links for 2009-11-25

  • Crappy website without online ordering, but certainly the best place to get Ryobi spares (such as a replacement chain oil filler cap – crappy, flimsy thing has finally snapped – replacement is princely sum of ten pence, plus VAT and delivery). EDIT: take care as the key to some of the exploded parts diagrams is incorrect.

Cheeky blighters!

Some cheeky blighter has used my work Visa card for nefarious purposes.

Apparently the cunning chaps use new fangled computer thingies to put bunches of random 16-digit card numbers and expiry dates into iTunes to purchase songs. When one works, they know that they have a valid card number/expiry date combo and can go shopping.

Thankfully, those clever boffins at the NatWest also use them there computing machines and spotted that, with my work Visa, I’m unlikely to purchase songs on iTunes and then go shopping for t-shirts from a luxury Japanese clothing company. (Of course, with my personal Visa, anything is possible). Consequently, when I was trying to make a purchase this afternoon, I had to get on the blower to convince the NatWest that I am the real me. They kindly suggest that I feed my current card to a pack of wild dogs and await the delivery of a shiny new card. Meanwhile, they’ve refunded the undesired transactions to my account, made sure that the cheeky blighters can’t make any more transcations (apparently they had already tried, twice) and have been awfully helpful.

Dastardly scamps! They should be hung by their thumbs from the nearest mighty oak!

links for 2009-11-17

links for 2009-11-16

Well I never

I once wrote the following on this blog about Brooke, having read an article she wrote about autopsy on Barbelith:

I’ve had the good fortune to meet Brooke a couple of times – I’m not sure I had an idea of what someone who works in the science of death would look like, but my guess is that if you met her and didn’t know what she did, you wouldn’t guess correctly. You probably wouldn’t guess that she is an active and accomplished oarswoman too.

As it turns out, that’s not half of what you wouldn’t have guessed!
I rather suspect that the media storm is only just beginning.