SORRY - DUE TO THE INSANITY OF THE DU COMPANY SYSTEMS THIS BLOG WILL BE TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED FOR UPTO 28 DAY
WATCH THIS SPACE.......BUT DON'T EXPECT ANYTHIGN EXCITTING TO HAPPEN
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Du - Well...actually we don't....but we do....just not straight away
The co-pilot and I have recently moved out of our borrowed palacial mansion and into an new "little house of our own" (albiet rented - we are not daft enough to buy in Dubai at the moment). we completed the move last weekend and the new landlord is a sound fella (a rarity in these times) and he kept the DEWA and Du servces connected while we moved in.
Now I have been following with amused interst the Grumpy Goats on going saga with Itisalot and his efforts, in vain to date, to persuade them that as a ISP they have just two functions (1) to provide internet and (2) collect payment for said service. And in summary it would appear itisalot are only able to master the second part of that equation.
In our old appartment (prison Cell Block Wakka) we had completely failed to enjoy any of Itisalots services as they did not have cables in our area yet. So, with the move to the Arbian Ranches we were looking forward to never having to deal with itisalot again as we would be switching (through no choice of ours) to the otehr monopoly - Du (oh the joys of the free market competition in the Sand Pit). This will be brilliant we thought; fast internet, cable TV and not a hint of Itisalot's incompetence.
Yesterday therefore co-pilot met up with the The Landlord and went down to Du to arraneg for his account to be cancelled and ours to be set up and thereby effect a "seemless and painless transition of power"......or so we thought!!
The Co-pilot and The Landlord explain the situation and requested the disconnetion and setting up of our account.
"No problem" replied the (suprisingly) helpful assistant.....[click click clicked click]....."there you go Mr Landlord your account has been cancelled and your internet will be disconnected within 24 hours"
all don't remotely, efficiently, and without undue hinderance or hassle.
And then she turns to the co-pilot [click click clickty click) "and there you go madam you have been scheduled for reconnection"
Co-pilot "scheduled? Do it will follow on as soon as the Landlord is disconnected"
Assistant: "Pardon me"
Co-pilot: "you said scheduled, does that mean it will be straight after"
Assitant: "Oh no, your request has to go to an engineer.....who will schedule an appointment.....to come to your premises to make the connection"
Co-pilot: "erm..why can't it be done remotely like the disconnection?"
Assistant: "becasue it is the companies system of course"
Co-pilot "why?"
Assistant: "well, because they need to check the lines and make the connect"
Co-pilot: "but why, we know it works, you havejus tdisconnect The Landlord from the same line"
Assitant: "yes I know, but its the company system, what can I do"
Co-pilot [realising she is fighting a loosing battle]: "Groan.....so how long will that take?"
Assistant: "Oh I'll schedule you for the next available slot......which is......[click click clickedy click] 29 September"
Co-pilot: "WHAT!! That's over four weeks away!!"
Assitant: "Well yes, it is a long time away, but the Engineers are all busy"
Co-pilot: "What with, checking lines unnecessarily?"
24 hours to disconnect.......672 hours to connect!! Don't you just love high technology!! My brother can work on a server in Frankfurt while sat in London, and get can turn it off and on again at will. But the dears at Du need a man to come a month later to check it manually.
So it is that the YBOD family will be off air for the next 28 days while we await an Engineer coming out to check a line we all already know works fine.........I love living in the sandpit.
NOT.
Now I have been following with amused interst the Grumpy Goats on going saga with Itisalot and his efforts, in vain to date, to persuade them that as a ISP they have just two functions (1) to provide internet and (2) collect payment for said service. And in summary it would appear itisalot are only able to master the second part of that equation.
In our old appartment (prison Cell Block Wakka) we had completely failed to enjoy any of Itisalots services as they did not have cables in our area yet. So, with the move to the Arbian Ranches we were looking forward to never having to deal with itisalot again as we would be switching (through no choice of ours) to the otehr monopoly - Du (oh the joys of the free market competition in the Sand Pit). This will be brilliant we thought; fast internet, cable TV and not a hint of Itisalot's incompetence.
Yesterday therefore co-pilot met up with the The Landlord and went down to Du to arraneg for his account to be cancelled and ours to be set up and thereby effect a "seemless and painless transition of power"......or so we thought!!
The Co-pilot and The Landlord explain the situation and requested the disconnetion and setting up of our account.
"No problem" replied the (suprisingly) helpful assistant.....[click click clicked click]....."there you go Mr Landlord your account has been cancelled and your internet will be disconnected within 24 hours"
all don't remotely, efficiently, and without undue hinderance or hassle.
And then she turns to the co-pilot [click click clickty click) "and there you go madam you have been scheduled for reconnection"
Co-pilot "scheduled? Do it will follow on as soon as the Landlord is disconnected"
Assistant: "Pardon me"
Co-pilot: "you said scheduled, does that mean it will be straight after"
Assitant: "Oh no, your request has to go to an engineer.....who will schedule an appointment.....to come to your premises to make the connection"
Co-pilot: "erm..why can't it be done remotely like the disconnection?"
Assistant: "becasue it is the companies system of course"
Co-pilot "why?"
Assistant: "well, because they need to check the lines and make the connect"
Co-pilot: "but why, we know it works, you havejus tdisconnect The Landlord from the same line"
Assitant: "yes I know, but its the company system, what can I do"
Co-pilot [realising she is fighting a loosing battle]: "Groan.....so how long will that take?"
Assistant: "Oh I'll schedule you for the next available slot......which is......[click click clickedy click] 29 September"
Co-pilot: "WHAT!! That's over four weeks away!!"
Assitant: "Well yes, it is a long time away, but the Engineers are all busy"
Co-pilot: "What with, checking lines unnecessarily?"
24 hours to disconnect.......672 hours to connect!! Don't you just love high technology!! My brother can work on a server in Frankfurt while sat in London, and get can turn it off and on again at will. But the dears at Du need a man to come a month later to check it manually.
So it is that the YBOD family will be off air for the next 28 days while we await an Engineer coming out to check a line we all already know works fine.........I love living in the sandpit.
NOT.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Internet Carrier
I have for some time been slightly in love with all things Apple Mac.......some have even suggested I may be a Mac fanboy. I don't deny it ;0) While in the UK for the wedding I decided to treat myself and upgrade my iPhone 2g to the sexy new 3gs.
As with all such things related to using the iPhone under anything other than the original contract I have of course had to jailbreak the phone and remove the carrier restrictions. Buy this was easy enough thanks to the iclarify website.
With the new phone up and running I immediatly set about filling up its memory with useless apps that would serve no purpose beyond the amusement brought about by there initial installation. One fantastic example of this is the 'fake carrier' app which allows you to change the name of the phone provider in the top right corner.
I have long since adopted the Grumpy Goats name for the local provider in the UAE (but won't mention their name for fear of getting my blog blocked on the grounds that.....well.....they don't like it) so it was with great amusement that I set my iphone to show the same:
Trust you approve Grumpy Goat.
As with all such things related to using the iPhone under anything other than the original contract I have of course had to jailbreak the phone and remove the carrier restrictions. Buy this was easy enough thanks to the iclarify website.
With the new phone up and running I immediatly set about filling up its memory with useless apps that would serve no purpose beyond the amusement brought about by there initial installation. One fantastic example of this is the 'fake carrier' app which allows you to change the name of the phone provider in the top right corner.
I have long since adopted the Grumpy Goats name for the local provider in the UAE (but won't mention their name for fear of getting my blog blocked on the grounds that.....well.....they don't like it) so it was with great amusement that I set my iphone to show the same:
Trust you approve Grumpy Goat.
Normal Service Shall Now Be Resumed
Following a long break in postings on this blog regular reader(s) can lok forward to a resumption of normal service as my latest side project is now completed and I can return to more important matters like diving, driving and general inane observations of stuff around me.
So what was this side project I hear you ask.......well, I only went and got myself married didn't I!!
The lovely Imogen Mason (now Beckett) agreed earlier this year to marry me and made me proper proud. I nthe lead up to the wedding I have therefore been dedicating my efforts to our wedding blog, which can be found at www.marriedandnotevenpregnant.blogspot.com.
While previously htis has only been circulated around those invitted to the wedding, with the big day over and done with I thought I'd share it with my wider reader.
Enjoy.
So what was this side project I hear you ask.......well, I only went and got myself married didn't I!!
The lovely Imogen Mason (now Beckett) agreed earlier this year to marry me and made me proper proud. I nthe lead up to the wedding I have therefore been dedicating my efforts to our wedding blog, which can be found at www.marriedandnotevenpregnant.blogspot.com.
While previously htis has only been circulated around those invitted to the wedding, with the big day over and done with I thought I'd share it with my wider reader.
Enjoy.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
As Aerodynamic as a....
While back in the UK visiting mum I saw what has to go on the list of bunny hugging gone mad. At the end of the road is a Defender which, even for the non-tecnical minded, is easily regarded as vehicle that would appear pretty far down the list of cars you'd choose if fuel efficiency was your priority.
Well, this neighbor has his long wheel base defender and has fitted a huge roof rack for maximum stuff carrying (good man).
However, if you look carefully, he has also fitted one of the aerodynamically designed Halfords storage boxes. Why did he choose to add on of these?
Well apparently to help with fuel efficiency!! On a Landdrover!!
He maintains every little helps!! On a truck as about as aerodynamic as a filing cabinet!! It takes all sorts.
Well, this neighbor has his long wheel base defender and has fitted a huge roof rack for maximum stuff carrying (good man).
However, if you look carefully, he has also fitted one of the aerodynamically designed Halfords storage boxes. Why did he choose to add on of these?
Well apparently to help with fuel efficiency!! On a Landdrover!!
He maintains every little helps!! On a truck as about as aerodynamic as a filing cabinet!! It takes all sorts.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Airporting the Extreme Way - WDS
I have not posted on the Yellow Box of Doom in quite a while, and that is mainly because i have been really busy with wedding arrangements and any time spent blogging has been done on the wedding blog (yes I know, all very sad and anally organized but we do indeed have a wedding blog!!)
Anyway, I had a free evening this evening so spent a bit of time trying to get the apple airport network working at its best, which is hasn't really been doing since we moved to the Palatial Ranche......long and short of it is the place is just too big and the wifi just isn't reaching all the corners one would expect of the Heineken quality Apple usually supply.
Anyway, I had a free evening this evening so spent a bit of time trying to get the apple airport network working at its best, which is hasn't really been doing since we moved to the Palatial Ranche......long and short of it is the place is just too big and the wifi just isn't reaching all the corners one would expect of the Heineken quality Apple usually supply.
Airport Extreme........reachs the parts other rooters* cannot reach
However, once I started reading around the subject it tranpires that all this time I have had the network set up incorrectly. I had it set up as an extended network, which apparently means that it simply shares internet and printers etc. If I want the express to boost the signal to the other part of the house i need to utilise WDS (Weally Difficult Sh!t).
Now I won't claim to understand a single word of how WDS works etc but there is a rather clever chap I found through google who does, so I thought I'd share the link for anybody else who might find it useful......and so I can find it again in a few months time when I can't remember how it all works:
Spencer Critchley is the clever chap.
So I am off now to test the new and improved boosted signal while sat on the toilet using the internet.
Now I won't claim to understand a single word of how WDS works etc but there is a rather clever chap I found through google who does, so I thought I'd share the link for anybody else who might find it useful......and so I can find it again in a few months time when I can't remember how it all works:
Spencer Critchley is the clever chap.
So I am off now to test the new and improved boosted signal while sat on the toilet using the internet.
* for any Australian readers out there I simply couldn't resist the deliberate use of the Australian meaning for rooting ;0)
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Shadowy Gangsta Wars
Warning to all woudl be fools who leave a YBOD on hos own with only his cameraphone and shadow for company.
While 'helping' BSS2 with the wheel respray I noticed out of the corner of my eye that my shadow, the little tinker, had chosen to earn a crust on the side a shadowy gangsta!!
Never trust your shadow, they might look all innocent and tustworthy, always there right behind you:
But at the first opportunity they will arm themselves
and when you confront them about it they draw their weapons
and fire at random in the air!!
Ibbah ibbahhh underlay underlay!!! El presedenty bandito, I kill people for money, but you are my friend.....I kill you for free!!
While 'helping' BSS2 with the wheel respray I noticed out of the corner of my eye that my shadow, the little tinker, had chosen to earn a crust on the side a shadowy gangsta!!
Never trust your shadow, they might look all innocent and tustworthy, always there right behind you:
But at the first opportunity they will arm themselves
and when you confront them about it they draw their weapons
and fire at random in the air!!
Ibbah ibbahhh underlay underlay!!! El presedenty bandito, I kill people for money, but you are my friend.....I kill you for free!!
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