Grumble...

While reading that Microsoft are close to Windows 11 release I find they have updated Win 10 and now have inserted an uncalled for addition to the page.  At the bottom right we see the weather offered, click on this and a whole new experience of needless rubbish is thrust at you.  

I ask for this?  

Will I use it?  

No, there is nothing on it I do not already have or in fact require.  

Do I need a lot of celeb stories?  

Do I need info on the money markets?  

Who decides what a 'Top Story' is?  It certainly isn't a grown up.

Why do we have such useless rubbish dumped on us unwanted and of no use to anyone?  Surely if they wish to alter Win 10 all they have to do is ask - preferably someone over 45.

 

The heat is having an effect round here....
 

Animals in Town.

The Alpacas were back in town today staring at the people desperate to fondle them and reacting in similar fashion to starlets surprised at the interview process in Hollywood studios, however the alpacas were less worldly in their approach.  The animals were happy with the folks who brought them, they have been brought up by them sometimes fed as kids.

  
The lass with the pygmy goats told me how she expected soon to be hand rearing kids as some of the goats were producing at an inconsiderate period of the year.  Some like the idea of working among animals and indeed it is enjoyable as we all know however she was well used to a 24 hour work timetable.  These pygmy goats were happy to meet folks but happily they were not the type to jump out of the barricade which they hid behind, the one goat that could was not brought with them, though the children around would I suspect have been happy if a goat had wandered amongst them.
At the end of the month reindeer appear once again in the town centre, no sleighs following.

     
Grumblings on facebook forced me to rise early to find pictures of the sunrise.  With red eyes almost
closed I struggled into the chilly air to seek pink skies outside the kitchen window.  One appeared but the resulting snap, not to say anything about goosebumps caused by cold air, was not good enough though it was good enough in my view for the grumbler who chose to ignore it!  
Later, once coffee had whitened much of the eyes I snapped the rising sun behind the catholic church, quite what it was doing there I know not.  The looks from the few around me as I apparently attempted to picture Sainsburys car park I ignored and cut out said car park from the shot for decencies sake.  Mornings and evenings, if up to see them, produce interesting skies.

Wandering home via the green slab of the park I noticed how the sky had changed and once again cutting cut the rough stuff found an interesting shot of the sky above us.  The sight of the sky takes from  my mind the thought of yet another Win 10 update that arrived last night at the wrong time.  Once that had been dealt with the anti virus, 'AVAST,' followed suit and  went through three restarts before I could continue.  No problems have gone, the speedy machine is slower and I find it amazing that God can give us such skies after six days of work while Microsoft after twenty years of fiddling still cannot give us a safe, quick update!  
Someone high up in government security mentioned helpfully today that he considered all our computers had been hacked by the Russians.  This may well be true as they have been hacking for years and so many spam emails mean we all fall for some of them at one time or another, and one day they may well switch them all off or start being 'Big Brother' and talking to us from Moscow like it or not.
Interesting that nobody mentions that we too are hacking into Russian webspace and I suspect everybody else's webspace, possibly not President Trumps as we all know what he has on his laptop, but world leaders everywhere must giggle at any pictures Putin has on his!  Rumour has it that the British Army has a 77 Brigade, though this could be nonsense, who's main job is to investigate the web and offer propaganda to the masses and oppose other nations hacking of the UKs webspace.
There must be such people for defence and if there isn't we have to ask why not?  I wonder if one day Mrs May will knock on the door asking about my lack of support for her dictatorship, I expect her soon.
 

AAURGH Continued!

Having contacted Microsoft the chap helpfully offered a link that would reinstall Win 10.
This however needed to be downloaded to a memory stick of at least 5GB, naturally the only blank (and it had to be blank) stick I had was 4GB.  A slow trudge to Tesco led to another £7 leaving my pocket, I smiled at this, and returned to spend hours downloading (quick) the relevant link and then applying (slow, oh so slow) the link to the hurt laptop.
 Hours passed.
Eventually after many false starts the start screen appeared, I logged in and waited.
It didn't work.
I lunched badly, siesta'd well, then started again.
This time I amended things slightly and waited.
Hours passed.
The machine trudged to a finish, I needed to shave again by this time, and the result appeared, 
no difference, it still didn't work.
Tomorrow, with less hair and a very frightened neighbour, I will try again one more time with a couple of different ideas.
I'm not one to complain...

Outside the sun is shining.
Inside is darkness and gloom.
Outside pretty girls skip past half naked.
Sadly so do men who ought not.
I sit by laptop urging a response, to the laptop, not the girls.

Win 10, Microsft, AAUGH!!!!

Last night on my new laptop Microsoft decided to add an update.  Fine, it was late, I was tired, I switched off and slept.  This morning making use of the old laptop, the one on which I keep the details and links for the Great War research, and indeed much else, I began to clear up the links and consider what to put over to the new laptop.
This took all morning, searching out old links many of which had died since I kept them, removing duplicates and sorting the hundreds of much needed links into a sensible order.  It was fun rediscovering links to trials at the Old Bailey in times past, archaeology sites from the past and little used but important links to battles and individuals that might be required any day now.  It is to be regretted that so many sites no longer exist, just as it is regretted that I cannot mind what they were about!  However I cleared out many and placed a lot in better files, including links to the villages round the town and one in particular that I need to do some research on.
Then it happened.
"Windows needs to restart your computer" said the message.
Simple enough and as it was lunch time I switched off and let it update.
Update it did and took its time about it too!

After my unhealthy lunch, after my siesta, after I had a smile on my face I switched the old laptop back on and awaited the update process.
It went through the blue screen update message "Please wait while...etc" and then after a short eon it offered the Microsoft Upgrade message, you know the one, slow writing that stays for ever and moves off while the "Don't switch off ..."type messages run through.
While waiting I read 'War & Peace,' the entire Bible, got married, had three children and when I returned it was till updating!
Eventually it ceased.
The screen flashed once or twice, on the left of the screen the 'Recycle Bin' and several other folders appeared, though smaller and not int he right order.  One or two items appeared on the toolbar at the bottom but after another short eternity nothing else!
Nothing!  Not a thing!
All was gone.  All my research, all my links good and bad, four years of work (I use the word loosely) lost or at least unobtainable.  I muttered strange words and despaired a bit more.
I waited, I was getting good at this, I waited again, and much later pressed buttons but nothing worked, 'Start' didn't, only 'File Explorer' worked.
I logged out.
I logged in.
Same result.
So after more hopeless pushing and many rude words, some despair and a bang of the head on the wall I switched off completely hoping this would restart the brute.
It didn't.
I returned to the wall and bounced my head off it to the neighbours annoyance, it was his wall too!
I left a question on the Microsoft Community site, it might get answered one day.
Suddenly I found an opening. 
I fiddled with the right click on the search button (Search didn't work) and chose 'Toolbars' and then 'Deasktop.'  Suddenly as I clicked on the wee chevrons a long list of things appeared.  All was still there, trapped inside the machine.  But how to get to out?  'Control Panel' then select a 'restore point.'  Easy!
er, about a short lifetime ago I did this and the laptop is restoring itself to 5/7/17 blasted Yanks I mean 7/5/17 (why do they have the date wrong?) and as I write it is finishing!

It failed!

Everything is still on there, I can see that. 
It is the OS that has gone, the very thing they are supposed to be updating!   

Rain

Today was the day for travelling somewhere, naturally thunder & lightning, stair rod like rain and a sudden desire not to travel came upon me.  I had intended to be by the estuary, you know the place where wind sweeps across chasing the birds and felling the trees on days like this, and I am somewhat happy to be here inside this smelly dump.  This signifies the good days are over after all, yesterday's near 30% will not return until next year thanks to global warming.  

Instead I intended to continue searching for dead family members but had foolishly turned off the laptop.  Updates were downloaded and when I attempted to start the machine it took almost an hour updating the Win 10!
I was not amused!  
Looking at the finished product I find they have added things (sorry apps) I do not need, never use, and don't want, while I looked through the short video telling me how great Cortana is, I however do not use it and don't see a need for it.  Just remove it and allow me more space thanks a bunch!  
The wallpaper picture has disappeared, the screen size changed, but as yet few other things have been lost as far as I can see.  No doubt these will show up shortly.  Grrrrrrr!

Now while the rain lashes against the window, shaking the dodgy frame, and the sound of cars splashing their way far too fast in the conditions I return to seeking the lost sheep of the family.  If I were to really seek the lost sheep and find them there are some who will remain unfound, indeed one or two up north might join them!  No names...

Blethering

There is nothing to say.
The weekend has been filled with football and little else.  Once only did I venture out into the real world, Tesco's and the fruit & veg man were calling, and naturally it rained on me.  I was somewhat displeased.  Having decided to remain indoors with the football the sun came out and I was more displeased.
The football was not that exciting, having watched the Heart of Midlothian dispose of Aberdeen in the usual manner on Friday night all other games have less meaning.  The overblown English games have large crowds, huge salaries but little meaning for me in comparison to any Scots game.  
So I have sat here with a somewhat thick head, thicker than usual that is, somewhat weary also and being stimulated only by the desire to get rid of the blasted 'Cortana' effect from Win 10. 
This is an item that they claim helps you, we know its main purpose is to inform the CIA of your every movement and that in doing so it takes up a third of the memory and anything else it can get hold off.  Quite what some CIA worker in downtown Washington would make of the balderdash he would find on here intrigues me.  I can see him working his way through my postings at the end of a busy week leaving him depressed and desperate for a transfer to Afghanistan or the Yemen.  As I peruse my scribblings I an tempted to join him.
Cortana cannot be removed, another example of Microsoft loving care, however some say there are ways to disable the brute, changing the name on the file for instance but that has failed for me today.  The waste of the memory is annoying.  I suppose this stimulates the mind and prevents the brain stiffening up, that may be too late in this house of course, so I will keep trying to kill it.

There has been some talk regarding footballers from the sixties who now suffer from dementia or some similar problem.  These men began playing football during the thirties, forties and fifties at a time when the ball used in football was a leather ball blown up sometimes the night before, and the ball sealed with laces to keep it round and neat.  Of course pitches were not so well cared for in the past, wet and muddy was not uncommon at most grounds and some deliberately made it worse because their players were big men who could cope.  The ball weighing in at one pound soon soaked up the water and weighed at least two pounds on many occasions.  The style of football, especially at lower levels, was simply to hoof it as high and far as possible, a tactic still used by Hibernian to this day, the result being the central defenders and centre forwards tended to head the ball all to often.  I read of one man in what I think was then the third division north being ordered by his doctor to stop playing as he had headed the ball so much in one game it was now unwise to continue.  This brown leather ball, the 'filly' is now considered to be the cause of many players suffering dementia.  Most people who used it, including I myself, found that getting hit in the face with this ball soon led to unconsciousness.
Late in the fifties the coated 'T-Ball' was introduced and soon after the 'Mitre' ball became standard everywhere.  These white balls were coated and somewhat resistant to gathering water and much safer for the players.  Today much research has gone into the ball and the effects cannot be considered similar to the days of the 'filly.'  However heading the ball, an idea introduced by a Scotsman as all today's football innovations were, continues and it is possible banging your head on a ball can cause problems in later life.
However many men who played sixty or more years ago have not lost their minds.  Many are still sharp, wise and knowledgeable, so why the difference?  Could it be age affects us in differing ways?  Is it our eating habits, hereditary or some other cause that leads to dementia?  Many women who have not played or headed a ball suffer thus so there is great need for research and in my view no need as yet to stop people using their heads.  It is sad however when men once seen as fit footballers end their lives this way.

The recent fuss about David Cameron's tax dodging has meant leaders of various parties now rush to show their tax returns and how squeaky clean they are.  Not all have done so and the majority of Cameron's cabinet have not made any effort to do so, not until they have moved their cash from Panama anyway.  Cameron has to explain why his mum gave him two gifts of £200,000 and explain why this was not done to avoid tax, which it clearly was, and why his father had £10 million but only left £3 million in his will, where is the other £7 million David?
And when we are on why is it his wife has an 'advisor' to help with her hair and outfits, an advisor who earns almost £53, 000 a year? 
These tax queries may yet bring an end to the career of the worst Prime Minister we have ever had, however the question remains who will replace him and will anything change if he does go?