Trivia and other useless but interesting items

[Fifth Columnist]

Name an odd number that doesn't have an 'e' in it.
No binary numbers have an 'e'

[V8Ian]

Half, it's not divisible by two.

[pop058]

Half, it's not divisible by two.

A quartEr [bigwhistle]

[NavyDiver]

Acoustic Kitty involved placing listening devices inside a cat.
dolphins Pigeons and more

Even an Aussie was involved "One file details training using Canadian falcons out on a boat before mentioning they had tried using a cockatoo. "We are completely in the dark as to what the possibilities are in regard to this critter," the author writes."

CIA unveils Cold War spy-pigeon missions - BBC News (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-49692534)

[4bee]

Bugger me! That is a coincidence Diver.


I am 2/3rds the way through the book "Spy Catcher" by the late Peter Wright, Asst Director of MI5 where he describes some of the way out methods used by MI5, CIA & MI6 to get the job done.

How Britain ever got to participate in the victory of WW2 & the Cold War is beyond me. Some of the cockups by MI6 were hilarious. Dad's Army could have done it better.[biggrin]

Don't recall parrots being used though, but to each his own.[smilebigeye]

[p38arover]

I am 2/3rds the way through the book "Spy Catcher" by the late Peter Wright,

I found and bought that book at a Salvos store last week. Yet to start reading it.

You may recall Malcolm Turnbull, then a youngish lawyer, represented the publishers in the legal fight to publish the book.

[4bee]

Yep I seem to recall it was on for young & old/all at the time.


I have a "smallish" bookcase & have been slowly reading through them over the last 6 or 7 months. I hope that ain't a bad omen. [bigsad] [biggrin]

'Spitfire' by Jeffrey Quill, Test Pilot.. 'Muscle & Pluck forever'. The story of the South Australian Fire Brigade from it's inception until a few years ago. 'Apache Dawn'. the true story of a couple of UK Apache Sqdns in Helmand Province. Tim Bowden's book 'One Crowded Hour' about his friend Neil Davis, War Correspondent & Battlefield Photographer killed in Bangkok during a bit of a revolt, 'HMAS Sydney' & it's discovery off the WA Coast & of course 'Spy Catcher' & much much more.

One I would like to have really kept but loaned it to an Ex RAAF Lancaster Crew Member for an old times sake gesture was a lovely A4 size book on the Lancaster with lots of images & text. God only knows what happened to that but I guess his family got it when he died. Have never seen another copy & cannot recall it's title nor where the bloke lived.

Funnily enough some of these books were given to me as Birthday presents over many years & I have only just got around to reading them.

No no no, I am not an extremely slow reader, [smilebigeye]I just put them down & never picked them up again until recently.

[DiscoMick]

Ancient Australia was home to 'strange' marsupial giants, scientists find

Ancient Australia was home to 'strange' marsupial giants, scientists find | Science | The Guardian (https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/sep/14/ancient-australia-was-home-to-strange-marsupial-giants-scientists-find?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Copy_to_clipboard)

[RANDLOVER]

According to America's PBS a lot of lobsters going to China are actually American, despite the trade war, as Canada allows them to be called Canadian if caught in the North American Fishery so the Canadian wholesalers are buying them up on the US side.


"The American lobster is a species of lobster found on the Atlantic coast of North America, chiefly from Labrador to New Jersey. It is also known as Atlantic lobster, Canadian lobster, true lobster, northern lobster, Canadian Reds, or Maine lobster. It can reach a body length of 64 cm, and a mass of over 20 kilograms, making it not only the heaviest crustacean in the world, but also the heaviest of all living arthropod species...." from Wikipedia.

[JDNSW]

A hundred years ago (in December) Arthur Long made the first flight from Tasmania to the mainland, actually from Stanley to Port Melbourne, with a short unscheduled) stop in a paddock near Torquay to top up the oil.

His plane, Boulton Paul P9 had been bought by him in the UK after he was demobbed from the RAF/RFC and shipped home to Hobart. Despite being a new model, it had a prewar engine, the RAF-1 , first run in 1913. An unusual design (largely copied from Renault), it drove the large four blade propeller from the camshaft reduction gear, and was rated at 92hp from 8.8l, although this aircraft may have had a later version that produced 108hp.

[NavyDiver]

Together, the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets contain more than 99 percent of the freshwater ice on Earth. The Antarctic Ice Sheet extends almost 14 million square kilometers (5.4 million square miles), roughly the area of the contiguous United States and Mexico combined. The Antarctic Ice Sheet contains 30 million cubic kilometers (7.2 million cubic miles) of ice. The Greenland Ice Sheet extends about 1.7 million square kilometers (656,000 square miles), covering most of the island of Greenland, three times the size of Texas.

That's BIG trivia

[4bee]

It sure is Diver, so what you sayin' Willis, the scientists have got all this Global Warming crap all wrong?

[V8Ian]

You'd need a big glass and large bottle of single malt, to go with that.

[NavyDiver]

"For the first six months of 2019, the number of thefts of catalytic converters jumped to 2,894, compared to 1,674 thefts for all of 2018."

154435
Huge rise in catalytic converter thefts - BBC News (https://www.bbc.com/news/business-49767195)

[NavyDiver]

UTC v GMT time Trivia rocks (https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/timezone/utc)

[NavyDiver]

Thailand: Giant 4m-long king cobra caught in sewer - BBC News (https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-50067105/thailand-giant-4m-long-king-cobra-caught-in-sewer)

Perhaps if it was in my face it might not be trivial [thumbsupbig]

[4bee]

Face, Arse, it still ain't trivial, Diver. [biggrin]

[NavyDiver]

155007

This may be trivial or not but heck its funny [biggrin]

[Bigbjorn]

Face, Arse, it still ain't trivial, Diver. [biggrin]

4bee, you are unique if you can tell his face from his arse.[bigwhistle]

[4bee]

Easy peasy, Brian. His arse wouldn't be bandaged this week.[smilebigeye]

[V8Ian]

4bee, you are unique if you can tell his face from his arse.[bigwhistle]
Does he have zacery disease?[wink11]

[4bee]

Ah ha, You caught me out with that one Ian (AKA 58i) Needed to talk to my friend Google & tried it on with 'er indoors. Noooooo not that sort of try on. She didn't get it but suddenly she did.[biggrin] No not that one either.

For correctness it is apparently "Zachary", Ed Zachary, so Google corrected me.

But I had a good chortle anyway.

[NavyDiver]

Its Black, Its White - Its a Panda Cafe [wink11]

Chinese 'panda' pet cafe raises eyebrows - BBC News (https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-50141841)

[NavyDiver]

Imagine going to you boss as say you stuffed up to the tune of 1.5 billion pounds (https://www.bbc.com/news/business-50181360) [biggrin] The funniest part is they admitted stuffing it for 20 odd years[bighmmm] 1 2 3...... Maths is fun right

[NavyDiver]

I may have, My dad and mum are good at calling with out meaning to. Funny to see even high flying lawyer can as well

Lawyer Rudy Giuliani 'butt dials' NBC repo[bigrolf]

Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani 'butt dials' NBC reporter - BBC News (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-50193767)

[NavyDiver]

It may be a billion plus but bet a few mark this a trivia only [thumbsupbig]


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHNzOHi8sJs

[Saitch]

Thanks, ND. I hope your recuperation improves 100 fold so as to get you off your search engine so you cease and desist posting things like this! [biggrin][thumbsupbig]

Don't get me wrong. I really do like most genres of music, including this style. However, with this particular song, I do think the title says it all.

[4bee]

C'mon SH, you can say the word Crap on here.[biggrin]

[NavyDiver]

C'mon SH, you can say the word Crap on here.[biggrin]

Crap? Try "
a blue whale was capable of producing up to 200 litres of excrement with each bowel movement"[biggrin]

(https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-16/blue-whale-worlds-largest-animal-caught-on-camera-having-a-poo/11708368'sf223794631=1&fbclid=IwAR2tx0qkKQ-kY_U9Z9YFO1GY2xIgzPAALu2LbtO19K0wMYTwyxfetXF3DDg)
Blue whale, world's largest animal, caught on camera having a poo - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-16/blue-whale-worlds-largest-animal-caught-on-camera-having-a-poo/11708368'sf223794631=1&fbclid=IwAR2tx0qkKQ-kY_U9Z9YFO1GY2xIgzPAALu2LbtO19K0wMYTwyxfetXF3DDg)


155678

[4bee]

A wate/**** jet propelled Whale OMFG! Now if that could only be harnessed for use in a NZ River Rapids Tour Boat?

Oh hang on that has already been done ain't it? [biggrin]

Yer know Diver, I bet you have shared close accommodation with people like that, I know I have. [bigsad]

[RANDLOVER]

There really is an unfortunately named US Senator Dick Swett!

Richard Swett - Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Swett)

[4bee]

Yep. Unfortunate alright. You have to wonder who really thinks about kid's names before Registering their names.


I never know whether Smeg Appliances are ridgy dij or abbreviated from Smegma.[biggrin]

Would put me right off buying anything with that name spread across the Appliance Lineup in a kitchen[bighmmm].

[JDNSW]

I had a school friend whose surname stated with "W". You would think his parents should have thought before naming him "James Alfred". But wait! His younger sister was named "Jennifer Elizabeth". And neither parent had noticed until my mother pointed it out after we had become friends in high school.

[Bigbjorn]

I had a school friend whose surname stated with "W". You would think his parents should have thought before naming him "James Alfred". But wait! His younger sister was named "Jennifer Elizabeth". And neither parent had noticed until my mother pointed it out after we had become friends in high school.

Qld. Main roads some years ago issued new plates beginning GOY and JEW. No-one noticed or cared until some busy body bunged on about racism. Then the dept. decided to recall the offensive plates and found that many plate holders liked them and refused to bring them in. Surrender was made compulsory with a fine for non-compliance.

[4bee]

Marvelous! They unthinkingly instigate that system, probably at great expense, & then fine you if the plates aren't returned.[bigsad]

[V8Ian]

I once made a delivery to a Germanic fellow named Laudfagt, I don't recall the exact spelling. His pronunciation differed significantly from my phonetic plus faux German accented interpretation.

[V8Ian]

Crap? Try "
a blue whale was capable of producing up to 200 litres of excrement with each bowel movement"[biggrin]

(https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-16/blue-whale-worlds-largest-animal-caught-on-camera-having-a-poo/11708368'sf223794631=1&fbclid=IwAR2tx0qkKQ-kY_U9Z9YFO1GY2xIgzPAALu2LbtO19K0wMYTwyxfetXF3DDg)
Blue whale, world's largest animal, caught on camera having a poo - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-16/blue-whale-worlds-largest-animal-caught-on-camera-having-a-poo/11708368'sf223794631=1&fbclid=IwAR2tx0qkKQ-kY_U9Z9YFO1GY2xIgzPAALu2LbtO19K0wMYTwyxfetXF3DDg)


155678
That explains rising sea levels. I should link your post, in the climate change thread.

[V8Ian]

Crap? Try "
a blue whale was capable of producing up to 200 litres of excrement with each bowel movement"[biggrin]

(https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-16/blue-whale-worlds-largest-animal-caught-on-camera-having-a-poo/11708368'sf223794631=1&fbclid=IwAR2tx0qkKQ-kY_U9Z9YFO1GY2xIgzPAALu2LbtO19K0wMYTwyxfetXF3DDg)
Blue whale, world's largest animal, caught on camera having a poo - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-16/blue-whale-worlds-largest-animal-caught-on-camera-having-a-poo/11708368'sf223794631=1&fbclid=IwAR2tx0qkKQ-kY_U9Z9YFO1GY2xIgzPAALu2LbtO19K0wMYTwyxfetXF3DDg)


155678
I can see it coming, the next David Attenborough doco, "Crill to Crap.'

[V8Ian]

Yep. Unfortunate alright. You have to wonder who really thinks about kid's names before Registering their names.


I never know whether Smeg Appliances are ridgy dij or abbreviated from Smegma.[biggrin]

Would put me right off buying anything with that name spread across the Appliance Lineup in a kitchen[bighmmm].
Cheers Des, that fairly put me off me bacon, eggs and fried slice. :bat:

[4bee]

Cheers Des, that fairly put me off me bacon, eggs and fried slice.



That'll be a first for you then. But only if you are sitting at the kitchen table looking at your cupboard lineup, shirley.

I know I know, don't call me shirley.[biggrin]

[4bee]

I once made a delivery to a Germanic fellow named Laudfagt, I don't recall the exact spelling. His pronunciation differed significantly from my phonetic plus faux German accented interpretation.


I guess if you ate all the Dill Pickles, Pork in all it's forms, Sauerkraut & general German food stuffs that Herr Loudfart ate yours would be the same.

Mine would be.[smilebigeye]

[Bigbjorn]

Back in the 1960's I worked for a place whose two way radio operator was a Miss Stiffcock. True story. They pronounced it sty- ko. Name levity was a no no.

[Bigbjorn]

I guess if you ate all the Dill Pickles, Pork in all it's forms, Sauerkraut & general German food stuffs that Herr Loudfart ate yours would be the same.

Mine would be.[smilebigeye]

Is that why they wear those brown lederhosen so wet ones don't leave a stain? Good tucker in Germany. Wursts of all kinds, pork any way, hams, speck, rodkohl, sauerkraut, black bread, sauerbraten, kartoffel, pickles both kosher and not. And the beer!!!! with a korn on the side. Typical Berlin quick lunch is a stein (half litre) of local and a sausage taken standing up in a bar. Berlin coppers used to refer to their ID disc as their beer token.

[V8Ian]

Oh whoops, I hope he had a company fuel card.

Syrian lorry driver takes a 1,600 mile detour to Gibraltar via Skegness thanks to sat nav
- Telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/2440539/Syrian-lorry-driver-takes-a-1600-mile-detour-to-Gibraltar-via-Skegness-thanks-to-sat-nav.html)

[4bee]

"It's ok Fatima, the boss is on holidays for a couple of weeks & he never looks at the trip meter anyway. So I'll catch up with you & the rest of your family Saturday week at Louie's coffee house. Are your rellies thinking of going to the UK in my freezer van?" (In Syrian obviously)

[V8Ian]

[bigrolf] You're such an irreverent wag, Des.

[DiscoMick]

Back in the 1960's I worked for a place whose two way radio operator was a Miss Stiffcock. True story. They pronounced it sty- ko. Name levity was a no no.My wife was a patient of a gynecologist named Dr Pickett Heaps! [emoji1]
I had to try very hard not to snigger.

[Bigbjorn]

My wife was a patient of a gynecologist named Dr Pickett Heaps! [emoji1]
I had to try very hard not to another.

I worked with a guy we nicknamed "The Gynaecologist" as he was wont to say to the customers "I will look into it for you."

[4bee]

[bigrolf] You're such an irreverent wag, Des.


I believe it may be the company I've been keeping lately. No, really.[wink11]

[V8Ian]

I believe it may be the company I've been keeping lately. No, really.[wink11]
Paul and Rick? Rouges, the pair of 'em, I tell yer. [bigrolf]

[4bee]

It's a thing they taught in Trade Schools especially for Fridgies... "How to be Sarky, but nice with it"[smilebigeye].

[Saitch]

It's a thing they taught in Trade Schools especially for Fridgies... "How to be Sarky, but nice with it"[smilebigeye].

That reminds me of the time a client referred to me as being "Passively aggressive!"

[4bee]

Wot? You just looked at him/her all hard like?[biggrin]

[Saitch]

Wot? You just looked at her all hard like?[biggrin]

That's happened!

[4bee]

Do you realise that there are many pages of GOOGLE devoted to your unfortunate affliction?[biggrin][tonguewink]

[350RRC]

That reminds me of the time a client referred to me as being "Passively aggressive!"

It's funnier when you are called something like that months later by someone six times removed from any potential direct knowledge.

Then you scratch your head trying to remember what it might have been about.


DL

[DiscoMick]

I knew some students like that, usually over homework.

Understanding Passive-Aggressive Behavior (https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-passive-aggressive-behavior-2795481)

[NavyDiver]

Unwanted males[biggrin][biggrin][biggrin]


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3CenN7d30Y

Our rooster was my 5am alarm clock as a kid[thumbsupbig]

The sad lot of the rooster in a world with too many males - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-24/roosters-the-unwanted-males/11724796)

[DiscoMick]

Yes, it's a tough life being a rooster. Three of ours recently took a one way trip. The girls are much happier without them around.

[scarry]

The girls are much happier without them around.

And i bet the neighbours are as well[biggrin]

Seems our neighbour has just invested in some chooks,and one is a Rooster[bigsad]
Its one way ticket is coming soon.

Last week a couple of miniature goats also arrived.
It won't take them long to eat all the plant life they can get hold of.
They(the neighbours) take the goats for a walk around the block, every morning,on a lead.

[Eevo]

They(the neighbours) take the goats for a walk around the block, every morning,on a lead.

need a pic of that!

[JDNSW]

Many of the older members will remember the DH-100 Vampire jet fighter aircraft. First flying in 1943, it was in service with the RAF in 1946, and the RAAF a couple of years later. First Australian production was in 1949. It remained in service with the RAAF for about twenty years, with two seat trainers staying longer (into the 70s for the RAN). While not the first allied jet fighter (Gloster Meteor), it seems to have been the first single engine jet fighter to actually fly that went into large scale production.

What most people do not know, is that while the wings and part of the rear fuselage are metal, the majority of the fuselage is made of moulded plywood, similar to the DH - 98 Mosquito bomber/fighter/recce etc and the earlier DH-92 Albatross airliner.

One hardly associates wooden airframes with jet engines!

[4bee]

Not so much the Long Acre but the Long Block then? [smilebigeye]

Cockerels! Don't talk to me about Cockerels!

When I get a minute one day remind me to tell you about an illegal water meter, a cop banging on our front door to get permission to check our back yard for stolen property, a relly of the Southern Italian neighbour, a stolen block of chocolate, a 12g Shotgun, the jumping beneath the rear wheels of a reversing truck at a supermarket, the death of a Rental Tenant by overdose, Mysterious Chanting & clashing of Saucepan lids simulating cymbals, the hosing down of said Chanter over the fence, the placing of a sheet of Corrugated iron on Star Pickets facing our back door, complete with a painted black cross, a 90* turning of an existing down pipe so storm water would flow over our footings.

Don't ask ok?

Oh hang on, I nearly did.[biggrin]

When you may have digested that one I'll tell you about the Evil Eye episode, another Cockerel connected tail.[biggrin]

[4bee]

Many of the older members will remember the DH-100 Vampire jet fighter aircraft. First flying in 1943, it was in service with the RAF in 1946, and the RAAF a couple of years later. First Australian production was in 1949. It remained in service with the RAAF for about twenty years, with two seat trainers staying longer (into the 70s for the RAN). While not the first allied jet fighter (Gloster Meteor), it seems to have been the first single engine jet fighter to actually fly that went into large scale production.

What most people do not know, is that while the wings and part of the rear fuselage are metal, the majority of the fuselage is made of moulded plywood, similar to the DH - 98 Mosquito bomber/fighter/recce etc and the earlier DH-92 Albatross airliner.

One hardly associates wooden airframes with jet engines!

No, one doesn't John, it seems a bit of an anathema.

I recall reading some RAAF Crash Reports a fair while ago ( accessible online) & one of those was of an Instructor & Pupil in two Vampire single seat aircraft. The Instructor apparently told the Pupil to "follow me down & do what I do" stuff. The Instructor passed out or so the Air Crash people believed after putting his machine into a steep dive. The Pupil did what he was requested & both plowed in to a river bank at high speed. Both died of course, but that particular accident has stayed with me for some years. Suicide was even suspected but of course there was no proof. Since those days it seems quite possible now, with that German aircraft crashing into mountains purposely in Europe somewhere.

The Vampires might have even been in your backyard.


Edited 2:25 CDST. Did a quick search but not sure this is the one It was along time ago when I first read it. It doesn't quite fit the details of back then. But it could have been or the story has been altered?

A79-83 Vampire Fighter Jet | NSW Environment, Energy and Science



I knew I had read it somewhere & this is more like the story that first came out. .












(https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/page/10074372)

[V8Ian]

Unwanted males[biggrin][biggrin][biggrin]


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3CenN7d30Y

Our rooster was my 5am alarm clock as a kid[thumbsupbig]

The sad lot of the rooster in a world with too many males - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-24/roosters-the-unwanted-males/11724796)
Don't any of you talk chook (where's Ray)? In varying accents and dialects, they're all saying the same thing.
"Where's me tucker Mrs/love/woman?"

[V8Ian]

No, one doesn't John, it seems a bit of an anathema.

I recall reading some RAAF Crash Reports a fair while ago ( accessible online) & one of those was of an Instructor & Pupil in two Vampire single seat aircraft. The Instructor apparently told the Pupil to "follow me down & do what I do" stuff. The Instructor passed out or so the Air Crash people believed after putting his machine into a steep dive. The Pupil did what he was requested & both plowed in to a river bank at high speed. Both died of course, but that particular accident has stayed with me for some years. Suicide was even suspected but of course there was no proof. Since those days it seems quite possible now, with that German aircraft crashing into mountains purposely in Europe somewhere.

The Vampires might have even been in your backyard.


Edited 2:25 CDST. Did a quick search but not sure this is the one It was along time ago when I first read it. It doesn't quite fit the details of back then. But it could have been or the story has been altered?

A79-83 Vampire Fighter Jet | NSW Environment, Energy and Science



I knew I had read it somewhere & this is more like the story that first came out. .












(https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/page/10074372)
AHCSI, we always get or man, or a story. [biggrin]

[NavyDiver]

Yes, it's a tough life being a rooster. Three of ours recently took a one way trip. The girls are much happier without them around.

Must admit I know a young gent who took a shot gun to a grumpy roster as it always attacked a VIP of his [bigwhistle]

[NavyDiver]

155890[biggrin][biggrin][biggrin] Trivia but true. Only flying sub I have seen only got mostly out of the water so gets a "F" for flying [biggrin]

[Bigbjorn]

Must admit I know a young gent who took a shot gun to a grumpy roster as it always attacked a VIP of his [bigwhistle]


There was a Russian guy in East Brisbane who had a small furniture factory in his backyard. There was a sign at the front gate warning of a savage rooster. Hanging on a handy nail nearby was a piece of wood with a loop of string in one end to hang it on the nail. The drill was to take up the stick on entering and use it to bash the rooster when it attacked. Hang it up again when leaving. I think the poor bloody rooster was brain damaged.

[RANDLOVER]

I knew some students like that, usually over homework.

Understanding Passive-Aggressive Behavior (https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-passive-aggressive-behavior-2795481)

Wow, everything is being over analysed, is it passive-aggression or just being polite and fashionably late?

[NavyDiver]

Not 1800s 2016 and 2018 no kidding Almost not Trivia[thumbsupbig]


Navy ditches bread-and-water confinement option for misbehaving sailors: ‘It’s time for it to go’ (https://apnews.com/7bcc47fa84e889c94e4157c231e5aefd)More triva is why 1800 style punishment was just removed "Navy bread and water (B&W) punishment recently received a bad rap when a series of articles, both online and in print, were published in which the USS Shiloh (CG-67) was excoriated as a “prison ship.” In one of these, “USS Bread and Water: Old and Rare Punishment Loomed over a Demoralized Crew,” the author reports that the Commanding Officer (CO) awarded the B&W punishment “at least six times according to records.” It is not made clear what those records were. Was it in the CO’s “Punishment Log” where such records are typically kept? (https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2017/december/understand-bread-water-punishment)"

PS I ate very well almost all of my time in Our Navy [biggrin]

[DiscoMick]

More like being obnoxiously lazy.

[4bee]

But if you were in the Brig it would have been crap, right?[biggrin]

[Bigbjorn]

Oh for the days of rum, sodomy, and the lash. Nowadays it is air conditioning, hot meals, and bunks.

"Hands muster aft to witness punishment."

[4bee]

[biggrin]



Oh for the days of rum, sodomy, and the lash.


And not necessarily in that order, depending on one's personal preferences eh?[smilebigeye]

But supplying all that & getting to the Tiller Flat would have been a bit of a problem.

[Bigbjorn]

[biggrin]





And not necessarily in that order, depending on one's personal preferences eh?[smilebigeye]

But supplying all that & getting to the Tiller Flat would have been a bit of a problem.

Did some old sea daddy take you down the tiller flat to show you the golden rivet?[bigwhistle]

[4bee]

But not for the reason you mean. Ya Dirty sod! :Rolling:


Not to mention, to see the Key of the Starboard Watch.

[DiscoMick]

Didn't they drink rum because it had been brewed and so probably contained fewer nasty bacteria than their water?
That's my excuse for drinking beer rather than water.
[emoji1]

[Old Farang]

The worst thing is when it's your turn in the barrel! [bigsad]

[pop058]

The worst thing is when it's your turn in the barrel! [bigsad]

Do tell !


Better still, please don't [biggrin]

[RANDLOVER]

What is a Donkey's Breakfast? (https://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-donkeys-breakfast.htm)

Many, many years ago a sailor's straw stuffed mattress was known as a "Donkey's Breakfast".

[NavyDiver]

Firearms are tools in my view. Not for this type of malarkey

"A 65-year-old American man who rigged his home with a booby trap to keep out intruders has been killed by the device."

Booby traps: Man in Maine killed by own device - BBC News (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-50619952)

[NavyDiver]

156115

Out to Lilydale dropping 4 excited kid for an overnight bike ride. The cabin/camp in Warburton. School would not let me ride [bawl]

Coming back on Maroondah highway on a nice hill, 3 lanes and a great 80kph left hand sweeping bend. Sharp braking a few cars in front hinted at an issue! Horns blaring in front came in to view with a small car broken down with hazard light on. Observed the chaos while waiting for middle lane to clear. Stationary cars and utes trying to pull out in front of trucks doing 80KPH YIKES. Pulled up in front and asked the driver if they would like a towed to be clear of the danger. She declined the tow as she was just out of petrol- I took her to a petrol station then back. I gathered she must not have declined the tow offer thinking of "Wolf Creek" I thought as she took the lift to the servo.


I pulled up before the blind corner with my hazard lights on about 50 metres before her car as I saw twice more, the complete chaos while waiting to turn to that sided of the highway. Not mentioning the age of the driver but lets say she has not topped up a car before and took about 20 minutes before I hopped on my crutches up the hill to help. 😊 The splash flap in the petrol pipe is not that obvious I guess.


In the 20 minutes the lights down the hill changed about 5 times. Each time despite a reasonably big stationary Disco with hazard lights making it clear a party was happening; Again and again cars piled up behind stopping and then from stopped cars and utes trying to pull out in front of trucks doing 80KPH. Horns, air horns and even a few choice words directed at me for hindering the traffic. 😊


I wonder what those who honked an raged before they found the car broken down around the corner thought when the saw the person/car with no petrol they just may have run in to had I not been back where I was clearly visible? It was easy to change lanes behind me. It was very dangerous behind the car out of petrol.

It really doesn’t mater what they felt or think before or after. It’s very clear some people rage before they find out why a car is stopped an obstructing the left lane. Happily most did not behave like the few who did each time

Note to self- show my kids how to............. [biggrin]

[jonesfam]

Your help must have been greatly appreciated & was a good thing to do BUT,
Why didn't the young lady put fuel in her car?
Would have saved everybody a heap of agro!
Jonesfam

[DiscoMick]

156115

Out to Lilydale dropping 4 excited kid for an overnight bike ride. The cabin/camp in Warburton. School would not let me ride [bawl]

Coming back on Maroondah highway on a nice hill, 3 lanes and a great 80kph left hand sweeping bend. Sharp braking a few cars in front hinted at an issue! Horns blaring in front came in to view with a small car broken down with hazard light on. Observed the chaos while waiting for middle lane to clear. Stationary cars and utes trying to pull out in front of trucks doing 80KPH YIKES. Pulled up in front and asked the driver if they would like a towed to be clear of the danger. She declined the tow as she was just out of petrol- I took her to a petrol station then back. I gathered she must not have declined the tow offer thinking of "Wolf Creek" I thought as she took the lift to the servo.


I pulled up before the blind corner with my hazard lights on about 50 metres before her car as I saw twice more, the complete chaos while waiting to turn to that sided of the highway. Not mentioning the age of the driver but lets say she has not topped up a car before and took about 20 minutes before I hopped on my crutches up the hill to help. [emoji4] The splash flap in the petrol pipe is not that obvious I guess.


In the 20 minutes the lights down the hill changed about 5 times. Each time despite a reasonably big stationary Disco with hazard lights making it clear a party was happening; Again and again cars piled up behind stopping and then from stopped cars and utes trying to pull out in front of trucks doing 80KPH. Horns, air horns and even a few choice words directed at me for hindering the traffic. [emoji4]


I wonder what those who honked an raged before they found the car broken down around the corner thought when the saw the person/car with no petrol they just may have run in to had I not been back were clearly visible? It was easy to change lanes behind me. It was very dangerous behind the car out of petrol.

It really doesn’t mater what they felt or think before or after. It’s very clear some people rage before they find out why a car is stopped an obstructing the left lane. Happily most did not behave like the few who did each time

Note to self- show my kids how to............. [biggrin]Well done. The behaviour of some drivers is absurd.

[4bee]

And there was you Diver, thinking your life was going to be boring while on crutches awaiting your return to fitness.[biggrin][biggrin][biggrin]

[DiscoMick]

So, a trivia question: what is this called?

You probably know what it does, but I recently discovered it has an actual name. What is it? https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20191205/2fdcf0fcefe07f98ecf7ebdd7774c4f9.jpg

[p38arover]

So, a trivia question: what is this called?

You probably know what it does, but I recently discovered it has an actual name. What is it?

I call mine a knock box.

[pop058]

tappy thing

[4bee]

Bloody hell, Mick, if you don't know what it is you really shouldn't be rooting around with it. I can see it has cost you a finger already. [bigsad] [biggrin][biggrin]

[Homestar]

Knock box or knocker box.

[DiscoMick]

Close.

It's a bang bang. Good name Eh?

Bang Bang[emoji769] (https://www.sunbeam.com.au/Accessories/Espresso-Machines-Accessories/EM0100-Bang-Bang.aspx)

[DiscoMick]

While I'm in a trivia mood, in which Queensland town was the author of 'Mary Poppins' born?

[4bee]

Close.

It's a bang bang. Good name Eh'?

Bang Bang™ (https://www.sunbeam.com.au/Accessories/Espresso-Machines-Accessories/EM0100-Bang-Bang.aspx) So Mick, that wasn't your finger visible in there? Thats' disappointing.[wink11]

[DiscoMick]

So Mick, that wasn't your finger visible in there? Thats' disappointing.[wink11]No, my fingers are fine, thanks.

[JDNSW]

Don't laugh - my left index finger is just about recovered; I was emptying the kitchen scrap bucket into the compost bin, and some potato peelings stuck to the inside of it - so I banged it against the inside of the compost bin. With my finger between the rim of the bucket and the wall of the compost bin.......

[bsperka]

While I'm in a trivia mood, in which Queensland town was the author of 'Mary Poppins' born?Maryborough

[pop058]

Maryborough

Yep, they have a whole damn parade based around it.

[4bee]

No, my fingers are fine, thanks.

Fine or Finely ground. It does look like some sort of Coffee Bean grinder. A finger would be a piece of cake if you get my drift?



JD. It does happen & sometimes I think we have too many fingers, I mean who in their right mind needs ten? Well, not unless one is rebuilding a Gearbox & then 10 are handy.

[NavyDiver]

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20191203-what-we-get-wrong-about-time

It is true that many events in the Universe can be put into sequential order – but time is not always segmented neatly into the past, the present and the future. Some physical equations work in either direction.

A few theoretical physicists, such as the best-selling writer and physicist Carlo Rovelli (https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/jul/25/carlo-rovelli-i-felt-the-beautiful-adventure-of-physics-was-a-story-that-had-to-be-told) take it even further, speculating that time neither flows, nor even exists. It is an illusion (https://qz.com/1279371/this-physicists-ideas-of-time-will-blow-your-mind/amp/).

Of course, although some physicists propose that time does not exist, time perception – our sense of time – does. This is why the evidence from physics is at odds with how life feels. Our shared idea of what the concept of “future” or “past” mean may not apply to everything everywhere in the Universe, but it does reflect the reality of our lives here on Earth.


My time was A- Well Spent B- Wasted or C- indeterminable [biggrin]

[Saulman1010]

Close.

It's a bang bang. Good name Eh?

Bang Bang[emoji769] (https://www.sunbeam.com.au/Accessories/Espresso-Machines-Accessories/EM0100-Bang-Bang.aspx)Yea but....
What does it do with the grinds?

Mjs

[DiscoMick]

Very good.

[DiscoMick]

Yea but....
What does it do with the grinds?

MjsGrinds make excellent fertiliser for the vegie garden.
And yes, Maryborough is right. Well done.

Am I game to try another trivia question. Why not?

Where is the highest bakery in Queensland?

[V8Ian]

Probably Ravenshoe, the same place as the highest licensed venue in the state.

[RANDLOVER]

I've heard too much coffee grinds can make soil acidic.

The highest bakery is pro'ly the same one pink elephants frequent?

[DiscoMick]

Probably Ravenshoe, the same place as the highest licensed venue in the state.Very good. Over to you for a trivia question. I'm out, for now.

[DiscoMick]

I've heard too much coffee grinds can make soil acidic.

The highest bakery is pro'ly the same one pink elephants frequent?Gotta mix it into the soil. Gives potplants a little boost.
I didn't see any pink elephants at the Ravenshoe Bakery, but they did make a mean Ned Kelly pie. [emoji41]

[bsperka]

A 2 for.
What nationality was the person that Australia's highest peak is named after? And why was the peak given that name?

[JDNSW]

Polish, and he was a national hero of the poles, but I don't recall why the peak was named after a Pole.

[4bee]

A: It is estimated that over 100,000 people hike Kosciuszko each year. There has been the rare death in the area, mostly in the winter.


One wonders whether it will become another Uluru, Mount Warning in the fullness of time? Either that or it will cost a motsa to walk it.




I didn't see any pink elephants at the Ravenshoe Bakery, but they did make a mean Ned Kelly pie.


Did it have tiny fragments of heat beaten ploughshare amongst the gravy? [bigsad]

[NavyDiver]

Ladies Lounge anyone?
Here it was until the early to mid-1970s (1969 in Queensland),only men were permitted to drink in Public Bars: most pubs included a"Ladies' Lounge" furnished with chairs and tables where women and mencould drink together, but women were usually not admitted to the Lounge Barunless accompanied by a man, and were usually not permitted to buy their owndrinks.
Thissexual segregation in pubs began to break down after women's rights activistsbegan to publicly challenge the convention. One of the most famous incidents inthis informal campaign took place in January 1973, when a group of feministactivists staged a protest against the rules in the Public Bar of the Hotel Manlyin Sydney.
Whenthey entered and ordered drinks, they were refused service by the publican, whotypically claimed that the hotel had insufficient toilet facilities to caterfor women. The women's response deliberately echoed the tactics of theearly Suffragettes (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suffragettes): they chained themselves to a railing that ranaround the bar. The event gained wide media attention, and caused the hotelindustry considerable embarrassment.
Withina few years, this long-standing sexist convention had virtually disappeared inurban areas, and it was eventually enforced by state and federalanti-discrimination legislation in succeeding years.



Saudi have or had a ladies door (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/12/saudi-arabia-ends-gender-segregated-entrances-restaurants-191208171725619.html) [biggrin]

[bsperka]

Polish, and he was a national hero of the poles, but I don't recall why the peak was named after a Pole.The mountain was named by the Polish explorer Sir Paweł Edmund Strzelecki KCMG CB FRS FRGS in 1840, in honour of Polish-Lithuanian freedom fighter General Tadeusz Kościuszko, because of its perceived resemblance to the*Kościuszko*Mound in Kraków, Poland.

The Strzelecki track is named after the Polish explorer.

[NavyDiver]

The mountain was named by the Polish explorer Paweł Edmund Strzelecki in 1840, in honour of Polish-Lithuanian freedom fighter General Tadeusz*Kościuszko, because of its perceived resemblance to the*Kościuszko*Mound in Kraków, Poland.

The Strzelecki track is named after the Polish explorer.

"Sir Paweł Edmund Strzelecki KCMG CB FRS FRGS" you forgot the Sir [thumbsupbig]

[NavyDiver]

Bangalore: Dummies in police uniforms 'control' city trafficTrivia at its best. I did send to my Ex navy police mates with a apology for being cheeky.

156192

Bangalore: Dummies in police uniforms 'control' city traffic - BBC News (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-50724823)

[Saitch]

In Qld, "P" plate drivers are not allowed to drive a modified vehicle, unless modified by the manufacturer. What this means is that, if an older, pre-seat belt, vehicle has had belts fitted, a "P" driver can't legally drive the vehicle. Remove the seat belts and all is OK.

Makes sense, hey!

[donh54]

What we get wrong about time - BBC Future (https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20191203-what-we-get-wrong-about-time)

It is true that many events in the Universe can be put into sequential order – but time is not always segmented neatly into the past, the present and the future. Some physical equations work in either direction.

A few theoretical physicists, such as the best-selling writer and physicist Carlo Rovelli (https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/jul/25/carlo-rovelli-i-felt-the-beautiful-adventure-of-physics-was-a-story-that-had-to-be-told) take it even further, speculating that time neither flows, nor even exists. It is an illusion (https://qz.com/1279371/this-physicists-ideas-of-time-will-blow-your-mind/amp/).

Of course, although some physicists propose that time does not exist, time perception – our sense of time – does. This is why the evidence from physics is at odds with how life feels. Our shared idea of what the concept of “future” or “past” mean may not apply to everything everywhere in the Universe, but it does reflect the reality of our lives here on Earth.


My time was A- Well Spent B- Wasted or C- indeterminable [biggrin]

I'll bet he still lodged his time-sheets every fortnight!

[4bee]

In Qld, "P" plate drivers are not allowed to drive a modified vehicle, unless modified by the manufacturer. What this means is that, if an older, pre-seat belt, vehicle has had belts fitted, a "P" driver can't legally drive the vehicle. Remove the seat belts and all is OK.

Makes sense, hey!


NO it doesn't SH. Some of you Banana Benders are funny people.[smilebigeye]

[DiscoMick]

Wouldn't that be overriden by the rule about having searbelts fitted? Weird.
Federal law overrules state law.

[JDNSW]

No. Seat belt fitting rules are not retrospective.

And Federal law only supersedes state law in areas that are withing the power of the Commonwealth under the constitution (or which states have passed on to the Commonwealth. There is nothing in the Constitution about motor vehicles, and since any powers not specifically mentioned in the constitution remain with the states, the only powers about motor vehicles that the Commonwealth has are those which have been agreed to by states or which exist because of specific federal powers.

Hence, for example, the Commonwealth can prohibit the import of vehicles which do not meet ADRs under its powers on international trade and treaties, but these ADRs only apply to vehicles being registered to the extent that state legislation says they have to meet ADRs.

[NavyDiver]

Ok the size of the octopus may not be "trivial" [biggrin]

Octopus and eagle square off at Canadian fish farm
Octopus and eagle square off at Canadian fish farm - BBC News (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-50751898)

[V8Ian]

No. Seat belt fitting rules are not retrospective.

And Federal law only supersedes state law in areas that are withing the power of the Commonwealth under the constitution (or which states have passed on to the Commonwealth. There is nothing in the Constitution about motor vehicles, and since any powers not specifically mentioned in the constitution remain with the states, the only powers about motor vehicles that the Commonwealth has are those which have been agreed to by states or which exist because of specific federal powers.

Hence, for example, the Commonwealth can prohibit the import of vehicles which do not meet ADRs under its powers on international trade and treaties, but these ADRs only apply to vehicles being registered to the extent that state legislation says they have to meet ADRs.
Here in Queensland, if a car was manufactured sans seatbelts or blinkers there is no legal compulsion to retrospectively fit either. If however, either or both have been voluntarily fitted, it is illegal to remove them.
Hence, we have otherwise concourse, old vehicles that predate blinkers, fitted with such.

[p38arover]

Close.

It's a bang bang.

No, that's a trade name, not the generic - a bit like a vacuum cleaner being called a Hoover or a PA system being called a Tannoy in Britain.

[p38arover]

Polish, and he was a national hero of the poles, but I don't recall why the peak was named after a Pole.

He also fought in the American Civil War.

[NavyDiver]

I wonder how the easily offended are surviving Care needed as " the worms as "10-inch" (or 25cm) and described them as "pulsing"," could be misinterpreted[biggrin]


'Penis fish' wash up on Californian beach by the thousands after storm disturbs sand burrow (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-14/penis-fish-fat-inkeeper-worm-wash-up-on-beach-california/11800276)

[NavyDiver]

Or in this case dig up your dead

Quadriga: Lawyers for users of bankrupt crypto firm seek exhumation of founder (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-50751899)

[V8Ian]

You have some strange surfing habits, James. [bighmmm][biggrin]

[4bee]

I wonder how the easily offended are surviving Care needed as " the worms as "10-inch" (or 25cm) and described them as "pulsing"," could be misinterpreted


[B]'Penis fish' wash up on Californian beach by the thousands after storm disturbs sand burrow (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-14/penis-fish-fat-inkeeper-worm-wash-up-on-beach-california/11800276)




QUICK QUICK, where can I buy a Couple for the weekend?[biggrin]

[NavyDiver]

You have some strange surfing habits, James. [bighmmm][biggrin]

Whats wrong with my mini malibu and how did you know I had it Ian? [bigrolf][bigrolf][bigrolf]

[4bee]

I guess he just sees you as the sort of chap that would have one. [biggrin]

[NavyDiver]

O joy- I can be a trivial smarty pants again [thumbsupbig]

"
So, marathon running is actually protective for your knees. There’s been a few long-term studies. Meaning they followed runners who run marathons and run marathons on a regular basis, and then they come back to them 20-30 years later.
(https://www.businessinsider.com.au/marathon-running-health-benefits-long-term-knees-injuries-2017-11?r=US&IR=T)
(https://www.businessinsider.com.au/marathon-running-health-benefits-long-term-knees-injuries-2017-11?r=US&IR=T)It actually decreases all-cause mortality, meaning these people are living longer. They have fewer diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes. But it’s actually protective for their knees. They have fewer instances of osteoarthritis. Which is when the bones wear away.
(https://www.businessinsider.com.au/marathon-running-health-benefits-long-term-knees-injuries-2017-11?r=US&IR=T)
(https://www.businessinsider.com.au/marathon-running-health-benefits-long-term-knees-injuries-2017-11?r=US&IR=T)So running, in general, is extremely beneficial. It’s very healthy for you. And it protects against other diseases.
(https://www.businessinsider.com.au/marathon-running-health-benefits-long-term-knees-injuries-2017-11?r=US&IR=T)
(https://www.businessinsider.com.au/marathon-running-health-benefits-long-term-knees-injuries-2017-11?r=US&IR=T)Running isn’t bad for your joints. It’s not bad for your ankle, your knee, or your hip joints. However, if you already have an injury, then you are far more likely to get injured moving forward with a training program. (https://www.businessinsider.com.au/marathon-running-health-benefits-long-term-knees-injuries-2017-11?r=US&IR=T)
(https://www.businessinsider.com.au/marathon-running-health-benefits-long-term-knees-injuries-2017-11?r=US&IR=T)So arthritis, for example, where there’s bone-on-bone contact and a degradation of the bone and the cartilage in between, where those two bony surfaces come together. Certainly, you don’t want to cause increased forces within that joint itself. But that’s not to say that you can’t run. If you get your muscles good and strong to support that shock wave that travels up to your body with every step, then you can mitigate or minimise those forces just fine (https://www.businessinsider.com.au/marathon-running-health-benefits-long-term-knees-injuries-2017-11?r=US&IR=T)."

[NavyDiver]

Only need direct sun and 35 to cook an egg. It was going to be in a "hot weather" post but I was worried some are hot under the collar about the temperature[biggrin]

]Nothing found for Community Kids Tricks The Hot Enough To Fry An Egg On The Sidewalk Trick [Biggrin] (http://eggs.ab.ca/community/kids/tricks/the-hot-enough-to-fry-an-egg-on-the-sidewalk-trick/[biggrin)

[Saitch]

It's 45° here at the moment so maybe an omelette is on the cards?

[Saitch]

Got the ladder out this morn to check the gutters for rubbish and am now convinced that, as I get older, there is such an issue as "Climb-it Change".[biggrin]

[4bee]

It's 45° here at the moment so maybe an omelette is on the cards?

Messy bugger! Why do you want to spoil a Pack of cards pray tell?


The only Climb-it Change I have to put up with is when you get to the top of the ladder you forget why you are there even if you have hammer & nails in your hands.[biggrin][bigsad]




No, not really.:rolleyes:

[NavyDiver]

Waiting 25 years for this [biggrin]

All I Want For Christmas is You: Mariah classic finally tops US chart - BBC News (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-50818039)

Sing it loud [biggrin]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXQViqx6GMY

[Eevo]

Waiting 25 years for this [biggrin]

All I Want For Christmas is You: Mariah classic finally tops US chart - BBC News (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-50818039)

Sing it loud [biggrin]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXQViqx6GMY

i wish i had the patience to make this


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72DzsV7lolI

[RANDLOVER]

Australia'''s best beaches list includes inland Wagga Wagga (https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/12/australias-best-beaches-list-includes-inland-wagga-wagga.html)

Wagga Beach has made it into the Top 10.

[NavyDiver]

Loved Wagga Wagga Beach until both main and AUX battery died for me[thumbsupbig]

Toast burnt anyone. ? Try 40,813 time for fire alarms
156381

Five out of six English fire services say they do not send crews out to every automatic alarm because "the vast majority" are false.

The majority of false alarms calls are caused by automatic systems being set off by things such as burnt toast, steam, aerosols or cigarette smoke or because the system is badly maintained.
Home Office figures show there were more than 150,000 fire service call-outs in England in the year ending March 2019 that were "due to apparatus" - such as automatic fire alarms - about two-thirds of all false alarms.
Of those, 40,813 were caused by "faulty equipment" and 34,582 were listed as "cooking/burned toast".

Burnt food triggers thousands of false alarms - BBC News (https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-50821123)

[4bee]

Makes for an expensive Craven A, Divs.[smilebigeye]

[JDNSW]

When I was living in PNG fifty years ago, the fire alarm at the main government stores in PM apparently went off so often (didn't like the heat), that someone seems to have switched it off. It took two days to put the fire out because it was well alight before the alarm was raised.....

[4bee]

Sounds like some Engineering Staff really knew what they were doing John.


Did they think they were living in Tassie?[biggrin]

[JDNSW]

I'm not sure that they had any qualified engineering staff in the early 1970s! A lot of stuff was done then and there by whoever happened to be available and said they could do it - and the 'experts' who flew in from down south mostly had zero tropical experience, so were unlikely to do a better job.

[NavyDiver]

I'm not sure that they had any qualified engineering staff in the early 1970s! A lot of stuff was done then and there by whoever happened to be available and said they could do it - and the 'experts' who flew in from down south mostly had zero tropical experience, so were unlikely to do a better job.
Timing is everything often (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-21/boeing-capsule-launches-to-wrong-orbit-skips-space-station/11820758), Engineers with billions of dollars and clock buggered the whole thing[biggrin]

"Boeing's Starliner capsule launches to wrong orbit in test flight, causing major setback"
"Ground controllers tried to send up commands to get the spacecraft in its proper orbit, but the signals did not get there and by then it was too late. The capsule tried to fix its position, burning too much fuel for the spacecraft to safely make it to the space station on Saturday for a weeklong stay.
All three astronauts assigned to the first Starliner crew were at control centres for the launch: Mike Fincke and Nicole Mann, both with NASA, and Boeing's Chris Ferguson, who commanded the last shuttle mission.

He's now a test pilot astronaut for Boeing and one of the Starliner's key developers.
"This is why we flight test, right? We're trying to get all of the bugs, if you will, out of the system," Mr Fincke said at the briefing.
"There's always something."
156386

I recall a worse one where measurements in Imperial got mixed with Metric or the other way around

[JDNSW]

..... (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-21/boeing-capsule-launches-to-wrong-orbit-skips-space-station/11820758)

I recall a worse one where measurements in Imperial got mixed with Metric or the other way around

A couple of examples - Gimli glider; Apollo 13 (not exactly). Also a Mars Lander, can't remember which one.

[4bee]

What is the betting they were using the same brand of Chinese clockwork Kitchen Timer I use for timing a water pump?

Bloody things are cheap & nasty & quite unreliable.[happycry][biggrin][insert tongue in cheek emoji here] :Rolling:

[NavyDiver]

A couple of examples - Gimli glider; Apollo 13 (not exactly). Also a Mars Lander, can't remember which one.

I love maths

On June 4, 1996 an unmanned Ariane 5 rocket launched by the European Space Agency exploded just forty seconds after its lift-off from Kourou, French Guiana. http://www-users.math.umn.edu/~arnold/disasters/ariane.jpg The rocket was on its first voyage, after a decade of development costing $7 billion. The destroyed rocket and its cargo were valued at $500 million. A board of inquiry investigated the causes of the explosion and in two weeks issued a report. It turned out that the cause of the failure was a software error in the inertial reference system. Specifically a 64 bit floating point number relating to the horizontal velocity of the rocket with respect to the platform was converted to a 16 bit signed integer. The number was larger than 32,767, the largest integer storeable in a 16 bit signed integer, and thus the conversion failed.

[ramblingboy42]

Timing is everything often (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-21/boeing-capsule-launches-to-wrong-orbit-skips-space-station/11820758), Engineers with billions of dollars and clock buggered the whole thing[biggrin]

"Boeing's Starliner capsule launches to wrong orbit in test flight, causing major setback"
"Ground controllers tried to send up commands to get the spacecraft in its proper orbit, but the signals did not get there and by then it was too late. The capsule tried to fix its position, burning too much fuel for the spacecraft to safely make it to the space station on Saturday for a weeklong stay.
All three astronauts assigned to the first Starliner crew were at control centres for the launch: Mike Fincke and Nicole Mann, both with NASA, and Boeing's Chris Ferguson, who commanded the last shuttle mission.

He's now a test pilot astronaut for Boeing and one of the Starliner's key developers.
"This is why we flight test, right? We're trying to get all of the bugs, if you will, out of the system," Mr Fincke said at the briefing.
"There's always something."
156386

I recall a worse one where measurements in Imperial got mixed with Metric or the other way around

Poor old Boeing just can't get it right at the moment.

[NavyDiver]

Like some old songs or watching old movies? Good news [thumbsupbig]
The TV repeats and old songs that help people with dementia - BBC News (https://www.bbc.com/news/health-50858389)

156400
Now the question of what is old may or may not be trivial [biggrin]

[NavyDiver]

[bighmmm]
If Elon Musk's tweets are nonsense, why does he use them to break Tesla news?

Twitter is nonsense. Don't take it seriously. That, in essence, is what Elon Musk and his team of lawyers argued in the defamation case won by Musk last Friday. (https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/118025812/elon-musk-did-not-defame-british-caver-in-tweet-jury-decides)
Twitter is "infamous for invective and hyperbole," his attorneys said in legal briefs. Users "play fast and loose with facts," they said. Forums like Twitter "are not a source of facts or data upon which a reasonable person would rely." Twitter participants "expect to read opinions, not facts."
Which raises the question: If Musk's Twitter account (https://twitter.com/elonmusk), with its 29.9 million followers, can't be taken seriously, why should anything Musk says there about Tesla, SpaceX and his other companies be believed?



If Elon Musk'''s tweets are nonsense, why does he use them to break Tesla news? | Stuff.co.nz (https://www.stuff.co.nz/motoring/118114611/if-elon-musks-tweets-are-nonsense-why-does-he-use-them-to-break-tesla-news)

[DiscoMick]

Because, like Trump, he uses Twitter to stir up a response in people who don't follow serious media.

[p38arover]

"Ground controllers tried to send up commands to get the spacecraft in its proper orbit, but the signals did not get there and by then it was too late.

Back in 1971-72 I worked as a technical officer at an Intelsat TTC&M (Tracking, Telemetry, Control & Monitoring) satellite earth station. We tech officers did the control commands and system monitoring for Intelsat satellites after launch and in orbit.

[ramblingboy42]

Back in 1971-72 I worked as a technical officer at an Intelsat TTC&M (Tracking, Telemetry, Control & Monitoring) satellite earth station. We tech officers did the control commands and system monitoring for Intelsat satellites after launch and in orbit.

where was this based Ron?

[Eevo]

was that the one at gerelton?

[pop058]

was that the one at gerelton?

Parkes possibly ?

[Eevo]

Parkes possibly ?

correction, i meant Carnarvon .

[p38arover]

Carnarvon - now the Carnarvon Space and Technology Museum (https://www.carnarvonmuseum.org.au/)

The Intelsat TTC&M equipment was at the OTC Satellite Earth Station, not at the NASA site down the road. My wife worked there.

The TTC&M station did later work for European Space Agency satellite launches - long after I'd left there.

[RANDLOVER]

Ibhu – Dare to think differently (https://ibhu.co.za/)

Now you can taste gin flavoured by elephant dung.

[4bee]

Carnarvon - now the Carnarvon Space and Technology Museum (https://www.carnarvonmuseum.org.au/)

The Intelsat TTC&M equipment was at the OTC Satellite Earth Station, not at the NASA site down the road. My wife worked there.

The TTC&M station did later work for European Space Agency satellite launches - long after I'd left there.



Ron, I seem to recall you doing service on an Island in the Pacific at an OTC Cable Station, or I have I got the wrong Ron?


I think this bloke bought dodgy & unreliable products even back then?[biggrin]

[p38arover]

Ron, I seem to recall you doing service on an Island in the Pacific at an OTC Cable Station, or I have I got the wrong Ron?

Yes, three years (1990-1993) managing the OTC ANZCAN (Australia-New Zealand-Canada) submarine cable station on Norfolk Island.

[4bee]

Yes, three years (1990-1993) managing the OTC ANZCAN (Australia-New Zealand-Canada) submarine cable station on Norfolk Island.


Norfolk Island? Were you banged up there at that time? [smilebigeye]


I recall you did an interesting spiel about it on here a few years ago.

[p38arover]

I didn't want to leave.

[NavyDiver]

Kiwis might be grumpy [bigwhistle]

Australia's bushfire smoke spreads to NZ


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MhqWJbfaEE

Australia's bushfire smoke spreads to NZ as Canberra's air quality goes off the scale - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-01/smoke-shrouds-australia-as-nsw-bushfires-continue/11835734)

[Saitch]

Noice
156761

[pop058]

Noice
156761

chassis # 57661331

1955 LANDROVER PANEL VAN

and still regoe'd

[thumbsupbig]

noice

[4bee]

Very Noice SH. Yours or a Wannabee?

[Saitch]

It's been with a Moreton resident for 25 years and stiil is! [bawl]

[4bee]

Kiwis might be grumpy [bigwhistle]

Australia's bushfire smoke spreads to NZ


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MhqWJbfaEE

Australia's bushfire smoke spreads to NZ as Canberra's air quality goes off the scale - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-01/smoke-shrouds-australia-as-nsw-bushfires-continue/11835734)




Grumpy or not they can try to stop it if they can, most welcome to it. I doubt Oz will object to it's theft.


Anyway, isn't NZ the Land of the Long White Cloud. Now they have one, they obviously don't want it.[bigsad]

Or was that the Land of the Long Weekend?[smilebigeye]

[NavyDiver]

Texan breaks marksmanship world record with 3-mile shot but not recorded as (https://americangg.net/texan-breaks-marksmanship-world-record-3-mile-shot/?fbclid=IwAR0dZG1UCY77tMHFmvLn5OLAUGDphmbqTLx7a68a DVLflh1e8u7HoPeXEYA)Guinness Book of World Records. “They do not recognize shots with optics,” according to Poor who is not a Poor shot (https://americangg.net/texan-breaks-marksmanship-world-record-3-mile-shot/?fbclid=IwAR0dZG1UCY77tMHFmvLn5OLAUGDphmbqTLx7a68a DVLflh1e8u7HoPeXEYA) [biggrin]

[DiscoMick]

Grumpy or not they can try to stop it if they can, most welcome to it. I doubt Oz will object to it's theft.


Anyway, isn't NZ the Land of the Long White Cloud. Now they have one, they obviously don't want it.[bigsad]

Or was that the Land of the Long Weekend?[smilebigeye]Long Red Cloud?

[4bee]

[basil fawlty] Yeah, it is now , Mick but it wasn't when the Long white Cloud was written[/basil fawlty]

[4bee]

Texan breaks marksmanship world record with 3-mile shot but not recorded as (https://americangg.net/texan-breaks-marksmanship-world-record-3-mile-shot/?fbclid=IwAR0dZG1UCY77tMHFmvLn5OLAUGDphmbqTLx7a68a DVLflh1e8u7HoPeXEYA)Guinness Book of World Records. “They do not recognize shots with optics,” according to Poor who is not a Poor shot (https://americangg.net/texan-breaks-marksmanship-world-record-3-mile-shot/?fbclid=IwAR0dZG1UCY77tMHFmvLn5OLAUGDphmbqTLx7a68a DVLflh1e8u7HoPeXEYA) [biggrin]







So the poor bugger has to see 3 miles over open sights?

Talk about the 5,280 yard stare.[biggrin]

[RANDLOVER]

In France it is considered bad luck to say "Happy New Year" before the 1st. 15 Fabulous French New Year's Eve Traditions In France (https://www.annieandre.com/15-french-traditions-celebrate-new-years-eve-france/)
10- You can start wishing people “Happy New Year”:
but only after midnight on Decembre 31st-not beforeIn most English speaking countries, you can utter the words “Happy New Year” well before the actual new year begins. In France, this isn’t so.




Instead, you will hear friends, family and shopkeepers say ”Bonnes fêtes de fin d‘année” which literally means “Happy end of year celebrations” but idiomatically it means Happy Holidays. Only after the stroke of midnight on December 31st will French people actually wish you a Happy New Year (Bonne Année) followed by “best wishes”(meilleurs Voeux).The exception is the president who wishes his people a happy new year in his presidential new years greetings before the New Year begins at 8 pm on the 31st of Decembre.

[NavyDiver]

CUB got into the Trivia - Had some fun with them at Xmas when I could find my glasses[thumbsupbig]

Carlton Draught launches refreshed logo and adds trivia quiz under its bottle caps - Mumbrella (https://mumbrella.com.au/carlton-draught-launches-refreshed-logo-and-adds-trivia-quiz-under-its-bottle-caps-611549)

[superquag]

So the poor bugger has to see 3 miles over open sights?

Talk about the 5,280 yard stare.[biggrin]


Any Pilot would manage double that and more.[biggrin]

[NavyDiver]

Any Pilot would manage double that and more.[biggrin]

Seeing something doesn't mean you can hit it [thumbsupbig]

[4bee]

But they normally don't see all that much on the ground from 7.5 miles up. [smilebigeye]



Hey Divs, tell that to the RAF johnnies that sank the TIRPITZ. Direct hit.

[Blknight.aus]

But they normally don't see all that much on the ground from 7.5 miles up. [smilebigeye]



Hey Divs, tell that to the RAF johnnies that sank the TIRPITZ. Direct hit.


I suspect, and I could be wrong, they could have been a shade lower than 7.5 miles, might have used more than one round to score the hit and the target may have been a tad larger, the LOS for Ronnie RAF probably wasnt influenced by earth curvature. Windage on 250,500 and 1000lb bombs is likely to be a hair less than a 390grain (.9ounce) .408 cal although i will concede that the net force of gravity on the .408 slug was most likely a whisker on the lower side.

[4bee]

JEEEEEEEEZZZZZZUUUUZ. I really, really hate it when folks bring facts into a discussion. [biggrin] But fillum from that time actually did show a direct hit which apparently broke it's back. Game over.

[Blknight.aus]

JEEEEEEEEZZZZZZUUUUZ. I really, really hate it when folks bring facts into a discussion. [biggrin] But fillum from that time actually did show a direct hit which apparently broke it's back. Game over.

yeah but how many men and how many trips did those 3 directs take?

[4bee]

The point is that had Tirpitz got out amongst the sea lanes it could have been all over red rover.

Jack Hawkins to Donald Sinden. "It's the war No1, the bloody war". [bigsad]

[350RRC]

CUB got into the Trivia - Had some fun with them at Xmas when I could find my glasses[thumbsupbig]

Carlton Draught launches refreshed logo and adds trivia quiz under its bottle caps - Mumbrella (https://mumbrella.com.au/carlton-draught-launches-refreshed-logo-and-adds-trivia-quiz-under-its-bottle-caps-611549)

The trivia has been under the lids for yonks............. maybe 5 years +

DL

[V8Ian]

yeah but how many men and how many trips did those 3 directs take?
All your questions and more are answered here, Dave. It was no insignificant effort.

German battleship Tirpitz - Wikipedia (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_battleship_Tirpitz)

An interesting wormhole. [bigwhistle]

[Blknight.aus]

All your questions and more are answered here, Dave. It was no insignificant effort.

German battleship Tirpitz - Wikipedia (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_battleship_Tirpitz)

An interesting wormhole. [bigwhistle]

I know the story of Tripitz and bismark quite well.

one of my english class projects was to write a medium length fictional story based on real life events.

I invented twins put one in command of the bismark the other in charge of the tripitz. The one on the bismark was harried by small decisions that lead to the sinking, (not refuelling to capacity so the damage the hood delt to the forwards tanks reduced speed an range so he was easy to find kind of stuff) In the tripitz, tactically brilliant but hampered by orders and both were sniping at each other wishing they could have traded places.


my "big twist" was the tripitz was sunk first and after realising how much effort the allies put into sinking her the bismark captain had given the order to scuttle the ship and was trying to surrender to save the crew when the allied fleet turned up, the radio was knackered, the allies opened fire and then fighting men did what figthing men do while the ship was slowly sinking under them.

[DiscoMick]

Looks like the price is out of my range.

Ford Mustang GT driven by Steve McQueen in Bullitt sells for $4.93 million
Ford Mustang GT driven by Steve McQueen in Bullitt sells for $4.93 million at auction - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) (http://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-12/steve-mcqueen-bullitt-ford-mustang-sells-for-4.93m/11861126)

[RANDLOVER]

It seems what is required for Land Rover overland travel is a Fortnum & Mason's hamper. The Last Overland | Fortnum & Mason - Fortnum & Mason (https://www.fortnumandmason.com/fortnums/the-last-overland)

[DiscoMick]

Spiffing, old chap!

[Bigbjorn]

It seems what is required for Land Rover overland travel is a Fortnum & Mason's hamper. The Last Overland | Fortnum & Mason - Fortnum & Mason (https://www.fortnumandmason.com/fortnums/the-last-overland)

You would also need the correct attire of a travelling gentleman including a pith helmet. Don't forget to take the pair of Purdeys.

[superquag]

You would also need the correct attire of a travelling gentleman including a pith helmet. Don't forget to take the pair of Purdeys.


Don't you mean a 'brace' ?

Some background... Shotguns: matched pairs - The Field (https://www.thefield.co.uk/shooting/shotguns-matched-pairs-21952)

And for those unfamiliar with 'Tweed & Breeks' Hunting & Shooting Attire Guide — Gentleman's Gazette (https://www.gentlemansgazette.com/hunting-shooting-attire/)

[4bee]

You would also need the correct attire of a travelling gentleman including a pith helmet. Don't forget to take the pair of Purdeys.


Good choice Brian, as one never would know when one would need a pith out there.

[Bigbjorn]

Don't you mean a 'brace' ?

Some background... Shotguns: matched pairs - The Field (https://www.thefield.co.uk/shooting/shotguns-matched-pairs-21952)

And for those unfamiliar with 'Tweed & Breeks' Hunting & Shooting Attire Guide — Gentleman's Gazette (https://www.gentlemansgazette.com/hunting-shooting-attire/)

A new bespoke Purdey side by side 12 bore gun is priced over 100,000 pounds. Westley-Richards and Holland & Holland are much the same.

New Guns & Rifles | Purdey & Sons (https://www.purdey.com/new-guns)

New & Preowned Guns (https://www.hollandandholland.com/new-preowned-guns.html?p=1)

Guns - New Guns | Westley Richards & Co. Ltd (https://www.westleyrichards.com/new-guns/guns/)

Westley Richards site has indicative pricing such as "from 74,500 pounds" and "from 99,500 pounds".

All require several visits to London for consultation as to your requirements, measurement, and fitting like getting a tailor made suit.



I have a good friend who is a gun collector and restorer. About 1980 he bought a pair of Purdeys, made 1894 for Lord Kafoops with history and provenance, from auction in London for "the price of a good house in Brisbane". He reckons they are now worth five good houses. Hammer guns, 12 bore, boxed with accessories. He also has a 1920 bespoke Holland & Holland .375 magnum bolt action rifle. Made for a wealthy Rhodesian farmer who also hunted heavy game. Mick has refused offers over $100,000 for the H&H.

[Bigbjorn]

Good choice Brian, as one never would know when one would need a pith out there.

A prominent member of the Historical Motor Cycle Club is noted for wearing a genuine pith helmet at swap meets and shows. It has never been pithed in and he guards it against such behaviour. Another member once offered a carton of beer to any member who succeeded in pithing in the item.

[Bigbjorn]

Good choice Brian, as one never would know when one would need a pith out there.

A prominent member of the Historical Motor Cycle Club has a genuine pith helmet which he wears to swap meets and shows. It has not yet been pithed in and he guards it carefully to prevent such. Another member once offered a carton of beer to any other member who succeeded in pithing in the chapeau.

[4bee]

That would really be taking the pith.[bigsad]

[RANDLOVER]

A new bespoke Purdey side by side 12 bore gun is priced over 100,000 pounds. Westley-Richards and Holland & Holland are much the same...…….

.

Then you have to convert your Landy to carry them, actually it is "cheaper" just to buy a new one! Range Rover (https://www.hollandandholland.com/range-rover)



As a gunmaker, we strive to instil the values of quality craftsmanship, tradition, and modern innovation, into each and every gun we make. Holland and Holland’s excellence has been recognised by royalty across the globe. Today, we are proud holders of two Royal Warrants. The perfect combination of art and functionality, a Holland & Holland brings together the best in refinement, innovation, and skill.

The pinnacle of the Land Rover family, Range Rover redefined the luxury SUV when it was launched almost 50 years ago by combining peerless refinement, timeless design and unrivalled all-terrain capability.

“This collaboration represents two great British brands working together to produce a car that perfectly represents our shared brand values. Stunning form and perfect functionality unite in a car that is supremely fit for purpose.”

Prices start from £180,000

[Saitch]

Yep!


https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2hwqky

[Bigbjorn]

Then you have to convert your Landy to carry them, actually it is "cheaper" just to buy a new one! Range Rover (https://www.hollandandholland.com/range-rover)



As a gunmaker, we strive to instil the values of quality craftsmanship, tradition, and modern innovation, into each and every gun we make. Holland and Holland’s excellence has been recognised by royalty across the globe. Today, we are proud holders of two Royal Warrants. The perfect combination of art and functionality, a Holland & Holland brings together the best in refinement, innovation, and skill.

The pinnacle of the Land Rover family, Range Rover redefined the luxury SUV when it was launched almost 50 years ago by combining peerless refinement, timeless design and unrivalled all-terrain capability.

“This collaboration represents two great British brands working together to produce a car that perfectly represents our shared brand values. Stunning form and perfect functionality unite in a car that is supremely fit for purpose.”

Prices start from £180,000

A sporting gentleman who hunts, shoots, and casts the dry fly in season would likely already have a Range Rover. The Holland & Holland version is very nice though. Also a Land Rover or two for the game keeper, gun bearers, and loader and to carry the birds back to the grand country home.

[Saitch]

A sporting gentleman who hunts, shoots, and casts the dry fly in season would likely already have a Range Rover. The Holland & Holland version is very nice though. Also a Land Rover or two for the game keeper, gun bearers, and loader and to carry the birds back to the grand country home.

...........not to mention the 'Beaters' and the hounds.

[RANDLOVER]

A sporting gentleman who hunts, shoots, and casts the dry fly in season would likely already have a Range Rover. The Holland & Holland version is very nice though. Also a Land Rover or two for the game keeper, gun bearers, and loader and to carry the birds back to the grand country home.

Yes and a Land Rover and driver standing by, to fetch the local doctor/dentist, if one of the guests bites down on one of the shotgun pellets during dinner.

[350RRC]

A sporting gentleman who hunts, shoots, and casts the dry fly in season would likely already have a Range Rover. The Holland & Holland version is very nice though. Also a Land Rover or two for the game keeper, gun bearers, and loader and to carry the birds back to the grand country home.

And have the birds dealt with by the comely housemaid who is also a pheasant plucker.

[ramblingboy42]

I'm one of those guys who eats roots shoots and leaves.

I feel good for it too.

[Ancient Mariner]

I'm one of those guys who eats roots shoots and leaves.

I feel good for it too.

Hi Wombat[bigsmile1]

[ramblingboy42]

[bigrolf][bigrolf][bigrolf][bigrolf][bigrolf][bigrolf][bigrolf][bigrolf][bigrolf]

[4bee]

...........not to mention the 'Beaters' and the hounds as well as the Gin Palace [bigsmile]

[RANDLOVER]

US Space Force explains camouflage uniform choice after social media mocking - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-19/us-space-force-mocked-for-using-camouflage-uniforms/11880562)

"Why do you need camo in space?"
It's a question some people are asking the United States Space Force after the new military service released an image of its official uniform on social media.

[Disco-tastic]

US Space Force explains camouflage uniform choice after social media mocking - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-19/us-space-force-mocked-for-using-camouflage-uniforms/11880562)

"Why do you need camo in space?"
It's a question some people are asking the United States Space Force after the new military service released an image of its official uniform on social media.I quite like the sensibility of not spending extra money to design a new uniform.

[RANDLOVER]

I quite like the sensibility of not spending extra money to design a new uniform.

If they want to save money, perhaps they could get some of the old spacesuits, or do what a couple of guys I know did, when having to clean up something in those white Tyvek suits, they Textered some big NASA letters on the back then did a lot of slow motion "moonwalking" while working.

[Bigbjorn]

US Space Force explains camouflage uniform choice after social media mocking - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-19/us-space-force-mocked-for-using-camouflage-uniforms/11880562)

"Why do you need camo in space?"
It's a question some people are asking the United States Space Force after the new military service released an image of its official uniform on social media.

Why does the RAN need camo?

[NavyDiver]

Why does the RAN need camo?

As there is now no beer issue on ships[bigwhistle]

Shot more than a few moggies in the bush. I love cats just not the ones outside killing native wildlife.

Black Panther Conspiracists will go to town as usual with this black cat [biggrin]
[biggrin]
NSW woman's claim she saw 'puma-sized' cat sitting on fence prompts DPI investigation - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-20/hunter-valley-big-cat-sighting-nsw-dpi-investigates/11877970)

[Johndoe]

As there is now no beer issue on ships[bigwhistle]

Shot more than a few moggies in the bush. I love cats just not the ones outside killing native wildlife.

Black Panther Conspiracists will go to town as usual with this black cat [biggrin]
[biggrin]
NSW woman's claim she saw 'puma-sized' cat sitting on fence prompts DPI investigation - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-20/hunter-valley-big-cat-sighting-nsw-dpi-investigates/11877970)


A few months ago My son and 3 of my mates were out in the Disco when we come across a huge black cat in the Latrobe valley.
We were motoring down a rarely used trail at night when it crossed infront of us.
I have heard the stories of circus animals being dumped. Never believed they could survive let alone breed.

But we seen what can only be described as a puma. Every one in the car said the same thing at the same time.
Huge all black cat standing nearly as high as my cars bonnet and as long as my car is wide! We got a side profile view as it crossed the track.

This honestly happened and had i not witnessed it with my own eyes i would say its something else.

[pop058]

:rulez: [biggrin]

[4bee]

A few months ago My son and 3 of my mates were out in the Disco when we come across a huge black cat in the Latrobe valley.
We were motoring down a rarely used trail at night when it crossed infront of us.
I have heard the stories of circus animals being dumped. Never believed they could survive let alone breed.

But we seen what can only be described as a puma. Every one in the car said the same thing at the same time.
Huge all black cat standing nearly as high as my cars bonnet and as long as my car is wide! We got a side profile view as it crossed the track.

This honestly happened and had i not witnessed it with my own eyes i would say its something else.



Eerr, Latrobe Valley you say? Coalfields, Slag heaps???? See where I am going with this? I reckon it was someone's big/huge Tom covered in black crap.[biggrin]

[RANDLOVER]

The Wright Brothers may not have been the first to fly! In an Australian twist to this tale "The controversy reached new heights in 2013 after Australian aviation historian John Brown announced that he had found a photograph of the exhibit mentioned in Scientific American in 1906 that showed the missing snapshot of Whitehead in flight."
History Faceoff: Who Was First in Flight? - HISTORY (https://www.history.com/news/history-faceoff-who-was-first-in-flight)

I've also seen a doco about this on the ABC called "Who Flew First" IIRC.

[ramblingboy42]

A few months ago My son and 3 of my mates were out in the Disco when we come across a huge black cat in the Latrobe valley.
We were motoring down a rarely used trail at night when it crossed infront of us.
I have heard the stories of circus animals being dumped. Never believed they could survive let alone breed.

But we seen what can only be described as a puma. Every one in the car said the same thing at the same time.
Huge all black cat standing nearly as high as my cars bonnet and as long as my car is wide! We got a side profile view as it crossed the track.

This honestly happened and had i not witnessed it with my own eyes i would say its something else.

So the big black cat rears its head again.

Pumas are not as big as you describe. They are also not black but silver grey to reddish.

It was "something else"

[Johndoe]

Pumas are not as big as you describe.

Source = Puma | mammal species | Britannica (https://www.britannica.com/animal/puma-mammal-species)

Rare individuals can exceed 100 kg; length is about 1.2 metres (4 feet), excluding the 0.75-metre (2.5-foot) tail.

Interestingly that would make the length of the cat around the width of the disco as described earlier.
Exceed 100 kegs well thats a BIG CAT!

[ramblingboy42]

yes , a rare individual...

[superquag]

The Wright Brothers may not have been the first to fly! In an Australian twist to this tale "The controversy reached new heights in 2013 after Australian aviation historian John Brown announced that he had found a photograph of the exhibit mentioned in Scientific American in 1906 that showed the missing snapshot of Whitehead in flight."
History Faceoff: Who Was First in Flight? - HISTORY (https://www.history.com/news/history-faceoff-who-was-first-in-flight)

I've also seen a doco about this on the ABC called "Who Flew First" IIRC.

Apparantly there have been very serious crashes of the original Wright Flyer (reproductions) Difficult to contro, and requires a steady headwind... and I"m sure I recall seeing a brief image of what looks like a weight-assisted take-off.
Whether they WERE the first of not, their business acumen was such that the Smithsonian is *legally* bound to declare and continue asserting the primacy of the Wright brothers, - upon pain of losing the right to the prize exhibit.
My reaction to learning that was... 'IF they need to contract the Smithsonian to a particular viewpoint... then perhaps the reality of them being First is, questionable...'

Yes, I saw a similar doco. Maybe the same one. Personally, and my BS meter agrees... there's more than an even chance Gustv got up there first... maybe also the honour of first Controlled Flight into Terrain !

Sad to say, this behaviour is almost an American Business Model. Denigrate, attack and destroy your competitors.
- Think of Edison, most of whom's inventions were from his bright young minds employed at Menlo Park, whereas Nikola Tesla did his own inventing...and came up with more useful stuff. Light bulb filaments are one thing, but an efficient, effective and economical method of conveying power (alternationg current+ Tesla, DC = Edison) is still the foundation of electricity distribution. Edison refused to see that.

[JDNSW]

A further comment could be made on the Wright Flyer - on the 12th July 1910 a Wright Flyer was the centrepiece of the first fatality in the UK involving powered flight, and the first Briton to die in powered flight.

Most of you know of the pilot - the Hon. Charles Stewart Rolls, a ballooning, aviation and motoring pioneer, died when his Wright flyer suffered a structural failure during a flying display at Bournemouth.

[superquag]

"Unsafe and any speed..." looks like 'that' car wasn't the first American vehicle to warrant the accolade ! [bigwhistle][bigwhistle][bigwhistle][bigwhistle]

[JDNSW]

The biography of Rolls I have attributes the failure of one of the longerons carrying the tail asembly to unauthorised modifications, combined with a violent manoeuvre. He was attempting a spot landing, and was overshooting, so put the nose down and pulled out abruptly. The load on the longerons resulted in their bending, apparently bringing one into contact with a propeller, snapping it, with the resulting loss of pitch control, and it hit the ground nose first.

The original design used a canard for pitch control. Finding this was too sensitive, Rolls added a horizontal plane to the tail assembly to improve stability. This resulted in inadequate pitch control, so he connected it to the pitch control. This put a vertical load on the tail assembly that it was not designed for. Rolls was no averse to modifying the aircraft - he had already made undercarriage modifications.

[DiscoMick]

Found this old fella doing promotional duty at Howard's Wharf in Brisbane.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200207/cf9e1be17eb1a2d9d9bcd4d526f82b58.jpg

[RANDLOVER]

Originally the names Kimberley and Beverly were also boy's names.

Kimberly (given name) - Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimberly_(given_name))

Beverly - Meaning of Beverly, What does Beverly mean? boy name (https://www.babynamespedia.com/meaning/Beverly/m)

[ramblingboy42]

McKenzie was a surname, people are naming their daughters that.

[JDNSW]

I am reading a book from the 1930s on "oil engines for road rail and air transport" (diesels to you). Mostly about road transport.

The trivia bit is the detailed list of British manufacturers of these engines at the time - twenty-three of them.

A few (not many) are familiar - ......Lister, Perkins,

A few more would be familiar to the older people here -..... AEC, Dennis, Leyland, Thornycroft

A few would be familiar to those with boating or marine or stationary engine backgrounds - Ailsa Craig, Blackstone, Dorman-Ricardo, Gardner, Meadows, Paxman-Ricardo, - but who new they made car or truck diesels?

And who has heard of -... Armstrong-Saurer, Barton, Crossley, EMB, Ferry, Fowler-Sanders, McLaren, RN, Stellar, Victor, as manufacturers of diesel engines at all?

The other fascinating section is the one on aircraft engines. The only one that appears to have actually been made in significant numbers was the Junkers Jumo series which continued in production to the end of WW2 and was also licence built by Napier in the UK. But who has heard of the Bristol Phoenix (nine cylinder radial, 400hp), or the Clerget 14F (500hp 14 cylinder radial), or the Packard DR980 (9 cylinder radial, 225hp) - in 1931 this flew for 84hr 33 min non-stop, although only one ever appears to have been made?

[4bee]

in 1931 this flew for 84hr 33 min non-stop, although only one ever appears to have been made?


Obviously it was because it was unreliable, John. [tonguewink] [biggrin]



The Oil Engine made by Hornsby of Grantham should be on your list as well. In WW1 it powered Tanks, Trucks, Locomotives, Road Rollers & all types of Agricultural machinery. A pure oil engine & (although I used Kero) & it was a Hot Bulb type,&it would run for hours unattended so long as it it had fuel. The original engine was invented (?) by Akeroyd as I understand.

Later in time they made Diesels under the name of Ruston Hornsby also a well known name.

[JDNSW]

Obviously it was because it was unreliable, John. [tonguewink] [biggrin]



The Oil Engine made by Hornsby of Grantham should be on your list as well. In WW1 it powered Tanks, Trucks, Locomotives, Road Rollers & all types of Agricultural machinery. A pure oil engine & (although I used Kero) & it was a Hot Bulb type,&it would run for hours unattended so long as it it had fuel. The original engine was invented (?) by Akeroyd as I understand.

Later in time they made Diesels under the name of Ruston Hornsby also a well known name.

At the time the book was published they did not make engines suitable for road transport. They appear in the rail section, but their smallest motor listed is a 35hp (at 1,000rpm) two cylinder one - theat weighed two and a half tons.

According to Wikipedia, the Packard diesel aeroplane engine was reliable and economical, but was unpopular because of the vibration and the smell of the exhaust. But I suspect the real reason was that competing petrol engines of the period were rapidly improving the power/weight ratio, and they were just too heavy to compete. There seem to have been about a hundred built.

[Bigbjorn]

I am reading a book from the 1930s on "oil engines for road rail and air transport" (diesels to you). Mostly about road transport.

The trivia bit is the detailed list of British manufacturers of these engines at the time - twenty-three of them.

A few (not many) are familiar - ......Lister, Perkins,

A few more would be familiar to the older people here -..... AEC, Dennis, Leyland, Thornycroft

A few would be familiar to those with boating or marine or stationary engine backgrounds - Ailsa Craig, Blackstone, Dorman-Ricardo, Gardner, Meadows, Paxman-Ricardo, - but who new they made car or truck diesels?

And who has heard of -... Armstrong-Saurer, Barton, Crossley, EMB, Ferry, Fowler-Sanders, McLaren, RN, Stellar, Victor, as manufacturers of diesel engines at all?

The other fascinating section is the one on aircraft engines. The only one that appears to have actually been made in significant numbers was the Junkers Jumo series which continued in production to the end of WW2 and was also licence built by Napier in the UK. But who has heard of the Bristol Phoenix (nine cylinder radial, 400hp), or the Clerget 14F (500hp 14 cylinder radial), or the Packard DR980 (9 cylinder radial, 225hp) - in 1931 this flew for 84hr 33 min non-stop, although only one ever appears to have been made?

There was a US made diesel radial of WW2 vintage, the Guiberson. I don't know what is was used in. Nev Morris of Dalby has a running one that he has taken to and run at shows in the past.

[JDNSW]

Apparently they were an option in the Stinson Reliant, although Wikipedia's list of models makes no mention of it suggesting that it was only done experimentally). But (according to Wikipedia)1283 M3 Stuart light tanks had the Guiberson engine, and there were undoubtedly spare engines for these. I suspect this may be the source of any survivors!

[Bigbjorn]

Apparently they were an option in the Stinson Reliant, although Wikipedia's list of models makes no mention of it suggesting that it was only done experimentally). But (according to Wikipedia)1283 M3 Stuart light tanks had the Guiberson engine, and there were undoubtedly spare engines for these. I suspect this may be the source of any survivors!

JD, here is a learned treatise on the Guiberson diesel. The scribe seemed suitably impressed.

http://www.enginehistory.org/Piston/Diesels/Ch3.pdf

If you search for Guiberson on aulro you will locate photos that I posted of Nev. Morris' engine.

[Bigbjorn]

Here is a link to Nordberg radial diesel engines. They made a real good size range of radial diesels.

Nordberg Radial Stationary Engine | Old Machine Press (https://oldmachinepress.com/2014/01/12/nordberg-stationary-radial-engine/)

[JDNSW]

Thanks for posting those links Brian. I was not aware of the Nordberg engines - power generation is slightly out of my range of interests. The pictures of the crankshaft arrangements of the Nordberg engines do show the issues with actually designing a radial engine (of any type). Another issue, presumably avoided by Nordberg, simply because they were low speed, is that radial engines, because of the need to have a master rod (or equivalent) have some very nasty vibration modes that are really hard to manage.

All the information I have been able to find on diesels in aviation seems to confirm that the Junkers was the only one built in any numbers and even remotely satisfactory as an aeroplane engine.

Today there are conversions of automotive diesels being fitted to new aircraft or offered as replacements for petrol engines, but the numbers actually making it into service still seem to be very low compared to the Junkers engines. See Aircraft diesel engine - Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircraft_diesel_engine)

These are taking advantage of advances in small displacement diesels in cars, even where they are not direct conversions.

[Bigbjorn]

Nev Morris has e-mailed me that his Guiberson had a clutch and cooling fan when he acquired it. So it came from a tank not an aircraft.

[Fifth Columnist]

I think you missed out Tilling-Stevens of TS3 fame.

[V8Ian]

I think you missed out Tilling-Stevens of TS3 fame.
Post war wasn't it? Inspired by Sulzer.

[Old Farang]

I think you missed out Tilling-Stevens of TS3 fame.

https://roadtransporthall.com/yesterdays-workhorses/commer



The legendary Commer is one of the unsung heroes of the Australian road transport industry. It was such a common sight on Australian roads it was hardly given a thought, that is, if it were not for the famous knocking sound that made it stand out from the rest. The distinct knocking sound that could be heard for miles giving the truck its famous ‘Knocker’ nickname. The first Commer in Australia were not very successful and even the refined version released in 1953 caused problems for operators. The highways at the time were little more than narrow winding bush tracks and the Commer was renowned for its habit of de-coking, or melting its pistons as it struggled to complete the task at hand.

I decoked one of these in another life. Brilliant design!

[JDNSW]

Post war wasn't it? Inspired by Sulzer.

Yes, and I am not sure that 'inspired' is quite the right word - "helped by the UK invalidating German patents" might be more accurate.

Worth noting that several of the truck diesels described in my book from the 1930s were opposed piston two stroke diesels reminiscent of the TS3, but all were vertical rather than horizontal, and none either used the TS3 rockers and pushrods onto a common crankshaft or the blower for scavenging. They either had two crankshafts connected by gear trains or had a pair of connecting rods from one piston outside the cylinders to the crankshft at the other end of the cylinders. Most had a piston scavenging pump linked to one of the pistons for each cylinder.

So the opposed piston concept was not new, just the TS3 was one of the very few that could be regarded as successful in the road vehicle world. As I commented above, the Junkers was the most successful aero diesel, but the layout has been used very widely in marine and stationary engine situations over the last century.

[pop058]

Nev Morris has e-mailed me that his Guiberson had a clutch and cooling fan when he acquired it. So it came from a tank not an aircraft.

Aircraft have "Cooling Fans " [biggrin]

[Bigbjorn]

TS3 stood for Two Stroke 3 cylinders not Tilling Stevens. A good little engine and there is the rub. In typical English engine design manner it was too bloody small. It was also oversold in this country at least. A Commer knocker was a good eight tonner body truck but got sold as a prime mover as well and it was not powerful enough to comfortably pull semi trailers. Eight much bigger cylinders would have made something of it.

[JDNSW]

The problem, Brian, is that you are looking at the world of the 1950s through eyes that have experienced another sixty years since then. Hindsight is wonderful!

A few points about that world that existed then, for those that weren't there.

1. Australia sourced almost all trucks (and nearly everything else imported) from the UK. There are two basic reasons for this - firstly, Empire Preference tariffs, and secondly, dollars. In the 1950s the developed world was divided into two currency blocks - sterling and dollar, with countries having their currency tied to one or the other. There was no free interchange between these areas. For someone in Australia to buy something from the dollar area meant you had to effectively buy dollars from the federal government, because nobody else could exchange Australian pounds to US dollars. And the government had very limited supplies, as Australia sold very little to the USA. What dollars were available went to buy things such as aircraft (DC-6, Constellation, Electra, but military aircraft were British (Vampire, Lincoln, Canberra) or built here (Sabre), and also Viscounts were used domestically more than Electras) and essentials obtainable only from the dollar area.

2. British truck designs were constrained by two factors. Britain has short distances and narrow roads - not much demand for big trucks, so they were few and far between. And Britain had, until the early fifties, a speed limit for commercial vehicles of 30mph (50kph), so there was little demand for large engines. This was reflected in their designs, even those intended for export.

3. In Australia, diesel engines in trucks were quite rare except in the very largest trucks - and even most of these were petrol. What Commer brought to the field was the first affordable diesel truck. So they were overloaded. But so were the ones they replaced, typically a petrol engined WW2 ex-army Ford or Chevrolet. With even less power, and a bigger appetite for fuel.

[ramblingboy42]

Aircraft have "Cooling Fans " [biggrin]

...lots of aeroplanes have them too.

[ramblingboy42]

https://roadtransporthall.com/yesterdays-workhorses/commer



The legendary Commer is one of the unsung heroes of the Australian road transport industry. It was such a common sight on Australian roads it was hardly given a thought, that is, if it were not for the famous knocking sound that made it stand out from the rest. The distinct knocking sound that could be heard for miles giving the truck its famous ‘Knocker’ nickname. The first Commer in Australia were not very successful and even the refined version released in 1953 caused problems for operators. The highways at the time were little more than narrow winding bush tracks and the Commer was renowned for its habit of de-coking, or melting its pistons as it struggled to complete the task at hand.

I decoked one of these in another life. Brilliant design!






linky not worky...

[RANDLOVER]

...lots of aeroplanes have them too.

Actually all aeroplanes use the propellers or turbines for the dual purposes of propulsion and cooling for the pilot, don't believe me, watch how the pilot sweats when you turn them off!

[p38arover]

See Hillman Car Club of South Australia – Commer TS3 Two Stroke Diesel Engine (https://www.sa.hillman.org.au/TS3.htm)

especially the last image.

Click on this:
157882

[Bigbjorn]

The problem, Brian, is that you are looking at the world of the 1950s through eyes that have experienced another sixty years since then. Hindsight is wonderful!

A few points about that world that existed then, for those that weren't there.

1. Australia sourced almost all trucks (and nearly everything else imported) from the UK. There are two basic reasons for this - firstly, Empire Preference tariffs, and secondly, dollars. In the 1950s the developed world was divided into two currency blocks - sterling and dollar, with countries having their currency tied to one or the other. There was no free interchange between these areas. For someone in Australia to buy something from the dollar area meant you had to effectively buy dollars from the federal government, because nobody else could exchange Australian pounds to US dollars. And the government had very limited supplies, as Australia sold very little to the USA. What dollars were available went to buy things such as aircraft (DC-6, Constellation, Electra, but military aircraft were British (Vampire, Lincoln, Canberra) or built here (Sabre), and also Viscounts were used domestically more than Electras) and essentials obtainable only from the dollar area.

2. British truck designs were constrained by two factors. Britain has short distances and narrow roads - not much demand for big trucks, so they were few and far between. And Britain had, until the early fifties, a speed limit for commercial vehicles of 30mph (50kph), so there was little demand for large engines. This was reflected in their designs, even those intended for export.

3. In Australia, diesel engines in trucks were quite rare except in the very largest trucks - and even most of these were petrol. What Commer brought to the field was the first affordable diesel truck. So they were overloaded. But so were the ones they replaced, typically a petrol engined WW2 ex-army Ford or Chevrolet. With even less power, and a bigger appetite for fuel.

John, my family's business, S.Wall & Co had eight Commers over about 12 years. Seven Knockers and one with a 6-354 Perkins. The Perkins version was the better truck. They were definitely underpowered from the first model, 90 hp. and the later ones made 105 hp. We had all of them as eight ton body trucks and one was shortened and hooked up to a 32' single axle trailer and later to a 36' bogie trailer. It struggled with either trailer. The bogie trailer typically took almost 24 hours driving time Brisbane to Sydney via the New England Highway much of the time in low range and the bottom half of the gearbox. We had two deck two axle sheep trailers to pull behind the body trucks. The aerodynamics of sheep crates made these trips slow and steady particularly ito a head wind. The engine required a lot of maintenance as did most then. Filtration and oils were nothing like today's standards. They ran with a degree of supercharge and when the blower got worn there was a loss of power and lots of fuel smoke. There were plenty of US sourced trucks sold here in the 50's, IHC, Mack, Federal, White, Diamond T, Reo come to mind. Some had diesel engines. The US linehaul business were divided on the relative merits and economics of petrol vs diesel right up until the first Arab oil shock. Trucks with big ( and I mean BIG) gasoline engines were considered by many operators as cheaper to buy, cheaper to maintain and overhaul, and with fuel at 20c or less per gallon who cares how much they used.

[JDNSW]

IHC were Australian built using a lot of Canadian components, certainly the others were starting to appear by the end of the fifties - although when I was living in Roma in 1962 Western Transport was using Macks, and these were considered out of the ordinary. By then the availability of dollars was improving, and communications were getting better.

The Perkins certainly seems to have been a better engine, but I wonder to what extent this was simply because it was more powerful.

As far as Petrol/diesel went - the company I was working for in the sixties, mostly in Qld, ran a lot of trucks in exploration, mostly Inter 160, 180, 190, a couple of Diamond T, a few Ford F-600, 800, all petrol. By 1969 they had fitted at least one of the R190s with a Detroit diesel, I can't remember which model. I think a lot of the steering clear of diesel was a matter of unfamiliarity. "If it stops working and its petrol, I'll know why - if its a diesel I won't have a clue". But by then fuel was getting expensive enough for the accountants to start asking questions.

[RANDLOVER]

…………... But by then fuel was getting expensive enough for the accountants to start asking questions.

Many years ago we were at a 4WD park and my mate's Disco 1 spat a bolt out the rear diff, but he managed to drive it to the front gate and onto the tar road in 2WD to get it on the tow truck, which was a F250/ C30 (?) anyway some American truck that had a big petrol engine. My mate said to the towie surely he'd want a diesel, to which he replied no because it was cheaper to run on LPG.

[Bigbjorn]

IHC were Australian built using a lot of Canadian components, certainly the others were starting to appear by the end of the fifties - although when I was living in Roma in 1962 Western Transport was using Macks, and these were considered out of the ordinary. By then the availability of dollars was improving, and communications were getting better.

The Perkins certainly seems to have been a better engine, but I wonder to what extent this was simply because it was more powerful.

As far as Petrol/diesel went - the company I was working for in the sixties, mostly in Qld, ran a lot of trucks in exploration, mostly Inter 160, 180, 190, a couple of Diamond T, a few Ford F-600, 800, all petrol. By 1969 they had fitted at least one of the R190s with a Detroit diesel, I can't remember which model. I think a lot of the steering clear of diesel was a matter of unfamiliarity. "If it stops working and its petrol, I'll know why - if its a diesel I won't have a clue". But by then fuel was getting expensive enough for the accountants to start asking questions.

Bedford and IHC had almost 60% of the truck market then. Western Transport used Macks because the owner of Western, Cyril Anderson, owned Mack Trucks Australia and assembled them in Brisbane. He was also Westco Motors, the Jaguar distributor. His wife, Geordie, imported and raced a Jaguar XK120 coupe followed by a D Type. Cyril later founded Leader Trucks. B model Macks were in use here in the late 50's. They were the first trucks that had decent and reliable brakes. By 1960-61 Many existing trucks were being repowered with diesels. Not uncommon to find an IHC R190 with a Detroit 4-71 or 6-71 under the bonnet. Leyland 400's were also used. Camerons imported the first modern Kenworths, S models, into Oz about 1963. Laurie O'Neill quickly followed this up with some Peterbilt.

[JDNSW]

Brian, You are a mine of information. Thanks!

[bblaze]

When I started my apprenticeship we had 2 r190, 1 was a crane truck with a petrol engine and the other towed a log jinker with a 5 cyc ud. When 3 year app I changed employment (other guy sold out), then worked on pacific 15 toners, b61 in varies forms but I used to like to drive the leyland hippos. They were fun times, finishing my trade and fill in driver/operator for whatever needed a steerer for the day
cheers
blaze

[Bigbjorn]

When I started my apprenticeship we had 2 r190, 1 was a crane truck with a petrol engine and the other towed a log jinker with a 5 cyc ud. When 3 year app I changed employment (other guy sold out), then worked on pacific 15 toners, b61 in varies forms but I used to like to drive the leyland hippos. They were fun times, finishing my trade and fill in driver/operator for whatever needed a steerer for the day
cheers
blaze

You are unique. The only person on this planet who liked to drive Leyland Hippos.[bigwhistle]

[Bigbjorn]

This morning Nev. Morris told me that the local truck wrecker at Dalby has acquired a Guiberson radial diesel. Anyone interested?

Nev. had the following to say about his Guiberson. He got it from a collector in Victoria.

"The Guiberson story is very interesting. My engine came dismantled with 9 unused cylinders and pistons — the rest of the engine was in good condition too. They

are easy to work on without any special tools and getting it to run the first time was quite exciting. Equalising the injectors to get it to idle on all cylinders requires some patience.

The initial setting is done by measurement — the book says to run the engine for a bit and cut back the fuel on the cylinders with the hottests exhausts. Then allow the engine to cool

down in case the crankcase is slightly distorted by heat conducted from the hot cylinders. Quite a procedure of diminishing returns and I eventually settled for near enough is good

enough. With 9 biggish direct injection air cooled cylinders they aren’t what you would call a sweet running engine but they certainly look good."