who I ended up spending an interesting weekend with.

got a fenix 5x plus in the summer (and one of the reasons was the actual mapping)

it’s dashed useful if you’re in a country location you’re not sure about. Less useful in the city (it’s quite small after all). Bung some talkietoaster maps on, and it’s great. Never get lost again

@mrjmt Kindles can read anything in the MOBI format. And as mentioned above, if you get a PDF/DOC version, just go to Calibre and convert it. Albeit the formatting may not be the best.

@mrjmt there are obviously sites like Gutenburg that has free books (and not just obscure texts from 17th century albania, but a load of Wodehouse etc)

but @avdave2 has an interesting idea as well. Never thought of that. :-)

couldn’t cope without mine, but I’ve quite a few non Amazon books (shall we say)

mine (my second) was above the paperwhite, but they don’t make it anymore. all the bits are in the Paperwhite so get that

@z1ppy

i think it was one of those technological advances done with the new and improved forum last year

don’t think it’s ever been advertised mind

@z1ppy

oh!

I like it I have to say. I’ve put ours in the dishwasher loads, and just use the washing up brush on it if it’s being washed.

To be honest though, as I seem to be eating quite a lot of garlic now I buy https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/waitrose-cooks’-ingredients-chopped-garlic/705411-100157-100158

it’s no more expensive than buying fresh bulbs, and dead easy to use. Possibly not fitting in with saving the Koalas ethos from the OP, but at this time of year Garlic won’t come from this country anyway (or if it does it won’t be fresh)

I’ve got a couple of Neos. Seem to work well. Obviously not the best quality, but they’ll do.

They’ve just introduced more/better storage for £3 a month i think

At the moment, two for £30. You can get waterproof covers online (mine are outside), and have been all year.

Mentioned on here https://www.theguardian.com/technology/askjack/2019/nov/21/home-alarm-systems-security last week

something like this https://www.thelittlegarlicplate.co.uk/shop is very good. Produces a lovely paste, and is slightly nicer to look at

i have a

Mini – in the kitchen. Good for the radio, setting timers/reminders for cooking etc
Max – in the snug for listening to music properly
Hub – in the bedroom. Listening to music/radio, using it as an alarm clock, watching telly at a push (7″ screen of course). And the morning routine, where it’ll tell you the weather, the time to work, any meetings/reminders that day etc

Probably going to invest in a Nest thermostat this winter, so would be able to control the heating with it.

That’s about it. If i wasn’t in t’music so much they’d not really get used. Never bought one at full price, and only when other things (sonos/alarm clock) have broken

I’ve got a few Google home thingies, and the Google home max is superb. On a par with a sonos 5. So quite big, but the sound is incredibly impressive.

Pair up a couple for some decent sound. Reduced this week, obv

or the alternative is those new Ikea sonos light things. Get some soft moody lighting with a decent speaker thrown in.

no. I live next to 300 acres of woodland…

but I remember seeing them on countryfile, and know how much of a pain Bracken is. Anything that helps keep it down is good.

burn bracken

Brackenburn Brackettes (bag of 10)

tis a waste product almost

if someone like Vicar’s Game doesn’t have it I fear you may struggle. They normally have everything!

visit to Decathlon

I have an older version of what i assume is the MH500.

Great boots – had them ~5 years, tramping all over. Incredibly comfortable, and still going strong. I’d get another pair like a shot

I only Kudos a special ride/run. I only follow 15 people, mostly family.

And if people clog my timeline, I stop following them. And yes, I’m ‘just me’ for default which enables me to put hikes etc on. Stuff that won’t have segments, and only the auto-kudos people would like.

Strava is really just for me – tracking my progress against myself. I don’t really care about what other people do (albeit slightly jealous of the amount of free time some seem to have).

There’s an element of all social media about it all. Some people need to prove what they do to a multitude of people they don’t really know (cf FaceGram etc). Others….don’t. They just get on with life. But everyone’s different – neither is right.

one way around it (and I don’t know if they still do it) would be get the smilemore bank account on a shared bank account

£13 a month, and covers all the people who are named on the account. So worldwide travel, european break down, mobile phone insurance etc

something like https://www.johnlewis.com/john-lewis-partners-shoe-warmer/p3489120

we’ve had stellar 7000 for a few years. Stainless, with no non stick

Great stuff really – you can abuse it really quite badly, and then get a metal scourer and it all comes off

available everywhere, but the full range appears to be here https://www.hartsofstur.com/brands/stellar/stellar-cookware/stellar-7000-cookware.html

always on offer somewhere…

@drp these people make the most amazing beds

http://www.alphabeds.co.uk/

they’ll make what you want, in a variety of wood, in a size to suit you, at a price a lot cheaper than the shops.

we’ve had our beech one 20 years, and it’s still rock solid. Can’t recommend them enough

Something like this from Etsy?

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/269496502/

I’ve used these people a couple of times (kindle cases, card wallets, key fobs etc). it’s thick leather, and takes a real beating. And they develop a lovely look over time
My wallet of choice is this one https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/541663255/ – very small, space for cards, and a few notes. But slips into any pocket, and you can’t suffer from bloat

this is the thread to read https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/144109/

old, but always updated

from that list, i have a few of these https://www.clasohlson.com/uk/Asaklitt-Shackle-Lock/p/31-2166

despite the reviews, I’ve never had any issues (over about 10 years), and one of them stopped a determined git at the local station

@sobriety

here you go –

Two mushroom species. One is edible and good, the other is deadly. pic.twitter.com/oTuaARn4kG

— John Wright (@johnmushroom) October 15, 2019

Answer: Left is the very tasty and not poisonous Miller, Clitopilus prunulus. Right is the Fool's Funnel, the deadly Clitocybe dealbata. Note: left and right species in same arrangement as in original post. Miller left, Fool's Funnel right. See my Forager's Calendar for more. pic.twitter.com/4yNogz7baQ

— John Wright (@johnmushroom) October 18, 2019

John Wright (who wrote that River Cottage book) tweeted a picture of two mushrooms he found on his lawn the other day

one is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clitopilus_prunulus. The other is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clitocybe_dealbata

one is deadly. The other delicious. Spot the difference

I’m a mushroom nut (so to speak…). This time of year is superb – i have the Roger Philips book, and take it out on the walks. We normally have plenty of Ceps near us – not actually Boletus edulis but a close edible relative. Even knowing it’s very hard to get ceps confused, and there’s only one that might give you a slight dicky tummy, I still wouldn’t. No way. Also loads of Parasols etc.

On a slightly different note, found my first Destroying Angel last year. Lovely looking thing is was. Wouldn’t touch it with a barge pole.

when we go skiing now, we don’t have a foreign holiday in the summer

I realise we’re still in a very lucky position, but it’s generally skiing one year, holiday the next. Can’t afford it otherwise.

ooh you can get a decathlon pair with a little sock thingy to look really trendy

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/mh900-mens-waterproof-walking-shoes-black-id_8503797.html

@retro83 – see, never a developer’s fault…

I’ve got a supplier at the moment who insists the memory allowable to SQL is the default of 2147483647 MB. Despite there being 16GB on the server. You can provide all the proof Microsoft come up with, but they don’t believe it. Ditto defragging indexes on tables under 1000 pages.

The same supplier, after install, told me one database was scheduled to get to 18Tb within 5 years. The entire SAN – both DR and Live – was 14Tb.

semi-domesticated chumps

we love you to.

however 24 hours for a backup sounds like you need a new DBA. But if a second backup tried to run when the first is already running, it would say no, i’m already doing it. If it’s 100 different DBs backing up at the same time, it should be able to cope with it

i think wahoo used to sync automatically. Don’t really use it now though

I’m a DBA of 20 years. DBAs generally don’t like developers…

anyway, you’ve a master table, and then you’ve a foreign key lookup to the various destinations?

All of that can go in one table; just have the primary key, type, actual value. Why do you need an intermediate table?

But PM if you want to go into more detail etc

quick google came up with this

Set Up Location-Based Auto Texting on iOS

i have a couple of pairs of decathlon ones – convertible and non-convertible

lovely – incredibly comfortable. Very light. etc etc.

I wear them slightly too much for my wife’s liking.

got the fenix 5x plus (just before the 6 came out annoyingly, but it was on offer).

I needed the sapphire glass (clumsy boy…), and the maps (when talkietoasted) are amazingly useful. The wifi as well means it’s a step above the bluetooth only ones.

it’s big, but you get used to it very quickly. Battery life is very good. I’m impressed

Did have a bit of a wobble when Garmin released an update of course, but everything is fine now (and I’ve turned off the auto updates

quite impressed with the EF-M route. Can get a second hand M6, with lens, for £300. Coupled with an adapter (~£80), I’d be able to use all my longer lenses when needed, yet will have something small enough to throw in my pocket 90% of the time.

Bit more research work needed I think, but it could be the way forward…

I do enjoy taking a photo, the composition of a decent shot. Half the family’s walls are covered with my landscapes….but I also appreciate with the equipment I have (or potentially have the access to), I won’t take something of the wildlife that’ll win prizes.

Probably. :-)

I’m never a fan of going places, and not looking at what’s around because you’re concentrating too much on the photo. Also – most of the time you can buy a better postcard than you can take

Spontaneous shots are the ones you print out. But i can still do those with the SLR. I used to, after all.

Dunno really. Thanks all. Need to think – but do have 9 months!

I know it’s sports pursuit, and therefore any discount is advisory, but I’ve got a few items of fjern clothing, and it’s very good. I’m tempted to get the [male] equivelent of this next https://www.sportpursuit.com/catalog/product/view/id/1468296 – eVent and all

Fjern Orkan on test

or just look in Decathlon!

Batteries are £12 for two. Memory cards, similarly priced.

I could save the £400 I’d presumably have to spend, divert some to a memory card or two, new batteries etc. Then get the rest of the family some decent binocs, and myself a set of night vision goggles.

Photos are good. But actual memories are better. And arguing over the binocs is a pain in the botty

The 30d goes up 3200 anyway (and in fact doubles that with a setting called High or something), but it does get noisy.

It’s got a decent number of autofocus points, but I often turn all but the central few off, to concentrate on that area anyway.

Don’t care about movies – got a go pro thing for them.

Live view screens – never been a fan on a decent camera as it’ll turn it into a point and shoot almost. I always think (possibly a sign of my age) that decent composition comes with sticking an eye up to a view finder.

I’ve got a vaguely decent 100-300 lens, which using the smaller sensor takes it to amount 480mm equivalent. The sony i was looking at reckoned it went to 720mm. The distance will help on a safari.

There’s also a couple of shorter ones. Changing lenses in the middle of a desert is never fun though. And I ruined a little compact last time i went sand boarding, and that was obviously fully enclosed!

Spent my 40th up Bowfell with the wife and kids. Deliberately picking a place away from everywhere.

Our daughter is 21 the day before my 50th. She’s expecting something big. I’m assuming I’ll be lucky to get an invite.