There has been a huge amount of hot air and affront in the UK recently, mainly aimed at people "misgendering" other people. This is, apparently, when some servitor calls someone "Mr" when said customer has decided to become female (or "a bloke wearing a wig" as one councillor called another recently). Now I really do not care about people´s proclivities, providing they don´t interfere with me (no pun intended)´, but I do object to people objecting to other people making easy "mistakes" in referring to them - and then taking umbrage about it. As Nike would have it, if you must, Just Do It - and say to hell with the world (like that weird potter who dresses like a little girl), but don´t "Do It" and expect 99% of the regular world to play along with your fantasy.
Why do I wish to comment on this? What is the cunning segué?
Well, today (or actually a couple of weeks ago) I accidentally "misgendered" an aerial on one of my security cameras. A heavy bird(?) had settled upon it, or a strong wind had blown it, or it had read something about being whatever you want to be - anyway, the aerial was found in the path with its little cord severed - and I am bad enough at regular soldering to know that micro (<1mm) co-ax cable is WAY beyond repair.
Now I have a variety of security cameras and have a box of bits left over from the early ones that went "belly up" - mostly Foscam as they were offering WiFi connected cameras connecting to a Mac software app (SecuritySpy) years before anyone else started to think about it. Nowadays I have 3 lots - Foscam, QZT and Tapo. The disconnected one was a QZT. Anyway, no matter, I have a box of aerial bits from the dead cameras and pulled one out to fix things. Wrong.
After a couple of attempted screw-ins, I realised that I was using a male aerial to connect to a male camera - no funciona! Checked all bits in the box and I only have male aerial. Online to Amazon and order a pair of female-connecting aerials. All very easy until they used Paack to transport them - and 3 aborted deliveries later, they returned them to Amazon saying the address was "wrong". I duly reemed out Amazon and Paack and within 48hours Correos had delivered (thanks to Antionio) 2 new females connectors.
Whizzed out to garden and installed new aerial. No funciona. Reset App. Powered camera off and on. Todavia no funciona!
Removed said aerial and AAAgh!!! discovered to my (and probably the camera´s) horror, that the "male bit" of the joint had been pulled out by the female bit. Not good. But then, hmmm. What if the male bit was from the old aerial and I really need a male aerial?? Tried one of the old spare males (black, so not pale, stale and male) and yippee it all works again.
So there you go - misgendering is not just about people - it can have a far greater impact - especially on my cameras.
** and by the way, the Tapos are far the best as they are about 40€ (v Foscam at 150€) and come with an App which also works on TP intelligent plugs and TP intelligent light bulbs and things. I know, I know, everyone in China will be able to access the schedule for my electric blanket and see pictures of the cat eating biscuits, but I think value for money overrides national security in this case.
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