The RANT thread (often contains fruity language)

[Mr Larrington]

txt frm LGW: ur bag with courier track with citybagsluggage.co.uk

citybagsluggage's web site: Your luggage is not yet in our system

 

[hellymedic]

Sh1te couriers or the merchants who use them oft dispense tracking numbers before they receive your package IME.

[spesh]

Heisenberg applies - Gatport Airwick have fixed the velocity vector of The Luggage (i.e. away from them), meaning Citybagsluggage can't resolve its position in spacetime.

[Wombat]

Better to get a computer to watch it for you.

Kim,
What technology are you using to do that?  The smart meter I had at my previous place did have an online chart that you could use to see what we'd been doing, but I'm still failing to find an energy monitor thingy that can cope with microgeneration, and apparently my energy suppliers are in the same boat, and "can't" fit a smart meter (so why have friends got a smart meter and solar PV, then?..).  I'm trying to chase down stray usage in this house, which is harder without a smart meter or usable monitor.  I do expect it to be higher than my previous home, because we have no gas, and a full electric cooker (induction hob) and oddities like using cold water fires up a borehole pump about 45 metres down a hole in the front garden, but I'm still a bit concerned about my consumption.

[matthew]

I live in fear of this happening to me when I visit Leftpondia as having to stay in the same place until The Luggage caught up would completely Fuck Shit Up.

This is why my 5 night trip to Denver was all on carry on luggage. Small rucksack with laptop, notebook and reading materials at my feet and a small case for clothing that i didn't have to hand over.^* Made the 1hr 45min connection at newark positively pedestrian, which collecting bags and immigration may have made rather rushed.

^* Thank goodness for years of cycle touring as training to pack light.

[hellymedic]

The problem with 'hand luggage only' is when you must take something which can't be in hand luggage.

My wheelchair is the first and several tools for its maintenance also.

[Kim]

Better to get a computer to watch it for you.

Kim,
What technology are you using to do that?

Approximately:

Blinkenlight on meter -> blue-tac -> phototransistor -> PoE arduino -> HTTP -> bash/curl -> rrdtool -> rrdgraph

Yes it's hackish, but a decent time-series graph is so much more informative than an instantaneous power reading and cumulative daily/monthly/whateverly electricity bill.  And the meter doesn't need to be smart, just one with a blinkenlight.  (I know some people have managed to detect the markings on the spinning disc of a mechanical meter with the right industrial sensors, but that's a bit fiddly.)

[Kim]

The problem with 'hand luggage only' is when you must take something which can't be in hand luggage.

The solution (according to the Sacry Devil Monastary) is to check in a firearm, which involves serious capital-P Paperwork and heavy duty tamper-evident flightcases that the luggage throwers take extra care with.  Once you've booked your unloaded starting pistol onto the flight, the stuff you actually care about can hitch a ride in the same box.

This apparently works well for avoiding loss / hassle with expensive prototype electronics.  Not sure how well it extends to wheelchairs, but I'm sure the amount of hassle airports regularly put wheelchair users through makes firearm licencing look simple.

[hellymedic]

Wheelchairs are usually 'last in, first out' of the hold, which is fine if baggage monkeys reunite user with wheels immediately.

If they helpfully send the chair to the carousel while the user is waiting on the plane, there's MOAR time and fun, usually involving the airline's DIRE wheelchair.

[barakta]

Fucking landlords burning the fucking rubbish they don't want to pay to tip... At least the 4th time in a week and this lot is really nasty smelling, giving me a cracking migraine and making my eyes/nose/mouth sting.

I've reported it to the cooncil and moaned at the local student community group and plastic police on twitter to see if they can help at all cos I can't locate it and don't have the mobility to wander round hunting the fuckers down.

[Andrij]

Cyclists¹ with over-powered, poorly-positioned (i.e. above horizontal), switched on for mid-summer² commutes: FOAD. 

¹ Always blokes, nearly always 'roadies'.
² TBH, applies all year around.

[Kim]

I assume there's a 'lights' missing from that sentence.  I encountered one of those earlier - as you say, roadie bloke.

I also saw a woman pull over onto the pavement to switch on her standard brightness rear blinky before an uphill section on $busy_road, as if it might somehow function as car repellent.  Which is sad, but not actively obnoxious.  (TBH, I've done that myself, I just balance the risk differently.)

[Andrij]

Doh!   

Yeah, lights.  It's been a long day.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Not always roadies, I saw one on Sunday on an off-road path, a bikepacker gravel adventurer type with all the bags strapped on everywhere and a very bright light, though it was at least decently aimed.

[Wombat]

Better to get a computer to watch it for you.

Kim,
What technology are you using to do that?

Approximately:

Blinkenlight on meter -> blue-tac -> phototransistor -> PoE arduino -> HTTP -> bash/curl -> rrdtool -> rrdgraph

Yes it's hackish, but a decent time-series graph is so much more informative than an instantaneous power reading and cumulative daily/monthly/whateverly electricity bill.  And the meter doesn't need to be smart, just one with a blinkenlight.  (I know some people have managed to detect the markings on the spinning disc of a mechanical meter with the right industrial sensors, but that's a bit fiddly.)

I don't suppose ou have considered going into production of these?  Two of them (import and export), plus idiot proof instructions as to how to make this happen using only a PC as the viewing interface would make you a fortune as the energy suppliers can't seem to manage it. I wonder if this is something I could manage? (probably not...)

[Kim]

No, because making it work is the easy bit.  Making a product that's  a) reliable  b) user-friendly  c) secure  d) non-licence-infringing  and  e) competitively priced  is sufficiently hard as to explain the almost universal disappointingness of Internet-of-Shit technology.

But if you wanted to do it yourself, the best place to start would be to get a Raspberry Pi and....

*googles*

Ah!  https://openenergymonitor.org/

[Wombat]

Huge thanks, Kim!  The person I am staying with in France is far more savvy re:computing things other than a PC wot I built, and that and your web link (now why didn't I search this way, maybe because I was just expecting consumer products in a box to be the only thing) will almost certainly get me sorted.

[SoreTween]

Shithole Airport, this is starting to feel personal.

February: I have a short but perfectly achievable transfer time of 50 minutes.  Perfectly achievable if you hadn't a) closed the air bridge and sent us down to a bus b) taken that bus twice round the entire country before dropping us at the furthest gate possible and c) closing the transfer stairs so that I had to exit through customs to land side and then back through to air side again.  I'll put the bag inspection coming back through screening to random bad luck.  Flight missed costing 4 hours off my rotation break waiting for the next flight.  I only had to get from D18 to D6 ffs but went via A11.  I'll add a side order of fuck you KLM to this one as the ticket said the gate closes 15 minutes before departure, when I rocked up 14 minutes before departure it was obvious the gate had long since shut.

April: You jibbled the incoming flight landing slot back by 20 minutes and with only 30 minutes transfer the system won't allow the booking.  Naturally I was on this occasion allowed to stroll up the air bridge and watch the flight I wasn't booked on leave.  4 hours sitting in your crappy airport again.

May: 30 minute transfer so no booking again.  Just to rub it in you let us land 10 minutes early.  I even had time to get to the KLM desk and fruitlessly beg for re-ticketing on the early flight before watching it leave and sitting around to wait 4 hours for the later flight.

Today: Flight time re-set so booking made on the early flight.  Sure enough you tried the February trick again.  Air bridge shut - check.  Bus trip twice round the polder - check.  But you forgot to close the transfer stairs!  Ha ha and fuck you sideways.  Even the 'random' bag inspection wasn't enough to make me miss the flight.  Home for lunch instead of late afternoon

[bludger]

Friend in the club was followed by a taxi driver screaming at her that his taxes paid for his road and that she deserved to die, while in the bike box in broad daylight

No one will fucking do anything.

[Paul]

Shithole Airport, this is starting to feel personal.

February: I have a short but perfectly achievable transfer time of 50 minutes.  Perfectly achievable if you hadn't a) closed the air bridge and sent us down to a bus b) taken that bus twice round the entire country before dropping us at the furthest gate possible and c) closing the transfer stairs so that I had to exit through customs to land side and then back through to air side again.  I'll put the bag inspection coming back through screening to random bad luck.  Flight missed costing 4 hours off my rotation break waiting for the next flight.  I only had to get from D18 to D6 ffs but went via A11.  I'll add a side order of fuck you KLM to this one as the ticket said the gate closes 15 minutes before departure, when I rocked up 14 minutes before departure it was obvious the gate had long since shut.

April: You jibbled the incoming flight landing slot back by 20 minutes and with only 30 minutes transfer the system won't allow the booking.  Naturally I was on this occasion allowed to stroll up the air bridge and watch the flight I wasn't booked on leave.  4 hours sitting in your crappy airport again.

May: 30 minute transfer so no booking again.  Just to rub it in you let us land 10 minutes early.  I even had time to get to the KLM desk and fruitlessly beg for re-ticketing on the early flight before watching it leave and sitting around to wait 4 hours for the later flight.

Today: Flight time re-set so booking made on the early flight.  Sure enough you tried the February trick again.  Air bridge shut - check.  Bus trip twice round the polder - check.  But you forgot to close the transfer stairs!  Ha ha and fuck you sideways.  Even the 'random' bag inspection wasn't enough to make me miss the flight.  Home for lunch instead of late afternoon

That’s quality ranting.

[Mrs Pingu]

Gulls!
Shut.
The.
Fuck.
Up!

[Jurek]

Gulls!
Shut.
The.
Fuck.
Up!

Umm...
Unless I'm mistaken, you live in Aberdeen.
The last time I was in Aberdeen, it appeared to be constructed mostly from houses with circular turrets.
And seagull guano.
As an observation.
Don't get me wrong - I'm not dissing the place - I had a very fun time at The Lemon Tree.

[Kim]

It's also the traditional utterance of a Kent student in exam season.  Invigilators had a different perspective - there's nothing like a good seagull fight on the metal roof of the sports hall to liven up a 3 hour paper.

I'm not on good terms with shitehawks at the moment anyway; I've been in Great Yarmouth.

[Mrs Pingu]

The last time I was in Aberdeen, it appeared to be constructed mostly from houses with circular turrets.

Circular turrets? You must have only hung out in the posh bits.
Yes, we live by the sea. Gulls also live other places than the seaside too. I just want them to shut up. And the magpies when they're being shouty bastards too.

[andrewc]

There is a colony on my roof.   Local bastards keep letting off fireworks after it's dark & they've settled down.  Very noisy.


Then they wake up to dawns early light & disturb my sleep.  Not a fan .   I suppose come the Brexpocalypse I'll be glad of such a convenient source of protein