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Posted

Not sure about Quidco, but I've just had a to-do with TopCashback - I signed up for a Vodafone contract via their site, and they refused the cashback. Apparently they couldn't trace that I'd linked directly to the Vodafone site from theirs, and that it was probably caused by not clearing my cache, cookies and browser history before visiting - WHAT?

What annoyed me even more is that I tweeted them about it, and they DMed me back. So I kept putting up a running commentary of what they were messaging me with, but they were mega-keen on keeping bad press off Twitter. Every time I tweeted, they messaged me so there was no visibility of their "Yeah, we're not giving you anything" reply. Twats.

 

Anyway - Vulg, there's a really good idea up there. Geek stuff. Something like a negative space of a Sinclair ZX Spectrum keyboard, I can imagine it front quarter view with the front and side of each key, and the coloured stripes, but then loads of whitespace. I'd have that on a t-shirt. I'd probably have it as a tattoo in fact. Geeks pay money.

Also, get some stock together, and get your arse to a Comicon event. Not necessarily the NEC, but they do loads of small ones now where you can just have a table for fifty quid or summat. There's quite a small one in Leicester for example, upstairs in a pub. I see the same people go to lots of the small ones, like the Retro Draughtsman, and they do a cracking trade since they steer clear of crap like piles and piles of Vinyl Pops.

Posted
  On 09/06/2016 at 20:55, Richard said:

Don't replace it with a TDCI Transit.

The one at my work is fine, but it's a 13 reg. Is it just the newest shape ones that are bad for stalling?

 

I do remember the discussion on here about transits stalling but can't remember if it was exclusively the newest of new ones.

Posted

My 63-plate (old shape) Transit likes to stall if I don't give it enough beans pulling out of a junction.  Makes me look like a rank amateur either way!

Posted

My brother says his 16 plate connect is a pig for stalling and takes too long to start again.

I was particularly annoyed today 'cos I ended up blocking a busy traffic light controlled junction, tried to start it again but didn't crank it long enough so it didn't catch (cold engine), then it wouldn't start because it was presumably flooded... then I got that lovely grinding starter motor teeth noise.

Posted

Trouble with doing geek culture stuff is I'm not massively up on it.  I have some geekery of my own but not a lot.  Reckon I'm going to focus on building up some negative space stuff as that seems to be garnering some decent interest lately and go from there.  I've seen other artists offering really nasty negative space digital works where it's clearly just a filter applied to a photograph with no real thought behind what bits to blank and what bits to leave in, just letting the computer programme do the work for them.  They look really sterile and lazy and don't really capture what the subject matter is.  Wow, that sounded pretentious... but I know what I mean and I guess they're making more money than me producing them so they win.

 

 

The biggest problem for me is that I don't have a very commercial brain.  What I like drawing, things like this Toyota, just aren't popular enough to be commercial.

2015_52_by_art_of_angyl-d8smwve.jpg

 

While things I'm ambivalent about, like this Ford, are much more popular.

2014_41_by_art_of_angyl-d7cwc74.jpg

 

That's the rub for me.  I probably could make more money if I just catered to the boring shit like Ford Escorts and Muhguhbuhs and Campervans and Minis but then I'd have to put up with the knuckledraggers and flatcaps that go along with that and I think I'd rather scoop my own eyes out with blunt sporks.  I went into this to get away from all that mind-numbing normality and do something interesting and rewarding with my life but I know that's not the most commercially sensible approach.

 

Striking the balance is not easy.  I know I can get more popular with more commercial topics but I know from experience how easily that can take over and how difficult it is to pull back from ending up trapped doing work you don't enjoy at all just so you earn more cash.  The last thing I want to end up doing is sucking the joy out of my chosen career path because the joy is why I decided to do it.  I nearly gave up a few years ago when I found myself chasing money and watching the quality of my work stagnating and even declining and ended up hating the work I was doing because I was doing it for the joy of others and having no enjoyment for myself.  There is nothing worse than have a job that's a chore, no matter what field that is, and it seems magnified when you're working from home because you can't escape it like you can when you work in a separate building.

 

Anyway, what I'll do is stick to the car stuff for now because that's what I know.  I'll continue to add to my list of sites to investigate and explore and when I've drawn some new stuff I'll go from there.  I'll see if I can pull something interesting for me personally out of these vehicles that I find utterly mind-numbingly dull and present the market with something new and interesting but without being threateningly innovative for those that might want to spunk cash on it.

Posted
  On 09/06/2016 at 21:43, Supernaut said:

The one at my work is fine, but it's a 13 reg. Is it just the newest shape ones that are bad for stalling?

 

I do remember the discussion on here about transits stalling but can't remember if it was exclusively the newest of new ones.

 

My 13 plate used to be terrible for it. It's not so bad now, I don't know if that's because it's "loosened off" with use or because I've adapted my driving style.

 

It used to do it in the middle of roundabouts and busy junctions all the time. Not so much when moving off, when you might expect to stall, more when you were leaving a roundabout or turning off a road.

Posted

They just turn themselves off on purpose when the engine RPM drops below like 650 or something, because the frequency of the individual power strokes down there is too low for the DMF to absorb and it whacks against the endstops and smashes to bits.

Posted
  On 09/06/2016 at 18:31, timolloyd said:

I signed up to quidco.com, used their comparison tool and ended up with elephant.co.uk. Saved £100 on my V70 policy, plus £25 cash back

Just got reasonable quote through them.

I have till end of month left on old insurance so am considering changing to a smaller car.

Posted

Vulg I have friend who is an artist and has the same dilemma. He has conquered it by allocating a % of time to passion work and % to money earners.

 

It helps with motivation but also pays the rent.

 

Alternatively go round silicon valley offering to spray paint their interiors in return for stock. The guy that did Facebook has effectively retired

Posted
  On 09/06/2016 at 11:34, HillmanImp said:

I am considering buying a commercial unit to keep all my shite in and work on it but I can't find any websites that seem to sell this sort of stuff to see if its doable as I have literally NO idea how much stuff like this costs.

 

I am looking or an industrial unit or workshop with room for storage but every website I visit is just trying to sell me a fucking business. Where can you view shizzle like this and see how much they go for?

Look on building surveyors websites, that is where most stock up here is, they are usually appalling at updating their sites and most common is the £ POA

which is really annoying.

This sort of thing.

http://www.andrewidle.co.uk/PropertySearch.aspx

http://www.starkeys.co.uk/our_services.php

 

  On 09/06/2016 at 13:07, anonymous user said:

Hillman Imp, I think you will have difficulty finding one to buy, most are to rent or lease. Commercial buildings are favourite with pension companies. Even if you do find one you may have difficulty getting it off commercial rates.

Regarding the business rates, you can just leave it (doesn't have to be a business) as the premises are rated but you get small business rate relief on them, it also goes up to a rather high value for rate relief. 

Posted

I had car buyer type 3954b today - the expert

 

I tried to explain I'd block tested the cooling system and the test came back negative . Na mate it's the head gasket I've had loads of these rovers they're bad for head gaskets .

 

What's the minimum you'd take? I don't want to pay your price I picked up a mint tobacco one with manual box for 1500 quid s couple of months ago so yours is too expensive .

Nice one, but I don't want to sell it for pennies

c u.

Posted

When people turn up and start all that 'it's too expensive/my mate bought a brand new one for £2.50' bollocks just ask them why they turned up to view. That usually shuts the fuckers up as you close the garage door and walk away.

 

*Edited for rogue apostrophe.

Posted
  On 10/06/2016 at 14:31, Nyphur said:

 

He re advertised it at market price and sold it within a couple of days.

 

 

 

 

This seems to be a very common thing. Selling stuff under value attracts the worst kind of people.

  • Like 2
Posted

I wonder if it's because sensible people think "it's too good to be true," so don't bother? I'm certainly wary of super-cheap stuff.

Posted
  On 09/06/2016 at 02:06, vulgalour said:

I want to get my work out to a wider audience and generate better income but I'm struggling to work out just how to do that. I've started to plateau just lately on the income/time balance and I'm not earning enough per hour to get to my next target and can't figure out how to improve on this without working far too many hours a day.

 

My business model is non-standard and my product difficult to sell so I can't just look at how others do it and copy that. I have to fudge it until something works. I have to rely on social media and various fora to advertise my work, build an audience and attract paying customers. Sometimes this works very well, sometimes it doesn't. The biggest problem is being unable to pay for advertising and my lack of ability to maintain my own website and attract the relevant traffic.

 

I feel at the limit of what I know how to do and as a result my business risks stagnation and, ultimately, failure. Making the jump from where I am now to where I want to be is quite a gap to get across. I want to be free of financial support but I can't figure out how to make my work earn more without taking up all of my time. Artwork is labour intensive, materials are expensive and correspondence time-consuming. I can only devote so much time to everything and no matter how organised I am, there is never enough time to do what I feel I need to as well as all-important down time so I can recharge and keep the quality high enough.

 

I don't know who to ask for help or even what to ask but I feel I need to get this out into the open somewhere so it's not just rattling round my own head going unsolved.

You should review cars, but instead of photos, do art of it instead. It'll look really special.

Posted

Need a front o/s wing for the SD1. Not willing to pay rimmer prices - there postage costs inflate the price considerably.

 

Seen a few on ebay, however they are too far away to make a purchase viable - factor in diesel and time and you wouldbe as well getting one from Rimmers.

Posted
  On 10/06/2016 at 19:06, Bren said:

Need a front o/s wing for the SD1. Not willing to pay rimmer prices - there postage costs inflate the price considerably.

 

Seen a few on ebay, however they are too far away to make a purchase viable - factor in diesel and time and you wouldbe as well getting one from Rimmers.

Can we shitely it? If you can stick up a post I am sure we can help
Posted

Somebody in Sheffield has a pair for sale but wants £70 each.

 

£30 in diesel for me and 160 mile round trip - i'm oot.

Posted

Are they decent?  That's 85quid each, and an awayday to the People's Republic of South Yorkshire.  Sounds all right to me.

 

There are shiters who travel from Scotland to the Midlands for a day out.  And vice versa...

Posted

If so send me details and I'll fetch them and transport them down. I only live 35 mile from Sheffield.

  • Like 1
Posted
  On 10/06/2016 at 20:09, bub2006 said:

If so send me details and I'll fetch them and transport them down. I only live 35 mile from Sheffield.

 

I'm even nearer than bub and also going to SF... let us know.

Posted
  On 10/06/2016 at 18:27, Station said:

You can't take these flip-flopped, beer gutted, George cargo shorts and 'humorous' tshirt wearing, Stella guzzling muthafuckaz anywhere can you? Such a disappointment and embarrassment (the fans not the team). Fuck off and die.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-36504410

The trouble is people don't always see the bigger picture when the gutter press (ie all of them) are involved. England fans get pissed, have a laugh and are generally good natured. Other people (including in the past the press themselves) then instigate trouble with the English fans, it all goes off and the English get the blame for the lot. I'm not saying everyone is an angel, but if people are having a few pints with their mates and they get bombarded with bricks and bottles and attacked by people with weapons, most of them are going to react.

Posted
  On 10/06/2016 at 01:06, vulgalour said:

 

That's the rub for me.  I probably could make more money if I just catered to the boring shit like Ford Escorts and Muhguhbuhs and Campervans and Minis but then I'd have to put up with the knuckledraggers and flatcaps that go along with that and I think I'd rather scoop my own eyes out with blunt sporks.  I went into this to get away from all that mind-numbing normality and do something interesting and rewarding with my life but I know that's not the most commercially sensible approach.

 

 

As others have said, the VW scene is very popular and I reckon you could do quite well with a stand at a VW show - we do a fair number and do pretty happily out of them.

 

Don't just do Beetles and Campers though - if you can turn up to a show and have a selection of stuff - T25s, T5, Golfs, Polos etc etc etc then you could earn decent money and also look on it as an opportunity to take commissions for one offs etc.

 

However, one word of warning on doing generic car images - VW in particular (although the same applies to most marques to a greater or lesser extent) are very protective and litigious over who sells what with their cars on. There was an instance about three years back where a couple of VWs legal people went around a show handing out legal letters to anyone selling unlicensed products.  Its not likely to be an issue for you in reality but is worth bearing in mind all the same.

Posted
  On 09/06/2016 at 11:34, HillmanImp said:

I am considering buying a commercial unit to keep all my shite in and work on it but I can't find any websites that seem to sell this sort of stuff to see if its doable as I have literally NO idea how much stuff like this costs.

 

I am looking or an industrial unit or workshop with room for storage but every website I visit is just trying to sell me a fucking business. Where can you view shizzle like this and see how much they go for?

 

http://www.movehut.co.uk/ any good?

 

We've been half looking at new units, saw some nice new build units just outside Preston (so not ideal for you or even me really) but at £70k seemed a decent buy both for business and longer term investment purposes.

Posted

The Queen's Birthday Honours. Ant and Dec have got OBEs for services to broadcasting and entertainment. Ant and fucking Dec! :shock:

Posted

Helped my best mate move house yesterday. The house he's moved into has been unoccupied for months cos the woman moved in with her feller. They'd know the moving date for weeks and had been on and on at my mate to try and hurry stuff along.

 

So by about lunchtime funds clear etc and we're expecting to pick the keys up and get moved in, but this useless cow who owned the house was still moving her stuff out at 4:30PM.

 

As we're moving stuff in she's got fucking electricians turning up to take down wanky £30 Argos chandeliers and people off gumtree coming at 6pm to collect furniture that she can't be arsed to shift herself. 

 

By 11PM we gave up and he's still got the van parked outside full of his furniture.

Posted

To be fair, whenever we've moved house, it has been a complete fiasco - completely down to us and our remarkable failure to plan ahead. Like when we moved here, and realised that 70% of our stuff had not been packed. Fortunately, we hadn't actually sold the house when we left, so there was no pressure to get out immediately. Which is good, because it took us about another week...

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