h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Right - in a few minutes, I'm having my phone company switched over automatically. I've been assured that this won't interfere with my internet access and I'm 95% certain this is the case.

However - there is a slim chance it'll all go pear-shaped and I won't be able to get on hootoo for a bit (about ten days, worst case scenario). There's a slim chance also that if it doesn't happen tonight it might happen tomorrow night.

So I thought I'd make what only *might* be my last journal entry for a while to say that, if the worst case scenario has happened and I'm not around, it's not because

a. I'm lost
b. I'm sulking
c. I've been kidnapped by badgers

Fingers crossed! Here we go!

Midnight+2

Phew!

23 minutes!

You still there Trin?


*looks at screen nervously and remembers this is not a chatline!*

Yes, I'm still here! 'Ray!

(Now all I've got worry about is whether this is working phone-bill-wise Oh and whether they're just lulling me into a false sense of security and I'll get cut off tomorrow night instead )

There is always that possibility

If that happens my friend, I will for all of 5 mins in memory of you!

Aww, thanks Lil! But like I say, worst case scenario it would only be for as long as it took me to get round to the new phone company and insist they switch things back the way they were.

The whole thing was very sneaky - the advertising was full of "Oh no, there isn't a single need for you to do anything at all and you'll barely notice the difference and it'll be soooo much cheaper in the long run" - and, then, as the day got closer, I started getting all kinds of confused and contradictory advice about what I needed to do regarding internet access, most of it from pre-recorded advice lines which I didn't really entirely believe.

Basically, phone companies are gits!

Right On! Boy!!

We used to be on dial up and had no problem with it! Then hubby said "We might as well go over to Broadband! You are online all day, it would be better for you" So we did.

First, we lost our internet connection, then our Email addresses.. and something else happened, but I can't recall what now!

It took us 4 hours to get the internet access back... and 5 months to get our old Email address back! As if we really needed it after informing everyone of our new address!

I'm still on dial-up: I keep thinking about broadband, but, having read your posting, I'm not sure about it now!

If you do, just make certain you have ALL your passwords written down before you go over to Broadband!

That way you can pick them up again! Hubby only had a few passwords noted and forgot the Email one altogether!

We have since found that NTL was supposed to install the programme.. not leave the discs for us to do it. So you just make sure you get the service you are paying for!

Darn right I will! As I say, my real worry now is whether I'm being billed for this ... now ... me being online right at the minute, which I shouldn't be. But, if I am, they can whistle for it!

Don't get me started about phone companies

Glad you're still with us Trin

I had been thinking about changing to broadband lil, but I suspect the dial up propblems I have are in the phoneline and that I would just be paying more for fancier problems if I swap over.

"Paying for fancier problems" Sounds true of the vast majority of technological 'improvements'

I must admit that once it all settled down, it is a lot better than dial up!

At least I do not have to keep re-dialling when the time is up!





Night folks...

Trin, I do hope you are sorted out properly... in the nicest possible way of course

Oh, of course! Night Lil!

Having to redial does have its possible benefits - "omigod, have I really been online *that* long?"

Yay, Trin's still here!

glad you're still here Trin.
I've got DSL idont know exactly what that is but its much faster than my old dial up was and i dont have to wait for it to connect... because its connected all the time, and we didnt have any trouble getting it to work. well actually now i think about it we had some sort of problem loading th softwear but we havint had any problems with it yet *crosses fingers, knocks on wood* . some days the pages load slower than others, today is a slow day, but its never as slow as our dial up was.

Coolio, you must be one of those rare people that actually manages to transfer smoovly on occasions, Trin.

I however am not one of those rare people, if I want anything I have to select a least 5 options before I have to queue because my call is important (I'd rather get a busy tone and try again later, you always hope its going to be 5 mins and it turns into 20!) after I've queued I get a nice pre-recorded Little Chef restaurant type muzik ...then I may get to speak to a RL person who will inevitably tell me I am thro to the wrong dept to which I have to start all over again.

If I am eventually successful at the above, for a connection or some other new service that doesn't happen when promised - I have to go thro the crap above again...

Right now, my computer is not only randomly commiting sepuku with some of its programs, I'm lucky to get online at all *sniffle* I can actually get online but my computer then sitz its processor down and refuses to get up again to look for online pages..normally takes a few boots and then it finally drags its self together..

Its hard not to give it percussive maintance...my restraint is admirable.

Ok, this turned into a whine about my pc...*wanders off into cyber sunset to cook tea*

Does that mean you're still here then?

I'm still here for a few, it's just getting increasingly difficult to get online..

I may have to look for the wind up key at the back of my pc..

or replace the batteries