Oh my word no. I have no excuse to be sloppy either, like being unable to move away from the television. (I don't have one so don't even have the temptation!)
I've no idea if my real name will ever be attached to a storm, but it won't be a tropical system. Northern France and the British Isles have a mild temperate-maritime climate but we do have storms occasionally, and the meteorological services of the Frenc... moreI've no idea if my real name will ever be attached to a storm, but it won't be a tropical system. Northern France and the British Isles have a mild temperate-maritime climate but we do have storms occasionally, and the meteorological services of the French, British and Irish (also Spanish?) governments have taken to naming them. I think they take it in turns to do so!These storms are born over the Atlantic Ocean and come in across the Western Approaches. I don't much like this naming of inanimate weather systems, which appears copied from the American fashion for naming hurricanes..Rumble, rumble..... I was woken at 3am today by a thunderstorm that was very rich in lightning but not ever so noisy. It gave us a power-cut for an hour or so. It drifted away as did the following cloud and rain, leaving a short period of sun late this afternoon. It sounds as if another thunderstorm is wandering about, not far away, as I type this. Right on cue!The Atlantic Ocean was unusually and worryingly warm this year, and I woul... less
Surely other carriers would take over, and once it became known the company was facing bankruptcy its customers would have rapidly moved to protect their systems.
Denial when it shows something unpleasant to them, such as possibly losing some aspect of life they take for granted.Ignorance coupled with a fear of being proven wrong.Denial when it goes against some deeply-held belief - with same fear of being wrong.De... moreDenial when it shows something unpleasant to them, such as possibly losing some aspect of life they take for granted.Ignorance coupled with a fear of being proven wrong.Denial when it goes against some deeply-held belief - with same fear of being wrong.Denial on political or commercial grounds.Distrust when scientific knowledge is taken by a government to help formulate policy or regulations.
You may well be right but it is not the sort of talk any country would expect to hear about themselves from their neighbour's politicians' election-campaigns.The revenge murders would likely take place in the USA too. The Mexican drugs gangs can't operate... moreYou may well be right but it is not the sort of talk any country would expect to hear about themselves from their neighbour's politicians' election-campaigns.The revenge murders would likely take place in the USA too. The Mexican drugs gangs can't operate without colleagues or buyers in the States.
If it weren't for the caption all those chaps in army uniform would make me think Kim was photographed touring a new military base!Trust Trump though for finding (or more likely being carefully shown) idyllic spots then boasting he'd want to ruin them. Th... moreIf it weren't for the caption all those chaps in army uniform would make me think Kim was photographed touring a new military base!Trust Trump though for finding (or more likely being carefully shown) idyllic spots then boasting he'd want to ruin them. This is the speculator who somehow managed to obtain planning-permission to build a golf-course and hotel in Scotland, on land that was designated a 'Site of Special Scientific Interest' so should have been protected.That, by the way, was probably the first time most Britons had heard of the bloke. less
LOL!No I don't. I may be English and have slight Northern English traces in my voice, but I live some 250 miles South from Liverpool and could not mimic that accent at all properly!
If it applied only to Twitter and none others, its resulting bias would soon become known, putting it on a par with many newspapers and some commercial broadcasters. The bigger problem might be self-censorship by people who refuse to read or hear anything... moreIf it applied only to Twitter and none others, its resulting bias would soon become known, putting it on a par with many newspapers and some commercial broadcasters. The bigger problem might be self-censorship by people who refuse to read or hear anything not agreeing with their own beliefs and prejudices, however objectively incorrect they may be.
LOL!The myth came from some university student or researcher who'd applied fixed-wing aircraft flight equations to insects. It was only the development of better high-speed macro photography that led to finding how bees do fly, and to fly very well!
Not me but a bumble-bee that had a problem a few days ago.It was stuck in an old spider's web in my garden, no sign of the spider about, but I managed to rescue it and despite its frantic struggles, managed to tease enough of the thread off its legs for i... moreNot me but a bumble-bee that had a problem a few days ago.It was stuck in an old spider's web in my garden, no sign of the spider about, but I managed to rescue it and despite its frantic struggles, managed to tease enough of the thread off its legs for it to suddenly get up and fly away.
I have seen on Norwegian road maps the middle bit - North of the coast's Westwards bulge into the North Sea - called Midt Norge but I don't think that's an official regional name, just a convenient map reference.And what of the Mediterranean Sea? Literall... moreI have seen on Norwegian road maps the middle bit - North of the coast's Westwards bulge into the North Sea - called Midt Norge but I don't think that's an official regional name, just a convenient map reference.And what of the Mediterranean Sea? Literally, "In the Middle of the Land".The central part of England is called The Midlands; the County name for the area of that which contains the city of Birmingham and surrounding towns is the West Midlands: much closer to the Welsh border than it is to the English East coast. less
Calamine lotion is a long tried and trusted one, but like anything else it is only an emollient, not a treatment, for the injury.The best and most effective immediate and long-term approach is to avoid being burnt in the first place.
Only, a republic can be either a democracy or a dictatorship.It simply means it is not a monarchy - and a monarchy can be a democracy (Great Britain, Norway, Holland) or a dictatorship (Saudi Arabia, and in the way it acts though carefully avoids stating,... moreOnly, a republic can be either a democracy or a dictatorship.It simply means it is not a monarchy - and a monarchy can be a democracy (Great Britain, Norway, Holland) or a dictatorship (Saudi Arabia, and in the way it acts though carefully avoids stating, North Korea.)Germany, France and the USA are republics. So are Russia, China and Iran.
That is true, it is unsafe to say "never"; but you can't beat human biology, the laws of physics and the scale of even the Solar System, let alone galaxy. They would all combine in one huge Law of Diminishing Returns. In fact that paper you cite was even ... moreThat is true, it is unsafe to say "never"; but you can't beat human biology, the laws of physics and the scale of even the Solar System, let alone galaxy. They would all combine in one huge Law of Diminishing Returns. In fact that paper you cite was even closer to the first manned, powered-aircraft flight - the Wrights were not the first. Someone else in America had already managed a short flight; and that was pre-dated by one in England though I think un-manned. The Wright family manoeuvred the history in their favour. less
I think you are right.It would be a one-way suicide trip, with a very long journey even to reach the planet, followed by the problem of landing safely, then the problem of supporting the crew's lives on a cold desert with no breathable atmosphere and no c... moreI think you are right.It would be a one-way suicide trip, with a very long journey even to reach the planet, followed by the problem of landing safely, then the problem of supporting the crew's lives on a cold desert with no breathable atmosphere and no certain natural water supply near the site.Then.... assuming no-one has succumbed to serious injury or illness in their long time away from Earth, how do they return home? Although Mars' force of gravity is a little over one-third of Earth's, it would still need a very powerful rocket to be able to escape it in a craft loaded with people and supplies. And powerful rockets need a lot of fuel and proper launching facilities.... all presumably ferried there, along with food, water and medical supplies, by remotely-piloted spacecraft in the years before the manned flight. Though how do you build a space-port by radio? Mars is not a place for humans. The Moon is difficult and hazardous enough. Leave surface exploration of Mars to remotely-controlled equipment: if it b... less
The forest fires in Canada and their effect in Eastern America were well reported here in Britain, but I learnt of them only on the radio. Stu's photographs above are the first I have seen of the smoke-filled sky.So I knew it was bad but had not known jus... moreThe forest fires in Canada and their effect in Eastern America were well reported here in Britain, but I learnt of them only on the radio. Stu's photographs above are the first I have seen of the smoke-filled sky.So I knew it was bad but had not known just how serious.
Do not believe.... or more to the point, for some, refuse to believe.Some do so out of genuine inability to understand the matter; including the crucial difference between purely natural processes and ones altered by human activities. (Did they ever learn... moreDo not believe.... or more to the point, for some, refuse to believe.Some do so out of genuine inability to understand the matter; including the crucial difference between purely natural processes and ones altered by human activities. (Did they ever learn science at school.... even if they were taught it?)Others for political or economic reasons: whether producers or users, they don't their world to change, for what it gives them.Others still, possibly from fear. They know it is happening regardless of cause, but find comfort in trying to deny it rather like the head-in-the-sand myth of the ostrich.Warnings of human-made climate-change first surfaced more than a hundred years ago, when coal was almost the universal fuel for power generation, transport and (especially home) heating. Really, humanity should have started to act then, or at least over 50 years ago; but hindsight is a wonderful thing. It didn't act because firstly the projected danger times based on coal consumption at the time, would have been much ... less
I am retired but when working my days gave about five hours between breakfast and lunch.So I would still have had breakfast but perhaps a slightly smaller portion; and, more to the point, tried to avoid the mid-morning snack temptation.
The irony about the self-titled Proud Boys is that the original lot were not even American in the USA sense!They were a thugs-for-hire gang in a very lawless Boston before the War of Independence. I don't know if they continued after the USA as such was f... moreThe irony about the self-titled Proud Boys is that the original lot were not even American in the USA sense!They were a thugs-for-hire gang in a very lawless Boston before the War of Independence. I don't know if they continued after the USA as such was formed, but legally they were in what was still a British colony when they formed their gang!
An electric scooter. (The motor form of the old children's toy, not an electric version of a Vespa!)And that on a cold, very wet, very windy Winter night.
Well, that was nine months ago.We've seen since then a continuing war of attrition for which "winning" might mean "losing the less"; but it's now anyone's guess what will happen in Ukraine and in other countries, now that the Wagner Group's leader has gon... moreWell, that was nine months ago.We've seen since then a continuing war of attrition for which "winning" might mean "losing the less"; but it's now anyone's guess what will happen in Ukraine and in other countries, now that the Wagner Group's leader has gone to Belarus.All three men - Prigozhin, President Lukushenko of Belarus, and Putin - have been trying to claim for themselves some sort of strange credit for stopping what Putin (but not the others) has publicly considered the start of a "civil war".Lukushenko has offered to take in WG soldiers and invited them to join his country's army; a sensible move from his point of view because if he did not previously know what a danger the WG posed, he does now. He seems not a blind admirer of Prigozhin, even remarking publicly on the foul-mouthed mercenary leader using more swear words than ordinary ones! What are the WG troops doing now? Can they still act as they were? Will Putin absorb them into the regular forces? The situation seems to change almost daily, but the... less
Nothing like that as far as my siblings and surviving cousin know, but when we cleared our parents' home after both had died, we found a letter hinting at some strange upset or rift over something to do with our Dad's cousin's family in America. All we kn... moreNothing like that as far as my siblings and surviving cousin know, but when we cleared our parents' home after both had died, we found a letter hinting at some strange upset or rift over something to do with our Dad's cousin's family in America. All we knew was that he'd emigrated there (from our native England) at some time before our own existence, married there and we think, raised a family, but died in a plane crash. The letter merely deepened the puzzle. A puzzle best left unsolved!
My home: I live near the sea but at least 50 feet above sea-level, on a steady hill-slope, and nowhere near a river.The home of a friend in the North of England. He was told firmly by his insurers they would refuse flood-risk, or charge very steeply for i... moreMy home: I live near the sea but at least 50 feet above sea-level, on a steady hill-slope, and nowhere near a river.The home of a friend in the North of England. He was told firmly by his insurers they would refuse flood-risk, or charge very steeply for it, because he lived within a certain, quite short distance from a large river that can flood. "Aye", my friend told them, "I do live only a hundred yards from the water, but some two hundred feet above it, on the valley side!"I forget if he said he'd managed to make the clots see sense. They'd apparently relied on some theoretical flood risk created in the Department of the Environment, based purely on paralleling river-banks on maps without regard to topography! less
Water does not boil "faster" according to altitude. Its boiling-point is inversely proportional only to altitude; and does not change for any given altitude however much you raise the heat or temperature of your stove. (Remember, heat and temperature are ... moreWater does not boil "faster" according to altitude. Its boiling-point is inversely proportional only to altitude; and does not change for any given altitude however much you raise the heat or temperature of your stove. (Remember, heat and temperature are not synonyms.)The proportion of oxygen in the air makes no difference, and anyway does not change much with altitude although air-pressure decreases with increasing height.Although I do not know what are "doobies", I can't understand why any food might burn more easily at sea-level than at high altitude though, unless it burns at less than 100ºC (212ºF). Over-cook perhaps, but not burn. less
The bloke in the heading picture needs learn lane-keeping before road-choosing! Where I have the choice, I choose by whichever I feel the most efficient, easiest or most pleasant / least unpleasant for the specific journey. Not necessarily the same route ... moreThe bloke in the heading picture needs learn lane-keeping before road-choosing! Where I have the choice, I choose by whichever I feel the most efficient, easiest or most pleasant / least unpleasant for the specific journey. Not necessarily the same route for all trips between the two places.For example.... - When, as is much less common for me now (due to fuel cost), I visit friends in the North of England my "standard" outwards route is about 70 miles of very varied ordinary roads to the motorway, 200 miles along that then about 40 miles on more very varied ordinary roads to my destination. Return along the same roads. Assuming no major delays, my times respectively average about 1.5, 5.5 and 1 hour, with no more stops than necessary. I have made it in less than 8 hours, but not often.However, occasionally I return by a not-very-parallel route that cuts out a lot of the very busy but dreary and tiring motorway, and takes me though a lot of very attractive countryside. Yes, it is considerably slower a... less
Interesting....I have never encountered that so perhaps manufacturers are not allowed to fit it for UK sales. My car emits a hefty mechanical "clunk" as the locks actuate, and flashes the indicators once. The latter at least seems the most common locking ... moreInteresting....I have never encountered that so perhaps manufacturers are not allowed to fit it for UK sales. My car emits a hefty mechanical "clunk" as the locks actuate, and flashes the indicators once. The latter at least seems the most common locking / unlocking signal.
Is that "rolling stop" roughly equivalent to the practice in the UK, where if a junction is not controlled by lights, it will be signed either STOP (and that is what you must do until safe to proceed) or GIVE WAY.Both tell you that drivers on the road you... moreIs that "rolling stop" roughly equivalent to the practice in the UK, where if a junction is not controlled by lights, it will be signed either STOP (and that is what you must do until safe to proceed) or GIVE WAY.Both tell you that drivers on the road you have met, have priority; but you need not come to a complete halt at the Give Way if you can clearly see you can proceed safely.The STOP rule is often used where both roads are of near-importance and tend to carry fast-moving traffic. One trick in the book in England is typified by the Fosse Way. It closely follows what was originally a typically straight Roman road, and it crosses many that are more major. The junctions are fully sign-posted but most are not fitted with traffic lights or roundabouts. So to stop its users barging straight across the junctions where they should stop or give way, the County Council staggered the cross-roads by slightly more than a complete road-width.We don't have the equivalent of the Turn Right Allowed despite a red light if cl... less
BBC Radio Four's I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue: Jack Dee moved very smoothly from contestant (using the term loosely as I'll explain) to Chair following the death of the long-time Chairman, the jazz-musician, jazz-club owner and broadcaster, Humphrey Littlet... moreBBC Radio Four's I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue: Jack Dee moved very smoothly from contestant (using the term loosely as I'll explain) to Chair following the death of the long-time Chairman, the jazz-musician, jazz-club owner and broadcaster, Humphrey Littleton. "Loosely" because this show's by-line is The Antidote To Panel Games; in which the contestants "are given silly things to do by the Chairman, Jack Dee". Its series are placed in the 6:30pm comedy slot, and it utterly satirises the panel game-show format. It's not a genuine contest: the players are not ranked by real scores and there is no "winner"!''''''I think a similar thing happened - player to Chair - in the same channel's light-hearted game-show Just A Minute; after its Chairman for many, many years, Nicholas Parsons, died. He was in his nineties, and still chairing the show until not long before his death. ''''I should add the players in these and similar programmes, with live audiences, are not public entrants, but professional comedy acto... less
Memory Lane time......... Pop music videos are not something I know anything about these days, but as time went on the general quality of those I saw in the past, declined steadily. However I well remember one, as like as not photographic rather than digi... moreMemory Lane time......... Pop music videos are not something I know anything about these days, but as time went on the general quality of those I saw in the past, declined steadily. However I well remember one, as like as not photographic rather than digital, made at a location very familiar to me - only a few miles from our family's home. It was that used on the BBC TV show Top Of The Pops, for the Fleetwood Mac instrumental Albatross.It showed a real sea-bird, soaring gracefully around the Pulpit Rock stack at Portland Bill (S. English coast). Inconveniently for pop-video makers, Albatrosses do not live around the North Atlantic, let alone the English Channel; but never mind, a common-or-garden Herring Gull was near enough! less
My street is not signed, but all roads leading into the town are, at the national standard 30mph for built-up areas. So unless otherwise signed individually, that is the limit on all roads within the town(In some places, specific speed-limits, some 40mph ... moreMy street is not signed, but all roads leading into the town are, at the national standard 30mph for built-up areas. So unless otherwise signed individually, that is the limit on all roads within the town(In some places, specific speed-limits, some 40mph but others 20mph, exist appropriately for particular stretches of road.)Though really, in a narrow road with cars parked both sides, even though a one-way street, 30mph is too high for safety.No maximum weight although it's not a street likely to see anything heavier than the refuse-collection lorry. I don't know the typical laden mass of one of those. less
By the end of a two-week holiday on Crete I was quite pleased I could "translate" the sign on a large warehouse-like building near our accommodation.Using the alphabet in the phrase-book, I worked out the gist of the Roman alphabet version of a word compo... moreBy the end of a two-week holiday on Crete I was quite pleased I could "translate" the sign on a large warehouse-like building near our accommodation.Using the alphabet in the phrase-book, I worked out the gist of the Roman alphabet version of a word composed of what normally to me were Physics and Maths symbols. I'm sure dear little 'pi' was in there."phyt.... phyto... phyta..." Ah! Suddenly light dawned. Phtyo. Oft seen in certain scientific texts. Plants.Yes - the place was a garden-centre.
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.
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?
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Regan Porter
Welcome Regan.
Would you like to tell us a little more about yourself - interests etc?
Regards,
Durdle.
July 30, 2016
Regan Porter
Was on EP myself but left it after parts of it became just too sleazy & stupid.
Was blocked by one contributor after I'd revealed his was a front for a commercial alien-and-conspiracy outfit who were so terrified of being exposed as the fraud it pretty obviously was, that most of its web-site home page was an aggressive (and probably meaningless) legal threat notice against attackers etc.!
September 1, 2016
Mukydaz
Welcome Mukydaz!
Curious - I oppose spanking children yet now 64 sometimes desire a traditional OTK, hand spanking (no weapons) as I might have but did not receive (or want!) in boyhood, for failings persisting from that time (1950s-60s).
Best Wishes,
Durdle
July 29, 2016
Mukydaz
I regard punishment as a result of being naughty, rude or whatever, i.e breaking the discipline that is the behaviour code designed to help a child grow up decently; and punishment is not necessarily physical. In fact preferably not physical, and certainly not with any sort of weapons others on AM gleefully boast of using on even very young children. Punishment means penalty or sanction of any type, not beating!
I would guess that if you are going to spank someone in punishment the hand should suffice to make the point, especially when combined with the general air of humiliation and powerlessness, even if you don't pull the pants or knickers down.
I imagine too that a spanking would have to be reasonably calm and controlled so it doesn't spill over into a frenzied attack or mere cruelty - but I deplore the practice I have seen described, of delaying the punishment.
I suppose that a traditional spanking is satisfying in being fairly quick and over-&-done with; no dragging on in bitterness for days as might be involved by cancelling some treat or party or day-out.
How does one avoid the risk of becoming aroused by the private prurience of pants-down punishment spankings?
As I say it is odd that I don't like the idea of spanking children but sometimes feel I need to be spanked as a 1960s boy, bottom bared by a sincere disciplinarian, as he or she would have spanked me some 50-odd years ago.
Best Wishes,
Durdle
July 29, 2016
Bez
Thank you very much for the compliment of a Friend Request, Andy - I accept!
Best Wishes,
Durdle.
July 29, 2016
Bez
Thank you Andy. Despite a lot of development Weymouth is still generally pleasant, but for the moment at least it's no longer a cross-Channel port. The Council spent a fortune and worked hard to repair the harbour wall for the fast-catamaran ferry that had been operating for quite a long time - then the company bought a new boat to big for Weymouth Harbour, and moved to Poole!
Cheers,
Durdle
July 29, 2016
nmom
Nmom - it's a beautiful country, Norway, especially if you explore both inland and the fjords (most British tourists only go on the coastal cruises and don't see the interior).
Fascinated by spanking since a boy, when I certainly would not have wanted spanking, and oppose beating children... Yet now in early-60s want sometimes to experience the decades-late but appropriate firm hand - not weapon - for failings originating from boyhood; as a sort of therapy or punitive relief,
Best Wishes,
Durdle.
July 29, 2016
Sprklingwind
You should find friends on here... It helps to join a few groups of interest.
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