Rant of the Day v2.

[PHXPhlyer]

5G wireless internet service practically nonexistent.
Everybody and their brother at home for the holiday, all trying to watch NFL football, the World Cup, and/or the Thanksgiving Day Parade.
I have reset my gateway numerous times with varying but not long-lasting success.
Speed tests indicate so-so download speed but practically no upload speed. I really don't know how upload speed would affect anything but requests.

PP

[llondel]

5G wireless internet service practically nonexistent.
Everybody and their brother at home for the holiday, all trying to watch NFL football, the World Cup, and/or the Thanksgiving Day Parade.
I have reset my gateway numerous times with varying but not long-lasting success.
Speed tests indicate so-so download speed but practically no upload speed. I really don't know how upload speed would affect anything but requests.

PP

That's why I much prefer wired internet where possible. You might still get a bottleneck but less chance of it.

[Pontius Navigator]

Drives into town. 5 minutes from destination and 5 sets of Traffic lights. Mrs PN says drive straight over crossroads and approach from other direction.
Immediately crossing over eta becomes 7 minutes. Round Next bend Road works traffic lights. Short distance later roadworks and a crossroad lights. ETA now up to 12 minutes.
Eventually, half a mile from destination, run into traffic jam. After 10 minutes abort trip.
Yesterday, same destination, approached from opposite direction and saw exactly similar traffic jam in same place.*
Whatever you think of Satnav the shortest distance frequently takes the least time.

*for 4ma, Dysart Road to The Range.

[PHXPhlyer]

5G wireless internet service practically nonexistent.
Everybody and their brother at home for the holiday, all trying to watch NFL football, the World Cup, and/or the Thanksgiving Day Parade.
I have reset my gateway numerous times with varying but not long-lasting success.
Speed tests indicate so-so download speed but practically no upload speed. I really don't know how upload speed would affect anything but requests.

PP

That's why I much prefer wired internet where possible. You might still get a bottleneck but less chance of it.

I switched to TMobile 5G a few months back. It costs $3o on top for my $90 wireless plan. Add in DirecTVStream for another $90 and I am coming out almost $100 less than Cox cable internet and TV.
I called TMobile 5G internet support the other day and luckily got the ABQ call center rather than The Philippines.
The rep basically admitted that they had oversubscribed the 5G service in my area and that I should not have had it made available to me.
MY location is .7 miles from a 5G tower and the same distance to a 5G as well with basically line-of-sight to both.
He said that in addition to the oversubscription both towers are located next to a busy freeway (4 lanes each way) adding to the wireless traffic. The 4G tower is due to be upgraded to 5G but timeframe is unknown. He said a lightening strike to the tower was the best hope for an early upgrade.
Not what I wanted to hear, but his honesty was refreshing.

PP

[PHXPhlyer]

D#2 needed a new computer for college. Her 10 year old MacBook Air was not up to the tasks that her classes required.
I got her a newish MacBook pro with the newest chipset and I inherited her old one.
Apple tech support talked her through erasing the hard drive before she gave it to me.
I spent approx. an hour split between two sessions with tech support to restore the OS. Unfortunately, the machine would not download all the needed files and the support person said that I would need to take it to a third party repair place as Apple no longer supported that old of a notebook.
Contacted their recommended repair place and was quoted $120 to do the OS install. Almost as much as the machine is worth.
The Apple techie did send me a link to the OS software but I'm not real sure of how to proceed, as I am not all that literate about OSs and certainly not Apple.
Any suggestions?

PP

[4mastacker]

Disclaimer: I'm not a 'puter expert so I might be talking sphericals.

I recently had a problem with my 10-year old iMac (kept stalling and switching off during the boot up sequence) which required a factory re-set. Getting it to power up and stay on was a PITA which involved pressing the power button and several keys all at the same time - I involved Mrs 4ma cos I didn't have enough hands. Took the machine to an IT Mr Fixit. First of all, I had to do a full back-up onto an external hard-drive using Time Machine, so I didn't lose any of my folders, photos, etc. The technician then done his magic stuff and re-set the machine back to the "as new" condition before downloading my files, folders and photos, etc from the external hard drive. My iMac is now working fine - I had forgotten how fast it was when new.

What about backing-up her machine onto an external hard drive, doing a factory re-set on your machine then downloading her back-up onto your machine?

This link might be useful and it does mention doing a back-up before you start:

How to factory re-set a Mac

[PHXPhlyer]

Unfortunately, the old machine's OS is/was 10.7 Lion and that is what they told me to put back on and then incrementally update it to the last OS that it can handle, which is 10.12 Sierra.
Her new machine, with the M1 chip, was updated when I got it from Big Sur 11 to Monterey 12 and now needs Ventura 13 to be up to date.

PP

[4mastacker]

Hey ho!! Ain't Apple wonderful with all these different OS?? My machine is running on Catalina 10.15.7 so I suppose it's only a matter of time before the 'euthanase' chip kicks in and points the wallet towards a bright shiny machine in the new 'puter emporium.

[Pontius Navigator]

Now I understand OFSO and the ffrench.

Best price online is a ffrench site. Go to check out. Advised to setup an account. No guest option, so account it is.

Enter date of birth using template - invalid date.
Go to Personal Care - shut use email

Enter data, telephone number invalid text.

Give up

[4mastacker]

Drives into town. 5 minutes from destination and 5 sets of Traffic lights. Mrs PN says drive straight over crossroads and approach from other direction.
Immediately crossing over eta becomes 7 minutes. Round Next bend Road works traffic lights. Short distance later roadworks and a crossroad lights. ETA now up to 12 minutes.
Eventually, half a mile from destination, run into traffic jam. After 10 minutes abort trip.
Yesterday, same destination, approached from opposite direction and saw exactly similar traffic jam in same place.*
Whatever you think of Satnav the shortest distance frequently takes the least time.

*for 4ma, Dysart Road to The Range.

PN,

Next time, go up the A1 to Gonerby Services to come back towards town from the north and avoid the permanent chaos that exists in this town.

[OFSO]

It's not only because of their useless websites, PN.

[Pontius Navigator]

4ma, that would still have had us approaching on the 'in to town' route whereas using the London Road would be the shortest route and frequently the faster route too.

When I go to the golf club I usually use the High Dyke in and London Road out. If I want to be sure to be sure I avoid the A1 completely

[CharlieOneSix]

I applied for a Santander savings account on 12 October. Even though none of my details have changed in the 10 years since I was last a customer with them they wanted a passport copy, driving licence copy etc. Time passed and eventually a month later on 12 November they declared the account was open and that I would receive two separate letters with user ID and password etc. Time passed and with great difficulty I managed to contact them to say where are the letters. Surprise at the other end - oh, haven't you received them? They admitted they were never sent out. Today both letters arrived in the same post. What great security!

So after waiting 7 weeks from application until I could operate the account I took great pleasure in closing it!

[Wodrick]

Banks also.
Last week NatWest informed me by e-mail that my new Debit cards should have arrived by post and my existing cards would be cancelled.

No new cards until today. They are not cross referred to the two accounts in any way.

Be screwed if I get to UK any time and need funds.

[ExSp33db1rd]

This seems to be the way of all banks and financial services these days, Worldwide. Spent 9 months trying to merely change my address with one of them, overseas from NZ of course, had to download a form twice, send authorised copies of passport and proof of address etc. and last week their "clicking" device to create a "secret" code stopped working, probably flat battery ? No way to re-order Online, so eventually telephoned, Oh, we don't replace those now, download our App for your Smartfone ( i.e. you must have one to continue banking with us ), also, when I told them that the passport number they have was given to them 12 years ago and has been renewed twice since then, take the new number. No, cannot change passport number Online or by mail, or by telephone, must visit your nearest branch ! I give up, when I can organise everything that still needs that bank to service I will delight in taking my money away from them, but fear I won't live long enough.

Meanwhile the real Money Launderers laugh all the way to the bank ( no pun intended )

[OFSO]

I'm surprised by how fast the lithium batteries run out in the card readers the banks send customers. Luckily they are easy to change and batteries cost little. The phone app and PC internet banking work very well and I've had no problems transferring large sums. In changing my address I wrote and sent paper letters and these were accepted with a confirming message sent to the phone app.

[Pontius Navigator]

I'm surprised by how fast the lithium batteries run out in the card readers the banks send customers. Luckily they are easy to change and batteries cost little.

I agree user battery replacement was easy yet my bank preferred to send out new readers. When we moved home predictably I couldn't find my reader. I popped next door to borrow theirs. He had never heard of them.

Anyway my bank and so on stopped using them 3-4 years back.

[ExSp33db1rd]

Luckily they are easy to change and batteries.........

Card readers I agree, but not the clicking gadgets that create a code.

[Pontius Navigator]

... the clicking gadgets that create a code.

You had me for a moment, then I remembered. I think they were multi functional but only one function was used. Got one from each bank and card company, all unique colour and detail, but all interchangeable.

But what about face or finger print recognition dependent you your having your phone handy and not wearing a mask, gloves, or different glasses?

Having entered by bank details including inside leg measurements, why do I have to reenter the password to make a new payment? My phone remembers my password so it's only extra clicks for nowt.

[1DC]

Just spent about ten days waiting for a new pin code to activate my new debit card, with all these postal strikes it finally arrived today. The new pin is the same one as I used with the old card..