It was just another day in rain soaked Swindon. A lorry rumbled past, bouncing on the road surface with loud rattles, spraying water on the faceless citizens scurrying from place to place. This is one tough town, where only the driest survive. Who knows? Maybe some mysterious dame will walk through my door and complicate my life. It was not to be. An impersonal text message arrived on my phone. SBD will collect your faulty laptop today between 07:00 and 20:00.

Oh? I wasn't informed about this. And whilst we're on the subject, I have a faulty PC, not a laptop. Who on earth is SBD anyway? My first thought was that the vendor who sold me that somewhat dodgy computer in the first place was up to something. I phoned for consumer advice, which wasn't entirely helpful on this occaision, then proceeded to track down the guilty party.

Phoning the vendor produced a lot of passing the parcel and audible shrugs. Great. The message didn't originate from them and now they think I'm slightly insane. That'll help my case. However, one voice in the background suggested SBD was a courier. Aha! A lead.

The phone book didn't help me at all. There was no phone number for SBD at all and phoning Telephone Enquiry numbers these days requires a second mortgage. Is this an official collection by Trading Standards for a safety inspection? No, it wasn't. Could this be some sort of clever scam to knick a computer? Dunno. Was it the company dealing with my data recovery?

"Yes, SBD work for us." The woman on the other end of the phone answered with a jovial giggle. "The disks are being sent to a laboratory. We've been having problems with their automated booking service. You shouldn't have received that text message at all. I am sorry."

Oh that's all right. I've just spent a few quid chasing this up. Next time I'll just wait for some indifferent van driver to turn up and send him on his way frustrated. Well, since I've still got a few quid left, I'll pop down to the shops and buy a cider bottle.

Pictures At An Exhibition

The problem with our visually entertained world is that people generally prefer something visual with their information. Photos and diagrams have become essential in publishing these days. That's even more true of the internet. Now that I've been writing web pages on one subject or another, it's time to consider an illustration.

I've discovered a heritage site that has collections of images connected with Roman history available for download. That's cool, let's check it out. The images were indeed excellent. Photographs of modern re-enactors, archaeological sites, and some stunning artists impressions of Roman life in Britain.

Naturally I checked out the license conditions. Copyright can be a thorny issue and I've no intention of treading on someones toes. So there's personal use, editorial use, and creative use. Let's see.... Web pages... Yes, I need a license for editorial use. The average cost is