Posts by Elmer Phud

Nail -- head

" . . .but the point is that the average user doesn't care. They just want something that works, and the iPhone/iPad have now set a new standard in "just works" simplicity."

Yup, sounds like me - and most that I know.

"Offered"?

The usual 'offer' no doubt.

'You can move or you might get laid off. When you move it'll be shite and still no actual job security but it won't be us that gets rid of you'

Paris?

Sure looks like she's trying real hard to be a Paris lookee-likee.

Lessons should have been learned

Under the guise of being 'Friends' the US has stolen all sorts of tech and information from us in the past. They have even used the excuse of 'National Security" to ride roughshod over other people's security, national laws, international laws etc. etc.

They are Facebook 'Friends' and nothing more.

hang on a min

People get an email and fill in a form that comes with it?

They don't go to the website and check it's a secure link before filling in personal details instead?

They don't check where the form is going?

Ah well.

Cu ture Secretary

I thought it was all about "Big Society" where we, as groups of responsible citizens upheld the lawanorder due to the impending lack of police officers. Are we not be trusted with our individual net access but are trusted to form community groups?

What sort of culture is this to be then? One with apparent local control but eventually one big central hand to slap us down should locals get too uppity. They say that China may well be the superpower of this century, we're getting a head start on other parts of the West.

Idiot proof?

My BT HomeHub thingy needs me to go in as admin to turn off security - and then it asks if I'm sure, then if I'm really sure (The Mrs Doyle effect).

My ancient wireless print hub from Belkin (hack, spit) won't let me access the wirless security part of its setup menu if I go in via ethernet and it means I'm going to have to drop the wirless security to set it up just to avoid tripping over a long USB lead.

Sod it - I'll gaffa the cable to the floor instead.

tape

"but the red tape laden backoffice staff that royally screw things up for everyone"

It's the so-called expert systems that are used to process orders.

One of the common ways to do this was for ISP's to be sent a job asking for further details and they would just send the job back again with no further information - simple stuff like customer availablity or alternative customer contact. The other great one was for ISP's to mark the job needing the attendance of a BT engineer when they were not required. All this is done within the remit of the order but is actually a way of just tagging the job as having been handled and ensuring that then ticking clock on the job belonged to someone else.

The back office staff tend to not have time to actually deal with anything as thier managers are hassled as part of a numbers game. Occasionally employees take matters in to their own hands and try to get things moving but if it means having a job on your screen for more than 10 minutes they'll get hassled. Calling an ISP's customer is a no-no for Openreach, the regulations do not allow it, meanwhile the job gets passed around the system and the 'expert systems' once again say it needs another engineers visit or another test. Then it goes back in the pot for someone else who's never seen the job to pick it up and rely on the 'expert systems' to think for them (as they are not allowed to think for themselves).

(I took the money and ran like fuck a few years back)