Today.

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Templogin

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Dealing with tech support...

I feel loathe to give this away, as I am sure that there is money to be made from it!

Background: I have a shockingly bad memory. In my last job I worked in an office for 10 years with the same people and still forgot their names. No, really.

The valuable bit: I used an online form to contact a helpdesk as I was having problems logging on. I was asked a security question along the lines of what was the last thing that you bought from us. I couldn't for the life of me remember so I told them so, but then told them that I had dementia. They couldn't have been nicer. Nothing was a problem after that! Naughty I know*, but some of these helldesk security interrogations just go on too long for me to keep myself calm.

* There was no way that I was going to heaven anyway!
 
Saint-Just

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Greg

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The bike I went to look at would be superb if I had a bit more space. I think it is too much of a project for me to take on right now. It was in good condition with a starter issue that plagued that model but it's been off the road since 1989. No rust on it at all and the electrics worked but that's a long time - you'd have to refresh everything, which is fine but not what I need right now.

Interesting bloke, obviously prone to buying a lot of things for spares. It was a big unit that he runs his business out of, we chatted for ages. Anything he is interested in he seems to buy 3 or 4 of them. Huge racks with old truck engines, boats, all sorts. He had 3 of a particular kind of garden tractor (on an industrial estate), he had 6 bikes (Viragos, and the XV920) in various states, 3 Honda Elements... just loads of stuff.

Honestly it was probably the best thing because it made me realise I don't want to start collecting projects or getting something that's too much of an unknown entity. When I did my last bike the rule I set for my self was it needed to be something I could use while I worked on it.
 
Winnet

Winnet

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Took dad for a visit of the family graves, he keeps pondering how long before he will be beside mum again 🤔

After that cheerful interlude we went to have lunch and visit a garden centre. He didn't manage to get tomato plants but picked up some shallots.

I have spent the rest of the day cleaning the garage. I have found the paint for the hallway but managed to loose a sheet of paper I needed. On the plus side, I fixed the clock in the Land Rover by swapping over the power cables. Saved me £70 for another clock.

Evening now so I will revert to grumpy mode.

G
 
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Templogin

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Trying to get my computer(s) to connect to the interwebs reliably through my iPhone. I was at it at midnight on Saturday as well and ended up banging the table with my fist such was the annoyance.
 
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Templogin

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One Mac laptop and one Linux box, 2 cables, same problem. I have been doing this for years with Mac laptops and if I have ever had a problem it is down to the mobile phone company, and usually in poor weather.

Tomorrow I will have access to a landline so will speak to the Apple techs, my thoughts are that it might be something to do with the last upgrade, but I can't bring to mind when I completed the update.

Edit: Later on.... I have just discovered a workround and have selected the iPhone in Finder and that seems to "bind" the laptop and the phone. All has been well since. Bug reported to Apple.
 
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ElThomsono

ElThomsono

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We're back from our holiday today, coming back on B roads with Laura driving and it was enough to make Sully sick. Almost immediately Saff went in sympathetic discharge, but we got them back, changed them, fed them, and made it into nursery for the afternoon.

In better news, Saff has potty trained herself. She started four days ago and hasn't had an accident yet so it seems that we're done with that? They always say girls are easier. I tell you what she can produce a stool that Rinder would be proud of.

I'd put in a real fudge of a fix for South Lanarkshire's traffic system on Friday, checking this morning it seems to have survived the weekend but I dunno how I'm going to fix it for real, perhaps I just won't bother? It's not clear what caused the change in behaviour in the first place.

Temp, have you tried WiFi tethering your iPhone with the personal hotspot? It's always worked like magic for me?
 
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Greg

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Templogin said:
Trying to get my computer(s) to connect to the interwebs reliably through my iPhone. I was at it at midnight on Saturday as well and ended up banging the table with my fist such was the annoyance.
Click to expand...

There are folks in the UK getting very generous Starlink deals. Would be worth you getting on their mailing lists I'd think.
 
MaC

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ElThomsono said:
We're back from our holiday today, coming back on B roads with Laura driving and it was enough to make Sully sick. Almost immediately Saff went in sympathetic discharge, but we got them back, changed them, fed them, and made it into nursery for the afternoon.

In better news, Saff has potty trained herself. She started four days ago and hasn't had an accident yet so it seems that we're done with that? They always say girls are easier. I tell you what she can produce a stool that Rinder would be proud of.

I'd put in a real fudge of a fix for South Lanarkshire's traffic system on Friday, checking this morning it seems to have survived the weekend but I dunno how I'm going to fix it for real, perhaps I just won't bother? It's not clear what caused the change in behaviour in the first place.

Temp, have you tried WiFi tethering your iPhone with the personal hotspot? It's always worked like magic for me?
Click to expand...

Ahem!
As a denizen of aforementioned county, I can tell you that the roads are a mess of so many potholes and flooded areas that folks are using back roads, farm roads, and slippinig on and off the motorways using the services instead of the junctions. The Raith is a bloody nightmare, Hamilton and East Kilbride are beyond the pale, and the Rutherglen end is a misery. The M74 southwards is a trial at the best of times when the lorries are grinding up and out.

Sunday morning though, the roads were silent :)

I hope the kids are over the vomiting, and good on your daughter for figuring it out herself :D
 
ElThomsono

ElThomsono

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Well the comms to a bunch of junctions were down, they rely upon a centralised control system and the guy running your patch is useless so his fallback plans are total junk. Normally you'd expect 80% of the throughput when the comms are down but it was so bad that the public were phoning in.

I got it all up and running then skipped off on holiday, not knowing if it would survive the eight hour refresh period. I was a bit late getting out the door even at that, Laura was getting annoyed but it's the flipside of my role, more often than not the flexible working is to her benefit, but sometimes there's a job to be done.
 
Beachlover

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Not a bad day here but sodden on the allotment, so took the opportunity for some quiet time at Quarr Abbey.

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Took a bimble about and down to the older original medieval abbey that I find more to my liking even if it's in a pretty poor state now.

View attachment DSCF2599.jpeg

Finally rounded off the day feeding this greedy bugger cashew nuts and bits of beef up on Culver Down.

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Templogin

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ElThomsono said:
Temp, have you tried WiFi tethering your iPhone with the personal hotspot? It's always worked like magic for me?
Click to expand...

Yep, that's what I have been doing for years. My workaround was OK for a few hours, so I logged a bug and workaround with Apple (dev?) tech support. Then it kept failing again, now it is OK ssssh!

Greg said:
There are folks in the UK getting very generous Starlink deals. Would be worth you getting on their mailing lists I'd think.
Click to expand...

I will look into this. If this is a satellite operation I use a hell of a lot of data - about 1TB/p.a. so that would cost me an arm and a leg. Better go and investigate before I talk myself out of it.
 
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Greg

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The residential packages are unlimited data.

I read people getting sent offers for £40 a month which is cheap.
 
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CaptainBeaky

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Stopped just outside Godmanchester yesterday morning to finish my cup of tea before hitting a customer site, and spent a good 10 minutes or so watching a female sparrowhawk collecting nest material. No angle to get a photo with the phone, unfortunately, and no way was I going to get out and scare her away!
Great start to the day :Y
 
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