Info and forum posts by 'operaghost'

This user hasn't used our main site yet, so has no main account at present.

Joined on: Thursday, 24th January 2002, 15:01, Last used: Wednesday, 22nd December 2010, 18:00

Access Level: Mostly Harmless

About this user: This user has chosen not to submit a description :(

This user has posted a total of 39 messages. On average, since joining, this user has posted 0 messages a day, or 0.03 messages a week. In the last 30 days, this user has posted 0 messages, which is on average 0 messages a day.

Recent Messages Posted:

RE: Top Gear really is back!

And good to see that they obviously don`t bear the Stig any ill-feeling at all ... :D

HP Colour Laser Printer

HP Colour Laserjet 1600 - £99.99 at PC World.

Was after cheap colour laser as last two `ebay specials` have finally died. Was going to go for the Samsung deal at Staples (£109+VAT) but then saw this in local PC World.

www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/store/pcw_page.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@1842054872.1202289855@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccchadedffjjleicflgceggdhhmdgmk.0&page=Product&fm=null&sm=null&tm=null&sku=416873&category_oid=-24816

(Sorry if hasn`t put link in!)

Cheap toner refills from below:

www.refilltoner.com/MachineProducts.asp?id=HP2600N&manu=Hewlett+Packard&mach=Color+laserJet+1600

Got one yesterday and very impressed - very quiet and fast enough for my needs. Also although not the highest resolution (quoted at 600x600) quality appears excellent to me!

Think collect in-store only, no mention of delivery. Hope of use to someone.

RE: Weird goings on on last night Big Brother

May find the following link useful:

http://bigbrother.vox.com

Looks like Endemol are cheating again!

Not sure if the link thingy will work - address again is http://bigbrother.vox.com

RE: Weird goings on on last night Big Brother

No, not mad - but thanks for your message as I had began to doubt my own sanity! :D

I noticed this too - almost as though there was an `green screen` effect; one minute she was there, couple of paces to the side and she disappeared.

Must be just the particular angle that the camera was at, maybe water on the lens, or numerous other logical reasons, but yes, was a bizarre thing to see.

RE: Got a free SKY+ box last night, want one?

Hi,
Just a quick thank you to the original poster - rang up Sky last Friday, mentioned the dreaded `cancel` word to the cancellation department and was immediately offered a free Sky+ box with free installation. No managers, supervisors, etc ...

Installed yesterday, fantastic bit of kit. Can now see what everyone was raving about.

Not being charged the tenner extra as on Movie package ... although didn`t have the heart to point out was only paying £4 per month extra for the full movie pack over the base package, as had rang couple of weeks ago to cancel the movie part of my subscription ... said wasn`t watching them and thought the way they had revamped them was a rip-off!

So thanks again!

RE: New format Sky Movie Channels

Yep, way to go Sky.

Sky Premier & Premier +1 (channels 301 & 302) now not starting until 5pm. Channel 302 simply repeating 301 but one hour later. So effectively lost not only a complete movie channel but also several movies on during the day. Also, as said, that weeks premiere shown every night for a week, so another `x` amount of films they`re not having t show!

As for `Sky Modern` - newest film on there today was Rocky 5!!!!! Not that modern as far as I could see.

Mind you, rang up to cancel and they have given me the full movie package for three months for £4 instead of £16. `Bout all it`s worth ...

(Wander off chuntering about Sky taking channels from Virgin and now ripping off their own customers ........)

RE: Devon and Cornwall suggestions

If visiting Goonhilly - which is highly recommended - would also suggest carrying on a bit further down the road to a place called St Keverne. From there follow the signposts for a little place by the name of Porthallow.

Gorgeous little bay, stone bech, wonderful little pub - The Five Pilchards (just got to try their `Ploughman`s Lunch`!) On way back, call in at Porthallow Vineyard. Little farm that produces it`s own wine, cider and liquers! Tasting available, highly recomeend the hazlenut liquer, country cream liquer and sloe gin!!! All very potent!!!

Sennen Cove - 3/4 mile from Lands End is gorgeous. Very picturesque, justa pub, couple of shops and RNLI station. Superb for surfing, I am told! :D

RE: I Am Broken Harted

Sorry to hear your news. At least you have the knowledge that in the time she was with you he knew she was loved as much as any dog can be.

Work part time in a pet shop, and often have the `pet died` scenario. Have found that sometimes the following helps, a poem - author unknown - that paints a great image.

Apologies if it has been posted before.

Rainbow Bridge

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.
There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.
There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.
The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Author unknown...

RE: Recommend me a good book......!

Never really liked autobiogs, and never had much time for the bloke, but was bought "Peter Kay`s Sound of Laughter" for Christmas. Absolutely brilliant, very highly recommended.

Apart from that, any Pratchett Discworld book as already mentioned, any Jeffrey Deaver r James Herbert should help pass the time.

RE: SKY PIN CODE - 5.00 pm movies?

Should be the last four digits of the number on the back of your viewing card - if that makes any sense!

RE: Got nicked speeding (maybe) - any way out?

Mmm, this 10% thing ...

... don`t know whether that is the case anymore. Got nabbed doing 35 in a 30 zone just over a year ago and was offered the chance to either take the fine and 3 points or pay more, complete a one-day course and have no points (if examiners happy with what was done on the course).

Many people on that same course bought up the "10%" ruling, but we were told that is no longer the case necessarily, that it is determined by the council running the cameras. The 10% rule was introduced many years ago when speedometers were no where near as accurate as they are now, and as a result after all these years they 10% error is not g`teed.

Of course, this was told to us by the people running the course, so who knows? :/

Mind you, I have a speed-camera detector now, and that is also GPS driven and is always 10% lower than my speedo shows. Would love to know which is the correct one!

BTW, if anyone gets offered the course it is well worth doing!!!

RE: The Doctor is back at last!

Have to say that whilst I thought Ecclestone was a brilliant doctor, I am quite enjoying what DT is doing with the role. Only thing that puts me off is that he does, at times, remind me of a younger `Jim Dale`! :)

RE: Fuel tax protests start Wednesay!

Well, the panic buying has already started here in Stafford.

Drove past two big Esso stations on wayhome from work; massive queue outside the one, the other one empty with a sign stating "Sorry No Fuel" on both entrances.

Same at a Shell garage as well.

Hey ho, looks like my weeks hols in Cornwall that I`ve been looking forward to all year on Saturday might be up the creek! :(

RE: Car Hire in Spain

Used www.doyouspain.com for car hire in Lanzarote last year - no complaints. Cheapest by far, but make sure you do get your booking right first time - their charges for amendments are horrendous (for example, wanted twice as much to extend hire of car by one day as it cost to hire it for the week after we had booked!)

Other company that I have used frequently is carjet - www.carjet.com. Very good on price and excellent service - managed to rip the bottom of the radiator off one of their cars and they were there with a replacement within 30 minutes - free of charge.

Hope this helps

RE: Drink-driving

Ah ... forgot to mention ...

... apparently we have been told that he was handcuffed when he was taken to the station. Is this normal for a drink-driver or is it that he had done something else? Possibly resisting arrest?

Thanks.

RE: Drink-driving

Thanks Guys,

Jimbo, isn`t a rant at all - I fully agree with you! Fortunately - for my part - haven`t been as unlucky as your driver, but I really do understand what you mean.

We`ve tried every thing we can to try and talk some sense into him, but he just won`t listen. His wife is a saint - or bloody stupid, depending on your point of view - but doesn`t deserve to put up with this.

In the past we`ve had to hide his car keys, or - at one point, block his car in with our cars to stop him from driving. "I`m fine to drive, alcohol doesn`t affect me".

He`s still sleeping it off in the cells I believe; but I am certain that when he gets out it will be everybodies fault but his!

He looks after his two boys - aged 12 and 10 - on the odd occasion his wife goes out with friends; lost count of the amount of times the boys have called another member of the family to come over and help them / sit with them because "daddy is asleep on the settee and we can`t wake him up". Lo and behold, when we get there a glass or bottle of whisky is in evidence.

Says he loves his family; if so, why does he spend all his time in the pub?!!

Thanks again!

Drink-driving

Hiya All!

Don`t know if anyone will be able to offer any guidance?

Brother in law was yesterday arrested for drink-driving. Was stopped after someone `shopped` him for careering all over the road. Police reached him just as he was locking the car door outside his house, and although his speech was unslurred, he fell into the arresting officers arms as he couldn`t stand up straight. Was found to be four times over the limit.

Now, this may sound harsh, but the rest of the family is actually quite glad this happedned; we`ve known for years that he has a drinking problem, we`ve begged him to go for help but each time he says he hasn`t got a problem, it`s the rest of us. He has often taken his sons in the car when he`s been drinking, and even after they`ve begged him to get help, he`s ignored them. Maybe this will wake him up.

Any ideas what he`s likely to get? First offence.

He is a farmer, or at least works on his father`s farm. That means he has to drive animals to market /abbatoir, tractors on the road to get to their fields, etc. That is his only source of income. His wife works, but only part time.

Sorry for the long post!

Cheers!

RE: Coronation Street Xmas Special

Hiya Grackan,

E-mail me your details through and I will send you it.

Don`t usually watch the rubbish, but had to this time as father-in-law was playing the Vicar!!!

RE: free sim wit 10.00pound credit on it.. great hey.

Got mine this morning - works great!

Thanks Henry!

Went for the Celtic one, for no particular reason - ashamed to admit don`t actually like football that much!!! :)

RE: Dell again - Photo Printer £20 and Projector £20 !!

Has anyone heard anything about their orders today?

Had the standard `Dell Internet Receipt` yesterday, but heard nothing at all today.

Ordered a printer and a projector, seperately.

Would have thought Dell would have been trying to get out of it by now! :)

RE: Red lights are there to be ignored,evidently...

Red lights don`t really bother me - but there is one thing that really winds me up!

Come home from work each night on the M6. When I come off at the junction, I have to turn right, so I - along with most other drivers, get in the right hand lane and indicate right. However, every day without fail we have drivers coming off at the junction, coming down the left hand lane, and then cutting in front of us all to go right at into town!!!

Makes me so angry!!! >:(

Is it me, or if you are going right at a roundabout, should you not be in the right hand lane, not get in the left hand lane and drive all the way around, cutting in front at the last minute?

RE: I need a sensibley priced Laptop battery

Just a suggeston ... have you trid contacting an insurance company?

Know it sounds daft, but bear with me.

Was given an old Toshiba laptop but no power supply. Person who passed it on didn`t know if it still worked or not, and without the adaptor couldn`t test it.

Even second hand a power supply would have cost £70+ which is a lot if the laptop was useless.

Finally spoke to a compant that gave me the number for an insurance company in Walsasll. This was the place that damaged laptops are sent to after the claim has been settled. Managed to get a genuine Toshiba power supply for the laptop for just £10.

Sorry to say cannot remember name or number of this company, but maybe a google search might help.

BTW, laptop works a treat! ;)

Free computer ... Maybe ... Eventually ...

In a move that will probably surprise no-one, have justreceived this e-mail from Metronomy, the company that was `giving away` a PC for three years in exchange for users watching advertising:

Monday, 05 April 2004
Dear Mr ****,

Your Free PC pre-registration, customer number: 3***

We regret to inform you that we are unable to fulfill your application at this time.

As you may know, Metronomy's launch generated considerable media interest, and we received an excellent response from households wishing to take part in the scheme. However, we have also received information to suggest that a minority of applicants do not intend to operate within our standard terms and conditions, resulting in the potential theft of the computer.

Whilst we have invested considerable resources into developing highly secure business processes and technology, the high cost of each PC means that we must control our exposure at this stage.

As such, we have reluctantly decided to release only a limited number of PC's in the first instance, in order to fully test our security procedures and technical infrastructure before a wider roll-out in the Autumn. Unfortunately, we will be unable to progress your application until then.

Should you wish us to remove your details from the waiting list, please click here: lecnac[at]moc.ymonortem and return the message, remembering to include your customer number. Otherwise, you will be contacted later in the year with further information.

We recognise that our concerns apply to only a minority of applications, and regret any inconvenience that this may cause to bona-fide customers, but feel this is the best course of action to protect the long-term interests of the business and ensure that the offer can be available to all who want it in future.

Yours sincerely,
Jacco Van Seventer
Customer Operations Director

Mmm, something doesn`t smell quite right here, does it?
Smacks of either a massive over-subscription and inability to supply the computers - the same problem that bankrupted the company three years ago that was doing PC`s for 100 - or a scam.

Any thoughts - not including "I told you so"! :)

RE: Spotted another cheap Celeron!

Re the £179 Fujtsu computer - is this definitely Comet?

Visited three stores this morning, all of which have never heard of a computer at this price, and rang there head office who had no record of it either?

Can anyone please advise? :/

Ta lots!

RE: Free IBM PC

Very dubious myself, but have still signed up for one. Have also got the e-mail from them suggesting an april delivery, will have to wait and see.

The one three years ago was slightly different in as much as they wanted money up front - it started as being £50, then went up to £100.

This one though there is no money up front.

Worse case scenario that I can (naively) foresee is that computers are delivered, firm goes bankrupt, receivers request value of computers from all operators / return of computers.

Any thoughts?

RE: weird al yankovich?

Brilliant musician and paody-ist!

Be careful though, not all of the songs credited to him are actually his. For listings of all HIS tracks try none other than www.weirdal.com

Have most of his albums: running with scissors is probably one of the best as it has the mentioned skit of American Pie, plus the amazing track "Alberqueque" - a full twelve minutes of utter nonsense.

Another track to try and find is "Amish Paradise", a brilliant skit on Coolio`s "Gangster`s Paradise" - and the only song where the original author has allegedly taken offence at the `Weir Al Treatment`!

RE: digital camera advice

Have a Fuji MX2600, excellent camera.

2 megapixels
3x optical zoom
Various flash modes

As said, excellent camera, brilliant pictures - at least up to 5x7 size.

Ricoh that I tried was good for daylight use, but flash photography was quite poor.

RE: Anyone help on info about Sony Z 7 mobile ?

Haven`t got one myself, but have couple of friends who have; neither of them very impressed - poor reception, only average battery life, etc.

Main problem they have had is reliability and repairs.

First one somehow managed to bend the pins on the phone which stopped it from charging. Took it to Sony repair centre who, understandably, said he would have to pay for the repair. Has been there seven weeks to date - awaiting spare parts. He was told that the spares are handled in France, and can be awkward to get hold of. Also, will need new circuit board rather than just a plug in module.

Second friend tried his sim card in another phone, and when put it back in the SSony noticed that the phone would not ring or vibrate when incoming call received. Tried everything he knew but eventually gave up and contacted Sony. He was told it was a known fault with their current models; result? three weeks away for repair!

Personally I would go for Ericsson - have had five over the last few years, and ould recommend them to anyone. Currently have a T68i - brilliant phone!

RE: Only 3 hours into the fire fighters strike, and the first tradgedy... discuss

It is a difficult one.

I`m not denying that the firefighters deserve a wage increase, but 40% in one hit? Maybe over a period of 4 - 5 years, fine.

I do have trouble accepting the strike, however. Lives are put at risk, and that is unaccepatble, no matter what the despute is about.

What would happen if one of the people to die was the child of one of the union leaders recommending strike actuon, or one of the firefighters themselves?

Public sympathy will only fall.

In full agreement with Chris Cox, any wage increase should be based on the removal of rights to strike.

Come on lads, back to work, and back to saving lives.

RE: Computer bargains at Lidl next Thursday 26th Sept

Also is not a cordless optical scroll muse, but a corded one.

Spoke to someone buying the keyboard set who said that the corless mice were pretty duff, but the corded ones that they had were good.

Got one anyway, just don`t know if I`ve still had a good buy though!