Passwords

Last week the Webmaster reminded me, rather sternly I felt, that I had not posted anything since February.  Having been duly reprimanded, I am now making amends.

Wherever you go on the web you have to enter a password.  Yes, that wonderful word which give you access to just about anything - provided the computer at the other end recognises your password!  And that's where the problems begin.  I shall explain...

Last Thursday I wanted to make an appointment at the doctor's and, having signed up to this facility, and having ordered repeat prescriptions without any problems, I accessed the website, put in my user name and the password, expecting to be logged in.  That's when my optimism left me.

Your user name or password has not been recognised.  From the flashing cursor and empty field it was the password which had not been recognised.  I tried again.  Your user name or password has not been recognised.  Several tries later it was obvious I wasn't going to get access however nice I tried to be.

Next morning I rang the surgery, and was given a new password.  No explanation as to why the old one hadn't worked.  While I was on the phone I made the appointment, which I felt somewhat defeated the purpose, but there you are.

This isn't the first time it's happened to me.  When shopping on-line Visa Verification sometimes comes into play and you have to enter a password.  On six separate occasions this wonderful system refused to accept my password and I had to create a new one.  Last time it happened I got stroppy and put in the password it had just refused to accept.  D'you know what it said: You have used this password before, choose a new one.  Now if it knew I'd used it before why did it need another one? 

We're told we must never write down our pin numbers or passwords in case someone steals them.  So if we mere mortals are expected to remember passwords, why can't computers? 

If anyone can explain why computers forget passwords, please let me know.  I'm fed up having to come up with a new one because some unseen computer is having a senior moment!

WE WON!

   By WE, I mean Skeffling!
   A few weeks ago we learned Skeffling had been entered for a Microgeneration Award which is sponsored by the Energy Saving Trust.  The awards were for local efforts to make the planet greener.  Then we learned we'd actually been nominated for one of the awards.
   That's when it started to get a bit exciting.  We received an invitation for two people from the Parish Council to represent the village and attend the dinner where the presentations would be made.  It was eventually decided that James Robinson and myself would go, although we didn't think we stood a chance of winning.
   Paul Hudson, the weathrman from Look North, was the speaker and also presented the awards.  When it came to our category and we saw the list of nominees, which included The National Trust, we really thought a big organisation would get it.  So you can imagine our shock and amazement when they announced SKEFFLING HAD WON!
   I have to say James looked totally stunned when he collected the award on behalf of Skeffling.  But what a wonderful endorsement for all our work at making Skeffling a greener village.  It wouldn't have happened without all the hard work done by everyone in the village.  Yet when you look back to the beginning of our campaign to 'go green' we have achieved a great deal.
  Most houses now have compost bins, all the revenue from the glass, paper and aluminium recycling has created a children's playground, the wind turbine and energy saving measures have made the Village Hall completely self-sufficient, and there are so many other things too numerous to mention.
   And the Skeffling community has done it all!
   So give yourselves a big pat on the back and be proud of your achievements.  Not only is Skeffling now firmly on the world map, all our hard work has been recognised by receiving a very prestigious award.
   Put simply, when it comes to being 'green' we're the best village in Yorkshire...
  

Computer Probs!

  My New Year's resolution was to write a blog at least once a week.  Then my computer threw a strop and I had to relegate it to the bin!  Which meant buying a new one.  Ouch!
  Tom set it all up for me, and it worked OK, but the printer didn't and the internet connection was flaky.  Then my NEW computer decided to throw a few childish tantrums which needed more of Tom's expertise.  Still didn't have a printer.  It totally refused to recognise the new computer and obviously wanted the old one back.  They'd been friends for years!  Bless...
  Tom sorted that out, and the computer decided it really did like it here after all and settled down, finally making friends with the printer.  It now works and so does the printer.  Even the internet connection has decided life's not too bad after all and is working.
  Oh, the joys of modern technology.  Wonderful when it works, soul-destroying when it doesn't!
  All I can say is thank you Tom.  Thinking about it there are quite a lot of computers and laptops in Skeffling that Tom's expertise is keeping going!  In fact, quite a few of us would be lost without him.
  Maybe now I can get back to a normal routine, and, hopefully, it'll get warmer soon. 
  If I haven't said it before, Happy New Year everyone...