My New Forum

[LovelyLadyLux]

I'm mostly a 'reader' of FB, share some jokes occasionally but I've found them to be absolutely awful in allowing you to state preferences or in any way 'control' the flow of what appears on your FB page.

I think us (ahem) older persons might be more concerned about putting our info out there as all our lives we've been able to hold our personal info on paper and in our hand and could chose to share it or not - BUT - the young uns who have grown up in cyber world don't have the same cautions as they've never known the difference (and sadly probably never will.)

It was a no-brainer for me to modify and change personal info but I'm really not sure others are as cautious. I've had my own coworkers post on FB about their day in the office (which is HIGHLY confidential).

This has never happened to me but I have heard that sometimes now employers want access to your "social media" so they can see more of your private life.

Course this brings another question - would I actually allow a potential employer to have access to my social media. Part of me says 'sure - who cares' (cause I know there is nothing on there) however on the other hand I'm not sure I'd want to hand over that ability to anybody so they could peruse me whenever they wanted and would like to think I'd stand on principle that I'd refuse.

[Grandad]

I re-joined the group and for some unknown reason I can now choose when i want to peruse the activity of the group....so problem solved.....don't know how though

LLL, being of a certain age I am also reluctant to put too much personal stuff out there for all to see. I do however believe that whether you volunteer it or not there are ways to extract more than we would wish of our personal matters. Brilliant as the internet is, I think it is also a minefield of risk with the potential of doing more harm than good. Sad to have to say that because I am a firm supporter of 'progress'..........

[LovelyLadyLux]

Quite agree Grandad. If there is a will there IS a way.

There in the UK do you have 'chips' in your credit cards? We have them in Canada and require a Personal Identification Number (PIN) to complete a transaction. In the USA they're still using the magnetic strip cards which IMO are super easy to read.

[Grandad]

Yes LLL, we have had 'chip and pin' for some years now.....and there are some very 'Smart' systems coming in, using your mobile phone and cards at contact less checkouts. I don't know all the details but there is a lot going on in that area.

I think we are advanced in all that technology and often world leaders.

Do you have QR codes? Those square matrix bar codes that can be read by smart phones. We find them all over the place particularly in newspapers and magazines and you scan them with your phone to take you to some website or product or whatever.... Double Dutch to me

[Horus]

I noticed that recently two of my cards were reissued and now have the contactless transaction feature, so now you just wave your card over the machine and that's it! no PIN, no signature, no nothing. I am pleased to say though that they only work for small value transactions of up to £20, thank goodness for that as I can see myself leaning across to reach for something and swiping the card in my wallet to buy a new fridge by accident.

[Grandad]

thank goodness for that as I can see myself leaning across to reach for something and swiping the card in my wallet to buy a new fridge by accident.

Or paying for someone elses shopping at the supermarket

[Grandad]

Now that I have got the FB problem sorted and re-joined my local group I am finding it very enjoyable to be in touch with local people on local topics, mostly historical. I am also finding that the more people discuss things that happened 50, 60, 70 80 years ago, the more my own memory is jogged and things are coming back to me.
I thought over time all the old stuff had 'fallen out' of my full brain.

I am also finding that many of my old local photos are helping others to fill gaps in their own recollections. So, although we all have our views about FB, the groups appear to be a very good aspect of the site and this one is certainly very friendly, almost like a forum.

There is SO much information posted by the members that it must be a good hunting ground for local historians......might even start collecting some of it and doing another book

[Horus]

Nothing wrong with it in principle and under different circumstances I may have been interested myself, but not with their current policies regarding your privacy and what is made available to others via links and sharing etc.

[LovelyLadyLux]

@ Grandad - did you write a book?

[Grandad]

@ Grandad - did you write a book?

No LLL, just a few holiday picture books (although the Istanbul one does have 10,000 words of descriptive text), plus a family history book and picture books as gifts for friends (who admire some of my pictures)

[LovelyLadyLux]

Ahh ok I thought I might have missed something really big if you had written a book.

[Grandad]

LLL, for many years I have thought about writing a book about my experiences as a small boy through the war years. I have lots of experiences written down in note form but I can't find a suitable style in which to write it. I don't want it to be biographical and would prefer it to be a story but including all my experiences, and there were many.

Joining the local FB group has actually stirred my thoughts because I am finding many local people are mentioning things from the '39 - '45 period. If only I could dream up another Harry Potter type story I could be a very rich man.

[Horus]

"It was a dark and windy night, the rain had lashed his tired body as he trudged home head bent low against the elements. His hand trembled as he fumbled for the key that felt cold against his already frozen fingers, it felt familiar like an old friend as he raised it and inserted it into the lock, two full turns and the door would open and he would be warm again, but tonight was different!

As he entered the once familiar surroundings his hand reached for the light switch even though the icy cold that greeted him told him something was very wrong, he paused wary of switching on the light, what lurked in the dark that made the hair on the back of his greying hair start to rise? Already the coldness that seemed to envelope his entire being was manifesting itself in the icy breath that escaped in muffled gasps as he tried to control his shallow breathing. Even without the light he could tell that the room was in total disarray, familiar outlines looked out of place and an unfamiliar sound like the slow dripping of water into a tin tray. He listened as the slight metallic sound took on a metronome beat, tink, tink, tink. The coldness had now completely enveloped his body wrapping him like a dark cloak and his chilled breath was adding an ethereal look of smoke around his head as if he were on fire.

His heart pounded as he steeled himself for the horror that he knew was lurking within the darkened room, he flicked the switch and let out an involuntary gasp as he surveyed the room, it was a bomb site and the cake tin that was catching the drips under the sink was nearly full. Would he ever get this kitchen floor re-tiled and get the new combi boiler installed? At least that way the house would be warm when he came home from the camera club."

[Ruby Slippers]

Love it, Horus!

[Kiya]

Carry on Horus I'm liking it...........

[Grandad]

Even without the light he could tell that the room was in total disarray, familiar outlines looked out of place and an unfamiliar sound like the slow dripping of water into a tin tray. He listened as the slight metallic sound took on a metronome beat, tink, tink, tink. The coldness had now completely enveloped his body wrapping him like a dark cloak and his chilled breath was adding an ethereal look of smoke around his head as if he were on fire.

His heart pounded as he steeled himself for the horror that he knew was lurking within the darkened room,

was that the smell of gas that enterred his nostrils,

he flicked the switch.

BOOM, he was blown to smithereens. "
End of story....

You are on the button Horus, the most difficult part of writing a story or novel is those few first words. And that is what I still can't get right. Should I start from today and write in retrospect or through the eyes of a young lad, perhaps from the end of the war. I remember my father returning, in his uniform and my memory might be failing but I believe he still had his rifle. He seemed almost a stranger after a long time away. Perhaps that is a good point.
Views on a postcard please

[LovelyLadyLux]

Very intriguing start H! And now you've started you've got to continue on for us

I've also thought from time to time about writing a book of my adventures in the work place but like Grandad I don't want autobiographical. I just want to use the stories and incidents and weave them into a best seller

I think getting started is the hardest.

I've read enough about writing a book to know you need to kind of 'know' the entire story and block it out in sections then you just write each section - kinda seems simple but am sure it isn't.

[Horus]

Thank's folks, maybe some more when I finish laying my floor tiles.

[LovelyLadyLux]

Are the tiles laid? What kind? Patterns?

Am sure between tiles and the new water heater you're doing up your kitchen to be looking pretty fantastic!

[Horus]

Nothing fancy LLL, just a plain ceramic tile in a square pattern and to be honest I shall be glad when it's finished, my hands are raw and swollen from using the adhesive and grout.