I bought an unofficial Ericsson phone charger from Amazon last week.
It has arrived and is utterly shit; charges intermittently and randomly cuts out, and will only continue charging if I jiggle it.

What have you learned the hard way this week?

If nothing, I recommend you all go and see Ice Age 3 because it is lovely.
( Maladicta, Sat 4 Jul 2009, 18:56, 40 replies, latest was 16 years ago)

I learned
That buying a bed when you don't have anything large enough to transport a bed is hard. It looked for a while like I was going to be sleeping on the floor from tomorrow night...
(PenguinOfDeath is Scottish, and most likely angry, Sat 4 Jul 2009, 19:25, Reply)

Bah. Moving is no fun at all.
I have vowed to not move house again until I am at least twenty-five.
( Maladicta, Sat 4 Jul 2009, 19:26, Reply)

I'm seeing Ice Age 3 tomorrow with my nephew.
*is excited*
( girlinthehole, Sat 4 Jul 2009, 19:27, Reply)

Oh Blousie it's wonderful.
One bit made me do a little cry and I never do little cries at films.
( Maladicta, Sat 4 Jul 2009, 19:28, Reply)

Forwarned is forarmed.
I shall take tissues.
( girlinthehole, Sat 4 Jul 2009, 19:38, Reply)

Do so. I am a hardened misanthrope when it comes to films
and this made me well up and spill over. Fortunately flatmate, who was accompanying me*, did not see. Best film I've seen all year!

* We never ever went to the cinema when we were together - since we split, we've been three times.
( Maladicta, Sat 4 Jul 2009, 19:44, Reply)

Fear not
/phone salesman

The GSM handset manufacturers have agreed on a single-type charger for every phone built from 2010 onwards - micro USB.

So the days of 'anyone got a Nokia charger? Which one? The old one or the new one? Erm, the little one? Nah, sorry.' should be over.

/stops regressing to his days at the Carphone Warehouse
(Miraclefish How appropriate, you fight like a cow, Sat 4 Jul 2009, 19:46, Reply)

I read about this on BBC news. Can't come soon enough
especially since no one else in my office has an Ericsson charger at work (I usually take one in my bag that fits the plug sockets nestled under my desk since phones are frowned upon in the office).

You should see what I'm like outside of work - the bus I took to go to the cinema today runs past the HS1 line and a train went past. The first thing out of my mouth is "that's late".
( Maladicta, Sat 4 Jul 2009, 19:50, Reply)

That's....special
Most Ericsson phones come with a USB cable - if you work with a PC or Mac you could leave it plugged into that for extra chargyness.
(Miraclefish How appropriate, you fight like a cow, Sat 4 Jul 2009, 19:54, Reply)

I has USB cable!
If I put it into phone mode and charge it will it just sit there and charge happily?
( Maladicta, Sat 4 Jul 2009, 19:59, Reply)

Yep
It's like having a second charger.

Oh, wait, it is a second charger...
(Miraclefish How appropriate, you fight like a cow, Sat 4 Jul 2009, 20:11, Reply)

I has two data cables in fact, since my first Ericsson copped it
and I replaced it with an identical one. Will keep one at work for charger emergencies.
( Maladicta, Sat 4 Jul 2009, 20:12, Reply)

The third one
Could be secreted in a handy bag, hat or pet for other non-work/non-home power-loss situations.
(Miraclefish How appropriate, you fight like a cow, Sat 4 Jul 2009, 20:17, Reply)

My bag is like the Tardis
so that could work very well since it contains everything in the known universe - notebook, phone, iPod, keys, tic-tacs, make-up, brush, ladies' things, spare belt, purse, camera, several pens, some missing their lids, and a few loose sherbet lemons.
( Maladicta, Sat 4 Jul 2009, 20:21, Reply)

My travel rucksack is the same
It currently contains, amongst other things:

Notepad and pen
Dictaphone
Business cards
Batteries
Copies of the latest magazine
Small Netbook
Unbreakable camera (currently on its second repair...)
First aid kit
A Guide to Russian Travel
Some bungees
A padlock
A sponge
A Warhammer book
A diary
An MP3 player
A European road map

It's got me through some interesting scenarios.
(Miraclefish How appropriate, you fight like a cow, Sat 4 Jul 2009, 20:24, Reply)

Bloody hell!
I did also use to carry a Swiss army knife but security at St Pancras don't tend to take kindly to having to confiscate such things so I had to take it out... usually there are one or two Lovefilm discs in there to be posted or something I need to take to work, too.
( Maladicta, Sat 4 Jul 2009, 20:30, Reply)

This is what I do
I have the charger at work and the data cable at home (since I'm more likely to transfer stuff to/from home pc than work pc.
( The Light in Chains don't touch the Pope's boner, Sat 4 Jul 2009, 21:34, Reply)

When work takes over
Odd how work can affect you when you're at home - any book I pick up, I'll immediatly think what press printed it and the paper it was printed on, without trying. I worry that this sad trick will stay with me forever.
(Potty Jag har smör i min rumpspringa, Sat 4 Jul 2009, 20:01, Reply)

Just you wait till I start reciting fare basis codes at you...
Looking at a ticket and reading "Standard, semi-flexible (exchangeable once before departure with a fee, non-refundable), compulsory night away"... will try not to though!
( Maladicta, Sat 4 Jul 2009, 20:05, Reply)

I learnt...
...that most of my supposed colleagues are a bunch of vindictive, spiteful, childish and more importantly, jealous c*nts.
( HSDriver was probably still at work on, Sat 4 Jul 2009, 19:57, Reply)

Ah, Southeastern.
Yes, they are cunts.

EDIT - by the way, one of your sets failed the other day and held one of ours up :P

/wants Javelin discount.
( Maladicta, Sat 4 Jul 2009, 19:58, Reply)

Everyone...
...except me - I'm lovely.

Just you wait until December - you'll never see another on time Eurostar ever again.

And if you're very nice, you can come and have a ride on my train - not as fast as Eurostar, but all the E* drivers I've spoken to recon ours are nicer!
( HSDriver was probably still at work on, Sat 4 Jul 2009, 20:04, Reply)

Opps - Forgot!
and congrats on passing your assessment.
( HSDriver was probably still at work on, Sat 4 Jul 2009, 20:05, Reply)

Thank you :)
Don't say that - don't want any more service disruption now we have two non-burnt tunnels! Things have been quiet operationally lately... a little too quiet which probably means there's epic epic problems a-brewing...

I can has Javelin on the 24th since I need to be at SPI for 9am and the boss has very kindly allowed me to go up on the Javelin (got to come back on the domestic slow train though) - we were offered free trials last week but I was otherwise unavailable :( and your sets are all spangly and new, and ours are awaiting refurb - they look lovely and shiny!

You seen my flatmate with his trolley yet?
( Maladicta, Sat 4 Jul 2009, 20:08, Reply)

I takes Eurostar a fair bit for work
And finds that they're very good.

Except for that day I turned up and they were all on fire and that.

So I took a ferry.
(Miraclefish How appropriate, you fight like a cow, Sat 4 Jul 2009, 20:12, Reply)

Did you get paid back for the ferry?
If not, why not? Although we tend to wonder why you're only claiming a year later...

Am pleased we provide a service to your satisfaction and hope to be welcoming you on board again soon (been answering too many emails lately since there's next to no post :)
( Maladicta, Sat 4 Jul 2009, 20:14, Reply)

Actually
They'd arranged for free ferry crossings for anyone booked onto the train.

As I say, damn good service.

Course, we generally get free Eurostar crossings what with being journalists going out to do features or stories, but they've been harder to come by with the tunnel being all melty...
(Miraclefish How appropriate, you fight like a cow, Sat 4 Jul 2009, 20:16, Reply)

Yep :) turn up with your tix and hop on the first available ferry!
Seafrance were excellent about it, especially as Dover was packed - some of my colleagues were down there on the 12th. I was in Ashford station in high-vis putting people who'd just come off the ferries on a Eurostar to SPI and giving them water. Bloody Sky News were down there though claiming it was one of our sets that had caught fire!

Ah, you have a corporate account? I knows them all in that team as they work on my floor and sadly it includes Stalker Girl...
( Maladicta, Sat 4 Jul 2009, 20:19, Reply)

Corporate account?
Oh, no, nothing that clever. We just ring up and go 'er, hello. It's us again... can we have some crossings please? We'll write something nice to say thank you...'

And sometimes they say yes. Hooray.
(Miraclefish How appropriate, you fight like a cow, Sat 4 Jul 2009, 20:21, Reply)

Just go through direct sales?
Look into corporate EFT accounts, it could save you money in the long run!

/jeez Mal, take the service personality hat off!
( Maladicta, Sat 4 Jul 2009, 20:22, Reply)

Save us money?
You can get cheaper than free?
(Miraclefish How appropriate, you fight like a cow, Sat 4 Jul 2009, 20:25, Reply)

Well, allow you to accrue points that can be used for benefits later if you travel a lot.
And not just for business travel; it's worth making yourself known since if you want to nip over to France or Belgium you can rack the points up and then redeem them for nice things.

Incidentally, you can also now travel all the way through to Switzerland with a change in Paris.

/is not a corporate drone, honest
( Maladicta, Sat 4 Jul 2009, 20:28, Reply)

Meh
Sounds like effort.

Also planning. We don't do planning.

Still, £28 return for you and a bike can't be faulted.

/is not in any way affiliated with them
(Miraclefish How appropriate, you fight like a cow, Sat 4 Jul 2009, 20:42, Reply)

Eurodespatch FTW.
/is not in any way fanatically devoted to her company
( Maladicta, Sat 4 Jul 2009, 20:48, Reply)

Prophets of Doom!
I wouldn't say anything like that too loud - normally it does come true!

Not sure what I'm doing for the next couple of weeks, but if I'm playing trains then, I'll let you know. - As for your flatmate, spotted him getting on my train the other week- but I was running late so couldn't stop and say "Hi".
( HSDriver was probably still at work on, Sat 4 Jul 2009, 20:24, Reply)

I suspect telling him you know me would freak the shit out of him...
My colleagues say hi to him all the time and he comes up to me later and says "some random lady said hello to me today and I don't know who she was!" You can't miss him though, he's the only one I've seen who drags the trolley one handed...

Huzzah! I has never seen you, in fact - I know a fair few of the station staff from being E* and because of flatmate...

Last year my boss said "we have never had a set fail in the ET." Three weeks later...
( Maladicta, Sat 4 Jul 2009, 20:27, Reply)

It might not be the shitty unofficial charger.
I've a couple of Ericssons now and they've both had the same problem. Stupid useless Sony.
(Paolo Nutini's Bikini Better than Frederick Fleet's optometrist, Sat 4 Jul 2009, 20:43, Reply)

It doesn't struggle with the official charger I share with my flatmate
but it hates this one. I love my Ericsson 99% of the time although browsing the internets on it does make it spazz out occasionally! Plus the battery life is craptacular.

My first S500i died totally one day after being charged overnight and refused to ever turn on again :( am on my second one except this one has flowers on it!
( Maladicta, Sat 4 Jul 2009, 20:47, Reply)

I brought a leather iPhone case from the local independant phone shop.
£20, because I thought it looked quite nice, but it's already falling to bits after a month.

This is the reason why little phone shops do so baddly, I bet he brought it for a quid.
( G/PP 💩💩💩💩💩&#128, Sat 4 Jul 2009, 21:13, Reply)

You has iPhone?
I remember a link in the newsletter ages ago to finger protectors in fetching black latex for such devices...
( Maladicta, Sat 4 Jul 2009, 21:20, Reply)