Early Risers.

[BSW01]

Good evening everyone 

 

Well, we had a lovely time and a good walk at the RHS this morning, the weather remained dry, but cool, although the ground was damp in a few places on some of the paths, but we were able to dodge these quite easily. We managed to do just over 3 miles whilst out and we saw a pair of kestrels and a buzzard, we also saw a couple of tufted ducks on the lake too! 

[Barry O]

6 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

My long ago studies in linear control theory suggest that properly managed feed forward is a very important part of improving response time in a system and so, long as the gain is not too high for the system, isn't a "sure way" of causing instability, though of course if the gain is too high it can.

Only ever used it in anger once. It was interesting to get it balanced.normally feed forward was seen as being an ideal way of destabilising a system. It was "bad practice"  when I did my Control Engineering degree and should be avoided at all costs. The time I used it my boss and I spent ages trying to tune in by digital simulation..then I "tweeked" the hardware to get it to work.

 

Baz

[BSW01]

Goodnight all 

[Gwiwer]

2 hours ago, New Haven Neil said:

Ahh, I recall Luxembourg fading into the noise as the night wore on - on my tiny transistor radio listening to Emperor Roscoe! #thinks# or was that Radio Caroline??

 

1 hour ago, Tony_S said:

My mother was convinced we could be arrested for listening to pirate radio stations so we couldn’t have the radio on loud in case it was overheard. 

Radio Luxembourg was famed for its fade-out.  Caused by atmospheric conditions which interrupted the Medium-Wave band and particularly the lower end of it as evening passed into night.  Luxembourg broadcast on 208mMW.  

 

Caroline also faded and often wasn't available at all but that was as much to do with the sea conditions and the lower power of their transmitters.  After pirate radio became unlawful the power was turned down a bit more to evade detection.  Caroline used several different wavelengths over the years but iirc it was 219mMW for much of its time.  

 

I did my best to listen to both on the tiny and equally low-powered battery transistor radio which I could hide under the pillow and play quietly whilst crawled down under the blankets.  The frustrating thing was that if only you could hear it the music got better as the signal got worse.  Emperor Rosco (Mike Pasternak) and David "Kid" Jensen were on the late night shifts until closedown of the UK service at 3am but you seldom heard anything worthwhile after around 1am because of the fade.  

 

There was also a certain Jimmy Savile on Luxembourg who knew his audience and named his show the "Under the Bedclothes Club".   History has determined that there could have been a most unfortunate double meaning to that.  

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.

[Hroth]

9 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

Goodnight all.

 

I went to bed earlier but woke up and I'm trying to get tired enough to want to sleep again..

 

It worked.

Got back to sleep 1am-ish  and rudely awakened by Classic FM on the Echo Dot at 7am.

 

Edited February 8 by Hroth
Morning update...

[Ozexpatriate]

10 hours ago, monkeysarefun said:

Hmmmmm, I have obviously been watching too much cricket and AFL from the MCG  lately because that field looks like a basketball court in comparison sizewise!

120 yards (360' / 110m) x 160' / 49m.

 

A Rugby League field is (up to) 122m x 68m wide - about 50% bigger, mostly in the width.

EDIT:
It occurs to me that with the natural grass field at Allegiant Stadium, NFL teams use very wide areas on the sidelines for all their players, equipment and paraphernalia.  Combining both sideline areas probably won't squeak in an extra 20m of width, but certainly wider than the 49m NFL width.

 

There's a good image here of the visitor sideline. The white sideline area is 6' (almost 2 m). The dashed limit line is at least 12' according to the NFL rulebook. An extra 10 m on each side is probably right up to the concrete but there's more room available than just the NFL playing area.

 

Edited February 8 by Ozexpatriate

[Ozexpatriate]

3 hours ago, Barry O said:

Only ever used it in anger once. It was interesting to get it balanced.normally feed forward was seen as being an ideal way of destabilising a system. It was "bad practice"  when I did my Control Engineering degree and should be avoided at all costs.

It's essential in a lot of electronic filter algorithms. Much depends on the system being controlled and its frequency response. You certainly don't want heavy steel moving parts being unstable, or twitchy, semi-autonomous rocket-powered flying/crashing machines.

 

While feedback is nice at removing steady state error a highly inertial system might take a long time to get there - particularly with a time varying set point/controlled variable, where some feed-forward might help - so long as it doesn't "help" too much.

[monkeysarefun]

1 hour ago, Ozexpatriate said:

120 yards (360' / 110m) x 160' / 49m.

 

A Rugby League field is (up to) 122m x 68m wide - about 50% bigger, mostly in the width.

 

 

 

The same thing happens in my head when I watch a Rugby League game after watching an AFL one. For instance after watching the AFL grand final  which was played at the MCG where the playing size is  161m / 528ft long   by 141m / 462 ft  wide. The next day the NRL grand final was  played at Stadium Australia which is also an oval 128m wide by 170m long, but reconfigured to its reduced Rugby League-sized rectangular form it looked surprisingly snug in comparison...

 

 

There is no standardised size for an AFL field, the national AFL competition is played on grounds that range from 155m to 170m long, and 115m to 141m wide. 

 

Some country ovals can be larger. Deniliquin oval which hosts Victorian Country League games is 200m by 131m wide , and several others are 190m long, so there's  a lot of running around in those games.

Edited February 8 by monkeysarefun

[Ozexpatriate]

33 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

There is no standardised size for an AFL field

Being played on cricket fields, which much like baseball fields, were historically constrained by the real estate available particularly in city locations. Of course the wicket is a chain (20.12 m) in length and the baseball infield is 90' (27.4 m) on a side.

[monkeysarefun]

2 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Of course the wicket is a chain (20.12 m) in length

 

Or 22 paced  out steps when playing in the backyard or local park. So the wicket grows organically longer as players get older, thus keeping  pace  with increasing  skills.

Edited February 8 by monkeysarefun

[pH]

1 hour ago, monkeysarefun said:

…
The next day the NRL grand final was  played at Stadium Australia which is also an oval 128m wide by 170m long, but reconfigured to its reduced Rugby League-sized rectangular form it looked surprisingly snug in comparison...

 

There is no standardised size for an AFL field …

Similarly, there is no standardized size for a soccer field, so I would guess the diagram shows how, specifically, Stadium Australia is configured for soccer.

 

Soccer fields can be a maximum of 90 metres by 120 metres, and a minimum of 45 metres by 90 metres. The length must be more than the width, so a field cannot be square (just!). 

[monkeysarefun]

35 minutes ago, pH said:

Similarly, there is no standardized size for a soccer field, so I would guess the diagram shows how, specifically, Stadium Australia is configured for soccer.

Its FIFA-sized 105m by 68m.

[pH]

27 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

Its FIFA-sized 105m by 68m.

The figures I quoted are from Law 1 of “Laws of the Game 23/24” published by the International Football Association Board. Law 1 includes the statement “Competitions may determine the length of the goal line and touch line within the above dimensions.”

 

Here are the pitch sizes for the teams in the EPL in season 2022-2023:

 

https://www.huck-net.co.uk/news/2023-05/premier-league-pitch-sizes/

 

Quite some variation.

 

(Edit - are you saying that the soccer pitch at Stadium Australia is that size I.e. the FIFA standard? If so, sorry, I misunderstood your post.)

Edited February 8 by pH

[Barry O]

3 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

It's essential in a lot of electronic filter algorithms. Much depends on the system being controlled and its frequency response. You certainly don't want heavy steel moving parts being unstable, or twitchy, semi-autonomous rocket-powered flying/crashing machines.

 

While feedback is nice at removing steady state error a highly inertial system might take a long time to get there - particularly with a time varying set point/controlled variable, where some feed-forward might help - so long as it doesn't "help" too much.

Great forcelectron8cs not good for servos as you say.. my application was a high speed, high inertia lump of metal controlled by multiple gyros.. not something for the feint hearted.

 

Baz

[Barry O]

Ey up!

 

Our "Amber Warningnof Snow" is now back to being avyelow warning.. except its after its start time so hasn't arrived.. yet. However clouds are now covering the Sky.. frabjoy!

 

Cricket is still measured out in yards and feet at most grounds .. why? If all else fails you can use your feet to measure the distance or strides (yards). Can't do that with metric...

 

All I know is that Sheffield Collegiate (the spiritual home of Joe Root, Billy Root and Michael Vaughan) has a boundary 100 feet from the middle of the wickets.. which is a fair distance.

 

Some international grounds are quite small in comparison... and don't trust some of sizes posted on line about cricket grounds.

 

As it's Thursday her indoors is off to moreasons. Depending on the weather I will try to go for a walk.. I may need to clear snow instead.

 

Stay safe.. positive thoughts to our missing and poorly ERs. The rest of you.. stay well!

 

Baz

 

 

[Grizz]

2 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

……snip…..Of course the wicket is a chain (20.12 m) in length…..snip

Historically and still UK Railways are marked out and recorded in Miles and Chains and Yards, although some areas have gone over to metric but still require the original measurements to be retained to ensure consistency in record keeping .
 

London Underground (the tube network not the terrorist group) is marked out in KM and mètres from an obscure place call Ongar….possibly because that’s where the bloke who thought of it lived at the time? 
 

We still use chainage as an active term, especially when programming repairs, planning possession protection arrangements or access / egress arrangements etc. 

[roundhouse]

I build my layout baseboards in feet and inches yet mark out and  lay track on them in metric.

 

Its rather wet walking to and from the shed earlier. Now getting a bit more windy. I hope that it isnt too wet walking ot our local pubs this afternoon.

Edited February 8 by roundhouse

[monkeysarefun]

2 hours ago, pH said:

 

 

(Edit - are you saying that the soccer pitch at Stadium Australia is that size I.e. the FIFA standard? If so, sorry, I misunderstood your post.)

 

 

No, worries - Thats what I was trying to say! Its 105m by 68m, and is the home ground of Sydney FC and hosts their local A-league matches  plus    Asian Cup matches, World Cup preliminaries or whatever they are called  and  probably whatever else soccer does down here.

Edited February 8 by monkeysarefun

[grandadbob]

Good morning all,

Dull here, very dull and overcast,  it's staining readily and will continue to do so for at least a couple of hours.  There may be a break or two in the early afternoon but another band of rain will move in towards the evening.  5°C rising to 13°C.

Didn't go for a walk yesterday and probably won't today.

Thursday = bins and Ocado.  On top of that we have the dubious pleasure of a visit to Sainsbury's as there are some things The Boss wants from there that we can't get from Ocado.

More muddling done in the form of painting the rest of the beer barrels and crates for the brewery dray and pub.  I didn't buy enough to start with, now got too many!  Also pondering on whether to buy some more trees.  I've got lots of little packets of "stuff" and people purchased over the years that need to be examined and either painted  or just just put on the layout.  Another visit to The Shed is on the cards.

Have a good one,

Bob.

 

Edited February 8 by grandadbob

[monkeysarefun]

59 minutes ago, Grizz said:

London Underground (the tube network not the terrorist group) is marked out in KM and mètres from an obscure place call Ongar….possibly because that’s where the bloke who thought of it lived at the time? 

 

 

The origin here is  some point on the platforms at  Central Station.  I do still remember the feeling of discovery I got as a young chap when  after a few weeks of travelling to  tech college by train I finally worked out  that the  mysterious yellow labels on every overhead pylon gave the distance to that  origin point to the nearest metre....

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 8 by monkeysarefun

[iL Dottore]

I stand back in admiration (quite far back, actually) at those who have mastered the ins-and-outs (and minutiae) of sport. I’ve played some sport in my time (cricket and football [under duress] at skool, mixed team volleyball as a teenager ([the jiggles! the jiggles!]), but apart from enjoying seeing Anna, Donatella, Patrizia et alia bounce around in short shorts and t-shirts during volleyball, I have never been interested in either watching or playing sport. I tend to have the view of Terry Pratchett’s Havelock Vetinarari: 

"I have to admit to the view that all exercise for any purpose other than bodily health, the defence of the realm, and the proper action of the bowels is barbaric." — Unseen Academicals. Cycling, walking and weight training are sufficient for me.

 

This definitely marks me out as an outlier, the global sports industry revenue for 2022 was about 487 Billion US$ (with the sports betting and lottery sector being estimated as worth 235 Billion US$ [https://www.statista.com/statistics/370560/worldwide-sports-market-revenue/#:~:text=In 2022%2C the industry's revenue,over 623 billion U.S. dollars.]), that’s an awful lot of people playing, watching, betting and organising sports (and sports-like) stuff.

 

One thing that bemuses me about modern sport is how both the terms “sport” and “athlete” have become rather loose in the definition: Darts? Tiddlywinks? Boules? Snooker? Really? And the “athletes” in some of the less energetic “sports” are hardly at the peak of human physical prowess, are they?

 

And as for the (often rabid) partisan support of this or that team, can anyone tell me why? I am sure those who study and analyse human behaviour could get a hell of a lot of papers, dissertations and interesting research projects out of sports fans.

 

Anyway, I’m off to watch the Tortoise racing, it’s not the speed or the crashes that engages one, it’s the skill, it’s the skill…..

[jamie92208]

12 hours ago, Hroth said:

I see that the BBC is to introduce new DAB only channels as "spin offs" of their main radio channels, including a Radio 2 lite that will play popular music from the 50s, 60s and 70s, competing with the likes of Smooth. Radio 3 will also get an easy classics outlet that will go up against Classic FM. There will also be two Radio 1 based channels.

 

Apart from the possibility that the commercial stations will resent the BBC jumping into "their" pond, they may see it as unfair ad-free competition.

 

Where the BBC may come adrift is that they won't understand that their main stumbling block is that they don't have an easy streaming option, but force potential users to use the BBC Sounds portal, which is inflexible and requires users to log in before listening, which may be fine for the committed, but is a barrier to potential and casual listeners.  Listeners to Smooth and Classic FM don't have to jump those hurdles to stream their music.

 

 

Sadly when Long Wave goes I'll no longer be able to listen to Radio Bore in my car as don't have DAB. More importantly Test Match Special will disappear 

 

11 hours ago, New Haven Neil said:

Ahh, I recall Luxembourg fading into the noise as the night wore on - on my tiny transistor radio listening to Emperor Roscoe! #thinks# or was that Radio Caroline??

Caroline North for me from somewhere near Fraggle Rock.  199I think. 

1 hour ago, Grizz said:

Historically and still UK Railways are marked out and recorded in Miles and Chains and Yards, although some areas have gone over to metric but still require the original measurements to be retained to ensure consistency in record keeping .
 

London Underground (the tube network not the terrorist group) is marked out in KM and mètres from an obscure place call Ongar….possibly because that’s where the bloke who thought of it lived at the time? 
 

We still use chainage as an active term, especially when programming repairs, planning possession protection arrangements or access / egress arrangements etc. 

My layout is all surveyed in metric as it was designed on Templot and CAD.  Like LU it's zero point is not on the network it's in a cut out at one end.  It's actually a screw rawlplugged into the floor to hold the end of my tape measure.  I believe the OHLE gantries are all marked in kilometerage. 

 

Jamie

[jamie92208]

Good moaning folks.  Off trainspotting today so a good day to look forward to.   The lounge looks a lot tidier. 

 

Jamie

[TheQ]

Mooring Awl,

3 hours sleep, long awake , 1 hours sleep, short awake 1.5 hours sleep. Would of had more but.....

 

Roar....

Slight less roar...

Tiny roar

Beep beep beep 

Rumble rumble rumble

Yep they are loading the sugar beet again

Long gaps between loads but I think they've two lorries on today.

 

The first road is a lorry hurtling along at 60 mph down to the next farmers yard where there is space to turn round.

The lesser roar is it coming back but slowing to stop at the pan.

The tiny roar is the loader starting up,

***

The beep beep beeb is the digger reversing away from the heep of beet then it goes forward to load the loader

Rumble rumble rumble, as it lands in the lorry,

Beep beep beep as it reverses from the loader,

And repeat from *** many times for each lorry.

 

Ben the i'm not sure about this Collie  didn't ask to go out because of the noise. When we did go out he stuck to the side of the garden furthest from the pan, and cut short his length of time out.

 

It's dull grey and drizzly outside, the light wind has swung round to the south east. The radar indicates heavy soggyness immanent.

 

Other than sailing,  like il Dottore the only team sport I've chosen to do regularly was volleyball, mixed teams mostly :)😀

Used to watch a bit of F1, but the teams are so far apart these days it's almost entirely the car , any decent driver in the best car will win.

 

Plans for today

Not get wet.

Therefore mostly muddling.

 

 

 

Edited February 8 by TheQ