Koldov

Am I right in thinking this is just basic supply and demand economics (profiteering)? It isn't costing anyone to any more to get the 'natural gas' out of the ground and it isn't costing anymore to pipe/ship it to us. So, whoever is raising the price of the the raw material is just profiting, because demand is high? Also, electricity is costing more because over 50% of it is produced by gas... which means that those companies saying they are 100% green electricity shouldn't be raising the price...? EDIT: Or is the price rise due to an actual shortage (and shortage of commodity=rise in value)...? Sorry to anyone highlighting this as I edit... However, I've seen we get nearly half our gas from the North Sea... https://oguk.org.uk/uks-north-sea-gas-reserves-could-buffer-consumers-against-energy-shortages-and-price-rises/

Didn't think you were...

I was a little miffed I have to say as it requires something from me, but I haven't even been involved. Still at least all the main 'worry' is above my pay-grade and I will absolutely be keeping the emails! What does concern me though is that it just appeared to have come out of the blue without much communication from the the LEA to the school, just a random email one day saying can you give access to your data... What makes it worse is that the original email coming from them stating details about Wonde and Arbor... but, we use Groupcall and SIMS... Once we told them that, we got an email detailing how to install Groupcall Exporter.... No, no, no, we already use Exporter to do the B2B data transfer, why don't you know this...?

Wow! Ok... didn't mean it to be an LGfL bashing thread! However, much I hate to admit it, there is a LOT I don't know about I.T. and I for one am quite glad that for the most part the buck stops with LGfL as our main firewall/filtering provider. A company of their size looking after that many schools should err on the side of caution, as not every school has a massive team (or even 'that one tech') who has a complete mastery of all the dangers lurking on the internet... I know that LGfL have to deal with a lot of schools (some without technicians) who ask for things and yet don't really quite understand the consequences and I'm sure it must be tedious to be asked the same things over and over again (I'm guess I should mention one of my frantic 'internet down' calls to the helpdesk, then after a while of checking the cab I had worked on earlier realising I had obviously nudged a Fibre connecter 1mm out of its socket)... They do offer lots of options as far as I can tell for 'I'm an I.T. genius and can you please stop blocking everything', but I won't be taking up that offer anytime soon. I can't say I'm not confused by the array of options in Webscreen to allow or deny by 'bundles, categories, or local lists' and how sometimes when I think I've blocked or allowed something it doesn't quite have the effect I thought it would, but in general it's OK on a basic level which as a front end is what 'most' schools need.. As far as the ports go, I had to say I was just confused as they appear to be what secure mail (but I guess 'traffic') has to pass through and I guess I just found it strange that it was blocked (because that's the ports secure mail need) and then it confused me as to why all email doesn't need these ports open..... and thought I'd ask the question and expose my own ignorance... If it is open to abuse then I can see the benefit of trying to block it and as a managed service can't see the issue with needing to request a change. I did think of giving you a shout on here @PaddyNewman, but I'm not sure in what capacity you lurk... I'm sure you are busy enough and it feels a bit like 'catching you in the corridor' and we all know that is pet hate of a lot of us I.T. techs.... Cisco Meraki is a strange one... none of the teacher laptops with it on actually report whilst 'in school' but are OK when off the network and yet I can do everything I need to with the Apple iPads as they seem to bypass whatever is being blocked (it actually made me think it was something I'd done on the laptops as they're fairly well locked down)... It never bothered me too much though, as iPads are the only thing I really to need to do anything with in school and when the teacher laptops are in school I can do what I need manually (not that I actually do anything with them in Meraki, it's only on so I can keep statistics on use etc.)... The same is true I believe of the Google/YouTube issue that seems to be able to bypass as well.

I thought the 'Energy Cap' is just a limit on the amount the companies can charge per kWh for the energy they supply. So, if say they wanted to charge 0.25p per kWh the cap might limit them to only 0.24p per kWh... The amounts bandies about by the news that it will rise is for average use in an average household (I'm sure there is a set 'average' figure somewhere), so taking that into consideration the 'average' household will see a rise of about 50% (figure varies) as the price cap per unit is raised. Mine has risen by well over 115%... I think my annual usage this year comes to about £434 (plus standing charges) so probably another £150 on top of that giving me around £584. I've been paying £63 per month direct debit and so ended up in credit. They offered me today a tariff that estimates (I believe based on my usage) that is estimated a yearly spend of £1638.83... What?!

Holy Thread Necro Batman!!! Sorry to ask this again but Atomwide are being a bit slow with their support... I've been battling with trying to get a staff members phone onto our guest wireless so they can get their emails (long story). When I try my phone (iPhone if it matters) it is OK apart from one account (NTL World/Virgin) all the other accounts work fine (Outlook) but they were set up with some sort of auto-discovery magic. I am trying to be a bit hands-off as it is a personal device, but their phone (Android) isn't getting any mail (Internet is OK) so I don't really want to delve into her device settings. I can see from my phone that the NTL World/Virgin account (which I needed to set-up manually is using IMAP and SMTP, ports 993 and 465. Nothing appears to be blocked in Webscreen which I can see from this thread is about right and that LGfL must block these ports on their firewall for some reason. Question is why...? But also I don't know why their email accounts (one of them is Outlook, the others GMail) aren't getting mail either on their Android phone. Could they be set-up to use these ports somehow?

What version of Win10 are you using on this laptop and are the printers networked and how are they deployed/installed? The full version of workarounds necessary (in my experience) are: Package Point and print - Approved servers = Print Server Point and Print Restrictions - Everything enabled including Print Server FQDN. Both installing and updating = Do not show warning or elevation RestrictDriverInstallationToAdministrators - reg edit = 0 RpcAuthnLevelPrivacyEnabled - reg edit = 0 (this is on both clients and the Print Server - not 100% sure it is necessary on both but I ran out of time for testing and left it as this once everything worked). http://www.edugeek.net/forums/windows-10/223374-printing-issues-driver-update-needed-21.html#post1936900 Have you deleted these printers and reinstalled? With the above settings my clients (LTSC 1809) are fully up to date with January CU and printing OK. But strange you are only having issues on certain laptops, any differences in those that can and the one that cannot...? I also didn't think WUSA worked anymore for CUs...? https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/topic/january-11-2022-kb5009557-os-build-17763-2452-c3ee4073-1e7f-488b-86c9-d050672437ae#:~:text=If%20you%20want,system%20after%20installation.

You mean you haven't found the never ending toner, the endless supply of 'free' electricity (if you don't pay for it, it's 'free' for you right?), the stack of brand new, high-spec laptops in the cupboard (along with free replacement screens/keyboards/power supplies), the projectors whose bulbs last forever (even when left on 24/7) and never need dusting, speakers that work without turning them on (ok you never turn them off, I get it, why would you need to turn anything on if you never turn it off), the reams and reams of paper (that doesn't come from actual tress) worksheets you print just for the children to then stick in a paper book... These are all standard issue in a school... apparently, going by the attitudes of a vast majority of teachers here.

If you removed it, have you tried getting the January update - KB5009624 back (download from the Microsoft Update Catalog), as I think(?) you would need that before trying to install KB5010794 (as it was a patch for the January update - so I did them together once the patch came out). If these are cumulative updates is it even worth bothering with Nov 2021 - KB5007247...?

The way I see it (and it is difficult to encompass a moving situation in one infographic) is that you should possibly just take it as it appears in the picture and that is the placement of all parties when the manoeuvre is just about to take place. On the right hand side the cyclist is on the outside of the car (as discussed in this thread the cyclist can be anywhere on the road he wants) it could be that there isn't room on the inside or any number of reasons as to why the cyclist decided to go up the outside... but the car, if it turns now will knock him off. "People cycling passing slower-moving or stationary traffic: The updated code confirms that people cycling may pass slower-moving or stationary traffic on their right or left. They should proceed with caution as people driving may not be able to see them. This is particularly important: on the approach to junctions when deciding whether it is safe to pass lorries or other large vehicles" On the left hand side of the picture the cyclist is coming up on the inside and the car is also going to actually turn into him and knock him off. Of course that in either case, any sensible cyclist should not overtake a car that is indicating to turn on either side and the car driver should be aware of what is around them before turning is common sense. "People cycling are asked to watch out for people driving intending to turn across their path, as people driving ahead may not be able to see them." But the Highway code now states it as a rule that you SHOULD NOT (note 'should not' instead of 'must not') turn in front of them if it will cause them to swerve or stop. It does not remove the need for everyone (including the cyclist) to behave responsibly. IMHO this is not 'breaking the law' but these rules now updated could be used as evidence in court of dangerous driving/without due care and attention. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/the-highway-code-8-changes-you-need-to-know-from-29-january-2022

Not sure where to put this... I have just had a strange email from the Head asking if this is ok... It appears that near the end of January he received an email from our LEA (I have no way of telling if this was legit) saying that they were moving their 'school data systems ' from Capita One (B2B) to EYES... and would we like to be part of the pilot scheme and if so we should agree to the data share from our 'software data platform'...(?) Now the Head replied (without informing me) that yes, we would like to do that. So, today he has now received an email (apparently from someone at Groupcall) thanking him for agreeing to be part of the 'Schools Data Feed pilot' and if he (or someone who has sufficient access rights to the Arbor database) could just log-in and agree to the authorisation request (just for completeness, we don't use Arbor as our MIS - if that's what our 'software data platform' is supposed to mean)... And he has left it until now to ask if this is ok.... Involved: Headmaster LEA Groupcall (Community Brands) Arbor? Not involved: Me I haven't got a clue what's going on!

I have edited the advice on the NHS website to just the relevant information (to the above posts)... When to self-isolate: You should also self-isolate straight away if: someone you live with has symptoms or tested positive (unless you are not required to self-isolate – check below if this applies to you). When you do not need to self-isolate: If you live with or have been in contact with someone with COVID-19, you will not need to self-isolate if any of the following apply: You're fully vaccinated – this means 14 days have passed since your final dose of an approved COVID-19 vaccine. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/self-isolation-and-treatment/when-to-self-isolate-and-what-to-do/ I presume he is fully vaccinated...? The argument over whether this type of behaviour is ethical could follow... but it appears to be 'legal'.

OK, I'm painting with fairly wide brushstrokes here, so please forgive. I have heard it said that 'education is no guarantee of intelligence' (but I guess depending on how you define/quantify intelligence), maybe it's more to do with common sense as a few others have alluded to and there does seem to be a correlation between how long some of them have been 'in education' as opposed to the 'real world' and what type of culture exists there as to whether or not they need to think for themselves (a bit like how they think leaving speakers/projectors on doesn't actually use up electricity/damage components/cost 'real' money). You know, to pass an exam you just have to be proficient at retaining information and regurgitating it. My Grandfather used the phrase 'educated idiots'... and something about 'having a degree and not being able to boil an egg'. But, true story... I spent an hour on the phone on Sunday as 'remote support' for my parents who were having trouble with their laptop. I won't go into the full transcript, but among other issues suffice to say trying to work out if it had power, if it was actually on or off and whether the wi-fi was working and all the lights (and their colours) that needed to be explained was at best challenging and they are both very intelligent (just very new to technology and they are in their 80s)... turns out they were trying to reset the password as it was telling them it was incorrect... I told them that if it was there might be a bigger problem and they probably just had 'Caps Lock' on or something else... turns out the 'N' button on the keyboard wasn't working (in the remote session I asked her to type the password into Notepad). Bit hard for me to fix as they live in Spain... Anyway, a couple of gems from this week: I have used GPO to disable USB mass storage being used (unfortunately I had to allow read access to WPD devices as it was stopping the school phone and iPads being connected to download the photos), but write access is denied (pretty much everything else is denied). Had a couple of strange side effects as I forgot most teachers use the memory card out of their cameras and when I told them to plug in the USB, most of the cameras were configured as... mass storage! I talked through how to change the USB setting on the camera with one particular teacher to allow it to be accessed by the OS and this actually worked OK. But he obviously couldn't delete the photos from within Windows (no write access I guess), so I told him he would just have to delete them from the camera 'manually'. He replied that was acceptable and congratulated me on my 'lateral thinking'... but what I would consider as common sense (I guess he had just never done it that way). The second one is from my 'infamous' mature student teacher... They asked if I could setup the hall to access the internet to play music from a website and show a PowerPoint (we have a computer in there to do this, but most teachers still unplug everything to use their own laptop - and leave it all unplugged afterwards). I picked up on the fact that she said something along the lines of 'because I can't get the internet on the laptop you gave me' and questioned her further... she said it was asking her to sign in... but we don't have anything like that... As I've rambled on and to try and cut a long story somewhat shorter, here is why she couldn't get on the 'internet'... EDIT: Actual screenshot of her minimised browser window...

This has been repeated many times and has become almost 'urban legend' style advice... There probably was some truth in it many years ago, before proper electrical safety of things like cable/fuse or even fire retardant insulation (if you even had any back then) etc...

Well, I didn't even see that (cunning plan by DfE to get us all to hoover up whatever rubbish was still sitting around - or just poor email scanning by myself...?). Still it seems like the HP laptops are the best of a bad bunch and (as mentioned) possibly the best we are going to get (if that's what we get - fingers crossed). What will be annoying is if iPads appear again before March...

Special-K... now I think of it I've known some really dodgy people in my lifetime...oh, wait... actually I was one of those really dodgy people...

Haven't seen much about the HP offering.... any good then?

Ok, well when I go onto the DfE Gov.UK 'Get help with technology' website and sign in I am directed to sign in to the 'Techsource - Computacentre' website... is that right? On there it seems we can only order these as Chromebooks...? Lenovo 300e Chromebook (2nd Gen) - 11.6" - Celeron N4020 - 4 GB RAM - 32 GB eMMC - UK Or these Windows laptops... HP 255 G7 - 15.6" - Athlon Silver 3050U - 4 GB RAM - 128 GB SSD

It seems despite my best efforts the BM and Head really feel the need to order something... they seem to be worried it might look bad if we don't... Also despite my protestations about Chromebooks (as in we can't manage them), Tablets (as in we can't repair them), Laptops (as in I am pretty sure that the issues with Dynabooks will prevent them being any use beyond a month or so), it appears they will make a decision and I will have to deal with it! I guess I had better make room in my E-Waste cupboard and just put them straight in there...

I used to play a game called Bookworm, where you had to find words in a kind of slowly descending wordsearch grid (into fire)! Not sure if it's still about or anywhere to play that is 'safe'...

How did this work out for you? We see the Lenove 300e offered only as Chromebooks...? The only Windows laptops available appear to be these: Dynabook Satellite Pro E10-S-10Q - Intel Celeron N4120 - 4 GB RAM - 64 GB SSD - 11.6" IPS 1366 x 768 (HD) - Wi-Fi, Bluetooth It seems we need to use up our allocation by 5 p.m. today (or lose it?)... The BM is keen but from what I can see available (and from what I see in this thread it might not even be worth the hassle - even if they are 'free')... There are no iPads available as that would have been our first choice, only Windows Tablets, Chromebooks and Windows Laptops. Out of those choices I am leaning towards the laptops (as we don't use Google enough to be worth learning Chromebooks and I have no experience with managing Windows tablets). Also, can I completely wipe them and will they take a full fat Windows install... and how repairable are they?

So, yesterday I came to the end of my previous fixed rate tariff, on which I have been paying £63.06 per month direct debit... I've also somehow managed to accrue £80 of credit! I've had no communication from them as to what is happening, but I presume I will just be dumped onto their standard variable rate. Out of interest I clicked on the new quote 'recommended for you' (I hope that would be the cheapest fixed rate tariff available) and it was £135.59 per month... That's a 115% increase! Kicking myself now as I did look a couple of months ago and it was £84 (but I stupidly thought that was too much)!

Blows my mind (not difficult) every time I read it. It's like I understand the words individually but I have no clue what they mean.... but my bold is the basic understanding I took when we licensed (we have 2 servers and so our MVLSC shows 'Windows Server Standard Core - 32')... "Core licenses are sold in packs of two (a 2-pack of Core Licenses), and packs of 16 (a 16-pack of Core Licenses). Each processor needs to be licensed with a minimum of eight core licenses (four 2-packs). Each physical server, including single-processor servers, will need to be licensed with a minimum of 16 Core Licenses (eight 2-packs or one 16-pack). One core license must be assigned for each physical core on the server. Additional cores can then be licensed in increments of two packs or 16 packs ." EDIT: Server 1 has this - Processor - Intel® Xeon® CPU E5-2440 v2 @ 1.90GHz, 1900 Mhz, 8 Core(s), 16 Logical Processor(s) Server 2 has this - Processor - 2 x Intel® Xeon® CPU E5620 @ 2.40GHz, 2394 Mhz, 4 Core(s), 8 Logical Processor(s) (so 8 Cores, 16 Logical Processors total) I think we are covered (possibly overly so, but if a Physical server needs a minimum of 16 then we couldn't get any less)? Hopefully someone else can translate MS to English...

Thing is, I didn't understand the point of that mode because I was subconsciously doing it myself anyway, as I wasn't typing in random words to find letters (it didn't occur to me and I didn't know that was a way to play it - I'd be too worried about using up all my guesses and not finding enough letters).

I think @LeMarchand alluded to this... Unless I've got it completely wrong and was talking about 'mobile phones' or some other type of device...