Computer survives to live another day
My brother, who lives near Whakatane, bought a new computer after the previous one was fried in an electrical storm at the end of April. He loves his computer but the new unit was supplied with Windows 8 which he has really struggled with (he is 62). I got this email from him: "I had about three weeks of basically hassle-free use out of it before it decided it was just going to show me a blank screen with a cursor to play with. I could move the cursor wherever I wanted to but do nothing with it. So I gave it 24 hours unplugged, set it up again, same result, so I packed it in its box, took it to town, threw it on the counter of the place which supplied it and stormed out. I did tape a note explaining if it ever returned to my house it would be exiting via an unopened window. I supplied my passwords and email address with a PS that any attempt to email me would be useless as I no longer had a computer! Friends came down about a week later and retrieved the computer which the shop's techie had reset. I now have the book Windows 8.1 for Dummies and have survived thus far, as has the computer."
Park-ticularly rude
A reader writes: "We've recently moved to a new house in Half Moon Bay that shares its driveway with a few other houses. There is only one shared visitor parking, but for the past two months a neighbour has been using it as private long-term parking for a car they never drive. Other neighbours tell us that this is usual. Do your readers have any suggestions on how to deal with this, except for hoping that the neighbour will read this on Sideswipe and hopefully understand?"
Picture this
