On Friday, 13 May 2022 at 02:05:22 UTC+1, Commander Kinsey wrote:
> On Thu, 05 May 2022 14:01:01 +0100, Whisky-dave <whisk...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > On Thursday, 5 May 2022 at 12:24:55 UTC+1, Commander Kinsey wrote:
> >> On Wed, 04 May 2022 23:16:42 +0100, David Brooks <D...@nomail.afraid.org> wrote:
> >>
> >> > On 04/05/2022 11:04, Commander Kinsey wrote:
> >> >> On Wed, 04 May 2022 10:32:40 +0100, David Brooks <D...@nomail.afraid.org>
> >> >> wrote:
> >> >>
> >> >>> On 04/05/2022 09:28, Commander Kinsey wrote:
> >> >>>> On Wed, 04 May 2022 09:09:19 +0100, David Brooks <D...@nomail.afraid.org>
> >> >>>> wrote:
> >> >>>>
> >> >>>>> On 04/05/2022 08:18, Commander Kinsey wrote:
> >> >>>>>> On Wed, 04 May 2022 07:49:59 +0100, David Brooks
> >> >>>>>> <D...@nomail.afraid.org>
> >> >>>>>> wrote:
> >> >>>>>>
> >> >>>>>>> It's not for me to tell a Physics graduate that there's a
> >> >>>>>>> fire-risk in
> >> >>>>>>> 13 Amp plugs melting! Remember that ALL your efforts will be
> >> >>>>>>> wasted if
> >> >>>>>>> your house burns down around your hardware!
> >> >>>>>>
> >> >>>>>> It has a fuse. Those wonderful things before the namby pamby circuit
> >> >>>>>> breakers that trip if a fly lands on something.
> >> >>>>>
> >> >>>>> Knowing you, you might have replaced the fuse with a nail!
> >> >>>>
> >> >>>> Funnily enough, I'm pro-fuse. I'm not bothered about getting a shock,
> >> >>>> but I don't want something catching fire. It's amazing how many things
> >> >>>> aren't protected properly. For example did you know a twin UK socket is
> >> >>>> not rated to 26 amps? Most (apart from MK) are rated to 20 amps. So if
> >> >>>> you max out both of them, things melt! I don't remember seeing a
> >> >>>> warning on the front not to use both fully at the same time.
> >> >>>
> >> >>> No, I didn't know that ..... but few things one 'plugs in' in a home use
> >> >>> 13 Amps!
> >> >>
> >> >> Washing machine and tumble dryer next to each other? Quite common I
> >> >> would think. Do two loads in a row, one drying while the next one
> >> >> washes. Whoops, melted socket.
> >> >
> >> > Perhaps you are right - but I've never seen or heard of such a meltdown.
> >> I have, but it was two of each on an extension strip. Seems the strip was weaker than the 13A fuse. I gave the irritated teacher two new strips, one much longer to plug in the other side of the room. One washer and one dryer seemed to manage together.
> >
> > I have a LG washer dryer and it says in the instructions NOT to use it from an extention strip.
> > Which might seema bit odd but I'm guessing it's because some idiot would and plug a kettle, toaster and fan heater into the same strip.
> I see all sorts of weird stuff like that. My dad's log splitter is 2kW (might be 2.5) and says not to use on an extension cord over 5m. I have a 50m cord that says 13A (just over 3kW), so I don't see the problem.

Thought you knew about physics, it''s a coil and due to induction( sort of eddy currents, resisyance/impedance) and the like it is more likely to heat up and retain that heat than a single lengh of cable.

> Unless they want to lessen the risk of tripping over it? It's running on a 10m cord half unwound attached to a 10m cord fully unwound which is already there for a freezer. I've split about 50 1-tonne bags of logs with it and it works fine. Motorised hydraulics is fun.

I doubt it's on for very long periods continiously that is.

> >> >>>>> I've got one of those circuit breakers. It trips now and again when my
> >> >>>>> wife is doing the ironing.
> >> >>>>
> >> >>>> The earth leakage type or the overload type?
> >> >>>
> >> >>> Sadly, I have no idea. :-(
> >> >>>
> >> >>> Can you tell from a picture? https://ibb.co/nckJpXw
> >> >>
> >> >> Yes I can tell. The large one on the right is the earth leakage, to
> >> >> prevent shocks. It trips if 30mA or more is not accounted for (it
> >> >> compares live to neutral and if any is missing it must have gone to
> >> >> earth, possibly through you, so it trips). Unfortunately you have the
> >> >> cheap setup with only one of them, so the whole house will go off [1].
> >> >> It also functions as a 100A limiter for the whole house, which should
> >> >> trip before the 100A electricity board fuse by your meter does, if you
> >> >> were to use that much, or something shorted inside the box, like a wire
> >> >> coming loose.
> >> >
> >> > It's the large, main breaker, is the one that trips with the iron. The
> >> > small one's don't ever seem to need resetting!
> >> Seems your iron has a loose wire and is leaking power to earth. Or through your wife.
> >
> > If it's an old iron could be that the flex has twisted somewhere and worn internally
> > and a strange of the live wire comes into contact with earth.
> > Also I've seen on old appliences that a ON neon is connected between live and earth
> > and that can trigger a cutout, even seen one on a PSU where one side of the neon was connected to Live and the other to the metal case of the PSU
> > which was earthed.
> Some of the lighting in my house uses earth instead of neutral because it was more convenient to connect to that. Just aswell I only have fuses.

Yes I had to re-wire the old PSUs in a school because of that.

> They're the same thing anyway, there are only 2 conductors coming into my house.

there's a reason why the third wire is called Earth.
Just think of teh cost of wiring if it needed to be connected to the moon or even Mars !

> >> >> The others are just limiters and work exactly like fuses, to stop you
> >> >> using more than 32A on the socket circuit for example,to prevent a
> >> >> fire. I'm assuming the 4th from the left (downstairs power) is what
> >> >> tripped when the iron was used, which means you have a very dodgy iron
> >> >> exceeding 32 amps when it's meant to use about 8.
> >> >
> >> > No, as I said above, it's the main breaker which trips!
> >> >
> >> >> [1] The fancy ones have earth leakage built into every breaker, so if
> >> >> you get a shock you only trip that one circuit and the lights don't go
> >> >> off, which is precisely what you don't want when up a ladder!
> >> >
> >> > Understood - but I didn't choose it!
> >> I have fuses :-)
> >
> > I do too and thinking of updating
> Why bother? You'll just earn yourself nuisance trips.

When selling and moving on it's a good plus-point for new buiyers, I might even have to wash the curtains.

> >> >>>>>> Hey, you're here at 8 in the morning! I got up at 11:30pm, so I'm not
> >> >>>>>> sure what time this is for me. I'll be going to bed late afternoon.
> >> >>>>>
> >> >>>>> I was watch-keeping for a large part of my working life. It's no big
> >> >>>>> shakes WHEN one sleeps, but sleep IS necessary!
> >> >>>>
> >> >>>> I've removed myself from the 24 hour religion of life. I get up when
> >> >>>> ready, and go to sleep when tired, whenever that may be.
> >> >>>
> >> >>> A bit like being retired - like me!
> >> >>
> >> >> I'm 46 and have decided to retire now. I can get my pension in 9 years.
> >> >
> >> > I used to sell pension plans. How will you qualify for your at the age
> >> > of just 55?
> >> I thought it was a law. Maybe it's because mine are government plans. 55 with no reason given, even lower if you can prove you're ill.
> >
> > Yes I think that is correct but you can lose quite a bit by taking it so early .
> > Normally it's about 60 is reasonable.
> I haven't checked the amounts, but I assume they assume you will die at a certain age. So if you're taking it over twice as many years, they halve the amount (with adjustments for interest and inflation etc).

Yes and why some of my slightly younger friends retirment date is 67 or 68
They use life expectance to calculate such things, same problem the NHS has..

> >> >>>>>>> I've now installed it on my main computer and will put it on my other
> >> >>>>>>> one shortly. I've also publicised the programme on my Facebook
> >> >>>>>>> timeline
> >> >>>>>>> and the group which I run.
> >> >>>>>>
> >> >>>>>> Excellent, thank you. People aren't flocking to it so much now covid
> >> >>>>>> research has declined. People don't seem to care about cancer, which
> >> >>>>>> kills far more.
> >> >>>>>>
> >> >>>>>> Pay close attention to when you complete the tasks and the "timeout" -
> >> >>>>>> it has a habit of giving slower computers stuff it can't do in
> >> >>>>>> time. If
> >> >>>>>> it passes the timeout it's not the end of the world, but if it gets to
> >> >>>>>> the expiration date the task has been a waste of time.
> >> >>>>>
> >> >>>>> Thanks for the warning. I didn't like the way it started to trigger my
> >> >>>>> cooling fans so have 'turned it down' now.
> >> >>>>
> >> >>>> I doubt you'll complete much in time if it's not maxed out. Fans are
> >> >>>> meant to spin. Most of my fans run at 75% speed.
> >> >>>
> >> >>> Understood. Thanks.
> >> >>
> >> >> To reduce fan speed, ensure they're dust free for better cooling, a
> >> >> sharp blow from your mouth into it will shift it. Be ready to inhale a
> >> >> lot of dust, or hold the end of a running hoover hose nearby!
> >> >
> >> > Have you ever tried blowing into a 27 inch Apple iMac?!!!
> >> I wouldn't be seen dead near one, so no.
> >
> > This boy obviously has no sense of style ;-)
> A computer is a functional item, not a fucking ornament.

It can be both. Why buy an ugly, noisy, biege box .

> >> > We could connect them together with strong tow bars and operate them
> >> > like a train!
> >> Volvo suggested with their very close speed matching radars they were safer. An impact would be reduced a lot, because you're only a foot away, so you're almost a part of the car in front.
> >
> > That doesn't really much much sense if you take into account breaking distances.
> What?! If you're 1 foot behind the next car, and it jams it's brakes on, you will hit it with a closing speed of about 2mph and do no damage.
What even if yuo're doing 60MPH, I doubt it.

>This will make you go "shit!" and jam on your brakes too.
Bit late them with thinking distances let alone with reaction timnes.

> > I know in F1 cars can be 6 inches apart and be doing 200MPH but they have really good brakes and drivers.
> > I wouldn't have thought a couple of volvos doing a ~70 MPH and if one hit the brakes the other could stop within 2 metre social distancing.
> You don't have to stop in 2m, you have to react in 2m.

Still takes a distance to come to a stop.
Even star trek takes that into account, which is why you need a structural integrity field,
also used when accelerating it''s all past of the laws of momentum too.

> > One day perhaps if boy have driverless mode and communicat with each other.
Yeah I meant "both".

> Driverless boys?! No no, they must be tied up and given strict instructions.

You back in fantasy mode or the french version of DIY.

> >> >>>> I was once chased to my house by a neighbour who objected to me
> >> >>>> overtaking his wife. She was going 20 in a 30 zone because of roadworks
> >> >>>> signs. For another road. He claimed it was because of the detour and
> >> >>>> more people using our road that our road had a limit. What a crazy idea
> >> >>>> - if you have more things to do, you have to do them faster!
> >> >>>
> >> >>> Of course. The real answer is to do LESS things! ;-)
> >> >>
> >> >> And delegate?
> >> >
> >> > Yes, that too!
> >> >
> >> > Remember the adage that I was taught.
> >> >
> >> > 'Tis the duty of a wealthy man to enlist the services of an artisan.
> >> >
> >> > In truth though:-
> >> >
> >> > Lord Finchley tried to mend the Electric Light
> >> > Himself. It struck him dead: And serve him right!
> >> > It is the business of the wealthy man
> >> > To give employment to the artisan.
> >> >
> >> > Hilaire Belloc
> >> This is why people shouldn't grumble about rich folk, as they spend that money much faster than anyone else. The moaners should just go work for them, or make things they want to buy.
> >
> > For me it depends on how they get rich. Don't really want to bring back slavery
> I do. I'd love to have someone else doing things for me, preferably naked..

Back to your chimney boys & mary poppins fantasies are we ;-)

>
> And actually most slaves were very happy, they got a free home in a nice place. They didn't have to concern themselves with finances either.

I doubt most were happy.

> >> > You really are nuts!
> >> What do you use your handbrake for? It really does serve no purpose.
> >
> > I thought it's main use was for when you park on a hill.
> It would have to be a fucking steep hill,

we even have some of those in London, thought you'd have some in scotland too.

>I just use the gears or turn the wheels into the kerb. I did once park on a steep hill without turning the wheels to the kerb. A passerby shouted to me "your car is dancing!" It was trying to start the engine and jumping back a few inches at a time in gear.

I wonder how Electric cars get around this, as I didn;t think they had gears in the same way.

> > Or tan attempt to make yuor car difficult to be stolen or moved
> > without the drivers or owners permission.
> Handbrakes are very weak, that wouldn't stop anyone. You just put the car onto a tow truck anyway.

Little chance of getting a tow truck for such a thing near me, cars parked to close together.

Last two breakins of cars near me where 2 BMWs one had it's steering wheel stolen and the other had the disabled parking badge stolen.

> >> >>>>>>>> Seems a newspaper boy was prosecuted for claiming he couldn't go
> >> >>>>>>>> over
> >> >>>>>>>> 16mph on his bicycle!
> >> >>>>>>>
> >> >>>>>>> Haha! :-D
> >> >>>>>>
> >> >>>>>> I've done 39mph on my mountain bike, but this was using God's force,
> >> >>>>>> gravity.
> >> >>>>
> >> >>>> OY! I saw that! You capitalised god! You edited MY sentence!
> >> >>>
> >> >>> Just checking to see if you are paying attention to detail! :-D
> >> >>
> >> >> I wasn't, but my subconscious notices everything.
> >> >
> >> > You are nearly as bright as me!
> >> [titter] So what bright things have you done in your life?
> >
> > and was she a natural blonde or fake blonde
> Easy to spot, they're too thick to dye their eyebrows.

Not all, some dye some shave and use eyebrow pencil. I've know some to wear coloured cotact
lenes, one in particular has green cats eye contacts.
>They look fucking stupid. It's like painting your car a different colour and forgetting one door.

depends on the effect you want I guess.

> >> >> I was once at an office xmas lunch in a restaurant, and my (slightly
> >> >> OCD) colleague was opposite me and looked irritated. I turned round to
> >> >> follow his gaze and saw a photo on the wall which was slightly
> >> >> misaligned. I straightened it, and he said thank you. The other
> >> >> colleagues were alarmed and thought we had telepathy.
> >> >
> >> > The greater consciousness of mankind, I call it.
> >> In actual fact I just followed where he was looking, saw something I knew would irritated him, and corrected it.
> >
> > I do the same with students.
> For example?

Watch them see what they are trying to do.
One girl that was more interested in taking selfies than doing her project, moved from one bench to another taking the glue gun with her.
After another 10mins of posing she put her hand on the glue gun and decdied it wasn't getting warm so unplugged it and plugged it into another socket.
Carried on posing and chatting away on her phone, after anotherb 10mins I went over towards her and asked if everything was OK, she said your glue guns doesn't work it's not heating up.
So I showed her the rocker switch next to the socket and explained that you need to switch that on too, and in about 5mins it'll be hot enough.
She looked really embarresed as she'd been at least 30mins in to her 2 hour allocated time and done nothing.
But I didn't make fun of her, she know she'd did that all on her own :-)

Such things have even happend to our academics, not looking atb the obvious first things, like check the PSU is actually switched on
before you complain it's not working.

> >> We were once doing some electrical work in a classroom, and found a poster that had been drawn which said "the importance of learing". Neither of us could stop laughing for a full 5 minutes. I have to wonder if the teacher left that there as a punishment for their stupidity, or was too stupid to notice (it was the thickest teacher in the school).
> >
> > I've done similar things I even put a notice on the wall upside down the students were laughing , I asked them what was funny , they said because it's upside down,
> > I said Ah so you've actually read it then , so you know I'm closed for lunch from 1-2pm, so you won't keep knocking on the door now will you.
> I never closed for lunch. In fact lunch was the best time to fix things, when others weren't using the computers.

We don't close as a lab but we aren't there when going out to get sandwhiches and I don't like students coming up to me asking for things etc
while I'm eating, so my typical lunchtime is 12:30-13:30 another tech goes from 12:00-13:00 and the other goes from about 13:30 to 14:30,
so the lab is always open 9:00-17:00, sometimes until 18:00.
We sometimes swap our times around or is someone is on holiday or off sick, but the lab is always open.
And if open there has to be at least 2 members of staff present, but we aren't too strict on that one.