a good day to change passwords

This morning's snow added a few minutes at the start of the day, but I was still one of the first to be in the office this morning. Like many, I'd kept an eye on emails despite diversions related to dodging the flurry of opportunistic scams telling me to click on "oh so funny links" to be routed to a phishing site.

I managed to resist the temptation; its surprising how difficult it is to make robot generated email from a friend or work colleague look realistic. I'm assuming that those people originating the emails had, however, been caught in some way. It sort of confirmed my suspicion that some of the people 'in' over the last two weeks have had some spare time on their hands.

I then noticed later in the day that one of (allegedly) Barack Obama's accounts was offering a $500 prize to fill in a questionnaire and that a member of a well-known US broadcasting network was claiming to be incapacitated through drugs. Britney Spears was also making some unusual claims.

Of course, these were all examples of accounts being hacked although its not clear if there is a link with the previous 'oh so funny' links which were designed to obtain passwords.

I'm sure this will be good material for the technology hating part of the press who can revel upon the misdemeanors, like the Daily Moan did yesterday with its Twitter stories about a few celebs. I notice that someone seems to have created a @dailymail_uk twitter account on the back of this.

Anyway, I've decided its a good day to change passwords as a simple precaution and I won't be using any of the usual suspects like password, 123456, secret, qwerty, abc123, letmein, monkey, charlie, myspace1, password1, arsenal, (first name) nor any of the ones in the common password list

How different this is from life in Settle, where the owner of a shop called 'Practically Everything' took Boxing Day as a vacation but left his shop open with an improvised honesty box made out of a plastic funnel and a length of piping. Next day he returned to an intact shop and £187 from customers who had needed batteries, bags and tinfoil.

The tinfoil will be useful to wrap the great British sandwich which is as tall as a phone box as I write this.

straight ahead

Already thinking about tomorrow as a full work day, with most people back. We've forsaken a 'kick-off' this year, so no grand trips to Vegas or Hawaii, although I do get to visit Bethnal Green next weekend.

Now the tree and decorations have been removed and the pine needles swept away, there's a surprising number of clear flat surfaces again.

I won't let the slight hint of organisation fool me though; there's bound to be plenty on offer to turn straight paths into chicanes and twists. For now, I shall spend ten minutes piling all the work related bags, gadgets and papers somewhere in kind of early preparation.

Doctor Who meets Star Trek

With all this talk about the 'new' Doctor Who, I'm pleased to have seen the Kelvington mashup of Doctor Who meets Star Trek, via Miss Cellania

sun beats rubber bands

i should find tiMe to unscrAmble all of The links beTween the variouS social software I've randoMly InsTalled tHroughout the last months.

Widgets send things to other widgets making messages appear in places where I'm not expecting them.

Alternatively I could go out for a walk in the sunshine.

wood smoke?

After the London New Year's morning view above, eventually a neighbour's wood fire created a fine smoky atmosphere alongside twinkling lights and sullen icy puddles as we returned home. It was late afternoon and we had helped the new year find its way into our lives.

Later, I watched "Paris Je T'aime" on Sky; that's the film with twenty small segments by different directors, set in a different Arrondissements. All sections are good, from simple encounters to late night vampires. It emphasized simple scenically good story telling and is quite inspirational.

As I watched, it helped me channel all kinds of ideas for '09 projects, some which made it to my trusty pencil powered notebook.

I'm also very aware that I'll be back to normal work patterns from Monday, so I'm very conscious as I look at my own blackberry calendar beginning to get blocked, that I'll soon be back to luxuriating in a whole ten minutes a day blogging time.

So I guess I'm musing that the ideas of more elaborate projects may take some inventiveness. However, I still prefer the idea to create 'net new' rather than just consume.

i just wanted to kiss you

Some people start the new year with resolutions or projects. I'm more of an incrementalist rather than sudden makeovers, but we shall see.

I'm impressed by this project from Kim Vermillion, who has decided to write and upload a daily song throughout January. The first one 'Underwater' is already up and has some excellent lyrics!

Happy New Year

We didn't really get back to the hotel until quite late- having experienced the good natured and free Jubilee line at around two in the morning.

Unfortunately the champagne bar was still open, so we decided to keep the spirit of the evening running a little longer. This meant that today - still the first of Jan, has started somewhat late.

For the moment here’s a hand my trusty friend, And give us a hand o’ thine! And we’ll take a right good-will draught, for auld lang syne.

New Year Party

We headed over to Elton John's party to see in the New Year. Through some good luck we were staying in a nearby hotel in Canary Wharf and with even more good luck were given an upgrade to a rather well-appointed suite. We could see the Dome from the room, although it was the other side of the Thames, so one stop on the Jubilee to get to the event.

A bite to eat in Brown's before heading over, anticipating the rammed nature of the restaurants at the O2. A glass or two of wine and we were ready to party.

A fun evening, everyone there to have a good time. Elton had brought much of his Las Vegas Red Piano set into the venue and the evening cracked on at a good pace, with the regulation midnight Auld Lang Syne before more showers of sparkle and the bitch is back. I know some of it was also televised, although video doesn't really capture the scale or full emotion of actually being there.

A good first tick in the box for 2009.

eyeful

Almost time to wrap 2008 in a shiny parcel and to move into 2009.

I don't do the long list retrospectives that some relish. I prefer the fun of going forward. But at certain times, try as one might, its impossible not to sneak a quick peek over the shoulder to moments passed. There's a different clarity in the dark months, brought from chill and sudden ice. Throw salt as a needed vanquisher.

Familiar landscapes but more spaces than during summer months. Inner workings of trees and shrubs visible but already three centimetres of daffodil leaves strain through the earth for early signs of spring.

Most don't notice yet.

can banjo fit punk cabaret?

In the car on the way back we talked about hiring somewhere for a few days to make some music.

Not quite yet.

Sometime mid 2009. We'll all need to practice a bit more first. Amanda's story about making her album can be some sort of inspiration.

And yes, I have tix for her gig at the Electric Ballroom. Meantime enjoy her Christmas gift...


What's the Use of Won'drin'? -Amanda Palmer & Vermillion Lies- from Amanda Palmer on Vimeo.

reality is still an obstacle to hallucination

Our board games this year were decidedly retro, with an ancient copy of 'Careers' being amongst those played to the end. You had to decide whether to go for big business, or something risky like being an astronaut. Most players seemed to take the safe option to join show-biz or become uranium prospectors.

The recently acquired game was so old that the replacement rules were stated to cost 1/6d from Waddingtons, yet many of the money, fame and happiness choices and penalties still seemed to fit modern day decision making.

When we tried another old style game, about motoring around Ye Olde England, we did actually give up after 10 minutes. It was about as exciting as driving to Westfield Shopping Centre on Boxing Day.

The complex scoring system was in use as usual, with accumulated points from the mix of karaoke, movie quizzes and mad rabbit lawnmower racing on the Wii all progressively building towards our astronomic accumulated totals.

We don't usually add up the final scores, but the interim subtotal prizes of rubber band collections and balsa wood aircraft kits are something to behold. This year's pocket frisbee was much coveted, as were the 8 whistles which could create an entire musical scale.

We managed several whistled renditions of jingle bells before moving on to the banjo and mandolin.

central no heating

Well, we have all been having a fine Christmas and only now re-connecting with the internet after days of party games, silly hats and general raucousness.

Luckily we were fairly lively, because whilst we were drinking Old Peculiar in the Crooked Billet on Christmas Eve, the phone rang to say that the home central heating had just failed.

Inevitably, we developed other heating solutions which have lasted until Speedy the plumber arrived on the 28th to advise us that the 15 minute diagnostic was £102.35 and that the new pump and valves would be ready by Tuesday. Those Wii tennis games may yet come in useful as a further method of warming.

Perhaps a new definition for the chattering classes?