Wheelz Online

I’m sat at home on Saturday evening, enjoying the snooker semi final and I get a phone call from a blocked number. I never answer them as usually they are people asking me if I’m having a good day (I was until they called) and if I would like a new kitchen (If I wanted one, I would have been to the shops and looked at them) so I leave the phone safely on the hook. But I got a voicemail which is unlike a cold caller so I listen to it.

Its Barclays Card hotline and could I please call them as a matter of urgency. Things start racing through my mind; i’m sure i’ve not spent anything on this account to take me overdrawn. Before we go any further let me just state that I am very materialistic and place a great value on money and don’t like throwing it away without good cause.

So back to the phonecall. I call the nice voice back up and after a few moment trying to verify its me with questions like

“there was a transaction from a computer store x weeks ago for x amount. what shop was it”

This is hard for me because my one vice is computers and technology, so after a little while thinking i get it right and then comes the bombshell.

“did you just make a transaction of (very large)x at this betting website 5 minutes ago?”

of course, I answer no, i don’t bet money. then

“It seems someone is using your debit card to place bets online. They have taken x amount of money. I think I’ll cancel your card”

This is great, I think. Some bastard has cleared my account out of money but at least the bank has realised that its fraud and has called me up to sort it. Then I came back to the realisation that they are pretty useless.

How do I get it back I ask.

“Well you need to call your bank and ask them to refund it for you”

You are my bank I reply.

“Yes but we are the fraud department. you need to call your bank up”

So even though they are the same bank, placed the notes on the same account screen, they are unable to sort it out there and then. I have to call up the bank and relay all the information to a numpty god knows where to try and get some money back which I had stolen. Well I did this today and I’ve been told I have to fill in all these forms they are sending me and I might get it back in 3 weeks.

As a power user and web designer I tend to use multiple monitors on my pc all the time.  And logically I decided to try the same on my macbook.  Now, i know its only a notebook computer but there is a miniDV out and my monitor on my desk is a DVI input.  So off down to the Apple store I went.  I picked up a miniDV to DVI converter and also while I was there I bought a wireless keyboard because I thought if I can hook it up to a full size monitor I could use it at my desk most of the time and I would need a keyboard that doesn’t require me looking at the macbook screen all the time.

So I get home with my good and wired the mac up to the monitor and hey presto! mac on my monitor.  Great I thought.  Then it came to configuring it.  Two options are presented; either cloned screens, which I can’t really see the point of, or expanding the desktop onto both monitors.  The later option is how I configure my PCs to use multiple monitors.

Here is where I have cause to complain about OSX for the first time.  Sure you can have multiple monitors but the laptop screen has to be screen 1 with the apple bar, icons, and taskbar on it.  Now if I’m setting it up with a larger screen, I want to be able to make that screen the No.1 monitor so that all the applications open on it then I can choose what to send down to my mac screen.  I wanted to be able to have my laptop screen with mail and ical on it and use the main screen for Dreamweaver/Flash and Photoshop and have the dock on it, but this is not to be.  If anyone does know how to get over this then please do add a comment and tell me how to do it.