1. This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Learn More.

Other What Makes Your Life, Meh?

Discussion in 'General' started by Mr_Mistoffelees, 10 Aug 2023.

  1. Zoon

    Zoon Hunting Wabbits since the 80s

    Joined:
    12 Mar 2001
    Posts:
    6,373
    Likes Received:
    1,209
    “Get better soon” doesn’t seem nearly sufficient. Maybe “don’t ****ing pull this **** again and make sure you go to the doctor earlier or I will steal the labels off your canned goods and have my cat **** I’m your slippers”.

    But that might be going too far?

    Seriously though, make sure you take care buddy.
     
    Mojo and Arboreal like this.
  2. Gareth Halfacree

    Gareth Halfacree WIIGII! Lover of bit-tech Administrator Super Moderator Moderator

    Joined:
    4 Dec 2007
    Posts:
    18,473
    Likes Received:
    8,905
    Looks like I might be back doing event coverage again, after all these years.

    Why meh? Well, first, my back is messed up, and I have zero stamina. The first event, MWC, is in a little over a month, so I've got that long to try to fix my back and build up enough stamina to walk around a convention hall for four days straight. I'm getting too old for this shizzle, to Bowdlerise a famous quote.

    Also: they want video. I've avoided doing chuffin' video my entire career. I wasn't even a hundred percent sure my camera *does* video, 'cos I've sure as sugar never used it in anger. It does: 1080p25 at best, and it's currently set to 1080p24. Which'll do. 20 minutes per file, which is plenty for interviews and pieces to camera.

    I've still got a shopping list, though: wireless lavalier mic set (I've a £10 set at the mo', which I'm guessing ain't going to work well on a busy con floor - looking at the DJI Mic Mini, which is £65 for two mics, receiver that'll go into my phone, Olympus DVR, or camera, charging case, and accessories), cold-shoe shotgun mic (Rode's cheapest, probably), couple of spare full-size SD Cards 'cos my camera's old as heck... That should do it, probably? Got camera, tripod, got lenses (I'm thinking the 35mm f1.8 for general purpose shots and videography (I'll need to check the crop factor on that), 55-300mm telephoto for stage shots, maybe take the 40mm macro as well just in case?), got flash, obviously got my ancient laptop (shoot JPEG in Auto, save myself the pain of post-processing? They ain't paying extra for photography), Remarkable, Olympus, chargers, paper notebook and nice pens... Ooh, I'll probably need new batteries for the camera and Olympus, they're over a decade old at this point.

    I don't wanna.
     
    Zoon likes this.
  3. Pete J

    Pete J Employed scum

    Joined:
    28 Sep 2009
    Posts:
    7,730
    Likes Received:
    2,403
    [​IMG]
     
    Gareth Halfacree likes this.
  4. Zoon

    Zoon Hunting Wabbits since the 80s

    Joined:
    12 Mar 2001
    Posts:
    6,373
    Likes Received:
    1,209
    Oh but think of all the fun you’ll have being packed like a sardine into a tin shed with thousands and thousands of strangers who want to sell you something! Yeah okay I’m also in the hard pass lane.
     
    adidan and Gareth Halfacree like this.
  5. Zoon

    Zoon Hunting Wabbits since the 80s

    Joined:
    12 Mar 2001
    Posts:
    6,373
    Likes Received:
    1,209
    When I used to travel occasionally for work, people would be like “you get to go to New York though!!!!” and I’m like “I get to sit in a datacentre in the ass end of nowhere for ten hours a day in a place I don’t know on my own, after ten hours doing anything all I want is a shower and food” and you don’t really get to SEE anything it’s just pain all the way, you’re never near anything to see.
     
  6. Pete J

    Pete J Employed scum

    Joined:
    28 Sep 2009
    Posts:
    7,730
    Likes Received:
    2,403
    My beloved Dell XPS 13 9370's battery is essentially kaput :sigh:. I suppose near enough 8 years of decent usage will do that.

    Not too much of an issue as I rarely have it unplugged nowadays. I can certainly think of a new role it can play for a few years more.

    The question is should I bother buying a new laptop or not? The grown up answer is "no", the inner child says "yes".
     
    Last edited: 23 Jan 2026
  7. Gareth Halfacree

    Gareth Halfacree WIIGII! Lover of bit-tech Administrator Super Moderator Moderator

    Joined:
    4 Dec 2007
    Posts:
    18,473
    Likes Received:
    8,905
    Get a new battery in there! I just recently did my XPS 13 9360, and it's great now - for, like, forty quid or so!
     
    Pete J likes this.
  8. sandys

    sandys Multimodder

    Joined:
    26 Mar 2006
    Posts:
    5,745
    Likes Received:
    1,174
    Buy a new laptop Obvs, Dell have brought back the XPS with Panther Lake this year just for you :D

    but 50quid on new batt makes more sense.......boring.
     
    Last edited: 23 Jan 2026
    Pete J likes this.
  9. adidan

    adidan Guesswork is still work

    Joined:
    25 Mar 2009
    Posts:
    20,886
    Likes Received:
    6,690
    So the temperature I had that stopped us travelling (again) haa gone. Been ok for a day or two.

    My OH's hacking cough is just about gone and she's on the mend.

    I have now started with a hacking cough.

    Awesome. I appear to have gotten a 2 for 1 offer on bugs.
     
  10. Mr_Mistoffelees

    Mr_Mistoffelees The Bit-Tech Cat. New Improved Version.

    Joined:
    26 Aug 2014
    Posts:
    6,222
    Likes Received:
    3,302
    Don't tell everybody, or they'll all want one...
     
    adidan likes this.
  11. Pete J

    Pete J Employed scum

    Joined:
    28 Sep 2009
    Posts:
    7,730
    Likes Received:
    2,403
    The lady sat behind me has come into work with a terrible cough. And now I'm coughing.
     
  12. adidan

    adidan Guesswork is still work

    Joined:
    25 Mar 2009
    Posts:
    20,886
    Likes Received:
    6,690
    I can't stand 'troopers' who struggle in to pass bugs about
     
    xaser04, IanW, Pete J and 1 other person like this.
  13. Pete J

    Pete J Employed scum

    Joined:
    28 Sep 2009
    Posts:
    7,730
    Likes Received:
    2,403
    What's really annoying is that (without meaning to sound snobby), she's essentially holding a junior position, so her taking a day or so off doesn't really influence things. On the other hand, others around her are responsible for day-to-day running of the company, so a day DOES matter for them.
     
    IanW and adidan like this.
  14. adidan

    adidan Guesswork is still work

    Joined:
    25 Mar 2009
    Posts:
    20,886
    Likes Received:
    6,690
    I know I said I hate 'troopers' but I will say that's purely if they have a choice.

    I know in some jobs employers don't help, either their position will become threatened or time off will bring on special measures.

    If they have a choice or could work from home, not a fan if they think they can just plough through and infect everybody.
     
    Pete J likes this.
  15. Mr_Mistoffelees

    Mr_Mistoffelees The Bit-Tech Cat. New Improved Version.

    Joined:
    26 Aug 2014
    Posts:
    6,222
    Likes Received:
    3,302
    I mentioned this to my wife, she was a Unison rep/shop steward. This is one of the reasons you need to join a union. If you face a disciplinary, you have the right to have a union rep present, whether your employer likes it or not and, if you are treated unfairly, the union will help you fight your corner.

    PS, this right does not depend opon your employer officially recognising your union.
     
    Last edited: 29 Jan 2026
    Pete J, adidan, IanW and 1 other person like this.
  16. Byron C

    Byron C I was told there would be cheesecake…?

    Joined:
    12 Apr 2002
    Posts:
    11,767
    Likes Received:
    6,524
    This is so important.

    AFAIU, being a “recognised” union means that the union can act collectively on behalf of all its members - think restructuring, mass redundancies, etc. A union doesn’t have to be “recognised” by an employer in order for that union to be able to represent/support its members on an individual basis.

    I really should find a union, but I have no idea what’s best for my sector.
     
    Pete J and Mr_Mistoffelees like this.
  17. Mr_Mistoffelees

    Mr_Mistoffelees The Bit-Tech Cat. New Improved Version.

    Joined:
    26 Aug 2014
    Posts:
    6,222
    Likes Received:
    3,302
    The GMB will take you, whatever segment you work in. https://www.gmb.org.uk
     
  18. xaser04

    xaser04 Ba Ba Ba BANANA!

    Joined:
    27 Jun 2008
    Posts:
    2,679
    Likes Received:
    571
    The great pointless of process of raising a non conformance rather than dealing with the already known problem... (no system testing done by the parties involved which was raised at the time and told to ignore and barrel on anyway).

    Awesome, so I will fill in a form that no-one will read properly, have a meeting where no-one will pay attention and come up with a resolution that will be ignored... wooooo, progress! /s
     
  19. saspro

    saspro IT monkey

    Joined:
    23 Apr 2009
    Posts:
    9,654
    Likes Received:
    443
    But it is compliant progress /s
     
  20. Gareth Halfacree

    Gareth Halfacree WIIGII! Lover of bit-tech Administrator Super Moderator Moderator

    Joined:
    4 Dec 2007
    Posts:
    18,473
    Likes Received:
    8,905
    Had to fight my way through a very-clearly-LLM-powered new Amazon customer service bot to get to an actual person, and am *now* having to explain to said actual person that the marketplace seller who sold me my new camera at nearly five hundred quid is dodging tax: the invoice claims it's "outside the scope of VAT" and zero-rated, when it very clearly isn't. And yes, the company *is* VAT registered.

    Can't claim the VAT back myself if the invoice says there's no VAT - that's nearly a hundred quid, that!
     

Share This Page