I always like the idea of Mince Pies, but after one, I’m usually done.

So long as you’re alive when you cast your ballot, your vote counts.  The only time a mail-in will be discounted is if the ballot was mailed TO the recipient after they died.  In Georgia last time, this was the sum total of 2.

I’ve had this where I sold something, the buyer didn’t collect it, Royal Mail eventually added enough stickers to it to change the weight from 246g to 257g and then charged me to have it returned to my house as I hadn’t paid enough postage as it was over 250g.  I wasted more time than I really had to spare to claim back that £6.50, but, I couldn’t let them get away with it :-)

This doesn’t make any sense to me – I know that in theory, neoprene is waterproof, but my experience of neoprene is FAR different.   I’ve had several neoprene overshoes and the inside front of the overshoes is ALWAYS soaked by the end of a ride.  The zip is on the side/rear so it’s not the zip… it it was just runnning down my leg and into the overshoes, surely there’d be a pinch point at some interval which should stop or reduce it, but it’s uniformly soaked.  Is it because it’s stretched?  Is it just somehow rubbish neoprene?  What about my winter boots with neoprene cuffs or tongues?  Again all penetrated and soaked.

Spur Cycle Bell – Small, loud, fits to anything in a multitude of orientations, made of quality materials and all parts available as spares if you crash – accept no substitutes.

Indeed this /\  I’ve visiting and worked in the US many times and have never encountered this fat, stupid, American centric personality that so many outside of the US ascribe to them.

I have uniformly encountered intelligent, kind, often gregarious, largely normal body type, hard working and diverse people.

Not for me.  You must be logged in using Google, Apple or something else.

That’s all fairly standard IME.  The real trick is in assesseing what you think someone’s vocabulary limit might be and injecting words that they may not understand…you can then watch the slight moments of confusion start to mix with anger and indignation.  Good fun.

I don’t really know.  Maybe.  But since this point I have noticed that in the age range of 15-18 I rarely see someone riding a bike.  Scooting on a private or hire e-scooter, sure.  But not a pedal bike.

In this age range, I used to go everywhere by bike and still do.  I think that “I can go anywhere on my bike” attitude did open me up to the idea that bikes were for fun and utility and it’s always been part of my considerations for moving about it’s also part of how I stay healthy, it’s part of the balanced equation, so I can sort of see his point.  If driving became as cheap or as easy as the scooter, would they still scoot?  Would it be part of a bigger equation or was it just a necessary means to an end?  Will they remember it fondly and go back to it as many of us who ride, have and do?

I guess I’m asking if it’s sustainable (I don’t mean in terms of the environment) or is it like a fad diet – something you need at the time but doesn’t ultimately change how you live your life?  Maybe ? ?

I can’t see that as not on Twitter, but are the catch pins still attached to the corrugated bit that also holds the grid fins?  Or are they further down?  If it’s on the corrugated bit, that’s the staging ring which is heavily reinforced for booster sep.  if it’s further down, that’ll mean a unique price of structure or something attached to the tank support, but I think the tank support is also part of the staging ring as Starship’s engines don’t protrude from the fairing.  The Tower is still doing the catch either way, but it’d be interesting to know if there’re a few catch pins (to allow it to rotate axially and still be caught) or if it’s just two and they’re that precise.  If it’s the latter, that’s very impressive.

Apparently it’s to do with cockroaches getting into the beans whilst they’re waiting to be ground.  They’re then ground up with the beans and sent to Waitrose as Deliciously Ella Protein enhanced organic coffee.

It looks to me like it’s on the primary connective structure to the grid fins, which would make sense as they have some of the major structural loads during descent and control until the engines take the strain.

Landing means you need a landing system, this is just reinforced gridfins for capture.  In essence, you’ve move the landing system to the toward which saves weight.  Every kg of weight launched needs around 150kg of fuel to LEO.

Cost savings for reusability are only a small part of it.  ASL believe that the cost savings vs disposal are 20-30% max as the reusable rocket is both more expensive and heavier and requires rework.  Launch cadence is the real benefit.  You can simply do more and it’s the cadence, not the cost which hammers your competitors.

But we can change it after I buy my “vanity chariot”, right?  I’ve been hoping to buy one for, well, forever, but still can’t afford it.

Cheap beans at Redber if anyone is interested:

https://www.redber.co.uk/collections/freshly-roasted-autumn-sale/Coffee-Sale

From what I’ve heard from friends at Tesla, none of the robots are actually autonomous.  They’re telepresenced using skilled operators.  In some demos they’re automatic, highly programmed for the task at hand, but their ability to learn and adapt (autonomy) is significantly behind the competition.  There’re are also serious doubts over Tesla’s pure RGBD sensor technology for perception compared to others using sensor fusion.

We’ll have to see if Tesla can do what SpaceX have done and dramatically innovate and pivot if required.

IKEA do some great wooden boards.

Twice in 20 years.  In both cases it would’ve been ride ending, but not the end of the world.  I’d just have had to walk to the car park.  In one case, I might have been able to do something with the stainless steel cable ties I always carry.

Rim brake hub?

As with others – waking up in the morning of June 24th 2016 was horrifying.

My wife is fine with this stuff, but it always seems like a massive indulgence which I feel I don’t deserve.

I bought a Eureka Oro Mignon and a Gaggia Classic Pro Evo to go with my Sage Barista Touch…I’ll decide what works well together and eventually sell whichever I like least.

I replaced a Gaggia Classic and MDF Burr Grinder earlier in the year with the Sage and whilst it does make better coffee (most of the time), I sometimes prefer the workflow for the Gaggia.  The Sage is also more difficult to maintain and has already broken it’s grinder (twice) due to harder beans than it would like.  70screws to get to the grinder bits.  The Gaggia has 2 to get to its innards and the Oro reportedly has 4-6.

Fess up! What did you buy?

Nope!  If I write it down, it’s all too real.  At the moment, numbers have moved and stuff might arrive, but I can kid myself that little has changed….other than an alternative coffee station appearing in the garage.

I also use the Ashbeck 5l water from Tesco.  £1.49 and it lasts a month.  I figure any filter waste or chemicals used to descale would have equal or higher waste given that the bottles are made from recycled material and we recycle them.

This thread ended up costing me more money than it should have.  Note to self – next time there’s a coffee thread, DON’T open it!

Nice.

Alloy or carbon rim?  If it’s hard and crumbly, it’s possibly alloy corrosion, but that’s a lot of material (especially if a carbon rim).  If it’s soft and crumbly, I’d suggest it’s some combination of the tape, water and sealant.  If it’s a carbon rim and there’s a decent cavity, it could be that it’s part of the mandrel used to form the wheel and hasn’t been properly removed and is no breaking down.

@jaketurbo – How’s the Oro Mignon?

Cant you just buy some 12mm stud (m12) at the correct length and then put two M12 nuts and washers onto it on it once it’s through a normal 12*100 front wheel?

It was printed on an EOS M290 but designed with the EOS, RenAM and SLM platforms in mind so should be printable on all of them in each of the 3 materials.  There’s no standalone features less than 250micons.

I think the platform is around €800k and powder runs at around €50-£150/kg.

https://uk.eos.info/en-gb/industrial-3d-printer/metal/eos-m-290

3d printed stainless steel pen with captive rifle bolt mechanism.  Should also be printable in Titanium and Inconel.  No supports needed and printed first time without issues.

On paper, it’s not much, but it feels it and looks it.  It’s a bigger light.

I tend to turn Tap off when running the light off-road – big bumps tend to have it flicking between modes.

I’ve got a Mk9 and a Mk 16.  They’re very similar.  The axis is heavier and very slightly more powerful, but for a helmet light I always go for the Joystick Mk 15 and Mk 16 that I have.  I tend to sling the Axis under the bars as a road/gravel light in the Spring and Autumn.  I don’t like a heavy helmet light.

When your chance of survival is more than 50% reliant on luck – It’s a stupid enterprise.  I stopped watching – Folks like this shouldn’t be given airtime.

1. Strip back to non chewed wires on both sides.

2. Slide on some appropriately sized heat shrink for both the flex and for each individual core.

3. Twist up each core (4 of them).

4. Twist left over right and then backwards right over left to joint the wires securely.

5. Solder the joint.

6. Heat shrink each core.

7. Heatshrink the whole repair.

Lego Dune Ornithopter £99 – again cheaper than anywhere else:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/LEGO-10327-Ornithopter-Movie-Themed-Minifigures/dp/B01N1O0F2K?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1

Sony XM4 headphones are cheaper than anywhere else and cheaper than they’ve ever been.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-WH-1000XM4-Cancelling-Wireless-Headphones-Black/dp/B08C7KG5LP/ref=sr_1_3?crid=15562456F9VKW&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.iCBObOYOTm87Cc-1KhLwgcle69sBcSIkZs7dRKX7PgyT2TbruBHztvO-DHetYTLsyBOEQPUD64ouDQQmNPzHqI2NjiBpiYTMCD8KP-3bpO6HnLAVVjI1W0hkYk2mFlAv738_DmhfgCvizQgmIUoUsYkGcjUryBtnwzTegtTt_6MpAdfbJVcWvDbSmxqbBONrGZP8CE-4dRWAZ_SPwrh730KndYGEgT-TDW8oZkS5MiY.c7f-PTO-va33hHfCLxNbm8FRrW2XJdTc-MoHO6UOOqM&dib_tag=se&keywords=sony+wh-1000xm4&nsdOptOutParam=true&qid=1728372524&sprefix=sony+%2Caps%2C83&sr=8-3&ufe=INHOUSE_INSTALLMENTS%3AUK_IHI_5M

BMW.  Mercedes.  I think some of the VAG.  Not the pack, but the cells themselves.  The packs are assembled elsewhere.  I don’t know if this is also true for others (pack assembly, but cell manufacture elsewhere, But as much of the value is in the cells, origin rules work against them.

It’s also worth noting that a majority of Europe’s automotive sector (when one considers the who supply chain) is centred in Germany.  German protections are high, as are wages, as are taxes, as are subsidies and RnD incentives (the highest state sponsored RnD incentives anywhere in the world)…the whole of Europe pays for those last two, not just the Germans.  It may not be quite the level playing field you think it is.

Be careful what you wish for.  More than 30% of the value in many EVs is now coming from the battery and many of the European OEMs are having their batteries produced in China.  Those protectionist policies might just hurt you too.  Coupled with the increase in tariffs applied by China to EU goods and that sting might be bigger than you bargained for.  BMW, Mercedes and others argued against the tariffs.

The thing is, it’s specifically targeted at e-Bikes.  No mention of scooters, hoverboards, nothing else that’s electric/battery and mobility related.  Why e-bikes specifically?

Wow…