[Richard]

That is interesting Steve, I have no experience of the home plugs, just what I read about them in reviews. I probably broke my first rule for reading reviews – believe nothing unless you have tested it yourself.

Perhaps I should give them a try, you make them sound less of a gamble. I do wonder if those complaining had house wiring problems or, quite likely an axe to grind.

[Richard]

A hopefully Happy (happier?) New Year to you.

I cannot respond directly but I do have an issue using Wi-Fi with one of our so called smart enhanced devices. Rather I should say that my wife has an issue with the one in the kitchen. While the wired one in the lounge will access services on demand, the Wi-Fi served kitchen one suffers what you talked about. It stutters jumps and make viewing impossible. While not conclusive it does make me suggest that some of these devices are less tolerant than we might hope. I did think about trying power line working, but reviews suggested that many such devices, from different makers are not as reliable as I would like. I am still wondering how to run a cable to one of the most difficult locations with its tiled walls, tiled floors and other hard surfaced flooring in the way. Sharing a route with the builder installed TV coaxial cable is a theoretical option, though I have never managed to add a cable to an existing, probably poorly installed original.

[Richard]

Well a 75% success rate so far in 2018 – it will not last. Still two lighting problems fixed and daughter’s e-mail working again though one other ‘technical’ program issue remains. A program runs though with no ‘face’, through which to interact if needed. I even used the shower rather than the bath for the first time since my eye operations. I’ll settle for those grabbed successes before lunch.

All the best for you all for the coming year, especially for Bob while he waits nervously for what his future may bring.

[Richard]

Greetings All

Wishing everyone

A Merry Christmas

Plus A Happy And Prosperous New Year

I’m on rationed screen time after two cataract operation so will sign off now

 

[Richard]

Greetings Bob,

That does not sound like the best news it could have been but at least you should be a little closer to getting it resolved which is all to the good. Now you know we are all rooting for you, enjoy Christmas in the meantime and get ready for the New Year action plan.

All the very best

Richard

[Richard]

It looks as though today’s dragon might have bee slain, however the dragons still lurk for the corpse of the failing enterprise.

Will it rise like phoenix once more?

[Richard]

Toys R Us UK has a pension problem and other issues. The Pension Protection Fund want more money than Toys R Us has available. The limited store closures were intended to allow the remaining stores to trade and possibly have a future. However, it requires enough stake holders to agree and as a big stake holder the PPF is holding out, they might be hoping for a Christmas bonus. However getting cash out of an empty account could be more challenging than blood from stones. If the vote goes badly the Toys R Us roof might cave in very quickly.

I do agree with the adverse comments about Toys R Us and its mix of school kids and switched off pensioner staff when I last visited them. It was in the previous century, date uncertain. Maybe the kids have moved on and their switched off pensioners need new batteries?

[Richard]

I cannot argue with the above sentiments, but getting stuck with their worth less vouchers is a cash loss. Retail is detail it used to be said, we have almost no UK staff who can ‘get’ retail and how being human can help a deal. Perhaps it was right to offer some commission after all, the problem as ever is which formula works best?

I have not been to a high street in years, high streets contain dusty shops which offer out of data stock, surly staff and nothing anyone with any mental faculties would wish to buy. Access is dire, pay a fortune to park waste fuel to get there and come home with empty heart, wallet and hands. Wow a real bargain – Not.

[Richard]

I would rather that too many got a message like this rather than someone miss out. Happily I do not have any of them.

On the same line, if any one has Toys R Us vouchers it might be wise to use them tonight or early tomorrow as there is a chance that ‘not nice things’ might, I stress might happen after a meeting tomorrow. The UK chain is in a vulnerable state at the moment.

[Richard]

Not being a card player of any type I grabbed the term out of the air. I had wondered about a health run, but that has similar pantomime double meanings. Everyone has something to start the year on those days.
I would not be sure about sunglasses for evening and night use, I have not yet tried any such glasses during the day and while the low sun is trying, the improvement in performance is stunning.

The NHS recommendations suggest that if the problem is affecting life, unable to read, drive or do everyday things then that should be grounds for action. Currently I am almost the sole driver to two others whose disabilities are currently impacting life. My wife drove for the first time this year when I went for my operation, daughter would have serious issues catching a bus on her own.

I tried to renew her bus pass. What a shambles, I sent in all the papers and had them signed for. After the processing time had expired, I rang to check progress. ‘Oh we don’t have any record on the items we signed for’. Some slightly more meaningful emails and phone calls followed. Then they advised, half the guff was not needed anyway and the whole thing could be done via the website, as at least one medical condition will never change.

[Richard]

No Bob, the orthopaedic in question was in Exeter, and the Exeter joint was an early hip replacement*. To be fair there were probably very good reasons for closing it as it was old and spread out over a large piece of ground. However, the main reason for closure was that the  entire hospital base was moved from a number of decaying old sites to a spot just across the road. So all of the functions were in one, newer location. Though it was a jolly, friendly place because no one was sick, it was a bit of an anomaly. It had been located there more on the basis of we ought to use the space for something as we own the buildings. There was not quite enough space to shoehorn the replacement main hospital, which was sorely needed. I think I was done sometime in the 1970s after years of planning, debating and arguing while the old buildings practically fell down in the centre of town.

Seriously, blood discharging from anywhere is never a comfortable event and I hope you get some initial resolutions ASAP.

*Apparently at the time there was one surgeon in the country who was both a medical and an engineering specialist – might even have had a PHD in both. One tourist group from an analogue of the UN with a dozen surgeons from different countries started a heated debate. Apparently the double PHD  was concerned about whether joints should be regularly serviced to check for wear. It all came down to the mechanics of joint movement: fascinating stuff if you were not the groggy drugged patient.

I had a cataract done last Thursday and will get the next one done tomorrow. I did not think the first eye was that bad – until it was done. Wow what a difference it has made. Driving and even walking are so much easier and as for seeing colours and focusing, hugely good results all round. Christmas is the only time when other appointments take a break, they start again in January with a medical flush, the first Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday so one for everyone in the house.

[Richard]

Yes Bob, I have had that in the past, sometime when other bugs have been in play and weakened things, sometimes due to a strain. At a guess it is likely a result of a strain, but always check such things out. It could be an infection, so doc should have done the easy checks. If you are down for the tests I think you hinted at, they are a bit ‘up close and personal‘ but unlike some tests they are not normally painful – unless there is a problem. Whatever it turns out to be I hope it is easily and soon cleared up.

I was in one of the hip replacement pioneering hospitals many years ago*. They should have had a ticket booth and turn styles to charge the tourists who came through from all over the world. Back then it was a ‘big deal’, however since then methods have improved and minimally intrusive surgery is the normal style. Hospital stays are now much shorter as a result because patients do better being made active and more content at home – if circumstances allow. Places with forty flights of stairs need not apply!

*The hospital had many lives once being a TB sanatorium before it became an orthopaedic hospital. Now it is a housing estate and the operating theatres are lounges and dining rooms. They did not do sick people, they were strictly grease and service only when I was their guest.

[Richard]

D-Dan I go along with your analysis of most of the split Brinners or Brouters there was a far more nuanced split between them than the more rabid elements suggested. It was not the EEC not some cobbled together mess in the making, just look at how dissenters have always been treated by the building feral lot e.g. the damage to Greece which needed help not jack boot style beating down. While the human rights idea might have been sound but it appears to have ended up as a made in the UK mess. So we are stuck with too many dregs while not always respecting far more genuine human right to life and liberty issues. But no doubt, it made Mrs Blair richer.

It took me a while to work out what the SWP was, then I remembered the bunch I used to see in the local town. A more hate filled antisocial small bunch of layabouts and non workers as you could wish to find. They made the average extremest from any side look almost main stream.

[Richard]

Alan, I agree, I have done four machines that way a while back. Most of the family devices were stuck back on older Windows 10 versions then one, a 2008 Dell portable, made the leap straight to Fall. With another, software issues interrupted the game so I replaced the spinning rust with an SSD and doubled the memory before a re-install using the media creation route. The machine went from 32bit to 64bit at that time. The other three machines were done during daylight hours via the forced route with everything under control so no unexpected results. They took various amounts of time, two had SSDs and one, the slowest portable a spinner. The process took a noticeable amount of time, but when planned it was no great challenge and I knew all was well by the end.

I have one machine left to update and for the moment, that’s as in ‘left well alone (on 1603?)’ . The user is a ‘challenging person’ with a number of ‘issues’ both physical and ‘other’ – the effects of any disturbance to their bubble are rapidly very apparent!

It is interesting that John’s machine waited so long before stepping into the water, perhaps our remaining machine will take the automatic plunge. However, I was also told that a glitch with some earlier parts of the update 1609 process might require the forced route via media creation to be used.

[Richard]

Well at 2.2C this morning with pelting rain I don’t think the ice holds too many risks for us today. There is still some mush holding out, but I cannot imagine it is long for this land. My efforts at car and path clearing yesterday may not have been needed but no regrets, mobility should be achieved today. Mild excitement can give way to another cold wet day.

[Richard]

Yes we had about 6 inches or so this morning. It is still cool with the temperature somewhere less than 1 degree C. I cleared the pile of snow in front of the car as I was afraid it could freeze overnight. That could make moving the car in the morning a challenge. So far the temperature is holding, but later tonight I understand it could fall below zero. There is very little margin at the moment. We need to be mobile with food to fetch and appointments to attend on Monday morning.

[Richard]

We did have one like that a while ago, but the usual postmen refused to hand it over. He asked me to complain about the damage and refuse delivery, which I did. The postman must have used his hand held gismo to report the tracking results there and then. I went straight on the phone to Amazon who said something like, ‘Yes we can see that the delivery has been refused due to serious damage.’ OK the replacement will be on its way shortly. True enough the mail pinged with the new order and it was on its way shortly after. It arrived the next day.

We believed that the damage had happened in the sorting office machine, your damage was mild, mine was shredded along one side, front and back so no way to hide the problem.

[Richard]

I am struggling to follow what is the concern here. I will leave aside the QR code issue as I believe that Ed has exposed the can of worms that can hide within that one, so use at your peril.

Within a huge organisation bar codes are usually used for goods tracking and as such most items will have a specific code that says what they are, it is up to stock control to count the number. Standards exist to prevent a can of bean and a left handed widget getting the same code and similar problems arising. I guess the FCC code allocation system or the Ethernet port numbering were much smaller scale forerunners for this sort of management system. So far as I know, private networking type arrangements can exist allowing a business to have its own barcode labels used internally for whatever it needs.

The large logistics companies will automatically sort on bar codes storing stuff away and fetching and packing things to order, e.g. Amazon. Many places will try to avoid over boxing for shipping so warn that the contents are visible when they are ordered. A simple tracking label is added, this will usually allow the item to be added to the navigation guide (route map) and be scheduled on the driver’s hand held, wide variations in such measures do exist, shipping labels can be proprietary if necessary and, I guess, probably are. Some systems constantly track the driver’s location, others (non-systems?) do not have a clue. Saying exactly what is scheduled in each delivery appears to be a useless piece of information, the driver needs to know the address and the order number, the order number can confirm the supposed drop contents for example where  larger box contains many widgets. Arguably your post code is a barcode forerunner and is likely coded into the item along with other necessary details, e.g. name. When you or someone else takes delivery, the driver’s hand held reads the bar code, brings up the items basic shipping details, a signature is collected the goods are handed over and, shortly after a delivery confirmation mail or text can be produced. Bar code allow such levels of automation though it is also creeping into retail, flash your QR card in Screwfix when buying widgets and others, get an email receipt moments later. In that case the driver certainly knows what as being delivered, since the driver is you (or me).

Ed, I was not in distribution or procurement though I did spend time negotiating orders for big boxes of bits that the supplier bolted together and we approved through the fun business of acceptance testing – aka, we try to break it they try to show it does not fall over – we often won in the early stages. One supplier refused to accept our test requirements we declined their proposals.

[Richard]

Having ‘enjoyed’ greater than 1 hour waiting with either daughter or wife on consecutive Thursday’s I agree on the strength of waiting room-itis.  Sadly for one attendee my presence is essential and secondly the current weather makes car sitting darned cold.

So yesterday I studied the faces of the others who were waiting, I had to say to one face summed up waiters in waiting rooms the world over, a mixture of resignation, frustration, determination and desperation. She should have been a great image for others to study, but should never be so treated, see below.

Only afterwards did I learn the child, who appeared happily and oblivious ,was subject to a child protection order so their stay was the shortest of anyone’s as they were whisked through and away.

[Richard]

Thank you BL, I have not been into AM for years. I used to listen a lot in the late forties and early fifties. During the early fifties mother and I used to listen to short wave stations round the world as father was out working in Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia. Of course even the home broadcasts were AM, then TV took over from radio and then into FM. Apart from a short period of short wave listening while spending 20 years overseas AM fell off my radar in favour of FM, basically anything I could stand. Change channel or hit the off button when the programme’s welcome mat wore out. I’m like that with TV as well these days. I had heard that DAB claimed superior sound, but if I can understand the voices, perhaps that is enough for me. Music on the go I do not need, even music at home is rarely listened to by me. I have rather less than no need for a voice commanded music selection system which some I know rave about.

[Author]

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