Kithra's Krystal Kave

Closing My Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Kithra) — Wed, 25 Nov 2015 14:22:00 +0000

I have recently been thinking about this blog and how little I post on it. At the moment I have neither the time nor the inclination to keep up with it. And I have real difficulty thinking of anything to write about. In fact I find that I’m using my computer for other things these days. So I’ve therefore decided to close this blog for now, and I shall be deleting it on Monday 7th December 2015. After that date it will no longer be available to either read or comment upon. However, I will keep my Twitter account for now, but doubt that I’ll often tweet.

One day I might start a new blog and, if I do, I’ll tweet that. In the meantime thank you to my readers and followers. Take care and I may be back one day.

Je suis Paris

noreply@blogger.com (Kithra) — Sat, 14 Nov 2015 14:12:00 +0000

Je suis Paris. Solidarité. My very deepest condolences to all concerned.

Gabapentin withdrawal is a nightmare

noreply@blogger.com (Kithra) — Thu, 05 Nov 2015 14:45:00 +0000

A few years ago I was prescribed Gabapentin to help with my migraines. It’s a drug that helps with neurological problems, and is especially prescribed for epilepsy – which I don’t have. I was put on 3 tablets of 300mg per day and they seemed to help. However, when I last spoke to my doctor a month or so back he suggested I think about coming off them as they’re not good for the kidneys. I thought about it and decided that was a good idea, so I asked my pharmacist the best way to do it. They told me to cut down to 2 a day for a week, then 1 a day for a week, then stop. I proceeded to do so and felt fine until 24 hours after taking the last one 3 weeks ago. To say that I thought I was dying is an understatement. Why wasn’t I told when first prescribed them that the withdrawal symptoms if I stopped them would be so horrendous? It must be like going cold turkey, and in fact some people say it’s even worse than coming off heroin.

Thank goodness I was sensible enough to realize that what I was suffering were withdrawal symptoms. And, wanting to know how long they might last, (some people report up to a year), I naturally turned to Google. While I didn’t really find much on any UK sites the USA most certainly has many people discussing this. And at this link you can find the best article and user posts that I eventually came across. How wonderful to know that all the symptoms I have are shared by so many people, and that I’m not alone. The best piece of advice I read is about taking magnesium supplement, after you’ve finished taking the drug itself. This week I began taking a magnesium tablet every day and it does seem to be helping. And I am at last starting to feel better, but how much longer a full recovery will take I’ve no idea. I just hope it won’t be too long.

This is a nightmare drug and should be banned. If you’re ever prescribed it please think very carefully indeed before taking it.

Web browsing data not to be kept

noreply@blogger.com (Kithra) — Sun, 01 Nov 2015 11:47:00 +0000

The “Snooper’s Charter” returns to the UK parliament this week. The Home Secretary has now confirmed that people’s web browsing data will not have to be kept, and nor would encryption be banned. But what else is in this new Security Bill we’ll have to wait and see.

The Warren Commission – cover-up

noreply@blogger.com (Kithra) — Mon, 12 Oct 2015 13:39:00 +0000

About 50 years ago, soon after it was first published, I actually read The Warren Commission report on the assassination of JFK. I was in my late teens and managed to plough through the almost 1,000 pages that it contained. So I was interested to read the report in Politico Magazine that back then the CIA Director John McCone withheld information from the Commission. Had he told the full truth would the report have come to a different conclusion? Even back then I didn’t believe it’s conclusion that Lee Harvey Oswald was the lone assassin. And, for what it’s worth, I still don’t.

The nightmare computer build saga is over at last

noreply@blogger.com (Kithra) — Fri, 02 Oct 2015 14:13:00 +0000

What a complete and utterly exhausting nightmare building my new computer has been.

I had to go on-line and print out the whole of the motherboard manual as that didn’t come with the board. But, no problem, I needed it to not only read thoroughly before I began but to also refer to as I was building. I also needed to print out the PSU manual, but there wasn’t one for the CPU or the case.

Now, I prefer to build a computer by putting in the PSU, hard-drive and optical drive before fitting the mobo (motherboard). I do that just in case I drop something that would damage the mobo. Well, I began with the PSU and that was almost a disaster as I tried every which way and started to think that it wasn’t going to fit. I suddenly had inspiration and tried it the only way round that I hadn’t done previously. What joy! It fitted!

The CPU fitting was very different from the ones I’m used to and the instructions to fit the heat-sink fan that came as part of the package were only pictures to follow. OK, that looked easy enough except for fitting it to the clips and pressing down the hook that keeps it in place. No forums had the answer to that so I looked on YouTube and I looked on Google’s images. I just hadn’t been able to get that hook to fit. At last I found what I was looking for and you can imagine how stupid I felt to realise that I’d been trying to push the hook down the wrong way round. As soon as I did it right I had solved that problem.

This particular mobo was hard to fit against the case and I had inadvertently used the correct screws for it on something else. So I had to get out my toolbox and go through every screw of the right type to try and find some. However, I only managed to find a couple, so I had to remove some of the ones I’d used to fit the optical drive, replacing them with others, before I had the correct ones for the mobo.

The JAUD1 (audio) wouldn’t fit snuggly into the motherboard header, and neither would the JUSB1; the pins only went down about 75% of the way. A relevant forum answered that if things still worked they’d be OK. Personally, I like to build a new computer by laying the case on its side and working on the mobo from there. But, for some unknown reason I decided to turn it upright. When I tried those connections again they fitted exactly. Thus the second problem was solved.

My biggest problem was the ground-wire, something I hadn’t come across before, and again no forum or YouTube or image helped with that. So I had to open a support ticket with the maker and ask. The reply was to just connect it to any screw inside the chassis. OK, I thought, but where, and that I must be careful that it didn’t touch any of the components. This ground-wire was with the front panel connectors and when I finally managed to get the very stiff front off, I hadn’t then seen the little plugs you squeeze to allow it to come off, the ground-wire came loose and was just hanging down inside the front panel. Later on I took a very close look at the where the front panel goes against the case and saw a little screw that’s hard to describe. It had a loop on the screw and the other end was where the wire went. Having dislodged the thin ground-wire cable I now only had a few bare wires. I had to strip back a little of the cable to expose some more wire, then open the end where the wires went and then clip it in very tightly before screwing it back into position.

Having finally finished it I thought I’d better see if all the fans were working before closing the case. So I plugged it in and turned on the switch at the wall socket. Then I turned on the PSU power cable. Nothing happened and thus I thought I’d have to give in and get a proper computer builder in to look at it. Luckily a friend was here at the time and asked if, perhaps, I should use the computer’s power switch too. Of course, turning that on the fans immediately began to spin. Good, I thought, they’re OK so I’ll turn if off now. Stupidly, and because I was feeling so exhausted, I just tried the power switch again and, naturally, nothing happened. So I had to turn it off at the wall. Thinking about it later it occurred to me that, as with most computers, the way to turn them off is to click on the shut-down option. As no OS had yet been put on the machine no wonder it wouldn’t turn off in the way I’d tried.

I spent a couple more days thinking about the build and suddenly remembered that somebody in a forum had said there was probably a thin plastic cover over the thermal paste that was pre-attached to the heat-sink. Naturally, by this time I had already installed it. So, not finding any real answer I emailed the maker’s support. The reply I got was that yes, there was and, of course, it should be removed. The response also contained a link to some videos about how to install the CPU and heat-sink etc. I took a look at them and saw what was meant. Thus I removed my heat-sink and processor and took a good look, in fact I removed them twice. But, I certainly saw no covering of any sort. Maybe they were OK and no removal of any sort was needed. However, by that time I wasn’t sure, so I bit the bullet and ordered a completely new CPU/heat-sink component, and I also ordered some thermal paste just to be sure. That was extra cost that I could ill afford but I’d rather be safe than sorry! And, even if it wasn’t necessary at least I’d still have a CPU/heat-sink put aside if I ever need it. The second CPU, even though it was exactly the same as the first, didn’t have any plastic cover on it either, and it also had a different, more difficult lock down handle.

Not being able to get anything from the new build I thought I’d better go back to my old computer over the weekend until I could take the new one to the shop on the Monday. That idea almost turned into another disaster. I plugged it back in and turned it on but nothing happened. Oh s—t I thought, now I have no computers so I’d better try the laptop. That works but is just so very, very, slow even when I use in on Ethernet instead of Wi-Fi. Half way through using it I suddenly thought I’d just give the old computer another try. I pressed the on switch and it worked. What I’d been doing beforehand was pressing the wrong switch to turn it on. That happened because the switch on the new machine is different, and in a different place, so for the old one I’d been trying to turn it on by using the optical drive button! It all just goes to show how scrambled my brain had become.

On the Monday I took the new computer to my friend in the computer shop. Well, it took both of us almost ¾ hour to realise that I hadn’t connected the PSU cord to the CPU. Once he did that it was working, and it didn’t cost too much to get that fixed.

So I brought it home and set it all up. I installed the OS only to get as far as needing to tick the “I Agree” statement at the end. I couldn’t reach that using the keyboard and then found the mouse didn’t work! Hell, what now! All the connections were checked, I put the cable in the USB again and still nothing. I even tried to find an adapter in my cupboard only to realise they were for the keyboard and not the mouse. It eventually dawned on me that I’d been connecting the speakers and not the mouse. Once I got that right the mouse, of course, worked without any problems.

Great, I got the OS installed and put in the utilities disc and installed most of that stuff. Next I needed to connect my Internet. Oh dear, nothing, no matter what I did. Suddenly I remembered that I hadn’t installed the LAN on that utility disc. As soon as I’d done that I had no trouble connecting to the net.

All of these things took me a very long time; in fact I built it over a number of days. I had the case on an anti-static mat and wore an anti-static bracelet. I put the mat on my ironing board as I found that the easiest way to access things. But leaning over it for such a length of time gave me backache. Hence it taking such a long time to complete. It then took me a couple of days to reinstall all my software and get it looking the way I want it. As I said, this build has been so tiring, and trying, that my mind now simply feels like soup.

Here endeth my new computer building saga. And, I promise, I will never, ever, build another one – until the next time, LOL.

The computer build is a nightmare

noreply@blogger.com (Kithra) — Tue, 15 Sep 2015 15:10:00 +0000

Just a quick update on my new computer build. It’s turned out to be a complete nightmare and I’ve had to ask a few questions in relevant forums. I’ve even resorted to watching a few YouTube videos!

Since I built the last one about 6 years ago things have changed so much that when I’ve finished this one I really don’t think I’ll ever build another one, LOL.

Anyway, I shall still be away for a while getting things set up. So I’ll blog again when I’m finally back on-line – assuming, that is, that everything finally works.

Multiple Universes, Time, and Reincarnation

noreply@blogger.com (Kithra) — Tue, 08 Sep 2015 13:55:00 +0000

I shall now be away for probably a week or so while I build my new computer. So I’ll leave you with an idea to ponder:

Recently I watched a BBC Horizon documentary entitled: Which Universe Are We In? It discussed the theoretical approach to some questions about existence, and suggested that an unlimited number of universes exist. In other words it was discussing the idea of a multiverse, and that each separate universe differs from the others by the way in which choices are made. For example, in one such history is different, in another dinosaurs are still alive, and so on. It is only comparatively recently that science has truly begun to think about this, and now an increasing number of scientists are thinking about it to the extent that it has become fundamental to understanding the nature of reality.

Depending on the choices we make all the time, for example turning left or right down a street, driving or taking a train, getting up or staying in bed, and suchlike, we exist, albeit slightly differently, in each of the outcomes.

As some of you will know I’ve long thought that time is man-made for the convenience of man. So the programme got me thinking about time and multiverses. If they exist, and if time is just a human concept, then could that impact on the idea of reincarnation? Is it possible that we could be living all these separate lives at the same time?

Should the multiverse idea prove to be true would that do away with the need for reincarnation? And, if so, then we had better be far more careful about the choices we make because we really do create our own reality.

Migrants and Asylum Seekers

noreply@blogger.com (Kithra) — Thu, 03 Sep 2015 15:29:00 +0000

I’m ashamed to be a Brit. People need to make the distinction between Migrants and Asylum Seekers. The Hungarian behaviour is indefensible, and putting those people on a train under false pretenses reminds me of the way the Nazis moved the Jews to concentration camps. We’ve only taken 5,000 Syrian Refugees and we should show compassion and take more. Even France is considering taking more than they have. When I signed the UK petition to take more of these poor people it stood at 117,000 signatures. Within 3 or 4 hours it was over 167,000. It’s time that Cameron and his cronies changed their minds, fast. I can only hope that the little children who drowned will not be in vain.

A New Computer is on the horizon

noreply@blogger.com (Kithra) — Fri, 28 Aug 2015 13:53:00 +0000

I think it’s time to invest in a new computer. Unfortunately I’ve been looking on the Internet and am totally unable to find exactly what I’m looking for without spending more money than I can afford. So I’ve decided to build it myself, which will be the 2nd time I’ve built a computer. Now, however, I have the joy – if that’s the right word – of trying to get all the right bits that will go together. Once I’ve chosen I’ll have to ask in a forum I belong to if I’ve chosen the right things. When all the necessary pieces do eventually arrive I shall be offline for a while so that I can build it. But, when that happens I’ll blog about not being around. Meanwhile, here’s hoping that my first choice of components turn out to be the correct ones!

Asteroid will NOT wipe out the USA next month

noreply@blogger.com (Kithra) — Fri, 21 Aug 2015 14:50:00 +0000

Some places on the web are awash with yet another catastrophe hoax. This one concerns the rumour that an asteroid will wipe out the USA in September. But, even though we think that the acronym NASA stands for “Never A Straight Answer” they assure us that it isn’t going to happen. And I, for one, believe them. An asteroid of that size couldn’t be hidden from astronomers and even amateur astronomers would have seen it by now. If that were the case the web would be full of such news, but it isn’t. So don’t panic, we’re safe – for now!

Windows 10 – Changed my mind

noreply@blogger.com (Kithra) — Wed, 12 Aug 2015 14:22:00 +0000

Having previously written that I liked the new Windows 10 I have now changed my mind. It’s a disaster, it’s unstable and buggy. Using it yesterday I found that the task-bar suddenly refused to work no matter what I tried, even looking on-line for answers didn’t help and it seems that I’m not the only person to complain about this. It just locked up and so far there is no patch for it. I couldn’t use anything so I shut down for the day. On turning the computer back on this morning I was confronted with a Critical Error after signing in. this told me to sign-in again and they’d try to fix it. Having tried three times nothing changed. But, I was able to load my control panel and spent an hour trying to fix it. The most annoying thing was that it wanted to do a back-up of my system and, having tried that for almost an hour, it didn’t work. Eureka! It occurred to me to do a recovery back to a time when I knew Windows 10 was working properly. That allowed me to get into the settings and chose to roll-back to Windows 7. After half an hour of it turning itself on and off, and making me think it might be stuck in a loop, Windows 7 was restored. Now, the most annoying thing is that when I check for updates the Windows 10 download option is the only thing I see until I click to see the other downloads. There seems to be no way to get rid of this, unlike other updates that can be hidden. So, in general, that will teach me to follow my own advice that you should never update to a new OS for quite some while because they always have downsides yet to be fixed. I will probably try again, but not until the free download time has almost expired. And, before I do, I shall spend quite some time checking out forums to see what people are then saying about it. Windows 10? Beware!

Windows 10 – I like it

noreply@blogger.com (Kithra) — Sun, 09 Aug 2015 14:11:00 +0000

Well, that didn’t really take too long. I guess it all depends on how fast your computer is. Mine took an hour to download the program, but when it was “preparing for installation” my mouse froze. So I had to reboot, and the computer simply picked up where it had left off. I then installed the program and when it was turning on and off a few times, which it has to do, the screen was just black. That made me wonder if it had screwed up again, but it hadn’t. In fact since using it I find that the screen does sometimes just go black and you have to be patient for it to show something. It’s known that this new Windows 10 gathers all the data about you unless you opt out. But that’s not difficult to do, and if you click the settings option it has many preferences about many things that you can set to suit yourself and how you use your computer. I liked the fact that the new OS saved all my previous settings and files, and other separate progams that would still run on Windows 10. The desktop view is back, which you had to set in Windows 8, and that makes life easier. There really isn’t too much of a learning curve, even upgrading from Windows 7 as I did. And, of course, in the not too distant future Microsoft will be getting rid of all their other versions. Windows 10 is the last build and will be updated as and when they produce new things. So, eventually, everybody who uses Windows will have to use Windows 10 as that will be the only one available. Luckily once you start using it you have one month to roll back to your original OS if you don’t like it. But I’m going to stick with Windows 10 as I quite like it. However, the one thing I really don’t understand are the Apps – I’ve never got my head around Apps!

Windows 10

noreply@blogger.com (Kithra) — Fri, 07 Aug 2015 10:41:00 +0000

I may be "unavailable" for a while as I'm just about to install Windows 10. I've no idea what it might do to my computer even though I’ve done a fair bit of reading about it. But I do know that during the first month of using it, if I don’t like it, then I can roll-back to my original OS. However, if I have to start reinstalling things, especially my email client, I shall not be pleased! If you happen to email me but don’t get a reply you’ll know why that is. When I’m “back” I’ll probably blog with my thoughts about it. So fingers crossed, here goes.

MH370 debris found

noreply@blogger.com (Kithra) — Fri, 31 Jul 2015 14:26:00 +0000

It’s been almost 18 months, but at last it seems that debris from MH370 might have been found. Of course this is all over the news, and the “talking heads” are being interviewed on the TV channels. However, for all the test results that can be done on what has washed up so far, the wreckage cannot really tell the investigators exactly where the plane crashed, or what happened to it. But there is another air search going on to see if more debris can be spotted in the area. Meanwhile, the region of the Indian Ocean where the plane is originally thought to have crashed is still being searched. For now, it would seem that what has been found will confirm the crash and bring some sort of closure to the bereaved. That will not, of course, take away their sadness and sense of loss. Only now, perhaps, they really can begin the grieving process. My thoughts go out to them.

Breakthrough Initiative to hunt for ET

noreply@blogger.com (Kithra) — Mon, 20 Jul 2015 13:03:00 +0000

Professor Stephen Hawking has helped to launch the new Breakthrough Initiatives search for intelligent life elsewhere in the universe. You can read all about it here on the BBC website.

The project will take 10 years and is the biggest scientific search ever undertaken. If it does find ET then I hope I’ll still be alive to hear about it.

Calvine UFO Sighting back in the news

noreply@blogger.com (Kithra) — Sat, 18 Jul 2015 14:34:00 +0000

This is an interesting news story from the UK’s Daily Express, although many of us really don’t have a lot of time for the newspaper itself. However, it relates how the alleged photos from the Calvine UFO sighting, which happened in Scotland in 1990, were not released to the National Archives by the Ministry of Defence back in 2009. According to Nick Pope that is something that should have happened when all the other files were released. The article details the case, and gives Nick Pope’s opinion. It’s a clever piece of advertising for a TV programme about the case that will be broadcast on Friday. And, if you want a more thorough account of the case then Nick Pope wrote about it on his own website. You can find that article at this link.

Personally it’s a case I’m really not too familiar with and nor do I have any strong opinion about it either way. Perhaps it’s true, perhaps it’s not. All you can do is read about it and decide for yourself.

Rendlesham Forest UFO back in the news

noreply@blogger.com (Kithra) — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 13:30:00 +0000

There can be very few people who are interested in the UFO subject that have not heard about the Rendlesham Forest sightings back in 1980 in Suffolk, UK. Today it has emerged that Colonel Charles Halt, the Bentwaters deputy base commander at the time, says that new evidence has come to light. This new evidence concerns statements from radar operators that an unknown object was tracked at the time of the incident. You can read about this new evidence here. I think it will be a long time before this case is solved, if it ever is.

That time of Year Again

noreply@blogger.com (Kithra) — Mon, 29 Jun 2015 12:31:00 +0000

It's that time of year again when I disappear for a couple of weeks to watch the tennis from Wimbledon. So, as it began today, I shan't really be around until it's all over. If you're a tennis lover then I hope you enjoy it. And, if you're not, then I'm sure there are a lot of other things you can be doing, LOL.

Weather Modification

noreply@blogger.com (Kithra) — Wed, 24 Jun 2015 13:39:00 +0000

I’m in the middle of reading Nick Redfern’s excellent latest book “Secret History.” As with all of Nick’s books I find it a fascinating read. While reading the chapter about weather modification I was reminded of a couple of other things. The first, as most people will probably recall, was how the Chinese ensured that the opening ceremony for the Olympic Games in Beijing, back in 2008, would be dry. They did this through the use of cloud seeding, as this article from the time shows.

However, there is a story that many people may not know about. It concerns the Lynmouth Flood which happened 63 years ago in Devon, UK. The flood killed 35 people and caused a great deal of damage. Back in 2001 newly declassified documents suggest that the RAF were involved in rainmaking exercises during that time, although the Ministry of Defence consistently deny it. This article explains not only what was going on at the time, but also has some other nuggets of information.

If you haven’t read Nick’s book then I suggest you get a copy. You won’t be disappointed.

Orson Wells’ “War of the Worlds” panic was a myth

noreply@blogger.com (Kithra) — Sun, 14 Jun 2015 12:57:00 +0000

A few years ago I remember reading in one of my books that the terror caused by the radio play War of the Worlds, by Orson Wells, didn’t actually happen. However, I have quite literally hundreds of books and no time to go back and look through them all. So I was very pleased to read this article that gave the details surrounding the panic being a myth. File it in the Urban Legend category.

A Cryptid List

noreply@blogger.com (Kithra) — Sun, 07 Jun 2015 13:15:00 +0000

For those of you who are interested in cryptids I came across a list while surfing Wiki. I’m sure it’s not exhaustive, and it certainly contains many that I’d never heard of before. I also suspect that the real cryptozoologists amongst you will take issue with some of those on the list. And I noted that Wiki call cryptozoology a pseudoscience, so no change there! But, for what it’s worth, take a look at the list and see how many you recognize.

Lenticular clouds and UFO nonsense

noreply@blogger.com (Kithra) — Sat, 30 May 2015 14:28:00 +0000

Well, here we are at the end of May and June starts on Monday – although you wouldn’t think so given the low temperatures we’ve still got. It’s also the end of another week so it’s time for another post.

On our news this past week we’ve been seeing the dreadful weather down in Texas and other parts of the USA, and being told about the damage and the body count. Condolences go out to all who have been affected. However, another story that has arisen from this is those lenticular clouds that have been seen in Texas during the rain and flooding.

As is to be expected these days there are still many people who mistake these lenticular clouds for UFOs. Of course they are not. They are simply a meteorological phenomenon in the cloud category. But, for those who are so desperate to believe in UFOs, of any kind, I guess they’ll never be convinced by the truth.

This Wiki page will tell you all about lenticular clouds. And, if you want to know more about all the different types of cloud then this page, with pictures, from the UK Met Office has a wonderful guide.

Keep your eyes on the skies. You never know what you might see!

Council abnegate responsibility

noreply@blogger.com (Kithra) — Sat, 23 May 2015 12:45:00 +0000

The weekend has come round again so I guess it’s time for another blog post. But, unfortunately I’m fresh out of ideas. I could write about both my nightmare neighbours who, at a mediation meeting, agreed to certain things only to totally ignore them. The housing officers even put it in writing, and asked to be told each time the conditions were ignored. Only now, after around 6 months, they have decided to totally abnegate their responsibility. However, I won’t bore you with that, it’s a very long story. Having lived here very happily for 5 years I have now gone back on the register in the hopes of finding somewhere else to live as life here has become intolerable. In fact, out of the 29 flats here, there are only 3 people who haven’t complained about these people. It’s one of those situations that you find playing on your mind most of the time to the exclusion of most other things. So, no wonder I can’t think of anything interesting to write about, and no wonder I’m depressed. I’ve even looked on other web sites to see if I could find a swap only to have no luck so far. Unfortunately, with housing waiting times being what they are it could, quite literally, be years before I find somewhere else. On the bright side, of course, both of those neighbours could have moved out before then!

Snoopers’ Charter and Human Rights Act

noreply@blogger.com (Kithra) — Fri, 15 May 2015 13:43:00 +0000

Now that the Conservative Party have won the General Election with a majority, small thought it is, they intend to bring in two laws that were not possible when the Liberal Democrat part of the coalition were able to stop them. If passed, both of these will greatly impinge on our civil liberties.

Firstly, they want to legislate to bring in what so many call the Snooper’s Charter. If they get their way then surveillance powers will become draconian. We shall, as near as damn it, end up living in a Police State.

Secondly, they want to do away with the EU Human Rights Act and replace it with what they’re calling a British Bill of Rights.

I sometimes think that it’s a great shame we’ve never had a written constitution.