bentwaters81tfw Posted November 25, 2019 Share Posted November 25, 2019 30 minutes ago, Kallisti said: There might be something you need to give up before you can get a job there... Not.................modelling?! 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alfisti Posted November 25, 2019 Share Posted November 25, 2019 On straight pieces of railway track,overhead wires for a pantograph,the overhead wires zig zag above the track to spread the wear on the pantograph equally and increase its durability.The contact between the pantograph and wire is maintained and lubricated by graphite contact carbons. Dave. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Knight Posted November 25, 2019 Share Posted November 25, 2019 About 12 years ago North Down Borough Council ordered a new fleet of refuse super-size lorries from a German company. The new fleet was to cope with the larger growing population of the area and incorporated special types for the recycling. A company in Eire got the contract for building the new docks at the new refuse / recycling centre The builders used the 'metric foot' measurement of 12 inches = 30cm, they also used the tracking of the lorry rear wheels for width rather than the overall width of the body-work. Result was the bays in the complex were about 2 ft, (60 cm) too narrow when the first lorries arrived The council found it cheaper to build a new refuse centre and sold the old new unused place off to a builders supply company. Almost the same thing happened with new trains for our train operator Translink. They got new rolling stock built in Spain. The Spanish builder found out that our rail gauge is about 4 inches wider that that used in GB, They widened the whole of the new engine and carriage units by 4 inches - to each side of centre line! - rather than just widening the bogey tracking. Result was the rolling stock was too wide for the stations. All had to go back and totally new units built. In this case Translink only lost some face and not money 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NigelC Posted November 25, 2019 Share Posted November 25, 2019 4 hours ago, Vince1159 said: A raisin dropped into a glass of fresh Champagne will bounce up and down continuously from the bottom of the glass to the top... The Vatican City is the country that drinks the most wine per capita at 74 litres per person per year... I may have this slightly wrong, but it's something like: Vatican City has the highest rate of pickpocketing per capita in the world, based on its resident population (the logic being that the only residents are 500-odd* cardinals, but the tourists are targets for pickpockets**) *when I say "odd" I don't mean strange ** who presumably are not cardinals at that would be sinful*** *** Cardinal Sin was Primate**** of the Phillippines from 1974 to 2003 **** but not in the sense of being an ape. Though he was, of course, in the sense that all hominids are. Though the majority of the other ape species don't have pockets. That's more a marsupial thing. [it's okay, everyone. we've given him his meds and tucked him away for the night] 1 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spaddad Posted November 25, 2019 Share Posted November 25, 2019 4 hours ago, Vince1159 said: 74 litres per person per year... That doesn't seem like a lot, it's only 1.5 litres per week or 2 bottles, you sure it's not 740 litres per year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bentwaters81tfw Posted November 25, 2019 Share Posted November 25, 2019 I witnessed a Mass in St Mark's, Venice a few years ago. The priest was preaching to his flock, and kept his throat well lubricated with red wine throughout. In fact he got through so much, that his two assistants, (I hesitate to call them altar boys as they were young men,) actually stood either side of him to support him, and stop him falling over. This guy had to be Eighty if a day, or the wine had seriously taken it's toll. By the time he finished, he was sozzled, and his carers had to virtually carry him away. We were cracking up by then! He must have downed at least 2 litres while we were watching, and we missed the start. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 'Tis the Holy water. Another miracle!* *An old Dave Allen joke. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alfisti Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 When I worked in the NHS,we had,from a local parish,a vicar admitted who had a very serious drink problem.It had been tolerated for some time,even his philandering with congregational members of the opposite sex,until the day day came when he had to provide a service for the funeral of one of his parisheners. He had over imbibed of the wine,had started to perform the service,then slid into the open grave onto the top of the coffin.He received about a months treatment at our local institute,and was then passed onto a drinks dependency unit. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardie Posted November 26, 2019 Author Share Posted November 26, 2019 Here's an interesting fact: The old, but still the absolute best, dictionary of the Scottish Gaelic language was written by an Englishman. The creator of the dictionary was Edward Dwelly who was born in Middlesex and became interested in Gaelic while with the army stationed in Scotland and working with the Ordnance Survey. The dictionary was originally sold in sections from 1901 onwards and then as a whole book from 1911. He originally published under the name of Ewen MacDonald as he was concerned that Scots wouldn't take it seriously with an English name given for it's author. It is still the absolute 'go-to' dictionary of Scots Gaelic and I personally have several copies of it. Despite his towering contribution to the maintenance and preservation of the Scottish Gaelic language Dwelly was alienated by the attitudes of some people in Scotland (Gaelic speakers and non-Gaelic speakers) and went back to live in England dying in obscurity in 1939. Very sad when someone does so much and does not live to see his contribution honoured for the value it truly possessed. Dwelly was also a player of the great highland bagpipe and married a native Gaelic speaker. @LostCosmonauts Thanks for that book recommendation.. Not far into it yet but enjoying it very much. I have to say the author has a very clear and interesting description of the theories of relativity/special relativity which I think is clearer and easier to understand than Einstein's own explanation. Just about to start digesting his take on quantum mechanics which should be fun. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardie Posted November 26, 2019 Author Share Posted November 26, 2019 That must have been a terrible event for the family of the deceased @Alfisti Alcohol has a great deal to answer for in our society. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alfisti Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 Beardie,yes it must have been awful,but we didn't have dealings with the family of the deceased,just the vicar and the bishop. Must agree with you too about the consequences of alcohol in society. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Knight Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 There are 28 full days left until Christmas Day 35 minutes ago, Beardie said: Here's an interesting fact: The old, but still the absolute best, dictionary of the Scottish Gaelic language was written by an Englishman. The collection and preservation of old Irish Gaelic was done by William Neilson, a New-Scots Presbyterian Minister from Belfast. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tzulscha Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 Ya know how people are always finding leftover shells and grenades and other war detritus over on your side of the pond. Not so much over here but every once in a while... While magnet fishing in the local river (which runs through town), a guy pulled this thing out. It is a WWI German spigot mortar round. Now everyone is trying to figure out how it got there. Most likely some tried to dispose of it by tossing it into the river I'd guess, but I have to wonder if they though it would explode, dynamite fishing style sort of thing. Police bomb disposal units did confirm that the round was still live by the way... 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardie Posted November 26, 2019 Author Share Posted November 26, 2019 It's amazing how much ordnance folks have just lying around, often in 'live' condition. Years ago I was visiting a fellow in Falkirk, Scotland who had served in the Falklands and he had several Argentinian grenades and a few other 'memorabilia' on his mantlepiece above an open fire. He had brought it all back with him at the end of the conflict. We did 'test' a grenade in a secluded spot and I can personally confirm that the ordnance was, indeed live. Over the years I have met people with an assortment of weaponry from a lad who had his grandfathers Webley service revolver to an old boy who had a fully working Lewis gun in his attic. I think the stuff in the rivers etc. comes from when a relative has to clear out after someone 'departs' and find the stuff. Rather than hand it in and have to try and explain where it came from it seems altogether easier to ditch it in water somewhere. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwidave4 Posted November 30, 2019 Share Posted November 30, 2019 Apparently the Flat Earth Society has members all around the globe. 1 8 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardie Posted November 30, 2019 Author Share Posted November 30, 2019 Here's is a very mind-bending fact about the speed of light. Now I think I have this right, I am no expert, but here goes...…. The speed of light is a little over 670 million miles per hour. Now you would think, as Einstein himself pondered, that, if you could run or otherwise propel yourself at an equal speed and in the same direction as a beam of light you would then be at the same speed as the light and would be able to see it as if it was stationary (as you would see a car travelling at 100mph if you were in another car travelling at the same speed) but this will not be the case because, no matter what speed you are travelling at light, from your perspective (i.e Relative to you) will still be travelling at 670 million miles per hour. No matter how fast you go you can't even start to catch up with light. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VMA131Marine Posted November 30, 2019 Share Posted November 30, 2019 1 hour ago, Beardie said: Here's is a very mind-bending fact about the speed of light. Now I think I have this right, I am no expert, but here goes...…. The speed of light is a little over 670 million miles per hour. Now you would think, as Einstein himself pondered, that, if you could run or otherwise propel yourself at an equal speed and in the same direction as a beam of light you would then be at the same speed as the light and would be able to see it as if it was stationary (as you would see a car travelling at 100mph if you were in another car travelling at the same speed) but this will not be the case because, no matter what speed you are travelling at light, from your perspective (i.e Relative to you) will still be travelling at 670 million miles per hour. No matter how fast you go you can't even start to catch up with light. There is a little more to it than that. The faster you go the more time slows down for you relative to a stationary observer. Your length also shrinks, and your mass increases. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hairystick Posted November 30, 2019 Share Posted November 30, 2019 22 hours ago, Beardie said: The speed of light... (as you would see a car travelling at 100mph if you were in another car travelling at the same speed) but this will not be the case because, no matter what speed you are travelling at light, from your perspective (i.e Relative to you) will still be travelling at 670 million miles per hour. The big question is: If you are in a car travelling at the speed of light, what happens when you turn your headlights on? 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admiral Puff Posted November 30, 2019 Share Posted November 30, 2019 3 minutes ago, hairystick said: The big question is: If you are in a car travelling at the speed of light, what happens when you turn your headlights on? If the electrics are by Lucas, the headlights go out ... 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Dapple Posted November 30, 2019 Share Posted November 30, 2019 23 minutes ago, VMA131Marine said: ... Your length also shrinks, and your mass increases. I think I must be working up to the speed of light as I get older Cheers, Stew 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tzulscha Posted November 30, 2019 Share Posted November 30, 2019 31 minutes ago, Stew Dapple said: I think I must be working up to the speed of light as I get older Cheers, Stew Exactly as I say; I'm not getting fatter, I am merely closer to achieving maximum density. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedB Posted November 30, 2019 Share Posted November 30, 2019 Ah, the old E = mc2 stuff eh? If that's true, even in theory, then as my mass increases shouldn't I have more energy? Not working for me… 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorby Posted November 30, 2019 Share Posted November 30, 2019 6 hours ago, Kiwidave4 said: Apparently the Flat Earth Society has members all around the globe. And apparently their numbers are growing as FaceTube and the like, spreading the stupidity pandemic. You would have thought that with access to all the worlds knowledge, it would have the effect of increasing the populations level of education. Apparently not. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhouse Posted November 30, 2019 Share Posted November 30, 2019 9 minutes ago, Gorby said: You would have thought that with access to all the worlds knowledge, But the trouble is that the web also gives access to all the world's stupidity... 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted November 30, 2019 Share Posted November 30, 2019 On 11/26/2019 at 8:03 PM, Beardie said: Alcohol has a great deal to answer for in our society. On 11/26/2019 at 8:46 PM, Alfisti said: Must agree with you too about the consequences of alcohol in society. And to think that I get paid for carting the stuff around. On the other hand, I was in Grantham yesterday and needed a coffee so popped into Morrisons supermarket. It's good coffee (relative to other takeaway coffees) but the sight of large people in the cafe stuffing full English breakfasts into their faces was a bit off putting. In one case, a four person booth containing two people who were literally overflowing off the benchseats. Not nice. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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