French.At school: a compulsory part of the curriculum, but in the upper school's Fifth Year (ending at or approaching age 16) we could choose which subject to drop from the menu of national school-leaving examinations called the General Certificate of Edu... moreFrench.At school: a compulsory part of the curriculum, but in the upper school's Fifth Year (ending at or approaching age 16) we could choose which subject to drop from the menu of national school-leaving examinations called the General Certificate of Education 'Ordinary Levels'.* I dropped History and French, largely through thinking I would not be able to remember enough for passing examinations, and it gave me more time to revise for the other subjects. I struggled with all those irregular verbs and gendered nouns, too. Our family had never had holidays abroad and I honestly saw myself never visiting France - its nearest coast across the English Channel, was less 100 miles South of our home. (Though the ferries all used ports at least that distance to our East.)Only a few years after that decision, I visited France for the first of I think about ten holidays there...
Actually I don't need go abroad for a "foreign" language. A drive of about 100 miles would take me into Wales, whose own language is still very ... less
VTOL vehicles... See the discussion elsewhere on parking, and that's in two dimensions, not three!Is he serious with his idea? It looks all very futuristic and misses the point that you might build factories, homes, shops etc but still need attract compan... moreVTOL vehicles... See the discussion elsewhere on parking, and that's in two dimensions, not three!Is he serious with his idea? It looks all very futuristic and misses the point that you might build factories, homes, shops etc but still need attract companies to them; and you also need address why you import so much from the Far East (Far West?). It's no good building big mass-production plants if they can't sell their products at below Chinese, Indian or South American prices. No employment prospects means no incentive for couples to move there, and to breed (no future work for the fruit of their loins); but even if the places are established they would need far smaller work-forces than in the past for the same output of similar products. Or rather than one or two big firms, a plethora of smaller, highly-specialised, trades might work.Someone elsewhere sent me a link to photos of the derelict Packard(?) car factory - I forget the city - but it remains a ruin because the city cannot afford to clear the site, and ... less
I'm surprised someone didn't pick you on "the best", of two! :-)Me? I'd not worry about either. I'd probably buy by price though the Haagen-Dazs does seem the better value by proportions of main ingredient. Most of the other ingredients are only vegetable... moreI'm surprised someone didn't pick you on "the best", of two! :-)Me? I'd not worry about either. I'd probably buy by price though the Haagen-Dazs does seem the better value by proportions of main ingredient. Most of the other ingredients are only vegetable extracts but their presence does dilute the title fruit proportion. I think the corn syrup Livvie avoids is there as a thickener.
March 26th here in the UK, where it is called "British Summer Time". 1 hour of ahead of Greenwich Mean Time, based on noon at the Greenwich Meridian (0º Longitude).Depending on which change, many people witter about an hour less or more in bed, but I... moreMarch 26th here in the UK, where it is called "British Summer Time". 1 hour of ahead of Greenwich Mean Time, based on noon at the Greenwich Meridian (0º Longitude).Depending on which change, many people witter about an hour less or more in bed, but I have never bought that because the hours of day and night do not change, only the clock time, so the supposed loss or gain is taken up on the first night of the new time setting. I let myself sleep naturally then adjust the clocks after getting up.
Never really thought about it but I suppose I reverse into a parking space far more often than driving in forwards. Then exiting is easier and safer.I live in a fairly narrow street with no parking spaces on each home's land, so like everyone else need pa... moreNever really thought about it but I suppose I reverse into a parking space far more often than driving in forwards. Then exiting is easier and safer.I live in a fairly narrow street with no parking spaces on each home's land, so like everyone else need park parallel to the kerb, very often with very little room to manoeuvre. In that situation, and compounded by having a front-wheel drive car, parking parallel forwards is virtually impossible when there is not much room fore-and-aft between cars already there, so you have to reverse in.I fitted a reversing-camera above the rear window to help me. less
Not strange, British spelling too, and two different words!The Kerb is the raised strip along the edge of the road, Curb means to stop, hinder or reduce.As in: Use the brakes to curb the car's speed when approaching the kerb!
It's pretty much the same across the major social-media trade; and there has been a lot of trouble with some sites refusing out of hand to give back deceased users' material to the families, or to close the accounts. Interestingly, that YouTube lic... moreIt's pretty much the same across the major social-media trade; and there has been a lot of trouble with some sites refusing out of hand to give back deceased users' material to the families, or to close the accounts. Interestingly, that YouTube licence says it not only has it assumed the right to do whatever it damn' well wants with your material, however destructive; but it also has no qualms about anyone else using it. So it is not taking copyright, unlike some photographic sites that use anti-copying protection.That may be because it does not make money from your contributions, but nor is it ever going to pay you anything for them. Instead it makes money from chopping them into one-minute segments and selling the interruptions to the vast number of advertising-agencies there are, to fill with childish, meretricious guff of no relevance to the video at all. less
Is that clothing for individuals who are mainly men, or mainly men's clothing that is surplus...?If our local charity shops are any guide, it's women's clothes that form most of the surplus!
I am usually careful to dismantle things so I can re-assemble them, but.... It is certainly not my drawing-board, a whacking great professional-size thing with a very heavy board mounted on a parallelogram link motion balanced by a massively powerful spri... moreI am usually careful to dismantle things so I can re-assemble them, but.... It is certainly not my drawing-board, a whacking great professional-size thing with a very heavy board mounted on a parallelogram link motion balanced by a massively powerful spring, and locked at the height and angle you set by a very complicated brake mechanism. I took it apart without making any notes because I'd tried to convert to using CAD (Computer Aided Draughting), thought I would no longer need a space-hungry and extremely heavy drawing board, but failed to find a buyer for it so decided I may as well scrap it.Then discovered the word "Aided" needs be taken with a very generous pinch of salt.... "Hindered" is more appropriate. I thought learning to make MS 'Access' databases hard but this is even worse.So I tried to re-assemble the thing. No joy. I could not work out how it should be, nor how to adjust it; ended up with not only small parts but also holes left over. It's still in bits, and I have to be content with using t... less
I had no idea until hearing an essay on it during last week's edition of the BBC Radio Four programme From Our Own Correspondent, why the town of East Palestine is the unfortunate focus of attention in the USA. The journalist was commentating on the after... moreI had no idea until hearing an essay on it during last week's edition of the BBC Radio Four programme From Our Own Correspondent, why the town of East Palestine is the unfortunate focus of attention in the USA. The journalist was commentating on the aftermath of the tanker-train derailment there.
I've visited neither but I would hazard a guess that the East Palestine, only four or five thousand miles West of Palestine the country, is at least peaceful.Oh, and the River Jordan is in England.I kid thee not: a stream all of two miles long if that, ne... moreI've visited neither but I would hazard a guess that the East Palestine, only four or five thousand miles West of Palestine the country, is at least peaceful.Oh, and the River Jordan is in England.I kid thee not: a stream all of two miles long if that, near the Southern English town of Weymouth.Bethlehem? South Wales: a hamlet near Llandovery.
Not as far as I know; but it an air-gas mixture that is "explosive" and each flammable gas need its own ratio mix.Hydrogen is not intrinsically any more dangerous than natural-gas, town-gas (which was toxic as well as flammable) or vapours such as from pe... moreNot as far as I know; but it an air-gas mixture that is "explosive" and each flammable gas need its own ratio mix.Hydrogen is not intrinsically any more dangerous than natural-gas, town-gas (which was toxic as well as flammable) or vapours such as from petrol; but all flammable materials need air as well to burn. Its problem is that people will still keep waffling on about the Hindenburg and R101 airship disasters to show how awful hydrogen is, instead of asking what might have caused those accidents. That use of hydrogen was indeed extremely risky, but the Hindenburg fell in flames after something ignited a lot of leaking hydrogen: the awful newsreel of the disaster is often foreshortened to the fire only, so does not show what was happening before the fire first broke through the hull fabric. The R101 flew too low and crashed into a French hillside - then caught fire - on its maiden flight, because for political reasons its contemporary government rushed it into service poorly-designed, not properly tested and... less
Radar or sonar so you won't bump into lamp-posts etc. when you are walking along the street; which as we all know is where you spend the entire time gazing at, and tap-tap-tapping away on, the thing.
There is a somewhat similar policy in the UK.This is not to ban gas appliances per se, but to no longer fit gas-mains into homes built from a certain date in future, possibly 2035, but that may change.Meanwhile, trials of blending natural-gas with hydroge... moreThere is a somewhat similar policy in the UK.This is not to ban gas appliances per se, but to no longer fit gas-mains into homes built from a certain date in future, possibly 2035, but that may change.Meanwhile, trials of blending natural-gas with hydrogen are underway, and I am told by a friend who is a registered gas-fitter, that the domestic boiler manufacturers are now making them simple (for an accredited professional) to adjust to burn the blend or even, in future, just hydrogen.The policy was formulated a few years ago, and part of cutting down on using mineral fuels for purely environmental reasons; nothing to do with the war in Ukraine. Nor with those rather specious claims about health, since if the gas is burning properly, its products are carbon-dioxide and water. Also, gas-stoves have been so universal for so long in so many countries, that any illnesses from using them in properly-ventilated kitchens would likely have been identified long ago. less
It most likely can't because it will probably have various safety-devices to ensure it can only turn on via its internal control circuit that monitors such actions as water-flow, fan and finally verifying ignition and continuing flame.My central-heating a... moreIt most likely can't because it will probably have various safety-devices to ensure it can only turn on via its internal control circuit that monitors such actions as water-flow, fan and finally verifying ignition and continuing flame.My central-heating and hot water to the taps and shower uses a gas-fired combination-boiler, but if we have an electricity power-cut, it will not work for either function! I could still heat kettles of water, and cook, by gas-stove... unless the power-cut would also turn the gas off at the so-called "smart"-meter. Luckily, power-cuts are rare where I live, and don't normally last more than a few hours. less
Hard to see what, if anything, the USA would gain by physically breaking the pipeline; but anyway has anyone actually said they would do that? It would probably have more to lose than gain; especially as purchases or refusals of purchases of, Russian gas ... moreHard to see what, if anything, the USA would gain by physically breaking the pipeline; but anyway has anyone actually said they would do that? It would probably have more to lose than gain; especially as purchases or refusals of purchases of, Russian gas do not affect America - except perhaps cynically by increasing exports of American LNG. In the end the Germans and other European allies of the USA, and Ukraine, would be the ones to suffer; not Russia, not the USA.
I do use the computer for more than messages and sites like this, including CAD, and occasional spreadsheets and documents, so need a reasonably large screen. Also my typing is so ropey I doubt I could cope with a tablet or "smart"-'phone. At work once I ... moreI do use the computer for more than messages and sites like this, including CAD, and occasional spreadsheets and documents, so need a reasonably large screen. Also my typing is so ropey I doubt I could cope with a tablet or "smart"-'phone. At work once I was tasked with listing hundreds of documents on an archive spreadsheet, already on a lap-top isolated from the main system. Despite putting it on a ring-binder as an improvised writing-slope, I found it physically very awkward to use. Most of my 'phone calls are social ones by land-line on a free evenings and weekends tariff; but a few people I know, including one of my sisters, use portable 'phones so it makes sense for me to follow suit when telephoning them. less
Just re-read the OP. You have or had a land-line, so did you not use the Internet by computer and broadband account?(I'm writing this on a PC connected to the same line as my telephone. My portable 'phone is not really suitable for Internet use, although ... moreJust re-read the OP. You have or had a land-line, so did you not use the Internet by computer and broadband account?(I'm writing this on a PC connected to the same line as my telephone. My portable 'phone is not really suitable for Internet use, although that is theoretically possible.)
I find you can partly unfold the top then cut the corner off with scissors.I don't know if you see them where you live, but I sometimes buy little, single-portion cardboard cartons of fruit-juice, each with a straw attached. You don't open the box but pus... moreI find you can partly unfold the top then cut the corner off with scissors.I don't know if you see them where you live, but I sometimes buy little, single-portion cardboard cartons of fruit-juice, each with a straw attached. You don't open the box but push the straw through a small aluminium-foil disc in the top. So far so good. It works very well.... but if you inadvertently squeeze the carton, the straw emits a squirt of juice over you or the surroundings! I rather miss the little "Innovations" mail-order catalogues that used to be packed inside magazines like Radio Times. They offered a wonderful assortment of all sorts of things, including many you don't really need but can't do without. Noise-hair clippers, "sonic" mole-repellers, humane spider-traps, bust-enhancing pads (well, I can do without those), roof-gutter grids to trap leaves..... less
Cardboard milk cartons - designed to be almost impossible to open without splashing, to pour cleanly until at least a third empty, and to re-close when you use only some of the milk at a time.
Flashing headlamps for bicycles - probably not legal, b... moreCardboard milk cartons - designed to be almost impossible to open without splashing, to pour cleanly until at least a third empty, and to re-close when you use only some of the milk at a time.
Flashing headlamps for bicycles - probably not legal, but usually far too intense, tightly focussed and poorly fitted, so far more a danger to oncoming road users than a real way-finding and warning lamp. Electric scooters - not proper motor-scooters with their petrol engines replaced by electric motors and batteries; but the powered version of the children's old toy scooter.Big-bore (car) exhausts - resonators designed so car owners wanting but not having the skills, means or maturity to make a decent custom-car, can make their run-of-the-mill sales-rep trolleys sound like tractors with broken silencers. In the UK they may be illegal, but anyway would fail the car's MoT tests and probably void the insurance if the company has not agreed its use! I once saw not one, but two, of these contraptions on one small car; n... less
They complain about being "dehumanizing" but such mangling of the language is at least as bad. I wonder who exactly has been so offended personally (not self-appointedly on the supposed behalf of random third-parties) that they have had to go runni... moreThey complain about being "dehumanizing" but such mangling of the language is at least as bad. I wonder who exactly has been so offended personally (not self-appointedly on the supposed behalf of random third-parties) that they have had to go running to Associated Press about it? Indeed, has anyone been so offended? Where it will it end?It makes one aspect of George Orwell's 1984 rather prescient: diminishing and corrupting the language to suit narrow political ends. I am white, I am British, specifically English. If someone on a foreign (to me) forum refers to "the whites", "the British / Britons", "the English", would I be offended for myself, or my entire nation or my race? NO, unless the text is being nasty; and then it would be the message rather than individual words that matters. I do mean ordinary, innocent words and grammar, not ones themselves are intended from the start to be rude.It is context that counts, and if some American calls me "a Limey", I'd object only if he was being sarcastic... less
Wind Chill: the effect of the wind on the human body, extracting heat from it by removing the thin layer of warm air that would otherwise surround you. The real air temperature is still that quoted - the 23º in this case - and that would be also... moreWind Chill: the effect of the wind on the human body, extracting heat from it by removing the thin layer of warm air that would otherwise surround you. The real air temperature is still that quoted - the 23º in this case - and that would be also the temperature of exposed, inert surfaces once they have stabilised to the air temperature.
I can think of many uses for Plane and Solid Geometry, and their friends in Mensuration, Trigonometry and co-ordinates (Graphs and Vectors), and I do use some of them.Sacred Geometry though? That's a name new to me.I know the term Pure Geometry, which exa... moreI can think of many uses for Plane and Solid Geometry, and their friends in Mensuration, Trigonometry and co-ordinates (Graphs and Vectors), and I do use some of them.Sacred Geometry though? That's a name new to me.I know the term Pure Geometry, which examines the properties of lines and shapes qualitatively, not numerically. That was part of the School Maths syllabus I was taught, with such problems as Proving length AB = length CD in some irregular plane figure by their relationships, not by calculating units of measure. We did also learn numerical geometry: areas, volumes and trigonometry; and on to graphs of equations whose geometry yields to basic Calculus. Well, we were taught them. Not sure I learnt much... (The Advanced Level Maths syllabus included 3D Graphs, Vectors, the Conic Sections and the Calculus of Solids of Revolution.)"Sacred" though...? Many of the Theorems and Proofs in Pure Geometry were established by the Classical Greek philosophers, and they did imbue their studies with much mysticism an... less
15-20 ya.... I've an idea that may have been before I started using the Internet!I was used to using computers at work, having been introduced to them there around the time that Microsoft MS-DOS was changing to WIN-3.1. I'd also bought my own first PC, an... more15-20 ya.... I've an idea that may have been before I started using the Internet!I was used to using computers at work, having been introduced to them there around the time that Microsoft MS-DOS was changing to WIN-3.1. I'd also bought my own first PC, an Amstrad PCW9512, in about 1990.Yet although my works use included the company Intranet I was wary of putting my much later, home "confuser" on-line for quite some years.My first use at home? Using Google Maps' photographs to determine the location hence National Grid Reference of a particular, small, local geological feature..I have a discreet sat-nav instrument, a TomTom, in my car but don't own a "smart"-'phone so can't use the Internet for navigation or any other purpose away from home. I use a printed road-atlas to plan long journeys to unfamiliar places, with the "sat-nag"* to home in on the destination. If walking in unfamiliar countryside I would use an Ordnance Survey map - which unlike a simple digital display shows you the terrain and obstacles betwee... less
I live on part of the so-called "Jurassic Coast", of Southern England; a Geological World Heritage Site for its unbroken succession of rocks younging West to East up through the entire Jurassic sequence and into the Cretaceous.The name is a bit misleading... moreI live on part of the so-called "Jurassic Coast", of Southern England; a Geological World Heritage Site for its unbroken succession of rocks younging West to East up through the entire Jurassic sequence and into the Cretaceous.The name is a bit misleading because it is the rocks that are of Jurassic Age. The coast that exposes them, is geologically very young.As well as the scientific interest it is also very beautiful, attracting many tourists generally as well as visiting geologists.
Not very well but I think I can summarise it from memory.It did not really have much of a story, certainly no plot. Really it was musing on what ghosts think of humans, and telling each other of the frightening encounters they'd had with the living.It des... moreNot very well but I think I can summarise it from memory.It did not really have much of a story, certainly no plot. Really it was musing on what ghosts think of humans, and telling each other of the frightening encounters they'd had with the living.It described how the ghostly residents of a particularly haunted house felt as dawn approached and humans started to wake up. They were as frightened of that as we are supposed to be frightened of ghosts. ...When I was only about 11 Ii suppose, my Dad bought an anthology of ghost stories. I should not have read it at that age: some of the tales were very frightening, others were very strange but obviously frightening, but I was too young to spot the literary trick that made them all seem real!I do enjoy a good ghost story now; but I am also interested in what people do report. Real experiences that are alarming and inexplicable at the time, though harmless and not supernatural. Some are quite common, I have experienced one or two, and they do crop up as "ghost s... less
Blimey, if it took me twenty years to sell a car I've no hope of selling it.Errr. Oh. Um, my last relationship ended twenty-two years ago!OK. Ditto, pro-rata.
Oh the irony.I am not bothered which celebrity or ex-politician is advertising it. If I were a practicing Christian, possibly even if a Jew or Muslim, I would regard that as at least foolish, if not offensive or even blasphemous. The Bible's aim is to pro... moreOh the irony.I am not bothered which celebrity or ex-politician is advertising it. If I were a practicing Christian, possibly even if a Jew or Muslim, I would regard that as at least foolish, if not offensive or even blasphemous. The Bible's aim is to promulgate a message above and beyond shallow politicians, politics and nations; and for any nation to use it to claim itself as some sort of God's Chosen Own above all others..... Any but especially nations founded by English, Dutch, French, Spanish, etc. colonists escaping monarchies and religious divisions at home, or just looking for plunder; then who worked hard to oppress both continents' original inhabitants, cultures and religions. While blaming poor old God for their actions.Isn't overweening pride a sin or something?Render unto Caesar, etc. I can't quote it verbatim but it's a well-known point. less
The MatressThe Sound Of MuzakBrass FingerThe Good The Bad And The OrdinaryThe Watercress File ('Ipcress')The Olympic (One for the maritime historians, there!)One-Hundred-And-One MongrelsFour Weddings And A FunfairThe Exercise ('Exo... moreThe MatressThe Sound Of MuzakBrass FingerThe Good The Bad And The OrdinaryThe Watercress File ('Ipcress')The Olympic (One for the maritime historians, there!)One-Hundred-And-One MongrelsFour Weddings And A FunfairThe Exercise ('Exorcist')Monty Python & The Holy GruelSmouldering SaddlesTiler On The RoofThe Lambshank RedemptionThe Titfield Spark ('Titfield Thunderbolt')Teamwork On The BountyThe Puns of Navarone
Clearing nettles or picking blackberries*, in the nude.....*Does the wild Bramble with its edible fruits, the blackberries, grow anywhere in the States?
Continuing Malizz' point, many UK shops do now offer heavy-duty bags that can be used many times if you are careful with them. Examining one from Aldi, it looks as made from some sort of woven plastic fabric given an outer coating; and it is quite rugged.... moreContinuing Malizz' point, many UK shops do now offer heavy-duty bags that can be used many times if you are careful with them. Examining one from Aldi, it looks as made from some sort of woven plastic fabric given an outer coating; and it is quite rugged.Also the goods' own packaging - of any material - has to be recoverable as far as possible, and the makers put basic advice on the labels, along with the standard triangular "recycling" symbol where appropriate. At work I had sometimes to put in the salvage skips, used computer packing. These were typically heavy-duty cardboard boxes containing moulded polystyrene-foam "nests". However, many other items arrived with the shock-absorbing parts now as ingenious cardboard origami; or with those polystyrene foam "maggots" replaced with ones made from vegetable material - and reputably edible though I did not test that! We do have extensive "recycling" systems in the UK but they vary in detail from County Council to County Council, possibly depending partly on ... less
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 & "so-called celebrities!
Was on EP, but left it long before it closed. Won't touch Facebook & its ilk.
"Adult" themes: quite broad-minded, like nudity but not pornography. Against cruelty, and consider spanking as a game for consenting adults only.
Model Engineer magazine, originally published with & Electrician... moreModel Engineer magazine, originally published with & Electrician in the title, is as its name implies, for a readership with a lay but reasonably broad grasp of engineering principles and related science.The latest edition (Vol.225 No.4643, 17 July 2020) publishes two extracts from its early-20C predecessor; the first on international affairs, the second on the "Enviroment" as it was not called then.'1) Fulsomely praising the technical inventiveness and ingenuity of what he called the "Chinese race" the editor commented, ".... The prospect of China becoming the workshop of the world is, perhaps, too remote to contemplate, but that China may be someday a formidable competitor in things mechanical is worth a passing thought." The date? 1904. (ref. ME&E Vol.XI No. 179; 29 Sept. 1904.)Particularly prescient for the magazine's modern readers, since most of the small lathes and other machine-tools now sold to model-engineers are made in either Taiwan or the People's Republic... less
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
'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
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
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!)
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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?
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
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
Greetings Tate99 from a fellow Briton (S> Dorset) and nudist!
Best Wishes,
Durdle.
July 29, 2016
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
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
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
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
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
Hi Harbourboy.
Welcome... come on then, elucidate on your specialist subjects!
Best Wishes,
Durdle.
July 30, 2016
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
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
Hello NudieSuzie.
Thankyou - would love to be your friend!
Best Wishes,
Durdle.
August 31, 2016
Tawser22
What's your take on adult, consensual, spanking?
September 9, 2016
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
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
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
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
Hi Legion!
I reckon your Miss Hamilton might have done me some good! (Doubtless others too!)
Cheers,
Durdle
July 30, 2016
Michael
18 and 20. Adults, with the full choice of protection from assault by law.
September 1, 2016
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
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
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
welcome to AM and its Naturist section!
AM Male, 63 and live in Dorset.
Cheers,
Durdle
July 28, 2016
Pofan1201
That's not "spanking" , that's whipping, and cruel! What effect did it have on you in adult life?
August 14, 2016
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
Thank you very much Pofan. Would love to be friends with you!
Best Wishes,
Durdle.
August 15, 2016
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
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
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
I couldn't agree more about being naked, Aaron!
Joanne1966
Love to be in a night-dress or nude. I like Sharon1717's comment too!
September 9, 2016
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Do you like adult (consensual) spanking too?
September 9, 2016
NaughtyNicola
About You: sexiest lingerie a gurl can find - indeed, and very nice too!
September 1, 2016
NaughtyNicola
A pleasure Nicola - and I like your profile picture too!
September 7, 2016
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
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
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
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
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
Thank you for the compliment, Softlywaking.
Regards,
Durdle.
June 14, 2016
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
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.