[Miscellany]

I went to see that movie The Social Network the other day. I saw it with my friends, which is hilarious considering the basic premise of the movie is about a guy who invents the largest site about social connectedness but has no friends of his own.

The thing I find so interesting about internet start-ups is that they are founded by very talented, young, computer hackers who prior to starting their billion dollar companies engaged in muckraking and rogue behaviour while fucking with people on the internet. Hacking itself, being a big fuck you to 'the man' of course.

Now, as CEOs and Founders themselves, these once upon a time rebels have become that 'man' they so hated as youths and spend their time not only ensuring that the kind of hacking they used to do doesn't happen to them but also collecting all kinds of information that can be used to to our (yes our) disadvantage should someone decide to be devious one day.

The Social Network was a very interesting movie to watch. I keep hearing that it's a fictionalised version of how Facebook started, and certainly Mark Zuckerberg himself has expressed frustration that books like The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich weren't 'better journalism' and that the "true story" is just too boring for Hollywood. I'm sure it was; after all everyone's life is too boring for Hollywood but when I hear phrases like I guess my real life is just too boring for Hollywood so they made stuff up to sell the movie I immediately think that all the worst bits are true. I've heard Mark Zuckerberg being interviewed and at best he is socially awkward, abrupt and evasive. It doesn't take much of a stretch to connect the dots on that famous tag line:

"You don't get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies."
Duh.

It doesn't make it true, but it makes a lot of sense. Especially considering that what we do know to be fact (the court cases the involvement of Sean Parker, facemash... blogging while drunk etc) is enough to convince anyone that clearly these are arseholes we're dealing with here. Perhaps that's a judgement call, but I'm willing to make it. So there. Who knew geekland could be so cutthroat?

The movie itself was pretty fantastic. Flawless music by Trent Reznor (as always) really created the right (rather creepy) mood and great performances by a surprising cast (including JT, finally that devastating curl came in handy for something other than being in a boy band) and furthermore it was fun to watch a movie that wasn't afraid to be topical.

Are you worried about the privacy issues inherent in using a site like Facebook?

This is just perfect: Creep - Scala and Kolacny Brothers

Labels: computer stuff, geeks, movies, the term social networking makes me think of everyone handing out business cards and calling each other Bob

posted by M at 2:15 pm 4 comments

Yesterday in an effort to navigate the old key in the lock while simultaneously holding a rather too full handbag, a basket full of heavy folders and ....my lunch (why humans don't have three arms is beyond me. Obviously we need them!). I found myself in staring in full horror as my lovely external hard drive went from balancing rather perilously atop of my handbag to floating through the air to dropping SMACK onto hard concrete floor at my feet. I'm sure I heard it scream on the way down.

Just to clarify, that would be the hard drive that contains all of my weekly planners, photographs, music, REPORTS, learning plans, reviews and other official professional development files, resume and other documents of that ilk, planners I've been given (or outright stolen) from other teachers over the years... not to mention my own personal writing. Or to put it another way, every single file I have which is not yet backed up onto any other computer. Or ANOTHER way - my life.

Now when I plug in my HD it goes crunch, crunch, crunch, wiz, sad sound... device not recognised by computer on the Mac and on PC comes up on devise list but has a location of "0". How can it be there and NOT be there at the same time? I ask myself. I'm unable to actually access through Mac HD or My Computer though it's detected as "working properly".

oy dear. I've finally rendered an inanimate object as confused as I am. What an accomplishment!

I remain optimistic that putting it into the freezer will miraculously cure everything and it will work, right as rain in a few hours.

Just out of interest on a scale of 1-10 what are my chances of getting my data back via this method?

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In other news, I need to get something off my chest re work and there seems to be noone about I can offload onto. Luckily I have my trusty blog to spew forth my petty grievances.

I happen to have that cough that has been going around lately. Much of my grade has come down with it, with a couple coming down with pneumonia. I've only had one sick day this year so I decided to take another today and due to cough getting worse, tomorrow too. This is all good, I have a certificate. I'm really sick! When a teacher gets sick they call an emergency in to cover for you.

Of course, prin decided that she wouldn't use my emergency teacher tomorrow to cover my grade. Oh no. Instead my grade is going to be split between the other classes and MY emergency teacher will be used as extra staff on a sports day.

I'm so angry because I'm OWED an emergency teacher. Why should my grade be split up - which causes an inconvenience to not only my children but also to the other teachers in the school? Why should other teachers be punished by having extra children in their classes all day? Why should I lose a sick day when in reality my grade doesn't even see the benefit of it? It's ludicrous! So what am I going to do? Well I'm going to pack a packet of butter menthols and turn up at school tomorrow, that's what. I'm just fuming about having to do so when it's my right to be sick when I'm sick instead of being put in this position. I'm angry because there is no way that I can phone the prin now and say that I've heard that she's splitting my grade and therefore I'm coming in. No, I'm going to have to call prin and pretend that I'm all better.

Yesterday I was telling a friend of mine that teachers are chickenshit because we care about others. That has cost us not only a decent wage but everyday rights as workers. As VP says "we are the ultimate service industry". Indeed, I've just proven him right. I'd love to say a big fuck you to everyone, but in the end my children suffer and I'll get the brunt of the bad vibes because - wow I'm sick and everyone else has to suffer because of it. No thanks. :(

Labels: computer stuff, geeks, humans are dumb because we don't have three arms even though necessity clearly dictates that we should, rant, school, stressed teachers

posted by M at 3:19 pm 18 comments