To Rant, Perchance To Scream

• It's snow. Get over it. Anybody that isn't living comfortably in luxurious shelter is freezing their butts off and dying a thoroughly miserable death in the cold outside. Stop being so happy about that. If you want snow, go live in a country where you'll get the real stuff rather than this pathetic excuse for weather. Go live there, get sick of it in under 2 months, come crawling back here, and then appreciate the rain and the fact that some colour survives throughout winter in this incompetent climate.
• I've been quietly in support of tuition fees for quite a while. Yes, I'm a student. No, I don't believe I'm betraying my nation. The money's got to come from somewhere, and as long as payment doesn't become upfront I don't have too many issues with it. It is exceptionally annoying that everyone expects me to be outraged at the idea, and to partake in various lobbies etc., just because I'm a student.
• Java is bloody stupid. Computational Methods even more so.
• Plagiarism. Fanfic. Not one and the same. But. Fanficcers complaining about plagiarism. There was a link, but I just realised it was a restricted journal entry. So now there's no link. Authors of an AU complaining that someone else has written a fic based on the same idea. Not that it actually sounds like they have to me. But they feel this person has nicked their bunny, and seem to be claiming the fandom version of copyright for any ViggOrli fic involving either football/soccer or rock stars. The fandom version of copyright being widespread indignant bitching.

  There's this little line you put at the top of every single piece of fic you write called a disclaimer. It makes a point sans blaring capitals saying that the writer does not own every single aspect of the fic. Some people seem to have forgotten that this does not mean "you can't sue me," but rather "please don't sue me." We ficcers are here purely by the grace and mercy of the (hopefully) understanding PTB of whatever fandom we're writing. It therefore annoys me that these writers are being so extremely protective of their characters. If J.K.Rowling implemented the legal version of copyright as fiercely as these ficcers are enforcing their version, we'd have no Harry Potter fandom in the fic community. If the Tolkien Estate did the same, we'd have not LotR FPS. If Anne Rice... oh, wait.

  Blatant plagiarism is, of course, highly offensive to both the original writers and newer readers. Just how dumb do people think readers are? So I'm not supporting plagiarism in any way. But I'm a big supporter of fanfic, and if that's fanfic of other fanfic, then I support that too. Although obviously you have to be a little sensitive to the original authors if you want to actually publish online. I feel the writers in question have somewhat missed the point when it comes to fanfic, and maybe they should reread their own disclaimer to remind them of what exactly it is they own.

• I hate doing laundry. In a big way.
• I hate running out of orange juice. In an even bigger way.
• I hate that my parents are in New Zealand, and more specifically I hate that I am not.
• Lastly. I am getting sick and tired of receiving mail about my lack of a TV license. I thought licenses were things you applied for. License to drive. License to sell inebriating substances. License to kill. I do not have a TV. I do not want a TV. I do not want to pay £100+ for uninteresting and biased programming. I do not want to receive any more sombre letters warning me of unapplicable fines.

  Apparently I'm supposed to write to them to tell them I don't have a TV. When they send me a stamped self-addressed envelope, maybe I'll do that. But I refuse to spend one penny on not applying for a TV license.

  Incidentally, I would quite like a dvd player. Someone needs to start selling TVs without aerials.