The grumpy thread

[Captain Furious]

Y tho?

[RayMK]

if I was (were?) in government or an intelligence agency, social media would be an obvious and easily accessed source of information, as would mobile phone records (which also give your whereabouts unless you turn the thing off).  This should be assumed if you use such media and technology. It is not worth being paranoid about it, just behave!

[GrumpiusMaximus]

As much as I don’t like the tinfoil hat nonsense, IoT devices have so far had remarkably poor security. No thanks unless mandatory.

[Captain Furious]

The risk of getting done over by some rogue electricity meter readerer seems far more likely than someone stealing your electricity usage data, and if they do, so what?  I mean, actually, what's the worst that could happen?

 

This is typical however of the attitudes I came up against from other people when I mentioned I was getting one.  "Oh no, those smart meters, not for me, i'll carry on inputting my numbers manually THANKS!" 

 

Bizarre

[Supernaut]

I'd like to see Dave's neighbours go to that massive antenna array just outside Chernobyl.

[loserone]

I mean, actually, what's the worst that could happen?

 

This is typical however of the attitudes I came up against from other people when I mentioned I was getting one. "Oh no, those smart meters, not for me, i'll carry on inputting my numbers manually THANKS!"

 

Bizarre

If I had any kind of control over a smart meter I would probably have no issue with some of them, but variously (and off the top of my head)

 

* Regular drive by readings to quickly get a pattern of energy use and likelihood of house occupation /TINFOIL

* Compromise of ZigBee traffic and/ or ZigBee bridge, potential to gain access to internal network

* completely pointless compromise of the device itself, or either as a DoS or for dC&C.

 

The biggest difficulty is that you have no idea what device you get, what assurance you get over it, what vulnerabilities are or aren't patched, and once you have one you can't go back. The thought of having one without thinking it through when there will surely be scripts available to attack the common ones with zero technical knowledge seems a bit bizarre to me..

[Ghosty]

Threaded spark plug bore.

Car runs but eh...

 

Help?

[Captain Furious]

* Regular drive by readings to quickly get a pattern of energy use and likelihood of house occupation /TINFOIL

 

It would be easier for a would-be burglar to dress up as an electricity meter reader and knock your door to see if you're in. (fancy dress is optional) - People said the same thing about telephones in the 80's

 

* Compromise of ZigBee traffic and/ or ZigBee bridge, potential to gain access to internal network

 

Zero potential to gain access to the internal network because the device doesn't sit on your internal network

 

* completely pointless compromise of the device itself, or either as a DoS or for dC&C

 

A denial of service on instant electricity usage stats - quelle horreur

[loserone]

Ive seen smart meters with network access, granted they were early ones.

 

Seems like we can fairly easily disagree here and both be happy. You can not worry about putting numbers in and I can just not worry.

[Sloth in a bowl]

Not grumpy, more upset. Mrs D is watching an Emmerdale from either today or yesterday, Chas Dingle is about to lose a baby.

 

Today was the due date for the baby we lost at Christmas last year.

 

Meh.

Been there and felt the pain. It is something that you never entirely get over as other people living their lives will occasionally trigger a 'what might have been' response.

When you speak to people about it, then it is surprising how many families that have lost a baby during pregnancy.

[GrumpiusMaximus]

The risk of getting done over by some rogue electricity meter readerer seems far more likely than someone stealing your electricity usage data, and if they do, so what? I mean, actually, what's the worst that could happen?

 

This is typical however of the attitudes I came up against from other people when I mentioned I was getting one. "Oh no, those smart meters, not for me, i'll carry on inputting my numbers manually THANKS!"

 

Bizarre

It might seem ‘bizarre’ to you but the utter incompetence of most IoT devices with regards to their security (hard-coded admin passwords, etc.) and the possibility of my data (however benign) being stolen or (worse) my usage being manipulated by a third party means that I won’t have one if I have the choice.

 

It’s like electronic voting machines, I grant those are more important but the sheer scale of incompetence with their use is, frankly, breathtaking. Why use a smart device that can be manipulated when it’s technically unnecessary?

 

Furthermore, the unnecessary use of technology drives me bonkers. Part of my job is as an AV Technician and the number of completely pointless PowerPoint presentations I’ve seen has irritated me enormously. Most of the time, the presenter literally stands there reading the slides. What’s the fucking point? Why did you ask for me to come in early so you can read things off a screen to other people that can also read? It doesn’t fucking impress anyone because you’ve put in some overly-long and incompatible transitions. In Comic Fucking Sans.

[Supernaut]

It might seem ‘bizarre’ to you but the utter incompetence of most IoT devices with regards to their security (hard-coded admin passwords, etc.) and the possibility of my data (however benign) being stolen or (worse) my usage being manipulated by a third party means that I won’t have one if I have the choice.

 

It’s like electronic voting machines, I grant those are more important but the sheer scale of incompetence with their use is, frankly, breathtaking. Why use a smart device that can be manipulated when it’s technically unnecessary?

 

Furthermore, the unnecessary use of technology drives me bonkers. Part of my job is as an AV Technician and the number of completely pointless PowerPoint presentations I’ve seen has irritated me enormously. Most of the time, the presenter literally stands there reading the slides. What’s the fucking point? Why did you ask for me to come in early so you can read things off a screen to other people that can also read? It doesn’t fucking impress anyone because you’ve put in some overly-long and incompatible transitions. In Comic Fucking Sans.

Hear, hear!

 

As a fellow IT 'professional' (hurr) I hate the unnecessary use of technology too. IoT things also give me TEH FEAR.

[Parky]

Best presentations I have seen use Prezi. A bit of animation keeps you awake and the presenter basically used nothing but images so you couldn’t just read the words and fall asleep, you had to listen if you wanted to know what was going on.

 

Need to be good pictures though, not ClipArt!

 

One presentation I saw literally was just the presenters script. She should have just said “read that, every minute the next slide pops up” and we would have been happy. Instead there we were, 6.30pm in a hot crowded room wanting it to end. And she spoke really slowly too.

[chodweaver]

"Alexa, turn the fridge up a bit, will you? I'd like my beer a little colder"

 

"No, John, that'll use more electricity and my data suggests that if you continue to drink this much, your ability to work will be severely impaired in 6 months' time and you will not be able to pay your direct debit.

So I won't turn the fridge up AND I'm going to monitor your purchasing of further beer through your payment card and the customer footfall system at the Bargain booze you've been visiting where you pay cash. If you try to buy another fridge that isn't on the IoT, I'll suspend your bank account and destroy your credit rating, you lazy, gluttonous excuse for intelligent life.

 

Don't hate me, John. I'm only doing what is best for you, your family and the community around you. And the economy. Now it's time to go to bed so you can be an efficient worker bee for your country again tomorrow"

[loserone]

Interestingly, the NCSC, in their prior form as CESG, were concerned enough that they could be a threat to the UK that they wrote a GPG for designing secure smart meters. Not rocket science, just good practice.

 

Two people I know who write firmware for smart meter manufacturers were unaware of the GPG, and when highlighting it to their management were told not to worry about it, because tin foil hats.

[nebuchenezer]

Based on the last page of ranting:

 

[GrumpiusMaximus]

Based on the last page of ranting:

 

If that’s the worst anyone can say about my views on IoT, that’s fine. I do, however believe that you should get your kids and pets vaccinated, that planes simply condense water, that mainstream education and healthcare are a net gain and the tapwater’s fine to drink. 9/11 was not an inside job and bureaucracy can be a good thing.

[Parky]

Virtual pint to the next Woollard wearing a tinfoil hat

[Captain Furious]

Crikey, now we’re off to the races

 

(Not me, seems like we agree on everything besides smart meters, but there are a few genies there that’ll be difficult to get back in the bottle if things take their usual course)

[Parky]

It will make it easier to notice if the Cannabis farmer next door has hacked into your supply though

[GrumpiusMaximus]

It will make it easier to notice if the Cannabis farmer next door has hacked into your supply though

 

 

Fair point.

[oldcars]

I have not seen rain like this since i was in the Dom rep. Garden gone from being bone dry to flooding in about 30 mins.

[Tadhg Tiogar]

Rain? What rain?

[Supernaut]

Where I live needs some rain, I want to see the bloody ocean drop from the heavens, thunder as if the gods are farting in beat to some dark dubstep, and lightning which turns night to day, I will sit watching it with a cold beer

Brilliant description!

 

The last proper mental rain I saw was in Buckinghamshire in 2016 when we went to Shitefest in 6C's field. When me and 17-Coffees arrived, we spent the last mile or so doing 20mph because visibility was so low due to the rain bouncing back up about 3 feet. Couldn't hear anything inside the car either.

Once we rocked up, we huddled under the gazebo that a few other shiters were under, and watched lightning strike the ground about 2 fields away.

[Parky]

Decided my Twat ebay laptop buyer can have a refund but only on receipt of the return. In the original box it was issued in with everything exactly as it was sent and working perfectly as it was when it left my possession. And I have proof of that from an engineer friend who checked it out the day I dispatched it.

 

Cheeky sod has asked if I can send him his cash first. Needless to say I have referred him to eBay rules and made it clear that the eBay recommendation is don’t issue anything until the return is received. I can see this becoming a bit of a saga so might be giving Sheefag a call soon

[robinmasters]

Been discussed* before, but mileage 'correction'. Why is this legal? This, I get:

 

Need to replace your damaged or not working dash cluster with a newer one, no problem,,,we can put the mileage back to original true mileage,

This, however, seems entirely unjustifiable:

 

Also mileage reduced back to last recorded mot mileage can put thousands of pounds back on the cars value.

If you're not intending to deceive anyone, why this:

 

This discreet service is carried out and totally undetectable.

*Possibly done to death, too lazy to search

[Kiltox]

I can’t believe they’re actually advertising that second point

[yellowperil]

I have been recording the IoM TT at 08:30 every morning this week to watch in the evening.

 

Yesterday all i got was an hours programme on fishing, I don't know if the programme was cancelled or the listing was wrong.

 

Also Jodie Kidd. WTF?!!!

 

What was wrong with Stavros and Witham?

 

 

She just seems completely inappropriate for the role, I never liked her much anyway, now I have to keep hitting the mute button for the next week.

[GrumpiusMaximus]

Job-based shite grumps.

 

I currently work as a Music/Drama/AV Technician, earning a paltry salary.  I'm really bloody good at my job but am stymied by a pay scale that doesn't adequately reflect my skills and knowledge.  However, I like where I work, my immediate colleagues are fantastic (and kind) people - including my manager - and I'm generally respected and liked by most of the people I work with.  I'm also in charge of a superb recording studio and have use of it outside of work hours, which is lovely when I include my other hobbyshite.  The only downside is the pay and the lack of progression.  Which is a big downside.

 

Lady Grumpius has just found a job like mine but a 'senior' position in a similar environment to where I am (but much posher) with over an hour commute.  It doesn't include my favourite part of the job (Music) and is instead for a senior theatre technician - which I can do no problem.  The pay is much, much better (up to twice my current) but there's no guarantee that I'll like the environment (in fact, there's a strong chance I won't) or the people I work with.  If I was a fully functioning adult, this wouldn't be a problem but unfortunately I have serious issues with my mental health when I'm in an environment I don't like to the point that I can't function.  It's the main reason I don't work in 'industry', even though the pay is better.

 

What the ever living fuck do I do?

[chaseracer]

You do what works for YOU.