Secure Passwords
Posted: Tue 7 August, 2007 Filed under: 1BEM, Customer Services, Geeky 2 Comments »At work, our password changes roughly every month. That’s fine, and makes sense. My work-related passwords are nothing to do with the ones I have for anywhere else, but they also tend to be sweary, because when I can’t be arsed to think of a new password, I’ll use some sweary combination – for example, the one before the current one was ‘cock-knocker’ . Hyphen and all. Go on, guess it at random.
This month’s one is also sweary, but in a far ruder way. Again, that’s fine up to a point. It’s not visible when I log in, and it’s not saved in clear text anywhere. So that’s fine.
Except that our illustrious IT department ‘fixed’ another section of the work I do, and I now need to enter my network password as part of the batch file that sends site revisions up to the various websites. And it leaves the password there in plain text for all to see.
So, yeah, bit of an oops. I may have to select a new (non-sweary) password in light of this development. Arses.
Fuzzy
Posted: Tue 7 August, 2007 Filed under: Domestic, Thoughts, Weirdness 2 Comments »I can always tell when I’ve actually (finally) managed to get some decent quality sleep, because my head feels like someone’s filled it with feathers, then beaten it with a velvet-covered sledgehammer.
It’s weird, because I should feel bright and invigorated, refreshed after sleep. But what I find instead is that my brain says “Oh, bloody hell, I remember this sleep thing. I want more of it. Now.”
No prizes for guessing how I feel today.
Weekend
Posted: Mon 6 August, 2007 Filed under: Animals, Domestic Leave a comment »For what seems to be the first time in ages, we actually had a consistently good weekend.
It’s all been fairly domestic, getting a lot of stuff done in the garden and so on, but it’s been productive. On a practical basis, I even managed to put together a self-assembly Workmate-type bench without (too much) swearing. Always a good start.
Alongside that, I’ve sawed up one hell of a lot of wood to go into the wood-store for use over the autumn/winter, the garden’s been tidied up in general, (as have the veg-patch and greenhouse) yet more crap went to the local tip/recycling centre, we picked all the broad-bean crop (should be enough for four or five meals, all told) and yes, we just got a lot of stuff done.
Then yesterday evening we topped it off by taking Hound out to Wells-next-the-Sea, and letting her run round like a loon on the beach. The tide was all the way out, so there were huge expanses for her to run in – although obviously lots of other people had similar ideas about going to the beach once things had cooled down a bit, so it was still pretty busy. But it kept Hound happy, and it was a good way to round off the weekend.
Banking Security
Posted: Sat 4 August, 2007 Filed under: Customer Services, Cynicism Leave a comment »Last week, I received a new debit card from my bank. All well and good – except that I hadn’t requested one.
When I called them to find out who had ordered it, they told me that they’d sent it themselves, as part of an “upgrade” to their security. This ‘upgrade’ involves sending out a new card with a different chip on it, and then at some point they’ll also be supplying me with some kind of card-reader. When that happens, supposedly it’ll plug in to my PC, and then I won’t be able to access my internet banking without both card and card-reader.
And that would all be lovely – except I have a nasty habit of using three or four PCs in any one given week, what with home PC, laptop, work PC and occasionally the work laptop as well. So in a fit of “upgrading” security, they’re making me go through extra hoops of inconvenience, having to carry this extra piece of gubbins just so I can access my online banking.
And when it comes to ‘increasing’ security, all that is immediately failed by the fact they sent out the cards with no warning. In envelopes that obviously contained a plastic card. So how would I have known if it didn’t appear? Simply – I wouldn’t.
So I don’t quite see how that’s an ‘upgrade’ to security…
Strike!
Posted: Fri 3 August, 2007 Filed under: 1BEM, Customer Services, Cynicism 2 Comments »Maybe I’m just naïve, but I really don’t understand how mail workers going on strike is supposed to resolve their dispute.
Royal Mail’s trying to cut costs, partly by laying off up to 40,000 people. Now if it were me, I’d be looking at getting rid of the fuckers that were knackering my business by striking…
But strikes don’t – in my perception – engender sympathy from the public for the plight of those on strike. Instead it’s all “fucking strikers”, and “making a pain in the arse of themselves”, particularly when you start wondering whether they’re also still getting paid full wage while standing around doing sod all.
So how does striking resolve the issue?
Spam Mail
Posted: Thu 2 August, 2007 Filed under: 1BEM, Cynicism, Geeky 1 Comment »Recently, I’ve been getting shedloads of spam email (or it could be viral email, I suppose) with subject lines like “You’ve received a message from a Schoolfriend!”.
In a way it’s quite a smart way to do things – which makes me wonder why it’s not been done before now – and I suppose it’s a development from the entire “See Anna Kournikova nude” and so on that used to pollute the web. But at least it does make you think “Oh, OK, I might click on that” – well, I can see how it would make people think that. Me, I look at the email and see it’s still purportedly from “Lazarus Matthews” or whoever, and then I know it’s crap. (Although some now come via “FreeWebCards” or somesuch, which adds to the ‘reality’ until you look at the email address itself, rather than the ‘pretty name’ and see it’s from zxc@abc.com or wherever)
Mind you, I’ve still no idea what this particular bunch of spam is advertising or what information it’s trying to get hold of – but I can at least see why people would click on this one in the mistaken impression that someone had emailed them…