That is an unusual experience kevin1911 as Windows 7 has been pretty much the best version of the Windows OS probably ever. I don’t think Win8 is quite as slick or polished as Win7 but it is pretty stable and reliable. Not sure what people mean about disabling metro as it is an integral part of the OS. It is the common part of the OS that users will see if they move between devices such as Surface / tablet, phone and traditional computer (as in laptop or desktop). The Desktop is there and is easily accessed by Windows key + D. Best way to look at is that although there is no “start” button the main screen is essentially a giant start page. Press the Windows key and you are right there. Be aware that there are some limitations on metro apps eg the metro version of IE does not have, nor does it support, add-in’s. But then again, if you need add-ins then use the desktop version of IE. And you don’t need a touch screen at all to benefit from using Win8.
Plus stuff like Skydrive is not an app bundled with Win8. Skydrive is a “cloud service” that allows you to store docs etc from which you can view / download from any machine that you can logon to.

And back to the OP. You will find it harder to get a machine that is running Windows 7 because pretty much all new PCs will be shipped with Win8 as that is now the current OS.

Inception
Adjustment bureau
Limitless
Source Code

Struggle also to keep a reasonable list of films up on lovefilm.

And if you like the idea of being compatible with your Windows devices you might consider a Surface Microsoft surface thingy or similar from the raft of Windows devices that are coming out at the moment

Funnily enough we are planning to do a West Coast road trip next summer. Not done any of the detailed planning yet but the general idea is to fly in to San Francisco and drive up to (probably) Seattle and fly back from there. Hadn’t considered camping – was planning to go with hotel / motel mix. Really keen to see the North West coast area having done the Seattle to Vancouver / Whistler trip a couple of times in the past I wanted to include stuff further south as would love to see Portland as well. Kids never been to America so it is a chance to do a few of the tourist things in SF before heading north. Probably spend a couple of days in SF, then put in a drive and stop for a couple of days, tour that area then move on.

To be honest I think most of Emsz advice was spot on. I would start with the E shape barre chords first and master moving them up and down the fretboard. Not necessarily because they are more important but because they are easier. Getting a good grip on something helps to motivate you and encourage you on. Barring A shapes is a lot harder and after a while you realise that very few people actually do a “proper” A barre but actually just use the fourth finger to cover all three strings. Now that is a lot more useful and practical – but it takes a bit of time and practice. Barring E shapes is so much easier.

In terms of speed and comfort what I used to spend ages doing when I first started as a kid was just zipping between chords. G,C,G,C,G,C, throw in a D. Same with E,A,E,A,E,A, power B chord. In many cases don’t worry too much about it being “musical” it was drumming the patterns into my fingers so that they got comfortable doing it and I can change between all those chords without even looking at my left hand. And even with those handful of open chords you can play thousands of songs. [Check out the Axis of awesome video on youtube for a humorous explanation of how many songs you can play with just 4 chords).

And keep going. The guitar is an ace instrument and perhaps one of the best for being able to go from complete beginner to someone who can knock out something recognisable as music very quickly.

I have to say that FA seems a bit more settled these days. I don’t know if that is because he is clearly the top driver in the team or whether he has just matured a bit. He still seems to have a bit of a grump in the car if things aren’t going well – or someone seems to have impeded his progress, but out of the car he comes across as a lot more balanced. Will be interesting to see if that changes if SV goes there.

So who’s gonna slip in the lines about Betty Davis knees and brewers droop? 8)

We have a Vailant which has been pretty reliable. Apart from the minor defect that was rectified before blowing the house apart. 8O

Other than that it has been flawless and efficient.

You seem fast to insult and quick to be hurt- if you are disrespectful to folk they are likely to do it back

While not wanting to be seen to be bickering where do you get fast to insult and quick to be hurt from? Where’s the insult? Where’s the hurt? Seems to me you were the first to be taking cheap shots or did you not notice that bit? Or perhaps maybe you feel you suffer from envy of those with greater wealth than you and (incorrectly) assumed I was having a pop at you? Perhaps you’re the fragile one?

Whatever, it could have been an interesting debate, but like so many on here, it got a bit derailed and petty.

That’s not what I’m saying, I disagree with people all the time, but rarely with someone with such simplistic ideas. Tell me, what’s so much worse about the politics of envy than the politics of greed?

So what’s the simplistic idea (compared to your clearly complex and highly developed position of anyone who is “rich” should pay a higher percentage of tax) and where do I mention the politics of greed?

Nope, I was serious. So far you written a lot of words but failed to demonstrate an understanding beyond that of a spoilt schoolchild. IMHO, of course.

Really? Seriously?

So someone who has, possibly, a different view to you is a spoilt schoolchild?

Not quite sure what your problem is JY? Perhaps I wasn’t clear enough in the “politics of envy” statement but other than that the carefully selected comments you have quoted above were in response to your taking umbrage at what I said and then having a pop without actually adding anything to the debate. So, to clarify for you, the “politics of envy” request was to seek a more rational answer than the simple “anyone who earns more than me” which this sort of debate typically gets. Which, when the sneery veneer is stripped away is just plain old envy. And I had hoped you might be above and maybe even answer the question itself rather than seeing “pops” at you that don’t exist.

If my child was starving to death I doubt I would be anywhere near you in your super yacht as our worlds are unlikely to cross. But, hypothetically, would I think it a fair and humane response? Of course not. Not really sure why you think I would.

do you even have a moral compass?

Yes, thank you for asking.

Do you have the ability to engage in a rational debate with someone who may just have a slightly different view to you over some things without resorting to inflammatory language? Or by extrapolating the argument to an extreme in order to try and justify why you think you may be right and anyone who is discussing an alternative view is completely wrong? Yes, yes, yes, I know that’s the way discussions go on STW but every now again, is it too much to ask for some rational discussion?

I don’t always agree with JY, but I’d rather live in his ‘ideal world’ than that of Bikingcatastrophes’.

And what world is that? To be fair, I am not sure you know enough about me to be in a position to define what sort of world is my ideal. But then again, this is the internet isn’t it so as you were. :-)

If you dont agree it is because you accept unequal distribution of income and wealth and those pictures show you what that really means No one wants to justify that so of course you throw some insults about envy around as you know you have no way of justifying that as fair….obvioulsy dont let this inability change your view and have a pop at me instead.

Not sure where I am having a pop at you? But to answer your point with the one that was made to my post

Lots of things aren’t [superficially] fair, get over it

And those words are quite true. Life is not fair. And there will probably always be an unequal distribution of wealth. Any my argument is that £45k is not a staggering salary. Yes, there are a lot of people who have material wealth far beyond what they can use and it would be great if they could do something more altruistic than buy the next set of Louis Vuitton baggage for a day trip to Necker. And close down the obvious tax loopholes. But the tax system needs to find the balance of being progressive enough to raise the required funds without appearing too unfair to those that feel most threatened by it and who then try everything they can to move their moneys elsewhere and avoid paying any tax at all.

And slow hand clap to v8ninety for the fail to understand comment. Excellent. Still chuckling at such sparkling wit.

I fail to understand why someone thinks that a question about why it is fair to tax a higher earner a bigger proportion of their income is in any way justifying the plight of the super rich (implication of using a fanciful and fantastically expensive super yacht)?

So what level of income should be deemed “excessive” and should be taxed at a higher rate and what should that rate be? Sensible answers please and not just “politics of envy” answers.

Socially responsible does not equal paying a higher proportion of tax. Not really sure where you manage to draw that narrow conclusion.

And no, I’m not Mitt Romney.

And communist states have a reputation for controlling what is acceptable for the natives including income, so not such a stretch, to make a point.

Someone will be in a pickle over that one

Is essentially true; yes you can argue about the threshold where essential becomes luxury, but there come a point where you don’t need more money, but desire it. I think that it’s fundamentally fair that I share the ‘excess’ income that I have earned at a higher rate than the ‘essential’ income. That’s why.

So, a “communist” or state run system yes? Someone centrally defines what is the acceptable level of income and everything more than that is penalised strongly? Different people have a varying interpretations of what is luxury and what is excess. Still not a reason, I don’t think, that means it is fair that higher earners should be taxed at a higher rate. They are already paying a bigger share of the tax income through the higher earnings. Where does the threshold get drawn? What about my choices as to what I think I would like to spend my money on that I may not think of as a luxury? Maybe provide a mechanism where the altruistic can pay more tax if they think their level of income is excessive would be fairer.

And jota – exactly what do you mean by paying for 3 kids to go through Uni? Given you have suggested you are on a lower income I imagine your kids therefore qualified for near maximum grant. Plus they get a loan for tuition fees. Did they get any other financial support? So what did that leave you to be paying?

[Only asking here as it would be useful to see it in context as the definition of paying for your kids to go through Uni will mean very different things to different people]

There’s an awful lot of “in theory” going on in this thread on a topic that is so very often a subjective one. At the heart of some of the discussion is what you consider the meaning of the word “rich” is. And for many that is all wrapped up in how much disposable income you have left after what you consider are your current outgoings. Not all outgoings are “essential” but they are what you have become used to. A large number of people naturally increase their spending in line with their income without necessarily making a conscious decision to.

So, in theory, £45k is a good salary. I would also argue that for most people that is not their definition of rich though. As a single person living in a place that is not excessively expensive I would argue that life could be ok but you would not be “rich” as you would certainly consider owning / buying a home a reasonable investment (that is likely to be cheaper than renting) and may need a car for travel. Are those things essential? Maybe, maybe not. Once you start adding in a spouse, offspring etc then I would say £45k is not that big a salary if you want to own that house, have that car and have a partner that is happy to be a full time parent and not work.

And, as others have commented, why do people think it is right that someone who earns a bigger salary should pay a higher rate of tax? The current tax system is already progressive in that the more you earn the more tax you pay but at a rate that is consistent and fair. And why should someone who earns more pay a higher local / community tax? Do their bins cost more to empty? Does it cost more to educate their kids in the same school as someone who earns less? I agree, it will seem proportionately cheaper for them but that tax is about the local services which, it could argued, are probably used less by the more wealthy thus being less value.

They’re ok. Be prepared to accept a lower quality viewing experience for standard definition TV than you have had from your aging CRT telly. The “big hitters” of the LCD tv world tend to be Sony, Samsung and Panasonic. I seem to recall that they are also the only people that actually make the LCD panels that are used. Cheaper electricals but the samsung screens then go for LG. For fast action stuff Plasmas are supposed to be better but they also typically start at bigger screen sizes. A good starting place for prices is Richer Sounds but they will not necessarily be the cheapest for any given model.

I have no plans to watch it as it looks dull and dreary. Not my cup of tea. I imagine, however, that wifey and daughter will happily go and watch it – once they have finished their little fix of Downton (something I systematically avoid).

Nope, not yet and hoping it will stay that way until at least October

It’s utterly pointless to attempt to reason with right-wingers and tories anyone who feels they havre a deep seated political stance as they’ve indoctrinated that way from birth and no matter what you reason with or how powerful an argument you put forward it will not make a jot of difference

There, FTFY

Although, for the record, I agree that MR comes across as a complete idiot. He was probably “playing to the audience” which may well have been full of people who feel that they have worked hard to earn their pile and begrudge those that they perceive as not trying very hard wanting free handouts.

The thing with this thread and some of the opinions quoted is that it comes down, once again, to people. Some people are turnips. Some aren’t. And that has nothing to do with politics or religion.

[Ooooh, dangerously close to lighting another touch paper there :D ]

I can only assume that those who reckon BA are the worst airline ever have never flown with anyone else or at least United. My experiences with BA have always been reasonable at worst and mostly very good. My experiences with United is that they have been mostly pretty poor, occasionally ok and sometimes downright abysmal. Always try and avoid flying with them.

If you have Outlook then I think you may be looking at the “conversation” feature that groups all threads that are part of the same conversation together but will still bubble up to the top of your inbox as new messages for that thread come in. Is that what you are looking for? It was more intuitive in Outlook 2010 but has been around since at least Outlook 2003.

I’m no real expert on these matters but I guess it depends what sort of bike you want. The Defy is not really an out and out road racing bike compared to say the TCR. They have thicker tyres and are heavier bikes. My understanding is that the Willer is a bit of a cheap “knock off” to try and get them some presence in the lower end of the market than they normally operate so will not necessarily have the same build quality that their brand represents. Personally I would go with the Giant but that might just be because I have a couple and I like them. :D You could also consider the Boardman at around that price point.

If my experiences of FGW are anything to go by then I suspect the West Coast is going to be bobbins. The service, on the whole, is appalling. Trains are constantly late, sometimes never turning up at all. Hideous service. Never used Virgin but the reports from colleagues that have used them have been very positive. Feel sorry for those that have got used to the Virgin service as I fear it may well get a lot worse.

Not that anyone important is going to be reading this thread but I too agree. As a nation I think we can be quite proud of what we have achieved with these Olympics. All things considered they have been fantastically well organised, some inspiring and iconic venues and a cracking good show. About as hooked to the tv as it is possible to get while still working. Very impressed with our medal results and some outstanding performances from GB athletes. The volunteers were magnificent and helped to generate a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. The crowds in the venues themselves generated the most spine tingling noise and welcome (obviously primarily to Team GB athletes) that seems to have been appreciated by most competitors and these Olympics have contributed some of the most memorable and amazing sporting scenes I have ever seen and heard. Has to be one of the best Olympics of the modern era.

And in typical English fashion I would say to LOCOG, ODA, GB athletes, volunteers, security personnel and the sporting public who went along and watched – bloody well done!

I have to say that, on the whole, the Beeb did a pretty good job. Some of the commentary teams were really enjoyable as well as being knowledgeable such as Andy Jameson / Adrian Moorhouse for the swimming, Gary Herbert / Dan Topolski for the rowing, Brendan Foster / Steve Cram for the athletics and Leon Taylor / Bob Ballard in the diving. Although he may be a bit potty I have to say I do enjoy listening to Hugh Porter and overall I thought Chris Boardman was excellent throughout.
The presentation teams were not always at the same level and I could easily tune out of some of those. Jake was usually good to watch although he can be a bit smug and Gabby Logan was good. I fully echo the comments on MJ though as he was (and has been for along time now) excellent. Ian Thorpe was also very good for his analysis and comments. Daly Thompson when he was in the studio (saw him a few times) was very good – not afraid to say what he thought and didn’t go all sycophantic or sugar coat what he was saying. And much respect to Steve Regrave – again, could give impartial comments and observations and not afraid to say where he thought a team hadn’t put in enough preparation. He did come across as the rowing squad’s Dad though which at times was quite touching. Overall, I thought they did a very good job and for us grown ups, we could also let slide the moments where things were not so good.
Felt a bit sorry for Becks as he was trying to be genuine but you could see he had no vocabulary to be able to express what he felt and it all ended up being a bit of a cringefest. Helen Skelton was also a bit harsh on the ears so I could easily have done without that – but not to the point of slating her or the BBC over it.

Many moons ago I had a car which came with the plate FAR 800T which I found quite amusing. Apparently a few of my mates at the time thought so too.

Remember seeing a Porsche 928S pass me on the M4 back in the 90’s with a number plate POR 928S.

Very much so. Yes, of course, it will be a completely suspend belief, escapist, nonsense film but well worth an indulgant couple of hours in the cinema for. Although agree that QoS was a bit weak and plotless so hoping that Skyfall is a lot better than that.

According to my cateye it was 60kph downhill on a road in the Quantocks. That felt good.

48kph offroad, downhill on a gravel fire road is the fastest I can recall. I do wish they hadn’t put the gate half way down the hill though!

Not really sure that Clarks shoes are much cop these days. When I were a lad like, they were good, solid, dependable and long lasting. My impression of them these days is that they are just cheaply glued together, far eastern tat. Most cheaper shoes these days seem to be glued together, almost guaranteed to fall apart after a year.

Shuh seems to sell vastly over priced “branded” shoe shaped objects. Soul trader may offer something that will work ok but need to be in sale as they are not the cheapest place to buy. Or decide that £20 – £30 will do for a cheap pair of shoes that you can try and get more than a year’s worth of wear out of and go knock yourself out at one of the outlet centres dotted around the country.

Absolutely loving it. Love sport in general and loving these olympics. It is brilliant having it so local and as others have said it is that “once every four years” chance to see sports that you don’t normally see. Just watching some of the events and hearing the “home support” is pretty amazing. The hardest thing is having to work! Really looking forward to our visit to see the hockey next week and get a chance to soak up the Olympic Park atmosphere. I must say I don’t really understand the psyche of the naysayers over something like this, those that only seem happy when they’re complaining about something.

T M Lewin offer a reasonable range of suits at pretty sensible prices if you want something traditional. Might even have a small sale on at the moment.

My inclination would be to say no especially as you have only just passed your test. Insurance may be a tad high.

In your case I would go for something that is cheaper on the insurance to allow you to gain the experience of driving on your own as well as build up your no claims without having to pay crippling insurance bills.

Toyota Avensis. 1.8 petrol. Utterly, utterly hideous car to drive. Quite possibly the worst car I have ever driven in the UK. Did drive a friends 2CV many years ago that was also fighteningly bad but also had a certain character and charm that you couldn’t help smiling about (wavered all over the road, brake pedal that seemed to have an odd offset that meant it wasn’t quite where you expected it to be when needing to pull an emergency stop!). Almost all American cars I have driven were utterly gopping as well as useless to drive.

How come monthlies won’t work with your “lifestyle”? What’s the problem?

King family at my school. 3 kids: Lee, Jo and Wayne.
Bloke I met through work once called Tod ****. american – but even so, life must have been hell at school.
Friend produced an album for some norwegian artist called Lars Hole.
Also at work, a Japanese worked whose email alias was takashit.

Oh the fun we had…

My wife had an art teacher at school called Mr Pen.