Alex Manguer's Blog [Technology & Ideology]

That's it. I did it! I have my Blog.

Clearly I deserved to have a Blog. Well, now perhaps I should think about what clever stuff I could write down to make people come back. Gimme some time to think. I ll get back to you shortly :)

Hi Guys,
I have a geeky question for you. Would you know how to use a Bluetooth earphone on a PC, I would assume that it's possible to use it as a microphone but on the other hand I can't find this info on the Net and I don't believe this would work out of the box without a relevant piece of software. If anyone tried thanks for letting me know.

In this climate of mockery of french devotion to public services all around in Europe I would like to add my brick to the Wall of Shame ;)

I have ordered DVDs from the UK as they are a lot cheaper over there. (at least two or three times cheaper but that s not the point of my story). About 4-5 days later I get a message on my answering machine saying "call french post office at this number, your parcel number is Xyz...." I try to call them a bit later but I give up after 10 minutes of ringing in my ears.

The following day I decide to sort the things out and call again. I spend 30 minutes calling the very same number without much more succes. Then I get a humain voice, I thank god and start getting the information I want. But oh deception I m talking to a vulgar receptionist. And it rings and rings and rings again... I finally get to talk to someone with a real job (just joking hehe) , I give up the magic number and I discover that I live now in Paris suburbs... After a quick double check with my girlfriend with whom I live it is confirmed that we didn t move away from our appartment in Paris overnight. Full of hope in friendliness towards my fellow human beings I decide to propose a search using my name instead. The answer horrifies me : " THE SOFTWARE ONLY SEARCHES WITH THE CODES NOT WITH NAMES". Yes even in 2005 you can still hear that (at least in the country that says No)

After some time to deal with this dreadful comment, I  decide to check the magic number again I had been given on my answering machine but the number proves to be the one I wrote down in the first place

I  then call again (not without a rising irritation) and ask them to go check their parcels themselves as they can't check my family name on the database. After 15 minutes the employee comes back with ... nothing... I go back to the Internet Website on which I had made my shopping and found out that my parcel is supposed to be at this very post office.

With this recently gained confidence I muster my force of persuasion and ask a woman this time to repeat the hunt. And she finds it! It turns up that one number was incorrect. I will receive my parcel tomorrow "Inch' Allah" after only 1 hour spent on the phone (40 minutes of which listening to a stupid jingle interrupted by subliminal commercial flashes)

As we say in French "ca passe comme une lettre à la poste" ( as easy as sending a letter )

PS : I hate call centers ( and I know what I am talking about I once worked for them )