Life Spugs because...

[Albion]

Sorry to hear that Supersurfer.
A terrible thing for all of you to go through. Best wishes to you and your family.

[Dandontdare]

Sorry to hear you've had such a shitty time lately. All the best to you and your family.

[von Boom]

Words pale at such dreadful news Supersurfer. All the best to you and yours.

[paddykafka]

I've been away from the forum for some time, so I'm only just catching up on what's been happening. My thoughts are with you, SuperSurfer and also with CyberLeader for both of your respective losses. All the best to you both and other Squaxx going through horrible times at the moment or recently. Here's hoping that 2015 will be a better year for us all. 

[HdE]

Cyberleader and Supersurfer - - Really sorry to hear how both you guys have been going through it lately.

Cyberleader - Nemesis Scourge wasn't someone I knew, but I know people who know people, if you get what I mean. He was very well liked, evidently, and you're by no means alone in feeling that way about his passing. A real loss, and no mistake.

And, Supersurfer - I fully empathise with your recent situation. Alzheimers is just awful beyond contemplation.

I can't remember if I mentioned it on this board before, but last year I had quite a scary experience with one of my day job customers. I'd suspected for a while she may have been showing early signs of dementia, but she unfortunately proved me right in spectacular fashion. That stuff really erodes people in the saddest way imaginable, and just destroys or re-writes who they are. I cannot imagine having to live with or care for a family member suffering with that condition.

Manly hugs to both of you.

[SuperSurfer]

Many thanks for all the kind words everyone. It's a sister in law that I'm most concerned about. She has taken the loss of her father particularly badly. My mother-in-law and two of her daughters became more or less full-time carers who also run a small business so they were at full stretch. I read an article recently that suggested 40% of family members who are unofficial carers suffer from depression and I think that was already the case here (as well as other factors I won't mention).

Yes HdE, Alzheimer's is cruel beyond belief. I am realising it's far more common than I thought – which is damn scary.

No probs about the ribbing CFM. This drawing lark is becoming harder and harder to make time for. I usually take some time out from whatever I am doing to scrawl something for the art comps. Sunday night I carried on working to 6:40am. My Mrs' alarm went off within seconds after I got to bed. And that was on a work morning. Something needs to change round these parts.

And sorry about losing your friend CL2000. It takes time to come to terms with losing someone close.

[Hawkmumbler]

I'm incredibly sorry for your current position, SS. Hopefully, with time, wounds will heal.

And just to drag my petines down a bit here's my grip for the day. All subscriptions through apple have seen a price increase. Buggering, buggerations.

[The Legendary Shark]

There was a report on Radio 4 yesterday (You and Yours, I think) concerning Apple. A gentleman died, leaving everything, including his Apple phone and accounts, to his only son. The son has been trying for months to get Apple to cancel his deceased father's accounts and whatnot so he could use the 'phone himself. Apple demanded the death certificate, a copy of the will and God knows what else, which the son dutifully provided. But Apple still refused to do anything (presumably in the hope that he'd eventually give up and have to buy a replacement 'phone) until, of course, they got a call from Radio 4.
.
It seems to me that you never really buy an Apple 'phone and that the money you fork out is little more than a one-off rental charge.

[TordelBack]

It seems to me that you never really buy an Apple 'phone and that the money you fork out is little more than a one-off rental charge.

This isn't far from the truth.  However, the fact is that this system (and those of other manufacturers) allows you to have the use of an incredibly powerful miniaturised computer, communications center, multimedia and entertainment console, high spec camera and business tool, the like of which none of us could really have imagined 20 years ago.  Not to mention a potent symbol of status and fashion, for those who give a toss. 

Without the clever backloaded nature of payments and advertising/data collection clawback, the cost of buying these devices outright would be beyond almost all of us.  And yet because of the widespread adoption that the pose-now pay-forever model facilitates, trickledown products like my tiny contract-free Samsung Neo Pet cost me €40 outright and about €10 a month to run, and does more tricks than I'll ever need. 

[Jim_Campbell]

Without the clever backloaded nature of payments and advertising/data collection clawback, the cost of buying these devices outright would be beyond almost all of us.

Worth mentioning that Apple were fucking idiots in the case to which TLS refers. It appears their customer service guys may have had their head stuck in a set of T&Cs defined by Californian law which bore no resemblance to the legal requirements in the UK — whatever the reasons, it was bloody awful customer service.* The man in question was also being pretty bloody-minded, because he could have taken the phone to pretty much any third-party unlocker who would have done the factory reset he was after.

Cheers

Jim

[TordelBack]

Worth mentioning that Apple were fucking idiots in the case to which TLS refers. It

Apologies, hadn't intended my remarks as a comment on the specific stupidity of that case.  More a reflection on the flipside of the smartphone business model, which is affordable hyper-technology for the average spode.  Remarks with no real place on this thread, really.

[Cyberleader2000]

I have a ear infichion and omg the pain and swelling its like my ear wants to explode and pain killeres are having no efect.

[The Legendary Shark]

Ouch, Cybes - hope it clears up soon.

[Cyberleader2000]

so much pain at most last night I had bursts of 5 to 10 minutes of sleep so now I'm tired and in even more pain. 

[ZenArcade]

Go to your GP, buddy. Z