Are the Brits the most racist Catalans?

"Most of the genuine Catalan people I know ( real ones – not the ones who are called Jordi Gárcia Sánchez et al)"

You won't hear many Catalans spouting this kind of crap (though I know 'charnego' still gets chucked about sometimes by the knuckle-draggers and mouth-breathers). So why would a dodgy English blogger from a two-donkey village outside Barcelona* try to get away with it?

Note also the smooth practice of closing comments on a post when you've been proven wrong continues as if it'll never go out of fashion.

__
*No relation.

December 16, 2009 | Filed Under Catalonia, Internet computer, Language, Politics | 6 Comments 

Vote on comments @ thebadrash.com

Hello gentle reader. You might notice some changes around here today as I'm testing some new plugins on my WordPress installation. The first one is that you can now 'vote' on comments by giving them a thumbs up or thumbs down. It's so much fun, you wouldn't believe it. Now commenting on thebadrash.com will be a genuine popularity contest.

thumb-up-1

I'll be adding some more bits and pieces to make your visit more comfortable. I'll also probably be tweaking the design a bit, as I haven't dicked around with that for ages.

Oh, and I'm committed to writing more on the blog than I have done recently. Hopefully, exile to Devon over Christmas will stir my creative juices some. In the meantime, get voting!

December 14, 2009 | Filed Under Internet computer | 3 Comments 

Just over a year ago…

…Iberian Notes stopped being updated. Just thought I'd remind you. A whole year of reduced blood pressure and increased happiness. I really never thought he'd be able to last a year.

And so it falls to me to be the moody expat loser blogger (Trev is better but he never says anything).

First topic: off to Modbury ('el poble') next weekend. Not much blogging will ensue. Still alive, though.

July 26, 2009 | Filed Under Catalonia, Home, Internet computer | 4 Comments 

Loving the HTC Magic

Anyone who follows me on Twitter will know that over the last week or so, I've been pretty excited about getting a new phone: the HTC 'Magic' (or G2). I've had it since yesterday evening and it hasn't disappointed.

The phone runs Google's open mobile operating system, Android, which is essentially a type of Linux. It comes with tons of Google apps preinstalled, which is perfect for me as most of the tools I use online are from Google (Gmail, Calendar, Reader, YouTube, etc etc).

The user interface is simple enough, even for people like me who don't have the world's slimmest fingers. I'm typing this on the Mac, but I've tried tweeting on the Magic and with a little practice, I'm sure it'll prove to be an invaluable tool for when I'm out and about.

Gripes? The only problems I'm currently annoyed by seem to be OS based. For example, you can't close apps without turning the phone off. Not sure if this significantly slows the phone or uses up more battery… but from an efficieny point of view, I'd like to be able to terminate a process if I want to. Also, it doesn't have Adobe Flash installed and apparently there isn't a package available yet for Android. This, obviously, massively reduces the web app capability of the device. The camera isn't amazing – but then they almost never are on phones.

In all, I'm very pleased with my purchase and I'm looking forward to giving some of the apps a try in London – we're leaving for the airport now. I'll probably post on the work blog next week.

May 1, 2009 | Filed Under Internet computer | Leave a Comment 

LiC cites the ABC, demonstrates shaky grasp of everything

Another faintly ridiculous article from the LiC blog here, claiming that Carod Rovira is determined to destroy the Spanish language. The reason behind this claim is that the Generalitat have apparently invested €1m in helping the Ecuadorian government protect its indigenous languages and to promote bilingualism. You can find more information about this program from the dineib agency of the Ecuadorian education ministry.

In the comments on the blog (my tip is don't bother leaving a comment: he'll likely delete you or change your words), Mathew points out that this move has nothing to do with Carod Rovira or the president's department of the Generalitat, providing the link I used earlier to dineib. Jeff/Steve/whoever it is that runs LiC's response was priceless:

My dear Mathew, I do love your sense of humour. Far from being utterly ridiculous, the article was a direct translation from the noted newspaper ABC, I don’t know if you read the news in Spanish by the way.

Now, for those of you who are as yet unblessed by contact with the ABC newspaper, this would be something like a British blogger saying "Not my words, Mathew. The words of the Daily Express!". OK so it's not a perfect comparison (the ABC is far stuffier and more traditional than the Express) – but the point (that citing it as a reliable source on any story, let alone one concerning the Catalan government which it is duty bound to despise, is ridiculous and shows a complete lack of understanding of the subject), stands. And never mind the fact that the article was 'a direct translation' without citation.

He goes on:

Yours is a typical example comment from a “wannabee [sic] radical Catalan” and most people with a “sufficient level of intellectual cohesion in English” would poo poo your delirious ideals.You’ve spent far too long in this region my friend.

Now this is a particularly interesting method of attack coming from someone who has frequently used the riposte "Come back when you've lived here for ten years, then we'll see" as his stock response to logical argument and accurate criticism. Incidentally, this "wannabee radical Catalan" line is eerily close to the email another commentator received from said 'admin' which included the memorable line "What are you? Some little Catalan loser who leaves snide remarks like Tom and Rab over people's blogs because you can't face the truth." and went on to call him a "silly cunt".

Add all this to the roll of honours LiC has already claimed (stating that the nivell C certificate is 'the same' as forced tattooing in Nazi death camps; deleting comments which attempted to correct him; posting fake comments; trolling this site; nicking content), and we can see that not only is LiC not a blog worth following, it's not even worth criticising.

At least Iberian Notes had a brain. All LiC has is a bit of SEO, some clumsy, amateurish SEM and a dearth of decent content.

March 18, 2009 | Filed Under Catalonia, Internet computer, Language, Spain | 3 Comments 

Yahoo Answers question of the week: How do i get my parents to buy me beer?

Ah, the age old question: you're 15 years old, your sister once got drunk and your friends all claim that their parents buy them beer….

Surely (s)he should just steal sherry like everyone else?

As always, the answers are the best bit. My favourite is from Karis T:

um well u dont hehe
u wate till ur 21!!
haha who would of thought

Source(s):

commen sence

Ah yes, good old commen sence.

February 4, 2009 | Filed Under Internet computer | Leave a Comment 

Yahoo Answers question of the week: Dying Dogs – Cool or Cruel?

"I would like to know people's opinions about dying dogs! Is this cool or cruel?"

I might make this a regular feature.

December 14, 2008 | Filed Under Internet computer | 2 Comments 

Make Socialism History is… history

It seems that this is yet another scourge of the left that dissolved into nothingness.

History, as ever, has much to teach us.

December 5, 2008 | Filed Under Internet computer | 9 Comments 

Blogging: when to remove comments?

Some website chat follows. If you're not interested in the ins and outs of such things, I wouldn't bother reading on.

The other day I received a comment on a post which was not only off-topic and pretty rude but also made with a false email address (I wrote the commenter a polite email asking him to rein it in a little bit and the email bounced back immediately). There was no doubt that I'd remove the comment but even as I did so, it annoyed me a bit that I had to. I don't like removing comments comments from this blog unless they're obvious spam, because it always feels somewhat dictatorial.

So I thought I'd refine and simplify my comments policy to make it a little clearer exactly what you need to do to get your comment removed, and what you should do if you think a comment was removed unfairly.

I also want to make it absolutely clear that (a) I'm always very open about my identity when commenting on other blogs and in my own 'about me' section; (b) I'm annoyed when other blogs ("lifeincatalonia", for example), use the comment moderation tool to suppress criticism, argument or clarification – in my opinion, not the way to promote debate on your pages; and (c) that I find it rather creepy when I get three or four different comments from the same IP address using different names, emails and websites… not creepy enough to make me delete your comments but creepy enough to take note.

December 4, 2008 | Filed Under Internet computer | 7 Comments 

Chainmail

Saw this site. Had to share.

December 1, 2008 | Filed Under Internet computer | Leave a Comment 

Does McCain have gout? Ask Huffington post

Now this can't have been a mistake..

Google for Obama?

[Seen here] Info on gout here.

October 25, 2008 | Filed Under Internet computer | 3 Comments 

Geek point: Little Big Planet rocks

The regular reader will know that I rarely touch on anything remotely connected to my professional life (i.e. being a geek) on this blog. There are plenty of good reasons for this 'rule' and I'm not about to break it. I do, however, want to say that Gemma and I have been testing the Little Big Planet beta for Playstation 3 and it's absolutely stunning.

At its heart a platform title, LBP features a cute character fashioned from sackcloth (and called 'Sackboy') who you have to guide by jumping, running and grabbing, through a variety of levels which test both dexterity (well, accurate button-pushing) and nouse. The game's graphics are wonderful: crisp, cute and remiscent of childhood (the cardboard cutout castles used as a background in some levels look like they've been cut out by some kid). Stephen Fry (unfairly referred to by some wag as 'the stupid person's idea of an intelligent person') provides the voiceover and guides you through the first few levels, and even the in-game music is good.

But Little Big Planet is much more than a simple platform game. Its motto is "Play. Create. Share." for a reason: you can create and share your very own levels within the game. Gemma and I haven't got onto making our own yet, but the idea is pretty simple. You can create your own level on the PS3, filling it with obstacles, beasties and er.. stickers, then when you're done, you upload it to the Playstation Network, where anyone can try your level, tag it and 'heart' it if they like. We've tried out several designs created by other beta testers (there are hundreds of them) and some have been really very impressive. Apparently, the best level designed at this stage will be included in the full game when it's released in around three weeks' time.

Little Big Planet is one of the first PS3-only titles to really impress me (Drake's Fortune is also pretty good). It's easy to learn but many of the levels we've tried have been tricky. This is a game I'm sure we'll be playing in two years' time. We might have even created our own level by then.

Little Big Planet – Playstation 3 – 1/1

October 4, 2008 | Filed Under General, Internet computer | 1 Comment 

Is it time for a street party?

*Tumbleweed*

*Nothing* (oops spoke too soon… it'll be a Catalonia-only party, after all)

*Heh heh*

August 27, 2008 | Filed Under Internet computer, Politics | Leave a Comment 

Updated: GTA IV: I may be some time – now on sale

Those of you not au fait with the world of interactive computer entertainment (games), probably don't have the date Tuesday April 29th 2008 burned into your brains like I do. Tomorrow sees the release of Grand Theft Auto IV, arguably the most eagerly-anticipated videogame release of all time.

The game, which is already receiving 10/10 (that's 1/1 on thebadrash.com's binary review scale) ratings everywhere, is set to be more than just another jaunt in the GTA world. It's set in Liberty City, a through-the-looking-glass version of New York City, rendered to an incredible level of 'living and breathing' detail.

As I said, the game is released tomorrow so assuming the PlayStation 3 version on sale in Spain includes the 'versión original' English, I intend to be enveloped in its pillowy embrace for the next few weeks. Baby, it's cold outside.

Grand Theft Auto IV – reviewed in the New York Times.

UPDATE: The game is now on sale in GAME shops in Spain. I've just picked my copy up. If you get one and want to play before midnight, it's probably a good idea to make sure you're disconnected from PSN or xbox Live. I've heard that some online accounts have been suspended for playing the game early.

April 28, 2008 | Filed Under Internet computer, Review | 3 Comments 

News: Women, unions and blogging

The reason for a lack of updates here is simple: too much work. However, the world has carried on spinning.

The Spanish political arena is currently fairly dull. Zapatero announced a female majority cabinet, which is obviously an interesting statement. It doesn't say much about what his second government will achieve. My guess is: not a hell of a lot. Libertad Digital reckons that ETA are pushing for talks with the government by letting off bombs. Talks should happen, but probably won't, given that the PP is committed to breaking the historic pact of support for the government's terrorism policy. The struggle for power in the PP is the only story really worth following.

Good news: unionised dock workers in Durban refused to unload millions of dollars worth of Chinese weapons bound for Zimbabwe. Action by local human rights groups and trade unions prevented the delivery of arms and ammunition for Mugabe's regime from a Chinese ship. Apparently, the ship is now enroute for Mozambique. I can only hope that union workers there will also fight the 'free market' which allows China to arm Mugabe's psychotic and murderous regime. I mean, could the timing be any more obvious? This is the moral equivalent of Mussolini's assistance to Franco's rebellion.

We met up with Graeme of South of Watford fame (Madrid's best English-language blog) last night. I got a bit drunk (sorry about that) but we had a great evening, ending up in Plaça Reial, where I insulted an arsehole of a waiter.

The next few weekends will be pretty busy and work is going to be intense over the coming weeks. But I'll try to blog a bit more because I enjoy this.

April 20, 2008 | Filed Under Catalonia, Internet computer, PP, Politics, Spain | 4 Comments 

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