Why is it so dark?

In the news this week was a story about a teenage hacker who was arrested for the theft of furniture from a virtual hotel room, in a virtual world called Habbo Hotels. I thought it was interesting that a virtual theft could result in real arrest, but it turns out the headlines were wrong. It was true that virtual furniture was stolen, but the actual crime was phishing, where a fake webpage is constructed to sucker you into providing personal details such as passwords or credit card numbers, etc. The hacker then used a username and password to access an account or accounts where he then purchased 4000 euros worth of furniture for his own Habbo Hotel room. So, sadly, not such an interesting story after all. Also sad is that with 4000 euros at hand the first thing he does is buy virtual furniture. Get a life - blow it on real sex, drugs and Rock 'n' Roll I say!



We had dinner on Friday at an average Mexican restaurant in an above average building. It used to be the main Lloyds Bank branch before they moved to the new building I'm in now. It had a huge foyer with ornate ceilings, sturdy columns, a domed roof, etc. Now it's covered in sheets, has leopard skin chairs and sofas, and plastic plants everywhere. First impressions were of an Ottoman harem, somehow mixed up with a Mexican cantina. Unusual to say the least.


On Saturday we struck car trouble, and couldn't find anyone to start the car when I couldn't push start it. Apparently the UK is the only European country who doesn't have a reciprocal agreement with the AA, and our local garage wasn't insured to work off-site. Eventually our Italian friend upstairs provided jumper lead and his car to get us started, but not until after a one hour chat. It was very good of him, but we didn't get going until 2:30 and it was cold and dim before we got to Wells. There was very little light inside the Cathedral, so it was a little disappointing. By the time we got to Glastonbury at 4:30 it was dark, which was a good thing for an illuminated carnival, but meant we couldn't have a decent look around the town. It was a long wait for the procession to start, and it took 2 1/2 hours to pass by. If the pubs sold tickets for their toilets they'd have made more than from selling beer I think. Actually the combination would be a real winner...

I enjoyed the carnival and there were some awesome floats. Clearly they were not the work of an afternoon in the back shed (well, one or two were). There are whole circuits that most of these do, and you can follow a link on J's page for more. Of course, I have photos, so if you want to see more click these words.

Sunday saw rain and gloom, so we had an inside day, reading, blogging, shopping, etc. J's done a handful of Christmas cards, so I'd better get on to mine.