A new irritation of late. Its annoying when you hand over your EFTPOS card to a smiling shop assistant and you tell them "savings please".....and then they swipe the card and ask you "is that cheque or savings Sir?".
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A new irritation of late. Its annoying when you hand over your EFTPOS card to a smiling shop assistant and you tell them "savings please".....and then they swipe the card and ask you "is that cheque or savings Sir?".
For 30 years I have been irritated by the locals who insist adding a -ni to my surname, just seconds after I spell it out for them, because they have an in-built conviction that all Italian names end in -ini. It still happens quite frequently. You would have thought that the next generation would have had enough time to learn...
Mmm... tortelini!
What's that ... a pasta in the wrong?
And Frankini .... sounds fine to me ;-}
Frankenstini?
Ha ha, very funny. I just scanned through the 8th grade education thread. Maybe with multiculturalism the colonials do not have a good grounding in English history anymore. The Poms have no excuse, though. Did they call the early Norman archbishop of Canterbury Lanfrancini?:U
Na , I heard they called him the Lombardy frwanker :p
He kept pushing celibacy at the lads :D
Well there were married priests in the days of Henry 8 though he hated them.
I'd say celibacy makes sense if as a priest you're divided between going out to administer extreme unction or staying home to wipe bums, appease the missus, lay the maid or sup on some altar wine. Customer focus is what counts in a service organisation ;-}
From what I can gather, land , wealth , and the destruction of the native culture were more on the roman church's mind than domestic or spiritual concerns
Do you count the Government as a service organisation? I know of somebody who could not cope with celibacy but still wants to to run one...:D
I think the reason for the wrinkly hose on the Dyson and other vacuum cleaners has some thing to do with airflow and preventing the clogging of the hose. Little point to that, however, when the hose kinks and clogs because of it!:no::no:
Stickers on any bl00dy fruit (or vegetables for that matter):(( Who the hell wants to pay god knows how much more for the privilege of seeing some obscure name or number on the fruit!! Then it gets in the compost, does not break down & you get little bits of plastic confetti all over the garden.Quote:
Originally Posted by springwater
And while we are at it, BASEBALL SIZED apples & oranges. Wife: "Can you get six apples & six oranges while you are out?" Me: "Sure" ... A bit later on - Wife (Struggling to lift 10kg bag): "What on EARTH did you buy? I'm sure I didn't ask for watermelons" This is part of the Woolworths evil empire - they know most people buy fruit by the piece, not by weight & thus maximize each sale by only stocking giant, TASTELESS, genetically modified fruit substitutes.
I ditch the stickers at the supermarket....I leave 'em stuck to those nice big mirrors at the back of the fruit and vege displays.
I've seen your work!Quote:
Originally Posted by kiwigeo
I prefer the deli display glass as my fruit sticker repository,Quote:
Originally Posted by kiwigeo
it's amazing how many people follow suit, maybe if enough do it the big supermarkets may take the hint....:rolleyes:
However.... on the downside, sometimes the stickers are needed to recognise the difference between the granny smith apples and those insipid unripe tomatoes they sell
Oh - here's another -
Service stations that stock everything EXCEPT for things you need for your car. Tried to buy a fuse at BP, Shell & Mobil (and tried 7-11 in the folorn hope they might have what I needed). Attendant at two (can't remember which ones) responded with inane comments about going to an electrician. The other 2 had a miniscule selection of auto fuses in pre-packaged lots. And don't bother to try & buy a headlight, tail lamp bulb or interior light bulb.
And then there is OfficeWorks - the biggest shop for the smallest range of products known to mankind. Aisles and aisles filled with the same junky stuff, but no real choice or variety. I asked for blotting paper on the weekend. BIG mistake to have the audacity to assume that this might in fact be a stationary item. The know-nothing gits didn't even know what blotting paper was :((.
When I explained what blotting paper was used for, they said (no kidding) "We don't really sell things here for business use" :doh:
So, RossM, have you tried to by ink at Officeworks? I suspect no one there would know what it was.
You fool.......you thought when you went into a service station you'd get service?????Quote:
Originally Posted by RossM
:rotfl:
ink? INK!! We ain't got no stinkin' INK!!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by AlexS
Okay here's something else that irritates me. When Im flying economy class with Qantas and I'm sitting right behind business class and I want to have a slash...... I go to the nearest toilet at the pointy end of the plane and after getting the "get back to the back of the plane" stare from the knobs in business class the hostie then tells me I should be using the loos at the back of the plane.
Theres nothing in the terms and conditions on my ticket or any signs on the plane to the effect that I can't use the toilets at the front of the plane.
Of course when I'M flying business class its a totally different matter......any pleb from the back of the plane gets the snotty stare if he/she dares to venture into Bizzo Class!!! :D
Quote:
Originally Posted by kiwigeo
No, no - I've given up on the notion of service from service stations (and most other places) long ago. And I have sadly watched as the options for buying bits & pieces for the car have been whittled away. These are now relegated to part of a small shelf at the very back corner of the shop in most cases - behind the aisles of potato crisps, chocolates, lollies, various day-glo items masquerading as food, sundry groceries, magazines and far, far away from the wall to wall bottled idiocy called "drinks". Of course all these other things are ESSENTIAL for operating a modern motor vehicle! We don't need oil, coolant or replacement lights etc in this modern age. And when we do need these, we go to Auto Bhan or UltraCheapAuto or some such and get a huge choice of extraordianrily high quality items (the same huge choice of high quality items we get for hardware at Bunnings)
So here's to WesFarmers, Woolworths and all the other faceless corporations whose marketing geniuses think that quantity substitutes for real choice, price trumps quality and whose predatory practices drive both the small competitor (who offered real quality, service & choice) and their suppliers to the wall - their slogan seems to be "scr3w the customer."
:bartmoon:
Once I got upgraded to 1st class from Kathmandu to Singapore and the food and wines were something else!
Only wrinkle was that I was in my slightly malodorous trekking attire: shorts, heavy boots, 3 day old T-shirt.
Speaking of motor oil, my mechanic was saying that he's seeing an increasing number of clapped out motors when cars clock up over 100k km. He puts it down the increased service intervals which haven't been matched by improvements in oil or filters.
My 08 model Forester has an interval of 12,500 km, 2.5l displacement and uses 4.5l of oil with a filter 2/3rds of the size of std soup tin. My 03 model motorbike is 1l displacement, uses 3.5l of oil, has approx the same size filter but the change interval is 6000 km. Go figure.
The bike engine is built to much higher tolerances and therefore requires more regular maintenance. Your Forester won't rev to 11,000+ RPM and its compression ration won't be in the 10:1 region.Quote:
Originally Posted by rsser
Edit: Oils have come on in leaps and bounds which, in conjunction with improved metallurgy, has prompted the longer service intervals.
A mate with the same model motorbike used ordinary engine oil, changed it when he remembered, and sold the bike with 196,000km on it still with good compression.
As for oils, yes, if I could afford synthetics I'd use them but I've just dropped to half the interval on the Forester on the advice of the mechanic.
There are many factors that affect engine wear and oil life. My diesel generators used to get an oil change every 1000 running hours regardless of whether they needed it or not, but 20 years ago we started to use an oil test centre called "Kittywake". The oil changes were extended to between 2-3000 hours and articularly leaky engines never needed their oil changing, as they were continuously topped up with fresh!
The parameters we looked for in the oils were water content, fuel dilution, acid content and alkali reserve. Providing none of their limits were exceeded the oil was regarded as good as new. We also carried out monthly spectrographic analysis on the oil to see how much metalic wear was happening inside the engine. The oil sampling saved us thousands of dollars in oil, the spectographic analysis saved us from several catastrophic failures!
I remember seeing a couple of years ago oil sampling kits on the counter of one of the big car accessory places. The idea was that you filled a little bottle with with your sump oil then sent it away for testing. When the results came back they would tell you the state of the oil and wether or not you needed to change it. The only drawback with this system was the cost; I seem to recall it cost about twenty bucks! Only really worth it for synthetic oils as for $20 you can change your oil anyway.
Interesting.
Well, when fully synth oils topped $100 per 4l retail I went back to mineral oils for my motorbikes.
Have you considered Slick 50 or the (Aussie) Nulon equivalent? I used Slick in all my bikes and it saved me an engine rebuild once...Quote:
Originally Posted by rsser
...Back in the UK I rode from my home in Portsmouth to my Parents place in Lincolnshire (around 600km) on my 1977 Honda CB400/4F2. The next day I was riding into town when my oil light came on. The oil was low, but not that bad. I parked up, did what I had to do in town and bought a 2L bottle of oil. No matter how much I poured in (eventually till it came out the filler) the light wouldn't go out. So, knowing that there was plenty in the sump, I rode the bike gently back to my parents place.
On investigation I found that the oil pump had totally pooed itself; the shaft had nearly pulled out of the casing. I had to travel to the next city by train to pick up a 2nd hand pump. I fitted the pump, flushed all the debirs out of the sump and rode her back Down South to home.
When the engine got stripped down there was no appreciable wear on any bearing anywhere. The top end is lubricated by a second tiny pump outboard of the main pump and the camshaft ran in the bare alloy head (no bearings); even this area was unaffected by the oil loss.
So, I completely and utterly trust these PTFE treatments. Both mine and SWMBO's cars have been Nulon'd; my 1990 Jackaroo is about the go round the clock....for the fourth time. Plus I change their oils every 5000km!
I chose Nulon over Slick as a) Nulon is cheaper and b) it's 'Strine!
I use Nulon of every car I buy. It started when I used it on a second hand Mitsubishi I bought when first married. I got over 300k with only a ring change. When I traded it in the dealer did not believe me, as they had a tendency to blow motors around 100k.
It had the 1800 saturn engine, 4 cylinder and had the Nulon in the motor, gearbox and diff.
Yeah, I used to use Nulon. Recall an RACV test where they treated an engine, emptied the oil and drove the car to Sydney.
Have also read some of the debates. An opposing view is that that stunt could succeed without the treatment. Also that a filter will pull the PTFE out of the oil anyway.
Oh dear, the oil debate.
Is your forester the current body ? I bought one last september and am mildly disapointed.
The electronic throttle control is from annoying to dangerous.
The gearbox is the worst in a modern car I've ever driven. You ahve to go back to moss boxes to find something more awful.
The paint chips and scratches if you look at it from 10'.
Oil:
Base stock and additives.
Base stocks can improve the stability of viscosity over temp changes. Poor base stocks are fortified with stabilising agents which break down over time. Base stock itself does not. Synthetics deliver more stable viscosity over wider temps thus can be thinner at ambient. Can be less wear at startup but advantages on older motors dubious.
Main reason to change is contamination, especially acid build up.
Filter takes out 10 micron plus which is the stuff that does the most damage. Does not filter chemical contaminents.
Modern engines run tighter tolerances and better metalurgy = less particulate contamination AND less blow by. This is the main reason for longer intervals, but marketing plays a part. Remember if it's still going at the end of the warrantee it's your problem from then on.
Wear is proportional to revs and to a lesser extend metals.
Additive effectiveness and $ return varies.
Damian, mine's the previous model. Its manual box is pretty notchy and that appears to be normal. Yes, disappointing. Cruise control works pretty well in my book
Someone once quipped that the American Army fleet ran on Wynn's.
Now does that speak volumes for Wynn's or volumes about the poor quality of American engineering??, OR both?
The previous ones seem demonstrably superior. I expect the toyota influence...
Another irritation that has just reared its ugly head again: Publishers who release reference books in paperback format. :~
Yeah.
Can always rip them up, hole punch and fit in a ring binder. Then just take the relevant pages out to the shed.
I found online a PDF of my motorbike's factory workshop manual. About 500 pages. Printed a copy for myself and one for a mate with the same model. But there'd be at least 50 pages throughout of warnings in bolt print and text boxes. Almost on a par with 'careful your spanner does not slip or you may injure your fingers.'
Apart from that the tech instructions were quite good for amateurs like me.
I have no problem with reference books (i.e manuals, not biography, encyclopedia etc.) being in paperback form, I just the publishers would have them spiral bound so they would lay flat.Quote:
Originally Posted by Woodwould
I'm not concerned about manuals and other publications which are destined for workshops and ultimate destruction; it's the expensive historic reference books that are often out of print and difficult to locate. I want to keep those books in mint condition for eternity, but paperbacks always tend to get dog-eared and turn tatty quickly.
Soft covered books can be made so that they lie flat but it's more expensive.Quote:
Originally Posted by Grumpy John
I get irritated by the size of paperbacks. They are getting bigger yet the print stays the same or is smaller. Even my optician can't keep up with the trend.:D
Cheers,
Jim
Twice this morning I've seen insidious religious messages in people's signatures. You have no idea how tactless and offensive they are to others not of your persuasion or of no religious persuasion at all. Keep these personal beliefs to yourself! :((