I am a lurker!

I suppose you might call me a Reader / Commenter of many Blog sites these days.

Some I try once and never return, while others are now part of my daily diet.

On one of these visits I discovered a Blog spot offering ‘Feed Burner’ prizes. Paul Brown over at Technology in plain English is the kind man offering these gifts; we will draw a blank over his claim that I propositioned him on a train. J

If I have any readers out there who would like to be entered into a draw for a Feed Burner then now is your chance. Don’t go looking for a feed burner on my site as I am not that advanced and consider myself on the nursery slopes of blogging!

“So what do you need to do”? I hear you ask. The answer is very easy just leave a comment on this blogpost sometime on Tuesday 27th Feb. You will need to leave your name , email (hidden) and say that you were sent by oldbones1909.blogspot.com (That’s me Grannymar)

You will find it all explained in more detail on this blogpost: 'Free Feedburner gear to giveaway on your blog'.

You know what they say, “If you are not in you can’t win!”

Go on, go on, you know you want to!

Used, abused and....

Way back last year, well not really that long ago I was asked a favour…

You know the kind of thing, three minutes before leaving for school you hear “Oh by the way mum I need £50 for the school trip”, or “a new Badminton racquet” or “my shoes are letting in rain”. How come you are never told the evening before when there is a chance of doing something about the situation? No, it has to be on the doorstep on the way out to school. Nobody ever tells you that motherhood involves being a magician. It is one of those things that are never mentioned.

Well that is how I felt last September when my Elly phoned to say “Mum I need a favour!” She was no longer at school, she had stopped the Badminton and she could afford to buy her own shoes. What on earth could it be? Those of you who have followed my Blog from the beginning will remember that I was to be her ‘case study’ or as I called it ‘guinea pig’ in teaching Granny Pod-casting. A topic she had agreed to speak on at the ‘Barcamp’ in Cork

We began with a lesson on how to set up a Blog site. Well to be exact she sent me several links for subjects to read and places to experiment with, so that I could get started. I chose my template, fonts; colours etc. and Elly later ‘tweaked’ things a little to make it more inviting for anyone who might come across it by accident.

Since her topic was Pod-casting I had to learn how to do that as well. I liked to idea of a Pod-cast as it hid my awful grammar and bad spelling. I found it easier to prepare and type out a piece on my chosen subject and then read it to an imagined audience.

I seem to have flapped about like a non swimmer in a choppy sea between the Blog and the Pod-casts. My subject matter has also seemed ‘Mixed Middling like Hafner’s Pudding’ as my Grandmother used to say. I suppose I have not found a theme for my Blog and have no idea if this is off putting for any readers/listeners out there.

My biggest surprise is that Elly who got me started and my future Son-in-law both experienced Bloggers have not yet as far as I know made a Pod-cast. Why I ask, what are they frightened of? If I can do it why can’t they? I am a great believer in not asking someone to do something that you are not prepared to do yourself.

Come on you two there is nothing to it!

P.S. This was supposed to be a Podcast but Odeo had other ideas!

Don’t forget the Mouse

What have all the following got in common?




Their common factor might be surprising and horrifying!

Thankfully I was finished my lunch when I caught up with an article from Wired Blog Network

"London, UK (PRWeb) January 18, 2007 -- Mobile mad Brits are in for a shock thanks to new research published today which reveals that there's actually more filth on our phones than the average loo.

Mobile phone retailer Dial-a-Phone conducted the study taking swabs from everyday objects and analyzing the bacteria found on them. The shocking results found that there's more muck on our mobiles than the average door handle, keyboard, and bottom of a shoe or even a toilet seat.

The study found that without cleaning and disinfecting your mobile phone and keyboard on a regular basis, more bacteria could spread potentially causing illness.

The research confirmed the presence of skin bacteria including staphylococcus aureus on the phone, keyboard, toilet seat and door handle. The shoe in contrast had bacteria from the soil and air.

Joanne Verran, Professor of Microbiology at Manchester Metropolitan University comments: "Mobile phones, like many everyday objects such a telephones and computer keyboards, harbor bacteria. However, being 'mobile', they are stored in bags or pockets, are handled frequently, and held close to the face. In other words, they come into contact with more parts of our body and a wider range of bacteria than toilet seats!"

"The phones contained more skin bacteria than the any other object; this could be due to the fact that this type of bacteria increases in high temperatures and our phones are perfect for breeding these germs as they're kept warm and cozy in our pockets, handbags and brief cases. These bacteria are toxic to humans, and can cause infections if they have the opportunity to enter the body."

Where do I go from here?

powered by ODEO

I have joined the world of Bloggers

Well I have joined the world of Bloggers.
Am I mad or just insane? What would I have to say that would be of interest to other people? Only time will tell. I will learn as I go along and no doubt my mentor/daughter will soon pass a critical eye over my efforts.

I suppose now I will have to discipline my life to post on a regular basis.