The Grumble Thread - No energy for a full on rant.

[SteveC]

ETA - Landline..... exactly how much use does that get - aside from calls from Mother?

Provides magic for the internet and contact points for elderly relatives.
Also MrsC tends to use it in preference to her mobile, to the extent of waiting until 7.00 pm for the cheaper rate when we get inclusive calls on the mobiles anyway.
Can't remember what deal we have on the landline. That's probably free after 7.00 so doesn't make much difference I suppose.

[fuzzy]

Landlines are what are going to save the world come the zombie apocolypse. Mobile phone technology will fail. The yacf Battalion of the World Zombie Defence Force (WZDF) will rally round to protect Kim OTP and she will utilise her SEEKRIT supply of capacitors, transistors etc and, whilst the Pioneer Corp of the battalion pedal furiously on the SON hub equipped generator bikes, she will concoct MAGIC CIRCUITS to enable the Pioneer Corps continued pedaling to power the phone system, so keeping the WZDF command and control structure functioning.

[ElyDave]

Landlines are what are going to save the world come the zombie apocolypse. Mobile phone technology will fail. The yacf Battalion of the World Zombie Defence Force (WZDF) will rally round to protect Kim OTP and she will utilise her SEEKRIT supply of capacitors, transistors etc and, whilst the Pioneer Corp of the battalion pedal furiously on the SON hub equipped generator bikes, she will concoct MAGIC CIRCUITS to enable the Pioneer Corps continued pedaling to power the phone system, so keeping the WZDF command and control structure functioning.

As long as we can spare a bit of power for my insulin fridge, after raiding Denmark where it's made, I'm in.

[fuzzy]

Landlines are what are going to save the world come the zombie apocolypse. Mobile phone technology will fail. The yacf Battalion of the World Zombie Defence Force (WZDF) will rally round to protect Kim OTP and she will utilise her SEEKRIT supply of capacitors, transistors etc and, whilst the Pioneer Corp of the battalion pedal furiously on the SON hub equipped generator bikes, she will concoct MAGIC CIRCUITS to enable the Pioneer Corps continued pedaling to power the phone system, so keeping the WZDF command and control structure functioning.

As long as we can spare a bit of power for my insulin fridge, after raiding Denmark where it's made, I'm in.

I've actually had a bit of an idea. We send out the Black Ops Platoon to conduct some snatch missions- capturing stray zombies. These zombies are chained to SON equipped roller bikes housed in a secure facility at a central location in each haven and survivors are detailed to walk past on a regular basis. The captive zombie will cycle furiously to catch the survivor- free power!

[Mr Larrington]

This Unit is still of the op!on that landlines are for phone calls and mobiles for emergencies, but then I'm a hopeless fuddy-duddy.

[hellymedic]

Landlines are for phone calls of any length.
Mobiles are for calling cabs and sending texts.

[ian]

Today's encounter with the idiots. Dogs. I'm not a fan. Big, barky, snarling alsatians. Less so. Big, barky, snarling alsatians not on leads. Even less so. Big, barky, snarling alsatians that are not on leads and only being restrained from eating me by two children even more less so.

The 'adult' (I assume the mother of the children) didn't bother with the usual 'being friendly/won't hurt you' gambit instead I got 'he doesn't like other people.' A somewhat superfluous explanation. I squeezed by and rather mildly remarked 'perhaps it's best to put it on a lead then.'

'Haven't got one,' she explained.

So you've got a large dog with clear antipathy to anyone and anything that it doesn't know and you think it's a bright idea to take it out without a lead?

To be fair, any idea wouldn't need to be very bright to illuminate her mind.

I should just stay inside. After the bin bag beeping incident, I'm pretty sure IQs are in free-fall. I have no idea how these people get through life without setting themselves on fire or forgetting to breath.

[Kim]

This Unit is still of the op!on that landlines are for phone calls and mobiles for emergencies, but then I'm a hopeless fuddy-duddy.

Landlines are for phone calls of any length.
Mobiles are for calling cabs and sending texts.

Landline is what we refer to the SIP line as so we don't confuse people.  It's for calling mums, blind/dyslexic people who struggle with more civilised communication methods, and for dealing with large bureaucratic organisations who don't know anything else.

Mobiles are for their many portable computing and communication applications, for getting TextRelay to work, and for failing to hear people on.

The actual landline just has RevK telling rogue Kelly engineers that the line is in use and not to nick it.  It's purely there as a prerequisite for supplying broadbeans.

[mrcharly-YHT]

Today's encounter with the idiots. Dogs. I'm not a fan. Big, barky, snarling alsatians. Less so. Big, barky, snarling alsatians not on leads. Even less so. Big, barky, snarling alsatians that are not on leads and only being restrained from eating me by two children even more less so.

The 'adult' (I assume the mother of the children) didn't bother with the usual 'being friendly/won't hurt you' gambit instead I got 'he doesn't like other people.' A somewhat superfluous explanation. I squeezed by and rather mildly remarked 'perhaps it's best to put it on a lead then.'

'Haven't got one,' she explained.

So you've got a large dog with clear antipathy to anyone and anything that it doesn't know and you think it's a bright idea to take it out without a lead?

To be fair, any idea wouldn't need to be very bright to illuminate her mind.

I should just stay inside. After the bin bag beeping incident, I'm pretty sure IQs are in free-fall. I have no idea how these people get through life without setting themselves on fire or forgetting to breath.

You are more tolerant than would have been. An alsation not on a lead, snarling at people? I'd have told the owner to get it muzzled or I would be calling it in the plod.

[fuzzy]

Sounds like 'Allowing a dog to be dangerously out of control' to me................

[ian]

It's Surrey. We don't actually have police. Leastways, I've never seen one. The last (and first) time I rang 101 a big fat zilch happened. I hate to be cynical, and in an ideal world I would have, but it's not an experience I was feel inclined to repeat unless it's a genuine 999.

Plus, to be honest, if the police did turn up, I'm sure they'd be long gone.

[T42]

People in supermarkets who cover the conveyor of the sole working checkout with shopping then drift off to fetch further items, while the cashier waits docilely, should be drowned. Especially when they come back with a couple of health-giving bio vegan gluten-free arse candles then haul the cashier off round the shelves to check the price.

[Si S]

Darling daughter, you're not 18 until 4.30am and since I'm now awake due to your enthusiasm your chances of making it are not looking good.

/miserableoldbugger

[ian]

Webinar platforms that are about as user friendly as kicking a tyrannosaurus and shouting 'your mum' and that only allow Powerpoint and then proceed to mangle it. Maybe if you save in Powerpoint 1877 format, they say. Figure out how to use PDF, I say.

Marketing monkeys, who finally delight me by sending me a brochure that's not in Word or Powerpoint, and is an actual dtp format. Whoo. Or would be if they hadn't drawn one text box and manually formatted all the text. And used the tab key to format it around the image. Which, of course, they hadn't sent.

[Diver300]

BT's webpage for explaining SIM sizes claims that the first SIMs were 25 x 15 mm, which is actually a mini SIM, while showing a (partial) picture of a multi-size SIM that includes the full, credit card sized SIM.

http://home.bt.com/tech-gadgets/phones-tablets/confused-by-sim-cards-we-explain-the-different-types-and-how-to-use-them-11364014360568

[Ham]

Dear colleague. While I don't expect your undying gratitude for turning something around in very short order before I go on holiday, when I respond to your list of 8 questions with "all the answers are in the deck", don't be surprised when your next mail asking me to call you to talk and explain where are my assumptions and where is the resource model, gets answered (Reply All) with: "You will find the assumptions on slide 6, the one titled Assumptions and the resource model is on slide 10, the one titled Headcount, which is another word for resource model". Thank you.

[hellymedic]

There should be a special section in HELL for those who watch TV at full volume on phablets at hotel breakfasts, featuring an extra inferno for canned laughter.

[barakta]

Sodcasting... My usual reaction is to talk loudly about how inconsiderate it is. If that didn't work I might ask them to stop it and then if that failed ask the hotel to make them stop it cos it's fucking rude and there's no need for it. We have this magic invention called HEADPHONES.

My friend laughed herself silly when on coach to BiCon I talked loudly about whoever was sodcasting bleepy computer games... Sadly didn't take the hint.

[Polar Bear]

There should be a special section in HELL for those who watch TV at full volume on phablets at hotel breakfasts, featuring an extra inferno for canned laughter.

I think that I'd ask them to turn down the volume.  Lots.  Ignorant little .....

[Kim]

TBH, if someone is playing loud noise in a public place, they're either unaware that they're doing it, or they don't give a stuff.  Neither is likely to end well if confronted.

I once spent an hour long train journey being glared at by a woman diagnonally opposite because I had a tablet device on standby on the table in front of me.  It turned out that for some reason she assumed "my machinery" was responsible for the hideous squeaking noise eminating from a loose bit of coachwork nearby.

Sodcasting (the deliberate blaring of tinny music) is a specific social behaviour; a midly threatening attempt to 'own' the space.  The only sane approach is headphones, so you can ignore it.

[perpetual dan]

Parents: instead of printing a web page to PDF and emailing that to me, a link would suffice.

[Andrij]

Re: sodcasting

[hellymedic]

There should be a special section in HELL for those who watch TV at full volume on phablets at hotel breakfasts, featuring an extra inferno for canned laughter.

I think that I'd ask them to turn down the volume.  Lots.  Ignorant little .....

Perp was a lady of my parents' generation. I was breakfasting alone, though perp was in company.
I did not feel I could be assertive with a Little Old Lady.

[hellymedic]

Another place in HELL is reserved for those yobs who insist on reclining their seats in economy class, leaving unfortunate passengers behind them with scant face space.

I was in the centre seat at the very front of economy, between two Big Chaps, one of whom insisted on reclining despite polite requests from an affected passenger. He looked around 10 years old, but that doesn't reduce his need for a little consideration.

Onwards and upwards... (That's a loose English translation of El Al, for those with a lust for trivia.)

[T42]

Re: sodcasting

Reminds me of my son, years ago, reading a Mahler score and chuckling in places.