iPhone is spreading it's wings

So, O2 will loose it's monopoly status as being the only UK Mobile Phone provider / operator offering the Apple iPhone............. GOOD.
I loath BT & O2 with a passion.
Happy to see both Orange and Vodaphone taking the iPhone into their offerings.
I hope the 3 Network will see the light eventually and follow the lead.

3, 3G and Google

I recently had a problem accessing my GMail and looking at Google Maps via my LG Renoir mobile here in the UK.
Did the usual things like switching off the mobile, have a cup of tea, switch the mobile back on.... no luck.
So I phone the 3 main number and get put through to Tech Support.
I ran the gauntlet of the 'security check' but I never give out any password info as I'm not talking money, I'm talking techy.
Well, after a total of 25 minutes which included repeating most of my comments at least twice, we we getting nowhere.  The 2nd Line Tech Support guy said I needed to swap my SIM with another 3 Network SIM as it was a SIM problem.
I told him it had nothing to do with the SIM but was a Google Platform problem and that I was too busy to listen to straw-grabbing, I hung up.
I then broached the problem via the 'Contact Us' web-form on the 3 website; I got an email confirming it was a SIM problem.
A bit of research and a well placed contact in Google proved the situation was other-than the SIM.
So, problem solved. I'm not saying how as I'm not being paid by 3 the do Tech Support.
Moral: look to the www to solve these problems, the techies will invariably have you dancing a jig.

Glasshoughton

We had a most enjoyable day in Glasshoughton yesterday, or more accurately the Junction 32 Retail Park. http://www.junction32.com/index.html
The only slight disappointment was to find that the Tchibo shop had closed.
I had a bit of a 'senior moment' in that I slightly mis-read the online train timetable, so we had to run a bit to catch the train out of Leeds station; otherwise we'd have had to wait another hour.
Had a pleasant lunch and drinks in 'The Winter Seam' one of the Wetherspoon pubs which is handily situated between the train station and the retail park.

Bye bye 'infolinks'

Decided that the 'infolinks' link was not really what I wanted.
The 'infolink' bubbles that appeared next to various words often seemed either unrelated to the word/context or at best too general.
No great loss; I'll stick with AdSense.

The EU and the Google Trade Mark row

A senior judge at the European Court of Justice has commented in an ongoing row between Google and brand names, such as Louis Vuitton.
The Advocate General has said that, in his legal opinion, Google has not infringed trademark rights by allowing advertisers to buy keywords.
Brand owners argue that the system is infringing trademarks by allowing firms to piggyback on their brands.
The legal opinion will be seen as at least a partial victory for Google.
The long-running legal dispute will not be ruled on officially until early next year, although this non-binding legal opinion is likely to carry a good deal of weight.
Three brand owners, including LVMH, the firm behind the Louis Vuitton brand, are challenging Google in the French courts and the European Court of Justice has been asked to rule on the issue.
The ruling concerns so-called sponsored links, the section which appears to the right of the main search page, is where advertisers who have bought keywords appear. It creates the majority of its income through sales of these links.
This will be an interesting case to follow in the next few months.

The MacBook Pro

The more I use my MacBook Pro the more I realise life is so much easier.
I still have a PC laptop but it takes very much the back seat these days.
Today I was looking for an application to take the audio from a video and output an mp3 file; no problem with the Mac and a little applet.
I need to convert some of my VHS videos into a DVD version, not only to save space but I need to create a 'show-reel' for my UKScreen website.... it's a piece of cake with a Mac.
The software update process is so effortless on the Mac.
I just received notification of the latest iTunes 9.0.1, so a click to confirm download and voila.

The Jungle...

So, the French Authorities have dismantled 'The Jungle' outside of Calais and detained/arrested many people.
What's to happen now?
Will the majority be deported back to whence they came?
Will the action deter others?
The British climate is the obvious attraction, why else would they want to come here?

'infolinks' update...

The links show OK with Safari.
The links only show on the first page but don't show subsequent pages on Firefox if you have the version of FF that loads the next page for you.
The links seem to work OK on Firefox according to infolinks support staff.
I'll give it a while and then make a decision.
The info given via the infolink bubble is a bit weird at times.

Not sure if I'll stick with 'infolinks'

The 'infolinks' system seems to be working OK in Safari but the auto-page loading 'feature' in Firefox means that the infolinks are not showing other than on the first page.
I'm not sure about some of the links created by 'infolinks'.... why "Christmas in" was selected in the post below is intriguing; now it's not selected after this post is published.
Still, if it becomes a pest I can wip out the piece of HTML that pertains.
The power.............

When autumn leaves...

The Autumn Equinox is here, it's all downhill now until Christmas in term of less daylight.
It's a bright, breezy, showery, cloud scudding day here in Leodis.
The Liberal Party Conference in Bournemouth is on TV is jolly, lots of earnest people all trying to impress.

Strictly Come Dancing

This is now a very rounded production, even Bruce is behaving.
Most enjoyable programme tonight, although I think Ms Bellingham should have been voted off.
I'd save Joe (the boxer) as his partner has a body well worth watching.
It looks to be a fascinating series, the winner will be Ali.

So called 'Celebrity Twitterers/Tweeters'

Twitter can be fun and informative... it can also be annoying.
I used to follow the usual suspects who have a Twitter account.
The ramblings were sometimes of interest but the incessant Twitting about where they are off to today, what they did this morning, etc really started to annoy.
I still get notifications that the likes of 'Sexy Sue' from 'Sweet Valley, Idaho' to say she is following me; I then promptly block them and let them pester some other 'sucker.'
Twitterings from the likes of 'Onion News' are good fun.

R.I.P. ~ Keith Floyd

Such a very sad day.
I enjoyed the documentary (with the abundance of Anglo-Saxon words).
He was the first of the WYSIWYG cooks (he never referred to himself as a 'chef')
I'll still watch his TV programmes and read my small collection of his books.
I'll buy his latest work (autobiography)
R.I.P.

It's the time for myths and partial truthfulness...

Chilly sort of day here is jolly old Leodis.
We've had a week or so of really nice what I call 'Madeiran all year round this is how I like it' weather.
We could do with a nice little rain shower in the early evening to help the plants.
The leaves or is that leafs, on the trees in our Road are turning to their autumn colours.
Had a great day at Harewood House last Thursday; saw the Earl and Countess on their buggy making a tour of the Terrace. We've spoken to them previously, recently I helped the Countess 'retrieve' their chocolate coloured Labrador who was a bit reluctant to go back into the House.
During our recent visit we attended a talk on Chippendale and his Chinese style furniture on display in one of the bedrooms.
Whilst on the terrace we chatted with some folks from the RSPB who had a scope focused on a Red Kite who was perched on one of his favourite branches.
Before we got the bus back, we went into The Harewood Arms for a couple of pints of Samuel Smiths 'XXX Mild.'