Thanks for the advice.
Lenovo do seem to offer pretty good value, the one I was looking at I5, 8gb, 512ssd and only £550. More than enough for my modest use. Just wasn’t sure on the privacy issues. Couldn’t see any red flags either on line or through the answers here, speaking to one or two others far more knowledgeable than me suggests they aren’t any worse than other brands.
So it’s now sat on my lap. Fingers crossed.
Cheers all.
did you buy a bollock shield?
Oh shit, do I need one?
depends on how hot the lappy gets
Does anyone really put a laptop on their lap?
Yes, me, all of the time.
You live in the frozen North, all forms of heat must be exploited!
Do you keep calculators in your pockets?
It’s 7c here atm. According to XC Weather it’s 1c in Brighton.
Good job I live in Hove actually!
(it is 1 deg here as well 
)
Rarely gets as low as that here. Ave low for January is 4c
I don’t think it is that cold, far nippier than last week, but my flat was 17 deg when I came in from work and the heating hadn’t been on at all.
I very rarely have to scrape any widows on the car, it gets far colder at my Dad’s place in South London.
I think the land benefits from the proximity of the relatively warmer sea
Yes, of course. It was much the same in Hartlepool. Always much colder in Durham.
Shetland has a temperate maritime climate. Frosts are rare.
Gets fucking blowy though!
Do you scrape many off the car?
Depends how fast they can run