Zel's Fleet Blog - BX, Jag XJ-S, Sinclair C5, Mercedes 208D & 230TE, AC Model 70.

[Hell Razor5543]

I have to say that Elite: Dangerous (from Frontier Developments) is a very good game. It is very much based on the original Elite from 1984, but brought up to date (with what current technology can do). It is based 1,200 years in the future, in our Galaxy. The artwork is glorious and believable. One of the best achievements is the Stellar Forge system. It attempts to make sense of the data available relating to the Galaxy. It has recently beaten NASA to the punch on a discovery. Do you remember when NASA announced that they had (within the Trappist system) found seven planetary bodies? Well, Stellar Forge had (at least 2 years earlier, when E: D was published) calculated a system that was 1 light year from Trappist, with the primary star being a Brown Dwarf (Trappist -1 is a Red Dwarf, only slightly larger), and with seven planetary objects. NASA and ESA had (years ago) expressed an interest in Stellar Forge.

[Zelandeth]

I do actually use the old Toshiba portable (I say portable not laptop... It's bigger than my lap and heavy enough to cut off blood supply to my legs if I were to sit it there!) with 3.11 on.

That machine and Word 2.0c is where most larger chunks of text I put together get composed. No distractions like on a modern machine, and the inbuilt mechanical keyboard puts many modern high end boards to shame. Desktop is of course equipped with an IBM Model M keyboard too (my absolute favourite keyboard to type on is the Northgate OmniKey Ultra - which actually uses the same switches as the Toshiba one).

The fact that I can browse our local network now has made getting stuff too and from the machine a lot less hassle.

Got several things in mind I want to get written down, especially a couple relating to a couple of (positive for a change) quite life changing events for me over the last couple of years. Just struggling to find time!

If I do ever find the time, most likely it will be done sat in a quiet corner on that old Toshiba, before exporting to either my modern laptop or desktop to wrangle into a more modern world friendly format.

...Given how many people sing it's praises, I really should give WordPerfect a try sometime...

[elma]

All this talk got me looking on eBay for a c64. Can't believe the price of them. By the time I added up a c64, a disk drive, arcade and flight joysticks plus an action replay I could buy a Chromebook and have change. It would actually be even more as I'd need a tv. Sad as I still have all my old games. I must ask my parents to check if my old one is in their loft.

One advert did crack me up, c64 keyboard only. They seem to think the tower is missing.

[Hell Razor5543]

I know where I can get you a TV. Probably a 14", but analogue, with remote control.

[elma]

Thankyou, I'll pm you in a week or two if the c64 turns up. I have a feeling it isn't in the loft but it's not going to hurt to ask.

[CitroJim]

I don't think I'll buy another laptop ever.

I love laptops.. In fact it's my main way of accessing things on the Internet now... What I'll never buy is another tablet... I'd rather have a phone with a reasonably sized screen...

[elma]

We're all so different.

I don't like desktops as I have to go to a set place to use them. Tablets I love, but only for certain things like emails and music. A tablet is definitely my first choice for taking music to the car or if I want to lie down and use the internet.

I don't think I'd feel normal without a laptop anymore, my whole life is on computer these days and I like being able to take it with me.

[mickeymoon]

We're all so different.

I don't like desktops as I have to go to a set place to use them. Tablets I love, but only for certain things like emails and music. A tablet is definitely my first choice for taking music to the car or if I want to lie down and use the internet.

I don't think I'd feel normal without a laptop anymore, my whole life is on computer these days and I like being able to take it with me.

I don't actually *need* a computer at all these days. At this exact moment my 7 year old is using the laptop to play some educational games off his school's portal. Apart from trying (and failing) to update my old Tom-Tom on Wednesday, and using it to add my new bike to Strava yesterday, I've not used it I couldn't work out how to do the Strava thing on my phone or tablet.

Then again, I do spend 12 hour shifts sat in front of computers so perhaps it's no surprise I detest them at home. My 10.1" Galaxy Tab A suffices for just about everything. My phone would too if it had a bigger screen. If they could make a smartphone with a flip out folding screen so it was small enough to fit in one's pocket but extended enough to be say 7", I'd be all over it like a tramp on chips.

Sent from my SM-G925F using Tapatalk

[elma]

Totally agree on the smart phone, screens are far to small to use for anything worthwhile. Very handy for alerting me of important emails though or looking up snippets of information quickly when out and about.

[Zelandeth]

I do use my phone for probably 80% of my "idle browsing" as I'd describe it, but I still need to sit down in front of an actual machine if it's something I need to actually concentrate on. Not least for the presence of an actual keyboard and absence of autocorrect.

Laptop has been invaluable for me over the last few years because thanks to other priorities, my workstation keeps not being finished (or another area in the house has to be I cleared, so it turns into a storeroom again) so wind up sitting at the dining room table with the laptop rather than at my own desk.

I do look forward to having access to it properly again though, not least because having two monitors makes a lot of tasks much easier.

While I said I'd never have a smartphone for a long time I do admit that I'd miss it now if I had to go without it. Primary reason being that having access anytime and pretty much anywhere to Google, Wikipedia and several map services in my pocket is seriously useful. Especially with how decent Vodafone's 4G coverage is which means there's really no appreciable difference in performance on the go compared to on the WiFi at home.

Having said that, this one (Huawei P9) actually does a decent job of being a phone as well, which was something that my first two smartphones did a pretty poor job of. Especially the last one (Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini) which was essentially useless in that regard so I was glad to be rid of.

[myglaren]

I seem to be the contradictory element here: Never use my phone for internetting (or much else).
Rarely use the laptop.
Never use the tablet, really dislike them.
By far my preference is the desktop. I am far more comfortable in front of it, lots of room on and under the desk for all the crap I don't really need.
Large monitor stands on top of the H/K hifi amp that feeds the 20L Jamo speakers on the shelf above*, also glutted with crap I rarely use or need but a comfort to have there should the need arise. Also I can sit in the window and watch the world pass by outside (or more usually miss it)

So I can listen to Jackie Evancho, Samantha Fish, Joanne Shaw Taylor and others

[elma]

Large monitor stands on top of the H/K hifi amp that feeds the 20L Jamo speakers on the shelf above*,

I could be persuaded to sit at a desk set up like that.

[Zelandeth]

To be honest, I'd prefer to be using the desktop - but practicality simply has rendered it impossible in the last couple of years.

Hoping that will change at some point soon!

Right now I'm realising that I probably ought to have put sunscreen on earlier before spending all day outside in London...

[CitroJim]

Right now I'm realising that I probably ought to have put sunscreen on earlier before spending all day outside in London...

It's been a good day for topping up the old Vitamin D...

[Zelandeth]

Right now I'm realising that I probably ought to have put sunscreen on earlier before spending all day outside in London...

It's been a good day for topping up the old Vitamin D...

Even remember thinking about it (and had it in the backpack!) when I arrived at the venue, then it went completely out of my head until I noticed that my face felt distinctly warm when I was on the train back up to MK. Idiot...Bet I'll have a nice shadow of my sunglasses again too just to make me look even more daft.