Posts from 2006

I have been experiencing more wireless weirdness recently. What once was stable and reliable has become increasingly sporadic, unreliable and damned irritating for no obvious reason.

I am not a networking sort of guy. I am not particularly interested in wireless networking. I use WEP in an effort to secure my network and stop my neighbours piggy backing off it but that's about it.

I am ashamed to admit that, on one occasion, when my wireless network was broken, I briefly piggy backed on an unsecured network just to temporarily solve the problem.

I am even more ashamed to admit that, on another occasion, I simply unplugged the USB wireless adapter and just plugged it into an alternative USB port. Coincidentally, this just happened to work and I thought I had somehow miraculously addressed the problem (but deep down inside, I knew I hadn't).

Anyway, my kids have been moaning about this intermittent access to the internet for a while (can't play World of Warcraft, can't access email, can't use MSN, can't do homework etc etc) but today there was an important new development with very severe and wide reaching implications.

I was affected. I was trying to work from home and couldn't because my VPN connection kept dropping as I got kicked off the network.

Time for action. Could this action be completed in five minutes ? Probably not but let's have a go anyway.

I connected my laptop in directly to the Blueyonder cable modem with an Ethernet cable and the internet connection is fine. No need to waste anyone's time by calling Telewest technical support.

Then I connected the laptop directly in to a wired port on the Linksys wireless router and, again, the connection is rock solid.

So I head over to www.linksys.com and register for an account as a precursor to searching the FAQ and support forums. Then I register the wireless router so I can check the latest available firmware version for this model - WRT54G (V2.0).

The latest firmware version is 4.20.7 (dated 25 August 2005). I check the current firmware version and am surprised to discover that I am running version 2.02.7 which dates from the 2004 Jurassic period.

Ooh - how exciting. A difference of two in the 'major' version number for the firmware. Why this is akin to upgrading from Oracle 8i (RULE) to Oracle 10g (ALL_ROWS) ! I immediately download the software and briefly pause for a moment to read the dire warnings on the Admin screens about 'Only upgrade the router firmware if you are experiencing problems'.

I fleetingly worry that this is an American company and I stupidly reside in England so the firmware may be incompatible and could break absolutely everything. Then I take a sharp intake of breath and I press the inviting 'Upgrade the firmware now' button.

The firmware upgrade is successful ! There are some new menu options visible on the Administration screens. The firmware version is now listed as version 4.20.7.

I reconfigure to Channel 7 as Channel 11 is so 'last year' and also limit connections to 802.11G only.

Everyone is reconnected, connectivity is much improved and very stable with no drop outs thus far. Service to the InterWeb is restored !

Last night, I flew to Stockholm airport. I stayed overnight in a hotel at the airport.

Today I went to a meeting in a conference centre at Stockholm airport. I talked, listened, answered a few questions and asked a few questions.

Then I flew home from Stockholm airport.

18 hours in Stockholm and I never left the airport complex. Weird.

This may be contrary to corporate blogging guidelines but still...

Just had the formal feedback from my annual review and it is excellent news.

Seeboard - monthly bill down to £38 (down from £60) per month.

The Killers (Glastonbury 2005) has successfully been converted from DVD to WAV format and to ATRAC format on a CD.

Thanks to two excellent software tools: MediaCoder (DVD to MP3 converter) and Audacity.

Yes. It is an 0800 number which is free. However, there is a charge of 10p per minute

Newcastle Hilton Hotel.

Microsoft announce Virtual Server 2005 is now freely available.

Whatever you can do, we can do (but a bit later).

A couple of years ago, I was working in Amsterdam (near Holland) chasing world records for loading lots of data into a Siebel database.

It wasnt working very well. The client was unhappy so long hours were called for.

The Unix team said the expensive SAN was performing optimally.

The DBA team said Oracle was performing optimally.

The Siebel team said Siebel was performing optimally.

Alex Ferguson unexpectedly joined a conference call and said the Manchester United team were performing optimally.

The truth was that nothing was performing optimally. We could have loaded data quicker by typing it in.

So, we were all scratching our heads, dying to get into Amsterdam, and yawning at 23.47 one night when a gentleman appeared with a bottle of red wine.

'Has anyone got a corkscrew ?'

Well it made a pleasant change from 'Is it finished yet ?'

'No'

'Oh. It's my birthday today and I'd like to share this bottle of wine with the team.'

Purely, in the interests of team morale, I took a decisive step forward.

'Just get a biro and sink the cork into the bottle. Then we can all have a quick drink and watch glance and OEM for another 3 hours.'

'Sorry. I do not understand what you are meaning.'

'OK. Just give me the bottle.'

I grabbed a biro, plunged it into the cork and pushed. Nothing happened. I pushed harder. People (including managers) were now looking at me, exchanging knowing glances (Mad Englishman). Nothing happened.

So, I pushed even harder. Nothing happened. I put the bottle between my knees and pushed even harder. Finally, the biro plunged into the cork and the cork consequently plunged into the bottle.

However the impact was slightly more forceful than I intended and I was sprayed with a fountain of red wine. My pristine white shirt only accentuated the visual impact.

I paused and gathered myself. Red wine was splattered all over my shirt. I looked a complete mess. People were sniggering which quickly developed into hysterical laughter.

I proffered the 3/4 full bottle of red wine, to the birthday boy, expecting some gratitude.

'Thanks. Have you got any cups ?'

So, instead of being known as 'that Siebel guy who helped us load 84 million records in 23 hours with error checking and reconciliation', I was forever labelled as 'the axe murderer'.

I was at my desk at 09.05 this Monday morning. Nothing extraordinary there but considering I live in South West London and this particular desk was in Newcastle, this represented quite an achievement.

And this prompt start was only possible due to a considerate, thoughtful taxi driver.

I ordered a taxi at 05.45 on Monday morning. I slept downstairs on the sofa bed to avoid disturbing the household at that unearthly hour.

I got up at 05.30. The taxi driver rings my doorbell at 05.35. The following conversation ensues in hushed whispers. Thankfully, for his sake, it is quite hard to get really angry in a hushed whisper.

'What time is the pickup ?' '5.45'
'What time is it now ?' '5.35'
'Why have you rung the doorbell ?'
'To let you know I am here'
'Why have you just woken my wife and children up at half five
in the morning ?'
'Oh. Sorry'

And with that, he returned to wait in the taxi and any hope of a (paltry) tip disappeared into the chilly morning air.

I was interested to read that David Beckham suffers from OCD and simply can not abide an odd number of ~~lines~~ cans of coke in his fridge

I have a similar obsession about cans of Grolsch in my fridge. 0, 2, 4, 8 but never 1, 3, 5, 6 or 7. If we ever get an odd number, I simply ~~drink 'em~~ scold the offenders soundly and banish them to the cupboard (where odd numbers only are allowed).

Similarly, rounds in the pub simply must be equalized by close of drinking otherwise I come out in an angry, red rash.

I also must practice free kicks and penalties for 7 hours a day until I actually score one before I go home for my tea. So when England exit the World Cup on penalties in the quarter finals (again), it certainly won't be my fault.

If the hoovering is not done, then I immediately summon my army of maids to do it before I can even contemplate sitting down for my tea with Posh and the kids.

Now, did I put the gerbils out ?

Lee Trundles smile after Swanseas victory (in the Sunday Pub League Final played at, of all places, Cardiff) couldnt be any wider without fracturing his jaw. But what I love about this story most is the following statement by Swansea FC's chairman, Huw Jenkins:

'Maybe it was a heat-of-the-moment thing'

Possibly, but given Lee Trundle had gone to the trouble of getting a T-shirt printed with a cartoon depicting a person urinating over a Cardiff shirt, that seems a little unlikely.