2.25″ Smorgasbords. (They are the 29″ version, so YMMV…)

They will be an improvement over RR’s and they are cheap, I’ve got one up front in Reba’s and it fits.

No idea if they are the best option, but I’ve not had issues with them in the mud/loose.

Our kitchen has this very worktop.

It’s been in just over 1 year, the bottom is slightly rougher round the sink which I assume is due to water ingress – it’s not super noticeable straight away, but it is there. We (me and Father in Law) fitted it, so I’m not going to go running back to the builder, and I don’t think that if I was generally aware of that sort of thing then I wouldn’t have seen it – my wife hasn’t noticed it yet, and she’s really fussy.

How much did your setup cost

I got loads of bits for free – off cuts of copper piping, cast off microbore from my plumber brother and builder father in law – so there was a big saving there – the big ticket stuff – mash tun and boiler, were cheap as chips – boiler £8 brew bin + 2 x argos special kettles (£5) ball valves – 2 for something like £13 from screw fix. Mash tun is an argos cool box – £24 for the 24l one. The pipe work would be another £40 all told I think (£25 for microbore for the cooler) I use a bit of garden hose and the pump which came with the birthing pool (to empty it) to cycle the water out of the water butt, but thats an optional extra.

I think you could do a full set up with a mash tun and boiler for less than a stainless brew in a bag set up – cooler costs will be the same, and you can scale up the brewing process easier if you want to move to 10gal lengths at some point, rather than working out a whole new brew process from BIAB – brewing has been a money saving hobby, not a money pit – I don’t buy much new stuff that doesn’t get drunk, and I have been known for people to buy some ingredients for beer for me and then end up with a “gift” of some beer at the end of it. I’ve been thinking about talking to a local microbrewery to see if they have any spare capacity to do an occasional brew.

The host thing is fine if you like beer – some people who don’t like beer have had my wine forced on them – and that’s not always a good thing.

I can’t afford to drink the beers I love (ranging from decent traditional British ales to the weird and wonderful world of Belgian beers and on to the realms of US and US inspired experimentation), I have 3 kids a wife and an expensive biking climbing kayaking adventure habit – I take my time drinking beer, and I brew quicker than I can drink – this means that I always have a lot of beer in the house, this is good because I have a variety, and it’s good because if I have people round, then I am generally able to offer them a beer they will enjoy. I keep around 80 bottles at once, and brew to fill 40 when I nearly have enough.

I fitted a liner last weekend – what’s all this nonsense about getting the liner on the roof? I just dropped a line down the chimney and pulled it through, very easy, was done by lunch time – re-building and re-pointing the chimney stack was a much bigger job.

Around 1:14 – bloke complaining that cyclists, walkers, horses and dogs on the roads are intimidating motorists has to be the most completely mental contribution from all of them.

Generally, I thought it suffered badly from a crappy chair, fair enough try to stimulate debate, but his comments and approach very much favoured the anti-cycling perspective – when someone suggested implementing a proper cycling infrastructure, he pretty much put it down with an aside, where as the mad contribution I note above, he let slide without mentioning the fact that cars could kill any of the “intimidating” users by accident – and the other users don’t have that power.

Does your pump give you an accurate pressure?

I know what numbers I put in from my pump – but actually I know for a fact that these are not the pressures in my tyres (because it would be nonsense for them to be those actual numbers.)

It’s worth noting that it’s not limited to their mainstream software portfolio – logic (audio software) and Final Cut (previously pro level video, but now less so…) led the crash in prices a long time ago (4 years?), logic 9 in particular was the first in the field to come as a big complete bundle at a real knock down price – the others have slowly followed, but not to the same extent, and the big players – Pro Tools for example in the audio world – where they still make a much more “power user” focussed product, have maintained the upper price point in the market, whilst logic and some of the others, dominate the “ease of use” end of the market.

Much as I like apple (and I’m writing this on my macbook, as I use my iphone for a dictaphone for work and my wife is using her iPad, i’m an apple certified trainer in Logic and use them every day at work) I don’t think that Apple can realistically compete with MS Office – not for grown up tasks. Even if you look at simple stuff – mail merges for example – you can’t do that with mail/pages, Numbers has none of the serious data manipulation tools of Excel and word is the baseline standard for all other word processing software – office is simply in another league to iWork, and I think Apple know this.

The reality is that Apple Iwork stuff doesn’t compete with Office because it can’t – what it does compete with is google drive, and Zoho and open office – and in order to do that effectively, it has to be free.

In terms of the OS side of things, yes, there is every possibility that making the OS update free will help to drive hardware sales, and that is absolutely where they make their cash, but they don’t make as much on the OS X side as they do on the IOS side, they are much more competitive with Andriod than they are windows. OS X users are very much a niche, and not part of the mainstream, not like iOS users.

You forgot that you have to knock the vial of water medicine on a horses saddle – you can’t miss that out otherwise it won’t convince idiots with more money than sense work.

I find most modern car headlights about 50% too bright (for other road users) even on dipped – to the point I’m not even sure if they are on dipped or full beam a lot of the time.

‘Single Hop World’ for the niche single hop IPA that we make and ‘Skill Compensator’ for the bigger than it really needs to be double IPA.

Single Hop World, hopped with only the finest Feux-Coeur Francais hops – historically rooted in Burgandy, grown in Victoria, south eastern Australia, you can really experience the terroir in the beer.

Skill Compensator 22.8deg plato, 140 IBU, hopped with any hop that moves beginning in C.

Fresh Yeast

– yeast is alive, either it’s alive yeast or dead yeast. If you want younger yeast, then all you have to do is mix the old yeast up into a starter (sugar and water) using what you are going to feed it on is a good idea – flour, or any kind of malty sugars is a good start, and then keep it alive till you need it, then add it in – easy, virgin yeast, not that aged slutty yeast you get in the supermarket. You could get some speciality yeast on slants, but that’s a bit of an effort for abusing it in some bread.

Head away from degla, cannock and ladybower and the trails are in the most part empty. Most of my big rides lately have been punctuated with a handful of riders over 5 hours. My local trails are always empty apart from the usual dog walkers.

My local trails are on Cannock Chase and I rarely see anyone – all summer, I was out once when I saw a large number of people on the chase. That’s not to say it’s never busy, it’s just that the busy times are pretty limited and you can get on empty trails at the most busy places quite easily, we’re no where near full on saturation point on the chase yet.

As above, I’ve sat through with a years worth of students (I had 38) helping with their personal statement’s writing personal statement etc.

I’ve also done the admissions side of it, and how long stuff is read for, and what gets read depends on a whole raft of things – where places don’t fill courses, then they pretty much check the basics (GCSE Maths, English and will they get the UCAS points) and make an offer – if they can fill a course then it becomes a whole other ball game, and different admissions people will check different things – I know people who were more interested in reading between the lines in the tutors/etc. reference, some focus on the students reference.

Generally what admissions need to know is can the person potentially pass the course – there is no point in letting people on to a course they can’t pass – once you are over that hurdle, then you have to be potentially passing with a 2.1, first, whatever.

I use Beer Alchemy on the mac, it’s a great bit of kit and helps making shopping lists and keeping on top of inventory and suggesting recipes already in your library to make from the ingredients you’ve got.

I think it is the perception that less people move there from the UK (or dream about doing so…), therefore there is less demand for information about it from people back home – Australia is viewed as having more UK expats there, and as such, the news is interested in reporting about what is going on somewhere where some people feel they have a connection. I have no idea if that is actually the case – but I don’t think that news reporting etc. is done on the basis of factual assessment, perception is much stronger on that sort of thing anyway – and self reinforcing.

There is also that big bit that is quite French, and many English people have a bizarre thing about the French – which is perhaps related to the above perception that less people head there or want to head there.

I think that the two things are different – a road race is not an expression of political opposition to something, it’s a leisure activity, or for some people a job.

I disagree with the EDL as much, if not more than the next person, but I wouldn’t want to see them martyred like this – if they are banned, then the poisonous ideas they promulgate will get even greater coverage, which is something I’d personally like to avoid – challenging them where they are remains to me the most effective way of countering them, and there are few if any times where the EDL have marched in recent months where those opposing them have not out numbered them by a significant margin – which can only be seen as a good thing, and a natural beginning of the end for the EDL.

I second the Star San recommendation.

I’d also add a bottling tree with a bottle washer on top if you are going to bottle any significant number of bottles – so much easier to give it a couple of squirts of star san with the washer and stick it on the tree to drain, then take it straight off and bottle it.

I guess you still catch your food with a spear

Catching all my meat with a spear makes it come alive on the plate.

Actually, no scratch that.

Surely you use the stronger hand for the lid because it requires more grip due to a lower surface area.

We’re just considering this proposal in our house – our 12 year old Scenic got shunted up the arse last week and we are awaiting confirmation that the destroyed bumper and boot lock mean the car is written off (we’re not sure, but it seems likely.) we can’t afford to get a new car, and the car is worth next to nothing, so we’re unlikely to get enough money to buy a car with it – so being forced into it to a certain extent.

I’m not sure how it will work, the day to day stuff is fine – between walking, bikes etc. we can get around town and school is at the end of the road, I commute by bike. The real issue is going to be visiting family, friends etc. which are all over the country – it’s not uncommon for us to go to Southend for the day, for example – from Stafford. Not having a car puts an end to that – we’ll see how we can get round it.

cannock, gisburn and degla are all 1hr is away

Cannock is more than an hour away – I’ve driven to Hayfield and round that way from Stafford a few times and it takes me 1hr 20mins at 6am on a Sunday – and Birches Valley is 15minutes from my house.

I think the distinction needs to be drawn between Strava classifications – which are absolute – they are based on a formula of incline and distance, and give a fair baseline indication of the type of climb something is, and the classifications used in the Grand Tours etc. – which include a subjective element – a “borderline” hill might end up the classification above if it is later on in the stage, or is particularly historic or whatever – and can end up with climbs being given different classifications year to year.

http://www.strava.com/segments/952845- Cat 1 off road climb…I think it’s a footpath, and it looks like they walked it, there are a few climbs off road round that way that Strava Classes as Cat 2. Then there is Helvelyn – http://www.strava.com/segments/952845 which is also classed by Strava as Cat 1 – with some more sensible looking times.

At the start of the month, as quick as you like, at the end of the month as long as it takes.

As with Shred – I only ride a mile, so wear work clothes.

I’m pretty sure the pink pearlescent finish will make your commute come alive under your wheels.

The blue is excellent fun.

X Factor vs Strictly

As if that’s a competition – the level of musicianship, comedy and entertainment in Strictly surpasses absolutely everything about the Xfactor.

Strictly makes the sofa come alive under my arse.

I have an old tektronix one, which has sat in my study/office/workshop for a very long time – originally liberated from the back store cupboard of a TV repair place, I can check if it goes that high, I’ve only ever used it for audio.

I’m in Stafford, e-mail in profile.

I for one support the forum clowns, they make the forum come alive under my wheels.

On the notice period thing,

They are 2 separate things – one to compensate for loss of the job, and one for the lack of notice period.

This includes any payment for holiday arrears, compensation for notice period or commission etc.

Not strictly – if the payment in lieu of notice (“PILON”) is not automatic (an “Auto-PILON”) – that is there is no contractual or policy agreement that it will be paid, then it is tax free as well. It is common for PILON’s in redundancy agreements to be written in ambiguous terms nowadays in order to ensure maximum redundancy payments to employees.

Surely the only tool you really need is the BB tool – because it’s specific, it’s nice to have the right tools, but you can get away with much cheaper alternatives…

Chain whip – screw a chain to a piece of wood

Pedal Spanner – many pedals have an allen key fitting through the back of the crank arm, if not, then a normal spanner. I got my pedal spanner free with one of the kids bikes, to assemble it.

Tyre levers – you don’t already have tyre levers? none the less, rounded end cutlery, or cheapy cheapy plastic tyre levers.

Just be glad you don’t live in the Scilly isles or Channel Islands. They get mentioned once a month at most.

To be fair, they are included in the shipping forecast – Portland and channel light vessel automatic in most of them, and Jersey in the midnight one – often very useful for the channel islands.

Buy a road bike, it makes the road come alive under your wheels.

We have a hop bush down at the allotment. No idea of variety. How would you measure the acid level ?

My hop harvest this year was around 1.2kg I have a vague idea of acid levels from the variety, but that’s all – I have Target, Northdown and Fuggle hops, and assume they are slightly low for type.

I’ve been harvesting hedgerow hops for a number of years, and I never bother trying to measure acid levels, if it’s nice smelling, stick it in at the end, if it’s not, then stick it in at the start – if it comes out crap then dry hop or similar.

There is no way you can describe a public school educated Oxford graduate as having perfect lefty credentials – Foot and Benn certainly don’t have “perfect lefty credentials”

But, none of those things actually matter to the argument – the fact that you continue to pursue them demonstrates how deeply hollow your position is.

Perhaps you could engage in the genuine criticism of his absurd and damaging dogma, rather than diverting it elsewhere.