Author Topic: The Grumble Thread - No energy for a full on rant. (Read 1604936 times)

ian · « **Reply #14025 on:** 03 December, 2021, 07:32:38 pm »

I wasn't sure they'd be able to smarter our meter as we had it imprisoned in a special – and tight – dungeon of understair IT shame when we had this place refurbished. I can get in there but a fat bloke, no way. Fortunately, the engineer was part ferret and wriggled right on in.

hellymedic · « **Reply #14026 on:** 03 December, 2021, 09:27:35 pm »

My electric and gas meters are mounted in white cabinets on an external wall, which you can see on StreetView.

Man came to install Smart gas meter on a rainy day in June this year.

Said it wasn't safe if he couldn't disconnect leccy.

I said switch was seized so I don't have a smart gas meter and my leccy meter seems in trouble.

Kim · « **Reply #14027 on:** 03 December, 2021, 10:43:52 pm »

Is it normal to have a switch upstream of the meter in a domestic installation? Normally you just get a fuse at the cut-out, and any switching is downstream of the meter.

Giraffe · « **Reply #14028 on:** 04 December, 2021, 09:29:44 am »

Quote from: hellymedic on 03 December, 2021, 06:54:03 pm

My not very old electricity meter was replaced with a Smart meter in 2017.

The technician at the time was unable to switch of the mains as the switch had seized and he couldn't budge it.

The display on my smart meter is now blank. It stopped communicating with the mother ship when all the small electricity suppliers went bust. They sent a meter reader round in September but I can't read a blank meter...

The seizure of the switch might be related to a certain incident in Jan. 2000 that involved a Big Bang and Sparkle and needed a "nengineer" to replace the fusey thing that was blown to hell.

rafletcher · « **Reply #14029 on:** 04 December, 2021, 05:03:54 pm »

Quote from: Kim on 03 December, 2021, 10:43:52 pm

Is it normal to have a switch upstream of the meter in a domestic installation? Normally you just get a fuse at the cut-out, and any switching is downstream of the meter.

That’s what I’m used to, a FOB fuse to be pulled to isolate the entire property, just upstream of the meter.

ElyDave · « **Reply #14030 on:** 04 December, 2021, 08:05:34 pm »

FOB not being free on board? I've been spending too much time looking at trading of LNG and similar lately

rafletcher · « **Reply #14031 on:** 06 December, 2021, 03:05:03 pm »

So I've been buying Tesco Finest Columbian instant coffee. It was arond £15 a kilo. It seems to hae been replaced with a "microground" instant Columbian coffee - at £25 a kilo. Bastards.

orienteer · « **Reply #14032 on:** 06 December, 2021, 03:11:11 pm »

Coffee prices are soaring world-wide due to poor harvests and increasing demand, especially from China.

ian · « **Reply #14033 on:** 06 December, 2021, 03:29:06 pm »

Coffee is current about $5/kg (peaked earlier this year at about $9) - droughts and a severe frost decimated Brazilian harvests, there are numerous covid-era logistical issues, and arabica has increasingly susceptibility to diseases compounded by global warming. Prices will only go up.

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #14034 on:** 06 December, 2021, 03:29:59 pm »

Quote from: rafletcher on 06 December, 2021, 03:05:03 pm

So I've been buying Tesco Finest Columbian instant coffee. It was arond £15 a kilo. It seems to hae been replaced with a "microground" instant Columbian coffee - at £25 a kilo. Bastards.

Soviet-model price evolution.
(There was officially no inflation in the Soviet Union, because Marxism-Leninism. But every so often the, eg, No 1 Turkmenistan wholewheat loaf would be replaced by the N0 1 Uzbekistan wholewheat loaf, to which it bore a remarkable resemblance but the price was higher.)

T42 · « **Reply #14035 on:** 07 December, 2021, 01:10:21 pm »

The Graun have modified (b0z0rked?) their website coding and now my android tablet, so old it has a cuneiform font, doesn't display all the sections. The bloody football's still there, though.

Kim · « **Reply #14036 on:** 07 December, 2021, 01:21:29 pm »

It's okay, the only thing you're missing is them using a stock photo of skyscrapers in the United Arab Emirates to illustrate a story about the University of East Angular.

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #14037 on:** 07 December, 2021, 02:30:15 pm »

Actually, today they've used some academic buildings in Norwich to illustrate a story about the United Arab Emirates introducing a four-and-a-half day working week.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/07/uae-cuts-working-week-and-shifts-weekend-back-a-day

You can tell it's not the UAE because of the UK-style road cone and triangular road sign.

(Also, yay UAE! Though I'm mighty suspicious of their motives.)

Guy · « **Reply #14038 on:** 07 December, 2021, 02:32:47 pm »

Blue sky and palm trees? That ain't Norwich.

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #14039 on:** 07 December, 2021, 02:35:35 pm »

Wot!! Wowbagger is always telling us how the east is much drier and sunnier!!

Beardy · « **Reply #14040 on:** 07 December, 2021, 03:47:15 pm »

Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 07 December, 2021, 02:35:35 pm

Wot!! Wowbagger is always telling us how the east is much drier and sunnier!!

yeah, but he’s significantly more east (and south) than narich. Fsvo significant obv.

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #14041 on:** 07 December, 2021, 09:24:13 pm »

That feeling you get when you log in somewhere, get the password right and then it asks you security questions. The name of your first and last school.
That's not what we have on our records.
Well they're wrong then. $:-\$

TimC · « **Reply #14042 on:** 08 December, 2021, 04:38:44 am »

Quote from: Beardy on 07 December, 2021, 03:47:15 pm

Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 07 December, 2021, 02:35:35 pm
Wot!! Wowbagger is always telling us how the east is much drier and sunnier!!
yeah, but he’s significantly more east (and south) than narich. Fsvo significant obv.

Think you need to check your geography!

Also, Naarch has no buildings over 3 storeys high. They’d get blown over.

ian · « **Reply #14043 on:** 08 December, 2021, 09:22:48 am »

Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 07 December, 2021, 09:24:13 pm

That feeling you get when you log in somewhere, get the password right and then it asks you security questions. The name of your first and last school.
That's not what we have on our records.
Well they're wrong then. $:-\$

Yeah, arguing with a computer over where you first went to school. I definitely did go there.

I don't do the first pet one, but that was at least 36 gerbils (probably more, but I ended up with two in the end with fewer than four ears). Don't send your child to the pet shop with little knowledge of sexual reproduction and a stipulation to buy 'two girls' or 'two boys.'

hatler · « **Reply #14044 on:** 08 December, 2021, 11:09:07 am »

My previous employer implemented a new identity management system.

There were a selection of 'Only you could possibly know' type questions to aid identity verification.

Make of first car
Town where you were born
Favourite colour
Father's first name

The answers to all of which were four letters or fewer.

Guess what ? Yep, answers had to be five letters or more.

I complained to IT and their helpful suggestion was to 'make an answer up'.

Fools.

ian · « **Reply #14045 on:** 08 December, 2021, 11:16:13 am »

Easy

Subaru
Heanor
Puce
Ask my mum.

Next!

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #14046 on:** 08 December, 2021, 12:39:31 pm »

Or just give the same word for all of them. Following the example set by Spike Milligan on “Blankety-Blank”, “Truss” seems like a good'un.

rafletcher · « **Reply #14047 on:** 08 December, 2021, 03:43:46 pm »

Moist.

Zipperhead · « **Reply #14048 on:** 08 December, 2021, 05:25:23 pm »

Quote from: ian on 08 December, 2021, 09:22:48 am

Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 07 December, 2021, 09:24:13 pm
That feeling you get when you log in somewhere, get the password right and then it asks you security questions. The name of your first and last school.
That's not what we have on our records.
Well they're wrong then. $:-\$

Yeah, arguing with a computer over where you first went to school. I definitely did go there.

I don't do the first pet one, but that was at least 36 gerbils (probably more, but I ended up with two in the end

You are ******* ****(redacted) famous film star, AICMFP

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #14049 on:** 11 December, 2021, 02:39:55 am »

How long can a bloody helichopter keep circling the parish before it runs out of petril? Bugger off, PC Biggles