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There's a distinct craziness around the forums this evening, someone is claiming that people will put on a fake display name and take pictures of someone having intimate relations with a pig! I mean come on, seriously, come on!

Then there's all the conspiracy theories that LL want to shutdown Emerald because it's superior to Viewer 2, again, come on! Emerald is a popular viewer and I've seen lots of good reports, but why would Linden Lab want to do away with something their customers like? Something their customers use, something that their customers use whilst paying money to Linden Lab? This is absurd, Emerald may be good viewer, I have never used it enough to form an opinion, but some of their devs have been very naughty.

I know Emerald have announced it's the end of the road, but it's a tad unfair to point the finger at Linden Lab for this.

There are repeated reports around that customer support is getting worse, which is completely unsurprising as there are less staff, doing less hours, providing less support and with one support company apparently losing their contract to provide support, those support folk you do get through to are probably not best pleased, especially if they're losing their jobs, is this professional? No, not at all, is it surprising? No, not at all, it's human nature to be annoyed and grumpy when you're losing your job and it's human nature to get a tad miffed with your customers when you are up to your eyeballs in work and the calls won't stop coming in, some people will show signs of being miffed during this period, ideally this wouldn't happen, but it does happen.

In other news, my parcel that was happily on page one for a keyword yesterday is back to not showing when all three maturity ratings are ticked, even though if I just tick moderate, it scores higher than parcels that do appear in search, so approaching month five of this improved search hey.
{ Read more }

We often use foreign quotations but occasionally someone in T&T creates a gem worthy of praise.

Of the many responses to the question posed in this article's title, the most touching to me for fluency, rhythm and meaning that surpasses and belies its brevity has been:

'Take the image of a maypole. Everyone in T&T is holding a string with his name on it. What we're trying to do is make the perfect weave. That is what Independence is about.' - renowned T&T artist LeRoy Clarke

So poignant, I almost paused breathing to think about it. If you understand his words, you'd wonder at the immense power they contain. Make it happen.

The Lolo Pet Shop should be back in search by tomorrow morning, with WADE1 Jya proclaiming that Sea Linden is "Super Cool" ....

The update was reported over at SL Universe, here.

So a happy ending is approaching, WADE1 is happy, The LOLO Pet Shop should be back in PG search and Sea Linden has been called cool ....I can't ever remember anyone calling Sea Linden cool before! I've had to check this post several times!!!!

So now all Sea has to do is wave her magic wand and keep my parcels in search and I might call her nicer names too, there's too much stick and not enough carrot at Linden Lab, but I'll talk about that another time!

 

Pomp, pageantry, fire-works and scared dogs. Not necessarily in that order of merit but essentially the Order of Trinidad and Tobago (formerly the Trinity Cross). The recipients of this year’s National Awards are:

  mso-ansi-language:EN"> mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:
EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">The Order of Trinidad and Tobago mso-ansi-language:EN"> mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:
EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">

Kamalludin Mohammed

mso-ansi-language:EN">Karl Hudson-Phillips QC

mso-ansi-language:EN">Pundit Krishna Maharaj (posthumously)

mso-ansi-language:EN">Wahid Ali (posthumously)

CHACONIA MEDAL GOLD

Executive director Gregory Ramkissoon (Community Service)

Retired banker Ronald Harford (Business)

Masman Brian Anthony Mac Farlane (Culture?)

Head of Maha Sabha Satnarayan Maharaj (Religion)

Retired biologist Prof Julian Stanley Kenny (Environment Conservation)

Former MP and Minister Errol Mahabir (National Service)  {Read more}

In this mini-installment we’ll deal with three topics engaging public attention:  

1. Latoya Woods
2. The Prime Minister’s Top Ten ranking.
3. The CoP’s salary.

  Some people are better heard than seen, others the reverse. Which category Ms. Woods falls into, well you be the judge.   Having affirmed a feeling of liberation after posing top-less for a pageant-endorsed photo shoot, justifying it by claiming we do it here for Carnival and then claiming all publicity is good publicity one is left to wonder is “bimbo” a term reserved for the domain of blondes?   {Read more}

In the beginning, we all have dreams of being
the best at what we hope to do. We find passion
in simply doing what we like to do... Like kids
banging on a drum...

Then ambition overtakes our dreams, we decide to
do what we like to. That desire changes the focus
from simply doing to trying to do well... Like a
child learning to play music...

Eventually, we realise that in order to do well
we must have sacrifice. Thus what we like and want
now becomes what we must work hard at doing... Like
a teen starting a band...

One day, by chance, opportunity or simply that hard
work, we find success. We relish that feeling and
the recognition it brings... Like a young person who
plays his first concert...

Over time, we become addicted to that feeling and
need to keep exposing ourselves. Thus we do things
that will keep us popular, we may not like... Like
an artist singing songs they havent written...

Now we are living the dream, have the desire we wished
for and the fame we longed for. We have fans, groupies,
people who listen to us and believe what we say... Like
an icon who has gotten recognition beyond music...

This is the time, we now have our audience, we want to
show them what we feel and simply say our message. Sadly,
we have forgotten what we once had such passion for...
Like a star who has lost touch with their roots...

That is how we become the person we never wanted to be,
the one who people aspire to become. If only they knew
what happened to you, would they stay true? Like you, I
suspect they would seek success too... {Read more}

Facebook recently launched "Facebook Places". Depending on your settings any "friend" can find out where you are when you log in or comment. This is supposed to allow you to 'see' people who are nearby.

In addition, you or ANY friend can TAG you at an event and enayone who is checked in nearby among your "friends" can see your position highlighted

It gives the actual address & map location of where you are as you use Facebook. These days you can never really know who your "friends" are.

This is not just an invasion of privacy but can have severe concequences
to you personally, especially if you add "friends" you dont really know.

To remove this go to top right menu "Account", then choose "Account settings",  click "Notifications", scroll down to "Places" and uncheck the 2 boxes 'Tags me at a Place'  & 'Comments on my visits to Places' THEN click 'Save Changes'.

Now go back to the menu "Account", then choose "Privacy Settings", click "Customise settings" (it will be in blue). Scroll down to the section "Things I share" Unclick ENABLE in 'Include me in "People Here Now" after I check in... Visible to friends and people checked in nearby'

Continue scrolling down to the next section "Things others share" and select DISABLED to the label 'Friends can check me in to Places'

Dont want someone knowing more or less EXACTLY WHERE YOU ARE when you are posting... or even have your "friends" tagging where you are!

That sets a dangerous leak of information, especially for you younger ones and females...You all be careful now and thanks for the heads up Cindy PS The DEFAULT settings is that this is enabled.

wP

Store owner WADE1 Jya was checking out search for their store, The LOLO Pet shop, when much to their surprise they discovered that the word "LOLO" is now on the naughty word filter list, meaning their store doesn't show in search, as discussed here.

WADE1 Jya is bemused, as are the rest of us, as to why the word the LOLO is now considered a naughty word, with the most likely explanation being that someone mistyped "Loli", which has long been on the ban list.

Other explanations are that Lolo is French slang for boob, but as boob isn't on the naughty word list I can't see this being the answer.

WADE1 Jya is awaiting an explanation from Linden Lab for this bemusing turn of events and if it is deemed the word should be on the naughty filter list, WADE1 faces a complete rebranding and island rename, which won't be cheap in terms of money or labour.

I must be leading a very sheltered life because I can't for the life of me think why Lolo should be on the naughty word filter list, there are things that I've found out about in Second Life, that I'd rather I had never found out about, but I don't think Lolo is going to be one of those, it seems to be a mistake.

The Lolo Pet shop does show up in classifieds, but any use of the word Lolo in search results in a message that you've entered a word that is filtered. WADE1 Jya is rightly annoyed by this turn of events, can anyone help out here? Is Lolo a naughty word?

If you want to visit the pet shop, this is the SLURL: http://slurl.com/secondlife/The%20LOLO/85/186/40

Pollination, with entomophily as an example, is a complete accident that perpetuates what both insects and plants need. While we can marvel at the system of pollination. To think otherwise would be to credit evolution with a consciousness and to give evolution a consciousness would have serious repercussions for atheists and the religious alike.

The failed evolutions aren't counted because they are dead. The failed pollinations aren't counted because they aren't pollinations.

Life is a series of abstractions that float on top of each other and we only pick the abstractions we can make sense of.

Self abuse is the worst form of the abuse. People do it every day. Making excuses, blaming others and otherwise denying their own responsibility, not taking action and waiting for someone to save them.

It affects everyone in their web of life - the people who care for them, who try to help them despite them and who inadvertently enable them. It decreases the value of not only themselves but everyone that they touch.

Self abuse should be limited to masturbation. The victim there doesn't complain and no one else need get involved. If the victim complains, they're doing it wrong... and will probably blame someone else.

 

According to this Trinidad Express article:

EDUCATION Minister Dr Tim Gopeesingh says the $83 million to provide laptops for successful Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) pupils is not as exorbitant as some people believe.

He said the cost worked out to approximately $4,000 per computer, which had a number of special features, and Government was able to lower costs by eliminating the middle man...

Nonsense1. First of all, $4,000 a laptop is exorbitant for laptops for children - that equates to roughly $625 U.S. per laptop. The 'special features' really aren't that special - they are customizations of existing software that can be done with a few clicks of a button. There are really no 'special features'. So, remember '$625 U.S.' and check pricing for individual laptops on Amazon.com. 'Special features'? 

I suppose you don't realize that we have the specifications for the tender (available in this post). {Read more}

At the risk of it falling on ears that have become spectacularly deaf since 25 May 2010, somebody needs to go to the Ministry of Education (MoE) at 18 Alexandra Street, St Clair, and screech loudly to the folks in there: 'MoE, we have a problem!'

If that shocks the senior technocrats there, and the Hon. Minister of Education or his Permanent Secretary, into pausing just long enough to consider what folks, like me, have been writing for the past few months on this issue, then it would be worth it.  The issue: the Laptops for SEA Graduates give-away.  We can analyse this in many ways, but I wish to focus on just a few concerns.

(1) What's the full, itemised cost for this project?
The Hon. Education Minister, Tim Gopeesingh, has claimed that the TT$83 million price of the laptops represents value for money.  He claims this was done by cutting out the middle-man and going directly to the laptop vendor, HP.  That may give some initial comfort to folks who're wondering, since one or both of the local agents for HP is part of the Gillette Group, if the decision to buy HP laptops is a reward for an alleged UNC financier.  However, having worked in the industry, I doubt any US vendor would undermine their local retail and support agents by selling directly to local customers (and thus preventing the local agent from earning a commission), so there must be something in it for the local agents: what is it, and what does it cost the taxpayers?  A further rebuttal of this value for money statement may be found here. {Read more}

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=481850&id=672820056&l=0be32e716a

 
Those of you on facebook can see my tags which illustrate the story
If not, read names and pictures should speak for themselves...

Essentially after 2 hours rain this is what we pedestrians traverse
in San Fernando, on main roads that lies the Caribbeans premier
mall Gulf City ( I said that with a straight face = ) and the future
SAPA site by Skinners park...

Pics highlight problems we have faced, not with construction and
thinking of new ideas and schemes to spend money, but with the
idea that we have TO MAINTAIN what we already have, use and
own... Deal with basics of crime, maintainance and education first.

Time for us to champion a new ideal, fix first, whether it be problems
routine maintainance or simply ideas that NEVER worked and then
think about great new ways to spend money. Pass this on to Trinidadians
and lets see if Common sense dictates...

wP

The most breathtaking spin one will ever know has been announced on the official blog.

Customer Support Changes

As  we strengthen our self-service offering, we’ll be making some changes to Customer Support. You may have noticed a few of them already.

    * Concierge support hours are now available at our high-traffic hours which are 8am - Midnight (PST), M-F, and 8am to 8pm (PST) on Saturday and Sunday.
    * We will also be reducing our non-English language support to German, French, Spanish, and Japanese.
    * Finally, we'll be examining all of our support channels and simplifying the  support contact types and issue types we allow for our various account  levels.  We’ve not taken the impact of these changes lightly and want to provide a higher quality support experience balanced with the costs of  deliver those services.
{ Read more }

There has been a lot of discussion about display names, one thing I can't quite fathom about this is that Linden Lab knew about the problems of people being able to use any name they want when Avatars United opened up, it was an early concern there, that's why a verification app was added, and yet a few months on they walk into a bigger storm?

This issue concerns many residents, as can be seen from quotes such as this:

"Display Names = encore plus de problèmes dans SL, déja que le support client n'est pas génial et que les AR n'arrivent pas toujours.. et que les grieffers, harcelleurs et compagnie font leurs lois dans Second Life."

Oh wait, wrong thread! I'll stick to the blog post! Display names have attracted a lot of heated debate, I do have a degree of sympathy with Linden Lab on this issue, in my day job I deal with display names, phone books have more than one person with the same name, so do electoral registers, I have two cousins, and had an uncle and a grandfather with my exact name, one of my cousin's also named his son the same name and my family surname isn't that common.

However, when we get two people at work with the same first and last name, we put a unique identifier of some sort to differentiate them, usually the department in brackets, we've yet to have a case of two people in the same department with the same first and last name but it must happen in some places.
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I've seen a few Jira's regarding the teens coming to the main grid, there are also older Jira requests that right now make a lot more sense than they made when they were raised. One example of this is Jira VWR-7219 - LL Should provide a viewer that allows access only to PG parcels. This was created on 14th May 2008, and seems to have been quite an isnightful suggestion considering recent announcements.

The premise here is that content, or even avatars, that aren't flagged as PG, aren't rendered. The comments in opposition to this proposal look rather amusing now:

"We already have a teen grid for this. Plenty of non-PG stuff happens in PG areas, so setting up a "PG-only" viewer would probably just give people false expectations."

"Minors are not allowed on the main grid, so what's the point?"

Then we have the newly created Jira SVC-6242 - Modify SERVER code on M and A sims so no textures or prim data get sent to GENERAL users.

This has a similar premise to the older Jira, content and land that isn't PG simply isn't rendered, I'm not sure how simple a solution this is but the concept certainly has merit, it would deal with the camming issue, it would also leave holes in the map, but holes or dead ends, which is worse?

Another older Jira, that was closed because the Jira isn't an area to discuss policy decisions apparently, is Jira MISC-2976 - Teen and Adult Grid merge must not happen!
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Yes, someone outside of Trinidad and Tobago said it:

...He believes that there is a difference between developing a product and developing a service. “A product is easier to develop; it’s technical so it’s more defined. It either works or it does not work. The minute you put a service out there, it gets consumed by the market place, it gets used and very hard to change.” Whether it may be a service or a product, it’s about reducing the risk of failure. McNulty suggested that T&T should be looking to determine whether there can be growth in sectors such as the beverage and other sectors...

Expand that to the Information Technology and related sectors within Trinidad and Tobago, and you have what so many people from Trinidad and Tobago have been saying. It just doesn't seem to mean as much when that happens. But pay a foreign consultant to say it and...

 

 

It seems that the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago has decided to spend $83 million dollars (TT) on laptops for children when they don't have a proper plan for implementation within the present Trinidad and Tobago education system. It's not that children shouldn't have laptops. It's that adults should have a plan for educating children with laptops. They don't have one, or if they do it cannot stand up to a slight breeze of common sense.

But first, what we know. We know the specifications for the laptops (they can be found in this post). We know that the curriculum for subjects has not been adapted to technology use. We can infer that the majority of teachers in Trinidad and Tobago don't know how to use technology in the classroom effectively.

We should know that leveraging open source software such as Linux, Open Office and educational software could well have lowered the costs substantially. We should know that since the Ministry of Education doesn't know what educational software they are going to use because they let the vendor choose the software as shown in in the specifications for the tender in  this post. We know that the original budget for these systems was around $45m and that the Trinidad and Tobago government has decided to spend $38 million more on something that they have no effective plan for. We know that the laptops will be outdated in less than 2 years by Moore's Law.  {Read more}

I am listening to the current calls from all sections of society that a resumption of hangings is part of the answer to crime.

I believe that examples should be made but not by a few deaths. It is time to review our laws and let the punishments fit the crime.

It must begin with detection and with enforcement. People break laws and are getting away. Why should criminals have fear? How do we make criminals pay?

If you rob someone, that means you take something tangible from them. Imprisonment takes their freedom but reinforces the need not to get caught not that its WRONG!

The old adage "who does not hear must feel" can be applied here. If you wish to rob a man, then be prepared to WORK as punishment. Not hard labour but REAL labour.

Make farming compounds and let inmates get up each day and work until end of sentence. No time off for good behaviour. Simply work for the time alloted by sentence.

If you wish to rape, then be prepared to be sentenced to PUBLIC hard labour, capital punishment and psychological sessions. They must suffer humiliation and scarring of victims.

Want to steal, as white collar criminals are wont to do? Work for a public service, at a standard wage, reporting to police each day, until you have repaid EVERYTHING you stole.

If you choose to litter, then clean the street that you chose to litter on. Punishment should be more than an IDLE or THEORETICAL THREAT but a real concequence for wrong behaviours.

This will also reinforce and reimpower a Police service that suffers from the incompetencies of a beleaguered system, where criminals are out and walking a day after they are caught.

I know that it may seem harsh to some but punishment MUST not just fit the crime, it must be WORSE! Having a death penalty is only a beginning, it is not the complete answer. {Read more}

As reported in today's Trinidad Guardian, the Hon. Minister of Labour, Small and Micro Enterprises Errol Mc Leod says the minimum wage will not be increased to $20 an hour. He was made to respond to widespread claims that this was a People's Partnership campaign promise.

I have searched the Trinidad Guardian and Newsday websites - couldn't search the Trinidad Express because they don't appear to have loaded their articles prior to their recent website crash/refresh.

I could not find any story which quoted a PP rep saying that they support a $20 minimum wage policy.

Instead I found the following: {Read more}

• 05 Apr 2008 - yes, 2008 - ECA notes with interest requests for raising of minimum wage to $20 (but no clue who made the request - so maybe someone from the ECA can remember): http://www.newsday.co.tt/business/0,76335.html
• 03 Sep 2009 - NATUC's Michael Annisette (and the infamous ex-Independent Senator) recommending a minimum wage rise to between $15-$20 after the 2009/10 Budget Statement: http://guardian.co.tt/business/business-guardian/2009/09/03/call-mortgag...
• ‎29 Mar 2010 - ex-Minister Rennie Dumas steers clear of Michael Annisette's suggestion that the minimum wage be raised to $20: http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,75902.html
• 29 Apr 2010 - Ex-PNM MP Peter Taylor claiming the PP plans to increase the minimum age to $20: http://www.newsday.co.tt/politics/0,119855.html