COMPUTERS, THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY

[Stanley]

[Whyperion]

`Predatory Sparrow: Who are the hackers who say they started a fire in Iran?' LINK
`It's extremely rare for hackers, who operate in the digital world, to cause damage in the physical world. But a cyber-attack on a steel maker in Iran two weeks ago is being seen as one of those significant and troubling moments. A hacking group called Predatory Sparrow said it was behind the attack, which it said caused a serious fire, and released a video to back up its story. The video appears to be CCTV footage of the incident, showing factory workers leaving part of the plant before a machine starts spewing molten steel and fire. The video ends with people pouring water on the fire with hoses.'...

Tizer anything to do with
"Ukraine war: Iran plans to supply Russia with combat drones, US warns" (BBC Website - search on google will find it). I am thinking that Ukraine are going to need to invest in spies to take down supplies before they arrive.

[Tripps]

Seems the heat took its tollyesterday on Internet Cloud sevices etc. Cloud bursts

The railways have had a bad press for not planning for an unprecedented 40C yesterday, and closing down a lot of the service.

Be interesting to see the reaction to losing your blog.

[Stanley]

Bit like anti-depressants David. They promise a better world and then as soon as we have an adverse event the servers have to be powered down to reduce the load on inadequate cooling systems.
The external hard drives on my kitchen table are fine thank you!

[Tizer]

I didn't know this before the heat wave...
Network Rail: Did you know ... We paint certain parts of the rail white so they absorb less heat and expand less, reducing delays in hot weather. Typically, a rail painted white is 5°C to 10°C cooler: Twitter

Also I think I heard someone on the radio talk about sprinkling talcum powder on the rails to whiten them for the same reason. I would have thought that would make braking less effective.

[Stanley]

I saw a clip of some workers 'painting' the rails white. It looked like a very amateurish operation to me, lumpy whitewash paste applied with a stick with a rag on the end of it. It struck me that it looked like a spur of the moment cunning wheeze to convince the travelling public that they were doing something.... Besides, for it to be effective they would have to whiten all the track. No, I don't buy it, I have never seen it used and if it was it would be a more effective operation like use the weed-killing rig to spray white paint on the rails.....

[Tizer]

The task of spraying the rails would probably cause even more chaos than the heat!

[Stanley]

Not necessarily Peter, not if it was combined with the weed killing and all done in one pass

[Tizer]

`Tighter export controls on electronics could hamper Russia's war effort - report' LINK
`Russia's military could be unable to operate the high-tech weapons and communications systems it has been using in Ukraine if the West were to tighten export controls, says a report. Almost all Moscow's modern military systems depend on western-made microelectronics, says the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi) report. Moscow has found ways to bypass sanctions and export controls. If the loopholes are closed, Russia's military might be permanently degraded.'...

[Stanley]

I heard that report as well Peter. Whilst it may well be true the key phrase is 'If the loopholes are closed, Russia's military might be permanently degraded.'.... Remember the old rhyme? "If ifs and ands were pots and pans there'd be no need for tinkers." My mind goes back to the armour plate cartel and Krupp's fuzes in WW1 and Swedish ball bearings and Nazi Germany in WW2. When did war stop international trade from extracting every profit available?
I think there is an element of wishful thinking in many of this type of report. Economic sanctions were going to cripple Russia.... Not much sign of that yet.
If there is any salvation in Ukraine it will come unexpectedly and from a quarter nobody expects.

[PanBiker]

Returning from our holiday I have found that the nice folk at Talk Talk have sent me new router! Not requested, so I will have to check if it is a later version than the one I have. Not looked properly yet.

[Tizer]

`Pulsic takeover by Super Orange HK blocked on security grounds' LINK

[Big Kev]

Had to replace my powerline adapters, they stopped working yesterday so I only had a wireless connection for my work laptop, not ideal with thick stone walls. Amazon delivery just after 12 today, plugged in and configured by 12:10. Sorted.

[PanBiker]

New router delivery now solved following an incoming call from TalkTalk today. It is intended for a free upgrade to FTTP and the deal includes retaining the land line, telephone number and any other boosts applied etc. Closer inspection of the router revels that it has a VOIP port on the back but it is covered by a removable sticker.

I knew nothing of this until I received the call which was to confirm that I didn't want to take up the offer. The reason being all communication has been sent to the original email address that we set up the Tiscali account on about 20 years ago and which I no longer use. I have it set up on web mail but I rarely look at it. It normally only has notifications of the bills etc which are on direct debit.

I told the guy that rang that I would have to have a look at the info they have sent before confirming that I want the upgrade. He is ringing back tomorrow. TalkTalk had already organised an Open Reach appointment for last Monday but I didn't confirm it so it was cancelled.

I have looked at the video and info they have sent and it's bit of a no brainer. Full FTTP and retention of the land line at the same price. The upgrade will probably add value to the house as it offers potential upgrade to 900Mbps and the VOIP option future proofs for when they turn off the copper service.

I do wish TalkTalk would allow you to switch the primary email address on the account.

FTTP and VOIP here we come.

[Tripps]

Does that mean they will lay a fibre link from your premises to the cabinet, and bypass the historically troublesome overhead wiring? All free of charge. If so sounds like a good deal. I'd do it.

I'd be looking closely at the small print though.

[Big Kev]

Does that mean they will lay a fibre link from your premises to the cabinet, and bypass the historically troublesome overhead wiring? All free of charge. If so sounds like a good deal. I'd do it.

I'd be looking closely at the small print though.

My eldest offspring has fttp, it still comes in from the pole out the back.

[Tripps]

Of course. I was thinking back about 25 years when NTL cabled the village I lived in at the time, and the whole lot was U/G. The current offer here is from a company called County Broadband who have been installing for a while. Their price wasn't attractive though, so I didn't join. I'm OK with the speed I have.

Interestingly the annual 'nominal rise' next year from Plusnet is a few percent plus the RPI figure. last year that was around 5 %.This year it will be nearer to 15%. Trivial compared to the utilities rises which are in the pipeline (to coin a phrase)

[PanBiker]

Fibre has been rolled out in Barlick to all the telephone poles. My feeder pole is 20m away and was upgraded to fibre about 12 to 18 months ago so it will only require fibre from the pole to the house.

[Stanley]

What's VOIP?
Later.... See THIS report about security concerns for Apple devices. Embarrassing for a company that sells its products on privacy....

[Big Kev]

What's VOIP?

Voice Over Internet Protocol, basically a phone call using the internet.

[Stanley]

Thanks Kev.... I have no doubt I'll survive.

[Tizer]

BT and Jurassic Broadband have been digging up roads all over Taunton to lay new cables so I assume we might one day be offered FTTP. We've had our road closed by them three times now in recent months. It would be better if they did all the work in one closure!

[Big Kev]

My replacement powerline adapters are working well, the originals were 500mbps but these are 1gbit and I've noticed the speed increase when downloading files

[PanBiker]

TalkTalk rang back this morning and I have accepted the free upgrade offer. Waiting for an email from Open Reach now to finalise an installation date.

[Stanley]

My powerline adapters only serve the TV and I suspect they are still up to the job....