Iain

As far as I know, satellite internet connection recieves via satallite, and sends via phone line, so that doesn't help... (the insurance aspect amuses me - I think there is probably nothing you can do that won't invalidate your insurance, according to "forum wisdom")... 

I think the most important thing on using the "layered" stuff is the fitting - ie make sure all the edges are airtight, using batten, and leave a "static" air gap (minimum 20mm I think) between the insulation and the plasterboard. Also be wary of the metallic joining tape - it comes unstuck after a couple of weeks, so really needs a batten along all these joins as well. With regards to price, it's worth waiting untill it goes on promotion at one of the bricos, when it does seem to be significantly cheaper than elsewhere, whether that's the 9 layer stuff or the 15. Iain

I'd be very interested in the answer to this - I too am looking for a way to work part time, but legally. And ideally with the "burden" on me, as opposed to whoever I worked for... ie if someone asks me to paint a wall, I don't want to have to ask him to obtain a cheque d'emploi from wherever first, because they probably won't, they'll just get someone else to do it...

[quote user="Jonzjob"]It's quite simple for me, I like what I have seen in IE7 and I didn't take to the little bit I saw of Firefox. No bitchyness, just my opinion, which I am entitled to. It may change because I observe, compare and make my own decision. (oh for those bluudy smilies!) But IE7 is NOT going to go away whether you like it or not. Very simple![/quote] Jonzjob - you should know by now that on this forum you are NOT entitled to your own opinion. [:D]

[quote user="Deimos"]John is right - it isn't going to go away because you ignore it. I have not looked in detail at Firefox 2 but the main new features seem to be a "catch-up" to IE7 (i.e. matching rather than exceeding IE7). How the "market share" will then balance out when both are out will be difficult to predict. I actually have something of a natural bias against Microsoft (people on this forum have accused me of being a Microsoft hater several times), but I do prefer IE7 to Firefox 1.5 (much quicker and more secure). Ian[/quote] oooooohhhh... hang on - the best features of IE7 were already in Firefox before IE7 was a twinkling in MS's eyes, weren't they?...! (Isn't it funny how people get bitchy about IE/Firefox or Windows/Linux?.............. okay, it's just me then... [8-)])

Avast (in my very humble opinion) is even smoother... as well as free... and it looks better [geek]. But I wouldn't know if it's technically better than AVG...

Probably not related (I wouldn't recognise an oak tree 'till it started chucking conkers at me) but there seems to be a lot on the internet about "sudden oak death" - type it into Google and you'll see what I mean... but as I say, I have no idea if it's relevant to your situation.

Hi, You could buy a ethernet card for the PC (around €10) and see if it works with that... Older PCs (I think generally over - what - 5 years old?)  had slower USB ports than more moden ones. This could be the problem. Would have to agree with previous poster - a Livebox is possibly a bit of an overkill for her situation. Iain

From anecdotal evidence, the performance of flues seems to vary a lot between specific locations/installations; I would imagine though that the taller the chimney, the more the requirement for insulation, as the flue will cool more & more as it goes up. Personally I wouldn't use any insulation unless you find the flue starts getting clogged. Just capping the top of the chimney may stop enough heat escaping to prevent build up of soot in the flue. This is just my personal opinion - I'm certainly no expert. Iain

Actually what I don't understand is what the criteria is - eg on Skype website I just changed my "country" to France (was UK - not sure why) and it seemed happy with that... so if I'm in the UK perhaps I could change my (Skype) country to France, and get free calls to France... But perhaps I'd need to overide my IP address also... [8-)] Without turning this into an IT thread (!) maybe someone who has the time could do a bit of testing... Then again, normal Skypeout is so cheap anyway, why bother...! Iain

[quote user="Eslier"]As Ian says, the advantage does swing either way but I would say that Mozilla have had the edge in recent times despite a few problems. I see that Firefox-2 is not far off full release with the 2.RC3 Beta version currently available for download. The finished version should enable them to stay ahead of the game.  Has anyone here tried the v2 Beta ? [/quote] Hi, I'm currently using Firefox 2 (RC3) - only for the last couple of days - without problems. The only (slightly) annoying thing is that not all the extensions/add-ons work with it yet, but I expect they'll all get updated for the new version soon. I'll have to see if it works on the sites where previously it didn't... Having said that, I use IE Tab extension anyway, which means you can set specific sites to use the ie7 renderer inside firefox (in other words, you get the best of both worlds. In my opinion. Maybe too much hassle for some.) I was tempted to go back to ie7, but I'd miss the add-ons too much. Iain

Apparently, calls from Skype to France landlines are now free, until the end of the year... http://www.skype.com/intl/fr/illimite/ Iain

Why do the posts stop when it starts getting interesting?!

Chris, Out of interest, is that what you use yourself? I'd be interested to hear how it performs (and how much hassle it is/isn't). Iain

I think the only difference between a Sky and and a French satellite decoder is that you can get channel 4, 5, and Film 4 on a Sky box, not on a "normal" French one. (Maybe other channels, I don't know). And you need to pay £20 for a veiwing card for Sky if Sky is what you choose... (sent to UK address only). Iain