Early Risers.

[TheQ]

I don't know if the bears links says anything else, (you need to book onto BBC web site to read it. )other than the shortage of spuds due to the bad weather in Vancouver blocking road and rail links..

But the reporter on TV this morning added ...

Many Japanese Children confuse Santa with Colonel Saunders due to a Christmas sales promotion some years ago..

 

So the Christmas meal for many Japanese is... Kentucky Fried Chicken..

[New Haven Neil]

Sleet here now, 5c still but it feels pretty nasty out.  

 

Fire lit, I'm battening down the hatches for the day, the walk to the village shop soaked cold into my bones, my hips were seizing up, the walk usually helps but not today.  Looks like time to do the washing then.....

[PhilJ W]

1 hour ago, tigerburnie said:

Morning, eating a choc chip cookie last night(sugar free...................and mostly taste free) and a huge filling fell out, luckily an emergency appointment in an hour will hopefully see a temporary one fitted to see me over the festive season............more muddling tokens gone..............oh and two new tyres for the @rse end of the car at £114 a pop, no doubt plus vat, looks like me and SWMBO are getting a tyre each from Santa then......................................bah humbug...................................

If your car is front wheel drive ask the tyre fitters to put the front wheels on the back and the wheels fitted with the new tyres on the front.

[PhilJ W]

4 minutes ago, New Haven Neil said:

Sleet here now, 5c still but it feels pretty nasty out.  

 

Fire lit, I'm battening down the hatches for the day, the walk to the village shop soaked cold into my bones, my hips were seizing up, the walk usually helps but not today.  Looks like time to do the washing then.....

My hips are playing up as well, must be the weather.

[New Haven Neil]

I'm having a trip through the MRI on Jan 4th, we'll see if that shows anything - x rays show arthritis not the issue but my previous surgery for femoral acetabular impingement may need doing again - I grow bone spectacularly well apparently as shown by what happened to the screws in my foot - had grown over the heads when they came to remove them - then they snapped when trying to unscrew them. Buqqer.

[TheQ]

A couple of Days ago or so Il Dottore said that adding a layer round the hull of Blue Moon would increase Buoyancy therefore overcoming her extra weight..

I have looked at this before and while a good solution there aren't any materials that are light enough, deformable enough to fit, to increase the buoyancy, but strong enough for the job..

 

So the alternative is the hull has roughly a 18 inch radius where she meets the water, I could make some add on pieces say 1 ft radius to fix on the outside of the hull covering from just below to just above the waterline . This would increase the buoyancy and allow the materials to be strong enough in a more concentrated area..

 

One thought has just come to me and I can't remember exactly what I did 23 years ago, when the frames were first made..

Did I just draw the six frames  to the dimensions on my plans or did I reduce the frames by the thickness of the hull skin before building...

If I haven't then the hull is about a half inch thicker all round, would that be enough? I have no idea, and the three dimensional maths is err.. um.. Fun?  a large ball park calculation gives about 35Kg extra buoyancy.

I'll send myself an email to remind me to try the different figures on the boat design programme I've since used on the hull (it was originally all done by hand..) https://sourceforge.net/projects/freeship/ and over the next few days get a tape measure out..

 

 

[BSW01]

Good afternoon everyone 

 

Late on parade today, due in part to getting up late and then picking up Ava for her final sewing session before Christmas and also having a chat with one of my former work colleagues, who I haven’t spoken to for nearly 8 months. We had a nice long chat about work, family, Christmas festivities etc and we plan to chat again next year. 

 

As Ava is busy sewing, I'm not doing much, so a bit of reading/research will be on the cards after dinner. 

 

Back later. 

 

Brian

[PupCam]

Morning All!     (It's till Pre-Munch in Puppershire )

 

13 hours ago, monkeysarefun said:

In prep for Shock and Awe 2 we had to prepare three deployable systems. We scrounged up 3 Vietnam era army  containers, these are like mini shipping containers about 5 ft square with a single door in them. We sent them off to some  company to install a metal rack for the servers and network switch, add a truck Style aircon unit to the top and a distribution panel for power.

 

Just after Shock and Awe 2 - The Return of Bangy Bits was announced my model flying club had need of some vessel to store the mower and other essential field equipment.   Obviously, a half length container was the way to go so we started looking.    Hmm, containers were in very short supply with prices to match even for the rusty, beaten-up and dented ones.   Very unfortunate timing!

 

12 hours ago, Coombe Barton said:

Just challenged my law friends to incorporate this into an assessment

 

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/dec/21/man-accused-of-chris-whitty-assault-contests-charges-in-dressing-gown

 

That story fills one with hope for humanity.         Or not ...........

 

7 hours ago, Barry O said:

Her indoors is off to moreasons so I am awake very early. (VER?)

 

I've just done a quick trip to the local Moreasons for a few bits.     Absolutely heaving and I couldn't get out quick enough.   I really don't like being confronted and confined with the marauding hoards!

 

5 hours ago, polybear said:

Er, hang on.....

BUT IT'S STEVENAGE!!!!!  

 

There used to be a road sign that amused Puppers.    It said words to the effect of "Stevenage Tourist Attractions".      I could only think of one;  the slip road onto the A1M

 

2 hours ago, polybear said:

Things are looking serious in Japan:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-59750613

 

I heard about the chip shortage.   That's why the car manufacturers can't build any cars at the moment .......

 

1 hour ago, TheQ said:

A couple of Days ago or so Il Dottore said that adding a layer round the hull of Blue Moon would increase Buoyancy therefore overcoming her extra weight..

I have looked at this before and while a good solution there aren't any materials that are light enough, deformable enough to fit, to increase the buoyancy, but strong enough for the job..

 

I think you'll find  that was a Puppers' Patented "Out of the Boat" idea but I would be willing to license it to CC Industries (GmbH).    I was struggling to think of a suitable material to implement such Blue Sky (or should that be water?) thinking.    The only material that I know would work for certain is Unobtanium in one of its many forms.

 

In Other News

 

I've only got the roof of the old shed to chop up into Mondog size bits now.

 

I might then have a go at removing the peening on the Beeza's Big End nuts in preparation for splitting the crank.   I'll then need to gain access to a hydraulic press of 20T+  and of course suitable replacement components.     It also looks like the oil pump mounting face on the crankcase casting will need a skim to return to a flat, gouge free, leak proof surface which may well introduce the need for a shim and or seal to restore the geometry.    Somebody in the bikes past was a REAL bodger (not just an amateur such as myself).

 

Looking forward to the landing of my daughter in Puppershire later today.    Perhaps son-in-law (as they are not married should that be Partner-in-law?) will help an old duffer load up the Mondog with old shed?

 

Alan

Edited December 22, 2021 by PupCam

[tigerburnie]

2 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

If your car is front wheel drive ask the tyre fitters to put the front wheels on the back and the wheels fitted with the new tyres on the front.

Just had that done, hence slicks on the back........................................

[tigerburnie]

Tooth has a temp filling and was free......................................................................no charge for temp fillings

[polybear]

Some good news at last:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-59750160

Let's see now...126 charges with a possible 12 months for each shows real promise.

All we need now is a suitable person to act as Judge.  I understand that the prime requirement is for someone who owns Rainbow Socks.....

Any takers?  

 

In other news:

Whilst watching an old edition of Heartbeat during scoff time I was somewhat taken by a TV ad for a spotlight promising all sorts of weird and wonderful illuminations - all for the bargain price of "....from £249-99...."  They'll even throw in - out of the goodness of their hearts - a second lamp "...worth £150......"  I wonder how many fall for such B.S.?  Enough to pay for TV adverts I 'spose....

 

And finally.....

Bear's order for some decent watch batteries (from a jewellery supplier) arrived today, along with a much awaited new junior hacksaw - with wooden handle, for about two and a half quid:

 

Only what was delivered was this:

 

 

Bear sad - a call to the supplier and they tell me the website picture is wrong.  They'd refund the price and not to bother sending the saw back.  Er, wrong.  I still get landed with the delivery charge for four batteries - and not the saw I wanted.  Eventually they refunded half the postage.  Seems ok.  I'm ok for Junior Hacksaws, by the way.  And some....

Edited December 22, 2021 by polybear

[Gwiwer]

2 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

If your car is front wheel drive ask the tyre fitters to put the front wheels on the back and the wheels fitted with the new tyres on the front.

That works up to a point.  I got an advisory on the tyres at the last MoT a few weeks ago.  It's the fronts which are near the limit.  Swapping them to the back won't save me anything.  I'll invest in a new set all round as I also have to get the brakes done at the same time so not a cheap job.  However after paying £2000 for the car and having already saved that much in hire fees I'm not too bothered about forking out for safety-critical maintenance.  

 

Welcome, one and all, to Woden's Day.  The sun rose a fraction earlier today than it did yesterday and will set a slightly greater fraction later.  The year has turned and summer is now coming.  So's Christmas as it happens   

 

Another very quiet day at the House of Fun and rather cold with it.  -3C on the scale at sign-on though it reached about +3C by wash-up.  One of our coffee shops had anticipated matters poorly; instead of opening this morning there was a hand-written paper notice in the window saying "Close due Crissmass Loc-down. (sic) "  Oops.  Someone turned up at 9.30 and having missed the morning "peak" (which is still a peak but a peak of very low numbers this week) trade they duly opened by 10.00 and had  served no-one by the time I left an hour later.  

 

I am busy wasting time and bandwidth this afternoon.  More or less all we can do for the weekend is done.  The rest is in the lap of who-ever.  Seven of us need to test negative on Saturday morning otherwise the reserve turkey etc will be defrosted hastily here.  I may be misreading things entirely (and even the "experts" are somewhere between bemused and befuddled, it seems) but the combination of few people moving and mixing, the sharp rise-and-fall of Omicron which was seen in South Africa and the vaccine effect here might yet see us through the woods without too much drama or further intervention.  Fingers crossed - but not toes because that upsets the gout!  

 

Stay well.  Stay warm.  

[PupCam]

28 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

 I'm ok for Junior Hacksaws, by the way.  And some....

 

Ah!    Outed!    You're a closet Junior Hacksaw collector!!

 

Do they have numbers Sir?   Do you record them in a little book Sir?

 

Suits you Sir!

 

[simontaylor484]

Afternoon all 

 

Been busy today but changed the jobs I was meant to be doing due to the cold. I have removed some old stick on Ikea mirror tiles and replaced with a larger mirror in the downstairs toilet then been to the tip followed by a chippy lunch with corned beef with some sanding down of excess filler round one of the smoke alarms. Followed by hoovering and steam moppinhg

A couple of deliveries have turned up today that I wasn't expecting until twixtmas so that gives us a couple of jobs to do in the warm at least .

Also all the cardboard packaging I could find has gone into the recycling bin for emptying tomorrow 

[simontaylor484]

Sadly an event that has been a long time coming has happened today I can't say much about it because its embarrassing in a totally non funny way. I cannot believe how toxic some people are( one of Swmbos sister's )

She has been caught out for the lying deceitful sack of sh1t she is.

[Barry O]

Early Christmas present. Mr Misu Bishi has delivered a new door for Beast. It will be fitted and painted from 4th January.

 

This will involve LOTS of muddling tokens being handed over...PAH!

 

Baz

[Pacific231G]

13 minutes ago, simontaylor484 said:

Sadly an event that has been a long time coming has happened today I can't say much about it because its embarrassing in a totally non funny way. I cannot believe how toxic some people are( one of Swmbos sister's )

She has been caught out for the lying deceitful sack of sh1t she is.

She's not one of the contenders hoping to be our next Prime Minister is she?

 

Afternoon all.

Both my desktop PCs failed on Monday. One of them (the rather old standby machine) is a complete gonner  as it looks like a motherboard problem. The other one was suffering from a gradual hard disk failure. It seems to be quite happy now it has a new one- I'm using it for this-  but I have to go through the boring hours of faff reloading loads of software and finding various licences. I do have a laptop that I've been using as my main for the last couple of days which makes a change from using it just for Zoom meetings. 

What is amazing is that they managed to fail during a quiet period rather than just as a deadline is looming - a definite violation of at least one collorary of Murphy's law (aka entropy) .

My best friend is back in hospital which is a worse worry than the first world problem of personal computers playing up and they represent a problem I can solve. 

 

 

Edited December 22, 2021 by Pacific231G

[J. S. Bach]

Then why say anything? Peaks our interest and leaves us hanging in mid-stream. Shack of sit you say:

I bet that you can not say that (obviously photo-altered) store name fast several times in a row and not run up hard aground on that reef!

Edited December 22, 2021 by J. S. Bach

[simontaylor484]

@Pacific231G she tells more lies than politicians and tabloid news papers and false news on social media then tries crying to folk when she gets caught out. This time she has thought she was cleverer than other people but really she is as thick as a Gurkha's . None of the rest of the family are like her thankfully . A lot if upset will be caused this Christmas on innocent parties but i hope she rots in hell

[Pacific231G]

3 hours ago, PupCam said:

There used to be a road sign that amused Puppers.    It said words to the effect of "Stevenage Tourist Attractions".      I could only think of one;  the slip road onto the A1M

I was always amused by the road signs in Portsmouth that simply said "Out of City". 

 

While doing some studio work in Milton Keynes back in the early 1990s we were amused to discover that the town has a tourist office. Being  media types that inevitably led to a competition over dinner to write a suitable slogan for the town to use in its propaganda. We had no trouble agreeing on the winner. 

 

"Milton Keynes- it's better than Basingstoke! "

[Ian Abel]

10 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

OK, the client IS American - and US companies have a very hazy concept of “Christmas Holiday” (aka “vacation”) at best, but even so….

That's VERY MUCH in the "no sh!t Sherlock..." category.

Ever since I've been over here, mid-'70s I'm continually/still staggered by the limited amount of time provided for the Christmas/New Year holidays.

This year is about as bad as it gets, since both Christmas and New Year fall on the Saturday. the "we" generally get the Friday before Christmas off, and the Friday before New Year off. Other than that it's pretty much not even noticed by businesses!

Since the two pilots in the family are flying 24-26th we're making Christmas the 27th and I'm taking THAT off, otherwise it'd be just another Monday!

Edited December 22, 2021 by Ian Abel

[Gwiwer]

45 minutes ago, Pacific231G said:

better than Basingstoke

Not for nothing is that location known yo some as “Blazingsmoke”   

 

 

[Ian Abel]

GOOD morning, and a very good one it is too

Had my annual review and got a decent 6% increase - yay, muddling tokens incoming starting in January

 

Nothing to report for yesterday, some continuing report work which will also flow into today and tomorrow.

Later, last schola rehearsal of the year before we tackle the Christmas Eve and Christmas day services.

 

On expenses etc., I've a million stories given I've had to present such things since the mid-'70s!

I'll provide one for now;

New IT Director at company (mid-2000s) reviewed my expenses for the monthly trip I had to make from here to California, company HQ.

He decided that he/we/they could SAVE a couple of hundred $$ of my expenses by having me fly cheap-sh!t-airlines with a one stop in Denver instead of direct with NWA.

Fine, dutifully presented expenses.

HOWEVER, he forgot that since I and ALL the tech. staff were salaried but on HOURLY PAY BASIS, CA rules required me to report hours for TRAVEL and get paid (OVERTIME RATE) for same. Instead of a 3+ hour trip each way, I was making a nearly 7 hour trip each way, with plane changes and the usual delays, and it was costing him a TON more than if I flew direct as it way my HOURLY PAY RATE for 14 hours that was popped onto the cost of the trip..

He changed THAT policy very quickly

 

On company cars -  consulting in NYC in the '70s and '80s given the shortage of staff and everyone wanting "you", it was common place to negotiate a company car in the pay deal. I enjoyed a couple of years with a leased BWM 528i at no expense to me, they even paid the parking fee by our offices adjacent to the UN HQ  AND my parking garage by my apartment on the upper West-side of Manhattan. Happy days.

 

-15 and mostly cloudy first thing, -3 the forecast high.

 

Tally ho...

Edited December 22, 2021 by Ian Abel

[J. S. Bach]

49 minutes ago, simontaylor484 said:

 she tells more lies than politicians ...snip...

Now, that has to be really, really difficult!

[simontaylor484]

There was a big Bison job in Basingstoke, Festival place it was a complete nightmare loads were sent that the fitting gang didnt want/need they were just being parked up on hardstanding at a farm till they were needed it must have cost a fortune