No, I’m not dead, just busy.

Nobody has asked me if I’m dead. I hardly sent any Christmas cards and been shamefully remiss in updating my blog. In my defense, have been busy what with major work deadline (ie project go-live in 1 week) and Christmas.

I visited my sister and her family before Christmas – wow having 3 small children is exhausting. I really don’t know how she and her husband do it. In any case, she was unoccupied enough to determine I am a crackberry (addicted to my blackberry - see below, courtesy of sister who really shouldn’t have any time to be sending such things one – maybe she doesn’t sleep).

It seems Airtel (India mobile service provider, customer service patchy to bad) decided that 11,000 rupees ( about 200 euro) is a definite flight risk. Between sending me a message to say I had too high roaming fees, they allowed me service for 4 minutes before cutting me off entirely. That was Dec 21st, now its December 28th. Despite numerous phone calls, emails and 2 cheques , there no sign of service being restored any time soon.


PARIS (AFP) - The Internet has given birth to a quirky range of modern addictions and maladies, the British weekly New Scientist says in its Christmas issue published this Saturday.They include these:-

CRACKBERRY: "The curse of the modern executive: not being able to stop checking your BlackBerry, even at your grandmother's funeral." (A BlackBerry is a popular handheld device that can be used for phoning, emailing and web-browsing).

EGO-SURFING: When you frequently check your name and reputation on the Internet.

BLOG STREAKING: "Revealing secrets or personal information online which for everybody's sake would be best kept private.

GOOGLE-STALKING: Defined as "snooping online on old friends, colleagues or first dates."

CYBERCHONDRIA: "A headache and a particular rash at the same time? Extensive online research tells you it must be cancer.

PHOTOLURKING: Flicking through a photo album of someone you've never met.-

WIKIPEDIHOLISM: Excess devotion to contributing to the online collaborative encyclopaedia, Wikipedia. (Wikipedia even has a page where you can test whether you're an addict: (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wik...ic-Test)).

CHEESEPODDING: Downloading of a song "so cheesy that you could cover it in plastic wrap and sell it at the deli counter." Cheesepodders are especially vulnerable to soft-rock favourites from the 1970s.