Not long after that last post, my internet access went kaput. Something to do with modem drivers blah blah. What this means in real terms is that, to get onto the WWW, I've had to travel to the local village of Pudsey to use their Local Library for Local People. Have to say, they have pretty speedy computers in libraries these days, and they're free to use. However, I'm a little out of practice with the local library scene, and the first thing that struck me is that Library etiquette seems to have changed somewhat from days of old.
Once upon a time your local library was a kind of sanctuary from the noisy, frenetic world outside. Silent as a tomb. The ticking of the clock, the odd newspaper rustle or an occasional quiet cough was the nearest to noise pollution you could expect to suffer inside one of these hallowed neighbourhood establishments.
Not any more though. See, whispering is what folks used to do. Mobile phones going off all over, (and people answering calls) local kids, apparently taking a break from school, playing computer games to the left and right, (speakers turned up) and giving a running commentary as they do. Apparently, this is all ok now. Library assistants routinely share the details of their weekend/dislikeable sister-in-law/recent doctor's appointment/prize-winning carrots at the top of their voices with everyone within earshot, which means everyone in the building.
Next time, I'm taking my Karaoke machine and a discreet hand-weapon.
Anyhoo, I digress. Bottom line is that I'm now looking to change my internet provider.
AOL have had my custom for the last decade. I've spent hours on the phone to their tech-team in India this week, and been given varying degrees of not-very-useful advice. The final straw was being advised, on my fifth consecutive day of phoning, to uninstall/re-install the software. Truly priceless knowledge. Well, not really...I then discover that their usually free technical support is now charged by-the-minute. I can't wait for the next phone bill.
It's now time to try someone else. All recommendations welcome pop-kids. Have a good bank-holiday weekend.