Author: Mosh

Mobile phone privacy

Picture of three Michigan Yellow Book Directories
Proper directories

There’s a new mobile phone directory on the scene in the UK – 118 800. As it stands, they won’t give your number out to anyone. However, if you’ve filled in your mobile phone on any other web site, document, order form or the like then the chances are they’ve bought it and added it to the list. People can ring them with your name and be put through to you. Expect big usage by cold-callers and phone spammers.

However, you can get yourself taken off their lists. One way is to send an SMS, the other is to do it for free online. Go to this web page and fill in the details. They’ll send you an SMS with a code number. Fill that in on the page and they will remove you so you shouldn’t be bothered.

I thought we’d all gone for “opt in” rather than “opt out” in the UK as far as privacy went, but they’ve found a loophole. Often when you fill in your details to – let’s say – ensure you can be contacted if a package can’t be delivered to your front door you’re also agreeing to have the number passed on to other companies… and 118 800 are the first to go out and buy up all those lists for commercial purposes.

Nasty? Maybe, but it’s legal. Make sure you pass on the details to get everyone you know off their books.

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Bad ideas #28

(No Cursing??) Sign
...and no unbiased elections either

Walking down the streets of Tehran wearing a t-shirt from a Jewish band emblazoned with the slogan “**** YOU WE’RE FROM ISRAEL” then trying to explain to the police that you’re wearing it because you lost a bet while you were getting drunk.

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A very big toy

I just had to post this on the basis that it’s’ ridiculously cool. And childish. But nevertheless awesome. I’ve not yet visited Hamburg, but this is right up the top of my list of things to see when I do get there – the world’s largest model railway set.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN_oDdGmKyA

A bit of Sunday waffle

More snuggled dogs. With added scary eyes
The canines in question

I’m dog-sitting for the folks this weekend, so had a quiet night in yesterday evening. Until Poppy started barking incessantly for no apparent reason around midnight. They’re smart enough – I swear they can tell the time.

Before she left my mum told me, “Feed them around four o’clock.” No worries. At five past four, they’d emerged from wherever they were playing and were in my room, trying to jump on my lap. That’s pretty good timekeeping.

Think that’s coincidence? At 8pm – when my parents normally retire to the front room to veg in front of the telly, the dogs again became active. Scratching at the door of the lounge to get in. Clever pups.

This morning I took them for a walk, which was a challenge. They’ve got a kind of “combi-leash” – one auto-retracting handgrip which feeds down to a ring to which each dog then has their own bit of lead. It looks great and efficient, but it’s… entertaining getting them to walk properly.

Taffy always walks against the wall if you have him on his own leash – he’s male and wants to mark his territory. He’s also the “tugger”, wanting to walk you. He’s not bad at it either, given his size (they’re Schitzus, in case you didn’t know). The thing is, Poppy seems to insist on walking on his right if they’re leashed together. As we were walking on the right hand side of the road, this meant she was between him and the wall. Something Taffy didn’t realy pay much attention to each time he lifted his leg.

Ew.

Mind, she gets her revenge. Tripods are sturdy and balanced as their legs are spaced evenly around the radius of the base. However, a rectangular table with a leg missing can tip quite easily. Much like a dog on three legs when its attached friend pulls on the lead.

As for keeping one of them still while the other squats for a number two… You try emptying your bowels while someone yanks on a chain around your neck.

While we’re on that subject, I think I’ll suggest to my mother to get thicker plastic bags for picking up the poop. It’s icky enough to do, but when you can feel how warm it is through the thin layer of polycarbons… Urgh.

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