pwaring

pwaring, 11 months ago to random

If vaccines really did contain computer chips someone would have ported Doom to them by now and posted to Hacker News about it.

pwaring, 11 months ago to random

Somebody really needs to start a clothing shop for men that guarantees to keep items in stock indefinitely. None of this 'item is discontinued', 'oh red isn't in fashion this year', 'we continually update our range' etc. I just want to buy the same item when the current one wears out without having to think about whether the alternatives will fit, look right etc.

pwaring, 6 months ago to random

Public sector: Gosh it's really hard to find good developers.

Devs: What's the salary?

PS: 20% below market rates.

Devs: Can we work remotely?

PS: Min 2 days/week in the office.

Devs: Any cool interesting technology?

PS: Does an ageing AIX mainframe count?

pwaring, 10 months ago to random

Amazon: To buy this product, you must verify your age to demonstrate you are over 18.

Me: I've been a customer for over 18 years...

pwaring, 10 months ago to random

Google Chrome reminds me more and more of Internet Explorer in the early 2000s. Everyone ends up using the same software because initially it's better in some way, but eventually it becomes stale due to lack of competition. Same thing was the case to a lesser extent with GCC until LLVM came along. I wish we had a more vibrant ecosystem without dominance by a single vendor.

pwaring, 1 year ago to random

TIL: If you use the NHS app on a rooted or jail-broken device, the NHS considers that a prohibited use, may be a criminal offence(!) and will report it to the relevant authorities, including passing on your details.

https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-app/nhs-app-legal-and-cookies/nhs-app-terms-of-use/

pwaring, 1 month ago to DigitalNomadHub

I don't tout myself much on here, but from 1st July 2024 I'll have some capacity to work with new clients on a regular basis (an existing client is gradually moving work in-house due to increased volume). If you know anyone who needs a PHP app maintaining on a regular basis (3-10 hours/month), please point them my way. 😀

UK only, and I work remotely

https://www.phpdeveloper.org.uk

#GetFediHired #freelance #business #php

pwaring, 1 month ago to random

Don't think I'll ever buy something that needs assembly from Argos again. Part was missing when I opened the box.

1. Online order of spare parts: Not available for this item (it doesn't have a part number).

2. Online chat: We can't do anything, call the store.

3. Call store: Always busy so you get redirected to the overflow call centre... who can't do anything.

4. Visit store: TODO

IKEA OTOH: 6 digit code for each part, order online, posted immediately free of charge, no quibble.

pwaring, 11 months ago to random

Them: To download this PDF document, you need to give us all of your contact details so we can email it to you (and hassle you forever after)

Me: sticks name of PDF into search engine, downloads from direct link

pwaring, 1 month ago to DoctorWho

How did the Third Doctor check that his code was working before showing it to The Brigadier?

He ran the UNIT tests.

#DoctorWho #pun

pwaring, 2 months ago to random

Seen a few toots recently complaining about small businesses having a Facebook page and no website. Whilst I also find this frustrating, I think techies forget how hard it is to 'just get a website'. You need a domain, a hosting provider, a CMS, some understanding of how URLs work etc. Even 'all in one' solutions like SquareSpace or WordPress are complicated for non-techies. Facebook on the other hand takes you through each step (opening hours etc.)

pwaring, 8 months ago to random

Couple of recent changes that fellow Fosstodoners may have missed:

1. English-only public toots policy has been dropped (which I am pleased by).

2. Sign-ups are now invite-only (slows growth, which I think is a good thing - I would rather be on a mid-sized instance than something like mastodon.social).

#Fosstodon

pwaring, 8 months ago to random

My instance has just upgraded to 4.2.0. Some UI changes:

1. Follow notifications now tell you a bit more about the account (e.g. number of followers) without having to click through to their profile.

2. Links have previews, a bit like Twitter.

https://blog.joinmastodon.org/2023/09/mastodon-4.2/

pwaring, 1 month ago to random

If you're in the UK, the deadline for registering to vote in the upcoming elections (local, mayoral and others, depending on your location) is 23:59 today.

You can also register for a postal vote if you want to avoid the new ID requirements for voting in person.

Online options are only available in some parts of the UK, so you might need to hand-deliver a paper form instead.

https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote

pwaring, 3 months ago to random

The renaming of the London Overground lines has reminded me how vastly superior its public transport is compared to the rest of the country. Not just the extent of the network but the frequency, connectivity and late night services. Plus I all stations are staffed when open and the accessibility is much better than say Manchester (we've had lifts and escalators out of service for months on some stops).

pwaring, 8 months ago to php

One of the downsides of doing PHP upgrades is that clients will check everything afterwards, find a bug, and assume I've introduced it (99% of the time it's always been there, but this is the first time someone has actually bothered to check everything).

#php

pwaring, 4 months ago to random

Can anyone recommend a shop in the UK which sells desks or tables at standing height? I usually buy from Ikea but all of their fixed height desks seem to be at sitting height.

I don't want an adjustable desk as they are too heavy for me to assemble and move by myself. I want a fixed height desk at standing height. Basically the same as any normal desk but with longer legs.

girlonthenet, 23 days ago to random

Who's excited for the elections tomorrow? I just learned that although we need photo ID (which is BULLSHIT), even if your ID has expired you can still use it as long as you're recognisably the person in the picture.

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/london-mayor-local-elections-photo-id-may-vote-b1154903.html

pwaring, 2 months ago to php

Was pondering how to write a C implementation of a PHP function (explode - converts a string into an array of strings based on a separator string). It took a while before I remembered that PHP itself is written in C, therefore a C implementation exists of all PHP standard library functions.

(I will still write my own, because it's a useful learning experience)

#php #c

pwaring, 2 months ago (edited 2 months ago) to email

Does anyone know if there's a way in Thunderbird to either:

1. Compose replies in the same format (HTML or plain text) as the original message.

2. Compose replies in HTML or plain text depending on the recipient.

Problem: I have clients who want plain text emails and others who want HTML.

(I know you can send HTML + plain text, but that causes problems for some clients depending on their email software - I can't do anything about this).

#thunderbird #email

pwaring, 29 days ago to random

Ages ago I read a really good blog post about UK National Insurance Numbers and why they're a terrible idea for identification, including a detailed breakdown of all the edge cases (e.g. people having more than 1 number).

Does anyone know what I'm referring to? I cannot find it via searching.

pwaring, 28 days ago to random

An old UKUUG contact got in touch today and that reminded me to see if anything had happened recently.

UKUUG website: Either hacked or domain lapsed and taken by someone else, now points to gambling info.

#ukuug: Found out that Simon Riggs from PostgreSQL has passed away in a private plane crash (he was always up for giving a talk and was great company in the pub).

🙁

pwaring, 21 days ago to random

Fun* issue that's been on my radar all week due to one of the industries I work in: the Motor Insurance Database was migrated to a new platform on 26th April (mainframe to cloud) and it is not still fully operational.

This is used by the police to check if you're insured when they stop you, even if for an unrelated reason.

If you're a UK driver, it's probably a good idea to have a copy of your policy documents with you, just in case.

pwaring, 16 days ago to random

Every time I see a large organisation with a major IT problem (e.g. botched migration or data breach) I go and look at the 'leadership team' page on their website, and 9 times out of 10 there's no IT expertise. Today's examples include a Chief Technical Officer with no technical experience and one of the largest universities in the UK where the IT Director isn't part of the Senior Leadership Team.

danieldurrans, 13 days ago to random

What domain registrar is the "go to" these days?

People who run their own registrar need not answer this question ;)