Password Pandemic

Following a spam e-mail, I wondered if a hacker had got hold of one of my accounts that I no longer use. I didn’t really care until I started receiving a string of e-mails telling me that I’d been logging in from different places using different browsers throughout the world. Normally, anyone would think this a bit strange especially since there’s a ban on travel at the moment, but in the world of computers you can use software to mask your location to protect your current one. Even so, I thought it best to secure the account and change the password. As soon as I’d submitted a new one, the link failed. In a flash, I’d realised that I’d given out a current one, and that someone had the ability to access some of my other profiles. I had to take quick steps to change passwords to some of my other accounts.  

Cuddle Time

A cuddle is not just a sign of love. It’s significant of comfort. It’s a chance for two humans to recognise their shared feelings and to let each other know that they’re not alone, whatever they’re going through. It’s something that you can’t buy in meaning; though you could just pay a random person to cuddle you or inspire someone to give you a cuddle in the form of a gift. It allows each other to be calm; and bodies often tend to harmonise as they slow down to adapt to each other; though sometimes they can speed things up in excitement if they inspire other things. A cuddle can last for as long as people want them to; it suggests that it’s longer than a hug as you wouldn’t cuddle someone as a greeting. And kids are experts at them; they just love to give them out and be held.

Malicious McAfee

It’s time to re-new my sister’s antivirus subscription. The trap is that they always want you to renew direct online by purchasing software through them; and they promise a big discount. But if you shop around, you can usually buy a product key from a retailer at a fraction of the cost. It’s funny really, because all you’re really buying is a piece of cardboard with a code that the software company have paid to produce. The only real disadvantage is that it takes a bit longer than usual as you have to uninstall their software and re-install the new version. And strangely enough, they also want your credit card information for it to work, even though you’ve already paid for it. But the reason behind this is that they can try and set you up with a subscription to automatically re-new your software next year; while charging you full price of course. But again, this can be disabled by switching your feature off in your account. All it takes is a bit of time. Sometimes I wonder if we even need their software at all. But then again, you’ve got someone to blame if something does go wrong. It’s kind of like insurance for your software.

Chloe and the Great Glass Elevator

The presentation was very informative and tried to keep everyone entertained by switching characters, but I fear that little ones would have been put off and maybe even frightened in the dark. We carried on into a tour of the factory itself where we saw various products flying around on conveyor belts and being packed. We also got to stir chocolate and write our own names, and we could also pick toppings to sample along with chocolate in its liquid form. Then it was time for a ride through an animated world. There was a long queue for this but they’d employed a children’s entertainer to keep the little ones happy. As we got nearer, he told a few jokes then apologised for the wait as the ride had been breaking down. Just as we entered the alpine village section of the ride, it broke down. We had to sit there in the artificial snow listening to animated high-pitched laughing from the beanies while a voice on the speaker calmly asked used to remain in our car. And that was all we could do. Luckily, the next section of the tour was the media zone so it was a perfect opportunity to get those voices out of our heads. We spent some time in the gift shop then grabbed a bite to eat from the packed cafeteria. There were two things left to do; the 4D cinema and the playground. There was quite a queue for the cinema so we let Chloe loose on the playground while we waited in line for her; though she missed someone climbing after her to chase her. Then we picked up our glasses to see who stole the mini eggs. 

PPE

What’s going on with PPE (Personal Protective Equipment)? Why is it so suddenly unavailable? I know that people are after more, but we should try and look after the equipment that we’ve got rather than source new stuff. Surely a spray and a rub-down with some antibacterial spray should do the trick? I found a dust mask in the garage to use, but many people have improvised with scarves, scuba masks and old bras (always use the left cup otherwise you’ll look a right tit). And plenty of schoolchildren have been filmed making equipment for friends and family and donating it to community causes. The problem is that it’s manufactured as cheaply as possible in a faraway land. Many British companies have offered to manufacture it here but have found that the markets are slow in purchases so have sent them elsewhere. But isn’t this what we’re trying to get away from? What was the whole point of Brexit? It’s just so infuriating.

Chloe and the Chocolate Factory

For a half-term treat, we decided to take the girls to Cadbury World. We went by train which meant that we could get a discount if we booked our travel tickets with our tour. Because of high demand, we had to book an arrival slot. Unfortunately, Millie wasn’t well enough to join us that day, but her age meant that she would have got in for free anyway. The walk from the station itself was quite a trip as we had to walk past the employee car parks and around the back of the factory to reach the entrance; though we skirt by the cricket club where it got pedestrianised. When we showed the booking to the attendant in charge of handing out complementary chocolate, she agreed to put a few extra bars into our bag. Then we waded through the artificial forest to learn about cocoa beans and arrived onto a Victorian cobbled to await an invite from a virtual Joseph Cadbury into his factory.

Fisherman's Friends

This is a heart-warming tale of community which is something that the cinema lacks these days, and I even found myself shedding a tear towards the end. You certainly gain an insight of life in small communities. It’s hard to warm to them at first as they don’t take too kindly themselves to their visitors, and I didn’t enjoy the mocking and the cynicism from the music industry either. “Troy” was over-exaggerated, although the group’s choice of song at the wedding didn’t help things either. But Danny’s naivety was heart-warming, and his determination to achieve his goal certainly won over this viewer’s heart. I genuinely felt for him when he offered guidance to the village pub’s tenancy without realising the consequences of his actions, and the difficulties he faced when they arrived in London. But you could see from the beginning of exile from city life that he was determined to fit in. The only odd thing about this film is that there’s no actual fish – a bit fishy all things considered.