Posts by noizyboy
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The technology exists for somebody in the UK to take the off-air broadcast of the FA Cup (or anything else) and stream it to the rest of the world.
This would be Illegal, Bad and Wrong. But it can happen, and probably will soon.Like justin.tv?
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The day before the match against France, he was proclaiming a massive victory by an invincible team under a great coach. The next day, the plan had been flawed from the beginning, Henry was a disaster, hanging was too good for them &c &c.
Ah, yes, happier simpler times. To quote Rattue before that fateful day...
France pose absolutely no threat to the All Blacks ... the All Blacks could play in sackcloths and they'd still stomp all over France ... France's problems start at the top, with their coach Bernard Laporte ... The All Blacks may not have reached the standards which the initial part of Graham Henry's reign suggested they would reach at the World Cup. But they are still well honed, with a forward pack in the prime of its career and enough clout in the backs to deal with the likes of France.
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looking doing? ignore the looking.
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No pix of Amy looking doing her Meg White impersonation?
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I'm looking for GOOD customer services stories for once... f
But complaining is so much more gratifying.
Ah, now I re-read I see that I interpreted the "Best' in "Tell me your Best Customer Service Experience" as meaning 'Most entertaining'. Will try and find some good customer service asap...
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Here's one from the weekend just past...
I decided to buy a new PC over the weekend, and, after a quick browse around the various online stores, found a model at a chain retailer that was $300 off, and suited my needs.
I rang the various Wellington stores to check if they had it in stock.
Store #1: "Ahh, not sure actually, try Store #2".
Store #2: "I think Store #1 has got a couple, but Store #3 certainly has".Since I was heading past Store #3 that morning anyway, I decided to grab it from there. I rang ahead, confirmed - yes - they had that model available, and would put it aside for me. "When you come in, ask for 'Bob'", the guy said.
A couple of hours later, I arrived, and asked for Bob.
"He's on his break out back," I was told. "Can you wait?"
Couldn't he maybe break his break for a moment so I could spend my $1000+ in his shop? Apparently not. I waited. And waited.
Eventually, 'Bob' arrived, remembered my phone call, and spent another long while digging out my system from whatever secret cache he had stowed it in earlier. Upon bringing it out, he confessed that the unit wasn't 100% new - it had been returned after developing a fault, but had been sent to get serviced, and everything should ok now.
Naively, I believed him, paid up, took the thing home, spent a couple of hours untangling and removing my old PC from its well-worn groove (some of the cables had put down roots, it seemed), then carefully connected the new one together. And turned it on. And watched it freeze up. Reboot. Wait. Freeze. Fuck.
I rang the shop back.
"The fault's still there. Can I bring in the box and swap it out for another of the same type?"
"Ahhh, let me see, " said Bob.
I waited.
"We only have a shop display unit that's showing videos."
"That's actually okay," I said, "at least I know that one's going. I'll take it."
"Ok," said Bob, "I'll check with my manager."
I wait, again.
"Sorry," said Bob, returning, "I can't give you that one, it runs our inshop video."
How about sorting out your actual, paying customers first? I thought.
"How about the other stores?"
"Store #1 appears to have a couple on the shelf, you could try them."
"Can you ring ahead and check that?" I asked. "They didn't seem sure this morning."
"Why don't you?" asked Bob.
Because I'm not a customer service representative, I thought.
"Ok, I'll ring them. Thanks," I said (for nothing).Store #1 is called. I explain the situation. They seem confused, but, yes, assure me there is a unit I can have should I bring in my non-functioning one. I disentangle my ex-new PC tower, and drive over. After another interminable wait as they dig out the machine from the time-lock protected nuclear bunker they obviously store their unsold PCs in, I'm told that...
"Actually, this is an ex-shop display unit."
"Not really new then?"
"No. But it's got everything on it that a new one would - we just used it for video display. I'm sure it'll be fine."Do I ever learn?
Although, in this case, the machine wasn't broken as such, but, after having gotten it home, reattaching all the cables, and booting it up, I am confronted with...
User: Store#1. Password: ?
Arse.
I ring Store#1.
"Hey, that old shop PC I just swapped a non-functioning PC from Store #3 for is password protected. Have you got the password."
"Err, really? Um, how about ++++++?"
I try that. No.
"++++++? Or ++++++?"
Nope. Nope. Having exhausted their supply of supposedly generic in-house passwords (maybe useful for another day), the store rep admits defeat.
"You'll have to do a system restore," he says.
"What? Re-install Windows?"
"Um, pretty much. Yeah."Which is what I do. And anyone who's installed Windows knows what a joy this particular task is. As my wife pointed out, if I wasn't an IT geek in the first place, the entire rigmarole would have taken days, as opposed to hours.
Maybe next time I'll buy a Mac.
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The funniest thing about the new Black Caps uniform is that they got Scott Styris to model it.
"Maybe people will think the uniform looks good in comparison"
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ps. are the mp3 links working?
Ones I tried were.
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New Zealanders don't hate their neighbours enough.
You've obviously never been to a Canterbury v. Auckland game at Lancaster Park.
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Olympic softball is competed by women only, with men competing in the similar sport of baseball.
Qualifying for the women was at the 2006 ISF World Champs, where we finished 5th in our pool, so didn't even get through to the playoff rounds (where the top 4 got to qualify).
There was then an Asia/Oceania qualifier, where we finished 2nd to Taiwan (or Chinese Taipei, if you prefer). Only they went through to the games.