Author Topic: what I have learned today.  (Read 846990 times)

Dibdib

  • Fat'n'slow
Re: what I have learned today.
« Reply #900 on: 11 February, 2016, 01:31:22 pm »
Now I'm wondering what AAISP's hold music is...

ETA: I've just asked on IRC and it appears their policy is to have someone answer the phone.  Spoilsports.

This is pretty much the only reason I bank with First Direct. No hold music, no automated menus, just a nice person in Scotland (or sometimes the North East, I think they have two call centres now) who usually answers the phone after two or three rings.

(to clarify - I don't have a problem with overseas call centres per se, but call quality seems to be inversely proportional to how far away they've outsourced the operations.)

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: what I have learned today.
« Reply #901 on: 11 February, 2016, 01:35:59 pm »
I wonder what an xkcd://806-compliant bank would be like...

Eccentrica Gallumbits

  • Rock 'n' roll and brew, rock 'n' roll and brew...
Re: what I have learned today.
« Reply #902 on: 11 February, 2016, 09:26:31 pm »
Plusnet's on hold music is Joe Cocker, Pulp, Human League, Kaiser Chiefs, ABC...
Robert Palmer, Heaven 17...

no Arctic Monkeys? def lepard? and how did they forget cud?
I hung up after 25 minutes, so I might have missed some.

Go for the talk on line to one of our agents option.  It works much better (for me) than all that hold music.  Of course your work arrangements might preclude this.
I did that on Tuesday and they told me to phone customer services to pay for p&p for a new router...
My feminist marxist dialectic brings all the boys to the yard.


Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: what I have learned today.
« Reply #903 on: 12 February, 2016, 08:26:51 pm »
That Z-axis conductive tape is a thing.

(Double sided tape that conducts electricity upwards but not sideways.)

It's clearly witchcraft, but witchcraft that's going to come in handy at some point.

Torslanda

  • Professional Gobshite
  • Just a tart for retro kit . . .
    • John's Bikes
Re: what I have learned today.
« Reply #904 on: 16 February, 2016, 06:45:08 pm »
I have discovered empirically that old school downtube levers will not shift the full range of an 11 speed cassette.
VELOMANCER

Well that's the more blunt way of putting it but as usual he's dead right.

Torslanda

  • Professional Gobshite
  • Just a tart for retro kit . . .
    • John's Bikes
Re: what I have learned today.
« Reply #905 on: 18 February, 2016, 12:20:50 pm »
Prompted by the need for a new Club Card I was browsing the Tesco Site of Doom...

I have over £90 of unused vouchers.

There is a link to exchange vouchers for travel and entertainment.

For Eurotunnel the exchange rate is tripled.

Our Easter holiday just got a whole lot cheaper. Result!  :thumbsup:
VELOMANCER

Well that's the more blunt way of putting it but as usual he's dead right.

Re: what I have learned today.
« Reply #906 on: 19 February, 2016, 01:44:56 pm »
^I knew that already, witness all those French trips in 2015!

Today I learned that Mr Smith has never heard of the Lambton Worm.

Re: what I have learned today.
« Reply #907 on: 19 February, 2016, 02:28:18 pm »
I've been babysitting the grandsons for a couple of afternoons. If I hadn't watched some childrens television with them, I'd never have realised that Fatima Whitbred was still doing so much Telly work...  :o

 ::-)
If it ain't broke, fix it 'til it is...

Re: what I have learned today.
« Reply #908 on: 19 February, 2016, 02:30:47 pm »
Nor had I.  Thanks, fboab.

Today I learnt the correct spelling of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poka-yoke.  A bit disappointing that it's not "pokey-yolky" or similar.  It's one of those concepts that you keep noticing examples of:  "Aha!  Poka-yoke!"

Re: what I have learned today.
« Reply #909 on: 19 February, 2016, 04:07:18 pm »
That my cars fucked

Ruthie

  • Her Majester
Re: what I have learned today.
« Reply #910 on: 19 February, 2016, 04:11:27 pm »
That they renovated my old school.  It's now a restaurant.  They're doing afternoon teas.

I'll have to say that again, because I don't think I believe it.  They're doing afternoon teas at my old school.

http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/acklam-hall-restoration-complete-take-10905068

Milk please, no sugar.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: what I have learned today.
« Reply #911 on: 19 February, 2016, 04:22:30 pm »
I hope the afternoon teas are served at original school desks complete with schoolkid graffiti: Ruthie sat here, I hate history, Dave Z. has warts...
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Mr Larrington

  • A bit ov a lyv wyr by slof standirds
  • Custard Wallah
    • Mr Larrington's Automatic Diary
Re: what I have learned today.
« Reply #912 on: 19 February, 2016, 06:24:09 pm »
Today I learned that Mr Smith has never heard of the Lambton Worm.

 :o. Is such ignorance even possible?
External Transparent Wall Inspection Operative & Mayor of Mortagne-au-Perche
Satisfying the Bloodlust of the Masses in Peacetime

Torslanda

  • Professional Gobshite
  • Just a tart for retro kit . . .
    • John's Bikes
Re: what I have learned today.
« Reply #913 on: 19 February, 2016, 10:19:29 pm »
Yes, indeed. I haven't either . . .
VELOMANCER

Well that's the more blunt way of putting it but as usual he's dead right.

Re: what I have learned today.
« Reply #914 on: 20 February, 2016, 12:25:48 am »
Here you go, courtesy of the Book of Wiki:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lambton_Worm
"He who fights monsters should see to it that he himself does not become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." ~ Freidrich Neitzsche

Re: what I have learned today.
« Reply #915 on: 20 February, 2016, 12:47:14 am »
That they renovated my old school.  It's now a restaurant.  They're doing afternoon teas.

I'll have to say that again, because I don't think I believe it.  They're doing afternoon teas at my old school.

http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/acklam-hall-restoration-complete-take-10905068

Ruthie, I think one of my many brothers taught there, certainly in Acklam.  He taught Chris Rea English (yes, I know).  Does that compute?

Ruthie

  • Her Majester
Re: what I have learned today.
« Reply #916 on: 20 February, 2016, 07:31:54 am »
D'you know, it does ring a bell.  I think he might have left before my time, but he was still remembered, I think.  I left school in 1984 but went to the adjacent sixth form college till 1986.
Milk please, no sugar.

Vince

  • Can't climb; won't climb
Re: what I have learned today.
« Reply #917 on: 20 February, 2016, 09:40:31 am »
That in addition to the one in South Gloucestershire, there is a Pennsylvania in Devon. Both were named after the US state.
216km from Marsh Gibbon

ian

Re: what I have learned today.
« Reply #918 on: 20 February, 2016, 12:44:44 pm »
Belmont (the bit south of Sutton) used to be called California (named after the pub, which I was assumed named after the state). I didn't learn that today though.

I've never heard of a Lambton Worm either. As I'm espousing my ignorance, I don't actually know what Mornington Crescent is either and I've deliberately avoided finding out. Something to do with the radiogram. Yes, yes, I know it's a Tube station.

Re: what I have learned today.
« Reply #919 on: 20 February, 2016, 05:19:11 pm »
Belmont (the bit south of Sutton) used to be called California (named after the pub, which I was assumed named after the state). I didn't learn that today though.

I've never heard of a Lambton Worm either. As I'm espousing my ignorance, I don't actually know what Mornington Crescent is either and I've deliberately avoided finding out. Something to do with the radiogram. Yes, yes, I know it's a Tube station.

The rumour is that the California pub was owned by someone who made their fortune in the gold rush.
Quote from: Kim
^ This woman knows what she's talking about.

Mrs Pingu

  • Who ate all the pies? Me
    • Twitter
Re: what I have learned today.
« Reply #920 on: 20 February, 2016, 05:22:23 pm »
That a glebe is a bit of land used to provide an income for the clergy.
Do not clench. It only makes it worse.

Re: what I have learned today.
« Reply #921 on: 20 February, 2016, 05:40:05 pm »
I have learned that mounting a folding bike forgetting that the seat post is not extended leads to an unexpected sensation.


Basil

  • Um....err......oh bugger!
  • Help me!
Re: what I have learned today.
« Reply #922 on: 20 February, 2016, 08:31:02 pm »
Ifor the Cheese gave me a bag of blue cheese core plugs in the pub tonight.
I assumed that these were test plugs or something, but no.  It seems they take the core out before cutting.  That way they can get a nice crisp cut wedge.  Without the core plug removed the wedge point would crumble.

Anyway.  Free cheese.   :thumbsup:
Admission.  I'm actually not that fussed about cake.

Torslanda

  • Professional Gobshite
  • Just a tart for retro kit . . .
    • John's Bikes
Re: what I have learned today.
« Reply #923 on: 21 February, 2016, 08:44:50 am »
Noms!
VELOMANCER

Well that's the more blunt way of putting it but as usual he's dead right.

ElyDave

  • Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society member 263583
Re: what I have learned today.
« Reply #924 on: 21 February, 2016, 04:47:46 pm »
Here you go, courtesy of the Book of Wiki:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lambton_Worm

Haven't read the wiki, but wasn't it in the Lair of the White Worm (book being better than the poorly made, but amusing Hugh Grant movie)

Today I learned that Audaxes in Essex in February can be a bit breezy.
“Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.” –Charles Dickens