raymw

Bernard Miles found trig useful https://monologues.co.uk/Bernard_Miles/Me_and_Old_Charlie.htm

dead horse - raffle it off as a live horse. When the winner complains that the horse is dead, give his money back.

Morrisons sw distribution is right by the railway line. At what wasn't Sedgemoor public planning approval meeting, I raised that fact. Morrisons stated they had no intention of using the railway. TYHe fact is that that green field site sterilised that potential for a company that may have liked railway access. I was also told that the m5 never had traffic jams, making cars detour through Bridgwater (by a planning officer who was able to cycle to work. )

Railway lines, trains, are inconvenient. They don't go where you want them to, and don't go when you want them to. Possibly more expensive, too, since another organisation in the delivery chain having to make a profit.

The short article that I read, seemed to be concentrating on the fact they could be close together, saving fuel by less drag (slip-streaming). I'm waiting for the rear lorry to be hijacked by means of a nearby car and radio system, taking over the lead vehicles control stream, and also them finding that when a police car/ambulance passes, it's radio swamps the hgv control frequency, say. I'm not sure why the DFT needs to be involved. Under current legislation, they would not be allowed to be connected by solid tow bars, but wireless is OK. What is most reliable?

afaik, the only articulated HGVs allowed to pull a separate trailer, are those associated with transporting fairs and the like. But later this year the DFT and DAF trucks and DHL will be testing platooning on our highways. Basically, that is three trucks under control of the lead driver, allowing them to travel at speed in close proximity. Could be interesting.

The National truss sells 'organic Honey', or they did a few years ago. They reckoned the bees collected it from flowers that were organically grown, with no chemicals. Bees will travel 3 miles from their hive, or more to get nectar and pollen. Not sure there is any area of that size in UK that did not use chemicals back then. There is a load of b**locks talked about honey, and bee products. You do not want to know what propolis actually can be, but is sold as a health product.

The tomatoes that supermarkets sell are made from wood chips and water. A bit like their fruit, buy now and let it rot at home...

About 95% of electricity produced in Norway is hydro powered, and room for more.

It will be interesting to see if the copper and aluminium react when the current flows, (and then ceases to flow). It'll probably be OK in the short term, but maybe not after a year or two.

lead by example

Everything is futile... or not.

Hi Jilo, that's what I mean, 'wish', 'prefer' and similar concepts. It is a trade off, Everybody's wishes against what is overall benefit for the rest of us. The way things have evolved, folk's expectations, etc., are not necessarily the best way for things to be, and more of the same will make no difference, probably make it worse. If the the media etc. had not jumped on Al Gore's dissertation, and a serious wider viewpoint had been taken, then it may have been realised that much of what is now going on wrt climate change is pointless wrt us changing the 'climate', but not when it comes to exploitation of the masses. I've been to offices where folk are working in isolation, in cubicles, it reminded me of a chicken rearing shed, they cluster and cluck around the water cooler, before returning to their cages. Consider the waste of car parks full of cars, and fuel consumed to get there. My daughter in law works for a medical company based in California, she moved back here to Manchester. She still does exactly the same work for them - wonderful thing, the internet, if you know how to use it. Many companies are now allowing some employees to work from home one or two days a week, if possible. Of course, not all work can be done this way, but much more of it can. Twenty five years ago, the public utility company i worked for, thought it would be better for the workmen to be able to drive straight from home, to the job site, instead of first going into the yard. Everybody was happy, until hmrc decided to tax the workmen for the van use to and from work (counted as a benefit in kind), and some local councils/neighbors objected to a trade van outside or in the driveway of a private house. What one gives, t'other takes away. Not enough joined up thinking. (just like the lack of planning for electric car charging, but that's a fad, which will pass away, when the price of ev's drop to a level for the masses, then they'll be taxed out of existence) in exactly the same way when the regulations on making bio-fuel from old chip shop oil or vegetable oil - the price of corn oil doubled, above the price of dyno diesel, and you had to get a license for carrying waste chip shop oil. Not that i'm being negative, or anything...

The fundamental problem is that too many individuals want to, or believe that they have to travel. People having to work from an office in this day of electronic communication. Going to the shops when it's more efficient to have home delivery. Force of habit, and general ignorance by the company owners. One solution to all this freelance travel, is make all the motorways two lane. One with a speed restriction of 40mph, for the general public, lorries, etc. The other unlimited speed for emergency vehicles and politicians. More walking would improve every one's health, particularly with less traffic fumes around. There is no need for most journeys made. The 40mph motorways means that the series lr owners can keep up with the traffic.

This is true, actually happened. When my wife was expecting the birth of my son, 40 or so years ago, I was waiting in the 'fathers wating room' at Southmead, Bristol. There was another prospective father their too. After few minutes, there was a 'bit of a hub-bub', and an Irish lad - another expectant father- , and an older guy - I guess his father - came into the room and sat across the room from us. On the wall, above my head, opposite them was an electro/mechanical slave clock, which every half minute gave a clunk, and moved the minute hand. When that happened, the lad seemed startled, glanced up, then looked at his father. After a five minutes or so, he said to his father - 'for sure, that's a wonderful thing, do you think it's gas or electric?'. The other guy and myself had to leave, to recover from our suppressed laughter.

At least the heater would probably heat.

If you run out of petrol, you can 'walk' to the nearest petrol station and buy a can of fuel. How many AA batteries would you need to buy to get your ev to move? At a petrol station, maybe eight pumps, each vehicle being there for 5 minutes, can refuel 96 cars per hour. How much larger area does the petrol station have to be to get through the same throughput of refueling electric cars? How much of the road going to be ripped up to provide the heavier cabling, and how much does that cost out in the sticks for the rural places? At this moment in time, EV's perform the function of 'bragging rights' for vegetarians, no practical use for red blooded meat eaters.

A scouser is on holiday in Arizona USA. He’s staying in a remote frontier type town and walks into a bar . He orders his drink and sits down at the bar when he notices a native American Indian, dressed in full regalia, feathered head dress, tomahawk, spear, the lot, sitting in the corner under a sign saying ’Ask me anything’ The scouser is intrigued and asks the barman about him. ’Oh, we call him the memory man, He knows everything.’ says the barman. ’What do you mean he knows everything?’ asks the scouser. ’Well, he knows every fact there is to know and he never, ever forgets anything’ 'Yeah right’ says the scouser. ’If you don’t believe me, try him out. Ask him anything, and he’ll know the answer’ ’Alright’ says the Scouser and walks up to the Memory Man. ’Where am I from ?’ ’Knotty Ash, Liverpool , England ’ says the Red Indian. And he was right. ’Alright’ says the scouser, ’that was easy you probably recognised my accent. Who won the 1965 FA Cup Final?’ ’ Liverpool ’ says the memory man quick as a flash. ’Yes and who did they play?’ ’Leeds United’ again without blinking ’And the score?’ ’2-1’ says the memory man without hesitation. ’Pretty good,but I bet you don’t know who scored the winning goal?’ ’Ian St John’ says the Indian in an instant. Flabbergasted the tourist continues on his holiday and on his return to Birkenhead tells all and sundry about the amazing Memory Man. He just can’t get him out of his mind and so he vows to return and find him again and pay him his due respect . He saves his dole money for years and finally twelve years later he has saved enough and returns to the states in search of the memory man. He searches high and low for him. And after two weeks of trying virtually every bar and town in Arizona he finds him sitting in a cave in the mountains, older, greyer and more wrinkled than before but still resplendent in his warpaint and full regalia. The scouser, duly humbled approaches him and decides to greet him in the traditional manner.. ’How’. The memory man squints at the scouser… ’Flying header in the six yard box.”

https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/ough-a-phonetic-fantasy/

An older gentleman was on the operating table 'awaiting surgery and he insisted that his son, a renowned surgeon, perform the operation. As he was about to get the anesthesia, he asked to speak to his son. "Yes, Dad , what is it?" "Don't be nervous, son; do your best, and just remember, if it doesn't go well, if something happens to me, your mother is going to come and live with you and your wife....

I guess you could replace the screw with a bolt straight through, and clamp the wire on the back between a couple of washers and nut. Save on the hot glue, and drilling a hole for the wire (but need to drill hole for the bolt..)

Still on the new topic - His Lordship was in the study when the butler approached and coughed discreetly. "May I ask you a question, My Lord?" "Go ahead, Carson ," said His Lordship. "In 'The Times' I found a word the exact meaning of which I am not too certain." "What word is that?" asked His Lordship. "Aplomb," My Lord. "Now that's a difficult one to explain. I would say it is self-assurance or complete composure." "Thank you, My Lord, but I'm still a little confused about it." "Let me give you an example to make it clearer. Do you remember a few months ago when the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrived to spend a weekend with us?" "I remember the occasion very well, My Lord. It gave the staff and myself much pleasure to look after them." "Also," continued the Earl of Grantham, "do you remember when Will plucked a rose for Kate in the rose garden?" "I was present on that occasion, My Lord, ministering to their needs. "While Will was plucking the rose, a thorn embedded itself in his thumb very deeply." "I witnessed the incident, My Lord, and saw the Duchess herself remove the thorn and bandage his thumb with her own dainty handkerchief." "That evening the hole the rose made in his thumb was very sore. Kate had to cut his venison for him, even though it was extremely tender." "Yes, My Lord, I did see everything that transpired that evening." "And do you remember the next morning while you were pouring coffee for Her Ladyship, Kate inquired of Will in a loud voice, 'Darling, does your prick still throb?' And you, Carson, did not spill one drop of coffee? That, Carson, is aplomb.

I never ordered anything from DJM, but the website is still there, if you miss the home page statement, then it looks as if it may still be trading, mentioning deliveries, etc. Today I went to order some items from a company I'd used a few years ago, Mega electronics ltd, but every search for their website drew a blank. They went into liquidation back in June, iirc. Just a different approach, I guess.

I used to buy remould quality tyres. These were new tyres, with slight moulding flaws, or new tyres which were overstocked in some locations. You can buy second hand tyres, new or remould.