COMPUTERS, THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY

[Stanley]

It has just occurred to me that the same thing has happened to BT as the Post Office. Privatisation has not ushered in a new era of efficiency and economy.....

[PanBiker]

Kev, after your post I had a look at my mobile (Samsung) and have just enabled WiFi calling. Having said that from what I have read it only uses WiFi if there is no cellular signal. I don't think you can make it default, (say when using it from home), unless I am missing something?

[Big Kev]

from what I have read it only uses WiFi if there is no cellular signal. I don't think you can make it default, (say when using it from home), unless I am missing something?

That's correct Ian, it'll default to cellular when the signal is strong enough. There's no cellular signal here so mine is always on WiFi calling when at home, my mobile contract has unlimited call minutes so even if they improved the O2 signal it wouldn't make any difference to me

[PanBiker]

We are with EE and the repeater is on the Fire Station hose tower, end stopping signal as I could throw rocks at it from the Croft.

[Stanley]

What happens if you put it in airplane mode?

[PanBiker]

Good question, airplane mode still allows emergency calls via normal cellular. I will give it a go to a landline and try ringing home.

[PanBiker]

Silly me, flight mode kills WiFi and Bluetooth, and restricts normal mobile communication to outgoing emergency numbers only.

It's no real problem, land line cost nothing for incomings and we both have free minutes on our mobile tariffs.

[plaques]

New to me, Lancashire hospitals have introduced a fully computerised recording system. Every intervention and action is recorded on mobile computing screens. There are literally dozens in every ward. Each nurse will do their bit and then rush off to 'tick the box' and move on to the next patient. The old hand nurses ie; those who didn't say " sod this for a game of soldiers" are as conscientious as ever but some of the very young ones see 'ticking the box as the main object of the exercise.
I'm not sure who really benefits from all this data collection.
.
.

Computers in Lancs NHS.jpg

[PanBiker]

It was like that 5 years ago in LGI. Med trolleys had laptops and the nurses recorded all their stuff on tablets. All onto the database and then all available on all devices. Temp overnight nursing staff used the chart at the bottom of the bed for basic obs through the night. One of the first jobs in the morning for the student nurses was updating onto the tablets. Duty docs tended to review at the nurse station meetings before they did the rounds then again at the bedside. I must have related my name and date of birth hundreds of times while I was in. Checked against wristband before they shoved anything into me.

I should add that I let all the student nurses practice on me so not just a box ticking exercise for them. How else will they learn if you don't give them a go.

[Stanley]

"I let all the student nurses practice on me " I did the same when I was in Ian. It was usually getting blood samples etc. but they have to start somewhere!

[PanBiker]

I had one young lass, Victoria, (Vicky) who was Australian. She was very good at doing the injections in my stomach. She had never done staple removal so I let her do mine when that event came round. Under supervision by the dark blue nurse. She did a good job.

[Tripps]

Not all nurses are angels (allegedly)

"The old hand nurses ie; those who didn't say " sod this for a game of soldiers" are as conscientious as ever "


Blackpool Infirmary Trial

[plaques]

Sometimes the very young foreign nurses are helpful to the 'n' degree.
On leaving the bathroom.
I will help you.
Which switch turns the light off?. Sometimes its on the inside and with others on the outside.
I will switch the light off.
Thank you but which switch is it?
I will switch the light off.
Tries a different approach. If it was dark which switch would turn the light on?
Points at switch.
Right so the same switch turns it on and off.
Nod of approval.

[Stanley]

They're human aren't they.... That ensures they come in different flavours, some nicer than others.....

[Stanley]

I cracked this morning and committed myself to the purgatory of 'chatting' with Talktalk about my upgrade to fibre as I have not heard a dicky bird from them. After the usual security run-around I am informed that I need not worry, Yodel will be delivering my Amazon Ero router (I didn't ask why Amazon.....) before next Monday.

[Big Kev]

I cracked this morning and committed myself to the purgatory of 'chatting' with Talktalk about my upgrade to fibre as I have not heard a dicky bird from them. After the usual security run-around I am informed that I need not worry, Yodel will be delivering my Amazon Ero router (I didn't ask why Amazon.....) before next Monday.

Amazon probably offered them a good deal. The Eero fibre router uses WiFi6 which is apparently a lot faster

[PanBiker]

WiFi 6 is multi channel and uses the 5GHz band exclusively, It's multi-channel and better for UHD devices. Next generation WiFi 7 is already available.

Mine is WiFi 5 and as far as I can see seamless in operation. Speeds to various connected devices can vary depending on the specification of the device, my phone is currently connecting at 144Mbps, it can go up to around 450Mbps.

[Stanley]

All Double Dutch to me of course. All I know is that my intervention with Talktalk was well-judged. During my 'chat' yesterday I had to tell them that I was under offer for full fibre, it was obvious that it was not registered in my account.
I suspect this triggered action because surprise surprise, I have had a flood of communications from Yodel wanting information they already have and a promise that my router is on its way.
If I hadn't nudged Talktalk would this have happened?

[Stanley]

Well, that worked! I shall leave it for the BT man to open next Monday.

[PanBiker]

You will probably be asked to return your old router for recycling. There will be a pre-paid return bag for it with the new router.

[Stanley]

I opened it and had a peek. My problem is that it looks like exactly the same router that I have already but no doubt the man from BT will be able to explain that....

[PanBiker]

Does it have a VOIP port Stanley?

It wont look a lot different as the fibre doesn't go all the way to the router. It still connects via CAT5/6. The fibre terminates in a powered media changer. Armoured fibre to the outside box, media change there to lighter fibre. That connects to the internal powered fibre to CAT5/6 media box then from there through to your router on the WAN port. Your land line phone connects to the VOIP port on the router

[Stanley]

I don't know what that is Ian so I shan't bother unboxing it to look. I can see Monday as being very upsetting. I hope I am wrong! After all, I have no problems with the service as it is now!

[Tizer]

I don't know what that is Ian...

Join the club, Stanley!

One of my relatives now regularly spends some of her time in Spain and keeps her self employed business going from there via the Internet. However she's found that TalkTalk for her email is unreliable in Spain and had to find another email service. She chose Gmail but when she sent her first Gmail email to us we could read it but our reply to her was bounced back with `Reason: A message that you sent to the following recipient could not be delivered due to a permanent error' and `This mail is unauthenticated, which poses a security risk to the' [that was the end of the message]. Several attempts have failed. After some googling and looking at Plusnet forums (our broadband provider) I find that Gmail (Google) has decided to arbitrarily apply sanctions which are causing lots of trouble for users of other, especially smaller, broadband companies. Those companies have complained to Google but to no avail.

That reminds me of the news today that `Financial regulators in the US are suing Elon Musk after the billionaire said he would no longer cooperate with its investigation into his purchase of Twitter, now known as X. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) asked a federal court to order him to comply with their request that he sit for a third session of testimony about the deal.'

In other words, if your a billionaire or a massive company you can do as you like and ignore the law and everybody else.

[Stanley]

It's a mystery isn't it Peter, that's why I try to keep things simple.
I have done some preparation for Monday to help (I think) I'm assuming that the technician is going to have to get a fibre cable from the outside wall to my router. I have laid a cord along a direct route that is up against the wall and out of the way. The idea is that if a cable has to be installed it can be pulled through with this cord instead of having to move everything. If I'm wrong and it isn't needed it can just be withdrawn and coiled back on the drum...
I've done a couple of other things as well.....
Now I just wait!