Seemingly trivial things that intrigue you

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  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 40,217
    elbowloh said:

    Pross said:

    I honestly believe in 30 years time "sustainability" will be a feature of everything in life.

    Nothing will be untouched.

    It is worth being part of the engine that drives the transition, as the transition will be one of the most expensive transitions in human history.

    Yep, it'll be the new industrial revolution. We basked for centuries in being at the forefront of the original industrial revolution whilst allowing others to overtake and now is a chance to get ahead of the game again. We seem to get lots of talk on this but not much seems to have come out of it. It's a sector I'd like to get into workwise and have some transferable skills but probably not enough to make a jump at a comparable level.
    Old firm used to do a lot of onshore cabling and substations for off shore wind farms. I've also applied for a few jobs in the actual wind farm sector and hadn't even had a response!
    I applied to a few when I was looking for a new job about 6 years ago and had a similar experience. I was doing a lot of work for solar sites at the time so felt that experience would appeal to them. It was probably a bit of a narrow escape though as there were so many fly by night companies around back then that disappeared when the grant funding changed.
  • Pross said:

    I've bet my career on it - persuaded senior management to let me build a cross industry sustainability practice :)

    Excellent - when you have a role suitable for someone with a Civil Engineering background with some project management skills that pays a 6 figure salary and (for the benefit of sustainability) is home based feel free to give me a shout - we can split the commission.
    Oh i'll still be FS.

    Gotta fund all this sustainability stuff, right?
    I think we have / are hiring dedicated sustainability people. Not sure at the C-suite level, yet.
  • rjsterry
    rjsterry Posts: 27,487
    John Dee's polished obsidian mirror has been found to be of Aztec origin.
    1985 Mercian King of Mercia - work in progress (Hah! Who am I kidding?)
    Pinnacle Monzonite

    Part of the anti-growth coalition
  • webboo
    webboo Posts: 6,087
    Why would a vacum cleaner need a laser light. Surly it just needs to suck up the dust not see it.
  • briantrumpet
    briantrumpet Posts: 17,690
    webboo said:

    Why would a vacum cleaner need a laser light. Surly it just needs to suck up the dust not see it.


    To blind the dust mites so they don't jump out of the way. Obvs.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 40,217
    In a similar vein, there was a quiz show last week where the prizes included wi-fi enable washing machine and tumble dryer. What benefit does having wi-fi provide to laundry appliances?
  • Wheelspinner
    Wheelspinner Posts: 6,551
    Pross said:

    In a similar vein, there was a quiz show last week where the prizes included wi-fi enable washing machine and tumble dryer. What benefit does having wi-fi provide to laundry appliances?

    Probably so it can send you notifications to tell you when its finished because you’re assumed to be too stupid or lazy to check. Also so it can send reports about your dirty laundry - literal and metaphorical - back to the spies that made it.

    I bought a Canon printer a while ago, and was surprised one day to see a popup box temporarily show something about “survey” information being sent. Eh? Had a look and found the driver software for it had also installed a program which periodically sent data back to Canon, presumably how much printing had been done and who knows what.

    To check it was not my “fault” I deleted the software completely and reinstalled it, looking for any options at setup to approve or not.

    Nothing - it didn’t ask.

    Disabled it, and will never buy another Canon product of any sort.


    Open One+ BMC TE29 Seven 622SL On One Scandal Cervelo RS
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 25,597


    ...To check it was not my “fault” I deleted the software completely and reinstalled it, looking for any options at setup to approve or not.

    Interesting. I have a Canon printer and have never installed any Canon software.
    My printer works just fine.
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • Wheelspinner
    Wheelspinner Posts: 6,551
    pblakeney said:


    ...To check it was not my “fault” I deleted the software completely and reinstalled it, looking for any options at setup to approve or not.

    Interesting. I have a Canon printer and have never installed any Canon software.
    My printer works just fine.
    Yep, the current OS of a couple other computers does not require installation of the Canon software, but the machine I had to install it on uses a pretty old OS which I keep for other stuff.

    I’ve no real concern if the company asks at install or licence registration - it’s the failure to ask that pi$$ed me off.
    Open One+ BMC TE29 Seven 622SL On One Scandal Cervelo RS
  • Wheelspinner
    Wheelspinner Posts: 6,551
    https://ij.manual.canon/ij/webmanual/ScanUtility/M/LiDE 120/2.0/EN/SU/su-730.html

    It’s that. Didn’t ask on install if I “agreed” to it, just did it in background.
    Open One+ BMC TE29 Seven 622SL On One Scandal Cervelo RS
  • womack
    womack Posts: 566
    On a similar note we had the meter reader round the other day who was giving me all kinds of scare stories as to why to not have Smart Meters fitted.

    Quite apart from the fact that he would be out of a job!
  • mully79
    mully79 Posts: 904
    edited October 2021
    Pross said:

    In a similar vein, there was a quiz show last week where the prizes included wi-fi enable washing machine and tumble dryer. What benefit does having wi-fi provide to laundry appliances?



    it spams notifications and is generally irritating
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,245
    edited October 2021
    https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/oct/25/marathon-des-sables-runners-say-organisers-failed-in-duty-of-care

    Humans are weird.

    I sort of understand the appeal of these extreme endeavours - I have done similar (albeit materially less extreme) stuff on the bike in terms of distances and climbs etc, but you do wonder what is going on at these events and in the minds of both the organisers and the participants.

    In a number of ways - the whole thing is supposed to be very extreme but I slightly wonder about these competitors complaining about it being a "war zone" and that there aren't enough medical staff there to look after them when they volunteer for something that in all likelihood will make them ill.

    I get that you need staff for these things and occasionally people will fall ill or have accidents, but I feel like what were these people expecting about running 250km in sand in 52 degree heat. If you're going into these things expecting a coin flip that you'll require medical assistance, then maybe they shouldn't be doing it, rather than blaming the organisers?
  • mrb123
    mrb123 Posts: 4,583

    https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/oct/25/marathon-des-sables-runners-say-organisers-failed-in-duty-of-care

    Humans are weird.

    I sort of understand the appeal of these extreme endeavours - I have done similar (albeit materially less extreme) stuff on the bike in terms of distances and climbs etc, but you do wonder what is going on at these events and in the minds of both the organisers and the participants.

    In a number of ways - the whole thing is supposed to be very extreme but I slightly wonder about these competitors complaining about it being a "war zone" and that there aren't enough medical staff there to look after them when they volunteer for something that in all likelihood will make them ill.

    I get that you need staff for these things and occasionally people will fall ill or have accidents, but I feel like what were these people expecting about running 250km in sand in 52 degree heat. If you're going into these things expecting a coin flip that you'll require medical assistance, then maybe they shouldn't be doing it, rather than blaming the organisers?

    I bet the employer of the woman signed off work for two weeks due to "trauma" is delighted too!
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 40,217

    https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/oct/25/marathon-des-sables-runners-say-organisers-failed-in-duty-of-care

    Humans are weird.

    I sort of understand the appeal of these extreme endeavours - I have done similar (albeit materially less extreme) stuff on the bike in terms of distances and climbs etc, but you do wonder what is going on at these events and in the minds of both the organisers and the participants.

    In a number of ways - the whole thing is supposed to be very extreme but I slightly wonder about these competitors complaining about it being a "war zone" and that there aren't enough medical staff there to look after them when they volunteer for something that in all likelihood will make them ill.

    I get that you need staff for these things and occasionally people will fall ill or have accidents, but I feel like what were these people expecting about running 250km in sand in 52 degree heat. If you're going into these things expecting a coin flip that you'll require medical assistance, then maybe they shouldn't be doing it, rather than blaming the organisers?

    But in entering and paying a small fortune it is reasonable to assume that the organisers will be providing a suitable level of support and care surely?
  • pinno
    pinno Posts: 51,197
    Pross said:

    https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/oct/25/marathon-des-sables-runners-say-organisers-failed-in-duty-of-care

    Humans are weird.

    I sort of understand the appeal of these extreme endeavours - I have done similar (albeit materially less extreme) stuff on the bike in terms of distances and climbs etc, but you do wonder what is going on at these events and in the minds of both the organisers and the participants.

    In a number of ways - the whole thing is supposed to be very extreme but I slightly wonder about these competitors complaining about it being a "war zone" and that there aren't enough medical staff there to look after them when they volunteer for something that in all likelihood will make them ill.

    I get that you need staff for these things and occasionally people will fall ill or have accidents, but I feel like what were these people expecting about running 250km in sand in 52 degree heat. If you're going into these things expecting a coin flip that you'll require medical assistance, then maybe they shouldn't be doing it, rather than blaming the organisers?

    But in entering and paying a small fortune it is reasonable to assume that the organisers will be providing a suitable level of support and care surely?
    Perhaps it's reasonable to assume that a human being shouldn't go running 6 marathons in 50+ deg heat.
    seanoconn - gruagach craic!
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 25,597
    For 50+ degrees I expect A/C, a cold beer and a lie down. 😉
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 40,217
    pinno said:

    Pross said:

    https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/oct/25/marathon-des-sables-runners-say-organisers-failed-in-duty-of-care

    Humans are weird.

    I sort of understand the appeal of these extreme endeavours - I have done similar (albeit materially less extreme) stuff on the bike in terms of distances and climbs etc, but you do wonder what is going on at these events and in the minds of both the organisers and the participants.

    In a number of ways - the whole thing is supposed to be very extreme but I slightly wonder about these competitors complaining about it being a "war zone" and that there aren't enough medical staff there to look after them when they volunteer for something that in all likelihood will make them ill.

    I get that you need staff for these things and occasionally people will fall ill or have accidents, but I feel like what were these people expecting about running 250km in sand in 52 degree heat. If you're going into these things expecting a coin flip that you'll require medical assistance, then maybe they shouldn't be doing it, rather than blaming the organisers?

    But in entering and paying a small fortune it is reasonable to assume that the organisers will be providing a suitable level of support and care surely?
    Perhaps it's reasonable to assume that a human being shouldn't go running 6 marathons in 50+ deg heat.
    So the organisers shouldn't hold the event. If they decide to organise it and charge people to enter then it is up to them to keep their customers safe.
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 25,597
    Builders appear to have put the windows at just the right height. 😉
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • pinno
    pinno Posts: 51,197
    It has been the wettest October I can remember up here.
    seanoconn - gruagach craic!
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 40,217
    pinno said:

    It has been the wettest October I can remember up here.

    Been unusually dry in these parts. Making up for it at he moment though.
  • briantrumpet
    briantrumpet Posts: 17,690
    Pross said:

    pinno said:

    It has been the wettest October I can remember up here.

    Been unusually dry in these parts. Making up for it at he moment though.

    So you'd had only 25 days of rain so far this month?
  • pinno
    pinno Posts: 51,197

    Pross said:

    pinno said:

    It has been the wettest October I can remember up here.

    Been unusually dry in these parts. Making up for it at he moment though.

    So you'd had only 25 days of rain so far this month?
    Fair point. Wales innit.
    seanoconn - gruagach craic!
  • briantrumpet
    briantrumpet Posts: 17,690
    pinno said:

    Pross said:

    pinno said:

    It has been the wettest October I can remember up here.

    Been unusually dry in these parts. Making up for it at he moment though.

    So you'd had only 25 days of rain so far this month?
    Fair point. Wales innit.

    Scotland too, innit.


  • pinno
    pinno Posts: 51,197
    You see that slightly lighter blue in Welshland? That's where Pross lives.
    seanoconn - gruagach craic!
  • briantrumpet
    briantrumpet Posts: 17,690
    pinno said:

    You see that slightly lighter blue in Welshland? That's where Pross lives.


    Hold on, I need a magnifying glass.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 40,217
    pinno said:

    You see that slightly lighter blue in Welshland? That's where Pross lives.

    He's just showing off as Exeter seems to be in a random dry spot. In all seriousness I'd be more worried long term being in a brown area.