Posts by Zakspade

Sacked

I was sacked purely on the strength of one manager's opinion he gained from snooping on my conversation with a non-employee.

When asked how I was liking the job by the non-employee (a friend of mine), my reply was that they were not only an American company, but they operated as such, loud and clear, and I thought I may begin looking elsewhere because it wasn't sitting easy with me.

Said manager confronted me with a transcript of the conversation and sacked me. The CCTV in the foyer recorded audio as well as video...

I'd name the company, but I suspect that it would result in this Post not making it past a Moderator (and on one person's word, I would probably jump on the Post as well). Suffice it to say - it is a real thing and it hurts. Okay, by the time I was sacked (the day after I had that conversation in the foyer), I was convinced by a good night's sleep that I would start looking elsewhere, but being summarily fired meant having to start my search that day as an unemployed person. Annoying.

I realised a couple of years later that I could have, and SHOULD have, sued, but I was now working for a proper employer by that time and having resolved to make the job interview process as much about interviewing the employer than being interviewed - I let it go.

But I wish I could name the offending employer (and the manager!).

These things make me smile. I have a FB account. If my account had been part of that data leak, all anyone would get was my name. DoB, email, phone, in fact ALL data fields required are filled with dummy data. Anyone who knows me doesn't need FB to make contact with me (although it is simple). Likewise, or ALL of my FB Friends I hold a contact method (not on/within FB). If FB vanished off the face of the earth overnight, my interaction with friends would go on. The criminals end up with just a name...

Basically, folks - why bother populating accounts with real data?

Isn't that known as "doing a Microsoft"?

"As someone who was born in an age where computers were room-sized, the speed of innovation certainly outpaced the institution she was born into."

Er... There were no computers in 1926 - room-sized or otherwise.

That said - who cares? A 96yo mother, grandmother, great grandmother has passed on. Her family are having to deal with her passing. Oh, she happened to be the Queen as well...

RIP

Is one of the features a survey tacked on the end of Apple news stories? The blooming thing crops up no matter how I try to get rid of it. Poor show, The Register!

Hang on! Solved - turned off Javascript...

"We will update should the company respond."

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

<pauses for breath>

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

Seeing so many Comments on the end of this 'On Call' piece makes me realise that there is probably something wrong at my end. It wasn't linked from the On Call page as usual - so given you guys Commented, it must just be something not refreshing at my end.

Pretty dumb not checking the fuel level though...

Big customer. Problems with a KVM switchbox. Not supported. However, I was instructed to use best endeavours to keep them happy.

Problem was that the box would freeze randomly. Swapping out didn't sure it. After a lot of digging, I traced it to a single user being close to the KVM. They had a heart pacemaker fitted. If they stayed away from the KVM, all was well. If they leant over it or the desk - WHAM! Instant inability to switch between PCs...

So I smile when laptop users b*tch about not being allowed to use their kit on airliners (admittedly, I'm talking about the 90s).

Maybe MIcrosoft could release a form of wear that reflects their command of their own OS?

I'm a Windows 10 user. I run scripts. I create PDFs. I do stuff.

Every once and a while, Windows reassigns file associations. If PDFs to Edge then I need to reboot because it stuffs the app I use to create and edit PDFs.

If it decides to jettison ISO files and surrender them to a random application elsewhere - whether they understand ISO files or not - then my batch files fall over.

Imagine a sweatshirt that changes colour/style at random times. Imagine one that carries a slogan across the front. A slogan which changes at random times.

Wearing it at a Christmas party while it has, "Let Microsoft Windows take you through the world!" is a good start, but should it change to, "Die, Santa, die!" and display, "Anyone who goes to Christmas parties is a loser! Stab me, HERE," then things might not go so swimmingly.

Ah, the joys of Microsoft randomness! Merry Christmas everybody!

Yes!!!

I often tell people about the time I worked supporting sub POs and one particular office had a Unix box that failed three times. Each time i had sent an engineer out to swap the box out (Unix boxes don't fail via the OS - it is usually hardware - so faffing about onsite wastes valuable engineer and PO time).

After the third swapout I managed to secure authority from management to have the engineer stay on site as the boxes always failed after a only a few hours.

The sub Post Master's wife made a cuppa for the engineer and while he and the PM chatted, she set about festooning the Unix box with fridge magnets which she had removed from the old box prior to the scheduled engineer's visit...

Good to see I'm not the only victim of that!

Hmm. Quite dramatic. I have already dealt with the matter. I ran up a copy of Windows 11 to see what all the fuss was and was put off by the fact that it was impossible to install without first creating/supplying a Microsoft account. It went on from there - accounts for everything and not playing well when taken offline.

I am presently testing Linux so as to be able to switch come the time when my computer dies/fails and the only kit out there is Windows 11 contaminated.

In fact, so strong is my determination to never move to 11, I am even considering using Apple kit...

Just saying.

Installed

Hmm. I read all the stuff on the hardware requirements - then read about it (allegedly) being installed on a Nokia phone and a Raspberry Pi. So I figured I'd install it on a virtual machine and have a peek.

I had to hack the thing to get it to ignore the missing TPM 2.0 - but once done, it was sweet. Except...

Goodness! First you cannot install it without using an online M$ account. With 10 you yanked out the Ethernet cable and went from there (replacing it on the next screen). That doesn't (seem) to work with 11. But it gets worse - far worse.

A great many of the built-in apps - aren't. They are installed upon first use - via the M$ Store (a bit like Smart cars claiming they were the most online purchased cars - dealer would process your order when you were sitting in front of them - via an online portal - it's called massaging the figures - MS Store is going to become popular - NOT!)

THEN - if that isn't enough - you are REQUIRED to create a login ID/password to use/unlock each. Edge logs you in transparently - but the photo viewer doesn't.

I played for a while before it sucked the life out of me.

When the time comes for me to buy a new PC (in the event of my current computer dying), then I won't be touching Windows 11. I said that about 10, but I relented upon finding ways around the way MS wanted to make me work - but it was a mighty close call. However, 11 has nailed the coffin shut and added a big heavy weight on top to make sure no nails are pushed out...

"Beyond that, it seems like the best option is to switch to another platform with long-term support."

Frankly, if Long Term Support is expected/required, I'd advocate NEVER touching Google in the first place.

But then, what do I know. I've barely a billion, oops, million, no, thousand, still no, hundred Dollars to my name.

Relatively safe

While is is likely that most will fail to make it to the surface, the fact is that with so much of the Earth's surface given over to water or uninhabited areas, what DOES make it to the surface would be unlikely to hit anyone.

Yee-es...

However, can the same be said about Amazon delivery drones?

Just wondering out loud - sorry.

Won't Happen...

Ah, I worked through the Y2K era and had such fun!

All went well, and because there were no problems (we worked hard), everyone (that's management) claimed it had been hyped up and demanded that we now justify our overtime etc.

At home my 14-day programmable VCR went on the blink when it failed to handle 2000 in the date...

Same old, same old...

Since the days of Windows 95, upon booting the system checks/maps network drives BEFORE initialising the WiFi. The result is an error report/notification upon a reboot.

It isn't as if Microsoft haven't noticed this. I reported it as a tester on windows 95, NT4 and Windows 10. When the simple stuff is never done because the 'bells and whistles' to attract non-IT-savvy people/users has priority, we will for ever be plagued by bugs that never seem to be correctly prioritised.

Just saying...