Recent Posts

2026

Living Room / Re: what is the potential capacity of the internet?

« Last post by nudone on June 16, 2007, 07:27 AM »

well, i can kind of visualise certain parts, i.e. my home connection - it's like a pretty small pipe that is 'full' when i'm downloading at the full bandwidth - it's the net beyond my house i can't picture.

if my 1Mb connection is like a drinking straw - are the typical outside connections between countries (or whatever) like a sewage pipe with a diameter several miles across? or is the diameter several hundred miles across - or several planets across?

and, still, even if the diameter is several planets across - what's the average amount of 'stuff' flowing through the pipe.

understandably the capacity is forever being increased - is there a limit to this?

perhaps it would be good to have a visual way of representing all this with a history, i.e. how big was the typical internet pipe in the 80's, 90's and now.

2027

Living Room / Re: what is the potential capacity of the internet?

« Last post by nudone on June 16, 2007, 03:13 AM »

kind of reminds me of this one too: How much does the internet weigh?

-app103 (June 16, 2007, 02:42 AM)

true. but for my mind to be at peace i'd need to know what is the capability of the weighing scales that were used to weigh the internet, i.e. was it ready to collapse under the immense weight of a few electrons or could i through a slab of butter on top too.

2028

Living Room / what is the potential capacity of the internet?

« Last post by nudone on June 16, 2007, 01:57 AM »

zaine's post https://www.donation...9;topicseen#msg65079 reminded me of this question that keeps me awake at nights:

in 'theory' what is the capacity of the internet, i.e. in visual form, if the 'internet' was a big fat pipe - is the data flowing through it like a tiny trickle or is the pipe almost at full capacity. (or is that a terrible analogy?)

or has the 'pipe' been full for years and really it's now just a case of how fast things flow through it?

2029

Living Room / Re: Why is Hotmail so bad at spam?

« Last post by nudone on June 16, 2007, 01:46 AM »

i am also quite perplexed at how hotmail can be so sh*t at filtering.

my settings are to only receive email from MY contacts. that seems like a simple thing to enforce to me - you're not on my list then you're not coming in.

now i have plenty of gatecrasher spam mails. i guess it shouldn't take long for the problem to be sorted out.

how it could even happen in the first place makes me wonder how crap the underlying system must be.

2030

General Software Discussion / Re: Überwallpaper!

« Last post by nudone on June 15, 2007, 06:48 AM »

i like nicobou's 3D cartoon shaded style. might have to pinch that style for some things.

2031

Living Room / Re: DoCo Reading Week June 8, 2007 - Join In!

« Last post by nudone on June 08, 2007, 02:39 PM »

i spend quite a lot of time reading. this week it includes...

dreamweaver CS3 bible by Joseph W. Lowery http://www.amazon.co...181330946&sr=8-2

the business side of creativity by Cameron S. Foote http://www.amazon.co...181331154&sr=1-1

top 10 by Alan Moore http://www.amazon.co...181331362&sr=1-1

possible other books as i become sidetracked.

2032

Living Room / Re: 20 year Reunion ("there's nothing closer to heaven than being a grad of '87")

« Last post by nudone on June 08, 2007, 02:31 AM »

i went to my class of 85 reunion a few years back and i have absolutely nothing good to say or remember about it (i removed my name from friendsreunited the day after the reunion).

of course, there is no way of knowing how your reunion will go until you are there, Darwin. it sounds like you could well enjoy it because you are already weary of it, i.e. expect the worst that could happen and you'll probably be surprised how enjoyable it all is.

i clearly was expecting it to be like seeing old 'friends'. the reality was that it was like standing in a room with a few hundred complete strangers - i only recognised about 25% of the people there, the conversations lasted about 5 minutes then i was ready to leave.

some of the people i wanted to see again weren't there so that didn't help - probably if they had been there then our conversation would have been stilted anyway.

bottom line is this. there will be good reasons why you've not kept in touch with people, why put yourself in an artificial situation with them now. i'm sure there can be enjoyable things about these reunions but overall they are just like ways to work out how you fit into the pecking order of your old school associates.

what i'd really suggest is this. go to the reunion wearing a disguise or just stick your head around the entrance door and take a look at everyone - then run away and don't look back.

(i'm not a total miserable b*stard, i do still have friends from school that i see regular. i'm also very capable of having a pleasant conversation with a stranger at a bus stop. i'm not a total pariah - honest.)

2033

Living Room / Re: Pubbox.net is down, it's owner is deceased.

« Last post by nudone on June 02, 2007, 10:44 AM »

this might have been asked before, but isn't there a service that will automatically send out an 'official statement' if you don't sign in to the service? e.g. after 6 months of not signing in, the message is sent out that you are 6 feet under. (i'm sure we've discussed this before.)

in my own case i was wondering what might happen with websites that you might be running/hosting and the complications that could cause for clients that relied on you to do absolutely everything for them. i'd guess that they wouldn't have a clue what to do about getting access to their site/content. maybe such things are covered within normal contracts????

2034

Living Room / Re: UK pc con (sorry, i mean repair) man captured for TV show

« Last post by nudone on June 02, 2007, 10:33 AM »

in derbyshire, hmm, i really have no idea but i think you are right about most people having a pre installed operating system from when the machine was bought. this is what i usually find anyway.

i shall definitely get them to sign something before i do anything - i guess it is their responsibility if it is 'their' pirated software - i can advise them but it isn't for me to lay down the law.

(perhaps they will appreciate my recommendations for buying legit software if i explain that i will not be profitting from any sales myself.)

2035

Living Room / Re: UK pc con (sorry, i mean repair) man captured for TV show

« Last post by nudone on June 02, 2007, 09:11 AM »

i have a dilemma. i'm close to starting this pc repair thing as an 'official' business but i've just thought of something...

how do i deal with customers that are using pirated software? if they require their machine wiping and all they have is a dodgy copy of xp, am i compelled to say "sorry, i can clean your machine but i can't set it up for you until you have a legit copy of xp." their reply being along the lines of "goodbye, i'll phone someone else up and pay them instead."

in the ideal world they would, of course, reply "oh, really, i will pay you whatever it costs to get a legit copy of xp - i had no idea it was illegal." but, i can't see that happening too often.

any ideas how i should approach a vast number of customers that will be in this category - should i simply make my apologies and explain i can't be of help?

2036

Living Room / Re: Pubbox.net is down, it's owner is deceased.

« Last post by nudone on June 02, 2007, 08:49 AM »

i have also been wondering about such things - for future business plans. (i have nothing planned but wonder about the legalities, etc.)

2037

Living Room / Re: Microsoft's proposed new user interface

« Last post by nudone on June 01, 2007, 01:44 AM »

i think nintendo should stick a couple of them together for their next generation 'nintendo DS'. other than that i think it would make a nice coffee table.

2038

Living Room / Re: UK pc con (sorry, i mean repair) man captured for TV show

« Last post by nudone on May 30, 2007, 01:54 PM »

I bet you can configure at least some of these to run in BartPE so that you can run them even if Windows won't start. Difficult if there are no graphics though 

-Carol Haynes (May 30, 2007, 09:30 AM)

nice idea.

2039

Living Room / Re: UK pc con (sorry, i mean repair) man captured for TV show

« Last post by nudone on May 30, 2007, 08:37 AM »

thanks, very useful links there, steeladept. i shall see which offers the best print out that will make the most sense to a layperson/customer.

also, i think it be very useful to provide a link to the right software (free to use) when i set the website up.

2040

Living Room / Re: UK pc con (sorry, i mean repair) man captured for TV show

« Last post by nudone on May 30, 2007, 07:39 AM »

The other thing is that if parts need to be replaced that is fine but the faulty parts should also be returned to the customer - they are theirs after all. They should also be consulted and given a choice of replacement parts and prices.

-Carol Haynes (May 30, 2007, 06:55 AM)

very true. i wouldn't really have considered doing otherwise but it is surprising what many people must be doing judging from the 'house of horrors' clip - the con/repair man did behave like it was an everyday situation for him, i.e. he pretty much did what he wanted without any fear of the customer questioning him.


justice, you have also reminded me that it will be a good idea to outline on the website what customers should expect from my service. i think being able to convey that i am trustworthy will be a crucial factor in why someone should choose me for the job - so being as up front about everything on the website sounds like a good idea.

i'd say offerring refunds on repairs if the customer wasn't happy is going a bit too far. i can't imagine any other service industry making such an offer - maybe they'd make the claim but i doubt they'd fulfil such a request. i'll have to think about that one as i'm really undecided but i don't quite see how it would make good business sense to ignore the cost of the hardware you've just paid for to replace a faulty part - or the time you've spent on the job. maybe it's worth making the claim as it would draw in more custom - with just a small risk of someone not being satisfied with the work. hmmm.

2041

Living Room / Re: UK pc con (sorry, i mean repair) man captured for TV show

« Last post by nudone on May 30, 2007, 02:29 AM »

True, but I was thinking more of when you were done and that way repeat customers would know you were not taking advantage of them.  If you become an "OEM" and sell new as well, then you could give it to them with the new PC too.  Provide the program on a CD and then they can run it after any upgrades or repair and verify they were not conned even if they don't take it to you...

-steeladept (May 29, 2007, 07:20 PM)

very, very good ideas.  now i understand. credits on their way to steeladept and Darwin.

2042

Living Room / Re: UK pc con (sorry, i mean repair) man captured for TV show

« Last post by nudone on May 28, 2007, 12:56 PM »

it's a nice idea but the problem is that it's only going to be of use when the computer is still working correctly, i.e. it's not going to be practical when you can't get into windows.

actually physically inspecting peoples hardware inside the case and making a note of it is also a bit impractical as things are usually not clearly marked (or even that visible).

i certainly have to agree that it's important and would reassure the customer if they knew exactly what hard/software  is part of their machine but i can't think of a quick way of doing it that is going to work.

it still seems like a simple matter of trust at the moment.

maybe if i took a photo of the insides of their machine??????????? 

2043

Living Room / Re: Dumpr - Automatic Photo Manipulation

« Last post by nudone on May 26, 2007, 06:41 AM »

wow, they are the largest cody images i've ever seen.

2044

Living Room / Re: Why don't you pay for software?

« Last post by nudone on May 23, 2007, 01:44 AM »

i like using pirated software because i like johnny depp.

2045

Living Room / Re: UK pc con (sorry, i mean repair) man captured for TV show

« Last post by nudone on May 21, 2007, 01:27 PM »

thanks for the good suggestions.

the trouble with these 'rogue' traders/servicepeople is that customers don't check the names of who they are. you look in the local press for the right sounding advert and make a phonecall - names only matter if it's word of mouth information and you've already heard a horror story from a friend.

maybe i'm wrong. i hope i am. i can't say it makes me feel good about helping people out with pc problems if they are thinking in the back of their mind i'm somehow ripping them off - all because of the moron on that tv show.

getting back to informing customers, i don't wish to over stress the point that they need to be cautious as they might just end up taking their problems to somewhere like pc world (big national chain of computer shops in the UK) which we also know isn't a place to be guaranteed quality service (albeit not as bad as Quigley's).

it needs to be tactfully done. i'll no doubt be asking for further opinions when i get nearer to the point of creating the website.

it all just makes me wonder how trusting we all are. not just towards 'pc doctors' but to service people in general. these tv shows have been going for years, exposing dodgy builders/plumbers/plasters/etc/etc and the climate is that we allow these people to get away with it - we just don't expect to get ripped off or if we do we shrug our shoulders when it happens and blame ourselves for it.

another problem i see from this MIKE QUIGLEY episode of the program is that there will be people that will have seen what he did and are now planning in doing exactly the same as him, i.e. it's a brilliantly easy way of making quick money by conning people with computer problems. the whole 'pc doctor' scenario is open to abuse - there are no regulations, absolutely anyone can do it - and, as in Quigley's example, give out a fake address so there's no comeback (how did he manage that).

i think the only real way of being able to trust any kind of repair person is that they have a good reputation already. we can't all be expert enough to know when we are being conned - i know i wouldn't have a clue if a garage overcharged me for fixing my car. same applies to the friends (and friends of friends) computers i've fixed over the years - i could say pretty much anything to them about their pc and as i'm the expert they would have believed me. i can think of many occasions when i've sat them down and explained the problem, explained what they currently have and explained what i recommend they should do - i'm sure that they appreciate this but it's obvious that all they want is for the machine to work. how and why is beyond their level of interest - just get it to work and tell me how much it will cost is really all they are thinking.

i guess reputation really is everything. we shouldn't trust anyone we've never heard about from someone else - kind of a hard code to live by though. and all because of a few vile people like Quigley.

2046

Living Room / Re: UK pc con (sorry, i mean repair) man captured for TV show

« Last post by nudone on May 21, 2007, 11:39 AM »

i really can't say what will happen to him but i would assume that he is still trading - perhaps he will have changed his trading name. i think it is very unlikely that he will be prosecuted even though there must be a substantial number of his customers that would like to see it.

i've checked to see if he's got a website but i can only find an email and contact address - perhaps he removed things before the show went on air (i think it more likely he never had a website).

unfortunately, i think he will be doing just as well now as he was before the show went out - maybe a few people will remember that he drove a nice car with a stupid number plate but i doubt they'll remember his name or face.

maybe if the youtube clip was on digg.com then it might ruin is reputation a little - the real problem is that i expect many people with pc problems that are likely to call an engineer out aren't going to have any knowledge of MIKE QUIGLEY.

i personally wouldn't have any idea who he was if a neighbour hadn't mentioned it - i never really watch those kinds of tv shows that he was on.


SIDE TOPIC
i'm planning in starting a little pc repair call out service with a friend. i've been looking at the local market and i believe i (or we) can offer something better.

now, i was sort of wondering whether it would be a good idea to provide links to the youtube clips of this Quigley guy on our pc repair website - as an example of what to look out for when dealing with 'pc doctors'. i'd probabably put other info on the site about other tips customers could undertake if they weren't sure of who to trust.

i'm wondering if this is a good tactic though. maybe it just smells of desperation when you use other businesses as a bad example to your own business.

if you have the time - opinions please...

2047

Living Room / Re: UK pc con (sorry, i mean repair) man captured for TV show

« Last post by nudone on May 21, 2007, 08:29 AM »

Even so, let's hope his local car technician is a cow boy too, and tells him that he now needs a new engine, new seats and a new radio.

-Martin_130286 (May 21, 2007, 07:54 AM)

hahaha, i never thought of that - brilliant.

2048

Living Room / Re: UK pc con (sorry, i mean repair) man captured for TV show

« Last post by nudone on May 20, 2007, 10:15 AM »

isn't WinME a registered trademark

probably so.

from reading in other forums about this episode of the tv show if read that there is someone in London with the license plate WIN ME (with a single I, not two). i guess that must be belong to Bill Gates himself - when he's over here in the UK.

2049

Official Announcements / Re: FreeThesaurus.net - new official DC web service, is now up and running!

« Last post by nudone on May 20, 2007, 10:11 AM »

glad to be of service, wordzilla.

i think "three brand-new cody logos" is stretching it a little - more like 2.1 new images 

2050

Living Room / Re: UK pc con (sorry, i mean repair) man captured for TV show

« Last post by nudone on May 20, 2007, 08:59 AM »

sorry, i didn't realise that the license plate was so blurred (it was clearer to see on the original broadcast).

the plate reads WIIN ME

make of that what you will, but i find it kind of amusing that this bloke thought it a cool idea to brand his posh car after one of the biggest jokes in operating system history. does he think windows millenium is that cool.

of course, it could represent other things but the millenium reference seems the funniest to me.