Yothu Yindi

Today is Australia Day.

This is not like Independence Day in the US.  We don't walk around wishing each other "Happy Australia Day", we don't do anything particularly Australian, we don't do much except enjoy a day off work. Or at least that's how it was with my family, friends and me. And generally how it was when I was growing up - maybe it's a bit more than that nowadays.

Living in the UK I feel it a little bit more, and I take time to think about Australia, an integral part of my formative years, and who I am. But again, it's not something I usually post about.

I also don't make a fuss about it because it's a day that causes some pain to Indigenous Australians. Not only the date (which is a big part of it) but the concept. I believe the date needs to be changed, and the day needs to be redefined to be more inclusive and pay particular attention to a long, long Aboriginal history.

Like others this morning, I tried to share Yothu Yindi's 'Treaty' on Facebook.  Like others I was stunned to find that it is banned as it apparently goes against Facebooks "community standards".

Dear me.

However, I see no reason why I can't post it here, and then link to it.

Please enjoy and share the link to this post.

Now Why Did They Do That?

Oh no! Someone unfriended me on Facebook!

Now I have no doubt that others have too. With a friend-list well into the hundreds, some of whom I don't know personally, it's likely I may not have noticed them. I don't know how long ago this person unfriended, although I think I interacted with them earlier this year.

We're not close, have only met a couple of times in person, but we share several interests. I always enjoy reading their posts, usually hit the like button, sometimes add a positive comment, and have very occasionally tagged them into a post I thought they would like - as they have with me.

Recently I realised I hadn't seen them in my newsfeed for a while, and I just figured it was the FB algorithms at work again. No matter, I searched for them and they weren't in my friend list. I searched for their homepage, and noticed we were no longer friends. Which kind of surprised me. And then I noticed all our mutual friends hadn't been unfriended. And that kind of bugged me a bit. 

And now I'm wondering if I did or said something wrong on my FB feed.

Or maybe they had a purge and I didn't make the cut.

Or maybe....

It has me wondering. What if one of us accidentally unfriended the other, or there was a FB glitch which did it? I have heard of this happening. What if they're sitting there wondering why I unfriended them?

Is there etiquette for this? Worry about it? Ignore it? Ask a mutual friend? Do you send a polite message asking?

Of course, there is then the concern that they're too polite to tell you the truth, claim it was an accident and reluctantly re-add you. Or worse, they tell you why they unfriended you.

I have been unfriended in the past - twice in purges of friend lists. And I know this as they both announced they would be running a purge prior to doing so. It was a little disappointing as I liked following their posts.

Interestingly, both these people later re-added me as friend. That pleased me greatly, but I did wonder why they did so. I'm not convinced it was my sparkling and charming personality that brought them back.

But it is what it is. And if you're reading this, I'll miss your posts.

Rainbows, Smiles and Leaving the Urghhh Behind.

I was sitting at work this afternoon, one of the few times I have ventured into the office since we were allowed to return, and rather enjoying the change of location after so much time at home, and the comfortable companionship that comes with the presence of others working quietly in the office. 

I was sitting in  the corner, with large windows behind me. The clouds were low, darkening, and it started to rain heavily. After a while it stopped, and the ladies facing me from across the office started pointing and laughing. Through the window, behind me, was a large, bright rainbow. I turned to look at it, and the colours were broad and clear.  The ladies informed me that from where they sat, it appeared to come down into my head.

"Ah yes", I said. "I am the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow in an otherwise dark and dismal world."

I was, of course, joking. I can be grumpy along with the best of them, and I actively have to work to remember to smile at gatherings of family and friends in case they think I am bored and angry with them. But it did remind me that it is important to maintain a positive outlook in these times.

Recently, I felt slighted. A social media post I made (no surprises there) resulted in a stupid and thoughtless comment. Instead of responding, I simply deleted their comment. My wall, my rules, and I can say what stays on my wall.

For similar reasons, I left a couple of Facebook groups which I used to enjoy, but were bringing me down with their negativity. And do you know, I haven't missed them at all.

Some may have noticed that, for the most part, I try and maintain a positive attitude on social media. There is a fine line between keeping an "up" attitude online and creating a fake, happy persona. I don't want to the be the guy who makes out he has the perfect life, posting only images of holidays, meals and so on, but I do want to not be brought down by the angst and anger which pervades social media.

And so into my real life.

I started each week at work (from home) with some gentle, pleasant music. I am well aware of the emotional effect music can have on me, and so I figure choosing the right tunes early on can shape my mood for the day, if not the week. I login to my team's chat and try and say hi, offering virtual coffee, and having a laugh with anyone who happens to be around.

I get up from the desk and stretch, take time out to play with my dog, and go for walks. I also try to eat healthily and not drink too much coffee.

And that's all we can do, isn't it?  The best we can in trying times.

Do The Knee Jerk, Baby!

Whenever I relate a story to others, whether it be colleagues, friends or one of my classes, I'm usually asked where I heard/read/saw it. If it's a story that seems unlikely, I'm also questioned as to its authenticity. And if it's with my students, at least one or two will tell me the story simply cannot be true.

And sometimes they're right.

I've told some whoppers in my time. I used to tell Japanese students that I had a pet kangaroo named Fluffy, which I rode to school on a daily basis. I've told students that James Cameron, the film director, is my uncle - but we had a falling out and he won't talk to me anymore. I've told students that I used to be a hitman for the CIA, and my life is still in danger.

Although some seem to fall for some of these tales (OK, none have fallen for the CIA one), most either question me or laugh at me. Ahhh, kids. I do, however, continue to teach them to question things, to read between the lines and not believe everything they read.

Things seem a little different in the adult world. One troubling trend that seems to be on the increase is the lack of discernment by people on social media. Adults who believe and share everything they see without questioning. Or are simply outraged by some article- from zero to fury in seconds.

The latest is a story about a school teacher in the U.S. who was suspended from teaching after it was revealed he'd written a couple of SF books under a pseudonym about school massacres 1000 years in the future. Articles and comments appeared about how the authorities were concerned by these dark leanings, by the use of an 'alias', and how he'd been suspended from work, arrested and confined for no actual crime. His sales at amazon skyrocketed as a sign of support. Petitions were started, and blogs and posts were written about this injustice. and now it has been revealed they've known about his books for two years, and he was not arrested. He was suspended pending examination my mental health experts after sending a four page letter to the school board, and other odd behaviours.

Knee jerk, baby!

I saw a number of posts last week about Lego creating a female scientist character but limiting production, thereby making it difficult for little girls to obtain this piece. Outrage, calls for boycotts, demands and petitions. Except it seems as though Lego do have a number of female pieces already in existence, and this one character everyone is upset about was always intended to be a limited edition collectors' piece - something Lego create and sell on a regular basis.

Knee jerk, baby!

I've posted a couple of items on facebook recently, one about Breaking Bad returning for a 6th season and another about North Korea informing its citizens of a series of wins in the recent World Cup. Both turned out to be faked - something I wondered about when I shared them. In fact, I mentioned as much when I did post them. I did some research at the time to try and confirm the stories, but could find nothing. The Breaking Bad story appeared to confirm an earlier interview with Bryan Cranston where he hinted the show may not be done yet. It was later proven, however, to be someone's idea of a joke, which was neither funny nor satirical. I pointed this out as soon as I became aware of it. The North Korea story I figured was probably a fake, but it was funny, so 1984, so close to something they might try (remember all those North Korean photoshops?) that I put it up anyway. I got pulled up pretty quick on that one. Again I pointed out I figured it was fake.

And in both these instances I was accused of not doing my homework (which I had actually done). These were minor, mostly funny stories. There was no outrage, I made no threats to boycott, no one's business was going to be harmed. But that cannot be said of some of these other knee jerks.

He said this, she did that, this company did this, he was arrested for doing nothing.

Yes, sometimes, and sometimes not. Sometimes these things do happen. And we should rightly be outraged when they do occur. But check them out first. Don't just click and share.

This Post Will Blow Your Mind And Make You Cry.

Like most people on Facebook, I share the occasional article, meme, funny picture or video. And I am generally informed, entertained or amused by those shared by my friends.

But I'm usually less than impressed if it comes with a hyperbolic tagline.

"This video/photo/story will restore your faith in humanity." Um, no actually. I'm not that cynical about life and my fellow beings. I'm generally more cynical about the truth of the cutesy little article.

"This will blow your mind." Again, no. Never have I had my mind blown by one of these shared links.

"You don't have a heart if this doesn't make you cry." Again, no. Not yet. And generally I question the authenticity of the picture/article etc.

"...but nothing can prepare you for the last picture."  Again, after looking at a series of pictures, I generally have some idea of what's coming.  Hmmm...  Maybe I am cold and just don't have a heart.

Oh, and I'm not impressed by cats. I never click on anything with cats. I hate them.

I'm Bugged?

Last week I almost posted a list of things that bug me. Not only in my day-to day life, but in writing and the internet, and well, stuff in general.

All kinds of things, from the ubiquitous usage of the word 'awesome' until it has been relegated to the blandness of the overused and meaningless 'nice', to...  well, you can guess that this middle-aged guy has a fairly extensive list of things that bug him. (including being called 'middle-aged'.)

But as I was typing the post last week, I deleted it, and made the decision not to focus on that negative stuff too much.  Yeah, some of it irks me, but a lot of it is just a matter of taste. I also realised some of the stuff that bugs me (and they are fairly small niggles) appears on pages published by friends of mine. As such it could be seen as a criticism of their approach, which it is not. I'm sure those friends look at me and get bugged by stuff I write, say or do.

And so for those that think I'm permanently bugged, you're probably right. But as for being unhappy?  No. I simply don't smile publicly because when I do I look like a crazed serial-killer that makes students run in terror.  And if you don't believe me, ask me to smile for you sometime.

(Except for FaceBook. I will mention them here. They really, really  bug me.  I'm still blocked (after 9 weeks) for some unknown reason and they won't respond to any of my very polite enquiries or emails.)

It's Not Easy Being Me.

It has now been six weeks since I was 'temporarily' locked out of FaceBook.  I've submitted the required documents to prove my identity (many times), but had absolutely no response, besides a few automated emails informing me that my situation would be reviewed shortly.  As previously mentioned, apparently I may not really be me. I may, in fact, be someone else masquerading as me.  If only I could get that person to go and teach for me.

I've tried to find a FaceBook customer support number, or online support, only to be told time and time again there isn't any.

I beg to disagree.  There is, in fact, a customer support number. I found it. It's better known as the sales department.

That's right, the only numbers I can find that will actually respond are for potential and current advertisers. Those are FaceBook's customers, not us. We're the product.

This was pointed out to me by a friend a couple of weeks ago. The users and their presence is sold on to advertisers. FaceBook actually doesn't care whether I'm online or not. There are a billion others who are. And so I may never actually get a response to my enquiries, or a satisfactory resolution, even though I've done nothing wrong and was 'accidentally' locked out.

Bah! I am not a number. I am a human being.

Corporations.

So this week has been corporation week.

Five times today my wife and I (we are on the same account) received messages and calls from Telstra informing us that 'this isn't a tele-marketing call', but asking 'Have you paid your bill yet?'  Five times!  neither of us actually spoke to anyone, as we both had our phones switched off.

But hang on, I paid my bill a couple of days ago, direct to Telstra - and the bill's not even due for another week.  So why am I being hassled?

And then a few days ago I received a call from our car insurer.  "Don't worry, I'm not trying to sell you any products. I just want to confirm your details haven't changed."  All well and good, I suppose, if they had any reason to suspect our details had changed.  But I only signed up with this insurance company six weeks ago - and you called me on the phone number that I supplied to them.

And no, I'm not going to give you any of my details over the phone.

And then, of course, the Facebook saga continues.  I've now been 'temporarily locked out' for more than four weeks for unspecified reason.  Not only is Facebook nigh on impossible to contact, they certainly don't respond to any emails.

But don't worry, they continue to assert that they will look at my situation shortly.

So much for corporations.

Faceless.

Dear Mr. Zuckerberg,

You don't know me, but do you miss me?

Two weeks ago I was blocked from Facebook. There was a notice about someone who had hacked into my account, or you thought I might not be who I was purporting to be, or someone had complained about my posts, or something. I'm not really sure because it was all very vague. But I received an email (and a message when I tried to log in) informing me that if I verified my identity it could all be sorted out rather quickly and you would welcome me back into the fold. All I had to do was submit a copy of a government document (a licence, passport or similar) and we'd still be friends.

Now, I'm not stupid and I know the hallmarks of a scam when I see one. I did my research. I checked around, tried to sign in on a second computer with a different IP - all that stuff - but it seemed as though this was legitimate and that a very large number of people had faced the same situation.  I did as I was asked. I scanned an official document, blocked out the extra details as advised and submitted it. I then received an email informing me that my submission would be looked at shortly and I would soon receive a response. I'd seen on a number of forums that others in this situation had been unblocked within a few hours.

I didn't receive a response. At all.

When I tried to log in to Facebook I was informed that my submission had been received and someone would get back to me. As of now that still hasn't happened.

At first I wasn't overly concerned as I flew to China on business the next day and as we all know Facebook is blocked there anyway. So even if I had been able to log on I wouldn't have been able to - if you understand me. But I'm home now and I still haven't received a response. And when I try to log on I'm told you'll still  be getting back to me soon.

I sent an enquiry email yesterday morning and I actually received a quick response informing me that nothing could be done until I submitted the documents via email. (Even though Facebook continues to tell me I have already done so) Being a peacemaker, an all round nice guy and a generally calm kind of person, I simply resubmitted them.  A few hours later I realised I'd accidentally blacked out one of the sections you'd asked to see, so I submitted it again.

Still no response. I'm still waiting.

This morning I wondered whether you wouldn't accept them by email or maybe the address I received was an automated one. So I've now re-subbed them through the Facebook online form.

I've been blocked for over two weeks now for a reason that is extremely vague and unclear.  I promise you I am who I am. The email address registered with you includes my name. You can check this blog page, you can buy a book with my stories, you can enquire with my principal at my school web-page, you can follow the blog for the China study tour (complete with names and photos), you can check out my membership pages at places like AHWA, HWA and so on. You can ask my friends, you can ask my parents, or you can ask my wife.

Heck, if you're a bit short this week I'll even send you one of my books. Free!

Was I naughty? I'm a professional teacher who recognises that students see my posts whether my page is private or not. I won't even share a pic if the originating group has a swear word in its title. I don't post rude, racist, sexist or political comments. I don't share nude or rude pictures.

So, Mr. Zuckerberg, what have I done to make you lock me out? What have I done to make your staff not even respond to my emails?

Can you please forgive me? Or at least unblock me.

Sincerely,

Steve Cameron
(I promise, I really am me)

Antisocial Media?

One of the downsides to social media is the frequency with which I am called an idiot, or unintelligent, or worse. Nobody has said this directly to my face, although I'm sure there are some who believe it.

For some reason, people say things on the internet they wouldn't say in public or in a face to face setting. Recently I've seen an increase in the number of people posting political, philosophical, religious, anti-religious and even comments about music, literature and movies which include a comment about the intelligence of anyone who disagrees with the poster.

No, I'm not unintelligent if my political beliefs don't align with yours, or if I disagree with certain policies promoted by a political faction, or if I don't think a particular artist or movie is the greatest ever.

I have my own beliefs, as does everyone, and they are a construct based on my experience, my upbringing, my cultural background, my employment, and my age amid a range of other factors. I choose not to promote most of them, or even discuss them in public. But I try not to presume that those who differ are idiots, or worse.

It's interesting, but I often find the people who shout 'tolerance' the loudest are the most intolerant of other points of view.

Socially Active?

As someone who is firmly planted well within the twentieth century, I've had to be dragged kicking and screaming into the social networking world.

Blogs I could understand. This one has been maintained regularly for four years, and over that time I've seen a gradual rise in the number of hits and return visits.

Thank you.

Facebook and other media I've deliberately avoided. In fact, I was proud I wasn't on Facebook. Finally, late last year, I felt the time had arrived where I'd have to join. As a writer, it's vital to have an online presence. As a teacher, it is important for me to stay current and see how my students are communication and socialising. I was told that it was up to me how I often I visited and what I posted. I originally thought my account would be used simply about writing, but what I've learned is that it's not called social media for nothing.

I get annoyed when people use their account simply to post about their stories, sales and so on. I don't mind a bit of it, but it can't be all. And so I've had to learn the 'unwritten rules.' I think I'm getting better at it.

Twitter still eludes me, although a friend thinks I need to be there also. I've succumbed to Instagram, which I am enjoying. Again, I need to learn the 'unwritten rules'. But I'm getting there. (By the way, feel free to follow me - my account name is 'Nihilon')

As for where all this stuff leads? I have no idea. But I'm now in the 21st century, and I'm along for the ride.

What's Happening.

Conflux was great. I had a wonderful time up in Canberra and met and hung out with a lot of cool people, certainly way cooler than I am. Peter and I spent an extra day up there, visiting the War Museum and getting kicked out when they closed. We still hadn't seen everything. It's a must-see if you're ever in Canberra.

I arrived home, spent a day here recovering from Con-Lag before driving to Rye to spend a couple of days with my wife. We took our dogs, our bikes and even rode to Blairgowrie and back. Drove home this afternoon, and I'm currently getting ready to return to work tomorrow.

On the writing front, all is going well. I currently have seven stories out in sub-land, which is the most I've ever had at the one time, I've booked my flight to Sydney for the launch of Anywhere But Earth, and I'm all fired up about my writing and ready to write more.

Oh yeah, and I finally joined Facebook after a couple of people twisted my arm. They say it'll be good for me.

It's John's birthday. Raise a glass.....