fulcrum

[quote user="ErnieY"]I think it was Norweb who pioneered this technology in the UK about 20 years ago and even up to 2004 there was a lot of interest in it. Although still potentially useful for niche applications I very much doubt it will ever make it to market for Joe Public. http://www.itweek.co.uk/personal-computer-world/features/2045894/power-line-telecoms-mains http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/2754203.stm http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/06/13/hotel_broadband/ [/quote] Ernie Thanks for that. I read through the first article and that was enough to convince me that, in its present form, internet over power lines wont be a feasable option anytime soon.

Although the following link is for the USA I think that power lines could be a viable option in France. http://computer.howstuffworks.com/bpl.htm

Danny I am using a wifi connection from a wifi hotspot to my PC. Because these hotspots dont allow any encription to be used one has to make sure that any passwords etc can be hidden from prying eyes by using https. The problem for me, which IE7 doesnt appear to address, is Firefoxes ability, via a plugin, to stay connected with an https connection when accessing gmail. Even after you have entered your user name and Password. If you try it with IE7 you will find that IE7 switches back to an http connection once you have entered your ID and Password. Thereby exposing your emails to the ether. Edit: Maybe IE7 has a way of handling this too, but I havn't found it.

J and D It may have been written in February 2006 but the bit about using Firefox with Gmail, and securing your WiFi, works today. Edit: Of course if you have a better or more up to date site for this kind of info, then you could post it here.

[quote user="Ron Avery"]"In IE7: if, like me, you frequently print things from web pages" Is it me, but I cannot print a web page using Firefox/right click, I don't get the print page option, so is there another way to print a page apart from using a version of IE? [/quote] If you use Ctrl + P it will bring up the print screen dialogue.

[quote user="sid"] So far I've found no distinct advantages with either product.    Sid [geek] [/quote] Here's one that gives Firefox a big advantage. I too use both but recently have had a need to use an unsecured WiFi access point from a hotel. The following article is well worth a read if you need to use WiFi. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/02/10/wifi/ It is a bit technical but not too much so. But very useful if you are roaming around and need to use WiFi. link made live by a moderator

An interesting video, on ABC news America, about thefts from cars whilst filling your car with fuel. Probably difficult in most French stations. The link is to the page with the item. http://news.yahoo.com/i/2453;_ylt=AlEXcKVc_sH.vZLW6XY4gAmWwvIE

I can only answer one of your questions with a definate answer. The spike, waiting for little fingers to touch, is actually earth and at zero volts, so no danger. The answer to the other question about sockets is that there are double pre-wired sockets but apparently the phase and neutral pins are reversed on one side. For example. The left socket may have the phase on the right (normal for UK and europe) and the right socket may have the phase on the left. It is possible, according to my schemas (diagrams) for France, to have a switch in series with the socket, to provide switching.

[quote user="suzi05"]Our CONSUEL man glanced at the fuse box, stuck a meter in one socket in the lounge, said what a lovely house it was then signed the forms and gave us his e mail address so we could send him photos of said lovely house to show his wife, and in case we wanted any advice in the furture! So much for our panics over whether chases were the exact correct depth / distance from doors etc. Maybe he'd seen so many scary places he was just releived the sockets were actually attached to the walls! filling in the form was the hardest thing for us. suzi www.patiras.com/trinite.htm [/quote] Suzi That brought a smile to my face.

[quote user="Ab"]outlook express loaded by my son -would that be correct[/quote] Ab Sorry for the slow reply but I've been out all day. The reason I asked is because different email software does slightly different things when there is a problem. If you start outlook express and click on the Tools menu and then Accounts you should see your email account in the list. Click on it and then select the Properties button to the right. Select the Servers tab along the top and then ensure that you have, under incoming mail server, the Account Name and the Password filled in. Also tick Remember Password. Someone has posted that you can call an English helpline so you may have already been asked to do what I've just said. Anyway I hope this helps you a bit.

What email software are you using?

[quote user="Tag"]When they came to power so many people saw them as the great new hope for a different type of politics, open, clean, clear. Instead they have shown themselves to be devious, dishonest, double dealing, dodgy dorks.[/quote] Just being politicians. Non? If the conservatives were to win the next election and then govern the country for a ten year period. I can bet that you will be writing the same thing about their term in office. Sad but true.

[quote user="Bugbear"] [quote user="fulcrum"]This is a typical Telegraph attention getter. [/quote] Why say that, I can't believe you actually believe it. Gordon Brown has screwed us for 10 years and 90% has been done in a underhanded way. What the Telegraph has reported is an actual situation. Personally, I hope he gets his just desserts come election time. [/quote] I am not a political animal and wish there was a bunch of people to vote for who aren't going to screw us in some way. All governments will be faced with a huge problem of how to finance pensions for an ever increasing and healthier population. All GB is doing is ensuring that there will be sufficient funds to finance his governments future plans. The conservative government only wish they had someone like Gordon Brown. They too would like to do underhanded things if given the chance. However they are trying to position themselves for re-election and can claim that they haven't done any bad things since errrrmmm 1997. I am not sure that the present government have done everything bad for the British public. Well, apart from screwing us on pensions and the Iraq war. But overall, the ecconomic situation has been pretty good.    

Living in France long term and not speaking English a lot makes you forget how to articulate and phrase things correctly in English. Any English language hawks out there will probably have noticed some glaring errors in the above.  

This is a typical Telegraph attention getter. All governments will try to screw you, by shifting the goal posts, whenever they get the chance. Not just Gordons mob.  [;-)]