What's made you smile today?

[bugsymike]

I was at a mates today fitting a different engine to a pedestrian lawn roller circa 1950s I guess, this engine has a reduction box as mate was having a problem running after the other one. Forward and reverse operation is bit hit and miss with the sliding gears. previous week we were uprooting tree stumps with a 7 tonne 4x4 Case digger, once I worked out what all the levers did.
He also has loads of Cyclemaster engines and bicycles. Some are designed for those engines rather than a conversion, so the frame is wider and stiffened for taking an engine , also I was pleased to see the addition of hub brakes after a previous road test trying to stop with useless stirrup brake and going a bit off road down a bank.

 

[The Panda Nut]

cti

Sounds very like my old Raleigh bike. I've mentioned before that I inherited it from my then boss who'd cut the frame in half so he could get it in the boot of his car. He told me it was his dad's bike and that his dad had been a policeman but I don't know if he rode it on duty? He'd asked me to put it in the works skip but I fancied trying to resurrect it so he gave it to me. It's really quite old with rod brakes and a 3 speed Sturmney Archer dynohub (which works) in the rear wheel. I welded the frame and brake rod back together (actually sleeved and brazed the down tube and butt welded the cross tube). and, because I couldn't find anyone who could supply a front rim - old one was very rusted and had a "funny" number of spokes - I bought a complete replacement wheel. Renewed the brake blocks and rode it to work for many years. I'ts actually a little too big for me and, even with the saddle right down, I do have to stretch a bit to reach the pedals when fully down. However, it was free and served me well. That saddle was originally a most uncomfortable leather job but I bought a gel saddle out of Lidl which improved things no end. Brakes were always pretty poor, stopping was done more in hope than certainty and going down hills always exciting! I still have it but haven't ridden it for some time so may need tyres and a wee fettle. The gears always worked perfectly - sometimes a wee fiddle with the adjustment but otherwise superb. The chain is still the original as far as I know (and I've had it for at least 40 years) due no doubt to the enclosed chain case and my regular oiling.

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I did include it in a post quite some time ago and Cheest told me quite a lot about it which I didn't know. I wrote it all down and put the bit of paper in the shed where the bike lives but I now can't find the bit of paper - maybe a mouse has taken it for bedding?

Shows the value of the written word....... LOL

 

[SB1500]

My ageing MacBook from 2020 was quite slow to emulate Windows for programming work and since it was emulating it on a totally different kind of processor there were certain old Microsoft (no surprises there) things it outright couldn't emulate. Bit of a show stopper. Tried using a work issued PC.. too locked down despite having permission to use it for learning purposes. Was just about to run out and buy a real cheap Windows laptop to get through this assignment when a friend suggested renting a VPS (virtual private server). Now I can tap into a remote Windows install online that has no limits and a lot more power than any computer I've ever owned. It is sincerely the best thing ever! And has saved the need to buy more junk in the short term, and possibly... forever onwards. Even an old, fairly useless computer could tap into this and essentially just be a screen and keyboard for this. Wish I had've known or thought of this a long time ago.

I was seriously contemplating buying a computer with some serious power in the thousands and justifying it for this sort of work, but it's not a bad idea to offload all of that heavy lifting in this way. Quite buzzing all week as every time I use it, for once, I run into no issues and I can actually focus on the task at hand.

Edit: photo

 

[The Panda Nut]

My ageing MacBook from 2020 was quite slow to emulate Windows for programming work and since it was emulating it on a totally different kind of processor there were certain old Microsoft (no surprises there) things it outright couldn't emulate. Bit of a show stopper. Tried using a work issued PC.. too locked down despite having permission to use it for learning purposes. Was just about to run out and buy a real cheap Windows laptop to get through this assignment when a friend suggested renting a VPS (virtual private server). Now I can tap into a remote Windows install online that has no limits and a lot more power than any computer I've ever owned. It is sincerely the best thing ever! And has saved the need to buy more junk in the short term, and possibly... forever onwards. Even an old, fairly useless computer could tap into this and essentially just be a screen and keyboard for this. Wish I had've known or thought of this a long time ago.

I was seriously contemplating buying a computer with some serious power in the thousands and justifying it for this sort of work, but it's not a bad idea to offload all of that heavy lifting in this way. Quite buzzing all week as every time I use it, for once, I run into no issues and I can actually focus on the task at hand.

Edit: photoView attachment 464387

What a good idea!

 

[PuntoHowTo]

Yesterday the mango muppet announced a 10% tariff on all exports from the Heard and McDonald Islands into the United States

A place with no human inhabitants and a population only consisting of penguins…

 

[StevenRB45]

Saw that...I do wonder how a penguin can be charging the US tariffs..

 

[PuntoHowTo]

Saw that...I do wonder how a penguin can be charging the US tariffs..

I’m looking forward to the retaliatory tariffs imposed by the head of the penguins

 

[Cheest]

Yesterday the mango muppet announced a 10% tariff on all exports from the Heard and McDonald Islands into the United States

A place with no human inhabitants and a population only consisting of penguins…

I'm doing soooo much facepalming on this side of the pond because of those dipshits that I have bruises on my face and palm.

One good thing that happened prior to Diaper Dons' tariff cluster is that the $20 million dollars the Muskat dumped into the Wisconsin State Supreme Court election went down in flames as the Trump backed candidate lost.

 

[StevenRB45]

Of course free trade with Russia and North Korea though

 

[portland_bill]

Trump still doesn't seem to understand that tariffs are paid by the recipient, not the supplier, so whilst the higher prices may discourage buyers, it is his own citizens that are paying that price. He seems to be wanting everythign to be produced in the US, without asking first what was possible.
Do we export much to the US? I doubt many of our UK produced cars go there, apart from Jaguar (not currently producing anyway) and Land Rover, which are mostly bought new by the richer people anyway, so they probably won't care. Spare parts may be an issue.

 

[Cheest]

Trump still doesn't seem to understand that tariffs are paid by the recipient, not the supplier, so whilst the higher prices may discourage buyers, it is his own citizens that are paying that price. He seems to be wanting everythign to be produced in the US, without asking first what was possible.
Do we export much to the US? I doubt many of our UK produced cars go there, apart from Jaguar (not currently producing anyway) and Land Rover, which are mostly bought new by the richer people anyway, so they probably won't care. Spare parts may be an issue.

No, he doesn't get tariffs at all. As a clown who has filed for bankruptcy several times, it's pretty obvious. How the hell do you bankrupt a casino? He also does not understand, nor do his supporters, that manufacturing cannot return to the US overnight. Having just gone through that with my own outfit, it takes years and only a 50% chance it can succeed. BTW, my old place didn't and is now insolvent. The doors will close on the 30th.

The conservatives in the US are against anything that helps people. They applaud when others suffer. That is, until it happens to them and they need help. Then those programs are wonderful. Well, they are getting their own FAFO moment and are waking up. There is a nationwide protest planned for tomorrow regarding Mango Mussolini and his draconian policies. The protests started out small but have grown every week.

 

[PuntoHowTo]

Just going to leave this here