Have been very busy during the past 2 months. Bought a new PC to replace my old (and slightly cantankerous) old PC.
New PC had Windows 8 (BAD), so fitted a new hard drive (keeping Win 8 intact) and set up as a Win 7 machine. Budget PC from PC World (BAD) had zero manuals and flimsy keyboard (BAD).
The process of installing Win 7 is compounded by the vast array of updates required. Kaspersky Anti Whatsits will not run without Service Pack 1 which will not download until you update Internet Explorer 8 which will not (etc etc ad infinitum). What makes it worse is an internet connection via satellite. Tooway via Bentley-Walker (BAD). With a potential download speed in excess of 1 MB/s, can anyone explain why the usual speed is often less than 10kB/s (1% – VERY BAD). I ask here because Bentley-Walker have taken a week so far (waiting for Tooway) to come up with no answer. For comparison, a Jumbo-jet would fall from the sky if it attempted to fly at 1% of its top speed. Tooway seems content to provide the slowest download speed of any internet service. I have a screen-capture showing a download of 88 Bytes per second! Not 1%, not 0.1%, but less than 0.01% (or 1% of 1%). The only thing worse than that (mechanical teletypes from 50 years ago are faster!) is zero. No internet service at all. And they certainly manage that on a regular basis. Usually half way through a 5 GByte file download. (BAD)
If you are curious, then here is a fact. A 5 GByte download will take 4 YEARS to download at 88 Bytes per second. (Definitely superBAD).
By now, you are probably wondering where the good bits are. Well …
With a new, working PC, I was able to raze the old PC to the ground, then rebuild it. So now I have a spare. (GOOD).
And we took time to visit Corby. Featured in ‘Crap Towns of Britain Vol 2’. Admittedly, it is not an architectural paradise, but people smile, talk to you, and say ‘Thank You!’ when you hold a door open for them. (GOOD).
And if you visit the old part of Corby, pop in to Haddens the Butchers. Bead curtain on the front door (so very Corby!) and great square slice sausage (never called it Lorne, myself) and top class black pudding. (Exceptionally GOOD).
One more thing. Bought a new Humax video recorder (GOOD), then bought a spare remote control. One for me and one for the wife. (MAGIC).
The conflict in the Ukraine would surely be improved if they did not try to share the one remote control. Go on lads, try it! It makes all the difference.
I’m finished now.
(GOOD)
Who said that!