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Poorlie Paw is now a Purple Poorlie Paw--------the Brotwurst fingers are down to respectable chipolatta size.
was woken just before five am by a two year old using my tummy as a trampoline-----"Jaaaaaaack"-----is it time to get up ? Like it or not------your day has just begun,!
Managed three houses of slow goings on in the shop--------I've had more time to actually measure and mark up, something I never do------usually barge straight in and hope for the best.
I was just reading about Bernie and Slavica, during the German trial that he got away with, they found Slavica pays him $60mill a year from the family trust he set up.
Ill have a quiet word with Jilly as to when I can expect a "Divi" Pilgrim-------if you never hear from me again, you'll know at least I tried !Quote:
Originally Posted by powerabout
Attachment 380242
Things were going along so well until I dropped the slippery little bugger snout first onto the concrete floor!
Somedays you eat bear !
Attachment 380243Attachment 380244
Decided i I would simply wax polish the woodwork-----Mistake-----no prizes for idiots, just gave myself an extra four hours hard labour!
Thursday again--------is that the second or third one this week-------it's always bloody Thursday .
Drove the trusty Lexus for the first time in two weeks, poorlie purple Paw must be on the up------finally chucked the sling away-------people kept hoping I would "Get well soon"------was beginning to get well pissed at Well wishing people !
Bought an eight foot garden bench seat------price I paid would not have paid for a box of brass screws.
Seems everyone's buying chinky throw away stuff these days-----nobody wants quality stuff anymore.
Still have the teak garden seat I made 25 years ago.
Jackie, you bring up and interesting point. We have become a disposable society and not by choice. Back in 1985 I bought a new GE refrigerator. I had that refrigerator for 26 years and never had a service call during that time. Finally, one day the wife noticed that the refrigerator was never shutting off. I figured that it was low on freon and called the GE technician to check it out. He told me that the compressor was worn out and that trying to find one was going to be a challenge, but more importantly, the cost to replace it would be getting close to the price of a new refrigerator. Because it was 26 years old, he advised us to replace it. We bought another GE unit to replace it. I have never been one to buy an extended warranty, but for some unknown reason I did. It was only about $100.00 for 5 years - a wise decision. Within a few months we noticed a puddle of water under the freezer door. I thought that perhaps the ice maker / water dispenser had developed a leak inside the door. The GE technician came out and side that the problem was that when they manufactured the freezer doors (in Mexico), they did not fully fill the voids with insulation foam. Anywhere inside that door where there was no foam, condensation forms and freezes. Then when the unit goes on defrost, that frozen condensation melts and finds it's way out of the bottom of the door. Needless to say, he replaced the freezer door. Over the next 5 years we became good friends with Al, the GE technician, as he had to replace the freezer door 8 times before we got one that was insulated properly. Just shortly after we got a good door and the warranty expired, we noticed that the unit was not shutting off. Al came out and said that the freon line had developed a leak. He recommended not trying to fix it because once that happens, it will continue to happen. The freon lines are no longer copper like in the good old day. They are a composite plastic and after so many years of service, the plastic cracks. I asked Al how it is that the refrigerator purchased in 1985 lasted 26 years and the replacement only last about 6 years. He explained that it is engineered that way. He said that manufactures realized that if they built and item too well, they would not sell nearly as many as if they built them to only last a shorter period of time. He said that most large appliance are designed to last 5 - 8 years. The smaller appliances like toasters, microwaves, blender and mixers are designed for a 3 - 5 years life. The sad part is that we, as consumers, have come to accept this.Quote:
Originally Posted by jackiewilson
We will never be what we once were...
Talk to designing engineers in the car game.
In the 70's some of my friends said they could design all the parts, the tooling and set up production then 80% of their time was spent testing parts and redesigning them to fail at a set time/useage. That was the big 3 from Detroit in Australia.
( I assume the japs were working on the opposite game?)
They would remind me when something failed on my car and they said would say, yep I did that
...Sad, but true...Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob V
take the modern world now and young people...Quote:
Originally Posted by FUJIMO
they wont ever learn to drive a car properly as with all the built in controls they are idiot proof
automation slowly devaluing jobs
they cant do anything unless there is an app on their phone which causes the issue of not needing to know how anything works
the app owners will be giant global companies
I can see the percentage of good jobs relative to the billionaires are disappearing.
An increasing number of young people in the west know they wont have a life as good as their parents or grandparents and that has lots to do with the above and the debt they will be paying their whole lives in the form of taxation
Sod my old britches, didn't we stir up. The pot------seems we all agree life's never going to be the same for our next generations, or the pure carefree fun we had as kids------water from the hose, milk straight from the cow---------yes I've laid under a cow while my friend pulled tits and got more down my shirt than in my mouth.
Camping, where we got wet, cooked on an open fire, eating half baked potatoes and beans from the Can.
Rode bikes we built from twenty year old junk we found at the tip.
I had six of the best on several occasions-------never told my parents, if they ever found out, I'd get another hiding just for good measure.
Books we read in primary school are measured as classics today-------Brer Rabbit------Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn------Uncle Toms Cabin-----All Dickens tales kept us enthralled until the teacher read the next chapter.
Have you seen the crap kids read today------Saturday pictures were, Buck Jones or Hoppalong Cassidy----Gene Autry and Roy Rogers came later.
Nowadays its NEMO-----SPIDER-MAN, usually on an I pad with PlayStation 47
By 2050 kids will have square eyes but no long sight.
What are we doing to change all this -----I have to tell you, not a lot!
Students get "loans" of up to £50,000 --------I had JOBS-------5:30am paper round------7:00--8:00 helping in the bakery -----walk to school, run if I was late----out of school 4:30 ----paper round from 5:00---7:00 that was five days a week from being 10 -----15 until technical school .
My mother taught me my most valuable lesson-------if you can't pay for it------you can't have it !
To this day------I don't owe anyone anything-------you only reap what you sow.
I have just one debit card, so if the money's not in there, I can't spend it.
Yes, the Big 3 opened the door to Toyota, Datsun aka Nissan, and Honda. You could not get a quality built car here from the Big 3 so the Japs brought it to us and the rest is history.Quote:
Originally Posted by powerabout
On the same note, we bought a new VW beetle back in 2003. It was a frequent flyer at the dealership for warranty repairs. When the warranty expired in 2006, I thought I had replaced anything that could fail...wrong! One day I went to open the glove box, which we have never used, and the handle broke off in my hands. Naturally, it is made of plastic designed to disintegrate over time. No big deal, I can go to the dealer and buy a new one. Probably about $25.00 in my mind. Well the parts manager quickly educated me that the hand latch is not a serviceable part. You have to buy the entire glove box door for $325.00 - it's plastic..:eek: But that was not the end of it. You have to have the shop replace the glove box door because the dash has to be removed to access the bolts that fasten the glove box. That is another $295.00. So for a mere $620.00 I can close the glove box again. I found a less expensive option...it's called duck tape...:thumbsup:
Could you install a friction catch, or magnetic latch?https://www.richelieu.com/documents/...219967_300.jpghttps://www.wwhardware.com/media/cat.../s/u/subct.jpg
Agree...my daughter's 2008 Jetta is falling apart. Replacement assemblies are expensive so I've gotten creative with adhesives. Goal is to keep it alive for another year then help her buy a new car. Won't be a VW!Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob V
I am my families mechanic. More and more stuff including cars is being made with proprietary tech. I could build a Merc 500 race motor from parts back in the day. Now you cant change the brake pads or the battery on my daughters BMW without a dedicated computer. This is progress?
You forget the safety pin and the nail gun Fuji ? Or maybe the simple staple gun-------hells teeth, it's a FECKIN glove box that hadn't even been used before--------Duct Tape the damn thing up then spray it with a can of dashboard grey paint------job done!Quote:
Originally Posted by FUJIMO
I was lost the day they took away points and condensers and carbs----------exchange price on a 1600 Ford Cortina engine complete was £27:10 shillings!Quote:
Originally Posted by 2us70
All my four daughters first cars, I pulled from the scrapyard and rebuilt until they were fit for human consumption------Boo had an Alfa Romeo 1750 ----------Kim had a Lancia Beta--------Sam had a two seater Rag top Fiat Spyder---------Sandy had a beetle for two years until the body fell off the floor pan.
Dont suppose I paid more than a couple of hundred for all four!
This is all done to keep the repairs in the dealer's shop. Back to my 2003 VW Beetle. We were driving one day and the check engine light came on. In the past with other cars I have always taken them in to Advance Auto Parts and they would gladly read the code, tell me what it means and clear it as a courtesy. When I went in there with the Beetle, they said that Volkswagen has proprietary codes and nobody but the dealer knows what they are. He said it could tell the me code number and clear it, but I would have to call Volkswagen to find out what it means. When I went in to VW, they said that it was a cooling performance service code. That requires a new temperature sensor, thermostat, cooling system flush and new coolant. I had them go back in the records because they had done that same service about a year earlier. Once they saw that, they said that the code must have gone off in error. Had I not brought that to their attention, I would have spent another $825.00 for something I did not even need. Does anyone else smell fraud at their dealers??? I do....:eek:Quote:
Originally Posted by 2us70
Yes, Jackie, I miss the points, condenser, plugs and a slight carb adjustment. Those were the days....:thumbsup:
The computers you need to communicate with modern cars are expensive enough. The real killer is the cost of updates. In some cases the updates rival the cost of the original scanner.
I do like the outboard and sterndrive business as those products have been getting better over the years in all areas.
( less emissions and the controls as the Gov mandates they cant be fiddled with except by the dealer)
Didn't we have a ball today---------see what happens when we talk to each other-------it gets like a box of chocolates
Dont you just love Fuji's answer to the glove box catch------why show just one catch when you can show a dozen alternates. Way to go Fujimo!
Purple poorlie Paw is receding in size-----unfortunately the ache is not. Thought I'd give the pain killers a miss last night-----another mistaken...,, finally took one a little after three this morning, slept until seven, something I never do .
Yesterday being Thursday I went to the car boot sale------two hours later I walked through the exit without spending a brass farthing, got away with it , didn't buy any of those things that I didnt need but bought anyway.
Then this old chap who I vaguely knew walks past me hauling a hand held flatbed piled high with two grass cutters , three Honda engines,a compressor, and perched on top was a seven foot garden seat, beautifully constructed out of square alloy--------we started talking about the weather-------but he's a canny old bastard and he cut straight to the chase, "you want to buy it , make me an offer""------ buyer and seller I cannot be says I , how much you hoping for--------so it went on -------we settled at £15 provided he lifted the thing on top of the trusty Lexus so all I had to do was tie it down. I earned many brownie points from "Capadility Jill" with that one!
Meeting my sister Ange for lunch at the Chichester Yacht Club-------tell you about it later!
To my very good friend John Schubert------I just packed the latest twin Rude tunnel for you know who!
Afraid you got a bit more work than usual------- hands not working properly so was unable to do any gearcases------been advised to stop work for six weeks.
Looks like this will be the last concept for some time, sorry 'bout your bad lick John------some days you eat bear???
Getting to live the high life these days ----- lunch at the Yacht Club, with my sister Ange and Jilly, rare treat that used to be, nowadays it's a regular occurrence-------must be going up in the world.
I feel up to a trip to the scrapyard in the morning----first time in a month, quite looking forward to it, no telling what sort of treasures are waiting to be discovered.
Spentte morning packing all the finished concepts for shipment to the USA.
Bedtime-------not tired, should call it "Thinktime" ----------need to find the on and off switch-----am definately not ready for pasture land just yet. What the hell am I going to do for six weeks ?
Threatened to do memoirs about friends and associates------if I want to make old bones, twould be better for my health if I forgot that !
Ive always believed that you get one shot to do something great in your life------I'm still waiting, looking, hoping, wondering-------then it hit me------maybe I've already been down that road and had my head so far up my arse I never noticed.
Seeing how I've never met anyone------or even heard of anyone I would be willing to trade places with, could it be that I'm satisfied with my life, just as is, and the moment came and went without me noticing .
Very Interesting, as the little sh-t on Rowen and Martin used to say.
Be interesting to hear some of your thoughts here!
Jackie: We all wonder at times what impact did my life have on the world. Some of us did great things, others spawned great kids, yet others are still wondering what difference did I make. I guess all of the above applies to all of us. I for one am glad I have had the experiences I have had and regret some I didn't, but you know what; I wake up in the morning and thank the good Lord for another day. Chin up my English friend. You woke up this morning.
Johnno my friend------even I know you had a great impact on what happened during my life------whilst I tend to "extract the urine" , I can't deny what a great impact the Rotory had on the outboard world! Mercury had a look, was tempted, but in the end, "passed"------OMC actually "did"------
Thats it, that's all your getting-----they don't call you ROTORY JOHN SHELDON for nothing-------
True, I do keep on waking up each and every morning------but it does beg the question WHY .
Allways reminds me of the poor milkman Tevres from "Fiddler on the roof" wishing his life away( if I was a rich man))-------
Never once in my life have I bought a lottery ticket-------yet I have come across people who spend all the money they don't have on just a faint hope.
I still like to think I can wring the last ounce out of every day!
Surprised the Pilgrim didn't come up with a few comments.
Have to go------Recycling Facility beckons !
Like I always do once I get to the scrapyard, i fall into the "That might come in handy one day" mode------picked out £20 worth of "bits and bobs", nothing specific just odd shaped pieces that might make a stand for a concept--------will never understand why I do it. Nature of the beast I suppose.
Sam and Clive are on the way to SanFrancisco to attend my grandson George's wedding later this month. No, I won't be going------round the clock flights do not thrill me any more!
May take a wander into the shop later-------boredom, and a need to make sure the South Bend don't go rusty may have something to do with it.
Just bought another five band saw blades, was down to the last three-------done a shed full of metal cutting lately and dull blades are a serious risk to health. Again , the damn things fall into that throw away section ---------Starrets , or Morse blades come out at around £8 apiece --------it costs £7:50 to resharpen a blade------- why would I bother .?
after WWII the west had the best years mankind will ever see
I see the people retiring 10 years older then me and think nobody will ever be able to re-live their lives
From horse and cart to flying to man on the moon to mobile phones
outboards from 30 to over 300hp
etc
Pilgrim, we saw it all-------the greatest leap forward in the history of mankind---- encyclopaedia Brittanica gone forever to be relplaced by a lump of electronic genius that rules the lives of every one of us.Quote:
Originally Posted by powerabout
Just watched Venus curl up and die on the Centre court --------never seen such a one sided final.
Gone is the old guard-------no excuses------there are new kids on the block !
although there are a few, a huge percentage of the "new kids on the block" cant do sh1t without an app on their phone.Quote:
Originally Posted by jackiewilson
the old can do , have a go, logical thinking but uneducated and un-skilled 3rd worldies are replacing lots of the "clever" university types around here for the above reasons as employers are finally coming to work out what we have all known for years.
When I was working in a bank in the UK 20 years ago, HR threw your cv in the bin for about 50% of UK universities.
Top uni's in the USA are about the only ones left anywhere in the world that dont need your money so dont need to be in the business of selling degrees.
Not to mention for 10 years they paid less money each year as they thought the graduates were getting dumber and dumber
http://www.bbc.com/news/education-32579823
Never met a university person yet that could outthink me------none of them had the simple ability of common sense !
That's what's lacking; common sense. Schools don't teach students to THINK anymore.Quote:
Originally Posted by jackiewilson
Saw Frampton last night in concert. It was something. A little old guy with a big red guitar but he still rocks.
Well, it would appear there's life in the old farts yet--------it's great that some of you took time out to comment!
i will never forget my meetings with some of the legends of boat racing, both circuit and offshore at the old farts get together.
Odell Lewis, Johnny Bakos, John Sheldon, Gene Langham, Sirois, -Roger Hinsdale and Rich Luhrs, -----people I already knew like the Seebold's, Stickle, Butler, Stevie Curtis. John Schubert, All the Canadians, The Boyd's, Mark H.-----WARBY.
There will be many more I know but forgot to mention-------I apologise for that------I sincerely hope. That the OFF meetings continue for years to come.
The very first OFF will always be my favourite ------Caddilacs place on the inter coastal-------Marks place in Stuart-------Gieco's place in Jupiter--------the great food at the restaurant in Jupiter-------Mullins and the Scotti---------The Wings--------Jim Hunt Levelling the twin Merc Allison.
If you could only get get Caddy to cut the jungle back a bit-------would be magic to have a meet down at his place in Indiantown. ( Again)
Just had Pimms on the patio------- what a way to spend a Sunday in July.
Wimbledon men's Final ------British Grand Prix at Silverstone----Doesit get any better than this
yepQuote:
Originally Posted by jackiewilson
a pom wins both
Even the men's final at Wimbledon was a very one sided affair. I watched the tennis?
Saw that Hamilton won the British GP-------don't watch that Fiasco any more.