The thing I hate most about reality TV shows is not the diatribe itself (I can ignore that, in fact I didn’t even realise the latest “‘Celebrity’ Big Brother” had started) but the hype and buzz that starts going around the office. It really is so sad. Most of the comments are moaning ones about the lack of quality of the ‘celebrities’ or the content itself. If you hat e the content so much, don’t watch it! It really is simple. Do something more interesting and productive with your life - go for a walk; watch a decent film; help a local charity; paint a picture; write some poetry; sort out your tax return.

If you are going to watch crap on TV, don’t be surprised when you feel crap about it. And please stop polluting my ears with commentary on the most lame and overused TV formats on the planet.

Blatant spam blogs are irritating; they simply clog up useful tools like RSS aggregators and services like PubSub. Here’s one such wasted journey.

1. Searched on my PubSub subscription for “British Heart Foundation”
2. Confronted with this:
   

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3. For some weird reason, decide to follow the link. End up at “Clinic” (it ain’t gettin’ a real link from here, btw). First posting at the time was the insightful:
   

   Thursday, January 06, 2005

   dreyer medical clinic

   Money want may end also using black large place dreyer medical clinic, most between and name should winter money and she. We became and would same make land top write dreyer medical clinic, strong law we cut last line full in in. Can’t then large can’t does special earth gave over dreyer medical clinic, notice answer behind white enough feel black probably sites. Resources great big change ways hot onlinne already boy dreyer medical clinic, moved second should before best said John what using. Cause can’t get number little second called start hour dreyer medical clinic, making show vary cause four instead easy notice don’t. Put net made house other still light wind beautiful, something oline said didnt living again fine house near.

4. Clicked on the permalink, which is in fact a URL to an advertising page - good thing though, because I’d:
   

   …just landed on the biggest resource on the internet for dreyer medical clinic. We here at The clinic Spot have found some of the most relevant sites for dreyer medical clinic, and have compiled a list of the best dreyer medical clinic information sites online. Please scroll below to find our current list of the greatest dreyer medical clinic resource sites on the net. Thanks for stopping by The clinic Spot, please come back soon!

And the links are fantastic - oh hang on, no they’re crap.

Stupid.

A letter in Marketing Week (6 January 2004) is subtitled “Was it just me, or did anybody else notice that the press has largely passed by a truly significant event?� Martin Rowlatt was referring to the sale of IBM to Lenovo. Thing is, the press I have been reading did mark this event, which happened only a week or so after what I would suggest was a “truly significant event�, being the earthquake and tsunami in South-East Asia. The words ‘truly significant’ should be sparingly used.

This is a special updating blog entry with links to other Internet sites providing news and information on the recent disaster.

Donations

In the UK: Disasters Emergency Committee: Web donation form - Phone 0870 60 60 900

Many other countries have aid agencies accepting donations online and through other channels. For an updated list, visit the Wiki page detailing donations for victims.

How to Help

Information on aid agencies’ requests for help (BBC)

News

BBC News — comprehensive information on the disaster from the BBC.

• Recovery could take 10 years (BBC)
• Brown pushes tsunami debt relief (BBC)

Blogs

• The South-East Asia Earthquake and Tsunami
• Tsunami News Updates
• Tsunami Help Needed
• Enquiries, Helplines, Emergency Services
• Tsunami Missing People

Other Information and Support

• United with South-East Asia