Author Topic: The Grumble Thread - No energy for a full on rant. (Read 1627275 times)

T42 · « **Reply #14350 on:** 15 March, 2022, 02:03:37 pm »

Just finished EPO (electropoetin) build and it's bloody raining.

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #14351 on:** 15 March, 2022, 05:12:16 pm »

Gross margins
Bosch cooker hood (currently unobtainium) £460
Neff equivalent (pretty much the same except for the badge) £660!
That is some margin they're raking in!

ian · « **Reply #14352 on:** 17 March, 2022, 08:57:46 pm »

As covid has put the kibosh on my trip to the pool, I mounted the trusty exercise bike to help me sweat out some grot. Gave it some welly, and of course, mighty *crunk* fifteen minutes in. I don't think both pedals are supposed to be in the same position.

Sigh. More shopping. At least I didn't much like it, it was the only one available back at the beginning of the covid era.

I replaced it with the rarely used rowing machine. I'm going to hurt from more than just covid tomorrow. Oh poor muscles.

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #14353 on:** 17 March, 2022, 09:52:06 pm »

You've certainly got it mildly if you can do that stuff.

ian · « **Reply #14354 on:** 17 March, 2022, 10:07:13 pm »

I do feel like crud, though wading through the 1,000,000 different exercise bikes hasn't improved my symptoms. Is Peleton a cult? Do I need to measure the accuracy of my workout to the microsecond on a Watt bike? Will any of them cure covid?

I can break real bikes, it stands to reason I can break the stationary equivalent. At least I didn't grind my face on the tarmac.

Kim · « **Reply #14355 on:** 17 March, 2022, 10:11:52 pm »

I've never met an exercise bike that wasn't made of cheese. Presumably because if you want one that isn't, it costs as much as a proper bike, and that way lies madness.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #14356 on:** 18 March, 2022, 01:09:31 am »

Quote from: ian on 17 March, 2022, 10:07:13 pm

I do feel like crud, though wading through the 1,000,000 different exercise bikes hasn't improved my symptoms. Is Peleton a cult? Do I need to measure the accuracy of my workout to the microsecond on a Watt bike? Will any of them cure covid?

You are forbidden from owning a ~~Pelican~~ Peloton unless the property you propose to house it in is worth at least £2 million. It’s right there, in the small print. Of course £2 million is about the cost of a garden shed in Surrey, so they’ll probably let you buy one.

ian · « **Reply #14357 on:** 18 March, 2022, 09:51:13 am »

I can't, to be honest, be arsed with subscriptions, I only use it twice a week to keep my cycling legs as I haven't ridden an actual bike for some time (and possibly won't again, see: mojo, loss thereof). But just in case. I mostly just put on a podcast and grind away.

I used to break the axle on my commuting bike quite often too. No idea, I'm one of those small blokes that always turns out to be a megalomaniac dictator, not a 28 stone biffer. It was an easy choice last time, it was literally the last exercise bike available in the UK.

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #14358 on:** 18 March, 2022, 10:18:39 am »

Peloton is a cult run by the world's worst marketing executives. They make human sacrifices to the God of Advertising Fail.

ian · « **Reply #14359 on:** 18 March, 2022, 10:37:47 am »

It looks that way.

My wife does this Les Mills thing that involves Kiwis (the nation, not the bird) shouting at her to 'maximize those abs' and similar. The perils of a mezzanine office with no door.

Apparently, she now wants something she can do 'spinning' on too.

mrcharly-YHT · « **Reply #14360 on:** 18 March, 2022, 10:39:59 am »

Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 18 March, 2022, 10:18:39 am

Peloton is a cult run by the world's worst marketing executives. They make ~~human~~ small child sacrifices to the God of Advertising Fail.

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-56993894

Corrected for accuracy, including references.

perpetual dan · « **Reply #14361 on:** 18 March, 2022, 10:51:35 am »

Quote from: ian on 18 March, 2022, 10:37:47 am

It looks that way.

My wife does this Les Mills thing that involves Kiwis (the nation, not the bird) shouting at her to 'maximize those abs' and similar. The perils of a mezzanine office with no door.

Apparently, she now wants something she can do 'spinning' on too.

We have a Peloton, because Mrs Dan likes the shouty spinning thing. She's really happy with it.
I use it about once a week, to show a video of somewhere picturesque (whose speed bears no relation to my pedalling) and play my own music to suit the degree of sweatiness I want to achieve.

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #14362 on:** 18 March, 2022, 10:57:48 am »

Quote from: mrcharly-YHT on 18 March, 2022, 10:39:59 am

Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 18 March, 2022, 10:18:39 am
Peloton is a cult run by the world's worst marketing executives. They make ~~human~~ small child sacrifices to the God of Advertising Fail.

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-56993894

Corrected for accuracy, including references.

Ugh.

pcolbeck · « **Reply #14363 on:** 18 March, 2022, 04:01:32 pm »

I'm doing a mandatory biannual security course online. You cant skip parts you have to sit through them then answer questions. This one hour section is all about how must all follow the EU GDPR regulations and which are the relevant authorities to report breaches to etc. Nobody setting this stuff seems to have realised that Brexit happened or that the EU GDPR no longer applies in the UK after 31 December 2020.
The UK carried over much of the same law but the regulatory authorities etc are all different.

ian · « **Reply #14364 on:** 18 March, 2022, 09:41:09 pm »

It seems I'm not buying an exercise bike, oh no, I'm purchasing an experience. I have had a lot of experiences thus far, and frankly, some of them have been of questionable quality.

perpetual dan · « **Reply #14365 on:** 20 March, 2022, 10:20:05 pm »

I’m trying to book a trip off brexit island, by train. At this notice interrail is cheaper. But actually getting a booking is frustrating. There are, of course, two sites I can do this on. One says no bookings on my first and second choice trains. The other says I can make a booking, but rejects my ticket number. Arrrg.

I’m going to leave it till the morning and try again, in case there’s some batch update going on. If it’s still broken I can try the phone, or a different train - though that’s going to mean more juggling elsewhere.

Why is this stuff never straightforward?

Beardy · « **Reply #14366 on:** 21 March, 2022, 10:14:25 am »

Organisations who do not employ a sufficient of call handlers and insist on telling you that they know you are waiting every ten seconds or so.

ETA

After 18 minutes of waiting it’s tempting to flounce, but I NEED to talk to the CC fraud team, and if I do drop out I’ll lose my place in the queueueueue

And the cheesy music… Aggghhh

perpetual dan · « **Reply #14367 on:** 21 March, 2022, 10:30:29 am »

Quote from: Beardy on 21 March, 2022, 10:14:25 am

Organisations who do not employ a sufficient of call handlers and insist on telling you that they know you are waiting every ten seconds or so.

ETA

After 18 minutes of waiting it’s tempting to flounce, but I NEED to talk to the CC fraud team, and if I do drop out I’ll lose my place in the queueueueue

And the cheesy music… Aggghhh

Indeed, just play me the whole song, at least!

Though Eurostar's phone line is just hanging up on me today, which isn't ideal either.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #14368 on:** 22 March, 2022, 03:14:48 pm »

So after having to wait MOAR than three weeks to get an appointment for a blood test, how many other people were in the waiting area when I arrived at Vampire Central today?

One (1).

And how long did I have to wait?

About 2 (two) minutes.

Grrr!

hellymedic · « **Reply #14369 on:** 22 March, 2022, 11:33:01 pm »

Quote from: Mr Larrington on 22 March, 2022, 03:14:48 pm

So after having to wait MOAR than three weeks to get an appointment for a blood test, how many other people were in the waiting area when I arrived at Vampire Central today?
One (1).
And how long did I have to wait?
About 2 (two) minutes.
Grrr!

Blood test at GP surgery: morning only, appointment only, 15 minute wait despite appointment. Nobody else in waiting room. Vampire young and faffy.
Blood test at Queen Square. State Hospital number to reception staff, pick number from ticket machine. See n or n-1 on display in hall, proceed to vampire chamber. In & out in less than 10 minutes. Have to make appointments now but available all day. Vampires slick and efficient.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #14370 on:** 23 March, 2022, 12:54:31 am »

We in Waltham Forest phased out that grab-a-ticket nonse a couple of years ago and a good thing too, because if you turned up fifteen minutes before the place opened you could easily wait a couple of hours before the blood-letting and if you turned up ten minutes after it opened you probably wouldn’t get vampired at all chiz.

hellymedic · « **Reply #14371 on:** 23 March, 2022, 02:48:08 am »

Queen Square is so slick that it takes longer to negotiate the labyrinthine approach to the Out-Patient Department than to register, take a ticket, get bled and leave.
A cab driver dropping me at the door can only gobble half a sandwich before I'm ready to leave...

rafletcher · « **Reply #14372 on:** 25 March, 2022, 07:59:19 am »

Car insurance. "It's going down" Hmmm, that'll be why my rebewal is nearly 30% higher than last years premium will it (and starting a new quote added another 30%). The only change - I'm over 65. Obviously that's "actuarial tables" not "age discrimination".

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #14373 on:** 25 March, 2022, 10:35:23 am »

Mine came down this year, from £298 to £235. This never happened before

rafletcher · « **Reply #14374 on:** 25 March, 2022, 11:06:20 am »

And indeed, using one of those cost comparison sites that my current insurer Direct Line eschews, I can get a quote that's slighlty less than my last years premium. I may phone DL for the lols and see what they (aka UK Insurance) have to say. Certainly, going through SEAT insurance (also UK Insurance) as a new customer gives the same price give or take as DL have quoted.