Early Risers.

[roundhouse]

Morning all from the borough of boring. Off to the post office to collect my latest Ebay win. Timing is everything with our postie. He managed to slip the note in the mail slot at the exact time my son was in the shower yesterday morning. I think they train for things like that. I did receive my package from Coastal DCC though. Ordered Wednesday, received Thursday. Can't complain about that. Some of my modelling friends in Canada have been complaining about Canada Customs as of late. Seems they've been rather slow with the clearing. Normally a parcel from Hatton's etal would take around 12 days air. They've been taking well over 30.

 

In my experience there are 3 types of Chinooks. The noisy oversized military things that pass overhead on a daily basis, AndyId's style of chinook that is best grilled over cedar with some lemon and dill, and a warm wind that comes off the mountains delivering a break from the prairie winter and causing migraines to many. Which leads me to my bugbear of the day. Its a First Nations word and is correctly pronounced shin-ook, not chin-ook. Just like Spokane is pronounced can and not kane. (that is a long story and the city name was misspelt when it was incorporated according to legend)

 

enough inane blathering for the day. Go forth and enjoy this Friday.

You missed an important Chinnook - the hop variety!!

[AndyID]

I got an e-mail this morning from an internet site that I use from time to time, to tell me that their servers have been hacked and they have lost a large quantity of customer data - great!  Before anyone says it, it isn't a phising mail - it's genuine.

 

Cyber crime is getting to be a real pain.  This is an area where countries really need to work together to sort this out.

 

They never tell you how their server was hacked. I imagine it's typically because someone in their organization did something bl00dy silly. No amount of sophisticated technology can compensate for human frailty.

[AndyB]

Morning All,

...

 

Cyber crime is getting to be a real pain.  This is an area where countries really need to work together to sort this out.

 

...

 

By coincidence I had an email allegedly from my insurer yesterday, marked "Important Information". 

Please click on here to make payment. 

Oh, aye. 

So I gave the insurer a call and the email was, in fact, genuine.

The credit card had expired.

Would I like a discount whilst I was on the phone and updating my card details.

Erm, I guess so.

£47 save on a £200 bill. I'm ignoring the fact they probably bumped the renewal price up by about £45 to start with.

[Barry O]

Hey up!

A bit damp here but hopefully the next 4 days after today will be fine and dry.

Tea being consumed then off Chopin at moreasons.

 

Have a great 24 hours.

 

Perhaps today will become layout stock sorting day... Or fixing a sound fitted 10001 day.

Baz

[AndrewC]

They never tell you how their server was hacked. I imagine it's typically because someone in their organization did something bl00dy silly. No amount of sophisticated technology can compensate for human frailty.

Quite often these hacks are a result of some security being disabled for whatever reason. That can mean open firewalls, simple passwords, etc. Normally these are leftovers from development. For the work I'm doing, all data is stored encrypted. Even the simplest field. So the present is encrypted in transit, and re-encrypted at rest. With so much emphasis on SaaS and cloud these days, even with encryption at rest eventually one of these companies like SalesForce will get hacked. When that happens watch all the CTOs break their ankles jumping off the cloud bandwagon and bringing everything back in house and air gapped.

[BSW01]

Good morning everyone.

 

It's a bit damp here at the moment, but thankfully it's not raining.

 

Once again it's a day that starts with a visit to the orifice, this time to have all my portable electrical equipment PAT tested. But hopefully I'll be able to escape before lunch as I'm meeting a colleague (the same one as the other day) to take him to yet another remote CP, this one is within 10 miles of my house, so once the work is completed its POETS day for me.

 

Enjoy whatever you've got planned for the day.

 

Back later.

[Robert]

Strange mathematics being used for other builds of Nuclear Power Stations.

Investment obtained on the promise of a very inflated return when it starts producing?

Who is going to pay the inflated prices?

Oh! .... it's me.

They have now announced that the decision is being delayed - maybe a glimmer of hope that someone has seen sense?

 

Quite often these hacks are a result of some security being disabled for whatever reason. That can mean open firewalls, simple passwords, etc. Normally these are leftovers from development. For the work I'm doing, all data is stored encrypted. Even the simplest field. So the present is encrypted in transit, and re-encrypted at rest. With so much emphasis on SaaS and cloud these days, even with encryption at rest eventually one of these companies like SalesForce will get hacked. When that happens watch all the CTOs break their ankles jumping off the cloud bandwagon and bringing everything back in house and air gapped.

In this case, it would appear that the company itself didn't even know they had been hacked. They were alerted to it by their customers who received phishing mails with their correct bank account information to e-mail addresses that had been used exclusively with the company in question.

 

As you can imagine, there are quite a lot of very unhappy customers at the moment!  I didn't receive the phishing mail, but of course cannot assume that the hackers don't have my data!

 

Any company who stores their data unencrypted these days needs a good shaking.

 

Update:  I have just written to them, and demanded that, given their data must be unencrypted, they delete my customer data immediately. 

Edited July 29, 2016 by Robert

[HeeleyBridge]

The answers:

 

1 Porridge

2 The Iron Age

3 1982

4 Egypt

5 September

6 France (it is Strasbourg - we put down Netherland thinking it was at The Hague)

7 Canada

8 Channel Tunnel

9 Conservative

10 Stamford Bridge

 

Yup got all those. But then, I was banned from our local pub quiz for telling the guy who set it that he got the question wrong (three times in one night) ... He said I was an obnoxious know all. I told him he was completely correct, I'm quite proud of it and that it was the nicest thing anybody had said to me all day. How can you answer a question properly when the question itself is wrong?

 

Just the neurotic Yorkie to contend with today, #2 son comes home from his well deserved holiday with the family in Skeg Vegas tomorrow. It's the first week away he's had in three years. He's usually he taken the wife and kids and then gone back to work while he was working in the hotels. The change of jobs has given him better hours and a lot more free time.  He'll be back driving his bus on Monday.

Edited July 29, 2016 by HeeleyBridge

[Gwiwer]

 

 

The answers:

1 
to
10

 

Did I miss the questions somewhere?  

 

Welcome to POETS Day.  Unable, as usual, to partake myself due to numerous factors affecting operation of Life, the Universe and Everything.  Made it home only 20 minutes later than intended however and that was the last trip through the buses-replacing-trains fiasco assuming nothing goes BANG over the weekend.

 

Once again my phone has become clogged with email replies many of them from ERs.  Unlike the desktop which accumulates messages from the same source and presents them as one conversation the phone keeps them as separate emails.  It overloads and I cannot then receive other things.  I have therefore unfollowed ERs (again) in order to be rid of 100+ messages a day though shall of course continue to drop in as daily as my circumstances allow.

 

Good to see Bob posting once more.  Not so good to see the dampness still emerging from the clouds and the temperature barely reaching double digits.

 

Nephew on South Fraggle Rock has apparently received a refugee dog from Romania.  I had no idea one could do such things let alone that there even were refugee dogs.  I hope it also understands English  I, on the other hand, have still failed to receive a long-overdue package from Camborne and they have been notified accordingly.   More recent boxes have arrived safely.  

 

Early shifts through the weekend.  Booked off on Moanday.  Be good and play nice.

[AndyB]

For those of you not aware of it, summer was last week and it's almost time to think of the autumn exhibitions, somewhat local to a number of ERers. 

 

Farnborough exhibition in Woking, 10/11 September

 

Farnham exhibition in Aldershot, 8/9 October.

 

 

[Happy Hippo]

 With the addition of some Beatles Music on my little Phillips cassette recorder life went up from there.

 

 

Lucky you didn't listen to Leonard Cohen

[Tony_S]

Morning all.

Sunny earlier, getting cloudy now.

Nothing too exciting planned today. Parcelforce have something out for delivery, just cleaning chemicals for the washing machine. Interestingly about 3 times cheaper from Miele than from Amazon.

I have been buying clothes and have a John Lewis order to collect from Waitrose this afternoon. I suspect I may be given a shopping list. The ship we are going on in October has "jacket required" every evening if one doesn't want to eat in the self service restaurant so I ordered another one. I waited until a special offer that actually had clothing in my size that isn't "slim fit" .

Tony

[andyram]

Morning all. A sleep in the car on the way home from Ilfracombe possibly contributed to Amber not going to sleep until 10pm last night so no time to download photos. It has started sunny this morning, but the forecast is for it to be cloudy for much of the day. The plans are to head to the farm and cider barns around Doniford. With a bit of luck I may see a steam hauled train or two. We are going to Minehead in the afternoon but whether that is by car or train remains to be seen, I rather expect it to be a driving day. I hope you all enjoy your day.

[peanuts]

morning all another fine summers day here on the edge of the pennines lots of liquid sunshine wide awake at 1.30 am thanks to the looney kitten having a mad hour grrr so exhausted but hey life goes on 

nothing planned today time to relax 

[Tony_S]

Lucky you didn't listen to Leonard Cohen

One of my friends at university used to listen to Leonard Cohen if he needed cheering up.

[BoD]

Did I miss the questions somewhere?  

 

I think I will have to leave that one blank.

[Tony_S]

Matthew said he was pursued round Cork by a couple of missionaries, one from the US and one Australian. At first he thought they were lost and made the mistake of replying in English. Matthew said they were very persistent but he said as their beliefs not only preclude alcohol but also tea they were probably in the wrong country.

I have got to the dusting and vacuuming stage of tidying Matthew's room now, about a week ahead of schedule. As this also included installing Win 10 on his "big" pc I am quite pleased. I use the media creation tool, with the "upgrade this pc now" option. None of the waiting for the slow live download update. The tool downloads the files much quicker.

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Still undecided on the camper van, apart from the water tank there are one or two other issues that although they will not prevent me from using it I would like to be able to deal with. One is the spare wheel, the problem is that its still in the same place as when the chassis rolled off the production line, in a drop down tray centrally behind the back axle. With the caravan body being at least two feet longer than the vans it will be difficult to access so I will have to look into fixing it externally. A bonus from that is as I am considering fitting it to run on LPG a 'donut' tank will fit in the vacated space. Not a lot to do today other than a bit of shopping after the postman calls as I'm expecting a couple of parcels.

[BSW01]

The trip north to the orifice, was wet, very, very wet and even now I'm still amazed at the amount of cockwombles that drove past me at speed as if it were a dry day!

 

All my stuff is currently being tested, so once completed I can make my escape and head back south towards home to meet my colleague, I do hope he's got his wellies, if not he'll get very wet feet. Chat Moss, the site of this CP is always damp, even after a long dry spell! Still I will get to be able to watch a few trains go past, the ground vibrates quite severely when one does, I'm used to it, I wonder how my colleague will feel about it.

 

Back later.

[skipepsi]

One of my friends at university used to listen to Leonard Cohen if he needed cheering up.

For me always associated with an enjoyable summer the girl in the flat played it, I went upstairs to borrow it and a very pleasant time ensued.

[DDolfelin]

For me always associated with an enjoyable summer the girl in the flat played it, I went upstairs to borrow it and a very pleasant time ensued.

 

Is this a record?

[skipepsi]

Is this a record?

For me yes

[edcayton]

Phil, you need to check the weights very carefully on the camper. If it is the Auto-Sleepers glassfibre monocoque body (designed by William Towns of Lagonda fame) then it is heavy and it is very easy to overload the chassis. The convertors usually bought the lowest-spec, and therefore cheapest, version. A friend of mine writes as Jack Bancroft in Practical Motorhome magazine and will probably have all the figures at his fingertips.

 

Ed

[emt_911]

Site visit completed and I managed to get home before it started raining. I'm now taking a bit of time with another coffee before starting to write reports

[Happy Hippo]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Still undecided on the camper van, apart from the water tank there are one or two other issues that although they will not prevent me from using it I would like to be able to deal with. One is the spare wheel, the problem is that its still in the same place as when the chassis rolled off the production line, in a drop down tray centrally behind the back axle. With the caravan body being at least two feet longer than the vans it will be difficult to access so I will have to look into fixing it externally. A bonus from that is as I am considering fitting it to run on LPG a 'donut' tank will fit in the vacated space. Not a lot to do today other than a bit of shopping after the postman calls as I'm expecting a couple of parcels.

Phil,

 

A friend of mine bought an oldish camper van, and apart from a slight leak from the roof, which is now fixed, it is excellent.

 

On this vehicle it had an extended towbar which also doubles as a bike rack and somewhere to hang the roof ladder from.  The spare wheel has a rubberised canvas cover and bolts onto a bracket between the ladder and the vehicle back.

 

My daughter's mother in law has a Porsche Cayenne with a lpg conversion fitted.  It makes it affordable to drive!

 

Tony, I'm sorry to hear about Matthew's situation in Cobh.

 

Pursued by missionaries, what a terrible position to be in.

Edited July 29, 2016 by Happy Hippo