Word “HTML”

Argh. God preserve me from fucking idiots who insist on using MS Word to produce HTML. Contrary to their belief, it does NOT make my life easier. There is a major set of differences (not least being file-size and readability) between the Word example of

<p class=MsoNormal style=’mso-pagination:widow-orphan’><span
style=’font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt’>blah blah blah<o:p></o:p></span></p>

and the version I want, which is

<p>blah blah blah</p>

Whichever moron wrote the methods for Word to convert stuff to HTML should be dragged out against a wall, shot, reincarnated, tortured, killed, and then buried at a crossroads.

Routine

I realise that this one is utterly trivial, but it sometimes amazes me the routines people get stuck in. One of the people I currently work with (God help me) has just broken the mug he always uses for his coffee. Half the office is now saying about how he’ll have to get a replacement (no, really?) and that it won’t taste the same in a new mug. He’s had this mug – in this office – for 24 years. Twenty-fucking-four-years. Of always drinking from the same mug. OK, it was a wedding present and blah blah blah, but ye gods, I can’t imagine staying in one job consistently for 24 months, let alone years.

Downtime

Yes, yesterday was a down-day. I don’t know why, there were no identifiable causes, but the brain didn’t activate at all, and the mood was simply not conducive to posting. But I seem to be out of the dip again today – and that’s something I always find reassuring.

Five years ago, “down-time” would have been a week, or even a month, or more. If the depression did attack me, it was a big thing, and it lasted. While it wasn’t “manic” depression, it’s always had a distinctly cyclical nature – I suspect it does for most sufferers, but I don’t have any empirical knowledge on that one – and when the troughs came, they were on a real “Perfect Storm” level, with the gravity of depression ensuring that it was nigh on impossible to stop the slide until I’d hit the bottom of the trough.

Now, for whatever reasons, it’s easier to handle. The troughs aren’t anywhere near as deep- but by contrast, nor are the peaks. Sometimes I miss the extremes, even though the smoother journey is normally preferable. The peaks were amazing, the troughs were disgraceful – now it’s all far more level. However, in general I’ll take the current way of life, where the depression hits for a day of downtime, and then bounces back. So normal service will be resumed today.

Lost : One Will to Live

I don’t know why, but today is a very groggy day. I swear my body’s not designed to sleep – I always feel like crap the day afterwards. So instead for now I’m going to bung up a few links and comments, and write more when I’m in the mood for it. Probably later.

• While I think it’s sad about the lad getting stabbed to death in Faliraki, it’s hardly a shock. Men, unlimited booze, and a culture that encourages the aggression and drinking – there was always going to be fallout.
• I wish I could bring myself to care about the report that security was shit at the birthday party of Prince William. Like, nice work, Holmes.
• Equally, I couldn’t give a toss that the new head of the CPS was charged with possession of cannabis 31 years ago – instead I think it’s far more worrying that he has hardly done any criminal prosecutions, and is also possibly in the position because of his links with Presidente Blair and his troll wife.

And that’ll do for now.

Cack-handed

I didn’t know it, but apparently today is National Left-Handers Day. Being left-handed myself, I can appreciate a lot of the things that are written about here. Lefties get quite a lot of stick for things like having the mouse on the “wrong” side of the keyboard and so on. (and in honour of being awkward, my mouse is on the left of the keyboard, but the buttons are still configured for a right-hander – it invariably confuses people!)

Would I rather be right-handed? Hell no. For me the benefits of being more creative, better at lateral thought and problem-solving, and all that gubbins more than make up for the few occurrences where being a leftie is bloody awkward.

Happy Left-Handed Day!

We have lift-off

The camera’s been getting it’s test-drive. There’ll be photos of my working environment later (i.e. when I get home and get them uploaded). On them, a new PC-variant will be visible that’s been placed on my desk today. It’s a nice bit of kit, all flat TFT monitor, all the hardware running behind the screen in one built-in unit. All very attractive, even when the keyboard and mouse are attached via cables that slightly detract from the aesthetics.

But there’s one thing that’s a complete turn-off, and has made me rethink ever having something like this. And that’s the fucking noise of it. The fan’s banging away nineteen to the dozen, I can hear it over the personal stereo (which is admittedly on quietly), and it’s actually a noise that’s distracting. I’m going to batter the fucking thing soon…

UPDATED : The link within the post now goes to a photo of the piece of shit nice new computer.

Black

In the news today is that the widow of Oswald Mosley has died. He was the founder of the British Fascists, AKA the Blackshirts.

Anyone want to bet what the de rigeur colour will be at the funeral? *Grin*