The grumpy thread

[dave21478]

There are a lot of cyclists round here, and in the main, they are cool but the odd fucknut is always present.

 

Twice I have had to take properly serious avoiding action when confronted with a cyclist razzing downhill towards me and they cut onto my side of the road round a blind corner. The first time, I put the Landrover and large trailer with a tractor on it in the ditch and the guy just carried on regardless. The second time I swerved, the guy braked and swerved and all I saw were his eyes as big as saucers as he narrowly missed the front of the car and catapulted himself into the field beside the road. I stopped - he was fine but his bike wheels were both shaped like Pringles. I was going to offer him a lift back to town but he started gobbing off like it was my fault. Yeah, enjoy carrying your bike, pal.

 

As for the Tour de France, that can FRO. it came right past the village here last year and it fucked everything right up all day. Tourists start turning up at silly o'clock to stake out their spots to watch from, some dedicated types in motorhomes even turn up the night before, then the road is closed all day as they run convoys of road sweepers up and down it. An hour or so before the pack arrives, a convoy of sponsors trucks rumble past blaring jingles and radio adverts as people on them throw keyrings and t-shirts and all manner of other shite into the crowds. The cyclists go past - its over in about 15 seconds, then hundreds of support cars trundle past. Eventually the road is re-opened and its total, complete gridlock for fucking hours afterwards as tourists pack up their picknick stuff and try to get home.

Last year, I went to a crossroads, just wanting to cross the route to get to work. The Gendarme said "non". out of the question. But I just want to cross straight over....it will take seconds. "non" So what do I do? there are no bridges or any other way over this road. You wait till the road re-opens. They should pass here in about 4 hours time and the road will re-open maybe an hour after that. Yeah, fuck that. I guess I will just have to have an enforced day off work. Unpaid.

[vulgalour]

Xantias do skid, who knew?  I may have been a little bit cross about the roofers waking me up after not-enough-sleep to move my car so they can put a skip in its place.  Last time they wanted me to do this no skip materialised.  Now, having had not enough sleep, I'm listening to the not-too-gentle sound of roof tiles being removed and builders stomping about on scaffolding.

 

Stupid thing is, there's nothing actually wrong with the roof that's currently fitted, but the Council have this scheduled modernisation thing which is, as far as I can see, a way of spending money to ruin perfectly smart and healthy houses.  Since they ripped out the wooden windows, replaced the wooden floors with concrete downstairs and put more insulation than was ever needed this house now has a serious damp problem.  Only bonus to that is more fresh useful water out of the de-humidifier than we know what to do with.

[dollywobbler]

Cyclists aren't too bad around here. Motorcyclists though. Jeez. Stupid, noisy exhausts and often appalling road manners. Had one cut a corner last night. If I'd been in anything other than the 2CV, this biker would have headbutted my windscreen! If I was exposed to that much danger, I'd drive more carefully.

 

Oh, hold on. I drive a 2CV. Furiously...

[vulgalour]

I would now like to see the Fast and Furiarse franchise remade using 2CVs.

[inconsistant]

Cyclists blah blah. Road Tax blah blah.

 

Sigh...

[rml2345]

Because when I'm on the recumbent the wind whistles right up my trouser leg and freezes me balls off! I look a twat but comfort prevails I'm afraid.

Bicycle clips FTW.

As a (very) occasional cyclist I'd say most road users were fine, but I try to stay as far over as possible or use cycle paths as, apart from anything else it seems safer.

As for the lycra warriors... I had a mate who lived in Edinburgh and cycled everywhere to whom I gave an Indian copy of an old Raleigh design, made by Hero. It was fucking heavy and you sat completely bolt upright with the aerodynamics of a house. However, someone had bodged a Sturmey Archer 5 speed hub to it at one point so providing you had the grunt it bloody flew. He used to take immense delight from thundering past the lycra set on it.

Point? You can beat them at their own game if you're keen.

[purplebargeken]

Work. Just work. Feck.

[Station]

Cyclists feel they have the need to cycle in the middle of the lane, or even the centre of the road - surely this is endangering their own life? I'm sure there are loads of entitlements I can do as a pedestrian on the road, but I don't really feel the want to do it as it'll end up with me getting run over.

I don't understand the argument put forward - car drivers are naturally going to look out for bike riders if they can see them - they'll give them wide berths etc, but if a cyclist is in the middle of the lane on a blind corner with a car doing 60 (in a 60 zone) it's probably not going to end well.

 

 

My main rant is MOTs. I'm on my fourth car this month, and have just crept over 200 quid on the things. They have failed everytime. Thinking back, I think I've had one car pass in my lifetime (20 years of driving), and every time it's retest fee. There's not many places round here that don't do a free retest, and I can't see it as an incentive for going back if you're paying £60 for an MOT (surely the £20 is a li'l bit of an incentive).

As a result, I have my Rover 213, Micra, green Astra, red Subaru Justy, a white CRX and red MGF for sale.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Don't think i've ever paid for a retest and i pay £35 for the test itself, shop around!

[purplebargeken]

Red MGF? Rust or emissions?

[Mr Livered]

Currently the law in England & Wales states that the car is always at fault in a cyclist v car accident.

Which law is that?

[Cavcraft]

Cyclists feel they have the need to cycle in the middle of the lane, or even the centre of the road - surely this is endangering their own life? I'm sure there are loads of entitlements I can do as a pedestrian on the road, but I don't really feel the want to do it as it'll end up with me getting run over.

I don't understand the argument put forward - car drivers are naturally going to look out for bike riders if they can see them - they'll give them wide berths etc, but if a cyclist is in the middle of the lane on a blind corner with a car doing 60 (in a 60 zone) it's probably not going to end well.

 

 

 

 

Riding in the middle of the road is stupid, but I'd challenge anyone to ride most A and B roads in Britain as close to the kerb as they can. If you don't come off or smash your wheels to shit in the pot holes, you'll be doing very well. It's a bit of a catch 22 really, you either ride close to the kerb then have to swerve to avoid pot holes, or you ride out 'sensibly' far from the kerb to avoid them.

Also you don't half notice all the bottles (glass and plastic) plus broken glass, wheel nuts, bolts, screws and various rubbish, most of which was probably lobbed from passing vehicles. 

[cort16]

I'm having to wear one of these 24hr bloody pressure monitors today and as a result.

 

The monitor is annoying and loud therefore you have to share with folk at work why you sound like a broken terminator

I had a shit day at work with loads going wrong and didn't get home until 7.30

I eat a bit of birthday cake my sister gave me and found that it was full of cat hair

The ickle baby wouldn't stop crying

The Mrs was bending my ear about her crappy day

Right now I'm doing a software upgrade to a load of sites and have sweaty palms

 

I recon this monitor is going to have me down as basket case and I'll probably be in an enduced coma this time tomorrow.

[chaseracer]

I don't feel cyclists should pay road tax.If you look at the current sliding CO2 tax scale there could be no justification for it.

 

Remind me again what humans exhale...?

 

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

Sometimes it is necessary to ride in the middle of the road, e.g. in order to prevent dipshits attempting to overtake you halfway through a width restriction. 

[Jon]

I reckon the average cyclist is under the threshold to get free VED.

 

Only those manufactured after 2001.

[beko1987]

Just watched as my phone screen shattered itself whilst on charge. Fucking great, icing on the cake

[320touring]

Just watched as my phone screen shattered itself whilst on charge. Fucking great, icing on the cake

Better that than it doing it what at your ear on a call..

[M'coli]

I reckon the average cyclist is under the threshold to get free VED.

 

Only those manufactured after 2001.

I'm pre-74, so I'm on historic tax.

[messerschmitt owner]

who's the cheeky fecker (John Boath - Drumsliden) who downloaded my pic from flickr onto their photobucket account?

 

http://salmo.proboards.com/thread/8091/finavon-bridge?page=1&scrollTo=75989

 

Uploaded by

• drumlisden

 

What effort does it take to simply link via BB and keep the original where it is complete with the credit back to the original source? No, didn't think there was any effort involved, certainly not the same as downloading it and reloading it onto a different site without the picture credit! It's nothing more than common courtesy, John, isn't it? Anything else would be theft!

 

None of my pics on flickr are protected but I expect some common courtesy, especially as it is so easy to keep the original source for all to see.

 

drumlisden's Library is Private.

 

 

 

[Junkman]

I'm pre-74, so I'm on prehistoric tax.

 

EFA

[Sigmund Fraud]

I just received a parcel from ECP, containing my posh, expensive SKF cambelt kit. Good news is that it was the correct part number for my car. Bad news is that it came in a battered, torn box, complete with a 2005 manufacture code !

 

Thanks, ECP. What better replacement for my 8 year old cambelt than a... 9 year old cambelt !

 

Needless to say, it's getting returned tomorrow and I'll be trying my luck with GSF next.

[drum]

who's the cheeky fecker (John Boath - Drumsliden) who downloaded my pic from flickr onto their photobucket account?

 

http://salmo.proboards.com/thread/8091/finavon-bridge?page=1&scrollTo=75989

 

 

Uploaded by

 

• drumlisden

What effort does it take to simply link via BB and keep the original where it is complete with the credit back to the original source? No, didn't think there was any effort involved, certainly not the same as downloading it and reloading it onto a different site without the picture credit! It's nothing more than common courtesy, John, isn't it? Anything else would be theft!

 

None of my pics on flickr are protected but I expect some common courtesy, especially as it is so easy to keep the original source for all to see.

 

 

drumlisden's Library is Private.

 

Oops, sorry that was me. Certainly wasn't trying to steal anything. Just trying to identify where that bridge was as it's near where I live. I'll delete it and do the link thing if I can figure it out.

As for effort involved, I just saved the image off here and the only way to get on that board to this non-tech-savvy tube was to put it on photobucket.

 

All deleted now off my photobucket and that other board. Apologies, no offence meant.

 

As an aside, how does original source work when it's a scan of a postcard of a photo taken in 1907?

[messerschmitt owner]

Hi John

That's fine - no need to delete - I really don't have a problem as long as the source is acknowledged. It's the acknowledgement part that means it can be traced.

 

The rules are like this. The 1907 postcard is out of copyright. Everything pre 1 January 1946 is out of copyright under the terms of the 1996 Duration Directive on Copyright but everything post then is 70 years from end of year of death of photographer, or seventy years from end of year published if taken as part of one's work.

 

However,regardless of copyright expiration, reproduction right means that I have exclusive rights over my copy of an image. The postcard in question, I have seen perhaps three different versions in thirty years. That means there are at least two other copies out there. Each holder of the original has a reproduction right that means their copy should not be used without their permission. You used mine, without reference to the source, hence you've technically become in breach of my right, which would last for twenty-five years from first publication by me. 

 

It's all complicated. All of my Flickr stuff is downloadable but I get annoyed that the pics lose their original attribution and can enter the public domain as a result (even the ones clearly in copyright). I don't mind if attribution is made. My Box Transformer photo has been favourited perhaps 50 times, and I guess download a few hundred. It's an original snapshot though and is unique. If I found it in a book, I'd be chasing the publisher for my fee but for personal use, I'd rather it was out there.

 

Now, back to the FInavon card. Of the three copies I have seen of this card, all have been captioned 'Finavon Brig', obviously by the original publisher all in handwriting in a different place at the bottom of the card. I know it's on the Esk and it must be on the road to Finavon but no other clues. 

 

If you're interested in other parts of Forfarshire, I have some 125,000 antique postcards at home with some 150-200 of the county. Ones like the traction engines I have posted up range in price from about £60-150 each but you can find other lesser cards from 20p up to £20. I have a nice one of an Echt road roller somewhere in suburban Aberdeen.

[messerschmitt owner]

I'll dig it out later - there's tram lines hence the suburban Aberdeen bit. But it is an Echt owner - a Fowler from memory, I think.

[overrun]

Oops, sorry that was me. Certainly wasn't trying to steal anything. Just trying to identify where that bridge was as it's near where I live. I'll delete it and do the link thing if I can figure it out.As for effort involved, I just saved the image off here and the only way to get on that board to this non-tech-savvy tube was to put it on photobucket.All deleted now off my photobucket and that other board. Apologies, no offence meant.As an aside, how does original source work when it's a scan of a postcard of a photo taken in 1907?

Who gives a shit about 'rights' to daft pictures?

I would have done the same as you.

[drum]

I've found a reference to the bridge incident and presumably the original photo by Sir Ramsay Maitland here

http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/en/site/293150/photographs/finavon+bridge/. Apparently a copy can be downloaded for £8.

At least I know where the bridge was now and I'll maybe go and have a look at what's left of it. I spend far too much time on the south esk failing to catch salmon and sea trout hence the interest.

 

In my naivety I'm in the habit of saving pics off one site (like ebay) and posting them on another (like here) and not thinking about who owns the rights or whatever. That's probably a bad example but, like I say, it's a habit. Lesson learnt.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

It seems mildly ludicrous to put a picture on the internet (in a downloadable format) then get cross when folk download/re-use it without 'attribution', is that not like lying down on the M6 then complaining about getting run over?

[dugong]

It seems mildly ludicrous to put a picture on the internet (in a downloadable format) then get cross when folk download/re-use it without 'attribution', is that not like lying down on the M6 then complaining about getting run over?

 

 

Creative Commons licenses exist for a reason - but I thought that only protected a photographer's own work. I wasn't sure about post-dated copyrighted images. 

 

It's a minefield anyway, and having had yet another pointless row with an Internet business \ goon over use of my own shots (royalty-free, ha ha ha) I have yet another reason to dislike the Web. It's really getting on my tits, to tell you the truth. 

 

Facebook is really grating on me, too. I need to sort the filters out and ignore various groups (can you guess which ones?) 

 

And this flu can do one, too. Spending an entire day sleeping \ coughing up phlegm is something I want to do in my retirement, not now - cheers. 

[beko1987]

Just eaten a whole packet of bourbon creams. Feel a bit sick now...