Andy Ramblings

This site www.myheritage.com where they allow you to put a photo of yourself up and it will look through it's massive database of famous faces and see which ones you 'look' like... Below are those who I'm supposed to look like....

I gets up at the normal time on a Monday, around 08:30 there abouts. I goes of and get a nice steaming hot black coffee with one sugar, you know, coffee that's stronger than pure coffee. Sitting down and relaxing, getting myself upto date on the world events. On the climate change we're all doomed! Unless we spend some £1trillian or something like that and all will be OK.
Then my mobile rings, at 8:45 (yes, coffee was quick),
Good morning says I,
Is this <my full name>
Yes, speaking,
This is <My bank> can I do a security check,
Sure ok says I,
What age are you going to be at your next birthday..
Oh, 41 says I,
Thanks, says nice person from my Bank, Can you confirm or not that you tried to spend £200 on a casino site?
Err Nope, says I, wondering what's going on..
Ok, are you the only person to use this card?
Yes, Only myself.
OK, it appears that your card has been compromised,
Oh! says I under my breath, thinking to myself, now where could it have happened?!
So, to cut a long story short, Some bastard has skimmed my card or has managed to get hold of the card number and security number at the back!
I'm a pretty cardwise, and make sure that I don't leave my card lying around, haven't used it recently to pay for something, except one place, When I had to phone to get my Eurostar ticket, I'm not saying anything, other than that's the last place where I gave the card details over the phone. The phone being the least secure place to give your details as your are relying on a human to:

• Not write the info down
• Not remember it
• Dispose of it correctly

Where as, over the internet, if your pretty sure, as long as the site is secure and is a regular one that  you use and not a fly-by-night site, that the security is very good and you don't have to worry about the info being destroyed correctly etc.

Nice way to start a week, sir, you've been robbed!  I think I'll go back to bed and wake up on Friday!

If you happen to be using Outlook or Microsoft or your office happens to be using Microsoft exchange as an e-mail server, And your based in the UK, Ok that can be quite a few of you. You may notice that your Calender is or has been set to GMT! But It's not GMT time just yet, that comes at the last week-end of October, that's next week.
The problem is caused by a small bug, just a very small on, and normally your wouldn't every see it, well yes, this very same problem will happen in 2010, 2011 and 2016, so what's the problem and what's the bug, I hear you ask?
Well, check October this year, yes, there are 5 Sundays, and you will see the same happening in 2010, 2011 and 2016. And the bug is? Yes, coming to that, It's how Microsoft has coded the change over from BST to GMT.
What they have done is hard coded a rule, that BST finishes on the 4th week-end of October without exception. So check and make sure you have the right times or you could say, your lost in a timewarp somewhere 1hr ago;

Off to Brussels I goes in the next 10 mins or so... Weather looks nice for travelling. Some sun, not hot, just nice. 

Ok... Other than that, not much going on... will chat later.... TTFN.

Yep and it's almost over. So, what is it with Friday 13^th? Nothing special about it, it's a day like no over, But. according to Wikipedia.

Strangely, there is evidence to suggest that Friday the 13th is actually unlucky. Psychologists have found that some people are especially likely to have accidents or fall ill on Friday the 13th[citation needed]. This has been attributed to such people feeling a heightened state of anxiety on that day (see nocebo effect). The Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in Asheville, North Carolina estimates that in the United States alone, $800 or $900 million is lost in business each Friday the 13th because people will not fly or do business they would normally do. [1]

The date is also well-known in the motorcycle (biker) community: since 1981, motorcycle enthusiasts and vendors gather every Friday the 13th in Port Dover, Ontario, Canada. This tradition started on November 13, 1981 by Chris Simons as a gathering of approximately 25 friends. The event has grown substantially, with an estimated 100,000 people attending in August 2004, as well as music bands, vendors, a bike show, etc.

In the Spanish-speaking world, it is Tuesday the 13th (as well as Tuesdays in general) that brings bad luck[citation needed]; a proverb runs En martes, ni te cases ni te embarques (on Tuesday, neither get married nor start a journey).

So there is something in it.... I feel a little bit sorry for the Spaniards, Tuesday, is always Bad...

But it's also bad for this poor chick... Lost his friend...

Well well weelll, Yesterday in my area of London, near the MI5/6 building, Ok, I'm about a 20min walk from it. All power just went! Now, I know my PC has a habit of just going wooops, lets reboot while I'm on Skype. This was a tad different as I didn't see that familiar, your using the DVI connector message pop up on my flat screen. Then I saw all my other electric devices just going wooops no power, off I go. Now that's not too much of a problem, what does one do when there is No power.

This got me thinking a bit, I was thinking of ways to find out what happened, I though, Oh I'll google it, easy, Duh Andy, there is NO power, your 'puter is no use... use your imagination... so I turned on my radio, But hey, that works on mains, so I was stuck there. Luckily, I had radio in my mobile. So on that went to listen to BBC London. No news on there, I had obviously missed the update.. I also hazard the guess that it had to be Local, as the radio was on air, but then they would be, it's the BBC! But it also had to be local, if it was affecting a wider area, the BBC would be having more important things to say about how not to panic, and that everything is being done to fix the problem as soon as possible,

What I did hear though, was on the traffic news, All traffic lights in the area around the MI5/6 building, OK , ok, they said Vauxhall.were out. kaput, not working, so there were huge traffic jams. nothing else, no further news.
So, I went for a walk around the block, it was a big walk as I never quiet got around a block when another one diverted me. But I did manged to ask a local Police man as to what all the commotion was about, he gave me the answer.
There was a power failure at the local Vauxhall sub-station and the local electric guys were doing their very best to fix the problem as soon a possible. I thanked him for his time and continued to get a bit lost...
Finally got home, Still no power, what can I do, I listen to more radio that bored me silly... then important things like, how am I going to feed myself this evening? I only have an electric cooker and combo-microwave. I though about cutting branches of the trees, to make a campfire... I now how to light them, after all I do have Ray Mears book on how to survive on a desert island.

Blip, PC kicks back into action.... Power failure over,  Ray Mear's  tips on how to have a campfire in your kitchen, and not burn the house down, will have to wait for another power outage.

Yes, It's time for me to have a mid-life crises! Well I could have missed the mid-life as well I might have already passed it. But It all starts at 40 so they, who are 'they' by the way! Baby boomers I guess. Anyway. so I will start and plan my mid-life crises. Get a flash car or motorbike and go wild!
But first things first, a car... don't have one, or do I have a flash motorbike...

SO, to the mid-lfe I have arrived. at the age of 40! Wisdom will ensue.

There that's it for today!

So the BBC has an article on Tesco (UK's biggest retailer) that it was entering the software market, to compete with the likes of Symantec and Microsoft. Haaahhahah

Tesco is to launch a range of budget own-brand PC software, in a move that will pitch the grocery giant against the likes of Microsoft and Symantec.

Tesco said it would offer six packages, including office software, security systems and a photo editing tool.

Britain's biggest retailer said each title would cost less than £20, challenging what it described as the current "high" price of PC software.

Source

Now I would have taken that seriously if Tesco was also producing an Operating System then I would have had a second look.
I decided to have a look to see what they were selling. what software packages. I looked up Formjet Plc. They are a holding company for a group of companies.

Six trading units which currently make up the Formjet group are described in detail on a dedicated area of this site These are . . .

•   Panda Software (UK) distributes Panda Software antivirus and security products in the UK.
•   Ability Software International distributes a powerful suite of office products.
•   FileStream (UK) is involved in applications ranging from the backup of computer resources to highly sophistcated graphics solutions.
•   Software Dialog UK is a specialist security reseller to the corporate marketplace.
•   South Coast Distribution is an established supplier to the OEM market.
•   Ideal Innovations.co.uk is an online marketplace. It services the electronic trading requirements of the Formjet Group and third party vendors.

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