LittleMissNaughty's laptop is getting a bit slow and does not really support Windows 7, especially with it maxed out at 2GB RAM, so MrGrumpy picked up a shiny new 17" core i7 / 8GB laptop for her. It came with Windows 0.8, MrGrumpy though "how bad could it be, i'm sure it will be fine".... Wrong... totally wrong... It is worse than bad, it is unusable, broken, flaky, inconsistent, a major step backwards.
The new UI is interesting and would be fine if it was quick and worked, it has a tendency to just display some "sliding" or "bouncing" dots while it is doing something. This would be fine if it always completed the task or gave you a slight clue as to how long it will be before it finally updates the screen. Updating apps sometimes works, sometimes not, some apps open and just sit there with no icon, no message, nothing, just a blank coloured screen... what it is doing, nobody knows.
With a quad core processor, running at 2+ GHz, that is about 91,000 Million instructions per second, what on earth is windows doing for anything to take several seconds or even minutes to complete?
So when MrGrumpy found there was still the "old" desktop, he thought that would be the answer, well it would be if there was a "Start Menu", even the control panel is still there, the problem is how to start it. The whole bouncing your pointer off the various corners of the display gets boring very quickly... going to the top left, shows a small (not sure why so small) preview of what app you will switch to if you click it, (like the old ALT-TAB, but less useful).
As you can tell, MrGrumpy is not the biggest fan of the new Microsoft release, he actually hoped it would be better to use than it looks.
Monday 26 November 2012
Thursday 15 November 2012
Tidy up time
MrGrumpy moved cubes today, this meant he had to tidy up, not a job he likes much.
His new cube looks identical to the old one, just mirrored left to right (and on the other side of the building). He is no longer on the route to the coffee room, so it's a bit quieter (if possible) but there are other inhabited cubes nearby.
The weather has defiantly chilled down, at lunch time MrGrumpy even thought about wearing his coat, but he was glad he did not, as by the time he walked back from CostCo he needed his shades and a short sleeved shirt was not a problem.
When he was walking back he noticed a road sign, uhm, are vinyl letters expensive or are vowels an optional extra in the USA?
His new cube looks identical to the old one, just mirrored left to right (and on the other side of the building). He is no longer on the route to the coffee room, so it's a bit quieter (if possible) but there are other inhabited cubes nearby.The weather has defiantly chilled down, at lunch time MrGrumpy even thought about wearing his coat, but he was glad he did not, as by the time he walked back from CostCo he needed his shades and a short sleeved shirt was not a problem.
When he was walking back he noticed a road sign, uhm, are vinyl letters expensive or are vowels an optional extra in the USA?
Tuesday 13 November 2012
Mid November already, how did that happen?
MrGrumpy is still struggling to handle the fact he needs shades and is still seeing blue skies and walking about comfortably in a t-shirt in mid November... OK it is quite a bit cooler and quite chilly in the mornings and evenings, sometimes it even rains for a few hours (generally it has been overnight, so far).
At lunch time MrGrumpy met up with MrCrazyRunner, they ended up eating a huge chicken fajita burrito, MrGrumpy forgot just how huge they are... it was about half the size of a small japanese family car... but very tasty...
After work MrGrumpy was not feeling hungry (no surprise really), so he went to the gym, he only did just 1.5 miles running, but he did manage his fastest mile so far 9'29, not very impressive by most standards, but bad for somebody who could not run for more than two minutes, just 6 months ago. He also noticed that his Heart Rate belt seems to be compatible with the machines in the office gym (even though it is not a polar one), which makes it easier to set the machines up to do heart rate based exercises. It is just a pity the user interfaces on gym equipment is designed by a monkey.
At lunch time MrGrumpy met up with MrCrazyRunner, they ended up eating a huge chicken fajita burrito, MrGrumpy forgot just how huge they are... it was about half the size of a small japanese family car... but very tasty...
After work MrGrumpy was not feeling hungry (no surprise really), so he went to the gym, he only did just 1.5 miles running, but he did manage his fastest mile so far 9'29, not very impressive by most standards, but bad for somebody who could not run for more than two minutes, just 6 months ago. He also noticed that his Heart Rate belt seems to be compatible with the machines in the office gym (even though it is not a polar one), which makes it easier to set the machines up to do heart rate based exercises. It is just a pity the user interfaces on gym equipment is designed by a monkey.
Sunday 11 November 2012
Know your limits...
MrGrumpy decided to go out on his bike yesterday, he wanted to go somewhere different. Looking at the map he thought Morgan Hill seemed close enough for him to get to. Until now 24 miles was what he had ridden in a day, that is about the distance to Morgan Hill.
He wanted to take the scenic route, so off he went... the first few miles were fine, then he came to a decent incline, not really steep but enough to make him suffer, by the top he was already not looking forward to the way back.
Unfortunately, this was not the only incline he would have to tackle. By about 15-20 miles he just wanted to find some food and rest his legs. The route he had picked was scenic, but also there was nothing on the way. The choice was to carry on or turn around and cycle 10 or so miles back before he would find habitation. Well he had chosen to do this, so onward.
Finally he arrived in Morgan Hill, he locked up the bike and walked around the little downtown area. Not unexpectedly he was drawn to the Brew Pub, where he had a Burger + Soup (instead of fries) and a couple of pints of El-Torro Golden Amber Ale.
Now the only problem was getting back, he did think of trying to get a bus or train, but decided to see if there was an easier route back. Google suggested a cycling route which looked a little more direct (much less scenic) and less hills... off he went.
It was not long before his legs were screaming at him, along with the headwind, it was going to be a difficult and slow ride back.
Eventually (or so it seamed) he was back on roads that he recognised, as he closed in on his destination he thought that his rear tyre was feeling a little soft, well with only about 1/2 a mile to go he was not going to stop now... Sure enough later that night the tyre was totally flat, at least it did not happen earlier.
It took a couple of hours before MrGrumpy was able to walk around without his legs complaining, during which time he relaxed on the sofa watching the American football and finishing off the DairyMilk bar...
He wanted to take the scenic route, so off he went... the first few miles were fine, then he came to a decent incline, not really steep but enough to make him suffer, by the top he was already not looking forward to the way back.Unfortunately, this was not the only incline he would have to tackle. By about 15-20 miles he just wanted to find some food and rest his legs. The route he had picked was scenic, but also there was nothing on the way. The choice was to carry on or turn around and cycle 10 or so miles back before he would find habitation. Well he had chosen to do this, so onward.
Finally he arrived in Morgan Hill, he locked up the bike and walked around the little downtown area. Not unexpectedly he was drawn to the Brew Pub, where he had a Burger + Soup (instead of fries) and a couple of pints of El-Torro Golden Amber Ale.
Now the only problem was getting back, he did think of trying to get a bus or train, but decided to see if there was an easier route back. Google suggested a cycling route which looked a little more direct (much less scenic) and less hills... off he went.
It was not long before his legs were screaming at him, along with the headwind, it was going to be a difficult and slow ride back.
Eventually (or so it seamed) he was back on roads that he recognised, as he closed in on his destination he thought that his rear tyre was feeling a little soft, well with only about 1/2 a mile to go he was not going to stop now... Sure enough later that night the tyre was totally flat, at least it did not happen earlier.
It took a couple of hours before MrGrumpy was able to walk around without his legs complaining, during which time he relaxed on the sofa watching the American football and finishing off the DairyMilk bar...
Thursday 8 November 2012
Dark Nights
As the evenings draw in, MrGrumpy is finding it more difficult to handle the long days.
During the summer it was 6:30 or 7:00 pm before he realised, Now after recent events and the clocks going back, by 5:00pm it feels like he has been at work for more than the 9-10 hours he actually has.
It does not help that MrGrumpy is having to realise that he is actually getting older. He has just started to notice that his eye sight is just starting to deteriorate. He found himself moving the iPhone that little further away than he used to. He now realises that anything closer than about 12" is out of focus in his right eye. His left eye seems to be fine and compensating quite well.
Just to top things off for today, he went down to the canteen to get a can of Coke Zero and saw this...
During the summer it was 6:30 or 7:00 pm before he realised, Now after recent events and the clocks going back, by 5:00pm it feels like he has been at work for more than the 9-10 hours he actually has.
It does not help that MrGrumpy is having to realise that he is actually getting older. He has just started to notice that his eye sight is just starting to deteriorate. He found himself moving the iPhone that little further away than he used to. He now realises that anything closer than about 12" is out of focus in his right eye. His left eye seems to be fine and compensating quite well.
Just to top things off for today, he went down to the canteen to get a can of Coke Zero and saw this...
Tuesday 6 November 2012
MrAAA had to come and replace the battery
MrGrumpy's car did not start this morning, just click, click, click again.
So he called out MrAAA, they replaced the battery in exchange for $160+, hopefully that is now fixed...
So he called out MrAAA, they replaced the battery in exchange for $160+, hopefully that is now fixed...
Monday 5 November 2012
The Return of the Grumpster...
MrGrumpy is still grumpy, has has put wheels in motion that should change things (maybe - we will see), he has found that drinking Tea (Yorkshire) and dunking Digestives helps his stress levels.
Meanwhile MrGrumpy was especially grumpy this morning when he went out to leave for work and the Mustang just clicked instead of starting... Just what he needed... He was lucky that a local (who shell now be known as MrBobTheSavior) was just leaving, he stopped and had jump leads (which MrGrumpy has back in the UK, but that is not very helpful).
Once started he headed to work and started looking for places to replace the battery (not many places open in the US before 10 or 11am).
At lunchtime he headed out to the carpark, did the car start, nope... almost, but then the click of death...
While he was looking he found the negative terminal was pretty loose (it was padded with something, which instantly disappeared when MrGrumpy checked the terminal).
So even better, he now had a flat battery, no leads and a loose terminal...
It was a little while but he did find someone with some leads, meanwhile he got some copper tape from one of the HW engineers, he put it around the terminal and pushed the connector back on, it was not a good fit, but better than before.
Now with a little better connection and some leads he got the mustang running again... off to find a fix.
He first tried the local Jiffy Lube - but they did not change or fix battery terminals, so without turning off the engine, he continued.
While looking for a AutoZone or something, he saw a small garage/workshop on El Camino, "Worth a try" he thought.
Again without stopping the engine he went in a asked if they could assist, MrMechico said to bring the car in, he would look.
The fix involved not changing the connecter but a cap that fitted over the terminal and then banging on the connector followed by trying to remove the socket that he had needed to ram on the worn head of the bolt.
The moment of truth, would the car start or would it need a jump (and still a new battery)?
Wow, it started... MrGrumpy was happier, now how much? MrMechico said $5, my Grumpy only had a $20 so said to make it $10, he was pleased with that...
Now will the car be able to re-charge the battery?
He checked the voltage and it was 13.8V, that suggested it was at least trying to charge it.
Back at the office, he decided to leave work before there would be nobody about to give him a lift. He got in the car and it started...
Next issue, it was now dark, he did not have half a tank of gas and he was not wearing sunglasses... No seriously, he was on fumes and it was dark, now he needed to get some gas.
He drove in the slow commuter traffic back towards home, all the time the gauge was sitting on 'E', he had read that this is a fuel low light (he does not remember ever seeing one and this was not the time to test it). At the Shell station, he pulled up to the pump, left the engine running, turned off the lights and went to fill up... Just as you would expect, something went wrong.
This time it was the Pump, not accepting debit cards, his is waiting for the payment to go though on his credit card (so that is useless), off to the kiosk to pre-pay for fuel (car is still sitting there running).
Anyway he managed to put $50 in and the station did not explode or anything else dramatic.
The big question, will it start tomorrow????
To Finish off - here is Beer of the Day
Sones Double Bastard Ale
Meanwhile MrGrumpy was especially grumpy this morning when he went out to leave for work and the Mustang just clicked instead of starting... Just what he needed... He was lucky that a local (who shell now be known as MrBobTheSavior) was just leaving, he stopped and had jump leads (which MrGrumpy has back in the UK, but that is not very helpful).
Once started he headed to work and started looking for places to replace the battery (not many places open in the US before 10 or 11am).
At lunchtime he headed out to the carpark, did the car start, nope... almost, but then the click of death...
While he was looking he found the negative terminal was pretty loose (it was padded with something, which instantly disappeared when MrGrumpy checked the terminal).
So even better, he now had a flat battery, no leads and a loose terminal...
It was a little while but he did find someone with some leads, meanwhile he got some copper tape from one of the HW engineers, he put it around the terminal and pushed the connector back on, it was not a good fit, but better than before.
Now with a little better connection and some leads he got the mustang running again... off to find a fix.
He first tried the local Jiffy Lube - but they did not change or fix battery terminals, so without turning off the engine, he continued.
While looking for a AutoZone or something, he saw a small garage/workshop on El Camino, "Worth a try" he thought.
Again without stopping the engine he went in a asked if they could assist, MrMechico said to bring the car in, he would look.
The fix involved not changing the connecter but a cap that fitted over the terminal and then banging on the connector followed by trying to remove the socket that he had needed to ram on the worn head of the bolt.
The moment of truth, would the car start or would it need a jump (and still a new battery)?
Wow, it started... MrGrumpy was happier, now how much? MrMechico said $5, my Grumpy only had a $20 so said to make it $10, he was pleased with that...
Now will the car be able to re-charge the battery?
He checked the voltage and it was 13.8V, that suggested it was at least trying to charge it.
Back at the office, he decided to leave work before there would be nobody about to give him a lift. He got in the car and it started...
Next issue, it was now dark, he did not have half a tank of gas and he was not wearing sunglasses... No seriously, he was on fumes and it was dark, now he needed to get some gas.
He drove in the slow commuter traffic back towards home, all the time the gauge was sitting on 'E', he had read that this is a fuel low light (he does not remember ever seeing one and this was not the time to test it). At the Shell station, he pulled up to the pump, left the engine running, turned off the lights and went to fill up... Just as you would expect, something went wrong.
This time it was the Pump, not accepting debit cards, his is waiting for the payment to go though on his credit card (so that is useless), off to the kiosk to pre-pay for fuel (car is still sitting there running).
Anyway he managed to put $50 in and the station did not explode or anything else dramatic.
The big question, will it start tomorrow????
To Finish off - here is Beer of the Day
Sones Double Bastard Ale
 |
| 1Pt 6Oz of 11.2% Ale (yes that is US pints and Oz - so 1.2 UK Pints |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)