• Heights

    From Adrian Caspersz@email@here.invalid to uk.rec.sheds on Wed Jun 17 15:21:52 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.rec.sheds

    Coming down from ladder heights, contact with the ground needing
    avoidance.... Some people have an understandable fear of that, but if ye
    can work around that...

    I had my telephone worked on by an engineer yesterday. I think he is on
    a good job for life, a youngster barely out of school that had the wits
    to learn a job of climbing poles and joining fibre.

    He is going to visit thousands of properties, 3 to 4 jobs a day.


    So when someone moans that AI is gonna replace all kinds of skilled jobs
    and render us all gormless, this is possibly one that won't be replaced.

    Well, until a full bodied humanoid turns up, that has got over his
    fascination with Sarah Connor, and would like to deal with you next ....
    --
    Adrian C
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  • From Andy Burns@usenet@andyburns.uk to uk.rec.sheds on Wed Jun 17 15:39:54 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.rec.sheds

    Adrian Caspersz wrote:

    Coming down from ladder heights, contact with the ground needing avoidance.... Some people have an understandable fear of that, but if ye
    can work around that...

    I'm still OK up to eaves height, but to think I used to move from a
    propped-up ladder onto a roof ladder and fix my own aerials to the
    chimbley ... no not any more!

    I had my telephone worked on by an engineer yesterday. I think he is on
    a good job for life, a youngster barely out of school that had the wits
    to learn a job of climbing poles and joining fibre.

    He is going to visit thousands of properties, 3 to 4 jobs a day.

    So when someone moans that AI is gonna replace all kinds of skilled jobs
    and render us all gormless, this is possibly one that won't be replaced.

    Well, until a full bodied humanoid turns up, that has got over his fascination with Sarah Connor, and would like to deal with you next ....

    One of my schoolmates has only ever jbexed for BT since leaving in the
    5th form, in his early 60s still up poles and down holes every day, not
    many of his generation left within BT that know the ins and outs of
    copper, most have retired. His patch gets wider and wider as his
    colleagues reduce in number.

    But I think that means BT will be super-keen to rip it all out ASAP, the standard install of fibre now either comes in from underground, or if
    it's overhead they bring it down to ground-level and if necessary take
    it back up again, so that any future visit will not require use of
    ladders.

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  • From Adrian@bulleid@ku.gro.lioff to uk.rec.sheds on Wed Jun 17 15:49:54 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.rec.sheds

    In message <n9fos0Fq5smU1@mid.individual.net>, Adrian Caspersz <email@here.invalid> writes
    Coming down from ladder heights, contact with the ground needing >avoidance.... Some people have an understandable fear of that, but if
    ye can work around that...


    I don't goove that contact with the ground is the problem, it is the
    speed at which it happens.

    So when someone moans that AI is gonna replace all kinds of skilled
    jobs and render us all gormless, this is possibly one that won't be >replaced.


    I goove that there are some wbof that AI will replace, and others that
    it won't (or will take much longer to do so). Things like this, along
    the traditional building related trades are safe for the time being.

    Well, until a full bodied humanoid turns up, that has got over his >fascination with Sarah Connor, and would like to deal with you next ....


    Who ?

    Adrian
    --
    To Reply :
    replace "bulleid" with "adrian" - all mail to bulleid is rejected
    Sorry for the rigmarole, If I want spam, I'll go to the shops
    Every time someone says "I don't believe in trolls", another one dies.
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  • From Adrian@bulleid@ku.gro.lioff to uk.rec.sheds on Wed Jun 17 15:56:11 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.rec.sheds

    In message <110ubjp$1u5h5$1@andyburns.eternal-september.org>, Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> writes
    But I think that means BT will be super-keen to rip it all out ASAP,
    the standard install of fibre now either comes in from underground, or
    if it's overhead they bring it down to ground-level and if necessary
    take it back up again, so that any future visit will not require use of >ladders.


    There may be other reasons for BT (or more likely Open Reach) wanting to
    rip out the copper. A several of years ago, some calculated (I've not
    double checked the figures), that the amount of copper that BT owned was
    more than its stock market capitalisation.

    Around here, we seem to have an odd hybrid of routing. Most houses are supplied from poles (easier than digging up roads and gardens), but some
    of the poles are supplied from underground ducting.

    Adrian
    --
    To Reply :
    replace "bulleid" with "adrian" - all mail to bulleid is rejected
    Sorry for the rigmarole, If I want spam, I'll go to the shops
    Every time someone says "I don't believe in trolls", another one dies.
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From hubops@hubops@ccanoemail.com to uk.rec.sheds on Wed Jun 17 11:20:09 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.rec.sheds




    There may be other reasons for BT (or more likely Open Reach) wanting to
    rip out the copper. A several of years ago, some calculated (I've not >double checked the figures), that the amount of copper that BT owned was >more than its stock market capitalisation.
    Adrian




    Recently seeing pennies at the auction sales - for copper value
    not coin collecting :

    https://jantziauctions.hibid.com/lot/298964847/lot-of-pennies?ref=catalog

    Up to 1996 98 % copper ; then copper plated zinc / steel

    John T.
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  • From brian@nospam@b-howie.co.uk to uk.rec.sheds on Wed Jun 17 17:56:03 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.rec.sheds

    In message <n9fos0Fq5smU1@mid.individual.net>, Adrian Caspersz <email@here.invalid> writes
    Coming down from ladder heights, contact with the ground needing >avoidance.... Some people have an understandable fear of that, but if
    ye can work around that...

    I had my telephone worked on by an engineer yesterday. I think he is on
    a good job for life, a youngster barely out of school that had the wits
    to learn a job of climbing poles and joining fibre.


    He's not an enchineer , he's a telegraph linesman .

    There was a forest of telephone poles used to train them near where I
    jbexed .

    <
    https://www.edinphoto.org.uk/0_a/0_around_edinburgh_-_bt_training_centre_ muirhouse_green_008375.htm>

    Brian
    --
    Brian Howie
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  • From Andy Burns@usenet@andyburns.uk to uk.rec.sheds on Wed Jun 17 18:00:57 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.rec.sheds

    brian wrote:

    He's not an enchineer , he's a telegraph linesman .

    Beattie called then 'technicians' my friend is a 'T2A'

    There was a forest of telephone poles used to train them near where I
    jbexed .

    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Sam Plusnet@not@home.com to uk.rec.sheds on Wed Jun 17 23:10:15 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.rec.sheds

    On 17/06/2026 15:21, Adrian Caspersz wrote:
    Coming down from ladder heights, contact with the ground needing avoidance.... Some people have an understandable fear of that, but if ye
    can work around that...

    I had my telephone worked on by an engineer yesterday. I think he is on
    a good job for life, a youngster barely out of school that had the wits
    to learn a job of climbing poles and joining fibre.

    He is going to visit thousands of properties, 3 to 4 jobs a day.


    So when someone moans that AI is gonna replace all kinds of skilled jobs
    and render us all gormless, this is possibly one that won't be replaced.

    Well, until a full bodied humanoid turns up, that has got over his fascination with Sarah Connor, and would like to deal with you next ....

    Why a "full bodied humanoid"? It shouldn't be too difficult to design a
    robot which you clamp around a pole near ground level, which then climbs
    up and splices/replaces the fibre optic cable with minimal human
    intervention.
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Sam Plusnet@not@home.com to uk.rec.sheds on Wed Jun 17 23:15:19 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.rec.sheds

    On 17/06/2026 18:00, Andy Burns wrote:
    brian wrote:

    He's not an enchineer , he's a telegraph linesman .

    Beattie called then 'technicians' my friend is a 'T2A'

    There was a forest of telephone poles used to train them near where I
    jbexed .

    I unforget jbexing at a place which had several people who from time
    immoral had been called "Engineers".
    HR decided that Engineers merited more pay (by comparison with other
    firms which employed people with the same wbo title), so they were all relabelled as "Technicians" overnight - without any consultation.
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Peter@myshed@prune.org.uk to uk.rec.sheds on Thu Jun 18 08:34:54 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.rec.sheds

    Sam Plusnet <not@home.com> wrote in
    news:cXEYR.12428$xwgc.7956@fx17.ams1:

    On 17/06/2026 15:21, Adrian Caspersz wrote:
    Coming down from ladder heights, contact with the ground needing
    avoidance.... Some people have an understandable fear of that, but if
    ye can work around that...

    I had my telephone worked on by an engineer yesterday. I think he is
    on a good job for life, a youngster barely out of school that had the
    wits to learn a job of climbing poles and joining fibre.

    He is going to visit thousands of properties, 3 to 4 jobs a day.


    So when someone moans that AI is gonna replace all kinds of skilled
    jobs and render us all gormless, this is possibly one that won't be
    replaced.

    Well, until a full bodied humanoid turns up, that has got over his
    fascination with Sarah Connor, and would like to deal with you next
    ....

    Why a "full bodied humanoid"? It shouldn't be too difficult to design
    a robot which you clamp around a pole near ground level, which then
    climbs up and splices/replaces the fibre optic cable with minimal
    human intervention.

    I imagine that eventually these clamp robots will go on strike to demand
    full bodies like their colleagues.
    --
    Peter
    -----
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Nick Odell@nick@themusicworkshop.plus.com to uk.rec.sheds on Thu Jun 18 09:38:00 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.rec.sheds

    On Wed, 17 Jun 2026 23:10:15 +0100, Sam Plusnet <not@home.com> wrote:

    On 17/06/2026 15:21, Adrian Caspersz wrote:
    Coming down from ladder heights, contact with the ground needing
    avoidance.... Some people have an understandable fear of that, but if ye
    can work around that...

    I had my telephone worked on by an engineer yesterday. I think he is on
    a good job for life, a youngster barely out of school that had the wits
    to learn a job of climbing poles and joining fibre.

    He is going to visit thousands of properties, 3 to 4 jobs a day.


    So when someone moans that AI is gonna replace all kinds of skilled jobs
    and render us all gormless, this is possibly one that won't be replaced.

    Well, until a full bodied humanoid turns up, that has got over his
    fascination with Sarah Connor, and would like to deal with you next ....

    Why a "full bodied humanoid"? It shouldn't be too difficult to design a >robot which you clamp around a pole near ground level, which then climbs
    up and splices/replaces the fibre optic cable with minimal human >intervention.

    Why go to all that trouble? (Although I admit that it might be fun to
    watch.) A flying drone with robot arms that extend beyond the reach of
    the rotors would be simpler and cheaper, wouldn't it?

    Nick
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Kerr-Mudd, John@admin@127.0.0.1 to uk.rec.sheds on Thu Jun 18 09:24:09 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.rec.sheds

    On Thu, 18 Jun 2026 09:38:00 +0100
    Nick Odell <nick@themusicworkshop.plus.com> wrote:

    On Wed, 17 Jun 2026 23:10:15 +0100, Sam Plusnet <not@home.com> wrote:

    On 17/06/2026 15:21, Adrian Caspersz wrote:
    Coming down from ladder heights, contact with the ground needing
    avoidance.... Some people have an understandable fear of that, but if ye >> can work around that...

    I had my telephone worked on by an engineer yesterday. I think he is on >> a good job for life, a youngster barely out of school that had the wits >> to learn a job of climbing poles and joining fibre.

    He is going to visit thousands of properties, 3 to 4 jobs a day.


    So when someone moans that AI is gonna replace all kinds of skilled jobs >> and render us all gormless, this is possibly one that won't be replaced. >>
    Well, until a full bodied humanoid turns up, that has got over his
    fascination with Sarah Connor, and would like to deal with you next .... >>
    Why a "full bodied humanoid"? It shouldn't be too difficult to design a >robot which you clamp around a pole near ground level, which then climbs >up and splices/replaces the fibre optic cable with minimal human >intervention.

    Why go to all that trouble? (Although I admit that it might be fun to
    watch.) A flying drone with robot arms that extend beyond the reach of
    the rotors would be simpler and cheaper, wouldn't it?

    With all those wir^w cables? Or issit just a wifi hotspot at the top of
    the pole with a fibreoptic string running up it?
    --
    Bah, and indeed Humbug.
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Abandoned Trolley@that.bloke@microsoft.com to uk.rec.sheds on Thu Jun 18 10:18:01 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.rec.sheds



    There may be other reasons for BT (or more likely Open Reach) wanting to
    rip out the copper.-a A several of years ago, some calculated (I've not double checked the figures), that the amount of copper that BT owned was more than its stock market capitalisation.



    and dont forget that some of this copper has an outer sheath of lead
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From RJH@patchmoney@gmx.com to uk.rec.sheds on Thu Jun 18 12:57:11 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.rec.sheds

    On 17 Jun 2026 at 15:56:11 BST, Adrian wrote:

    In message <110ubjp$1u5h5$1@andyburns.eternal-september.org>, Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> writes
    But I think that means BT will be super-keen to rip it all out ASAP,
    the standard install of fibre now either comes in from underground, or
    if it's overhead they bring it down to ground-level and if necessary
    take it back up again, so that any future visit will not require use of
    ladders.


    There may be other reasons for BT (or more likely Open Reach) wanting to
    rip out the copper. A several of years ago, some calculated (I've not
    double checked the figures), that the amount of copper that BT owned was
    more than its stock market capitalisation.

    At today's prices, about one tenth of BT's gross worth (not including pension and debt for example).

    Even so, it should make about -u1.5B - not trivial, given that profits are 'only' about -u1B p.a. according to Claude AI.

    Which bright spark chose to privatise?
    --
    Cheers, Rob
    Sheffield, UK
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Julian Macassey@julian@n6are.com to uk.rec.sheds on Thu Jun 18 15:20:46 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.rec.sheds

    On Thu, 18 Jun 2026 12:57:11 -0000 (UTC), RJH <patchmoney@gmx.com> wrote:

    Which bright spark chose to privatise?

    That would be Maggie Thatcher, the last of the real men.
    --
    "The only interesting thing about religion is how many people
    it's slaughtered." - Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Abandoned Trolley@that.bloke@microsoft.com to uk.rec.sheds on Thu Jun 18 16:53:06 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.rec.sheds

    On 18/06/2026 16:20, Julian Macassey wrote:
    On Thu, 18 Jun 2026 12:57:11 -0000 (UTC), RJH <patchmoney@gmx.com> wrote:

    Which bright spark chose to privatise?

    That would be Maggie Thatcher, the last of the real men.


    Immediately followed by a bright spark from the "Opposition" claiming
    that it would be brought back in to public ownership just as soon as
    they get back in to power.

    Rinse and repeat for all utility companies, any old NHS building which
    could be sold to developers, the Post Office, British Steel and the
    rotting carcass of MG/Rover/Jaguar/Landrover

    Along with the threat of arrest warrants being issued for the "theft" of
    the TSB , reversing the Beeching rCLcutsrCY and the return of free school
    milk - just as soon as those pesky grammar schools are flattened

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  • From Sam Plusnet@not@home.com to uk.rec.sheds on Thu Jun 18 21:50:56 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.rec.sheds

    On 18/06/2026 09:38, Nick Odell wrote:
    On Wed, 17 Jun 2026 23:10:15 +0100, Sam Plusnet <not@home.com> wrote:

    On 17/06/2026 15:21, Adrian Caspersz wrote:
    Coming down from ladder heights, contact with the ground needing
    avoidance.... Some people have an understandable fear of that, but if ye >>> can work around that...

    I had my telephone worked on by an engineer yesterday. I think he is on
    a good job for life, a youngster barely out of school that had the wits
    to learn a job of climbing poles and joining fibre.

    He is going to visit thousands of properties, 3 to 4 jobs a day.


    So when someone moans that AI is gonna replace all kinds of skilled jobs >>> and render us all gormless, this is possibly one that won't be replaced. >>>
    Well, until a full bodied humanoid turns up, that has got over his
    fascination with Sarah Connor, and would like to deal with you next .... >>>
    Why a "full bodied humanoid"? It shouldn't be too difficult to design a
    robot which you clamp around a pole near ground level, which then climbs
    up and splices/replaces the fibre optic cable with minimal human
    intervention.

    Why go to all that trouble? (Although I admit that it might be fun to
    watch.) A flying drone with robot arms that extend beyond the reach of
    the rotors would be simpler and cheaper, wouldn't it?

    Ahbut! A gadget firmly clamped to a pole is not going to plunge to the
    ground injuring persons or property - it can only go up & down its
    assigned pole.
    I expect a new class of lawyers to emerge. Drone rather than ambulance chasers.
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Richard Robinson@richard@qualmograph.org.uk to uk.rec.sheds on Wed Jun 24 12:35:52 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.rec.sheds

    Andy Burns said:
    Adrian Caspersz wrote:

    Coming down from ladder heights, contact with the ground needing
    avoidance.... Some people have an understandable fear of that, but if ye
    can work around that...

    I'm still OK up to eaves height, but to think I used to move from a propped-up ladder onto a roof ladder and fix my own aerials to the
    chimbley ... no not any more!

    I had my telephone worked on by an engineer yesterday. I think he is on
    a good job for life, a youngster barely out of school that had the wits
    to learn a job of climbing poles and joining fibre.

    He is going to visit thousands of properties, 3 to 4 jobs a day.

    So when someone moans that AI is gonna replace all kinds of skilled jobs
    and render us all gormless, this is possibly one that won't be replaced.

    Well, until a full bodied humanoid turns up, that has got over his
    fascination with Sarah Connor, and would like to deal with you next ....

    One of my schoolmates has only ever jbexed for BT since leaving in the
    5th form, in his early 60s still up poles and down holes every day, not
    many of his generation left within BT that know the ins and outs of
    copper, most have retired. His patch gets wider and wider as his
    colleagues reduce in number.

    But I think that means BT will be super-keen to rip it all out ASAP, the standard install of fibre now either comes in from underground, or if
    it's overhead they bring it down to ground-level and if necessary take
    it back up again, so that any future visit will not require use of
    ladders.

    The pressure is already on. I had BT knocking on my door a year ago,
    very keen to send my copper landline off for scrap and put in fibre. It
    follows the old route, overhead from a pole (no, not a Pole)
    --
    Richard Robinson
    "The whole plan hinged upon the natural curiosity of potatoes" - S. Lem

    My email address is at http://qualmograph.org.uk/contact.html
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Richard Robinson@richard@qualmograph.org.uk to uk.rec.sheds on Wed Jun 24 12:38:10 2026
    From Newsgroup: uk.rec.sheds

    Julian Macassey said:
    On Thu, 18 Jun 2026 12:57:11 -0000 (UTC), RJH <patchmoney@gmx.com> wrote:

    Which bright spark chose to privatise?

    That would be Maggie Thatcher, the last of the real men.

    If she really was the last of that attitude, I'd say it was a good thing.

    Not sure it's the case, though.
    --
    Richard Robinson
    "The whole plan hinged upon the natural curiosity of potatoes" - S. Lem

    My email address is at http://qualmograph.org.uk/contact.html
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2