No Control1. A couple of weeks back I used my USB flashdrive to leave some documents for ready access on an office computer. I brought home a couple of worms and trojans which burrowed their way into my system and proved horribly resistant.
My new virus scan, NOD 32, which was in fact installed on the aforementioned office computer (!), found them and suggested that the only thing to do was to delete the files. Unfortunately, these were .exe files, needed for the hitherto smooth operation of my online affairs.
So I reinstalled Windows and then discovered that no signal was getting through to my monitor. Cue a visit to Ratu Plaza on election day to buy a video card (and lots of cheapo DVDs of some very good movies).
Yippee, picture restored but ....... it was like wading through porridge, not that I've ever tried that. Every programme was taking an eternity to open, and then would disappear. I couldn't install the driver for the video card and that led to a couple of days of frustration and real ho hum karma.
The Reveller offered lots of advice, some of which I followed, but his main suggestion, one I am extremely loathe to follow, was to uninstall Windows, reformat the drive and then reinstall Windows and
every programme.
No way, Hosay, (which is not his real name).
And why am I giving you all these tedious details? Because things seem to be back to what passes for normal at Terminal Jakartass ~ and I don't know why or how. I took time out to watch a couple of thrillers, and - lo and behold - it happened. The video driver was magically installed, the programmes now open quickly and I can afford a smile.
2. Indonesian football lovers, at least those of us who are fans of an English team in the most popular league in the world (EPL), are currently unable to wallow in the weekly glories, or agonies.
The reason is seemingly simple: the Premiership has priced itself out of the Indonesian market. No local terrestrial channel will now broadcast matches live and, apparently, nor will the Indonesian subscriber-based channels, Indovision or Kabelvision which up until last season carried EPL matches on ESPN and Star Sports.
The fly in the scenario is pay-TV operator, Astro, a Malaysian concern which is trying to build a monopoly of popular TV channels to benefit its 100, or thereabouts, subscribers.
The only control, and indeed satisfaction, about this sorry affair is that my team, Charlton Athletic in case you didn't know, are now playing in
The Championship. And there never was much call for TV coverage of what we mere mortals prefer to call the Second Division. My option is simple: I can unsubscribe from Indovision's sports package.
3. Belated congrats to
Fauzi Bozo who has been elected to the Governorship of Jakarta. My earlier posts about the election were obviously ignored by the masses, the approximately 2 million out of the population of some 13 million who punched a hole in his likeness on the voting paper. (Some four million weren't registered to vote, or couldn't be bothered.)
That he will undoubtedly prove as patronising,
greedy and stupid as ever is a good thing. The electorate can do nothing about it for the next five years, but, hey, that's not too long to wait for true democratic control and the much-needed drastic overhaul of the remnants of the Suharto era who are his puppeteers.
Labels: computers, Jakarta, social psychology
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