Rants – Page 4 – Steve's Blog

Internet Explorer… what a pile of Crap

For a change of scene I’ve been working on a set of Last.FM widgets which will allow you to dispaly Last.FM widgets in the sidebars on the blogs… and you should be able to see one there right now.

It was only during testing this that I found that my blog (i.e. this one) no longer displayed on Internet Explorer. For some reason it was crapping out on the GoogleMaps code. Which was odd as I’ve not got any GoogleMaps embedded in this blog.

The blog displayed fine on Opera, FireFox and Safari but produced half a page on IE 6 and then if you refreshed the page then it went blank.

After much checking of code I found it… During Development of the embedded Google Maps I’d hard coded a javascript tag into the header for this blog. It was still there and for some completely perverse reason having it there screwed up IE 6.

So I’ve taken it out and things are now working.

Well sort of – IE really gets it’s knickers in a twist if you put something into a div that is slightly wider than it should be, Everyone else ignores this but not IE, oh no, not IE.. no it reformats your page and shoves the whole column at the bottom of the page.

PHPBB Mods – why the hell do we bother?

I’ve coded up a couple of mods for phpbb

and

The total down loads of these two mods is not huge but its not zero.

There was a bug in the Registration Variable MOD that no-one noticed.. or if they did notice they didn’t think to tell me.

If I download a MOD, especially a new one, I always try to comment on it, even if there aren’t any problems.

The people running PHPBB are wondering why people aren’t submitting MODS to their MODS database.

I suspect the answer is apathy. A lot of mods are coded up by people because they want to fix a specific problem or add a specific feature to their board. As an act of goodwill they release the change as a mod so that others can benefit. Those others take that code and then don’t bother getting back to the author if there are bugs or obvious enhancements.

Maybe its about time a lot of people using PHPBB put something back into the PHPBB community rather than just leaching off it all the time.

How not to bill customers

I recently decided to move my Gas and Electricity supplies to one provider rather than 2 – estimated savings of about �200.

I was with NPower for my electricity. I’ve been paying by Direct Debit for years.

Anyway we got the final bill from them… for just over �55. At the bottom was the usual:

If you do not query this bill by 20/12/2006 it will be paid by Direct Debit on 27/12/2006″

So I happily did nothing.

On Friday (22/12/2006) I get a letter from NPower dated 19/12/2006.

Outstanding amount: �55.

If you have recently paid this you may disregard this letter

Errr Excuse Me??? Outstanding amount – on a Direct Debit that isn’t actually going to be taken until 27/12/? Letter send out the day before the last day I’m allowed to query the bill… I DONT think so.

So I phone their customer services… I’m told that you haven’t paid your last bill
I point out that I pay by Direct Debit and read out the details off the bill and that the DD doesn’t go out until AFTER Christmas. I’m told There are no Direct Debit details for your account so you can’t pay by Direct Debit

I read out the bill AGAIN – the BILL says I pay by Direct Debit, I’ve paid by Direct Debit for years so why am I being sent letters telling me that I’ve not paid.. especially when the DD isn’t due yet.

I’m told once again You don’t pay by Direct Debit as you don’t have any Direct Debit details for your account

So I ask – who deleted them then?

I’m then told Oh, you’ve left us – moved to a different supplier.. so that is why the Direct Debit details are gone

I point out that although I’ve left them I haven’t paid the last bill, that last bill was to be paid by DD on 27/12. So obviously they dont actually want my money.

I’m told but you have to pay – its money you owe us.

I said that I wanted to pay, the computer systems wanted me to pay and I was happy to pay but as they had deleted my details the company obviously didn’t want me to pay… person on other end of phone was not happy.. told me I had to pay.

So I’m in two minds – they can’t cut me off and I suspect that deleting my payment details before they’ve taken the money could legally be argued as them not wanting my money…

I might send them a cheque (second class post of course) in a couple of days.

Netscape – what a bunch of Morons

No doubt others have experienced this on their blogs:

You have Trackbacks enabled and the trackbacks fill up with crap posted there by scum advertising drugs, pornography and so on. S

I’ve been having a lot of problems with crap advertising several sites on http://mywebpage.netscape.com. So far various netscape sites have accounted for over 190 trash trackbacks.

How to report it though – there is NOTHING, and I mean NOTHING on the main site covering how to report abuse like this – hell half the links don’t even work. Emails to various accounts at netscape vanish into black holes (or appear to, certainly they dont seem to remove the sites).

So I’ve black holed ANY trackback with http://mywebpage.netscape.com in it – sorry if you have a site there but tough shit… if the people who run your homepages can’t get off their arses and fix things then thats your problem.. take it up with them.

The Same goes for google – I’ve been getting attempts (usually by scum in Korea (using Korea Telecom)) to send email to a specific gmail account. Its the only time I ever see them try to abuse my email server and the destination account when you search on google comes back with 400+ entries all related to attempts to abuse email servers. Its obvious that the email address is being used as a drop box to check for open email relays. Google have been informed about 10 times about this – they do nothing, they don’t give a shit.

Korea Telecom don’t give a shit either.

Of course the trackbacks are not displayed, and the IP address is blacklisted and not allowed to post again.

So if you are on the following list then tough titty- your machine is spamming – either because you know (in which case you are the lowest of the low) or your machine is compromised… so FIX IT

24.125.144.168
24.158.74.41
24.181.61.235
24.211.0.224
24.232.113.3
24.232.244.175
24.47.160.129
24.52.174.4
24.86.22.175
59.171.31.83
59.171.245.200
61.17.209.145
61.23.240.120
61.244.153.120
61.246.216.86
61.57.242.214
61.7.252.251
62.107.97.14
62.118.69.234
62.118.18.179
62.221.42.89
62.43.95.206
64.111.210.126
64.111.210.170
64.111.210.202
64.187.69.178
64.195.93.207
64.34.168.235
65.190.46.18
66.137.120.122
67.128.15.151
67.160.56.240
67.169.123.57
67.18.109.66
68.102.249.127
68.12.56.176
68.37.149.74
68.99.252.169
69.158.188.16
69.231.157.238
69.29.121.125
69.3.56.170
69.41.170.86
69.90.215.254
69.93.71.26
70.162.61.195
70.82.27.245
70.86.237.26
71.206.84.44
71.231.151.210
72.242.46.226
72.66.29.20
75.37.162.209
76.176.100.81
80.166.56.44
80.227.0.156
80.240.118.43
80.240.54.8
80.73.82.193
80.85.224.10
81.172.57.73
81.177.4.43
81.185.192.10
81.22.212.86
81.32.164.55
81.63.140.37
81.95.146.122
82.117.206.198
82.123.27.2
82.137.247.131
82.145.215.19
82.154.252.223
82.225.88.48
82.225.153.23
82.233.57.13
82.91.89.211
82.94.77.202
82.99.238.22
82.99.233.199
83.116.247.148
83.211.38.186
83.221.223.154
83.228.0.150
83.28.36.66
83.46.36.129
84.14.52.34
84.150.55.60
84.174.125.126
84.177.91.81
84.205.33.62
84.244.8.86
84.66.237.170
85.207.164.123
85.46.232.188
85.53.98.153
85.71.100.23
86.204.133.141
87.250.77.203
87.251.100.53
89.34.43.181
125.192.177.33
125.240.113.194
125.3.99.157
131.114.190.90
146.48.84.120
148.233.159.58
152.160.26.123
165.229.47.125
192.51.5.126
193.173.109.253
193.188.77.2
193.233.5.76
193.251.16.231
193.69.180.120
194.165.130.93
195.131.217.42
195.146.112.53
195.175.37.71
195.175.37.70
195.85.199.54
196.12.178.73
200.117.44.76
200.117.139.69
200.117.219.166
200.117.223.199
200.138.103.184
200.155.205.53
200.172.38.52
200.172.107.14
200.207.122.188
200.209.170.87
200.209.170.102
200.35.167.132
200.46.125.149
200.69.244.197
200.77.48.184
200.77.103.191
200.78.241.61
200.82.50.229
200.88.46.58
201.17.215.228
201.17.230.218
201.17.231.5
201.209.84.86
201.243.59.229
201.248.251.58
201.25.73.33
201.25.0.104
201.3.37.149
201.36.161.104
201.53.125.167
201.57.126.130
201.75.66.200
201.75.82.65
201.80.170.22
202.1.192.1
202.123.219.227
202.129.57.114
202.143.152.150
202.179.159.205
202.182.65.204
202.27.236.79
202.59.80.19
202.59.80.160
202.7.176.133
203.100.75.43
203.144.144.163
203.144.144.164
203.144.198.188
203.149.25.124
203.150.145.86
203.187.245.216
203.233.101.144
203.247.156.16
210.114.183.194
210.147.5.198
210.2.204.110
210.55.96.122
211.10.143.146
211.121.51.78
211.189.39.174
211.72.254.51
212.122.74.8
212.219.250.1
212.22.32.192
212.44.82.226
212.9.229.75
213.152.59.88
213.186.116.169
213.191.121.23
213.251.132.100
216.40.89.188
217.172.23.164
217.219.33.135
217.45.141.242
217.8.209.37
218.102.159.247
218.115.214.121
218.121.152.115
218.123.142.130
218.124.122.36
218.127.191.3
218.128.1.10
218.179.104.199
219.1.142.90
219.125.19.117
219.172.233.2
219.181.172.25
219.64.15.147
219.80.51.79
220.146.207.47
220.211.230.216
220.226.131.86
220.228.96.190
220.25.164.229
220.37.170.29
220.38.4.30
220.42.24.125
220.46.64.204
220.55.68.132
220.99.199.37
221.114.175.253
221.190.151.210
221.23.72.30
221.39.48.9
222.126.5.226
222.151.9.250
222.229.197.79
222.5.233.17

Banks

Saturday we went to the bank to put my wife’s name on the account. Can’t be too complicated can it? Can’t take more than a few minutes can it?

BZZZTTTTT – WRONG!!

The bank say that a passport, marriage certificate and payslips (with the same address on as me) are not acceptable as proof that she is who she says she is and that she lives where she says she lives.

To put my wife on the account the bank says it needs a utility bill or a credit card bill with my wifes name on it.

She has none of these – the bills are all in my name as are the credit cards (with her simply having secondary cards).

So for anyone out there who wants to put a partner on the account but she doesn’t get bills – dont try to do it with the Royal Bank of Scotland because its not possible.

So much for customer service

Hackers, crackers and other annoyances

My server was getting swamped the other day, checking into it I found that it was links from LiveJournal to a pic in my photo albums which someone had used to illustrate a tack poem. Livejournal users had then copied this poem round each other, and republished it – and every view was leeching the pic off my server.

Now I guess its a compliment that they liked my squirrel pic but it was used without permission and with no credit.

So I stopped it.. specifically that image cannot be accessed when the referrer URL is livejournal.

So then I started looking round and found lots of attempts to hijack awstats for hacking other servers. So I’ve put in a redirect based on IP to stop this happening.

I also tightened up my SSH logins – and record unauthorised accesses onto that (which populates the website black list).

Today I had some scum from Israel (specifically a user of Barak I.T.C) use a java application to post Viagra spam on my forum. So if you were on 85.65.58.1 a few minutes ago – I saw you, deleted your post and blocked your IP.

Its sad that the internet is now full of people who try to break into, hijack or otherwise misuse other peoples resources.

Still thats the way of the world I suppose.

Oddly enough its THIS blog entry that the spamming scum keep picking on. I wonder why.

Health Service?? Where does the Service come into it?

Saw the doctor the other week about a medical condition and he said he’d contact the hospital.

Letter arrived on Friday – I need to phone the hospital to make an appointment. Wife phoned the number before 5pm – no reply.

I have been trying almost continually for the past 3 hours to get through on their number but it is always busy.

What annoys me is the following statement on the letter:

YOU MUST CONTACT US WITHIN 2 WEEKS. IF WE DO NOT HEAR FROM YOU, WE WILL ASSUME YOU NO LONGER REQUIRE THE APPOINTMENT. YOUR NAME WILL BE REMOVED FROM OUR PENDING LIST AND YOUR GP INFORMED

And yes it really is in bold block capitals.

So they can be snotty with me and then provide a crap booking service.

I pay for this out of my Taxes – surely they can employ more than 1 person to answer the phone (which I think is the ONLY number to book appointments on for the entire Hospital Trust)

Why bother….

… having a website and an email form for enquiries/quotes if you are not going to respond?

I recently emailed a garage that specialises in gearbox work for a quote to replace the Governor seals and accumulator springs on my Saab 9000 autobox because at 120,000 miles I’m starting to get the odd problem (like the gearbox starting in 2nd and then shifting down to 1st).

The procedure to do this is actually quite simple (if you think removing the wheel, hub, wing lining and the end of the gearbox is simple) but I dont have the time, the patience or the necessary workspace to do it myself.

So I fill in the form asking them to quote for the specific work that needs doing… do they reply? Silly question I know – and you just know that the answer is NO.

So why bother putting the sodding form there in the first place. Its all well and good having an internet presence but it doesn’t work if you just sit on your fat laxy arse and dont do anything

Was it YOU?

Were you in the Coronation Square Carpark this time last week?

Were you driving a truck with orange/red paint on it?

Did you clip the rear drivers side of a Blue Renault Clio..

If it was you … BASTARD!! You could have stopped and left your details.

Running off was not the thing to do.. its been reported to the police.. that makes you a criminal… not that you care as you are obviously socially inept.

DIY – what a pain.

DIY has to be one of the most annoying things in life. We are currently in the middle of a kitchen re-design.. yes you read that correctly.. re-design. We haven’t actually done anything physical (like rip out any cupboards) but its already been one big huge pain… and what is the cause of this pain? Is it the odd shape of our kitchen? No. Is it the fact that we have a range cooker rather than a boring single unit/slot in cooker? No. Is it anything obvious? No!

I’ll tell you what the cause of the pain is – the supplier of the kitchen units.

The story goes as follows:

1. We work out exactly what we need to buy to build the new kitchen
2. We go on line to order it all (free delivery being a big incentive here)
3. Not all of it is in stock – and on this web site if its not in stock you CANT order it
4. I visit the local store and despite them having this specific kitchen type on display (with a “Buy this kitchen today” notice) they dont actually stock the damned stuff.
5. We redesign the kitchen (changing some cupboards to mixed drawers/cupboards) and check that what we need to do this is in stock on the website. It is!
6. I phone the company the next day to ammend the order – I can’t!!
7. So I try to place a second order for the new bits – I can’t because they are now NOT in stock.
8. Worried that its an end of the line range I phone customer services. They assure me its not end of the line.
9. I explain the situation. Customer Services fail to find any one of their stores within 60 miles of Cheltenham that actually stock the damned stuff.
10. As I can’t order it on line I have to order it in store (who can order stuff when its out of stock!!). Its a 6 week lead time for orders from the store!!
11. Whilst in the store I find that if I dont want white cupboard ends but want them to be colour co-ordinated I have to buy new end panels for every exposed cupboard end (so basically replace 50% of the cupboard).. If I want to put a “textured” end panel on rather than just plain wood (bascially looks like planking) then I have to redesign my kitchen as these end units are over 2 inches deep!!
12. When I said the store doesn’t stock it – I mean it doesnt stock ANYTHING to do with it – so if I want pelmeting to go round the bottom I have to order it (6 weeks) then cut it to size..and if I make a mistake its another 6 weeks to get another peice of it..
13. I decide to cancel. Desipte the email that was sent when I ordered the units which states that their customer services department is open on Sunday it very obviously isn’t … not that it tells you that when it first picks up… oh no.. it takes you through several sub menus before it tells you that.
14. I phone them this morning and they dont seem very happy when I want to cancel the order..

Expect to read more in the near future!