A change of ISP V - The temporal Tennis Match

It seems that in order to transfer a domain from one registrar to another you have to persuade the current holder to remove a lock on the domain so that the newcomer can take control. It’s very sensible that you should have to instruct your current holder that you want them to release it and to whom. I’ve heard some horror stories about hijacking and disputes over domain ownership so precautions against this seem sensible.

When I asked Demon to unlock our domain they sent me an intimidating looking form to fill out the gist of was that since we’d decided to leave we had 30 days to get out before our bags would be thrown into the front garden and the locks changed. I duly returned it (with my own amendment saying that nothing was cancelled until I told them) and told BUSCit.

There then started what seemed like this strange slanging match where, having told Demon to unlock, BUSCit tell me it’s not unlocked. I complaint to Demon who say they'll unlock today. The next dat BUSCit say it not unlocked so I go back to Demon who say, “Oh yes it is unlocked” which I pass back to BUSCit who then find it unlocked and say they’ll do the transfer.

A few days later Demon complains that the transfer hasn’t happened yet and if we don’t get a move on they’re going to go into a proper strop. I pass this on to BUSCit who come back straight away saying the transfer has happened. I pass this on to Demon who promptly come back confirming that the transfer has occurred.

It just seems that I’m in some sort of quantum experiment where noting happens until someone claims it hasn’t – then I have to query it causing it to have been happened anyway.

At least everyone is using e-mail and answering fairly promptly. I hate to think what state I would be in if I was having to do this with hour long phone calls.

A Change of ISP - IV

Things are moving apace; it’s only taken week, two faxes and half a dozen e-mails to get Demon to unlock our domain. Perhaps if I find a really good magician or an extremely big stick I may be able to get the transfer of DNS data (which will affect the e-mail and web routing) to happen when I’m ready for it. Hmm.

Technology is turning against me

At the same time that I'm having to muck about with the heating, I switch on the lights in the porch and get nothing but a blue flash. Naturally I think the fuse has gone and change it. Still no light - than I notice that the two halogen lights I have in there have exploded.

These lights are exterior grade security lights with halogen tubes so the cold shouldn't have affected them and they're in the dry. There's no way I could have fed more than the 240V mains power to them and I know not to handle them with bare hands when installing. So how do both of them explode when I throw the switch?

I've bought a fluorescent tube fitting. Another job for the weekend.

Heating Horrors

The central heating packed up last week. Thinking back we had plenty of warning but, because it came on gradually, we didn’t notice it. Last week it changed from some radiators being a bit cold to none of the downstairs ones working at all.

My first thought was that the pump had packed up. I consulted my next door neighbour Albert, who used to be a plumber and, not only did he agree with my diagnosis, he gave me a brand new pump! Unfortunately fitting it made no difference.

So the system is sludged up. Off to town for a £25 bottle of sludge remover and stick it in. It was left running for about three days but the pipes continued to cool.

There are people who will come round with a pump and pump the sludge out of your system but they want £300 for the job. So yesterday I took the afternoon off, went to the hire shop and rented a pump for £35. It took about five hours to connect pump and restore the system to operation but it seems to have done it! It was actually quite good fun although I’m knackered today. Not actually much physical strain – the pump does all the hard work - but a lot of bending down, spannering and adjusting that my body isn’t used to.

I’ll put the anti- corrosion stuff in on the weekend and that’ll be it for another fifteen years.