CABINET OF CURIOSITIES (NEW CONCEPTS)

[Mick Harper]

I started writing for Medium in pursuit of my goal to earn a thousand pounds a year which, as best I can see, represents financial stability for me. My earnings have been thus far

May $ 24.79
April $ 13.06
March $ 20.46
Feb $ 20.44
Jan $ 20.31

2023
Dec $ 21.71
Nov $ 1.91
Oct $ 1.51
Sept $ 1.06
Aug $ 0.43

which isn't bad given that I've been a remarkable failure, getting single figure attention for the vast majority of my stories. Those that get into double and triple figures represent either views/reads from outside Medium and earn no money or something topical e.g. Ukraine, Gaza etc which have limited appeal for me.

On the other hand it costs me upwards of $200 per annum to be signed up to various programmes on Medium so I have to find a way of boosting my numbers. I have plenty of email subscribers and followers but this does not seem to be the route to success. I am satisfied my stuff is better than anything else on Medium but that does not appear to be the key either.

I shall rely on something turning up, aka careful ignoral.

[Mick Harper]

Great new aphorism heard yesterday

[Mick Harper]

Here's a real puzzler. As well as getting my own personalised recommendations about Medium stories daily, I get a list of stories they think are specially up my alley every Friday. Yesterday it included

[Mick Harper]

May earnings $17.34. Down on the monthly averages this year but I'm pleased. I'm always pleased.

[Wile E. Coyote]

Worst job in the world. Probation Officer.

"OK, Donald, we just need to complete this report for the courts."

"It looks pretty nice around here but I need to ask the question, do you need help with housing?"

"Maybe an anger management course?"

"Are you addicted to drugs, alcohol or sex?"

"Do you find yourself overusing social media?"

"Are there courses you would like to take, there looks to be one on narcissism that might be appropriate?"

"Can you manage your money?"

"Oh for fuck sake, next on my list is Hunter Biden."

[Mick Harper]

It will be interesting to see, in both cases, whether they follow their own rules:
1. Nobody is above the law
2. Everybody should be punished for what they did not for who they are.

[Mick Harper]

Local Authority On The Job

I received a letter from Kensington & Chelsea dated 5th June today, 15th June, asking for my bank details for a Low Income Support Payment. I sent the info and received this automatic response

[Mick Harper]

Hello,

I am writing in regards to your account on medium.com: We have determined that your account is in violation of our rules: https://medium.com/policy/medium-rules-30e5502c4eb4

Hateful content

We do not allow content that constitutes or promotes violence, harassment, or hatred against people based on characteristics like race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, caste, disability, disease, age, sexual orientation, gender, or gender identity.

We do not allow posts or accounts that glorify, celebrate, downplay, or trivialize violence, suffering, abuse, or deaths of individuals or groups. This includes the use of scientific or pseudoscientific claims or misleading statistics to pathologize, dehumanize, or disempower others. We do not allow calls for intolerance, exclusion, or segregation based on protected characteristics, nor do we allow the glorification of groups which do any of the above.

We do not allow posts or accounts that target others with slurs, tropes, or other content that intends to dehumanize, degrade or reinforce negative or harmful stereotypes about a protected category. For example, this may include targeted or intentional misgendering or deadnaming of transgender individuals, or harmfully ableist language. We do not allow hateful text, images, symbols, or other content, including in your username, profile, or bio.

It is now suspended.

Your work will remain accessible to you while signed in, but is publicly unavailable. Your content may be exported at any time by going to your Settings (https://medium.com/me/settings). From there, go to to Security and apps and click Download your information > Export to export your data, which includes your published stories.

Your Medium membership, if you have one, will be canceled and any remaining funds you may have prepaid will be returned to you.

Thanks,
Trust & Safety

[Mick Harper]

If anyone has any recommendations for somewhere else, like Medium but hopefully more accommodating, let me know.

[Mick Harper]

My first day without Medium. I had not realised how much I had got to depend on (a) people saying nice things about my writing (b) people saying nasty things about my writing and (c) providing more of my writing.

I decided therefore to find out what 'retirement' was like. I enjoyed the first six hours (a) reading a book I ordinarily only read for fifteen minutes to get me off to sleep (b) watching telly for pleasure, not work (c) listening to the radio wall to wall and (d) tidying up and stuff. I feel six hours is about my limit.

[Mick Harper]

I filled in the appeals form and got back this

[Ishmael]

What was the post that got you banned?

[Mick Harper]

It's right above your question, dum dum. It is true there is a deliberate ambiguity about 'you people' but among the liberal American chattering classes blackness is always a red line. Ambiguity means you have already crossed it.

In general, some conclusions can be drawn from the experience. There was no conclusive evidence that a human being was involved in the process. All correspondence was of a rote nature. It is possible -- though I don't think it likely -- that the suspension was automatic because a certain number of complaints triggered it. Maybe an appeal just as automatically restores it. Not that they tell you there is an appeals procedure when suspending you, I found this out by accident.

If it was humanly driven, there could be some incidental benefits since it draws attention to my work for the Medium apparat -- the only way to make any real money -- and it was quite conveniently timed, after I posted up something about ending up floating in the Thames re the British Museum stories. But this is equally unlikely. The main upshot will be a certain amount of self-censorship on my part, which is not necessarily a bad thing but probably is.

[Ishmael]

Unfortunately, Medium does not allow anyone but you to view the post by clicking the link.

[Ishmael]

Have you seen my latest on the Titanic? Several posts made.