T’Internet – T’Wonders Of

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

Late yesterday evening I found my portable telephone (one which amazingly has voice-telephony as its primary function) bore an NHS message asking me to make an Influenza vaccination appointment; either via a quoted HTTPS link or ringing the health-centre after 2pm.

Not after 6pm though, so I tried the Internet link. It failed.

After 2pm… As you can guess I forgot, distracted by expecting a visitor who'd forgotten to call, so I tried the Internet link.

Carefully I copied it all down, verified it (hindered by the 'phone screen blacking out too rapidly) and typed it into the confuser's search-thingy.

Same rigmarole:

The confuser rejected it. Something HTTP or HTTPS or not, apparently – don't ask me what. I'm a retired hacksawing-machine-operator-turned-lab-assistant, not a computer programmer.

I tried again, this time just http://.

No luck.

Without the H… bit at all then?

Still no.

84 characters long, the complete string, too.

I thought Tim Berners-Lee's work was supposed to help us communicate, not make it easy for organisations to render themselves incommunicado!

… Will just have to try to remember to ring the surgery on Monday afternoon…..

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

I think you can still get wind up alarm clocks. Set for 2pm and place on handwritten note on desk.

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

I reckon so, Bazyle!

I do in fact often use hand-written notes, placing them on the table in what passes for the dining-room.

So two notes:

1) Remind me to wind alarm-clock and set it for 2pm on such-and-such a date.

2) Remind me why the alarm's ringing.

[peak4Participant @peak4]

For those of you with an Android phone (at least Android 5 I think), I'd recommend investigating Messages for Web, in these situations.
https://support.google.com/messages/answer/7611075?hl=en-GB

Essentially use the Android Messages app on your phone, and head for the relevant browser link on your PC (or I presume MAC, but I'm not sure about that).

A Q code will pop up on the computer screen, which you validate with your phone's camera.
You can then access text messaging from within your browser, including URLs etc.

There is a similar site available for Whatsapp as well.

Bill

[Clive FosterParticipant @clivefoster55965]

I think the folk who set-up such things assume that the recieving phone is a mobile "smart" phone with the usual screen and keypad capabilities. Going from text message to internet is designed in to such devices, along the the bazillion things that no mature person in their right mind would want to use.

The forget that all fully specified DECT wireless phones have rudimentary text message, SMS, receiving and display abilities built in so simple information of the "parcel arriving at 2pm" level can be sent. Internet links were pretty much unheard of when that sort of thing was specified.

Certainly a surprise to me when mine threw up an SMS message about 5 years after installation. Knew it was on the menu but never expected to see it used. Sending one via the "choose one of three letters on this button" keypad is probably challenging. Got a feeling mine is actually able to forward an SMS message to my computer. But, if so, that is way to deep in the manual to be of interest.

Clive

[CirclipParticipant @circlip]

And don't forget NG2., when you do get through you're going to be number 19 in the call waiting queue.

Regards Ian.

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

Exactly!

My phone can in theory be linked to the Internet, according to its menues, but what use it would be is another matter.

Clive is right. I have long thought all these systems are designed by members of the Great Family We-All, clone-minded Sunday-supplement types who imagine that their work, lives and tastes are equalled by those of everyone else.

Number 19 in the queue? As few as that in front of me? I like your optimism, Circlip!

I have 7 days from the message to make the appointment. It arrived on Thursday, so I have until Wednesday….

[Roger BestParticipant @rogerbest89007]

I hate it when people design systems that can't remember what sort of system they are using.

My landline is not a mobile with texting. Neither is it a fax.

My mobile is not a computer, well it is, but doing computer stuff on it is not easy because its pants at it so I don't have it set up for that. So only calls and texts with sensible information please.

My computer is good at internet and e-mail. It is good at managing large amounts of information. It does links to internet pages, so send me an e-mail.

[Frances IoMParticipant @francesiom58905]

my GP surgery won’t accept emails – has a very poor web interface and telephone calls take ages to be answered and only after one has listen to (and paid for) a long winded explanation as to how qualified the secretarial staff are in triaging. Personally I write a note and drop it thro the letter box marked specimums.

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

The other day my local paper carried some item about some school service or other, and instructed parents to use a certain web-site … or for "parents unable to do that, download the form". Errr…..

'

Frances –

Won't a note posted in the "box marked specimums" end up in Post-Natal Care.?

[Speedy Builder5Participant @speedybuilder5]

And we havn't even talked about "smart" thermostats in houses that reduce power consumption when the overall house demand reaches the supply limit. I have been trying to help a friend whose electrically heated house has a "Gestionniere". This unit is a "CALYBOX 220" feeds up to 4 different heating circuits. When the max supply current is reached, it sends a signal to the 1st circuit to reduce its consumption by 50%. If that isn't enough, it does the same to the 2nd, 3rd .. circuits etc. This is all programmed by a thermostat that also monitors temperatures by time of day, day of the week, etc etc. BUT if you cut the power off when you go on holiday, and the little battery in the thermostat goes flat – you loose the lot. And of course, the thermostat only has 4 buttons to allow the programming ….

[KWILParticipant @kwil]

Smart thermostat? Just get a bigger cable installed.

Forget the so called Smart Meter, thay are there to con the user, if you want to save power, switch something off!

[roy entwistleParticipant @royentwistle24699]

Kwill

Roy

[Author]

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