Big Finish downloaded
Aug. 6th, 2024 08:18 amDecided to sit up and get all the remaining Big Finish DRM-free files while I still can. These are for nearly 700 audio plays I have bought from Big Finish since 2003. Mostly Doctor Who, but also Torchwood, Sapphire & Steel, Blake's 7 and many more (like a marvellous version of The Box of Delights!). Big Finish have majorly broken their website and app in last week's update. So I don't trust them, and realised I should have backups of everything. Luckily it's feasible for me to do this now, with part fibre speedier broadband. So I've now downloaded 440GB worth of MP3 files and Apple lossless audiobook files. Have started backing them up to our NAS and my desktop Mac. And Martin is going to help me with a Unix-type script to rename the individual audiobook folders to the proper names, rather than their ISBNs they currently have. But phew. Yes, all down. I even in the end went through the achingly slow 140 pages of 5 titles at a time, making sure that I had downloaded everything that I wanted. The site is still a mess. I am still missing some ordered items I should have access to. Especially recent orders. But hey, got what I can for now. Happy!
UK copper phone network switch off
Nov. 17th, 2023 12:56 pmGot a leaflet with the post about coping with power cuts and registering for priority needs help (I did that, years ago). I was wryly amused at the advice to have an analogue phone to plug in if need be during a power cut. Which I don’t think will work when UK copper phone lines are turned off by 2025. Martin didn’t know about that at all. In case anyone else doesn’t here’s a helpful page.
If my 86-year-old mum is still alive then I know she will struggle with this. She has never signed up for broadband or switched to a mobile phone. We also still largely use our landline for incoming calls. I know many people are now primarily mobile phone users, but mobile phone signals can be patchy, especially in rural areas, including much of Scotland. And VOIP doesn't work in power cuts.
If my 86-year-old mum is still alive then I know she will struggle with this. She has never signed up for broadband or switched to a mobile phone. We also still largely use our landline for incoming calls. I know many people are now primarily mobile phone users, but mobile phone signals can be patchy, especially in rural areas, including much of Scotland. And VOIP doesn't work in power cuts.