tag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-01:156268Views from the Reading Roomso many books, so little timesusan2023-11-10T17:47:05Ztag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-01:156268:44698Beta testing2023-11-10T17:47:05Z2023-11-10T17:47:05Zpublic1The beta Create Entries page, which is even older than I realised, is going to become the default Real Soon Now (see latest <span style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='https://dw-news.dreamwidth.org/profile'><img src='https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/comm_staff.png' alt='[site community profile] ' width='16' height='16' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='https://dw-news.dreamwidth.org/'><b>dw_news</b></a></span> post), so this is me testing it!<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=susanreads&ditemid=44698" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-01:156268:44386Pride march2023-08-13T21:12:21Z2023-08-13T21:12:21Zpublic2Yesterday I went on my first ever Pride march! It's the first one I've had the chance to go on in the sense that I knew about it - there was one (the first ever in Colchester) last year, but I didn't know that (or that there was a Colchester Pride at all in 2022, I guess I was still living under a rock) until talking to someone yesterday while waiting for the march to start.<br /><br />I think the first ever Colchester Pride was in 2017, and again I didn't know about it till afterwards. I went to the next two, and then You Know What happened. They were basically festivals, at and in the grounds of an arts venue. I didn't go to the festival part this year: the programme looked like mainly cabaret, which is not my thing (I'm an old fogey), and although mostly outdoors, crowds of unmasked strangers still = No Thanks.<br /><br />Pride should be a protest! It's not as if we don't have plenty to protest about, specifically as queer people and in general!<br /><br />*waves tiny flag*<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=susanreads&ditemid=44386" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-01:156268:44246I write letters2021-11-26T21:27:54Z2021-11-26T21:27:54Zpublic1There are a lot of things that make me go "our politics is shit, what else is new" but something about what happened in the Channel on Wednesday, the reactions to it, and a flood of emails I got on Thursday, made me finally put ... whatever the laptop equivalent of "pencil to paper" is.<br /><br />To BoJo and Priti Patel:<br /><blockquote>No one would attempt to cross the Channel in a small boat if they had another choice. Almost all of those who do are coming here to seek asylum, as is their legal right. Numbers have increased in recent years because you've closed all the safe routes: resettlement (for the first time in many years, we have no commitment to resettlement under the UN system or otherwise), family reunion (which was excessively strict, but at least it was there), and the Dubs scheme for unaccompanied children (with the pretext that space has run out, when in fact many councils have offered spaces that you haven't responded to).<br /><br />Almost every part of the Nationality and Borders Bill will only make this situation worse. The best way to actually oppose the criminal networks that are exploiting these people would be to reopen all those safe routes, and add either a humanitarian visa specifically for asylum seekers, or a way to claim asylum at an embassy abroad. Reducing the causes of people fleeing - e.g. stop arming despots, do something about climate change - would also help.<br /><br />You say people should claim asylum at the first safe country they get to, but we have no land borders except with Ireland, and receive less than our share of asylum seekers in Europe. The people who are determined to come here specifically do so for one of a handful of reasons: family reunion; an existing connection with the UK such as having studied here; they know some English and no other European language. In the 20th century, the UK earned a reputation as a place of safety. We no longer deserve it, but desperate people fleeing across a hostile landscape don't know that. They certainly don't know the ins and outs of our asylum system, so any supposed deterrent effect of changes in the law is completely useless.<br /><br />I'm sure you'll use this tragedy as an excuse to "crack down" on "migrants", piling more cruelty on top of what they've already been subjected to. I implore you to think again, and redesign your policies from the ground up, starting with international law and the principle that human beings are human beings.</blockquote><br /><br /><br />The MP one is based mostly on a template from Refugee Action:<br /><br /><span class="cut-wrapper"><span style="display: none;" id="span-cuttag___1" class="cuttag"></span><b class="cut-open">( </b><b class="cut-text"><a href="https://susanreads.dreamwidth.org/44246.html#cutid1">cut for length</a></b><b class="cut-close"> )</b></span><div style="display: none;" id="div-cuttag___1" aria-live="assertive"></div><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=susanreads&ditemid=44246" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-01:156268:43918Vaccine!2021-03-05T21:32:49Z2023-10-14T13:58:00Zpublic5I had my first COVID-19 jab today: the AstraZeneca one, at the pharmacy round the block from my doctor's surgery (there's actually a connecting door, but it's not in use right now for the obvious reason). I thought I'd have to wait a while before leaving, but I guess that's just for the Pfizer one.<br /><br />I got the letter from the NHS inviting me to make an appointment on my birthday, which might not be a coincidence as that's when I became qualified (at some point since printing the info-booklet, they've changed that line from 65 AND OVER to 64 AND OVER).<br /><br />I haven't noticed any side-effects so far. On the way home, I fancied the injection site was sore, but that could have been my imagination: I expect it to be sore when someone sticks a needle in me!<br /><br />Update: I spoke too soon about the side-effects. They hit me when I went to bed, and I had a bad night with a sore arm, headache and various other things that came and went. I still have the headache and some joint pain. I should have checked the date on the paracetamol in the house and got some more while I had the chance - I think Expired 2019 is too long ago to risk it.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=susanreads&ditemid=43918" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-01:156268:43749Euro-elections: get out and vote2019-05-22T20:37:17Z2023-10-14T13:56:33Zpublic1If you're registered to vote in a currently-in-the-EU country, do! It's tomorrow! (or some time in the next few days, depending on country). For anybody other than that hypocrite Farage, or that thug who calls himself Tommy Robinson! The lower the turnout, the higher the risk that the extreme right get in. Remember it's proportional, so if your usual preference is usually out of the running, it's different for this one.<br /><br />I'll be voting Green, which hits the trifecta: they're pro-Europe, explicitly anti-austerity (unlike any of the other pro-Europe parties in my region), and of course, best in class on climate change. My ward just elected the first Green councillor in my borough, and nationally they've got about 3 times as many councillors as they had, so they're on a roll.<br /><br />I feel the phrase "use it or lose it" hanging in the air more than usual ... (Thanks <span style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='https://rydra-wong.dreamwidth.org/profile'><img src='https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png' alt='[personal profile] ' width='17' height='17' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='https://rydra-wong.dreamwidth.org/'><b>rydra_wong</b></a></span> for the reminder to post.)<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=susanreads&ditemid=43749" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-01:156268:43401Stop Arming Saudi Arabia2017-11-13T21:40:56Z2017-11-13T21:40:56Zpublic1Independent headline: <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/uk-british-weapons-arms-sales-saudi-arabia-yemen-war-increase-500-civilians-war-crimes-export-a8042871.html">UK sales of bombs and missiles to Saudi Arabia increase by almost 500% since start of Yemen war</a><br /><br />CAAT (Campaign Against Arms Trade) is trying to put a stop to this. They've already been to court once, which inexplicably (i.e. because capitalism) found that continuing to arm a regime that's responsible for thousands of civilian deaths, bombing hospitals, and blockading ports and thereby preventing humanitarian aid, is "legal". CAAT are raising money to fund an appeal: <a href="https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/stop-arming-saudi/">case page on CrowdJustice</a> (CrowdJustice is a crowdfunding site specifically for court cases).<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=susanreads&ditemid=43401" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-01:156268:43039New watch, new Firefox2017-09-29T16:09:31Z2017-09-29T20:36:59Zpublic1My watch stopped and the battery's pretty new so it must be the watch (confirmed by the guy on the market stall with the batteries). Chimes are on holiday till 10th October and Timpsons quoted £56 for a repair, which is more than I've ever paid for a new one (the one I've been using for the past 10 years was a prize), plus it wouldn't be while-you-wait, so: time for a new watch. I've had problems with both plastic and leather straps in the past, and the one that just died has a metal strap, which is great but heavy and they're also expensive, but I found one with a "woven material" strap which is also super cheap, so I'm experimenting with that. (I suspect it's actually plastic, at least in part, but it looks nicer and doesn't feel nasty like your regular plastic strap.) I'll have to wear it for a while before I can tell whether my wrist finds it irritating.<br /><br />Then I got back to the computer and loaded Firefox and it's changed! Apparently I'm on a beta, which I don't think I asked for, is that random? There's been several changes to the appearance, which I guess I'll get used to, and all my extensions have disappeared aaaaaaaaaa! The only one I was actually using (since Java stopped working months ago) was AdBlock Plus. There are several possible replacements; I picked AdBlock, in the hope that it would work the same and I wouldn't have too much of a learning curve. I like the green thumbs-up on whitelisted sites, i.e. here, but it remains to be seen how easy it is (having lost all my custom filters) to find the culprit if it starts blocking something I need.<br /><br />PS: via the AdBlock help system, <a href="https://www.howtogeek.com/227669/how-to-stop-auto-playing-html5-videos-in-your-web-browser/">How to stop auto-playing videos</a> (HTML5; I assume they've also got one about how to block Flash). Take that, YouTube!<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=susanreads&ditemid=43039" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-01:156268:42577Vote tomorrow2017-06-07T21:24:37Z2017-06-07T21:24:37Zpublic2I know, you don't hear from me for months on end... If any UK people are reading this (yes, I posted it to <span style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='https://uk.dreamwidth.org/profile'><img src='https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png' alt='[community profile] ' width='16' height='16' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='https://uk.dreamwidth.org/'><b>uk</b></a></span> too) ... VOTE this Thursday, i.e. tomorrow (assuming you're registered; it's too late now if not).<br /><br /><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/jun/07/how-do-i-vote-in-the-uk-general-election">The Guardian's guide to the practicalities</a> (link courtesy of <span style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='https://rydra-wong.dreamwidth.org/profile'><img src='https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png' alt='[personal profile] ' width='17' height='17' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='https://rydra-wong.dreamwidth.org/'><b>rydra_wong</b></a></span>)<br /><br /><a href="https://www.tactical2017.com/">tactical voting guide</a> (of course, you might know better; I disagree with them about Colchester, where I'm far from the only person who will never vote again for the former MP who voted for the Health and Social Care Act 2012).<br /><br />If you already know who you want to vote for and you're certain they won't win, or that they'll win easily and don't need your vote, vote anyway! On the one hand, several recent elections and referenda prove that nobody knows anything in politics nowadays; on the other, one day electoral reform will be debated in Parliament again and the more egregious the gap between votes and seats is, the more seriously they might take it. If you don't vote, you <em>will</em> be ignored.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=susanreads&ditemid=42577" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-01:156268:42488Going to Minamicon2017-03-02T14:43:52Z2017-03-02T14:43:52Zpublic0I'm going away for the weekend, to an anime con. I think it's the first time I'll have been away overnight since 2010. We're starting super early tomorrow (driver's choice): I must remember to set the alarm! It's also the first time I have a laptop light enough to be tempted to take it with me - but I probably won't have time to use it and I don't want to be worrying about breakage.<br /><br />So: AFK till some time on Monday, not that anyone expects to hear from me anyway.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=susanreads&ditemid=42488" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-01:156268:42057Bruises2016-12-19T15:50:41Z2016-12-19T15:50:41Zpublic2I'm used to having a few small, transient bruises of unknown origin (perhaps when I bump into things?) that don't hurt except when prodded. The largest number of exceptions to this pattern, or Bruises of Note, that I can remember is the 3 I've got now.<br /><br /><span class="cut-wrapper"><span style="display: none;" id="span-cuttag___1" class="cuttag"></span><b class="cut-open">( </b><b class="cut-text"><a href="https://susanreads.dreamwidth.org/42057.html#cutid1">cut for TMI</a></b><b class="cut-close"> )</b></span><div style="display: none;" id="div-cuttag___1" aria-live="assertive"></div><br /><br />Speaking of Ow, Paracetamol note: if you know what Paracetamol tablets taste like, the soluble kind are <em>so much better</em>. The chemist didn't have the capulets (h/t <span style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='https://spiralsheep.dreamwidth.org/profile'><img src='https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png' alt='[personal profile] ' width='17' height='17' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='https://spiralsheep.dreamwidth.org/'><b>spiralsheep</b></a></span>), so I decided to give the effervescent ones a try, and it turns out that the taste of bubbles (carbonic acid?) overcomes the taste of the active ingredient. Try it! (if you need OTC painkillers that aren't aspirin, not for fun, obv.)<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=susanreads&ditemid=42057" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-01:156268:41977So I've been back for a while ...2016-10-04T21:12:01Z2016-10-04T21:12:01Zpublic1but I'm still well behind on many things. I did catch up with my reading page.<br /><br />I had to get a new laptop. I'm still learning Windows 10, and haven't customised everything yet. Should I uninstall AVG so I can activate Windows Defender?<br /><br />Meanwhile, there are lots of new themes.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=susanreads&ditemid=41977" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-01:156268:41560Laptop trouble2016-08-03T15:20:29Z2016-08-03T15:20:29Zpublic1I know, I haven't written anything for months, except the occasional comment. I have been reading, but I'm about to be AFK for a while. Lots of things have happened since ... was it October? The latest is that the laptop is acting up and I'll have to get it serviced - I'll need to decide which shop to take it to (the nearby one, or the one I originally bought it from which offers quicker service), and hand it in either tomorrow or next week. Who know how long it'll take after that? Meanwhile, I'll be super busy anyway, to compensate for internet withdrawal symptoms.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=susanreads&ditemid=41560" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-01:156268:4135333 vs. 582015-10-04T15:06:15Z2015-10-04T15:06:15Zpublic4Meme via <span style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='https://chagrined.dreamwidth.org/profile'><img src='https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png' alt='[personal profile] ' width='17' height='17' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='https://chagrined.dreamwidth.org/'><b>chagrined</b></a></span> and <span style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='https://alias-sqbr.dreamwidth.org/profile'><img src='https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png' alt='[personal profile] ' width='17' height='17' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='https://alias-sqbr.dreamwidth.org/'><b>alias_sqbr</b></a></span>.<br /><br />At 33:<br />I lived in: a mid-terrace house within walking distance of the town centre. I'd moved in at the beginning of the year, from rented accommodation, after getting a job that paid enough to get a mortgage. I barely knew any of the neighbours.<br /><br />I drove: nothing. Nobody taught working-class girls to drive when I wor a lass! [when I was young in the North]<br /><br />I was in a relationship with: no-one. I called myself celibate, because I didn't have the vocabulary I have now.<br /><br />I feared: I don't remember. Probably big things like nuclear war and environmental disasters.<br /><br />I worked at: a small software house a (longish, but straightforward) bus journey away, as a computer programmer, maintaining and developing financial management systems for the construction industry.<br /><br />I wanted to be: the same, but better paid with a shorter commute and fewer annoying colleagues! Working part-time for an equivalent rate would also have been excellent, as I was definitely shorter of time than of cash.<br /><br />At 58:<br />I live in: the same house. I've had some work done on it and I paid off the mortgage the first time I was made redundant. I still know very few of the neighbours; most of them are (comparatively) new.<br /><br />I drive: still nothing. The jobcentre's "removing barriers to employment" doesn't stretch to paying for driving lessons.<br /><br />I am in a relationship with: no-one. I now identify as aromantic (a word I'd never encountered until I met the internet) and asexual (which, back in the day, I only knew as the term for critters that reproduce by splitting).<br /><br />I fear: Nothing? I worry about things - on a global level, mostly climate change; on a personal level, mostly cashflow.<br /><br />I work at: housework (not as much as I should) and looking for work (same?). I've been unemployed since I was made redundant the second time, and have pretty much given up on ever getting another job. The most important thing I'm doing, actually ... mainly consists of waiting, because my financial advisor apparently doesn't want to issue progress reports until he's done All Of The Research, and is waiting in his turn for the company currently sitting on my money to respond to enquiries. (That's "my money that I earned in an earlier decade". It's grown under their management OK, but if they want to be my actual pension provider they need better customer service.) Recent changes in the rules mean that I should be able to derive an income from it that'll last till I can afford to retire properly, while being adequate in a way that my current benefits aren't.<br /><br />I want to be: retired! A bit of "the change I want to see in the world" wouldn't go amiss too, but I can't see much beyond that horizon.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=susanreads&ditemid=41353" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-01:156268:40972A case in point2015-05-31T15:42:47Z2015-05-31T15:42:47Zpublic1ISDS: Invester State Dispute Settlement mechanism, a system of courts run by corporate lawyers in which companies can sue governments, outside of the normal judicial process, when they claim to have been discriminated against. Apologists for the mechanism say its purpose is to protect firms when government unfairly favour domestic firms over foreign ones, or expropriate their property. That's not how it's actually used.<br /><br />TTIP: Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, a big trade deal currently being negotiated between the US and the EU (see also TPP (US and Pacific countries), CETA (Canada and EU)). Includes ISDS mechanism.<br /><br />Promoters say TTIP will be good for the economy and create jobs, but of course it will destroy jobs and only be good for some big firms that are doing well in the economy already, because that's how these trade deals work, from NAFTA onwards (and maybe before that, before my time). But if ISDS stays in it'll be even worse: a danger to <em>all</em> our public services and a benefit to no-one except evil multinationals.<br /><br />A case in point: Canadian-Australian company OceanaGold wants to open a gold mine in El Salvador, which would pollute the country's remaining clean water (90% of their water is already contaminated). El Salvador rejected the mine, so the company is suing them at ICSID (International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes), a World Bank tribunal. This is the sort of thing ISDS will be used for if we don't stop it. More detail <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/apr/10/el-salvador-pacific-rim-assault-democratic-governance">from The Guardian</a>.<br /><br />There's a petition to the World Bank to drop the case against El Salvador <a href="http://action.sumofus.org/a/oceanagold-world-bank-tribunal/">at Sum of Us</a>, and you can join the fight against TTIP in the UK at <a href="http://www.nottip.org.uk/">noTTIP</a>.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=susanreads&ditemid=40972" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-01:156268:40901Voting reform2015-05-16T14:14:15Z2015-05-16T14:14:15Zpublic3How many issues have the Greens, the Liberal Democrats, UKIP, the SNP and Plaid Cymru all in agreement?<br /><br />If you're in the UK, pretty much whoever you voted for, you've probably noticed that our voting system is a big mess. The <a href="http://www.electoral-reform.org.uk/">Electoral Reform Society</a> and <a href="http://www.unlockdemocracy.org.uk/">Unlock Democracy</a> are running a joint campaign to do something about it, with a petition which is to be handed in on May 18th: <a href="http://makeseatsmatchvotes.org">Make Seats Match Votes</a>.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=susanreads&ditemid=40901" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-01:156268:40540Holiday DVR schedule2014-12-27T21:12:53Z2014-12-27T21:12:53Zpublic3A couple of films from last year, because I'm that far behind with films recorded off-air; the Kiss Me Kate prom; Doctor Who <span style="color:#666; background-color:#666;" title="spoiler"><a href="#skipX" title="skip spoiler"></a>Does Inception<a name="skipX"></a></span>; Carlos Acosta's Cuban Night, partly live on the other box because of clashage; the Agents of SHIELD "mid-season finale" (the Channel 4 continuity announcer also thinks that's a peculiar idea); QI XL; the War Horse prom.<br /><br />On radio, mostly via internet: most of my usual programs, a couple of festive specials of the usual programs, parts of the EBU Day of Christmas Music, a whole lot of World Music, some podcasts I'm still behind on, and <em>particularly</em> the radio serial of <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04knt4h">Good Omens</a>, apparently the first-ever dramatisation of that book.<br /><br />Also in prospect, the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures, some nature documentaries, Charlie Brooker, the New Year's Day Vienna Concert and a repeat of The Boy in the Dress, because the first broadcast clashed with something [unless somebody on the internet tells me it's terrible. It's a comedy about a gender-non-conforming (apparently not trans) kid, how bad can it be?]. I'm not going to have time for any more films recorded off-air, am I?<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=susanreads&ditemid=40540" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-01:156268:40447The best commentary2014-12-10T18:46:52Z2014-12-10T18:46:52Zpublic1... well, the best at-a-glance commentary on the dickery in question that I've noticed, anyhow.<br /><br />This might be a strange topic for my first post in months, and I've got a horrible cold and had a very bad night and thought posting was a few levels of engagement above what I'm currently capable of; but I saw this and it got my brain in gear. Posted on someone's tumblr that I follow by RSS (not being <me>on Tumblr), I've traced it to its source, which is <a href="http://chainsawsuit.com/comic/2014/12/08/all-things-considered/">Monday's chainsawsuit comic</a>.<br /><br />I don't know whether it's embeddable; there's a feed here, <span style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='https://chainsawsuit-feed.dreamwidth.org/profile'><img src='https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png' alt='[syndicated profile] ' width='16' height='16' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='https://chainsawsuit-feed.dreamwidth.org/'><b>chainsawsuit_feed</b></a></span> (which has a lot of other things on it as well as the comics; also, sometimes NSFW). Transcript by me:<br />1) Two people, the one with a self-satisfied grin says "well <u>i</u> think that <u>all</u> lives matter".<br />2) The person with the self-satisfied grin is holding a fire hose. "we should care exactly equally at all times about everything".<br />3) There are two originally-identical houses, one of which is on fire in a major way. The person with the fire hose, saying "<u>all</u> houses matter", is hosing down the house that <em>isn't</em> on fire.<br /><br />Unusually for the internet, Kris Straub's commentariat mostly seem to get it, though as you go further down that becomes less so ...<br /><br />(Since I'm not on Twitter, I wouldn't know what they were talking about if I didn't follow <a href="http://twib.fm/">This Week In Blackness</a>. Panel 0 would be the Twitter hashtag #BlackLivesMatter.)</me><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=susanreads&ditemid=40447" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-01:156268:39950Not AFK2014-08-09T21:23:19Z2014-08-09T21:23:19Zpublic1I doubt anyone expects me to post here, but I do post comments sometimes, except for the past few weeks I haven't been, for a few reasons including that my internet access suddenly went from adequate to terrible. This was solved by decommissioning the old extension kit with which I first got on line, and keeping the router downstairs next to the phone instead; only possible because I finally got everything-I-use-the-internet-for working on my "new" laptop (Windows 7, has wifi) as opposed to the old tower (XP, no wifi). But that solution relied on a lashup with extension leads and wires everywhere. Today I got a socket installed in a sensible place, so I can reach the switch and get the wires off the floor. Hurrah!<br /><br />The same builder patched the ceiling over the stairs, so there isn't a hole in it and also no more is going to fall down. That was one of the other things that happened: sudden crash late at night, rubble everywhere. Still some cleaning to do!<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=susanreads&ditemid=39950" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-01:156268:39690New laptop2014-05-12T17:00:02Z2014-05-12T17:00:02Zgeekypublic5Hello Dreamwidth, it has been ... mumble ... weeks since my last post.<br /><br />This one is being written on my new (well, reconditioned) laptop, which I'm still trying to get to work in a usable manner. At the moment, if it's connected to the router <em>and</em> the charger, the router loses its internet connection. It's taken me most of a week to work out that those are the failure conditions, and I still don't know <em>why</em>. It wouldn't be so bad if the battery life was the 3 hours it's supposed to be instead of more like 1½. At some point I'll turn on the router's wifi and see whether connecting that way makes any difference; I know how to turn it on (in theory), but not what all the other parameters on that page mean. Any wifi experts out there?<br /><br />Something I <em>can</em> recommend: DuckDuckGo. I've seen people recommend it on account of privacy, but the thing that persuaded me to give it a go was <a href="https://duck.co/help/results/autocorrect">this</a>:<br /><blockquote>Our intention is to not auto-correct searches. That is, we intend to completely respect the query you type in, and (in some cases) display a 'Did you mean?' link at the top when relevant.</blockquote><br /><br />In other words, I can search for "obscure thing that the poster expected readers to recognise" without wading through pages of "much commoner search term that happens to start with the same letters". Hurrah!<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=susanreads&ditemid=39690" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-01:156268:39436Non-denominational greetings2013-12-30T16:35:08Z2013-12-30T16:35:08Zpublic1My favourite corporate card received this year (from <a href="http://www.shared-interest.com">Shared Interest</a>):<br /><br />FESTIVE HOPE FOR A HAPPY AND FRUITFUL NEW YEAR<br /><br />(in which I might actually post occasionally! Who knows!)<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=susanreads&ditemid=39436" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-01:156268:39288Passport photos2013-09-02T14:39:27Z2013-09-02T14:50:06Zpublic6Today I got photos for renewing my passport. The requirements are much pickier than they used to be - I couldn't have done it without the help of the Post Office employee. ♥Post Office♥<br /><br />With my glasses off I look about ten years older, and also as if I hadn't slept for a week. I know I haven't been getting enough sleep but this is ridiculous. *Waaaaah*<br /><br />Also my hair is a haystack. I washed it on Saturday! I know it's a haystack the day after washing it but it should be under control by now! /cry moar<br /><br />ETA: fixing typos apparently introduces more typos dammit<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=susanreads&ditemid=39288" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-01:156268:39061Let's split up, we can do more damage that way2013-06-23T13:11:58Z2013-06-23T13:11:58Zpublic1I've been watching <a href="http://bbc.co.uk/operationsnowtiger">Operation Snow Tiger</a> (it finished a week ago, but I built up a bit of a backlog during Springwatch).<br /><br />The researchers are trying to find a particular tiger in the reserve, and Liz Bonnin says they're splitting up to improve their chances, and <em>I hear</em> "Let's split up, that way it's bound to get one of us." and <em>sure enough</em> ... they were checking a camera trap and found that it had been triggered by one of their colleagues, on foot on his own, and the very next shot was a tiger (not the one they're looking for). And then they were going to pick up their colleague before sunset, which is when tigers like to hunt apparently, but they had trouble with the vehicle.<br /><br />*sigh* Didn't any of you people ever play D&D? Don't you watch movies, for crying out loud?<br /><br />*needs a headdesk icon*<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=susanreads&ditemid=39061" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-01:156268:38828Ding, dong ...2013-04-10T21:50:03Z2013-04-10T21:50:03Zpublic1I've had this earworm stuck in my head all day. Oddly, I managed to avoid it yesterday, but this morning, there it was. It might be less annoying if I could remember all of it - even after looking up the lyrics this afternoon, I forget what comes after "Below, below, below" ...<br /><br />I shouldn't be celebrating the death of the Wicked Witch of the West, not because that's icky (she did enough damage not to be forgiven for a hundred years), but because her legacy is still with us. Her current heirs and assigns are doing their best to finish the job of destroying the society she didn't believe in ...<br /><span class="cut-wrapper"><span style="display: none;" id="span-cuttag___1" class="cuttag"></span><b class="cut-open">( </b><b class="cut-text"><a href="https://susanreads.dreamwidth.org/38828.html#cutid1">digression about that</a></b><b class="cut-close"> )</b></span><div style="display: none;" id="div-cuttag___1" aria-live="assertive"></div><br />... and in her wildest dreams, I don't suppose she imagined they'd get away with privatising the NHS, but <a href="http://uk.dreamwidth.org/10368.html">here we are</a>.<br /><br />I found a site about <a href="http://donthatedonate.com">positive things we can do</a> to remember the people her government attacked, but I can't get that song out of my head ...<br />Sing it high<br />Sing it low<br />Let them know the wicked witch is dead.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=susanreads&ditemid=38828" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-01:156268:38481If I'm ever going to post here again, I guess I'll start with something short2013-04-04T21:00:47Z2013-04-04T21:00:47Zpublic1I looked out this morning, and what did I see? That all the horizontal surfaces were covered with solid water, <em>again</em>. (I wasn't sure it was snow rather than frost until I opened the door.) That's the fourth time this year! In Fourth Month! After Easter, i.e. northern-hemisphere-spring festival! What the f*** snow!<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=susanreads&ditemid=38481" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-01:156268:38176Also this past summer ...2012-11-23T17:07:46Z2012-11-23T17:07:46Zpublic0My contract with my ISP includes 40GB data usage per calendar month (over the used-to-be-BT landline; I don't have one of those fancy phones). It's a big increase from my previous contract, where I was always paying by volume for extra usage. This summer I started paying attention to the figures on the bill.<br /><br /><span class="cut-wrapper"><span style="display: none;" id="span-cuttag___1" class="cuttag"></span><b class="cut-open">( </b><b class="cut-text"><a href="https://susanreads.dreamwidth.org/38176.html#cutid1">have some statistics</a></b><b class="cut-close"> )</b></span><div style="display: none;" id="div-cuttag___1" aria-live="assertive"></div><br /><br />I just had to update the software again (disabling the Java that's already running? That's a bit extreme isn't it?), so I'll get some idea how much difference that made when I get my next bill.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=susanreads&ditemid=38176" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> comments