what I have learned today.

[Mr Larrington]

Someone must have written a wossname to give Windows users a compose key by now?  That's the great thing about Windows - someone somewhere has usually written a utility that can bodge around any particular shortcoming...


<compose><'><e> is dead easy to remember.

If they did it'd probably involve using a key wot, in my case, you have not got

[clarion]

They call it springing the ease

[Beardy]

If they did it'd probably involve using a key wot, in my case, you have not got

I had fun with one of those 'your computer has got a virus' calls. I followed his instructions (at least I told him I did) until he told me to hit any key and I proudly proclaimed not to have an any key. I kept this up for 5 minutes or more asking him where it was on the keyboard as I couldn't find it. He got most abusive until he eventually gave up and cut the call 

[Kim]

Someone must have written a wossname to give Windows users a compose key by now?  That's the great thing about Windows - someone somewhere has usually written a utility that can bodge around any particular shortcoming...


<compose><'><e> is dead easy to remember.

If they did it'd probably involve using a key wot, in my case, you have not got

Yeah, but there's going to be a utility to bodge around that, too.

Meanwhile, in *nix-land, I have re-mapped my capslock key to compose (with capslock activated by pressing both shift keys simultaneously).  This not only makes it reasonably straightforward to type en Français dans le café, but as an added bonus means that you're unlikely to CCIDENTALLY END UP TYPING LIKE YOU COULD MURDER A CURRY.

[Tim Hall]

They call it springing the ease

Tee, and what is more, hee.

[Ham]

They call it springing the ease

TYPING LIKE YOU COULD MURDER A CURRY.

When you know you're among friends.

[Mr Larrington]

Someone must have written a wossname to give Windows users a compose key by now?  That's the great thing about Windows - someone somewhere has usually written a utility that can bodge around any particular shortcoming...


<compose><'><e> is dead easy to remember.

Wikinaccurate claims there are a Several of such utilities.  I feel some experimentation coming on.

[Torslanda]

That the Big S's 'directional' chains (Ultegra level and above) really do only work properly in the correct orientation.

A customer brought a carbon Felt in today for a service and mentioned that it was slipping in high pressure situations, hard acceleration, climbing etc.

I checked the gearchange on the stand and the chain sounded (and felt) horrible. With the exception of a carbon FSA chainset the bike is 7900 DuraAce throughout. Checked for bent/missing teeth, checked the chainwear - expecting to have to give him the bad news - but the chain wear guage barely fitted. Something didn't look quite right and I looked at the other side of the chain. It was fitted inside out. Flipped it the right way round and suddenly the gears worked correctly. Who knew?

[Salvatore]

That my great-great grandfather's sister's brother-in-law spent 3 years in the army, partly in India, but was discharged due to "severe chronic dysentry" and "deficiency of intellect" and spent much of the next 4 years in hospital.  He was twice charged with stealing horses from his father, (one day imprisonment the first time, father didn't press charges the second time), but for stealing 16 fowls he was sentenced to 4 years imprisonment, which was served at Dartmoor Prison. Soon after his release he died in the workhouse.

It sounds grim but at least unlike the rest of his family he got to get out of Norfolk. Twice.

[fuaran]

There is an acute accent over the e, but I can't remember how to do that on a PC.  Perhaps I should have posted this from my phone... :/

AltGr + E gives you é (e with acute).

` + E gives you è (e with grave), if you are using the "United Kingdom Extended" keyboard layout.

[rogerzilla]

American light switches go the opposite way to ours. WTF?

[Cudzoziemiec]

Not all of ours go the same way either.

[Canardly]

American light switches go the opposite way to ours. WTF?

You mean that they have been fitting them upside down all these years?

[Kim]

American light switches go the opposite way to ours. WTF?

Fairly sure it's our light switches that go the wrong way.  In as much as there's a global convention, it seems to be up for on (down for on seems to be mostly a Commonwealth thing).  That's also how circuit breakers^[1] and things do it.  Always assumed this was a throwback to the days of knife switches, where the down position for 'off' is fail-safe.

I hear that some countries like to mount switches sideways.  Japan maybe?


The vertical arrangement of leftpondian mains sockets is properly perverse.  What makes that seem like a good idea?


_{[1] Which leftpondians like to mount sideways, presumably to make the layout of their centre-tapped-single-phase fuseboxes more sensible.}

[Kim]

Not all of ours go the same way either.

Only when there are multiple switches on a circuit.  I've never met a simple UK light switch that was permanently down for off.

[Beardy]

Producing a set of PowerPoint slides for a BIG cheese is stressful. Is it all true? I've I explained enough? Is there too much info? Will it prompt awkward questions? etc.

Never mind, the weekend is nearly here

[Cudzoziemiec]

Not all of ours go the same way either.

Only when there are multiple switches on a circuit.  I've never met a simple UK light switch that was permanently down for off.

You weren't alive in the 1970s.

[Kim]

Not all of ours go the same way either.

Only when there are multiple switches on a circuit.  I've never met a simple UK light switch that was permanently down for off.

You weren't alive in the 1970s.

I was, but I was too small to reach the light switch.

[David Martin]

Capt. Robert F Scott took a volume of Gullivers travels to the Antarctic on his ill-fated expedition. That volume had been gifted to him by Capt Markham who had taken it to the Arctic on a previous expedition. It was probably the most travelled satirical work for 100 years.

[nikki]

Tea if by sea, cha if by land: Why the world only has two words for tea:
https://qz.com/1176962/map-how-the-word-tea-spread-over-land-and-sea-to-conquer-the-world/

[Butterfly]

Tea if by sea, cha if by land: Why the world only has two words for tea:
https://qz.com/1176962/map-how-the-word-tea-spread-over-land-and-sea-to-conquer-the-world/

That is really interesting, thank you!

[T42]

You can power a GIXon pedal from the USB port of a computer but it still drains the batteries.

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

South Americans drink 'mate' an infusion made from leaves of 'yerba', a member of the holly family.  It provides caffeine.

[T42]

'Yerba' just means 'herb' - San Francisco's original name was Yerba Buena, meaning 'good grass'. Kinda prophetic, that.

Never tried yerba mate. Must give it a go.

[Torslanda]

<Round The Horne>

KW: I'm 'ere! Be'ind this clump of yerba...

KH: SMITH!

DS: It means graarsss!