What bemused you today?

[Oldboy]

The Weather forecasters who can't seem to get anything right. Yesterday at 13:30 they said it would snow until 20:00 hours, then at 18:55 until 22:00. Went to bed at 00:45 and it was still snowing like the clappers. They also said it would -2 by 08:00 and icy. Left the house at 06:15 to catch the sunrise, but we didn't have one as it was overcast and the snow was melting. The sun broke through at 08:50 and increased the melting rate.  

Due to the rain, sleet and wet snow yesterday and the damp conditions today had my 70-200mm F2.8 VR mist up inside. Changed to the 24-70mm F2.8 but then the camera misted up inside as well.  

Misted-up lens:


Misted-up Camera


Click for bigger size.
Need to dry them out now. 

[Oldboy]

Just heard about a new website where infomation on people using social networking sites like Twitter, FaceBook, Foursquare and Buzz is posted. It called PleaseRobMe.com. It appears that some insurance companies will add 10% to your policy if you use these sites and others may refuse to payout, if you are careless in posting details about when you may be away from home. 

Remember that details that you post on the web can be traced using your sign-on name, and by using this people could build up a picture of your assets, findout where you live and when you might be away. 

[Jonathan]

OK this one's weird.

I've been working on a new website (aren't I always?).  Yesterday I put some content on it and bizarrely this morning I got an email from some random person who had found it.

I checked analytics and saw the key words they used which are very saturated keywords and thought "wow, I'm ranking for those already?".

Nope, I checked, I'm not in the first 200 sites for those keywords.

Some people have a lot of time to spend on Google......

[Sarasocke]

Jonathan - that's quite encouraging,maybe someone might find my new site 

I was bemused this morning when reading a new novel over my morning tea. A character in the book was labeled as an "elderly chap" after being described as "going on for 60, maybe more"

Now where did I put my stick ...... 

[spinner]

I in a constant struggle to keep my blood sugar under control. Mostly my bad habits. For reasons I don't quite understand it spikes overnight and so the Dr.'s got me on Insulin shots at bed time. I took my usual dose last night but woke in the morning with the shakes a sign of low sugar, very unusual for me. I tested and it registered as what the experts say is the absolute perfect range. Yet here I sit shaking like a leaf. 

[SimonW]

Sarasocke - I've just had a birthday. One card reads "Growing OLD is inevitable, growing UP is optional. It has a photograph of a white haired lady, cardigan and handbag, playing hopskotch wile two similar ladies, with walking sticks, sit on a park bench applauding her. It's a lovely photo!

[Oldboy]

According to the lastest research, people are at their grumpiest around forty years of age and happiest at seventy-four. 

[deetus]

According to the lastest research, people are at their grumpiest around forty years of age and happiest at seventy-four. 

I think I might be about 20 years out on this survey and the wife would certainly agree. Looking on the bright side, I should be happiest when I'm 94. Can't wait. 

[Oldboy]

Just heard that Batman beat Superman in the comics sale!  Both sold for over a million dollars, and the person who sold the Batman comic brought it for 100 dollars in the 1960's. 

[greypoint]

The company given 1.3 million to sell the north Northants area as a place for people from London and the overcrowded south east to move to, have decided to re-name it - so it seems I now live in North Londonshire....not sure whether to laugh or cry

[picsfor]

Is that anywhere near where Middlesex used to be?
Only in England could you have a valid postal address for somewhere that doesn't exist and a viable cricket team that has no one to represent.

And this is without the political boundaries that put your living room in one county or parish and your front door in another parish or county just to try and bias the voting results.

Oh yes, and apparently i'm a racist - according to the recent reports from "old New Labour" that said people who grew up without meeting refugees or immigrants are racist.
Up until the 80's even the government didn't know where Ipswich was let alone visit it.
Refugees was what my daughter called a certain pop group and immigrants were a type of insect.

[ABERS]

Those damn Europeans poking their bloody noses in again! I'm all for choice but I don't want it rammed down my throat!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8537763.stm

[Hinfrance]

Interesting Alan,

So exactly how many of the other twelve browsers had you heard of, or tried?

This was about M$ exploiting its monopoly position. The case that led to the imposition of choice was indeed from a European company - Opera have been the instigators of this change and have been lobbying hard for a long time to get it done.

More power to them I say (as a committed long term Opera user) 

[ABERS]

I've heard of about four of the others, due to information/discussion on the site here and elsewhere.
Tried none of them because what I have works perfectly well as far as I'm concerned and as a non-techno person, if it works leave it.
I think it's a bit sad that manufacturers/service providers resort to the courts because their products are outsold by competitors. I can't ever remember seeing an advert or promotion by any of those providers extolling the benefits/advantages of their product.

I expect the M/S position is that like me, most users have not the slightest idea how things work and are not the slightest bit interested anyway, as long as they do.

It will be interesting to see how many people change. All I've got to do is figure out how to stay as I am when the choice is presented to me!

Isn't a monopoly 100% of the market?

[picsfor]

I take it you've never heard of Netscape Navigator then Alan?

Marvelous browser that done what it was supposed to. M$ couldn't beat it fairly because version 1,2 & 3 of IE were sooo bad that non one would touch them.
Then with V4 they also made it part of Windows and insisted people have to use it to comply with M$ web standards.
Navigator died shortly after.

And that is how M$ have been carrying out business for over a decade. Anything M$ can't match or improve upon results in M$ introducing their own standard for that software and forcing others to comply witohut giving them all of the info needed to compete on an even playing field. M$ Java, MS SQL are other areas M$ have acted in a similar manner to name but a few.