Wednesday, December 24

The last three days were largely taken up with changing from TalkTalk to O2 as ISP, a decision taken on the grounds of speed. Its definitely faster, but their helpline was totally useless. Every machine on the network had to be set up individually by connecting it to the supplied router and running the O2 software on it, and Lindsay's computer didn't recognise the ISP. I thought it might be a fault on the ethernet cable, which runs through the window frame of my room, along the back of the house and in her window frame, so I tried using another ethernet cable inside the house and when that didn't work, got JW to move Lindsay's machine into my office so we could use the short yellow cable supplied with the router. When that didn't work either and I telephoned O2 helpline, after a lot of humming and haaing they finally admitted there was a fault at their end, which they rectified. They weren't prepared to offer any advice on how devices sould be connected via a hub, or how the NAS storage device should be connected. It turned out that once a machine had been recognised by connecting it directly to the router, it could then be linked via the hub - just as well since the router only has four ports. The NAS was recognised by the router and I left it attached though it would probably be happy being connected via the hub too.

One residual problem is that my laptop, and one desktop, connected to the network wirelessly, see each other but not the ones that are linked by cable.

This galvanised me into a partial reorganisation of my office. We don't use fax nowadays so I'm getting rid of the bulky HP All-in-one that sat on top of the filing cabinet, and cancelling the telephone connection, saving £20 a month. There's an IT recycling outfit on Coldharbour Lane that accepts old kit, so I hope to get rid of the HP, the old router and some other bits and pieces after the Christmas shutdown.

Sunday I visited Rosalind O-Reilly, who retired from the Lords Library in 1982 abd is now in a nursing home in Pimlico. It seemed to be well-run and clean, and the staff were kind and attentiveto the needs of the residents, who were in the dayroom after their lunch, but Oh dear, what a dreary existence! Ros said she didn't get bored, but she doesn't read, and her only regular visitor is a brother who comes up once a month from Shropshire. She isn't able to get up from the chair, let alone to move about, without assistance, and there seemed to be very little social interaction between the residents, only one of whom was mobile.