…but it is naive and patronising on your part to assume that iPhone popularity is purely driven by some kind of Apple cultism…

Did I say that? Has the English language changed since yesterday?

i believe i used the expression “I’m sure plenty of people would” rather than “every single iPhone owner would”.

You are very defensive of the iPhone. Are you sure you haven’t a little photo of Mr Jobs secreted somewhere about your person to pay devotion to during low moments?

Not sure how a phone released in July 2008 can be a bit 2007…..

Actually you’ve nailed your ‘not a Macophiles’ colours to the wall right there.

They were released in the UK in November 2007 and in the US back in July 2007 (the seriously hardcore Jobbies were booking flights to New York for theirs).

I own an iPod BTW (two actually), just wasn’t overly impressed with the size, weight, short battery life nor the inability to upgrade the memory to something more suitable to my needs (I wanted a phone to also replace one of my iPods as a music device).

I’m sure that if your needs are met by what the iPhone offers then they are fairly good but they’re not the be all and end all and as with iPods/MP3 player, better all-round alternatives are available.

Didn’t they buy an old 747 a couple of years ago ….

No.

or

First single – Musical Youth – Pass the Dutchie.

First Album – Madness – The Rise & Fall.

iPhones, aren’t they a bit 2007?

Still, if Steve Jobs dropped a steaming brown one in a small, white plastic box I’m sure plenty of people would queue around the block to get one then spend hours on forums telling everyone how much better than any other steaming brown filled white boxes it is. Mind they’d carefully skirt around the poor battery life for the supply to the turdmatic tumbler as well as the remarkably large amount of money they spent of it.

If you really, really, really want an iPhone, buy a Nokia 5800.

John Travolta has his own plane, and yet our Prime minister does not. i think that just about sums up this sorry state of affairs,

John Travolta is a private individual and can spend his money as he wishes.

Gordon Brown is a public servant, one who is good mates with some lass name Pru apparently, so should be accountable for every penny he wishes to take from the public purse in order to carry out his day to day work.

If he can justify an aircraft for himself for reasons such as ‘security’ then he can first stump up the cash to provide AT assets for military use in actual conflict areas with the best protective devices and structural improvements money can buy. Until then he can turn left at the end of the airstair (I’ll give the ‘head honcho’ that perk at least) on any flight deemed safe enough for us plebs.

I thnk Nottingham might have a high gun crime rate,

Or it could be that the London-centric media jumped on a few shootings that happened in a small period of time and used their magical powers in an attempt to fool the guliable into thinking somewhere outside of the festering anal sore that is London is just as bad in order to divert negative attention away from said anal sore (said by an ex-Londoner)?

The ‘Shottingham’ tag is massively over-played. As I said before, I live a sort walk from one of the ‘dodgy’ areas of Nottingham yet my car and home contents insurance fell dramatically after moving up here from a leafy rural village in Hampshire.

Someone already touched on the main driver behind the bad press (the Gunn family), more specifically Colin Gunn who ordered the parents of an informant to be killed outside their home, miles away in Lincolnshire (at Trusthorpe near Mablethorpe, oddly not also considered a terrifyingly violent place even with a double killing in the area). Colin Gunn is in prison and the rest just keep their heads down.

The Queen has a whole squadron [32 Sqdn IIRC]

Actually although 32 (The Royal) Squadron feature ‘Royal’ in their name this is purely a historical inclusion. The primary role of 32 (TR) Sqn is communications and logistical support for military operations. Indeed they are regular visitors to, and operators from, many less than desirable Middle Eastern hotspots in their modified BAe 146 and HS125 aircraft.

VIP transport duties are secondary, though cabinet minster use accounts for far more of their VIP duty time than use by the Royal Family. Mr Miliband himself has used 32 (TR) Sqn more than 16 times in the last year alone.

Since taking the reigns in ’97 the current government seems to have become a bit more partial to using 32 (TR) Sqn than the previous government. Quite strange considering they are the party of the people.

As to the question, yes Brown should have to travel by chartered airline. We have precious few AT aircraft supporting operations in Afghanistan at the bequest of Mr Brown and his predecessor as it is. Use the few AT assets available (waiting for the PFI that never comes, cheers Gordon) to support those that are carrying out his will rather than ferry him for one grip and grin session to another.

If he wants a UK version of ‘Air Force One’ then he should stump up the cash for aircraft of use to the ongoing operations first and bin this ridiculous ‘brought on the never never’ PFI tosh..

Renton – Whats that song you bomb heads love?
A I’m an armourer, B I’m an armourer, C I’m an……..
😉

I seem to recall a wind-up like this doing the rounds just the other year, although it involved ‘a mate at Guildford planning department, land owned by the crazy South African and chairlifts being put in. Lasted about a week that one did.

This one managed to hit something on the ground,

An unconventional approach I’ll give you that put that runway is out of use for a while and no mistake.

;o)

To be fair, they have managed to hit stuff on the ground the correct way too,

I like the fact ‘The Sun’ point out the three wheel nuts rather than 4 being an indicator of its no-frills nature.

Just like those Smart cars built by Mercedes then?

Designed to carry a single, big and powerful bomb.

Scary times.

On my usual bike, 2.1″ Maxxis Ignitors.

For no particular reason than I had been given them just before I decided to go ghetto tubeless (mid-last year) and I can’t be bothered to change them.

They seem to be quite a good all-round tyre, or perhaps I’m just a highly-skilled rider. 😉

Seemed like a good idea at the time.

Dodgy ‘Manga’ t-shirt – Check.
Watch with secret compartment for sweets but handy for other small things – Check.
Sooty glove puppet – Check.
Potato masher (no idea where I got it from) – Check.
Arm full of beads – Check.
Unusually large pupils – Check.

Why don’t you ask MBR to organise it for you? They can pretend its all for the love of their readers whilst providing huge amounts of publicity for their favored shonky bike manufacturer.

(Its like West Side Story this, Giant vs Shonkized. Perhaps we could have one of those dance-off fight things….) 😉

A plane is what you use to remove wood from a door, aircraft are what you can see many pictures of in this thread.
Oh and Juan, unfortunately for the French Airforce the government of France made the decision to pull out of the Eurofighter project purely for political reasons and hence have been left with an aircraft that has an ergonomic nightmare of a cockpit, very basic systems that still don’t function properly, a serious problem with excess weight and very empty order books, (orders are needed to off-set future up-grade costs which will now be met by a smaller customer base). The only advantage it has over the Typhoon is its ability to land an aircraft carrier, but seeing as the one nation within the Typhoon project that wants a carrier borne fighter is buying the F35 its difficult to see what an aircraft nearly two generations behind the F35 offers to carrier aviation.

You can tell you are an ex-pebble monkey, you completely missed the ‘blue RAF’ part of my post. Obviously I wasn’t including the missile monkeys, plastic paras and SRDG troops in the ‘blue RAF’ because as you so cleverly pointed out you chaps wear No.3 dress of various forms usually.
Can’t blame you for missing that subtle piece of text though, all those years of teaching chubby techies CCS must take its toll on the mind.
;o)

Is yours the faded blue Lord Anthony parka?

Perhaps you could get Avid to make you an inferior version with weak colours?

MTT – Well if you feel its the right course for you then good luck.

Interestingly I applied to join both the Army (RGJ’s) and the RAF at the same time, its just that the RAF interview process was quicker.

My Dad was happy that I got into the RAF as he believed I’d spend less time in dodgy places than if I had gone into the Army, how wrong he was.

Too much dangling tin to avoid getting spoken to on parades from too much time away from my family (I was on the top rate of Longer Separated Service Allowance when I left by a fair margin) and a few bad dets made my leaving after 12 years an easy decision.

That said though when I was young and single I used to volunteer (they say never to) for every det or operation I could get away on. 6 years spent on arguably the most cabbagy and green part of the RAF (Tactical Supply Wing) working alongside the Army, rather than for them as most of the blue RAF does, alongside some great lads and lasses in some interesting places were probably my happiest years in the RAF. If I had stayed single I would have taken the promotion I was offered and gone back onto TSW, but sometimes you need to think about people other than yourself as I did about my wife and daughter.

Good luck whatever you do and if you do end up in the RAF as an officer don’t forget, your airmen/airwomen are what make you a success in your job so always look after them.

…was she a member of the hitler youth?

Nah, that was the Pope.

Isn’t he cute in his little Nazi uniform.

All threads eventually mention Hitler/Nazis, why should this thread be different eh?

Beamers – Try telling that to these guys.

Of course get yourself on a Tornado Air Display Variant fleet or the Lincoln air defence force and you’re laughing. I don’t believe the clothing stores at Waddo even has the NSN lists for desert kit.

😉

Has anyone read question 4 properly?

Some of the answers people are making seem a little contradictory.

1) 4 times
2) No idea, lots when DHIng.
3) None
4) 0%

Cheeky! I played with fuel a damn sight more than blankets.

MTT – Did you start a thread on Pprune not too long ago?

As Tootall says, you don’t sound like you have the right motivation for joining the military, especially with the current operational tempo the RAF (and the Army) are experiencing at the moment. With the forces stretched as tight as they are everyone really needs to pull their weight, I’m not sure another post filling officer is really what the RAF needs or your potential airmen deserve.

As he says though, if you really do want to join the RAF to kill a few years then pop down the Armed Forces Careers Office. They are getting better a weeding out those who haven’t really got their heart set on the vocation so you’d better work on that back story a little. “Got laid off, want to pick up some skills, minimum service possible” doesn’t really sell you too well.

On the skills point there is a lot of potential to better yourself in the military. I joined with bare minimum qualifications and left with two degrees as well as a large amount of vocational qualifications (though none for blanket folding unfortunately).

Ur computa skilz R sAricn.

He’s just a man trying to serve his country. Incompetent, maybe; but not the Satan some seem to think. Because that would be just ridiculous.

She was just a woman trying to serve her country. Unpopular maybe, but not the Satan some seem to think. Because that would be ridiculous.

Hmmmm.

I can’t remember what happened to our manufacturing, gas, oil & coal industries

No, really, I can’t

12 years of government obviously isn’t enough to do anything other than chuck money at the public sector.

No one has said helmets provide full protection.
Yes the helmet failed (as designed) and in doing so reduced the force of the impact. This is how crumple zones work too.

Isn’t ridding Tuna of the brine something to do with cutting the smell, a major factor in people not eating Tuna.
Oh and worst advert, any that start “Hi, I’m Barry Scott……”

Whilst I’m sure it a terrible private tragedy its hardly national news.
Where was the national out-pouring of grief when my Aunt died last year in much pain after a very aggressive type of Cancer took hold around her spine?

Bruneep – Its unfortunate that these threads even turn into PUAC threads.
Hopefully those riders who dismiss the benefits of wearing a helmet or try to find some pathetic anchor on which to downplay their effectiveness are carriers of Organ Donor cards, though methinks folk who would rather risk a serious head injury from a relatively minor bump for lack of a cheap piece of protection probably don’t care enough to carry such cards.

TJ trying to be contraversal on a helmet thread, change the f%#&ing record.
The fact the helmet is in pieces means it did exactly what its supposed to do.
Markenduro – I hope your friend recovers fully, ’tis a shame though when the ever predictable TJ appears on a helmet thread spreading the same old tripe. Perhaps his brain really isn’t worth saving.
Go on TJ, do the “pedestrians should wear helmets thing”, its brilliant that arguement.
Oh and Stoner, better he was killed in the initial (harder) impact eh?

…….it is also claimed to have some sort of plasma field-based stealth system – really!

I reckon a slightly tipsy Russian official might have been spinning a line to an equally afflicted aviation reporter in the hospitality tent at Farnborough.

Here comes the noise.

Shocking, buying stuff online.

What about your poor LLS eh?

I’m 5’11” and definitely wouldn’t want to go up to a large frame size considering the kind of riding I do.

If you just want to grind out the miles then I’m sure a large frame would be great for you but then you lose the ‘chuckability’ that Trance frames are renown for.

Hora – If you can get across to Sherwood one weekend I’ll let you borrow my Trance.

I run a mix of both SRAM and Shimano on my bikes.

I use SRAM shifters on all my bikes, Shimano compatible ones where required (my Trance has SRAM Attack shifters and n XTR rear mech) as I prefer their action.

SRAM mechs can be a little fragile though, I’ve knackerd two (one on my DH bike and one on my 4X bike).