A random thread for small things that don't really warrant a thread of their own

[tiermat]

Its 100 days today until I set out for my first multi day silly bike tour since 1986.

Glup. 

yesterday marked 90 days to the start of mine, I have Jet2 rather kindly reminding me

Double glup....

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

My mum just texted me to say someone on Countdown just made wankers.

[hulver]

http://tragedyseries.tumblr.com/post/13838117343/available-as-a-print-you-can-use-to-decorate-your

Narwhal rampage.

[citoyen]

My mum just texted me to say someone on Countdown just made wankers.

I just had to go on 4OD to investigate. Unfortunately, they bleeped it out and didn't show the winning word on the display, but here's the culprit:


d.

[Clare]

If that's the letter selection he couldn't have won with "wankers".

[citoyen]

If that's the letter selection he couldn't have won with "wankers".

He was a singular wanker.

The other chap came up with an 8 letter word but it had three Es in it so was invalid.

d.

[TimO]

It did occur to me today, as I was overtaken by a street cleaner, that they had their crest emblazoned across the rear of the vehicle:

Argent, a flêche to sinster base on an oval shield azure, over two brooms brunâtre, crossed.

... or something like that (anyone who actually knows heraldry, feel free to correct that!)

[citoyen]

I can't claim to be an expert but I don't think fleche is a heraldic term. What do you mean by it?

Also, you need the field first, so it would be something like:

"Oval azure, a fleche argent, two brooms crossed"

d.

[citoyen]

[clarion]

That took a few moments.

[citoyen]

That took a few moments.

Evidently it took Glitter a few moments too - luckily someone captured the screenshot before he deleted his reply.

d.

[clarion]

I doubt that @OfficialGlitter is Mr Gadd himself.  He probably has a (hard-working, stressed) publicist.

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

I've just been told there's a Brian Blessed alarm clock app for iPhones and Android. And it says "Rrrrrrrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiise my Hawkmen!" 

I sort of want it, but I think the first time he bellowed me awake, I'd accidentally destroy the phone in fear and shock.

[Jurek]

Yesterday, my house keys made a successful bid for freedom from my jacket pocket whilst I traveled on a 185 bus.

Contingency keys were subsequently acquired and I was able to get indoors.

Following a measure of relentless telephone-based badgering from Mother, I rang TfL.

Having pressed no more than two option keys, I was speaking to a human, who connected me to another human at Camberwell bus garage, who (Lo!) had my house keys within his reach.

Keys and owner were subsequently reunited a short while thereafter.

I wasn't expecting to see those again.

How good is that?

Oh - and I got a ride to Camberwell bus garage and back out of it 

[Kim]

Barakta has decided to do something called 'training' with a view to being faster than me up hills.  I'm not sure whether to be pleased, or attack her with an EMP weapon on the basis that the real barakta has evidently been replaced with an alien cyborg or something.   

[jogler]

'training'

hellsbells,that's two four letter words

[Feanor]

I've often wondered about the possibility of fettling an EMP device.
Not a humungous James Bond one in a satellite to take out an entire country, but something to work at close range.
An elegant weapon, for a more civilised age.

Possible uses: cyclist takes out mis-behaving car.
<Whoomp!>
Other uses are left as an exercise for the reader.

I wonder how much energy storage would be required to make an effective device.

[Ashaman42]

If I ever gain telekinetic abilities one thing I'd be doing a lot is removing wheelnuts and wheels of cars that offend me. See how far they slide on the underbody and then have a word about why I did it.

But should I fail to gain such abilities a bike portable EMP will do nicely.

[TimO]

... I wonder how much energy storage would be required to make an effective device.

Quite a lot, probably a lot more than is easily produced by anything portable.

I've seen EMP devices in the past (admittedly for military tests) that used a truck mounted rocket powered MHD generator.  The reason they used that was because short of borrowing a fair sized power station, there was no other practical way to generate enough power.  MHD generators can generate vast amounts of power, just not for very long (simplistically, a solid fuel rocket engine generates a moving plasma which is fired through a set of coils and because the plasma is charged, this induces a current in the coils).

Now, to take out a car engine electronics at short range you will still need quite a lot of power, and if I had to guess I'd reckon more than you could practically carry.  You may be able to do it with a number of large car batteries, but the limiting factor is probably the internal resistance of the batteries limiting the maximum current they can generate.

I wonder if a super capacitor could be used in this sort of scenario?  You possibly only need something as simple as a very fast switch to dump the energy into an wide band antenna like a log periodic. Essentially a single shot directional spark gap transmitter. Hmm... <ponders>

(Incidentally, it would stand a pretty good chance of also destroying any electronics you were carrying, like a GPS, mobile phone, LED bike light, digital watch etc).

[Ham]

On an application for a post for which Mrs Ham is recruiting

Please supply 2 references

Reference 1 - Name - Mr A B Bloggs
Relationship - Very good

 

On to the "no" pile

(reference 2 relationship was only "good")

[Ashaman42]

Hmm, I've just had a thunk. Whilst I know my new Cyo doesn't affect my wireless computer I don't know if it affects my GPS. Hope not as I may get a bit muddled on Sat's audax otherwise.

[Ashaman42]

Egads, whisky is not nice to choke on, it's burns!

[Feline]

Hmm, I've just had a thunk. Whilst I know my new Cyo doesn't affect my wireless computer I don't know if it affects my GPS. Hope not as I may get a bit muddled on Sat's audax otherwise.

My Cyo doesn't affect my Garmin GPS at all. However my dyno hub charging system does interfere with cadence sensor readings on the Garmin (not a terribly vital function admittedly, since I know that my cadence is generally lower than it really should be).

[LindaG]

... I wonder how much energy storage would be required to make an effective device.

Quite a lot, probably a lot more than is easily produced by anything portable.

I've seen EMP devices in the past (admittedly for military tests) that used a truck mounted rocket powered MHD generator.  The reason they used that was because short of borrowing a fair sized power station, there was no other practical way to generate enough power.  MHD generators can generate vast amounts of power, just not for very long (simplistically, a solid fuel rocket engine generates a moving plasma which is fired through a set of coils and because the plasma is charged, this induces a current in the coils).

Now, to take out a car engine electronics at short range you will still need quite a lot of power, and if I had to guess I'd reckon more than you could practically carry.  You may be able to do it with a number of large car batteries, but the limiting factor is probably the internal resistance of the batteries limiting the maximum current they can generate.

I wonder if a super capacitor could be used in this sort of scenario?  You possibly only need something as simple as a very fast switch to dump the energy into an wide band antenna like a log periodic. Essentially a single shot directional spark gap transmitter. Hmm... <ponders>

(Incidentally, it would stand a pretty good chance of also destroying any electronics you were carrying, like a GPS, mobile phone, LED bike light, digital watch etc).

I love it that you said that Tim.   

[tiermat]

I have found an Android app that does the GPS gubbins for the Ripoll > Girona and beyond Via Verdes in Catalonia.

It also has short video clips of POIs on the route.

And is free!

\o/