Author Topic: A random thread for small things that don't really warrant a thread of their own  (Read 2945770 times)

Chris S

I just SORN'd my van (I've driven it once since February).

This is the first time I've not personally had a vehicle on the road since 1977.

Is there any reason for this other than to get a refund from, or avoid having to pay, the VED?

There would be no point in me SORNING my car as it's zero-rated for VED anyway. I did have a letter from Swansea which said it was exempt but I suspect that a time will come when the rating changes and leccy cars are charged something.

The tax and insurance alone are almost a grand a year. Vans are expensive to run. With another hard lockdown almost inevitable in the near future, it's clear I'm not going anywhere anytime soon (except maybe hell in a handcart).

Beardy

  • Shedist
This popped up in my Facebook feed, which amused me

Very good!

A friend of mine posted a similar gag with pictures of ironing boards. I was disappointed that he didn’t see it through - gave up after day one. Would have been funnier if he’d actually posted a new ironing board every day for 10 days without explanation.

It’s the “no explanation” thing that gets me - as if it’s interestingly enigmatic. It’s not. It’s irritating.
I have a friend on Facebook who travels extensively for work, and he has fallen into a habit of posting pictures and mini reviews of the irons available for loan in various hotels around the world. This is something that is missing from our lives at the moment.
For every complex problem in the world, there is a simple and easily understood solution that’s wrong.

fuzzy

This popped up in my Facebook feed, which amused me

Very good!

A friend of mine posted a similar gag with pictures of ironing boards. I was disappointed that he didn’t see it through - gave up after day one. Would have been funnier if he’d actually posted a new ironing board every day for 10 days without explanation.

It’s the “no explanation” thing that gets me - as if it’s interestingly enigmatic. It’s not. It’s irritating.
I have a friend on Facebook who travels extensively for work, and he has fallen into a habit of posting pictures and mini reviews of the irons available for loan in various hotels around the world. This is something that is missing from our lives at the moment.
I am prolly a bit of a curmudgeon but, I feel this sort of activity is exactly why social meeja should come to a crashing end.

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
What?  That sort of activity (iron reviews, not the without explanation meme) is the main redeeming feature of social media.  Along with the cat pictures (okay, we had those already) and occasional random spontaneous collaborations (like that time astrophysics twitter and biology twitter got together to work out whether spiders could see the moon).

Otherwise it would just be people who can't be bothered to use proper communication tools swimming in an endless sea of nazis, bots, moonhowling conspiraloons and - worst of all - your parents.

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Agreed. Hotel iron reviews sounds to me like an excellent use of Facebook.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

ElyDave

  • Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society member 263583
I had the idea of posting one photo per day from my hotel window,

that plan went out the window


It's the red fleece, by the door, no, the other one
“Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.” –Charles Dickens

robgul

  • Cycle:End-to-End webmaster
  • cyclist, Cytech accredited mechanic & woodworker
    • Cycle:End-to-End
Agreed. Hotel iron reviews sounds to me like an excellent use of Facebook.

I don't "do" Facebook - but here's Mrs robgul wielding the iron at the Novotel, Auckland Airport when we were confined to the room for 4 days during the lockdown in March.

Obviously, she can iron with her eys closed!  << link didn't work, edited out >>

Rob

Mr Larrington

  • A bit ov a lyv wyr by slof standirds
  • Custard Wallah
    • Mr Larrington's Automatic Diary
That makes her look remarkably like Mr Google demanding I sign in...
External Transparent Wall Inspection Operative & Mayor of Mortagne-au-Perche
Satisfying the Bloodlust of the Masses in Peacetime

Even being signed in I get a 404.
"No matter how slow you go, you're still lapping everybody on the couch."

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Probably for the best if you can't view the link. Last time I posted to the internet a pic of my wife I took in a hotel room, I got into all sorts of trouble. ;)
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

robgul

  • Cycle:End-to-End webmaster
  • cyclist, Cytech accredited mechanic & woodworker
    • Cycle:End-to-End
That makes her look remarkably like Mr Google demanding I sign in...

Hmm - that's odd?   Whatever, I have removed the link....... just imagine a lady (caught with her eyes closed) standing at an ironing board in a hotel room entrance (bthroom to the right if you ask)

Rob

Redlight

  • Enjoying life in the slow lane
Probably for the best if you can't view the link. Last time I posted to the internet a pic of my wife I took in a hotel room, I got into all sorts of trouble. ;)

Yebbut, she got a career in movies out of it, I seem to recall  ;)
Why should anybody steal a watch when they can steal a bicycle?

robgul

  • Cycle:End-to-End webmaster
  • cyclist, Cytech accredited mechanic & woodworker
    • Cycle:End-to-End
I've received a parcel today that was just addressed to:    <my name>, Stratford-upon-Avon     (the <my name> was obviously my actual name)

Pretty amazing for Royal Mail, although I do have an unusual surname and, AFAIK, the only person with that name in the town.   Not sure if that makes me famous or infamous?

I have had in the past letters from the US that were just addressed  :  Name, House number, Postcode, UK

Rob

I have had in the past letters from the US that were just addressed  :  Name, House number, Postcode, UK
That is, of course, a complete identifier though.
There was a case in our local paper back in the early '80s of a letter addressed to something like
'The lovely cafe near the bus station and the park in Southampton or was it Portsmouth' which was successfully delivered
"No matter how slow you go, you're still lapping everybody on the couch."

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
After a tour of Donegal, one of my father's cycling chums once received a parcel from the owners of a B&B they stayed in, addressed to <name>, Cyclist, Belfast.  It contained fish, and they were still fresh.  Before WW2, that.
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
I have had in the past letters from the US that were just addressed  :  Name, House number, Postcode, UK
That is, of course, a complete identifier though.

Indeed house number + postcode was used to code bicycles in the event of theft.

i've had at least two 'Coded Cycles' stolen but never seen again.

There is something in me that thinks marking bicycles with an identifier is a PR exercise...

Beardy

  • Shedist
Re: A random thread for small things that don't really warrant a thread of
« Reply #25116 on: 23 May, 2020, 09:08:10 pm »
I’ve been censured. I’ve had a Facebook post deleted from a Fb group for an old workplace because I referred to a former senior manager as an arrogant and rude twat. Perhaps if I’d left the word twat off. Said person had no time for none managers and would ignore them if one dared to speak to him when he made site visits. I know this because he did it to me and a couple of other colleagues when he visited our control centre. He spent 20 minutes in the meeting room with some of the managers then walked out and ghosted us minions. Blimey, I’m still bitter about this some 30 years later.
For every complex problem in the world, there is a simple and easily understood solution that’s wrong.

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
There is something in me that thinks marking bicycles with an identifier is a PR exercise...

I reckon that's going to be useful in a rare subset of circumstances where it's found after being sold on, abandoned in a hedge or in the possession of a particularly stupid thief.  Competent bike thieves are going to strip it for parts or at least get it far enough away that you're unlikely to come across someone riding it.

If you lock your bike properly, it's more likely to be stolen by competent bike thieves...


That said, I've had my more stealable bikes security marked when the police were doing it for free, and I'm in the habit of sticking a laser-printed label with my name and address around the shell when I replace a bottom bracket.  Doesn't hurt...

(On a related note, it's probably worth making sure you have a photo of yourself with your bike.  Might be handy if questioned by the plod while you're hacking away at the lock and/or adjusting the brakes.)

I've received a parcel today that was just addressed to:    <my name>, Stratford-upon-Avon     (the <my name> was obviously my actual name)

Pretty amazing for Royal Mail, although I do have an unusual surname and, AFAIK, the only person with that name in the town.   Not sure if that makes me famous or infamous?

I have had in the past letters from the US that were just addressed  :  Name, House number, Postcode, UK

Rob
A lot of individual postmen end up with a lot of local knowledge.

I once had a "we missed you" card, and I phoned and asked if the item could be delivered to my work, which was covered by the same sorting office. When the postman I was speaking to said it could, I started to read out the company name and address.

The (now defunct) company was "Onspec Oscillators", with an address in Nuneaton. I had only said "Onspec" when the postman interrupted me with "OK" and hung up.

The item was delivered the next day.


Quote from: Kim
Paging Diver300.  Diver300 to the GSM Trimphone, please...

robgul

  • Cycle:End-to-End webmaster
  • cyclist, Cytech accredited mechanic & woodworker
    • Cycle:End-to-End
I've received a parcel today that was just addressed to:    <my name>, Stratford-upon-Avon     (the <my name> was obviously my actual name)

Pretty amazing for Royal Mail, although I do have an unusual surname and, AFAIK, the only person with that name in the town.   Not sure if that makes me famous or infamous?

I have had in the past letters from the US that were just addressed  :  Name, House number, Postcode, UK

Rob
A lot of individual postmen end up with a lot of local knowledge.

I once had a "we missed you" card, and I phoned and asked if the item could be delivered to my work, which was covered by the same sorting office. When the postman I was speaking to said it could, I started to read out the company name and address.

The (now defunct) company was "Onspec Oscillators", with an address in Nuneaton. I had only said "Onspec" when the postman interrupted me with "OK" and hung up.

The item was delivered the next day.

... have to admit we are on first-name terms with one of the managers at the sorting office - way back when, he was our local postie when we lived on the other side of the town.

Rob

ElyDave

  • Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society member 263583
Our problem, postal-wise
1) our road has three names depending on which map you might be looking at and which sat-nav you use
b) our house has a nameplate <Number, roadname>

this seems to make us the font of all knowledge when any random delivery driver has no idea.  Conversation normally starts "Roadname XXX, is that you?"
"No, look at the name plate, it's number X Roadname"

Last week we became the local sorting office for someone who had included name and roadname, but not housenumber on their parcel
“Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.” –Charles Dickens

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: A random thread for small things that don't really warrant a thread of
« Reply #25121 on: 24 May, 2020, 09:15:09 am »
I’ve been censured. I’ve had a Facebook post deleted from a Fb group for an old workplace because I referred to a former senior manager as an arrogant and rude twat. Perhaps if I’d left the word twat off. Said person had no time for none managers and would ignore them if one dared to speak to him when he made site visits. I know this because he did it to me and a couple of other colleagues when he visited our control centre. He spent 20 minutes in the meeting room with some of the managers then walked out and ghosted us minions. Blimey, I’m still bitter about this some 30 years later.

He could be the current mayor of Strasbourg, who is a prime shit.
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

nicknack

  • Hornblower
I just got £50 from YouGov.

It took a while.
There's no vibrations, but wait.

Reverse posting experience.

I once sent a small parcel to a company in the USA. Address written on parcel was something like:
FAO Person
Company name
Building Company name
Street
City
Postcode (which is just an area in the USA).

Parcel undeliverable by US Postal service due to lack of building number.

I contacted company and informed them. They were incensed. Seems the building is tallest building in town, they are sole tenant and have the company name in big flashing letters on side of building.
<i>Marmite slave</i>

I once sent a letter to my mate in Germany and as a joke addressed it to his Rabbit. As it had no surname they couldn't deliver it. I think I thought there was enough address on but wasn't.

The random/happy coincidence was that my mate came to visit us and the post man had a parcel so knocked and handed all the mail to my mate who answered the door with his returned letter on top. So it got to him via a very roundabout route