Part of my being says "embrace the modern world as much as you can" so I try keep abreast of new developments as they come up. I wouldn't say "early adopter" describes me correctly, but I am near the top of the queue..
As a sign of convenience, each pc in my house has a skype account, we can ring each other if dinner is ready, hehe, or outside family can ring specific family members within the household, and this really does have it's benefits.
but not last night. Last night was proof that the human race could do with some lessons on logical thought.
I was on a skype call to a friend overseas when my home phone rang. My wife picked it up and the cheerful family member asked if I was available. My wife said no, I was busy on skype. So far it was a pretty normal conversation.
Until they dropped this clanger: "yeah, I saw he was busy on skype so I phoned the home phone."
WTF???!!!!
Talk about trying to get instant gratification. I am still reeling from trying to understand how they came to this conclusion as the most viable way to reach me. Or if they believe I have the ability to talk on two phones at once. Who knows...perhaps they can and I am lacking? They skype status would say I am in a call, hence, not reachable, so why why why why phone the home phone. It is akin to interrupting a conversation. I CANNOT get to grips with it.
Either way, I would love to hear if this has happened to any of you...
Thursday 24 October 2013
Sunday 6 December 2009
Hi-Grade Solutions
Well, it is time that I finally moved on with my life, partly because I am a bit bored with my current work, and partly because I need more of a challenge.
That is why I have founded Hi-Grade Solutions, a specialist networking and virtualization company
I'm hoping the extra challenge excites me once again in the marvellous world of I.T. I really do enjoy finding innovative solutions to problems, and I really really thrive on helping others to see the full potential of their computer systems. We can do virtualization via vpn, keeping downtime to a minimum, and all outside office hours so the users dont even know we have come and gone. I'm hoping this gets some momentum behind it, it would give me an absolute kick knowing what I have started is helping others gain employment and keeping food on the tables of those who are suffering right now.
www.hi-net.co.uk I think is a rather cool domain name. Simple, and it has been around for a long time.
Wish me luck folks
That is why I have founded Hi-Grade Solutions, a specialist networking and virtualization company
I'm hoping the extra challenge excites me once again in the marvellous world of I.T. I really do enjoy finding innovative solutions to problems, and I really really thrive on helping others to see the full potential of their computer systems. We can do virtualization via vpn, keeping downtime to a minimum, and all outside office hours so the users dont even know we have come and gone. I'm hoping this gets some momentum behind it, it would give me an absolute kick knowing what I have started is helping others gain employment and keeping food on the tables of those who are suffering right now.
www.hi-net.co.uk I think is a rather cool domain name. Simple, and it has been around for a long time.
Wish me luck folks
Friday 22 May 2009
Take this Oyster cand and shove it up your ASSHOLE
the olympics are cmoing, and london is going about it with all the pomp and circumstance that you normally associate with the typical wife-beating foul mouthed wanker preparing for church on sunday.
yes, we are cleaning up the place, a lick of paint, some new pavements, france will be proud. and i now get the joy of sitting in traccif two hours ot travel 8 miles to work while some builder scratches his crack and lays another paving slab, in the exact same place where the previous paving slab was.
2 hours, 8 miles.
4 miles/hour.
1 mile in 15 minutes. wr is under 4 minutes. fitting that with the olympics coming to london we cant beat the 4 minute mile.
on public transport.
so, tell me, why do i enter this common law contract, whereby i provide some money for a service, and you then provide me with travel. i agree to stand at a designated spot and at a designated time, you agree to collect me, validate my papers, and provide me with transport, to my destination, in a timely fashion.
let me remiond you of english common law
DO NO HARM
CAUSE NO LOSS
at this rate, in this economic climate which you ponsy wankers have created by playing pyramid pyramid with house prices, I may well end up with no job because you wanted to make Stratford look pretty for some phot to be published in a newspaper and then promptly thrown away.
Here is a thought. 2 million more unemployed before 2010. The worst economic climate in a hundred years. Those bums sleeping rough, having their photos taken by foreign press will at least be sleeping on clean pavements.
I laugh,
Somebody, phone Guy Fawkes. We need some logic back in parliament.
yes, we are cleaning up the place, a lick of paint, some new pavements, france will be proud. and i now get the joy of sitting in traccif two hours ot travel 8 miles to work while some builder scratches his crack and lays another paving slab, in the exact same place where the previous paving slab was.
2 hours, 8 miles.
4 miles/hour.
1 mile in 15 minutes. wr is under 4 minutes. fitting that with the olympics coming to london we cant beat the 4 minute mile.
on public transport.
so, tell me, why do i enter this common law contract, whereby i provide some money for a service, and you then provide me with travel. i agree to stand at a designated spot and at a designated time, you agree to collect me, validate my papers, and provide me with transport, to my destination, in a timely fashion.
let me remiond you of english common law
DO NO HARM
CAUSE NO LOSS
at this rate, in this economic climate which you ponsy wankers have created by playing pyramid pyramid with house prices, I may well end up with no job because you wanted to make Stratford look pretty for some phot to be published in a newspaper and then promptly thrown away.
Here is a thought. 2 million more unemployed before 2010. The worst economic climate in a hundred years. Those bums sleeping rough, having their photos taken by foreign press will at least be sleeping on clean pavements.
I laugh,
Somebody, phone Guy Fawkes. We need some logic back in parliament.
Saturday 1 December 2007
Infinite Loop of DOOOOOMMMMMM
this post is dedicated to the unwashed 80% who I occasionally meet in forums. The masses who simply repeat what has already been said before, or who use google searches to try inflate their meagre intelligence, or even the bottom-feeders who will read the first line of a (lengthy) post and then suggest solutions which have already been discussed by others.
Yes, I'm talking about YOU.
And I've now realised something about YOU. YOU cant be changed, even if I somehow manage to educate YOU, "they" will just replace YOU with an improved version, the best I can do is laugh at YOU, ignore YOU, or block YOU. Because God knows, YOU have tested my patience to the maximum. But because of YOU, I get to understand humans better, and YOU are an intricate part of that equation.
But there is still one problem with YOU. YOU are stupid.
And the problem with stupid people involved in technology, is that they dont know they are stupid. Which creates a huge problem for me, when I try to correct something you believe is true.
A stupid person is too stupid to know they are stupid, and they are too stupid to understand why they are stupid because they cant understand what you are trying to explain to them, and why they are wrong, and by not understanding my explanation they believe they are still correct. Which makes me look stupid.
So, here's to YOU, the stupid chap. I cant change YOU, I cant make you understand that you are stupid, but heck, as long as you are happy and breeding I'll have somebody to laugh at in the small hours of the morning.
Yes, I'm talking about YOU.
And I've now realised something about YOU. YOU cant be changed, even if I somehow manage to educate YOU, "they" will just replace YOU with an improved version, the best I can do is laugh at YOU, ignore YOU, or block YOU. Because God knows, YOU have tested my patience to the maximum. But because of YOU, I get to understand humans better, and YOU are an intricate part of that equation.
But there is still one problem with YOU. YOU are stupid.
And the problem with stupid people involved in technology, is that they dont know they are stupid. Which creates a huge problem for me, when I try to correct something you believe is true.
A stupid person is too stupid to know they are stupid, and they are too stupid to understand why they are stupid because they cant understand what you are trying to explain to them, and why they are wrong, and by not understanding my explanation they believe they are still correct. Which makes me look stupid.
So, here's to YOU, the stupid chap. I cant change YOU, I cant make you understand that you are stupid, but heck, as long as you are happy and breeding I'll have somebody to laugh at in the small hours of the morning.
Thursday 6 September 2007
EZ hack, FON 0.7.1 r5
It is truly amazing how sometmes the easiest things turn out to be the most difficult and long winded, yet on reflection it is trivially simple once you know how.
I received a FON router a few days ago, but never got around to setting it up, although I had done a few for family and friends already, off to ddwrt land.
So, last night I promptly plugged mine in and opened up sshenable.html (right click, save as http://uselesshacks.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/sshenable.htm) to sort out dropbear (I didnt check firmware version, just assumed it was 0.7.1 r2 like all the rest I had done. The html injection produced an error page, and thereafter every page on the router produced the dreaded "bus error" text on a plain white background.
The only page that still responded was the firmware upgrade page, so I went to fons website, downloaded the firmware and flashed the router, and voila it worked fine.
Except I was now on 0.7.1 r5????!!! huh!!!??
I tried sshenable again, but had the same error on the dhcp page. I tried to change the dns address to the "well known one" and use putty to ssh in, but that didnt work either, multiple times.
I hit the fon boards in desperation, only to find that some say r5 works with the dns server hack (although I had the distinct impression they hadnt tried) whilst others say r5 is immune to it.
The changelog for r5 shows it is now immune to the dns server hack. I either had to crack this thing open and do the serial port mod, or wait until someone came out with a hack.
Like me.
This is how you do it.
run sshenable, this produces a dreaded error, and will probably give you "bus errors" on every page. That is good.
Go and download winpcap
Go and download ap51-flash-fonera-gui-1.0-24.exe
http://fon.testbox.dk/flashing/GUIflasher/
find your way here http://www.dd-wrt.com/dd-wrtv2/down.php?path=downloads%2Frelease+candidates%2FDD-WRT+v24+RC2%2FFonera/
and go get root.fs and vmlinux.bin.l7
you are set.
open up ap-51, slect for rootfs the file root.fs
for kernel, select your file vmlinux.bin.l7
tick the box that say ddwrt..nvram.
make sure your fon router is unplugged from the mains, but the ethernet cable is plugged in to your pc. It doesnt matter what your pc's ipaddress is set to.
now, clikc the "go" button in ap-51, wait a few seconds while the errors go past, then plug the fon into the power. IN around 10 seconds you should see some status messages going by, and you will see root.fs being uploaded to your fon, automagically. It will then proceed to flash root.fs Be aware, this took me 13 minutes.
the seond, automatic stage, is where the kernel is written and flashed to the fonera, this will take a further 8 minutes or so...once complete ap-51 will close with no messages, and your fon will reboot.
Leave it alone for about 10 minutes, let it do it's thing....then try to connect via the ethernet port..it should be on 192.168.1.1
you should also see a wireless ssid pop up, dd-wrt.
Smile, sit back and have a smoke, for we are complete.
P.S. I dont do pictures, the text is comprehensive, but if you dont understand I can explain further in the comments.
I am not sure at which stage ssh became enabled permanently, but it was before using ap-51, so perhaps it was a basic recovery built into the fon after half-bricking it with sshenable.html. I know I didnt consciously do it myself. Also, the dns server hack was not working for me, and if by magic it did,, t would only enable ssh for that session, whereas my router had ssh on permanently after the half-brick.
If you prefer, you can use ap-51 with no files selected, and you will end up with fon firmware and freifunk extensions, with ssh on by default if you want to upgrade somewhere else
Enjoy
I received a FON router a few days ago, but never got around to setting it up, although I had done a few for family and friends already, off to ddwrt land.
So, last night I promptly plugged mine in and opened up sshenable.html (right click, save as http://uselesshacks.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/sshenable.htm) to sort out dropbear (I didnt check firmware version, just assumed it was 0.7.1 r2 like all the rest I had done. The html injection produced an error page, and thereafter every page on the router produced the dreaded "bus error" text on a plain white background.
The only page that still responded was the firmware upgrade page, so I went to fons website, downloaded the firmware and flashed the router, and voila it worked fine.
Except I was now on 0.7.1 r5????!!! huh!!!??
I tried sshenable again, but had the same error on the dhcp page. I tried to change the dns address to the "well known one" and use putty to ssh in, but that didnt work either, multiple times.
I hit the fon boards in desperation, only to find that some say r5 works with the dns server hack (although I had the distinct impression they hadnt tried) whilst others say r5 is immune to it.
The changelog for r5 shows it is now immune to the dns server hack. I either had to crack this thing open and do the serial port mod, or wait until someone came out with a hack.
Like me.
This is how you do it.
run sshenable, this produces a dreaded error, and will probably give you "bus errors" on every page. That is good.
Go and download winpcap
Go and download ap51-flash-fonera-gui-1.0-24.exe
http://fon.testbox.dk/flashing/GUIflasher/
find your way here http://www.dd-wrt.com/dd-wrtv2/down.php?path=downloads%2Frelease+candidates%2FDD-WRT+v24+RC2%2FFonera/
and go get root.fs and vmlinux.bin.l7
you are set.
open up ap-51, slect for rootfs the file root.fs
for kernel, select your file vmlinux.bin.l7
tick the box that say ddwrt..nvram.
make sure your fon router is unplugged from the mains, but the ethernet cable is plugged in to your pc. It doesnt matter what your pc's ipaddress is set to.
now, clikc the "go" button in ap-51, wait a few seconds while the errors go past, then plug the fon into the power. IN around 10 seconds you should see some status messages going by, and you will see root.fs being uploaded to your fon, automagically. It will then proceed to flash root.fs Be aware, this took me 13 minutes.
the seond, automatic stage, is where the kernel is written and flashed to the fonera, this will take a further 8 minutes or so...once complete ap-51 will close with no messages, and your fon will reboot.
Leave it alone for about 10 minutes, let it do it's thing....then try to connect via the ethernet port..it should be on 192.168.1.1
you should also see a wireless ssid pop up, dd-wrt.
Smile, sit back and have a smoke, for we are complete.
P.S. I dont do pictures, the text is comprehensive, but if you dont understand I can explain further in the comments.
I am not sure at which stage ssh became enabled permanently, but it was before using ap-51, so perhaps it was a basic recovery built into the fon after half-bricking it with sshenable.html. I know I didnt consciously do it myself. Also, the dns server hack was not working for me, and if by magic it did,, t would only enable ssh for that session, whereas my router had ssh on permanently after the half-brick.
If you prefer, you can use ap-51 with no files selected, and you will end up with fon firmware and freifunk extensions, with ssh on by default if you want to upgrade somewhere else
Enjoy
Saturday 21 July 2007
5 pieces of plastic
I havent updated in a while..my excuse is that I am too busy doing some minor little jobs on the cars, and busy fitting a carpc, which in itself is a time consuming affair.
One of the minor jobs that needed doing, which I absultely have to fix is a small repair on the electric front window. This needs adjusting, which means I have to remove the door cards to get to the little motor adjustments.
And, being a BMW, you absolutely WILL break and/or lose some of the little door card clips, so as any good DIYer would do, you order some in advance so that when it is time to do the job, all required parts are available.
Unbeknown to me, this decision would prove to be one I would rather forget.
I went to our local ECP (Euro Carparts) and ordered the plastic bits, 5 of (keep some spare) for a total or about 11p each if I remember correctly.. Yes, I spent almost a £1 with them on these items, but while I was there I picked up a headlight for the wife's wagon and some other bits and bobs, as you do
Their website showed the part in stock, and the local branch's computer system showed the parts in stock, so I paid. But when it came time to physically get the parts, oh no...an empty parts bin...they were gone.
Having worked in stock control systems before, I know how easy it is to lose or mislay small low value items, so I had a bit of a laugh.
ECP said it would be there on monday morning (this was a saturday), but I can only get to them on wednesday or a friday...so I said I will pop in on wednesday. Wednesday I was unavailable, so I ended up going to them on friday. Oh no (second time)..looks like the parts have arrived, but someone has nicked them (apparently a lot of ECP staff drive E36 bmw's and they have a craving for door clips). The guy serving me, however, handily noted the headlight etc on my order was in stock and started picking them and giving them to me, and I, like a true born honest person, reminded him I am happy with the headlight I had already got on that order, and he can keep the second headlight he was about to give to me, free of charge, as per incompetent rule #1
No problem, says the smiling ECP staff member, referring to my non-existent door clips, he will order some more and put them in his draw, and keep them for me.
So, the next Saturday I go back...Oh no (3rd time)...the parts are missing again. Did mr ECP put them in his draw? like fuck he did. No problem, he will order some more (by this time I am thinking to sell any shares in ECP and put them into chinese plastic factories) and put them in his draw (again) and...and..he is going to LOCK his draw (ooooohhhhh....)
and so we come to this morning's caper.
pitch up at ECP, stand in the queue, and see their coca-cola machine. £1 for 500ml, but it is hot so I put my pound into the machine, and select my beverage of choice. SOLD OUT flashes on the display...so I pick my second one..SOLD OUT...and my third..SOLD OUT.
In fact, every drink was sold out, and the ECP environmetalists keep the machine plugged in..because...because....?? fuck knows.
I ask the machine give me back my pound, but computer says no.
So now I am in the queue and hot and pissed off to boot.
And the smiling ECP man says to me..OH NO (door clips) not here...shakes his head...says he will order them in and have them by Monday. I wonder, is that ECP codespeak for "MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, watch me wind up this knob guys!"
I pointed at my address on the invoice, and told him that is where he will deliver the parts on Wednesday. He told me no. I reminded him that that is where he will deliver the parts on wednesday. He told me no, again. I left.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
I will no longer buy anything from ECP in woodford avenue, Ilford. You guys suck mounds of donkey shit, and then ask your customers to lick said donkey shit out of your butt-cracks. I have been waiting almost 2 months for 5 pieces of plastic and you cannot even get that right, even though I have been to see you (in total) around 6 times to collect these pieces of plastic. Your computer systems are paraffin driven and your staff (that I have come into contact with) could care less for the well-being of your customers.
And your coca-cola machine's password is 4231, but no worry, it is devoid of any liquids.
One of the minor jobs that needed doing, which I absultely have to fix is a small repair on the electric front window. This needs adjusting, which means I have to remove the door cards to get to the little motor adjustments.
And, being a BMW, you absolutely WILL break and/or lose some of the little door card clips, so as any good DIYer would do, you order some in advance so that when it is time to do the job, all required parts are available.
Unbeknown to me, this decision would prove to be one I would rather forget.
I went to our local ECP (Euro Carparts) and ordered the plastic bits, 5 of (keep some spare) for a total or about 11p each if I remember correctly.. Yes, I spent almost a £1 with them on these items, but while I was there I picked up a headlight for the wife's wagon and some other bits and bobs, as you do
Their website showed the part in stock, and the local branch's computer system showed the parts in stock, so I paid. But when it came time to physically get the parts, oh no...an empty parts bin...they were gone.
Having worked in stock control systems before, I know how easy it is to lose or mislay small low value items, so I had a bit of a laugh.
ECP said it would be there on monday morning (this was a saturday), but I can only get to them on wednesday or a friday...so I said I will pop in on wednesday. Wednesday I was unavailable, so I ended up going to them on friday. Oh no (second time)..looks like the parts have arrived, but someone has nicked them (apparently a lot of ECP staff drive E36 bmw's and they have a craving for door clips). The guy serving me, however, handily noted the headlight etc on my order was in stock and started picking them and giving them to me, and I, like a true born honest person, reminded him I am happy with the headlight I had already got on that order, and he can keep the second headlight he was about to give to me, free of charge, as per incompetent rule #1
No problem, says the smiling ECP staff member, referring to my non-existent door clips, he will order some more and put them in his draw, and keep them for me.
So, the next Saturday I go back...Oh no (3rd time)...the parts are missing again. Did mr ECP put them in his draw? like fuck he did. No problem, he will order some more (by this time I am thinking to sell any shares in ECP and put them into chinese plastic factories) and put them in his draw (again) and...and..he is going to LOCK his draw (ooooohhhhh....)
and so we come to this morning's caper.
pitch up at ECP, stand in the queue, and see their coca-cola machine. £1 for 500ml, but it is hot so I put my pound into the machine, and select my beverage of choice. SOLD OUT flashes on the display...so I pick my second one..SOLD OUT...and my third..SOLD OUT.
In fact, every drink was sold out, and the ECP environmetalists keep the machine plugged in..because...because....?? fuck knows.
I ask the machine give me back my pound, but computer says no.
So now I am in the queue and hot and pissed off to boot.
And the smiling ECP man says to me..OH NO (door clips) not here...shakes his head...says he will order them in and have them by Monday. I wonder, is that ECP codespeak for "MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, watch me wind up this knob guys!"
I pointed at my address on the invoice, and told him that is where he will deliver the parts on Wednesday. He told me no. I reminded him that that is where he will deliver the parts on wednesday. He told me no, again. I left.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
I will no longer buy anything from ECP in woodford avenue, Ilford. You guys suck mounds of donkey shit, and then ask your customers to lick said donkey shit out of your butt-cracks. I have been waiting almost 2 months for 5 pieces of plastic and you cannot even get that right, even though I have been to see you (in total) around 6 times to collect these pieces of plastic. Your computer systems are paraffin driven and your staff (that I have come into contact with) could care less for the well-being of your customers.
And your coca-cola machine's password is 4231, but no worry, it is devoid of any liquids.
Wednesday 20 June 2007
Bad pearl in the Oyster
Living in London has benefits, mainly the public transport. Living here means you do not NEED to have a car, as getting to work using the busses or tube is a fairly uncomplicated affair, and on the whole, just as reliable as going by car.
But there has been a scary trend in the pricing...since 1997 the price of a single bus fare has risen from 40p to £2. A 500% increase, easily outpacing the rising cost of housing. However, there is an answer; the Oyster card.
This pre-paid invention is a touch-based payment system, recharge it when you can with credit, then just touch in and out of busses and tubes.
It was initially meant to work similar to a single-sign on system. Charge up your Oyster card with cash, and use it to pay for goods wherever you see the Oyster sign. Except, you dont see the sign anywhere, because the idea flopped...I mean, what is wrong with using ££££'s?
So, the mayor and crew sat down and had a rethink. *THEY* really wanted people to use the Oyster card. else the hidden agenda wont work. and we cant have the hidden agenda not working.
The rethink came through and was approved, and we now have dual pricing schemes. Use an Oyster card, and only pay £1 for the bus fare...a normal cash paying customer has to pay £2. Yes, it seems an Oyster card it such a powerful item is makes busses use 50% less fuel, and you arse takes up 50% less space on the seats. Not only that, but amazingly you can board the bus 50% quicker.
I hope they got a patent on this thing.
Discrimination? Perhaps...but it goes deeper than that.
This week *THEY* announced the Oyster card has now been blessed by the Pope with even more extraordinary prowess, and the fare for Oyster card holders has been reduced to 90p. A full 10% decrease.
The rest still pay £2, cash, queen's money. The Oyster ruleth grand.
This recent announcement made me sit up and take fresh notice on this Oyster issue..previously I had wondered "why", but now I was genuinely curious. Where is the motivation? Sure, cash has some disadvantages, but £1.10 difference in price for a simple bus journey? What if you elect not to have an Oyster card? As a free society, surely I can choose not to get an Oyster card, the same way I choose not to get a credit card, yet still have a bank account?
It would seem *THEY* will do almost anything to get everyone using an Oyster card, and the pricing reduction is a very strong motivator. Unpuzzling the puzzle leaves me with unanswered questions, but most of them point to 1984.
Mr de Menezes was shot on the tube in 2005 when he was a suspected terrorist.
Several others detonated a few crude bombs recently.
Tracking these poeople wouldve been a heck of a lot easier using an Oyster card.
Lets look at the requirements to get an Oyster card.
...
actually, I cant find the list anywhere online, but having asked a few Oyster users it seems that personally identifiable information IS needed. You cannot get an Oyster card anonymously. So, we have our bait, and we have the catch. This is almost like a little id card now isnt it..packed full of travel habits.
The Oyster card blurb (available here https://sales.oystercard.com/oyster/lul/registerCustomerCard.do?method=display )
mentions
You can view your pay as you go journey history
(p.s. naive travellers, this means so can we....)
Jackpot!
Excuse me, but how is having my travel information available to me any benefit? Do I have such a bad case of altzheimers that I cant remember weekdays I went to work, and then came home?
What price freedom? £1.10 seems to work for most of the London residents. And passwords can be exchanged for candy bars.
I'm not getting an Oyster card. It doesnt inconvenience me too much, as I only use the busses twice a week to go to the pub and get drunk. But I can see how they are using pricing pressures to get us to hand over our details, bit by bit.
When doing Penetration Testing on vulnerable systems, very often one crack leads to another, and another, and another, until you open bigger cracks that didnt really exist. The only way to have a strong unbroken chain is to inspect all the links. An Oyster card is definitely a very broken link in your privacy and anonymity.
But there has been a scary trend in the pricing...since 1997 the price of a single bus fare has risen from 40p to £2. A 500% increase, easily outpacing the rising cost of housing. However, there is an answer; the Oyster card.
This pre-paid invention is a touch-based payment system, recharge it when you can with credit, then just touch in and out of busses and tubes.
It was initially meant to work similar to a single-sign on system. Charge up your Oyster card with cash, and use it to pay for goods wherever you see the Oyster sign. Except, you dont see the sign anywhere, because the idea flopped...I mean, what is wrong with using ££££'s?
So, the mayor and crew sat down and had a rethink. *THEY* really wanted people to use the Oyster card. else the hidden agenda wont work. and we cant have the hidden agenda not working.
The rethink came through and was approved, and we now have dual pricing schemes. Use an Oyster card, and only pay £1 for the bus fare...a normal cash paying customer has to pay £2. Yes, it seems an Oyster card it such a powerful item is makes busses use 50% less fuel, and you arse takes up 50% less space on the seats. Not only that, but amazingly you can board the bus 50% quicker.
I hope they got a patent on this thing.
Discrimination? Perhaps...but it goes deeper than that.
This week *THEY* announced the Oyster card has now been blessed by the Pope with even more extraordinary prowess, and the fare for Oyster card holders has been reduced to 90p. A full 10% decrease.
The rest still pay £2, cash, queen's money. The Oyster ruleth grand.
This recent announcement made me sit up and take fresh notice on this Oyster issue..previously I had wondered "why", but now I was genuinely curious. Where is the motivation? Sure, cash has some disadvantages, but £1.10 difference in price for a simple bus journey? What if you elect not to have an Oyster card? As a free society, surely I can choose not to get an Oyster card, the same way I choose not to get a credit card, yet still have a bank account?
It would seem *THEY* will do almost anything to get everyone using an Oyster card, and the pricing reduction is a very strong motivator. Unpuzzling the puzzle leaves me with unanswered questions, but most of them point to 1984.
Mr de Menezes was shot on the tube in 2005 when he was a suspected terrorist.
Several others detonated a few crude bombs recently.
Tracking these poeople wouldve been a heck of a lot easier using an Oyster card.
Lets look at the requirements to get an Oyster card.
...
actually, I cant find the list anywhere online, but having asked a few Oyster users it seems that personally identifiable information IS needed. You cannot get an Oyster card anonymously. So, we have our bait, and we have the catch. This is almost like a little id card now isnt it..packed full of travel habits.
The Oyster card blurb (available here https://sales.oystercard.com/oyster/lul/registerCustomerCard.do?method=display )
mentions
You can view your pay as you go journey history
(p.s. naive travellers, this means so can we....)
Jackpot!
Excuse me, but how is having my travel information available to me any benefit? Do I have such a bad case of altzheimers that I cant remember weekdays I went to work, and then came home?
What price freedom? £1.10 seems to work for most of the London residents. And passwords can be exchanged for candy bars.
I'm not getting an Oyster card. It doesnt inconvenience me too much, as I only use the busses twice a week to go to the pub and get drunk. But I can see how they are using pricing pressures to get us to hand over our details, bit by bit.
When doing Penetration Testing on vulnerable systems, very often one crack leads to another, and another, and another, until you open bigger cracks that didnt really exist. The only way to have a strong unbroken chain is to inspect all the links. An Oyster card is definitely a very broken link in your privacy and anonymity.
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