From Twitter 08-17-2009

• 07:46:22: @jonk have you considered dog training classes for both of you? Not that you're a dog, but the owners need training as much as the dog does.
  
• 08:28:54: @MrPandaBehr great...glad to hear that. hope your monday is good.
  
• 08:29:21: good morning all. off to the foot people soon, then to the diabetic clinic in the afternoon. i've scheduled depression for this evening...
  
• 11:46:33: back from Kings-still have both feet. St. Thomas's this PM for Diabetic Clinicl.
  
• 12:31:19: Today's Gang-Banger URL: http://is.gd/2l0ty Decisions, decisions!
  
• 17:13:16: back from the quack. start insulin tonight. :-(
  
• 20:00:14: @JoexEd hm...and what might that be? do you need something?
  
• 20:02:45: @JoexEd hm, let me see if I have any "ldkkkk" around the house. I'll get back to ya... ;-)
  
• 20:49:11: Today's Heartwarming URL: http://is.gd/2luUp (Pssst: Follow the links at the bottom of the page for more information)
  
• 20:50:03: RT @Lileks: Getting bit by a LADYBUG is like getting cat-scratch fever from Hello Kitty.Jeez, guys, stick with the cute. It's ur best asset.
  
• 23:12:34: ok, all, taken my first insulin shot, about to take my pill, then off to bed. Night night, all.
  

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Vodafone FAIL!

As you may remember, I dropped Vodafone in May in favour of O2 to get an iPhone and faster broadband (away from BT). Had I blogged about it, you might have read that my data card, which I did not switch, wasn't stopped with the other two numbers (HWMBO's and mine). I went ballistic on Vodafone, but they would not relent. I needed to send them an email asking to stop the service, and it would be stopped in the middle of July. I gather it was stopped, and I received what I thought was my last bill last month.

Today I got a bill with a letter from Ian Shepherd, their Consumer Director, saying how sorry they were that I was leaving and wishing me "all the best". The bill is for £1.29 for itemised billing, and £0.19 value added tax! So they are billing me for sending me this letter (not for any calls, as I haven't used that particular data card in over a year). What a racket!

I hope that anyone who uses or is considering using Vodafone will think again! They have crap customer service, predatory pricing plans, and massive disregard for their customers in general.

Silly market research

I participate in a number of market research panels. Normally they don't care much for my answers, as I am not young, I am not employed, and I am not an IT decision maker. But some panels don't mind that. I fill out a daily forvey on TV and radio which is fairly interesting and in which I can pan some of the crap comedy that Radio 4 has been commissioning lately (one called "Cabin Pressure" that has to do with a fly-by-night charter airline is particularly loathsome and I take every opportunity to listen to part of it so that I can give it "1 out of 10" on next day's survey.)

This same panel called me recently and said they'd like me to fill out a scrapbook and do a daily diary for them. Part of it included pictures—and they included a disposable camera with the survey materials, as well as a Dictaphone.

I was bemused, but I thought that the scrapbook/diary was the usual kind of "fill out what you're watching now and why" and I can do that. They said they would pay £60 for completing this. I told them that sure, I'd be interested in it.

Well, this morning, just after I finished my blood glucose test, the doorbell rang. It was a special delivery parcel with all this stuff in it. I've just taken a look through it.

The scrapbook is like something that a kindergarten child would do. Put a picture of yourself in the front. Put a picture of your family on the next page. Draw a diagram of your family relationships. It goes on.

The Dictaphone is for recording a passel of stuff everytime you consume some kind of medium. This includes websites. How do you feel now? Why did you pick this particular website. And it goes on. No wonder they are paying £60 for this—people are very unlikely to be motivated to finish such stuff unless there is a large reward.

I am considering just sending the thing back with a "no thanks; sorry for your trouble. Had I known it would be like this I would have saved you the effort of putting this together." The Dictaphone diary is to be kept for a week. I will spend more time relating what I'm doing into the Dictaphone than actually surfing.

Will decide tonight.

Listening to NPR

...on the iPhone NPR application. Really great app, get a good selection of news stories and programs. I'm listening to Marian McPartland's Jazz program at the moment.

Miss McPartland's voice has changed quite a bit since I was listening to her shows in the US 15-20 years ago. She is showing a bit of age. The music continues to be great, though.