Author Topic: The Grumble Thread - No energy for a full on rant. (Read 1599842 times)

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #14225 on:** 01 February, 2022, 04:44:51 pm »

Got a new meal worm feeder for the birds delivered yesterday.
Today it fell off the pole in the yet another storm and broke.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #14226 on:** 04 February, 2022, 10:51:00 pm »

Multi factor authentication, oh how we curse thee! Bah!

Pingu · « **Reply #14227 on:** 05 February, 2022, 12:26:50 am »

Those last two posts are my life in a nutshell...

T42 · « **Reply #14228 on:** 05 February, 2022, 08:53:47 am »

Beard trimmer conked out yesterday morning, had to finish with scissors. Sprang into action & ordered a new one PDQ. Tried trimmer again yesterday afternoon, and of course it was OK.

Needed a new one anyway, since the wretched NiCd battery in the current one died >15 years ago and it's buried under 3 layers of pingfuckitry. Once the new one arrives I'll shove the spudger a bit deeper and have another go.

mrcharly-YHT · « **Reply #14229 on:** 05 February, 2022, 03:27:35 pm »

Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 01 February, 2022, 04:44:51 pm

Got a new meal worm feeder for the birds delivered yesterday.
Today it fell off the pole in the yet another storm and broke.

What is with the prices for bird feeders?

I want to replace our current two 4-perch ones with a single big multi-perch and mount it on a very high pole (with a pulley). Cat-proofing.

They are £40!
For a bird feeder!

perpetual dan · « **Reply #14230 on:** 05 February, 2022, 04:54:32 pm »

I paid 30-something a few months back, mainly so I had a feeder which was designed to be easy to clean, rather than with hard to get at corners that was minging within a year.

rafletcher · « **Reply #14231 on:** 05 February, 2022, 05:02:59 pm »

You pay for durability.

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #14232 on:** 05 February, 2022, 06:41:07 pm »

£40 sounds cheap with a pulley. Some of the ones I was looking at were over £40 for just a bog standard pole with hangers.

mrcharly-YHT · « **Reply #14233 on:** 06 February, 2022, 10:45:29 am »

Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 05 February, 2022, 06:41:07 pm

£40 sounds cheap with a pulley. Some of the ones I was looking at were over £40 for just a bog standard pole with hangers.

40 quid just for the bird feeder. The pole and pulley etc. I was going to have to build myself

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #14234 on:** 06 February, 2022, 10:54:11 am »

So we thought that the radio colemantary on the Calcutta Cup match might be better for someone who can’t see the distascope these days. “Alexa, play BBC Radio 5 Live!”

(1 minute later)

“Are they watching the same match as me?” asked Mr Larrington plaintively. Simultaneous broadcast (remember that?) it is not. Back to TV's Brian Moore & co before the time lag makes me seasick $:-\$

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #14235 on:** 06 February, 2022, 11:51:02 am »

Quote from: mrcharly-YHT on 06 February, 2022, 10:45:29 am

Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 05 February, 2022, 06:41:07 pm
£40 sounds cheap with a pulley. Some of the ones I was looking at were over £40 for just a bog standard pole with hangers.
40 quid just for the bird feeder. The pole and pulley etc. I was going to have to build myself

Well yes, everything is just expensive now. Someone on our local FB wildlife group built themselves a natural feeder 'pole' using branches butted up against each other.

rafletcher · « **Reply #14236 on:** 06 February, 2022, 04:29:15 pm »

Blimey, they have gone up a bit!! The squirrel proof one I’ve got is now £109!!!

https://www.lovegardenbirds.co.uk/brome-squirrel-buster-plus

Beardy · « **Reply #14237 on:** 06 February, 2022, 09:51:13 pm »

My Tom Tom car sat nav is becoming unreliable and so Dr Beardy (Mrs) says I can have a new one for my b’day.

I’ve been doing some research, and new ones have moved over to a subscription model for speed camera information and depending on the model, for other information as well.

I also checked Garmin, who seem to be getting out of the car market as they have very few models on offer, and they seem to mostly need a phone to access live info.

I’m either going to have to investigate repairs to my existing unit or use my phone.

Mutter, grumble.

chrisbainbridge · « **Reply #14238 on:** 07 February, 2022, 10:24:08 am »

I have not used a satnav for years. Even the built in one becomes out of date. Rather than buy a satnav why not get a mid size phone/tablet with a data only sim (or just let it link to your existing phone) which will do your music and google maps for directions?

ian · « **Reply #14239 on:** 07 February, 2022, 10:28:41 am »

Phone here, I'm not sure the special use-case for a standalone unit other than not paying for data, but increasingly it seems new models still require mobile data and subscription services. I suspect most makers of standalone units have seen the light and know it's an approaching train.

Both Google and Apple do traffic conditions etc.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #14240 on:** 07 February, 2022, 11:06:33 am »

If Mr Garmin discontinues the TwatNav that’s been sitting on my Mega-Global Big River Corporation of Seattle, USAnia Wishlist since late 2019 I shall be this: miffed. Bad enough that the robbing thieves make you pay a whole lot extra to get North Leftpondia on an SD card…. I have a manky old freebie one which is adequate for domestic use but AFAIK it cannot be made to show Leftpondia except possibly with the application of large sums of money, computer time and swearing.

L CC · « **Reply #14241 on:** 07 February, 2022, 11:29:16 am »

I can't see why I would buy one when I have a device that already does it, with me, all the fecking time. If you're worried about data usage, you can download the route in advance.
If you worried about the invasion of privacy, well, that ship has sailed so far it's back from its world tour.

Jasmine · « **Reply #14242 on:** 07 February, 2022, 11:55:19 am »

Yes, I'd rather that the console linked to my phone. I have a Garmin satnav in the car and it's a f**ker for calculating difficult 'fastest routes' because it assumes that you can drive at the speed limit everywhere, so likes to send you down tiny lanes that have a theoretical speed limit of 60mph, but actually achieve about 25-30 whilst praying that nothing comes the other way because you haven't seen a proper passing place in the last mile. Google calculate based on traffic data, so tends to result in better routes. I only use the console because it's a nice big screen and it mutes the radio when giving instructions, so less of a task load when driving.

TimC · « **Reply #14243 on:** 07 February, 2022, 12:19:04 pm »

Quote from: chrisbainbridge on 07 February, 2022, 10:24:08 am

I have not used a satnav for years. Even the built in one becomes out of date. Rather than buy a satnav why not get a mid size phone/tablet with a data only sim (or just let it link to your existing phone) which will do your music and google maps for directions?

The satnav in my car self-updates when it's connected to my home wifi and Ford have been arsed to put out an update. Generally it's ok, but it's not a patch on the CarPlay that is part of the same unit and allows the use of whichever web-based satnav service I'm feeling disposed towards at the time, all of which are as up to date as can be achieved. I'm not a fan of using a phone screen for navigation - generally they're too small and too likely to be usurped by something else happening on the device. I like the idea of using a cheapish tablet to do the job (decent screens of 8" or so are available for less than £100), but I've not looked at how to achieve getting the data needed on the screen - I may well investigate that for my toy car, on which the satnav is at best 3 years out of date and for which updates to keep it at that level run at £500 plus!

chrisbainbridge · « **Reply #14244 on:** 07 February, 2022, 01:34:25 pm »

I have wired CarPlay but have added the dongle to make it wireless.
If I was trying to do what beardy wanted I would be looking at a small tablet slaved to my phone using the aux input on the car.

rafletcher · « **Reply #14245 on:** 07 February, 2022, 04:27:56 pm »

Quote from: Beardy on 06 February, 2022, 09:51:13 pm

My Tom Tom car sat nav is becoming unreliable and so Dr Beardy (Mrs) says I can have a new one for my b’day.

I’ve been doing some research, and new ones have moved over to a subscription model for speed camera information and depending on the model, for other information as well.

I also checked Garmin, who seem to be getting out of the car market as they have very few models on offer, and they seem to mostly need a phone to access live info.

I’m either going to have to investigate repairs to my existing unit or use my phone.

Mutter, grumble.

Re speed camera information, I never used TomToms, but got them as a POI layer from https://www.pocketgpsworld.com/modules.php?name=Cameras

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #14246 on:** 07 February, 2022, 05:17:42 pm »

Quote from: mrcharly-YHT on 06 February, 2022, 10:45:29 am

Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 05 February, 2022, 06:41:07 pm
£40 sounds cheap with a pulley. Some of the ones I was looking at were over £40 for just a bog standard pole with hangers.
40 quid just for the bird feeder. The pole and pulley etc. I was going to have to build myself

I can recommend Jacobi Jayne (Livingwithbirds.com for buying direct from them). Their feeders have a lifetime defect guarantee and they also promise to send you replacement parts for the price of delivery for damage by squirrel or predator attack.

We took delivery of a new worm feeder on Monday that broke on Tuesday after it fell off the pole in a storm. I emailed them to ask if I could buy a replacement base and they kindly said they'll just send me one for gratis, which was nice of them.

(Sorry, not a grumble)

orienteer · « **Reply #14247 on:** 07 February, 2022, 06:23:21 pm »

Cheap bird feeders in Lidl from Thursday.

Basil · « **Reply #14248 on:** 07 February, 2022, 08:33:26 pm »

Quote from: orienteer on 07 February, 2022, 06:23:21 pm

Cheap ~~bird~~ rat feeders in Lidl from Thursday.

Ftfy

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #14249 on:** 07 February, 2022, 09:27:21 pm »

Feb. 3rd: Mr Larrington rings $COMPANY to arrange the visit of A Man to install Lt. Col. Larrington (retd.)'s New! IMPROVED!! medical alarm box wossname. “Feb. 10” says their minion, until half an hour later when they ring back and say “How about tomorrow?” It is agreed.

Feb. 4th: The Man does not turn up, nor does $COMPANY advise us of his can't-make-it-ness

Feb. 7th: Mr Larrington rings $COMPANY to rearrange the visit of A Man to install Lt. Col. Larrington (retd.)'s New! IMPROVED!! medical alarm box wossname. “Feb. 11” says their minion. Now he'll turn up at the same time as The Man who is coming to (hopefully) mend the dishwasher and they’ll trip over each other or steal each other’s tools or accidentally drive off in the wrong van or something.

Bah!