Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Moan Moan Moan

It's probably a problem with our home computer. We still can't access Blogger and now our antivirus is fucked up. Our PC's probably full of nasty viruses. And I can't be bothered to go through the rigmarole again of resetting the computer to its factory settings then getting more viruses then tearing my hair out in frustration over this four year old devil.

I'm going to buy a Mac. they're supposed to be less bovver, aren't they? Plus you get Garageband and you can compose your own bangin' drum & bass tunes. I can become Nathan Barley.

I would be grateful if any of you Mac users out there would advise me whether it's worth purchasing any antivirus software or do you just connect to the internet naked?


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The Guardian's Saturday Guide sometimes recommends blogs to read. They've never recommended me a decent one. This Saturday's was Dave Gorman's blog. Dave is a famous comedian. He has no links to other blogs so he obviously couldn't give a toss about other bloggers. His blog is just another way for Dave to promote his career and sell his books. Dave got Post of the Week a couple of weeks ago. None of the blogs I like have ever won Post of the Week or been featured in the Guardian Guide.

It's all a load of bollocks, isn't it?

18 comments:

  1. I'm a mac user, and my only precaution is using the Firefox browser..otherwise I don't have any anti-virus stuff whatsoever, and haven't had any problems yet!

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  2. Macs aren't immune from viruses though. My tip would be a Dell PC and install free anti-virus from www.avast.com which is excellent.

    I've nominated you for Post of the Week 178 times - I think they're determined Geoff!

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  3. Thanks Cal.

    Thanks Murph. That's confused me even more. Trouble is to get to the antivirus site you have to go onto the internet without any antivirus software and you immediately get loads of viruses and your machine stops working. Well that happens to me, anyway.

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  4. Anonymous6:32 PM

    I'm a Mac user of longstanding and I've never bothered with anti-virus software. I switch on the Firewall in the System Preferences (under Sharing). We used to use anti-virus on the Macs at work, but never really felt any benefit and it's all a racket anyway, isn't it?

    You actually pay for the software, which comes with a 1 year subscription to the latest virus descriptions, but then you have to go on paying to remain up to date, and who is it who keeps creating new viruses so you have to keep subscribing? Not that I'm paranoid.

    Sensible precautions are all that's needed on a Mac. Don't download stuff unless you're sure what it is. Switch off the feature that automatically unstuffs/launches downloads, so you can have a look before you double-click. Disable Macros in Word/Excel, don't install all the Visual Basic crap when you install MS Office.

    Oh, and before this thread turns into one of those horrible Guardian Mac vs. PC debates, let me just say that Hitler used a Dell.

    Oh, and Wordpress is better than Blogger, which Hitler also used.

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  5. The grauniad put james blue cat in the guide, which is pretty much how I got interested in this blogging lark. Other than that, yes it's rubbish. And Comment Is Free is not a bloody blog. The guardian clearly don't get the whole idea at all.

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  6. Yup. Bollocks indeed.

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  7. I am a Mac user and haven't had any probs with viruses until recently via e mail!! I installed Norton and it's fine. MAc or PC it doesn't matter - viruses are viruses.

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  8. Yes.

    I have never, ever been tempted by the blogs in the paper.

    God only knows what the non-blogging masses thing of it all.

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  9. Well, I found 'Any Major Dude' through the Guardian, and anyone who can keep me supplied with Lobo mp3's is alright by me.

    Post of the Week is shit though.

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  10. Good luck with the Mac.
    Who needs post of the week - otherwise known as 'kiss of death'.

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  11. I agree with Max Bob's "unparanoid" feelings toward the virus industry.
    More racket than Wimbledon.

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  12. I was too smug about viruses .... some bastard sneaked the "James Last Rocky" virus past my firewall yesterday.

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  13. Gorman is a self-publicising vanity blogger.

    Or he simply has no friends.

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  14. Bob - Thank you. I'm on the Apple trail already.

    Violet - I should have mentioned that they once recommended Corrie Canuck (when MJ was writing for them). But I was already a reader by then. It's once in a blue moon, though.

    Arabella - That's double bollocks all round.

    Romo - Just when I thought it was safe to go in the water!

    Spin - Hello! I'd like to see some statistics to see how many hits are generated by the publicity.

    Beth - I'll have to check that one out after I've finished this. I'll have to find out who Lobo are, too. You've made me depressed. I don't know everything after all.

    Kaz - Thank you. On Post of the Week the same excellent writers are nominated week after week and they still haven't got a major publishing deal. Except for the one about having it off.

    Istvanski - Phew! Can I go in the water, then?

    Murph - That's not a virus, it's a fever. A dancin' fever.

    Llewtrah - And I quite like him when I've seen him on the telly. But he's not as good or as funny a writer as Betty. Horses for courses, I suppose.

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  15. Geoff, you don't mean you've *forgotten* "Me & You & a dog named Boo"?

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  16. I never knew him.

    Now I know he's the American Val Doonican.

    And a friend of the "late, great" Gram Parsons.

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  17. Dave Gorman was also the first Post of the Week winner to ignore our invitation to help judge the following week's shortlist. Not even a polite "no thanks" - just complete silence. This is not how blogging works.

    Over 200 different blogs have been shortlisted for POTW thus far, and only one blog has ever won it twice, so I don't buy the "same old same old" observation (although 3 or 4 particular blogs have come up quite a lot, I'll grant you). But it's a constant frustration that we don't get a greater variety of posts being nominated. A tiny number of us do our best to actively trawl through and find fresh new stuff, but the site is only as good as the people who participate in it.

    Those Guardian Guide recommendations: I doubt whether they generate much extra traffic. In fact, I once (*cough*) snooped on somebody's stats for a couple of days after the recommendation appeared, and there was no visible change. People just aren't in the habit of typing out URLs that they've seen in newspapers...

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  18. Of all the blogs I read, only one has been shortlisted for POTW. I think bloggers do tend to stay in their own cliques. And I've got a real dislike for blogs that don't have any links to other blogs. They're up their own arses.

    I'm glad the Guardian Guide recommendations don't increase traffic. I think.

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