To get back to the original question:

The effect of a Scottish Yes vote on the rest of the UK?

Somewhatslightlydazed’s prediction is:

Nothing much at first. It will take years to define what both sides mean by “independence” and then to seperate the two countries both legally and economically. By then, times will have changed and people may find they do not like whatever version of independence our leaders have lumbered us with.

Meanwhile the Tories will have won another general election and rUK will get Cameron’s promised referendum on the EU. A fit of anti-Scottish and anti-European sentiment will sweep aside any logic and rUK will spend years trying to unpick 3 decades of social and economic legislation that have bound us to Europe. And again, when its too late, people will start wondering if this was such a good idea.

Whatever happesn, don’t go holding your breath waiting for the great leap forward, whatever side of the border you live on.

Margerine is actually grey. They have to put the yellow colouring in so people will buy it.

Is this a “Last Tango in Paris” sort of question?

Being based in the West Country as far as I can tell all that would be required to create a regional vote of no confidence would be a blockade of the M4, the A303 and the A361

In the event of all out thermonuclear armageddon, I magine Plymouth, Falmouth and that satellite tracking station near Bude are still on Vladimir’s hit list.

i’m not sure blocking the M4 will pose much probelm to an incoming ICBM.

Most e-bikes have big batteries and very obvious motors.

I reckon if anyone could miniaturize that set up, they could find better ways to make money than selling it to a couple of moderately unsuccessful pro cycling teams.

Or perhaps that’s why Chris Froome always stares at his stem. Its got a little dial showing charge remaining.

Can only get about 2 words in three of the Today program in ‘ampshire.

Some might say this is a good thing.

I don’t remember membership of either being required unless you were shooting in competition

If you join a club you would also have to join the governing body to which it is affiliated, unless it has its own insurance arrangements.

But that would all be explained when/if you want to join a club.

I’ve never shot target so may be biased, but it always sounded very clinical to me and doesn’t really appeal.

You should try a two way longbow shoot Cougar. None of that behind the line paraphernalia, no waiting around for the compounders to do whatever it is they do, and sherry after three dozen.

That’s Clout shooting.

Field and target are both fun. But its clout that really sorts the men out from the boys 😉

There was a QI episode where they revealed that the very best thng for a comfy and efficient wipe was a swan’s neck.

I’ve no idea what the swan thoguht about it though.

We had once had trouble with rats in the attic.

Cats are great at keeping them under control IF they can get at the rats/mice. But unless the cats have access to your attic they won’t do much good.

we used to sit in bed, listening to the rats scrabbling about on the ceiling and watching the cat going mental trying to get at them.

We found long term use of rat poison in the attic was the only way to control them.

Get yourself a big tom cat. He’ll see all the other moggies off (and solve any rat problems you may have). You then just have to worry about his shit.

Or piss on the shingle yourself, that way you become the dominant cat.

So why not have a beel and defuse that particular argument? Perhaps then we would discover what the real gripe is.

Because on ringing your bell they will either

a. Jump out of their skin and otherwise act as if you’ve just tried to frighten them to death.

b. Completely ignore you and then, after your polite “excuse me” grumpily mumble “shouldn’t you have a bell?”

or rarely

c. wait till you’ve come past and then make sarcastic comments like “ooooh, a cyclist with a bell”.

You just can’t win.

In the post Thatcher years, being anti Europe (or at least anti the bits that weren’t Tuscany or Provence) was the only thing that could set the Conservatives apart from Nu Labour.

I think its just become force of habit.

Did you know it takes about 14 litres of water to make one plastic kettle?

Anyway. Here are some tips on how to make a better kettle

The energy consumption of a kettle depends on:

Thermal mass of materials that are heated while the water is heated. New thick film heating elements are available and have a much smaller thermal mass than traditional concealed elements and immersed coil elements. A manufacturer of thick film elements estimates that up to 20% energy saving may be achievable

Heat loss from external surfaces. This is dependent on the wall’s thermal conductivity, so low thermal conductivity plastic is superior to higher thermal conductivity metal.

Ability to heat a small amount of water and no more than is needed. The accuracy of the level indicator is important, but education of the user is most important.

Heat input continues after the water reaches required temperature (boils) until the automatic cut-out actuates. The time this takes depends on the overall kettle design and so can vary considerably. It is important that this time does not increase with use, however, it is one of the more common complaints that automatic switch off times tend to lengthen with use and for some models this will continue until the kettles will not switch off at all

Then make sure the kettle will not fail if its used 8 times a day for 5 years and you’re laughing.

As ever, the headlines are mainly bollocks.

Its a study, not even an imminent or even proposed ban.

Here is the linked report if you can be bothered to read it.

http://www.ecodesign-wp3.eu/sites/default/files/Ecodesign%20WP3_Draft_Task_3_report_11072014.pdf

Kettles start at page 55. I’ve only skimmed it, but they seemed to be more concerned with making them more durable, so saving raw materials and energy in construction.

to be honest it’s a training thing, no one can play a guitar anyhow when they first start, so whether they start with left or right hand is only a couple of weeks extra until they train themselves to do it the “wrong” way.

But that doesn’t explain why the convention is fret with the left and pluck/strum with the right. I think all the early pictures of lutist/guitarists etc. show people playing it that way round. Why not the other way?

And its the same with all stringed instuments eg. violins etc are bowed with the right hand.

This is going to give me sleepless nights… 🙂

guitars (and lutes) were plucked with the fingers and that requires considerable dexterity too.

That makes sense. But also how about the right hand, being stronger could give more volume? Gut strings aren’t particularly loud, thats why the Americans started making acoustics with steel strings.

I’m not sure the events in Syria are related to this.

Might be wrong though, who knows?

Well that bloke does look ike he’s been held in a cave for 6 months by the Mujahadeen.

I managed to miss all this untill I clicked on the BBC news and saw his face on the front page – I thought the headline would be about ISIS releasing some western hostages.

Oh god, we’ve reached the point where lights are now more than bright enough so people are now looking for stupid things to try and supposedly improve the experience…

I find the pure white lights pretty crap for actually seeing where I am going, and the brighter they get the crapper they are. Everything just gets bleached out and becomes one dimensional.

I prefer the old yellow halogen lights for seeing in the dark so a warm yellow LED would be my choice.

I’ve not tried them, but I believe this is the thinking behind the Green LEDs.

EDIT: just like wot Stato said above.

I’m fed up of replacing expensive FSA bottom brackets every 6 months, so I’m thinking of trying one of these in 48/34 with the appropriate square taper BB.

http://www.spacycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m2b0s109p2799

If I’m feeling flush I might go for the much better TA chainrings.

IMO the Cannondale and the Giant are just ugly.

The Kona concerns me though – looks like they have cut the steerer to the minimum? – so no option to add spacers for more comfort.

On a non-race cross bike I like the bars set at or slightly below saddle height which would rule out the Kona for me. I hope this is just a marketing pic and the ones in the shops have a longer steerer.

The cross light seems to have a flattened top tube, which makes carrying easier. It also looks like it has rack mounts. It gets rated quite highly be people on here. And its just a nicer looking bike than the others.

Looking at the pics, FSA must have made a killing selling chainsets!

I always assume FSA is what they fit when getting bikes down to a price point!

Do you mean the bit between Goring and Avebury? If so, entirely CX suitable if dry. The chalk would be a bit slippy if wet though.

Mr Carswell said the decision to jump ship from the Conservatives had given him “sleepless nights” but he wanted to see “fundamental change in British politics” and UKIP – a party he believed belonged to its members rather than a “little clique” of political insiders – could deliver it.

Well, he may have a point about the country being run by cliques political insiders, but I’m not sure UKIP are the party to break the mould of British politics.

CX bikes are v heavy and slow compared to a proper carbon (beauty) road bike

They don’t accelerate as well, but from experience I would say the difference isn’t really noticeable a lot of the time. You couldn’t do a road race on a CX bike but in normal use I’ve only ever wished for a racier bike when sprinting for road signs.

but must be v uncomfortable and impractical for off road

Again from experience I find this just isn’t true. There are times on proper MTB terrain* when I stuggle to keep up with the hardtails, but thats more a criticism of my skill rather than the bike. And I find an MTB knackers my arse and wrists much more than the stretched out, drop bars CX.

Even ox droves on Salisbury Plain must be more fun on a mtb. Isn’t that what hardtails are for?

This is exactly where a good drop bar beefy tired bike comes into its own.

*being in the soft south, there aren’t many places where you’ll fall off and die if you dont have wide tyres and front suspension.

Part of the problem is that a large portion of the US public would say that’s exactly what a gun can do.

And for me thats part of the weirdness. I can’t imagine living in a society where I think there is a significant possibility that I might have to draw a gun and kill someone as I go about my daily business.

When you listen to the pro gun arguments (particularly the “concealed carry” lot), it makes you think that either the US is an incredibly dangerous place, or there are some very paranoid individuals living there.

I hated my Tricross, it weighed loads, the geometry was horrendous – I think head tube was longer than the top tube. Awful thing.

This seems to be the consensus opinion on the tricross.

Where as I love my Tricoss. But it is the older carbon fibre model. The cheaper all alloy ones were a bit gash.

I run it on 35c Smart Sams, which seem to be fantastic all-round tyres.

If I could only have one bike, a decent CX set up for touring would be it. Jack of all trades and all that . . .

Go for a 50/34 chainset if you can, a higher gear for road and a lower gear for climbs

I use a 48/34 with a 12-30. I would prefer a 14-32 but I don’t think you can get those ratios?

So, ignoring the “huntin, shootin, fishing” brigade, and the second amendment nutjobs, why do many Americans apparently feel the need to carry a gun about as part of their normal day to day activity?

I had to accept that “the good guy with a gun would shoot the bad guy with a knife” … where does it go from here… ?

It ends up with this:

“The lady didn’t run as fast as the man, so I shot her in the back twice,” Mr Greer told a local television station following the break-in.

“She says, ‘Don’t shoot me, I’m pregnant… I’m going to have a baby,’ and I shot her anyway,” he added.

Californian man shoots pregnant burgular

It’s simply a case of neutralising the threat to our threatened bird, rodent and reptile species. As a conservationist, I don’t take a great deal of pleasure in killing anything, but anyone who’s used a high powered air rifle will know the sense of satisfaction one gains from an accurate hit.

I can’t actually decide if you are joking or not.

But if you aren’t you do realise that there are only certain types of animals you are legally allowed to shoot?

I don’t think cat (domestic or otherwise) is on the list and you are probably committing a firearms offence.

Or just squirt them with a lead-infused jet of cold air from a Weihrauch hw100. It guarantees that they won’t do it again, and it’s still fun! Yey!

Do you really use an air rifle to shoot cats for pleasure kudos?

I’ve just inherited a 20 year old cat that refuses to go anywhere but a litter tray. Any tips on how to train her to shit in the garden?

(or preferably somebody else’s garden?)

So your business upped sticks and moved office without checking how much car parking was included in the terms of the new lease?

Thats actually more funny than the mad MD with the post it notes.

There was a cracking bit on NASA TV a few years back.

They were trying to install something on the ISS and the American instructions gave measurements in foot/pounds. The only torque wrench they could find was Russian which was calibrated in Newtons/metre. So the astronauts had to wait while somebody on the ground went away and did the conversion calculations for them.

One of the astronauts can be heard to say “I cannot believe we are having this conversation in the 21st century”.

The DVLA produced 42.2 million paper tax discs, with a total weight over 72 tonnes – more than a Challenger 2 tank.

But how does that compare to the volume of an Olympic sized swimming pool?

The only “gadget” I really want would be one of those Google self driving cars. Then I could sit back and read a good book.

While sipping at a glass of beer.

air con, would you prefer no air con, and to get heat stroke on a hot day?

Ah yes, I have fond memories of the summer of 76, suffering from heatstroke in the back of my Dads MKIII cortina. If only I had thought to wind down the window (with the handle).

I believe Jivehoneyjive is a serving Mi5 officer.

His unit’s task is to make sure that we associate stories of government child abuse rings with internet conspiracy theorists.

So when any real evidence does seep out, we all think “Not that old tosh again”.

Remember – just because some “loony” wrote it on the internet, it doesn’t mean its not true.

(and if you don’t hear from me again, you’ll know this is too close to the truth)

My first bike (when I was eighteen!) was a Raleigh Bomber that someone gave me in bits.

I learn’t a lot about bike mechanincs and the value of a friendly LBS while putting it all back together.

I wish I had it now. It would be perfect for Swinley Forest.

As a peace offering, here is a further piece of evidence to corroborate the previous article regarding seizure of the tape:

See Paragraph regarding Customs & Excise

Well, I’ve read the original article and the corroborating evidence.

All it prooves is that back in 1982 Customs and Excise conviscated some dodgy films from a guy with a Dutch sounding name.

I don’t think you’re going to get a high profile conviction based on that.

I didn’t know that “Ava” was a name, let alone a popular one.

“Lettuce” was quite a popular girls name in Victorian times, apparently.