Right-Handed Typing
I’ve now decided, that even if the mangled nerves in my left arm, aren’t the cause of my problems, holding up my left arm for typing irritates the hand and makes everything worse.
So I’ve now started using just my right hand for typing. I just rest my left arm and hand in my lap.
Years ago, there was a picture taken of me, in a recumbent position with the monitor more-or-less between my feet, which were on the desk and the keyboard in my lap. So I’ve always had problems about getting a convenient position for typing.
I’ve looked for one-handed keyboards on the web and there is nothing like I want. Although, one site says a laptop keyboard is best for one-handed typing and that is what I use anyway.
One thing that may affect my typing is that I’ve done any awful lot of setting of letterpress type. This is a right-handed operation, where the stick is held in the left and the letters are picked and placed by the right. I’m not sure, if I ever did any typsetting after my arm was broken, but if I did, it could explain how easy I find this method of typing.
After all, the last four or five posts have been done this way!
Nationwide Login Problems
I like to login to my account at Nationwide each morning to see if there are any payments or credits, and that what are there are what I expect.
However, since Sunday, I have been unable to login. Each day, I got a message saying that the system would by back by 06:00.
Due to essential maintenance work some services will be unavailable on Tuesday 20/03/2012 between approximately 00:01 and 06:00 – we apologise for any inconvenience this will cause.
It’s now well past that time.
This is just not good enough.
Update on 21st March 2012
I have since found out what the problem was. I use Google Chrome as my default browser and have done for a couple of months, when I had problems in internet Explorer, whilst using WordPress. This behaviour only showed up in this browser and when I used Internet Explorer everything was fine.
This morning Google Chrome is working fine.
I may have found the solution, but how many customers of Nationwide use Google Chrome and don’t have the computer knowledge I do. In fact because of the WordPress problem, I’m a bit suspicious that all browsers don’t sing to the same hymn-sheet. It does mean that web designers must do a lot more testing, so they don’t get bad publicity because of unforseen changes to the design of browsers.
From both the web designers and the customers points of view it’s a nightmare.
The only way to spot this sort of problem early is to test sites continuously and analyse the web logs every day. The Nationwide problem might have been picked up from the latter, by indicating that there were a lot of login failures with Google Chrome.
Commenting on Television and Radio Programs
I like to comment on BBC programs. But increasingly programs are expecting you to comment via Facebook. Which I won’t join!
What’s wrong with e-mail?
Groupon Told to Improve
I’ve always felt the web site, Groupon, a bit suspect and in the “If-it-looks-too-good-to-be-true- then it-must-be” category, so if any offer has anything to do with it, I ignore it.
So now the Office of Fair Trading has told it to improve as reported here on the BBC.
I’ll ignore it even more, if that were possible.
There is a Black Market for the New iPad
I’ve never got this thing about Apple products. So when I see there’s now a black market for iPads in last night’s Evening Standard, I’m reminded of the phrase about there’s one born every minute.
The full article is here.
What happens if the computer you buy, is the rare one that fails?
I sometimes think that the only good thing about Apple is that every product sold means a royalty for a company called ARM in Cambridge. And that can’t hurt the British economy!
Has ARM Cracked the Internet of Things?
Probably not yet, but reports like this one are circulating on the Web, that they’ve made a good start on the problem of solving the Internet of Things.
To crack the problem, you need a very small chip, which uses virtually no power. Both of these are ARM‘s specialities.
Buy Your iPad From Tesco
You can get one for £49.99 from Tesco according to this story on the BBC.
But you had better hurry, before they rectify their mistake.
I shall not be buying, as I don’t like apple products or Tesco.
The Reliability of Zopa
Every morning I check the status of my Zopa and normal bank accounts.
Zopa was fine today, but my bank account was inaccessible for routine maintenance from midnight yesterday until eight this morning.
It got me thinking that I don’t think in the over four years, I have used Zopa, I’ve never not been able to access the system.
To be fair though, I have hit a couple of bugs in the past, which have resulted in say the system hanging until I have logged back in, but I certainly haven’t had a problem in the last couple of years, when my use of the system has been heaviest.
So if you worry about Zopa’s reliability, I’d say it’s probably up there with the best financial institutions.
On the related subject of fraud on Zopa, I found this article on the web. The writer makes a lot of sound points.
Angela Merkel on Greece
Well not really, but someone purporting to be her has tweeted.
I’m glad I’ve solved the Greek crisis and I look forward to solving it again next week.
Very funny! But it may well be true!
Web Programmer At Risk of Execution In Iran
This is from Amnesty International.
Web programmer Saeed Malekpour could be executed at any time in Iran. His death sentence was confirmed by the Supreme Court on 17 January 2012 and a court official has indicated that his death sentence may have now been sent for implementation.
Saeed Malekpour, a resident of Canada and Iranian national, aged 36, was again sentenced to death on 19 October 2011 by Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court, and it was confirmed by Branch 32 of the Supreme Court on 17 January 2012. On 14 February 2012, one of Saeed Malekpour’s lawyers visited both courts to ask about his case, but learned that the file was being held at neither court. Comments from a court official suggested that this is because Saeed Malekpour’s file has been sent to the Office of Implementation of Sentences.
Saeed Malekpour was sentenced to death for “insulting and desecrating Islam” after a program he had developed for uploading photos online had been used to post pornographic images without his knowledge. Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court sentenced him to death in October 2010 following a trial that reportedly only lasted 15 minutes. After a June 2011 announcement that the Supreme Court had returned the case for further review, Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court imposed again the death sentence as well as prison sentence of seven and a-half years. Amnesty International understands that although he has legal representation now, for much of his detention Saeed Malekpour has had no access to legal counsel.
Saeed Malekpour had been living in Canada since 2005, but was arrested in October 2008 while visiting his family in Iran. He was allegedly tortured while held for over a year in solitary confinement in Tehran’s Evin prison. In 2009, Iranian state television repeatedly aired a “confession” by Saeed. In an open letter dated March 2010, Saeed Malekpour stated his “confession” was extracted after prolonged torture following orders by Revolutionary Guard interrogators.
I see many e-mails like this. To the Iranians justice seems to be a word with seven-letters and that is all.
This one touched me, as I’ve written programs to upload pictures and othe files to the Internet. As far as I know no-one has used them for any illicit purposes.
The Anonymous Widower 