Who has been affected?
Apart from airports, trains, ev charging stations, eftpos, shops/restaurants, 000, (advice to call from non Telstra phones!) ATMs etc etc etc

Gosh I had no idea so many connections, and even EV charge stations? Wow I’ve learnt something today.

Quote:

Telstra says ‘small number’ of emergency calls failed during outage as real cause investigated

https://www.nine.com.au/australia-news/telstra-network-hit-with-outage-boost-belong-and-aldi-mobile-customers-also-affected-20260708-p60dhj.html

Members: 2
greggerypeccary, tallowood
Guests: 420

Telstra internet users gone?

Chinese Ai agents did it.

I have Telstra for my home Internet and mobile phone and I didn't see any outage with either of them, unless it happened before I got up today at 4am Perth time?

I hope the withdrawal symptoms were not too severe for all the poor souls deprived of their social media for however long the outage lasted.

I was wondering if calls to places like Lifeline increased during the social media 'downtime' but then I realised they couldn't have called them anyway because of the outage.

I also hope 000 wasn't swamped with calls instead.  :-/

My mobile was out for a few hours, but it's back to normal now.

I think 90% of customers are back up and running.

Was personally affected as I was to pick my wife up from the hospital [nurse on night shift] at 7:15 am.
She calls me at 6:00 am if she is getting a lift [back to sleep for an hour] or at 6:30 if I’m required [and to make sure that I am awake].
No calls by 6:45 so I rang, nothing happened, tried calling again and got ‘’ the person you are calling is not available’’ anyway I played it safe and went, she was just coming out the door when I arrived, so all ended well [at least for us].

lol...

The Whirlpool thread is up to 19 pages (at 20 posts per page) already.

They don't call it 'Whingepool' for nothing.  ;D

Edit: Now up to 26 pages.

It’s really not normal for a developed country to have these “ constant “ issues with telecommunications.

I note old Albo stepped up to the camera to address concerns rather than disgraced Anika Wells whose responsibility is communications.

Albo will do anything to protect her!!

Carl D wrote on Jul 8^th, 2026 at 2:34pm:

lol... The Whirlpool thread is up to 19 pages (at 20 posts per page) already. They don't call it 'Whingepool' for nothing.  ;D

Yeah but we're paying through the nose for our phone & internet services .....

why wouldn't you whinge?

Gnads wrote on Jul 8^th, 2026 at 5:41pm:

Carl D wrote on Jul 8th, 2026 at 2:34pm: lol... The Whirlpool thread is up to 19 pages (at 20 posts per page) already. They don't call it 'Whingepool' for nothing.  ;D Yeah but we're paying through the nose for our phone & internet services ..... why wouldn't you whinge?

It’s more than just a whinge too. I’m in disbelief how our trains depend on telco  :o
Back in the 70s when I was a regular commuter into Flinders street station there were no mobile networks and our trains were okay, just the usual odd delays due to train tracks or signals etc but nothing ever this disruptive and numbing.

I had to get quotes for insurance this afternoon and 4 times I get disconnected. They ring back but phone doesn’t ring… their message go straight to voicemail.
I was that tired after 2 hours between 2 insurances getting cut off that I decided I needed a good stiff drink!!!!
Imagine how frustrating for all businesses with no eftpos for their business and then it had to be said, no one carries cash anymore….. oh wow is that news? …. and if anyone needed to get cash out of ATMs…..well good luck with that.

Goes to show, how many umbilical cords society are attached to.

Gnads wrote on Jul 8^th, 2026 at 5:41pm:

Yeah but we're paying through the nose for our phone & internet services ..... why wouldn't you whinge?

Yep, I can't really argue with that.

Especially as my Telstra bill (and probably everyone elses) went up again just recently.

However, I found out a couple of weeks ago that I can get 10% off my Telstra bill with a Pensioner Concession Card which I have now registered with them.

Pity I didn't know about this 2 years ago when I started on the Age Pension but no one (especially Telstra) ever tells you about these things, of course. I found out when I was browsing through the Telstra website looking for something else.

Carl D wrote on Jul 8^th, 2026 at 6:32pm:

Gnads wrote on Jul 8th, 2026 at 5:41pm: Yeah but we're paying through the nose for our phone & internet services ..... why wouldn't you whinge? Yep, I can't really argue with that. Especially as my Telstra bill (and probably everyone elses) went up again just recently. However, I found out a couple of weeks ago that I can get 10% off my Telstra bill with a Pensioner Concession Card which I have now registered with them. Pity I didn't know about this 2 years ago when I started on the Age Pension but no one (especially Telstra) ever tells you about these things, of course. I found out when I was browsing through the Telstra website looking for something else.

When at pension age, the magic 5 words are “Do I get pensioner discount?”

Second outage in effect now.

One Nation Barnaby Joyce is suggesting it’s a follow up threat from the Chinese.

Albo declined to comment so Barnaby is likely correct.


Anika Wells is reported as being extremely stressed because with the internet not working she can’t book her next taxpayer funded family vacation/ reunion /rort.


I’d be making sure you have cash in your purse or wallet because the Chinese could shut down your bank accounts while Albo is getting his picture taken at football  ::)

I worry about Jodi . The poor girl is in for a pounding tonight  :(

I guess she will just have to close her eyes for 45 seconds and dream she’s Kylie?

Obviously no redundancy built in -

Telstra systems on the cheap with a premium price for customers -

what a rip off.


and Sophia - learn how to spell Telstra.     ::)

Sarah Henderson insists she was acting within her remit as Shadow Communications Minister when she test-called Triple Zero during Wednesday’s Telstra outage.

The senator revealed she made test calls before a Sky News interview on Wednesday after services went down nationwide; calling Triple Zero in a non-emergency situation is a criminal offence and is punishable by up to three years in jail.

Sarah Henderson Is a complete idiot!

Multiple reports today of phones not working and eftpos down.

People haven’t had their wages paid.

They were so quick to say it wasn’t an attack by another country it’s enough to make me think it is.

We will never be told the truth but it’s normally the exact opposite of what our politicians say.

Please china, turn our phones back on???

Bobby. wrote on Jul 9^th, 2026 at 5:24am:

Obviously no redundancy built in - Telstra systems on the cheap with a premium price for customers - what a rip off. and Sophia - learn how to spell Telstra.     ::)

Oh no! You are right. I misspelled it. I’m amazed I did!  :-? Typing on a small iPhone is getting annoying. Maybe need to upgrade to bigger screen  ;D
But everyone knew what I meant.
Hey Bobby, I changed it so it shows correctly in here, but on the main forum page it remains wrong.
Why can’t it be changed on main page’s heading?

Daves2017 wrote on Jul 9^th, 2026 at 9:55am:

Sarah Henderson Is a complete idiot! Multiple reports today of phones not working and eftpos down. People haven’t had their wages paid. They were so quick to say it wasn’t an attack by another country it’s enough to make me think it is. We will never be told the truth but it’s normally the exact opposite of what our politicians say. Please china, turn our phones back on???

Yeah amazing that. They say they don’t know what caused it but go in to say that.

Of course they won’t admit if it is, that would be conceding to let the enemy think they won by disrupting our whole country.
I feel it was hacked! Someone on the inside that was an enemy that pretended to be a good telco worker with more access somehow.
Why do I get the feeling we are being laughed at in Oz?

I honestly thought Telstra was better equipped than to let a whole friggin nation get disrupted like this!
We pay through the nose for internet and phones.
It recently went up in price too!
Idiots.

Sophia wrote on Jul 9^th, 2026 at 9:58am:

Bobby. wrote on Jul 9th, 2026 at 5:24am: Obviously no redundancy built in - Telstra systems on the cheap with a premium price for customers - what a rip off. and Sophia - learn how to spell Telstra.     ::) Oh no! You are right. I misspelled it. I’m amazed I did!  :-? Typing on a small iPhone is getting annoying. Maybe need to upgrade to bigger screen  ;D But everyone knew what I meant. Hey Bobby, I changed it so it shows correctly in here, but on the main forum page it remains wrong. Why can’t it be changed on main page’s heading?

Sophia is forgiven

namaste

I'm on the extinct bird.... they're on Opulentus - the ones who pay the retired Captain Hook-Nose.. no problem - but I wondered why the mechanic didn't ring me yesterday to let me know he'd finished.

Ah, so - Honourabre Chinois People's Government fire missile to show no fear of Fiji and Australia forming alliance... now Armatron work on Tes'ra - now know what that is!!  Ha, ha - Numbah One!

Nex' ti'e inte'fere with election (that not erection you plick) make sure Labor get back in... we fix prefelence fo' evelyone - no mo' storen erection (you plick) ..

The system has to more robust than it is -
who cares if the time appears to be wrong - just make the call anyway
and report the time problem to a technical person who can fix it.  FFS.


https://theconversation.com/a-timing-glitch-was-behind-telstras-nationwide-outage-it-points-to-a-bigger-vulnerability-287160


The Sydney Morning Herald cited two internal sources who said a faulty update caused some of Telstra’s servers to reset their clocks by almost 20 years, making them believe it was November 2006.

We do not have any details beyond this at this point.

But it’s entirely possible these were Stratum-1 NTP servers, and that their issues misled the servers and computer lying below them in the hierarchy across the data centres and perhaps beyond.

The resulting errors could then have led to a cascade of secondary effects involving multiple interconnecting software systems.

How did they know straight away and announce it wasn’t the Chinese military hacking our communications system when they still don’t know exactly what caused it?

Anything a politician says in this country the truth will be the exact opposite

Well…. I found the answer to my earlier question about how trains are effected if Telstra is down.

I’m still thinking trains should go back to the old ways they used to run (whatever it was) before mobile phones etc
In the years I travelled via train into work…. We never had this type of crippling effect with reliance on a mobile phone mob!

The only times (about 2 times in all) that we had any problems, was snap strikes during the day so we had no trains to get us home.
We all knew others that had driven in so bummed rides back to nearest area so then I called from public pay phone for hubby to come get me back to station where my car was parked.

https://theconversation.com/how-does-a-telstra-outage-bring-down-trains-a-telco-expert-explains-287062

I hope this whole fiasco is another lesson for all of those, including (especially) our government, who want to get rid of cash as a method of payment.

Carl D wrote on Jul 9^th, 2026 at 9:39pm:

I hope this whole fiasco is another lesson for all of those, including (especially) our government, who want to get rid of cash as a method of payment.

Our Telcos are like rotten buildings -
you only have to kick in the door and the whole
rotten structure comes down.

lol... again.

That Whirlpool thread is now up to 32 pages

(I can't edit my earlier post anymore).

My router keeps resetting every half an hour to every hour. Plus, I hardly get any phone calls. If I was affected, I would not have known.

Carl D wrote on Jul 9^th, 2026 at 9:39pm:

I hope this whole fiasco is another lesson for all of those, including (especially) our government, who want to get rid of cash as a method of payment.

Indeed.

One day Telstra, Optus, all the banks and EFTPOS will all go down together on the same day.

It's not a matter of if, but when.

greggerypeccary wrote on Jul 9^th, 2026 at 10:47pm:

Carl D wrote on Jul 9th, 2026 at 9:39pm: I hope this whole fiasco is another lesson for all of those, including (especially) our government, who want to get rid of cash as a method of payment. Indeed. One day Telstra, Optus, all the banks and EFTPOS will all go down together on the same day. It's not a matter of if, but when.

It surely must already be hitting home?
Cash will always be king.
If you can’t use a card because of failed technology, then cash will get you out of trouble.
A lot of people in business like having cash payments.
I took $200’cash out today from supermarket as I don’t have to pay $2.90 atm rip off fee!
I feel vulnerable without some cash in my purse.

But alas the majority will not learn.
They love to be tied to an electronic umbilical cord.
They can sing that song when in trouble….I need a dollar, a dollar is all I need …

greggerypeccary wrote on Jul 9^th, 2026 at 10:47pm:

Carl D wrote on Jul 9th, 2026 at 9:39pm: I hope this whole fiasco is another lesson for all of those, including (especially) our government, who want to get rid of cash as a method of payment. Indeed. One day Telstra, Optus, all the banks and EFTPOS will all go down together on the same day. It's not a matter of if, but when.

Sounds like communist victory  :o

Sophia wrote on Jul 9^th, 2026 at 10:59pm:

greggerypeccary wrote on Jul 9th, 2026 at 10:47pm: Carl D wrote on Jul 9th, 2026 at 9:39pm: I hope this whole fiasco is another lesson for all of those, including (especially) our government, who want to get rid of cash as a method of payment. Indeed. One day Telstra, Optus, all the banks and EFTPOS will all go down together on the same day. It's not a matter of if, but when. It surely must already be hitting home? Cash will always be king. If you can’t use a card because of failed technology, then cash will get you out of trouble. A lot of people in business like having cash payments. I took $200’cash out today from supermarket as I don’t have to pay $2.90 atm rip off fee! I feel vulnerable without some cash in my purse. But alas the majority will not learn. They love to be tied to an electronic umbilical cord. They can sing that song when in trouble….I need a dollar, a dollar is all I need …

Historically during economic crises barter systems re-emerge as most basic and reliable.

tallowood wrote on Jul 10^th, 2026 at 8:40am:

Sophia wrote on Jul 9th, 2026 at 10:59pm: greggerypeccary wrote on Jul 9th, 2026 at 10:47pm: Carl D wrote on Jul 9th, 2026 at 9:39pm: I hope this whole fiasco is another lesson for all of those, including (especially) our government, who want to get rid of cash as a method of payment. Indeed. One day Telstra, Optus, all the banks and EFTPOS will all go down together on the same day. It's not a matter of if, but when. It surely must already be hitting home? Cash will always be king. If you can’t use a card because of failed technology, then cash will get you out of trouble. A lot of people in business like having cash payments. I took $200’cash out today from supermarket as I don’t have to pay $2.90 atm rip off fee! I feel vulnerable without some cash in my purse. But alas the majority will not learn. They love to be tied to an electronic umbilical cord. They can sing that song when in trouble….I need a dollar, a dollar is all I need … Historically during economic crises barter systems re-emerge as most basic and reliable.

Ages ago, I read how this will be the future.
It’s kind of started in a way, via FB marketplace.
So many free giveaways and encourages others to do so … which is better than items going to landfill.
Reuses/recycles of products is a good thing!

Sophia wrote on Jul 9^th, 2026 at 10:59pm:

greggerypeccary wrote on Jul 9th, 2026 at 10:47pm: Carl D wrote on Jul 9th, 2026 at 9:39pm: I hope this whole fiasco is another lesson for all of those, including (especially) our government, who want to get rid of cash as a method of payment. Indeed. One day Telstra, Optus, all the banks and EFTPOS will all go down together on the same day. It's not a matter of if, but when. It surely must already be hitting home? Cash will always be king. If you can’t use a card because of failed technology, then cash will get you out of trouble. A lot of people in business like having cash payments. I took $200’cash out today from supermarket as I don’t have to pay $2.90 atm rip off fee! I feel vulnerable without some cash in my purse. But alas the majority will not learn. They love to be tied to an electronic umbilical cord. They can sing that song when in trouble….I need a dollar, a dollar is all I need …

Yep.

I always keep at least one of every note in my wallet ($185), and I have plenty of cash on standby at home.

greggerypeccary wrote on Jul 10^th, 2026 at 12:26pm:

Sophia wrote on Jul 9th, 2026 at 10:59pm: greggerypeccary wrote on Jul 9th, 2026 at 10:47pm: Carl D wrote on Jul 9th, 2026 at 9:39pm: I hope this whole fiasco is another lesson for all of those, including (especially) our government, who want to get rid of cash as a method of payment. Indeed. One day Telstra, Optus, all the banks and EFTPOS will all go down together on the same day. It's not a matter of if, but when. It surely must already be hitting home? Cash will always be king. If you can’t use a card because of failed technology, then cash will get you out of trouble. A lot of people in business like having cash payments. I took $200’cash out today from supermarket as I don’t have to pay $2.90 atm rip off fee! I feel vulnerable without some cash in my purse. But alas the majority will not learn. They love to be tied to an electronic umbilical cord. They can sing that song when in trouble….I need a dollar, a dollar is all I need … Yep. I always keep at least one of every note in my wallet ($185), and I have plenty of cash on standby at home.

The husband is adamant about having cash in the home and in his wallet. He has a lot more than I do in the purse so when I run out I know where to look for more  ;D
But I do a lot of shopping and I do use the Visa card as I get points and automatically when it reaches $100 worth of points, it goes into our bank account.
Can’t argue about that  :)

The Telstra CEO needs to tell us what to do if we dial 000
and we can't get through.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07-10/telstra-ceo-vicki-brady-sorry-outage-investigations-ongoing/106901388


CEO Vicki Brady:

Quote:

"We understand what caused the issue, and we will complete our investigation into the actions needed to prevent it from happening again," she said.

Few years ago I was shopping in Aldi when they lost electricity.
I had cash but they wouldn't take it because it could not be processed.
Abacus would be a go but there aren't many people who know how to use it these days.

tallowood wrote on Jul 10^th, 2026 at 1:38pm:

Few years ago I was shopping in Aldi when they lost electricity. I had cash but they wouldn't take it because it could not be processed. Abacus would be a go but there aren't many people who know how to use it these days.

What happened to pen and paper and a draw to put the cash into?    :-/

Bobby. wrote on Jul 10^th, 2026 at 1:44pm:

tallowood wrote on Jul 10th, 2026 at 1:38pm: Few years ago I was shopping in Aldi when they lost electricity. I had cash but they wouldn't take it because it could not be processed. Abacus would be a go but there aren't many people who know how to use it these days. What happened to pen and paper and a draw to put the cash into?    :-/

It wasn't designed into system as backup.

tallowood wrote on Jul 10^th, 2026 at 1:58pm:

Bobby. wrote on Jul 10th, 2026 at 1:44pm: tallowood wrote on Jul 10th, 2026 at 1:38pm: Few years ago I was shopping in Aldi when they lost electricity. I had cash but they wouldn't take it because it could not be processed. Abacus would be a go but there aren't many people who know how to use it these days. What happened to pen and paper and a draw to put the cash into?    :-/ It wasn't designed into system as backup.

Fragile technology as our golden calf:


While Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving the Ten Commandments,
the impatient Israelites convinced Aaron to build a physical idol.
Aaron collected their gold jewelry, melted it into a golden calf, and the people worshiped it.
Enraged, Moses shattered the stone tablets, destroyed the idol,
and pleaded with God to spare the sinful nation.

Wonder if this is the result of 650 Telstra jobs being transferred from Australia to India.  The unions seem to think so.  >:(

Bobby. wrote on Jul 10^th, 2026 at 2:02pm:

tallowood wrote on Jul 10th, 2026 at 1:58pm: Bobby. wrote on Jul 10th, 2026 at 1:44pm: tallowood wrote on Jul 10th, 2026 at 1:38pm: Few years ago I was shopping in Aldi when they lost electricity. I had cash but they wouldn't take it because it could not be processed. Abacus would be a go but there aren't many people who know how to use it these days. What happened to pen and paper and a draw to put the cash into?    :-/ It wasn't designed into system as backup. Fragile technology as our golden calf: While Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving the Ten Commandments, the impatient Israelites convinced Aaron to build a physical idol. Aaron collected their gold jewelry, melted it into a golden calf, and the people worshiped it. Enraged, Moses shattered the stone tablets, destroyed the idol, and pleaded with God to spare the sinful nation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgWGEJd3BVw

The golden calf still stands!
All the ends of Earth warship his power.
From one end of the world to the other end!
To celebrate the infamous idol,
Money-mad mortals dance a wild jig around his peddestal
And Satan leads the dance.

The golden calf has vanquished the gods
In its absurde glory, The abject monster insults heaven!
He sees human race at his feet, plunging into blood and mire.
Where the fiery metal,gleams.
And Satan leads the dance.

Kings and people mixed together,
Hurling itself about, iron in hand,
In blood and in the mire,
Where the fiery metal,gleams.
And Satan leads the dance.

tallowood wrote on Jul 10^th, 2026 at 2:22pm:

The golden calf still stands! All the ends of Earth warship his power. From one end of the world to the other end! To celebrate the infamous idol, Money-mad mortals dance a wild jig around his peddestal And Satan leads the dance. The golden calf has vanquished the gods In its absurde glory, The abject monster insults heaven! He sees human race at his feet, plunging into blood and mire. Where the fiery metal,gleams. And Satan leads the dance. Kings and people mixed together, Hurling itself about, iron in hand, In blood and in the mire, Where the fiery metal,gleams. And Satan leads the dance.

Telstra is another sign of the End Times.

Bobby. wrote on Jul 10^th, 2026 at 2:24pm:

Telstra is another sign of the End Times.

So is the "Trump Bible", Bobby.

But, somehow you seem to believe that is something you need to have for the End Times.

;D

Carl D wrote on Jul 10^th, 2026 at 2:41pm:

Bobby. wrote on Jul 10th, 2026 at 2:24pm: Telstra is another sign of the End Times. So is the "Trump Bible", Bobby. But, somehow you seem to believe that is something you need to have for the End Times. ;D

Time to prepare for the End Times:

a sack of rice,
canned food,
a battery radio,
a Trump Bible.

Bobby. wrote on Jul 10^th, 2026 at 2:43pm:

Carl D wrote on Jul 10th, 2026 at 2:41pm: Bobby. wrote on Jul 10th, 2026 at 2:24pm: Telstra is another sign of the End Times. So is the "Trump Bible", Bobby. But, somehow you seem to believe that is something you need to have for the End Times. ;D Time to prepare for the End Times: a sack of rice, canned food, a battery radio, a Trump Bible.

Manufacturing Origin: Nearly 120,000 copies were printed in Hangzhou, China, before being shipped to the US.

Cost vs. Retail: Customs records showed the production cost was under $3 per book, but the Bibles retail for a minimum of $59.99.

Or ...

To get a free physical Bible mailed to your home in the US, submit a request to ministries like Bibles for America or Bible Senders.

Alternatively, you can use the WayFM Bible Request page or Heaven Is True to get copies shipped directly.

greggerypeccary wrote on Jul 10^th, 2026 at 2:55pm:

Bobby. wrote on Jul 10th, 2026 at 2:43pm: Carl D wrote on Jul 10th, 2026 at 2:41pm: Bobby. wrote on Jul 10th, 2026 at 2:24pm: Telstra is another sign of the End Times. So is the "Trump Bible", Bobby. But, somehow you seem to believe that is something you need to have for the End Times. ;D Time to prepare for the End Times: a sack of rice, canned food, a battery radio, a Trump Bible. Manufacturing Origin: Nearly 120,000 copies were printed in Hangzhou, China, before being shipped to the US. Cost vs. Retail: Customs records showed the production cost was under $3 per book, but the Bibles retail for a minimum of $59.99. Or ... To get a free physical Bible mailed to your home in the US, submit a request to ministries like Bibles for America or Bible Senders. Alternatively, you can use the WayFM Bible Request page or Heaven Is True to get copies shipped directly.

Buy one on eBay


https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/225136189330


US $142.99

Approximately    AU $206.01



https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8e/God_Bless_the_U.S.A._Bible_cover.jpg

Back in the late 1990s, we had some sort of network failure at our fast food store. We had to go from EFTPOS to those manual credit card machines. We were Generation X and Generation Y staff members that still knew how to old school transactions.

Kids these days would lose their marbles at the idea of these things existing. One kid asked me what was a VCR.

UnSubRocky wrote on Jul 10^th, 2026 at 3:13pm:

Back in the late 1990s, we had some sort of network failure at our fast food store. We had to go from EFTPOS to those manual credit card machines. We were Generation X and Generation Y staff members that still knew how to old school transactions. Kids these days would lose their marbles at the idea of these things existing. One kid asked me what was a VCR.

Kids these days can't even tell the time on an analog clock.  ::)

Bobby. wrote on Jul 10^th, 2026 at 3:16pm:

UnSubRocky wrote on Jul 10th, 2026 at 3:13pm: Back in the late 1990s, we had some sort of network failure at our fast food store. We had to go from EFTPOS to those manual credit card machines. We were Generation X and Generation Y staff members that still knew how to old school transactions. Kids these days would lose their marbles at the idea of these things existing. One kid asked me what was a VCR. Kids these days can't even tell the time on an analog clock.  ::)

That is  The End Time indeed.  :o

tallowood wrote on Jul 10^th, 2026 at 4:44pm:

Bobby. wrote on Jul 10th, 2026 at 3:16pm: UnSubRocky wrote on Jul 10th, 2026 at 3:13pm: Back in the late 1990s, we had some sort of network failure at our fast food store. We had to go from EFTPOS to those manual credit card machines. We were Generation X and Generation Y staff members that still knew how to old school transactions. Kids these days would lose their marbles at the idea of these things existing. One kid asked me what was a VCR. Kids these days can't even tell the time on an analog clock.  ::) That is  The End Time indeed.  :o

No, more like end of time as we know it.

New times bring a whole new ball game into people’s lives.

Take a look at these short summaries of generations. All the different adaptions.


Lost Generation 1883-1900
Young adults shaped by war, uncertainty, and rapid modern change.

Greatest Generation 1901-1927
Came of age through sacrifice, duty, hardship, and global conflict.

Silent Generation 1928-1945
Raised in austerity, valuing discipline, stability, family, and quiet resistance.

Baby Boomers 1946-1964
Grew up enduring prosperity, social change, optimism, and cultural rebellion.

Generation X 1965-1980
Independent youth shaped by television, malls, and electronic devices.

Millennials 1981-1996
Came of age with internet, smartphones, and economic uncertainty.

Generation Z 1997-2012
Digital natives shaped by social media, streaming, and constant connection.

Generation Alpha 2013-2025
Children of AI, tablets, smart homes, and personalised technology.

Generation Beta 2026-2039
Raised with AI, automation, domestic humanoid robots, and virtual worlds.

Redundancy for our phone systems?

I remember February 13, 2024 – massive storm in Melbourne -
we lost power and 2 hours later the local phone tower went down too
as its back up batteries ran out -
so even the backup failed.
Petrol stations went down – the pumps and the cash registers wouldn't work.

https://www.energy.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0035/717749/network-outage-review-report.pdf

On February 13, 2024, a severe storm system swept across Victoria with wind gusts reaching up to 175 km/h. The extreme weather caused 6 high-voltage transmission towers to collapse in Anakie, and downed thousands of local power lines, leaving over 530,000 customers without power at its peak.

Bobby. wrote on Jul 10^th, 2026 at 11:34pm:

Redundancy for our phone systems? I remember February 13, 2024 – massive storm in Melbourne - we lost power and 2 hours later the local phone tower went down too as its back up batteries ran out - so even the backup failed. Petrol stations went down – the pumps and the cash registers wouldn't work. https://www.energy.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0035/717749/network-outage-review-report.pdf On February 13, 2024, a severe storm system swept across Victoria with wind gusts reaching up to 175 km/h. The extreme weather caused 6 high-voltage transmission towers to collapse in Anakie, and downed thousands of local power lines, leaving over 530,000 customers without power at its peak.

We had one a bit before that one, it was like a massive tornado that went through our townships through Monbulk and Olinda!
Power was out for 4-5 days for us, more than a week in other areas.
No traffic lights, no phone, no power, not even the landline worked  :o
We finally got phone contact after 2 days. My kids were worried if we were okay and there was no way to let them know!
Trees came down everywhere and blocked roads.
We had a little generator connect to the water pump, our fridge, the fan on the wood heater, one light and a small analogue tv with a dvd player to watch movies.
It was in mid winter too, we had warmth from the fireplace, and we have lpg tanks for my gas cooking.
We adapted okay.
I must admit, I felt an amazing sense of peace somehow, no emf or anything transmitting, no power.
Time felt like it slowed down too.

A real problem I had with Telstra was about 2 years ago. I was on my journey down to Gladstone. The trip was 110km and not even an issue. I got down there and did a bit of an explore around the town. I noticed that my phone was not connecting to mobile wifi. I had some knowledge of the town and had a look around. After some time, I decided to head home and get out of town before the sun made it near impossible to see the road ahead.

After a while, I found it difficult to know where I was going. Had I stuck to the highway, I would have been on the way back to Rockhampton and home within 90 minutes. As had happened in 2001, I missed the turn off and found myself on my way to Delulu. When I got there, I noticed that my google maps was not working. I managed to get as far as the Capricorn Highway where I managed to find my way home. It cost me about a tank of fuel, just about, and a very overheated engine. But, much of that was due to the steel rims that my father bought for me to replace my busted up old rims -- a whole another story.

As it turned out, I could not access the internet because the phuckwits at Telstra that my overdue payment for my phone bill had entitled me to being barred from using Telstra services. No internet. No google maps. No way of finding my way home without getting lost from my own naivete`.

For phugsake, Telstra. If it is life or death, let us at least use google maps!

Bobby. wrote on Jul 10^th, 2026 at 3:16pm:

UnSubRocky wrote on Jul 10th, 2026 at 3:13pm: Back in the late 1990s, we had some sort of network failure at our fast food store. We had to go from EFTPOS to those manual credit card machines. We were Generation X and Generation Y staff members that still knew how to old school transactions. Kids these days would lose their marbles at the idea of these things existing. One kid asked me what was a VCR. Kids these days can't even tell the time on an analog clock.  ::)

Yes, that's true.

I only discovered that recently.

It's a worry.

Aquarius wrote on Jul 10^th, 2026 at 2:21pm:

Wonder if this is the result of 650 Telstra jobs being transferred from Australia to India.  The unions seem to think so.  >:(

And Telstra were the ones bragging not long ago that they were bringing their call centres home.

With what they're paying their top executives no wonder they shelved that idea.

UnSubRocky wrote on Jul 11^th, 2026 at 12:27am:

A real problem I had with Telstra was about 2 years ago. I was on my journey down to Gladstone. The trip was 110km and not even an issue. I got down there and did a bit of an explore around the town. I noticed that my phone was not connecting to mobile wifi. I had some knowledge of the town and had a look around. After some time, I decided to head home and get out of town before the sun made it near impossible to see the road ahead. After a while, I found it difficult to know where I was going. Had I stuck to the highway, I would have been on the way back to Rockhampton and home within 90 minutes. As had happened in 2001, I missed the turn off and found myself on my way to Delulu. When I got there, I noticed that my google maps was not working. I managed to get as far as the Capricorn Highway where I managed to find my way home. It cost me about a tank of fuel, just about, and a very overheated engine. But, much of that was due to the steel rims that my father bought for me to replace my busted up old rims -- a whole another story. As it turned out, I could not access the internet because the phuckwits at Telstra that my overdue payment for my phone bill had entitled me to being barred from using Telstra services. No internet. No google maps. No way of finding my way home without getting lost from my own naivete`. For phugsake, Telstra. If it is life or death, let us at least use google maps!

OMG  ;D ;D ;D journey? to Gladstone? 1 hour down the road.

And you bitch about Telstra blocking access to your phone services because you hadn't paid your bill?

It must have been unpaid for a while because they don't cut you off straight after the due date.

I've been up to a week over due - never been cut off - you may get charged a late fee.

As for you needing Google Maps to find your way home from Gladstone to Rocky - up highway NO.1  ;D

And you were crapping on about being old school for card transactions as a GenXer or Gen Y?

What a dill.  ::)

Quote:

I've been up to a week over due - never been cut off - you may get charged a late fee.

Yes this I found to be true some time ago and charged $15 late payment fee.
Now I play it safe and have payments come out as direct debit so I don’t have to rely on my remembering the deadline for bill payments.

greggerypeccary wrote on Jul 11^th, 2026 at 8:19am:

Bobby. wrote on Jul 10th, 2026 at 3:16pm: UnSubRocky wrote on Jul 10th, 2026 at 3:13pm: Back in the late 1990s, we had some sort of network failure at our fast food store. We had to go from EFTPOS to those manual credit card machines. We were Generation X and Generation Y staff members that still knew how to old school transactions. Kids these days would lose their marbles at the idea of these things existing. One kid asked me what was a VCR. Kids these days can't even tell the time on an analog clock.  ::) Yes, that's true. I only discovered that recently. It's a worry.

The kids are being denied an education.

Bobby. wrote on Jul 11^th, 2026 at 11:58am:

greggerypeccary wrote on Jul 11th, 2026 at 8:19am: Bobby. wrote on Jul 10th, 2026 at 3:16pm: UnSubRocky wrote on Jul 10th, 2026 at 3:13pm: Back in the late 1990s, we had some sort of network failure at our fast food store. We had to go from EFTPOS to those manual credit card machines. We were Generation X and Generation Y staff members that still knew how to old school transactions. Kids these days would lose their marbles at the idea of these things existing. One kid asked me what was a VCR. Kids these days can't even tell the time on an analog clock.  ::) Yes, that's true. I only discovered that recently. It's a worry. The kids are being denied an education.

When guitarists adjust the knobs on their amps and pedals they use clock references if there are no numbers.

e.g.

https://cdn.schoolofrock.com/img/content-module-single/message-in-a-bottle-effect-pedal-1641516397.jpg

A neighbour asked me if I could help her kid get a good sound out of a particular pedal they had just bought.

I told the kid to set the knobs at 9 o'clock, 12 o'clock and 2 o'clock for the sound they were after.

The poor kid was so confused - they had no idea how to do that   ;D

greggerypeccary wrote on Jul 11^th, 2026 at 1:10pm:

When guitarists adjust the knobs on their amps and pedals they use clock references if there are no numbers. A neighbour asked me if I could help her kid get a good sound out of a particular pedal they had just bought. I told the kid to set the knobs at 9 o'clock, 12 o'clock and 2 o'clock for the sound they were after. The poor kid was so confused - they had no idea how to do that   ;D

Pecca,
that is shameful - the teachers should be in jail.

Bobby. wrote on Jul 11^th, 2026 at 1:51pm:

greggerypeccary wrote on Jul 11th, 2026 at 1:10pm: When guitarists adjust the knobs on their amps and pedals they use clock references if there are no numbers. A neighbour asked me if I could help her kid get a good sound out of a particular pedal they had just bought. I told the kid to set the knobs at 9 o'clock, 12 o'clock and 2 o'clock for the sound they were after. The poor kid was so confused - they had no idea how to do that   ;D Pecca, that is shameful - the teachers should be in jail.

It's not the teachers' fault - they still teach it in primary school, up to grade four I think.

The problem is technology - kids today hardly ever see an analogue clock.

All they've ever known is digital.

Quote:

The problem is technology - kids today hardly ever see an analogue clock. All they've ever known is digital.

Recently I had thought about all that.
With being able to ask Siri or whatever to write out resumes, or ask anything for an answer, etc means… will any of them ever know how to spell properly or read or even know how to use a dictionary?
(I have a very well used and tattered dictionary I used for decades!  ;D)

It feels like they are making our future gen reliant on tech for everything.
Giving away their own efforts or bother.
Their attention span has shortened due to being on the net a lot.

Is this the way of dumbing down the future? To therefore be totally reliant on technology and computerised robots etc?

Do any know how to count money or give correct change? Not unless it’s all done on the register for them. Thus why cash will diminish because tech is doing all the computations in place of human thinking brain.

Sophia wrote on Jul 11^th, 2026 at 3:14pm:

Quote: The problem is technology - kids today hardly ever see an analogue clock. All they've ever known is digital. Recently I had thought about all that. With being able to ask Siri or whatever to write out resumes, or ask anything for an answer, etc means… will any of them ever know how to spell properly or read or even know how to use a dictionary? (I have a very well used and tattered dictionary I used for decades!  ;D) It feels like they are making our future gen reliant on tech for everything. Giving away their own efforts or bother. Their attention span has shortened due to being on the net a lot. Is this the way of dumbing down the future? To therefore be totally reliant on technology and computerised robots etc? Do any know how to count money or give correct change? Not unless it’s all done on the register for them. Thus why cash will diminish because tech is doing all the computations in place of human thinking brain.

Nope.

I've experienced it first hand.

I bought something for $6.50 and gave the person behind the counter a $20 note.

They had no idea what to do.  They froze. (EFTPOS was down)

In the end, they had to call the manager into the front of the shop to tell them how much change to give me.

I was genuinely shocked.

Gnads wrote on Jul 11^th, 2026 at 9:42am:

OMG  ;D ;D ;D journey? to Gladstone? 1 hour down the road. And you bitch about Telstra blocking access to your phone services because you hadn't paid your bill? It must have been unpaid for a while because they don't cut you off straight after the due date. I've been up to a week over due - never been cut off - you may get charged a late fee. As for you needing Google Maps to find your way home from Gladstone to Rocky - up highway NO.1  ;D And you were crapping on about being old school for card transactions as a GenXer or Gen Y? What a dill.  ::)

A journey from Gladstone. Getting to Gladstone was a breeze. Drive for 50 minutes south. Then do the turn off and drive another 15 minutes along the road into Gladstone.

It had been at least 10 years before that when I drove from Gladstone to Rockhampton. Back then, it was a matter of transporting goods for work. I made sure that I did not miss the turn off to get back to Rockhampton.

In my defence, I did have a medical condition where I was confused. And given that the Telstra decided to bar me from using my phone for an overdue payment, it is unbelievable that they would not let me use my phone to find my way back to town. Realistically, Telstra should have voided my next bill to make up for the fuel I had to use to get back home.

Telstra are in debt to me a long time. You would think that they would take better care of my account, even if I was 2 months overdue.

https://archive.is/20260708221723/https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/technology/telstra-threatened-with-30m-fines-after-outage-blocks-more-than-300-triple0-calls/news-story/9da8de23070736dc08baaeeb2c59f802#selection-867.0-895.300

Labor is threatening Telstra with $30m fines

and branded the entire telecommunications industry Australia’s “least trusted”, after a broken data centre clock sparked its worst nationwide outage in a decade, triggering economic chaos and leaving more than 300 people unable to make triple-0 emergency calls.


Telstra chief financial officer Michael Ackland – who fronted the media because chief executive Vicki Brady was overseas on ­annual leave – said the telco was yet to pinpoint the root cause but it appeared to be a “software defect” and there was “nothing to indicate malicious activity”.


“This was not the result of a cyber incident,” he said, adding there was no link between the outage and laying off thousands of staff in the past two years. But he could rule out the involvement of artificial intelligence.


Telstra – considered Australia’s premium telco, given its higher prices and unrivalled coverage – is facing potentially millions of dollars in fines after more than 300 customers could not call police, ambulance and other emergency services during the outage, which began about 4.30am on Wednesday and up-ended peak-hour commutes.


V/Line was forced to shut down all main train services into Melbourne, including from Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo. Transport NSW said the Southern Highlands and Hunter lines were also not running. EV charging network Chargefox said Telstra customers could not access its chargers during the outage.

UnSubRocky wrote on Jul 11^th, 2026 at 3:54pm:

Gnads wrote on Jul 11th, 2026 at 9:42am: OMG  ;D ;D ;D journey? to Gladstone? 1 hour down the road. And you bitch about Telstra blocking access to your phone services because you hadn't paid your bill? It must have been unpaid for a while because they don't cut you off straight after the due date. I've been up to a week over due - never been cut off - you may get charged a late fee. As for you needing Google Maps to find your way home from Gladstone to Rocky - up highway NO.1  ;D And you were crapping on about being old school for card transactions as a GenXer or Gen Y? What a dill.  ::) A journey from Gladstone. Getting to Gladstone was a breeze. Drive for 50 minutes south. Then do the turn off and drive another 15 minutes along the road into Gladstone. It had been at least 10 years before that when I drove from Gladstone to Rockhampton. Back then, it was a matter of transporting goods for work. I made sure that I did not miss the turn off to get back to Rockhampton. In my defence, I did have a medical condition where I was confused. And given that the Telstra decided to bar me from using my phone for an overdue payment, it is unbelievable that they would not let me use my phone to find my way back to town. Realistically, Telstra should have voided my next bill to make up for the fuel I had to use to get back home. Telstra are in debt to me a long time. You would think that they would take better care of my account, even if I was 2 months overdue.

Are you joking? Phuk me hooray.

*1. If you had a medical condition that causes you confusion you shouldn't be driving.

*2. Why should Telstra let you use your phone because you were lost?

*3. Why on earth do you realistically/rationally believe Telstra should void your next bill because of the fuel you used getting lost? You hadn't even paid the last one.

*4. If you were out at Dululu you would have had to go through Calliope which is on the western side of the highway turn off you missed.  ::) Dululu is 146klm from Calliope. And you would also have had to go through Jambin. Or you were stupid enough to go even further into Biloela.

*5. Medical conditions caused by self medicating(alcohol or drugs) are no excuse.

*6. You should have shut your trap i.e. quit whilst you were ahead & not elaborated any further about your delusion & stupidity.  ;D

Bobby. wrote on Jul 10^th, 2026 at 3:16pm:

UnSubRocky wrote on Jul 10th, 2026 at 3:13pm: Back in the late 1990s, we had some sort of network failure at our fast food store. We had to go from EFTPOS to those manual credit card machines. We were Generation X and Generation Y staff members that still knew how to old school transactions. Kids these days would lose their marbles at the idea of these things existing. One kid asked me what was a VCR. Kids these days can't even tell the time on an analog clock.  ::)

And heaven help them if the analogue clock had Roman numerals.    :o

A massive Telstra outage that impacted millions of Australians has been blamed on an “unreliable network” caused by the offshoring of hundreds of jobs to India.

Internal Telstra sources told The Sydney Morning Herald the outage was caused by a software bug triggered by a botched firmware upgrade, but Communication Workers Union national secretary Shane Murphy said the “utterly shameful” outage was a direct result of recent job cuts.

More than 400 jobs were moved to Indian technology company Infosys in February, and Ms Brady told staff by email at the time they could reapply with the India-based company or take a redundancy.

...
The outage comes after Indian IT engineers were blamed for a 13-hour Triple-Zero outage on rival network Optus that left at least three people dead across Australia in September.


https://h7.alamy.com/comp/T5W491/chaotic-tangle-of-wires-for-street-lighting-electricity-supplies-and-telephone-cables-in-a-street-in-the-old-city-of-delhi-northern-india-T5W491.jpg


Me skilled migrant, 10 rupee gimme.

Frank wrote on Jul 12^th, 2026 at 1:09pm:

A massive Telstra outage that impacted millions of Australians has been blamed on an “unreliable network” caused by the offshoring of hundreds of jobs to India. Internal Telstra sources told The Sydney Morning Herald the outage was caused by a software bug triggered by a botched firmware upgrade, but Communication Workers Union national secretary Shane Murphy said the “utterly shameful” outage was a direct result of recent job cuts. More than 400 jobs were moved to Indian technology company Infosys in February, and Ms Brady told staff by email at the time they could reapply with the India-based company or take a redundancy. ... The outage comes after Indian IT engineers were blamed for a 13-hour Triple-Zero outage on rival network Optus that left at least three people dead across Australia in September. https://h7.alamy.com/comp/T5W491/chaotic-tangle-of-wires-for-street-lighting-electricity-supplies-and-telephone-cables-in-a-street-in-the-old-city-of-delhi-northern-india-T5W491.jpg Me skilled migrant, 10 rupee gimme.

Good to see you supporting the Unions, Frank.

yes Frank:
the Union blames the Indians:

https://www.news.com.au/national/thousands-reporting-telstra-outage-in-australia/news-story/c4794079d76c6788980fe9a312facb50

July 8, 2026

Communication Workers Union national secretary Shane Murphy said Telstra’s sacking of hundreds of its workforce over the past 12 months contributed to the chaos.

Mr Murphy said the telco’s decision to cut hundreds of jobs earlier in the year led to an “unreliable network”.

In February, the telco announced 650 jobs were on the chopping block or being outsourced to Indian firm Infosys, eight months after axing 550 other roles.

“This is what happens when you prioritise the bottom line over critical services; you get an unreliable network that lets Australians down time and time again,” Mr Murphy said.

Gnads wrote on Jul 11^th, 2026 at 5:51pm:

Are you joking? Phuk me hooray. *1. If you had a medical condition that causes you confusion you shouldn't be driving. *2. Why should Telstra let you use your phone because you were lost? *3. Why on earth do you realistically/rationally believe Telstra should void your next bill because of the fuel you used getting lost? You hadn't even paid the last one. *4. If you were out at Dululu you would have had to go through Calliope which is on the western side of the highway turn off you missed.  ::) Dululu is 146klm from Calliope. And you would also have had to go through Jambin. Or you were stupid enough to go even further into Biloela. *5. Medical conditions caused by self medicating(alcohol or drugs) are no excuse. *6. You should have shut your trap i.e. quit whilst you were ahead & not elaborated any further about your delusion & stupidity.  ;D

If I could not be medically cleared to drive from Gladstone to Rockhampton, then 90% of people with driver's licences should not be driving either.

The cause of my confusion was from a stroke I had 8 months earlier. I am capable of driving. And I am capable of doing most things in my then condition. What I did not know was a route to get back to Rockhampton in a journey that I had not taken for 10 years earlier.

I actually felt like going for a drive to Gladstone today, just as a way to convince myself that I was capable to do so. In fact, I might even do that tonight.

Telstra took my money, but applied a bar on my phone because they were being a bunch of pricks. Given the history between me and Telstra, I should be getting free usage of my phone and internet. But, Telstra just wanted to be an arsehole organisation for me being overdue on a phone bill by a week. After tomorrow, if I don't pay the rest of my phone invoice ($12), I will be overdue. I would not be surprised if they put a bar on me after a week, again.

One way to fix this is for the emergency services to be forced to monitor
the CB radio UHF bands and for people to buy CB radio UHF hand held sets.
I just had a look and they are on sale for as little as $69 from Bunnings
https://www.bunnings.com.au/oricom-uhf2200-2-watt-handheld-uhf-cb-radio-single-pack_p0587353

There are many more expensive ones from other places too
with more power and features.

The average person pays about $600 these days for a smart phone
and many people pay around $2,000  so the price of a UHF CB is not that much
for some redundancy - especially for people with medical conditions
who could need to call 000.
At the moment the emergency services don't even monitor
the emergency channels on UHF - as far as I know.

greggerypeccary wrote on Jul 11^th, 2026 at 2:00pm:

Bobby. wrote on Jul 11th, 2026 at 1:51pm: greggerypeccary wrote on Jul 11th, 2026 at 1:10pm: When guitarists adjust the knobs on their amps and pedals they use clock references if there are no numbers. A neighbour asked me if I could help her kid get a good sound out of a particular pedal they had just bought. I told the kid to set the knobs at 9 o'clock, 12 o'clock and 2 o'clock for the sound they were after. The poor kid was so confused - they had no idea how to do that   ;D Pecca, that is shameful - the teachers should be in jail. It's not the teachers' fault - they still teach it in primary school, up to grade four I think. The problem is technology - kids today hardly ever see an analogue clock. All they've ever known is digital.

There are still many many watches & well known brands at that on the market today that have analogue displays.

Smart phones even have that option in settings.

It should still be taught in schools.

Gnads wrote on Jul 14^th, 2026 at 9:14am:

greggerypeccary wrote on Jul 11th, 2026 at 2:00pm: Bobby. wrote on Jul 11th, 2026 at 1:51pm: greggerypeccary wrote on Jul 11th, 2026 at 1:10pm: When guitarists adjust the knobs on their amps and pedals they use clock references if there are no numbers. A neighbour asked me if I could help her kid get a good sound out of a particular pedal they had just bought. I told the kid to set the knobs at 9 o'clock, 12 o'clock and 2 o'clock for the sound they were after. The poor kid was so confused - they had no idea how to do that   ;D Pecca, that is shameful - the teachers should be in jail. It's not the teachers' fault - they still teach it in primary school, up to grade four I think. The problem is technology - kids today hardly ever see an analogue clock. All they've ever known is digital. There are still many many watches & well known brands at that on the market today that have analogue displays. Smart phones even have that option in settings. It should still be taught in schools.

It is.

UnSubRocky wrote on Jul 12^th, 2026 at 3:32pm:

Gnads wrote on Jul 11th, 2026 at 5:51pm: Are you joking? Phuk me hooray. *1. If you had a medical condition that causes you confusion you shouldn't be driving. *2. Why should Telstra let you use your phone because you were lost? *3. Why on earth do you realistically/rationally believe Telstra should void your next bill because of the fuel you used getting lost? You hadn't even paid the last one. *4. If you were out at Dululu you would have had to go through Calliope which is on the western side of the highway turn off you missed.  ::) Dululu is 146klm from Calliope. And you would also have had to go through Jambin. Or you were stupid enough to go even further into Biloela. *5. Medical conditions caused by self medicating(alcohol or drugs) are no excuse. *6. You should have shut your trap i.e. quit whilst you were ahead & not elaborated any further about your delusion & stupidity.  ;D If I could not be medically cleared to drive from Gladstone to Rockhampton, then 90% of people with driver's licences should not be driving either. The cause of my confusion was from a stroke I had 8 months earlier. I am capable of driving. And I am capable of doing most things in my then condition. What I did not know was a route to get back to Rockhampton in a journey that I had not taken for 10 years earlier. I actually felt like going for a drive to Gladstone today, just as a way to convince myself that I was capable to do so. In fact, I might even do that tonight. Telstra took my money, but applied a bar on my phone because they were being a bunch of pricks. Given the history between me and Telstra, I should be getting free usage of my phone and internet. But, Telstra just wanted to be an arsehole organisation for me being overdue on a phone bill by a week. After tomorrow, if I don't pay the rest of my phone invoice ($12), I will be overdue. I would not be surprised if they put a bar on me after a week, again.

No they didn't - you hadn't paid for over 2 months (not a week) by your own admission.

Furthermore your history with Telstra indicates that you must have been a chronic late payer.

Pay your bills & you won't have a problem.

Use a pre-paid plan.

They don't owe you a damned thing.

On their website like many other service providers - like electricity companies etc. they have a contact number to ring if your are experiencing financial hardship .......

I bet you abused that privilige as well?

Had had a stroke ey? That's unfortunate - but in all honesty what haven't you had happen to you?

And if you had not been medically cleared to drive after your stroke - then you had no business being behind the wheel of a car.

The fact that you were still in a "confused" state of mind is testament to that.

Stop digging the hole you're in - it's deep enough. sshh  ::)

greggerypeccary wrote on Jul 14^th, 2026 at 9:24am:

Gnads wrote on Jul 14th, 2026 at 9:14am: greggerypeccary wrote on Jul 11th, 2026 at 2:00pm: Bobby. wrote on Jul 11th, 2026 at 1:51pm: greggerypeccary wrote on Jul 11th, 2026 at 1:10pm: When guitarists adjust the knobs on their amps and pedals they use clock references if there are no numbers. A neighbour asked me if I could help her kid get a good sound out of a particular pedal they had just bought. I told the kid to set the knobs at 9 o'clock, 12 o'clock and 2 o'clock for the sound they were after. The poor kid was so confused - they had no idea how to do that   ;D Pecca, that is shameful - the teachers should be in jail. It's not the teachers' fault - they still teach it in primary school, up to grade four I think. The problem is technology - kids today hardly ever see an analogue clock. All they've ever known is digital. There are still many many watches & well known brands at that on the market today that have analogue displays. Smart phones even have that option in settings. It should still be taught in schools. It is.

So why is there a problem with the inability to tell time on an analogue clock?

Gnads wrote on Jul 14^th, 2026 at 9:30am:

greggerypeccary wrote on Jul 14th, 2026 at 9:24am: Gnads wrote on Jul 14th, 2026 at 9:14am: greggerypeccary wrote on Jul 11th, 2026 at 2:00pm: Bobby. wrote on Jul 11th, 2026 at 1:51pm: greggerypeccary wrote on Jul 11th, 2026 at 1:10pm: When guitarists adjust the knobs on their amps and pedals they use clock references if there are no numbers. A neighbour asked me if I could help her kid get a good sound out of a particular pedal they had just bought. I told the kid to set the knobs at 9 o'clock, 12 o'clock and 2 o'clock for the sound they were after. The poor kid was so confused - they had no idea how to do that   ;D Pecca, that is shameful - the teachers should be in jail. It's not the teachers' fault - they still teach it in primary school, up to grade four I think. The problem is technology - kids today hardly ever see an analogue clock. All they've ever known is digital. There are still many many watches & well known brands at that on the market today that have analogue displays. Smart phones even have that option in settings. It should still be taught in schools. It is. So why is there a problem with the inability to tell time on an analogue clock?

Technology.

Kids today tell the time by looking at their phones or other digital devices.

Sure, they can be changed to look like an analogue clock, but kids don't do that - they leave their devices on the default settings, which is a digital clock.

And not many kids wear analogue, Timex watches these days - most would wear an Apple watch, if they bother to wear one at all.

Even in the car, being driven to school, the time on the dashboard is digital.

Digital clocks are everywhere, and that's all young kids today have known.

I received an email from Telstra yesterday apologising for the outage (I believe it was sent to all Telstra customers).

Which was very nice of them but it didn't affect me at all.

Unlike the power outage we're having here tomorrow from 7am to 5:30pm (estimated) so Western Power can do upgrades in our area.

If I'm not here then that will be why - although I might use my phone as a mobile hotspot with my laptop. I'll charge them both up fully tonight.

Carl D wrote on Jul 14^th, 2026 at 10:27am:

I received an email from Telstra yesterday apologising for the outage (I believe it was sent to all Telstra customers). Which was very nice of them but it didn't affect me at all. Unlike the power outage we're having here tomorrow from 7am to 5:30pm (estimated) so Western Power can do upgrades in our area. If I'm not here then that will be why - although I might use my phone as a mobile hotspot with my laptop. I'll charge them both up fully tonight.

Yeah, I received that email.

Sorry we let you down

"Last week we let you down, and I am sorry for that.

"An issue in our mobile network caused significant disruption to our customers and to Australians. We know how much people rely on us to keep in touch, do their work, run businesses and stay safe. It's extremely frustrating when mobile services aren't available, and we're deeply sorry for the impact this had on so many people."

I was hoping it would end with:

"As a goodwill gesture we'll be waiving your monthly subscription fee for August".

But it didn't.

greggerypeccary wrote on Jul 14^th, 2026 at 10:35am:

Carl D wrote on Jul 14th, 2026 at 10:27am: I received an email from Telstra yesterday apologising for the outage (I believe it was sent to all Telstra customers). Which was very nice of them but it didn't affect me at all. Unlike the power outage we're having here tomorrow from 7am to 5:30pm (estimated) so Western Power can do upgrades in our area. If I'm not here then that will be why - although I might use my phone as a mobile hotspot with my laptop. I'll charge them both up fully tonight. Yeah, I received that email. Sorry we let you down "Last week we let you down, and I am sorry for that. "An issue in our mobile network caused significant disruption to our customers and to Australians. We know how much people rely on us to keep in touch, do their work, run businesses and stay safe. It's extremely frustrating when mobile services aren't available, and we're deeply sorry for the impact this had on so many people." I was hoping it would end with: "As a goodwill gesture we'll be waiving your monthly subscription fee for August". But it didn't.

OMG that’s exactly what I was speed reading through the sorry part and the beware of scammers etc hoping to get to a good part …. Yeah….but there wasn’t any  ::)
Pfft

Gnads wrote on Jul 14^th, 2026 at 9:28am:

No they didn't - you hadn't paid for over 2 months (not a week) by your own admission. Furthermore your history with Telstra indicates that you must have been a chronic late payer. Pay your bills & you won't have a problem. Use a pre-paid plan. They don't owe you a damned thing. On their website like many other service providers - like electricity companies etc. they have a contact number to ring if your are experiencing financial hardship ....... I bet you abused that privilige as well? Had had a stroke ey? That's unfortunate - but in all honesty what haven't you had happen to you? And if you had not been medically cleared to drive after your stroke - then you had no business being behind the wheel of a car. The fact that you were still in a "confused" state of mind is testament to that. Stop digging the hole you're in - it's deep enough. sshh  ::)

The bill was paid overdue, that is for certain. But Telstra put a bar on my phone a number of days later. Those days included the time I was at the university and could not get service to phone for a taxi. Then the next day when I went for a drive south to Gladstone. If I was not aware that the bar was more than a temporary problem, I would have stayed home.

I got a reminder notice for being a week overdue, just last month. I did not get one for the time Telstra cut my service. Perhaps it was under the pile of open envelopes I had in the loungeroom.

I paid my electricity and (most of) my phone bill over the phone the other week when I found that I could not locate either invoice. Chances are, Telstra are going to send me another overdue invoice, given that there is still about $15 left to pay on that bill.

By the way, I had that stroke 8 months before I did that journey down to Gladstone. That stroke took me about a week or two to recover. A major stroke that I had was back in the early 2000s, in the time I had an untreated stress fracture on my leg.

Carl D wrote on Jul 14^th, 2026 at 10:27am:

I received an email from Telstra yesterday apologising for the outage (I believe it was sent to all Telstra customers). Which was very nice of them but it didn't affect me at all. Unlike the power outage we're having here tomorrow from 7am to 5:30pm (estimated) so Western Power can do upgrades in our area. If I'm not here then that will be why - although I might use my phone as a mobile hotspot with my laptop. I'll charge them both up fully tonight.

Yes - I got one too - on Fraser Coast in QLD.

Apologies are cheap from Telstra.

As for value(to some) look at what Kevin Rudds apology has cost the nation.  ;D

greggerypeccary wrote on Jul 14^th, 2026 at 10:35am:

Carl D wrote on Jul 14th, 2026 at 10:27am: I received an email from Telstra yesterday apologising for the outage (I believe it was sent to all Telstra customers). Which was very nice of them but it didn't affect me at all. Unlike the power outage we're having here tomorrow from 7am to 5:30pm (estimated) so Western Power can do upgrades in our area. If I'm not here then that will be why - although I might use my phone as a mobile hotspot with my laptop. I'll charge them both up fully tonight. Yeah, I received that email. Sorry we let you down "Last week we let you down, and I am sorry for that. "An issue in our mobile network caused significant disruption to our customers and to Australians. We know how much people rely on us to keep in touch, do their work, run businesses and stay safe. It's extremely frustrating when mobile services aren't available, and we're deeply sorry for the impact this had on so many people." I was hoping it would end with: "As a goodwill gesture we'll be waiving your monthly subscription fee for August". But it didn't.

That certainly was wishful thinking.

But none the less not an unreasonable wish.

UnSubRocky wrote on Jul 14^th, 2026 at 12:45pm:

Gnads wrote on Jul 14th, 2026 at 9:28am: No they didn't - you hadn't paid for over 2 months (not a week) by your own admission. Furthermore your history with Telstra indicates that you must have been a chronic late payer. Pay your bills & you won't have a problem. Use a pre-paid plan. They don't owe you a damned thing. On their website like many other service providers - like electricity companies etc. they have a contact number to ring if your are experiencing financial hardship ....... I bet you abused that privilige as well? Had had a stroke ey? That's unfortunate - but in all honesty what haven't you had happen to you? And if you had not been medically cleared to drive after your stroke - then you had no business being behind the wheel of a car. The fact that you were still in a "confused" state of mind is testament to that. Stop digging the hole you're in - it's deep enough. sshh  ::) The bill was paid overdue, that is for certain. But Telstra put a bar on my phone a number of days later. Those days included the time I was at the university and could not get service to phone for a taxi. Then the next day when I went for a drive south to Gladstone. If I was not aware that the bar was more than a temporary problem, I would have stayed home. I got a reminder notice for being a week overdue, just last month. I did not get one for the time Telstra cut my service. Perhaps it was under the pile of open envelopes I had in the loungeroom. I paid my electricity and (most of) my phone bill over the phone the other week when I found that I could not locate either invoice. Chances are, Telstra are going to send me another overdue invoice, given that there is still about $15 left to pay on that bill. By the way, I had that stroke 8 months before I did that journey down to Gladstone. That stroke took me about a week or two to recover. A major stroke that I had was back in the early 2000s, in the time I had an untreated stress fracture on my leg.

Irrelevant excuses ..... excuses excuse excuses that's all you are.

2 strokes? I reiterate - you shouldn't be driving.

I might rename you Victor.  ;D ;D

Gnads wrote on Jul 15^th, 2026 at 6:44pm:

Irrelevant excuses ..... excuses excuse excuses that's all you are. 2 strokes? I reiterate - you shouldn't be driving. I might rename you Victor.  ;D ;D

If I had the leave available back in those days (mid-2000s), I would have taken the 2 weeks off and had my stress fractured leg treated so that I did not get that stroke. But, I had the weekend off and went back to work when I could walk sufficiently.

I took time off work when I had that stroke 30 months ago. But that stroke I had then was relatively mild, and only resulted in me collapsing and laying on my bedroom floor for 10 minutes.

If people go about not driving because they had a medical episode some time in their lives, there would be hardly anyone on the road. People do recover.

And given that I was unfamiliar with the roads in Gladstone, getting lost trying to get out of Gladstone (trying some different route that my uncle once used as a short cut) but not getting anywhere until I admitted I did not know the route.

Had Telstra just processed my payment and removed the bar from my phone, I would have had "Aussie Karen" give directions home. The technician at Telstra admitted that they had a bar on my phone, due to late payment. They phucked up because they wanted their customers to pay on time and not have reasons like forgetting about their due invoices.

UnSubRocky wrote on Jul 16^th, 2026 at 9:32pm:

Gnads wrote on Jul 15th, 2026 at 6:44pm: Irrelevant excuses ..... excuses excuse excuses that's all you are. 2 strokes? I reiterate - you shouldn't be driving. I might rename you Victor.  ;D ;D If I had the leave available back in those days (mid-2000s), I would have taken the 2 weeks off and had my stress fractured leg treated so that I did not get that stroke. But, I had the weekend off and went back to work when I could walk sufficiently. I took time off work when I had that stroke 30 months ago. But that stroke I had then was relatively mild, and only resulted in me collapsing and laying on my bedroom floor for 10 minutes. If people go about not driving because they had a medical episode some time in their lives, there would be hardly anyone on the road. People do recover. And given that I was unfamiliar with the roads in Gladstone, getting lost trying to get out of Gladstone (trying some different route that my uncle once used as a short cut) but not getting anywhere until I admitted I did not know the route. Had Telstra just processed my payment and removed the bar from my phone, I would have had "Aussie Karen" give directions home. The technician at Telstra admitted that they had a bar on my phone, due to late payment. They phucked up because they wanted their customers to pay on time and not have reasons like forgetting about their due invoices.

blah blah more excuses.... or the same excuses whatever.

As for what I highlighted. Yeah nah.

Not all medical episodes affect the brain or reflexes.

The only one who can clear you to drive is your doctor.

At the time you obviously didn't have a medical clearance.

https://i.imgflip.com/awt1r0.jpg

Gnads wrote on Jul 17^th, 2026 at 2:30pm:

blah blah more excuses.... or the same excuses whatever. As for what I highlighted. Yeah nah. Not all medical episodes affect the brain or reflexes. The only one who can clear you to drive is your doctor. At the time you obviously didn't have a medical clearance.

The only thing I am not allowed to do nowadays is give blood. My doctor said that a test result from a few years ago suggested that I have had a stroke. If he was so concerned about my ability to drive, he would not have medically cleared me. And my recent medical clearance did not have my new doctor say that I was not allowed to drive.

We have had the apology and now the predicable Sentate “grilling “.

Will we see a huge fine?

Or like Optus, it will all be quietly forgotten?

Daves2017 wrote on Jul 17^th, 2026 at 3:22pm:

We have had the apology and now the predicable Sentate “grilling “. Will we see a huge fine? Or like Optus, it will all be quietly forgotten?

The apology was a bit over the top.

If there's a huge fine, the customers will end up paying it - Telstra will just increase their fees.

.

---

I notice that ( insert random ceo name) didn’t apologise to Telstra shareholders or staff?

Obviously she doesn’t care.

Telstra will not be fined just as Optus wasn’t.

Promise Anika Wells a free holiday and all will be forgotten!

The largest institutional holders of Telstra by share volume are:
State Street Global Advisors, Inc.: 7.51% ownership
Australian Super Pty Ltd: 5.10% ownership
Vanguard Investments Australia Limited: 2.85% ownership

Companies to avoid?

Well… what’s this? Something outdated?

Yet why are we being charged more every year when upgrades are not done????
We all need a 15 year rewind of refunds met as a result of not spending that paltry $30k tight wad cretins!!

https://apple.news/AXcofDT_PQUaYjMDDKP36CQ


Full scale of Telstra network outage exposed

During a Senate hearing into last week’s major outage, a senior Telstra executive conceded on Friday that the entire disaster would have been averted had the company replaced an ageing server that cost just $30,000.

Tracey’s answer is the first clear confirmation from Telstra that replacing the ageing server, which this masthead first reported cost about $30,000 to replace, would have avoided the outage that cut hundreds of people off from Triple Zero and disrupted trains and eftpos terminals in several states.
The failure of the 15-year-old device was the product of several errors that compounded. Telstra received multiple warnings about a problem with the device that could cause it to set its time back 1024 weeks, but did not act on them because they were seen as irrelevant. Then, Telstra fixed a connection issue in a way that caused the first problem to resurface when the device was restarted.
That change was never documented and, when a technician restarted the device to fix yet another issue with backup power, the device wound back to 2006 and an error spread through the network kicking off phones that were showing the correct time.

Incoming ......

When you replace technical experts with bureaucrats and nerds bent on some celestial idea, and fill your 'management' with DEI appointees - you are bound to miss a few things that keep the ship afloat...

Time to boot this sheilas first for the nice top spots, don' cha think?  Enough of this incompetence BS - look at NDIS run by sheilas in the PS these days.... what man would have accepted 93% unregistered 'providers' - an open door to rorters?

Such jobs have become nothing but a feed lot for women, ability not required...

TOG's oldest son is now working for NDIS - he now identifies as a woman .. wears dresses and stuff ....  he's been disabled most of his life.... has another spoon-fed social science degree ... literally has half a brain due to massive haemmorhage.... the only things he lacks to get five or six upgrades in fat salary etc are he's not gay and doesn't identify as Aboriginal or ethnic.... but give him time....

FFS - call it quits... the country is in ruins.

---

It’s interesting to me that Telstra is offering a “ credit “ as compensation to those they have chosen effected?

Why would you accept a “ credit “ to stay with a company that has failed you so badly.

A cash refund for all customers is more acceptable as well as the maximum fine possible!

Every critical public sector our government has privatised is an absolute disaster and stain on our society.

Communications, power, hospitals, motor ways.

Our politicians must be due to vote themselves a pay raise soon for the absolute failure of service that they provide to Australia!

I will take a credit for something that did not affect me.

UnSubRocky wrote on Jul 18^th, 2026 at 11:35am:

I will take a credit for something that did not affect me.

Haven't used a toll road for years now - had a beeper bought and paid for... when NSW government gave out a kick for over-charging - I got $40 I think...

I would have swapped a credit for the chance to have had use of my mobile data when I got lost that time. But, please, reimburse me for the extra fuel I had to use that time. $100 out to cover it.

Daves2017 wrote on Jul 17^th, 2026 at 11:01pm:

The largest institutional holders of Telstra by share volume are: State Street Global Advisors, Inc.: 7.51% ownership Australian Super Pty Ltd: 5.10% ownership Vanguard Investments Australia Limited: 2.85% ownership Companies to avoid?

Black Rock & Vanguard are major shareholders in State Street Global Advisors.

Both of them are also major shareholders of Coles & Woolworths.

Now we have Vanguard advertising on Australian TV as a Superannuation fund choice ..... the slogan being

"Do you not like money?".

Like you intimated - I wouldn't knowingly go near them with a barge pole.

UnSubRocky wrote on Jul 20^th, 2026 at 12:01am:

I would have swapped a credit for the chance to have had use of my mobile data when I got lost that time. But, please, reimburse me for the extra fuel I had to use that time. $100 out to cover it.

Let it go ... it was all your fault. ::)

Gnads wrote on Jul 20^th, 2026 at 6:15pm:

UnSubRocky wrote on Jul 20th, 2026 at 12:01am: I would have swapped a credit for the chance to have had use of my mobile data when I got lost that time. But, please, reimburse me for the extra fuel I had to use that time. $100 out to cover it. Let it go ... it was all your fault. ::)

If I left to go home too early, I would have been blinded by the afternoon sun's glare. It seemed that I was about half an hour's travel away from getting to the outskirts of town when I discovered the Telstra block. Just one use of mobile data could have saved me hours.

So Telstra escaped free from any fines at all?

Why am I not surprised!