1 minute ago, TomsFocus said:

In other news, I bought some 'Ultra bounce' pillows to replace the other crap ones...  There's literally no difference!  So those are getting returned. 

Is everything worse than it used to be or am I just becoming a grumpy old man?

I Think the original pillows I had from 2014 were 'over filled' buy they don't seem to make them any more.

 

It seems that way with most things in todays throw away society. Use/ Abuse/ Replace...gone are the days you look after things and expect them to last. Cars included as most on here have found out.

44 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

How do any -non-computer people possibly know what they actually need... 

Just ask the 12 year old shop assistant at the local computer shop! 😃

23 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

In other news, I bought some 'Ultra bounce' pillows to replace the other crap ones...  There's literally no difference!  So those are getting returned. 

Is everything worse than it used to be or am I just becoming a grumpy old man?

I Think the original pillows I had from 2014 were 'over filled' buy they don't seem to make them any more.

 

grumpy not so old man. !!!

Don’t like the ST failing it’s MOT today- nothing major but a few rust advisories which I guess is to be expected on a 14 year old Ford! Gives me an excuse to tidy it up and put some more mods on!

1 hour ago, TomsFocus said:

Also the choice of GTX 1650 or GTX 1650 Ti on both...  (Isn't that made by Castrol?  )  What does the Ti mean?  Is there also a Ti X?  

Ti is better - usually a Ti version is comparable to the base version of the next level card. It did originally stand for Titanium, but sadly there is no Titanium X version. 

A 1650 is a mid-range gaming graphics card so might be a bit overkill if you never use it for gaming. Plus laptops with discrete graphics cards will usually have worse battery life, because the graphics card needs more power. Sometimes this isn't a big reduction because the laptop has a secondary lower power built-in graphics card it can use... But if you're not running anything that needs that graphics power then the discrete graphics is a pointless purchase.

Back in the olden days, of course, we didn't have black keyboards. Just pretend it's the 80s, you'll get used to it. 

If you want to extend the life of older laptops then ditch Windows.

Stick Linux Lite or similar on it.  Libre Office, free and totally compatible with Microsoft Office.  Thunderbird email client.  There will be an open source app for anything you need.

I haven't used Windows on my own laptop for a while now.

My work laptop is Windows.  It uses almost 6GB of RAM just existing, just to run Windows without running any apps.  By contrast Linux Lite uses just 800MB to run the OS.

20 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

Must admit, I'm not really getting on with mine (now there's a surprise!  ).  It's not as bad as the new phone which I've now returned but still messing with my head.

The screen seems quite fuzzy which probably isn't helping.  It's full HD and running in 1080 so it should be sharp shouldn't it?  The old one was only 786 but sharper.  Both 15.6". (Anyone know what the .6 is about?). It does have an anti glare coating where the old one was shiny so maybe that's it?

Being silver isn't helping either as it's reflecting a lot of light towards my eyes.  Hard to get a black laptop now without going for a gaming one!  

Go into Display Settings and check the Scale and Layout options, sometimes Windows might have chosen a different scaling setting than is either preferred or optimal. Also check the resolution. If it's a Full HD 1080p screen then check that it's set correctly. Also worth checking the refresh rate is at its highest level (under the Advanced settings on the Display settings page - set resolution first which will dictate the maximum refresh rate available for that resolution).

On the plus side, the lack of battery has given me the time to finish a jigsaw...  Oh, you said 'the 80's' not 'my 80's'...

Surprisingly quick too, considering the box said 6-8 years! 😮 

 

37 minutes ago, Guy Heaton said:

If you want to extend the life of older laptops then ditch Windows.

Stick Linux Lite or similar on it.  Libre Office, free and totally compatible with Microsoft Office.  Thunderbird email client.  There will be an open source app for anything you need.

I haven't used Windows on my own laptop for a while now.

My work laptop is Windows.  It uses almost 6GB of RAM just existing, just to run Windows without running any apps.  By contrast Linux Lite uses just 800MB to run the OS.

As we've seen over the last few months, change really isn't my forte... 

I did consider a Chromebook for a lighter load but tbh I'd rather just stick with Windows.  

 

27 minutes ago, Zico said:

Go into Display Settings and check the Scale and Layout options, sometimes Windows might have chosen a different scaling setting than is either preferred or optimal. Also check the resolution. If it's a Full HD 1080p screen then check that it's set correctly. Also worth checking the refresh rate is at its highest level (under the Advanced settings on the Display settings page - set resolution first which will dictate the maximum refresh rate available for that resolution).

I've tried those, there isn't an identical setting to my old one but even on the closest compromise it still seems fuzzy and pixelated.  The colours are off too, they're much 'deeper' on the old one.  I think it must be something to do with the anti glare screen but it looks like they all come with that nowadays.

16 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

As we've seen over the last few months, change really isn't my forte... 

What? You mean no-one's ever sent you on a Change Management Course?😀

13 minutes ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

What? You mean no-one's ever sent you on a Change Management Course?😀

Well, I thought you were joking but I see that's a genuine thing!

When would I get the time to complete it though?  A change of routine?  No thank you!

 

20 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

Well, I thought you were joking but I see that's a genuine thing!

Lol, no I wasn't joking and I have been on one (but the course certainly was a joke!😀)

50 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

On the plus side, the lack of battery has given me the time to finish a jigsaw...  Oh, you said 'the 80's' not 'my 80's'...

Surprisingly quick too, considering the box said 6-8 years! 😮 

 

Ahh I see what you mean now Tom. It looks hazy to me now too 😉

Here's the damage and the dashcam footage of what happened. Happens around 0:50

 

Hi Zain, not good mate, did you manage to get his registration from the dashcam?

SP04 NPF   BMW Silver.  Road Tax Expired 30th April 2021 (UnTaxed).

Date of first registration

March 2004

Cylinder capacity

1995 cc

 

Date of last V5C (logbook) issued

19 May 2021

9 hours ago, unofix said:

Hi Zain, not good mate, did you manage to get his registration from the dashcam?

SP04 NPF   BMW Silver.  Road Tax Expired 30th April 2021 (UnTaxed).

Date of first registration

March 2004

Cylinder capacity

1995 cc

 

Date of last V5C (logbook) issued

19 May 2021

He said earlier in the thread it's untaxed and uninsured.  And from the state of that manouvre, I'd suggest unlicensed or banned as well... Would have to claim on his own insurance to fix it sadly.  Though looking at the picture, it might just be the door which can be swapped easily, if it's caught the rear quarter or the sill then it won't be worth fixing.

16 hours ago, zain611 said:

Here's the damage and the dashcam footage of what happened. Happens around 0:50

What a bummer after all the love you put into that car. Quite an impact there, he must have done a fair bit of  damage to his car also.

Have you had any joy from the police? - this guy has clearly committed multiple offences so you'd hope they'd take it seriously.

Sadly the door sill is bent in so not looking good. 

 

Just got an email from the police saying they now started an investigation on the matter. Really hope they catch this idiot.

4 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

He said earlier in the thread it's untaxed and uninsured

Opps !! missed that

1 minute ago, zain611 said:

police saying they now started an investigation on the matter

Since the car seems to be Untaxed and Uninsured then the Police have the legal power to seize the vehicle and have it crushed. You should try one of these 'No win, No fee' solicitors and see if they can get you compensation. If they think there is even just a slight chance they can get you money then they will take the case on, after all they get about 40%

Neirbours have been reporting this car a few months back for blocking the alleyway.

If the v5 had been changed in May and not been insured since then I hope the police can get their name via that and get them

 

Tbh it's unlikely they'd put their real name and address on the V5 if they didn't intend to tax or insure it.

 

Cyclists using the road when there's a dedicated cycle path running parallel to the road!

Incorrect indications on roundabouts! When did indicating right to take the second exit ie straight ahead, become a thing?

Motorists pulling out in front of you and taking the immediate next junction on the right but can't proceed because of oncoming traffic hence forcing you to stop! 

 

Looks like the police are doing something about it 😬

1 hour ago, zain611 said:

Looks like the police are doing something about it

interesting but what about the car ? The police (and possibly the council) have the legal power to seize the car and if they want crush it. Since it would be fair to assume the driver has no regard for the law then it would also be fair to assume he will still be driving about in the car. Is this going to end up of one of those cases where child is knocked down and killed by unlicenced, uninsuured, untaxed vehicle - if only the police had known something about it, they would have acted to prevent such a thing. Maybe I'm just being too cynical in my old age