Early Risers.

[BoD]

Morning all

 

I am considering cancelling my Gold membership in order that I too might see these adverts that are providing such interesting diversions.

Who, I wonder,  is going to be first to admit to purchasing any of the offered wares or services?

 

[Tony_S]

10 minutes ago, BoD said:

Morning all

 

I am considering cancelling my Gold membership in order that I too might see these adverts that are providing such interesting diversions.

Who, I wonder,  is going to be first to admit to purchasing any of the offered wares or services?

 

The biggest ad on my page today is from Pocketmags and yes, I have ordered online magazines from them occasionally. 

[Barry O]

BoD on my PC the ad is for Linden Homes Pontefract  and no we won't be moving to Ponte or Casvegas any time soon...

 

The ones at the side are Kruer Dirndl (womans clothing) and  MANDMDIRECT - shoes and leisure ware.. just look at what you are missing..NOT!!

 

Baz

[bbishop]

We are forbidden from using the "Q" word within the LAS.  But yesterday it was, with about half a dozen calls all day.  I'm not allowed to log into an external site on a LAS computer but can look off line.  So I spent most of the shift following RMWeb and ER in particular; just couldn't join in.

 

Well, I got my spin off quiz wrong, Bristol does/did have two and Exeter four, but Glasgow has/had three.

 

Bill

[The Lurker]

Greetings all from the fold in the hill which once more is finding itself robed in sunshine.

 

The street echoes to the dulcet tones of the binmen today.

 

The weekend has been quiet - not a lot done apart from a bit of gardening and mowing the lawn, and now we are back to work. We are waiting to find out the arrangements for the return to school. We know it will be one week on one week off but and possible staggered times but nothing more. Hopefully Mrs Lurker's attendance times will combine conveniently with Younger Lurker's.

 

And now on to the next in the list of albums that have influenced me:

 

6. "Rum, & The Lash" - The Pogues. This opened my eyes to more of the celtic vibe, leading eventually to an appreciation of such bands as the Waterboys, the Men They Couldn't Hang, and others.. There are some good tales of the seamier side of life, and of course a cover of "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda", a meditation on the futility of the first world war if ever there was one, and "Dirty Old Town". The original vinyl has the collaboration with the Dubliners on the "Wild Rover" but this is missing from y CD version, although there are some other excellent bonus tracks.. 

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Managing with the back up computer but there's still a lot of stuff on the old computer that I will need to access at some time in the future. In fact this computer is in many ways better than the old one. I should have used the external hard drive that I have still unused in its box awaiting a round tuit, I think my old computer has had its day, hopefully when the computer shop is open I can get it sorted. Now to spend a bit more time sorting out the garden shed, I have to do it in short spurts before the hay fever kicks in.

[tigerburnie]

2 hours ago, roundhouse said:

. The other thing I don't like is the smoking of illegal substances by the side of the flats just over the fence. One reason that I didn't do much  gardening yesterday.

You could just "grass" them up to the fuzz...………….man

[PhilJ W]

Nearly forgot, I'm getting mens clothing ads on the side bar now, only thing is they are more for 17 year olds rather than 71 as I am.

[MichaelE]

My first day back at work after holiday was yesterday. It was as I expected. Freight everywhere that no one bothered to inventory or stock. Product thrown into my storage bins with no inventory label, some of it didn't even belong in those bins, and other product shoved in the front of different product.

 

I just wanted to march right back to the time clock, punch out, and go home. I don't know where they find these rocket scientists they hire.

 

Maybe today will be better. I still have a mess to clean up though, but hopefully will be left alone long enough to finish the job.

[tigerburnie]

1 hour ago, bbishop said:

 

Well, I got my spin off quiz wrong, Bristol does/did have two and Exeter four, but Glasgow has/had three.

 

Bill

I've just checked on Wiki...…………………….it doesn't appear to be earthquakes...…………………………...

[Coombe Barton]

1 minute ago, PhilJ W said:

Nearly forgot, I'm getting mens clothing ads on the side bar now, only thing is they are more for 17 year olds rather than 71 as I am.

You could wear them back to front

[MichaelE]

1 minute ago, PhilJ W said:

Nearly forgot, I'm getting mens clothing ads on the side bar now, only thing is they are more for 17 year olds rather than 71 as I am.

 

Ad Blocker+ and Ghostery will stop that. All of it.

[The Stationmaster]

Morning all,

 

The sun is shining again and desert like levels of precipitation are forecast for the remainder of this month.   Much garden watering is taking place and it might be time to broach the 1,000 gallon rain water tank sitting beneath the back garden but I do prefer to keep that in reserve for the arrival of hosepipe bans (which will presumably be introduced to try us once the novelty of lockdown reduction has worn off).  

 

Yesterday's trip out with Mrs Stationmaster more or less repeated the previous days with the Good Doctor but with two variants - I went direct from Chinnor to Thame via what turned out to be a very nice, fast, B road and I called in at The Crazy Bear at Stadhampton.  The restaurant there was of course firmly closed but the animals were still there to show where their pork and lamb come from.  I don't what they do with the goats but they are ideal for curry of course and presumably the llamas are their solely for entertain moment as they've never appeared on the menu in the past.  Anyway the farm shop was open so it was given a bit of custom although their offering of something called a 'beef pasty' contained carrot - a major error of course and it made a break in the drive.  The final part of the homeward drive was somewhat deflated by the presence of a rozzermobile who was obviously enjoying himself sticking very strictly to all the dafter limitations of speed.  Finally we came through the town where it was clear that the grockles were out in force and in whom the comprehension of 2 metres was largely totally lacking - or maybe they think a metre is 100 millimetres?  There was a noticeable powered boat presence, including one gin palace, on the river although on checking the latest list of restrictions showed that they had not been entirely lifted so presumably amateur gin place navigators are fairly incompetent as well and don't bother with the riverine equivalent of NOTAMs.  It will be most amusing to hear if any have run aground in places where the buoys marking the long undredged build up of gravel have reportedly been washed away down stream.

 

Now back to the quiz. '60103' David is wrong with cabinet ministers.  Although (now some way back) KZ's initial ruminations hit two very relevant spots but alas he went on to ignore looking further on both or for any relationship between them and took a misdirected path with one of them.

 

Tomorrow we should have been back on the briny for a week of riotous living eating and drinking with plenty of sea to see and proper job breakfasts a mere order to the steward away.  However things are seemingly running true to form because the original programme - against which we booked - said 'West Coast for the week starting tomorrow and the ship is currently heading for Harwich.  i might even cobble together a virtual version for the coming week although taht would need constant attention to AIS to capture the ship's every move most of what the ship does.

 

Enjoy the rest of your day one and all and stay safe while all around seem to be going off their heads.

[The Stationmaster]

7 minutes ago, MichaelE said:

 

Ad Blocker+ and Ghostery will stop that. All of it.

So does RMweb Gold membership.

[iL Dottore]

12 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

There is a tipping point where the cost of managing design variants for a superfluity of options exceeds the material costs of simply installing them in all units shipped, resulting in things like intermittent wipers no longer being optional.

 

A simple installed / not installed model for options will result in 2 ^ n variants (if I've got that right) where n is the number of options.  If there were 10 options, it results in more than 1,000 design variants (1,024) to manage in the assembly and distribution processes....

11 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Because of the variant management process it would indeed cost more. It is why cars are sold with 'bundles' of 'upgrades' and relatively few individual options.

Very relevant comments, But I suspect they only apply to Mass Produced cars. I recently saw a documentary on how they made The Maserati Quattroporte. Maserati prided themselves on the fact that they had thousands of option combinations and no two Maserati Quattroporti coming out of the factory were identical. And I understand that is also the case for Rolls-Royce and Bentley  and similar very high end car manufacturers.

Also in the same series of documentaries, they showed how they construct the new electric taxi which London and other cities have started to see in service. What I found absolutely gobsmaking is that the shell of the taxi is made up of aluminium components which are quite literally glued together.  As I understand it, there are many new generation, high-tech glues available that -when set - have a bond that is actually stronger than the material which is being bonded together. Unfortunately, these sort of glues and solvents are only available to very specialised trades (apparently they’re full of extremely nasty chemicals and have to be handled with great care and attention).  Otherwise I would certainly trade in my DIYf store “superglue“ (it isn’t and it doesn’t) for something better

5 hours ago, chrisf said:

...Flavio, it takes a lot of effort to be full of surprises.  If it is surprising that occasionally I like wine with a meal, so be it.  I try to operate on the ‘when in Rome’ principle but I can’t always do it where beer is concerned....

It’s not that it is particularly surprising, the fact that you enjoy wine (I think most of us do) but because in our (very enjoyable) meetings to date, you have come across as a very knowledgeable CAMRA cognoscente. So knowledgeable, that I am inwardly embarrassed to take you to places where Feldschlossen is only beer-like substance on offer. Although Switzerland has many excellent microbreweries, Feldschlossen and Warteck have got the restaurant and bar trade in Switzerland pretty much sewn up between them (with few exceptions - like the microbrewery with bar & restaurant attached you and I went to in Kleinbasel).

Your translation is, how can I put it, almost there. It’s actually a portmanteau word combining the German words for “from Basel”, “local”, “gutedel” (the grape varietal), and “white wine”. As a language, German is great for bolting together descriptive words and nouns to create great new words (think Fliegerabwehrkanonen)

3 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

...I then decided to try and buy one. 1st stop was a DIY place where I was able to order a part for a strimmer but not buy a mask. Then to a hypermarket which had a pharmacy attached. A very helpful pharmacist sold me one for 80 cents. I was really surprised at how self conscious I felt in both stores without a mask. Nothing was said to me but I still felt it.  Welcome to the new normal.

Well, the “new normal” until a vaccine arrives (AstraZenaca is expecting to have one by September - according to a recent press release)

You do see masks being worn, but not regularly in most situations, but is now mandatory at my GP’s surgery and when I go to physiotherapy. If I come without a mask, then they will provide me with one. Hand sanitation is also mandatory.

3 hours ago, AndyB said:

I've yet to fathom why every Saturday afternoonsome people in a nearby road elect to blast music out into the neighbourhood. 

The first time it happened I thought hey-ho live and let live.  

By the 3rd Saturday I was less sanguine. Next Saturday will result in a "tut" and a raised eyebrow. 

I love live music (the 1000W PAs used at concerts, less so), but I utterly loathe listening other people’s recorded music played at ear-splitting volumes. Not just because of the noise pollution, but also because 99.9% of the time, the music being played is so blo0dy awful. I don’t think I have ever thought “why can’t they turn down those s*dding Gregorian Chants” Rap? hip-hop? House? Techno? Many times. As far as I’m concerned back gardens should only be filled with the sounds of the birds and the happy cries of children as they beat each other to a pulp with the blunt end of their teddy bears.

In fact, I am convinced that - should I have the technical skills to manufacture a pen sized, directionally focussed EMP generator I could make a fortune!!! Just imagine the scenario: a bunch of delinquents joy-riding around the quiet back-streets blaring out their “gangsta-rap”, they pass your house, you aim your EMP generator, press the button and hey-presto: dead stolen car, dead boombox and stranded “yoof” - ready to be collected by the local constabulary. What’s not to like? 

 

One final note: my HIWATT Little Rig and Cab arrived today, unfortunately they sent me the wrong model (The Custom Little P [Pete Townshend model] and standard HIWATT cab, instead of the Custom Little D and WEM cab) and a guitar store in Zürich has gotten mine... Oh well, it will take a little while to sort out, but I’ll get there...

 

Have a great Tuesday

iD

[The Stationmaster]

10 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

I'm feeling a little rant coming on for no good reason, I think I'm still out of sorts with my changed weekend plans.

 

Why is it that people post very large images in the "Things that make you : )" thread, especially the text only ones? They are so large that I have to scroll to view the entirety of the image on my laptop screen.  It's pointless for text that is ripped off the internet somewhere anyway. I presume that they primarily use telephones where images are automatically zoomed to fit the screen.

 

One of these rendered a text height on my laptop of approximately 15mm. That's bigger than:

 

Michael I use a Mac so things are probably different but you not have any control over the size of the window you use for browsing?  I have my web browsing window at a articular size which is less than the entire screen size thus any image will be smaller than the size of the screen because it is within the browsing window.  It could will be that if I click on it to enlarge a particular image it might be larger than the screen size but I have never had that happen as the image remains within the size of the screen/window it is in.

What happens with this image?   It is sized to slightly larger dimensions than ideal for RMweb (as allowed to Gold members) but will remain wholly within the window if I click on it to enlarge it  because the size of the windo limits how big it can be.  But if I enlarge it on the desktop using Preview I can l make it much bigger than the size of the screen.

 

[Happy Hippo]

1 hour ago, iL Dottore said:

What I found absolutely gobsmaking is that the shell of the taxi is made up of aluminium components which are quite literally glued together.

Bonded chassis are nothing new.  I think it was Lotus that were doing it back in the last Century!

Quote

 

I love live music (the 1000W PAs used at concerts, less so), but I utterly loathe listening other people’s recorded music played at ear-splitting volumes. Not just because of the noise pollution, but also because 99.9% of the time, the music being played is so blo0dy awful. I don’t think I have ever thought “why can’t they turn down those s*dding Gregorian Chants” Rap? hip-hop? House? Techno? Many times. As far as I’m concerned back gardens should only be filled with the sounds of the birds and the happy cries of children as they beat each other to a pulp with the blunt end of their teddy bears.

That is where blue tooth headphones should be mandatory wear.  They do it at a 'silent disco' so oought to be able to do it to stop inconveniencing others

Quote

In fact, I am convinced that - should I have the technical skills to manufacture a pen sized, directionally focussed EMP generator I could make a fortune!!! Just imagine the scenario: a bunch of delinquents joy-riding around the quiet back-streets blaring out their “gangsta-rap”, they pass your house, you aim your EMP generator, press the button and hey-presto: dead stolen car, dead boombox and stranded “yoof” - ready to be collected by the local constabulary. What’s not to like? 

Pulse generators have long been considered, but the problem is that Gangsta Scrotulator Maximus would be very keen to get hold of these and use them against those that would use them against them.

 

There's soon be aftermarket kits for sale to provide EMP hardened electronics for the chavved up Corsa/Saxo.  I suspect the cost of any damage to the electronics of a stolen vehicle might be required by the operator of the EMP device if they were not an authorised user (ie police/military/security service).

 

It also completely screws up most electronic devices, in the immediate vicinity so pointing a 'souped up' after market version at an aircraft on final to Heathrow could have a more devastating effect than one of the laser pointer pens which seemed to be all the rage a few years back.

Edited May 26, 2020 by Happy Hippo

[TheQ]

16 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

 

Also in the same series of documentaries, they showed how they construct the new electric taxi which London and other cities have started to see in service. What I found absolutely gobsmaking is that the shell of the taxi is made up of aluminium components which are quite literally glued together.  As I understand it, there are many new generation, high-tech glues available that -when set - have a bond that is actually stronger than the material which is being bonded together. Unfortunately, these sort of glues and solvents are only available to very specialised trades (apparently they’re full of extremely nasty chemicals and have to be handled with great care and attention).  Otherwise I would certainly trade in my DIYf store “superglue“ (it isn’t and it doesn’t) for something better

lotus cars have been gluing their aluminium chassis together for some years

 

16 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

You do see masks being worn, but not regularly in most situations, but is now mandatory at my GP’s surgery and when I go to physiotherapy. If I come without a mask, then they will provide me with one. Hand sanitation is also mandatory.

same at our surgery. 

 

In fact, I am convinced that - should I have the technical skills to manufacture a pen sized, directionally focussed EMP generator I could make a fortune!!! Just imagine the scenario: a bunch of delinquents joy-riding around the quiet back-streets blaring out their “gangsta-rap”, they pass your house, you aim your EMP generator, press the button and hey-presto: dead stolen car, dead boombox and stranded “yoof” - ready to be collected by the local constabulary. What’s not to like? 

 

The RAF already have one, when the radar sector blanking failed in 2006 at Trimmingham ( south of Cromer) on the Norfolk coast, several passing cars came to a quiet stop.  Several Mega watts of transmitted power tends to do that...  Not quite hand held though.

 

 

Have a great Tuesday

iD

 

[PhilJ W]

1 hour ago, MichaelE said:

 

Ad Blocker+ and Ghostery will stop that. All of it.

I am using my 'back-up' computer at the moment and it hasn't got ad blocker installed. On RMweb I have it switched off anyway as I do on other 'free' sites most of whom use advertising to finance the site.

Edited May 26, 2020 by PhilJ W

[roundhouse]

Bright Lights Bigger City by Cee Lo Green currently playing in the shed - the beat is making the shed vibrate. Good job that i used plenty of screws and glue when I built it a year ago now.

Lawns cut and started digging out more roots on the neighbours fence line but its just too hot and don;t want sunburn so back in the shed painting newly fitted grab rials on a freight car.

 

24 cans of Tiny rebel brews, mainly Stay Puft has arrived directly form the brewery in Newport Gwent. They did do a special release infused with raspberries aptly names Stay Putt but it sold out in 4 hours of adding to their website and we missed it.

 

later today we head out for food - fingers crossed no big queue for Sainsburys this week otherwise they will not be getting our business again this week. 

[AndyB]

1 hour ago, iL Dottore said:

I am convinced that - should I have the technical skills to manufacture a pen sized, directionally focussed EMP generator I could make a fortune!!! Just imagine the scenario: a bunch of delinquents joy-riding around the quiet back-streets blaring out their “gangsta-rap”, they pass your house, you aim your EMP generator, press the button and hey-presto: dead stolen car, dead boombox and stranded “yoof” - ready to be collected by the local constabulary. What’s not to like? 

iD

 

I think I'd like the Mk II version where the delinquents' car came to a standstill outside some else's house.

A former colleague did have the technical skills to do this. He was most impressed with how well it worked. Sadly I can say no more. 

[Gwiwer]

3 hours ago, BoD said:

Morning all

 

I am considering cancelling my Gold membership in order that I too might see these adverts that are providing such interesting diversions.

Who, I wonder,  is going to be first to admit to purchasing any of the offered wares or services?

 

I might be the one.  No hippos nor scantily-clad females on my screen but instead a small promotion for Homebase - Hanworth branch - which is just a short trip up the road.  They call it Hanworth and to that locale it is indeed close but it is actually in Twickenham being just our side of the Apex Corner confuse-a-car system.  While its postcode is TW13 (Hanworth) geo-politically it falls within the old Borough of Twickenham and is now in the London Borough of Richmond-upon-Thames not the LB of Hounslow.  Here endeth the lesson.  It was also one  of the branches which traded briefly under the Australian brand Bunnings right down to the sausage sizzle outside the door.  As it is within walking distance - just - it can be reached for supplies though I have no qualms about using the bus for journeys to such places.  As they have remained open throughout they are considered essential and therefore so are any trips to them.   

 

Greetings one and all from a smiley and comfortably warm Hill of Strawberries.  The House of Fun was busier than of late but not excessively so.  Of note there has been a steady trickle of families with what appear to be overnight bags in tow heading for Sussex-bound trains and a few bound for destinations by the sea in Dorset.  It is not our business to enquire why such people are travelling.  Even the police no longer have the powers they briefly had to stop, ask and advise before directing folk to go home.  Of the 50 crowd controllers assigned to the station only some 20 were required and the rest stood down for now.  There is a partial one-way system though it is inevitable and unavoidable that some people will come into close passing contact with others.  That is thought to be low-risk as there is not the sustained close personal contact the medical people are concerned about.  

 

Road traffic is definitely well up.  There have actually been queues at major intersections this morning.  "Cycle to work" however is backfiring somewhat as a much larger than normal number of rail passengers are riding to their station, travelling with steed on the train and riding to their destination.  Not exactly what Boris had intended but when you live anything from 10 - 50 miles from work ...... 

 

A package arrived from Camborne over lunch which means I can progress the next stage of the knitting project wiring up.  Two more deliveries are due later which will bring a replacement for the recently-damaged garden fork and a new spade - because the handle on the existing one is as old as that on the fork and I don't like my chances if a second shaft snaps under pressure!  

 

Temporary Neighbour (Upstairs) - she who has migrated down a level from the now-vacant top flat - needs speaking to about the volume of her music.  You might be able to hear it when I post this   Not an unpleasant selection but far too loud when SWMBO is WFH and making international conference calls right underneath.  

 

In other news the local squirrel population is living on borrowed time having ravaged our garden once too often.  Chilli flakes will be tried as a deterrent.  Failing which we have other and even stronger flavours up our sleeves to dissuade them.  

 

Until later.  Stay well. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 26, 2020 by Gwiwer
Educating "Auto-correct" in the error of its ways

[The Stationmaster]

One of the best devices for EMP is reputedly a Eurostar Class 373 power car - which allegedly could stop a pacemaker if the wearer happened to stand right next to one for more than few minutes.  Class 92s are as good if not better and one test engineer once described their EMP emissions as being on a par with the explosion of a small nuclear device.  Train spotters have now been duly warned

[TheQ]

1.5 sheets of lead melted plus a couple of small sash weights and part of an old battery I dug out of the garden.

 I then packed up as the heat and humidity was getting to me. 

 

In half an hour I'm heading to the surgery to drop off the prescriptions, then to the orange shed,  after which I'm collecting what's on the list just handed to me. 

I've not been to this TES and Co  during the lock down,  it being an extra is normally very busy,  if the queue is too long, I'll come home via our smaller one just for the essentials, and go to an extra on the way to work next week. 

[Compound2632]

57 minutes ago, TheQ said:

1.5 sheets of lead melted plus a couple of small sash weights

 

You have read Tristram Shandy, I hope.