I can't comment on the others but IME Frank Thomas kit is about as waterproof as a particularly leaky sieve.

If you want proper waterproof you need Rukka kit, but if you are baulking at the price of Alpinestars and Dainese the cost of Rukka stuff will make your eyes water.

I was reading this report of an accident in Leicestershire.

I had to read the quote from the lorry driver twice:

"I don't take much notice of what's in front of me, really."

Pretty much says it all about some of the muppets piloting 40 tons of truck on public roads.

I wouldn't have thought their family tree was that straight – more of a recursive loop.

I looked at that picture and all I could hear in my head was banjos.

It's a bit late but I'd just like to add my thanks for Chris's efforts in organizing Saturday's ride and his encouragement on the day. I had a great ride despite discovering on that final road section that I ridden most of the way with the rear suspension locked out :oops: .

Try giving Sky a call. I had to call them on Monday and I have to say I was absolutely delighted with the level of customer care I received. They even called me back later in the day to give me an update on the issue even though they had not promised to do this. My experience of customer care from large organisations in the UK is that they never call back even when they tell you they will.

I've been getting the Friday weigh-in reminders, but have seen nothing else.

adey205

I'm in Mansfield and I'm thinking of going – I think my chest infection has just about cleared up so I should be up for this.

If I have the added commitment of providing a lift for someone then I'm much more likely to make the effort.

Drop me an email.

W.A.S.P.

Very controversial back in the day. Probably wouldn't get a second look these days.

Just heard this on the radio and it reminded me that for years I thought Peter Gabriel was singing "She's so popular" rather than "Jeux Sans Frontieres".

The 2g touch has a speaker, volume control buttons and bluetooth which the 1g doesn't have. The 3g has better CPU and GPU and voice control.

I have a 32gb 1g touch and I have seen no reason so far to upgrade. If the next generation came with a decent camera and GPS then I probably would.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipod_touch#Models

Week 1 – 102.2
Week 2 – 100.3
Week 3 – 98.7
Week 4 – 95.7
Week 5 – 94.7

Not too sure why I'm losing weight in whole kgs – if I was looking at that data at work I'd think someone with no imagination was making it up.

I seem to have slowed down after last weeks 3kg loss – not sure how I managed that as I did nothing different to what I have been doing on the other weeks. I wish I could replicate it every week, I'd reach my target weight by the middle of March. :D

I'll settle for 1kg loss a week though, if I can maintain that rate.

I can't believe I've lost over a stone so far with little real effort – just willpower. I can now easily fasten the top button on shirts which were strangling me before christmas.

Seems a lot to lose still tho, as usually it is recommend no more than 2lbs a week loss rate.

Depends on your starting point, I put on 10kg last year without realising. I didn't get on the scales between January last year and January 1st this year. I anticipate that once I've lost that 10kg it's going to get much harder to shift the rest.

I've managed to lose 6.5kg since 1st of January :D (102.2 then, now 95.7).

I have done minimal exercise due to work commitments and have just been closely monitoring my calorie intake. It has amazed me how easy it is to eat more than 2000 calories a day even when you think you are cutting back which is what I have tried in the past. I am trying to keep my calorie intake to about or below 1500 and this has seen really good results (and increased my willpower no end).

I seem to remember reading a quote to the effect of – if you do something for a fortnight it becomes a habit – this is so true in my case as I no longer feel the need to reach for the biscuits of an evening when I'm felling slightly hungry. I have got used to the feeling of being hungry and it no longer bothers me.

Hopefully I will be able to start my much planned exercise regime this weekend with the aim of no longer being a fat knacker by the summer.

(ain't cheap 8O )

Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit Upgrade Edition £37 from software4students.

You are supposed to be in, or closely related to someone in education. I used my daughter's deatils to register but to be honest I'm not sure any checks are done.

The window for voting seems a bit narrow – not everyone can get on here during the day, some of us have to work.

Sorry, not even a slight titter. Am I missing something.

What are the terms of the guarantee – can I get a refund or is it like for like replacement only.

I'm Surrounded By Idiots – Premier Member

Big room, big gun – the world would be a better place.

I'm sure many here would agree and even have a whip round to buy you a gun, but personally I don't think suicide is the answer. :twisted:

another +1 for The Wire and also Band of Brothers.

This site needs some sort of poll system we can all vote on, as seen on other forums.

TBH, on the last peaks ride I did, I surprised myself and actually managed to ride all the climbs albeit very slowly. The only one I couldn't get up was the beast, but I don't think I would have been able to manage that even when I was actually fit.

Count me in then, and if I'm left trailing and you all wait for me and then ride off as soon as I catch up, be prepared to be sworn at.

[shuffles off to garage to see if he can remember what his bike looks like]

I might even try and make one. After all 4 x AA (not fancy electronics required) in a holder from maplin with a usb cable soldered on should work… I think.

Yeah, that should give you about the right amount of volts. Ever heard of something called electrical current? How much did that satski cost cos sticking (potentially) 5amps through it is going **** the internal battery in no time so you might want to get a spare? 8O

Beatles – Here Comes the Sun
Elbow – One Day Like This

(California Dreamin' was the first song which came to mind but Northwind had already picked it)

Can I reserve the right to come back tomorrow and choose two completely different songs, which may involve Motorhead and AC/DC. Music is such a mood dependent thing, I struggle to understand how people can have one favourite song which they stick to forever – for me it really depends on when you ask the question and how I am feeling at that particular time.

Build one yourself.[/url]

When watching someone annoying on the telebox I find it useful to remind myself it could be worse, it could be Fearn Cotton. Unless of course it is Fearn Cotton in which case I realise that if this useless, sycophantic, talent vacuum can hold down a job in the BBC then there really is no hope and I turn the TV off.

mr c, im sure you will be able to keep up with me. Like i said, i am only 14

That's nearly the same age as me. When I say nearly, my age has the same two digits but in a slightly different order.

Actually, thinking about it, walking uphill is much easier without a bike. Maybe I'll leave it at home this time.

I've often wondered why I take my bike along when I go for a walk in the peaks.

I'd like to come and play, but the last time I went on a peaks ride only 3 other people turned up, and despite everyone claiming to be unfit and slow beforehand they were all racing snakes compared to me, and everytime it went slightly uphill I found reverse gear. If those of you claiming to be slower than a slow thing can assure me I won't embarrass myself again then I would really like to come along.

I really need to ride more this year but everyone I used to ride with has paired off with an anti-bike harpy (different ones, not the same one) and has to spend their spare time shopping for soft furnishings. So it would be good to find some new people to ride with (if I can be tolerated) as finding the motivation to do another lap of Sherwood Pines on my own is getting less and less (not that it was high before).

I definitely have more technique than speed (or stamina) and I don't exactly have a lot of technique.

tootin – Member

What's the difference between a Man Utd team bus and a porcupine?
A Man Utd team bus has more pricks in it

Or even – a porcupine has the pricks on the outside. :roll:

What JulianA said.

I thought I wanted to change when the time was up on my Skoda about 20 months ago (mainly due to poor service from the local dealers). Still regret that I did, and I will probably get another Octavia when the lease is up on the current car.

I've got a hall and stairwell to do, see. Could be good for that!

My main concern having read around, was that the paint is quite thin and needs double the number of coats to give the same colour as normal emulsion. If I had to paint my hall and stairwell I'd rather put two coats of paint on than four.

Did a bit of research on this between Xmas and New Year as B&Q were doing them fairly cheaply. General consensus was to avoid, so I did.

Do a google search for Dulux Paintpod review and have look around some of the forums. Like this one.

Can't give you any specific advice other than getting down to the Citizens Advice Bureau sharpish. Avoid the rent back companies without getting good advice first, I've heard a few horror stories.

Best of luck in getting this sorted.

I was with them for about 3 years. Started off on an 'unlimited' package which they changed with no notice to a '20 gig limit', however, if you went over 12 gigs in a month they send you an email telling you that you are approaching the limit and they will be throttling the connection until the end of the billing period. The connection would drop at least twice in an evening.

I've since moved to Sky – truly unlimited for less money and in the year I've been with them the connection hasn't dropped once.

RealMan – Member

Anyone else think that anyone over 20 stone should be put into a zoo?

So, Realman are you going to tell this guy he's being put in a Zoo?

I've just walked a couple of miles to my local sorting office to collect a recorded delivery which I wasn't home to recieve yesterday. The place is shut. It's on an industrial estate where, as far as I could tell, every other business was open. So it appears that no one from the post office could be bothered to man the collection desk and they've all gone to play in the snow. I can understand deliveries being cancelled (we've got about 8" of snow) but could not one of the lazy, workshy *expletive deleted* make it into the nice warm office to hand out the parcels.

[and relax]

JFGI

I got one of these for myself for christmas. I've spent about two hours flying it so far and can just about hover. It's small enough to fly indoors and although the learning curve is much steeper than with a co-ax, it is much more satisfying to feel yourself improving with each flight – some of the co-ax jobbies will hover on their own with no input from the operator.

Price has very little to do with protection – as any pathologist will tell you, the sole function of a helmet in a high speed crash is to prevent brain matter from messing up the road.

Get something that is comfortable – it all depend on your head shape, I've got a Shoei head. All Arai and Shark helmets (and I have tried many) just feel uncomfortable. So make sure you try as many helmets as possible before settling on one.

Whenever I go to a meeting and hear the word synergy, I know I am in the presence of a bulls*** merchant.This company have chosen to call themselves Bio-Synergy so I take that as fair warning.

his doctor told me that in 34 years he had never come across a patient with lung cancer who was a smoker

manwells, Surely you've made a typo here. According to Cancer Research UK: "In most people, lung cancer is related to cigarette smoking. Although some people who have never smoked get lung cancer, smoking causes 9 out of 10 cases."

I've never smoked, not even tried it. As a kid my whole family smoked and my mother worked at Player's factory – but I just found it a disgusting habit. About 6 years ago my Auntie died of complications from lung cancer and both my parents, who were both in their 60s and had smoked all their lives, just gave it up – I was very sceptical, but they have never gone back to it and I feel quite pleased that they managed it.

Count me in – need to lose about 3 stone and motivation is severely lacking.