Emails, Preference Lists, and Benefits.

Bleugh …

I’m starting to thinking I’m having a long day: a long boring one, at that.

But at least I have a clean floor, and equally clean t-shirts.

I’ll worry about my socks and undies, later, I think.

Once I’ve actually managed to get the t-shirts … in the dryer … !!

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Hang on, gimme a second …

Ooooh …

That lemony smell of drying laundry … … … …

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You can tell I’m both bored and tired, can’t you … ?

Well, if you can’t … !

Let’s get moving on, shall we … ?

Yes … … … … … … … … …

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Now, I’ve got to admit, I’ve finally — with a bit of help from the friendly folk at the Apple Forums — managed to track down what was happening with the various bits of software in my main account.

I had knackered property lists: or .plists if you want the proper terminology!

Basically, .plists, as they’re known, are the various smallish text files that hold various user settings for their associated applications.

And over time … ?

They can get a touch …

Well …

Touchy …

Or out and out corrupted.

Which is …

Well …

It’s rare, in my experience.

But it has happened before: mostly on my old G4, when it was running NeoOffice 2.2 and earlier, under Mac OS X 10•4•x.

But if you, unlike me, realise what’s happening, there’s a simple solution to the problem.

Which is quite simply to dig deep into your home folder — /Users/You/Library/Preferences — and trash the relevant .plist.

Which has worked.

Wonderfully well.

Saying that … ?

I think I’ll keep the extra Standard account: less vulnerable to someone seeking to take remote control of my machine.

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But let’s move on to what I was going to tell you about, shall I … ?

Phew!

Something I’ve been meaning to do, since I managed to pick up this week’s Gazette, is to tell you I’ve written — in between heavy .plist trashing, watching The Brain Of Morbius and listening to a little bit of Jean Michele Jarre — to the Brentwood Gazette.

AGAIN!

Yes, I know it’s getting to be almost a ritualistic habit of mine, but their front page caught my attention, this week.

Mostly where their were giving a fait bit of coverage to the possible plans for Brentwood’s town hall.

Which basically boil down to either selling it, or refurbishing it.

Here’s what I wrote them, this time …

Dear Sir,

I’ve got to admit, I read the front page of this week’s Brentwood Gazette with a bit of a frown on my face.

And the thought in mind that Brentwood Town Hall is simply going to be sold, rather than refurbished.

Cynical … ?

Quite probably.

But also very aware that Brentwood Council’s had a long history of having trouble with book-keeping: so I’m thinking that selling off council property will make a lot of appeal to both councillors and officers.

I personally believe that — long term — Brentwood Council would be better off refurbishing the old place, and renting out — or selling off — the un-used top floor for something.

To the Job Centre Plus agency, for example.

Now, I’ve got to be honest, I’m job-hunting, at the moment: I’m very aware that the Job Centre, like every other government agency, is strapped for cash.

So their moving into an unused floor of the town hall, as an example … ?

Does make sense.

Much like the Conservatives proposed Universal Benefit.

Speaking personally, though?

I think I like the latter, less than the former.

A hell of a lot less.

Yours,

And I’ve got to be honest, I’m fairly serious in NOT liking what I’ve heard — so far — of the planned changes the Conservative side of our central government.

Oh, I can understand why the Conservatives would like to both change Britain’s Welfare system, and simplify it all.

But for someone like me, who’s actually living on it … ?

Mind having a word in the appropriate earholes, Councillor Chilvers … ?

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