Toms View of the World

Yes, it’s the time of year when fireworks become easily accessible to all. The time of year when you get woken up most nights be people detonating fireworks. The time of year when news stories like this one, this one, this one, this one and this one become far too commonplace (those stories were all from the last few days, on just one news website). By far the worst is this horrific attack (with video). Yes, someone set off a large “industrial” 200 shot multi-round firework in a small shop. Which itself had stocks of fireworks for sale. That is nothing less than attempted murder. The youth who threw the firework in could not have known how many people were in the store, nor that the shopkeepers baby was on the premises (the child was later admitted to hospital suffering the effects of smoke inhalation)

Fireworks are explosive devices. They should be controlled in the same way as other explosives - with strict regulations regarding their manufacture, sale and use.

Fireworks should not be available to anyone “over-the-counter” in local stores. No matter what the customers age. They should only be available from regulated, licensed specialists and then only sold to licensed pyrotechnicians for use in organised event displays.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not anti-fireworks at all - In the hands of professionals, fireworks are great, spectacular shows like the one I saw earlier this year in Blackpool show what experienced, competent and professional teams can achieve with pyrotechnics. However they should not be available to the kind of idiots who think it’s fun to light a 200 shot device and deposit it in the middle of a shop, where families are going about their business.

When is the government going to do something about this annual menace by banning the retail sale of these dangerous devices? (sign the petition)

Update: More fireworks stories :

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/tees/7064400.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_midlands/7059446.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/7057569.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/7057195.stm (particularly nasty act of animal cruelty)

Found on XKCD and reproduced under a Creative Commons license (click for full size):

As my somewhat aging washing machine was showing signs of reaching the end of it’s life (dumping grease from the drum bearings onto the floor and failing to spin properly being the more obvious signs of problems) I decided to replace it.I ordered a shiny new washing machine from Tesco Direct - which was then delivered very late on Saturday evening (due to the breakdown of the delivery lorry - however the driver did call me to warn me and apologise). On unpacking, the machine was a total wreck - the frame was distorted, the top panel was not only loose, it simply wasn’t attached to the body of the machine, and the front of the detergent drawer simply fell off when the polythene was removed (the drawer itself was so tightly wedged into the crushed shell of the machne that it was impossible to remove. Clearly this machine had been dropped from a considerable height, and probably then re-packed as the outer packaging showed no signs of having been dropped severly to impart the damage.

I immediately called the driver back in to remove the half-unpacked machine. Fortunately he did so (so at least I won’t have to wait in for it to be collected again), and I have a very “interesting” copy of a delivery note describing the “extensive damage” observed.

I then tried to call Tesco’s customer helpline - for “urgent queries about my order” - and waited on-hold for an hour, until about 10 minutes after their posted closing time, when despite “moving forward in the queue” regularly, I never reached the “customer services manager” I was apparently holding for.

When I rang them back on Sunday morning, I tried a different route through their complicated and confusing voice-prompts and after a couple of minutes waiting, got through to a sales assistant who processed the refund (given that they had no stock, and I need a washing machine, I’m now buying elsewhere).  Admittedly Tesco Customer Service were fine about the matter (once I’d figured a route through their laberinth of confusing menu options to actually allow me to speak to a person - one the options even led to me being told that the Electrical Helpdesk of the Customer Services options were not available at the time I called, and that I should call back during their opening hours)

Now to wait another week until that machine is delivered.

Yes, the truth about working in IT. (via Gadgetopia)

To pick two from the list…

Your nontechnical co-workers will use you as personal tech support for their home PCs

and of course…

It will be your fault when users make silly errors

Yes, IT is not the glamourous career path it used to be.  It’s not all about new technology (usually it’s about very very old technology)

I was at my local cinema, and had accidentally left the bluetooth features on my phone switched on (I don’t normally. but my sat-nav software switches it on, and sometimes it doesn’t switch back off)

I was therefore very surprised when I was asked to accept a download (given that I was very much alone) It turns out that this a new twist in unsolicited messaging (i.e. spam) - drive-by bluetooth spam.

Of course, I never accept unsolicited bluetooth messages, as they are the most common way for mobile viruses to spread.

Encouraging people to do this is dangerous. Remember. never accept a bluetooth connection unless you’re expecting it.