An odd snippet: opening calendar on the iPad (original) sometimes produces an empty month view for the current month. It's not that there aren't any appointments, just that the iPad doesn't remember them. Tapping calendars and re-syncing doesn't help either. But changing to another month does; then all the appointments return!
Another odd snippet: I think I've now got iMessage coordinated across my iPad and iPhone. Previously the devices were using different Apple IDs (I have two, like most Apple devotees) so there was no coordination between the two loves of my life. Logging out of my iTunes ID on my iPhone and logging back in using my me.com ID in the message settings pane seemed to work.
Most people I know who have moved to iOS5 have had problems. Some so bad they're cursing Apple publicly. This isn't the Apple we used to know that's done this, that has abused its 'It just works' philosophy. Something has changed. And not for the better.
I say bring back Steve Jobs, never mind the wrath of the Rabbi: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/steve-jobs/8899737/Chief-Rabbi-blames-Apple-for-helping-create-selfish-society.html.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Wednesday, November 09, 2011
Paying for nothing
Internet service outage again today. Branson's name means nothing to this customer any more. I wonder if a business school thesis has yet been written about the brand value ups and downs of a now elderly Virgin.
I also wonder why an Internet provider has not arisen that stops charging its customers when its service fails? With only one realistic provider to my house, the one with a fibre optic cable to the door has an effective monopoly, capitalism can't really be expected to work, I suppose.
I also wonder why an Internet provider has not arisen that stops charging its customers when its service fails? With only one realistic provider to my house, the one with a fibre optic cable to the door has an effective monopoly, capitalism can't really be expected to work, I suppose.
Tuesday, November 08, 2011
Is Merv in charge of the NHS, too?
Doctors appointment this morning. A Text arrived at 4pm yesterday confirming it. Wow! The NHS is arriving in the twenty first century, thought I.
I was wrong, of course.
This morning the receptionist told me they'd been trying to contact me all yesterday to say the appointment was cancelled.
Err, No, says I. You confirmed the appointment by SMS late yesterday afternoon.
They squeezed me in, I'm glad to say, but the learning point was missed: confidence in their systems had taken another little knock.
In a complex society, if people don't have confidence in the mechanisms that keep it going - monetary systems, justice systems, health systems, taxation systems, defence systems etc. - then they won't abide by those mechanisms, and those who do will quickly become disadvantaged.
It's like with money, Merv. If you just print it whenever it suits you then people will lose confidence in it. It will become increasingly worthless.
Confidence. It matters. It really matters.
I was wrong, of course.
This morning the receptionist told me they'd been trying to contact me all yesterday to say the appointment was cancelled.
Err, No, says I. You confirmed the appointment by SMS late yesterday afternoon.
They squeezed me in, I'm glad to say, but the learning point was missed: confidence in their systems had taken another little knock.
In a complex society, if people don't have confidence in the mechanisms that keep it going - monetary systems, justice systems, health systems, taxation systems, defence systems etc. - then they won't abide by those mechanisms, and those who do will quickly become disadvantaged.
It's like with money, Merv. If you just print it whenever it suits you then people will lose confidence in it. It will become increasingly worthless.
Confidence. It matters. It really matters.
Monday, November 07, 2011
iCloud conversion
Yes it's in Beta, yes it's a risk, but I jumped into iCloud over the weekend. And without suitable wet weather gear, it turned out.
It meant purchasing OSX Lion for an old MBP, a RAM upgrade to cope (well done, Crucial) and transferring HMRC's Basic PAYE onto a Windows 7 PC, but otherwise it went ok. Not the smooth transition Apple's prices should facilitate, but better than the average Windows upgrade.
The main problem? Intermittent calendar entries on my iPad. Sometimes ok, sometimes nothing. WTF?
Google: no help.
Apple website: no help.
The reason I eventually sussed: my iTunes account is not my MobileMe account. The emails IDs they use are different.
Apple says this is ok, but doesn't explain what might happen. In my case my iPad had set up its iCloud account (in Settings) with my iTunes account email, rather than my MobileMe account. It recognised my MobileMe account, though, via my email settings, and this was also set to sync calendar items. This was probably the cause of the iPad calendar app behaving erratically.
The solution? Delete the 'iTunes' iCloud account in the iPad's 'Settings' and create a new one with my MobileMe email address.
I can't be the only person this has happened to. Can I?
It meant purchasing OSX Lion for an old MBP, a RAM upgrade to cope (well done, Crucial) and transferring HMRC's Basic PAYE onto a Windows 7 PC, but otherwise it went ok. Not the smooth transition Apple's prices should facilitate, but better than the average Windows upgrade.
The main problem? Intermittent calendar entries on my iPad. Sometimes ok, sometimes nothing. WTF?
Google: no help.
Apple website: no help.
The reason I eventually sussed: my iTunes account is not my MobileMe account. The emails IDs they use are different.
Apple says this is ok, but doesn't explain what might happen. In my case my iPad had set up its iCloud account (in Settings) with my iTunes account email, rather than my MobileMe account. It recognised my MobileMe account, though, via my email settings, and this was also set to sync calendar items. This was probably the cause of the iPad calendar app behaving erratically.
The solution? Delete the 'iTunes' iCloud account in the iPad's 'Settings' and create a new one with my MobileMe email address.
I can't be the only person this has happened to. Can I?
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Illegally debasing Sterling
The Bank of England's primary monetary objective is to maintain price stability. This is clearly stated in the Bank of England Act 1998.
Money is one of humankind's great inventions, but it relies crucially on confidence. History - across civilisations, across the ages and across the globe - has confirmed time and again that printing money undermines price stability. However spun, printing money destroys confidence and discourages universally beneficial behaviours; behaviours such as deferring satisfaction and planning for the future. It also steals from people who have been prudent, not least pensioners who are ill equipped to defend themselves. "Inflation violates contracts and property rights; it creates uncertainty and mistrust. Its costs – economic as well as moral – are far greater than its benefits" (http://www.cityam.com/news-and-analysis/allister-heath/inflation-undemocratic-stealth-tax).
Following the Bank of England's printing of £200bn in 2009 inflation rose and Sterling depreciated. Inflation over the two years between July 2009 and July 2011, as measured for example by the RPI, has averaged about 4.9%pa, nearly two and a half times the BoE's 2%pa target.
Despite it's own explanation of 'Quantitive Easing' (http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/education/inflation/qe/video.htm) the BoE has not, since 2009, taken the steps necessary to meet its price stability objective.
The law is very clear: the BoE's primary focus must be price stability. Economic policy is the responsibility of politicians, people who are accountable to the electorate. The BoE is not democratically accountable. The law does not permit it to put price stability second to any other consideration.
Inflation is still rising fast but the BoE decided in October 2011 to print yet more money, another £75bn, ostensibly for economic policy purposes; to encourage economic growth. This, despite the 1998 Act specifically prohibiting the BoE from putting economic policy ahead of monetary stability.
Parliament must bring the Governor of the Bank of England to account for his organisation's failure to meet its primary monetary objective and, unless he and the MPC recommit publicly to carrying out their statutory duty, they must be replaced by people who will.
Money is one of humankind's great inventions, but it relies crucially on confidence. History - across civilisations, across the ages and across the globe - has confirmed time and again that printing money undermines price stability. However spun, printing money destroys confidence and discourages universally beneficial behaviours; behaviours such as deferring satisfaction and planning for the future. It also steals from people who have been prudent, not least pensioners who are ill equipped to defend themselves. "Inflation violates contracts and property rights; it creates uncertainty and mistrust. Its costs – economic as well as moral – are far greater than its benefits" (http://www.cityam.com/news-and-analysis/allister-heath/inflation-undemocratic-stealth-tax).
Following the Bank of England's printing of £200bn in 2009 inflation rose and Sterling depreciated. Inflation over the two years between July 2009 and July 2011, as measured for example by the RPI, has averaged about 4.9%pa, nearly two and a half times the BoE's 2%pa target.
Despite it's own explanation of 'Quantitive Easing' (http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/education/inflation/qe/video.htm) the BoE has not, since 2009, taken the steps necessary to meet its price stability objective.
The law is very clear: the BoE's primary focus must be price stability. Economic policy is the responsibility of politicians, people who are accountable to the electorate. The BoE is not democratically accountable. The law does not permit it to put price stability second to any other consideration.
Inflation is still rising fast but the BoE decided in October 2011 to print yet more money, another £75bn, ostensibly for economic policy purposes; to encourage economic growth. This, despite the 1998 Act specifically prohibiting the BoE from putting economic policy ahead of monetary stability.
Parliament must bring the Governor of the Bank of England to account for his organisation's failure to meet its primary monetary objective and, unless he and the MPC recommit publicly to carrying out their statutory duty, they must be replaced by people who will.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Mervyn Nutkin learns QE
Early autumn:
Worker Nutkin: I'm hungry, I need more acorns.
Guru Nutkin: There's another oak tree shedding acorns over there, look.
WN: That's too far and, anyway, Safety Elf says there might be foxes about.
Parliament Nutkin: Vote for me and I'll make sure there are enough acorns here.
GN: (frowns) That would be a good trick, if you could do it.
PN: I CAN do it (stamps foot). Mervyn, tell them.
Mervyn Nutkin: First, Parliament makes everyone give TheTreasury Nutkin half of all their acorns. Because TheTreasury then has lots of acorns he can give one to anyone who is hungry.
WN: (cheerfully) So I don't have to collect any, I just go to TheTreasury?
MN: (doubtfully) Well, yes, but you must resume collecting when you're feeling better.
WN: Oh yes, I'll definitely do that (trying to remember what 'resume' means and uncrossing his paws in order to vote for PN).
...Later that same year:
WN: I'm hungry again, I want more acorns but Parliament's silly rules say I can't have any more. I shan't be voting for him again.
PN: (whispering menacingly to MN) Remind me, who appoints you?
MN: (thinking fast) If Worker gets hungry then Recession Fox might start sniffing around and we'll all be eaten, so Parliament must relax his rules.
GN: Didn't this happen before with disastrous.... (BBC Nutkin, frightened by PN's menace, starts making a lot of noise, drowning out the rest).
TN: (vaguely remembering a history lesson) If we give out more acorns now, will we have enough left for winter?
MN: If we don't give out more acorns now then Worker will be too hungry to collect any more. But if he's well fed now then he'll collect lots more and we'll all be happy for ever and ever
(MN knows he's too old to be doing with crossing and uncrossing paws. Meanwhile, WN coughs nervously wondering whether he should mention that keeping his Furrybook account up to date prevents him from collecting many nuts these days)
BBC Nutkin: (now sitting on GN) So, eating more nuts now is really investing in the future, easing this 'nut quantity dilemma'?
MN: Exactly! 'Quantitive Easing.' TheTreasury, can we give BBC that nut we held back from her, for being so clever?
TN: (handing over the extra nut) QE it is, then. What clever nutkins we all are!
The next spring...
Chinese Squirrel Wun: Nice little plot those UK squirrels had here.
Chinese Squirrel Tuw: That local fox is far too fat to catch us.
Worker Nutkin: I'm hungry, I need more acorns.
Guru Nutkin: There's another oak tree shedding acorns over there, look.
WN: That's too far and, anyway, Safety Elf says there might be foxes about.
Parliament Nutkin: Vote for me and I'll make sure there are enough acorns here.
GN: (frowns) That would be a good trick, if you could do it.
PN: I CAN do it (stamps foot). Mervyn, tell them.
Mervyn Nutkin: First, Parliament makes everyone give TheTreasury Nutkin half of all their acorns. Because TheTreasury then has lots of acorns he can give one to anyone who is hungry.
WN: (cheerfully) So I don't have to collect any, I just go to TheTreasury?
MN: (doubtfully) Well, yes, but you must resume collecting when you're feeling better.
WN: Oh yes, I'll definitely do that (trying to remember what 'resume' means and uncrossing his paws in order to vote for PN).
...Later that same year:
WN: I'm hungry again, I want more acorns but Parliament's silly rules say I can't have any more. I shan't be voting for him again.
PN: (whispering menacingly to MN) Remind me, who appoints you?
MN: (thinking fast) If Worker gets hungry then Recession Fox might start sniffing around and we'll all be eaten, so Parliament must relax his rules.
GN: Didn't this happen before with disastrous.... (BBC Nutkin, frightened by PN's menace, starts making a lot of noise, drowning out the rest).
TN: (vaguely remembering a history lesson) If we give out more acorns now, will we have enough left for winter?
MN: If we don't give out more acorns now then Worker will be too hungry to collect any more. But if he's well fed now then he'll collect lots more and we'll all be happy for ever and ever
(MN knows he's too old to be doing with crossing and uncrossing paws. Meanwhile, WN coughs nervously wondering whether he should mention that keeping his Furrybook account up to date prevents him from collecting many nuts these days)
BBC Nutkin: (now sitting on GN) So, eating more nuts now is really investing in the future, easing this 'nut quantity dilemma'?
MN: Exactly! 'Quantitive Easing.' TheTreasury, can we give BBC that nut we held back from her, for being so clever?
TN: (handing over the extra nut) QE it is, then. What clever nutkins we all are!
The next spring...
Chinese Squirrel Wun: Nice little plot those UK squirrels had here.
Chinese Squirrel Tuw: That local fox is far too fat to catch us.
Monday, September 05, 2011
Oh No! It's the Ninkey Nonk.
"Oh No! It's the Ninkey Nonk" is a phrase (from Treehousetv.com, I think) that I find appealing. I wanted to shout it at the top of my voice this morning. You see, to me, the Ninkey Nonk isn't a train, it's a tactic whereby the truth is distorted to suit someone else's ego.
It's an understandable tactic, of course, and it can be quite useful in the short term. But it hits me hard. It makes me feel like I've been knocked to the floor. It winds me for an hour or two.
My sort of Ninkey Nonk requires at least 3 people: the Provider, the person trying to protect the subject's ego; the Object, the person being asked to confirm the Provider's untruth; and the Subject, the person who's ego is being protected.
Today, the Ninkey Nonk in question was being asked to confirm that it was quicker, overall, to drive 30 minutes in the wrong direction to catch a train for what was originally a 20 minute journey. This was because the driver, the subject of this particular Ninkey Nonk, is too timid to drive to unfamiliar places.
I'd rather the three of us all just admitted that, the timid thing. I'm not averse to timidity, in fact it's rather attractive in the right sort of person. But a timid person who pretends they aren't? No, I'm not in favour of the Ninkey Nonk being used to cover up that truth, however well meant.
The Ninkey Nonk is fine for young children, but it really isn't suitable for adults.
It's an understandable tactic, of course, and it can be quite useful in the short term. But it hits me hard. It makes me feel like I've been knocked to the floor. It winds me for an hour or two.
My sort of Ninkey Nonk requires at least 3 people: the Provider, the person trying to protect the subject's ego; the Object, the person being asked to confirm the Provider's untruth; and the Subject, the person who's ego is being protected.
Today, the Ninkey Nonk in question was being asked to confirm that it was quicker, overall, to drive 30 minutes in the wrong direction to catch a train for what was originally a 20 minute journey. This was because the driver, the subject of this particular Ninkey Nonk, is too timid to drive to unfamiliar places.
I'd rather the three of us all just admitted that, the timid thing. I'm not averse to timidity, in fact it's rather attractive in the right sort of person. But a timid person who pretends they aren't? No, I'm not in favour of the Ninkey Nonk being used to cover up that truth, however well meant.
The Ninkey Nonk is fine for young children, but it really isn't suitable for adults.
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