Socks: Mouseworks Dynamic Cardboard Redesign and Basic Tunneling

[Maz]

Yes I remember dial up! If you don't mind me asking, how much do you pay for broadband at the moment? I know prices vary quite a lot and maybe £37 is expensive for mifi. I imagine in London, that many providers have issues as they have a bigger network, so the mifi might cut through that What you could do, as a back up, is have a spare pay as you go sim from another network, so if the mobile broadband ever went down, you could just swap the sim card temporarily to another network The mifi unit isn't locked to a particular network.

There are also some broadband packages that have mifi as a backup, built in - ie a sim card in the standard wifi router. I know BT has one - not sure about others. BT aren't always the cheapest though.

 

[Maz]

Or - if the mifi was on a different network to your phone, you could always put your phone sim in it as an emergency back up and use the data from that! The phone should still work but on wifi only.

 

[Socks' Mum]

Wonderful ideas Maz, thank you. You know your data stuff inside out! My iPad batteries were fading so much I scrapped it. Now I'm looking for a tablet. The BT backup sounds really good, I will look into that. My broadband bill is £29 a month until October. Then the contract expires and I think it will go up, but I'm not sure how much. It sounds like it will be the same as the Mifi. My Virgin bill was £40 something, so not cheap. It's a business keeping the prices down. Competition doesn't seem to have done much for data bills

 

[Socks' Mum]

Mom: Half an hour before bedtime I started to thinking I wish Socks would come out for a run now. We've missed each other over the past couple of nights.
Socks: I got up for a spin on my wheel and there was Mom, staring into the cage
Mom: This happens quite often. I wonder if I release a sociable pheromone that Socks picks up. He jumped off his cage wheel and hurried to the cage door to catch his hamster taxi.
Socks: I find it easier to use my playpen wheel when I have company

 

[Maz]

Wonderful ideas Maz, thank you. You know your data stuff inside out! My iPad batteries were fading so much I scrapped it. Now I'm looking for a tablet. The BT backup sounds really good, I will look into that. My broadband bill is £29 a month until October. Then the contract expires and I think it will go up, but I'm not sure how much. It sounds like it will be the same as the Mifi. My Virgin bill was £40 something, so not cheap. It's a business keeping the prices down. Competition doesn't seem to have done much for data bills

Apparently Vodafone do a broadband plan that includes a mobile backup option as well - not sure of the cost as you need to put an address in to check. But - any new broadband plan, you're tied in for two years, so then if it starts having problems you're stuck with hassle. So on that basis the mifi might be worth doing - just month by month

 

[Maz]

Mom: Half an hour before bedtime I started to thinking I wish Socks would come out for a run now. We've missed each other over the past couple of nights.
Socks: I got up for a spin on my wheel and there was Mom, staring into the cage
Mom: This happens quite often. I wonder if I release a sociable pheromone that Socks picks up. He jumped off his cage wheel and hurried to the cage door to catch his hamster taxi.
Socks: I find it easier to use my playpen wheel when I have company

Socks is very lucky and spoiled to be allowed to get out during the night!

 

[Socks' Mum]

That's interesting, thanks Maz. I looked at BT, the plan sounds really good, it starts up quickly and apparently you don't really have any downtime as it immediately logs you on to the backup SIM. Vodafone might be more affordable. Yes, the contracts do go on for a long time. I remember when I had Three long ago I had to phone the company to end the contract and the person I spoke to during a very long and expensive call was very resistant to closing my account. It was horrible. Since then I have had a few contracts with Virgin and BT and the service has improved considerably, so a two year contract shouldn't be a prison sentence, but the freedom of Mifi, especially with a decent 5G connection would be great. Perhaps the new technology isn't popular with the companies as long contracts are more profitable. I need to change from Sky soon anyway as my contract is going to end soon and there is no advantage to staying as the price just creeps up. It's a sort of merry go round going from one company to another.

 

[Maz]

Definitely shop around! If the BT one or Vodafone ones aren't too expensive, and you don't mind signing up for two years, then it would be the best of both worlds - having the mobile backup via the router.

 

[ilguy]

Good ol Socks, just knowing when you're going to appear. Is breakfast time super serious business for Socks too?

Wow, those prices are unthinkable in the States. It's funny how everything is inflated here, including salaries. I've looked at some job postings in the UK and marveled how much lower the same work pays there. But if the cost of living and other necessities is also cheap seems to fit.

 

[Socks' Mum]

By breakfast time Socks is asleep and I am staggering around He takes to his bed at about 4am after pouching some food for the day. Dayie day Socks

 

[Socks' Mum]

Housing in the UK can be tricky, I think. Yes, companies want their profit. I think American society might be a bit more outgoing and friendly though

 

[ilguy]

Housing in the UK can be tricky, I think. Yes, companies want their profit. I think American society might be a bit more outgoing and friendly though

Definitely more outgoing and less reserved. It used to be very friendly, past few years that's changed unfortunately. I''ve really liked the few Brits I've met in Chicago, always very polite and pleasant

 

[Maz]

We vary As in any country there are good people and not so good people!

 

[Socks' Mum]

Mom: I was lucky and saw Socks come out to pouch his dinner just now
Socks: I looked behind me and there was Mom, staring through the bars
Mom: We missed each other last night I tried the telepathy trick, but I didn't really want to do the playpen, I wanted to sleep.
Socks: the other night I waited at about 10pm human time
Mom: I was listening for the sound of Socks' wheel, but he was sitting next to the door waiting for me.
Socks: At last she saw me, and said,
Mom: Oh Socks, how long have you been waiting there, oh, I'm sorry
Socks: I took the tube to the playpen
Mom: Socks had a nice run around. It's nice at this time of night. He's still speedy, although his fur is grey and tousled in places

 

[Maz]

I think at his age, all hamsters have a right to be a bit tousled at times

 

[Socks' Mum]

&: Yes, we think so too

 

[Socks' Mum]

Mom: We missed each other for a couple of nights.
Socks: Last night Mom saw me waiting by the door and offered me a ride on the hamster tube.
Mom: There he was waiting for a trip to the playpen He must be disappointed when he doesn't get out.
Socks: Mom was snoozing. I went and sat at the seed bar for a while and had a short in-cage run, but it's not as nice as having company
When I was young I could climb right up to the roof. I can still manage a chin up from my platform into the doorway, but it's an effort.
Mom: I try to intercept with the tube.
Socks: "Mind the gap"
& :

 

[Maz]

Aw he sounds to enjoy his routine

 

[Socks' Mum]

Socks: The great Mom-clean happened last week I'm sure there will be a proportion of jumbling again soon.
Mom: Socks went back to sleep in his carrier and I carefully looked under his platform at his nest. I could see his little round sleeping space and lots of food stashed right in front of it, with a big pecan nut on top. Either he didn't have the energy to bury it, or had wanted it handy. His loo was further away, tidy but smelly. Being a bit older (I think he was born in August) he probably likes living in a smaller set up. Behind his little bed was a sort of storage place, like a tiny pantry, where he had several neatly stacked pieces of dandelion root which I had broken into pieces for easier pouching, and a supply of black sunflower seeds. The shells of the ones he had eaten were in front of his bed. Perhaps he whiles away the small hours of the day and night nibbling on his favourite snacks, dropping shells in the passage way
Mom did put things back, but it was rather untidy and it took me awhile to find things
We had a nice time in the play pen last night. I did quite a lot of running on my wheel and round the pen.
Mom: Autumn would be an important time for gathering a food store before winter and I think hamsters may have a bit more energy at this time.

 

[Maz]

Aw Socks sounds very neat and tidy and the pecan nut sounds very special so had to have pride of place! His play pen time sounds lovely