Monthly Archives: June 2005

Upgrade!

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I’ve checked a few blogs, and some of you are not running the latest version of WP which is 1.5.1.2
There IS a security issue with previous versions. It has been reported in the forums so there will be people out there trying these exploits. Upgrade your blog!

  • Upgrade to 1.5.1.2
  • Then delete the following files:install.php, install-helper.php, upgrade.php, upgrade-schema.php
  • Install IOError’s Bad Behavior plugin
  • And while you are there, make sure your login password is a good one. Make it at least 8 characters and a mix of numbers, lower-case and upper-case letters. If you have other members with admin priviledges, nag them too about this.
  • If you are okay doing in phpMyAdmin, you should change your ‘table_prefix’. It’s set in the wp-config file and if you just change it there you will get an error so you need to change all of them in the database.

PC World – lying f*cking muppets

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They even link to IE5.5 suggesting that this will be a “Customer Upgrade”. Yes I could get a new card and sell it but now it’s the principle. Hunting for their Head Office phone number……..

Some time later……
I had to ring the generic phone number and hassle for Customer Services. This is what I told the guy who answered:

  • that I had tried to return the fault Network Card yesterday but was told I needed a box so that the faulty item could be returned to the manufacturers
  • that I called the helpline yesterday and was eventually assured that I could return the card to the original store and that as a Goodwill gesture, they would let me off having no box
  • finding myself on the opposite side of the city this morning but close to a PC World, I went in and enquired if I could return an item I purchased elsewhere. The girl said I could. I showed her the card and the receipt. I explained the situation. She repeated the “No box, no go” mantra. I insisted, pointed out the phone number on the receipt. She wandered off to talk to someone, returning only to say again the PC World Company Mantra – “No box, no go”. I pointed out the telephone number on the receipt – she dismissed that as a “Branch number – doesn’t mean anything”. (I was livid at her attitude)
  • I rang the helpline again. And AGAIN was told the box rule. I asked for the call to be escalated and that person also said “No box, no go”. I explained that there was something called a “law” which gave me lots of rights and that this stupid box thing could not overrule a “law”. Amazingly, she repeated the mantra.
  • I rang Netgear. I explained what was going on and asked if they care about boxes. He said No. I was really clear about what PC World staff were telling me (remember this is 2 shop staff and at least 4 people on the phone) about the way Netgear insisted on faulty products coming back in their original box and the guy who worked at Netgear said that was false – they really do not care. Now I KNOW that PC World staff are lying.
  • So I’ve rung Muppets Inc back and insist my call is escalated straight away. I get through to “Customer Services” (neat that when you call the only number you have it is not this dept) and I’m back in the present.

I say “Why do your staff lie to customers ?” I explain the situation fully. The guy I’m talking to says that it’s probably just a mistake by the staff. I insist that it is much more than a mistake given 6 staff in different locations have trotted out the same lie. He is insistent – and he was really decent on the phone – that there is no need for a box. He agreed that everything that had happened so far was unacceptable and that he would note this for the Area Manager.
Outcome: I send the card back to him, I get a refund+costs.

PC World – bunch of lying f*cking muppets. There is some nasty rip-off corporate culture going on in there

PC World

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So…I have a faulty Netgear wireless card. I’ve done all the troubleshooting, uninstalled, reinstalled, new drivers etc etc etc, so I wander in to PC World. I have the card and the receipt. I tell my tale and ask for a cash refund (I know the answer but why not ask ?) and I get told I cannot have that because I don’t have the box and everything else the card came with (must remember to keep the cellophane next time..). No problem about the cash then, what about exchanging for other goods to the same value ? No, can’t do that as I’ve no box. What I can have is another card. I tell the guy that I have a Belkin that works and I don’t want another card. He tells me that unless he has the box etc, they cannot return the faulty product to Netgear. (Lies ! It’s so they can’t just repackage it in the backroom and sell it on again isn’t it!!) So basically I’m stuck with an expensive piece of plastic and metal.
I call Netgear and run through some stuff with them – just to be sure. They don’t offer any returns for this product and advise I talk to PC World again – which is just what I wanted them to say as I can now honestly say I spoke to them. Customer Services girl also says “No box ? Tough” (or words to that effect). I was really nice though and in the end she sent my call up the line one step. This lady listened, made a call and tomorrow I can go into the same branch of PC World and exchange as I asked for this morning. Result :)
The wider question is why I keep using the damn place..

BBC Censorship arrives

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Censorship finally arrives at the BBC.

“accuracy is more important than speed”.
If a TV feed is live then how the hell can it be judged to be inaccurate ? If it’s of a shooting, then the bullets are still killing people aren’t they ? If it’s of a plane flying into a building, then delaying the news changes what exactly ? The fact is it gives the BBC the time to change the words they wrap reports in, and changing words changes perspective, and changing perspective is writing propaganda.
Who defines ‘accurate’ ? A Govt spin doctor ? A GWB fanatic in the White House yelling down the phone to Broadcasting House ? A foreign govt with a terrible human rights record but about to award a multi-million pound contract ? I’m confident that it goes on right now, but this decision is no more based on journalistic integrity than Tony Blair bases his career on the motto “Never lie”.

As someone who watches news almost constantly, it does get very boring when an event occurs and they wheel out all the ‘rent-a-gobs’ to fill the airtime with lots of if, maybe, possibly, potentially, could while they establish the facts but hey – in this brave new world of accuracy, who decides when a story IS accurate ? Maybe they shouldn’t have mentioned Iraq ….

So they’ll be passing this over to those in charge of the US elections too maybe ?

BBC delay on sensitive live news

Keeping boxes

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The Netgear card I bought kept going to sleep every so often. It would just c.u.r.l up on it’s own and cut the world off. Stupid card. Got the latest driver – didn’t help. Clicked through what few menus it had – no joy (not even an option to stop that little ‘ring’ it made on connection. Very bad – there must ALWAYS be an option to kill device noises) and the disconnections built in frequency (bad pun….). Nothing wrong with the router, nothing walking between me and the router (‘scuse me J, don’t sling the lead sheets around like that eh love ?’) and even swearing didn’t work. So the Belkin card is back in. Belkin++ So … do I have the box the Netgear card came in ? Of course not. How long do you keep yours ? I might have the receipt. Possibly. So in the morning I shall ring Netgear and see what I can swap my card for – I’ll be damned if I’m having a useless piece of plastic lying around the house. Oops.. I meant another useless piece of plastic – I’ve already got an xbox :p

New header. Found it. Nice eh ? What ? Can’t see it ? Well stop reading the feed then :)

Someone shoot Dawn Primarolo

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That woman almost redefines incompetence.

We have had to go through the complete bloody shambles that is called ‘tax credits’. It was, is and will remain a complete fucking joke. Somewhere in this house we have a letter from Dawn “complete idiot” Primarolo in her role as Paymaster General. It states that the system was fair, was just, was not at fault, that all mistakes were ours etc etc etc. We even had the Press involved because OUR figures were RIGHT and everything that came from the tax people wasn’t just wrong, it was completely screwed up. That dept was directly responsible for some hardships that me and J had to go through – one such was that when the girls were at school we didn’t eat. We could not afford to eat but we couldn’t let them go without. Dawn Primarolo should resign, be sacked and anything else vile that could happen. She is an incompetent fool and Blair is not the slightest bit better for standing up today and apologising. We tried our damndest to get them to listen to us but Oh NO, The Govt CANNOT be wrong … course not. Bastards. Dawn Primarolo – Liar. Incompetent. Useless. Blundering. Deceiver.

Rowing away

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Amazingly quick the time went on the rowing machine today – great music (Faithless), good concentration and no breathing problems. That combined with some good weights and I was (and am) a happy bunny.
While I was there I had some ideas – I’ve forgotten if they were good ones – about site updating / sorting things out but what with general family distractions I’ve forgotten it all. It’s like I know I had a list but not what was on it.

I went to upgrade D’s blog but she’s changed her password so I can’t. Such is giving a child knowledge eh ?

And J tells me I’m quite sane right now. That’s a bonus :)

Crystalised

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Is it odd or just ‘the way it is’ that something you’ve been pondering for a while is suddenly brought sharply into focus by the words of another ?
Ta, cheers, thanks, fine, wonderful wasn’t it great eh ? Now piss off.

(Apologies for being cryptic to those that do not get this.)

Mindless dross

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On a really bright hot day, little can beat the sense of satisfaction gained from the cleaning and squeegeeing of the external windows. Eyes disliked it and the scrunching up of my face due to the glare probably added a line or two, but it’s sparkly, clear and smudge / smear free.

Custom builds of Firefox and Thunderbird running here now, grabbed from moox. Can’t say I’ve noticed anything yet with Tbird, but Firefox is definitely faster. Combined with the right tweaks – which cause me no problems – it’s been flying along. Very nice indeed.
Miranda is updated – now uses a web installer – and I’ve got a Gadu Gadu account (because it wanders in with miranda). I have no idea if I’ll use it, who else may use it, or any other ponderables but it’s the net – you always do these things don’t you ? That reminds me .. wonder what’s on my xanga blog …. mind you, I have no idea what I even called it. I wonder just how many ‘accounts’ across the web are literally just empty entities ?

And it was Caitlin ! She said I sounded very professional. That is – undoubtedly – the reason why she did not connect my voice with it being me :)