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Durdle

Mugger Stats

  • Member Type: Mugger
  • Profile Views: 3,019 views
  • Friends: 14 friends
  • Last Update: 4 hours ago
  • Joined: April 11, 2016

Mugger Details

  • Screen Name* Durdle
  • Gender* Male
  • Where do you live? Southern England
  • About Me: Single, ov­er-60, SW ­England re­sident, wi­th fairly ­wide range­ of intere­sts & ­musical ta­stes - but­ I'd be no­ good in a­ pub quiz ­'cos I kno­w very lit­tle about ­TV, gadget­s called i­-something­, competit­ive sports­, many ent­ertainment­s & &q­uot;so-cal­led celebr­ities!

    Was on EP,­ but left ­it long be­fore it cl­osed. Won'­t touch Fa­cebook &am­p; its ilk­.

    "Adul­t" th­emes: quit­e broad-mi­nded, like­ nudity bu­t not porn­ography. A­gainst cru­elty, and ­consider s­panking as­ a game fo­r consenti­ng adults ­only.
  • Activity
    • About
    • Discussions (20)
    • Replies (2044)
    • Friends (14)
    • Joined Groups (7)
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  • Durdle
    Durdle replied to Anyone see the movie "The Madness of King George"? He alternated between bouts of confusion and near-violent outbursts of temper. STRANGE?:
    King George III was NOT "mad".Despite popular myth reinforced by a film.He was not mentally-ill (what Slartibartfast dismisses as "feeble-minded" and "inbred") in any psychiatric sense. Although his own doctors could not have known what was actually wrong...  moreKing George III was NOT "mad".Despite popular myth reinforced by a film.He was not mentally-ill (what Slartibartfast dismisses as "feeble-minded" and "inbred") in any psychiatric sense. Although his own doctors could not have known what was actually wrong, still less treat him, they left detailed case-notes. Modern doctors have deduced from these that he suffered from a rare physical condition whose effects do include powerful mood swings, but he was not psychologically ill. All his own, 18C, physicians knew were emetics, purges, blood-letting and medicines-by-guess. However they also prescribed sea-bathing, which did nothing to treat the disease but also did nothing to harm him further! His prescribed excursion to the seaside away from the grime and smoke of London also put on the must-go-to map the town of Weymouth, or more accurately its neighbour Melcombe, which gained the Regis suffix as a reward and became as it continues, a busy seaside resort.Where that lesson in British history ...    less
    • 4 hours ago
  • Durdle
    Durdle replied to Used to be folks in waiting rooms would read books, newspapers, magazines. Not today. Everyone is hooked up to a CELL PHONE. Except me. You?:
    Me neither! Some waiting rooms I have known, hold reasonable literature interesting to both sexes, such as the National Trust's glossy magazine. In others it's either none at all, or old copies of women's "celebrity" magazines like OK.My local surger...  moreMe neither! Some waiting rooms I have known, hold reasonable literature interesting to both sexes, such as the National Trust's glossy magazine. In others it's either none at all, or old copies of women's "celebrity" magazines like OK.My local surgery when I lived near it, often had copies of the County magazines. These are expensive glossies aimed at the wealthy "off-cumdens" to the county in question: rich London retirees and the second-home-buying Canary Wharf set and their like, stereotypically wearing green wellies and cloth caps, and driving Tarquin and Fi-Fi from school to ballet-lesson in top-range, Range-Rovers. The bidets alone in the advertised homes would cost as much as my good, though second-hand, car! The irony was that the health-centre in question serves what is recognised as one of the poorest areas of a County in which house prices are inflated  beyond local reach partly by the County-mag-types.  less
    • 5 hours ago
  • Durdle
    Durdle replied to Is curbside recycling dying in YOUR neighborhood? Reason given is that it is TOO COSTLY TO CONTINUE. Still curbside recycle where you live??:
    Thriving here, and my own County prides itself on being among the UK's best at it.Fortnightly for salvageable: paper, card, glass, metals and plastics (all in one bin); the alternating fortnights for land-fill waste that cannot be recovered. Nei...  moreThriving here, and my own County prides itself on being among the UK's best at it.Fortnightly for salvageable: paper, card, glass, metals and plastics (all in one bin); the alternating fortnights for land-fill waste that cannot be recovered. Neither of these is intended for food waste, which is collected separately again. I don't know when because what little food waste I produce is almost all vegetable material which I put on the garden compost-heap.Larger items - including electrical scrap, waste oil, old furniture and garden waste - can be collected but I am not sure if the Council offers that service. It does though operate 7-day/week public skip yards for such waste.+++The real problem we do have in the UK is with fly-tipping by criminals , some working as organised gangs, and they can be dangerous people, too. If you have to use a waste-collection company, which charges for its services, it has to abide by very strict disposal-control laws and those laws also mean yo...    less
    • 5 hours ago
  • Durdle
    Durdle replied to Why "Democratic" Socialist? Why not just Socialist?. Are there Republican/Libertarian Socialists?:
    It depends very much on who uses the term, and why.In Europe it developed from making a very clear distinction between democratic Western countries that elect Left-wing governments by public ballot (such as Britain when the Labour is the Governmental Part...  moreIt depends very much on who uses the term, and why.In Europe it developed from making a very clear distinction between democratic Western countries that elect Left-wing governments by public ballot (such as Britain when the Labour is the Governmental Party), and the old Eastern bloc ruled by the Communist Party under the name "Union of Soviet Socialist Republics".Actually the term is not normally used in British and European politics except when contrasting its own Left with far-Left tyrannies - we just do not need to do so.  Our Labour Party and its Continental compatriots are  "socialist" by ideology but within democracies that can vote them out of office just as easily as having elected them.              It is a distinction easy to blur, but I can see the phrase being useful to a politician in the USA trying to campaign on even quite moderate socialist ideology, in a country that seems terrified of the State providing anything ev...    less
    • 6 hours ago
  • Durdle
    Durdle replied to Socialism benefitting the wealthy is a GREAT GOOD. Socialism benefitting those in need of help? Handouts to lazy bums. GET IT?:
    Errr, that's  not "socialism" - not to a foreigner like me.... Or have US politicians have reversed its meaning for their own purposes in the USA?(I know Right and Left seem to have unique meanings in the US, though I've never understood fully what t...  moreErrr, that's  not "socialism" - not to a foreigner like me.... Or have US politicians have reversed its meaning for their own purposes in the USA?(I know Right and Left seem to have unique meanings in the US, though I've never understood fully what those are!)Socialism proper, in a democratic sense rather than as the USSR used to use word, so such as that of Britain's Labour Party and similar Left-wing parties elsewhere by European definition, is intended to help the poor and provide universal benefits such as health, education and State-pensions services. It raises the  money for this by taxing the wealthy more than the less well-off.At a deeper level socialism also has places public services such as the railways and utilities under State ownership, and there are many in the UK who want that "nationalisation" back for frankly very understandable reasons even if not necessarily supporting the principle.So to me, it's the opposite to your question! :-)   less
    • 6 hours ago
  • Durdle
    Durdle replied to "Bats for sale in Indonesian market despte Coronavirus warning". Do bats cause it? Ever buy a bat? To eat or pet?:
    They might carry the disease, but that's not the same as causing it, and then there has to be a way for the virus to be passed on. This latest illness seems to be more contagious that infectious, so poor hygiene in handling the unfortunate creatures would...  moreThey might carry the disease, but that's not the same as causing it, and then there has to be a way for the virus to be passed on. This latest illness seems to be more contagious that infectious, so poor hygiene in handling the unfortunate creatures would be very helpful to the virus.As for why the bats are on sale, that's another matter... For food I imagine, though there can't be much meat on one. You can't make pets of them.  
    • 6 hours ago
  • Durdle
    Durdle replied to The POTUS want to nuke hurricanes. What do we do?:
    Tell him not to be so stupid!Quite apart from the dubious rights and obvious wrongs, it would have to be a very powerful bomb indeed to disrupt a massive cyclonic weather-system such as a hurricane. Even relatively benign depressions and anticyclones...  moreTell him not to be so stupid!Quite apart from the dubious rights and obvious wrongs, it would have to be a very powerful bomb indeed to disrupt a massive cyclonic weather-system such as a hurricane. Even relatively benign depressions and anticyclones use far more energy than an "ordinary" nuclear bomb, and cover a vastly greater area than that of the nuclear blast's effective range.  
    • February 10
  • Durdle
    Durdle replied to Why are fingertips so tactile?:
    To act as sense organs so your brain can control your hands.
    • February 10
  • Durdle
    Durdle replied to Have you ever been reduced to using dish washing liquid in the dishwasher?:
    Well, given that my dishwasher is a polythene bowl and a plastic brush, powered by my muscles....
    • February 10
  • Durdle
    Durdle replied to What type of floors do you have in your home?:
    The one I am surprised you have not listed, given that it is one of the most common types, and at least 100 years old:  - Tongue-and grooved floorboards nailed to joists that either bridge without touching the ground on which the building stands, or ...  moreThe one I am surprised you have not listed, given that it is one of the most common types, and at least 100 years old:  - Tongue-and grooved floorboards nailed to joists that either bridge without touching the ground on which the building stands, or are also the suspension for the ceiling of the room below.My first home's ground floor was either solid concrete or much more likely, stone slabs covered with mortar. Its first-floor's floorboards were plain edged, and those in the bathroom were so rough that I could really only cover them with hardboard sealed with polyurethane varnish. (On the advice of my Dad, a scientist by profession but also very practical and a very good craftsman.)   less
    • February 10
  • Durdle
    Durdle replied to If androids dream of electric sheep, what do iPhones dream of?:
    Electric fruit.
    • February 10
  • Durdle
    Durdle replied to Do you have a favorite font, a lucky letter, preferred prose, selected syntax or best brochure? ~:
    For books, newspapers etc, serif fonts such as Times Roman, Baskerville and Garamond. Not sans-serif fonts like Ariel, which have a place in signs, diagram annotations, text-messages and similar uses.Although it is subjective, generally, discree...  moreFor books, newspapers etc, serif fonts such as Times Roman, Baskerville and Garamond. Not sans-serif fonts like Ariel, which have a place in signs, diagram annotations, text-messages and similar uses.Although it is subjective, generally, discreetly-serif fonts are easier on the eye when in a solid block of text.My least favourite - one I find downright ugly, cheap and tacky-looking -  is Century Gothic, a sans-serif face characterised by very thin lines, no tails and the letter "t" being a bland cross. I call it "American Kindergarten" from seeing it first in printed material from the USA, which uses the term 'kindergarten', and it resembling an infants'-school pupil's first writing.The daftest though, is the "corporate font" nonsense of a company not merely using a single font available to anyone, but paying some parasitical "branding consultancy" £umpteen-000 to invent its own. One of my past employers fell for that. Whilst we all had it on our office PCs, if ...    less
    • February 10
  • Durdle
    Durdle replied to I have a problem. When I go to get on Answermug or anything internet, the prompt says It won't connect. WHY??? Do I have to buy a new one:
    A fault with the equipment itself, or software, would affect all use, not a single website.I have had problems with some sites but those proved to be the owners not having up-dated them to meet current security protocols - it says.  
    • February 10
  • Durdle
    Durdle replied to Ever visit THE PETRIFIED FOREST in Arizona? Buried tree trunks have been turned to STONE by mineral-laden water. Ever see a petrified tree?:
    My piece has broken ends but I do intend to trim and polish it, to reveal whatever growth-rings or opal it holds.
    • February 10
  • Durdle
    Durdle replied to Would you ride in a self-driving car?:
    Not if I can help it!They are still far from being entirely reliable, practical and trustworthy in all traffic conditions; although one has just been successful tested over a long distance, in the UK.For  now at least they still seem to need a r...  moreNot if I can help it!They are still far from being entirely reliable, practical and trustworthy in all traffic conditions; although one has just been successful tested over a long distance, in the UK.For  now at least they still seem to need a real person ready to take over if necessary, so you may as well do all the driving.  
    • February 9
  • Durdle
    Durdle replied to Train, car, airplane or stupid peasant bus? :
    I have had to use aeroplanes a few times, I have used trains more often, I use my car frequently, I use buses frequently....;.. but "stupid peasant buses"? I can honestly say I have never encountered, let alone used, such a vehicle!  Do they even exist?
    • February 9
  • Durdle
    Durdle replied to How long has it been since you last did any homework? Years? Decades? A previous life? ~:
    About 20 years probably - for a part-time course leading to an exam; but as an adult student. I left school half a century ago!
    • February 9
  • Durdle
    Durdle replied to Do you think the HITLERS of the world see themselves as EVIL or as crusaders who are routing it out? What do YOU think is most evil?:
    They do not seem themselves as evil or they would  not act as they do.As to individual examples.. well, I can't answer that but I am sure there are plenty.
    • February 9
  • Durdle
    Durdle replied to Ever visit THE PETRIFIED FOREST in Arizona? Buried tree trunks have been turned to STONE by mineral-laden water. Ever see a petrified tree?:
    I can only really answer the literal question there! Yes, thanks to the geological setting of where I live I have seen fossil tree-trunk parts and fossils of algae accumulations that once surrounded dead trees. I even have a small piece of fossil tre...  moreI can only really answer the literal question there! Yes, thanks to the geological setting of where I live I have seen fossil tree-trunk parts and fossils of algae accumulations that once surrounded dead trees. I even have a small piece of fossil tree-trunk or branch. (I found it among some quarry waste.)On the figurative side, I think a terrified person can overcome that fear but it obviously depends on the situation and individual.  
    • February 9
  • Durdle
    Durdle replied to So someone accuses you of using your religious beliefs as a CRUTCH would you think he uses his similarly or he has none to use?:
    I don't know what inspired you there, Rosie, but don't forget that the most bitter intolerance is often between followers of different religions, or even of sects of the same religion.  Also someone with no religious beliefs ...  moreI don't know what inspired you there, Rosie, but don't forget that the most bitter intolerance is often between followers of different religions, or even of sects of the same religion.  Also someone with no religious beliefs would logically be neutral so would not attack anyone else.    
    • February 9
  • Durdle
    Durdle replied to Socialism comes with different labels. For the wealthy it is called TAX CUTS. For the poor it is called WELFARE. Same thing isn't it?:
    No, because Socialism calls for increasing taxes, not cutting, taxes on the wealthy, in order to raise money to help the poor!
    • February 9
  • Durdle
    Durdle replied to Bias is inevitable whether it be gender or age or social status or religion or politics. How do you escape supporting people like YOU?:
    We are by nature herd animals, and tend to go for herds within herds.However, we can go a long away to avoiding the problem you cite,  by seeking to understand others' beliefs, etc..
    • February 9
  • Durdle
    Durdle replied to I wonder where and when the use of acronyms began?:
    No, I did think what I was writing, and did not mean it exclusively for physicists.I gave that example purely as that - an example of abbreviations to avoid very unwieldy text constructions. Although it was from Acoustics (the science of sound and vi...  moreNo, I did think what I was writing, and did not mean it exclusively for physicists.I gave that example purely as that - an example of abbreviations to avoid very unwieldy text constructions. Although it was from Acoustics (the science of sound and vibration), I did not intend it as a lesson on that subject.If you were to write that lot in full, it would become ridiculous because the Pascal (unit of pressure) in the middle of it all, is itself a complex, compound unit!  
    • February 9
  • Durdle
    Durdle replied to What's the deal with witches and broomsticks?:
    In what way?
    • February 9
  • Durdle
    Durdle replied to What are some jobs or professions that will no longer exist once global warming has finally been eradicated? ~:
    For a change I am going to give a straight answer... Given the huge  majority that does believe in Climate Change (not "global warming") at least influenced if not caused by human activities... (Whether rightly or wrongly only time will tell.) Design...  moreFor a change I am going to give a straight answer... Given the huge  majority that does believe in Climate Change (not "global warming") at least influenced if not caused by human activities... (Whether rightly or wrongly only time will tell.) Designing and building Internal Combustion Engines.  Certainly in BritainThe UK Government has just brought forwards ending the sales of new petrol, diesel and even hybrid, vehicles, from 2040 to 2045. I think  Norway is even ahead of that, but it's a lot easier there, and for a start has no car-building industry. It will affect imports as well as domestic manufacture."By "vehicles" I do not know if that just means cars and light vans or includes HGVs, buses and industrial and agricultural plant.    less
    • February 5
  • Durdle
    Durdle replied to I wonder where and when the use of acronyms began?:
    Perhaps STEM is a purely British thing, and it refers to technical subjects within school curriculae.All trades and professions have their "lingo" but it's not all abbreviated, though sometimes it needs to be to avoid frankly unwieldy constructi...  morePerhaps STEM is a purely British thing, and it refers to technical subjects within school curriculae.All trades and professions have their "lingo" but it's not all abbreviated, though sometimes it needs to be to avoid frankly unwieldy constructions.This is perhaps the most unwieldy I have seen. I found it in an inherited text-book on measuring sound, and discovered that it is the standard unit in science and industry for quoting the sensitivity of hydrophones (underwater microphones): The value is a count of so-many deciBels referred to 1Volt per micro-Pascal. (Don't worry if you don't understand it. It took me ages to gain some idea what it means, even though I am old enough to have used logarithms at school - deciBels are logarithmic.)No, you  can hardly expect a scientist to keep typing that lot, so it is shortened to:so-many dB re1V/µPaThe "so-many" is a large negative number, like -200, too. The "µ" sign is the Greek letter "mu", and standard for...    less
    • February 5
  • Durdle
    Durdle replied to What job is safest and which is most dangerous? Would you want to have either one of them?:
    The occupations listed among the most hazardous include building, deep-sea fishing and farming. You could say office work is among the safest, if you ignore the traffic hazards in commuting, but they do have stealthier hazards to health such as ...  moreThe occupations listed among the most hazardous include building, deep-sea fishing and farming. You could say office work is among the safest, if you ignore the traffic hazards in commuting, but they do have stealthier hazards to health such as RSI, eye-strain and obesity. The problem comes if you start to analyse these further, because you then start considering the risks as well as the hazards.  
    • February 4
  • Durdle
    Durdle replied to I wonder where and when the use of acronyms began?:
    They go back years, but I'd hazard a guess they started either in the Armed Services or science.I've always thought there is a difference between an abbreviation and an acronym though. The abbreviation is just one or more letters like "m" (metre),&nb...  moreThey go back years, but I'd hazard a guess they started either in the Armed Services or science.I've always thought there is a difference between an abbreviation and an acronym though. The abbreviation is just one or more letters like "m" (metre), "USA" or mph ( miles per hour). The acronym is an abbreviation that forms a contrived but enunciable "word" like your examples; or a real word contrived to form an abbreviation. E.g. "STEM" - I don't know if it's used in America but it is used in British education, and stands for "Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics", making me suspect that woolly word "Technology" is there to form the snappy word "STEM"!  less
    • February 4
  • Durdle
    Durdle replied to What church or other place of worship is located nearest your house/home? Have you ever attended a service there?:
    Nearest is a Methodist Church but I visit only its hall, for the occasional coffee-morning and when it is my polling-station on election days.Otherwise the local Anglican Church, and I have been to services there but not for years. I'm not a church-goer -...  moreNearest is a Methodist Church but I visit only its hall, for the occasional coffee-morning and when it is my polling-station on election days.Otherwise the local Anglican Church, and I have been to services there but not for years. I'm not a church-goer - though did attend a Salvation Army funeral of a friend last week!  
    • January 28
  • Durdle
    Durdle replied to Why were dinosaurs so big?:
    By no means all were very large, but size may have helped the largest, which were herbivores.
    • January 23
  • Durdle
    Durdle replied to Did dinosaurs have a separate brain in their behinds?:
    A ganglion, perhaps, but not a brain.
    • January 23
  • Durdle
    Durdle replied to What was the last appliance you had to replace in your home?:
    Washing-machine. It had been given to me by sister, around the time I was setting up my own home. The seal on its pump had failed, flooding the pump motor. Rather than investigating having it repaired her husband only went and bought a new one! ...  moreWashing-machine. It had been given to me by sister, around the time I was setting up my own home. The seal on its pump had failed, flooding the pump motor. Rather than investigating having it repaired her husband only went and bought a new one! It cost me just £25 for a new pump and about an hour's work to fit it.The machine had a hard life with their family of five, but with only me it gave faithful service for getting on for 20 years, then developed leaks. Investigating proved widespread corrosion, and it was not really worth repairing. I bought a new one, not from a chain shop like Curry's but from a local independent dealer from whom I'd bought other appliances; and who took the old one away, too.  less
    • January 23
  • Durdle
    Durdle replied to Is it time to replace your microwave oven?:
    I hope it didn't cause any further damage!
    • January 23
  • Durdle
    Durdle replied to Does launching a missile put the launchers AT RISK? I don't mean from the target who launches back. I mean the launching itself. Does it?:
    That's a different matter,  but I agree with your sentiments about casual killing by Police officers.
    • January 23
  • Durdle
    Durdle replied to Is it time to replace your microwave oven?:
    No, because it still works perfectly well.
    • January 22
  • Durdle
    Durdle replied to Who was that NAZI sadist that performed experimental surgery? And why doesn't Trump have one of those? Or does he? :
    The Nazi doctor, or the one most notorious if he was not alone in his actions, was Josef Mengeles. His experiments included immersing victims in tanks of very cold water to study hypothermia and revival, commissioned by the Luftwaffe concerned w...  moreThe Nazi doctor, or the one most notorious if he was not alone in his actions, was Josef Mengeles. His experiments included immersing victims in tanks of very cold water to study hypothermia and revival, commissioned by the Luftwaffe concerned with saving air-men shot down over the North Sea. Goering was hardly likely to worry how the information was obtained.Torture has long been known to be a very unreliable way to obtain accurate information or genuine confessions, even before the physiology was understood.  less
    • January 22
  • Durdle
    Durdle replied to Shouldn’t funerals be more of a celebration of life than an occasion of mourning? :
     Modern funerals do acknowledge the grief but are geared to celebrating the life that was. They are even often called a  "celebration of the life of..."Which reminds me, I have been invited to one such.
    • January 22
  • Durdle
    Durdle replied to Does launching a missile put the launchers AT RISK? I don't mean from the target who launches back. I mean the launching itself. Does it?:
    Well, the real hazard is the enemy. The missile operators are trained to do it properly, but warfare is a matter of killing others before they can kill you. As I once heard a British Army general admit on the radio, war is "cold-blooded murder".  
    • January 22
  • Durdle
    Durdle replied to Cognitive function depends upon engaging the brain and keeping it active. As you age what is the BEST way to do that?:
    "Best" age? I'd say at any and every age!Before turning to Answermug for a bit of fun before turning in for the night, I'd spent two or three hours on an engineering design project for my workshop. That certainly keeps the brain busy!
    • January 22
  • Durdle
    Durdle replied to Cognitive function depends upon engaging the brain and keeping it active. As you age what is the BEST way to do that?:
    Well, no different from solving puzzles, really!
    • January 22
  • Durdle
    Durdle replied to Apparently missiles can cause SHOCK WAVES which can harm homo saps who experience them. How?:
    I take it we are talking about military missiles with conventional warheads?I would ask the situation that might give rise to such a danger; and what causes the shock-wave. Assuming nothing to obstruct or concentrate it, a shock wave in air spreads a...  moreI take it we are talking about military missiles with conventional warheads?I would ask the situation that might give rise to such a danger; and what causes the shock-wave. Assuming nothing to obstruct or concentrate it, a shock wave in air spreads as sound, and at the same speed; and generally speaking its intensity decreases by an inverse-square law.For example, if it has a certain peak pressure at 100 yards from the source, the pressure at 200 yards is reduced to not half, but to one-quarter of that; and at 400 yards, one-eighth; and so on. That will apply whether the shock-wave is from the missile flying at above the speed of sound (breaking the sound-barrier) of from the explosion of the warhead, so what are we talking about here? The hazard posed by the missile flying close to the people who launched it, or the blast from the weapon itself?   less
    • January 21
  • Durdle
    Durdle replied to When you develop a STANDARD that means whatever the heck it is happens a lot. Why is dumping fuel IN AN EMERGENCY so frequent?:
    You are thinking of that fuel that showered a school playground full of children? (It was reported on the BBC News.)It is not worth the risk of taking off with any less than full tanks. You can't assume that because a certain aeroplane uses a certain numb...  moreYou are thinking of that fuel that showered a school playground full of children? (It was reported on the BBC News.)It is not worth the risk of taking off with any less than full tanks. You can't assume that because a certain aeroplane uses a certain number of gallons of fuel for a regular flight week after week, it will always need only that.The fuel consumption for flying a particular plane and its load purely by distance is known, but the flight itself may be against headwinds that have the effect of increasing the distance, or tail-winds that have the reverse effect. Weather or other problems may enforce a long holding pattern or even a detour, possibly of a few hundred miles. So no taking chances with only part-filled tanks. So if the aircraft approaches its destination still with plenty of fuel on board the pilot may decide for safety reasons to drain a lot of that off. If nothing else it lessens the landing weight. Now, they are supposed to dump fuel in designated areas well away from anywhere l...    less
    • January 21
  • Durdle
    Durdle replied to Will technology ever become so intricate complicated and cumbersome it will do us in? Example?:
    I have no television so haven't a clue how to use a modern one with remote-control. (My parents' first TV had real switches and volume-control on it! They did later buy a  more modern type, plus video-recorder.)I had a so-called "smart 'phone" b...  moreI have no television so haven't a clue how to use a modern one with remote-control. (My parents' first TV had real switches and volume-control on it! They did later buy a  more modern type, plus video-recorder.)I had a so-called "smart 'phone" but after a few months I gave it up as physically clumsy and very difficult to operate, paid off the remainder of the 2-year contract and bought a bog-standard, simple voice and text 'phone. Yes, I think we are becoming surrounded by absurdly over-complicated things. Yes, as you say, we can learn to use them; but why need we learn to operate appliances etc that are far more complex than necessary? Who needs a "smart" fridge, for example, or a degree in electronics to defrost and cook a microwavable meal? Adding complexity for no genuine reason is not "progress" which anyway is a purely chronological term. Nor is it good engineering. It is done to appeal to those who like things to be complicated.'''There is a curious sequel to this. You m...    less
    • January 21
  • Durdle
    Durdle replied to My dad passed away while he slept taking a nap. The way I think is the most best way. What's the next most best, least painful?:
    Next best - possibly a sudden, massive heart-attack; but though it  might be quick it is not peaceful or pain-free.As it happens I read an article recently in a science magazine about dying, written by a nurse with over thirty years' palliative care ...  moreNext best - possibly a sudden, massive heart-attack; but though it  might be quick it is not peaceful or pain-free.As it happens I read an article recently in a science magazine about dying, written by a nurse with over thirty years' palliative care experience.From what she wrote, your Dad's peaceful passing is the way most people go: a series of deep and shallower sleeps, with no pain when awake, until the end comes in shallow sleep. She added that this can be so gentle it is common for those watching to not realise for a while that it has happened.The article mentioned the rattling noise sometimes heard in the breathing, as simply saliva bubbling in the throat. It is not a sign of distress.  Similarly with moaning sometimes heard: that happens only because the vocal chords have relaxed, not a sign of pain.When our Mum was dying, in hospital, a nurse told us to talk to her as the hearing is usually the last sense to close down. We were there in shifts,...    less
    • January 21
  • Durdle
    Durdle replied to Has there ever been a non-Catholic SAINT?:
    Many if not all Anglican churches are dedicated to saints, but I don't know if that goes back to the time before Henry VIII's Dissolution and establishment of the Church of England. Until then all English and European churches were Catholic anyw...  moreMany if not all Anglican churches are dedicated to saints, but I don't know if that goes back to the time before Henry VIII's Dissolution and establishment of the Church of England. Until then all English and European churches were Catholic anyway. In very many cases, they used the same physical buildings, just changed the sect.    
    • January 21
  • Durdle
    Durdle replied to Is Windows 7 having a nervous breakdown?:
    Oh dear! I am no expert either, just a computer user.A lot of people liked Windows XP, and I have a spare, non-Internet computer with XP on it.MS replaced XP with WIN-7, then they introduced WIN-8. The dealer from whom I bought my computer said 7 and 8 di...  moreOh dear! I am no expert either, just a computer user.A lot of people liked Windows XP, and I have a spare, non-Internet computer with XP on it.MS replaced XP with WIN-7, then they introduced WIN-8. The dealer from whom I bought my computer said 7 and 8 differed only in screen appearance, with WIN-8 using large symbols without words. Apparently that was so it could be used on  "smart" 'phones and lap-tops with small screens.I don't recall having that problem with Windows 7 stopping to up-date while I was using it. However I used to have a lot of very long starting or closing-down waits while the system up-dated the computer. When I fell for Microsoft wanting me to install WIN-10,  it placed a large "button" on the screen, called "Install Now", or similar. That loaded everything whether you wanted it or not; and I was advised that included software allowing Microsoft greater access to your use of the Internet. So I chose the much small button labelled "Custom" so I could exc...    less
    • January 21
  • Durdle
    Durdle replied to There are allegedly lots of holy places in the world..the VATICAN allegedly being one. What about a country/city? Do you live in one?:
    Thank you Rosie.No, I wouldn't judge any city by number of places of worship.I don't think very many would attend church for the sake of it, although there are plenty who would admit doing so only for weddings, Christenings and funerals. Last time I went ...  moreThank you Rosie.No, I wouldn't judge any city by number of places of worship.I don't think very many would attend church for the sake of it, although there are plenty who would admit doing so only for weddings, Christenings and funerals. Last time I went to church was in 2018, when invited to attend the ordination of a friend as a deacon. She became promoted to priest last year (Anglican). Nothing by halves though - the service was in Newcastle Cathedral, some 400 miles from home, and about 7 hours  by train!After I'd posted the above I realised that if you regard ancient burial grounds as sacred - we don't know but it's a fairly safe assumption - my county is rich in Neolithic and Bronze Age burial-mounds. Some standing-stone circles too, though we cannot know what those were for.The Romans liked it here as well, and they would no doubt have had their temples.     less
    • January 21
  • Durdle
    Durdle replied to Is Windows 7 having a nervous breakdown?:
    That's Microsoft for you.I use Win 7 too, and am relying on independent security software for safety, plus care in what I use the Internet for.I bought the PC with WIN 7 loaded, and about a year later started receiving all the twaddle from MS about t...  moreThat's Microsoft for you.I use Win 7 too, and am relying on independent security software for safety, plus care in what I use the Internet for.I bought the PC with WIN 7 loaded, and about a year later started receiving all the twaddle from MS about this marvellous new WIN 10. So eventually loaded it - it was free then.It was absolute rubbish! It does nothing that 7 or indeed XP don't do, with one exception, and that was a useful thumb-nail feature added to the photo-filing system. The rest of it was scrappy, gimmicky, looked cheap and unfinished, and the regular controls were difficult to find. Worst of all it deleted my several web-site registrations.Luckily MS offered the chance to revert to 7 (or 8 if you had used that), and I took it; but it took me a few hours to repair the damage.One thing I had been careful to do was choose the "Custom install" button, much smaller than the glaring "INSTALL NOW" or whatever it was called. This meant I could omit a lot of surplus gimmicks like Cortana. ...    less
    • January 15
  • Durdle
    Durdle replied to There are allegedly lots of holy places in the world..the VATICAN allegedly being one. What about a country/city? Do you live in one?:
    I'm not sure the Catholics would like "allegedly" for the Vatican!  My town and environs has a fair sprinkling of Christian churches - Anglican, Catholic, Methodist, Baptists, United Reformed, Jehovah's Witnesses and one or two others. There is ...  moreI'm not sure the Catholics would like "allegedly" for the Vatican!  My town and environs has a fair sprinkling of Christian churches - Anglican, Catholic, Methodist, Baptists, United Reformed, Jehovah's Witnesses and one or two others. There is even a small group that has no building of its own so hires the Women's Institute hall near me, every Sunday.No mosques or synagogues though, so I don't know what any local Muslims or Jews do. Worship at home I suppose.+My local Anglican church has a peal of bells and ringing-team. I can't hear them from home but have done sometimes when I've passed the church on their practice evenings.    less
    • January 15
  • Durdle
    Durdle replied to If you were kidnapped and forced to time travel to year 2150, what might be some developments you think you would see?:
    What a desolate mess! Where is it?
    • January 14
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  • Screen Name* Durdle
  • Gender* Male
  • Where do you live? Southern England
  • About Me: Single, ov­er-60, SW ­England re­sident, wi­th fairly ­wide range­ of intere­sts & ­musical ta­stes - but­ I'd be no­ good in a­ pub quiz ­'cos I kno­w very lit­tle about ­TV, gadget­s called i­-something­, competit­ive sports­, many ent­ertainment­s & &q­uot;so-cal­led celebr­ities!

    Was on EP,­ but left ­it long be­fore it cl­osed. Won'­t touch Fa­cebook &am­p; its ilk­.

    "Adul­t" th­emes: quit­e broad-mi­nded, like­ nudity bu­t not porn­ography. A­gainst cru­elty, and ­consider s­panking as­ a game fo­r consenti­ng adults ­only.

  • A Science Self-Test - Just For Interest

    Just For Interest. Try it from your existing knowledge. No cheat...  moreJust For Interest. Try it from your existing knowledge. No cheating by looking it up! Please: No publishing answers until I have given them in due course, to be fair to anyone else trying seriously to test or extend their own knowledge. 25 Basic Science Questions with an environmental slant, now you have saved the planet and whales, achieved zero-carbon by last Michaelmas, and are walking everywhere with a paper shopping-bag-for-life autographed by Aunty Greta.
     No trick questions but some are worded slightly indirectly; most are simple , some obscure; but all are of upper school- or interested lay- level. I am of course aware there are Answermug users with a far deeper, possibly professional, knowledge of these subjects than mine! I would also agree that whatever is or is not happening in the world, we cannot be complacent. World-wide we are heading for very serious difficulties whatever those turn out to be; and as some of these questions suggest, neither the problems nor "ob...    less
    Last post by Durdle - January 12
    251 views 3 likes
    34

  • How Well Do You Know Your Ghosts, Mysteries and Myths, Old And New?

    'Tis the time of year for ghost-stories, real and fictional myst...  more'Tis the time of year for ghost-stories, real and fictional mysteries, myths and the like - ancient and right up-to-date. Test your own knowledge with these ten questions, just for fun ! (Hint: not all are "paranormal".1)     In Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, the first manifestation experienced by Ebenezer Scrooge was;
          a)     Eerie echoes from the cellar, from him slamming his front door,
          b)     The face of his deceased business partner, Jacob Marley,
          c)     The face of his deceased father.
     
    2)     In 1917, two young English girls took photographs of fairies widely acclaimed as genuine by photography experts and others including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Did they?
     
    3)     What is so unique about the sea area often called the ‘Bermuda Triangle’, to lead to its reputation?...    less
    Last post by Durdle - January 4
    75 views 2 likes
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  • Is This how To Exploit Fear and Ignorance?

    The following are all genuine quotes from a mail-order household...  moreThe following are all genuine quotes from a mail-order household gadgets catalogue, dated, "Christmas 2019". The prices are reduced by 20% in that edition, with the full price also given in the booklet, as legally required. See how many flaws you can spot in them, and identify them: none are above school-level physics. One statement is correct but simply a definition, the rest are all dubious to say the least. If you counting, some are repeated from item to item, but I counted around 10 specious statements. 1) and 2) are from the section's introduction.So spend almost £162 and you, your family and your precious electronic equipment will all be safe... won't they? '1)    “… noticed your mobile phone gets hot during long calls? The heat is actually thermal radiation… several types of radiation that it emits. ….  All … personal electronic devices … emit harmful radiation” '2)  The lab-tested shielding membrane built into ...    less
    Last post by Durdle - December 19, 2019
    152 views 2 likes
    12

  • Reason & Solution for Strange Strike-through Problem.

    Unwanted striking-though of part of message, appearing automatic...  moreUnwanted striking-though of part of message, appearing automatically when I press Send: reason and how to remove it, please? (Tried "Help" but that's all artificial FAQs, so no help!)  
    Last post by Just Asking - September 6, 2019
    160 views 1 like
    6

  • Where's The Sense In The Destruction? (iPhones &c)

    A review on the radio this morning, of the day's papers, touched...  moreA review on the radio this morning, of the day's papers, touched on the tale of a woman who smashed her children's iPhones, with the result that their family became much happier, more cohesive and communicative.It also produced two other, conflicting third-party results; one promoting wanton waste, both sharing a theme of utter childishness and stupidity. One of these results was a (sadly predictable?) barrage of insults and abuse on social media. The other was confessions of similar actions, with some owners admitting to throwing their instruments under vehicle wheels (did they clear up the mess?) or into canals (more litter - a few prosecutions would not come amiss).By all means get rid of the device you felt apparently necessary to own in the first place, but wouldn't it far more constructive to sell it, or at least give it away, than wantonly destroy a costly, perfectly serviceable, instrument someone else could use, and perhaps use rather more sensibly?For the record, I have a basic port...    less
    Last post by Durdle - September 15, 2018
    155 views 0 likes
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  • Irresopnsible Or What - How To Put Mineral Oil In Sewers?

    Generally I ignore the side-bar ads though I know they pay ...  moreGenerally I ignore the side-bar ads though I know they pay for the site. However I couldn't let this go without comment.It was a list of assorted suggested uses for the well-known water-repellent, WD-40, shown by its Material Safety Data Sheet to be a mineral-oil based mixture.As wells as the ingenious and the blindingly obvious ideas, the advertising feature suggested using it as an adjunct to toilet cleaners, and for cleaning shower-heads. In other words, squirt mineral-oils down the drain, despite consistent, highly publicised warnings not to do so at all from chemical manufacturers, regulatory bodies and water companies!Come on AnswerMug, get that nonsense off the site and advise WD-40's manufacturers that some ignorant advertising company is promulgating a highly irresponsible (and in some countries possibly illegal) misuse of their chemicals.   less
    Last post by Not Sure - June 18, 2018
    247 views 2 likes
    11

  • Why Are Inbstruments Designed To Make Life Easy, Becoming Ever Harder To Use?

    Such as portable telephones? Bounced into buying a brand new por...  moreSuch as portable telephones? Bounced into buying a brand new portable telephone - I need only to make voice calls and text messages, and then briefly and infrequently; I am not one of those teenage girls who spend all day acquiring RSI by tap-tap-tappety-tap on little blocks of plastic. Nor do I believe in walking round supermarkets and into pedestrians by concentrating on shouting at a block of plastic glued to the ear. - I ended up with a nightmarish contraption, an LG something-or-other: the model label is inside, found only by taking the back off and removing the battery.Its text feature is better than the old multi-letter press-buttons, but that's about it....It took me a while to find instructions (see above on identifying it, as I'd lost the packaging), but these revealed the telephone aspect is only peripheral. LG  lists it as an application rather than main function.It's also bulky, so less portable than the previous generation, at about twice the area; and surpri...    less
    Last post by Durdle - April 17, 2018
    316 views 0 likes
    8

  • Anyone Seriously Believe This Rhubarb? (The message, not numbers.)

    I quote from an item on the BT Internet's news service:"Accordin...  moreI quote from an item on the BT Internet's news service:"According to NetMarketShare, Windows 7 remains the most popular operating system on PC, with 44.81% of the market share in February 2018. WIndows 10 is slowly increasing but still comes in second with 28.19%. "I do not question the statistics, but does anyone else see the flaw? You will if you are not so taken in by advertising blurb that you fail to realise what is carefully concealed.  
    Last post by Benedict Arnold - March 3, 2018
    225 views 0 likes
    8

  • A Board Game Problem - How Many Possible Playing Routes?

    A typical board track-game has a single, rigid route of numbered...  moreA typical board track-game has a single, rigid route of numbered squares, controlled by die throws, with certain actions given in some squares - e.g. "Snakes & Ladders". One track from start to end even if you must return somewhere, miss a turn or advance N squares, etc. as ordained when landing on those given pointsNow set the game on THREE separate, identically-sized, rectangular boards of 3:2 proportions; EACH marked off into 6 squares by a longitudinal centre-line and two cross-lines at thirds length. Label the boards (for this question on the game's geometry) A, B and C. Label each meeting-point of line and edge, 1 - 6, consistently on all 3 boards so every "port" is unique, A1 to C6.Do that with the individual board in landscape mode; 1 on the left-hand end, number clockwise so the RH end is 4, round to 6 at bottom left.  All 3 boards the same apart from identity-letter. The track is drawn on these lines such that when one board is set against the othe...    less
    Last post by Durdle - January 8, 2018
    197 views 0 likes
    2

  • Has Microsoft Dropped A Clanger With WIN-10?

    I've known MS operating systems since Microsoft-DOS  (Disc ...  moreI've known MS operating systems since Microsoft-DOS  (Disc Operating System) days: I've used DOS, 3.1, 5, NT, XP (I think MS' best), now 7, and have had an unfortunate brush with 10.Also used briefly, a SUN computer giving a half-way house between command-line and windows (not "Windows TM") screens;  and my first PC was an Amstrad with CP/M O.S. BTW the windows "graphical user interface" as it was pretentiously called, was IBM's invention, not µSoft's Has MS lost its way with WIN-10 though?   -- The home-page of my ISP, BTInternet, always has links to sets of instructions to deal with all sorts of obviously common WIN-10 problems that should be minimal or non-existent if the system was designed, written and tested properly before publication.   --  A correspondent on another forum tells me his computer often freezes with the floods of WIN-10 automatic "up-dates" over which the user has no control - to be fair he also said the Internet speed is ver...    less
    Last post by Durdle - December 27, 2017
    291 views 1 like
    8

  • The Internet - Developed To Allow Companies To Refuse Enquiries?

    Unless of course you want to buy something!However... Unless&nbs...  moreUnless of course you want to buy something!However... Unless the company is Hewlett-Packard and you want to buy their printer cartridges because the blighters have programmed their printers to reject refills and third-party ones. I've tried their sales web-site - it does not work.Definitely though if the printer has suddenly decided to crop randomly, images put into documents; and you'd like the manufacturers' help in putting it right.  (This is what inspired me here - I found the HP Printer sites b++++y useless and very patronising, so marked its customer-satisfaction questions one-star only and told 'em so in the 'Comments' box.)Definitely if you wish to solve a service problem with an ISP (BT in my case).Or need help with specialist software that does work, but you can't understand how to use particular features because the officially-written pdf manual doesn't tell you, and the supposed training CD contains curious errors that result in you deleting the exercise it's had yo...    less
    Last post by Durdle - December 14, 2017
    163 views 0 likes
    0

  • Why Does Mickeysoft Insist on Making Life Difficult?

    As a club committee-member preparing for the AGM I took every ca...  moreAs a club committee-member preparing for the AGM I took every care to save my Report as a Word document (.doc) so the Secretary and others can collate it with other Officers' Reports. So what did M-Soft do? Only converted it automatically to a b++++y docx image! I can't even edit it, if I wanted to, on my own PC because it's now read-only and in only WordPad. It took me ages to find it because Windows had saved it as a so-called "down-load" even though on the originating PC, and not in my chosen directory and folder. If I want to convert a docx file to a doc format for further editing or collating, I'd have to pay an expensive subscription to Adobe for the converter - I don't trust Adobe anyway because its Flashplayer for a start, never loads properly. Over £30 a month I think, for something I'd need only a few times a year. This was never previously necessary - saved files stayed as you chose, in the folder you chose. It's a scam!    less
    Last post by Durdle - November 10, 2017
    196 views 0 likes
    5

  • What's The Daftest Side-Bar Ad You've Seen When Using AnswerMug?

    Answering another question just now, I scrolled down to the ramm...  moreAnswering another question just now, I scrolled down to the rammel that infests the bottom of the screen below the AnswerMug window. Among the usual collection of insignificant rhubarb necessary only to fund AM, was this gem I quote as accurately as I can. Below a portrait of a smiling, attractive woman was the caption:      "Top Ten Dating Sites In Abbotsbury"Abbotsbury is a village in West Dorset (England), famous for its Swannery; but whether it is the dating capital of Britain, I cannot say.Who the Hell designs these advertisements?  less
    Last post by Durdle - August 8, 2017
    247 views 1 like
    3

  • Who Owns Breitbart and What Are Its Aims?

    I'd not heard Breitbart (sounds German) until a guest on today's...  moreI'd not heard Breitbart (sounds German) until a guest on today's BBC Radio 3's Private Passions briefly mentioned being viciously attacked by this "outfit" he called it, after he had given a lecture by invitation on the International Law aspects of climate-change, to the UK's Supreme Court.Our Supreme Court is the UK's top appeals court. It is not the same as the US one although misleadingly copying the name, and until recently was The Law Lords, judges also sitting in an advisory capacity in the House of Lords, but separated fairly recently for clearer separation between Parliament and Judiciary. Cases that reach that high, beyond Appeal Court level, may well test the Statute Law as well as the facts of the individual case. Further of course, these lawyers may have to advise Parliament on international law: the UK is a signatory to and active in, an enormous number and range of treaties, organisations and agreements. The guest was the British barrister Philippe Sands, a leading expert o...    less
    Last post by Durdle - February 7, 2017
    447 views 0 likes
    6

  • Why Are Software Publishers So Shy?

    I need to establish if one particular UK agent for a particular ...  moreI need to establish if one particular UK agent for a particular software company, is still trading.I tried to e-post to him a simple sales question, but it bounced, and I can't determine if that means the address no longer exists.I need only to ask the software firm itself two basic questions: "Is ...... still one of your UK agents; if so is the e-post address I'd used, current?"You'd think they be pleased to help what might mean another sale, but no... Customers do not matter to the IT trade beyond the purchases. After that you're on your own and if you have problems with the quality of the goods or services, or you need technical advice ... tough.I have tried the publisher's own web-site but it carries no contact details whatsoever. Lots of product ads; but no phone number, no e-mail address, no postal address. Instead, as with so many other IT and telecomms firms, it fobs you off with a list of set technical questions and a supposed "users' forum" (these admit...    less
    Last post by Durdle - January 5, 2017
    350 views 2 likes
    4

  • What are Microsoft and Adobe Up To?

    I've had problems with e-posted 'Word' and 'Excel' files being c...  moreI've had problems with e-posted 'Word' and 'Excel' files being converted to a strange default file-type signified by an 'x' after the normal suffix. These are locked, un-useable images.I need occasionally to collate reports etc to help me at a club's committee meetings. These arrive as e-post attachments from different people so in a mixture of styles, software editions and files, but I want to put them in one neat style in one document I can print and archive properly. Today I tried to save two, both .pdf files so images unreliable to print, and difficult or impossible to edit, place in or render compatible with, proper documents.However, whatever handles pdf files offers saving them in several other forms including ".doc", even offering British rather than US English, though that would not have mattered there. Only, the "Convert" button merely opens a sales page expecting me to pay £££/month to subscribe to an outfit called Adobe for what should be a basic MS-"Wi...    less
    Last post by Durdle - January 2, 2017
    433 views 0 likes
    7

  • Heading Cartoon: Am I Missing The Joke??

    Come on someone, put me out of my misery! Well, all right, ...  moreCome on someone, put me out of my misery! Well, all right, it's not that dramatic and certainly not serious. I'm just intrigued, in a totally light-hearted way.So:What on Earth is that Sandra & Woo cartoon at the head of the page about?We see a young woman who, to use the correct, modern Claire in the Community lingo, seems to suffer from Acute Species Dysphoria; and her boyfriend, a nut-cake addict who believes he can cast magic spells with ordinary cutlery. I hope the so-called "religious right" don't get him - you know, the supposedly-grown-ups who had severe attacks of the vapours over the children's Harry Potter stories. Go on - I don't get the joke! Does it refer to an American children's game or something?:-)))PS: Claire in the Community: a BBC Radio Four situation-comedy that started as, and still is, a newspaper cartoon strip, about a team of urban social-workers and their own personal problems, sorry, "issues". Claire is the team-leader who prissily spouts all the rig...    less
    Last post by Just Asking - December 3, 2016
    400 views 0 likes
    7

  • Scams Masquerading as Genuine Advertisements?

    Like many sites this is partly supported by companies placing ad...  moreLike many sites this is partly supported by companies placing advertisements in the margins of the Home and other pages. Some are eerily local to you as user: one waffles about " Opticians... " apparently threatened by some technical development in their trade. I saw one regularly on EP, telling me things like "Sarah lives four miles from you" - it was a lie of course, but it opened a dating-site that showed it knew roughly I live, within perhaps 50 miles anyway. The advertising-agencies use your approximate location bought or gleaned from the web-site. One though, advertised a "Simple trick to see if you've ever had PPI" (Payment Protection Insurance, usually for mortgages.) I know I do not, and when I did I was not a victim of a miss-selling racket the banks ran for a while, but I selected it out of curiosity. My security software 'Bulldog' promptly leapt up, snarled at it as dangerous, and blocked it.Possibly, Bulldog is very wary of anything mentioning money on non-https web-sites ev...    less
    Last post by Durdle - October 15, 2016
    579 views 0 likes
    11

  • Locations?

    What's happened to the location in the profiles? The profile for...  moreWhat's happened to the location in the profiles? The profile form asks for it but it no longer appears on the public information part. Or have I missed something?  
    Last post by Durdle - October 10, 2016
    313 views 0 likes
    2

  • Lost Features

    E-posted notifications. These used to have direct links to AM - ...  moreE-posted notifications. These used to have direct links to AM - you still had to sign in but at least the links worked. They no longer work. The most recent was from Just Asking, and reads "Click here to reply / profile / 145." It is not a link, and I have not been able to find the message on Am itself.The message does not tell me how to find "/profile/145". It does not tell me whose profile.  Why have those links been cut and why do notifications still carry an instruction to use them?Member IndexThe list is and always was purely random by default, but offered Aphabetical and Recent sorting options. You could find individuals on the Membership list by choosing "Alphabetical", estimating which page number carrying the name, then homing in from there by the page-number arrows. Why have these index options been removed? 
    X  less
    Last post by Just Asking - October 4, 2016
    499 views 0 likes
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  • King George III was NOT "mad".Despite popular myth reinforced by...  moreKing George III was NOT "mad".Despite popular myth reinforced by a film.He was not mentally-ill (what Slartibartfast dismisses as "feeble-minded" and "inbred") in any psychiatric sense. Although his own doctors could not have known what was actually wrong, still less treat him, they left detailed case-notes. Modern doctors have deduced from these that he suffered from a rare physical condition whose effects do include powerful mood swings, but he was not psychologically ill. All his own, 18C, physicians knew were emetics, purges, blood-letting and medicines-by-guess. However they also prescribed sea-bathing, which did nothing to treat the disease but also did nothing to harm him further! His prescribed excursion to the seaside away from the grime and smoke of London also put on the must-go-to map the town of Weymouth, or more accurately its neighbour Melcombe, which gained the Regis suffix as a reward and became as it continues, a busy seaside resort.Where that lesson in British history ...    less
    in Anyone see the movie "The Madness of King George"? He alternated between bouts of confusion and near-violent outbursts of temper. STRANGE? February 17, 2020 11:08 AM MST 0
  • Me neither! Some waiting rooms I have known, hold reasonable lit...  moreMe neither! Some waiting rooms I have known, hold reasonable literature interesting to both sexes, such as the National Trust's glossy magazine. In others it's either none at all, or old copies of women's "celebrity" magazines like OK.My local surgery when I lived near it, often had copies of the County magazines. These are expensive glossies aimed at the wealthy "off-cumdens" to the county in question: rich London retirees and the second-home-buying Canary Wharf set and their like, stereotypically wearing green wellies and cloth caps, and driving Tarquin and Fi-Fi from school to ballet-lesson in top-range, Range-Rovers. The bidets alone in the advertised homes would cost as much as my good, though second-hand, car! The irony was that the health-centre in question serves what is recognised as one of the poorest areas of a County in which house prices are inflated  beyond local reach partly by the County-mag-types.  less
    in Used to be folks in waiting rooms would read books, newspapers, magazines. Not today. Everyone is hooked up to a CELL PHONE. Except me. You? February 17, 2020 10:30 AM MST 1
    This post was edited by Durdle at February 17, 2020 10:30 AM MST
  • Thriving here, and my own County prides itself on being among th...  moreThriving here, and my own County prides itself on being among the UK's best at it.Fortnightly for salvageable: paper, card, glass, metals and plastics (all in one bin); the alternating fortnights for land-fill waste that cannot be recovered. Neither of these is intended for food waste, which is collected separately again. I don't know when because what little food waste I produce is almost all vegetable material which I put on the garden compost-heap.Larger items - including electrical scrap, waste oil, old furniture and garden waste - can be collected but I am not sure if the Council offers that service. It does though operate 7-day/week public skip yards for such waste.+++The real problem we do have in the UK is with fly-tipping by criminals , some working as organised gangs, and they can be dangerous people, too. If you have to use a waste-collection company, which charges for its services, it has to abide by very strict disposal-control laws and those laws also mean yo...    less
    in Is curbside recycling dying in YOUR neighborhood? Reason given is that it is TOO COSTLY TO CONTINUE. Still curbside recycle where you live?? February 17, 2020 10:17 AM MST 1
  • It depends very much on who uses the term, and why.In Europe it ...  moreIt depends very much on who uses the term, and why.In Europe it developed from making a very clear distinction between democratic Western countries that elect Left-wing governments by public ballot (such as Britain when the Labour is the Governmental Party), and the old Eastern bloc ruled by the Communist Party under the name "Union of Soviet Socialist Republics".Actually the term is not normally used in British and European politics except when contrasting its own Left with far-Left tyrannies - we just do not need to do so.  Our Labour Party and its Continental compatriots are  "socialist" by ideology but within democracies that can vote them out of office just as easily as having elected them.              It is a distinction easy to blur, but I can see the phrase being useful to a politician in the USA trying to campaign on even quite moderate socialist ideology, in a country that seems terrified of the State providing anything ev...    less
    in Why "Democratic" Socialist? Why not just Socialist?. Are there Republican/Libertarian Socialists? February 17, 2020 9:47 AM MST 1
  • Errr, that's  not "socialism" - not to a foreigner like me....  moreErrr, that's  not "socialism" - not to a foreigner like me.... Or have US politicians have reversed its meaning for their own purposes in the USA?(I know Right and Left seem to have unique meanings in the US, though I've never understood fully what those are!)Socialism proper, in a democratic sense rather than as the USSR used to use word, so such as that of Britain's Labour Party and similar Left-wing parties elsewhere by European definition, is intended to help the poor and provide universal benefits such as health, education and State-pensions services. It raises the  money for this by taxing the wealthy more than the less well-off.At a deeper level socialism also has places public services such as the railways and utilities under State ownership, and there are many in the UK who want that "nationalisation" back for frankly very understandable reasons even if not necessarily supporting the principle.So to me, it's the opposite to your question! :-)   less
    in Socialism benefitting the wealthy is a GREAT GOOD. Socialism benefitting those in need of help? Handouts to lazy bums. GET IT? February 17, 2020 9:28 AM MST 1
  • They might carry the disease, but that's not the same as causing...  moreThey might carry the disease, but that's not the same as causing it, and then there has to be a way for the virus to be passed on. This latest illness seems to be more contagious that infectious, so poor hygiene in handling the unfortunate creatures would be very helpful to the virus.As for why the bats are on sale, that's another matter... For food I imagine, though there can't be much meat on one. You can't make pets of them.  
    in "Bats for sale in Indonesian market despte Coronavirus warning". Do bats cause it? Ever buy a bat? To eat or pet? February 17, 2020 9:15 AM MST 1
  • Tell him not to be so stupid!Quite apart from the dubious rights...  moreTell him not to be so stupid!Quite apart from the dubious rights and obvious wrongs, it would have to be a very powerful bomb indeed to disrupt a massive cyclonic weather-system such as a hurricane. Even relatively benign depressions and anticyclones use far more energy than an "ordinary" nuclear bomb, and cover a vastly greater area than that of the nuclear blast's effective range.  
    in The POTUS want to nuke hurricanes. What do we do? February 10, 2020 2:45 PM MST 2
  • To act as sense organs so your brain can control your hands.
    in Why are fingertips so tactile? February 10, 2020 2:38 PM MST 2
  • Well, given that my dishwasher is a polythene bowl and a plastic...  moreWell, given that my dishwasher is a polythene bowl and a plastic brush, powered by my muscles....  
    in Have you ever been reduced to using dish washing liquid in the dishwasher? February 10, 2020 2:35 PM MST 1
  • The one I am surprised you have not listed, given that it is one...  moreThe one I am surprised you have not listed, given that it is one of the most common types, and at least 100 years old:  - Tongue-and grooved floorboards nailed to joists that either bridge without touching the ground on which the building stands, or are also the suspension for the ceiling of the room below.My first home's ground floor was either solid concrete or much more likely, stone slabs covered with mortar. Its first-floor's floorboards were plain edged, and those in the bathroom were so rough that I could really only cover them with hardboard sealed with polyurethane varnish. (On the advice of my Dad, a scientist by profession but also very practical and a very good craftsman.)   less
    in What type of floors do you have in your home? February 10, 2020 2:33 PM MST 1
  • Electric fruit.
    in If androids dream of electric sheep, what do iPhones dream of? February 10, 2020 2:18 PM MST 2
  • For books, newspapers etc, serif fonts such as Times Roman,...  moreFor books, newspapers etc, serif fonts such as Times Roman, Baskerville and Garamond. Not sans-serif fonts like Ariel, which have a place in signs, diagram annotations, text-messages and similar uses.Although it is subjective, generally, discreetly-serif fonts are easier on the eye when in a solid block of text.My least favourite - one I find downright ugly, cheap and tacky-looking -  is Century Gothic, a sans-serif face characterised by very thin lines, no tails and the letter "t" being a bland cross. I call it "American Kindergarten" from seeing it first in printed material from the USA, which uses the term 'kindergarten', and it resembling an infants'-school pupil's first writing.The daftest though, is the "corporate font" nonsense of a company not merely using a single font available to anyone, but paying some parasitical "branding consultancy" £umpteen-000 to invent its own. One of my past employers fell for that. Whilst we all had it on our office PCs, if ...    less
    in Do you have a favorite font, a lucky letter, preferred prose, selected syntax or best brochure? ~ February 10, 2020 2:17 PM MST 1
  • A fault with the equipment itself, or software, would affec...  moreA fault with the equipment itself, or software, would affect all use, not a single website.I have had problems with some sites but those proved to be the owners not having up-dated them to meet current security protocols - it says.    
    in I have a problem. When I go to get on Answermug or anything internet, the prompt says It won't connect. WHY??? Do I have to buy a new one February 10, 2020 1:50 PM MST 0
  • My piece has broken ends but I do intend to trim and polish it, ...  moreMy piece has broken ends but I do intend to trim and polish it, to reveal whatever growth-rings or opal it holds.  
    in Ever visit THE PETRIFIED FOREST in Arizona? Buried tree trunks have been turned to STONE by mineral-laden water. Ever see a petrified tree? February 10, 2020 1:40 PM MST 1
  • Not if I can help it!They are still far from being entirely...  moreNot if I can help it!They are still far from being entirely reliable, practical and trustworthy in all traffic conditions; although one has just been successful tested over a long distance, in the UK.For  now at least they still seem to need a real person ready to take over if necessary, so you may as well do all the driving.  
    in Would you ride in a self-driving car? February 9, 2020 6:29 PM MST 3
  • I have had to use aeroplanes a few times, I have used trains mor...  moreI have had to use aeroplanes a few times, I have used trains more often, I use my car frequently, I use buses frequently....;.. but "stupid peasant buses"? I can honestly say I have never encountered, let alone used, such a vehicle!  Do they even exist?  
    in Train, car, airplane or stupid peasant bus? February 9, 2020 6:26 PM MST 0
  • About 20 years probably - for a part-time course leading to an e...  moreAbout 20 years probably - for a part-time course leading to an exam; but as an adult student. I left school half a century ago!  
    in How long has it been since you last did any homework? Years? Decades? A previous life? ~ February 9, 2020 6:21 PM MST 2
  • They do not seem themselves as evil or they would  not act ...  moreThey do not seem themselves as evil or they would  not act as they do.As to individual examples.. well, I can't answer that but I am sure there are plenty.  
    in Do you think the HITLERS of the world see themselves as EVIL or as crusaders who are routing it out? What do YOU think is most evil? February 9, 2020 6:14 PM MST 1
  • I can only really answer the literal question there! Yes, t...  moreI can only really answer the literal question there! Yes, thanks to the geological setting of where I live I have seen fossil tree-trunk parts and fossils of algae accumulations that once surrounded dead trees. I even have a small piece of fossil tree-trunk or branch. (I found it among some quarry waste.)On the figurative side, I think a terrified person can overcome that fear but it obviously depends on the situation and individual.  
    in Ever visit THE PETRIFIED FOREST in Arizona? Buried tree trunks have been turned to STONE by mineral-laden water. Ever see a petrified tree? February 9, 2020 6:12 PM MST 2
  • I don't know what inspired you there, Rosie, but don't ...  moreI don't know what inspired you there, Rosie, but don't forget that the most bitter intolerance is often between followers of different religions, or even of sects of the same religion.  Also someone with no religious beliefs would logically be neutral so would not attack anyone else.    
    in So someone accuses you of using your religious beliefs as a CRUTCH would you think he uses his similarly or he has none to use? February 9, 2020 6:05 PM MST 1
  • No, because Socialism calls for increasing taxes, not cutting, t...  moreNo, because Socialism calls for increasing taxes, not cutting, taxes on the wealthy, in order to raise money to help the poor!  
    in Socialism comes with different labels. For the wealthy it is called TAX CUTS. For the poor it is called WELFARE. Same thing isn't it? February 9, 2020 5:55 PM MST 0
  • We are by nature herd animals, and tend to go for herds wit...  moreWe are by nature herd animals, and tend to go for herds within herds.However, we can go a long away to avoiding the problem you cite,  by seeking to understand others' beliefs, etc..  
    in Bias is inevitable whether it be gender or age or social status or religion or politics. How do you escape supporting people like YOU? February 9, 2020 5:50 PM MST 0
  • No, I did think what I was writing, and did not mean it exclusiv...  moreNo, I did think what I was writing, and did not mean it exclusively for physicists.I gave that example purely as that - an example of abbreviations to avoid very unwieldy text constructions. Although it was from Acoustics (the science of sound and vibration), I did not intend it as a lesson on that subject.If you were to write that lot in full, it would become ridiculous because the Pascal (unit of pressure) in the middle of it all, is itself a complex, compound unit!  
    in I wonder where and when the use of acronyms began? February 9, 2020 5:46 PM MST 0
  • In what way?
    in What's the deal with witches and broomsticks? February 9, 2020 5:34 PM MST 0
  • For a change I am going to give a straight answer... Given the h...  moreFor a change I am going to give a straight answer... Given the huge  majority that does believe in Climate Change (not "global warming") at least influenced if not caused by human activities... (Whether rightly or wrongly only time will tell.) Designing and building Internal Combustion Engines.  Certainly in BritainThe UK Government has just brought forwards ending the sales of new petrol, diesel and even hybrid, vehicles, from 2040 to 2045. I think  Norway is even ahead of that, but it's a lot easier there, and for a start has no car-building industry. It will affect imports as well as domestic manufacture."By "vehicles" I do not know if that just means cars and light vans or includes HGVs, buses and industrial and agricultural plant.    less
    in What are some jobs or professions that will no longer exist once global warming has finally been eradicated? ~ February 5, 2020 7:09 AM MST 0
  • Perhaps STEM is a purely British thing, and it refers to technic...  morePerhaps STEM is a purely British thing, and it refers to technical subjects within school curriculae.All trades and professions have their "lingo" but it's not all abbreviated, though sometimes it needs to be to avoid frankly unwieldy constructions.This is perhaps the most unwieldy I have seen. I found it in an inherited text-book on measuring sound, and discovered that it is the standard unit in science and industry for quoting the sensitivity of hydrophones (underwater microphones): The value is a count of so-many deciBels referred to 1Volt per micro-Pascal. (Don't worry if you don't understand it. It took me ages to gain some idea what it means, even though I am old enough to have used logarithms at school - deciBels are logarithmic.)No, you  can hardly expect a scientist to keep typing that lot, so it is shortened to:so-many dB re1V/µPaThe "so-many" is a large negative number, like -200, too. The "µ" sign is the Greek letter "mu", and standard for...    less
    in I wonder where and when the use of acronyms began? February 5, 2020 6:52 AM MST 0
    This post was edited by Durdle at February 5, 2020 6:52 AM MST
  • The occupations listed among the most hazardous include bui...  moreThe occupations listed among the most hazardous include building, deep-sea fishing and farming. You could say office work is among the safest, if you ignore the traffic hazards in commuting, but they do have stealthier hazards to health such as RSI, eye-strain and obesity. The problem comes if you start to analyse these further, because you then start considering the risks as well as the hazards.  
    in What job is safest and which is most dangerous? Would you want to have either one of them? February 4, 2020 2:58 PM MST 0
  • They go back years, but I'd hazard a guess they started either&n...  moreThey go back years, but I'd hazard a guess they started either in the Armed Services or science.I've always thought there is a difference between an abbreviation and an acronym though. The abbreviation is just one or more letters like "m" (metre), "USA" or mph ( miles per hour). The acronym is an abbreviation that forms a contrived but enunciable "word" like your examples; or a real word contrived to form an abbreviation. E.g. "STEM" - I don't know if it's used in America but it is used in British education, and stands for "Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics", making me suspect that woolly word "Technology" is there to form the snappy word "STEM"!  less
    in I wonder where and when the use of acronyms began? February 4, 2020 2:49 PM MST 1
  • Nearest is a Methodist Church but I visit only its hall, for the...  moreNearest is a Methodist Church but I visit only its hall, for the occasional coffee-morning and when it is my polling-station on election days.Otherwise the local Anglican Church, and I have been to services there but not for years. I'm not a church-goer - though did attend a Salvation Army funeral of a friend last week!  
    in What church or other place of worship is located nearest your house/home? Have you ever attended a service there? January 28, 2020 4:38 PM MST 0
  • By no means all were very large, but size may have helped the la...  moreBy no means all were very large, but size may have helped the largest, which were herbivores.  
    in Why were dinosaurs so big? January 23, 2020 11:05 AM MST 0
  • A ganglion, perhaps, but not a brain.
    in Did dinosaurs have a separate brain in their behinds? January 23, 2020 11:03 AM MST 1
  • Washing-machine. It had been given to me by sister, around the t...  moreWashing-machine. It had been given to me by sister, around the time I was setting up my own home. The seal on its pump had failed, flooding the pump motor. Rather than investigating having it repaired her husband only went and bought a new one! It cost me just £25 for a new pump and about an hour's work to fit it.The machine had a hard life with their family of five, but with only me it gave faithful service for getting on for 20 years, then developed leaks. Investigating proved widespread corrosion, and it was not really worth repairing. I bought a new one, not from a chain shop like Curry's but from a local independent dealer from whom I'd bought other appliances; and who took the old one away, too.  less
    in What was the last appliance you had to replace in your home? January 23, 2020 11:01 AM MST 3
  • I hope it didn't cause any further damage!
    in Is it time to replace your microwave oven? January 23, 2020 10:51 AM MST 0
  • That's a different matter,  but I agree with your sentiment...  moreThat's a different matter,  but I agree with your sentiments about casual killing by Police officers.  
    in Does launching a missile put the launchers AT RISK? I don't mean from the target who launches back. I mean the launching itself. Does it? January 23, 2020 10:49 AM MST 0
  • No, because it still works perfectly well.
    in Is it time to replace your microwave oven? January 22, 2020 4:17 PM MST 1
  • The Nazi doctor, or the one most notorious if he was not al...  moreThe Nazi doctor, or the one most notorious if he was not alone in his actions, was Josef Mengeles. His experiments included immersing victims in tanks of very cold water to study hypothermia and revival, commissioned by the Luftwaffe concerned with saving air-men shot down over the North Sea. Goering was hardly likely to worry how the information was obtained.Torture has long been known to be a very unreliable way to obtain accurate information or genuine confessions, even before the physiology was understood.  less
    in Who was that NAZI sadist that performed experimental surgery? And why doesn't Trump have one of those? Or does he? January 22, 2020 4:15 PM MST 1
  •  Modern funerals do acknowledge the grief but are geared to...  more Modern funerals do acknowledge the grief but are geared to celebrating the life that was. They are even often called a  "celebration of the life of..."Which reminds me, I have been invited to one such.  
    in Shouldn’t funerals be more of a celebration of life than an occasion of mourning? January 22, 2020 4:07 PM MST 1
  • Well, the real hazard is the enemy. The missile operators are tr...  moreWell, the real hazard is the enemy. The missile operators are trained to do it properly, but warfare is a matter of killing others before they can kill you. As I once heard a British Army general admit on the radio, war is "cold-blooded murder".    
    in Does launching a missile put the launchers AT RISK? I don't mean from the target who launches back. I mean the launching itself. Does it? January 22, 2020 4:02 PM MST 1
  • "Best" age? I'd say at any and every age!Before turning to Answe...  more"Best" age? I'd say at any and every age!Before turning to Answermug for a bit of fun before turning in for the night, I'd spent two or three hours on an engineering design project for my workshop. That certainly keeps the brain busy!  
    in Cognitive function depends upon engaging the brain and keeping it active. As you age what is the BEST way to do that? January 22, 2020 3:59 PM MST 1
  • Well, no different from solving puzzles, really!
    in Cognitive function depends upon engaging the brain and keeping it active. As you age what is the BEST way to do that? January 22, 2020 3:57 PM MST 0
  • I take it we are talking about military missiles with convention...  moreI take it we are talking about military missiles with conventional warheads?I would ask the situation that might give rise to such a danger; and what causes the shock-wave. Assuming nothing to obstruct or concentrate it, a shock wave in air spreads as sound, and at the same speed; and generally speaking its intensity decreases by an inverse-square law.For example, if it has a certain peak pressure at 100 yards from the source, the pressure at 200 yards is reduced to not half, but to one-quarter of that; and at 400 yards, one-eighth; and so on. That will apply whether the shock-wave is from the missile flying at above the speed of sound (breaking the sound-barrier) of from the explosion of the warhead, so what are we talking about here? The hazard posed by the missile flying close to the people who launched it, or the blast from the weapon itself?   less
    in Apparently missiles can cause SHOCK WAVES which can harm homo saps who experience them. How? January 21, 2020 5:07 PM MST 2
  • You are thinking of that fuel that showered a school playground ...  moreYou are thinking of that fuel that showered a school playground full of children? (It was reported on the BBC News.)It is not worth the risk of taking off with any less than full tanks. You can't assume that because a certain aeroplane uses a certain number of gallons of fuel for a regular flight week after week, it will always need only that.The fuel consumption for flying a particular plane and its load purely by distance is known, but the flight itself may be against headwinds that have the effect of increasing the distance, or tail-winds that have the reverse effect. Weather or other problems may enforce a long holding pattern or even a detour, possibly of a few hundred miles. So no taking chances with only part-filled tanks. So if the aircraft approaches its destination still with plenty of fuel on board the pilot may decide for safety reasons to drain a lot of that off. If nothing else it lessens the landing weight. Now, they are supposed to dump fuel in designated areas well away from anywhere l...    less
    in When you develop a STANDARD that means whatever the heck it is happens a lot. Why is dumping fuel IN AN EMERGENCY so frequent? January 21, 2020 4:49 PM MST 1
  • I have no television so haven't a clue how to use a modern one w...  moreI have no television so haven't a clue how to use a modern one with remote-control. (My parents' first TV had real switches and volume-control on it! They did later buy a  more modern type, plus video-recorder.)I had a so-called "smart 'phone" but after a few months I gave it up as physically clumsy and very difficult to operate, paid off the remainder of the 2-year contract and bought a bog-standard, simple voice and text 'phone. Yes, I think we are becoming surrounded by absurdly over-complicated things. Yes, as you say, we can learn to use them; but why need we learn to operate appliances etc that are far more complex than necessary? Who needs a "smart" fridge, for example, or a degree in electronics to defrost and cook a microwavable meal? Adding complexity for no genuine reason is not "progress" which anyway is a purely chronological term. Nor is it good engineering. It is done to appeal to those who like things to be complicated.'''There is a curious sequel to this. You m...    less
    in Will technology ever become so intricate complicated and cumbersome it will do us in? Example? January 21, 2020 4:24 PM MST 0
  • Next best - possibly a sudden, massive heart-attack; but though ...  moreNext best - possibly a sudden, massive heart-attack; but though it  might be quick it is not peaceful or pain-free.As it happens I read an article recently in a science magazine about dying, written by a nurse with over thirty years' palliative care experience.From what she wrote, your Dad's peaceful passing is the way most people go: a series of deep and shallower sleeps, with no pain when awake, until the end comes in shallow sleep. She added that this can be so gentle it is common for those watching to not realise for a while that it has happened.The article mentioned the rattling noise sometimes heard in the breathing, as simply saliva bubbling in the throat. It is not a sign of distress.  Similarly with moaning sometimes heard: that happens only because the vocal chords have relaxed, not a sign of pain.When our Mum was dying, in hospital, a nurse told us to talk to her as the hearing is usually the last sense to close down. We were there in shifts,...    less
    in My dad passed away while he slept taking a nap. The way I think is the most best way. What's the next most best, least painful? January 21, 2020 4:07 PM MST 1
  • Many if not all Anglican churches are dedicated to saints, but I...  moreMany if not all Anglican churches are dedicated to saints, but I don't know if that goes back to the time before Henry VIII's Dissolution and establishment of the Church of England. Until then all English and European churches were Catholic anyway. In very many cases, they used the same physical buildings, just changed the sect.    
    in Has there ever been a non-Catholic SAINT? January 21, 2020 3:36 PM MST 2
  • Oh dear! I am no expert either, just a computer user.A lot of pe...  moreOh dear! I am no expert either, just a computer user.A lot of people liked Windows XP, and I have a spare, non-Internet computer with XP on it.MS replaced XP with WIN-7, then they introduced WIN-8. The dealer from whom I bought my computer said 7 and 8 differed only in screen appearance, with WIN-8 using large symbols without words. Apparently that was so it could be used on  "smart" 'phones and lap-tops with small screens.I don't recall having that problem with Windows 7 stopping to up-date while I was using it. However I used to have a lot of very long starting or closing-down waits while the system up-dated the computer. When I fell for Microsoft wanting me to install WIN-10,  it placed a large "button" on the screen, called "Install Now", or similar. That loaded everything whether you wanted it or not; and I was advised that included software allowing Microsoft greater access to your use of the Internet. So I chose the much small button labelled "Custom" so I could exc...    less
    in Is Windows 7 having a nervous breakdown? January 21, 2020 3:29 PM MST 1
  • Thank you Rosie.No, I wouldn't judge any city by number of place...  moreThank you Rosie.No, I wouldn't judge any city by number of places of worship.I don't think very many would attend church for the sake of it, although there are plenty who would admit doing so only for weddings, Christenings and funerals. Last time I went to church was in 2018, when invited to attend the ordination of a friend as a deacon. She became promoted to priest last year (Anglican). Nothing by halves though - the service was in Newcastle Cathedral, some 400 miles from home, and about 7 hours  by train!After I'd posted the above I realised that if you regard ancient burial grounds as sacred - we don't know but it's a fairly safe assumption - my county is rich in Neolithic and Bronze Age burial-mounds. Some standing-stone circles too, though we cannot know what those were for.The Romans liked it here as well, and they would no doubt have had their temples.     less
    in There are allegedly lots of holy places in the world..the VATICAN allegedly being one. What about a country/city? Do you live in one? January 21, 2020 3:10 PM MST 1
  • That's Microsoft for you.I use Win 7 too, and am relying on...  moreThat's Microsoft for you.I use Win 7 too, and am relying on independent security software for safety, plus care in what I use the Internet for.I bought the PC with WIN 7 loaded, and about a year later started receiving all the twaddle from MS about this marvellous new WIN 10. So eventually loaded it - it was free then.It was absolute rubbish! It does nothing that 7 or indeed XP don't do, with one exception, and that was a useful thumb-nail feature added to the photo-filing system. The rest of it was scrappy, gimmicky, looked cheap and unfinished, and the regular controls were difficult to find. Worst of all it deleted my several web-site registrations.Luckily MS offered the chance to revert to 7 (or 8 if you had used that), and I took it; but it took me a few hours to repair the damage.One thing I had been careful to do was choose the "Custom install" button, much smaller than the glaring "INSTALL NOW" or whatever it was called. This meant I could omit a lot of surplus gimmicks like Cortana. ...    less
    in Is Windows 7 having a nervous breakdown? January 15, 2020 4:36 PM MST 1
  • I'm not sure the Catholics would like "allegedly" for the V...  moreI'm not sure the Catholics would like "allegedly" for the Vatican!  My town and environs has a fair sprinkling of Christian churches - Anglican, Catholic, Methodist, Baptists, United Reformed, Jehovah's Witnesses and one or two others. There is even a small group that has no building of its own so hires the Women's Institute hall near me, every Sunday.No mosques or synagogues though, so I don't know what any local Muslims or Jews do. Worship at home I suppose.+My local Anglican church has a peal of bells and ringing-team. I can't hear them from home but have done sometimes when I've passed the church on their practice evenings.    less
    in There are allegedly lots of holy places in the world..the VATICAN allegedly being one. What about a country/city? Do you live in one? January 15, 2020 4:22 PM MST 1
  • What a desolate mess! Where is it?
    in If you were kidnapped and forced to time travel to year 2150, what might be some developments you think you would see? January 14, 2020 2:45 PM MST 1
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58 comments

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  • StrictChristianParenting
    StrictChristianParenting
    Why does correcting have to be by violence? And if that's a quote, no, I don't accept the say-so of unknown Late Bronze Age tribal elders! :-)
    September 1, 2016

  • tate99
    tate99
    Greetings Tate99 from a fellow Briton (S> Dorset) and nudist! Best Wishes, Durdle.
    July 29, 2016

  • MistyGoddess
    MistyGoddess
    Welcome to AM - and to a goodly number of us interested in spanking whether we advocate or oppose it in reality or think it best kept as a game for consenting adults! Best Wishes, Durdle (also in UK) 
    July 29, 2016

  • timothy in London
    timothy in London
    Thank you for the compliment, Timothys Knickers. I should say I am not a full cross-dresser but like occasionally to wear a nightdress or miniskirt, at home only. Much of the time, if warm enough, I like to be nude or nearly so.  Best Wishes, Durdle.
    May 17, 2016

  • Capes
    Capes
    Hello Capes. Welcome to Answer Mug! Durdle here: 64 nearly, also a Briton (in Dorset), here similarly. My profile groups list gives you some idea of me but I am happy to chat on many other topics too if they interest me and I feel I know enough about the topic. I will add that despite the implications I don't like the idea of spanking children, especially with any weapon, but feel the traditional spanking has a place for adults, as long as it's consensual! Best Wishes, Durdle. 
    July 30, 2016

  • VPLUK
    VPLUK
    I don't even try to look convincing - I don't cross-dress often and than only partly, in the home. liking the feel of the garments. Sometimes sleep in a nightie.
    July 29, 2016

  • Marc
    Marc
    Not so much a comment as a question, Marc. I am uneasy to say the least about spanking children but what of adults feeling they need similar punishments in a therapeutic way?
    July 29, 2016

  • harbourboy
    harbourboy
    Hi Harbourboy. Welcome... come on then, elucidate on your specialist subjects! Best Wishes, Durdle.
    July 30, 2016

  • Steve Tomms
    Steve Tomms
    Hello Steve. UK too - Dorset in fact. And like to be nude or, occasionally, in panties. As for human behaviour - yes, I agree it is fascinating... and bewildering at times, frustrating at others, but never the same twice! Best Wishes, Durdle.
    September 16, 2016

  • Uncle UK
    Uncle UK
    Welcome to AM, Dominic, as one of the rather few fellow-Britons on here (I live in South of England). I am not sure about the spanking of children, though I've nothing against adults being spanked if they wish, erotically or as therapeutic punishment. Regards, Durdle.
    September 6, 2016

  • NudiSuzie
    NudiSuzie
    Hello NudieSuzie. Thankyou - would love to be your friend! Best Wishes, Durdle.
    August 31, 2016

  • Tawser22
    Tawser22
    What's your take on adult, consensual, spanking?
    September 9, 2016

  • RB1954
    RB1954
    May I ask, what is your take on adult, consensual spanking, e.g. in a "DD" relationship or as a sort of punitive therapy?
    September 9, 2016

  • harry
    harry
    Hello Harry. Greetings from Dorset! Lubrication by Beer - definitely. Naturism - Oh yes. Spanking - well, I don't support genuine CP but have been fascinated by it since boyhood, and later by the adult-fun variety. Chatting - I can be chatty! Best Wishes, Durdle  
    July 28, 2016

  • french_delph
    french_delph
    Hello French_Delph. I don't favour spanking children but if it must be done I think it must be by hand only, and only enough to make the point. Am interested in spanking generally and think it has a place for adults who feel they need a little discipline and punishment. Best Wishes, Durdle.
    July 30, 2016

  • fatherfigure
    fatherfigure
    I'm probably of similar age to you then, my fascination with spanking goes back to boyhood but no I don't think the world would be better for beating children! And yet... Adult, consensual spanking - fine, and it's odd that now I feel I ought receive the occasional, belated spanking, firm hand not weapon, I did not receive and would not have wanted in boyhood, for immature failings I believe originated at that time! Best Wishes, Durdle
    July 29, 2016

  • Legion
    Legion
    Hi Legion! I reckon your Miss Hamilton might have done me some good! :-) (Doubtless others too!) Cheers, Durdle 
    July 30, 2016

  • Michael
    Michael
    18 and 20. Adults, with the full choice of protection from assault by law.
    September 1, 2016

  • Stonehenge43
    Stonehenge43
    Hello Stonehenge. Welcome! I'm 64 and an ex-EP user but left it when parts of it started to become really sleazy or stupid. My profile gives a fir idea but I'm happy to chat about a wide range of subjects in which I am interested or can give reasonably knowledgeable facts or opinions. You mention Adultmug. I know what you mean. I ignore the worst, some of which I find unpleasant, but do dip into some of the other threads on it. I'm slightly bi and interested in nudity and adult-consensual spanking, so am not quite a shrinking violet. I did make one or two penfriendships (e-mail) from EP but they've fizzled out, thanks to losses in house moves, changes of computer and perhaps laziness by me! How about you? Your interests, music etc? Best Wishes, Durdle. (after Durdle Door).
    July 30, 2016

  • Eva amirhom
    Eva amirhom
    A sad story, Eva. Yes, you were wrong to do what you did but you have realised that, not everyone in the world will hate you, and I hope you will find forgiveness and happiness. Durdle.
    July 29, 2016

  • Stonehenge43
    Stonehenge43
    I would be very happy to chat about whatever we find of mutual interest, but I can't send a private message unless I add you as a friend first. may I do so, please? regards, Durdle 
    September 9, 2016

  • sjf47
    sjf47
    welcome to AM and its Naturist section! AM Male, 63 and live in Dorset. Cheers, Durdle
    July 28, 2016

  • Pofan1201
    Pofan1201
    That's not "spanking" , that's whipping, and cruel! What effect did it have on you in adult life?
    August 14, 2016

  • Pofan1201
    Pofan1201
    Hi Pofan. Interesting: many people who admit they were beaten severely as children become adults either wanting to give or receive similar in games between consenting adults, or are turned off spanking and CP entirely. You evidently became sexually submissive, but were you aroused by either the whipping or the submission at the time or in remembering it later? Sorry, I'm not quite clear by what you mean as a "switcher" - switching between what? I appreciate bare bottoms including my own as well, but unfortunately mine has aged with me and is now a bit soft and sagging.   Regards, Durdle
    August 15, 2016

  • Pofan1201
    Pofan1201
    Thank you very much Pofan. Would love to be friends with you! Best Wishes, Durdle.
    August 15, 2016

  • Elshara Silverheart
    Elshara Silverheart
    Thank you for the compliment Elashara. I'm not sure what it means, but please do tell me what in particular influenced you. Best Wishes, Durdle.
    June 9, 2016

  • sp4sp4
    sp4sp4
    Hello Sp4sp4. I too was on EP, though I left it well before it folded. "Drawn too deeply." I know the feeling. I think I was tempted too far into some EP fora, so am becoming fairly selective on what I view on here and chosen "stop following" on some already.  Is this why you've not listed any groups? You have a point, using private e-mails. Best Wishes, Durdle.
    September 16, 2016

  • Stuart
    Stuart
    Hi Stuart. Thank you very much for your greetings, and have mine to you! I oppose real CP but have been interested in spanking since boyhood, and have enjoyed quite a few gentle, erotic, spanking games. Best Wishes, Durdle.
    September 16, 2016

  • Aaron
    Aaron
    I couldn't agree more about being naked, Aaron!
    September 9, 2016

  • Solopleasure
    Solopleasure
    Hi Solopleasure. Best Wishes, Durdle
    July 30, 2016

  • Sophronius Pupoid
    Sophronius Pupoid
    I hope you didn't damage the jerboa embryos....
    September 21, 2016

  • Joanne1966
    Joanne1966
    Love to be in a night-dress or nude. I like Sharon1717's comment too!
    September 9, 2016

  • Sophronius Pupoid
    Sophronius Pupoid
    Thank you very much for your comment! Sophronius. Yes, my nickname is from Durdle Door. One of my sisters held her wedding-reception at Pennsylvania Castle, well before it reverted to a private house. The new owners have hosted garden fetes there though. 'Moonfleet' was one of our set books at school, and I remember the passage about the two leading characters escaping from Ringstead (I can't remember if that name was used in the book) by using a very steep cliff path. That path, or an equivalent, exists, up White Nothe, some 400 feet high, and someone showed it me a few years ago. I was glad to have climbed it, but I found it frightening and would not care to try it again! The normal path from the car-park to that area of beach is gentler and not at all exposed. I suppose I'm nearly local! Our family moved to Weymouth in 1959, when I was 7, when Dad's work was moved.
    September 22, 2016

  • Nudistdad
    Nudistdad
    Hello and Welcome, Nudistdad. I'm single but not a father (seem to be collecting quite a tribe of first and grand nephews & nieces though!); but like you enjoy being nude around the home. There is a naturist beach not far from me, and I used to visit it fairly often, but I have leg problems now that make the long, steep path to it a bit too much. Can still be undressed at home, as I am now, though!   Best Wishes, Durdle
    August 14, 2016

  • Donny
    Donny
    I oppose using CP on children - especially the sort of gratuitous violence with assorted weapons described on the site - but what is your take on adult-only, consensual spanking, be it erotic, for some sort of punitive therapy or stress-relieving, curiosity or indeed to reprise personal or vicarious past experiences? Regards, Durdle. 
    September 9, 2016

  • caned4doz
    caned4doz
    Hello Caned4doz. Overlapping (!) interests. I'm not as educated as you. Don't smoke, but do drink (moderately) and not religious. Am interested in science and have a wide range of musical tastes though can't play an instrument. Fitness more by walking and manual work and play than by speed! I too am interested in discipline and do have regressive tendencies and sometimes feel I ought to be spanked for my immature faults.
    July 29, 2016

  • caned4doz
    caned4doz
    Hello Caned4Dozen. Thank you for the Friend request - certainly! This site is confusing - I've not managed to work out how the Friends and Messages parts work! Anyway I think this part is public. For example I can see the messages between you and Forever shorts, on this page. AM does not seem to have a private-message system, at least not obviously so. All it does it let you separate individual conversations from the forum section. I will say I oppose genuine CP - some of the accounts on this site are of frankly appalling cruelty. Yet it was seeing one or two real instances at school, and finding descriptions and images in history-books, that nurtured my interest. The regressive streak I said I have surfaced really quite recently, in my 50s I think, although I had experimented with self-spanking since "discovering" it in my teens - when no doubt I had a rather more smackable bottom than now, had the right circumstances to introduce me to spanking fun, come along!
    August 1, 2016

  • caned4doz
    caned4doz
    I advocate discipline - a system of behaviour - but not in its euphemistic malapropism for corporal punishment of children. However I believe for a consenting adult, there need be no bar beyond sensible, individual boundaries to being spanked ( or slippered or caned) appropriately in a therapeutic or punitive sense, as well obviously as purely erotically. In the last situation it might even be a foreplay activity. Similarly, some adults find release in being under regressive discipline, with or without physical punishment. (Discipline and punishment are NOT synonyms: the latter is for wilful breaking of the former.) 
    September 7, 2016

  • Cravingyourtouch
    Cravingyourtouch
    Welcome Cravingyourtouch. Mot only the women of the household who would benefit from a little suitable discipline at times! Regards, Durdle (in Dorset) 
    July 29, 2016

  • spanko28
    spanko28
    Do you like adult (consensual) spanking too?
    September 9, 2016

  • NaughtyNicola
    NaughtyNicola
    About You: sexiest lingerie a gurl can find - indeed, and very nice too!  
    September 1, 2016

  • NaughtyNicola
    NaughtyNicola
    A pleasure Nicola - and I like your profile picture too!
    September 7, 2016

  • NaughtyNicola
    NaughtyNicola
    Not a full cross-dresser myself and I've few femme clothes, but I like to sleep in a nightie now and then, or wear something at least like a loose-fitting miniskirt. Love to be nude, too! The long-legged lass in that Timothy's Knickers pic fg5 you've commented on, looks as if she's about to be spanked!
    September 7, 2016

  • Killkenny11
    Killkenny11
    That's two of us from Dorset , then, Kilkenny! Welcome to AnswerMug! Cheers, Durdle - and I won't need to explain my inspiration for that nick-name.
    July 29, 2016

  • SJS
    SJS
    Hello SJS I'm uneasy about the idea of spanking children - discipline yes, punishment or at least a reprimand if they break that discipline yes, but need it be physical punishment? If it does I would hope it be by hand only, not weapons as some parents seem to think clever, and only enough to make the point. What of adult, consensual spanking though! I can see that as therapeutic or stress-relief, and eminently suitable for someone who is of middle-age upwards but rather immature or regressive. Regards, Durdle (Dorset - as the nickname may have suggested!)  
    July 30, 2016

  • tonyparker1
    tonyparker1
    Hello Tonyparker1  Thank you for the invitation. I too was on EP but abandoned it a few years ago. I'm a little older at nearly 64, also short and slim, well, nearly slim. Slightly bi, and enjoy being nude though knee troubles limit my excursions such as to an unofficial naturist beach not far from my South Dorset home. Also interested in spanking fun. Various interests and fair range of musical tastes. Best Wishes, Durdle (my nickname is from a feature on the Dorset coast.)
    July 29, 2016

  • tonyparker1
    tonyparker1
    Hello Tonyparker. I thought I'd left a message but it doesn't appear here so perhaps I didn't. Anyway your Profile Information describes me too, almost exactly - I am 64, and with a  slight tummy. I live in S.Dorset - hence my nick-name (from famous coastal feature). Welcome to AM!   Best Wishes, Durdle
    July 30, 2016

  • softlywaking
    softlywaking
    Thank you for the compliment, Softlywaking. Regards, Durdle.
    June 14, 2016

  • missspanking
    missspanking
    Welcome to AmswerMug, Missspanking. No shortage of people here interested in spanking, whether approving or not of beating children, or are like me, approving only of adult consensual spanking. Best Wishes, Durdle
    July 29, 2016

  • 2Pink1s
    2Pink1s
    Thank you for that brief private chat this afternoon. It was unexpected and I enjoyed it though I don't really understand how to use it. Best Wishes, Durdle.
    September 20, 2016

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