Folks,

Dux Lives!

And I'm truly delighted, even if it does rather take the suspense out of my current story.

Good to hear from the Wales contingent Old Man. And speaking of your first post... As C51 used to say when we "unintentionally" droped him in it,"Thanks a pant load" for so carefully defending me my dear chum.

As for your last post, (you are still quite a few posts behind you seldom seen sod) I am delighted that you finally made the plunge. That sounds like a very good building choice. I'm not current on the weather in your part of Wales but I'd imagine there will be many days this winter when something interesting to do inside will be a welcome diversion. When my son gets the house built I hope to be able to have a small workshop so that I can indulge myself in similar projects with my grandson. When I do you will likely be called upon to refresh my memory on some of the finer points. For instance, which end of the pins are stuck into the workbench and which side of the waxed paper goes up and which down when working with the devilishly easy to break balsa parts. Stuff like that which has somehow slipped out of my sieve-like mind in the last 30 years. You may well be tempted but don't you dare say no.

I have managed to tear away a new laptop from the clutches of Amazon since your last visit. MG thinks the cat is jealous of it and I believe he is right (Yes, Leroy, as usual). Our weather has become much more fall-like in just this past week. How is fall treating you newly minted Welsh folk?

Are you at all familiar with the long-running Brit TV show "Midsomer Murders"? After watching it once at C51's home in Canada; I've started watching that on Netflix here. I can't find that geographic area on the map but people seem to be dropping dead by threes in that section of England. Of course, they all have "Help" doing that and therein lies the yarn. So far, it stars John Nettles as Chief Inspector Barnaby of Coston CID. I believe there will be replacements of cast members to come. Perhaps the old ones die off too? They have already run through two assistant constables to the Chief Inspector. I started from episode one so I noticed that.

I also am just completing watching the excellent American series "West Wing" for the 4th time. I cannot say I have paid a great amount of attention to British politics beyond watching "House of Cards" and "Yes, Minister" that is. But I do recall that you had great hopes for Mr. Cameron when he took office. How do you feel about Ms. Theresa May so far?

Do keep me posted and send along a photo of your work with the new kit as it progresses.

Chaps,

JRT,

I have never seen Midsomer Murders so can't comment I'm afraid. There was a long-running series re a detective based in Jersey titled 'Bergerac' which ran for 10 years . So many people were getting bumped off on a weekly basis that I concluded that Anglo/French island must be a den of iniquity.

Re our dear Theresa: Well, she ain't no Maggie Thatcher but that would be a tall order to fill those shoes.

No luck with posting any pics. You may remember the problems I had last year in getting the files on to the thread.

Folks,

Fall days are fine but the cool fall nights are absolutely great. At least they are in my opinion. Summer nights are uncomfortably hot and humid. Winter nights used to be great too. But my friends, today sleeping alone on a cold winter's night leaves a lot to be desired. So forgive me please if I extol the virtues of fall. The window was open all night last night and our low for the night was 53°F. I'll likely close that as soon as I wake with a crust of frost on the covers.

At 9:45 AM this Friday, with the full sun smiling down on me, is still only 54°F. The humidity is a drier 79%. Where was all this cool last July when I needed it so much? For that matter, why does the sun only shine in the daytime when we need it most at night? It's a mystery. Next, we will enjoy that annual phenomenon of nature, the gorgeous fall kaleidoscope of color in our deciduous forests and woods. I wonder how many poor, jaded folks will just hurry by with nothing but worry on their cluttered minds who won't even notice? Everything worth a look is not on our TV, computer, or cell phone. That's just my humble opinion. I never can remember, does all this make me cold-natured or hot-natured?

Wasn't it nice to have Old Dux drop by? OK, LeRoy, maybe he did not settle his mess bill or repair the bed he and Olga broke New Year's Eve but it was awful nice to see the old boy in such good shape and such good humor.

Folks,

Dux:

It seems we were both typing away at the same time. Because we get so many hand-me-down and also so enjoyable Brit programming here these days via PBS and Netflix, it has occurred to me that you folks have far more long-lived series than we do these days. Look how many decades "Last of the Summer Wine ran.

No, the "Iron Lady" will possibly never return in any guise. Hmmm. With the US and France the most obvious exceptions, there seems to be a trend toward the election of women to the top posts. Ms, Maggie, and Ms. Merkle have clearly started something. Mark Twain observed that if the type of lawmakers we elected was any indication of the best we could hope for with all the watering holes closed on Election Day we should probably consider keeping them open. If what we men have accomplished with the world is an indication of the best we can expect perhaps it is indeed time to let the ladies have a go.

Gents,

Grey and cold today so not much of a change weather wise, and it is likely to stay the same for the weekend.

While the meatloaf is warming over in the oven, I'll just chip in here and mention that I think that John Nettles was replaced from Midsomer either because he thought he'd done enough and was tired of going on, or he'd become so bloated and fat that the Constabulary in Midsomer thought it appropriate to retire him. He grew in size to tremendous proportions over the run of his participation in the show but I must hurriedly point out that I am really quite ignorant regarding this matter because I quit the series quite early on. My personal preference being for the grumpy world-weary, always love-denied Inspector Morse.

Anyone caught Peaky Blinders, featuring delightfully charming hoods and thugs in the inter-war years in Birmingham. Sam Neill Appears and Cillian Murphy is intense. And season four is close at hand.

Folks,

MG:

Sorry, your fall weather stinks, my friend. I know you well enough by now to expect you'll make the best of it. Don't forget the defrost button on your bike that'll keep the ice off your handlebars and seat. WHAT? You haven't upgraded your bike yet? Really? Too bad. Like John Nettles, that would add more weight I suppose. Speaking of John, thanks for the heads up. I'll watch for him to start resembling the Goodyear Blimp soon.

Speaking of upgrading and perhaps you noticed I just did? Perhaps the new fall upgrade of Win 10 will improve it for you? I see Adobe products have new upgrades...for a price. For some time now they have become a subscription service meaning you cannot buy their products only pay on a monthly basis. I thought that OK up until I discovered each new upgrade was going to be at extra cost as well and with a rise of the monthly subscription as well. Forget it. If they let me I'll keep what I have. It isn't like I get any cash for what I use it for. IMHO it should be totally different for non- business personal use.

For those of you who have little willpower and wish to quit smoking or perhaps you are worried, as most of us are, about home fires, there is so-so news. You can get a smoke alarm that is claimed to be good for 10 years. The battery also lasts that long I guess. After ten years of bliss together you have to rush right out and buy a new alarm. That's just P.O. They even promote it as if having to toss it after ten years was a plus. I'm sorry, give me something that lasts (including the battery) longer than ten years that I can fix when it breaks.

Planned Obsolescence it is. And that ain't all it is cracked up to be if you ask me. Nobody did so I'll ignore that minor deterrent and say that I think that PO is the bane of our 21st-century life. Way back when my dear old Grannie was sleeping in her well-built crib (1900) and simply ages before manufacturers had a better idea (for them). Most folks only bought stuff they could personally maintain of stuff that would last longer than they were apt to live.

I can just picture those execs seated around that big conference table mulling about what to do with their new, longer lasting alarm technology. What a problem they must have had. How to sell it and not go broke in the process. One junior guy (soon to be elected CEO) pipes up and suggests they seal the darn thing so the battery can't be replaced. That way after the expected 10-year life of the battery the consumer will have to buy not just a new $5 battery but a whole brand new $35 alarm. I bet dollar marks just danced in their heads all the way out of the boardroom. OK, no one should care what I think, maybe not even myself...

Folks,

You must have noticed how a certain aroma or a particular melody or song can suddenly transport you to a previous point in your life with a vivid memory of a special moment in time.

It happened again to me today. I’ve mentioned that giving up on figuring out what it takes to get Win 10 and Chrome to stream audio and/or video I installed an app known as “Tuneit”.

That is working out just great so far. I’ve found all the local stations and several from around the world. Nice.

A certain song played this morning and, instantly, my mind formed a technicolor, high def, picture of a totally different time and place. I suddenly remembered where I was and who I was with and what we were doing. That was nice. I wonder whatever happened to her?

Last time I heard from her she was working at my hometown phone company. She asked my grandmother how I was and asked her to say hello. That was probably 50 years ago. Talk about time machines...we all have one and all it needs is a little help from an old tune to take a trip.

Gents,

Yalp nuS gniK

Roger; I did briefly see that there's a new update to Windoze 10 and smirked at having got out of that particular nasty piece of dreck. It ads some VR functionality which I have absolutely no interest in and do not care for, messes with the control panel, making it harder and harder to find, and settings are apparently still in three separate places. My main grievances are still valid; the interface design is the ugliest piece of *****, mixing minimalistic icons with older style icons in the taskbar, and I' still have to fry my bleeding eyes on those stupid tiles that are meant for a laptop or tablet but the imbecile software can't even tell that I'm on a staionary pc with no touch screen. I'll go to Ubuntu and set my hair on fire, well, at least I'll consider getting a Mac, before going to 10.

In the voice of Kirk; Damn you Microsoft!!!!!

Gentlefolks:

It's again a pleasure re-reading the last few pages of postings.

No Sir, not sure what's going to happen with a missile-happy ... and another self-loving ...Hey, I don't want to move to the PWEC section.
What gets me is that I have no way to influence and no control over the general decision consequences. It's like having that relative that...
I wonder how much diapers are these days?

it's so much easier to read about the adventures of Olga and friends and dreaming of again being able to build a model airplane or at least be pulling on the string of a Red Baron kite.
Yep, those winds will soon start and as usual, suddenly bring the brusque touch of a cold spell on these plains.

Driving home, saw my first tree proudly displaying it's new multi-color coat. That first look makes one happy and sad at the same time, so the best thing to do is smile.
The cold is coming and the outside work has been calling for weeks now.

Haven't see the Eddie Duchin movie in years, but I bet I can find a copy of the "Autumn Leaves" melody.

I will mull over the hook-up of an SSD so I can install the new version of Prepar3D that I've heard so much about as I fix dinner.

Yes, the new version of Windows 10.x has again removed my old version of Free Cell W7. edition and forced me to use the #82</**X@* Windows 10 Games while I scanned my computer this morning.

I really wish MS would quit shouting to be reasonable and do it its way.

Guess I didn't patent that expression, but I have been told it will be on my headstone.

Folks,

MG:

I set a restore point before upgrading Win 10. So far, the only benefit I've noticed is everything is loading S-L-O-W-E-R!!! Regrettably, Windows PC and Laptop systems are just not standardized enough for "one size fits all" to work for all. No one wants a cookie-cutter computer, yet we all expect our OS to be perfect...no make that DEMAND not just expect. Everything was loading fast enough for impatient me yesterday. If everything is still loading slower tomorrow I'll hit that Restore Point faster than Chrome loads now. I find the control panel just like before by running a search in the start section. It is there but loaded slower.

Apparently, a lot of this upgrade was for Edge. "Too little too late" springs to my mind. I will check it out but don't expect to like it.

Fittop:

"Autumn Leaves", I like that tune. I haven't been out much so I have not seen a single tree showing off fall foliage. It won't be much longer before the trees I can see from my windows will be dressed in golds and reds, yellows and browns.

Sorry, you lost stuff. I haven't missed any apps so far. 250 Solitaire and Kyodai Mahjongg are still there. My desktop looks OK. It was a big upgrade that seemed to go well. I've had two big updates since I got this laptop. This one is supposed to make the Internet safer. Perhaps this is done by slowing the browser so much I stay away from it? We'll see.

Folks,

If there is a more perfect day anywhere else in this world than we have here I do not know where it is. It is a beautiful, sun-drenched morning with nary a cloud in the sky as far as I can see. Today will be slightly warmer than was yesterday. At 11:15 AM, the temp has risen to 67°F. from a low last night of 50°F. I may need the A/C this evening but do not need it now. I am enjoying fall if you haven't guessed.

MG:
Unless you have already taken on that new OS, do a search, there are several ways to get the control panel back in Win 10. Apparently, Microsoft wants to force us to use the "settings" option in the START menu instead. Not me. I have often used the Windows Club tweakers they make available for free now and again. There are two out now and I have both. There are many options in each for customising Win 10. The latest, "The Ultimat Windows Tweaker" is the one that I just used to put the Control Panel shortcut in the desktop context menu. I also put a Create A Restore Point shortcut in there too for convenience. It was a snap to do. Just check a box.

As for my recent fall update, all has returned to normal speed after last night's shutdown and this morning's bootup. A few of my minor tweaks I had installed were however lost. Just something like removing those unsightly arrows from my desktop icons. Easily removed by one of those tweaker apps. I have checked the new features out and hardly any of them will be of much use to me now. I think several will when I get my gaming desktop. For instance, the new spatial sounds option in the sound speaker icon menu. That is supposed to enhance the surround sound features of your games. I understand it is NOT much good for enhancing music...now that might actually have been of some help.

I noticed there are a couple of those tiles you mentioned are now missing. Darned if I even know which are gone. I clicked and dragged a couple of less conspicuous items from the START menu over to the empty slots so they are now easier to find when I need them. I still do not care for Edge. I can't even find any way to shut that thing down except with the "X" and the homepage is hard to set. I usually just set Google Search as my homepage on my browsers. Maybe it does work better with Windows but so far, it does not work well with me.

I hope your weather has improved today. Fittop is seeing fall color. We have been fortunate to have perfect weather this week. It is indeed your turn. I don't know about Dux. He is by the seaside and I suppose the weather is therefore mercurial.

Gents,

Weather is still unimproved. slight rain, and dark and grey all day. I suggest anyone wanting to move to Denmark should make it through fall and winter first, and then decide....

Roger, your post illustrates and makes my point for me so well: You are spending time finding tools and tweaks, then applying them and in some cases reapplying them post-"update". I'm no longer interested in doing that. I don't want to spend my time doing that. Besides, my grievances about the ugly user interface don't go away from applying various tweaks. And every piece of extra software needed to remedy the disaster that is W10, is slowing down the system and taking up resources. Besides, if I have to start from scratch again in 6 or 12 months time, I know will have forgotten which things tweaks to download what to do. And I still can't remove Microsoft's bundled apps like the awful Groove which sticks it sorry arse out every time it notices a mediafile, without hacking the registry db and my point is I am not supposed to spend my valuable time fixing this. No way!

Windows 7 works fine, does what it should and with EMET (Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit), Malwarebytes and anti-virus, securitywise it is really not an unacceptable risk, so I'll stick with that for the time being.

Folks,

MG:

Hey, fellow don't hold back.Tell us how you really feel.

XP and Win 7 are the most stable OS and most friendly. I just seem to be able to live with the aggravations of this OS for some reason and as I have little to do anyway don't mind the tweaking. So far, it hasn't amounted to much beyond what I mentioned and the loss of a few elevated shortcuts replaced by their original versions. Easy to correct. And I must admit that this 2 years older updated version seems a bit better than what I had in 2015 on my last desktop. That doesn't say much for it though. If I have my way I'll have win 7 and win 10 on my 3 terabyte machine. Maybe I can get back to BoB then.

Hang in there, surely your weather will improve.

Gents,

Rog, glad you can look past the warts and gangrene infested parts of W10!

Dry today and shiver me timbers! No rain! In fact a bit of sun has started to part the clouds. In spite of a forecasted 90 % probability of rain, I decided to venture out on the bike regardless. With roads very dirty and still wet, the poor bike had to be thoroughly cleaned at the end of the trip. I burned a whole lot of calories and that is pure bliss.

Folks,

I feel blessed and also a little guilty when we are enjoying such perfect weather and others are not. It is another Sun Day for sure here in NC. at 10:20 AM the temp is 63°F./17°C. THe humidity is 77%. I'll enjoy it while it lasts, clouds roll in tomorrow.

MG:
Yup, I may be a tad masochistic, I guess or perhaps a bit overly tenacious as well. Little annoyances are little problems I have to solve that keeps me widdle grey cells healthy. Some people like crossword puzzles for the same reason. Though I have little hope for ten maybe 11 will be the charm? You've been dealing with Ten much longer than I have. My latest complaint is that now I have to log in twice. I have a good idea what that is and why that is but no clue exactly how to fix it yet. Now then, after fixing that, what could be next? And speaking of "next", I know next to nothing about Linux and Umbutu. Red Hat is locally developed here in NC in the Research Triangle Park.

Folks, when was the last time you looked at any food label on any food product without at least one ingredient listed you could not pronounce much less have any idea what it was and why it was in there? This morning, I stood there at my pantry looking at a food label that had just one, right, I said only one ingredient listed and that was easily pronounced as well. I was looking at a big jar of "Mountain Ridge" Pure Raw Honey.

Nothing special, it is mighty tasty, but what held my attention was the back of the label. One ingredient listed, nothing else. HONEY. Honey requires no preservatives, it has a natural resistance to microbes and can last almost indefinitely, properly stored. Ancients even used it on wounds. I think honey is one of Nature's best foods.

Not long ago, I noticed something on the grocer's shelve that looked like honey but was a blend of honey and high fructose corn syrup. GAG! My guess is someone thought they could both improve on Mother Nature and go cheap at the same time. Not a good combination IMHO. I had looked at the label because of the blend and it was a lengthy list of stuff the names of some ending in "X" or "XL" etc. No, LeRoy, I did not buy it. Have you no regard for my intelligence? Wait, before you answer that LeRoy, think about who hands you your pay packet.

Folks,
MG:
Some of my file associations were changed by the big fall update to favor MS apps like Word and I do not use Word. No big deal but annoying.

Eyes In Big Trouble
CHAPTER FIVE

Dux was still blind as a blindfolded bat with a bad case of cataracts. His ears were functioning well enough. The instant he heard Olga’s rumbustious, angry voice spewing venomous Russian invective, his heart instantly stopped and his powerful legs began to move. Very fast.

He knew he was a dead man, if not at that moment, then as soon as Olga caught him. Still blind, he sprinted blindly forward and right into the nearby lake. So fast were his legs moving they seemed to blur even for those witnessing the event without the benefit of drops in their eyes.

Still some distance away, Olga began to follow the fleeing Dux. She had come upon the scene and witnessed what she thought was a young lady kissing her Dux and her Dux did not seem to be protesting as much as she thought he should. Colonel Olga of Minsk was livid with rage.

Had Stalin himself told Olga at that moment that she had the wrong end of the stick it would have done no good. Not for the doomed Wing Commander. Olga, with her hair on fire, was an unstoppable force of nature. And that force of nature was headed on a collision course with the man who just splashed into the lake.

Out in the lake, those antidote drops took affect. Dux could see again! Realizing it wasn’t just a puddle he was splashing through, Dux instantly sank. Had he not been wearing his dress uniform with all those heavy gongs on it he might have been alright. Well, alrightish, but only until you know who got to him.

Seeing her beloved man disappear from her sight, Olga’s anger instantly cooled. Thinking her lover was drowning, Olga dove into the lake to save him. For a moment neither Dux nor Olga could be seen. Then there were ripples near where Dux had gone under. Someone was breaking the surface...

Several furlongs away and gaining distance every minute, nurse Connie Bemine was just passing a speeding car and heading for the Studley Grange bus station. She was in great hopes of catching a ride almost anywhere that was too far for Olga to catch her before she said goodbye and made out her will. She ran out of breath about two blocks short of the bus station and had to stop to rest.

At that moment the car she had passed caught up to the nurse as she sat in the dust and gasped for breath. At the toot of the car horn, Connie looked up and saw the driver was none other than her dear pal and colleague at CF EyeCare, Manny Looscrews. She was plenty happy to see him.

Back at the lake Olga rose from the lake and began sloshing out. As she stepped from the lake she was dragging the body of a thoroughly soaked and nearly drowned Dux. By the hair, I might add, and I did. Dux was just too fagged out and tired to care. He was also far too thankful he was still alive and among the sighted once again to protest. (The attentive reader may remember that not protesting was one reason he had got into trouble with Olga in the first place.) Lying there spitting up lake water, attempting to cough up a lung, Dux tried desperately to explain his innocence.

At first, Olga wasn’t having it. Then, seeing Dux in such distress, she mellowed and shortly they were embracing as if nothing had ever happened. Olga helped Dux to his feet then she picked him up and carried him home with her. She’d soon have him hot and dry.

Back at the car, Connie had explained her dilemma to a concerned Manny. Connie had never noticed how much Manny actually cared for her. Obviously, he did as he volunteered to gas up and take her to Paris. Why Paris? For their honeymoon of course.

END

Gents,

Last night I watched a delightfully inaccurate film made in 1941 with Tyrone Power and Betty Hutton : A Yank In The RAF. The way Tyrone forced himself upon that poor woman was nothing short of scandalous. Forcing her down on the sofa and working his....wait for it...engagement ring onto her finger. He deliberately chose a size too small so she couldn't take it off and throw it back at him.

He started the war in the Hudson and used the leaflets they were supposed to drop over Germany at night for a purpose that they were not intended...wait for it...he dumped the unopened leaflet parcels directly down to the probing searchlights and succeeded in putting one of them out. Later, he distinguished himself by exposing....wait for it....his guns to the Messerschmitts from his cardboard and plywood Spitfire. Finally, he got the girl after beating his jolly decent rival to the finish line while looking all heroic with grimy features and bandages courtesy of the post-Dunkirk evac nurse. Some interesting shots of Harvards, Hudsons and Spits although the rear fuselage band on the Spits didn't come in until after 1940.

Folks,

Dux:

I remember that film. You are right but some ladies might have argued with you at the time. Ty was a huge heartthrob back then. He made the ladies swoon and married several of them. Actually, in real life, he was Bi. No big deal about that today. It was back then. Many Hollywood types like Gable and Stewart joined up. Ty did and he survived the war as a decorated Marine pilot. It was a different time in the 30's and 40's. Today, such actions as you describe by a star would never get past the first pitching of the screenplay. Can you say re-write?

I've posted before about the worst and most disturbing inaccuracy I've seen in any WW2 film. "Captains of the Clouds" a Cagney movie about older bush pilots in Canada volunteering for ferry duty taking bombers from Canada to Britain. On the way across the big wet spot, they are attacked by a lone BF 109, undoubtedly with a way over-sized fuel tank. And dear friends, it ain't no 109 at all. That plane seen in BF 109 paint job is actually and despicably a...wait for it... Hurricane. No lie.

Folks,

Today is no replay of the past week. The clouds did indeed roll in and rain is on the way through tomorrow morning at least. There is a little sun popping in and out this morning. The temp at 9:30 AM is 67°F. and the humidity is 91%.

We had a perfect week last week so, this week, most of the sunshine is someplace else. That's fair. Wherever you may be I hope you have plenty of it just as we did last week.

Fittop:

Finally, there is something aviation oriented on this thread. Better get the flight suit out of mothballs (who knew they even had those?). It seems the AF is about to reinstate 24-hour round-the-clock flights for those nuclear carrying Buffs. It may only be saber rattling but you never know. SAC is back?? Maybe it never left?

I can easily imagine Kim standing on his roof with a pair of army surplus 10X50s desperately scanning the sky. He has more than one reason to scan. Thanks to us taxpayers, the unfriendly boys in the South have a new toy that can also ruin even his best day.

Folks,
JRT: The rain you experienced may be related to the one that serenaded this area very early Saturday night/Sunday morning.

Loud? It sounded vicious, and with no tree on that side of the house anymore -the last one there being a victim of a prior lighting bolt,- I laid awake worried if the eight-inch wire I connected to ground from the TV antenna was think enough to carry any lighting charge away from the house.
On the bright side, I would not have to water the lawn on my allowed day.
But it's fair and sunny today, and those problems can be put away until the next storm. Yep, a procrastinator tempting Murphy.

The Air Force flight suit is long gone, thanks to the-then teenage son wearing it to Halloween parties. A merciful demise since it would not now fit.
I do have an Army one though; oops, that one has paint streaks, so no.
But this one has the peel-off nametags that neither NK, China or Russia would recognize as Geneva accord-approved anyway.

Not that the Services would take, in any capacity, an old man that could call its colonels "Sonny".

Hopefully, I am safe from alert duty unless it's a general call; in which case all our names are in the pot; and all heel spurs victims would start at the KP duty level.

I am hoping that alert duty was modified in some way, I think it was.

But I hope it was for the better.

Once the Pentagon derailed that regrettably mostly -unknown American Hero, James G. Burton and his cohorts from modernizing military thinking (They are the ones that helped give us the A-10, F-16 and other modern weapons) and it went back to its old ways, I suspect we might have gone back to ear-counting and may be primed for another Pearl harbor.

That scares the hell out of me.

It you are interested, the movie 'The Pentagon Wars" puts out part of the story in a humorous way. The book of the same name is a much more accurate portrayal of what happened.