The grumpy thread

[LightBulbFun]

1 hour ago, cort1977 said:

but how well was it advertised?  Plenty of other tourist buses ripping off the gullible seem to do all right...

thats the thing, apart from adverts on the side of the last Routemasters in normal service during 2005

I have never seen it advertised anywhere, the nearest thing to an advert you would see is on the bus stops that the routes served it would say "Heritage route 15 from such and such time"

even I only found out about them after a chance encounter in 2006!

 

so yeah a lot of us do wonder if they actually advertised the fact they exist, if they would have done better!

 

I also hate the excuses they give, especially the not accessible part, one of the stipulations for when the 2 Routes where setup was that they simply ran along part of the same Route as regular buses did

so no one would be disadvantaged sitting a wheel chair at a bus stop where only Routemasters served (ie they never went anywhere a regular bus of the same route number did not go)

so I feel that excuse is a bit moot! since there will always be regular buses serving the same route so no ones at a disadvantage 

 

and then the Emissions things, well all the heritage RMs where sadly Dartmaster-ed examples with horrible Cummings engines and Hopper windows already so no one would scream bloody murder if they stuck some more modern engines in

which has already been done!

https://www.automotiveworld.com/news-releases/iconic-54-year-old-london-routemaster-joins-cummins-euro-6-clean-bus-lineup-iaa/

[R1152]

 

[bobdisk]

8 hours ago, R1152 said:

Why do people send text messages to landlines? 

If a text message comes to my land line, BT SMS Text (from 08456021111) asks if you want it read, saved, or deleted.  See here for BTs info on it:

https://www.bt.com/help/landline/set-up-and-use-bt-text

 Sounds like a nice girl!

[R1152]

Just now, bobdisk said:

If a text message comes to my land line, BT SMS Text (from 08456021111) asks if you want it read, saved, or deleted.  See here for BTs info on it:

https://www.bt.com/help/landline/set-up-and-use-bt-text

 Sounds like a nice girl!

This I did: but first I had to plug in a tone-dialling phone... (yes, really)

Then the message contained a URL: the posh gel from BT had fun with that one! 🤣

[Heidel_Kakao]

7 hours ago, Bren said:

I took a load of stuff to the tip. Some of it old oil and coolant.

While pouring away this stuff I realised how horrible it was - the smell, the texture.

I am not one for change - but I am beginning to think the electric revolution is a bit overdue.

Making batteries has an environmental impact too.....

[bobdisk]

1 hour ago, R1152 said:

This I did: but first I had to plug in a tone-dialling phone... (yes, really)

Didnt think pulse dial phones worked these days 🤔

[Fumbler]

2 minutes ago, bobdisk said:

Didnt think pulse dial phones worked these days 🤔

They do just fine, as it happens. You can try pulse dialling without a rotary phone by rapidly pressing the hang up switch on a landline phone to dial a number veeeeeery slowly.

[R1152]

26 minutes ago, bobdisk said:

Didnt think pulse dial phones worked these days 🤔

Depends who your provider is. With BT they work just fine, but when I was encouraged to sign up for TalkTalk it didn't. Their voice service was so shit I dumped them after a year and went back to BT.

Strangely, this is one service operated by BT that doesn't offer a voice control function - some BT services say "press 1, or say 1" for example.

[dozeydustman]

27 minutes ago, R1152 said:

Depends who your provider is. With BT they work just fine, but when I was encouraged to sign up for TalkTalk it didn't. Their voice service was so shit I dumped them after a year and went back to BT.

Strangely, this is one service operated by BT that doesn't offer a voice control function - some BT services say "press 1, or say 1" for example.

Talktalk are indeed rubbish. I'm on PlusNet, and as they're a BT Subsidiary my 706L & 722 Trimphone dial out fine. Need a tone warbler for the trimphone.

[iainrcz]

Why do people send text messages to landlines? 

We used to do it to one of the office phones at work to pass the time. Obviously they contained childish things.

I'm pretty sure the voice that read them was Tom Baker.

I'll admit, I used to think it was most amusing.


Sent from my VFD 710 using Tapatalk

[R1152]

9 minutes ago, dozeydustman said:

Talktalk are indeed rubbish. I'm on PlusNet, and as they're a BT Subsidiary my 706L & 722 Trimphone dial out fine. Need a tone warbler for the trimphone.

Here there's a very early 706 with metal dial but the main phones are a 746 and an 8746. (The Panasonic cordless is hidden and the 150 will have to wait). I'm hoping to get a Trimphone up and running for my bedroom in due course.

I take it you've seen this? http://www.samhallas.co.uk/collection/bits_trimphone.htm

If it goes ahead this year, RetroTechUK has lots of telephone dealers and they might be able to help you with a warbler.

[dozeydustman]

2 minutes ago, R1152 said:

Here there's a very early 706 with metal dial but the main phones are a 746 and an 8746. (The Panasonic cordless is hidden and the 150 will have to wait). I'm hoping to get a Trimphone up and running for my bedroom in due course.

I take it you've seen this? http://www.samhallas.co.uk/collection/bits_trimphone.htm

If it goes ahead this year, RetroTechUK has lots of telephone dealers and they might be able to help you with a warbler.

I need to take it apart to see what part of the warbler circuit is missing; it certainly has the volume dial but what else is there I'm not sure. I'm hoping it's just a strap or discrete component I can substitute with some crap out my electronics spares.

[GMcD]

1 hour ago, iainrcz said:

We used to do it to one of the office phones at work to pass the time. Obviously they contained childish things.

I'm pretty sure the voice that read them was Tom Baker.

I'll admit, I used to think it was most amusing.


Sent from my VFD 710 using Tapatalk
 

Used to take great pleasure in texting Arnold Schwarzenegger quotes to my mates landline (when ebaumsworld was king) until one day one of my texts dissapeared into thin air... only for it to reappear the next day at 4 in the morning.

His mum was not amused either by the disruption or picking up the phone to hear "get to the chopper!" 

[Tadhg Tiogar]

4 hours ago, Heidel_Kakao said:

Making batteries has an environmental impact too.....

...but out of sight, out of mind....

[Pieman]

Applying to renew my driving licence online (which I now have to do every five years due to being epileptic) I had to "prove my identity" by registering an online account with a Gov.uk approved company.  Choice was given as either Post Office or Digidentity, so I went with Post Office.  Put my details in and waited for the email with the access code to come through...nothing happened.  Application had to be completed within an hour of starting or would time out, so I went back and did it through Digidentity and that worked.

That was at about 1pm on Monday.  The confirmation email from Post Office arrived with me at 7:30pm on Tuesday. 🤦‍♂️

And now I've got to wait to see if the DVLA are going to actually do any work in the next two months.  Given that everything in the rest of my life is probably going to be cancelled, I think it might be easier just to give up driving.

[New POD]

6 hours ago, Gerrymcd said:

Used to take great pleasure in texting Arnold Schwarzenegger quotes to my mates landline (when ebaumsworld was king) until one day one of my texts dissapeared into thin air... only for it to reappear the next day at 4 in the morning.

His mum was not amused either by the disruption or picking up the phone to hear "get to the chopper!" 

There was a comedian we went to see about 10 years ago. Support act to someone else. 

Told a long winded joke. Basically they were running late and were due to pick up granny. Daughter is given the job of letting her know they are coming for her.  When.they arrive at grannies house they can't find her.  Eventually they find her in an orange puffs jacket hidding behind the hot water tank. Which is wearing a similar jacket.

The reason? Daughter doesn't ring her (cause that generation doesn't), she texts "we are coming to take you, be ready in 10 minutes to leave straight away. Have your bag ready with everything you need" texted to a land line to a 90 year old.  

Imagine the robot voice? 

[Dick Cheeseburger]

9 hours ago, Gerrymcd said:

Used to take great pleasure in texting Arnold Schwarzenegger quotes to my mates landline (when ebaumsworld was king) until one day one of my texts dissapeared into thin air... only for it to reappear the next day at 4 in the morning.

His mum was not amused either by the disruption or picking up the phone to hear "get to the chopper!" 

Ebaumsworld. There's a blast from the past! Still going I see, although mainly filled with clickbait rubbish now. https://www.ebaumsworld.com/soundboards/arnold-schwarzenegger-soundboard-1/1876/

[Fumbler]

I wake up this morning to:

• News my grandmother's toaster has broken
• Her Rav4 has literally no oil in it. I knew it was burning oil massively but my brother spied the low oil light on and found the dipstick dry. She says she will keep it for just one more year, that is, if the engine lasts
• Father's cyst on his back (very painfully) burst when he got to his office this morning. The local minor injuries unit couldn't help him, he cannot see a doctor or nurse until the end of the week and his antibiotics haven't worked. All of this because the doctor he saw last week didn't note down that immediate treatment was required.

This might be a long day.

[outlaw118]

About 5 minutes ago i knocked half a pint of water off the desk onto my crotch. 

2 minutes ago a courier rings me to say he's in the foyer with some kit i ordered, and needs a signature.

FFS

[Stanky]

2 minutes ago, outlaw118 said:

About 5 minutes ago i knocked half a pint of water off the desk onto my crotch. 

2 minutes ago a courier rings me to say he's in the foyer with some kit i ordered, and needs a signature.

FFS

Pour water all over all of the rest of your trousers so the wet bit doesn't show.

[Bren]

The row over Greensill Capital and David Cameron. We have become like a banana republic.

[mitsisigma01]

15 minutes ago, outlaw118 said:

About 5 minutes ago i knocked half a pint of water off the desk onto my crotch. 

2 minutes ago a courier rings me to say he's in the foyer with some kit i ordered, and needs a signature.

FFS

Is it Hermes... probably not even for you

[R1152]

1 hour ago, Bren said:

The row over Greensill Capital and David Cameron. We have become like a banana republic.

Without straying into politics too much, it depresses me to see how much in the last 30 years we have become like the countries we used to deride.

[Bren]

37 minutes ago, R1152 said:

Without straying into politics too much, it depresses me to see how much in the last 30 years we have become like the countries we used to deride.

I concur. We can no longer assume the moral high ground.

[artdjones]

3 hours ago, Fumbler said:

I wake up this morning to:

• News my grandmother's toaster has broken
• Her Rav4 has literally no oil in it. I knew it was burning oil massively but my brother spied the low oil light on and found the dipstick dry. She says she will keep it for just one more year, that is, if the engine lasts
• Father's cyst on his back (very painfully) burst when he got to his office this morning. The local minor injuries unit couldn't help him, he cannot see a doctor or nurse until the end of the week and his antibiotics haven't worked. All of this because the doctor he saw last week didn't note down that immediate treatment was required.

This might be a long day.

Just because the dipstick is dry doesn't mean there's no oil in at all. Just top it up to full and keep an eye on it. Being a Toyota, she may get her year out of it.

No suggestions for fixing toasters or useless doctors, I'm afraid.

[Fumbler]

14 minutes ago, artdjones said:

Just because the dipstick is dry doesn't mean there's no oil in at all. Just top it up to full and keep an eye on it. Being a Toyota, she may get her year out of it.

No suggestions for fixing toasters or useless doctors, I'm afraid.

We dumped 2L of diesel oil in it and fortunately that was what we needed. It's not been treated well during the 11 or so years she's had it and it's puffing out progressively larger amounts of blue smoke every time it's running. Luckily enough it's being serviced next week with a coolant change, oil change and timing belt change. So far it's gone through 3 clutches and 2 DMFs. Can't blame the poor thing for burning some oil at least.

[Wack]

This is really starting to piss me off now 

I live in a cul de sac of five houses , we're lucky because you can get at least 3 cars on every drive on the whole estate 

This is the road that leads to the 5 houses , not a car in sight , it's wide enough that you don't need to park on the kerb 

This is the access road to the cul de sac , none of the owners of these cars live here they all live on the empty road at the bottom 

There's a red BMW in front of the Seat that was parked there for 3 months while the owner was out of the country , he's back now but has claimed the spot 

[Justwatching]

Possible HGF on the LTD (see my "addressing engine sludge" thread), so I discuss it with a classic car specialist over the telephone and arrange a time and date to bring the car in. I book the afternoon off work, arrange a lift to get home and drive 45 minutes out to this garage only to be turned away because they don't have room to take on new work. WHY THE FUCK DID THEY THINK I WAS BRINGING THE CAR TO THEM?!

[MikeR]

FFS , was getting my head down for a mid day snooze ...

And the fire alarm went off , not only that it was an arranged test and no one was warned ...

[Wack]

On 4/13/2021 at 6:54 PM, Fumbler said:

They do just fine, as it happens. You can try pulse dialling without a rotary phone by rapidly pressing the hang up switch on a landline phone to dial a number veeeeeery slowly.

I bought an old phone that'd been converted with a bt plug , plugged it in and rang it 

I was straight back in the 70s with the bell ringing , you couldn't say you hadn't heard it , I could hear it ringing  up the garden.