I bought some of these a few months back and have been using them for commuting through the lanes and for night rides here on Dartmoor. Really good lights for the money. Head unit appears to be particularly well made. Battery pack is a little on the flimsy side but easily sorted.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CREE-XM-L-XML-T6-LED-1800-Lm-Bicycle-bike-Head-Light-Headlamp-Rechargeable-Head-/221289019511?pt=UK_SportGoods_CyclAcces_RL&hash=item3385da7877

I was just about to post the Lomo one but BigButSlimmer beat me to it. My TNF one has done sterling service in the 8 years I’ve had it but is starting to look a bit tatty so may replace it with one of these.

Really not sure how you do it on a line basis

Is the string you’re looking to return always a specific length?

If so you could use Findstr to identify the specfic block of text and then use right to extract the bit you need.

Some good info on here regarding DOS text manipulation which may be useful:

http://www.dostips.com/DtTipsStringManipulation.php

Also some stuff here about returning lines around a specific string which you may be able to adapt

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/14646162/returning-the-surrounding-lines-to-a-string-windows-batch-file

EDIT just noticed an error in the output code I posted earlier:

set foo= <insert code to return your value>
echo %foo% >>c:\output.txt

If you’re able to set the string to a variable then

set foo = <insert code to return your value>
echo foo >>c:\output.txt

May be oversimplifying but can you not just use echo to write the output to a new line in your target file?

echo “hello world” >>c:\test.txt

I have a VBS script which does something similar by looking for a keyword – could you call that from your DOS script?

thegreatape – Member
I overtook a fire engine on blues and twos on its way to an RTC last week. Fire engines aren’t that quick.

This is sadly true – ours starts to complain at about 65. Its a bit like a supertanker though. I wouldn’t want to get in the way of it.

edlong – Member
I see lots of people holding up ambulances etc. by immediately stopping on hearing the sirens, when continuing on as they were doing would be far more helpful. I’ve jumped a red light before now as it was the only practical way I could get out of the way of a fire engine.

Also true. Where we are we get a choice of two reactions – people apparently completely oblivous of the big red truck looming in their rear view mirrors or slamming on the anchors as soon as they hear a siren – generally in the narrowest bit of lane they can find.

We’ve been recently told it’s a no no to get into a position where we’re forcing another vehicle over red lights.

Sounds like the OP did the best he could in the circumstances.

Love Joy Division. Was into New Order first and liked their darker stuff and worked back from that.

I wonder whether the OP is basing his opinion on live recordings which were extraordinary in their own right, but I can fully appreciate that they are firmly in the “you had to be there” category for some folk.

I don’t think they sound dated at all – there are several bands I can think of at the moment who owe a massive debt to JD.

These Days is one of my favourites…that sparse drum sound and production was well ahead of it’s time.

Another weirdo here. Enjoy the odd trail centre visit sometimes but I always leave them with a vague feeling of guilt and disappointment. It’s a bit like going to KFC.

Someone on here claimed the “rambler on a bike” niche for themselves a while back and I reckon I’d place myself in that category but minus the red socks and tartan flask.

If I’m visiting a new area I like to have a good pore over the OS map and like to follow my nose when out on rides to seek out new stuff.

Some of the ” is there any decent riding in x…” threads on here wind me up if I’m honest. Fair enough to ask for a few pointers but I swear some people want it on a plate. Just open a bloody map.

Look after IT for a small, but perfectly formed, and very forward thinking holiday letting company.

Second job as a retained firefighter which I respond to from work.

Main job involves looking after pretty much everything with a plug in the building – and some things without as I also pick up a lot of general facilities stuff. I’m part of the management team and we’re not in an IT bunker so get the opportunity to get involved in all the other parts of the business – for example I do a lot of data analysis, demographic profiling and SQL programming to assist our marketing team.

Pager can go off at any time then I’m off to get kitted up and jump on the fire engine – respond to anything from RTCs to building fires to animal and water rescue. It’s quite a commitment in terms of time and training for not much money but it’s a nice counterpoint to the day job and good to do something community focussed.

Used to do application support and development / business analysis for big corporate organisations. Was considerably more money but can’t say I miss it much.

Curtis
Charge
DMR

I know that my requirements are unusual, but my perfect van would be:

Wide enough to sleep widthways
Big enough so that I could leave the bed made up (hence the widthways thing)
Big enough to put bikes inside
Fairly simple layout – none of that trying to look like a house stuff.
High quality fridge
Made of metal
4×4

The problem comes when I want this for 4 people when there are no vans with 4 seats up front

I saw something that would fit the bill based on a MWB Sprinter 4×4 (on Dutch plates) parked up where I live a few weeks back. Love my T4 as a daily driver but I’ll admit to an attack of van envy. This one had crew cab style seating which was moveable and a “mezzanine” sleeping platform in the back with storage units / kitchen stuff below

In response to this thread, a couple of people have now expressed an interest in taking it for spares or refitting.

Spoke to the boss this morning and he’s willing to let the system go for a charity donation to Devon Air Ambulance – subject to it being collected as a job lot from our office on Dartmoor.

Just because it isnt an up to do date, doens’t mean there isn’t support out there.

This is true. The Alcatel is still supported – Alcatel are still selling an updated version of the hardware and we were under a maintenance contract with South West Communications up (who originally installed it) until the point we swapped it out 12 months ago.

There’s bound to be something essential not working or missing.

Probably not actually – the kit is still in the rack. All we did was switch over the ISDN connection and disconnect the phones when we went live with our new Shoretel.

We’re really not looking to make any money out of this – likelihood is that we’d let it go for a donation to Devon Air Ambulance – just really hate to see something that is still eminently functional go to waste.

marcus7 – you’d need someone with experience of the Alcatel to configure it for you initially but I managed to work my way around the user interface OK after that. Do bear in mind that you’d also need ISDN2 or ISDN30 to take full advantage of the multiple lines.

Drop me an email if you’re interested and will speak to my boss.

How old is it ?

– About 10 years old

wwaswas – :-) This is more my speed. Perhaps I should set up a specialist chatline service catering for people who want to be verbally abused by ranty, autodidactic Northerners… (or is that too like a phone version of STW?):

Contact some local phone installers. They may take it for spares.

Already did that. I fear hot_fiat may be right, but it seems such a waste…

Not sure whether they have any left but Finisterre were knocking out old stock Brisa base layers on ebay for £5 a pop last week. Worth a look!

I rather linked Schwalbe Smart Sams for mixed road / offroad when I had a cross bike. Were pretty good in claggy Kentish mud when I lived around there.

Quite cheap too if you shop around – loads of places do then for around the £20 mark.

http://www.charliethebikemonger.com/schwalbe-smart-sam–29-x-14—700c-x35mm-wired-3983-p.asp

If you want off-grid, I can recommend Lundy.

Electricity goes off at night – open fires, no TV, WiFi or mobile signal. Loads of wildlife and a pub. Bliss.

Accommodation on the island is managed by the Landmark Trust.

We stayed here – it was great. have brilliant memories of sitting up in the light house on deckchairs drinking whiskey and eating fruitcake whilst an Autumn storm crashed against the tower. Lovely:

http://www.landmarktrust.org.uk/search-and-book/properties/old-light-upper-13819

For proper back to basics, this may be another option:

http://www.landmarktrust.org.uk/search-and-book/properties/hanmers-8218

Worth a call – we got a great deal on a last minute booking.

You can get boat from Ilfracombe or a heli from Hartland.

I personally value experience over qualifications – someone who is good at learning new stuff, with good problem solving skills who is able to demonstrate both is probably more important than a string of qualifications which rapidly go out of date anyway.

As above, start in a first line / helpdesk role – volunteer for everything and work up from there.

If you wanted to learn stuff whilst keeping your current job then what about looking to see if any community / voluntary organisations in your area want some assistance with their IT.

I’m thinking community IT training schemes, youth centres and tech recycling schemes.

Or are there opportunities to get more involved in the IT where you work currently?

Lots of opportunities to learn stuff off your own bat too – it’s easy enough to learn the basic principles of virtualization using free software like Xen…same for SQL with MySQL and the like.

igm – that’s fantastically generous. You’re a gent. Will drop you an email with my details.

Cheers guys. Someone also mentioned cleaning the pistons to stop them from sticking – what’s the best thing to use for this, IPA again?

Am aware of it but unfortunately budget means zero bike expenditure at the moment. If I can’t get them sorted I’ll be rummaging through the parts bin for some V brakes.

I was there a few years back with Neilson and did a couple of rides with them. As I recall there was a really nice loop up the valley to an old farmstead with a great section of singletrack coming back down. The ride up to the radio masts is also worthwhile for the view but IIRC a good bit of it was on the road.

In terms of bikes, it is pretty steep – you may be OK on a singlespeed but it depends on what you’re used. Neilson used to have a pretty good hire fleet – Orange P7s and the like, not sure what they’re like these days.

It’s a lovely spot either way – we really enjoyed it there. The round island swim is worth doing!

As jletch said – try = VALUE(<cell>) in an adjoining column

I’m guessing that when you double click on the cell you’ll see the value prefixed with a ‘ which will mean it will ignore any attempts to format it as a number.

Now in my opinion, the glass should have been safety glass and a caution label “NO CANDLES TO BE PLACED ON MANTEL” should have been affixed to the mantelpiece. Given that there was a bag of tealights in one of the kitchen drawers, naked flames in general are not prohibited by the owner.

This is a wind-up surely?

Just accept that you had a common sense failure… putting a naked flame underneath a shelf is a daft thing to do under any circumstances.

It’s your fault. Pay up, quit whining and just be thankful you didn’t burn the place down.

What about a Howies Dyfi?

Am considering just such a thing for similar use although I’m guessing you may be thinking of something more waterproof.

Good price at Wiggle at the moment:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/howies-dyfi-light-weight-shell-jacket/

Not quite the same thing but I took my UK Golf to Holland – registered it over there on Dutch plates, ran it for 3 year and then brought it back again and re-registered here. Process was pretty much as cranberry describes above and surprisingly painless (I even got my old number back!). I’d switched the headlights to LHD spec and had to put the UK ones back in to get it MOT’d – they wouldn’t accept deflectors at the time, but guess this may have changed.

I now run a German import T4 – didn’t register that one myself but pretty sure my rear fog lights are still Euro spec. Again I guess this may have changed or I may be illegal!

https://www.gov.uk/importing-vehicles-into-the-uk/registering-an-imported-vehicle

I’d agree that a synthetic insulated jacket would probably be the ticket. I got a cracking deal on a Howies Whistler jacket for £50 from Wiggle a little while back which would be ideal but doubt they still have them in stock.

I really rate Finisterre too (I’ve had one of their Bise gilets for donkeys and wear it loads) but unless you get lucky in the sale they’re quite pricy.

http://www.finisterreuk.com/shop/mens/clothing/mens-outerwear/etobicoke-midnight.html

Yep. I’d be up for that. There was one in Newton Abbot a few weeks ago but missed it as I was away. Have got quite a bit of stuff I need to pass on.

Oooh did you bring your tinfoil hat? You’re so going to get flamed for that. :D

I suspect a lot of the prejudices against Country are against the “& Western” part.. if we’re talking more about Americana / folk / roots /there is a lot of great stuff.

Some of my current faves:

Hank Williams
Lucinda Williams
Gram Parsons
Handsome Family
Josh Ritter
Whiskeytown / Ryan Adams
Johnny Cash
Be Good Tanyas
Mary Gauthier

Something to whet your appetite:

I became a retained FF last year. We now go through pretty much the same selection process as wholetime under national standards. As above, the test linked above is the practical assessment undertaken as part of the selection process.

You then need to pass a physical assessment which includes a treadmill, shuttle run or Chester Step Test to assess V02 max – these are also the methods for ongoing physical assessment in most brigades. As a few other people have mentioned, none of these are entirely infallible. I came within a whisker of failing the Chester Step Test despite being pretty fit due to relatively high heart rate at the start of the test – the doc put this down to “white coat syndrome” and signed me off on it as everything else was fine.

As a retained FF at a pretty quiet rural station I’m called out 6-8 times a month – a lot of minor calls but others will be more involved. A hot BA wear or big RTC job can be very intense and draining… a wholetime crew at a busy station could easily be dealing with the same number of shouts and more in a single shift and have my utmost respect for doing so. I love the job but its certainly not something I plan doing into my 60s…

We had a buffet in work today which included a beetroot, pomegranate, olive and orange salad with olives which sounds completely wrong but was actually delicious.

Yep. If the rear windows open then the strap just goes through the windows as it would through the doors on a 4 door car.

If it doesn’t then you can put it through the hatchback either side of the hinges. This is what I did with my old 106.

If the door is wide enough you may even be able to put both straps through the same door – fore and aft.

Far better to get a proper set of bars though – the wind buzz will drive you loopy after a while.

nmdbasetherevenge – Member
Are there any decent rides in Cornwall?

Not been yet but Cardinham is getting good reports

darkcyan – Member
polzeath was great – 2-3ft and clean.

I was there on Sunday morning – it was lovely.

jam bo – Member
what’s trail access like in the west country. didn’t see many paths in the same way as in sussex.
Cheeky or non existent in cornwall.

Best off living in Devon and going to the coast when it’s on.

I’d echo that

The Ayup and Petzl ones look quite pricey for the quoted lumens

They are but as above I wouldn’t get too distracted by the quoted lumens. It’s the usable light which is important. Also consider battery life and reliability.

The Myo does look puny on paper compared to some of the Cree LEDs and similar but in use it’s plenty bright enough for running – it’s got me over Crib Coch in the dark and down Loughrigg in the pitch black on the bike after my main light failed. For general use I only need to swap out the batteries a couple of times a year.

For reference, the Cree light I’ve just bought is identical to Maximusmountains – it’s really bright but I wouldn’t want to rely on it 100%.

I just bought one of the cheap Cree XML LED lights from ebay for my bike which came with a headstrap but I reckon the bulky battery pack would be a bit of a pain when running.

I use a Petzl Myo XP for general use and as a backup light when biking. It’s a good light – very robust and reliable but they’re not that cheap.

What about just getting something like the Alpkit Gamma for £15?

http://www.alpkit.com/shop/cart.php?target=product&product_id=16345&category_id=288