Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 14th December 2025.

14th December, 2025.

Right … 

I think I know what’s going on.

I updated my operating system, a couple of days ago.

Ever since?

I’ve had issues signing into Blogger.com: and needed to sign into everything, every time I start Safari, after re-starting my machine in the morning.

It’s meant that when I start a post?   I can’t upload photos to it, without having to reset God knows what!

The workaround that I’m using for now … ?

Is simply that I log into the site with Firefox, upload photos, then switch back to Safari.

It’s a right royal pain … 

~≈🦊≈~

About the only thing I can say for certain, though … ?

Is that is the photo uploading problem only happens, only needs the work-around … when I’m adding the first photos!

The next ones, like the ones of the this morning’s gorgeous sunrises?

Aren’t causing issues … !

Why … ?

If I knew that, I possibly wouldn’t have an problem!

~≈📰≈~

14th December, 2025: 10:53

Just as a revision to this post … ?

I’ve contacted Apple’s Support people.

It seems all I had to do to correct the login issue was to make a small change to Safari’s preferences: turning off the ‘Cross-site tracking’ option in Safari>Settings>Privacy.

That seems to have solved the problem, for now: although I don’t know what long term problems may happen, as a result.

Here’s hoping those are minimal.

~≈✔️≈~

Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 14th December 2024

14th December, 2024.

That could be interesting … 

The BBC has announced the release of a re-animated version of classic Dr Who story, The Savages.

Or, at least, the blu-ray version is: it’s available to pre-order on Amazon’s UK branch, and due for an actual release on 24th March, 2025.

Frankly?   That’s something to look forward to.

~≈📀≈~

I use Facebook: and have for many years.

It’s changed, over the years.

You used to able to throw a sheep at people: now you can’t.

That’s possibly a very trivial example.

Something that I had noticed, many years ago, was that Mark Zuckerberg — the site’s owner, and founder — had something of an anti-Trump fell.

But this year?

Has donated money to Trump’s inauguration fund.

I realise businesses like Mate, and FB, have to curry a certain amount of political favour.

But that’s not necessarily something I find comforting.

~≈🕸️≈~

Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 14th December 2023.

14th December, 2023.

I think I can officially say I have a problem

I use a Mac: and have done for a while.

Yesterday?

Whilst my bath was being repaired?

The dratted thing gave out in me.

Its been having issues for a while: kernel panics on restarting, not switching back on after restarts, needing an unexpected fuse change, what have you.

I tried updating it, yesterday: totally forgetting why I hadn't thus far.

Only to find the thing had died.

From the little I could tell ... ?

Something's gone wrong with either the (non-removeable) power cable, or the power button ...

Or -- as the one repairman I've managed to speak to suggested -- the power supply unit, itself.

I'll be blunt, here.

I need that machine working, in order to keep this blog, my YouTube channel, Jude's channels, and my personal life, going: and to access the benefits system, and the tribunals I'm involved with.

If any one can help with the £150 fee the repair shop wants?

I'd be eternally grateful!

~≈†≈~

Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 14-12-2022 — Monkey Planet.

14th December, 2022: Monkey Planet.

Right … 

It’s Wednesday, the middle of the week.

And … ?

We have two more days of strike action by postmen: starting today.

I’m sympathetic: truly.

But … ?

The sorting office strike on Sunday, unmelted snow on Monday and Tuesday?

Meant no post.

Add two more strikes day to that?

That means the sixty-seven pounds worth of fuel voucher is going to take longer to get here.

My sympathy … ?

Is starting to feel pushed.

~≈¥≈~

My nephew, Jude?

Usually head’s over on Tuesdays: although he didn’t, yesterday.

The roads around here are a little too hazardous, right now.

He did manage to ask me to post this video: 

So feel free to hit ‘Like’ … !

~≈¥≈~

Talking of videos?

I’ve finally finished watching the last episode of The Abominable Snowmen.

The written — and badly punctuated — review is here.

It’s video equivalent?

Is here⇩:

It’s just a screaming shame The Abominable Snowmen will be the last reconstructed story for some time.

~≈¥≈~

Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 14-12-2021: Would You Like To Fly … ?

14th December, 2021.

Hmmm … 

I think I have a rat problem.   An on-going rat problem.

At least, going by the half eaten apples I’ve found.

To the point I’ve had to contact me landlord, about it.   Again.

As far as I can tell, no-one else in the building is having a problem, this time around: which normally means Clarion would refuse to do anything.

They take the view that if a pest is only affecting my flat, it’s something I have to deal with.

If it’s something affect the communal areas?   They’ll send out a pest controller.

I’ve managed to persuade them the worker they sent out, last time, hadn’t blocked the holes the rats were getting in through.

Hopefully, that shouldn’t take two many visits.

~≈Ê≈~

You notice I say ‘only affecting my flat’ … ?

Under Clarion’s own rules, if the rat is just in my flat, it’s something I’d have to deal with, myself.

Knowing that?   I emailed Essex Country Council, to see if they could send anyone out.

They told me to check with Brentwood Council.

Something it seems at least one neighbour had already tried.

It turns out Brentwood Council no longer have a pest control unit.

What you’re supposed to do if you’re on a low income, and can’t afford a professional rat catcher, or afford the fine for having pests on your property?

Brentwood Council doesn’t say.

Any suggestions … ?   Would be welcome.

~≈Ê≈~

Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 14-12-2020: Alabama Song

14th December, 2020.

It’s officially official.

I’m in a mild rush.

I’ve got an engineer down to install software on the by now notorious laptop.

At ten.

And I’ve got a phone meeting with my Shaw Trust meeting.

At ten.

I’ll get the hang of this diary thing, I swear blind!

~≈Ê≈~

Just as a quick thought?

David Cornwell has died: of pneumonia, at the age of 89.

If you don’t know the name?

You’ll know him under his pen name: John Le Carré.

I’ve only read three of his works: The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy*, and The Honourable Schoolboy.   But with their deeply ambiguous tone?   A tone unlike Fleming or Forsyth?   They are quite something to read.

Possibly now is a good time to read A Legacy of Spies, the last of Le Carré’s novels.

It seems only right.

~≈Ê≈~

Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 14th December, 2019

14th December, 2019

Right … It’s the last weekend before the last week of my course.

And … ?

Well, I’m looking forward to finishing it.

It’s been nice to get out of the house to do something productive.

Or vaguely productive.

At any rate, I now have a couple of days free: and can get on with my laundry.

Now … 

Does anyone have an ice box?

I think I’m going to need to defrost my fridge.

~≈¥≈~

WarGames: A Review

14th December, 2018.

I think we can safely say I’m … 

Slightly tired.

Yes: slightly tired seems to be the phrase.

At least … going by that introductory video, there.

You don’t think I’m over-doing the pseudo-Max-Headroom scratch video thing, there, do you … ?

I hope not.

But … ?

Well, look at it this way, I hope not!

At any rate, I think I have something of a confession to make.

I’m out of work, right now: as you possibly know.

And struggling to keep occupied.

It helps that TV box Sets, and movies are relatively easily got.

As is my media collections.

There’s always something in there that’s worth watching.

Some time back … ?

One of those films was the last film to ever star Natalie Wood: called Brainstorm.

I’d suggest seeing Brainstorm: it’s possibly the only film I know of that predicted the future.

To cut a long story short, I’d watched Brainstorm not long after publishing a Teaser about CompuServe, the first commercial internet: so it showed an unfamiliar public how a networked computer could be used to talk to others, damage computer controller factories and watch porn on a computer.

Years ahead of when people started to do so.

I thoroughly enjoyed that night.

But remember comparing Brainstorm to a couple of other films of the time: Tron and WarGames.

With the amount of free time on my hands?

I thought watching one of the two seemed the right thing to do.

See if you can guess which one I went for … 

~≈§≈~

Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 14-12-2018: International Monkey Day

14th December, 2018.

I have to admit, last night was quiet.

Well, it would be.

My social diary isn’t exactly overloaded, at the moment.

The one thing I have managed to do, after sorting out laundry, teasers, and job hunting?

Was catch some TV.

Yep, I’ve catch the last episode of the first series of El Ministerio del Tiempo: La leyenda del tiempo.

That is one hell of a series!

~≈§≈~

So that’s THAT … 

My plan for the day, though … ?

Includes the usual job-hunting, chasing funding for the drivers license … 

And waiting for interviewers to cue up.

Not that there’s been much of that, but that’s always the way of it.

What gets me … ?

Is the fact I put in for a job at a well known book-makers, a day or two ago.

Which — after doing their evaluation test — I didn’t get.

Hmmm … 

I’ve had a few good calls.

And a few bad emails.

But it strikes me I failed the latter part of the test: where you have to pick which actions you feel are the preferable ones.

Hmmm … 

I’m thinking twenty odd years of customers services obviously doesn’t clue you up for this sort of thing.

~≈§≈~

Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 14-12-2017: Venus

Good lord … 

It’s true … 

It’s been six months since Grenfell Tower went up in smoke: the Memorial is being held today

That fire saw the deaths of seventy-one people: with the survivors still (mostly) un-rehomed, and traumatised.

Personally?

I can remember seeing Grenfell go up, on the news: and being deeply shocked by it.

After all, there were people in there.

Right now?

I can only hope the service being held help those survivors find some closure.

I suspect it won’t.

I suspect nothing will.

Bar — possibly — an enquiry result that really helps find out what happened.

And the survivors being re-homed in their area: soon‡.

~≈Ê≈~

Krampus — A Review … !

14th December, 2016.

It’s not THAT often that I’ve had time to myself.

Work, more work, shopping, pressie wrapping … 

Oh … and stuff … !

Lots of stuff, in theory, any way.

Oh … and writing for Nik Nak’s Old Peculiar … 

Amazing how what started as something to advertise a pub quiz can morph in to something of a passion.

But there we go.

I’ve a couple of nights off a week: One of which I tend to spend, writing … 

And another … ?

Another that I tend to want to either watch some TV: BBC3’s Class has been a recent favourite.

And frankly?   I’ve still got season 3 of The Strain, and the first season of Mr Robot lined up, too.

Though these are things for another time, maybe.

At any rate, tonight, I wanted to catch a movie.

To be more specific, I had — and wanted to see — the chance to catch something that’s been in my collection for a while, now.

The 2015, Michael Dougherty directed, Krampus.

And yes … 

Fun is a good word to apply.

~≈fl≈~

Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 14-12-2016

Right … 

I’ve done it!

I’ve officially wrapped everything.

Present wise, that is.

And  I’ve managed to deliver at least least one: the office Secret Santa pressie.

A LOT of Maltesers, and a couple of films — in digital form — on a USB stick.

After all … 

You can’t have too many USB sticks … 

~≈É≈~

Troll Hunter: How to have fun in the Norwegian Backwoods …

14/12/2012.

You know … 

I like watching movies.

Really.

And, BOY, I’m thankful I had enough in my iTunes account to rent one.

I think tonight’s news from the USA — about the Sandy Hook school shootings — definitely left me felling I’d rather not be watching the news.

So I’m hoping you’ll excuse me after what — for me — is a long day, if I hit the sack.

And carry on — in the morning — telling you about the film I saw, tonight, the 2010, André Øvredal directed, Troll Hunter.

15/12/2012.

And I think I can safely say — after sleep, tea and taking in the news — I’ve got my proverbial head together.

I think I needed it: lord along knows what 27 families in Newtown, Connecticut, need.

So, before moving on … ?

I’m going to offer my condolences to those who’ve lost children and loved, yesterday: and hope the USA decides toughening its gun laws makes sense.

Paul, enough!

Let’s tell people about the movie …

≤≤·≥≥

Yes, I should, shouldn’t I … ?

Here goes.

The André Øvredal directed film, Troll Hunter, sees a group of college students — Thomas (Glenn Erland Tosterud), Johanna (Johanna Mørck), and their cameraman Kalle (Tomas Alf Larsen) — film a student project that initially follows bear hunters in the Norwegian backwards.

Where it gets strange …

Is when they first encounter Hans — played by noted Norwegian comedian, Otto Jespersen* — who they believe to be a bear poacher.

Following him, they find out they’re wrong.

Hans isn’t hunting bears.

Oh no …

He’s in the front line in the hunt for much bigger prey.

One that’s moving out of its usual territory … and has more problems than you think …

≤≤·≥≥

Now, you’re probably looking at me and wondering whether I enjoyed myself with Troll Hunter, last night.

Absolutely … !

OK, granted it’s not perfect: that ‘found footage’ style is going to possibly annoy at least one person I know.   And subtitled film — whoever good — aren’t everyone’s cup of tea.

None-the-less, Troll Hunter is an unrepentant gem of a film: nicely written, beautifully put together and with a bone-dry sense of humour.

Troll Hunter is certainly worth catching … !

Troll Hunter

★★★☆

*        Going by his Wikipedia entry, Jespersen’s a touch … ahhh … a touch radical.   The NEAREST equivalent I could think of would be — in an English language version of the film — to cast Stephen Fry or Lenny Bruce in the role.   Or possibly Warren Mitchell in full-on Alf Garnett mode …