MoD spent £40,000 on calling speaking clock
Emerald Time is a cracking app for those with iThingys; free on the itunes app store, takes readings from a number of Internet time signals, discards the least accurate, averages the rest and then tells you by how much this differs from your internal clock (Apple wont let the app update your device time and you will be surprised by how far out it can get before it automatically updates).
Haven't found a similar app for android yet.
Personally I just rely on the time on my Breitling as it takes months to lose even a second
Haven't found a similar app for android yet.
Personally I just rely on the time on my Breitling as it takes months to lose even a second
I remember my "time" in MOD PE in the '70's. A mix of Civil Servants and military personnel who, by and large, got on fairly well. I also remember being told, shortly after arrival, that I should always appear to be busy at my desk. It took me a while to realise that my futile attempts at "paper-pushing" were as nothing compared to my more experienced "desk-masters" who were able to (apparently) converse with contractors and other departments for extended periods by telephone!!! Is it still the same? The clock was pretty good even then!
While I can see the logic of its simple utility in the UK, I'm a bit surprised that calling the speaking clock is, it seems, in normal use.
Given the mantra is typically 'train as you fight', how does using a time reference that will not be available (accurately) when deployed (when you might actually be on real ops) provide realistic training?
Given the mantra is typically 'train as you fight', how does using a time reference that will not be available (accurately) when deployed (when you might actually be on real ops) provide realistic training?
Bill
I'm not quite of your (very fine) vintage but this rings bells. Particularly the relationship between CS and Services. In bygone days there was a better understanding, primarily because many CS were ex-Service, and those still serving were not so frequently the square pegs in round holes that is common place today, parachuted into posts to the exclusion of CS who have been trained for the job, but who are no longer replaced.
But, the answer to your question, today, is no, but for a very odd reason. When the move from London to AbbeyWood took place, we turned up in Bristol only to be told that no arrangements whatsoever had been made to deal with contractors. No external e-mails, out or in, were permitted and, at first, we didn't have "level 9" phones. In fact, I didn't have a phone as all my personal possessions had been "lost in transit" from London. Never did get them back. Nor were meeting rooms provided, except one 4-man room per floor plate; which in our case catered for at least 6 major projects and scores of lesser (under £100M) ones. Nor were there clocks, except on the obsolescent PCs, which seldom worked. I acquired one by getting a workshop to demand one through RN stores. For a while we were the only floor plate to have one. Which may explain this thread subject. A clock? A phone? What novelties! How do they work? What, you can kill two birds with one stone? By the way, knowing the time was very important, because the much vaunted rail infrastructure arranged by MoD (British Rail Filton-AbbeyWood) consisted on one train at 1715. If you missed it, tough. And they wondered why the car park was full by 0730.
The welcoming team, a mix of non-PE civil servants and contractors, inexplicably called "Eagle Teams", were completely gobsmacked at the concept of an organisation which spent £8Bn a year on equipment actually wanting to speak to those they had contracts with. It wasn't in their contract, so they hadn't provided the capability. For similar reasons, our travel and subsistence budgets had been chopped to nothing. The basic premise of the whole move being; you are all together now, so why do you need to travel or speak to anyone outside AbbeyWood?
Over the years things didn't really improve and many of the most productive meetings/negotiations took place in the local hostelries. We were a laughing stock. Security was non-existent. For months our Top Secret documents "storage" was a 4-foot high pile in the middle of the floor next to the heads. The final straw was during negotiations for a major aircraft contract. The contractor's programme leader was given his own desk and MoD PC, with full access to all AbbeyWood networks. He was routinely sent communications from our commercial and finance people discussing their strategy.
And then it got worse when the consultants started pitching up! Most act as if they own the place. Be glad you are retired.
I remember my "time" in MOD PE in the '70's. A mix of Civil Servants and military personnel who, by and large, got on fairly well. I also remember being told, shortly after arrival, that I should always appear to be busy at my desk. It took me a while to realise that my futile attempts at "paper-pushing" were as nothing compared to my more experienced "desk-masters" who were able to (apparently) converse with contractors and other departments for extended periods by telephone!!! Is it still the same? The clock was pretty good even then!
I'm not quite of your (very fine) vintage but this rings bells. Particularly the relationship between CS and Services. In bygone days there was a better understanding, primarily because many CS were ex-Service, and those still serving were not so frequently the square pegs in round holes that is common place today, parachuted into posts to the exclusion of CS who have been trained for the job, but who are no longer replaced.
But, the answer to your question, today, is no, but for a very odd reason. When the move from London to AbbeyWood took place, we turned up in Bristol only to be told that no arrangements whatsoever had been made to deal with contractors. No external e-mails, out or in, were permitted and, at first, we didn't have "level 9" phones. In fact, I didn't have a phone as all my personal possessions had been "lost in transit" from London. Never did get them back. Nor were meeting rooms provided, except one 4-man room per floor plate; which in our case catered for at least 6 major projects and scores of lesser (under £100M) ones. Nor were there clocks, except on the obsolescent PCs, which seldom worked. I acquired one by getting a workshop to demand one through RN stores. For a while we were the only floor plate to have one. Which may explain this thread subject. A clock? A phone? What novelties! How do they work? What, you can kill two birds with one stone? By the way, knowing the time was very important, because the much vaunted rail infrastructure arranged by MoD (British Rail Filton-AbbeyWood) consisted on one train at 1715. If you missed it, tough. And they wondered why the car park was full by 0730.
The welcoming team, a mix of non-PE civil servants and contractors, inexplicably called "Eagle Teams", were completely gobsmacked at the concept of an organisation which spent £8Bn a year on equipment actually wanting to speak to those they had contracts with. It wasn't in their contract, so they hadn't provided the capability. For similar reasons, our travel and subsistence budgets had been chopped to nothing. The basic premise of the whole move being; you are all together now, so why do you need to travel or speak to anyone outside AbbeyWood?
Over the years things didn't really improve and many of the most productive meetings/negotiations took place in the local hostelries. We were a laughing stock. Security was non-existent. For months our Top Secret documents "storage" was a 4-foot high pile in the middle of the floor next to the heads. The final straw was during negotiations for a major aircraft contract. The contractor's programme leader was given his own desk and MoD PC, with full access to all AbbeyWood networks. He was routinely sent communications from our commercial and finance people discussing their strategy.
And then it got worse when the consultants started pitching up! Most act as if they own the place. Be glad you are retired.
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TomJoad
USS Saratoga exercising in the channel is short of avgas so their aircraft are refuelling at Thorney Island and tanking fuel back to mother at the end of the day.
"Thorney tower what time does your field close sir? Navy xyz"
"Navy xyz our station closes at 1600Z"
"What's this Zulu, is that local or what?" (It's August local is Alfa)
"Navy xyz our station closes at 1600Z"
"So I guess 4.00 o'clock is the time you Limies have your afternoon tea"
- as someone more qualified than me once said "time is relative".
"Thorney tower what time does your field close sir? Navy xyz"
"Navy xyz our station closes at 1600Z"
"What's this Zulu, is that local or what?" (It's August local is Alfa)
"Navy xyz our station closes at 1600Z"
"So I guess 4.00 o'clock is the time you Limies have your afternoon tea"
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The speaking clock is not cheap! While researching a good phone deal for my father's room in his nursing home, I came across the story of an old dear who ran up a phone bill of many thousands caused by listening to the speaking clock all day every day.
As an aside, Dad's nursing home recommended a receive only line to ensure that outside calls were controlled - the manageress recounted the tale of the old chap at the home who liked fire engines and so frequently called them out until his phone was confiscated!
As an aside, Dad's nursing home recommended a receive only line to ensure that outside calls were controlled - the manageress recounted the tale of the old chap at the home who liked fire engines and so frequently called them out until his phone was confiscated!
I remember my "time" in MOD PE in the '70's. A mix of Civil Servants and military personnel who, by and large, got on fairly well. I also remember being told, shortly after arrival, that I should always appear to be busy at my desk. It took me a while to realise that my futile attempts at "paper-pushing" were as nothing compared to my more experienced "desk-masters" who were able to (apparently) converse with contractors and other departments for extended periods by telephone!!! Is it still the same? The clock was pretty good even then!
Exactly. Just how do people 'look busy' when they hear the boss on route?. Of course dial 'TIM' and have a long involved conversation with him (or is it her nowadays?). Boss gets fed up of waiting and dumps the dross on someone else's desk. Easy.
Apparently ringing 'TIM' is very popular with call centre workers about 5 or 10 minutes before they clock off (how apt) to avoid receiving a long involved phone call from a customer which would make them late knocking off!! So never ring a call centre just before 5.00pm (or whatever other time they change shifts) unless you want to hear 'muzak' for an extended period.
Given the mantra is typically 'train as you fight', how does using a time reference that will not be available (accurately) when deployed (when you might actually be on real ops) provide realistic training?
In the UK I can go weeks without getting anywhere near an aircraft!
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It took me a while to realise that my futile attempts at "paper-pushing" were as nothing compared to my more experienced "desk-masters" who were able to (apparently) converse with contractors and other departments for extended periods by telephone!!! Is it still the same? The clock was pretty good even then!
Last edited by NutLoose; 25th Aug 2013 at 15:56.
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First piece of advice I received when I arrived at a major MU near Chester was to get myself a clipboard. I ran a small team servicing F4 CADC, all bar one were civvies, knew their job inside out and needed little supervising so as a result there were occassional 'quiet' times for me...clipboard and pen time. Walk around the squadron stopping occassionally to look interested with something and scribble somethng down.
My WO used to wander out of his office at certain times of day for a look around. This was signalled by two rings on my phone which meant I was clipboard and penning around the section staying far enough ahead of him to avoid 'Ah, if you're not busy could you take a couple of blokes and do this /insert **** job/?'
It was known as 'being on the clip'. Some of us, not me obviously, used to have a competition to see who could physically hide for the longest amount of time without it being noticed. Guys used to hide in cupboards, on racks in stores, one guy used to remove the ceiling tiles and climb up into the roof space.
All good initiative building stuff.
My WO used to wander out of his office at certain times of day for a look around. This was signalled by two rings on my phone which meant I was clipboard and penning around the section staying far enough ahead of him to avoid 'Ah, if you're not busy could you take a couple of blokes and do this /insert **** job/?'
It was known as 'being on the clip'. Some of us, not me obviously, used to have a competition to see who could physically hide for the longest amount of time without it being noticed. Guys used to hide in cupboards, on racks in stores, one guy used to remove the ceiling tiles and climb up into the roof space.
All good initiative building stuff.
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Bit OT but I've just reminded myself of my school days. My 6th form tutor was a kindly old classics duffer (I didn't do classics by the way, he was just our year tutor). A favourite trick of my pal and I was to turn up for our daily class 'stay drug and women free' talk and sit next to the window.
When he was in full flow with fingers together looking at the ceiling we would roll out of the window and turn up breathless at the class door with a 'sorry we're late sir', he would wave us to our seat and carry on. Five minutes later we would do the same, the look of confusion on his face was priceless.
Anyway, carry on.
When he was in full flow with fingers together looking at the ceiling we would roll out of the window and turn up breathless at the class door with a 'sorry we're late sir', he would wave us to our seat and carry on. Five minutes later we would do the same, the look of confusion on his face was priceless.
Anyway, carry on.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
thing, massive thread drift but on one sqn we 'lost' a guy for the week. He was actually on leave but his leave pass was missing and he wasn't on the board.
On keeping busy, one day we had a sqn bull day pre AOCs. On £20k a year I was *******d if I was going to do a cleaning job. I brought Mrs PNs long handled feather duster to work and drifted round the hangar all day looking busy
On keeping busy, one day we had a sqn bull day pre AOCs. On £20k a year I was *******d if I was going to do a cleaning job. I brought Mrs PNs long handled feather duster to work and drifted round the hangar all day looking busy
PN,
Respect, as a techie I would have loved to have seen your performance. I do hope that modern personnel are not doing the bull still.
Smudge
Respect, as a techie I would have loved to have seen your performance. I do hope that modern personnel are not doing the bull still.
Smudge
Last edited by smujsmith; 25th Aug 2013 at 19:42.
