Early Risers.

[TheQ]

Evening Awl,

Visited Tes and Coe on the way to the MRC..

No full fat milk, no bananas, but packets and packets of stuffed olives being placed on the discount shelves.. someone really cocked up the ordering..

 

 Lots of rats out there on the roads..

 

The house / chalet that was excavated out of the undergrowth that I mentioned some time ago, has now been surrounded by high metal fencing with building site signs, so I guess planning permission has been granted.

 

MRC was successful, with DMM and new leads, still working how to fix the problems discovered.

 

Muggachoccy gone

Good night Awl.

 

 

 

[pH]

6 hours ago, woodenhead said:

…

 

Oh and I really get annoyed when you've done the development work, tested it thoroughly only to find when deployed to the server it fails with a simple script toss away statement of 'Exception has been thrown by the target of an invocation'.  Great, wh is the exception, why not tell me that, it might help me figure it out.  
 

…

 

You obviously didn’t work on IBM360s 😋. Errors were reported as a number, which you then had to look up in a manual (unless it was one of your own regular mistakes, in which case you knew it by heart!).

 

There were several where the manual gave information of the form:

 

16 - Error 16 has occurred 

 

 

[Tony_S]

13 minutes ago, pH said:

 

You obviously didn’t work on IBM360s 😋. Errors were reported as a number, which you then had to look up in a manual (unless it was one of your own regular mistakes, in which case you knew it by heart!).

 

There were several where the manual gave information of the form:

 

16 - Error 16 has occurred 

 

 

The fault codes on domestic appliances are similar even now. 

[BSW01]

Good evening everyone 

 

Yahoo, I’ve finally made a start laying the laminate flooring in the cellar. I’ve probably done about 25% of the floor area, but cutting round the inner door frame was a little tricky. The usual practice is to put an expansion joint in the centre of the doorway, but as the temperature is fairly stable, I’ve not bothered with one, so the flooring seamlessly goes from one room to the other. The photo below gives an idea of how things are looking. I’ll carry on with it tomorrow, hopefully I’ll get a lot more done, but I don’t expect to finish it then. 

[BSW01]

Goodnight all 

[Tony_S]

57 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

if you don't want to hear it

Most radios have an option to cancel traffic announcements globally rather than each time. Probably in the FM menu or a button marked TA.

[woodenhead]

Am I mad to consider paying nearly £300 for a map update on my Ford satnav?  The current one is about 9 years old and some new roads have appeared since then...

 

I could use my phone but I am averse to having to put it in a holder attached to the windscreen.

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.

[jjb1970]

On domestic appliances I am an advocate of Miele. I know I have said this before but when I was at sea the washing machines used to run pretty much 24/4 and the crew weren't especially friendly to the things. Add in rolling, pitching and bouncing and a dirty electricity supply and it was as hostile an environment as you could devise. Two brands could hack it, Miele and Maytag. Every ship I sailed on ended up buying Miele or Maytag washing machines as the stuff supplied by the yards or thrifty superintendents collapsed and died after a few months. If tight fisted shipping companies (a penny saved is a penny gained) decide it is sensible to pay £££££s for a machine then it's probably a decent indicator of quality. 

 

On power tools, for DIY use you really don't need professional quality. The professional ranges made by the likes of Makita and Bosch are massively more expensive than their consumer ranges and do the same job. You are paying for tougher build and durability to take the stresses of industrial use but very very few domestic tools are subject to such abuse.

 

Something else to keep in mind is the names on many of these things doesn't mean much. In many cases they're badged third party products, in some cases another company has bought the rights to use a name for certain products.

[Ozexpatriate]

15 hours ago, jjb1970 said:

There is also an issue with science itself. I know I am a record with a scratch on this one, but the distinction between measured data and modelled analysis is increasingly lost (there is a fundamental difference between measuring a parameter and modelling) and a consequential issue that unless you have access to the model or enough to understand the model (particular inputs and assumptions) then it is difficult to make a decision on whether it is useful or not.

Not in my world. In applied science (engineering) nothing gets built without modelling. (Either that or it is vastly more expensive and takes much longer.)

 

You don't have a smartphone without enormous amounts of modelling. The models will be specialized to a particular design aspect or property and will be imperfect. Nevertheless they are essential. And there are computational tradeoffs between performance and accuracy.

 

There is absolutely no confusion between a modelled and an empirically measured property in the real word.

[Ozexpatriate]

13 hours ago, polybear said:

There was a very sad story on the news this morning about a little 'un who'd died at school due to a food allergy. 😢

It seems common nowadays that children have food allergies, yet when Bear (and fellow ER'ers too, I suspect) was a young Cub such things were totally unheard of.

I wonder why it's so common now?

I imagine they died in early childhood with no explanation - like "died of old age" on old death certificates. Ascribed as "God's Will" etc.

 

CNN: A doctor died after eating at a Disney World restaurant and the staff confirmed food was allergen-free, lawsuit alleges

 

The deceased had an Epi-Pen, used it and still died of anaphylaxis (allegedly).

 

Edited February 28 by Ozexpatriate

[Ozexpatriate]

12 hours ago, Winslow Boy said:

Unfortunately there are not that many Battery operated mowers on the market

Very popular here - this brand in particular: Ego. Lots of models, readily available.

[jjb1970]

3 minutes ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Not in my world. In applied science (engineering) nothing gets built without modelling. (Either that or it is vastly more expensive and takes much longer.)

 

You don't have a smartphone without enormous amounts of modelling. The models will be specialized to a particular design aspect or property and will be imperfect. Nevertheless they are essential. And there are computational tradeoffs between performance and accuracy.

 

There is absolutely no confusion between a modelled and an empirically measured property in the real word.

 

There's a fundamental difference between building a smartphone and doing academic research into emissions. You can model anything, the results will be determined by input assumptions (and any predictive or analytical model requires assumptions on a range of variables and causal relationships), the utility of modelling is not in dispute but in such applications there is a fundamental difference between modelling and field tests and measured data. What do you do if the measured data is not consistent with the model? A rational person would review the measurement methodology to assess whether the measurements have been properly taken, identify potential metrology errors or knowledge gaps and review the model methodology. In most cases the issues are with the models, not measurement. However, I see an increasing tendency to lose the distinction and get very defensive about mathematical models if the resulting analysis is inconsistent with reality.

 

It's not just research, in practical engineering we use models but the only thing that matters is attained performance and whether that matches contractual specification. One of the reasons Alstom had to be bailed out (one of several times) was they developed a large gas turbine and did all their performance validation using modelling and signed contracts with requirements for efficiency/fuel burn. When the first physical engine fell short the damages for failing to deliver agreed performance were huge. There are lots of similar examples in the naval world.

[Ozexpatriate]

1 minute ago, jjb1970 said:

I see an increasing tendency to lose the distinction and get very defensive about mathematical models if the resulting analysis is inconsistent with reality.

My point is that I don't see that. I see people fixing the models to account for whatever they missed. Ultimately engineered solutions work or they don't; and this is demonstrated during the service life of the engineered 'product' whether that is a smartphone, a bridge or the propulsion system of a warship. (Separate from airframe door plugs missing their intended fasteners.)

 

Companies who build the model will ultimately succeed or fail based on its utility and accuracy (which are often a tradeoff). The presumption is that the models are a simplification of reality in the first place - usually because they have to be, to be practical. Engineers usually round up and add a safety factor in design anyway.

 

Your 'issue' is that you live in a politicized world* of acronym-named organizations and consequential willy waving with an agenda.  It's not accurate to extrapolate it everywhere.

 

* Climate science and immunology come to mind. They're still a microcosm and not necessarily representative.

[Ozexpatriate]

46 minutes ago, jjb1970 said:

One of the reasons Alstom had to be bailed out (one of several times) was they developed a large gas turbine and did all their performance validation using modelling and signed contracts with requirements for efficiency/fuel burn. When the first physical engine fell short the damages for failing to deliver agreed performance were huge.

Early in my career the QA department signed off on my design. They hadn't actually tested it, but just assumed all designs from the group I was in worked.

 

This was a new design and it failed in deployment. At that time (approaching 40 years ago) there was no modelling available for that particular failure mechanism - other than expert opinion at the design review. We discussed it but signed off thinking we were "OK" and knowing the QA lab would test it. There is suitably accurate modelling* available for the phenomenon now.

 

There's never an exception for field testing - unless people are taking a risky shortcut.

 

* A company offering such a solution as one of several flagship products is currently being acquired for $35b.

 

Edited February 28 by Ozexpatriate

[iL Dottore]

23 hours ago, Ian Abel said:

Chewsday...

 

Yesterday was "amusing" setting goals for the year.

First had to explain my background, areas of expertise and the simple fact I'd been at the current client 8+ years!

Guy is a marketing type, new company strategy is to have the marketing folks see where staff can be "used" based on their expertise, placement to clients etc.

Having explained to him I'm unlikely to be available for the foreseeable future, it was pretty much a "oh, sounds good, just check the boxes on the form..."

 

What a waste of space/time 😀 especially since I doubt he realizes I'm unlikely to do anything more than retired when this gig comes to a close, oh well.

I don’t know why you are complaining, Ian. Such things are what I consider “No Work Income” Anything I do for a client gets logged (time) and billed for (on a hourly basis).
 

I recently had to “attend” some IT security training (on-line 15 minute modules) required by a client. Now, although IT security is not my area of expertise, my company - in the form of Mrs iD - provided IT Security so I’m pretty much clued up. So I grabbed a coffee, put my feet up, ran the training module - keeping half-an-eye on it in case of any new twists to the topic and had a “nano-paid-holiday”.

 

Another source of “easy money” is the two hour teleconference where the organisers of said TC need me to attend in order to provide my expertise but don’t say when during the TC they need me. With one client there were more than a few TCs that were so badly run that the TC would be finished without me being called upon. Professionally, that offends me, financially it’s “money for old rope”.

 

And one of the benefits of sitting through such TCs is that one can (ahem) “multitask”.

 

Edited February 28 by iL Dottore
Typo

[jamie92208]

Good moaning from a rather cool Charente,where the grass is crispy this morning. It has certainly got cooler over the last couple of days.  

 

We got to Niort yesterday, then had lunch on the way back.  Beth was dropped off at the hairdressers and her field who was also going dropped her at her French class.  I had a quiet afternoon catching up with various things. 

I discovered that the first TBM on the 10 mile long Chiltern tunnel had officially broken through to complete it's drive.  It seems that the machine has been paused for at least a fortnight so that a Government minister could attend the ceremony.  How much did that pause cost taxpayers. 

 

Shopping to do this morning then wood to Barrow down and cables to sort out. 

 

Ttfn. 

 

Jamie

[Barry O]

Ey up!

 

Her indoors is taking her carbin for servicing this morning. I am going along as the chauffeur to ferry her back home..

 

Fingers crossed for Dr Eldest Herbert.. hopefully he will get positive news about his job.

 

I chaired the UK Synthetic Environments and Simulation Working Group as part of the Technology Foresight DTI panel. Across most industries we noted the use of digital and analogue (ie real system) development and testing. It means you can try ideas out before going into production. We used it to check out the crew training needs for a certain tank particularly the fire on target sequence. Saved a lot of time as we transitioned towards design sign off. We also used it as part of vehicle sub system tests (using a Weapons Simulation Test and Integration facility.

 

Seems like it worked to me but it was a great time to be a systems engineer.

 

Time to..  charge on and go to the garage post some breakfast.. (porridge and banana).

 

Have a great day!

 

Baz

[Grizz]

Who ordered this then???????
 

…Fenrir Wolf has devoured the sun, the skies have turned to grey…..behold The Age of Ragnarok is upon us! ……..Flee! Flee! 
 

 

 

[Hroth]

13 minutes ago, Grizz said:

Who ordered this then???????
 

…Fenrir Wolf has devoured the sun, the skies have turned to grey…..behold The Age of Ragnarok is upon us! ……..Flee! Flee! 
 

 

 

 

You're getting a tad overexcited!

 

Althoug New York appears to be being consumed too....

 

 

Edited February 28 by Hroth
failed link

[polybear]

9 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

Job for tomorrow is to finish installing the dashcam, namely the rear camera. 

 

9 hours ago, TheQ said:

Lots of rats out there on the roads..

 

Mickey the MG has a rearview dashcam; yesterday it recorded a rat driving the car behind Mickey whilst reading the Daily Mail.....🤬

In a traffic jam it may have been, but I've seen plenty of tail-end shunts in those.

 

8 hours ago, Tony_S said:

The fault codes on domestic appliances are similar even now. 

 

It'd be much more fun if they said something like:

"HOW many times have I told you, you ?  Too much detergent, AGAIN....."

Written & verbal would be even more fun.

 

8 hours ago, woodenhead said:

Am I mad to consider paying nearly £300 for a map update on my Ford satnav?  The current one is about 9 years old and some new roads have appeared since then...

 

I could use my phone but I am averse to having to put it in a holder attached to the windscreen.

 

A map update, or two Deltics?  Not hard.....

[iL Dottore]

6 hours ago, jjb1970 said:

On domestic appliances I am an advocate of Miele.

Deffo. We have a Miele washing machine, induction hob and an oven (which was a replacement for a Miele all-singing, all-dancing oven that failed after I had damaged the door locking mechanism). My only gripe with Miele is how they love to load their domestic appliances with bells and whistles - presumably to cater for the profitable “Ooh, look how much I’ve spent on my kitchen” market segment.

 

Get their basic, entry level, models and you have a good bit of kit (or get Miele Professional - they have a small range)
 

6 hours ago, jjb1970 said:

…On power tools, for DIY use you really don't need professional quality. The professional ranges made by the likes of Makita and Bosch are massively more expensive than their consumer ranges and do the same job. You are paying for tougher build and durability to take the stresses of industrial use but very very few domestic tools are subject to such abuse.

I think that I have to (partly) disagree. Certainly most DIY grade power tools do not undergo the sort of heavy use that power tools get when used in a professional capacity, but there’s the issue of replacement parts and set up.

 

Two examples:

I have a very nice Parkside mini-drill (the older model with the removable battery pack) that has given many years of good service. Unfortunately the threads on the clamping nut (not made of the highest quality metal) that tightens around the shaft and collet have now stripped and I’m going to have to source a replacement - which may cost as much as the drill cost originally,  IF I can find one that has the right dimensions - whilst with professional equipment you get replacements for every single part of the machine.

 

I also recently bought an Einhell bandsaw - which got reasonable reviews, BUT  (and this is a big but) reviewers also indicated that whilst you can use it “straight from the box”, for best performance you need to both replace the blade (these inexpensive saws don’t usually come with the highest quality blades) and set it up properly (thank goodness for YouTube tutorials), whereas with much professional gear the gear can be used “straight from the box”

6 hours ago, jjb1970 said:

Something else to keep in mind is the names on many of these things doesn't mean much. In many cases they're badged third party products, in some cases another company has bought the rights to use a name for certain products.

Now this, I think, is something that should be clearly labelled (and in large print). If people buy (say) a Captain Cynical Industries Cake Safe, they are expecting a CCI GmbH quality Cake Safe, not something from 北极熊工业（中国) - Polybear Industries (China).  Rebadged/third party products should be clearly labelled - in this case < Cake Safe. Made for CCI GmbH by 北极熊工业（中国) - Polybear Industries (China).>

[polybear]

In the news:

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-68381160

 

It includes this:

 

"Its owner, Drax, receives money from energy bill payers because the electricity produced from burning pellets is classified as renewable and treated as emission-free."

 

 

"In fact, the power station emits about 12 million tonnes of carbon a year, but under international rules the UK doesn't have to count these emissions.

All of the 6.5 million tonnes of wood pellets burned by Drax each year are produced overseas. Many come from Drax's 17 pellet plants in the US and Canada."

 

Huh?  And what about all the emissions generated by the ships transporting the pellets to the UK?

 

FFS.

[Hroth]

6 hours ago, polybear said:

It'd be much more fun if they said something like:

"HOW many times have I told you, you ?  Too much detergent, AGAIN....."

Written & verbal would be even more fun.

 

 

My central heating boiler has an error code that reads F0, which seems rude to me.

 

Its actually something to do with the system water pressure...

 

Edited February 28 by Hroth
to tidy up Bears quote, the tablet won't delete emojis, but the real PC will. Muahahaha...

[New Haven Neil]

Morning, from a mizzly rock, 7c feels like 4, looks like less.

 

Like Mrs Baz, Mrs NHN's jalopy is in dock today for service and a creaky rear suspension issue - I know how it feels.  So I had to take her down early doors to get her bus to work.

 

Then I'm off to hospickle for a Podiatry review, it's a new clinician so it will no doubt quickly degrade into a discussion regarding Lisfranc injuries rather then diabetic problems when she sees the patterns of scars on my left paw.  Thankfully the clinic is now in the local Cottage Hospital in the Bright Lights of Ramsey rather than in the general Hospital all the way in the big city. Then the day is my own, until it is time to cook dinner.