Rant thread

[ckn]

25 minutes ago, JohnM said:

There was a  experiment recently on the M11 where HGVs were banned from the 2nd lane on certain hill sections. I understand that it has now ceased. Wonder what the outcome was.  

Germany

There are long stretches of autobahn where HGVs are  from the second  lane. 

HGV motorway toll

Since 2005 HGV over 12 tons have had to pay a toll for using German motorways, depending on the mileage, due to the fact that they cause much greater surface wear and tear than cars. Fees are calculated electronically, on the move, using a state-of-the-art satellite system.

HGV driving bans

Vehicles weighing more than 7.5t and any commercial vehicle with a trailer are not allowed to travel on German roads on Sundays and on public holidays between midnight and 10 p.m. This ban applies to all German roads (in line with para 30.3 sentence 1 of the Highway Code (StVO)).

Alongside the general ban on HGV on Sundays and public holidays, there is also a ban on heavy lorries using certain, well-frequented motorways and (a small number of) highways on Saturdays during the school holidays in July and August, between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m.

 

 

then this, and sadly, its QI!

:  A large proportion of the European road network consists of 2-lane divided highways, which are constructed to a high standard and enable higher speeds to be maintained by all vehicle types. A common source of frustration for drivers of cars and other light vehicles is the delay caused by HGVs using the offside lane in order to overtake one another. HGVs travel at lower speeds because of speed limiting devices or uphill gradients and one HGV overtaking another can take a significant amount of time, which can lead to cars behind being delayed. The purpose of this study was to review the research carried out on banning overtaking by HGVs on these roads and to estimate the monetary effect of a rollout of the scheme throughout the European Union.

see http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/note/join/2010/431607/IPOL-TRAN_NT(2010)431607_EN.pdf

 

There's a good bit of the A1 at certain bits between Newcastle and Darlington where HGVs are banned from overtaking during, I think, between 7am and 7pm. Doesn't half make a difference. 

[hindle xiii]

I'm just about ready to smash the hell out of my sky router after the last couple of hours.

Piece of .

[Phil]

I held a door open for someone at work and they sailed through it without even a glance at me and had a hissy fit when I said "You're welcome" in a loud voice. 

[Bedford Roughyed]

2 hours ago, ckn said:

There's a good bit of the A1 at certain bits between Newcastle and Darlington where HGVs are banned from overtaking during, I think, between 7am and 7pm. Doesn't half make a difference. 

Unlike the 4 lane M1 where you now get 3 lanes of overtaking lorries!!!!

[Griff9of13]

People who think it's OK to navigate through places like Waterloo station with their heads burried in their mobile phones. Look where you're going you ignorent southern two hats.

[Bearman]

1 hour ago, Griff9of13 said:

People who think it's OK to navigate through places like Waterloo station with their heads burried in their mobile phones. Look where you're going you ignorent southern two hats.

And then they just stop with their suitcase alongside them so that you cannot "nip round on the blindside" 

They then decide they will reverse suitcase first. 

I must take issue with your Southern two hats because it happens at all railway stations whenever a destinations board hoves into view ( of course it could be your S. T. H's that are lost up North) 

[JohnM]

On 1/14/2017 at 1:48 PM, Bedford Roughyed said:

Unlike the 4 lane M1 where you now get 3 lanes of overtaking lorries!!!!

...which combined with drivers who ignore the"use hard shoulder" smart motorway signs, and leave lane 1 empty means we have wasted millions trying to make better roads for stupid, ignorant and illiterate people.

[Bearman]

Talking of lorries.  Does any one know whatever happened to the once ubiquitous Norbert Dentressangle's in their red livery? 

[JonM]

14 minutes ago, Bearman said:

Talking of lorries.  Does any one know whatever happened to the once ubiquitous Norbert Dentressangle's in their red livery?

Now XPO logistics

[ckn]

The people who conceived the VAT system and how it affects the NHS deserve to be consigned to a hell of Barbie GIrl being played on permanent repeat while watching Katie Hopkins fellate Piers Morgan, with them only getting 5 minute respite breaks if they can correctly guess the VAT reclamation rules being applied to a contract they're not allowed to read.

I have a very bad headache working out VAT on what should be a simple quote.

I think it's a job creation scheme to keep HMRC people and NHS Finance people in jobs, either that or it was created by a sociopathic tax man who hasn't the courage to become a mass murderer.

[Futtocks]

22 minutes ago, Johnoco said:

Apple and Bose.

I love Bose....but have just got a new docking station. Nice one I thought, except the ancient Ipod I have (64G 'classic', all of 3 years old!) won't fit in the docking station as they are only designed for Iphone6 and up. What a scam, it was a present so don't want to seem ungrateful but it's going to have to go back.

Two companies who know how to keep the faithful on that new gear treadmill. Aren't there any adaptors available from third-party manufacturers, or have they made it totally impossible to work around the problem?

Edited January 18, 2017 by Futtocks

[ckn]

2 minutes ago, Futtocks said:

Two companies who know how to keep the faithful on that new gear treadmill. Aren't there any adaptors available from third-party manufacturers, or have they made it totally impossible to work around the problem?

Apple have actually gone over the hill on this one and have left behind their faithful with a few recent "advances".  For example, if you buy their most recent iPhone 7 and their most recent MacBook Pro, you can't use your MacBook to charge your iPhone as they come with the supplied kit, you need to buy adaptors.   Then there's the tech specs, in the desire to get the MacBook Pro even slimmer than ever, to meet no professional requirement at all, they've cut potential performance and used previous generation technology, all while ramping up the prices so much that it's shameful.

My 2011 MacBook Pro is getting a bit old and I had planned to replace it but I refuse to pay the idiot price to replace it with kit that's already outdated.  I may go back to using a Windows laptop...

The Steve Jobs wannabes in charge of Apple these days are doing all they can to be "cool" while failing to recognise that you also have to be good in order to sell your professional grade products.

[JohnM]

1 hour ago, ckn said:

The people who conceived the VAT system and how it affects the NHS deserve to be consigned to a hell of Barbie GIrl being played on permanent repeat while watching Katie Hopkins fellate Piers Morgan, with them only getting 5 minute respite breaks if they can correctly guess the VAT reclamation rules being applied to a contract they're not allowed to read.

I have a very bad headache working out VAT on what should be a simple quote.

I think it's a job creation scheme to keep HMRC people and NHS Finance people in jobs, either that or it was created by a sociopathic tax man who hasn't the courage to become a mass murderer.

VAT is a continental invention. French tax authority apparatchik Maurice Lauré fathered the tax in 1954, although a tax that touched on every stage of the production process was first theorised in Germany a century earlier. VAT took its bow in the UK in November 1974, as part of the price the UK paid for joining the Common Market.

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2010/dec/31/vat-brief-history-tax

[ckn]

4 minutes ago, JohnM said:

VAT is a continental invention. French tax authority apparatchik Maurice Lauré fathered the tax in 1954, although a tax that touched on every stage of the production process was first theorised in Germany a century earlier. VAT took its bow in the UK in November 1974, as part of the price the UK paid for joining the Common Market.

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2010/dec/31/vat-brief-history-tax

 

The decision that a government organisation has to add 20% tax on a contract with a government organisation providing services to a third government organisation and then give that 20% tax to a fourth government organisation just so the government can tax itself is an absurdity that's nothing to do with the EU, this is entirely the fault of the UK governments over the years, of both political persuasions (plus the Coalition time that no-one talks about any more)

[Futtocks]

2 hours ago, ckn said:

Apple have actually gone over the hill on this one and have left behind their faithful with a few recent "advances".  For example, if you buy their most recent iPhone 7 and their most recent MacBook Pro, you can't use your MacBook to charge your iPhone as they come with the supplied kit, you need to buy adaptors.   Then there's the tech specs, in the desire to get the MacBook Pro even slimmer than ever, to meet no professional requirement at all, they've cut potential performance and used previous generation technology, all while ramping up the prices so much that it's shameful.

My 2011 MacBook Pro is getting a bit old and I had planned to replace it but I refuse to pay the idiot price to replace it with kit that's already outdated.  I may go back to using a Windows laptop...

The Steve Jobs wannabes in charge of Apple these days are doing all they can to be "cool" while failing to recognise that you also have to be good in order to sell your professional grade products.

Not to mention their recent programme of eliminating standard headphone sockets from their gadgets.

[getdownmonkeyman]

On 16/01/2017 at 1:08 PM, JohnM said:

...which combined with drivers who ignore the"use hard shoulder" smart motorway signs, and leave lane 1 empty means we have wasted millions trying to make better roads for stupid, ignorant and illiterate people.

This! Variation on middle lane muppets.

[gazza77]

4 hours ago, ckn said:

The people who conceived the VAT system and how it affects the NHS deserve to be consigned to a hell of Barbie GIrl being played on permanent repeat while watching Katie Hopkins fellate Piers Morgan, with them only getting 5 minute respite breaks if they can correctly guess the VAT reclamation rules being applied to a contract they're not allowed to read.

I have a very bad headache working out VAT on what should be a simple quote.

I think it's a job creation scheme to keep HMRC people and NHS Finance people in jobs, either that or it was created by a sociopathic tax man who hasn't the courage to become a mass murderer.

It's seriously confusing, and that coming from someone who has worked in NHS finance for 13+ years, part of which was dealing with VAT returns!

[gazza77]

People who block book meeting rooms and then don't turn up and use them.

[Griff9of13]

4 hours ago, Futtocks said:

Two companies who know how to keep the faithful on that new gear treadmill. Aren't there any adaptors available from third-party manufacturers, or have they made it totally impossible to work around the problem?

I'm convinced that they impregnate all their devices with a highly addictive drug that keeps their addicts coming back for more regardless of how much they are suffering.

You only need to do a quick scan of social media around the time of their update releases to witness the pain Apple users are willing to endure yet still come back for more.

[Futtocks]

12 minutes ago, Griff9of13 said:

I'm convinced that they impregnate all their devices with a highly addictive drug that keeps their addicts coming back for more regardless of how much they are suffering.

You only need to do a quick scan of social media around the time of their update releases to witness the pain Apple users are willing to endure yet still come back for more.

The Steve Jobs aura still lingers, but it is dissipating. At some point, Apple will either annoy too many fans, or they will have found another PR/tech messiah to reinforce the brand.

As for Bose, while they continue to spend so much more on advertising than pretty much everyone else in the sector combined, they'll continue to draw in new customers.

Edited January 18, 2017 by Futtocks

[Griff9of13]

32 minutes ago, Futtocks said:

The Steve Jobs aura still lingers, but it is dissipating. At some point, Apple will either annoy too many fans, or they will have found another PR/tech messiah to reinforce the brand.

As for Bose, while they continue to spend so much more on advertising than pretty much everyone else in the sector combined, they'll continue to draw in new customers.

I have to confess that I have a pair of Bose in ear headphones. They were bought for me as a Christmas gift. They are very good.

[Bedford Roughyed]

Wide loads on the motorway taking up 2 lanes.

Should be banned until late nights when its quiet.

[Old Frightful]

Whilst driving, if you've never had the great misfortune of seeing one of these in front of you, you don't know how lucky you are.

 

[JohnM]

9 hours ago, Johnoco said:

I love Bose stuff, got a lot of them. But in cahoots with Apple its a poor choice.

 Bose linked up with Einstein before they linked up with Apple.

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bose–Einstein_statistics

[Bleep1673]

16 hours ago, gazza77 said:

People who block book meeting rooms and then don't turn up and use them.

When I was teaching CPR in 2015 I had to travel from Hastings to Whipps Cross to do a double session, no-one turned up for either session, yes I still got paid but it was a pain in the **** getting there and back.