Seemingly trivial things that intrigue you

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  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    How is it, that my wife always seems to be able to text my phone when I'm busy and cannot answer - be that driving, cycling, washing up or some other job that cannot be interrupted for a quick answer?
    It doesn't annoy me anymore - but it is intriguing how the timing perfectly fits my activities
  • robert88
    robert88 Posts: 2,696
    Slowbike wrote:
    How is it, that my wife always seems to be able to text my phone when I'm busy and cannot answer - be that driving, cycling, washing up or some other job that cannot be interrupted for a quick answer?
    It doesn't annoy me anymore - but it is intriguing how the timing perfectly fits my activities

    Maybe you are always busy?

    My wife keeps her phone at the bottom of her handbag with the volume quite low so she never answers. I suggest raising the volume but she says no, because people might hear it. Even if she did hear the call it would take her so long to unearth the device it would be to late for her to answer it. So I call and eventually she will call me back and expect me to answer immediately!
  • rjsterry
    rjsterry Posts: 29,811
    Slowbike wrote:
    How is it, that my wife always seems to be able to text my phone when I'm busy and cannot answer - be that driving, cycling, washing up or some other job that cannot be interrupted for a quick answer?
    It doesn't annoy me anymore - but it is intriguing how the timing perfectly fits my activities

    My parents always phone when we are sat down to dinner with the children. What's funny is that 30-odd years ago they were constantly complaining about my grandparents doing exactly the same to them.
    1985 Mercian King of Mercia - work in progress (Hah! Who am I kidding?)
    Pinnacle Monzonite

    Part of the anti-growth coalition
  • Stevo_666
    Stevo_666 Posts: 61,796
    Slowbike wrote:
    How is it, that my wife always seems to be able to text my phone when I'm busy and cannot answer - be that driving, cycling, washing up or some other job that cannot be interrupted for a quick answer?
    It doesn't annoy me anymore - but it is intriguing how the timing perfectly fits my activities
    If it's me doing the trip to the supermarket I always get a call with something she forgot to put on her list when I'm already at the checkout or just leaving the shop. It's uncanny.
    "I spent most of my money on birds, booze and fast cars: the rest of it I just squandered." [George Best]
  • Stevo_666
    Stevo_666 Posts: 61,796
    Robert88 wrote:
    KingstonGraham wrote:
    Try and conceptualise "nothing". In order to do that, you need to have an image - as soon as you do that, it is no longer nothing, but is something.

    This is why the concept of nothing, or a "before time", is impossible to conceptualise, or articulate. Our brains aren't equipped to think of "nothing" - we have to think about it in terms of physical dimensions, which "nothing" doesn't have.

    Is that off topic enough?

    Maybe we are equipped to think of nothing but just can't describe it?
    Some people know exactly what nothing looks like. Try sitting in the house and doing absolutely nothing when your wife is at home - she'll immediately find you a job to do.
    "I spent most of my money on birds, booze and fast cars: the rest of it I just squandered." [George Best]
  • sungod
    sungod Posts: 17,427
    nothing doesn't exist
    my bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny
  • capt_slog
    capt_slog Posts: 3,974
    Stevo 666 wrote:

    Although to Slog's point, most new/newish cars have daytime 'running' lights which you can't turn off while the engine is running.

    Another point about it that I find odd, the cars have no lights at all.


    The older I get, the better I was.

  • robert88
    robert88 Posts: 2,696
    sungod wrote:
    nothing doesn't exist

    Existence is an absence of nothing. Something can't be absent if it can't also exist.
  • rolf_f
    rolf_f Posts: 16,015
    Surrey Commuter wrote:
    Rolf F wrote:
    Capt Slog wrote:
    I've noticed that on mornings when it's dull and wet, and nearly all the cars are using lights as they should, the exceptions are usually cars which are grey. So the vehicles which would most benefit from using lights are the least visible. I find it intriguing.
    Nearly all cars are grey though so nearly all cars cannot be using lights (look at any car park from above; you'll see the truth of what I say!).

    what a load of old twaddle I thought but was intrigued enough to consult Google. And whilst only 21% of new cars are grey it is the top selling colour so will give you a moral victory.

    I'm also including all variations of metallic grey in my comment (which, of course, includes silver). If you can come up with that total number I'll be interested. Then add in the cars that are not grey but also have no colour; ie black and white and you come up with a percentage that when subtracted from 100 gives you the percentage of new car buyers that have an imagination!
    Stevo 666 wrote:
    Although to Slog's point, most new/newish cars have daytime 'running' lights which you can't turn off while the engine is running.

    My Saab has those. It was built in 1985!
    Faster than a tent.......
  • rjsterry
    rjsterry Posts: 29,811
    Rolf F wrote:
    ...when subtracted from 100 gives you the percentage of new car buyers that have an imagination!

    Or alternatively the percentage who have more important things to worry about than what colour their car is. :)
    1985 Mercian King of Mercia - work in progress (Hah! Who am I kidding?)
    Pinnacle Monzonite

    Part of the anti-growth coalition
  • pinno
    pinno Posts: 52,488
    Scientifically, black is not a colour but white is.
    seanoconn - gruagach craic!
  • pinno
    pinno Posts: 52,488
    rjsterry wrote:
    Rolf F wrote:
    ...when subtracted from 100 gives you the percentage of new car buyers that have an imagination!

    Or alternatively the percentage who have more important things to worry about than what colour their car is. :)

    "F*ck me that bumper/wing mirror/door is close!" ?
    seanoconn - gruagach craic!
  • surrey_commuter
    surrey_commuter Posts: 18,867
    rjsterry wrote:
    Rolf F wrote:
    ...when subtracted from 100 gives you the percentage of new car buyers that have an imagination!

    Or alternatively the percentage who have more important things to worry about than what colour their car is. :)

    or who care more about resale value than the colour of their car
  • Stevo_666
    Stevo_666 Posts: 61,796
    Capt Slog wrote:
    Stevo 666 wrote:

    Although to Slog's point, most new/newish cars have daytime 'running' lights which you can't turn off while the engine is running.

    Another point about it that I find odd, the cars have no lights at all.
    Not sure I get your point Slog. Which cars have no lights at all?
    "I spent most of my money on birds, booze and fast cars: the rest of it I just squandered." [George Best]
  • Stevo_666
    Stevo_666 Posts: 61,796
    Rolf F wrote:
    Stevo 666 wrote:
    Although to Slog's point, most new/newish cars have daytime 'running' lights which you can't turn off while the engine is running.

    My Saab has those. It was built in 1985!
    But more importantly, what colour is it Rolf?
    "I spent most of my money on birds, booze and fast cars: the rest of it I just squandered." [George Best]
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 28,226
    Any new car model introduced since 2011 has to have daytime running lights. Thank you Brussels.
  • capt_slog
    capt_slog Posts: 3,974
    Stevo 666 wrote:
    Capt Slog wrote:
    Stevo 666 wrote:

    Although to Slog's point, most new/newish cars have daytime 'running' lights which you can't turn off while the engine is running.

    Another point about it that I find odd, the cars have no lights at all.
    Not sure I get your point Slog. Which cars have no lights at all?

    The grey ones. They don't have daytime lights either. They are either not working or all older than 2011. :D


    The older I get, the better I was.

  • rolf_f
    rolf_f Posts: 16,015
    rjsterry wrote:
    Rolf F wrote:
    ...when subtracted from 100 gives you the percentage of new car buyers that have an imagination!

    Or alternatively the percentage who have more important things to worry about than what colour their car is. :)

    I'm not sure anyone is worrying about their cars colour - that's why everyone chooses exactly the same colour. Choice is weirdly lacking these days. For example, Co-op changed their ice cream range. Now, with one exception, they all have chocolate, vanilla or salted caramel in them. Mostly all of them in different proportions. Whatever happened to flavours that aren't salted caramel?
    Faster than a tent.......
  • rjsterry
    rjsterry Posts: 29,811
    Stevo 666 wrote:
    Rolf F wrote:
    Stevo 666 wrote:
    Although to Slog's point, most new/newish cars have daytime 'running' lights which you can't turn off while the engine is running.

    My Saab has those. It was built in 1985!
    But more importantly, what colour is it Rolf?

    Statistically, grey.
    1985 Mercian King of Mercia - work in progress (Hah! Who am I kidding?)
    Pinnacle Monzonite

    Part of the anti-growth coalition
  • Stevo_666
    Stevo_666 Posts: 61,796
    rjsterry wrote:
    Stevo 666 wrote:
    Rolf F wrote:
    Stevo 666 wrote:
    Although to Slog's point, most new/newish cars have daytime 'running' lights which you can't turn off while the engine is running.

    My Saab has those. It was built in 1985!
    But more importantly, what colour is it Rolf?

    Statistically, grey.
    Let's see if you're right...
    "I spent most of my money on birds, booze and fast cars: the rest of it I just squandered." [George Best]
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,587
    Stevo 666 wrote:
    rjsterry wrote:
    Stevo 666 wrote:
    Rolf F wrote:
    Stevo 666 wrote:
    Although to Slog's point, most new/newish cars have daytime 'running' lights which you can't turn off while the engine is running.

    My Saab has those. It was built in 1985!
    But more importantly, what colour is it Rolf?

    Statistically, grey.
    Let's see if you're right...

    All Saabs are grey even when they aren't.
  • shirley_basso
    shirley_basso Posts: 6,195
    Even the yellow 9-3 was grey.
  • rolf_f
    rolf_f Posts: 16,015
    Rose quartz metallic. So grey with a slight hint of faded pink! But yes, grey. There's not much choice when it comes to your 8v flat front Saab 900 Turbos these days! My car ownership record is 40% grey, 40% blue, 20% red! (One of the blue cars was a Saab so not all Saabs are grey!)
    Faster than a tent.......
  • chris_bass
    chris_bass Posts: 4,913
    Pinno wrote:
    Scientifically, black is not a colour but white is.

    that depends on which scientist you ask! physicists may agree, chemists perhaps not!
    www.conjunctivitis.com - a site for sore eyes
  • haydenm
    haydenm Posts: 2,997
    The thought which my brain decided was very important at 1am, why don't we use the metric system for time?

    Also, to what extent was the 'Blitz Spirit' just propaganda? If it was, why do people bang on about it now? A friend of mine did his dissertation on it but I didn't read it.
  • chris_bass
    chris_bass Posts: 4,913
    HaydenM wrote:
    The thought which my brain decided was very important at 1am, why don't we use the metric system for time?

    Also, to what extent was the 'Blitz Spirit' just propaganda? If it was, why do people bang on about it now? A friend of mine did his dissertation on it but I didn't read it.

    there actually is a metric system for time, i'd guess the main reason for not changing would be that too much stuff runs off "normal" time and changing it would be the biggest PITA in the world.

    this Website explains it better than i can:
    https://www.myfavoritegadgets.info/othe ... Clock.html

    Metric Time

    10 hours per day
    100 minutes per hour
    1,000 minutes per day
    100 seconds per minute
    10,000 seconds per hour
    100,000 seconds per day

    Time versus Metric time

    1 metric second = 0.864 "normal" second
    1 metric minute = 1.44 "normal" minute
    1 metric hour = 2.4 "normal" hour
    www.conjunctivitis.com - a site for sore eyes
  • veronese68
    veronese68 Posts: 27,864
    HaydenM wrote:
    Also, to what extent was the 'Blitz Spirit' just propaganda? If it was, why do people bang on about it now? A friend of mine did his dissertation on it but I didn't read it.
    Could you ask him for a précis and get back to us?

    Is the average car colour grey? Three types of average, two of them would probably come up with grey. Mean and mode would be some sort of grey, I have no idea what the median would be.
    Kinesis Pro6
    Marin Nail Trail
    Cotic Solaris
  • rjsterry
    rjsterry Posts: 29,811
    HaydenM wrote:
    The thought which my brain decided was very important at 1am, why don't we use the metric system for time?

    Also, to what extent was the 'Blitz Spirit' just propaganda? If it was, why do people bang on about it now? A friend of mine did his dissertation on it but I didn't read it.

    On the counting of time, this comes from the Babylonians who used a sexigesimal number system. Counting to twelve one one hand is pretty straightforward: use your thumb to point to each section of each finger in turn (we still use dozens, too). Multiply that by 5 fingers on your other hand and you get 60. 12 is a more 'useful' number than 10 because it divides neatly into halves, quarters and thirds.
    1985 Mercian King of Mercia - work in progress (Hah! Who am I kidding?)
    Pinnacle Monzonite

    Part of the anti-growth coalition
  • Stevo_666
    Stevo_666 Posts: 61,796
    Rolf F wrote:
    Rose quartz metallic. So grey with a slight hint of faded pink! But yes, grey. There's not much choice when it comes to your 8v flat front Saab 900 Turbos these days! My car ownership record is 40% grey, 40% blue, 20% red! (One of the blue cars was a Saab so not all Saabs are grey!)
    A pink Saab then :D
    "I spent most of my money on birds, booze and fast cars: the rest of it I just squandered." [George Best]
  • robert88
    robert88 Posts: 2,696
    HaydenM wrote:
    The thought which my brain decided was very important at 1am, why don't we use the metric system for time?

    Also, to what extent was the 'Blitz Spirit' just propaganda? If it was, why do people bang on about it now? A friend of mine did his dissertation on it but I didn't read it.

    There should be a dodgy vodka called 'Blitz Spirit'. Maybe there is?

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