Early Risers.

[AndyID]

2 minutes ago, Robert said:

They weren't baloney - they did exist and they did work.  However, they did have certain limitations.

 

 

Indeed they certainly could work to some extent. I happen to know this because I worked on some stuff that I can't go into about "hardening" VDUs to prevent nefarious actors reading screen information by RF means. Colour me cynical, but I think the much greater asset was the database of people who didn't actually have a license and the appearance of the detector vans (even if they weren't actually equipped with any means of detection).

[polybear]

9 hours ago, New Haven Neil said:

 

Ha - found them.  In the campervan.....

 

 

I think I know them - I'm sure we went to school together.....

[roundhouse]

Dropped my other half at the station only for her to find her first GW Worm of the week cancelled throughout from Horsham ot Peterborough. on the plus side she managed to get photos of the RTTH train with a class 73 each end in platform 0. She has sent me the photos.

On the plus side for her is that its only 4 days of commuting for her. She already has two delay reapys to claim for last week.

 

I noticed on the Realtimes departures boad that there is a few non passenger workings aornud lunch time so may head off to the station to photo them and make beer o'clock happen today rather than tomorrow. May also work out better as a friend requires help over the next few days to get his layout ready for Warley .

Edited November 18, 2019 by roundhouse

[AndyID]

8 minutes ago, Ozexpatriate said:

This is something I wanted for my bathroom but never insisted on - along with radiant floor heating and a fancy shower.

 

Is the unit wall mounted? (That might seem obvious, but designs attached to the floor are conceivable.) Is the wiring hidden or does it have a plug for a normal electrical receptacle?

 

This one is wall mounted and permanently wired (definitely required in a bathroom.) To avoid ripping out the drywall I used unobtrusive square, surface mounted, white painted steel raceways obtainable at your local home improvement center. Most of the raceway runs through a closet so it's not very obtrusive,

 

It's imperative that the towel rail is supplied via a GFI (RCD) and the metal body of the rail must be solidly and permanently connected to ground, as must any metal plumbing in the bathroom.

[jamie92208]

23 minutes ago, Ozexpatriate said:

This is something I wanted for my bathroom but never insisted on - along with radiant floor heating and a fancy shower.

 

Is the unit wall mounted? (That might seem obvious, but designs attached to the floor are conceivable.) Is the wiring hidden or does it have a plug for a normal electrical receptacle?

Our new en suite has underfoor electric heating installed, only 150w per sq metre and very effective. There is also a heated towel rail which is connected to a switch in the bedroom with an indicator light that perversely illuminates when it is switched off.

 

Just had a call from Beth. She can come home if she wants to but they still haven't got the test results. I am trying to gently persuade her to stay in. She still doesn't know when the pot is to be removed.

 

Jamie

[Barry O]

Ey up!

 

Could be an interesting week warley prep then sales prep then committee meeting tonight...but first a mugatea!

Baz

[polybear]

9 minutes ago, AndyID said:

 

Indeed they certainly could work to some extent. I happen to know this because I worked on some stuff that I can't go into about "hardening" VDUs to prevent nefarious actors reading screen information by RF means. Colour me cynical, but I think the much greater asset was the database of people who didn't actually have a license and the appearance of the detector vans (even if they weren't actually equipped with any means of detection).

 

My Uncle got caught by such a van.  He thought he'd "use up" what was left of his recently departed mum's licence (who lived nearby), rather than cash in her licence and put it towards a new one for his property.  It all ended up in court - he lost, unsurprisingly.  He wasn't going to pay the fine, but his wife realised that it was all getting a bit serious so paid the fine without him knowing.  I understand he went ballistic (and some) and phoned the court for the money back, since it was paid without his knowledge or permission - no chance.

Some time later he commuted to work by train without a ticket numerous times in order to "get the money back".  No way was "The System" going to get the better of him - his comment to me was "I beat the b*stards*.

My uncle did have some unusual views on various aspects of life.  RIP, Uncle Psycho.....

[AndyID]

38 minutes ago, roundhouse said:

 

That could do with a lot more weathering.

[jamie92208]

TV licence enforcement is quite onerous.   I didn't have a TV before I got married, and every 6 months got a threatening letter from the enforcement people telling me to get one or get fined.  Nowhere on the paperwork was there a box to tick saying, " I do not have a TV".   I finally got a visit one morning from two 'gentlemen' threatening me for not paying.  I told them quite bluntly that I didn't have a TV, they issued more threats and said that they would catch me with the van. They also tried to tell me off for not replying to their letters.  My reply was rather short and sharp and they then got the door shut in their faces.

 

Jamie

[Happy Hippo]

3 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

a soft spot for cats.

 

[AndyID]

9 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

 I finally got a visit one morning from two 'gentlemen' threatening me for not paying.

 

 

Doug and Dinsdale?

[45156]

1 hour ago, Robert said:

 

They weren't baloney - they did exist and they did work.  However, they did have certain limitations.

Oh they did work - they were able to detect the line time base output from a TV set, which of course was in the days when all TVs had a line output transformer, a line output pentode, and a cathode ray tube - they could not tell which room a TV was in - and that was where the baloney started and the facts ended, as the publicity said that their detection powers were a little more precise than they actually were.

[grandadbob]

Good morning all,

Dry with a fair bit of blue sky and a fine day with sunny spells forecast here at Much Aching All Over.

 

12 hours ago, Barry O said:

Bob there are some ERs who could take on the role of chip fitting with no problemo for a small fee...

 

I have on occasions bought already fitted or had chips fitted but have done a lot of them myself, probably over 30 now.  Some have been a doddle, others not so much. If I don't try I'll never do anything.

10 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

Speaking of workbenches the Thing We Do Not Mention has finally frustrated me beyond a comfortable limit.  I have threatened to bin the lot and find a new hobby.  After two years and modest expenditure all I have achieved is to replace one short with another and another culminating today in causing damage to already-laid track while trying to fix a problem.  I therefore have a much bigger problem to fix now and am nowhere closer to understanding the electrickery of it all and what I need to do / am getting wrong.  

 

I might be better suited to flower-arranging.  I really don't want to fiddle around and spend money any longer to get nowhere.

 

 

I know exactly where you're coming from Rick. I get very frustrated with my seeming inabilities and walk away, sometimes days at a time, which is why I never seen to progress very far. When I had the layout in the small bedroom things weren't too bad but having had a large Shed built at considerable expense I can't give up now although I think I've probably given myself too much to do. Mind you, I have got the fall back idea of converting it into a pub.  

Today I believe we have visit shops...Oh good.

Have a good one,

Bob.

Edited November 18, 2019 by grandadbob

[81C]

Morning All

Damp but bright last night I sat up to watch the Grand Prix and nodded off the only bit I see was the gasbags blabbing on about nothing I

might watch it on catch up later.  

Up early today the bedding has been loaded into the washing machine, off to drop some paperwork into the Solicitors once it's cycle has finished. 

enjoy your day  Vari Busie

[45156]

Morning All

 

Greetings from a chilly village East of Lancaster. 

 

Rick - good to hear that your missus is recovering, albeit slowly - also good to know that she is still keeping in with her boss while she's recovering, it must help that she's known him for so long. 

Jamie - I think it would help if Beth stayed in until the test results, and the removal of the pot - but no doubt she has her own ideas in that connection.

Everybody else, the usual generic greetings to the ailing and the celebrating.

 

Wow, twice in two days here - what is the world coming to?  - well recent discussions on here would say - a very imminent dodgy future, but that was not my meaning. 

 

Started the moring with taking Lily out for a morning wee at 5.20 to find that the forecast from here of no frost had not happened, and on that basis, I had decided not to cover the now frozen quite hard car .  So it was out at 6.45 with the de-icer and scraper, then took 30747 to work, got some petrol, and came home to make a nice bacon egg and mushroom toastie, only to find that the bacon was finished, and also we had no eggs - mushooms on toast doesn't really appeal, so I may have to pick up an egg and Spam barm from the burger van on the A683 on my way to LASAR, though I rather begrudge the cost at £3.  The other alternative, if they have one, is an all day breakfast sandwich from the local convenience store at £1.89.  As you might guess a fodder run is much needed chez 45156/30747.  I will try to do that tomorrow in between a nurse appointment at the GP. a hair appointment, and picking up 30747 from work - wow, life is so thrilling here - not.

 

Regards to All

Stewart

[BSW01]

Good morning everyone 

 

A dry sunny day, with a slight touch of frost and still only 2C at the moment. I’m about to take Sheila to her first Zumba class since her op. We’ll see how things go after she gets back later on, but I suspect she’ll only go once a week for the next couple of weeks or so. Not a lot else planned for the day. 

 

Back later. 

[45156]

2 minutes ago, BSW01 said:

 still only 2C at the moment.

Wow that's quite balmy - it's the same in negative here, with the heating running quite hard - I reckon we could be on for a hard winter this year, and as a precaution, I have upped my Direct Debit for the gas and electric in anticipation of running the heating a lot more by £30 a month - if it comes to nothing, I can always get the credit back, to be used (perhaps) as modelling tokens (some hope!!!).

[AndyID]

11 minutes ago, 45156 said:

Oh they did work - they were able to detect the line time base output from a TV set, which of course was in the days when all TVs had a line output transformer, a line output pentode, and a cathode ray tube - they could not tell which room a TV was in - and that was where the baloney started and the facts ended, as the publicity said that their detection powers were a little more precise than they actually were.

 

Without triangulation they could only get a vague indication of the direction and if there were other TVs operating it was just a guessing game. Looking at TV aerials attached to chimney heads combined with the data of who had a current license probably helped a lot more. The most important thing was that the public really believed the detector vans worked.

 

I spent many years working on RF interference (usually because it was a bad thing). It is extremely illusive and it is affected by all sorts of factors. Personally I think the BEEB was pulling a fast one, but I have to admit it was pretty clever.

[tigerburnie]

Morning all, the car looks like an igloo this morning, which is minor problem as we are due at the fang doctors in half an hour, better go defrost it, have a good one all.

[TheQ]

Mooring Awl, Inner Temple Hare, 1112/694

5 hours solid sleep and then not a lot, back playing up again..

 

Quite windy with a northerly, very cold, but no frost, lots of leaves coming off the trees, Ben the reluctant Border collie wanted out and then just stood there lookinig unhappy with the wind , I ordered him down the garden with me, he did his stuff but imediately then ran back to the house..

 

My final words about Venice, The peak flood level this year has been 1.2 M above normal.

Venice is sinking into the mud in the lagoon by an average of about 2mm a year, this does not include sea level rise... St Marks Basilica was built around 900 years ago, and probably sank faster when first built. 900*2mm = 1.8M. therefore 900 years ago St Marks and the surrounding areas would not have got wet..

 

This posting is late, because the factory network was offline all weekend and into this shift. Meanwhile  the company has issued another windows update (which may be connected with the above) so now the computers are coming on, they are all going into update mode.. Of course with no computer running of test equipment they are now down 5 runs, so I'm getting pressure to hand this one back asap.

 

Time for the next measurement

 

 

Edited November 18, 2019 by TheQ

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. In my yoof I worked for a year or two for the GPO and I can confirm that 80% of detector vans were fakes. As has been said the fake vans created a rush to buy TV licences. The favourite time to send the vans round was when popular programs such as Coronation Street or sports programs were on. The trick before things like the FA cup was shown was to send a van around 20 minutes before kick off, usually resulting in instant queues at the post offices. We seem to have avoided the frost this morning due to cloud but the clouds have gone and now we have bright sunshine. Today would have been my dads 100th birthday, happy birthday dad.

[Kingzance]

Mawning awl (just),

 

Guest was woken gently (a lot of alcohol was consumed yesterday) and he enjoyed a hearty (well, cholesterol laden) breakfast before being sent on his merry way. Awaiting the release of the major update to Luminar which is due today and might just make my carp photography somewhat better (brown trout level, certainly not fresh run salmon).
 

In addition to the already listed demands on the life of KZ, I have been requested to get out my real man sized equipment by a new neighbour. This stuff includes a mega stiff extension and throbs with vitality. He wants me to trim some ivy and an overhanging branch from where his new car port is to be sited and as my kit reaches 3 meters easily, it will solve his problems. That will be Wednesday gone then!

 

For all the arguments about the planet, my opinion is that the historical correlation between global average temperature, carbon dioxide levels and population is so close and strong as to be undeniable. Given the planet has limited physical resources, it clearly cannot cope with a rapidly expanding population, particularly one in which so many citizens believe that everyone else is the problem, we are all to blame. More babies are surviving as are more elderly people and the “load” of supporting them falls onto a smaller proportion of the global population.

 

I now need to get out my hard hat, not just for Wednesday but also for the stir that previous paragraph will cause!

 

 

[Ian Abel]

Moaning!

The weekend got away from me again, initially thinking/expecting to be able to manage some leisurely reads/posts on ER. FAT CHANCE!

 

Friday saw the folks install the drain tile in the basement, LOTS of noise but the result looks good - hopefully works as good as it looks.

We can't have everything put back together for 7-10 days to allow for the concrete to cure, pity as being reduced to one bathroom/toilet is more of a challenge than it originally seemed it would be.

 

Saturday I was tasked with assembling/printing the holiday/"we've moved" letter to go out early mostly because "WE'VE MOVED"!! Notifying everyone of a change of address seems important somehow

Once that was done I worked diligently to sort/clear the remaining carp in the garage to enable us to actually park the car in there - novel idea!!

 

Sunday continued the garage sort out, success, the car now fits.

 

Then off to catch the plane to Jfk... wait a minute, started getting "your flight is delayed" 2 hours before I was planning on even leaving for the airport.

Numerous messages further delaying the flight saw me at the airport switching to the La Guardia flight that was already boarding.

Choice between a business class seat and arriving at 0130 over three hours late, OR, middle seat in steerage and getting to NY at 2120.  No brainer...

Even manage to call the rental car company before departure and switch the car pickup to La Guardia, result,

Dodge Charger this week! Lots of get up and go

 

 

Long Island client already in freak-out mode and it's only 8AM. They need to get their financials out for October TODAY by 5 and are still making changes and wanting mods to reports.

THEN, tonight is the cut-off for anything that gets migrated this weekend, and that is causing its own mini-panic as there is expected to be a wholesale change/update of stuff between now and Friday, meaning I've got to track any changes after today and manually post them next week to the new server <phew>

They don't quite subscribe to the adage - poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part - for some reason

 

4 and drizzle here first thing, supposed to manage a high of 7 and drizzle/rain on and off all day.

 

Tally ho.

 

[The Lurker]

Greetings all from LBG where it is cold, both outside and in the office.

 

The weekend was relatively quiet. Leaves were collected and jamabalaya cooked. I used reflets de montbeliard in the absence of andouille, not least because they were available on Ocado; they were recommended on the net. it went down pretty well (it was all eaten, anyway) and Younger Lurker told me it was just below my paella in the rankings. His ASD mean he doesn't have politeness filters....!

 

Not a lot else to report so I wish you all a good day

Edited November 18, 2019 by The Lurker

[Barry O]

Paperwork now sorted.  Warley "sruff" sorted..now what should I complete a hatrick of successes for today?

 

Baz