h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Isn't there a semi-famous historical figure named Tom Crowe?

Perhaps Lil has picked up a stalker.

Stalker? More likely a case of mistaken identity.

So Lil, are you the yacht club type?

*staggers in, gasping* Tea! Matina, please, tea...

I don't even know, in the writing, if this post will post. I'm in a bit of a snit, to be honest, and I feel ashamed about it, but a snit it is. Keeping up with assorted announcements on assorted threads in assorted fora, when the connection is like this, well, it's like looking for the office building with the bulletin board in the basement with the wonky light bulb.

I am starting to feel inadequate to the task of being hostess here. Somehow a lot of other graphics on hootoo have been grandfathered in and blobbed, but the atelier was completely overlooked. I wouldn't have expected ALL my graphics to be blobbed, but it would have been nice to at least have had the sign. It's very embarrassing for a site that once was an art gallery, and it's my fault for not getting around and watching the general fora such as Ask H2G2. See previous paragraph.

Right after this I need to phone my credit card company. Hard on the heels of Tom Crowe comes an email from an unfamiliar software company asking me to tell them how I like the product (unspecified) I recently purchased from them. The specter of identity theft...

San Diego Yacht Club is where the Man Who Can resided for a while, I think. But he's in China.

I once recieved an email from a guy who said how much he enjoyed our meeting on the Isle of Wight.

He went on to tell me all about his house, car and occupation, all over inflated to impress which he singularly failed to do

I was a bit unnerved about it at the time, especially as his tone was rather suggestive and I hadn't been to the IofW for about 25 years, let heard of him.

H suggested at the time that this bloke had done a search for someone with the same first name as mine in hotmail and yahoo and had emailed every one on the list.

So I blocked his address and never heard any more, but now that your email has brought this episode to mind, I wonder if he did find her in the end?

I don't think the Atelier was intentionaly slighted. The things that got blobbed were those that were highlighted in Post articles. That's how my wretched little 24-Seven graphic got blobbed.

Lil, I am sorry to hear that....what does "blobbed" mean? (I know, I'm a twit!!!)

Lil, dear, I would call your credit card company....and the phone company, etc. What a pain in the @ss. I am so sorry to hear it. Let's just hope for the best and see if it's just a case of mistaken identity?

Um, Tom Crowe was not a famous historical personage....are you perhaps thinking of Jim Crow, the infamous southern segregation laws?

Blobbing is the process of making graphics H2G2 compatible. This means there are currently 2 versions - one for goo and one for alabaster with blue and white borders respectively - so they blend in with each skin.

Nothing of mine was blobbed until after the foop. The fishy pics were all done as a rush job during Rupert when it was discovered that The Post could no longer use their other graphics.

Sporky, thank you for posting my message to Italic Linda over on the Lil Artworks thread. The connection is improving now, and I'll try to get over there myself.

Now, about the company who emailed me this morning, this is getting ~interesting~ and a little scary. I'll quote from the email to OTD, where I've just told the story:

Here's the text of the email I received:
-----------------------------------------------------------

Your credit card number has been registered for a transaction treated by our credit card department for a purchase made on www.bfcinternet.com.


Our after-sales service department is actually making an inquiry to know whether you were satisfied by the product you bought on www.bfcinternet.com.

Could you please confirm us by email the nature of the product you bought and whether you have been satisfied by the services propose on the website above ?

These information would allow us to improve the quality of our service and to ensure the security of our system.

Thank you very much.

Best regards
Christelle, client relationship
PROBATIO
[email protected]

------------------------------------------------------

Well, what product might that be? I wondered. I composed an email wanting to know immediately what they were talking about and said if I didn't get an immediate reply I would be contacting all my credit card companies. I hit the Send button and the email was immediately bounced back at me. And then I noticed that the original email was to my sprynet account, not my regular in-use addy.

So I went up and had a look at their website, found a contact phone number (in California) and called. Instead of a ring tone there was a long low beep and then a pick up. "Hello? Ello? Ello?" said a male voice in what sounded like a coffeehouse. We traded hello's briefly and then I identified myself.

"Ah," he said, "you get an email this morning from Christelle, yes?" And as I tried to answer, he overrode me (as if he had people talking in his ear), saying I should email HIM, not Christelle, at [email protected] and that he would explain what was going on. "OK, Igor," I said and rang off. I can't wait to see my phone bill.


That's the story I just told on OTD. This is being a terribly unsettling day! Vinnie and Limbo are at the vet -- I felt that they should stay together and Limbo could get a regular checkup -- because Vinnie's cough is worsening and yesterday he began to show signs of being poorly, not just hairballed. So I'm worried about him. Mindspring messed up my billing for the third time this month so I also spent lots of time on hold... but at least they gave me a month's credit for my trouble.

So I guess that's why I'm overreacting a bit about the blobbing and the missing float.

*suddenly thinks* Maybe we should call Affy's detective agency about the missing float!

I hope my last post doesn't get moderated -- I included the entire text of an email I received, and it has a website and email address in it. Well, it can't hurt, can it.

* begins to show signs of nervous overload*

Lil, call your credit company NOW. Do not pass go, do not collect $200. It sounds like someone broke into an online credit card # cache. YIKES!

Lil, did you go to their sight? Very interesting. Christine (or whatever) may be doing something investigative....they sound shady!

I think they're after her credit card number and that they don't have it yet. I'm sure it will go like "Oh, that was a curtesy (sp?) email we send out to all of our buyers. If you give me your order number (which she won't have) or your credit card number ($$$ for them) we can tell you right away." I'm sure they get a lot of credit card numbers that way.

Sporky, you may be right. Let's hope you are! Lil, maybe you should get in touch with the Better Business Bureau?

Now I'm thinking about it, I reckon Sporky is right. If they already had my number, they wouldn't bother to contact me and give me such a heads-up.

The sprynet addy has been leaky for a very long time -- all my spam comes from there -- and it has evidently been harvested by this outfit. I guess I better get onto earthlink now.

*sigh* I was going to accomplish so much today.

I'd still contact the credit card company just to be safe.

Don't you hate money scams?

[MTG for Lil]

Oh FG GO TORONTO!

Oh poo.

Marv, let me know what your selection is...unless, of course, you want to double your pleasure on the Semi Finals.

[fg, who thinks Tom Crowe sounds like a nice guy]