Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 4-1-2026 — Burj Khalifa

4th January, 2026: Burj Khalifa.

It’s officially Sunday morning … and?

I’m up, about and cold! 

But, more importantly, very aware it’s colder, outside.

As I write?

The BBC’s Weather website is telling me it’s -3ºC, out.

I’m grateful I’m indoors: my thermostat’s telling me it’s 21°C!

Warmer than outside … although my feet are complaining it’s nippy!

I’m just grateful I’m not next door to an old friend: who lives in Finland.

She’s just told me it’s -16°.

‘Nippy’ is possibly not the word … !

~≈🥶≈~

I mentioned, yesterday, that the US President was bombing Caracas, the Venezuelan capital: in a move I felt was an illegal act of military aggression.

You’re supposed to declare war before you do these things: and have a pretence of an excuse for doing so, if nothing else.

Former president Obama did, when US special forces violated foreign soil, to kill Osama bin Laden: the Bin Laden had organised the 9/11 World Trade Centre attacks.

The 47th President’s excuse?

Was that Venezuelan President Maduro was a drug trafficker, and should face US justice on US soil.

The US President also says the US is going to ‘run’ Venezuela for the interim: until stable government can be formed.

I’m angry.

The US President has violated US history — a history fighting for its independence from an empire, from Britain, its history of fighting evil regimes — by kidnapping a foreign leader, and attempting to take over that leader’s country.

Behaving as badly as some of the regimes it’s fought, and breaking laws it helped set.

And behaving like the sort of empire it’s always claimed not to be.

Personally?

I believe the 47th president of the USA is several things.

But I’ll let you use your preferred insults, about now: I’ll start with the words ‘evil’ and hypocritical, and work my way up.

~≈🤬≈~

Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 3rd January 2026

3rd January, 2026.

I took photos, earlier: just so I could show you something.

Yes: my street’s had official snow!

Which looked nice, but felt cold!

On the upside … ?

I — like others — have been officially told I’m to receive a twenty-five pound Cole Weather Payment: one that will take five working days to go through.

The sooner it does, the happier I’ll be … !

~≈🥶≈~

I’ve mentioned, over the past couple of days, the issues I’ve had with my Mac.

An issue with Spotlight seemed to be causing overheating: especially with any number of Pages documents, open.

I attempted to death with it by emptying the caches in the ~/Library/Metadata/Corespotlightfolder.

So far?

That seems to have worked: although I’ve not tried recording video with many Pages documents open.

The one remaining time I’ve had an issue?

Is when using Finder to access my external drives.

Although that only seemed to cause issues, once.

So far?

So good.

But I have a workaround, if needed: and a rough idea — moving my Pages documents from iCloud — of more things I could try.

If needed.

~≈📄≈~

On a related theme?

When diagnosing the corespotlightd issue, I had to restart my Mac in Safe Mode: the mode that turns off extraneous extensions, and disables third-party apps.

To do that on an Apple Silicon Mac, you need to:

• Turn off your Mac.
• Press and hold the power button until the options screen comes up.
• Select your start up disc.
• Press Shift (⇧) to display the ‘Continue in Safe Mode’ button.

Bear in mind I have a Mac keyboard with two Shift keys, one at each end of the relevant row: and that I’m left-handed.

But, like everyone else, I use my off-hand to press Shift.

My right hand, in my case.

So … ?

Pressing the Shift key, the right Shift key, did nothing.

It wasn’t until I thought to try the left Shift key, that I got the ‘Continue in Safe Mode’ message, and was able to proceed.

I swore, a lot.

And am still a touch annoyed about that.

Yes: I know the regular, shorter, Mac keyboards have one Shift key, and that it’s placed on the left to make it accessible to the right handed majority.

But not everyone’s a north paw.

Apple could possibly re-think that bit of design: or update the Logic board!

~≈👎≈~

As I write … ?

Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, is being bombed.

No-one had said why: although CBS News tells us that the 47th President of the USA has ordered it.

It wouldn’t surprise me: given the actions the President has ordered on Venezuelan shipping.

There’s possibly a lot we can say, there.

For a start?

The President is a blatant, two-faced, hypocrite.

Taking military action, military action of possibly dubious legality, whilst trying to broker peace deals between Ukraine and Russia, and between Israel and Hamas.

I know we expect lies and hypocrisy from world leaders.

But … ?

The 47th President is pushing the boat out, along side dropping bombs.

~≈💣≈~

Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 2nd January 2025.

2nd January, 2026.

Right: I wrote, yesterday, that I was having issues with my Mac.

It was overheating, and freezing, when I had a lot of apps open: specifically, a lot of apps, when used with Pages, Apple’s word-processing software.

Or when I have a lot of Pages documents open, some thirty odd, when trying to record a QuickTime video: which normally isn’t an issue.

All I knew for sure … ?

Was Activity Monitor was telling me that processes called corespotlightd and kernel_task were going into overdrive: using up a lot of RAM, and CPU resources, in the processes.

I did a lot of asking around.

Apple’s support line wasn’t especially helpful.

Apple Communities were more useful.

They, and a confirmatory Google search, told me that corespotlightd is the part of Spotlight, the Mac’s onboard search software, that corespotlightd is part of that … 

And that, if the files in corespotlightd’s cache folders go bad … ?

You end up with a look of overheating.

There were — or are, I should say — several solutions.

Most of which involve getting Spotlight to re-index — re-organise — the hard drives.

In my particular case?

That involved opening up the relevant cache folder, ~/Library/Metadata/Corespotlight, then emptying the contents of the folders within it.

Then restarting my machine.

So far … ?

That seems to have solved the problem: although I’ve not used my machine at full pelt.

We’re going to have to see what happens, there.

~≈🍏≈~

Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 1-1-2026 — The Archers (Ten Questions)

1st January, 2026: The Archers.

Right, then: it’s a refreshing start for a whole new year.

At least … we can … if we’re wearing clothes.

Going by the BBC’s weather site?

And a quick check outside?

My home town’s looking, and feeling, cold.

I should be grateful, though.

And old friend lives in southern Finland.

Apparently, it was -17°C, last night.

I should be grateful for heating … 

~≈❄️≈~

Or payments … 

UK benefit claimants had a bit of news, a day or two, ago.

Seemingly?

We should get a cold weather payment of twenty-five pounds: if the overnight weather stays under 0° for seven days in a row.

Assuming the boiler holds out?

I have enough on my meter to survive.

But … ?

I hot the weather holds out: that cash could coming in handy.

~≈💰≈~

I’m a big one for the macOS platform: you’ve possibly worked that out, over the years.

And mostly had a ok time with the platform.

Since the installation of an updated version of the operating system — macOS Tahoe 26·1, to be precise — I’ve notice overheating issues: that seem to be linked to having one or more Pages documents, open.

Linked to processes that Activity Monitor lists as ‘kernel_task’ and ‘corespotlightd’.

Checking with Apple’s support wasn’t helpful: beyond identifying that Pages seemed to be causing the issue, neither was asking on Apple’s support community.

Neither was Macworld’s article on the problem: they’s seemingly simple fix didn’t work.

Quite what’s going on … ?

I don’t know.

But I think it’s something Apple need to sort out: the opinions of a few people I’ve talked to is that it’s an issue with Pages.

And that it’s something Apple needs to sort out.

~≈🍎≈~

Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 31-12-2025 — The Big, Fat Review of 2025.

31st December, 2025: the Review of 2025.

I never thought I’d have to announce the death of a regular commentor on Nik Nak’s Old Peculiar.

But I did, a few weeks ago: whenever I announced the death of Trevor Veail.

As bad tempered and snotty as he could be, some times?

He was an early supporter of both this blog, the live quizzes it was designed to promote, and the questions it was supposed to give away.

His death?

Was sad: and he, himself, will be missed.

The reason I mention this … ?

Is twofold.

His (private) cremation is happening as we speak.

And a memorial site has been set up in his memory, a memorial site you can find, here: 

https://trevorveail.muchloved.com

Feel free to leave a message, there.

~≈✝≈~

One thing I do know … ?

Is that Trevor was a fellow Dr Who fan.

I don’t know if he saw my reviews: but I still have distinct memories chewing over who the Dalek voice was, in the trailer for “The Parting of the Ways”.

But … ?

I’m pretty sure he’d be happy to hear the classic series is being re-released on bluray … and capable of being copied … 

~≈🧑🏼‍⚕️≈~