bloody CTC

I've been trying to receive newsnet (five attempts and counting, over
the last two months or so). Today I got an email from them -
containing text to the effect of 'from Julie Rand' and a .doc file.

Firstly, I don't have any microsoft software on the machine I read
email on, secondly I mostly use it in a text console so even
openoffice won't help, and thirdly I'm not going to open arbitrary
binary files appearing without any covering description. Is this
their normal way of using email?

I've emailed them back telling them so.

I don't recall when I last thought positively about the CTC - it just
seems to go from bad to worse.

regards, Ian SMith
--
|\ /| no .sig
|o o|
|/ \|

"Ian Smith" wrote in message
...

I've been trying to receive newsnet (five attempts and counting, over
the last two months or so). Today I got an email from them -
containing text to the effect of 'from Julie Rand' and a .doc file.

I get newsnet as an HTML email, no mention of Julie Rand.

I'm guessing it's a manual thing to be added to the list, since to subscribe
you send an email to a real person quoting your membership number. Have you
just had no reply from them?

cheers,
clive

On Mon Jun 4 2007 at 13:08:45 GMT, Ian Smith wrote:
Firstly, I don't have any microsoft software on the machine I read
email on, secondly I mostly use it in a text console so even
openoffice won't help, and thirdly I'm not going to open arbitrary
binary files appearing without any covering description.

You may want to try antiword; it does a fairly decent job converting
Word files to plain text. See http://www.winfield.demon.nl/

Tom

On Mon, 4 Jun 2007, Clive George wrote:
"Ian Smith" wrote in message
...

I've been trying to receive newsnet (five attempts and counting, over
the last two months or so). Today I got an email from them -
containing text to the effect of 'from Julie Rand' and a .doc file.

I get newsnet as an HTML email, no mention of Julie Rand.

I'm guessing it's a manual thing to be added to the list, since to subscribe
you send an email to a real person quoting your membership number. Have you
just had no reply from them?

No reply (and no newsnet) to the first four emails, this reply (ie
empty message and an attached doc file) to my most recent attempt.

regards, Ian SMith
--
|\ /| no .sig
|o o|
|/ \|

On 04 Jun 2007 13:08:45 GMT someone who may be Ian Smith
wrote this:-

I've been trying to receive newsnet (five attempts and counting, over
the last two months or so). Today I got an email from them -
containing text to the effect of 'from Julie Rand' and a .doc file.

Firstly, I don't have any microsoft software on the machine I read
email on, secondly I mostly use it in a text console so even
openoffice won't help, and thirdly I'm not going to open arbitrary
binary files appearing without any covering description. Is this
their normal way of using email?

I've emailed them back telling them so.

Good.

Personally I see no objection to using the words **** off when they
are directed at someone who sends Micro**** encoded documents out to
someone who has not asked for them.

The other group of people for whom the words **** off are also
appropriate are the *******s who make telephone calls trying to sell
something.




--
David Hansen, Edinburgh
I will *always* explain revoked encryption keys, unless RIP prevents me
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/00023--e.htm#54

David Hansen wrote:

The other group of people for whom the words **** off are also
appropriate are the *******s who make telephone calls trying to sell
something.

I imagine to many it's just a job they'd rather not do, but, hey! food
and rent money does come in handy. There's nothing to be gained by
being actively rude to them. Persistent offenders should have worse
done by way of complaints procedures, otherwise why bother just being
offensive? They might be the people behind a nearby steering wheel
you'd rather not be in a foul mood when you're riding home...

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

"David Hansen" wrote in message
...

Personally I see no objection to using the words **** off when they
are directed at someone who sends Micro**** encoded documents out to
someone who has not asked for them.

Spam, maybe. But Ian's was solicited, and probably the result of a
misunderstanding. I think your approach would be unnecessarily rude, and
would thus be rather counterproductive. (in more than one way : it would
divert the CTC bods from doing what they should be doing, and it would make
them rather more likely to ignore you as some "microsoft-hating loony" or
similar.)

clive

"Ian Smith" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 4 Jun 2007, Clive George wrote:
"Ian Smith" wrote in message
...

I've been trying to receive newsnet (five attempts and counting, over
the last two months or so). Today I got an email from them -
containing text to the effect of 'from Julie Rand' and a .doc file.

I get newsnet as an HTML email, no mention of Julie Rand.

I'm guessing it's a manual thing to be added to the list, since to
subscribe
you send an email to a real person quoting your membership number. Have
you
just had no reply from them?

No reply (and no newsnet) to the first four emails, this reply (ie
empty message and an attached doc file) to my most recent attempt.

regards, Ian SMith
--
|\ /| no .sig
|o o|
|/ \|
Copied from last weeks `Newsnet` (if you have tried this one ... ignore me)


SUBSCRIBE: If you have been sent this newsletter by a friend and would like
to receive it directly, simply send your membership number (or post code)
and email address to

__________________________________________________ __________________________
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--
Colin N.

Lincolnshire is mostly flat ... But the wind is mostly in your face

Peter Clinch wrote:

David Hansen wrote:

The other group of people for whom the words **** off are also
appropriate are the *******s who make telephone calls trying to sell
something.

I imagine to many it's just a job they'd rather not do, but, hey! food
and rent money does come in handy. There's nothing to be gained by
being actively rude to them. Persistent offenders should have worse
done by way of complaints procedures, otherwise why bother just being
offensive? They might be the people behind a nearby steering wheel
you'd rather not be in a foul mood when you're riding home...

Anonymous Caller Reject is a tremendous tool.

Cheers,
Luke


--
Red Rose Ramblings, the diary of an Essex boy in
exile in Lancashire http://www.shrimper.org.uk

in message , Ian Smith
') wrote:

I've been trying to receive newsnet (five attempts and counting, over
the last two months or so). Today I got an email from them -
containing text to the effect of 'from Julie Rand' and a .doc file.

Firstly, I don't have any microsoft software on the machine I read
email on, secondly I mostly use it in a text console so even
openoffice won't help, and thirdly I'm not going to open arbitrary
binary files appearing without any covering description. Is this
their normal way of using email?

I've emailed them back telling them so.

Don't blame the CTC for one computer-illiterate employee. It doesn't,
actually, seem very sensible to blame the CTC for being a
computer-illiterate organisation - computer literacy is not and should not
be its raison d'etre. Many people do not understand the technology that
they use. Many people assume that Microsoft Windows is the only operating
system, and that all computers work the same way, and that a 120Kb road
file is an efficient way of transmitting ten words of text.

Yes, it's incompetence, but it's depressingly widespread incompetence.

--
(Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

Hobbit ringleader gives Sauron One in the Eye.