, I can’t really explain. You see, to me, Emily Geoff seems to enjoy taking pictures of car parks. Empty car parks at that. This is why I feel mean, because I’m randomly picking out someone and issuing some abuse for no apparent reason. It’s just I found the photostream via Flickr’s Explore option… the menu option that lets you view some really good random photos. And ultimately, any flickr-ist wants to get explored.

Now, I’ve never taken a picture of a car park. But maybe it’s time?

The (second) key to a horrific weekend, part 2

It requires only one, very simple step:

Rely on the AA to provide emergency breakdown assistance. Emergency my nob. So here goes.

Read the rest of this entry »

There’s only one thing worse

… than there being no surf.

Having a brand new, beautiful surfboard and there being no surf. So frustrating.

UPDATE: It’s now been almost 2 weeks and still no use.

Warning: Shock News contained

Yes. It’s true. KFC is bad for you. Via Carol I found this story, where some moaning US consumer group have sued KFC, operated by “Yum Foods” for not disclosing that their food, is, in fact, a touch on the unhealthy side:

“Trans fat is almost everywhere on this menu. By frying in such a dangerous oil, KFC is making its unsuspecting consumers’ arteries Extra Crispy,” he said, referring to a version of fried chicken sold by KFC.

I love it. “Unsuspecting consumers’”. Unsuspecting? Unsuspecting? Seriously. If this action is actually successfully, Yum Foods are going to have rebrand.