SPAM random annoying things

[Scouse]

Twitter looks to be a barrel of laughs.

Still don't understand how this was an emergency message, where there was an imminent threat to life, and targetted to the local area affected through cell-based geolocation as the system was designed.

 

[Raven]

Twitter looks to be a barrel of laughs.

Still don't understand how this was an emergency message, where there was an imminent threat to life, and targetted to the local area affected through cell-based geolocation as the system was designed.

You've confused yourself again. You're (probably) talking about covid alerts. These are regional, and all regions are ready to go up in flames.

Emergency Alerts (United Kingdom) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

...and if people are ignoring the warnings, then interrupting The One Show to get the message across is a small price to pay.

Ey Dazza, what was all that about?

Er Sharon, something about only those that should have been aborted at birth light fires in these conditions.

Ey Dazza, that's us, isn't it?

Er Sharon, Yes Dazza, that's us.

 

[Raven]

Too long to edit, but yes, you can disable them if you care enough.

 

[Scouse]

You've confused yourself again.

Nope. Plenty of people from all walks of life saying that it's "massive overreach and it's meant for 'drop everything and prepare for something terrible'" situations. Not public information broadcasts.

 

[Deebs]

Doing stuff on autopilot at stupid o clock this morning. Couldn't sleep so was watching UFC and doing stuff on the laptop and remembered I wanted to move some data around so had to power on my spare NAS.

I have 2 NAS' now, A and B, currently lots of VMs are located on NAS B and I wanted to turn on NAS A. No problem, wander off to power on the NAS. Held the power button to start a controlled startup and came back inside and sat dranking coffee when after about 5/10 minutes I noticed this place was dead, then email, then DNS.

Dozy cunt I am turned off the live NAS by mistake, don't get me started, it looked like it was off and was the correct one. Also I realised I have the labels on the devices round the wrong way.

Yeh you can all fuckoff when laughing, cunts.

 

[Raven]

C: software bloat.

I have a 250g SSD for windows and a bunch of extra drives for games and media, and C: is nearly full, despite nothing ever getting installed to it. Now having to go through Appdata folder by folder to remove stuff, nearly 50g of shite left over by long forgotten games and software so far.

Yes I could get a larger one, but I cannot be bothered with the hassle, and I think 250g should be far more than enough.

 

[caLLous]

WizTree - The Fastest Disk Space Analyzer

Official WizTree web site. WizTree is the fastest disk space analyzer available for Windows. It reads the Master File Table (MFT) directly from the disk, bypassing Windows and gaining a huge performance boost.

diskanalyzer.com

 

[Bodhi]

And now their control rooms are inundated with calls from people reporting their neighbours for having a BBQ in their back garden.


Add in the people disabling it because you've cried wolf all I'd say is - Slow clap "govern me harder daddy" lamers.

It was a ridiculous use of the Emergency Alert system - just send a text message to those cell towers affected. And I say that as someone who lives next to Cannock Chase which has been on fire for a month.


That includes on Saturday, after the retarded message went out.

 

[MYstIC G]

Too long to edit, but yes, you can disable them if you care enough.

That's all this made me do. It was annoying and an overreach. Banning one combustible item isn't going to "make safe" and Burnham just wants to be seen to do "things". That's fine but stick to the evening news and TikTok so I can continue to avoid both.

@Deebs point about water infrastructure resonates more. If it was sufficiently robust we wouldn't be facing water shortages and maybe we could manage to keep areas less of a tinderbox because they could be watered. It's also going to be more critical if temperatures keep going up in future years.

 

[Scouse]

Yep and yep.

Not sure we could wholesale water farmland, heathland and moorland. But under Labour the regulator is now talking about allowing surge pricing for water - so if you're already paying more because of heavy usage on a metered connection, they want you to pay double if you want to use water during the summer months.

So, no longer a flat fee for a service provided. Extra profits for water companies. All because they want to "drive down water usage" in one of the wettest countries in the world.

How about fuck driving down water usage. Flat rate fee. Company profits are denied unless they can provide that service - nothing to shareholders, no bonuses, build and fix your infrastructure, build reservoirs - because since 1997 (the last time our population was relatively stable) we've added 12 million more people to the UK population, and built no infrastructure to deal with that.

So why should everyone get less, whilst profits go to shareholders. We need a minimum of 20% more water capacity. We've already paid for it...

 

[Bodhi]

Yep and yep.

Not sure we could wholesale water farmland, heathland and moorland. But under Labour the regulator is now talking about allowing surge pricing for water - so if you're already paying more because of heavy usage on a metered connection, they want you to pay double if you want to use water during the summer months.

So, no longer a flat fee for a service provided. Extra profits for water companies. All because they want to "drive down water usage" in one of the wettest countries in the world.

How about fuck driving down water usage. Flat rate fee. Company profits are denied unless they can provide that service - nothing to shareholders, no bonuses, build and fix your infrastructure, build reservoirs - because since 1997 (the last time our population was relatively stable) we've added 12 million more people to the UK population, and built no infrastructure to deal with that.

So why should everyone get less, whilst profits go to shareholders. We need a minimum of 20% more water capacity. We've already paid for it...

Apparently it's not additional storage capacity we need - it's the delivery systems (leaky pipes etc) which are limiting how much water we can use. There still plenty of water in the reservoirs, we just can't get it to people due to the creaky old distribution system we have.

The water system is definitely something we need sorted, but I'd avoid any simplistic solutions like "bring it into public ownership" - for which I still haven't seen a decent argument for yet.

OK Thames Water look to be a shitshow, we're with Severn Trent who have been absolutely fine - and a lot more responsive than the council when it comes to fixing noisy drain covers on the road outside our house.


The water clearly needs more investment to sort the leaks out and improve the infrastructure - however I don't see that coming from anywhere except the Private Sector. The Government are skint, and if it was publicly owned it would be competing with schools, prisons and the sainted NHS for funding.


Maybe of OFWAT hadn't been repeatedly defanged then we would be having quite this issue.

 

[Gwadien]

The problem is that water seems to be a short-term investment plan, it seems odd to me that you could essentially keep water bills at the same level, fix up the pipes and by doing that you'd increase your profits...

I wouldn't even mind if we had massive amounts of public funding to fix up pipes, so long as then it's then explained to water companies that they must be maintained at a certain level and if not we'll give them a smacked bottom.

 

[Scouse]

The water clearly needs more investment to sort the leaks out and improve the infrastructure - however I don't see that coming from anywhere except the Private Sector. The Government are skint, and if it was publicly owned it would be competing with schools, prisons and the sainted NHS for funding.

I'd go with this - but leaky water infrastructure was practically my first term lecture series in 1992. Along with shit-filled rivers.

The private sector is failing - and when we kick off then the money comes from us anyway.

Our water bills simply are government-quango-regulated taxes. It's an arrangement by which the government gets to say "it's Thames Water's fault". That's literally the only benefit as water is a natural monopoly.

So these "companies" (lol) simply administer the local infrastructure to government-mandated (via the quangos) standards. Problems have been apparent for my entire lifetime - which is one of the reasons they were privatised in the first place - not to fix the problems, but to give government an easy life and someone to blame, whilst making some profit off assets.

The asset being taxpayers.

You're absolutely right that government never fixed the issues prior to privatisation. But all privatisation has done is make it harder for government to fix - and harder for the taxpayer to hold government to account over failing infrastructure. We'll lose when taking Thames into public ownership - not only will we be on the hook to fix it, we'll have to buy the assets (us) from Thames water shareholders first. Then, once we fix it, we'll re-sell.

Privatise the gains. Socialise the losses.

 

[Scouse]

I wouldn't even mind if we had massive amounts of public funding to fix up pipes, so long as then it's then explained to water companies that they must be maintained at a certain level and if not we'll give them a smacked bottom.

They've already got that arrangement. And their bottom is being smacked to the tune of "fix it" - "ok, give us the money" - "err. ok, lets start allowing surge pricing".

Labour are particularly weak on this. They'd rather everyone had less water and the richer funded more (because double water-tax would just be something else they can foist on middle classes) and the poor would have to be monitoring their water meters all the time to make sure their already-thin gruel they call life doesn't get even more expensive.

 

[Gwadien]

They've already got that arrangement. And their bottom is being smacked to the tune of "fix it" - "ok, give us the money" - "err. ok, lets start allowing surge pricing".

Labour are particularly weak on this. They'd rather everyone had less water and the richer funded more (because double water-tax would just be something else they can foist on middle classes) and the poor would have to be monitoring their water meters all the time to make sure their already-thin gruel they call life doesn't get even more expensive.

Ofwat allowed surge pricing, Labour didn't support it...

 

[MYstIC G]

Ofwat allowed surge pricing, Labour didn't support it...

Whoever allowed it, surge pricing for a basic necessity of human life is immoral.

 

[Scouse]

Ofwat allowed surge pricing, Labour didn't support it...

Labour ministers have overseen and inputted into scarcity-pricing proposals from Ofwat and the industry. It's only in the last couple of days that surge pricing has been reported on that Burnham's backtracked as the discourse has become toxic. Labour minister s have been involved in the tariff trial areas and inputting into the process:

This government supports the innovative approaches being taken to trial new charges ..... Ministers had held regular discussions with the industry on various issues, including progressive and seasonal water metering tariffs

"Progressive" = some people have to pay more for the same service. Labour have been involved all along. They're governing. They've pulled the proposals for now* because Burnham is getting kicked in the press.

Don't be fooled by "Ofwat <whatever>" - that's the whole point of the quango. To shield government from criticism.


*Edit: With water meters the temptation will always be there. It'll get resurrected at some point. Too tempting for arsehole money-grabbers. Any way of raising taxes without it looking like them "raising taxes".

 

[Gwadien]

Buried with Michael Sheen

What is the truth lying beneath our feet? Michael Sheen uncovers claims of conspiracy, complicity and denial over alleged toxic 'forever chemical' contamination in South Wales.

www.bbc.co.uk

Seems fitting.

 

[Ormorof]

2 months ago the pavement in front of my house was torn up so a private company could put cables in for fiber optic, great. It was replaced. Now the pavement has been torn up again so another company can install fiber optic cables… and word is a third company will do so in spring next year.

Don’t understand why the city doesn’t force them all to do it at once or put some time limit on it

 

[Deebs]

2 months ago the pavement in front of my house was torn up so a private company could put cables in for fiber optic, great. It was replaced. Now the pavement has been torn up again so another company can install fiber optic cables… and word is a third company will do so in spring next year.

Don’t understand why the city doesn’t force them all to do it at once or put some time limit on it

Or put some long life ducting in so they can blow fibre or has that stopped everywhere for some shitty reason? Saying that a road onto the estate where I live is going to be shut for 3 days so BT can do some work, the length of the closure is about 20metres but it will cause chaos.

 

[Raven]

2 months ago the pavement in front of my house was torn up so a private company could put cables in for fiber optic, great. It was replaced. Now the pavement has been torn up again so another company can install fiber optic cables… and word is a third company will do so in spring next year.

Don’t understand why the city doesn’t force them all to do it at once or put some time limit on it

When they did ours, we couldn't get out of the garden onto the street for half the day, they rocked up in the morning and blocked my gate, with no notice, we knew they were doing the street, not that we would be prisoners for 5 hours. Was pretty happy about it though, going from ~5mb copper cable to full fibre was a pretty good day.

 

[gunner440]

This alarm for retards by retards did by chance use a non-selectable alert noise on your phones? You know so it didn't sound like a call, sms, whatsapp from any of your friends/family?

It did on my phone so I knew it was from the Government as funnily enough it sounded identical to the test alerts that were sent out when deploying it in the past. Noone I knew worried about a different noise coming from their phone as you know it is a communication device and if you don't want to be disturbed leave it at home or turn the fucking thing off.

I get the missus was upset due to her friend's condition but I've been there twice in the past 2.5 years when I lost my Dad and my kid's other grandad. My phone was flying off the hook with me explaining over and over again what had happened etc. I could have turned the phone off or redirected to one of my siblings but I didn't as I wanted to be there for all friends/family.

We had that at the beginning of this year for the red alert due to intense rainfall in parts of Spain. It was so strange as it was an alert/sound from my phone that I had never heard before. I was watching a film at the time and thought "that's a weird sound to be having in the scene". Turns out it was my phone wtf.

 

[Scouse]

We had that at the beginning of this year for the red alert due to intense rainfall in parts of Spain. It was so strange as it was an alert/sound from my phone that I had never heard before. I was watching a film at the time and thought "that's a weird sound to be having in the scene". Turns out it was my phone wtf.

Two things here come to mind:

1) If it was an emergency, then that alert didn't have the desired result - you should have jumped up and taken the necessary action to preserve your life (which is what we were told these alerts were setup for).
2) Was it direct and targetted to your area? Useful for you, or just generic?

Ours are supposed to be targetted to particular mobile masts in the areas that are under imminent and direct threat, but they're being used for party political broadcasts at the moment.

 

[Deebs]

Two things here come to mind:

1) If it was an emergency, then that alert didn't have the desired result - you should have jumped up and taken the necessary action to preserve your life (which is what we were told these alerts were setup for).
2) Was it direct and targetted to your area? Useful for you, or just generic?

Ours are supposed to be targetted to particular mobile masts in the areas that are under imminent and direct threat, but they're being used for party political broadcasts at the moment.

Err what? I've not received an alert on my phone related to politics unless I am missing something or my phone is fucked?

 

[caLLous]

Err what? I've not received an alert on my phone related to politics unless I am missing something or my phone is fucked?

I think he's glibly referring to the recent fire alert.

 

[Scouse]

Err what? I've not received an alert on my phone related to politics unless I am missing something or my phone is fucked?

You don't think that Labour telling you that they're banning disposable barbecues across the UK is a political statement designed to show the entire population that the "government is acting responsibly"?

Is the information that they're banning disposable barbecues useful to you in a direct and targetted emergency message that is designed for you to be able to take action to protect your life?

 

[Scouse]

I think he's glibly referring to the recent fire alert.

Glib: said or done offhand and especially with inadequate attention or concern : said or done too easily or carelessly.


I'm not being glib. Loads of people have turned off their emergency alert messaging in response to this. An alert system designed to protect lives. To give people a chance to take action when the direct, targetted message to people in that local area is received.

Crying wolf in this way has undermined the system.

 

[caLLous]

Glib because you called it a party political broadcast. You're still talking about the alert as if the whole point was to announce that they were banning disposable barbecues, it's so dishonest and misleading.

I didn't get it, I'm not in Blighty, but all I've seen as examples of the actual alert look like this:

Disposable barbecues were just an item on a list of things that start fires. The ban on the sale of them was announced separately, not through an emergency alert ffs.

So, yes, glib.

 

[Scouse]

You keep ignoring the fact that it's an emergency broadcast system, designed to deliver local, targetted alerts, to enable people to take life-saving action.

E.G. - "there's a fire in the woods next to your house - get out now."

THAT is what the system is designed for. When I woke up a couple of weeks ago surrounded by smoke because of a large wildfire on moorland in my local area I didn't get an emergency notification - because the fire was several miles distant and I wasn't immediately at risk.

I live in a forest in a holiday destination. I'd like the emergency alert system to work correctly - because I'm more likely to be a beneficiary of it than average joe in a city. Shit near me burns often.


People are turning off the emergency system alerts that are designed help people save their own lives because this shit isn't that. That message is for our national news services. Posting pictures about the alert - that we received first in Welsh, so nobody could fucking read it, then fifteen minutes later in English, isn't contributing - because I've already read the fucking thing.

Address these points please @caLLous.

 

[DaGaffer]

When they did ours, we couldn't get out of the garden onto the street for half the day, they rocked up in the morning and blocked my gate, with no notice, we knew they were doing the street, not that we would be prisoners for 5 hours. Was pretty happy about it though, going from ~5mb copper cable to full fibre was a pretty good day.

I was in a Mexican standoff with the installers when they did our street because I'm at the end of the street and the cable comes in under my hedge, across the side garden, then UP the side of my house and then overhead to all the neighbours and I'd just had a whole insulation/external render job done and they wanted to run a thick black cable up my house and punch holes in the render. Eventually I got it in writing from the site engineer and it's now a white cable hidden behind the chimney breast and render-safe connections and they had to restore the hedge etc. The scary thing is that if I wasn't working from home when they first turned up they'd have just done what they wanted anyway.

That was over 18 months ago and they still haven't switched on full fibre in our village. We're all wired for it and...nothing. Cause VM are cunts.