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


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.

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


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.

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


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.

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


That certainly was wishful thinking.

But none the less not an unreasonable wish.

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


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.

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?