Early Risers.

[AndyB]

Cycle lanes?

I had a meeting at the Oval last year and walked from Vauxhall Stn. 

Cycle lanes had been introduced at the expense of pavements to the point that 2 pedestrians couldn't pass each other without one of them having to step into the road.  

I wouldn't mind but this was on the main route from a station and a sports stadium. And the cycle lane was pretty much empty.  

 

 

On my return journey I happened to stumble on a slightly raised paving stone, turning my ankle and nearly going headlong into a wall.

All credit to two children from a local school who saw this happen and asked if I was ok. Very considerate and a credit to themselves.  

[edcayton]

Good morning all.

 

We don't get many cruise liners in St Evenage.

 

Best wishes

 

Ed

Edited February 16, 2017 by edcayton

[BSW01]

Good morning everyone

 

Sheila has been taken to her Zumba class, taking with her 18 triple chocolate cupcakes, they should go down well. On my way home I called at the butchers and collected some meat to see us through until next week. The rest of the day is mine to do as I please, so I'm off to the workshop, I may be some time!

[Tony_S]

Morning all.

It could be sunny soon. I suppose it depends on which clouds move. I haven't been out yet to determine wind direction.

Matthew rang, very anxious about some grades he expects today. I told him to take a day off. He works too hard, and that is very easy to do for him in a work, work culture.

Ivan, Cunard is much more expensive for onboard drinks, especially wine, than P&O. P&O seem similar to English pub prices.

Tony

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Still a bit overcast outside but signs are its brightening up. I assume that if you receive any points on your licence and you do not have a licence it is the same as here in the UK, they go on your licence if and when you get said licence. When I visited Germany in the 70's their driving test was amongst the toughest in Europe. A young driver could also be made to retake their test after even a minor infringement, a friend of our hosts 20 year old daughter had to retake her test after such a a minor infringement. Not much else to report, C & C's where neccessary, be back later.

[trisonic]

Meanwhile, back at the Ranch:

 

 

and

 

 

 

Best, Pete.

 

 

 

 

 

[NGT6 1315]

What does pre-recorded mean please?

It's recorded before it happens?

Colonel Sandurz says, "You're looking at now, sir. Everything that happens now, is happening now."

 

Mornin' all.

[trisonic]

Actually I "sorta" cheat. I can use a tuning fork and start from there as my friend did, but I have TuneLabPro, and that on my laptop together with an average mike near the sound board make life much easier. Lazy but effective. t's also available for Android and iPhone/iPad devices...

 

I’ve never heard of TuneLabPro, thanks, I’ll check it out.

I’ve occasionally used the TC Polytune 2 ( http://www.proaudiostar.com/tc-electronic-polytune-poly-chromatic-tuner-pedal-2.html ) - a lot of friends use it but I find it unreliable at times - you hit all six open strings at once and it replies with (graphic) data of all six strings at once. The Peterson’s are the best (with regard to accuracy) because they tend to concentrate on one string at a time and it also tells you if the harmonics are  in tune.... When a string is struck (for the casual reader) it produces far more than the fundamental note.

 

For playing around the house I use Korg tuners (they are cheaper and accurate for fundamental tones).

 

Best, Pete.

Edited February 16, 2017 by trisonic

[The Stationmaster]

Morning all,

 

Thanks to Pete's post I've forgotten what I was going to say , in fact double    .

 

Weather reasonable, it's faux Friday so we'll be off train spotting visiting Waitrose in Tilehurst and i think I'll take my car and fill up with some of Petropolis' Asda's ridiculously cheap diesel and save myself about 5p per litre in the process compared with the local bunch of thieving b'stards 'Euro'garages.

 

Have a good day one & all

[Horsetan]

I said a while ago that Nationwide Bereavement are a bunch of amateurs. They are definitely a bunch of amateurs. Having registered the Firm as Executors of my late client's Estate, they then closed the account and made the closing cheque payable to me, not the Firm.... 

Edited February 16, 2017 by Horsetan

[Shedman5]

Morning, dry and sunny again, eldest and his partner arrive today from London staying over for the weekend, other son has decided to come home on friday night.

 

This resulted in a supermarket shop yesterday on a large scale and a resulting larger than normal bill. Lots of baking went on yesterday afternoon and I suppose I cannot complain as long as I manage to eat some before the boys demolish it all!

 

Enjoy your day folks

[Robert]

Several of my colleagues do not drive and have no license but still cycle; how would these points be administered?

 

In that case, the points wouldn't be administered - just the fine.  In the same way that a driver with a foreign license doesn't usually get the points administered for traffic offenses.

 

However, I think it is fair to say that the majority of people do have a driving license.

[lightengine]

Good morning all.

 

We don't get many cruise liners in St Evenage.

 

Best wishes

 

Ed

If you did what tribal dress and what dance would the natives perform whilst cruise passengers sat and watched whilst sipping the local St Evenage fire water and buying cheap crudely made wooden carvings?

[jamie92208]

In that case, the points wouldn't be administered - just the fine.  In the same way that a driver with a foreign license doesn't usually get the points administered for traffic offenses.

 

However I think it is fair to say that the majority of people do have a driving license.

The German system also used to be very different than the British one with relation to drink driving.   I once had to return a driving licence to someone who had been caught drink driving in Germany (Saxony IIRC) and he was disqualified the day that he was arrested and his licence endorsed with a very large rubber stamp that took up a page of our green counterpart.  Apparently he would get his licence back if found not guilty at court.  I think I had to return him the licence when it had been endorsed and for some reason the german court sent it via the DVLA who passed it to West Yorks to return.  Over here you aren't disqualified until you are convicted at court.

 

Jamie

[Horsetan]

....I think everything in Norway is more expensive. In Bergen we bought a coffee, a lager and a Sprite for the bargain sum of £17.50. After that all eating and drinking was done on board.

 

Drinks on the ship were no dearer than here, in fact cheaper than some London pubs......

 

Yes, this little bottle in Stavanger

 

 

cost a fiver.   I mean....FIVE POUNDS, for God's sake

[bbishop]

 

 

 Oh how i would like cyclist to be fined for not using cycle paths where provided, we have a new one  built on a road on my route to the sailing club, it's beautiful, smooth and no obstructions cost over a million to build, and the cyclists still use the road blocking the traffic.....

 

 

 

The trouble is, they never get swept and end up full of crap (from broken glass to mattresses), actually safer to cycle on the road.

 

Bill

[RhBBob]

The German system also used to be very different than the British one with relation to drink driving.   I once had to return a driving licence to someone who had been caught drink driving in Germany (Saxony IIRC) and he was disqualified the day that he was arrested and his licence endorsed with a very large rubber stamp that took up a page of our green counterpart.  Apparently he would get his licence back if found not guilty at court.  I think I had to return him the licence when it had been endorsed and for some reason the german court sent it via the DVLA who passed it to West Yorks to return.  Over here you aren't disqualified until you are convicted at court.

 

Jamie

 

And then there are those who have neither licence, insurance or car tax.  They receive the usual fine and costs. The rest of the punishment is a mystery.....

[iL Dottore]

Afternoon all

Good morning one and all

 

.....There is more news of the car.  I was unable to speak to my contact at the body shop but her colleague explained that the replacement of the cracked plastic door pocket thing is at their expense because they broke it.  Now I learn that there is an electrical fault.  Oh boy.  More phone calls ...  This is strange.  'More phone'  came out as 'morphine'.  Fluent Crabtree again!....Chris

Well that'll teachya for buying British Leyland....

 

A most eventful morning. Poor Schotty ripped open his carpal pad necessitating a quick trip to the vet, where he was put under a light anaesthesia and the wound debrided and cleaned up. He's NPO until this evening, has to have his dressings changed BID and is on light duties until the Vet sees him again on Saturday. Needless to say, yours truly has to take on these medical and nursing duties as Mrs iD - despite being an ambulance driver for the Swiss Army (long story) - is incredibly squeamish. Me? As long as I have appropriate analgesia, I am quite happy to watch them hack away at various parts of my body.

 

Those of you who know me (poor bu99ers) also know that one of my interests (and academic trainings) is psychological/psychiatric disorders. You may be interested to read some recent correspondence of mine:

 

Dear Dr XXXX,

Having had further data from you (thank you),  I have revisited my case notes and it is likely that the individual in question is afflicted by NSS (Neglected Spouse Syndrome). Symptoms include:

1. Sense of entitlement to special treatment and to obedience from spouse

2. Low tolerance for frustration or delayed gratification by spouse

3. Being overly dramatic and emotional

4. Reckless disregard for safety of spouse

5. Splitting ("black-and-white" thinking)

6. Marked lability (e.g., mood swings) in response to the same spousal action

7. The individual expresses an idea or belief about the spouse with unusual persistence or force

It is observed in both sexes, but in a 70:30 Female:Male split. Most cases are mild to moderate and frequently self limiting. However for the most severe cases, to date no successful, permanent, verifiable cure has been reported in the literature, although there are numerous anecdotal and single case reports of effective interventions: ranging from providing the individual with an American Express Centurion Card (Costly Cure for NSS Hines et al. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 2016) to the treatment of the most troubling symptoms (e.g. 5 Shades of Grey: Management of Splitting. Wurzberg et al BJP, 2015). If you wish, I can send you a list of the seminal articles published since the NSS was fully codified in 2015 for the DSM VI by Lügen and Bugiardi.

 

Additionally, I would recommend that the spouse of the affected individual should undergo NSSSSS (Neglected Spouse Syndrome: Suffering-Spouse Support) training. It teaches the spouse how make appropriate responses (such as "yes dear" and "no dear") in response to minimal input (such as a murmured half sentence), how to improve the perception and recognition of events at the extreme margins of the visual field and so on. I have appended a list of suitable NSSSSSS clinics - both residential and outpatient.

 

Kind Regards

iL Dottore

Praxis Wolfsrudel

Switzerland

 

Cheers

iD

p.s. It MUST be true, it's on the internet...

 

[The Lurker]

Greetings all

 

A work day. Not a lot to report, other than Elder Lurker now needs new glasses - his prescription has worsened again. I've told him he'll go blind. He tells me it's perfectly normal at 14.

 

 

 

In other news we have signed up to the quote for boiler replacement new radiators, power flush, magna wotsit etc. I am sure that won't be fun when it happens.....

[Donw]

The wires will "carry" far more current long before they actually melt. It's simply a case of determining acceptable voltage drops and increased insulation temperatures for certain ambient temperatures and thermal resistances.

 

It's not too difficult to figure out what's going on with a radial system. It boils down to a fairly simple network of series resistors. OTOH it's quite difficult to determine exactly what is going on with a ring system because it involves a lot of resistors in parallel.

 

I belive that is not correct as a Radial system is also a lot of resistance/impeadances in parallel  working out the  current at any point is more complicated on a ring because of the dual paths, for a single load placed on a ring main the current will be split so the higher current of the shorter path will match the volt drop of the lower current on the longer path. Add a second load at a different point and you can see the complexities increase.

The concern about current carrying capacity is not the danger of wires melting it is the overheating of the insulation. The IEE certainly takes the heating effect of the current seriously the ratings are decreased for high ambient temperatures or where the cables pass through insulation. A cable passing through 100mm of insulation the maximum current in reduced to 0.81 of the normal. If running to 0.5m or more the reduction is to 0.50. There are a lot of cables which have been covered by extra insulation which should now be subject to only half the maximum load. Similarly where cables are bunched together there will also be a reduction factor.

I don't have the figures to hand but I think Mineral Insulated cables have a higher current rating which cannot have any relationship to volt drop. 

In a case where the cable runs are quite long volt drop may be the limiting factor but that is no reason to ignore the heat dissipation in other cases that may be the limiting factor. 

Further there is in my opinion less danger from voltage drop than overheating.

Don

[NGT6 1315]

The German system also used to be very different than the British one with relation to drink driving.   I once had to return a driving licence to someone who had been caught drink driving in Germany (Saxony IIRC) and he was disqualified the day that he was arrested and his licence endorsed with a very large rubber stamp that took up a page of our green counterpart.  Apparently he would get his licence back if found not guilty at court.  I think I had to return him the licence when it had been endorsed and for some reason the german court sent it via the DVLA who passed it to West Yorks to return.  Over here you aren't disqualified until you are convicted at court.

 

Jamie

 

 

I haven't collected any points so far myself since I got my driving licence, but from what I know, the legal situation concerning disqualification is as follows. –

 

Aside from a temporary driving ban of one to three months which is usually handed down following certain serious violations of traffic rules, the driving licence – or, more technically, the permission for conducting vehicles for which a licence is required which is documented with the licence as such – can also be permanently revoked if either a court or the relevant Driving Licence Authority determines that a person has proven themselves unfit for holding this licence. Causes can include various physical cases such as severe impairment of vision or severe forms of epilepsy; as well as mental causes such as major depression, schizophrenia or organically caused mental impairment like dementia; and indeed behaviour indicative of unfitness of character, which may include repeated or especially severe violations of traffic laws, severe emotional imbalance, and, of course, alcohol or other drug abuse. 

 

In general, persons whose licence has thus been revoked may apply to be recertified, for which, depending on what has been ruled at the time of revocation, a certain "timeout" period (usually between six months and five years) must have passed. Also, depending on whether the person is then judged to no longer possess the required knowledge, they may have to completely retake driving lessons, and may also have to prove their physical and/or mental aptitude through suitable medical assessments. It is also possible that in particularly severe cases, a person may have a lifelong retaking ban imposed, or, if they never held a licence to begin with, be prohibited from ever obtaining it.

 

It is also possible to restrict a revocation in such a way that, for example, certain types of vehicles (either by licence class or purpose) may be excluded in order to allow the person to retain their employment while being disallowed conducting any vehicles not covered by this exemption.

Edited February 16, 2017 by NGT6 1315

[Ashcombe]

Ian and I enjoyed a walk of over half a mile today in the warm sunshine.

[Donw]

I have sympathy for you and am glad that it has been found before anyone got hurt.  Many years ago I got a mains belt of an H&M transformer when I also touched a radiator next to the workbench.  2 days of fault finding eventually traced the fault to a spur that came down the dining room wall t a double socket.   When the central heating had been installed a fixing screw for a  pipe clip had severed the earth in the spur and pushed the isolated end onto the neutral wire. Because it was the rawlplug that was actually pushing the wires   there had been no sparks.

 

Baz, just be careful, you will now have the boss/supervisor at home with you all the time............

 

Anyway good morning all from a nice bright village.  The rad works are still further up the road but are creeping nearer.  Beth is getting worried about access.  I am trying to reassure her that access will be possible during the process.     A good evening was had at the club last night and after various tasks this morning hopefully I will get motivated to do some modelling.

 

Regards to all.

 

Jamie

 

Rather nasty Jamie. I assume there was no RCD in the consumer unit at the time one would hope an RCD would trip with that fault.

Don

[Ohmisterporter]

 On my way home I called at the butchers and collected some meat to see us through until next week. 

 

Was it a sheep's head with the eyes left in?

[lightengine]

Thanks to iL Dottore I have Googled carpal pad and debrided. Last week I had to clear grit out of one of the pads of Lucky's front right paw where he had a small cut whilst at the kennels. I guess it was debriding detritus. Never having heard the word before I will definitely be attempting to use "debrided" in conversation soon.

 

Warmish day here in sunny Teignmouth although we have clouds appearing now.

 

Regarding street names it seems that many that were in areas involved in prostitution in years gone by have had name changes as the original names became considered a bit rude.