Email address pARSErs on web forms

I am fed up with people doing stupid things when checking email addresses on web forms. Apparently other people are too...

The main thing that really gets on my tits is this...
+ is an allowed character in an email address, for example:

bob@example.com (is an email address)
bob+randomthing@example.com (is the same email address with a +randomthing tag which helps people filter their mail appropriately, and saves people creating different email aliases for things.)

Far too many web forms do utterly stupid "sanity" checks on the email addresses entered, and are just wrong.

Stop it you fucking morons, read the RFC. It is the RFC that tells us what makes an email address acceptable or not, not whatever magical idea just popped in to your head. They're called standards for a reason.

Edinburgh council roads survey

Oh go on... Tell them what you think of their services...

Road Services Survey

Give 'em both barrels!

The survey broke a couple of times for me yesterday evening, but eventually it seemed to submit my results (probably to the bit bucket).

Bullshit bingo

The Hootsman tells us a rather amusing story of bullshit bingo throughout the country.

Please remember to play along at your own place of business.

When I was working for a .com in Texas, I recall they had a penchant for using such bullshit as "reduction in force" for sacking people. "going forward" was a particular favourite of the marketroids. We even had a mention of "family jewels" rather than what I hope they meant; "crown jewels".

More recently, I have been exposed to such crap as "webinar", "leverage", and "do the needful".

Tell people at your place of work to say what the fuck it is they mean.

Scotrail ticket machines are Scheidt

Do you see what I did there?

I was in Stirling the other week, and on Monday was trying to leave.

At the station, they had two folk on the ticket desks, both occupied, and a queue of 3 people. War and Peace was being dictated at the right hand desk, and since I thought that given I had the exact change, I would rattle some money through the Scheidt & Bachmann ticket machine that was also in the ticket office...

I managed to get it to accept four out of the six pounds (and ninety pence) required.

After a few futile attempts at getting the heap of Scheidt, heh, to accept my money - all the usual tricks were tried - topspin, backspin, coins in fast, coins in slow... No joy. I had to rejoin the queue, and purchase a ticket at the desk.

What's the point of these machines if you can't get your ticket on time to get your train? surely being at the station nearly ten minutes before the departure, and not at peak time either.

Also, the user interface of the machine leaves a lot to be desired... I don't want a few default offerings (usually returns, or tickets to useful places, I want to tell the machine where I am going, and it offer me some fares. Just like you do when you speak to a conductor. A single from Stirling to Haymarket please. Simple. Gaaaaaah!

The war of the roses

If I find whoever is picking roses from the bushes in my front garden, I'll stick their head on a spike.



If they would at least not damage the rest of the bush by tearing the flower off the stem. Idiots.

But hey, at least it's the second flowering of the year. What? I can still be angry and grow roses at the same time. Oh fuck off.

Puritans and Booze

I had the pleasure of visiting my home from home, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, on Friday of last week... As a member of the society, I do visit both The Vaults and Queen Street, but on this occasion, I was in Queen St.

A very pleasant evening was had by all, although, when we came to leave and were considering purchasing bottles of whisky we found we could not due to these new puritanical licensing laws...

At 21:59 apparently I am a reasonable human being, mostly in control of my faculties, and they are allowed to sell me whisky by the bottle to add to my shelf.

At 22:00 however, I become a drooling moron, and am unable to buy a bottle of fine single cask single malt. They'll still serve me whisky by the dram, of course.

Which utter fucking moron came up with this new law? Clearly not someone who is a member of the society, or someone capable of holding their drink without making a complete and utter cunt of themselves.

I would like to take these puritans to the society, feed them fine whisky, excellent food. Show them we can behave ourselves. Then I'd like to hang them from a lamppost with piano wire the following day. Bastards! Can't they just leave us alone?

GBL is paint stripper

Once again we see the spin peddled about so called party drug GBL.

By calling it GBL, rather than its more common name, paint stripper, we shroud this chemical in mystery, and allow ourselves to pour pity and sympathy rather than scorn upon the people who use it "recreationally".

I use this substance recreationally - when I am doing some good old fashioned DIY in my house. Classifying it as a controlled substance is the most hilarious thing I have heard in a long time - does that mean my suppliers - B&Q and Homebase will be jailed for stocking PAINT STRIPPER?

I have as much sympathy for people consuming this as those who rummage under their sinks and drink drain cleaner.