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Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
25 years ago... Let me see.
I was living in Leigh with a lady called Rachel, just about to start my career in IT after 6 years of being a despatch rider then motorcycle instructor, and I had barely a farthing to my name.
25 years later I'm still waiting for my career in IT to start, I have one leg shorter than the other, and I now have 2 farthings to my name. Progress!!!
Is that Boston MA as in the US of A Upt'? Why were you there in a state of discomfort?
Has Ireland been upgraded from dial up yet nab301?
02/01/2025 08:42:20 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
Yes Ed, the Good Ol'US of A. We used to enjoy visiting the States but haven't been back in over 20 years now. One of the highlights of our forays west would have been Daytona for Bike Week. The racing was probably as good as it gets. They can put on a show.
The millennium trip included Vermont, Niagara Falls, Boston and all areas in between. The Americans and Canadians are truly awful drivers, you'd think they'd be used to snow? And it really snowed.
I think the only place where there's unfinished business is Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, we'll just have to wait and see I spose. Life's too damn short.
I hope you're keeping your feet dry in Bolton, it appears to have been wet.
Upt.
02/01/2025 09:47:25 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Apparently so Upt', but I'm elsewhere at present. I hope my house is behaving itself.
02/01/2025 12:31:01 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
I blame you Ed.
And comprehensive education....obviously.
Why have I never heard, seen or been edumicated about the River Irk. It would seem that this little and sometimes swollen (recently very swollen) beauty was once the driver of the industrial revolution. Manchester's very own Severn, Trent or Tweed. Whilst those rivers are as common as muck along with the Wye and the Ouse, I've never heard mention of this River before.
Like I said Ed you are held to account for your lack of thread education on all things Manchestanian, no more nonsense on motorcycle farkling until you publish your life's work on the irksome Irk.
Pffffffftttttt.
Upt.
04/01/2025 10:11:17 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
My life's work on the irksome Irk? I can give you my sum and complete knowledge here right now Upt'. It's a river that at some point goes through Manchester and apparently it might have flooded recently. That's about all I know. You are not alone in your ignorance.
It's raining here on the snow from this morning. It's wet and slushy and cold and miserable. It must surely be Manchester.
05/01/2025 19:05:35 UTC
nab301 said :-
QuoteRen - "The Ed¹ said :-
Has Ireland been upgraded from dial up yet nab301?"
Yes Ren , many moons ago along with Fax machines and other useful stuff!
Nigel
07/01/2025 17:02:47 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
I bet you still keep a small coop of carrier pigeons just in case through nab301...
09/01/2025 13:04:04 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Totally off topic but why the mania for fibre connections with gigabyte speeds?* Apparently it's possible to download a 2 hour move in a minute. But as it takes 2 hours to watch it, any time less than that would be fine. We have an 18Mb copper connection which is easily fast enough to cope with everything we use.
*The simple answer of course is that it means more profit for the suppliers.
09/01/2025 13:51:58 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
"My willy is bigger than your willy". Why have 18mb when you can have 70mb. Why have 70mb when you can have 200mb. Why have 200mb when you can have 1gb. And so on.
I can understand if perchance you live with a modern family. While parent A is streaming the latest Sci-Fi show on Netflix, parent b is watching you-tube, and 2 small persons are gaming, grandparents are WhatsApping to their other offspring's family... However even as someone working in the IT industry I was quite happy with my 17mb connection. I had to upgrade as that type of service was being superseded in my area, I now have 70mb which is the lowest I can get.
Mother, who could barely manage online banking but seemed to have mastered QVC, had a 160mb connection.
09/01/2025 14:04:59 UTC
ROD¹ said :-
My son assured me that you need these super fast connections to download games in two hours, which take over twenty hours to download on a normal connection???
09/01/2025 15:52:22 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
So at say 1gb that's (2*60*60) = 7200 gb. Far more than the disc capacity of most PCs. I think Ren nailed it in his first comment.
09/01/2025 17:17:54 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Your maths ain't quite there Ian...
MegaBITS versus MegaBytes. Hard drives are usually measured in Bytes and internet connections in Bits. Why? Marketing of course - and history. Remember there's 8 bits in a byte... normally. Plus there's an overhead with TCP/IP. I'm 100% sure Ian knows this but for the rest - data is sent in packets.
Imagine you wanna post a BIG HUGE ENORMOUS filing cabinet of paper records. But you can only post one set of records at a time. You have to get each record, put it in an envelope with a name and address and return name and address. THEN you have to encrypt the envelope so you chop up the envelope and muddle the bits up and put them in another envelope. THAT envelope also has a name and address and return name and address on it.
By the time you've sent the filing cabinet of paper records through the post you've added around 8% more paper than you started with.
10/01/2025 08:04:55 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Oh and there's latency. Each time a packet is sent it takes a few milliseconds to reach the other end. Then the other end replies with a "yeah, got #223445645". This happens asynchronously, you can send lots of packets and the replies don't need to return before you send the next ones although some algorithms set limits on how many can be sent before replies start to come back. But a lot of time is used sending and receiving replies.
10/01/2025 08:11:43 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
I take your points (and I did say 7200gb eg gigabits). But even so I still can't fathom it. Our copper connection supports 2 pcs as well as TV and set-top box. We never have any problem watching streaming services eg iplayer - no dropouts or buffering problems. But I accept we're probably classed as light users.
Anyway enough of this. Too cold to go in the garage to make cables for the little Norton and rejig the gear arrangement on the BSA/Zuki so will just think of silly things to say on forums.
10/01/2025 10:36:04 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
It's a complicated world innit?
Or am I simple?
Which reminds me, I had a moment this week when I was reminded how ignorant and uneducated I am in all things "modern automotives". Er'Indoors EML refuses to be extinguished. I don't even notice it's on anymore.
I spoke to a "diagnostics expert" in hope of a possible fix for the "Bank 1" lambda light.
It went a bit like this,
Me, I've changed the sensor twice.
Him, that won't fix it.
Me, but that's the fault code.
Him, yes, but, no, but.....etc.
Me, so can you fix it.
Him, yes but it could be a lot of things, have you checked the fuel cap, oil cap filler, dipstick rubber, EVAC valve, inlet manifold, etc....
Me, but it says Bank 1.
Him, oh they all do that.
Pffffffftttttt.
I'm going back to school, but obviously only for what goes on behind the bike shed, is that where I went wrong?
10/01/2025 13:38:36 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
If you had to ask you wouldn't understand. Clearly.
Smile and nod and give someone the money to fix it. Or you could spend endless hours trawling the internet and trying out multiple options (opinions) and prey that you stumble upon the right option for your until then unknown problem. Once this is finally achieved sit there with the smug satisfaction that you've spent 80 hours surfing, 35 hours tinkering and £346 on parts (of which the only required part cost £35).
Progress innit.
This is what happens when you take something already quite complex (the infernal combustion engine) and make it super duper extra complex with emissions regulations, electronic self sensing AI cabin temperature climate control systems, AI cruise control and collision avoidance systems and 1024 programmable seating positions with massage. But no cigarette lighter any more because it's bad for you.
10/01/2025 16:17:24 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Earlier generations of computer controlled cars did seem to be easier to use diagnostics on - eg the LR Discovery TD5 I had for a few years. I had a black box that plugged into it and was great for identifying dodgy components. But lately it seems we're back to swapping bits out which seems to defeatthe object.
11/01/2025 11:03:04 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Nothing is perfect Ian, except me of course.
It is my understanding that all the manufacturers are supposed to follow a fixed protocol for the absolute basics in their computers. This is what allows these cheap OBD2 readers to provide BASIC diagnostic codes. These are typically the emission codes ie Lambda sensor error or MAF sensor error. I hope most manufacturers follow this protocol but they then make EVERYTHING else as complex as humanly possible.
We bring it on ourselves. I hear people complain that cars are too complicated then they go out and spend a fortune buying a car BECAUSE it has central locking electric windows Bluetooth connectivity tyre pressure monitors lane control heated seats... People like their gadgets so the manufacturers fit the gadgets. None of the car adverts claim "comes with hand cranked windows and a key for the door - all mechanical so you can fix it yourself".
13/01/2025 07:55:11 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
JUST IN CASE.....
Bargain Bike Brands in Newcastle under Lyme are closing down and they really want to see the stock gone.
If you're in the market take a look online or in the shop, it's actually in Chesterton just off the A34.
I've just bought some replacement cheek pads for Er'Indoors helmet, they were starting to fail, BBB were way cheaper than the rest and free p and p.
Upt.
https://bargainbikerbrands.com/index.php/...
14/01/2025 17:43:54 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
Anybody got a pair of Weise Hydra troosers or know someone who has?
Are they warm, waterproof, quality, or not etc.
Ta me ducks.
17/01/2025 18:03:08 UTC
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