Switching to an abbreviated feed

Up until now, I've always run a full feed on Richi'Blog. That is, the text you get in your reader or aggregator is the full monty, with no need to click through to the web page. It's with a heavy heart that I'm changing to an abbreviated feed. I'm doing this for a several reasons, chief among them that I'm fed up with my writing being ripped off by sploggers. Grrr.

Ajax in the enterprise

Infoworld has a nice roundup of how Ajax is making inroads into business's IT departments. Includes coverage of Scalix, and NetSuite. Also mentions dev. tools: Backbase, JackBe, TibcoGI, and Ruby on Rails. And the obligatory quote from Jesse James Garrett ;-)

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Speaking of shills...

...which I was, here's a word to the wise...

Don't even think about posting comments to my blog from an IP address in the same /25 used by the company that you're promoting.

...unless you want to be accused of being a comment spammer.

Tags: blogs, blogging, Zimbra.

Is this is a 419 scam?

Yes, it is!

The weirdest message to hit my spamtraps in a long while. I suppose there must be an advance fee element involved somewhere, but it's certainly not the ordinary "this guy died and I need your help to liberate his money" scam.

FROM:THE PRESIDENT

DOYLES FOOTBALL CLUB DUBLIN

RE:FOOTBALL PLAYERS NEEDED.

Dear,

I know you must be very surprised to be reading from me,considering the fact that you dont know the identity of the person writing you,but be rest assured that i am writing you with good intentions.

I am mrs nancy doyles,the president and owner of DOYLES FOOTBALL CLUB,a clubside based in dublin,republic of ireland.I got your e-mail contact adress from an internet directory here in bangkok thailand,while browsing the web,searching for talented,fit and skilled young football stars to build my new team with.

DOYLES FOOTBALL CLUB is a clubside i inherited from my late husband,mr patrick doyles.The clubside was disbanded after my husband's untimely death 2 years ago,but was re-opened late this year to carry on with my late husbands dreams of taking the team to greater heights.

For best results for the team,i hired the services of an experienced english coach that has been a former assistant coach in a premiership side in london,i also hired the services of many experienced english technical advisers and assistant coaches.I trust that with their services and that of talented young boys,the sky will be the limit for DOYLES F.C and our aim is to be at the top of the irish league,and onward gradual progress to the premier league.This feats can't be achieved without the help and assistance of young football stars.

DOYLES FOOTBALL CLUBis a football club we want to build around young football stars because we want to start from the grass roots level.The team is currently in bangkok thailand on a 2 months training and trial tour of Thailand.

REASON FOR CONTACTING YOU:If you can play active football well,or if you can not play,but knows or have a brother or a friend that can play well,please contact me on mail by replying to the e-mail adress below.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS:each player must be 17 - 29 years old,each player must report at the teams hotel camp here in bangkok thailand for the screening and trial of the player.Interested players should reply to the adress below for more informations on the travel procedures.

So far we have gotten 8 players from africa,5 from south america,4 asians and 3 europeans,1 american has confirmed his flight ticket and will join the rest of the team next week.

The selected players will return to the teams base in dublin,and must sign a compulsory 1 year contract with the team for the kickoff of the irish league,starting early next year.The dropped players will be compensated and they will return to their home country with their return tickets.

best regards and hoping to hear from you soonest.

nancy doyles.

for best correspondence,reply this mail only to: nancydoyles@hotmail.com,
__________________________________________________

Tags: spam, 419.

CNN has no clue. I'm shocked.

Slow news day? CNN asks, Is it time for England to change its national flag?:

LONDON, England (CNN) -- British prison officers who wore a St. George's Cross tie-pin have been ticked off by the jails watchdog over concerns about the symbol's racist connotations.
The pins showing the English flag -- which has often raised hackles due to its connection with the Crusades of the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries -- could be "misconstrued," Chief Inspector of Prisons Anne Owers said in a section on race in a report on a jail in the northern English city of Wakefield.

Sigh. Where to start?

1. First and most obviously, the Cross Of St. George isn't the flag of Britain. It's the English flag (inasmuch as England could even be said to have a flag -- see next point.)
2. England isn't a nation, so CNN's silly Quickvote just shows someone's ignorance. It would be like asking if California should change its national flag. Huh? The "nation" is the UK (or properly The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland). Our flag is the Union Flag (shown to the right), not the CoSG.
   
3. There are some in England who misuse the CoSG as a racist symbol. These people have no concept of the Crusades and if you asked them what happened almost 1000 years ago would probably give you a funny look, smash the top of their pint glass, and mash the jagged edges into your face "for being clever."
   

Hat tip: Mailgeek. Thanks to 3dflags.com.