I used to be an avid watcher in the days of David Vine and Franz Klammer.

Never

Never owned any form of personal music device of any description, I just don’t like feeling of being cut off when I’m out and about. Used a pair of Bose noise cancelling headphones on a long haul flight recently and they really leave you feeling detached.

Need: Tyres that don’t clog and jam the bike up every time I ride to work.

Want: a Tranny

sofatester – Member
Does she then hide from you?

How do you know?

Pilow talk?

Don’t worry it’s about to get worse, whatever you do don’t put your suit in the hold.

A better place

Important meeting and you decide that you will put your suit in the hold despite not having time at the other end to replace it if something goes wrong. I’d say your client, if their Swiss, will simply see it as a lack of preparation.

Glad it’s not my job your trying to save :-)

Best of luck anyway, hopefully those people who’s jobs you went to save won’t lynch you on your return.

The victory of convenience over quality.

PeterPoddy, not entirely true as they have to fall far enough to be able to turn in the air to land on their feet. I think cat deaths peak in the 2 – 5 floors zone, where they can reach a velocity high enough to kill them but don’t necessarily have the time to self right. An interesting and educational morning can be spent with a group of school children a tall building and a small bag of kittens.

Why are all the photos of cameras in this post so bad?

My initial thoughts captain. I’d have to get the Rohloff converted though as mine is V brake version. I also thought about the belt option but looking at the GIF’s on the Ibis web site the rear triangle is not split, so I don’t think the belt option is viable. A shame really to have missed that opportunity on such a versatile frame. I suppose there could be an alternative rear triangle available in the future that could make the belt option viable. It certainly something that appeals to me as a hub user.

Very intresting programme on this on radio 4 recently in which one expert dismissed the idea of dyslexia as a condition you have or don’t have. He argued that we all have a degree of it, but that it is very variable and that trying to mark a point on the spectrunm which divides the dyslexic from the non dyslexic is fraught with problems. So if we all have it to a degree then I guess it not much use as a label or diagnosis.
It was only very recently that I read that my habit of writing my letters back to front is considered as an idicator. I’ve pretty much got over that now but I still write my y’s backward. I’m sure I could change if I wanted to but I’ve been doing it so long it would take more effort than it’s worth. As long as I remember not to write any ransom notes or threatening letters I should be fine.

We had one of our scout group top himself shortly after leaving as well as the two killers.

On the lanfill front I read recently that we’ll probably end up mining all the old landfills as their metal content is higher than many of the conventinal deposits now being found.

So if you house built on an old tip hasn’t already sunk don’t worry it soon will as blokes with pickaxes start tunnelling under you.

I gave it three weeks which my surgeon had recommended. I’m sure you could do it much sooner but it wasn’t an area that I wanted to take any chances with. My op was put back a week and on the morning I ended up having it Woman’s Hour had a special feature on all the potential side effects and some are pretty nasty and longlasting, just what I needed to hear. Not to put you off, I’ve never had a twinge but i did take it very easy. I was also advised to take a salt bath every day until the stiches disolved as a precaution against infection. Unfortunately my stitches didn’t dissolve and the practise nurse had to pull them out with tweezers, took quite a bit of tugging, not really painful but a little disturbing to watch.

Me too. My first thought was I hope they do that in Guiness Foam but I think its orange green or plain carbon. It appeals to me as It’s the perfect frame to run with deraileurs, with a hub or singlespeed if you were so inclined.Shame about the dollar exchange rate. As for the split rear end not being used, you’d be using it if you run a hub or singlespeed, even if not actually dismantalling it. And if the exchange rate improves and you happen to be in the States then a frame you can hide in your suitcase could be very useful.

@axroads I’ve shared a tent with two guys who went on to murder three people. They’d got away with the first, smothering an old lady in her bed, which had initially been put down to natural causes. The mistake they made was that next time they did the same to a couple. Anyway I was their patrol leader in the Scouts which is how come I was sharing a tent with them. One was a right nasty bastard even then and the other was not really all there.

Captain, a genuine interesting fact about the banana tree is that it’s a herb, the world’s largest.

MrNutt throws more fuel on the fire!
5thElefant I’m sorry I don’t think I worded that last contribution very well. I agree with you that digital as a technology allows you to learn much faster, I remember all to well doing a photography degree while trying to scrape enough money together to buy film and paper as well as food. My point was that the cameras that most beginners can afford can leave you feeling there is no need to learn. I suppose I should have said necessity rather than oppurtunity.
I too now only use digital, and won’t be going back to film unless at some distant future I have the space for a darkroom and the time to use it.

I won’t keep you long this time.
Digital good
Film good

If you have only tried digital try film as well, especially if there’s anyway you can get access to a darkroom, not because it might make you a better photographer but because you might enjoy it and find it rewarding.

If you’ve only used film then get a digital camera because they are fantastic for getting instant results that you can share with millions of people in seconds.

5thElephant, your statement is absolutely right, but of course it’s also much easier not to learn.The oppurtunity is greater but the incentive is less. If you really don’t want to learn then that’s fine but I think what the film fans are getting at is if you are intrested in photography then you may well enhance your enjoyment by exploring the wider field.

Simon, yes the viewer is only intrested in the end result, that’s exactly what I was saying, but are you only a viewer of your own work, do you take no pleasure in the taking of the pictures. That was what my analogy about my commute was all about, the only other intrested parties were only concerned with the result but I was busy enjoying getting to that result.

Badger puts it well, it was easier for me to learn when I did because I had access to simple kit and was not confronted by complex menus and thousands of choices. That’s why I would like to see a fuly manual digital SLR, I think that would be the best tool for learning on. And no Simon no one is advocating getting rid of light meters in the cameras although a simple centered weighted system with the option of spot metering would be nice.

What this market needs is a hybrid.

Sorry I’ve gone on and on again, I blame it on the fact that rather than a rant or argument this has somehow turned into an intresting and informed discussion, without insults.In fact I’m finding it harder and harder to identify whose in which camp.

Rude Boy

Not offended in the least, I just couldn’t resist the oppurtunity to embarass you. I understood what you were saying perfectly in the context of the post. Just making the point that context matters and that we have all said things that we wouldn’t want to be public. Not that I’m standing up for Harry. If this hadn’t been made public and if the individual were not offended then maybe it wouldn’t be a problem. But it has been made public and as the whole Brand / Ross saga showed people can be offended by proxy. So it is now a problem and people have been hurt and offended and expect at the very least a public appology.

And I must appologise to you for having taken you for a Villa fan due to the ending of your first post.And as for penalty shootouts, well I think in a final a draw after extra time should result in the trophy remaining with the current holders provided they are not one of the finalists. If they are the trophy is not awarded. Put an end to teams playing for penalties.

Thanks snaps

Rude Boy you spoke a lot of sense on the Prince Harry thread and now here you are using abusive and offensive language to denigrate a group of people. Explain yourself, or is it ok in this context to call other people scum just because they belong to another tribal group to you. A post full of bitterness hatred and loathing based on no more than the mere fact we keep knocking you out of the FA cup, we scored the best goal in FA cup history on your turf and your so bland no one even hates you. So as a peace offering watch and enjoy http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=hrOyedpeZnk

Dorset Knob does speak some sense but I think Theodore Roosevelt spoke more sense when he used the West African proverb “speak softly and carry a big stick”

So let me start again by saying that I use digital cameras and think they are a fabulous invention. But I also believe that learning the basic techniques of manipulating focus, aperture, shutter speed, and iso will make you a much better photographer who will be able to get far more out of whatever talent you have for framing a shot. I also believe that while all this is possible with some digital cameras it is only at the very top end where the manual controls become as easy and quick to use as on a cheap 35mm SLR. And don’t even get me started on the pathetic aperture range that kit lenses come with.

Many people have stated here that only the end result matters to the viewer.
Interesting point, today I cycled to work through mud and filth and four times had to stop as my wheels would no longer turn and needed clearing. I couldn’t even push the damn thing. I could have ridden on the road very easily. So I got to work, did my employer care how I’d got there? No they were only interested in the end result. Did it matter to me how I got there? Too right it did, it was great fun sliding around everywhere.
This evening I rode home along a windswept cliff top with suicidal rabbits trying to throw themselves under my wheels while next to me was an excellent cycle path which would have been physically easier to ride, quicker and required less skill. Did my wife care about how I got home? No, she only cared about the end result, I hope. Did I, yes. I commute off road because it’s a lot more rewarding for me, the result matters but it’s not why I do it.
At the weekend I’m such a Luddite that I rode a bicycle along rough old drovers tracks that are millennia old despite being able to reach the same places on smooth tarmac, can you believe that people still cling to the past like that?

So what was it you were saying about only the end result being important?

You may reply that your talking about the viewer, maybe you are, but unless you are a professional photographer then surely your doing it for yourself, for your own pleasure or satisfaction, no one has commissioned you, you have no brief to fulfil.So if that’s the case then why not choose the route to the final image which gives you the most pleasure and satisfaction, whether it be film or digital. Isn’t that what we do every time we get on our bikes?

Simon I was wondering myself why the posts are so long, I can never normally muster more than a few words. Oh and I believe that vinyl sales are on the increase, not that I’ll be buying any. But it is interesting that while many have mourned the decline of vinyl and have kept it going do you see anyone mourning the death of the CD as MP3’s takes over?

Thank God you didn’t buy anything controversial Mr Nutt, enjoy the journey.

Hard tail or Full Suspension anybody?

The great thing about film and darkrooms is that it’s basically a physical thing.Photoshop is an amazing piece of software but I find that while the result I might get when using it will be rewarding the actual getting there is not. I guess I feel I spend enough time already sitting looking at a screen. As for the knowledge to use a darkroom you don’t need to know much chemistry just how to dilute concentrated chemicals and to read a thermometer. In fact I would say that in learning terms it’s probably easier than photoshop. Many years ago I was sent on a 2 day photoshop course through work and I don’t think I’ve ever before had so much crammed into my head in such a short time. In contrast when I bought all my darkroom stuff I went home taped blackout material over my bedroom windows and in no time was producing prints without ever really feeling I was having to learn anything. But as I said in an earlier ramble for me film and developing and printing go hand in hand and so now with no darkroom I happily use digital.
So which makes the better photrapher, film or digital?
Well for me digital has the potential to make the better technical photographer because you can take far more shots and you can look at them while details of aperture shutter speed iso settings and focus are all fresh in your mind.And what’s more such details are also recorded when you look back later, no need to carry a little notebook around with you. You can try multiple options with the same subject and see sraight away what is working and what is not.I’ve spent an entire day in a studio photraphing a tricky subject, using polaroid backs which frankly are really not that helpful, developing and printing test shots and then going back tweaking the lighting and repeating the process. With a digital set up I could have achieved the same results in a fraction of the time and learnt just as much.
Just as ultimately it’s the talent of the photrapher that determines the artistic qualities of the photograph so it’s the mindset of the photographer that determines how much technical knowledge they aquire. But anyone with an eye to take a good picture will become even better if they have an understanding of how apeture shutter speed iso and focus all effect the result. They will have more control and be able to get in print what they saw in their minds eye.
My only complaint about digital is with the manufactures, where are the Zenits the K1000’s the and OM1’s of the digital world. Cheap no nonsense cameras that that take good pictures have decent lenses and can and are manual for those who want to combine the best of both worlds when learning.
For those who feel it is only about the end result may I suggest you put your bikes in the classifieds and put the money towards a motorbike, you’ll get where your going a damn site quicker and a lot less sweaty.
In 1837 someone, I forget who, declared that painting was dead, it wasn’t.
many of us will remember watching jam being smeared on a cd on Tomorrows World all those years ago and thinking vinyl is dead, it wasn’t.
People will keep on using film it won’t die. But in the end what matters is that whichever medium you use it is that unique ability to stop time that only photraphy has. When I was 21 my Grandad died and when we went through his stuff among all the prints and negs he had going back to the thirties I found a roll of undeveloped fp4. I took it home and developed it and found myself looking at an image of me mid air leaping from my climbing frame aged 7. Somehow I don’t think I’d have found discovering an old sd card quite so moving.

grumm I know someone who named his daughter Talisker. More worryingly he used it as a password for a porn site he’d subscribed toas well. Left me with a slightly uncomfortable feeling.

Film cameras do not make you a better photographer on their own, but not being able to reel off dozens of shots with auto bracketing and autofocus can help you learn. Quite simply with film if you learn nothing you get very few good shots whereas with digital it easier to get good shots, technically rather than aesthetically, because of the multiburst options and because you can take almost an infinite number of shots while checking to see whether your getting the right result.In some ways this is a disincentive to learn technique. For me the real problem with learning using a digital camera is that all the ones I have tried are awkward and slow to use in manual mode where you have to set the aperture shutter speed and focus and where you consequently learn far more. I still have my first OM1n and an FM2, both entirely manual and mechanical the only thing in them that uses a battery being the light meter and there are plenty of old school photographers who will tell you that even having that is pushing technology too far. However now I no longer have a darkroom they don’t get used. For me once you have done your own developing and printing then going back to using film but not being able to finish the job in the darkroom sadly holds no attraction. The first time you see a print appear before your eyes as you rock the developing dish from side to side under the glow of a safelight is magical and what’s more it’s still just as magical when it’s the 10,000 time. Making funny shapes with your hands under the enlarger to burn in an area or dodge another, rubbing your finger on the developing print to warm the developer in that particular spot, bringing the dead back to life.

Sorry where was I, I seem to have wandered off. Now I only use digital although I haven’t yet gone to an SLR as I have yet to find one that will do what I want which is basically to be an OM1 or FM2 with a digital back. I’m quite happy to have all the bells and whistles as well but I’d like them to be secondary.
When I started work as a photographer for the MOD I was told to order my own personal 35mm camera and I bought the Nikon F4 which had just been released and was probably the most technologically advanced camera available. Within 6 months it was gathering dust on a shelf as I’d picked up a spare FM2 and started using that, quite simply it was just more enjoyable to use could do everything required of it in that job.
I suppose my point is that if you were a farmer with a rabbit problem you’d buy a shotgun, might not make you that good a shot but if it gets rid of the rabbits then it’s done what you want. On the other hand if you a farmer with a rabbit problem and a bit of a Sniper 1 fantasy you buy a 22 rifle and scope and become a marksman.
Your still no sniper though just as those who put their excellent photos on here are not professional photographers. And that’s the way to keep it. I would guess that the reality of blowing another persons head of is really not so great after all and once you have spent a few years earning your living as a photographer you end up only really taking pictures if someone is paying for them. Not that it isn’t enjoyable if it’s work, it is, very much so but with the exception of taking pictures of the kids not much else is very rewarding, your always aware that what you are trying to produce is something that looks like something you have already seen. I think perhaps the exception to this is portraiture which when it’s good has some real meaning even if it’s only for just a few people and which uses photography’s greatest asset and unique ability to capture a moment in time forever.

Oh and the Zenit E great camera though doesn’t it have a very dark viewfinder unless you open the aperture manually and then close it down after focussing?
Still if you ever need to send a body to the bottom of a lake you won’t have to search around for any bricks.
Well sorry for taking so much of your time for anyone whose actually bothered to read this rubbish but I do feel so much better for having put it all down

The paint will be fine. Plasterer will give it a coat of unibond let it dry, give it another coat and plaster while it’s still tacky. I’ve had artex ceilings plastered over and it’s not a problem. Artexed walls in kitchens! just how stupid would you have to be to think that was a good idea?

I have heard that if you get hold of the front legs and pull them violently apart then the dog’s no longer a problem to you or anyone else. No idea if it works but in a bad situation I’d give it a go. Frame fit pumps are pretty useful as well. I’ve never been bitten when riding but I did get a bite when I was a postman. Didn’t brake the skin but it doesn’t half hurt. Probably worth taking a picture on your phone or camera of the dog/owner. It may achieve nothing but it’s always worth trying to install a little paranoia in such people. Tell the owner your posting it on dogkillers.com. Or there’s always the option of carrying a few dog biscuits with you, ordinary ones for distracting the dog and special ones for those that don’t want to be distracted.
On a serious note I worked with a guy whose dog had bitten him but he decided it was just a one off. Within six months it had ripped his wife’s face to bits. It was a bit of a dodgy dog though, it spent a whole evening while we were at another friends house howling at a gargoyle that he had on his wall.

Very clever rocketdog but that’s just a one way ticket

Had all the windows open for a couple of hours earlier today but we did put the heating on this afternoon. Opening the windows every day and investing in a dehumidifier has got rid of the condensation problems we had and I think you feel the cold less if the air is dry. heating went off about an hour ago and it’s still perfectly warm.

I did a whole kitchen using a stanley knife blade. Took a while. How old is the Artex, I ask because an artexer whose been doing it for years told me that in the past it used to contain asbestos. White rather than blue so not the most dangerous but still best to avoid creating any dust.

I travel a lot for work and have been to some great places but Iceland still remains as the only place I actually want to go to. I think it goes back to doing a project on the country at school when I was around 8 or 9. A couple of years ago a saw a travel agents here in Brighton advertising day trips to ReykjavÃŒk, seemed a bit far for a day.

I bought a 10 speed Coventry Eagle in 1984 and started bike riding again. Very quickly I began to start venturing off road on it across the south downs as a short cut to areas with better roads for cycling. Despite it being not exactly ideal for hilly off road use having drop bars side pull brakes and and 42/52 rings with 14-28 cogs I began to spend more and more time on the off road sections. By 1986 the frame of the Coventry Eagle was a a bit bent out of shape and the forks were pretty knackered meaning that the front and back wheel no longer wanted to go in the same direction so I bought a Rockhopper. The main thing I that sticks in my mind from that time is just how few mountain bikes were around. I could spend all day out on the downs and never see another bike.

And don’t forget that you could do yourself a lot of damage in the middle of a city and 95% of people would just walk by hoping someone else will deal with it. At least on the trails anyone coming across you is likely to help. The most important thing is that someone knows where your going and what time you expect to be back. And at this time of year some spare warm clothing isn’t a bad idea along with a basic first aid kit. And most important avoid any “I wonder what would happen if” moments. I still to this day remember having that thought before stepping on the garden rake as a kid.

Over 30lb that’s for sure but it does have a Rohloff at one end Magura Odurs and a Son Dyno hub at the other and a steel frame in the middle. It’s heavy and I can feel it going uphill but most of the time it’s job is as an off road commuter and It’s done the last three months with no more than the occasional oiling of the chain. It’s also carrying a fair weight of mud as well. So I’m losing a bit of time on the ups but I’m saving a lot more time on cleaning and maintenance. As others have said the weight isn’t always that important.

Really easy, well that’s what my friend Jason said just before filling my mum’s Mini Metro with white smoke.

I agree with you surfer, imagine sitting down to start a day’s work only to realise you’ve left your sarnies at the bottom.

My knees are fine while actually riding but if they do get cold then it’s when I get off the bike that they protest. Whether or not it does any long term harm I’ve no idea but I choose to keep them warm as I’m pretty sure that won’t cause any problems. I always ride with the idea that I might end up having to walk home so dress accordingly.

Saxon rider the BBC food programme looked recently at whether the UK could be self sufficient in food production using the seasonal locally produced food you want to eat. The result was that the most efficient way to achieve that would be with a vegan diet using some of the aspects of industrial farming.I wasn’t able to find the references on the website but there are some other studies referenced on the vegan entry on wickipedia which might be of interest to you. I’m sure as a lecturer you wouldn’t want to base your arguments entirely on the opinions of a failed footballer turned cook.

The biography of Otto Frank her father is worth reading. Basically he spent the rest of his time on earth trying to educate the young so such a thing could never happen again.

Well my mortgage is a BOE base rate tracker so it should go down. I took it out with the Portman which of course is now the Nationwide. It will be interesting to see if they try to tell me they are not dropping my rate as Nationwide mortgages have a floor. There is no mention of a floor in my original agreement so hopefully they will honour that without me having to chase them. Will I start spending more though? Not a chance, I’ll just keep overpaying it trying to reduce my borrowing as much as possible as I think the job losses are going to keep piling up. Every company in the country is now looking at it’s staff and thinking who they can let go. Lets face it there is no better time to get rid of people as you can be pretty sure that those you keep will take up the extra work without making too much fuss. If you don’t believe that look around you at work tomorrow and put yourself in the business owners shoes, I bet there’s someone you’d just love to see the back of.