Well, I updated WordPress (after I found out that my hoster had a case of the stupids and was limiting my web hosting space) and nothing seems to be broken.  I guess I can continue now :)

Funny that Google+ suddenly had a “There was a problem saving your post. Please try again” message when I tried to post this on G+. So screw them, it’s here now.

What the? “Your profile is suspended

After reviewing your profile, we determined that the name you provided violates our Community Standards. ”

Oh geeze. Google being a knob about my profile?? Let’s take a look at these “Community standards” shall we?

http://www.google.com/support/accounts/bin/answer.py?answer=107107

*Nudity and sexually explicit material*
- nope, none of that in my profile. Trust me, anyone who wants to see ME nude is in a very deranged category :P

*Hate Speech*

- not that either. Unless it’s comments for stupid people who make stupid claims about profiles……

*Impersonation*
- ha! I have enough with my hands full just being ME. Don’t have time to waste trying to be someone else.

*Private and Confidential Information*
- nada. I ain’t publishing anyone’s private information that they don’t already post up here, thus waiving any rights to their own privacy :P UNless Google doesn’t like me reposting some personal vacation photos that +Robert Scoble or +Guy Kawasaki are already posting….

*Copyright*
- in order for me to violate copyright I would have to post something that is supposed to be non-publishable as well as claim it as my own. Anything I have posted has been found on the web (mostly by Google itself…).

*Illegal Activities*
- yeah, as if anyone was dumb enough to post illegal activities on such a public forum. Well, at least I ain’t that dumb even if I DID anything illegal. Wait! Does this mean I can’t plan a rebellion against the ‘establishment’ like George Washington did? Dammit!

*Spam, Malware and Phishing*
- as if! Have you read my posts on http://www.dragondon.com lately?

*Display Name*
- allow me to quote: “use the name your friends, family, or co-workers usually call you”. That is EXACTLY what I am doing.

*Profile Picture*
- Unless my profile pic is considered a bad version of the black spy in Spy vs Spy, there is nothing wrong with it.

So, unless Google wants to qualify WHAT the problem is, there is ZERO way to fix it? You guys really need to get your act together. Telling me that my profile is suspended is like me telling a mechanic that my car ‘won’t work’ and then letting him figure it out.

OH wait….it seems that you have to click further to get any details from Google.

“If you believe that we have mistakenly suspended your profile for having an unauthentic name, please fill out the form below.”

Ah, so we now have confirmation that it IS the name that Google is having issues with.

Well, since they have not launched their business profiles, does this mean I should be reporting every single one that does not have a ‘real name’ too? I mean, unless you were born with such unfortunate names like +Ford Grafx or +News Cafeicultura or even +Ford Group I doubt that I am somehow on the side that needs to be singled out.

There has already been talk about this issue fairly recently too.

http://thenextweb.com/google/2011/07/25/google-is-learning-lessons-from-google-fake-names-debacle/

So, off to go through the ‘appeal process’ they seem to have in place now. Part of the process they ask for some sort of photo ID. Riiiight. What part of “please use the name your friends, family or co-workers usually call you” does phto ID help serve? And really,Google wants to “help fight spam and prevent fake profiles”, what makes them think that my profile if fake or causes any sort of spam??

According to an interview +Robert Scoble had with +Vic Gundotra “He says it isn’t about real names. He says he isn’t using his legal name here. He says, instead, it is about having common names and removing people who spell their names in weird ways, like using upside-down characters, or who are using obviously fake names, like “god” or worse.”

So, again, how does this have anything to do with me? Has +Vic Gundotra even USED Google to check me out? Go ahead, do a Google search on ‘dragondon’. Know what you will find? You will find my in 7 of the first 10 results listed! And that includes me taking up spots 1, 2 3, and 4!

Another part of this process includes providing links online “Please provide us with a link to a reputable website where you are referred to by this name. Examples include Facebook, LinkedIn, a school or university student directory, or a news article.”

Sure thing Vic. In fact, let me give you 8 different places where you can find my name mentioned on the web.

http://www.dragondon.net

http://www.dragondon.com

https://twitter.com/#!/DragnDon

http://dragondon.449983.free-press-release.com/

http://www.free-press-release.com/news-get-expert-technical-help-wherever-you-are-1306198753.html

http://www.free-press-release.com/news-richelieu-of-new-york-and-johnny-powers-team-up-1250090930.html

http://www.free-press-release.com/news-johnny-powers-presents-the-royalty-of-pop-1250124477.html

http://kr.linkedin.com/in/dragondonbelmore

Oh, should I even bother to mention that I was COMPLETELY UNAWARE that my profile was blocked? Would have been nice to have been informed of this Vic.

Do I even need to mention that I registered dragondon.net almost 8 years ago? Nah, they’ll figure it out.

Holy crap. All I wanted to do is find movie listings. They are simply impossible to just click and find. The absolutely worst layout I have ever had to deal with ever.

Seriously fucking retarded.

I had heard that Avatar 3D was coming back to theaters. I saw the non-3D version and would like to see it in 3D. A friend also expressed an interest. So I do the simple thing, search Google for “avatar 3d hamilton burlington”.  A most logical search.  The first link was for IMAX 3D.  No use as I just wanted a local theater.  Second and second sub-link were for the Hamilton Spec “myvirtualpaper.com” but for way past dates (sep 17th and aug 31st).  Still useless.   Ooook, how do I get to the _current_ date for movie listings???

Here’s a test, go to thespec.com site and tell me how many clicks and how long it takes you to find movie listings. Shit, I tried ‘movie show times’ in their SEARCH ‘this site’ and it came up with NOTHING related to movie show times.

I mean, how hard is it for someone to design a site that is simply usable??

You want to know how I found it?  I had to use the ‘unique wording for their show listings’ to find the page that listed the ‘unique wording for show listings’.  It was the 5th link down on Google and was titled “TheSpec – AT THE MOVIES”.  Why the hell do I have to search the spec site for “at the movies”????  Why can’t I simply find it under the ‘entertainment’ section where it has always been for years?????

Sad thing is that not even the physical newspaper that I get (thank GOD it’s free for me!!!) doesn’t even list it at all.  Geezus, you’d think that with such skimpy-sized offerings, they’d want to add more to their 1/8″ thick pulp.

It’s no wonder the movie industry is slowly, but surely, tanking and that downloading is rampant.  There is no support from local communities and newspapers.  It really should not be hard at all to find out such simple information.

The aggregate movie listing sites are missing out on these key words, and out of all those websites (like tribute.ca), you’d think they’d be more popular.

Long Live TBP!

To take your multi-vitamin and wash it down with Coke?

Seriously, you have a major business partner in the city that refuses to behave.  The last time I was a child and said “no, I don’t wanna” to my parents earned me a good smack in the ass and sent to my room.  No single entity should tell the CITY what they should do.  Sure, they can express their concerns, sure they can say their preferences but to outright throw a temper tantrum is quite ridiculous.

I am quite glad never to have been any kind of real supporter of the team.  This latest little tactic is a fine example of the reason why.  Bob Young is simply the ‘i’ in team. (think about that one….)

It has surely been an entertaining read over the past few months but after today, it’ll be all the ‘over-the-shoulders’ type of comments as each party walks away from whatever decision is made by council.  Like the North End, it’ll be nothing more than a lingering foul smell in the air after some industrial plant produces some random material to be use in some product that’ll end up in the dump 5 years after it’s made.

To be honest, I hope the Ti Cats actually leave.  They’ll find that their ‘financial sustainability’ will drop way worse than anything they ever claimed about the West Harbour.  Oh, and good luck at having any kind of reasonable turn out from now till December.

Hey Bob, why not follow my wife & I to South Korea?  I hear they are looking for native-born english speaking people to work there…