Posts by Mister_C

But by 2012...

Anybody paying by debit card will be using Visa anyway.

At the rate banks are dumping Maestro, there won't be any option.

HSBC dropped Maestro in favour of Visa late last year. Reason given when my wife asked why: "some countries don't accept Maestro, so holidaymakers can find themselves without card facilities".

NatWest are currently rolling out Visa and kicking Maestro into touch. Reason given when I asked why: "some countries don't accept Maestro, so holidaymakers can find themselves without card facilities".

Visa is being forced into a monopoly position by this (independant) strategy, not really their fault that the 2012 shop managers are getting one thing properly ready.

Cirrus / Maestro

Considering how many of the UK's banks are dumping Cirrus / Maestro from debit cards because "it isn't international" (ie one of our managers was on holiday and couldn't buy a postcard at a beach shack), I doubt that this idea has much hope of gaining critical mass.

Unless they can integrate with Visa perhaps.

Tom Lehrer summed it up

"the old dope peddler"

It's the old dope peddler

Doing well by doing good.

He gives the kids free samples,

Because he knows full well

That today's young innocent faces

Will be tomorrow's clientele.

Here's a cure for all your troubles,

Here's an end to all distress.

It's the old dope peddler

With his powdered ha-happiness.

about time too

I worked in Germany in 1990. Every gate at the works had a little bin, about the size of the ciggie bins you see next to pub doors, for employees to bin old batteries. It was almost harder to put them into a normal dustbin.

Twenty years later, our leaders start to catch on. Now, if we can get our council to start collecting bottles and cardboard we might stand a chance...

Fleabay / paypap

another pear of low hanging fruit to aim at

Fleabay and paypap

neither works properly using chrome browser

any chance there'll be a fix so the crowds don't need to create google checkout accounts?

thought not. "do no evil" is starting to look a bit tarnished

photo fit-up

Has the reverse photo frame exploit been tried yet? forcing an image into a frame.

Posiiblilties for blackmailers and bunny boilers must be immense...

el Reg cookies

yes, lots of websites use cookies to monitor visitors activities.

some use stupidly large numbers.

BUT

cookies can be blocked by the visitor (sometimes at the cost of site functionaluty - its a fair trade off)

cookies can be tracked and accepted by the visitor

cookies are stored on the visitor's confuser, so they can be reviewed (in theory) and deleted if required

@ various posters

@ oninonman:

Is it H3G (aka 3) by any chance? My missus has just reached settlement via the ombudsman after 5 years' difficulties. 3 even amitted no debt existed, then resurrected it and sold it to a collection agency. Our MP's view "there's lots of bad service out there, nothing I can do to help".

@ various TVLA posters (and at risk of drawing flames):

Their letters have got more human recently. As was the lady I spoke to recently. Can't tell about the follow up yet - watch this space.

And yes, I have several years' experience of being accused of criminal behaviour by them. Can't wait until the day when possessing a radio receiver won't indicate possible spies for the kaiser...

Radio 4 news this morning

and I paraphrase

"no one was taken in and no money was sent"

How do they know? Isn't it more likely the report should have been

"Many peepl may have been taken in. No one sent any money. Nigeria, please keep him."

plane crash pah

didn't work for Krusty either

when will they learn?

Phishers aided by HMRC

The missus got a missed call on her mobe earlier this week. She called back and it was one HMRC's finest querying her self assessment stuff. No nasty or threatening stuff involved, but she tried to verify the caller's authenticity after the radio broke this story yesterday.

First call the the tax bods was an automated system that cut her off. She eventually got through to a human who gave her another number to call and another human with another number .... <snip boring bit> .... and eventually she was able to validate the original call.

Any chance of HMRC briefing their own staff with the correct info or - heaven forbid - an easy to use number being advertised?

Lesson is, as always, don't trust _anyone_ wanting to discuss finances with you. Downside is that HMRC have powers that even the TV licence Gestapo daren't assume.

@ AC / follow up to Ground Rush post

We had to find a suitable alternative word in the office after complaints about the C word by some of our office. Roll on a few web searches and we all agreed on "Pompom". Jamaican slang, apparently.

@ James Pickett - sssshhhhh!

Knowing the eBay bid increments is indeed the best way to win close fought auctions. I got undersniped by 2p on the last one I won. What say we keep quiet and keep the advantage ;-)

As for swoopo. Why be fraudulent and get the site banned? Like killing the goose that laid the golden egg.

I heard about the site at a party just before the hols so I watched it a few times. I only saw one auction finish - the punter paid £40 in bids and still had a saving on his flat screen, thus one happy teddy. They only needed 5 or 6 losers making a similar number of bids to be in profit, fewer if they bought a few job lots of stuff. There were lots of repeat auctions, so the pallet load buying discount seems likely. I saw a butlerwar there too - 100 bids in 0.1 seconds. Only one item for sale, so one of the bidders lost £20 - both bidders if a smart sniper came in later. And the penny auctions? 40p/bid to raise by 1p? They don't need shills to turn a profit, just humans following a couple of simple rules: Everyone loves getting something below retail; There's a sucker born every minute.

Remember

shame she didn't charge

then he might have been able to sue her for misrepresenting herself.

The solution is obvious - ban everyone old enough to be a paedo. Don't praise me for the idea, I've adapted Faceparty's method.

Happy New Year y'awl

@ anonymous john

They could post their wee video on utube and ask for "bear, same colour, different posture"

@ John F****** Stepp

Blown lamp? we should be so lucky.

I've seen Panda cars (=cruisers, I think) drive past vehicles with a missing headlamp. last one I saw was stopped at a pedestrian crossing facing a van that only had its nearside headlight working. No effort to apply the law made. I followed the panda for several miles (our journeys were similar) and he wasn't in any hurry to go somewhere. And before you warn me that the driver might not have been "traffic trained" - he must have a driving licence, therefore is required to know the law w.r.t. vehicle maintenance / lights.

I for one do not welcome our new legally oppresive overlords.

Ah, the Database

That'd be the same database that issued my wife with a "we have no record of a licence" threatener within a week of sending a renewal reminder to the bloke that had been renting the house. Fortunately, mentioning the DPA and incorrect data stopped them that time.

At risk of getting close to cross-posting, the word "barratry" has been mentioned in another comments thread. Anyone feel wicked enough to updated the wiki to include "modus operandi of the Beeb licence people"?

But at least FaceParty is in the clear

Because we all know that they won't allow anyone over 35 on.

At all.

Honest.

Here in KC land...

Moblie broadband = competition

Slow data rates & poor availability are one option.

Or go mobile. And get a "free" laptop too if you're canny.

@ Michael HF Wilson

"Ark Royal (R09, Audacious class) had steam catapults (maybe not as powerful as needed now), but had conventional propulsion."

And that conventional propulsion was Steam Turbine. And hence big boilers with (presumably) spare steam capacity.

Invincible & later carriers are Gas Turbine. RR Olympus, like Concorde & InterCity 125s. I don't think there are any steam aircraft and steam trains died out a while ago.

The other "conventional" marine propulsion are based around diesel ( / electric). Again, not much spare steam.

Time to ask the IPS

"do you still stand by the statement you made last week that the 3000 stolen passports are worthless?"

By my sums they're probably worth quite a lot by now. Especially if you run an Elvis impersonator fan club and need new membership cards