Wanted to repurpose an old Surface Pro as a music station in my shed (think tech moan vibes). Basically a nice touch interface to access my NAS where I've ripped my CD collection, with an slim external dvd-writer for actual CDs and I also planned to use it for Spotify.

Spent many hours looking at different distros, but getting the touchscreen, Bluetooth and drivers working was not easy. In the end I reverted to windows 11 with de-bloat, and it works great.

Manky as hell. Still, might as well eat it.

At Uni. I'd bought a 64MB MP3 USB player which replaced my mini disc player that got stolen. When buying I hadn't realised how useful it would be for transfering uni work. Plus the uni had a fast connection so we could torrent MP3s real quickly (before they finally woke up and properly locked their machines and network down).

This was the fellow!

https://ebay.io/m/xgXpwb

Sorry, I didn't explain it very well - the default is being removed as well as getting compensation. I wrote them an honest (albeit lengthy) email.

This is a direct quote from their response:

'I've reviewed the outstanding balance and can see it relates to the twelfth and final payment for your 2025-26 policy. This remained unpaid after the Direct Debit instruction was cancelled, which resulted in the payment being returned to you. I've also reviewed the correspondence we sent after the payment became overdue. The balance itself was valid, and we've contacted you by email in line with the communication preference held on your policy. However, whilst our emails explained an outstanding amount was due, they didn't make it clear a missed payment could lead to information being recorded on your credit file. I don't think we provided enough information for you to fully understand the potential consequences of leaving the balance unpaid."

I guess my point was that these dreadful people who masquerade as experts are just tiny, bitter individuals whose advice should be avoided at all costs.

It's wild to me that a customer agent paid by the very company that raised the default had more empathy than the 'community' of self-proclaimed experts I saught guidence from.

Thanks - just read a response to this post from another guy and was getting Reddit PTSD! Cheers for being human.

It was only when I checked my credit file (which I paid for), when the default appeared. My credit score, which I actively monitored through Clear Score, was (and is) conversely quite high, having literally never defaulted on anything until the mistake I inadvertently made. It was life admin gone wrong and owned that. But you're exactly the type of person I was referring to.

Interesting that a multi-billion dollar insurance company could acknowledge that "Whilst I believe the outstanding balance was owed, I don't think our communications adequately explained how this could affect your credit file. For this reason, I'm upholding your complaint." - but this refreshingly common-sense approach fires the mind of weasels like yourself.

I stand corrected.

Before kids and marriage I'd have had a sort of nihilistic "Ah fuck it, you gotta go sometime" attitude and gleefully embraced the chaos.

Now I think id just put on a brave face, protect them as best I can, and weep in private at every opportunity.

I dislike my boss's lack of empathy and autistic-like ways. I have a safe, secure job and I am very fortunate; plus, I have adapted to his ways, so it does not take much effort to navigate at this stage—I have learned to try not to take it personally. However, the clumsy social interactions and irritated hostility he displays irk me. He is a bright guy, but sometimes he is confidently wrong, and then, months later, when a decision he made has a negative impact, he acts like it was not his. In our interactions, he holds the power, and I just kind of wish that the gloves could come off, as they would in a level social situation, where i could retort with impunity and ultimately punch the prick out. Not that violence is ever the answer. But God it would be satisfying.

Honestly, i genuinely believe that social media algorithms are being manipulated by billionaires to push an agenda that saves them from tax or accountability.I am centre left and try to mould fb and insta feeds by specifically flagging content i dislike or dont agree with and it keeps coming back. Some of the insane 'stop the boats' shit i see here in the uk from creators and bots i have never heard of or interacted with in anyway is very, very suspicious.

I was a rolling stone - drifting and drinking aimlessly through my 20s, backpacking, boozing and picking up weird jobs and weird people as I wandered through Europe and south east Asia. Now I'm an IT manager and married with 2 kids, a mortgage and a dog.

Agree. I also think an innocent until proven guilty attitude wouldn't go amiss. Honestly, he's an absolute cunt and I have a strong dislike for him and his manosphere bullshit. I think grifters like him are harmful and absolutely worthy of our collective disdain and derision. But punishment needs to happen after trial and a proven verdict.