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[11:21] XBox Media Center
Date: 6/1/05 at 7:21PM
There's an XBox around that I'm going to update with the latest XBMC. If you don't have an IRC client and couldn't be bothered installing one there's a lovely Java based web client here: http://www.macsat.com/xbins/
Once it connects just type in /msg xbins !list and go get your stuff.
Very handy!
[11:12] Fruity London
Date: 6/1/05 at 7:12PM
I don't know where it all comes from but it's great. All of the train stations seem to have fruitiers out the front selling what seems to me to be bizzarely cheap fruit. I have just availed myself of £3 worth of fruit which included two punnets of strawberries (about 16 strawbs per punnet) and a huge bag of cherries. This little cornucopia would have set me back about $20 back home. According to xe.com I have spent about $A7.40.
I've just check the Woolworths Homeshop website and Strawberries are $3.98 for 250g. I've just constructed some rudimentary scales using the chopping block and a wooden spoon and my strawberries seem to weigh in somewhere just over 500g (assuming that the container of salt I was using does actually weigh 500g like it says it does, I don't know it that includes packaging weight). That means my strawberries are worth about $A7.96. Unfortunately Woolies doesn't stock fresh cherries at the moment so I can't price check them but already going off the strawb prices I am getting the cherries for free!!! I wonder where they come from to be able to sell so cheaply. Maybe they're all GM and I'm going to mutate or something.
[10:44] Nothing Changes
Date: 6/1/05 at 6:44PM
First day of work today, I went in and it seems that company I'm working for here is the same all over the world (I've worked for them previously in Australia). Their customer does not particularly like them, they are running under the belief that more meetings will fix EVERYTHING and red-tape stops ANYTHING from happening (my login for the network should be ready in about six weeks).
On the interesting side, everything is COE/SOE run and if you try to log in from a non-SOE build to the MS domain some magic happens to shutdown the port you are connected to on the Cisco switch. I think that's really cool and I shall be attempting to find out how that happens, SNMP is my guess for now.
I've been given lots of doco to go and read in the meantime, for those interested I'm working with CA Unicenter and shall be trying to make it do things it was never intended to do (like work).
[10:37] London, The English, Customer Service & Technology
Date: 6/1/05 at 6:37PM
Wow, I've been a busy boy.
After getting off the plane in London I made it through Customs without even being stopped. I got on the Heathrow Express (cost me £14 but I was over travelling by then and the quickest was the best). I then succesfully navigated the tube with nary a problem. The instructions my friend gave me were uncannily clear and I managed to arrive at her house about an hour ahead of schedule...or so I thought. Turns out I was about 4 hours ahead of schedule. I sat on her front doorstep and read the rest of my magazine and newspaper collection and then watched the police arrest some of my new neighbours (that's right, I'm living on an estate in Stockwell). Finally, I got bored and dragged my 24 kg suitcase around the corner to get some hot chips. Naturally, it was at this point that my friend came home - I was happy 'cause I had chips :)
I was at this point quite knackered and went to bed - this was Monday in England and a Bank Holiday so everyone was out and about. Day Two of my London adventure was a "Real Day" but I'd scheduled work to start on the 1st of June ('cause it seemed nicer that way) so I had the day to sort out the notorious bugbears of antipodeans in London:
* National Insurance Number
* Bank Account
I'd have to say that of all the subjects people have felt inclined to tell me before I came the "Obtaining a Bank Account is impossible" story was the second most prevalent (right behind "It's quite expensive over there you know"). Funnily enough, it also happens to be true! Obstinate fool that I am I thought I'd try and, with my new flatmates squeals of laughter still ringing in my ears I departed to do battle with the banks. Then I gave up. You really can't do it....unless you're prepared. So, take note those of you thinking of attempting this in the future. You will need:
* Passport
* Proof Of Employment (Proof of Income really)
* A Bill with you CURRENT UK ADDRESS
That's all!!! I obviously didn't have the second item having moved here mere hours ago but I found a loophole of sorts. If you can get your bank back home to send a statement to you at your new address they will accept that (well NatWest will anyway). Do this before you go and you can set up your account the second you arrive. I didn't know this and didn't manage to get it set up just then. The reason it is so difficult is because after the September 11 terrorist attacks the UK put in place a series of knee-jerk schemes to prevent money laundering. This is one of them - you can't launder money if you can't put it anywhere.
I moved on to my second task, the NI number. I was also warned that this could be impossible. The story goes that the English hate foreigners and, in order to prevent them from invading they make it impossible to get an NI number so you can't work without being taxed out the wazoo. I thought, sounds like bollocks I'll give it a shot. Outside my second bank I got on the mobile and called the magic number. I talked to a lovely lady who said come on in and we'll sort you out, if you're one of the first 50 people in the door you're guaranteed to be served today. It was only 0930 so I wandered down the road thinking "That wasn't so hard" and being well impressed with my self. I arrived at JobCentrePlus and was greeted at the door by a burly security guard who asked me my business. I explained my phone call and he politely laughed until he cried. He then gave me a piece of paper with a phone number on it and informed me that an appointment must be made via the "Tooting HUB" (phone 020 8218 4417) and pointed me at the free phones. It was at this point that I ran into the British love of old technology. I called the number, it rang and was picked up by a robot. The robot said "Sorry, can't take your call right now, please ring back later". It then hung up on me. It wasn't a robot, it was an answering machine. "Odd" I thought, and rung back. This time I got an engaged signal. I tried again. This time it rung...and rung...and rung....and stopped. I was getting a little surprised now but, still undaunted, I tried again. I was hung up on again by the answering machine. In my mind I was contemplating the bizzare lack of a robotic answering service and queueing system. "Why would you not implement one" I thought as I mindlessly hit redial on the phone. I continued to ponder this for 20 minutes before I finally got someone to pick up the phone. She was very nice and made me a booking for next Saturday. I didn't yell at her about the phone system as a) it's probably not her fault and b) I'm sure a lot of people do and she books them appointments for Thursday coming, next year.
I returned home semi-triumphant. No bank account but an NI appointment. I talked to my friend and she said I should go and see 1st Contact. They basically provide a service to itinerant Aussies, Kiwis and Saffas (which apparently is a nickname for South Africans!) to get a bank account for the sum of £35. They also give you a £9 phone card so it's not that bad I guess. I called them and manged to book in for the 1100 meeting. I whizzed in and sat through 3 hours of bollocks (1.5 by 1st Contact and 1 by the bank where they try to sell you their £10 a month magical bank account). I opted for the £0 non-magical account and that should be sorted by Monday! It is < a href="http://www.maestrocard.com/wheretouse/"Maestro/Cirrus so money can be slurped out back home to pay the mortgage without extra fees.
I then went and visited my agency and signed my papers and I'm all sorted for the day!