All 3 entries tagged Irritating

BACS: The "C" is for "Crap"...

Here are two scenarios:

1. I use my computer to access my bank's computer-based Online Banking system. I log into their computer and the computer presents the interface. I have already passed the authentication process, so the computer should be happy that I am who I say I am. I tell the bank's computer to send some money to another computer to settle a bill. It does so, but it takes three fucking days.
2. I physically go to my bank (or the nearest cash point) and physically remove some physical money. I then get in the car and physically drive (let's approximate to a maximum of 8 hours, which it about how long it would take to travel the roughly 600 miles from the top of Scotland to the bottom of England at 70 mph in a straight line) to the physical headquarters of the company that issued the bill. I physically hand them the physical money to settle the bill.

How the hell can I get physical money across the country faster than the banks can send virtual money in the form of electricity!?

If we assume the electrical signal travels at the speed of light, then if it takes 3 days for the money to arrive, that means the signal has had to travel about 2 million times around the equator (I love Google) before it eventually reaches its destination...

I've already established my identity with my bank's computer by passing the log in screen, I have the money available in my account, I'm assuming it's just computers that are handling the transaction, so what takes them so long?!

It's ridiculous.

UPDATE: Just found this on Wikipedia:

The BACS system, and in particular the time taken for money to move between accounts, has been widely criticised by consumer groups as inefficient and archaic, especially as it is the system used for money transfers made by telephone or internet banking. This compares unfavourably with other developed countries, particularly in Scandinavia, where the "Elle" system ("Early Late / Late Early") allows money transferred before lunchtime to reach a payee's account on the same working day, or money transferred after lunchtime to reach the payee's account the following morning.

: 28 Feb 2008 15:01 |  Tags: Bacs Bank Computers Crap Irrational Irritating Money Randomness Rant Stupid Transfer |  Comments (10) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Humanoid

It always annoys me when "humanoid" is used to mean "human". It doesn't; it means roughly "human shaped".

Humans are humanoid; in Star Trek Vulcans, Klingons, Bajorans, Cardassians, etc. are humanoid; in Stargate the Asgard, the Nox, the pre-ascended Ancients, the Wraith, etc. are humanoid; the Doctor is humanoid; in fact probably 99% of all aliens in sci-fi are humanoid, because the make-up is easy.

The one that really irritated me was the later episodes of Star Trek Enterprise with the Xindi. The reptilian fifth of the planet habitually distinguished themselves from humans and the primate fifth by calling them both "humanoid", when all the Xindi (except the aquatics) were humanoid.

It's not a particularly important point, but who said it had to be...

: 20 Aug 2007 03:48 |  Tags: Humanoid Irritating Randomness Rant Words |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

This really annoys me…

First, a few examples:

You can get to my website using richardwinskill.co.uk or www.richardwinskill.co.uk
You can get to Google using google.co.uk or www.google.co.uk
You can get to WSC's website using filmsoc.warwick.ac.uk or www.filmsoc.warwick.ac.uk
You can get to the Warwick website using warwick.ac.uk or www.warwick.ac.uk
You can get to pretty much all of the billions of websites out there using domain or www.domain

Why then, does sunion.warwick.ac.uk not work!?
That really annoys me…

: 19 Apr 2005 14:39 |  Tags: Domain Names Irritating Randomness Www |  Comments (4) |  Close comments |  Report a problem