WHAT ATTRACTED YOUR ATTENTION TODAY?

[PanBiker]

Over here Johnson saying he has confidence in his Home Secretary with senior civil servants resigning in protest. Is there something about reality I have missed?

Aye, the movers and shifters are restless and asking the question who gives them protection from bullying and abuse. Hopefully it will be Monday when she reconsiders her position and buggers off.

[Tizer]

This is clever. The big car and tyre manufacturers should be ashamed of themselves that they haven't already come up with a solution like this (but perhaps they're too busy working out how to avoid regulations rather than dispensing with the need for them!)...
`Students create device to capture car tyre microplastic debris' LINK

[Stanley]

Wasn't that reported on a while ago Peter?
What really got my attention was the fact my piston rod was 1/4" too short due to my incompetence!
[I won't get a Dyson prize for that.]

[PanBiker]

[I won't get a Dyson prize for that.]

Surely you wouldn't want one of those anyway. Yes, the man is innovative but probably the best Snake Oil Salesman so far of the 21stC! How else would he get away with charging over the odds for his non existent "digital" motor and his latest con trick, flogging hair straighteners for £400 a pop?

[Tizer]

Wasn't that reported on a while ago Peter?

There was a lot of talk some years ago about recovering the rare element metals that get into road dust from catatytic converters but I think recovering the carbon particulates is new, especially collecting them direct from the tyres.

That reminds me...theft of catalytic converters from cars in the UK has increased 6-fold in the last year due to a sharp rise in the value of the rare elements in them. It varies around the country and is worst - oh no! - here in the south-west with a 10-fold increase. The police say the thieves use electric saws and can take one off in less than a minute. They advise parking in as safe a place as possible, preferably with the exhaust side of the car next to a wall. Also fitting an inclination alarm that goes off if someone jacks up your car. In a survey many scrapyards were accepting the converters even though it's illegal.

[Gloria]

Not sure just where to put this. It arrived today on my husbands mobile, it’s a scam, if you get one, do not click on the link.

A9BC778B-ABE0-4ACE-BE35-7B7E1AD08482.jpeg

[Stanley]

Timely reminder Gloria. There are crooks out there looking for easy money. Don't give them yours!
Catalytic converters. Many years ago when they were relatively new, My mate Les, the tinsmith at REW, had a lucrative trade making new cases for rusted out converters. He didn't bother about putting the metal filter back in the cases but threw them away. I saw him doing it and asked him whether he had enquired into what they were. I told him I had an idea there was a lot of Platinum in them. I have an idea he did and found out something to his advantage because he suddenly seemed to be doing a lot of them. He never told me what the results of his enquiries was!

[Big Kev]

Not sure just where to put this. It arrived today on my husbands mobile, it’s a scam, if you get one, do not click on the link.
A9BC778B-ABE0-4ACE-BE35-7B7E1AD08482.jpeg

Looks like it may have already been shut down, the server isn't available...

[Gloria]

That’s good Kev.

[Stanley]

Not sure what's going on here.... I went online this morning to order 2 boxes of Safetouch Medium blue vinyl powdered gloves. I went to the same place I got the last ones, Amazon, and they were £7 a box of 100. They pointed me at powder free gloves at £4 a box more, almost £12 a box. I did another search for powdered gloves and found the Safetouch ones on Amazon for £8 per 100. Can't understand the difference. Just shows that even on Amazon it pays to shop around!
[There are cheaper gloves to be had but the Safetouch ones are a generous size and very strong, never had one open into a hole unless something sharp gets them.]

[PanBiker]

Can't understand the difference. Just shows that even on Amazon it pays to shop around!

Surely one lot is powdered and the others are not.

[Stanley]

Yes I knew that but why should that make them 50% more expensive? That's what's puzzling me. Same gloves, same manufacturer just no powder.

[PanBiker]

Maybe the manufacturing process is different for the two types. Your choice has only gone up by £1 so I wouldn't vex too much about it.

On my new boots which I ordered from Go Outdoors, (who I have an account and discount card with). I have found them cheaper from another supplier. Under such circumstance my supplier guarantees to undercut any competitors price by 10%. I have told them that I could have bought them from Millets about £10 cheaper so I could end up getting nearly a further £20.00 off, sometimes you win an odd one.

Oh, I got a letter this morning confirming that I will get £200 winter fuel allowance.

These things normally come in three's and the third good one is that Sally has got clear results today for her last mammogram.

[Wendyf]

[chinatyke]

A great day, Ian, especially for Sally. Go and buy a lottery ticket whilst your lucks in.

[Tizer]

We had surprise today - a large, heavy package left in our porch, but we hadn't ordered anything. Strange. Closer inspection showed it was from Moonpig. For anyone not familiar with this online business it's one of those where you can choose an electronic greetings card and send it to someone but you can also choose gifts and have them delivered. This box was addressed correctly to our house but not in our name and instead it was a name we didn't recognise. I went onto the Moonpig chat line and immediately had to jump through hoops with the automated system because I don't have an account with them and don't have an order number. Having got through these I explained the situation, gave them my address, the `wrong' name and the customer number on the parcel. The person on the other end of the chat line said OK, they'd deal with it. So I had to reply asking what they were going to do. `Oh we'll tell the customer and they can collect it'. I asked the name of the customer and where they lived. `Can't tell you that - data protection'. I told them I wasn't going to act as a collection point for Moonpig, I'm not waiting in for someone I don't know coming from somewhere that could be the other end of the country. They wouldn't tell me any more and they wouldn't arrange for a courier to pick it up, so in the end they said they'd send out a replacement item. I wouldn't be surprised if it arrives here tomorrow!

[Stanley]

Ian, what troubles me about the gloves is that I think it's an example of Amazon sharp practice and I was warning against it. The only difference between the two types is that one has powder and the other doesn't so there is no reason they should cost £4 more. Secondly, I arrived at the expensive gloves by typing in blue vinyl gloves into the search bar and once I had done that it took me straight to the expensive powder free ones and wouldn't allow me to go to the others. So I killed that connection and went back to a search for specifically the powdered ones I wanted and lo and behold, there they were on Amazon, £4 per 100 cheaper than the original offer. That's why I said it pays to search even inside Amazon. They are smart cookies and are always wanting to send you to the most expensive option.



Laura sent me this pic this morning of the conveyor that transports the ore from the mine she is at to the next stage in export to China. The pic is taken from the top of the primary crusher which crushed the sometime house sized pieces of rock down to conveyor size. The video of this was impressive enough but then a dump truck backed up to the crusher and tipped into it. It was a Komat'su and was carrying somewhere near 500 tons of ore. Then Laura told me it was 'autonomous', in other words it is controlled by an operator in Perth, like a military drone.
I find that SPOOKY David, how about you?

[Marilyn]

We watched “ My big family farm” tonight. Snow, 9 kids, Christmas!
( I loved it. Loved the kids. What a beautiful family. Brought tears to my eyes.)

[PanBiker]

We have followed the family and Amanda the "Yorkshire Shepherdess" for five years now through the TV series.Mentioned previously over in Good TV. Proper grounded kids.

[Marilyn]

Yeah ( sigh)...our first taste tonight, but it was brilliant.

[Big Kev]

Ian, what troubles me about the gloves is that I think it's an example of Amazon sharp practice and I was warning against it. The only difference between the two types is that one has powder and the other doesn't so there is no reason they should cost £4 more. Secondly, I arrived at the expensive gloves by typing in blue vinyl gloves into the search bar and once I had done that it took me straight to the expensive powder free ones and wouldn't allow me to go to the others. So I killed that connection and went back to a search for specifically the powdered ones I wanted and lo and behold, there they were on Amazon, £4 per 100 cheaper than the original offer. That's why I said it pays to search even inside Amazon. They are smart cookies and are always wanting to send you to the most expensive option.

The A9 algorithm, used by Amazon, uses a number of criteria to populate its search results, price isn't at the top of that list so you could have had the more expensive gloves show up because of fast delivery or positive customer review...

[Big Kev]

Ian, what troubles me about the gloves is that I think it's an example of Amazon sharp practice and I was warning against it. The only difference between the two types is that one has powder and the other doesn't so there is no reason they should cost £4 more. Secondly, I arrived at the expensive gloves by typing in blue vinyl gloves into the search bar and once I had done that it took me straight to the expensive powder free ones and wouldn't allow me to go to the others. So I killed that connection and went back to a search for specifically the powdered ones I wanted and lo and behold, there they were on Amazon, £4 per 100 cheaper than the original offer. That's why I said it pays to search even inside Amazon. They are smart cookies and are always wanting to send you to the most expensive option.

The A9 algorithm, used by Amazon, uses a number of criteria to populate its search results, price isn't at the top of that list so you could have had the more expensive gloves show up because of fast delivery or positive customer review...

Just curious but I thought the non powdered gloves were recommended for mechanical, oily use. Would they not be better as well as being cheaper

[Stanley]

Laura brought us news of her progress on the Pilbara. She is no longer a student paramedic but a full time certified one with a contract. The company have entered her for a Master's Degree course at Perth University so she can progress to the next stage in her career at their expense. She is fully paid all the time.
I know this is the company I distrust so much but I have to admit when it comes to training and caring for their staff they can't be faulted.
Just seen your post Kev. I can't see why non powdered gloves are seen as better for mechanical and oily. It's only talc on the inside! They were delivered today so speed isn't an issue. They are exactly the same as the non powdered ones and only two thirds the cost. Sorry but I think that's the reason why Amazon recommend them and won't let you move sideways to the others. I cheated by going in by another route and saved £12 on 3 boxes of gloves from the same source. That algorithm suits me!

Just realised something Kev. you said Would they not be better as well as being cheaper The non powdered ones are the dearest.

[Big Kev]

Just seen your post Kev. I can't see why non powdered gloves are seen as better for mechanical and oily. It's only talc on the inside!

I read somewhere that non powder was stronger, no idea why

Is it not cornstarch?

[Cathy]

Well done Laura