Your Anti-Rants here

suzyb

Mr Sworld wrote:

After many arguments with IT about them still using IE7 and not upgrading I took matters into my own hands.

Chrome Portable on a USB drive works perfectly and means I have all my bookmarks and passwords at work now! (Also websites show properly again)

Web developers around the world have just fallen in love with you. Thank you for making our job easier, thank you.

Mr Sworld

suzyb wrote:

Mr Sworld wrote:

After many arguments with IT about them still using IE7 and not upgrading I took matters into my own hands.

Chrome Portable on a USB drive works perfectly and means I have all my bookmarks and passwords at work now! (Also websites show properly again)

Web developers around the world have just fallen in love with you. Thank you for making our job easier, thank you.

I was told that the reason they won't update is that they are not sure how the in-house software will work with anything else but IE7... :shock:

However thank you for the feeling of warm, geeky, love. 8)

nameinuse

We're looking at deploying Chrome to our managed desktops next year instead of Firefox - We always make sure there's a "not IE" choice for our more discerning Facebook-checkers. Speaking as a sysadmin I wish it was easier to deliver and manage Firefox and Chrome, though...

Anyway, enough geekery (well, kind of), my anti-rant is a big thanks to you lot for the advice about a helmetcam. The Contour Roam seems to be going really well, getting useful footage, and it might be my imagination but I'm sure some commercial drivers particularly are giving me more room... It's amazing how having the cam makes you look around a bit more too, similar to the way I notice more things when I'm carrying my stills camera.

veronese68

Took the car to my friendly MOT place today. Usual tester (that owes me favours) wasn't there. Never seen the new tester before. A bit worried as I was waiting for warmer weather before replacing the badly repaired exhaust.
Half way through the test the boss walked in and said hello to me, then turned to the tester and said "Be nice, we know him".
Hooray, car sailed through and I got my ticket.

jonny_trousers

My shabby, little single speed got me home safely in the worst of the snow at 10:30pm yesterday. Sure, it took me an hour and ten when it normally takes me 28 minutes, but I got home quicker than all those poor sods on public transport. I nearly came off a few times, but ended up really enjoying it (although falling snow doesn't half mess with your eyes beyond a certain speed) and I only wish we had this kind of weather enough to justify me buying a CX or mountain bike.

davis

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

My shabby, little single speed got me home safely in the worst of the snow at 10:30pm yesterday. Sure, it took me an hour and ten when it normally takes me 28 minutes, but I got home quicker than all those poor sods on public transport. I nearly came off a few times, but ended up really enjoying it (although falling snow doesn't half mess with your eyes beyond a certain speed) and I only wish we had this kind of weather enough to justify me buying a CX or mountain bike.

I heard from a bloke in the pub whose auntie read in the paper once about a psychic who thinks that we're possibly about to experience the longest period of continual snow ever in England. Starts in... oooh.. about a week and a bit. Best get ordering!

You're welcome.

jonny_trousers

davis wrote:

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

My shabby, little single speed got me home safely in the worst of the snow at 10:30pm yesterday. Sure, it took me an hour and ten when it normally takes me 28 minutes, but I got home quicker than all those poor sods on public transport. I nearly came off a few times, but ended up really enjoying it (although falling snow doesn't half mess with your eyes beyond a certain speed) and I only wish we had this kind of weather enough to justify me buying a CX or mountain bike.

I heard from a bloke in the pub whose auntie read in the paper once about a psychic who thinks that we're possibly about to experience the longest period of continual snow ever in England. Starts in... oooh.. about a week and a bit. Best get ordering!

You're welcome.

Will be using your pist as documentary proof to my fiancé that I need a new bike. Who needs a honeymoon anyway?

Kieran_Burns

I Love the traffic. I really do.

3 and a bit miles to go to work, I get passed by a mini, and I idly think to myself "I wonder if the traffic will be bad again and I'll see that car later?"

Moving on, get to the junction of the A60 (see my latest vid of passing the traffic to see the junction) and a knob in an Audi A3 overtakes at the junction cutting the corner and pinching my path... whatever... tosser

..and the traffic is bad again I shoulder check, guy behind gives me room and I start overtaking all the traffic, people pulling in to let me past safely (friendly wave, friendly wave)

I come up the hill to the last village before I turn off to work and there's old Peugeot (106 / 107) and this woman driving it looking like Nanook of the flipping North! Honest to God I can't see how she can bend her arms she's so wrapped up! BIG fluffy hat pulled right down over her ears. HUGE scarf up around her chin, big chunky coat and gloves. I don't think she needed a seat belt and God knows how she actually got in the car.

I'm spinning up the hill, passing by her car, all lovely and warm outside and she's wrapped up like some kind of fluffy whale and I couldn't help but burst out laughing. She looked across at me as I went past and started laughing herself - it was just the sheer comedy of moment, and really made me smile

Oh, and 3 cars up? Knob head in Audi A3. So his idiot driving availed him naught and a couple of hundred yards before I turned off? The mini that passed me 3 miles back....

Great commute (I even had the CX tyres on and my God they are hard work... but it looks like I'm going to need them!)

willy b

Was coming upto a junction yesterday, was in the right hand lane as I was turning right at the lights.

I hear & feel this van close to my rear wheel, just waiting for the horn. Anyway we stop at teh lights, me in right lane, him in left, he winds his wondow down, and I wait for the abuse, instead he just says:

"You're mad mate! too cold for that stuff. Stay safe mate"

Also the policeman on the bike this morning who shouted at the red light jumper made me feel smug

davis

Have tried swapping out the mind-numbing and soul-destroying A road (former Roman road, dead straight, not that wide, plenty of heavy traffic, lots of inconsiderate drivers) for a country back road over the hills. Bit longer, but I'm no longer being the angry resentful guy I was becoming. Stopped and had a chat with a dogwalker this morning too.

All is well.

Applespider

Waiting at a roundabout tonight - long line of cars waiting in the road to the immediate right and nothing in any other road to stop them having priority so I resigned myself to a long wait. Only to be pleasantly surprised by about the fourth car along who stopped, flashed his lights and gestured for me to go while stopping anyone else coming through. Thanks mate.

Oh yes... and discovered a benefit of having been skiing in temperatures of -23C. Got on the bike this morning and in comparison, it felt a little like it was suddenly May.

Mr Plum

It will be 11C tomorrow for my mid-week group ride tomorrow!!! Practically tropical compared to the last few weeks...

the_fuggler

After being off the bike for a couple of months due to the arrival our baby son (yay!) and quite a nasty illness (boo), it was an absolute joy to spend an hour out in the Oxfordshire sunshine at lunchtime - even if I did have the strength of a kitten...

veronese68

What a great ride home. Comparatively warm, comparatively bright, flying along at a fair clip although legs felt a bit weary. I felt really good, then I remembered this mornjng's headwind.
Still, it was warm and bright. Roll on springtime.

Fireblade96

Had to take the car today ....

...but it's half term and there's nearly no traffic

Tricycleboy

Fireblade96 wrote:

Had to take the car today ....

...but it's half term and there's nearly no traffic

THAT explains it! thought i was going a bit bonkers thinking it was pretty damn quiet on the roads the last couple of days. Not having or even knowing any kids i've really not the slightest idea what the school schedules are up to.

Mystery solved

the_fuggler

Fireblade96 wrote:

Had to take the car today ....

...but it's half term and there's nearly no traffic

It's incredible how different Caversham is during half term. It takes 5 minutes to get my son to nursery rather than the 20 during term-time.

Ben6899

Went to the opening of a great exhibition at the Jack Bell gallery yesterday evening.

http://www.jackbellgallery.com/exhibitions.html

T'was a great antidote to a shitty couple of days.

DrLex

Veronese68 wrote:

What a great ride home. Comparatively warm, comparatively bright, flying along at a fair clip although legs felt a bit weary. I felt really good, then I remembered this mornjng's headwind.
Still, it was warm and bright. Roll on springtime.

Indeed; 2nd day back on the plastic fantastic and the clement weather, combined with half-term traffic reduction meant that I was back to sub 18 min. times, rather than 24+ on the MTB. Now wondering about a SS disk-braked winter mount, possibly with dyno front hub.

northstar

Could have had a mini leadout train going on along the A3 tonight, chap on a mtb/hybrid bike in front of me, me on my geared road bike and we were then joined by a chap on a ss/fixed behind me.

Shame the hybrid guy turned off as we were soon joined by a 4th : ( .

Kieran_Burns

Yay!

I started a thread that's got to 50 pages!

Go me.

graham.

Kieran_Burns wrote:

Yay!

I started a thread that's got to 50 pages!

Go me.

And one celebrating the positives of life!
Go you indeed.

veronese68

Indeed, I like this thread. It helps a grumpy old git like me focus on the positive side of life.

redvee

The people in Portsmouth who I used to buy bike bits from refunded my 'lost' order within 10 mins of me opening a Paypal dispute.

veronese68

Managed to keep the suprise lunch for the EPO's birthday a surprise. Much shrieking when she saw most of her family had made it to my parents for lunch. She had a great day and I'm tired.

Kieran_Burns

Forgot to mention a dumb thing from this morning:

Genitally challenged GIRAFFE in a Porsche 4x4 thing tried to overtake me in my village on the way in today. Right on a blind bend, and just as he tried, oncoming traffic forced him to slam his anchors on and wait.

I did the disappointed headshake thing - you know that one your Mother always gave you? The one that was accompanied with "I'm not angry... I'm just... disappointed" and. You. Felt. Terrible.

Well, he went mental as he passed me, he looks right across - completely ignoring the road, gesticulating and shouting... I couldn't help it. I burst out laughing and this fat little twerp went incandescent! I swear he was going to burst a blood vessel - clearly his Mother had cause to tell him off a lot as a child

veronese68

He obviously feels you should have thanked him for bothering to use his brakes and not just moving left out of the way of the oncoming car. OK, so he would have killed you to death but you were inconveniencing what was obviously a very important tosser.
He may now remember the bit about light travelling in straight lines so he can't actually see round corners.

CiB

So. Was outside the school this morning chatting with another bloke there and he asks me if I'm still cycling. Yeah a bit is the correct answer, how about you? Doing much? and it turns out we both did the same event last year. He proudly tells me he got round in 2:29, so I smile and congratulate him on a good time, which sounds a lot quicker than I recall mine as. Luckily I still have the results email and a quick lookup reveals his time to be not 2:29 but 3:15, still quicker than me but by a gnat's, not by a country mile.

Conundrum time. Do I pick him up on it, anonymously email him the results, or have him up against the main entrance by the lapels and put him right? Tough one this.

rml380z

CiB wrote:

So. Was outside the school this morning chatting with another bloke there and he asks me if I'm still cycling. Yeah a bit is the correct answer, how about you? Doing much? and it turns out we both did the same event last year. He proudly tells me he got round in 2:29, so I smile and congratulate him on a good time, which sounds a lot quicker than I recall mine as. Luckily I still have the results email and a quick lookup reveals his time to be not 2:29 but 3:15, still quicker than me but by a gnat's, not by a country mile.

Conundrum time. Do I pick him up on it, anonymously email him the results, or have him up against the main entrance by the lapels and put him right? Tough one this.

A gentleman doesn't even check the honesty of another fellow, let alone correct him!
Especially as he still beat you.

However, if he's bragging then by all means lay into him.

chedabob

My Crud Roadracer guards are finally here I'll probably be posting in the rants thread in about 20 minutes once I've tried assembling them.