h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hi Bx4

No worries I understand.

"...A man on a slippery slope perhaps? .." - A man out of a job in May.

Was there was never a point in advocating an EU exit unless one wished to move from the status quo?

bs

hi rg

A few horrendous days stripping paint back to the woodwork. Decotors apparently don't undecorate.

>> off-road quad – I don't want one.<<

Nor do I but the SO does so I suspect one may appear.

>>As for three wheels – to be honest I don't want one of those either.<<

I regard it as an option when I am so far gone in decrepitude that two wheels are no longer viable. I am not attracted by a side car.

>> ...corrosion...I have a service booked for BB and will follow up with the annual application of ACF-50.<<

I have been quite lucky as B1 and B2 have both been corrosion free. I don't know if this is because better materials were used in earlier models or that both live in 'warm 'n toasty' garages.

>>A KTM 250 EXC‑F maybe" - I've not seen one in the flesh though I like the sound of 250 and that it appears springy and street legal.<<

Downside might be that it seems more an Enduro racer than a leisure bike.


A replacement is indicated because B1 doesn't really meet my needs anymore. I never, unlike you, commuted by motorbike and any future touring I do will most likely be in Europe for which I have B2 so a small off-roader would be better for getting into unroaded country.

>> I hope things are going well with you in this regard?<<

I'm due for an Hb1AC next week though not from German diabetes nurse who has more than a whiff of the gauleiter about her....

>> the last opinion poll I saw (yes I know I'm quoting an opinion poll more fool me) showed that the UK was more in favour of remaining in the UK than ever before. Every region of the UK was positive about EU membership.<<

The Cameron effect, perhaps?

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/perhaps-the-eu-can-be-tolerated-after-all-polls-show-inout-promise-has-boosted-support-for-remaining-8515616.html

>>This doesn't mean the UK electorate would vote to exit the EU. That's the way with referendums – user chooser.<<

Indeed though I suspect Cameron's increasingly hawkish posturing on the EU is more about securing his future but the above report might suggest that he is doomed which is good though the prospect of Millipede II as PM is singularly unattractive.

>>The method appears to vary across the land with some states operating an 'all or nothing' approach whilst others don't in the US 'electoral college' system.<<

As I recall Maine and Nebraska are the odd ones out where some of the electors are chosen by popular vote at the congressional district level.


>>Supposing there is a "No" on September 18; I see May 2016 as a straight fight between Labour and the SNP. I mean who's going to vote Real Opposition (wiped out in the May EU election) or come to that The Evil Tories?<<

You may be right though whether the Scottish Labour would have much success in a post-independence referendum is moot given the lickspittle kowtowing of the odious Lamont and her cronies to their masters in Brewers Green.

>>How the Internet connection is delivered interests me less than that it should be delivered as a public service<<

I agree but with a //guaranteed// minimum speed.

>>microwave<<

Don't mobile phones use microwaves? And the trendy 3G/4G smart phones can be used to access t'interweb thingy or at least the SO's iPhone does. Of course we also have 'good' copper and wireless. Though the latter will be phased out in 2016:

http://www.hebrides-news.com/next_generation_broadband_western_isles_25613.html


>>I'd have been gobsmacked to read that you were ever a 'doubtful'!<<

Only became an issue for me when Scotland fell under the sway of the 'sainted Maggie'. My commitment to Labour crumbled with the advent of the 'beatified Tony'.

bs

Hi Bx4

"Decorators apparently don't undecorate."

We've never had decorators so this is a revelation. I've always found that undoing other people's botches takes longer than the time expended on decorating itself. As a case in point I bought a 1950s record player the other day and found the tone arm had been 'repaired' with what looked like Evo-Stick and two sorts of adhesive tape! It took hours to remove the gunk and seconds to weld the arm together using an appropriate cement. I'm feeling a bit chuffed because the whole thing was sold to me as a non runner yet there I was last night listening to Bach at 33 1/3 on it.

"'warm 'n toasty' garages"

I had the loan of a four month old F700?thread="http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/archive/ra/topics/mpsafety/school-audit/mobilework.htm" >http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/archive/ra/topics/mpsafety/school-audit/mobilework.htm

Good luck with the Hb1AC. You remind me I'm due a visit to The Quack to discuss my current paper.

bs

Hi Bx4

My reply got chewed up a bit in the posting. Some other bits follow...

... four month old F700?thread="http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/archive/ra/topics/mpsafety/school-audit/mobilework.htm" >http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/archive/ra/topics/mpsafety/school-audit/mobilework.htm

Hope this works.

bs

B4 no that didn't work either. Last attempt then I'll hang my head in shame as an internet communications failure...

I had the loan of a four month old bike recently and that was showing rust! That said the 'warm 'n toasty' garages are what my bikes (of whatever make and or vintage) have never had. I suspect if If were ever to own a 'warm 'n toasty' garage whatever bike I chose to put in it wouldn't rot. One day; one day.

"Downside might be that it seems more an Enduro racer than a leisure bike."

I can only call it as I see it – sit on the darn thing in the showroom and that will give a good pointer to the critical (for me) angles of knees and back. When I was looking for BB it gave the best account of itself in this regard. I think I'm trying to say don't look at the decals nor the category so much as the seating position, weight and spring travel. That said we are all different and there are a multitude of bikes to choose from.

'Don't mobile phones use microwaves?'

I had thought that they used radio? "Mobile phones may be a relatively new technology, but radio has been used as a means of communication for over a hundred years. Marconi made the very first radio transmission in 1895." http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/archive/ra/topics/mpsafety/school-audit/mobilework.htm

bs

hi rg

The appears to be something akin to panic amongst the Westminster **

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/sep/09/are-you-heeding-ed-milibands-call-to-fly-the-saltire-across-the-uk-scotland-independence

Och aye!

>>revelation<<

Since the paint stripping is tedious I have concentrated on stripping the wood adjacent to the walls to be emulsioned.<<

>> I bought a 1950s record player the other day <<

Bought a 1990s petrol lawnmower with poer train. It needs much work.

>>Microwaves<<

'Mobile phones communicate with their base stations using low-intensity microwave radiation.'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/ocr_gateway_pre_2011/energy_home/2_cooking_with_waves3.shtml

Seems to be a matter of definition.

>>Hb1AC<<

I have maintained my dietary regimen so it shold be OK

>> the critical (for me) angles of knees and back<<

Agree though weight is also a factor when offroading hereabouts

**I see Her Maj is being invoked on The Bull 3***. As a committed republican.....

***Somewhat oddly despite the '"Yes" to independence thread saying there are 109,189 post clicking on the link gives the message 'No posts exist for this topic'.Weird.

bs

hi rg

Fly the Saltire -Part II

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/sep/09/miliband-saltire-plan-twitter-no-10-flagpole-malfunction

Oops!

bs

Hi Bx4

I'm away to an even more internet challenged place than mine. I'll catch up with less than a week till 'the end of the beginning'.

Happy decorating till then.

bs

hi rg

>>Happy decorating<<

More unhappy undecorating but like you post the 18th we are off to ' an even more internet challenged place' - St Kilda though not in Das Boot obviously.

bs

Hi Bx4

Just back from break on Sussex Hants border; you'd like it there for there are forests of masts so that the other side of creeks can't be seen.

No internet; no TV. A bit of 3G (wireless or microwave) one bar (still better than the none roundabout here). Just got back to see headline about Salmond making accusation of bullying. I'd guess there will be quite a lot more to come before iScotland day.

I managed to get hold of a 1960s guide to electronics which still did some valve technology "better for certain applications" so maybe it can help me find out why my 'new' gramophone has such a hum. You will have gathered I like 'old tech' though a better internet connection would be a boon and a toe dipped into the new millennium. The dream is to live long enough to be able to see it in a shop or some-such.

Hoping you are enjoying St Kilda and the lawn mower gives hours of pleasure.

bs

hi rg

Just got back from post referendum sail to St Kilda and points west (Rockall). A long time dream. No access to t'interweb thingy. No masts trees grass cows just seabird and the 'deep blue' (though more 'deep green actually).

So completely out of touch with Salmond's post-referendum Vergangenheitsbewältigung. Played out much as I expected though one commentator observed that the late desperate introduction of 'devo somewhat' by the three Unionist panjandrums has muddied the 'No' vote which can no longer be seen necessarily as simply one for the status quo.

On the hum from your 'new' deck it used to be that these were fitted with an 'earth' wire terminated by a spade terminal which could be connected to the amplifier or suchlike though the cause is sometimes more complicated:

http://www.jaycar.co.uk/images_uploaded/humloop.pdf

I gather that Jeremy 'The Timid' Clarkson has had to flee Argentina (though not on a mobility scooter of course):

http://metrouk2.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/wpid-article-1326974137007-0f83a5f700000578-153745_636x686.jpg

bs

Hi Bx4

Good that you're back safely from voyaging.

"...the late desperate introduction of 'devo somewhat'..."

I know. I cringed.

The SNP strongly repudiated 'the pledge' yet who knows what effect there was on the result?

Scottish Independence is the direction of travel. All that's just happened is that a messy intermediate stage has been introduced. I was and remain disappointed with the outcome.

Just off out; more later...

bs

Hi Bx4

I can't even begin to imagine what sailing to Rockall is like. You are lucky to have made the voyage.

Hum: Thank you for the link. It is very interesting and I'm sure I'll be applying some of the advice in the future. However my situation was somewhat different in that the hum was due to a failed power supply capacitor (I think the technical term is 'can'). To find this out I'd invested in a 'multimenter' that could read farads. The result of prodding thereafter was that for £5 I was able to install two modern electrolytics and I replaced the coupling resistor at the same time (rather than join new components with a fifty-five year old original) and almost hum free power was the reward.

Next because the cartridge ('cart' in the trade?) was melt-water I substituted a newer (1974) crystal. This then meant 'building' a voltage divider to prevent overloading the preamp section. And there we are; a 1959 (date stamped in the box) valve driven record player restored to working order having been bought as a non-runner.

If only more of my projects turned out this way?

bs

hi rg

Sailing to Rockall wasn't much of a problem, six of us on a true 'blue water' boat meant we could easily manage three watches/day and since it is only 230 miles east of the Outer Hebrides is was fairly easy. Some people have actually landed but we didn't bother.

I was rather impressed by your description of the repairs to your deck though as I'm more into the integrated circuit era and decks with a USB port to transfer vinyl to my Brennan.

Interestingly the Gang of Three seem to be disagreeing of what powers will be devolved to Scotland with the Millipedians being the most 'devo lite'. Not surprising (given Slick Dave changing the goalposts) I suppose but perhaps ill-advised given that the labour heartland in the Glasgow conurbation voted yes.

bs

Hi Bx4

The watches: 'Fairly easy' was your description. Crumbs I'd think twice about venturing into the Atlantic for a paddle. Well done for successfully completing a voyage that I'm sure few sailors have attempted.

Vinyl: Most of mine is old. Some of it isn't even vinyl at all and spins at 78rpm. I'm for playing records rather than pressing a button to listen. This isn't to say that there is anything wrong with digitising music. It's a great way to stop deterioration through dust, dropping the stylus in the wrong place let alone wear caused by through simply playing a record.

The gang of three: I always had a problem with this. Set aside the caustic rejection by Salmond and "Yes" at the time of "the pledge"; the issue is parliament. As united as 'the gang of three' may have appeared; the offer was made without the approval of parliament. It was therefore always aspirational (try valuing this alongside such gems as the 2005 party commitments of a referendum on the EU Constitutional Treaty).

Not one of the leaders of the political parties commands parliament. Was there ever a time?

Glasgow: I note (according to The News just now) that 'Deputy Dawg' Sturgeon won a seat there so it's not such a surprise that this proved a happy hunting ground for "Yes"?

bs

Hi rg

Sorry for delay in replying just returned to hamburg and for some reason could not connect to h2g2. I kept getting a server unavailable message. Have you had same problem? Anyhow seems OK now (albeit on a different machine).

Hopefully will reply to your latest by during weekend.

bs

Hi Bx4

Indeed I couldn't log on last week.

Dell is dead and I'm borrowing a machine to touch base here.

bs

Hi rg

>>'fairly easy'<<

I only meant that without having a big enough crew to allow a three watch/day schedule it would have been difficult if not impossible.

>>attempted<< Somewhat of a 'because its's there' scenario though nothing compared with those who have gone on a transatlantic crossing...

>>deterioratation<<

Quite taken with how robust my vinyl has proved some of it dating to the 1980s but my reasons for digitising both vinyl and CDs was in part to declutter but also because you can backup the contents of the Brennan to an external HD and use this to load a second Brennan which rather neatly gets round the problem of having one record collection while living in two places.

I haven't owned any shellac for man years though I remember, when young, that the only record I owned was a 78 of Ella Fitzgerald singing 'Beale Street Blues' played on an ancient hand-cranked Granfanola.

>>aspirational<<

More desperational perhaps. I agree with you that little more, if anything, will be devolved a certainly not Darling's 'Devo max' or Broon the Doom's 'Home Rule'. I can't see any Westgov of whatever stripe legislating for it or the HoC agreeing to it even if they did.

'Was there ever a time?'

I seem to recall a time when the 'lobby fodder' was 'whipped' into line.

>>not such a surprise that this proved a happy hunting ground for "Yes"<<

It may be that the 'Old Labour'supporters in 'traditional rock solid' Labour areas have grown disenchanted with the Scottish Labour Party behaving as a branch office of the the Nulabour nomenklatura in London. I don't know how much it has featured in England but the Scottish Labour party seems to be descending into chaos with the acrimonious resignation of Johan Lamont:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/scotland/11187324/Johann-Lamont-to-resign-as-Scottish-Labour-leader.html

and the subseqent rush of major Scottish panjandrums to rule themselves out:

http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/top-stories/labour-leadership-gordon-brown-will-not-stand-1-3585455

So it appears that they might get Jim 'Fear of the Egg' Murphy by default.

>Dell<<

Coincidentally one of my own machines seems to have had a hard disk boot sector failure...

bs

Hi Bx4

I take your point about watches and also of the transatlantic crossing. I think you were far enough out in my book for it to count as a notable sailing achievement.

I can understand the urge to de clutter. Perhaps fortunately I don’t have a huge collection of vinyl so there isn’t the imperative. Technology is a strange thing. Cassette tapes were in and now I can’t find a replacement drive belt for a nineties machine. Whereas a record player from the fifties is still perfectly useable every day.

I could have stored all my music on my Dell and lost access to the lot in a split second. Vinyl can be ‘played’ using a piece of bent cardboard and a metal pin.

That said your idea of portability of electronic records is well made. I wouldn’t want to lump boxes of vinyl across the continent! My first shellac was Elvis Presley on the Pye label (since lost).

Lobby fodder: I think it difficult to whip unless the fodder thinks they will be booted out of parliament as a result of their (in)actions. Otherwise why not vote with the heart? These days there’s the chance to switch horses to UKIP or SNP for example and keep that parliamentary seat?

Scottish Labour – The only one I recognise as a candidate is the one who was egged during the referendum campaign. I wonder whether the SNP can ride a wave next May? Or will Scotland still contribute a healthy quota of Labour Westminster MPs?

“…So it appears that they might get Jim 'Fear of the Egg' Murphy by default.…”

Ah I see we were thinking along the same lines? He was interviewed on Daily Politics.

Dell was a hardware failure. I’m sticking with borrowing a machine when practicable not seeing the point in getting something that is still chocked through not being able to use the modern internet.

1950s record player now fitted with a 1972ish magnetic cartridge. I got fed up with clipping and have cheated by adding this and a pre-amplifier. I have to admit the rig sounds a lot better. At least there is nothing digital here! Analogue rules OK?

bs

hi rg

>>I take your point about watches and also of the transatlantic crossing. I think you were far enough out in my book for it to count as a notable sailing achievement.<<

Sailing across the Atlantic might be more notable. I always fancied it.

>>I can understand the urge to de clutter. Perhaps fortunately I don’t have a huge collection of vinyl so there isn’t the imperative. Technology is a strange thing. Cassette tapes were in and now I can’t find a replacement drive belt for a nineties machine. Whereas a record player from the fifties is still perfectly useable every day.<<

My decluttering involves both CD and vinyl though I was a bit stuck on cassette tapes but I have now found a gizmo that will copy these onto a USB stick and hence on to my Brennan. That only leaves my reel to reel tapes.....

I agree about the endurance I had a Garrard 301 from the mid sixties to the mid 90s. Cost me all of £35 quid. Now...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/261619082878?limghlpsr=true&hlpv=2&ops=true&viphx=1&hlpht=true&lpid=108&chn=ps&device=c&adtype=pla&crdt=0&ff3=1&ff11=ICEP3.0.0-L&ff12=67&ff13=80&ff14=108

>>...lump boxes of vinyl...<<

Or CDs, cassettes, tapes etc. Nice thing about the Brennan is that you can back it up onto an external hard srive so even if it implodes you can recover it. I also plan to by a second Brennan and copy the backup onto it so I won't even have to lug that. Wish I could declutter my books as easily.....

>>Lobby fodder: I think it difficult to whip unless the fodder thinks they will be booted out of parliament as a result of their (in)actions. Otherwise why not vote with the heart? These days there’s the chance to switch horses to UKIP or SNP for example and keep that parliamentary seat?<<

I don't think any Labour MPs or MSPs have crossed the aisle in London or in Edinburgh so far.

>>Scottish Labour – The only one I recognise as a candidate is the one who was egged during the referendum campaign. I wonder whether the SNP can ride a wave next May? Or will Scotland still contribute a healthy quota of Labour Westminster MPs?<<

I'm not sure. Labour support may be declining (arguably since 2007) in Scotland and hence in the Scottish Parliament:

http://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/scottish-politics/labour-face-battle-to-save-heartlands-from-snp-surge.25569018

but whether this decline will be reflected in the 2016 General election is uncertain. The Labour vote has held up so far. It may depend on whether the 'main office' of the Labour Party honours Gordon Brown's promise of 'Home Rule' model of devo max. The indications are that it won't.

>>Ah I see we were thinking along the same lines? He was interviewed on Daily Politics.<<

Although Jim 'Fear of the Egg' Murphy was one of the NuLabour nomenklatura under Blair and Brown his star has apparently been on the wane since the advent of the Millipedians with a rather dramatic demotion in the shadow cabinet from which he has now resigned to to focus on becoming the Scottish Labour leader. It is unclear whether he will take the Chiltern Hundreds to become an MSP.

>>Dell<<

I still haven't resolved to problem with my homebuilt machine. The BIOS seems to boot OK but it doesn't seem to be seeing the hard disk so I plan to replace it.

>>1950s record player now fitted with a 1972ish magnetic cartridge. I got fed up with clipping and have cheated by adding this and a pre-amplifier. I have to admit the rig sounds a lot better. At least there is nothing digital here! Analogue rules OK?<<

I replaced my Garrard 301 with a Dual 506 which I still have but replaced it with a Denon 200USB for my Brennan project. When I was at school I had an art teacher who was a hi-fi buff and who bemoaned that by the time he had reached an age where he could afford decent equipment his hearing was in decline so he couldn't really appreciate it. My hearing has declined to the extent that I now sport twin hearing aids and cannot distinguish between music on analogue and digital media. On the positive side my hearings aids can be adapted to take Bluetooth signals which means I can listen to my iPod on them!

bs