There's always weight loss boot camp
https://xtremebootcamps.com/weight-loss-boot-camps/
From the pics it looks like you lose weight by thumping people so there's some attraction there.
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There's always weight loss boot camp
https://xtremebootcamps.com/weight-loss-boot-camps/
From the pics it looks like you lose weight by thumping people so there's some attraction there.
My weight loss has stagnated, and off on holiday next week so may as well pause it now, but the idea of thumping a few people to burn some calories is definitely appealing!
Where did the word “colourways” suddenly appear from? I’ve suddenly noticed it used on clothing, cars and now on Dyson headphones!
Wait, what!? Dyson makes headphones now?!
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...3d891e0d68.jpg
It's just means a range of combination of colours in which a style or design is available.
So Dyson are offering headphones? That means they will be vastly overpriced for what they are. Their vacuum cleaners are crap, look horrible and are expensive.
I agree. Also, the vacuum cleaners are exceedingly noisy and are made from rigid plastic that breaks easily.Quote:
Originally Posted by Barry
Twenty years ago Dyson moved manufacturing of his vacuum cleaners, and eventually everything else, to the far east (Malaysia, Singapore, China), and sod our workforce. Reason given was reduced manufacturing costs (cheaper labour). And yet his stuff is still taking-the-piss expensive. For that reason alone I won't buy any Dyson products.
I've got a Dyson I got almost 20 years ago still works fine, best vacuum I've had and only one that's lasted anything like as long.
As for moving his manufacturing, he's a business not a charity. It's just economic reality. Those plates you eat your tea off were probably made in Indonesia, used to be made in UK along with hundreds of other things, why pick Dyson out?
As for price if he was the only game in town and you had to pay that much then that would be different but there's dozens of competing products which are cheaper.
I did hear that those headphones suck, though…. (Can’t believe you didn’t beat me to that one, Steve! [emoji4] )
Every time I go to the tip there are always Dyson vacuum cleaners that have been thrown out - probably because they have broken.
There are better vacuum cleaners than Dyson. I have one: it's a Miele, made in Germany and is so powerful I have to use it on the lowest setting, often with the air bleed open. It is (or was) cheaper than a Dyson and is as old as yours.
They may as well be a charity, because making hoovers with a 20+ year lifespan is hardly good business. And neither is buying one when 'there's dozens of competing products which are cheaper' :ner: I suppose this is where you tell me you bought it secondhand...Quote:
Originally Posted by Macca
It looks like you may have the only Dyson hoover that's survived coming of age. But be assured that all those underpaid Filipino minions will be working tirelessly to ensure that never happens again.
Edit: I'll stick with me Vax, which is made in, you guessed it, CHINA :doh: That's shot my argument down in flames, but I still wouldn't buy a Dyson, not even if it came with a free nest of tables.
:D Yeah I missed that one... I see that What Hifi? gave it 3 out of 5 stars, with more capable models from Apple and Bose coming in cheaper than their £450 asking price. And the 'colour options' which gave it a bit of a Fisher Price look came in for some stick. The active noise cancelling got some praise though - handy if you're trying to listen to Dusty in Memphis or Inspiral Carpets above the racket of their overpriced hoovers.Quote:
Originally Posted by Alex_UK
No I bought it new. I expect to get at least 20 years service out of any appliance - my fridge and washing machine are both older than that. As is my pre-amp, power amp, Technics SL1200, the NAD amp on the TV system, my Sony Trinitron computer monitor.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pigmy Pony
My Sanyo microwave is from the early 1980s - still going. It's made of metal - remember when stuff was made of metal? My landline telephone is from the 1970s! 50 years old, still works fine.
Now I've said that they'll probably all fail by the end of the week.
You still have a landline? Does anybody call you on it?
Always the case that older, more basic things made of proper materials are more reliable than new stuff. My 'landline' comprised two tin cans joined by a piece of string - never went wrong, though long distance calls were a bugger. And every so often I had to change the string.
My first washing machine was a Hoover "Keymatic". You selected different programmes by inserting different coloured plastic "cards", bought secondhand in 1983, still going strong ten years later when we, er, upgraded to a Zanussi which lasted until just after the warranty expired, after which we got to be on first name terms with our local repair guy. That's progress for you.
No it isn't even plugged in as the only calls I get on it are from the 'Are you the home owner' sales wankers. But you have to have a landline subscription as part of the cable tv/broadband dealy I have.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pigmy Pony
Simple is better I agree you won't catch me buying some talking fridge or one that connects to my phone. Absolute bollocks that no-one needs.
I would like a fridge with an icemaker. Thing is the fridges with them are so big if I got one I wouldn't be able to get into the kitchen.
And you've already got two fridge-size speakers. I agree, simple is best - I don't want a fridge that says "Oh no not you again" or "Do you really need to eat that" every time I open the door.
Our standard size half-and-half fridge freezer suits us fine, though we do have a chest freezer in the garage :)
Yeah, my speakers are actually bigger than my fridge in all dimensions. It doesn't have a freezer section or an ice box though. I used to have one with a freezer but I never used it so when it died I bought a larder fridge. Uses less power, less to go wrong.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pigmy Pony
I watched a Youtube thing about a bloke who bought a 'smart' refrigerator, he had terrible troubles with it. Took him days to get it working right. Days!
I mean why would you need a fridge that connects to the internet and has to have firmware updates? WTAF?
Are people's lives not complicated enough already? I just don't have the patience for any of that stuff. One of the reasons I don't do streaming.
Ah - the IOT (Internet of Things), whereby your "smart" fridge knows exactly what you have in it, and when you run low on anything it will send a message to your friendly supermarket ordering replacements which will arrive promptly!
Who needs it? Those that are too lazy to walk to the shops. :doh:
Living in the future - we were promised flying cars, Mr Fusion, wheels in space. And what did we get? Talkie Toaster.
Talking of guarantees, I think for all non perishable goods, UK law requires a minimum guarantee of one year. When we were in the EU it too prescribed a minimum guarantee; the two running consecutively. (So thanks to all those who voted to leave. :doh:)
Given that, manufacturers will now design their goods, especially electrical goods, so they will just cover the minimum period.
I would agree that in the past electrical goods, possibly because they were simpler, would last much longer, and were often repairable. I have an iron which is 50 years old, a fridge which is 48 years old, my old CRT colour telly was 20 years old and still working, only changed because TVs are digital now. And I always got about 20 years useful life out of my cars.
"They don't make 'em like they used to."
I doubt manufacturers have changed their construction to fail in one year instead of two just for the UK.
Really all that 'built to fail' thing is just a myth. Cheap tat will probably fail sooner, that's why it's cheap.
My LG TV is still fine after 8 years - I gave the previous Sony one to a friend's son for use in his bedroom, still going fine after 19 years and that got a lot of use as I used it as a computer monitor as well as for TV.
It's more pot luck than anything I think. If you buy quality it will either fail very quickly or last for a very long time. There's always going to be some 'Friday afternoon' specials.
I doubt many tellies get the chance to fail these days - Council tips are full of perfectly good TVs that have been replaced simply because they're no longer big enough.
One of my brothers was round here the other week, he asked about my telly. He's not happy with his as it's too small but he's like me, he doesn't want to replace it until it fails. Said he might have to have an 'accident' with it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pigmy Pony
Never thought I'd be saying a TV with a 55 inch screen is too small but that's how I feel about mine now.
I never said manufacturers changed their construction to fail after one year. What I said was manufacturers design their products so as to just cover the minimum period of the guarantee, whatever that is.
All electronics have a 'bath tub' failure rate with time characteristic: infant mortality within a few hours, then if hasn't failed, a long life with an ultimate gentle degredation and death. Just like humans really.
.
I got a 50 inch back in 2007 when it was still uncommon. Like having a wall of television. I basked in it. Friends came round and basked in it. They'd make a special trip here to watch the footy on it.
Now it's nothing out of the normal, just an ordinary little TV.
I think TV size is often a matter of 'willy waving': "mine is bigger than yours".Quote:
Originally Posted by Macca
For me the size of the screen is related to viewing distance. The human eye takes in most information within an angle of about 40°. It is aware of movement outside of that angle, but detait is not resolved as well as it is within the 40° angle.
Maybe there's bragging rights for some people I don't know about that. To an extent it's all in the mind - I mean I will watch a black and white film and totally forget that it's black and white. Or something with subtitles and forget that I actually don't understand Japanese.Quote:
Originally Posted by Barry
When I was between televisions I was using a 16'' Sony monitor for a couple of months. After the initial adjustment forgot all about it. Only when I went back to 55'' was it 'Woah this is huge!' And a few days later that had worn off and it was just normal again.
I know exactly the same would happen if I got an 85'' screen, but still...
Save yourself some money and sit closer to the screen. Same thing really.Quote:
Originally Posted by Macca
This week I took a 32" flat screen telly to the tip. This one actually had packed up. I put it in the (small for a big car) boot along with a load of other crap. Twenty years ago we bought a 32" Sony TV, not a flat screen. We had an Escort cabriolet at the time, just as well - took the top down and dropped it in - it would never have fitted in a regular car.
Anita has been angling for a bigger screen for some time (75" or thereabouts), but it's not happening until this one packs up or I can't tolerate the 'screen burn' any more. Definitely won't get another OLED.
Problem with giant screens is that they amplify shortcomings in the quality of what you're watching, and a lot of what we watch is broadcast standard definition. So I don't see the point really. It certainly won't be for bragging rights, we don't get visitors that often, it's something we actively discourage :)
What do you have now? I got the memory that it is big, 60'' or 65''?Quote:
Originally Posted by Pigmy Pony
I wasn't being entirely serious when I mentioned bragging about size. The interest in large screen TVs has a more complicated history.
When the cinema came along the film format was quite small having an aspect ratio of 4:3 (often referred to as Academy ratio). When television was developed, it too used CRTs having the same aspect ratio, so films could be easily broadcast.
Later the Americans developed 'Cinemascope' and other wide screen formats, presumably for a more immersive experience. Cinemas at the time were only single screen and the auditorium large enough so you didn't have to move your head much to view all parts of the screen.
Now with the introduction of multiplex cinemas which can show several films at the same time, the auditorium are smaller, seat fewer people and seat them closer to the screen so you have to move your head a lot more when watching a film. They also have surround sound creating a more 'immersive' experience.
So when flat screen televisions were developed allowing one to hang them on a wall, they adopted a new aspect ratio of 16:9, and larger screen size to mimic the cinema experience. And to accompany the visual experience multi-channel audio 'surround sound' is now available.
I'm a bit of a film 'buff' and love to watch foreign language films. I'm also a bit conservative in my viewing requirements and don't feel the need for very large screens or multi channel audio: in fact I dislike the experience of sounds coming from behind me.
I started years ago with NICAM stereo, then Dolby surround, then Dolby Digital 5.1 for a few years but now I just have stereo.
It was a bit of a novelty for a while but I don't really miss it.
I demoed it to my father once, he loved it.
No, it's "only" 55". Plenty big enough for me, but then I'm not the boss of telly watching. Nor anything else that's not motorbike or music-related.Quote:
Originally Posted by Macca
On the subject of stuff you didn't know you needed, check out this, latest addition to Anita's Ninja collection:
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/..._AC_SX679_.jpg
There are presets for different temperatures when choosing various 'speciality' teas (says on the kettle 'specialty' :steam:) Or you can set to any temperature you like, 95C for coffee, 100C for proper tea, and a 'hold' function, where it will keep the water temp at whatever you choose. It does boil really quickly, but I can't say my brew tastes any better.
Looks expensive, but good to see it has a setting for coffee. Water for coffee should always be off the boil, as it should be for tea, 'speciality' or not.
Ah, NICAM stereo, arrived late '85, just too late for Live Aid. It was broadcast on BBC TV and Radio 1 simultaneously. So I recorded some of it (Bowie and Bryan Ferry) on my regular video machine and on my stereo's cassette player.Quote:
Originally Posted by Macca
Afterwards, with a bit of dicking around, I got to see it on telly and through the stereo simultaneously. Result! Unfortunately, it only took a couple of minutes for the sound and vision to go out of synch. So the later arrival of NICAM stereo was definitely progress in my world :)
If it boils really quick that's really all I ask of a kettle. I had one of those glass German kettles for 15 years, super quick to boil but eventually the plastic top and spout bit started to fall apart. It still works but I had to replace it. New one seems to take twice as long to boil but doesn't have any plastic bits.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pigmy Pony
NICAM was great. I had an Akai VCR with NICAM, excellent picture (for VHS) and sound. Then DVD came along.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pigmy Pony
Your newer kettle must be a lower power design. Older kettles used to be 3kw, but newer designs now tend to be 2kw.
That would make sense. There isn't really any other factor involved.Quote:
Originally Posted by Barry
No, it's 3kW. Currently 80 quid on the Amazon, but that's black/copper. Anita held out for a while, waiting for the black/silver option to go on special offer. Personally I could live with a tin kettle with a whistle you put on the stove. Everything in the kitchen 'beeps', even the fridge and the washing machine.Quote:
Originally Posted by Barry
I wouldn't mind a microwave that goes 'ding' when it's done, but I think you only get that on cheaper models these days.
A 'beeping' fridge - that is something I can do without. :doh:
(The power rating was in reply to Martin's slow boiling kettle.)
Yeah, if you leave the fridge door open for more than about 20 seconds, it nags you to shut it. A bit of a pain when you're loading it after a big shop, but pressing the button that switches on the fridge light shuts it up.Quote:
Originally Posted by Barry
That makes sense - my partner often doesn't shut the fridge door fully and is surprised when it needs defrosting.
So I've noticed it being used frequently, along with 'uptick' (just seen it used 3 times in less than a minute during a report on aggressive behaviour towards pharmacy staff), and of course people who should know better starting a sentence with 'So'.Quote:
Originally Posted by Alex_UK
Might be time for a revised edition of the OED :rolleyes:
Edit:'Uptick' is already in the OED, has been around since the 1950s. But, get this: according to OED, the word is used 0.01 times per million words in written English, compared to 'increase' which gets 200 uses per million. Be interested to see how those figures look in 12 months, but I expect to see an uptick in its frequency.
Thought I'd post this in a variety of colourways to make it look more interesting
They are just annoying Americanisms that are fashionable at the moment. I can't see how the term "uptick" is any better than "increase".Quote:
Originally Posted by Pigmy Pony
Both the OED and University of Cambridge edit their respective dictionaries, but you have to wait for the next edition, and it's not something that is done overnight.
I do find it annoying, but partly because I'm a grumpy old git. It's just younger folk trying to keep up with fashions, and these I see as 'in' words. I'm not even going to try - every time I tell younger folk that I'm "down with the kids", they tell me I'm definitely not :(Quote:
Originally Posted by Barry
You're right, uptick is no better than increase, see my previous post's figures on usage.
Possibly 'uptick' has a higher emotional response than 'increase', so it is used in marketing and other literature in which the objective is to persuade rather than inform - and from that it passes into everyday use?Quote:
Originally Posted by Barry
Could be used to describe one's experience when going 'commando' through a field of long grass :doh:Quote:
Originally Posted by Macca
You could well be right - the Americans have always had a knack in advertising copy to make things sound attractive.Quote:
Originally Posted by Macca
I first became aware of it way back in the early seventies when I visited a pizza restaurant. The individual ingredients were described in detail, so what was probably a 'bog standard' pizza was made to appear irresistible and attractive.
The scary thing is - it works.Quote:
Originally Posted by Barry
Sad to learn of the death of actor Terence Stamp, age 87.
Famous for his good looks and impeccable dress sense, he formed one of Britain's most glamorous couples with Julie Christie, with whom he starred in Far From The Madding Crowd in 1967. He also dated the model Jean Shrimpton and was chosen as a muse by photographer David Bailey.
After failing to be chosen for the role of James Bond to succeed Sean Connery, he appeared in Italian films and worked with Federico Fellini in the late '60s. The Oscar- nominated actor starred in films ranging from Pier Pasolini's Theorem in 1968 to The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert in 1994 in which he played a transgender woman.