Topic for going off topic

[Roses]

I dislike baked potatoes having been forced to eat them as a kid. My husband is very fond of them so I cook his in the microwave, he is very satisfied with the result. I don't think I have ever used sweet potatoes.

[SteveH]

It was edible, but not a huge success. The inside was too soft, and the skin not crisp enough.

[SteveH]

I dislike baked potatoes having been forced to eat them as a kid. .

If you dislike baked potsatoes, fair enough, but I doubt that being forced to eat them as a child is the reason. We all have our food likes and dislikes, and they seem to be arbitrary, with no obvious reason for them. I detest apriicots, and am not keen on carrots or broccoli, as I've just ssid on the sprout thread. Sprouts are okish.

[Walter]

It was edible, but not a huge success. The inside was too soft, and the skin not crisp enough.

the only similarity between a potato and a sweet potato is the name .
You might as well call a cat a dog because they both have four legs

You're welcome 🍷

[Nearly Sane]

It was edible, but not a huge success. The inside was too soft, and the skin not crisp enough.

Looking at online it says to prick the skins and rub olive oil on them.

[Robbie]

I like jacket potatoes, crispy skins, nice fillings.Wouldn't do it with sweet potatoes though, I cut them up, season and roast. Sweet potatoes can be mashed with 'ordinary' potatoes.

Love sprouts (not when I was a kid) & honey roast carrots & parsnips.

I can only eat broccoli with cheese sauce, sometimes with cauliflower. Purple sprouting broccoli is lovely :- https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/purple-sprouting-broccoli-spears/085237-43315-43316

These are so sweet! Look like miniature Christmas trees. If you spoon cheese sauce on it looks like snow (me being fanciful):- https://ocado.com/products/waitrose-small-romanesco-66437011

Oliphant, if you cook turkey properly it will not be dry. Duck is nice though one won't go far if there's more than two people at table.

All the trimmings with Christmas dinner are the best bits.

[Roses]

I went to the supermarket this morning just after 7am, I have never seen it so busy even at Christmas, the universe and its husband were there! Usually I am the only customer at the checkout. I got the few bits and pieces I required, and have no wish to see the place again until after Christmas.

I have just dropped my husband off at our girl's vicarage so she can take him to buy my pressies. When she and her sisters were small he would take them to assist him with his shopping on Christmas Eve. I always knew one of my presents would be perfume as the kids came back smelling to high heaven of it. He tried out the tester bottles on them. As they got older they refused to go shopping with him.

[SteveH]

The busiest shopping scene I've ever witnessed was one Christmas eve in Manchester city centre in the early 70s, when I got stuck in the middle of a people-jam for several minutes.

[Roses]

This morning I drove passed a van, the driver was talking on his mobile phone with one hand, with the other was resting on what appeared to be a map on the steering wheel, which he was looking at as he was trying to steer his vehicle with a couple of fingers! YE GODS!!!!!!!!!!!

[Roses]

Today is the 13th anniversary of my husband's devastating brain haemorrhage. Considering the medics didn't think he would survive it, or if he did he would be left drooling in a nursing home he hasn't done too badly.

[Robbie]

That is so good LR & I'm sure not least bec'os of your and your family's good care & love. Hope U had happy Christmas & wish all the best for new year tho' that is a couple of days+ away. A loving family cannot be measured. Your post cheered me.

[Roses]

That is so good LR & I'm sure not least bec'os of your and your family's good care & love. Hope U had happy Christmas & wish all the best for new year tho' that is a couple of days+ away. A loving family cannot be measured. Your post cheered me.

Thanks Robbie.

My husband has come this far due to his determination more than anything else, imo. He has always done his own thing and even with half a working brain he continues to do so, even if it I don't think it wise. He has other problems these days, which I won't go into, but insists on having his daily walk. He has gone walkabout at the moment, I haven't a clue where he is going, but that is up to him I suppose.

We had a good Christmas. I will take all the decorations down tomorrow as it is done and dusted for another year.

[SteveH]

Just rubbed my eye, because it was itching. Forgot I'd been chopping hot chillies earlier. OWWWWWWWWWW!!!

[Roses]

Just rubbed my eye, because it was itching. Forgot I'd been chopping hot chillies earlier. OWWWWWWWWWW!!!

Poor you, don't forget to scrub your hands well next time you chop chillies.

[Nearly Sane]

Just rubbed my eye, because it was itching. Forgot I'd been chopping hot chillies earlier. OWWWWWWWWWW!!!

Been there. Feel sympathy.

[SteveH]

An odd thought that recently occurred to me: we are often told that strong passwords contain numbers as well as letters, but there are only 10 numbers, whereas there are 26 letters, and if the password is case-sensitive, there are 52, so surely all-letters would be more secure.

[Stranger]

An odd thought that recently occurred to me: we are often told that strong passwords contain numbers as well as letters, but there are only 10 numbers, whereas there are 26 letters, and if the password is case-sensitive, there are 52, so surely all-letters would be more secure.

If every character could be a letter, you have 52 possibilities per character, if every character could be a letter or a digit, then there are 62 possibilities per character.

So, for example, if you have a 8 character password* made up of just (case-sensitive) letters there are 52⁸ = 53,459,728,531,456 possibilities, if you add in numbers there are 62⁸ = 218,340,105,584,896.

* Too short for sensitive applications

[Udayana]

If every character could be a letter, you have 52 possibilities per character, if every character could be a letter or a digit, then there are 62 possibilities per character.

So, for example, if you have a 8 character password* made up of just (case-sensitive) letters there are 52⁸ = 53,459,728,531,456 possibilities, if you add in numbers there are 62⁸ = 218,340,105,584,896.

* Too short for sensitive applications

Indeed. However, if "at least one number" is specified the possibilities are fewer:
62⁸-52⁸=164,880,377,053,440 (for an 8 character password).

As well as increasing the total number of possibilities people need to be deterred from using names or words which could be found in a dictionary.

[SteveH]

If every character could be a letter, you have 52 possibilities per character, if every character could be a letter or a digit, then there are 62 possibilities per character.

So, for example, if you have a 8 character password* made up of just (case-sensitive) letters there are 52⁸ = 53,459,728,531,456 possibilities, if you add in numbers there are 62⁸ = 218,340,105,584,896.

* Too short for sensitive applications

That makes sense. Thanks.

[SteveH]

As well as increasing the total number of possibilities people need to be deterred from using names or words which could be found in a dictionary.

You shoudn't use anything too obvious, like the name of the football team you support plus the year of your birth, but there is a case for something not too obvious to other people but easily memorable to you, and for using the same password for all applications, which is that you won't have to write it down. If you went for zDFqEbnFjG2:;n@8&9, you'de have to write it down or you'd forrget it, unguessable though it probably is to a norty person.

[Nearly Sane]

You shoudn't use anything too obvious, like the name of the football team you support plus the year of your birth, but there is a case for something not too obvious to other people but easily memorable to you, and for using the same password for all applications, which is that you won't have to write it down. If you went for zDFqEbnFjG2:;n@8&9, you'de have to write it down or you'd forrget it, unguessable though it probably is to a norty person.

Please don't use the same password for all applications. That's madness. It means that you have no protection beyond one password. If you are a victim of identity theft it exposes you completely. I am feeling quite ill at the thought.

[Stranger]

You shoudn't use anything too obvious, like the name of the football team you support plus the year of your birth, but there is a case for something not too obvious to other people but easily memorable to you, and for using the same password for all applications, which is that you won't have to write it down. If you went for zDFqEbnFjG2:;n@8&9, you'de have to write it down or you'd forrget it, unguessable though it probably is to a norty person.

Just to add to what NS said - he's very right, you should definitely not use the password you use for this site for anything else that's in any way important. This site does not support secure connections (https://), so your password is sent in clear text over the public internet every time you log in - you might as well write it on a postcard and send it by mail.

Most browsers support storing multiple passwords for different sites, protected by a master password, so you don't need to remember them all. You can also get third party applications that securely store passwords in an encrypted database, again protected by one master password (which obviously shouldn't be used for anything else), for example keepass.

[Roses]

Our eldest grandson is 18 today, it doesn't seem five minutes since he was born!

[SteveH]

Just to add to what NS said - he's very right, you should definitely not use the password you use for this site for anything else that's in any way important. This site does not support secure connections (https://), so your password is sent in clear text over the public internet every time you log in - you might as well write it on a postcard and send it by mail.

Most browsers support storing multiple passwords for different sites, protected by a master password, so you don't need to remember them all. You can also get third party applications that securely store passwords in an encrypted database, again protected by one master password (which obviously shouldn't be used for anything else), for example keepass.

The only sites I reaslly wouldn't want anyone hacking, and the only ones anyone might conceivably want to hack, are my bank and my emails, and they both have different passwords from the rest and each other.

[Roses]

Our eldest girl asked me to drop my husband off at her vicarage at lunchtime. She had promised to do things with him like take him out and about etc, as part of her Christmas pressies to him. I naturally thought that was what she was going to do today, but SURPRISE, SURPRISE, the whole family was assembled to celebrate my birthday and that of our eldest grandson who has just had his 18th birthday. Our daughter had made a dinosaur cake and dinosaurs biscuits. I have a HUGE dinosaur balloon emblazoned with 70s. WOW! Today was apparently the most convenient day for the party although my birthday isn't until the week after next.