Posts by Phil Palmer
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On the subject of Xtra, has anyone else had the pleasure of installing their broadband service recently? I went to help a friend do this - he is a young and active 60 y.o., but not in the slightest computer-savvy - expecting to have to wrestle with the usual hassles of pinging the DNS server, etc.
Imagine my surprise at plugging the modem into the wall to find nothing whatsoever occurred. (The local electrician later tested the power supply and it was stuffed. It was a faulty transformer, again and again, a faulty transformer it cost two pound ten &c.) The usual couple of hours were then spent talking to first the robo-women on the 0800 number ("Can you still make phone calls?" !!!) followed by a transfer to a charming but helpless sub-continental help desk.
The package could not be returned to the local Telecom shop. Instead we had to wait three days for another one to arrive. This time the modem's power light came on flashing, and the other lights reflected this flashing very dimly, as though they might themselves be flashing but you couldn't be sure. My friend has Vista while I am unfortunately on XP. so I spent some time trying to unconfuse myself whether the computer could see the modem or not.
Eventually we visited the local professional who, it emerges, makes a comfortable living in retirement by charging an hourly rate to sort out Xtra's deficiencies, particularly the ones caused by not switching over at the exchange when they said they would. He also has a supply of the D-Link modems that Telecom had been sending out.
And here he found something really interesting. His D-Link modem and our two had exactly the same model number, but his was marked "9V" while ours were marked "12V". Our power supplies were indeed marked "12V", but even the less stuffed one delivered nothing resembling this (it should read 12*1.4=16.8V peak voltage).
This is where I reach my "WTF?" point. It seems like a serious quality control issue.
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Gaynz do make an excellent point that during the anti-smacking debate Bill English declared himself entirely responsible for his children's moral education. Some inspection of that moral education does therefore seem appropriate.
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>Take today's comedy gem that was the Destiny Church/ Gordon >Copeland political announcement - a perfect example.
Ar matey, sorry, I'm not about gettin' yer point. A perfect example of what, would that be now? When that item was draggin' itself onto the One News I 'ad to be tellin' meself that if them journalists be thinkin' this be important then I'm a-wonderin' why we be botherin' to have them. Walk the planks with them varmints. The little misfortune that's becalmed the Northern Rock bank, OTOH, barely be gettin' a mention.
It's that day again.
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The last time I went for a Subway, the minion started making it and then went into the back room. Oh, I thought, run out of some ingredient. She emerged in hat and coat and went home. Not a word to me, I was left standing there like a ninny. Of course, I now realise that customer service is something you can get fired for, but back then I just thought it was rude.
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I think the waterfront stadium would be an OK idea (it's not exactly Sydney Opera House, is it?) but I think the opportunity that has been missed is to do something about NZ's lack of a major conference and event centre. If the government or the council could have come up with some kind of synergy, redeveloping Eden Park down the track, or whatever, then it would have been easier to get excited about it.