Computer woes

I've just had phone call about "my computer" telling me that it's infected. OK, right.

Me: Which computer?
Foreign-sounding Guy On Phone: Do you have a computer?
Me: If you don't know if I have a computer, how can you tell me it's infected?

That elicited a load of gobbledegook about viruses from my address - both my IP address and apparently my street address. OK again.

Eventually I said I don't own a Windows computer (I'm a naughty little liar, I am) and he hung up.

It hits hardest because my poor little laptop is off at the manufacturers after completely reinstalling Windows didn't work. It kept freezing even as it was updating Windows. I miss it.

Edited to Add:
Thanks to Richard for this link about the scam: http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2011/09/21/microsoft-dumps-partner-telephone-support-scam/

Can you help me choose a laptop?

Image thanks to ICanHazCheezburger

I'm writing this on a large (18") laptop that is really my Beloved's. When the family pc got too slow for me to use I kind of took over his machine, which is wonderful but awfully heavy.

What I'd like is a small machine that I can take into other parts of the house. I want to be able to play on my laptop in the same room as my Beloved while he's watching cricket or football. I'd like to be able to read ebooks in bed. I might even take the machine to a write-in if I'm well enough.

The 13.3" machines look good because they're mostly small and light but have full size keyboards. Two of the contenders so far are the HP DM4-1050EA which  has a 14" screen but seems lightweight and to have reasonable battery life and the Samsung Q330 Notebook PC. I don't want to spend more than I have to, seeing that I'm not earning.

Some Twitter pals (Pewari and stacy_chambers) have already made great suggestions. The MacBook looks good but a bit too pricey for me. The iPad is also wonderful but I need a real keyboard.

Do you have any thoughts on particular machines, or things to look out for, or places to buy laptops in the UK?

My dongle is broken

My internet has bust. I'm borrowing a connector from my son but only for this morning. Then I'm offline until I can get a new dongle. Just so as you know.

Kittens and exhaustion

We have the kittens. We picked them up yesterday and they cried almost all the way home - an hour's drive or more as it was rush hour.

They're settling in but they are into everything. They run up and down stairs and across the kitchen and hall, chasing each other and play fighting. From time to time they cry out to go home but they will allow us to comfort them. I didn't sleep well and I'm exhausted.

Oh, and my pc hard drive is buggered, so I was without internet for a couple of days. My son has kindly set up one of his pcs for me so at least now I've internet access. He'll recover my data for me once I get a new hard drive. But if you haven't seen me around it's because I wasn't.

I had no computer and I was bored so I wrote some more of my story. Now I know what I can do to make myself write but being cut off from the rest of the world is too high a price to pay.

I'll try and get some pictures up in the next few days, if I can keep my eyes open long enough.