Googlebombing

Well, it may have taken just over a month, but I was overjoyed to discover (thanks to Pete) last night that our efforts have paid off. At least until Google updates their index again, there can be no doubt what is the rudest pub in Islington:

http://www.google.com/search?q=rudest+pub+in+islington

(even better, it's also http://www.google.com/search?q=rudest+pub)

As fantastic as this is, though, it doesn't give me the greatest confidence in the future of everyone's favourite search engine. As far as I know, there are only 3 websites googlebombing the website of the rudest pub in Islington. Surely it shouldn't be that easy, should it? Just as Groucho Marx once famously stated that he didn't want to join a club that would have him as a member, I'm not sure I want to trust the veracity of the search results generated by a search engine that can be manipulated so easily by me...

UPDATE: Ha! The Register reckons that Googlebombing a site using only 5 domains might be a record. Nothing of the sort. Clearly 3 websites is the figure to beat...

Comments (8)

And if a double decker bus/Crashes into us/Then to die by your side/Is Such a Heavenly Way To Die

I suppose that some of you (hello Pete) might be wondering why the level of bloggage around these parts has dropped off a bit recently (and given that I still haven't got around to setting up one of them thar RSS feeds, you're probably getting increasingly frustratingly trigger-happy with the Refresh button).

So why the recent lack of new posts? I'm not sure, actually. I suppose it's partly because I realised that a lot of my recent posts have been a bit on the ranting, negative side, and I had sort of resolved that I wouldn't post again until I had something positive to talk about. Perhaps that explains why I haven't posted anything for over a week. I could tell you all about my various battles with the incompetence of Islington council, who apparently aren't very interested in helping us recycle, our landlord, who apparently isn't very interested in doing anything, and the utility companies, who apparently aren't very interested in charging us to receive their supplies.

But I won't.

Instead, I'll only talk about nice things. Well, for starters I went on a free holiday to Switzerland last weekend, our "company outing", which was great. In a couple of weeks I'm going on a free day trip to Paris, also paid for by work.

Oh, and Spring seems to finally be on its way, judging by the appearance of a round shiny thing in the sky on my way to work, and my not really needing my coat.

Also, Glastonbury tickets go onsale the week after next, although in a bid to outwit ebay scammers, they're apparently only available to nice people, who can send two character references via carrier pigeon to an address in Shepton and pay in coins (exact money only). Either that or it's something to do with debit cards, cheques, and providing names for ticket holders. One or the other, I'm sure.

And, as if that's not all, in a stroke of genius, the random play on my MP3 player just gave me the Monty Python Cheese Shop sketch, which segued rather wonderfully into Kevin Carter by The Manics, neatly followed up by There Is A Light That Never Goes Out by The Smiths. And what could be happier than that?

Comments (3)

Lost In Trailers

My delight on Friday afternoon at receiving my Region 1 copies of Lost In Translation and Infernal Affairs, both of which are still in the cinema in the cultural backwater that is the UK, but out to buy elsewhere in the world, was slightly tempered by the discovery that the producers of both discs think they know best how their customers will want to watch their films. When I stick Lost In Translation into my DVD player, it isn't Bill Murray's sad, wrinkly face, Scarlett Johansson's bottom, or in fact any part of Sofia Coppola's picture-postcard-borderline-racist take on Japan that greets me, but SIX MINUTES of previews that you can't skip. Well done, Focus pictures, because that's just what I'll want to watch every time I put the film on, isn't it? Worse still, the oh-no-you-can't-use-the-next-button-to-skip-this-sorry section on Infernal Affairs includes an advert for Sony (after much hassle, I discovered that you can actually get round this "feature" on both discs, by stopping them and pressing the menu button). But seriously, which film company idiot thought this would be a good idea?

The film's quite good though: I give Lost In Translation 4 minutes of DVD-designated-must-watch content out of 6 minutes of DVD-designated-must-watch content (after Internet's Diary).

Comments (2)

Let's Do The Show Right Here!

If I had to consign a form of creative expression to my own personal Room 101, there's little doubt in my mind that the first of the performing arts to go would have to be the utterly contrived and predicatable world of the musical. Unfortunately, with my parents visiting me this weekend on a rare trip to London (and having expressed a desire to "see a show"), I will tonight be taking them and Sally to see the utterly shabby (but hugely successful) cash-in that is Mamma Mia. I'm only now beginning to contemplate the true horror of what lies in store. Worse still, this was the one that started it all: the success of Mamma Mia is directly responsible for Ben Elton's new career--the horrors that are We Will Rock You, Tonight's The Night, and Madness the musical.

Somebody save me...

Comments (3)

The Joy Of Spam

Dear Mr Spam Scammer,

Look, I mean, if you're going to try to and spam scam phish the account details of a bank account I don't even have, could you at least try and spell simple words like "veerification", "memmbers", and "leter" correctly?

Honestly, some people just aren't even trying, are they?

Kind Regards,
M Armstrong

----- Original Message -----
From: Citicard
To: Matthewjarmstrong
Subject: Citi EMAIL Veerification - matthewjarmstrong@hotmail.com

DEAR Citibank_ Users,

This_ leter was ssent by_the CITI_bank sevrers to
veerify your _e-mail_ adress_
You must complete this process by clicking on the_link
below and enntering
in the smal _window your Citi-Bank
Atm/Debit full card nummber and _PIN_ that
you use on the local_Atm_Machine
This is donne for-your protection -D- becaurse some_of our
memmbers _no_longer have access to their E-MAIL addreses
and we must verify it

To verify _your e_mail address and _access_ _your_ Online-Citibank
account, klick on the_link beelow.

Comments (4)