Welcome to IT

(This is from an IT class when I was in Year 9. The questions being asked are too superlatively easy, dull, what-have-you, so I'm answering them. This class later turned into what-I-call a nightmare class, where it just got so bad that you didn't get any benefit from it. And yes, I have used the format from the Not Always series, but it works)

Classmate: You're on fire!

(I look down.)

Me: No, I'm not.

*Fun* with Omegle

Warning: the link ahead isn't really suitable for under-13s to go on. The people there can often be immature adults.

I did an experiment on http://www.omegle.com/. I did it in question mode as the questioner and all I did was display a statistic. That statistic was relevant to my time on Omegle. (I let Omegle re-use if it was good enough - which I don't think it is - so if you get any statistic, say hi). I changed the parameters of what I was counting a couple of times, and I've got the end result of 300 conversations here:

Number of conversations: 93 Instant Disconnects: 207

(If at least 1 stranger doesn't say anything before the disconnect then it is an Instant disconnect)

Things I noticed:

- Everyone who referred to my gender thought I was male. I'm not - I'm Statistics girl to the rescue!

- If the conversation got long or uncomfortable enough, I'd be disconnecting.

People did say some interesting stuff.

Stranger 2: is this a question?

I don't know - are my statistics a question?

Stranger 2: Thats not a question

Stranger 1: Exactly, Stranger.

There you are then. I think it's clear.

Stranger 1: maybe if you asked more interesting questions OP

Stranger 1: or any question for that matter

I was just giving you a statistic. I didn't care if you actually did it or not.

Stranger 1: what are supposed to say to this? :p

Whatever you like - I don't care really.

Stranger 1: OBJECTION!!!!!!!!!! THAT'S NOT A FUCKING QUESTION!!!

There we are then, case closed.

Stranger 2: who gives a shit?

Stranger 1: Not me

Stranger 2: cant really blame people for disconnecting

Stranger 2: this isnt even a proper question

I said: case closed.

And I'm not blaming anybody.

I'll give you some more soon!

The Problem with Inspiration

Okay. I am sorry for leaving you all alone last week. I was taking a sickie. But I'm back now and I actually want to get on to more things, so let's get started.

Little voice: On what?

Me: I don't know! I don't usually write on a Monday any more, I'm usually posting on a Tuesday or a Friday.

Little Voice: Then why not write something tomorrow?

Me: But I need to make up for last week! I didn't even post then.

Little Voice: Then publish a picture.

Me: I don't know which I've published and which I haven't. Anyway, the audience deserve better from me than a rotten picture.

Little Voice: A picture is worth 1000 words.

Me: If I ever draw it right...

Little Voice: Well, write about something, then!

Me: Okay...

*stares at the wall for long time*

Little Voice: What's going through your head, write about that.

Me: Hmmm, Tartiflette.....

Little Voice: *sigh* this is going to take a long time... why not just tell them you're dead?

Me: No. Then I couldn't write anything on here ever again and anyway it would be a lie. Like the cake. Oh, forget it, I'm going off to do other internet things.

Little Voice: Bye!

I'm learning some HTML here

I'm enjoying it so far but I'm pausing so I can write something for y'all.

I'm also enjoying names-listing, which is a habit I seemed to have gained.

<b>This is bold.</b>

<br> is a line break.

<p>Paragraph!</p>

Still fed up with PPI.

Doing okay at college.

Oh, fuck it, I'm going back to HTML.

Maybe I'll have a proper post tomorrow, if I'm not too deep in HTML. Or on Friday.

See y'all there!

Oh, and ETA - You can now 'react' to my posts! (this means you can say whether they're interesting or dull). So go and vote!

A Letter to PPI Companies

Dear PPI companies,

Please stop being such utter jerks.

You have texted me, saying that I'd be rich if I claimed on PPI I couldn't have got. You have littered the minutes of TV advertisements with your claims that money has been put aside for me even though my 16-18 Current Account does not allow me an overdraft because of my age.

And now you're using internet advertising‽‽‽

(Those are interrobangs, people, that are often found in ?! form)

Arrrrgh!!!!!!!!

This is what I want to say to you in simple plain English that you should be able to understand, and made funky so you don't have a chance of missing it.

Please Stop.

I am fed up with you. If the whole stupid PPI stupidity had ever affected me, I could go to my bank for free. And that's what I would do if I had taken out anything - which, as you should be aware, isn't very possible.

In fact, Google PPI. Everything you get is about PPI claims. It's not about what PPI is, or if PPI is a good option on the loan you're just about to get, or even other insurance you could use instead of PPI.

And it says I'm in Swindon!

So, stop making me want to tear my hair out and weave it into a rug. My mental health is more important than your unregulated businesses.

Yours faithfully,

Minim.

Hmm...

Brain: Hmm, I haven't updated my blog for a while, I should do that.

*click on 'New Tab'*

[minor comment - accidental @ instead of ' happened, be careful of shift]

*click on link*

Brain: I haven't got anything to write, I'll go on Facebook instead.

*close tab*

*open new tab*

*click on Facebook*

Brain: Hmm, nothing interesting, nothing interesting, ooh, that's awesome, I'm going to like it! Nothing interesting...

*close tab*

*open new tab*

*go on DBPB*

*go through submissions*

*check CBB*

*check LGM*

*check to see if there are any comments on drabble*

*think about blog again*

*come up with ideas*

*reject ideas*

*do something else*

The problem is...?

I don't end up with a blog post!

Okay, there's nothing major coming up in my life, apart from starting college on Wednesday. Have to be there at 8am for that, but no biggie, others will find it difficult seeing as that's when they get up during school time (while I was leaving the house *rolls eyes*). But there is always stuff to write about or draw or whatever.

So now all I need to do is get into the habit of writing regularly.

Ad Preferences Manager

So today I decided to look at my Ad Preferences and see what Google thinks I'm interested in, based on the sites I go to on Google Chrome on my netbook. These are the results:

A bit of a disappointment, needless to say. I do enjoy comics and anims, and the odd flash game, and I can see why they would think I like games (I am addicted to this one, at least, not to mention all of the free logic puzzles on Conceptis!), but as for the rest of them...? I don't remember doing anything with Business and personal listings, Microwaves, Dairy & Eggs, or Cooking Fats and Oils (these are just a special type of ester, aren't they?) I don't know what the penultimate one is, so what am I to say about that?

But TV Commercials????? That is just insane. I don't even call them 'Commercials', I call them adverts, and they are dead annoying. I only stand TV Ads as the point in time to go to the toilet or get a drink or to stand as they mercilessly bugger me to death (the Go Compare man, anyone? I got happy joyful pleased ecstatic in the more recent one where he gets shot). But they are necessary to be dealt with.

Because they are the source of money for the TV companies. We wouldn't want to have to pay for them, would we?

I've tested my brain...

One of the things I like to do is find surveys and tests and stuff and go through them, and see what comes out (i.e. what results I get).

Today, I went on this site and took the test of multiple memory types, the face in the branches, and the Learning Unfamiliar Faces ones. These seem to be accumulations of different tests designed to test recognition and memory.

The Test of Multiple Memory Types was made up of Abstract Art, Verbal Paired Associates, and Cambridge Face Memory Test: Real Faces. And this is how I did:

Abstract Art: A bit above average (Yay!) and I scored higher than 6 out of 10 people who took the test before me. Result!

Verbal Paired Associates: A little below Average, but not far. And the other 4 in 10 who scored below me probably did a lot worse.

Real Face Memory: No-one scored worse than me. I have the worst score, then. Ahh, well.

Face in the Branches was made up of Face in the Noise Branches, Old-New Women, and Face in the Black Branches.

Face in Noise: Another one where 0 out of 10 scored lower than me. Do not do Faces well, it seems.

Old-New Women: And again, no-one scored below me. I fail at faces.

Face in Black: Wow! 1 in 10 scored lower than me! Awesome!

Learning Unfamiliar Faces was bottled down to just 2 tests, Cambridge Face Memory Test: Computer Generated, and Social Pleasure Questionnaire. Hmm.

Computer Face Memory: And another time no-one scored lower! I really do fail at faces.

Social Pleasure: I got so low I might as well have not taken it.

If you have any ideas for other net surveys and tests and stuff like that you've found, post a comment. If you think that this is tedious and you don't want content like this again, post a comment. Then I'll know.

An unhelpful message

You're listening to some of the most awesome music ever, in your opinion, and you're laughing along (depending on the song). Then you get an email announcing some Facebook photo you're tagged in.

You tend to avoid Facebook but recently you were at some big event, and you were looking pretty awesome. You want to look at yourself wearing that kit again, so you click on the email expecting a link to the photo.

But instead, you get this:

This is not helpful. It repeats itself, for a start, which is just pointless. It doesn't even have anything specific to identify the error.

What if trying again didn't actually help? (Okay, it did, but what if?) The message wouldn't help you in finding a solution, apart from trying again. The only thing you could do is click 'OK' even though it evidently isn't. Even if there was an error code, it would help if the problem isn't just solved by trying again.

But then again, what would I know? Trying again did help, after all.