Not that this is news to me (as I have been tech support for Leah, Leah’s family, my parents, friends, etc. for the last ten years) but BBC News runs a piece today about children are providing tech support for their parents. And since I use both Mac and Windows, I also get Mac support calls from friends and colleagues who have no idea about Macs. It is not all bad since I have couple of friends (and friend of friend) who gladly pay me regularly to keep their Macs running smoothly.
The Spy Who Love Me
I was dismissive initially but after reading Jamie’s initial impression on Microsoft Antispyware I thought I gave it a try.
Indeed it finds 6 spywares on my PC that Ad-Aware nor SpyBot finds. I will keep it until it expires and if Microsoft charges for it (most probable) then I will just go back to Ad-Aware.
What would you do if…
you were hit by a car when you are cycling in the city and you flew over the bonnet/hood of the say car, rolled over the windscreen and landed on the other side of the road? Your cycle helmet was split in two and you ended up with double visiontemporary lost of vision in one eye and hurt your leg.
Most people will call for an ambulance and be taken to the local A&E/ER, right? And possibly inform the police of the accident. Apparently not, said my brother-in-law. He was offered to be taken to the hospital by the driver himself but instead my brother-in-law called his mother and went to the hospital. After discovering that there was a 7 hours wait they went home. The preferred treatment for my brother-in-law was a hot bath and a cup of tea!
How British and incredulous! They have a national health service that they all paid for. The ambulance ride is free (compare to what we have to pay here in the States). Granted 7 hours is a very long wait but I would rather drop dead in the middle of a ER than in the comfort of my own bed. Doesn’t double vision spell of head injuries, however minor? Perhaps a concussion? And how would one know there are no internal injuries without X-ray, ultrasound, or MRI scans? That is with medically trained doctor performing a diagnosis, not a criminology graduate with a concussion whose declared, “I don’t feel any pain”.
And how would we ever knew if the driver was not DUI without police involvement?
And why would my mother-in-law, who is a very educated teacher allow her son not to go to the hospital? Apparently, she will be “keeping an eye on him”. Oh, of all the 9+ years I’ve known her I apparently missed the fact she was medically trained doctor specialised in trauma cases!
Bloody incredible.
Stupid, stupid, stupid British people.
American Media vs. "Brown" people
Scott, the Chief Architect in my last company, pointed out something that I (and many other people) noticed earlier this week about CNN’s coverage on the tsunami. And he closed out the year with a even more pointed post which I agree wholeheartedly.
Hotel Rwanda
Just came back from watching Hotel Rwanda. Such a powerful story and great performance by Don Cheadle. And if you want to blame the U.N. after watching the movie, then I would suggest reading Deliver Us From Evil to understand how constrained the U.N. was and still is by the member countries of the Security Council.
It is also shameful to the human race that while we still have not solved all the human problems in this world, yet we have powerful animal rights interest groups lobbying for their well being.
Lost in Colonisation 