Archive for March 9, 2006

The migration to Subversion is coming. I’m going to export/import my local repository which has been witnessing most of my work on QSE for the last month. I’m up to revision 80 (made a small front controller patch yesterday – sad I know, but this is what happens when you’re sick) and I want the entire history (not just the files) imported to svn. When I do it is another question – my internet connection – lowly 56k piece of £$%£ – is back up and operating but the thought of transferring something of 1MB or higher is depressing. Dial up was never designed for speed, especially when the physical line is connected across a few dozen line splitters to the local exchange.

In a fit of monopolistic distaste the Irish phone company (Eircom – not actually Irish owned anymore) has been criticised by the OECD (again – its an annual event) for having abnormally high charges. Apparently Eircom has also been reported for false advertising (again – another annual event) and chances are they’ll get a wrist slapping and a few thousand Euros in fines (again, blah, blah, blah).

I love monopolies. Honest. Why look for improvement when your local monopoly will spin tall tales to ease the rumblings of the local natives over OECD reports and failures to fix your bloody phone line in less than a week and a half?

Anyways, the word on the streets of Ireland is that we pay around 10 Euros more than the UK on an average phone bill. That’s more like 25 for mine. For what I don’t know. It’s not like they’re improving the phone lines except around large towns and the usual Dublin/Cork/Galway trio – probably under coercement by the government. I haven’t seen any improvement – lots of degradation – but definitely no improvements. Still its fodder for Irish blogs such as the dedicated (if slightly maniac) ComWreck which still does a fair job of pointing out the fault lies as much with toothless regulators and ill-advised government ministers who may or may not be slightly incompetent.

Take Eircom’s answer to a damaged line a week back (personal experience follows…). They fixed it – all they needed was a penknife, black insulating tape, and some careful handy work to twist the cut wires back together. Dandy – it’s fixed, Sir. Thank you for using Eircom. What’s that, Sir? The phone cable is sitting on your hedge, Sir? Why, so it is, Sir! Thank you for using… Eh, I don’t know about that, Sir. ‘Tis certainly odd there being all them pole’s for holdin’ lines, Sir. Ain’t no lines on ‘em, ya see!

Black tape? Penknives? Wow, the engineering and electrical skills in Ireland must be experiencing a boom. Sons of £%$£%$%, I could have done that myself in 5 minutes. I wouldn’t have needed a penknife either. Bleh! Now I can have fun waiting for a rainy day, the return of the static, the probability of a slower internet connection due to interference…another phone call (from my mobile) telling the operator (not their fault) that the company they work for better fix my line properly or I’m going to take myself down to the Small Claims Court with my 50 Euros and make life a little more inconvenient for them.

Adding insult to injury the line has been sitting off the friggin’ telephone posts and sitting on my border hedge for over a year. Which is why it got cut – its a local law that hedges bordering a rural road be trimmed during February/March! BAHHHH.

I think I left the sedatives over on the coffee table…excuse me a moment…