All entries for June 2006

It's finally over, and I didn't fail!

I got my results yesterday, and I got a pass! I'm delighted, because I was expecting to fail, and anything's better than that…

Everyone I've told, the conversation's gone something like this:
Me: I've passed!
Them: Great! So what did you get? 3rd? 2:2?
Me: No. Literally…

: 22 Jun 2006 10:15 |  Tags: Degree Exams Pass Results University |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Feckin' spam!

My spam filter keeps catching bounce emails telling me messages I haven't sent cannot be delivered.
The email address that the spam that's bounced was supposeldy sent from is [some random string of letters]@richardwinskill.co.uk.
What I want to know is, are these addresses being used to spam people, and failing, or are the bolunce messages themselves the spam directed at me to try an trick me into responding to the "original" message or replying saying, "What the hell," and thus demonstrating that my address is real so they can commence spamming in full?
Anyone?

: 07 Jun 2006 21:10 |  Tags: Bastards Randomness Spam |  Comments (3) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Intellectual Property

Follow-up to The BBC Stole My Photo!!! from The randomness of tomorrow, today!

Shortly after I posted the entry on my stolen photo I found a form on the BBC website for submitting an official complaint, and used it. Since then I've been systematicallly sharing the details with any of my housemates that seemed interested. One of my housemates, however, doesn't seem to be able to grasp my reasons for complaining to the BBC. This suprised me; I cannot see any reasons why I shouldn't complain. I automatically have the right to dictate how any of my photos are used (I love copyright) and it seems like he's saying there's no real reason why I should exercise it.
I was recently contacted by WA Shearings who wanted to know if they could use the photo of Bowes Museum I'd uploaded to Flickr in their 2007 brochure. I said (and I'm paraphrasing here), "Sure, give me the credit for the photo and that'll be fine". That, BBC, is how you use people's photos…
It's not as if there wasn't enough time to get in touch; I uploaded the photo to Flickr last November, and it'd been on my website for a year before that.
I have absolutely no regrets about complaining, and cannot see where my friend is coming from. Is there anyone else that shares his opinion? I just cannot see his logic. It reminds me of a recent entry on the Dilbert Blog – basically his argument makes perfect sense to him in his little world, and my argument makes perfect sense to me in my little world, but both become meaningless garbage in the other person's little world.

: 07 Jun 2006 20:50 |  Tags: Bastards BBC Copyright Follow-Up Illegal Never Mind The Full Stops Photo Randomness Theft |  Comments (4) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Danger – Fire Kills Children

One of my friends came across a box of matches that had this warning on the back:

It's amused everyone with its ridiculousness; it's not "Fire Kills", or "Fire is Hot", or "Fire Burns" or similar such sensible warnings but "Fire Kills Children". Presumably, therefore, Adults are immune to the effects of the fire…

: 04 Jun 2006 15:15 |  Tags: Bizarre Danger Fire Fire Kills Children Funny Labels Matches Randomness Warnings |  Comments (5) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

The BBC Stole My Photo!!!

When I first moved into this house off campus I noticed this sign with its poor use of the English language:

which I photographed and added to my website.

Imagine my shock when I watched the Never Mind the Full Stops from Thursday and discovered my photo, cropped and squashed, displayed at the end of the program in a section of similar photos of lousy English. This was the first I'd heard of it; they didn't ask me, and they didn't say it was my photo, and they squashed it so it's disproportionate (that's them just generally sucking, although it doesn't help matters…). You can tell it's my photo, because the pattern from the flash is identical and is in the same place.

If they got it from my website then they stole it from a page with "© All Rights Reserved" on it, if they took it from Flickr then it quite clearly says that it has to be attributed, not used for commercial purposes, and not edited, and if they got it from somewhere else then that's 2 people I need to sue…

"The BBC – Shitting on the little guy" to paraphrase I, Robot (See! See! When I steal something from someone, I say who I stole it from!)

Bastards!

: 04 Jun 2006 00:53 |  Tags: Bastards BBC Copyright Illegal Never Mind The Full Stops Photo Randomness Theft |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

It's easier for a rich man to pass through the eye of a needle…

I bought a packet of safety pins recently and found this in the bag as well:

It's the eye of a needle and only a little bit of a shaft; the end is clean, so it hasn't snapped off. It's sitting in front of an penny for comparison.

: 01 Jun 2006 20:43 |  Tags: Broken Needle Randomness Strange Weird |  Comments (3) |  Close comments |  Report a problem