test please delete

[NickFitz]

Hmm; Virgin seem to have managed to screw up t'Internet again

Only briefly (aka about ten minutes) this time, though. I assume they're updating routers and suchlike things, and thereby managing to disconnect whole cities at a time by dint of gross incompetence

Actually, examining the times between the post-before-last and the post-before-that, it seems to have been more like twenty minutes.

It's still fail of a major kind, but I daresay the legal department have the incompetence of the technical drones covered in some SLA part of the contract

I mean, we all understand that a goat eating the wires is a contingency you can't plan for. What I hate is when they use their legal get-out clauses as a way of avoiding any comeback for technical incompetence.

Fail caused by goats is something they shouldn't be held accountable for. It could happen to any of us - particularly VF, given that chickens are often the first step towards goats.

Fail caused by employing goats to upgrade the infrastructure is, however, inexcusable. Everybody knows that cloven hooves are less than ideal for handling rack-mounted equipment

[NickFitz]

Jesus Christ All-Fscking-Mighty

I recently bought a new book from Sitepoint, on the basis that it was written by the wife of a former work colleague of mine who knows her stuff, and I could get another book from the same stable free for being a previous customer. (I was a previous customer for having bought a book by an acquaintance who more recently became a work colleague.)

I found both the recent books to be a bit thin wisdom-wise - lots of pages, but it's just going over the basics much of the time. (Set in rather large type too, which helps bulk things out.)

Then I realised that one of them lists five - FIVE! - authors

Not one of them can be making more than twenty quid in royalties from this book, but you know what: I've seen almost all of them either presenting at a conference, or attending one under their own steam. They have a name, and they get it by contributing one-fifth of a book that simply re-iterates the basics.

Don't get me wrong: they're all highly proficient people, and the ones I've met are really nice in person too (Jonathan Snook is a lovely chap, and I hope he didn't find my directions for getting from Waterloo to Farringdon on the Tube too confusing - he made it back to the conference, so at least he survived).

But seriously... if what's in these books is all it takes, it's about time I got myself some of that action

Now, what topic shall I address first...

[Gonzo]

Actually, examining the times between the post-before-last and the post-before-that, it seems to have been more like twenty minutes.

It's still fail of a major kind, but I daresay the legal department have the incompetence of the technical drones covered in some SLA part of the contract

I mean, we all understand that a goat eating the wires is a contingency you can't plan for. What I hate is when they use their legal get-out clauses as a way of avoiding any comeback for technical incompetence.

Fail caused by goats is something they shouldn't be held accountable for. It could happen to any of us - particularly VF, given that chickens are often the first step towards goats.

Fail caused by employing goats to upgrade the infrastructure is, however, inexcusable. Everybody knows that cloven hooves are less than ideal for handling rack-mounted equipment

You can have cheap, or you can have reliable, but you can't have both.

That's the British way.

[NickFitz]

You can have cheap, or you can have reliable, but you can't have both.

That's the British way.

either

That's the Branson way

[NickFitz]

Anyway, time for me to crash - I still need to make some necessary fixes to the new theme tomorrow (or should I say today) so some sleep would probably be a good thing

Night - or morning, or whatever it is you have down there at this time (UTC) - Gonzo

[Churchill]

Good morning all!

Morning CM!

[BrowneIssue]

Good morning all!

Morning CM!

It's too early.

Go back to bed.

[BrowneIssue]

... I found both the recent books to be a bit thin wisdom-wise - lots of pages, but it's just going over the basics much of the time...

Then I realised that one of them lists five - FIVE! - authors

Her Ladyship is an indexer of books.

She frequently gets works where it is one author per chapter. These are usually the ones I get the most ear-bashing about. They tend to be shallow, repeat the same arguments, and cross-references are circular.

There are segments of academia, particularly in teaching, where cliques of people are churning out words and getting published just so they can say they have been published. They then come across as clever, important people. Sadly, they write bollocks. Even more sadly, people buy the books and listen to what they say.

[cailin maith]

Good morning all!

Morning CM!

Morning doggie

It's too early.

Go back to bed.

Morning

[BrilloPad]

But seriously... if what's in these books is all it takes, it's about time I got myself some of that action

Now, what topic shall I address first...

Just go back through your tpd posts : almost certainly a few books in there.

HTH