January – A Warming World, Digital Divide.

As I write the world has been 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial times during an entire year, for the first time in all recorded history. The cost of such turbulent climate shifts is still being counted, as seen in the devastating wildfires, and will continue to rise.


Here in Ireland, I’m back volunteering with Age Action Ireland, to train senior people in the better and safer use of new technology. Several years ago, a radio commenter was saying “now that everybody gets their news from twitter….” When I neither used the platform, nor got news from it. I still don’t. A common fallacy is to imagine that everyone in society does the same as the people around you. The digital age has created massive digital divides. Fortunately, with the help of colleges, community colleges, NGOs and good friends, skills are being passed on as appropriate. Warnings, too.

Recently I was asked about advertising. I don't use social media and I run strong ad blockers.
Web users need to know that facebook refuses to take any responsibility for the ads they are paid to publish. If you follow up a bitcoin ad and are scammed for your savings by people abroad, who yell down the phone that they will report you for money laundering, when you have asked for your money back, the Gardai will tell you it is your own fault and facebook will not answer your mails. This happened to someone I know.
If the owners of the platforms were made personally liable for the losses this would not happen. As it is, they get rich from ads for scams.

Targeted ads that use my personal data are so badly done that Google kept showing me men's clothes, ads for me to date fat women (I'm a woman married to a man) and ads for gambling. I never gamble. If they want to waste advertisers' money, I guess they can waste gambling firms' money anytime.
I also got a spate of on-site ads for personal alarms for seniors, which showed the same photo and claimed the same story had happened to a senior in X area, wherever they thought I lived or visited at the time, which varied over a few weeks. As they were obviously lying, I could not believe a word.

We have looked at cooking videos on YouTube and my husband said "why does he always use saffron?" and I said "because he's getting sponsored, look it's always the same brand he shows. Turmeric is a cheaper alternative."


As I meet friends and regular staff I’m wishing them a happy new year. To all my readers as well, Happy New Year. I’m catching up with reviews, which helps other authors. I’m recycling. And I’m feeding the small birds in my garden, so a few bullfinches have appeared. These are very shy so they only come when lots of other small birds are present, because that means it’s safe. Kind deeds put good karma into the world.

I sell photography through Shutterstock, and that platform has announced its wish to merge with Getty Images. I don’t know if this has to go through competition authorities, or if it will rearrange the terms for contributors. Some photographers would already sell through both platforms, but the merge would let me sell to Getty customers as well.

This month I am making Murder At Scottish Mensa free. Download 23 – 27 January.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00E78J0W0

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E78J0W0


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www.clareobeara.ie