The grumpy thread

[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.

 

[Fumbler]

1 minute ago, Wack said:

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.

 

Absolutely brilliant things. I've got an American one from the 80s with some really loud bells in it. You can hear it everywhere even with the doors closed.

[Wack]

1 minute ago, Fumbler said:

Absolutely brilliant things. I've got an American one from the 80s with some really loud bells in it. You can hear it everywhere even with the doors closed.

All I get ringing me on the landline are scammers , if it weren't for the fact there's no cable here I wouldn't have a landline at all 

[somewhatfoolish]

9 hours ago, Bren said:

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

We are not special in that regard; corruption has always happened in public office although evidence suggests the UK has 'enjoyed' relatively low levels compared to peer nations. It's fair to say the Greensill thing seems particularly egregious though, the insidious nature of what might be deemed 'soft' corruption as opposed to stuffed brown envelopes makes it easier for spivs like Cameron to  convince themselves it's OK.

[Tadhg Tiogar]

12 minutes ago, somewhatfoolish said:

We are not special in that regard; corruption has always happened in public office although evidence suggests the UK has 'enjoyed' relatively low levels compared to peer nations. It's fair to say the Greensill thing seems particularly egregious though, the insidious nature of what might be deemed 'soft' corruption as opposed to stuffed brown envelopes makes it easier for spivs like Cameron to  convince themselves it's OK.

Britain has usually been quite subtle about its corruption over past decades, but better information/leaks these days means it's much more visible.

Doesn't really matter what system you have, because corruption will always be there, and people will invariably adapt and learn how to game the system. 

[Fumbler]

28 minutes ago, Tadhg Tiogar said:

Doesn't really matter what system you have, because corruption will always be there, and people will invariably adapt and learn how to game the system. 

The marvel that is the human condition, right there.

[barefoot]

My theory about why Top Gear suddenly became so 'laddish' and destructive is that someone, somewhere pointed out that it was all a bit private school; what with Jeremy, James, Timothy Needell, Quentin Wilson & Victoria Double-Barrelled.

[Tetleysmooth]

On 4/10/2021 at 9:35 PM, MikeR said:

Double figures on dispatched mice .

10th one has just departed this existance .

Those Little Nippers really are the bollocks. I don't know why I didn't order them in the first place. I've used them before with good results. The splatter traps are for bigger vermin methinks. The bait was being taken without springing the trap.

Set a Little Nipper last night baited with Double Decker chocolate bar, and had my first dead Stuart Little this morning.