Seemingly trivial things that annoy you

First.Aspect

Shortfall wrote:

Putting windmills all over the countryside whilst having to maintain conventional power generation for the many days each year when it's not actually windy and all in the name of reducing global CO2 when China is building new coal fired power plants every week. Actually that's not trivial but I've said it now.

Yup. We have to main options (a) burn everything we can dig up and put up with it getting a bit hot in here (b) nuclear.

Seeing as (b) is far safer and has caused fewer deaths ever than (a) does annually, I think (b) is a pretty good idea, even though its frightening witchcraft.

Pross

What about c) harness the massive potential of the tidal range around the UK? Problem is the greenies even complain about the impact that has on fish.

team47b

Heaven forbid we go for option d) consume less

Garry H

finchy wrote:

Potato wedges.

I agree. Also add potato skins to that. The stuff that chip shops used to give away to pig farmers.

First.Aspect

team47b wrote:

Heaven forbid we go for option d) consume less

Because that's just pie in the sky isn't it. So's(c) to be honest. Setting aside the utterly ludicrous cost for a modest return, cocking up vast swathes of environment in order to save it is just idiotic green politics isn't it.

First.Aspect

HaydenM wrote:

Dinyull wrote:

I wouldn't care, but if anyone else has a problem with their car it's "ah, you should've got a vw".

Those PCP deals are a joke. When we bought our car last years it was the first time I had ever looked into finance options. Most places would only do PCP and you'd still have to pay £5-6k once the monthly payments ended. Back in my youth a new car was a rare even in the street, now almost everyone has a brand new numberplate on their driveways ever few years.

Exactly, I was in a skoda dealership two weeks ago and he was saying they sell all of their new cars on PCP. It seems reasonably low monthly payments and might work out if you would just upgrade the car at the end and not pay the balloon payment but to have a car with 180bhp for £80/month seems too good to be true so we walked away... plus the GF doesn't like fast cars because shes wrong.

Its only viable because of low interest rates. If you assume you come out with not very much at the end of the deal, in exchange for lower payments for 3 or 4 years than financing a full purchase of an older car, it makes a lot of sense just now. Alternatively, spend less on an older car outright. We've done one of each - which works well.

Is 180bhp a lot then?

FishFish

First Aspect wrote:

Shortfall wrote:

Putting windmills all over the countryside whilst having to maintain conventional power generation for the many days each year when it's not actually windy and all in the name of reducing global CO2 when China is building new coal fired power plants every week. Actually that's not trivial but I've said it now.

Yup. We have to main options (a) burn everything we can dig up and put up with it getting a bit hot in here (b) nuclear.

Seeing as (b) is far safer and has caused fewer deaths ever than (a) does annually, I think (b) is a pretty good idea, even though its frightening witchcraft.

Both are absolutely right. You think China is bad then try the Middle East with its ever increasing demand for power. It simply cannot wait for nuclear, and none of us can await fusion, Israel would disallow it and so gas fired stations going up all the time. I've lived in Kuwait and when there is a power outage - like daily in the summer, it is zoned to ensure it is the workers estates that get cut off rather than the rich people!

FishFish

I agree about the viability of the PCP economics as elucidated by Professor First-Aspect but they confront the view expressed by the bloke in the barber expounding that '... it is cheaper to buy a Porsche than a Fiesta...' The interest rates are a facilitator but the real demand is driven by downright stupidity.

And 180 BHP is FAR TOO HIGH - there is NO NEED to drive faster than 45 mph ANYWHERE at ANY TIME. I always drive at HALF the speed limit to be SAFE and it allows me to read my DAILY MAIL.

my_grandadʹs_bike

Pross wrote:

People who put their stuff in a locker but don't lock it so you end up opening and closing lockers trying to find an empty one (and looking dodgy in the process).

I think my record is opening up five before finding a free one - I'm going to buy a load of cheap locks and just help them with their security issues :twisted:

capt_slog

I'm looking for a new pump. I like to check the reviews, because i often find a detail that I might have missed, but I have to wonder at the sense of a person who writes this...

"I had a puncher and this pump just did not work. lucky my mate had one. (a race rocket), so just bought one."

or

"I found this pump absolutely useless when I got a flat tyre,you would get more air by blowing down a straw."

They just put the pump on the bike without trying it? Idiots.

capt_slog

duplicate

vimfuego

This may have been done already, but....
At work, had cause to click on a website that I've never visited before. I get to the home page & within a nanosecond there's a pop up asking me to complete a survey to give them feedback on my experience of their site - the one I've not actually been able to see/use yet! That's bound to generate positive feedback chaps - well done.

dinyull

First Aspect wrote:

In increasing order of irritation:

- Unsubscribe links that make you re-enter your email.

- Unsubscribe links that make you re-enter your email and change your preferences.

- Unsubscribe links that make you re-enter your email and say why you are leaving.

- Unsubscribe links that make you re-enter your email and change your preferences and say why you are leaving.

- Unsubscribe links that ask if you are sure. Yes I'm ******* sure, that's why I went right to the bottom of the email, and clicked on the ******* link. If I wanted you to pester the sh1t out of me every few days just because I bought a sodding inner tube from you once, I'd have needed to be asked if I was sure, but you didn't ask me then did you?

You missed out:

-Unsubscribe links that, following unsubscribing make no difference to the amount of pestering the company does.

I think I've opted out of BT's numerous (telephone, email, tv, sport) emails only to still receive them.

Pross

First Aspect wrote:

team47b wrote:

Heaven forbid we go for option d) consume less

Because that's just pie in the sky isn't it. So's(c) to be honest. Setting aside the utterly ludicrous cost for a modest return, cocking up vast swathes of environment in order to save it is just idiotic green politics isn't it.

Nah, tidal will become one of our major energy sources within 50 years. Once Swansea gets built and people learn from it similar projects will become cheaper and it has to be the most predictable and secure source of energy possible. The environmental cost / benefit should also be hugely favourable.

surrey_commuter

Pross wrote:

First Aspect wrote:

team47b wrote:

Heaven forbid we go for option d) consume less

Because that's just pie in the sky isn't it. So's(c) to be honest. Setting aside the utterly ludicrous cost for a modest return, cocking up vast swathes of environment in order to save it is just idiotic green politics isn't it.

Nah, tidal will become one of our major energy sources within 50 years. Once Swansea gets built and people learn from it similar projects will become cheaper and it has to be the most predictable and secure source of energy possible. The environmental cost / benefit should also be hugely favourable.

we have the second biggest tidal fall in the world so giving us the perfect opportunity to develop the tech and then become a world leader in it.

mr_goo

Why is it that when you go to Majorca or Tenerife for a break it's called a holiday. But when you go to China or Australia it's called travelling?

Plus I hate it when people say they've been to the States.

Matthewfalle

Why do gap yearists say they "lived in Oz/NZ/wherever" when all they did was spend a few weeks in hostels surrounded by other gap yearists? It's a long holiday guys and gals .......

shortfall

Mr Goo wrote:

Why is it that when you go to Majorca or Tenerife for a break it's called a holiday. But when you go to China or Australia it's called travelling?

Plus I hate it when people say they've been to the States.

Going to the States doesn't bother me but I want to gouge out the eyes of people who say "We're going stateside."

shortfall

English people who say "do the math."

team47b

First Aspect wrote:

team47b wrote:

Heaven forbid we go for option d) consume less

Because that's just pie in the sky isn't it.

I realise that imagining a time when everyone thinks about how much energy they use is a little optimistic but nuclear produces about 20% of U.K. Electricity, how hard is it to reduce energy consumption by a few percent added to renewables this would make 20% achievable but I accept your point that expecting the U.K. Population to think and make sensible decisions is probably pie in the sky isn't it

surrey_commuter

team47b wrote:

First Aspect wrote:

team47b wrote:

Heaven forbid we go for option d) consume less

Because that's just pie in the sky isn't it.

I realise that imagining a time when everyone thinks about how much energy they use is a little optimistic but nuclear produces about 20% of U.K. Electricity, how hard is it to reduce energy consumption by a few percent added to renewables this would make 20% achievable but I accept your point that expecting the U.K. Population to think and make sensible decisions is probably pie in the sky isn't it

But we have reduced consumption

First.Aspect

Surrey Commuter wrote:

team47b wrote:

First Aspect wrote:

team47b wrote:

Heaven forbid we go for option d) consume less

Because that's just pie in the sky isn't it.

I realise that imagining a time when everyone thinks about how much energy they use is a little optimistic but nuclear produces about 20% of U.K. Electricity, how hard is it to reduce energy consumption by a few percent added to renewables this would make 20% achievable but I accept your point that expecting the U.K. Population to think and make sensible decisions is probably pie in the sky isn't it

But we have reduced consumption

By "we" I was kind of referring to the 6 billion inhabitants of earth, not the somewhat irrelevant 60 million on this rock.

I can't see how renewables will keep up with increasing global demand. As Bart Simpson would ask, "How are we going to catch up by going slower than the other kids?"

BTW, you'd only need 160 or so of the Swansea barrages to power all of the homes in the UK. A few more to do businesses I suppose. Probably they'd have to be all on the west, on account of tides in the North Sea being much smaller. But don't let practicalities bother you.

Its not a bad idea, as such, just not an actual solution to anything.

surrey_commuter

First Aspect wrote:

Surrey Commuter wrote:

team47b wrote:

First Aspect wrote:

team47b wrote:

Heaven forbid we go for option d) consume less

Because that's just pie in the sky isn't it.

I realise that imagining a time when everyone thinks about how much energy they use is a little optimistic but nuclear produces about 20% of U.K. Electricity, how hard is it to reduce energy consumption by a few percent added to renewables this would make 20% achievable but I accept your point that expecting the U.K. Population to think and make sensible decisions is probably pie in the sky isn't it

But we have reduced consumption

By "we" I was kind of referring to the 6 billion inhabitants of earth, not the somewhat irrelevant 60 million on this rock.

I can't see how renewables will keep up with increasing global demand. As Bart Simpson would ask, "How are we going to catch up by going slower than the other kids?"

BTW, you'd only need 160 or so of the Swansea barrages to power all of the homes in the UK. A few more to do businesses I suppose. Probably they'd have to be all on the west, on account of tides in the North Sea being much smaller. But don't let practicalities bother you.

Its not a bad idea, as such, just not an actual solution to anything.

Your references to U.K. Electricity and U.K. population discombobulated me.

Asking less developed parts of the world to not develop seems unreasonable and unrealistic.

I see tidal as a part of the solution and more viable than others because of the reliability.

Garry H

Parents who buy their kids balance bikes, only to put them on pedal bikes with stabilisers once it's time to move on.

Ben6899

Mr Goo wrote:

Why is it that when you go to Majorca or Tenerife for a break it's called a holiday. But when you go to China or Australia it's called travelling?

You can refer to Majorca as traveling if you like, I don't think anyone here will pick you up on it.

FishFish

Shortfall wrote:

English people who say "do the math."

British people who say English people.

Pross

Having the chain tension adjustment screw on a chainsaw so close to the blade it's almost impossible to use it and then having the chain come loose 90% through the trunk leaving you unable to get the saw through or back out.

seanoconn

Garry H wrote:

Parents who buy their kids balance bikes, only to put them on pedal bikes with stabilisers once it's time to move on.

True. Once kids have found there balance on a balance bike it's time for the real thing. Worked a treat for mine.

rjsterry

Pross wrote:

Having the chain tension adjustment screw on a chainsaw so close to the blade it's almost impossible to use it and then having the chain come loose 90% through the trunk leaving you unable to get the saw through or back out.

Bang in a wedge behind to take the pressure off?

Pross

Fortunately it was far enough through that I managed to push the tree and snap it off in the end.