Kithra's Krystal Kave

Finally back on-line

noreply@blogger.com (Kithra) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:20:00 +0000

For anybody who’s reliant on having an Internet connection, and has never had any problems with it, you can’t imagine how devastating it is to be without it. But that’s what happened to mine about three weeks ago, so here’s the saga of what took place.

The ISP I was contracted to just gave up the ghost, nothing I did could get it back up and running, and it even refused to allow me to uninstall it from my computer. The company I was with have a call centre in the Philippines where, of course, they only speak to you according to the script that’s in from of them. So they were simply useless when I contacted them. But on calling their line for a MAC code I was connected to someone in the UK. At last, I could speak to a person who had English as their first language!

When I explained my problem, and that I was going to leave them, the agent suggested another ISP to me. Well, that surprised me as I thought they were working for the company I’d been with. But it seems that particular organization have taken over a part of the one that was giving me such problems; and it was also the reason that I didn’t actually need a MAC code. He sounded like a really nice guy, and suggested a different contract with the new company to me. So, after speaking for a while I decided to accept. However, being a different company I was to have the statutory couple of weeks to think about it and change my mind if I wanted to – which I didn’t.

So, over the weeks the paperwork, and the modem/router arrived, together with the date that I’d go “live.” It also said that I’d receive a phone call, or text message, to let me know that the switchover had taken place. That, of course, didn’t happen. So it wasn’t until the next day that I knew I could finally get back online. And meanwhile I thought I’d read the instruction manual. The router they sent me allows you to connect either by Ethernet cable or by wireless. However, I couldn’t find out if my desktop computer was already set up for wireless; it certainly doesn’t have the Fn key on the keyboard, and I didn’t want to buy an expensive wireless adapter.

But I set it up and it immediately connects to broadband as soon as the computer is turned on. Great, it’s an “always on” connection. However, I can find no way to turn it off. I don’t have my machine switched on all night as well as all day, so I phoned to ask how to turn it off. The instructions I was given don’t work, and it wasn’t until I asked the same question in the company’s forum that I got the reply that you can’t turn off. The only way is to disconnect the power plug, which I now do as the router seems to run rather hot.

That’s not quite the end of the story. The software from different ISPs can sometimes conflict and, as I said, I couldn’t get rid of the old stuff. Also my very old copy of Windows XP was becoming rather unstable. Therefore, I thought it was a good time to go over to Windows 7. Having ordered it by phone it took a couple of days to arrive and I couldn’t wait to get on with installing it. Into my CD drive I put it, but – horror of horrors – all I got was a small whirring sound and then nothing. I just couldn’t work it out as all my other CDs work just fine. In the end I phoned my local computer shop and they quickly pointed out that Windows 7 comes on a DVD. I didn’t have a DVD drive! The next day I took the computer down to the shop and they fitted one for me. I could have fitted it myself but by this time I was totally strung-out with all the problems I’d been having.

Home I came, and at once the DVD booted up. So far it’s a great OS program which I like. It was very easy to install, only taking about half and hour, and it also saves your old Windows files, although I’d backed them all up to CD first. I was concerned about running some very old software programs, i.e. some that are almost ten years old, but I had no problems, and if I had then Windows 7 has a compatibility option.

As I’ve changed my ISP I’ve also had to change my email address. If you need it please ask me for it via this blog.

I won’t mention either of the companies by name as I don’t want to get sued.

Mac Tonnies dies

noreply@blogger.com (Kithra) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:38:00 +0000

The UFO Mystic blog has just reported the very sad news that Mac Tonnies, who ran a blog called Post Human Blues, has passed away. It seems he died from natural causes. I’m stunned by this news and he’s a huge loss. As Paul Kimball says in the comments section: “Words fail me,” and I can only echo those words. He also speaks about Mac on his own Red Star Films blog.

Rest in Peace, Mac.

Alien Beings - Michelin Man

noreply@blogger.com (Kithra) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 13:30:00 +0000

The following extract is taken from the “Personal Biography” page of my website.

When I was 13 or 14 (in 1962/1963), I was at boarding school in Newbury, Berkshire, just 2 miles from Greenham Common Air Base. One day a friend decided to run away. The night she did this I was concerned for her safety and, after 'lights-out' I watched from my dormitory window. It would have been sometime after about 9.00 p.m., and I watched for a long time. I saw her go down the long drive, (at least the length of two hockey pitches), and disappear out of sight.

For some reason I stayed watching the main road that ran past the end of the school grounds. Suddenly, on the road, looking to my left, I saw a very tall figure that can only be described as a 'Michelin Man'. It must have been tall due to the distance involved, and the fact that I had such a clear view. I watched as it walked up the slope of the road to the crest of a hill, and out of sight.

I remember thinking that someone must be on their way to a fancy dress party, but how strange they didn’t go by car, and what would the other traffic on the road think of them. At the same time I didn’t actually recall seeing any traffic at all on the road; usually always busy, being a main link into, and through, the town.

The other strange thing is that although I was now feeling cold I don’t remember going back to bed. I simply remember being back in bed again. I was not asleep during this experience; it is still crystal clear and an absolute reality. I have no explanation for it.

In those days Michelin tyres may have been advertised on TV but at school we did not have TV, nor did we have TV at home so, if the advert was on I could not have seen any such advert at that time.

And the point of this blog post? To see if anyone can come forward with either an explanation, or a sighting that they too may have experienced.

Nick Reviews Farah Yurdozu’s new book

noreply@blogger.com (Kithra) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 14:38:00 +0000

That fantastic author, and friend of mine, Nick Redfern has just posted a new book review over at one of his many blog spots. The site is “Fortean Reviews” and is where Nick reviews many things Fortean.

His latest offering was written after he’d finished reading, and looking at, a book from Farah Yurdozu entitled: “Love in an Alien Purgatory: The Life and Fantastic Art of David Huggins” – published this year by Anomalist Books. Farah is also a contributor to the Womenofesoterica blog; as I am whenever I can think of something to post.

But, back to Nick’s review. He tells us that Farah’s book: “tells the story of one David Huggins, a skilled artist who has experienced a lifetime of encounters of a distinctly "alien abduction" nature with...well, some form of intelligence from elsewhere.” And he adds that Farah observes, almost from the outset, that: "Although we still have very little evidence indicating that these visitors are from another planet, it is reasonable to assume that they are coming from another realm that is completely different from our earthly reality."

Daivd Huggins has recorded his experiences using his talent as an artist; thus the book contains many of his pictures. Nick finds these images somewhat disturbing as he writes: “I don't know why I find them unsettling - but I do. Perhaps it's the long-black wigs and the obvious attempts to try and pass themselves off as more human-like than they really are - as they seek to secretly and stealthily move among us - that makes me come to such a conclusion.” In fact they remind him of Mac Tonnies' cryptoterrestrials hypothesis – these are entities that originate on Earth but pretend to be Aliens in order to: “hide their true nature and intent; which may not be entirely benign.”

Hopefully, when you’ve read all of Nick’s review you’ll want to buy the book. And, if you’re unable to buy a copy from Anomalist Books then you can get one from Amazon in the USA.

Reading Nick’s thoughts about the paintings in Farah’s book being unsettling, I’m reminded that whenever I come across representations of Aliens in books and magazines I have to actually cover them up as I really don’t like looking at them. Does that mean that I’ve been abducted at some time in my life? No, I don’t think so, at least not that I consciously remember!

CFZ Sumatra Expedition Returns with news

noreply@blogger.com (Kithra) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 13:19:00 +0000

Members of the CFZ expedition to Sumatra to hunt the Orang-Pendek have now returned to the UK. Their big news is that they did spot a mystery ape whilst exploring the jungles. They have also brought back some samples that will be sent to scientists around the world for analysis. A press release about their journey, and what they found, can be read on the CFZ Sumatra blog, and it makes fascinating reading. I can’t wait to hear more about it.

Also of note is that footage the team recorded will be included in a BBC documentary about the work of the CFZ. Minnow Films will be observing the organization for the next eight months, so when the film is eventually shown it will be one to make a note of. I’m sure Jon will let us know when the broadcast date is, and when that happens don’t miss it.

Meanwhile, the first photos from the expedition are now online, with more to follow over the coming days. Included in these will be some video as and when the processing has been done. You can see the first set here, and remember to check back each day to see more.

Well done, guys, and glad to see you all safely home again.

Montauk Monster or dead Giant Tree Sloth?

noreply@blogger.com (Kithra) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 11:37:00 +0000

A few days ago reports began to surface from Panama of what some people are calling another Montauk Monster. Naturally, this story has now gone viral on the Internet, and I was surprised to read about it in one of the UK’s reputable newspapers.

Pictures show the hairless body and repellent features of “something” that is very similar to the creature seen on the New York coast last year. The story concerning this new find relates how four teenagers, aged between 14 and 16, saw the animal crawling from a cave north of Panama City. They were so frightened by what they saw that they killed it with sticks and stones, and then threw its body into a pool of water. Sometime later they returned and took photographs of the carcass that were then posted on the web.

Over at the Cryptomundo website Loren Coleman has also written about this discovery, and put up some pictures, under the heading of: “The Blue Hill Horror.” This particular post by Loren has so far produced 56 Responses.

Another very good article about it is from Micah Hanks at his Gralien Report webiste, entitled: “Strange “Blue Hill Creature” Photographed in Panama (or not).” His piece also references other websites that contain more information and are well worth checking out.

It would seem that most Cryptozoologists now believe that the creature in this story is nothing but a dead Giant Tree Sloth. And I agree with them.

Regan Lee's husband ill

noreply@blogger.com (Kithra) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 11:18:00 +0000

As some of you may know I’m also a contributor to Regan Lee’s Women Of Esoterica blogspot, although I don’t often post there. So today I was sad to read that her husband, James, suffered a heart attack yesterday. Please send your healing love and prayers to them.

Bermuda Triangle – cases “solved”

noreply@blogger.com (Kithra) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 10:52:00 +0000

This morning I read an article on the BBC website that had the heading: “Bermuda Triangle plane mystery ‘solved.’” It was about the disappearance of 2 British South American Airways planes back in the 1940s, and contained the details of what might have happened to them, and why they crashed. For those of you who don’t know the area covered by the Bermuda Triangle the article also had a good map.

Now, as many of you may know, this is a subject that has long fascinated me. So I was interested to read that the BBC has made a radio series about it. And, with 10 instalments that may contain what dear old Auntie Beeb calls “plausible explanations” for the disappearances I’m sure many will listen and, probably, be quite convinced by what they hear. However, as the article itself points out, no bodies or wreckage were ever found in the case of the 2 planes they mention in it.

Personally, I don’t find that explanation to be convincing. In most cases some debris has always been found, especially in those instances where planes have exploded. But then, I’m not a scientist so I don’t know if “no trace at all” can happen – unless the search area wasn’t widened enough for wreckage to show up. Back in the 1940s that may have been true.

So, really, this is a case of listen carefully and then decide for yourself whether you find the evidence presented proves the theory – or not! Regardless of what the programmes contain they won’t convince everyone. And the saga of the Bermuda Triangle will still run and run.

If you live in the UK you can hear the radio series of 10 episodes, starting today 14th September. It’s called “Inside The Bermuda Triangle – The Mysteries Solved,” and is broadcast on Radio 4 at 15:45 p.m.

2009 CFZ Expedition to search for the Orang-Pendek

noreply@blogger.com (Kithra) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 13:00:00 +0000

The CFZ 2009 Expedition to Sumatra in search of the Orang-Pendek leaves the UK on Sunday, 13th September. It will comprise four explorers: Richard Freeman, Adam Davies, Dr Chris Clark, and Dave Archer; and will last for 2 weeks. However, contact with the UK will be difficult and intermittent, and may in fact not be possible at all. Even so, the CFZ has opened a blog where you can follow all the preparations, and read any messages that might come back. Unsurprisingly it’s called the CFZ Sumatra 09 blogspot, so check it out if you’d like to follow what’s happening.

The Orang-Pendek is an ape that walks upright, often referred to as a “short man,” that lives in the Indonesian jungle, and this will be the 3rd CFZ expedition to Sumatra to look for it. The team will be helped in their search by the Kubu tribe, and hope to follow up on some recent sightings.

As Richard says: “third time lucky,” so let’s hope that this time they find some concrete evidence of this elusive ape. Good luck to the team, and stay safe.

A New CFZ Tale

noreply@blogger.com (Kithra) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 10:22:00 +0000

Following the success of the cryptozoological story entitled “The Cats of Upperminster,” by Tim Matthews, the CFZ is embarking on another yarn. This new one is by Oll Lewis and is called “The Adventures of Marmaduke Wetherell, Adventurer.” Part 1 goes under the title of “A Mission to Die,” and sets the scene as well as introducing us to the characters. As Oll writes:

“I can write a new part roughly once a month probably. It's not exactly high art, just a little adventure story. I have a vague outline of what's going to happen in future parts that I can add more bits into if people actually like it or remove parts from for a quick and merciful ending if its not well received, should things go according to plan it does end up in loch ness and a huge twist is revealed.”

So why not go over and read it, and be sure to let the CFZ know if you like it and would like to read more instalments.

Meanwhile, back with “The Cats of Upperminster,” Part 18 “Making a Movie” went online back at the beginning of August. It’s been a while, but I’m still following this one, and I’m still highly amused at how the tale is unfolding. I can’t wait to read the next part, and hope it won’t be too long before it appears.

And, Jon, here’s a suggestion, why not put up a couple of links where all the instalments, from both of these adventures, can be read? Then people who have missed previous segments can know where to find them. Just an idea :)

More UK Government UFO files available

noreply@blogger.com (Kithra) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 13:24:00 +0000

The UK has just released some more UFO files, this time for the years 1981 to 1996. Amongst the reports are some pertaining to Rendlesham Forest and, of course, the archive downloads are all in pdf which, personally, I really dislike. If you’d like to check them out then click here for the National Archives.

As to be expected, Dr David Clarke, a UFO expert and journalism lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University, has his own theories about sightings being co-incidental with the release of some film and TV programmes in which the main themes were Aliens and/or UFOs. You can read more about that here in an article that also relates what Lord Hill-Norton thought when he wrote to Michael Heseltine, the UK Defence Secretary in 1985, about the Rendlesham event.

But what I find particularly interesting is the case of a UFO seen across my own county of Cornwall, and other counties, at the very end of March 1993. The Ministry of Defence concluded that this was, in fact, either an American spy plane, or the re-entry of a Russian rocket.

What all of this tells us about UFOs is, of course, open to question. Some of it relates to what are now old cases where further investigation would probably be very difficult given the passage of time. But that's not to say that investigating old cases has no merit, and I'm also a firm believer that those who are new to the UFO subject should make themselves aware of what went before. Without that basic grounding we fail to see how the subject has evolved, and is still evolving with each new generation.

Computer Saga Ends

noreply@blogger.com (Kithra) — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 13:25:00 +0000

At last I’m back up and running and checking out what I’ve missed while I’ve been offline.

Many thanks to my friend who let so many of you know that I’d be offline for a while.

Building a new computer from scratch has been a labour of love, but I do have a great sense of achievement that I’ve managed to finish it without too many glitches. I was very careful and built everything on an anti-static mat while also wearing an anti-static wristband, just to make sure :) It took me a few days as, at my age, with my disabilities, and having to wear glasses, I can’t spend too long standing up leaning over a hot computer. However, when I switched it on for the first time it didn’t blow up!

But ……. I kept getting a series of 8 short beeps, and the manual said it might be due to a memory problem. So I phoned the memory manufacturers and they told me that, as I don’t game, I probably needed the standard memory version instead of the Ballistix that I’d bought. I then phoned the suppliers and bought what they said was the replacement that I needed. A couple of days later it arrived and I swapped the memory – only to have the same problem.

By this time I was getting very depressed at not being able to get online again. So in desperation I broke the habit of years and actually went out. I put the computer into a taxi and took it down to my local shop to see if they could trace the problem. After an hour and a half of the guy playing around with it he wasn’t able to trace whatever was wrong with it. In fact he said that he’d never come across a problem like it in all his years of repairing computers! He even installed a graphics card, in case that was the cause, even though the motherboard has onboard graphics, but that still didn’t do any good. And, he was extremely kind and didn’t charge me one penny for looking at it, even though he put right a couple of LED light connections that I’d managed to get the wrong way round. He also said that, for a first time builder I’d done a very good job, and nothing else was wrong with it.

So I brought the damn machine home and turned it on again. I suddenly noticed that when it gave that string of beeps the light on the floppy drive was also blinking. Back at the shop the engineer hadn’t once looked at the outside of the case, as it was lying on its side and not visible while he was working. He did ask if the floppy was working, but I said I didn’t know, as I hadn’t yet tried it. So I went back inside the case, yet again, and changed the ribbon connection. This time when it booted the floppy light stayed on all the time. And, regardless of which way round the IDE was connected, any disk I put in asked me if I wanted to format it; which I didn’t as I knew there was data on the disks. Obviously I hadn’t cured the problem, and my thoughts are that there’s something wrong with the actual floppy component itself. I went back inside the case one last time and simply disconnected the floppy IDE from the Mobo. Success, it now boots without all those beeps.

Looks like I’ll have to buy another new floppy drive. Thank goodness I belong to a couple of forums where I can ask for some advice before I actually buy a replacement.

On the whole, even though the experience has been somewhat frustrating, I’m pleased I did it in the end. Although I won’t be building another one any time soon!

Forteans Passing

noreply@blogger.com (Kithra) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:14:00 +0000

As with so many other websites, I can’t let the passing of John Keel go unmarked. You only have to look around the web to see how many places are carrying obits, and appreciations about him.

Rest in peace, John. You’ll be very sadly missed by many of us.

And, it’s not so very long ago that John Michell also left us. I hope both of them are now finding out the answers to all the questions they had over their years on Earth, and to all those wonderful mysteries that they brought to our attention.

When I first became hooked on mysteries such as UFOs, Cryptozoology, Earth Mysteries, Alternative History, etc: it was authors such as these that sparked my interest, and I must have read many of their books over the years. They are still well worth the read, and they’ve informed the ideas and perceptions of many of those who have followed.

The Old Guard is passing, and very few of that ilk are still left with us. The “names” who made the most impression on me were: John Michell, John Keel, Aimé Michel, (who died 1992), Ted Holliday, (who died in 1979), Jacques Vallée, and Colin Wilson.

And now, Jacques Vallée and Colin Wilson are the only ones left. So I urge you to read as many of their books as you are able to get hold of, if only for a good grounding in these most mysterious subjects.

New Grandchild

noreply@blogger.com (Kithra) — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 16:14:00 +0000

In the immortal words of Maggie Thatcher: "We are a grandmother."

My 5th grandchild, a little girl, was born by caesarian section at 15:18 this afternoon. She weighed in at 7lbs 3 oz, and is to be called Brooklyn. Both mother and baby are doing very well.

This is great news, and I'm very happy that it's all over - she was almost 2 weeks late! So here's to little Brooklyn and her proud parents. Congratulations to them, and long life to baby.

Michael Jackson

noreply@blogger.com (Kithra) — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 09:45:00 +0000

I suppose I can hardly let the death of Michael Jackson go unremarked, even though I was never a fan.

As I said on Facebook yesterday: He was talented, he was flawed, he's dead. Now let's move on instead of having this wall to wall coverage on TV.

Even on the BBC news last night I heard a reporter say that he was the most photographed person in the world. I don't think that's true as I believe that Princess Diana was the most photographed. In fact this whole sorry saga reminds me of the time when she died. It's just the same outpouring of grief around the world, the leaving of flowers at mini shrines, the news dominated by nothing but this story.

Jackson was an entertainer, a good one yes, but he doesn't match up to Princess Di. However, in that vein, I'm not surprised to see that the conspiracy theories surrounding his death began just a few hours after he died. It's always the same with famous people. They die unexpectedly and the conspiracies start. But that's not to say that I'm not a follower of the one about Di as I'm one of those who don't think her death was just a car accident.

However, there are other, more important stories in the world, e.g. what's going on in Iran where the Religious Leader has now said that all the protesters should be executed.

People die every day in the most horrible circumstances, such as famine, war, earthquakes. Most of them are poor and it seems that they don't merit the attention given to the famous people who pass on. What a shame, and what a sad comment on modern society.

The Cats of Upper Minster

noreply@blogger.com (Kithra) — Tue, 26 May 2009 11:15:00 +0000

Over at the CFZ Blogspot long time contributor Tim Matthews is writing an extremely funny spoof about Big Cat hunters. His imaginary tale has run to three parts so far, and is set to continue for as long as he believes it to be amusing.

As for it being amusing, it’s so hilarious that I almost fell off my chair laughing when I read the episodes.

So if you like your forteana tinged with a great deal of humour you can do no better than to read this serial. Hopefully there will be an episode every other day, and here you can read Part1, Part2 and Part3.

Long may this continue, it certainly helps to brighten each day that it’s published. I strongly recommend that you regularly check out the site and follow the story.

Another Montauk Monster Surfaces

noreply@blogger.com (Kithra) — Fri, 15 May 2009 13:42:00 +0000

This morning I read an article that contained a photograph of yet another “Monster” that has washed up in Montauk, New York. This is the second such discovery in the space of almost a year. Of course the story is now going viral all around the Internet. However, looking at the picture it reminds me of nothing more than a dead, bloated, dog. But, of course, there are those who are suggesting that it’s an, as yet, unknown animal – a cryptid of some sort.

If you’re a regular reader of my Blog then you’ll know that I don’t set too much store by what the scientists tell us. But on this occasion I thought the column from the Live Science web site really does give a very fair indication of what this latest carcass probably is. (You can read it here) And, in passing, it also offers an explanation for three other “Monsters” that have washed up over the years.

Swine Flu

noreply@blogger.com (Kithra) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 13:08:00 +0000

Naturally, the news of a possible Swine Flu pandemic is making the rounds of the Internet, and some wild theories are flying about.

However, memory made me recall that the strain of H1N1 that caused the Spanish Flu in 1918 was recreated in a the USA in 2004, and also in Canada in 2006/7:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6271833.stm
18 January 2007

The first paragraph of which reads:

Scientists who recreated "Spanish flu" - the 1918 virus which killed up to 50m people - have witnessed its remarkable killing power first hand.

Supposedly these were recreated in secure laboratories. But, for those of you who subscribe to conspiracy theories, perhaps there are 2 scenarios - (a) it somehow got out into the community; (b) the PTB have deliberately spread it. And why? To reduce the world's over population.

How long before the “Nut Jobs” start putting it down to UFOs and those pesky little gray aliens?

One More Sighting of the Falmouth Weird Creature

noreply@blogger.com (Kithra) — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 11:21:00 +0000

Well, I wasn’t going to continue to keep an eye on this story, but I found a new article in my local paper this morning. It seems that there was yet another sighting of the “Falmouth Weird Creature” back in January this year. But the young man who saw it has only just come forward as he felt it was ridiculous to have seen it. You can read his description here.

Computer Still Infuriating Me

noreply@blogger.com (Kithra) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 09:14:00 +0000

My computer still isn't right. It's started to play up again just as it did before I put in the new hard drive. So if I don’t Blog for a while it will mean it’s gone down again. I've asked a few people about it, but I've come to the conclusion that if you ask 12 "Tech" people the same question you get 12 different answers :)

When I fixed it a couple of weeks ago I cleaned all the insides too. But I’ve now bought some compressed air to really clean the Motherboard and power pack, as well as the other fans and stuff.

Turning on my computer each morning I’ve been getting lots of noise for a few minutes before things go quiet. Of course, having mentioned that to a friend, I now find that it’s not making any of those peculiar noises at all. It certainly has a mind of its own, and I think it’s guessed I’m going to use that air on it!

Also my email client is working differently, even though I’ve checked the settings. It now wants to connect to the net when I open an email, even though I am actually connected. And if I leave it open when I’ve logged off I soon get a window asking if I want to connect again.

But I think I’ve worked out why my screen saver isn’t kicking in. It seems that if I’ve still got any other programs open that stops the saver from working. Or perhaps it’s something else as even before I log on for the day it asks if I want to connect.

Having checked out the cost of all the bits I’ll need to build a totally new computer I’ve come to the conclusion that it will cost as much as buying a new one. But doing that would mean having to get one at the cheaper end of the scale. So I still intend to build my own, that way I’ll be getting exactly what I want, as well as a it giving me a great sense of achievement.

Who’d have a computer – they’re often the cause of so much stress and frustration. But then, without one, I’d be totally isolated.

At least this weekend is a 4-day holiday for us here in the UK, (from Friday to Monday), so I’m going to take some time away from the computer and just try to relax.

Happy Spring Holiday everyone.

Computer Problems Saga

noreply@blogger.com (Kithra) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 15:55:00 +0000

For the past week I’ve been off-line because my hard-drive gave up the ghost. If somebody had told me that the strange, sort of clunking, sound it made when first starting up each day, and lasting for about 10 minutes, was a sign that it was on the way out I would have replaced it sooner. When it finally went to the land of hardware in the sky it was, of course, almost the weekend. So buying a replacement meant that I had to wait a few days for it to arrive as the weekend intervened with, of course, no deliveries. It finally arrived last Tuesday, and I began the task of installing it.

Now, I’m not in any way a “techie” but over the years I’ve managed to watch when my computer has had to have bits put in, or taken out, and I kept notes while I was watching. So I had a vague idea of what to do, and I read the label on the new drive very carefully before I began. But, being me, I found I’d bought the wrong type when it came to the connector. Luckily my machine was running on two drives and each was connected differently – one with an IDE and the other with a different sort of cable that just slotted into place. Eureka! It occurred to me to take out both of them and only use the new one. And anyway I’d bought a 160GB drive so it would easily replace my old two, both of which were 80GB ones. Unfortunately, I’d saved some data to the Slave drive, so I couldn’t get that back as I was now using its IDE to connect my new one. Never mind, I save data to CDs on a fairly regular basis, so I haven’t lost too much.

After the installation, and adding the OS I wanted to get to work, but I then found that neither of my CD readers would work. Again, I had two of those installed, so I had to take the Master out and revert the Slave back to being the Master. That took me a while as, with my poor eyesight, I couldn’t find the switch to change the settings. Eventually, it was done but now I found that the mouse wasn’t working properly as it refused to scroll smoothly, and I couldn’t hear my speakers. Suddenly it dawned on me that I’d forgotten to install the VIA drivers, and I read from my previous notes that those should have gone in before I added anything else back to the machine. I’d forgotten to do that, but I wasn’t going to start from scratch all over again so thought I’d take the chance of just adding them there and then. Hey Presto! It worked with no problems at all and I was able to control things properly again.

All of that took me quite a while as I'd never done anything like it before, and I now feel quite a sense of achievement having managed it. In fact one day in the not too distant future I’m going to build a whole new computer from scratch!

Personally, I always keep a note of the short-cuts on my desktop, the start-bar items, the add-ons, plug-ins etc: etc: And I regularly use the Belarc Advisor program to print out a profile of everything that’s on my computer. So I had to reinstall my software, some of which I had to get back from the web, and then redo my Bookmarks, and a few other things. When it was all back up and running I then found that my broadband connection kept dropping, and it took me quite a while to get that working properly – including another three installations to get rid of all the static on the phone line.

My final problem now is with Windows UpDate, which won't recognize the licence key as being genuine, which it is, therefore as it refuses to validate my copy of Windows I'm having to run things with just my good firewall and antivirus – neither of which come from Microsoft! But my computer does run in Stealth Mode so people can’t see when I’m on-line.

One moral of this saga is to always make a note of what you have on your computer long before it starts to crash. It’s taken me from last Tuesday morning until Saturday evening to get everything back exactly as I want it, and it’s been an exhausting time.

Naturally, I haven’t been able to keep up with some of the latest web stories, and I have to admit that I’m also having to give up on finding any more information about either the UFO damaging the wind turbine blade, or the weird creature seen here in Falmouth. If I happen to see any more stories about them I will post them, but to an extent I'm still playing catch-up, so I don't have the time to go looking.

I now hope that nothing goes wrong or I shall be starting all over again!

Another Sighting of the Weird Creature from Falmouth

noreply@blogger.com (Kithra) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 14:17:00 +0000

It seems that the story of the weird creature seen in Falmouth has produced another sighting. This new one comes from late in December 2006, and the second one mentioned in the article, which you can read here, is the one I reported on in my last blog post on the subject.

The thing I find fascinating about this new report is that it comes from the same lady who spotted Morgawr, our Falmouth Bay sea monster, all those years ago. You can read my article about Morgawr, and the Mawnan Smith Owlman, on my website.

As the newspaper piece states, perhaps it will encourage others to come forward if they've seen our weird creature. I shall keep checking on the story and keep you updated if anything else is added.

Falmouth's Weird Creature - Update

noreply@blogger.com (Kithra) — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 15:57:00 +0000

This story just gets stranger. Following the initial report of the weird creature seen in Falmouth recently I found another article, this time in the local weekly newspaper The West Briton: which you can read here. Friends of mine in the US have suggested that it could have been an Aye-aye, or a Springhare, but the witness says that both of those animals are much smaller than the one he saw, and they are also unlikely to be able to survive in our British climate.

Over at the CFZ there have been two additional postings on this subject. The first is a very sad one, detailing the possibility of the creature being what is called a Twisty Cat. This is the most disgusting atrocity, as it seems that people have been breeding cats with a specific deformity whereby their front legs are stunted and useless. The post, that you can find here, also includes some pictures of such cats, and they are truly stomach churning.

The second post from the CFZ is an update on their previous one. It tells of their contact with the RSPCA’s legal department to enquire if breeding such cats is legal in the UK. Unfortunately it appears that it is, although it could be construed as cruelty. You can read what the CFZ has to say about that here, and how they would react on finding such a thing happening in the UK.

Weird Creature seen in Falmouth (UK)

noreply@blogger.com (Kithra) — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 12:28:00 +0000

Yesterday was a very busy day for me, so I didn’t get around to posting this story that I came across in my local newspaper. A lady walking the Falmouth coastal path saw a very strange animal; and at the link there is a picture of the drawing she made when she arrived home. You can read the account, and see the sketch here.

Having brought the story to the attention of a couple of researchers, I see that they too have blogged about it today. Over at the Fortean Zoology blog Richard Freeman, the Zoological Director of the CFZ, has a few suggestions as to what might have been seen. He is contacting the newspaper to try and interview the witness. You can read his suggestions about the creature here.

And my good friend Nick Redfern, has also been kind enough to mention the story. You can read his blog here. Thanks Nick.

I check out The Packet newspaper every day, and this morning I found no further updates to the story. However, if I see anything extra about it I’ll blog the news and let everyone know.

The UFO and the Wind Farm Turbines - the results are back

noreply@blogger.com (Kithra) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 11:52:00 +0000

As I predicted, UFOs were not to blame for the damage to those wind turbine blades.

The provisional forensic report, from the manufacturers, has found that the damage was due to “material fatigue.” That caused the bolts holding the blade to the turbine to suffer from “fatigue failure.”

The investigation is continuing to examine the mechanisms around the bolts, and the results of those tests are expected in a few more weeks. You can read the whole of the story here.

So, it’s Common Sense 1 – UFOs 0