Posts by Da Weezil

Unused phone lines to be taxed for rural broadband

Why Surprised?

They already pull the "tax on tax" scam on fuel - VAT being levied on the price per litre including fuel duty.

You have to admit they are as consistent as they are unfair.

On market1 we already pay inflated adsl costs for lower caps/slower speeds... so where exactly is the "social justice" in this?

It stinks.

The BBC today carried an article about how we are so far down the league in terms of speeds. BT were cited as saying they are rolling out faster services.. and indeed they are.. in areas that already have faster services from cable and LLU. I expect no better from the incompetents we have running this sorry island, We are forced top pay more to wait while the services are further improved for those who already have better than we can get.

British laggards told to embrace their digital futures

Spare us from these useless reports!

Oh god save us from the evangelising 'tards who are only after ensuring that their cushy niche has some justification.

The world got by fine without blogs and ar*efa*e updates about how Sheila just got her visit from aunt flo. There is nothing here for my 70 yr old father who has no interest in "tech". heres a clue... some people DONT want! it really is that simple! I really wonder if our society is now unable to function without the input of some attention seeking sad sacks who have to blog about every uninteresting aspect of their uninspiring lives.

Isn't it a shame that there isn't the same interest in dealing with the farcical pricing regime that exists that ensures Market one exchange customers pay far more money for far less service... usually in areas with a depressed economy. Thats the area that needs addressing. sort out OFCOM and BT's too cosy relationship, and bring some equality across the board.. then you might see more people joining the digital throng... until then - for many - its just another expense that is just not viable.

Hand grenade because the academics need one underneath them for failing to see the underlaying problems.

Edward Woodward dies at 79

Repeat please

A repeat of Callan is long overdue too... I could almost smell "lonely" ..

Another real Professional lost....

Orange saves callers pennies with iPhone tariffs

Something smells..........

Hmm "Cartel" anyone?

TalkTalk steps up attack on government

Another Ri Off.

Remind me what I am paying more fo here? I ALREADY pay through the nose being ripped off on a market 1 exchange with poor speeds and low data caps. Sort taht BEFORE you expect me to styump up more than my rich fellow citizens in urgba areas already spoiled for choice and generally at much better rates than we have extroted from us.

It only right to pay for improvement that has actually happened... not for vague promises of jam 5 years after I take a trip to the oven!

Scientists flee Home Office after adviser sacking

Fixed.it!

*The affair has raised the issue of government arrogance*

There fixed that for you.

Royal Mail website goes on strike

Late delivery.

Its probably caused by a delivery problem with the new hamster needed to run the site, the delivery has taken longer due to our wonderful "modernised" Royal Mail with its ever increasing prices seemingly driving ever deteriorating standards.

Im with the postal workers on this. They are damned if they do.. and damned if they dont. The mail buisness was gutted by Europe jealous at our service. All that the "modernisation" seems to achieve is far later deliveries at a far higher cost - the onlt thing that has fallen is the avaiability of collections locally.

How come the bosses keep getting bonuses for a deliberately worsened service?

OFT to hammer online pricing, behavioural tracking

Selective probes.

Shame the OFT wont start at the grass roots and sort our limited "unlimited" internet, or those headline bargain prices that a few months later revert to a higher price advertised in much smaller print.

BT to push fibre to 1.5m more homes and businesses

No News here....

Just a further widening of the digital divide where those not in the densest populated areas remain victims of Btw's predatory pricing for a third rate service while BTw chase a slice of the pie already carved up by the cherry picking LLU operators... and for this I'm also to be expected to pay a surcharge on my land-line bill in addition to already paying well over the odds for a slower service? Decency prevents me from really expressing how I feel.

Labour to push for broadband tax before election

Another Taxation Stitch Up

So... New Liebores "Social Justice" will see those trapped on high priced Market 1 exchanges being used to subsidise further improvements to urban networks? Worse, this will be in part funded by those with NO interest in being connected to ANY broadband service, so pensioners and other who are not broadband users will still be ripped off for no benefit to them ever!

There can be no justification for taxing rural users further - we already pay through the nose for over priced BTw services. half the problem is the Minister in charge of this represents an area with wide choice of services on a fully deregulated exchange. The job should be given to someone who has actual experience of life without LLU!

There is no justice in BTw hostages being fleeced even more to pay for network upgrades that may never reach their area. Not that any of this matters - we are just a captive cash cow population existing only to bankroll the stupid schemes dreamed up by the current crop of immature egomaniac politicians!

We should only pay when the improvements reach us - its not like this is a state owned infrastructure now. Privatisation brought the responsibility for the company to find investment funding. Taxation is not the way to do this - unless each citizen paying it receives equity in the company!

Average Brit shags 2.8m people

*blush*

Damn.. put in my details... - Truthfully - and this was the answer....

*We are unable to perform this calculation.*

I feel so dirty..... but satisfied

Sky News election petition defaced by prankster hackers

Popular demand?

hmmm 9000 signed up huh? That certainly is a groundswell of popular opinion when weighed against the total population entitled to vote. The only truthful fact about the next Government is the ordinary citizen will again be screwed in every way possible.... why waste time on a debate?

Id be more interested to see the leaders hooked up to a high voltage lie detector - now THAT would be worth watching.. but an ego stroking US style debate? Forget it...

Twits twitter while driving

Nokia Pop port

One reason I hang onto my trusty old 6230i is the pop port cradle that charges the handset while I drive, the fact that the handset auto picks up on the second ring is a bonus.... now that really is hands free.

I think conversations on the phone are less distracting than arguing with the spouse/half turning to shriek at the kids or - like the guy who nudged my car in traffic recently - ogling a female pedestrian in the mirror.

Opera stretches vocal cords with v.10 release

Seems improved....

First impressions are that it runs better than the beta which used to take a tea break loading some sites.

Be interesting to see how it pans out in general use. Might even give the unite toy a run and see if its useful - even if only for grabbing stuff from my pc when I'm away from home.

Now i gotta boot to Suse and see what's on offer for my favoured o/s... after I update the dictionary to "proper" English rather than "septic speak"

Opaque Wi-Fi laws 'damage UK economy, social inclusion'

@Grease Monkey

Doesn't always follow that neighbours can get service. There have been a number of cases reported in the forums on Broadband sites (like Thinkbroadband) where the phone cables follow greatly differing routes and the ones that go "all round the houses" cant be used to provide a stable service due to an excessive SNR. The same can be true of lines with excessive amounts of ally cable in them. I seem to recall hearing of an entire development that cant get adsl due to a combination of location and poor cabling.

The UK phone network is a crock, and despite raking in monthly line rental BT seems determined to do as little maintenance as possible, preferring to skimp maintenance and routine upgrading of the local loop.

The problem may not be common - but it does exist - and not just in rural areas.

When ISPs hijack your rights to NXDOMAIN

Spammers

Its as bad as spam... but then I expect nothing better from a company like Virgin.

Ofcom taps sailors for new fees

OFCOM Rip Off

Someone explain to me why Search and Rescue services that are run by voluntary organisations are ripped off in this manner for licences to operate vital kit?

The Govt and by extension its glove puppet regulator should be grateful that the vital services provided by these organisations are freely given, and supported by donations and legacies from the public. It is highly inappropriate in my view that ANY Govt arm has it fingers in the till in this manner.

Maybe we should cast all the MPs (And OFCOM wasters) adrift for a few days and see then if they still think a licence for equipment to help them be located is really something they should be charging for. £9k a year is too much!

Give Search and Rescue organisations a dedicated and protected frequency - Free of any fee/taxation.... NOW!

Lets face it.. its less than some yearly expenses claims!

Small biz warns on contractor law

payback!

It is far from the only or major user of temps. The legislation was framed to also protect the huge numbers of staff in semi-skilled or unskilled jobs. There are temps right across the spectrum of employment that earn barely above the minimum wage while agencies enjoy a return on the temps labour in excess of 100%.

Nice to see some payback for this - its long overdue.

Swine flu will [enter scare words here]...

Short Sighted

Of course the spread of this will be greatly aided by the idiotic practice of punsihing sickness certified by a GP as unauthorised absence. Ive lost count of the number of work places I have seen where staff fearful of attendance sanctions pass sickness around by refusing to stay away when they are clearly sick.

British management, so short-sighted it is positively myopic.

Ofcom top of Tory deathlist

hmmm

Could this signal the birth of a real regulator for this sector? ... or just more "jobs for the boys (the new "favourite boys" that is)

Olympics bosses probe mobile tracking tech

Paradise?

Surely a target as rich as the Olympic venues is worthy of a one way mission followed rewarded by numerous virgins and a place in paradise? No mobile required to trigger a suicide vest surely?

This seems just a way to introduce more intrusive tracking into the UK for abuse by the state and its various tentacles.

Police told to use Wikipedia for court preparation

Who needs facts?

This is British justice Nu Liebore style, all that matters is convictions, none of this presumption of innocence malarkey, if you are in court you must have done something wrong... so why shouldn't the "facts" fit the conviction being sought?

Accuracy? not required, just enough evidence to back the prosecutions assertions and allow the bench/jury to convict in time for lunch - in fact being able to edit the "facts" prior to presentation to the court can have huge advantages in efficiency. Now with "custom facts" it should be far easier to gain convictions, "tough on crime" you see.

Big Bro - cos he knows you are guilty of something - the actual conviction doesn't matter as long as you are convicted of something!

ISPs vs BBC iPlayer: Missing the point?

More grease Vicar?

BTw is the main problem, a lot of people slated Enta for moving to IPSC/WBC but as I understand it - to some extent they were forced over by a far above inflation hike in BTw IP Stream charges last year. As ever the consumer is bent over By BTw while the ISPs take the heat for BT's abuses of the price structure (and OFCOM look the other way) - especially for those in areas where BT has a monopoly in fixed line broadband. Of course now there are huge problems showing up with WBC as BT have set it up and by the comments on some forums... BTw seem to have their fingers in their ears (or elsewhere) with regard to the problem.

Now with the proposed Broadband tax I am to be screwed even further, as WBC wont hit my exchange till the end of the roll out - BTw are too busy trying to compete in LLU areas to bother with us market 1 guys - So I will be paying this "tax" while being doubly screwed over on a last gen connection with BT's useless profiling system while others who already have faster connections available (often at a lower cost) get the benefit - great idea that man... collect your bonus when you enter private industry!

BTw have proved time and again that they are technically and morally unfit to have control of such a large slice of UK telecoms and internet services. It needs to be hived off to a not for profit organisation. a good start would be to remove the "phone tax", I dont need a "full service" phone line - either technically or personally so why am I forced to have one just to have broadband??

Oh and while we are at it, get rid of OFCOM who seem to exist only to sell off spectrum and nod through any abuse by BT group. There is no protection fro consumers under the current set up, so they are pretty much redundant!

Mobile directory made legal threats to get personal details

Bend over Britian...

Once again the ICO is happy to see us bent over for the furtherance of commercial interests. It seems they don't consider this to be "marketing calls", nor do they have a problem with our data being sold on for purposes other than that which is was given.

Looks like we will have to look to Europe to get the "privacy in communications" referred to in the directive. Time the ICO was disbanded and replaced by a proper regulator with teeth and an appetite for the work. Just like the Phorm fiasco, the ICO has failed totally to protect the public from both unauthorised use of our data and unwanted commercial intrusions.

Here's a thought that might be worth pursuing, if data is permitted to be passed onto 3rd party marketing partners, how can this square with the calls being "non marketing" ? Either our data is being used for a permitted marketing purpose or it is an unauthorised use outside of marketing- cant have it both ways can they?

Notice how lax data protection regimes in the UK are attracting the parasites like flies round a T**d?