Friday, April 18, 2008

Over-complex WiFi hotspot passwords

If you're getting an hour or a day's access to WiFi, what on Earth is the point of a complex log-in key? I'm on WiFi right now, with the password SrfjzZhS- . In teh past, I've had to deal with 16-digit hexadecimal passwords. Why not just have it as ABCD? it's not as if anyone else in the conference room is systematically going through all the possible numerical usernames (mine is vis17493 plus an extra digit if anyone cares).

Why have more, cumbersome security for what is an unsecured access?

What's the worse-case scenario? One in a thousand people is a cheapskate hacker who's prepared to crunch through simple passwords to save £4 on web access?

Frankly, it's idiocy like this that will kill the WiFi hotspot model.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Airport shops that donc't accept local currency

We've all been there.

You get to an airport on your way home from somewhere relatively obscure, with a pocketful of notes and coins in a currency you might not ever need again. So you count it up, and it's about enough for some dodgy local liquour or a tacky souvenir before you get on the plane.

And then you find that all the shops at the airport only accept Euros or Dollars. And often there isn't even an exchange desk - and if there is, their rates to change your local currency back are heinous.

No excuse for this at all.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Hotel room lights

Why can't hotel designers comprehend that customers might want a single light switch that lights up the entire room? And a single big, bright light in the centre of the ceiling?

I can't believe I'm the only person who gets frustrated with having to hunt around for the switches for 37 different table lights, bedside-lights, free-standing lamps and other bits of illuminating appliance that you need
to see well enough just to unpack my bag.

Sure, mood lighting is great if you're travelling with a partner - or you've met some random attractive stranger at the conference. But on the other 90% of occasions when a business traveller just wants somewhere to sleep, work, wake up and find the rogue sock - it's nice just to have a bit of brightness & contrast.

Introduction - A forum for complaining about stuff that really, really pisses me off

This blog is solely devoted to my ranting about all the really annoying things in life.

I'm a native Londoner, so I'm going to exercise my inalienable right to whinge about the things which really get my goat.

Some of this stuff pisses me off so badly I'm tempted to go into politics solely to ban it. When I come to power, all this stuff will be fixed, I promise.....