New pc

Posted by admin in Technology on January 30, 2010

A bit of a bad week, computer wise.

To cut a very long story short, much swapping of components, reinstall of software etc took place, and finally after the best part of 4 days things seem to be working again. This is the second time in 2 months it has all gone a bit pear shaped. I finally traced the last problem to a faulty sata port on the motherboard. What a fun morning that was :)

This time even my modem decided to have its customary twice a year seizure so as not to feel left out of the technology going wrong week.

I am now in the quandry of having a computer that works (sort of) but will probably fall over again at any given random moment. A new one is in order. Maybe.

Foggy day

Posted by admin in Devon on January 14, 2010

It has been a strange old day, today. There was a slight mist on the hills this morning, and it was bitterly cold, (not helped by a cold breeze) bringing the chill factor down a notch or two.

As the day has gone on, more mist has rolled in, so that the hills are now totally obscured by mist fog.

I know it is fog because I looked it up. Check it out here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/features/basics_fog.shtml

Spooky weather, dudes. I am expecting a lot of car accidents as people hurtle through the fog tonight on their way home. Especially if the temperature drops and what is left of the snow freezes.

Looking out the window, it is beginning to resemble Old London Town, and I expect to see someone in a deerstalker hat rush by…

News

Posted by admin in Devon on January 13, 2010

It has been interesting watching the news today.

In Haiti there has been a magnitude 7 earthquake, with a comensurate great loss of life and suffereing.

We have snow in this country and in south Devon a some roads last night were blocked for a few hours while drifts/accidents etc were cleared. As far I know, no-one died or was even hurt. Just slightly inconvenienced for a few hours.

Yet the media is reporting that people are complaining about the delays because roads/equipment/salt etc should have been prepared in advance because there was enough warning about this happening. Probably correct. Govt responce has been pathetic to say the least. Apart from not enough salt, how many (now vital) air/sea rescue helicopters are now being used were for the chop, before this. Chivenor, just to mention one.

My point is: GET THINGS IN PERSPECTIVE.

I really wonder what a lot of people would do in this country if faced with a really major emergency, like for instance, an earthquake?

Would we fair any better than those poor people in Haiti, I wonder?

We seem to have contracted out our common sense in the UK. Many, if not all, of the people stuck in snow blocked traffic did not seem to take even elementary precautions i.e. take with them food, warm clothes, a flask of hot tea. And was their journey really worth it?

Sometimes there really is value in just staying in, and doing nothing. You do not have to fill every waking moment, just the important ones. (That’s either really deep, or meaningless. Or both)

Power surge

Posted by admin in General on January 13, 2010

A week or two before xmas we had a problem with our power supply. The odd surge or two, and then it went out completely for several hours. Workmen wandered along, dug up some pavements, put in new components, and hey presto, we had power again.

I think the problem was the amount of xmas decorations people had put up, both indoors and outdoors. It was beginning to resemble the Blackpool Illuminations around here. I think the poor old componets simply gave up under the strain.

I mention this as I figure it was the cause of the problem I have just discovered with my wireless modem/router. All the security settings had vanished. I could still go online, but then again so could anyone else in the wireless modem/routers range as the settings that determine which computer can have access were deleted, probably in the power surge.

Ooops.

Still, all I have to do is hope they did not go to any dodgey sites via my isp account.

Thats my damn job, tee hee :)

I really must put in a cable from my pc to the modem.

On a more positive note, I am listening to the beautiful soundtrack to the Da Vinci Code. It really is a lovely piece of music, especially the “Chevaliers De Sangreal” piece.

From lovely music to bad weather. We still have no snow here. In fact the snow from last week has mostly melted away now. It is overcast and grey with the odd shower of rain, but no new snow. Exeter meanwhile is apparently covered in the stuff.

More snow

Posted by admin in Devon on January 12, 2010

Just as last weeks snowfall was starting to thaw and melt away, this weeks snow has just started to fall.

Looking out the window, it is totally overcast. The sky is grey, the wind is blowing and the odd flake of snow is falling, as is the themometer. Still, it will keep the cider in the garage chilled :)

As luck would have it, I have the box set of Futurama to watch. And xmas booze to drink. So no problem keeping warm…