[Richard]

I suspect that peer pressure can have a lot to do with the choice of sub-optimal machines. Our daughter had a portable that was, I admit, sleeping dog slow.

I replaced the old 5400 rpm drive with a 500 GB  SSD and doubled the memory. The sleeping dog is, relatively speaking a greyhound now. She somewhat reluctantly admitted that it was now fully usable, but I thought she still hankered after a new shiny something, whether it was good or bad. She is hoping to go to a university next year. The university may have recommendations for suitable devices.

She admitted that currently, she does not really need a portable for her course. I suggested that she tried this machine ‘as is’ for now, as a whole slew of new smaller lighter devices, some with the option of 5G capabilities built in, are starting to emerge. The new intel standard is set to be the bellwether for such new devices.

[Richard]

Bob, your story of the pay raid reminded me of an event back in the mid nineteen sixties. Just before lunch we heard a load of sirens and bells. Everyone looked up and I rashly said, ‘Oh don’t worry its just the payroll.’

On return from lunch I had a hand written note on my desk.

‘10% of the payroll as hush money, please. Used notes will be OK’

The pay packets for most GPO staff in North West London had been snatched, oops.

[Richard]

Graham, whatever the medical details of your condition the effect sounds about as good as you could wish for, I trust the future will bring further relief. It is good to hear such a bright outcome, now prepare to enjoy 2020, just not too much too soon!

[Richard]

Thank you JayCeeDee, I have not enjoyed a lot of 2019, I hope for a better run this year. I feel I may not be alone in those thoughts. While some effects of last year may have their roots in physical causes, the effects were not limited to just those physical causes. Sometimes it became a bit too much of a strain to process, so withdrawal from many issues felt like the best option.

[Richard]

Graham, I can only wish you well, briefly looking back at all the well-wishers I can see I am not alone in hoping you can have a rather better 2020 than you ended 2019. Rest, take advice and trust that you get good medical attention to take you through your present troubles. I’ll keep it brief for tonight and end here, with a wish for your improving health

[Richard]

@isdarit, amen to that, there are many here who would wish for improvement in the coming year.

[Richard]

About one hundred and twenty years ago there was a pretty much free for all with drugs and drink here, Since then the nets have closed though not very effectively.

I had Tramadol with a side issue of cocodamol prescribed, they failed to control any of the pain and only shut down my stomach increasing my pains.  I stopped them as they were pointless. My wife used up the last ones bridging the gaps in her legitimate supplies after the dog who had been using the up, died as his cancer spread to his brain.

Some are far more easily addicted to drugs, gambling, etc. than others, so there may well be a genuine medical angle to the problem. I also agree that addiction and risky actions are not a ‘class’ issue, though the selection of the suicide on the never – never choice may be influenced by class or profession. Several lives I knew have been ended early by the effects of drugs – not all being the drug takers, so I am not an uninvolved observer.

I am less convinced that the only reason some take drugs is the ‘thrill’ of breaking the law

[Richard]

I found the demand services hard work. We have a Fire Stick on one TV and on 2 others we have set up several demand services, (Prime, BBC Player, Chanel4). After the initial rush of excitement mostly to see if it could be done and then to track down a couple of missed items the hard work of tracking things down meant they fell into disuse. We tend to use the PVR as being an easy option along with its pause function while otherwise live viewing. I guess that things like Alexa could overcome that issue, but I am not sure that the admission price of getting a voice controlled ‘thing’ is worthwhile. My experience of ‘OK Google’ has been dire. In simple terms it had a success rate of about 2% perhaps I am not compatible. Nokia did have voice control working well for me.

[Richard]

I hear your exasperation, it is usually me who wants to napalm the buggers – slowly. Quick is too good for my strength of feeling.

I really wish there was an answer that could be acceptable to all, though perhaps not acceptable to the bozo end of the social market where stupidity and unpleasantness roam free. So far years of trying and searching have failed through history.

[Richard]

Steve, don’t give up, many five door cars have a load space close to that of a van. Older, larger easy riding less fuel efficient cars can be cheap, but your mileage might affect things. Avoid older cars with a long list of high technical options if you want reliability.

[Richard]

It appears the battles go on and on; this news post suggests that things are not in a good shape in parts of what should be society; https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-49368649

 

[Richard]

I am not sure that there is a paranoid form of dementia as such, in my experience all variations of dementia can pass through various stages. Rage and paranoia are just part and parcel as the sufferer passes through different stages of mental and physical failure. Dementia is one cause of erratic behaviour, but there are many others, some surprising, some less so just as there are different forms and causes of paranoia. Knife waving in these rather over exposed times generally needs rapid response. If a carer, paid or otherwise identifies the issue and has access to a response service qualified in the relevant speciality with 24 hour availability fine. Sadly, you would likely have more success shopping for a bag of hen’s teeth at 03:00 in the morning on a public holiday. The carer or observer either handles the incident themselves or calls for help and it will not be the AA they call but the under equipped to handle mental health issues police. Though there is a very small chance they might call for an ambulance.

Making it a little personal what would each of us do?

Maybe try to run for the hills, try to talk the knife swinger down, or what?

(I have a slight advantage I know the call out numbers for the local mental health support service, but based on experiences their response times are not rapid, 12 to 36 hours can be expected.)

So it comes down to Deal With It Yourself, call the police or perhaps your Minister of Religion of choice for divine intervention. In such a case the best-effort-protection-of-life becomes the most likely course of action, whatever that may entail. In the end it is Hobson’s choice as to what really is best. Oh, in real life you would not have time to read any of this before you need to act.

[Richard]

The ‘GAMI’ principle, get a man in has great appeal, until recently the only one I could get was a lady for  gardening. Getting up and down to pull weeds, trim bushes and the like has been a growing challenge. She can do all  sorts of gardening things in seconds that can take me a bunch of uncomfortable minutes if not longer. I may now have found someone for outdoor tasks, but not until November…

Apparently I am too old to have got onto the current standard for tetanus jabs which is five at monthly intervals. My GP records suggest I have had all sorts of other vaccinations, many 20~30 years before they were introduced, – time travel must be wonderful. I only know I have  had 2 tetanus jabs 27 years apart. So I now have three months of jab to go.

Ed, your story of accident reports reminded me of a school trip to a nuclear power station my wife went on with our eldest daughter many years back. Our daughter managed to trip, fall or have some other small accident in the children’s play centre resulting in a minor injury. Accidents on nuclear premisses have a whole book for the reports not ‘just’ a form. They never did get to see most of the power station.

[Richard]

I have just looked for and found an update, though I am not sure it is a monthly one. It is running in at the moment, I do have the delay things for 7 days option now, which came in a little while back

[Richard]

Dave, that looks like an interesting option for those with easy access to the initial starting point and enough fitness to sustain the momentum. I have to admit that heaving luggage about onto and off trains would worry me these days. The challenge of using trains to London hospitals, even without luggage did not encourage me to think of that as the start of a holiday option.

Perhaps, we are just past travelling holidays at the moment, but for those who can rise to the challenge it looks to be an interesting option to have.

[Richard]

Bob, I am with you on your feelings about Airports. They are generally grim places run by people who would rather not be there and dedicated to making you feel the same way. Most are shopping centres trying to lift all the cash you have, with uncomfortable seating, cheap plane parking, usually expensive inconvenient transport options and hugely expensive car parking. After several bad experiences such as machines eating boarding passes causing missed flights, – even after I took the machine apart to retrieve the by then torn pass. I vowed – never again. Our last holiday in 2009 was a second cruise from Southampton. It was so much more relaxing, drive there, unload the luggage, switch off the car and you are already on holiday. In our experience, even on large ships the holiday experience was totally immersive. We had many choices of food and activities, including just being as lazy or active as you are capable of being, with minimal queuing and being messed about. The return to port was just as smooth, collect the car, load up the luggage, drive home.

Since then, we have only been going to funerals and hospitals; somehow that is not the same as holidays, I am often reminded.

[Richard]

Steve, having walked the dogs and thought about my reactions to the software rental or leasing model, I can see that I resent being barred or effectively locked out of some examples of software choice that I had previously exercised. So you would be right to sense my annoyance and a hint of desire to be less than approving of the development.

[Richard]

Ed, you have it as I feel it is. I’d be happier if the lease package froze if one left, but cutting off access is a problem. Sorry I don’t understand that being offered something I don’t need, at a price I don’t want to pay is  an upgrade. There is a regular email stream of invites to rejoin the rental party with offers that provide no discernable value. I understand the proposition but it falls short of offering me any value. Were the offers were so good perhaps I might be tempted to buy desirable software tools on the basis of one off need, but their model blocks that option.

I can buy a normal tool and it becomes mine, or hire it for a job. Tool hire shops do not normally expect  me to subscribe every month in case I ever want to hire a heavy-duty rock breaker at some point in the future, even if it is an improved version to the one I used a while back. Why should software tools be different?

Perhaps we should agree to differ on the role of the software rental market.

[Richard]

What name should be applied? You do not like ‘downgrade’ being applied to the now, redirected appeal, rental, product.

Do you also object to producers selling upgrades as being just name-calling?

 

[Richard]

Steve, I called it a downgrade offering as I have no use for the new features at an ever recurring cost; I do have other uses for the money. I don’t want to pay for nothing. It is a personal situation relating completely and uniquely to me. When I last looked they were withdrawing the non-recurring cost option, making it a downgrade package for me.

For those who are either heavily into personal work or into professional activities then yes, it is potentially gains all the way. That said, I prefer the outright purchase option because I can then control my budget. It is also clear that the other side like the recurring income model for their own budgeting reasons.

I dislike the loss of options to select the payment method, hence my use of the term downgrade for the new package being offered.

I see that both Ed and Drezha hold similar views about subscription packages.

[Author]

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