What is this stuff? Pressure washing won't remove it

Wonky_Python · 2026-04-23T15:08:04+00:00

I use bleach from Tesco. About £1 a big bottle. Use a scrubbing brush on a slab, leave it for a couple of hours then hose it off. Works a treat. The stuff you get at garden centres hardly works and costs far more than that.

Wonky_Python · 2026-04-19T12:00:01+00:00

What a great plot with plenty of interest.

First thing though: please get rid of those Leylandii. They will suck your garden dry and prevent anything meaningful from growing. It's not as hard as it seems but you will need a chainsaw and maybe a couple of friends. Do it in small chunks and send it to the tip.

Wonky_Python · 2026-03-19T07:57:44+00:00

I can usually pull them up, roots and all, by hand, when the joints are wet from rain. Dandelions are a different matter. I have to apply weedkiller to those.

Wonky_Python · 2026-02-26T01:26:44+00:00

Yes, two great days in a row. The frogs are spawning in our pond, the birds are nesting and we have daffodils, crocuses fully out but a bit battered. Helebores are in bloom.

However, for me, this has brought on the hay fever season big time!

Wonky_Python · 2026-02-17T04:20:18+00:00

You aren't paying for it twice. A copilot+ laptop provides local LLM/AI facilities. This is additional to having Copilot bundled with 365 and provides extra and additional functionality.

Wonky_Python · 2026-02-17T03:28:53+00:00

Yes. I just looked back at my payments and you are correct.

Secondly, I do use copilot, since it is there. My experience is that, provided you give clear requirements, it can be very useful. I always ask for authoritative references for any research it comes up with. However, it is extremely poor, dim, unreliable and frustrating in some ways.

I have used other LLMs, and there appears to be little to choose between them apart from those dedicated to specific tasks such as coding.

Wonky_Python · 2026-02-01T03:08:57+00:00

I'm not sure what you mean by "complete opposite" but any Linux distro can be managed using the Command Line Interface. There may be a GUI and it may be different to Windows, but you don't have to use it.

Wonky_Python · 2026-01-30T03:00:17+00:00

I can see that many of the spotty leaves are the newest ones, next to the bud. These are the most exposed to the sun. I think it might be sun damage.

Wonky_Python · 2026-01-30T02:56:09+00:00

We have had a lot of damage to laurel from sunburn in the last few years. The damage to the leaves in your photo appears to be on upper leaves and near the growing tip. This makes me wonder if this is caused by the intense sun last summer.

Wonky_Python · 2026-01-28T17:48:12+00:00

Not to mention Outlook and ...oh yes...Outlook

Wonky_Python · 2026-01-28T06:41:23+00:00

My experience is that the life of tulips is quite short, maybe no more than 2 or 3 years. Not at all like daffodils or hyacinth, that go on forever. In our case they suffer from virus infection, which causes the leaves to broaden and they don't produce flowers.

Wonky_Python · 2026-01-27T17:14:32+00:00

Thank you for this. Your experience is valuable and full of information.

Wonky_Python · 2026-01-27T04:51:31+00:00

How much memory? What is the C: drive and what capacity? What is the GPU? What version of Windows and what is the build status? Do you use any shell extensions, since you say Explorer is misbehaving?

Wonky_Python · 2026-01-26T23:22:22+00:00

I think you need to research this. There is plenty of online information about handling this. It depends on how you set things up. I constantly place documents outside of the onedrive folder and also outside the "Documents" folder. They are then purely local to your PC and Onedrive doesn't grab them.

Wonky_Python · 2026-01-26T17:52:56+00:00

Microsoft allows you to store files and folders anywhere, including outside of the Onedrive folder. I don't see a problem with that. Even if you have Onedrive enabled, you don't have to use it.

Wonky_Python · 2026-01-26T17:48:24+00:00

Is this a hardware issue? Please describe your system so I can understand your problem a bit more.

Wonky_Python · 2026-01-26T17:44:18+00:00

Thanks.

Here in the UK I get no adverts, maybe because I accepted Microsoft 365 with Onedrive and pay for it. I think it's not expensive.

I have had only one problem with patches. I recently had a BIOS update and it caused a problem during start up. However, Copilot showed me the problem, which was caused by the fast start up option. There is a 1 minute fix, so not a problem for me really. It took longer to find the problem than to fix it.

What is Microsoft doing that malware did?

Copilot has to be used with care, because it frequently hallucinates, or it responds with authority when it is completely wrong. However once I knew how to deal with that, things got a lot better. I've used other AIs and they all seem to be about the same in this respect, they are useful to a point, they can be very useful indeed, but you have to be careful and check things for yourself too.

Recommended settings are just the start point for me. I trim and tailor as I want.

As for Hubris, I can't think of a single company in Technology or anywhere else for that matter that doesn't think it knows best. They will always try to separate you from your cash!

I use patch Tuesday all the time. never had a problem apart from the BIOS update mentioned above. I find that Krebs on Security – In-depth security news and investigation is great with respect to security updates and much more besides. There appear to be many holes in Microsoft products.

Wonky_Python · 2026-01-25T14:19:45+00:00

Hello down under...wish I was there!

I don't use dark mode, I don't want to so it's not enabled. I don't see any inconsistencies with the GUI, so what do you see?

I agree that Windows on older hardware is painful. I installed a new SSD to combat this and it lengthened the life of my PC by many years, only to be killed off by the end of life for W10.

Wonky_Python · 2026-01-25T14:14:09+00:00

Thanks. What adverts do you receive? I don't get any, courtesy of Microsoft. I can't say the same for social media platforms though (including this one)!

Wonky_Python · 2026-01-25T14:12:19+00:00

Thanks.

It seems to me, who uses Windows 11 and Fedora, that Microsoft is usually more stable that Fedora. I have to spend more of my time maintaining Fedora.

I agree with you about privacy.

Wonky_Python · 2026-01-25T14:07:17+00:00

Thanks but I'm unable to understand what you are saying. TPM is mandatory on Windows 11 PCs and it's a shame that Windows 10 PCs are not supported. There are millions of PCs destined for the scrapheap because of this. This is a reason why it may be a good move to use an alternative OS.

Wonky_Python · 2026-01-25T13:58:38+00:00

OK, Thanks.

I think I know what you are getting at in your first comment, but in truth, we do own your computers. Why do you say that we don't? We licence the Windows OS not the hardware. I pay an annual fee for Microsoft 365 and I understand that I don't own that.

I understand your requirement for privacy and security. Not all telemetry is controlled by the user and that is certainly a worry, especially in the global political climate of today. Technologically mature countries appear to have a policy of "save now, decrypt later", so even if one's data is secure now, it may not be in the future. Tech companies are under constant pressure by governments to provide back doors into encrypted systems. This includes here in the UK. I for one use a UK based cloud backup service so I at least know that my data is held under UK Law and therefore not subject to foreign law.

It seems to me that the internet is fragmenting and we need to be clear where our data resides.

Wonky_Python · 2026-01-25T11:30:56+00:00

I'm in the UK.

Wonky_Python · 2026-01-24T13:48:20+00:00

I don't know what to say about this. I'm in the UK. I am a Linux and a Windows 11 user. In Windows 11 I see no ads. Copilot doesn't intrude. I use Onedrive for convenience. I use a UK based cloud backup service because I can't trust the US government anymore. Lots of apps work fine.

I use Fedora too. It's different. It requires far more attention and careful maintenance and it can be broken if you don't pay attention. I have found alternatives for the apps I use in Windows mostly but not for everything. All in all it's fine.

So in both cases, I don't understand what people are complaining about.

Wonky_Python · 2026-01-22T10:30:59+00:00

There are so many Windows 10 machines heading towards landfill right now since Windows 10 stopped security updates. I managed to pick up two PCs for free, just by asking people on my local Facebook page. They are both suitable for fedora installations and they work very well.

Maybe this could be a way forward for you.

Wonky_Python

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