Since moving out into the countryside I visit big towns less and less...
But today I needed to go into Ipswich to sort some financials... So I park the Buell near the town centre...
I had only just gotten of the bike when a young, teenage, girl with black and purple hair just shouted out... I'm going to get my bike license...
Now, for whatever reason, people seem to find me... I was "Uncle Paul" as a teenager and, in reality, that has not changed... I am not saying that the weirdos make a bee line for me but... sometimes it feels like it..
Anyhoo.... Teenager talking ten to the dozen with an ever increasing pitch... and at first I wondered why me... But I continued to listen as it felt the right thing to do...
Got the whole "bike - ex boyfriend - life sucks" thing, alone with some intelligent thoughts on being a passenger... And I explained about chicken strips being a simple way of seeing who's bike you want to be on the back off if there's a choice...
But it was time for my usual "ask a question out of context to the theme" tactics to see what was really going on..
"What colour is your front door" I asked... and she just stopped... for about 5 seconds... "What, Green, Why" she said in a now normal level voice...
The answer is immaterial to the question... Its the time it takes to answer and the facial expression that holds the truth... not whether they know the answer or not...
And to be honest I just got a nervous/lonely sort of vibe... nothing drug related or about to cost me money...
So... We end up talking for quite a while and I hope it helped how she felt about herself.. I know full well that if someone calls you worthless they're the idiot buy if you call yourself worthless then you're the idiot...
It was also funny watching the faces of people walking by with that "nothing to do with me" look as the young girls voice did get very shrill at times...
It was notable though how her voice levelled out and her face lit up when talking about the ballroom dancing lesson she had recently had... and how it deepened and her face darken when talking about her problems and social workers...
But the real interesting thing was when three other young girls walked toward us and one shouted out her name... Walking up to us from a corner about 50 meters away they could obviously see we were talking..
All three totally ignored me... they started talking to each other like I did not exist.... RUDE... one even moved so that her back was towards me... If that's what kids do these days then I am sorry for the world...
It decades since I was that young but you acknowledged people... If you see someone you don't know talking to someone you do...you say Hi or OK... something... not just put your back to people...
To old to care so I just walked forward and said "Hi my name is Paul, love the arrogance of your indifference"
To my amazement... utter silence... don't suppose they even understood what I had said... So I turned to the young girl and said "Thank you for the conversation and if you do get the chance to ride a bike off road before going on road, do it... you will, just, learn so much more"
The shortest of the three girls was still standing there with her mouth open as I walked off...
And yes I am aware of how wrong that might have gone in our stupid PC world...
Anyhoo... I walk up town... do me bits and head into Holland and Barrett...
Walk to the till, where there are three ladies sampling various "non alcoholic" wines...
Quite a conversation going on between these three... they're buying multiples of "three for a tenner" and the poor assistant is running about for extra stock...
Two were mid thirties and one elder lady who walked over to me as apologised for making me wait for the only till and then grabbed my arm launching straight into "my new partner, my husband died, was masturbating in bed and wanted the phone..." and she found it funny because by the time it took to find and hand it to him he no longer needed it...
what....WHAT... now that's weird... even for me...
So modern life... glad I'm out of it... Teenagers who are so self involved no one else exists.. and pensioners with boundary issues...
Maybe it's just normal for Ipswich these days...
Least the sun was shining and the roads were dry... Back roads for the way home 😎 ...
Wednesday 16 November 2016
Tuesday 25 October 2016
Old School Nexus 5
Love my Nexus 5... Good specifications for not a lot of money and three years down the line it still has good battery life and is not covered in scratches... Better build quality than some and does not burst in flames like others...
And for how little I actually use it as a phone... I sure do pick it up often...
Basically, as my friends will know, I tend to tinker with things and the Nexus 5 is no different...
Left it pretty much stock with Lollipop... Just added and removed apps like you do...
Updating to Marshmallow was the start in basic fiddling... Hated the big white strip that was the "Google says Hi" bar you had no choice in having and could not even make it translucent to ease the blob that it was...
So ended up with KKLauncher which , amongst other tweaks, allowed my to hide it... Quite like KKLauncher and I know their are others out there but, for me, it covered all, well most off, the bases and was unobtrusive and did not seem to affect battery life much...
Playing about with rooting and exposed installer ended up with me bricking my Nexus 7 so I was not going to play, to much, with rooting the 5 until I read that it is no longer going to be supported by Google, as they are bringing out the new "Pixel" line of phones...
So... Searched about on the XDA Forums and realise that rooting and ROM options have come a very long way in the last couple of years... You can still brick things but you have far more chance of something happening that is recoverable these days...
Spent a few days reading up on a few options and read threw many a forum page... Really are a helpful bunch on here, for the most, and the main problems seem to be people that don't read the whole thread before posting a question that has already been answered...
Take the ROM I have ended up using, Nitrogen "N"... which is on it's third stable build and fourth beta/test... Back in the second stable build he clearly stated "Do not root With SuperSU as Superuser is now Included in the build"...
But there are people, almost daily, posting... Flashed your ROM and then rooted with SuperSU and it does not work... Help/Any Ideas/other comments.... Read, or search, the forum before flashing is a good idea but reading/searching the forum before posting is an even better one...
Pleased with my, for now, build of the NitrogenOS N ROM by Mr.Mex - Testing version 20/10/2016 with Pico Gapps... Love it's minimalism style build and having Superuser root built right into it sort of makes it a noobs dream of a one stop solution...
Also loaded up Viper4ARISE Deuteronomy 2.1 for it's superb, and very tweakable, sound...
The 5 only has one, underwhelming, little speaker and most will simply use headphones instead...
But I was blown away by the difference in sound by, simply, turning on the "speaker optimisation" toggle... Instantly so much richer and made Adele's "Hello", nigh on, stunning..
If you want a simple option for better sound then Arise will do that... But as there are a myriad of other options I'm sure everyone will be able to tune the sound to their ears... Save, and easily switch, settings for different genres of music...
It was really easy to download both items from said forums and a quick MD5 check to confirm all is good with the download before flashing to phone...
So - Why the "Old School Nexus 5" title...
The real fun started after everything was loaded and running well...
For being rooted allows you to play.... Having a modified ROM means there is less there to start with... So I downloaded Solid Explorer and had a "root" round...
Been using Boat Browser for a while now so the stock browser gets deleted and others followed...
Near field... Android Pay... Hate the idea so there gone... Google mail... now is no mail... Don't get enough to worry about that checking on my laptop daily can't cover... Maps are gone too... No Facebook app (don't need the separate messenger app if you go via browser) ... Usable battery life has doubled!!! and "ForceDoze" gives me a standby life of... well if I don't use the phone at all... weeks
Did keep the modified SMS messenger that came with the ROM...
QuickPic Gallery (my go to photo app) plays my videos (basic but smooth playback and the voice sync is good) and the Esira music player that comes with Viper4ARISE means my media needs are covered...
So my Nexus 5 is more an old school phone with no "must tell the world what my dinner looks like being eaten by a kitten/bunny" apps... (and, hopefully, not tell the world everything I do) but... with a touch screen and great sound...
Still working on a good camera/video recorder as they seem to work/not work with each update... but it is a common problem with Hammerhead/Nougat ROM's on the Nexus 5... So a couple of more "test" updates and that should be sorted... Open Camera, for a simple option, is the best I have found to date But the CameraFV range, and similar, do turn a humble phone into a bit of a half decent SLR...
Quite happy with that... you don't need a hundred different ways to talk to people while not talking to them... or kill yourself stepping off a pavement trying to capture an imaginary creature...
But all praise to the good side of more interaction as we need more people planting trees and yarn Bombing in this self destructive world for in the many ways the phone isolates people it also brings like minded communities together and good things happen... As a side note has the majority of our so called ruling elite been taking stupid pills lately???
Phones are great and they will probable evolve into something that, really, is your life... They will definitely evolve further into recording every second of it so others can profit... But remember...Fine by phone can only expand...
24/10/16
Well I am now running 7.1 Nougat... Amazed how quick developers have gotten this out... Who needs to spend ££££ on a pixel phone...
And to be honest the whole "must have round icons" thing strikes me of the old Hi-Fi days... all silver until someone brought out a black unit... and then only black until someone brought out a silver unit... and so on... and on... and I often wonder how much the cry of "red is the new black" has cost the ladies/"insert your PC appropriate term here" over the years
So it's now on test build 24/10/16 (Nitrogen_Hammerhead-7.1 NDE63P) with Arise Deuteronomy 2.1.5 and Pico Open Gapps (But I like the idea of the new Gapps with Android TV!)
And for how little I actually use it as a phone... I sure do pick it up often...
Basically, as my friends will know, I tend to tinker with things and the Nexus 5 is no different...
Left it pretty much stock with Lollipop... Just added and removed apps like you do...
Updating to Marshmallow was the start in basic fiddling... Hated the big white strip that was the "Google says Hi" bar you had no choice in having and could not even make it translucent to ease the blob that it was...
So ended up with KKLauncher which , amongst other tweaks, allowed my to hide it... Quite like KKLauncher and I know their are others out there but, for me, it covered all, well most off, the bases and was unobtrusive and did not seem to affect battery life much...
Playing about with rooting and exposed installer ended up with me bricking my Nexus 7 so I was not going to play, to much, with rooting the 5 until I read that it is no longer going to be supported by Google, as they are bringing out the new "Pixel" line of phones...
So... Searched about on the XDA Forums and realise that rooting and ROM options have come a very long way in the last couple of years... You can still brick things but you have far more chance of something happening that is recoverable these days...
Spent a few days reading up on a few options and read threw many a forum page... Really are a helpful bunch on here, for the most, and the main problems seem to be people that don't read the whole thread before posting a question that has already been answered...
Take the ROM I have ended up using, Nitrogen "N"... which is on it's third stable build and fourth beta/test... Back in the second stable build he clearly stated "Do not root With SuperSU as Superuser is now Included in the build"...
But there are people, almost daily, posting... Flashed your ROM and then rooted with SuperSU and it does not work... Help/Any Ideas/other comments.... Read, or search, the forum before flashing is a good idea but reading/searching the forum before posting is an even better one...
Pleased with my, for now, build of the NitrogenOS N ROM by Mr.Mex - Testing version 20/10/2016 with Pico Gapps... Love it's minimalism style build and having Superuser root built right into it sort of makes it a noobs dream of a one stop solution...
Also loaded up Viper4ARISE Deuteronomy 2.1 for it's superb, and very tweakable, sound...
The 5 only has one, underwhelming, little speaker and most will simply use headphones instead...
But I was blown away by the difference in sound by, simply, turning on the "speaker optimisation" toggle... Instantly so much richer and made Adele's "Hello", nigh on, stunning..
If you want a simple option for better sound then Arise will do that... But as there are a myriad of other options I'm sure everyone will be able to tune the sound to their ears... Save, and easily switch, settings for different genres of music...
It was really easy to download both items from said forums and a quick MD5 check to confirm all is good with the download before flashing to phone...
So - Why the "Old School Nexus 5" title...
The real fun started after everything was loaded and running well...
For being rooted allows you to play.... Having a modified ROM means there is less there to start with... So I downloaded Solid Explorer and had a "root" round...
Been using Boat Browser for a while now so the stock browser gets deleted and others followed...
Near field... Android Pay... Hate the idea so there gone... Google mail... now is no mail... Don't get enough to worry about that checking on my laptop daily can't cover... Maps are gone too... No Facebook app (don't need the separate messenger app if you go via browser) ... Usable battery life has doubled!!! and "ForceDoze" gives me a standby life of... well if I don't use the phone at all... weeks
Did keep the modified SMS messenger that came with the ROM...
QuickPic Gallery (my go to photo app) plays my videos (basic but smooth playback and the voice sync is good) and the Esira music player that comes with Viper4ARISE means my media needs are covered...
So my Nexus 5 is more an old school phone with no "must tell the world what my dinner looks like being eaten by a kitten/bunny" apps... (and, hopefully, not tell the world everything I do) but... with a touch screen and great sound...
Still working on a good camera/video recorder as they seem to work/not work with each update... but it is a common problem with Hammerhead/Nougat ROM's on the Nexus 5... So a couple of more "test" updates and that should be sorted... Open Camera, for a simple option, is the best I have found to date But the CameraFV range, and similar, do turn a humble phone into a bit of a half decent SLR...
Quite happy with that... you don't need a hundred different ways to talk to people while not talking to them... or kill yourself stepping off a pavement trying to capture an imaginary creature...
But all praise to the good side of more interaction as we need more people planting trees and yarn Bombing in this self destructive world for in the many ways the phone isolates people it also brings like minded communities together and good things happen... As a side note has the majority of our so called ruling elite been taking stupid pills lately???
Phones are great and they will probable evolve into something that, really, is your life... They will definitely evolve further into recording every second of it so others can profit... But remember...Fine by phone can only expand...
24/10/16
Well I am now running 7.1 Nougat... Amazed how quick developers have gotten this out... Who needs to spend ££££ on a pixel phone...
And to be honest the whole "must have round icons" thing strikes me of the old Hi-Fi days... all silver until someone brought out a black unit... and then only black until someone brought out a silver unit... and so on... and on... and I often wonder how much the cry of "red is the new black" has cost the ladies/"insert your PC appropriate term here" over the years
So it's now on test build 24/10/16 (Nitrogen_Hammerhead-7.1 NDE63P) with Arise Deuteronomy 2.1.5 and Pico Open Gapps (But I like the idea of the new Gapps with Android TV!)
Heathrow... Third Runway... Never gonna hap... Ahh... It is...
Well just heard on the news about the, initial, go ahead for the third Heathrow runway...
There has been no doubt in my mind that a third runway would be built... They have consistently lied to the local people, and will continue to do so...
Maybe the next one will be at Gatwick... in the interest of public concern you understand...
Terminal five... local promise... we will built the terminal but never a third runway... even the three wise monkeys have gone home in disgust on this one...
One problem, though, is that no one wants anything built on their doorstep...
Take the area around the old Bentwaters airbase... Everyone and their relative did not want an airport there... But I wonder how many of those same people travel to another airport for their holidays with barely a "poor locals" thought...
Bentwates had a very long runway as it was a, not so secret, emergency landing strip for the space shuttle... So why did the end of the runway get dug up?... Do a web search on this for the given reason then do another search on what was happening at the time... and make your own mind up...
Many many years ago there was a plan to build an access road from the A12 to Bentwaters with the aim of reducing the traffic through the local villages... The plans showed, pretty much, a straight line between the two...
But as the A12 (North of Ipswich... don't get me started on the A12 south "car park") is such a lovely wide and fast "no queue's" road... Sorry had a moment of rose coloured glasses there... But as the A12 is such a narrow winding "lets spend £1 on it when it needs £1,000,000" traffic jam that effectively shuts whenever there is an accident...
Be nice if that now Norwich is building a northern bypass that Ipswich are shamed into building one too...
So the powers to be want to keep anything money making near to its greedy heart and give more evidence to my take on devolution, that is....
As well as selling off the country the government wants to make itself immune to criticism by giving some of the governments powers to local areas so it can say... "not my fault - your local should have done X"... and walk away saying "suckers"...
Maybe the reason that Suffolk (OK ok... and Norfolk) is left out is that a lot of millionaires live here, for the quiet life...
Still watching the program and just heard someone say... "Site preferred as secures the benefits for whole of the UK" How the hell does having an extra runway in London secure, real, benefits for the whole of the UK...
Oh I get it... All the petrol to drive there... all the coach fares... train fares... pittance for the local area but massive profits for London, well greedy shareholders and massive non tax paying companies...
Shhhh... no one mention pollution, air or otherwise... It will be less in the future.... When the fuel runs out... Makes you wonder if there will ever be an electric jumbo, flying through a lightning storm to recharge?...
And then comes the comment of...
"More cost effective to build here as the infrastructure is already there"... But... But... But... Terminal five was "only" built on the promise that runway three would NOT be...
Nothing more to say really... is there?...
Well there was the comment of "Better connectivity to the whole of the country".... No.... Only more congestion... for which you will probable roll out charges for...
Me feels another Hinckley point coming on... lets pick the worst choice... and make a plan B... just like Brexit...
There has been no doubt in my mind that a third runway would be built... They have consistently lied to the local people, and will continue to do so...
Maybe the next one will be at Gatwick... in the interest of public concern you understand...
Terminal five... local promise... we will built the terminal but never a third runway... even the three wise monkeys have gone home in disgust on this one...
One problem, though, is that no one wants anything built on their doorstep...
Take the area around the old Bentwaters airbase... Everyone and their relative did not want an airport there... But I wonder how many of those same people travel to another airport for their holidays with barely a "poor locals" thought...
Bentwates had a very long runway as it was a, not so secret, emergency landing strip for the space shuttle... So why did the end of the runway get dug up?... Do a web search on this for the given reason then do another search on what was happening at the time... and make your own mind up...
Many many years ago there was a plan to build an access road from the A12 to Bentwaters with the aim of reducing the traffic through the local villages... The plans showed, pretty much, a straight line between the two...
But as the A12 (North of Ipswich... don't get me started on the A12 south "car park") is such a lovely wide and fast "no queue's" road... Sorry had a moment of rose coloured glasses there... But as the A12 is such a narrow winding "lets spend £1 on it when it needs £1,000,000" traffic jam that effectively shuts whenever there is an accident...
Be nice if that now Norwich is building a northern bypass that Ipswich are shamed into building one too...
So the powers to be want to keep anything money making near to its greedy heart and give more evidence to my take on devolution, that is....
As well as selling off the country the government wants to make itself immune to criticism by giving some of the governments powers to local areas so it can say... "not my fault - your local should have done X"... and walk away saying "suckers"...
Maybe the reason that Suffolk (OK ok... and Norfolk) is left out is that a lot of millionaires live here, for the quiet life...
Still watching the program and just heard someone say... "Site preferred as secures the benefits for whole of the UK" How the hell does having an extra runway in London secure, real, benefits for the whole of the UK...
Oh I get it... All the petrol to drive there... all the coach fares... train fares... pittance for the local area but massive profits for London, well greedy shareholders and massive non tax paying companies...
Shhhh... no one mention pollution, air or otherwise... It will be less in the future.... When the fuel runs out... Makes you wonder if there will ever be an electric jumbo, flying through a lightning storm to recharge?...
And then comes the comment of...
"More cost effective to build here as the infrastructure is already there"... But... But... But... Terminal five was "only" built on the promise that runway three would NOT be...
Nothing more to say really... is there?...
Well there was the comment of "Better connectivity to the whole of the country".... No.... Only more congestion... for which you will probable roll out charges for...
Me feels another Hinckley point coming on... lets pick the worst choice... and make a plan B... just like Brexit...
Sunday 18 September 2016
Coming Home
I have to thank my friend Thijs for finding this camp site in France that....
well...
Inspired this...
Coming home is a wonderful feeling...
Coming home causes life to have meaning...
But, sometimes, the place you called home...
Is challenged by what you find when you roam...
To know your home by the familiar...
Is to live life by being similar...
For to walk into a place, you have not seen before...
And be totally at home, you truly need nothing more...
To see an old ladder, lovingly laid on a tree
Nearby are old pots and cans... not out of place, just where they should be...
Rustic and ruin, but perfectly sound...
Friends become family, when your true home is found...
I sit and listen to the music in their voice
Listen to family, not simply friends, who are there by choice...
They travel many miles to be here each year...
This family of friends, no matter how far away, are always near...
Miles from the madness, in its own time and space...
Cats roam freely in this wonderful place...
They tumble and play, for life they have no worry...
Much to be done.. but there is never a hurry...
For me, from the start, this place touched my heart...
I have lived many decades and thought I knew my part...
But the people and this place, are now simply "home"...
I now have a true place to come back to whenever I roam...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We travel to find the real but when we come in the many, the real becomes lost...
To go to a place with empty beaches and then return to row upon row of hotels somewhat negates the point of going there...
So a place very relevant to now, but somehow lost in the past is a beautiful find.
To find a place that still runs on trust, not profit, makes you question modern life .
So no name will you find here, but, hopefully, many will find it all the same.
I wish my time was not running out faster than I would like
So to one and all... Goodnight, I'm off to ride my bike...
well...
Inspired this...
Coming home is a wonderful feeling...
Coming home causes life to have meaning...
But, sometimes, the place you called home...
Is challenged by what you find when you roam...
To know your home by the familiar...
Is to live life by being similar...
For to walk into a place, you have not seen before...
And be totally at home, you truly need nothing more...
To see an old ladder, lovingly laid on a tree
Nearby are old pots and cans... not out of place, just where they should be...
Rustic and ruin, but perfectly sound...
Friends become family, when your true home is found...
I sit and listen to the music in their voice
Listen to family, not simply friends, who are there by choice...
They travel many miles to be here each year...
This family of friends, no matter how far away, are always near...
Miles from the madness, in its own time and space...
Cats roam freely in this wonderful place...
They tumble and play, for life they have no worry...
Much to be done.. but there is never a hurry...
For me, from the start, this place touched my heart...
I have lived many decades and thought I knew my part...
But the people and this place, are now simply "home"...
I now have a true place to come back to whenever I roam...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We travel to find the real but when we come in the many, the real becomes lost...
To go to a place with empty beaches and then return to row upon row of hotels somewhat negates the point of going there...
So a place very relevant to now, but somehow lost in the past is a beautiful find.
To find a place that still runs on trust, not profit, makes you question modern life .
So no name will you find here, but, hopefully, many will find it all the same.
I wish my time was not running out faster than I would like
So to one and all... Goodnight, I'm off to ride my bike...
What is going on with this small little world of ours…
Just another
collection of thoughts...
One half, wants/wants to sell you,
something new every five minutes and the other half wants to kill you
if you don’t blindly follow some maniac or other…
The British can’t
make their mind up on anything...
The Germans, effectively, wanted a fourth Reich...
The Germans, effectively, wanted a fourth Reich...
The Chinese wants
domination of “it’s” world and cares not what people
think...
The Russians…
Enjoy both the freedom of living under a likeable Lenin and watching
all the dash cam carnage online...
The Saudi elite
covet western items while condemning western values for its populous…
North Korea keeps
poking the US with it’s little nuclear stick…
The Americans are voting for a new “leader” between a very skilful, and rich by
some very dubious means, "non truth" teller and a man who may well be the living
incarnation of Zapp Brannigan but, strangely enough, may actually do
something other than line his own pockets.
America… Massive
country… Massive Ego… Massive prison service. Not so much “three
strikes and your out” as “three strikes and you have a job for
life”
Did you know as of
March 23 2016:-
The American prison system is massive. So massive that its estimated turnover of $74 billion eclipses the GDP of 133 nations. What is perhaps most unsettling about this fun fact is that it is the American taxpayer who foots the bill and is increasingly padding the pockets of publicly traded corporations like Corrections Corporation of America and GEO Group. (smartasset.com/Thierry Godard)
The American prison system is massive. So massive that its estimated turnover of $74 billion eclipses the GDP of 133 nations. What is perhaps most unsettling about this fun fact is that it is the American taxpayer who foots the bill and is increasingly padding the pockets of publicly traded corporations like Corrections Corporation of America and GEO Group. (smartasset.com/Thierry Godard)
The Bank of Mum and
Dad… A whole generation of people today who have to borrow money
from the very people who forced the house prices up in the first
place.
Shareholders... The
people who control a company they have no other interest in other
than how much money they can take... If
you had none would your products be cheaper???
Greed… Something
nearly everybody has… To some it’s their God... People want to sell something for
thousands that costs ten pounds to make... But to most it’s
something perfectly normal, without any conscious thought of it’s
effect… “I want this more than you” is the mantra of many a price
rise…
Consultants… The
people you pay lots of money to to get an answer, sometimes, that you
might have got for free by asking your staff..
Austerity…
“difficult economic conditions created by government measures to
reduce public expenditure”…
What a strange thing
to do in a consumer driven economy… everybody and its offspring
wants to sell you stuff whether you need it or not and the government
wants you to pay the tax but not buy the item… Go figure...
NHS becomes the
NFHS… leave you to work that one out…
Private
police/fire/ambulance services will be the norm soon but surely there
can be no conflict of interests with business panels replacing
councils
2106 Rio… my
favourite quote… “Cyber Crooks Expected to Take Gold at Brazil
Olympics”
Mind you… Bet the
populous were more nervous upon hearing that the “tour” bus would
not make it across the border…
Saturday 10 September 2016
I Wonder What You Will Be Someday
Entry into this
world is, for most, painful…
To be squeezed and
ejected, from water to air…
From warmth and
protection, to cold and vulnerable…
From the gentle beat
of a heart to the symphonies of existence...
To be aware of life,
rather than wrapped in a thought…
To see more than the
womb that was your world…
To see, through a blur, your new life unfold…
Your journey just
beginning, but to what will it lead…
You grow and crawl,
then learn to walk…
You learn to talk
and fall over too…
You crate such
memories for those who see…
You can understand a
smile, but not a scowl…
But I oft wonder on
the way to guide…
You need to know
your boundaries, at least for a little while...
You need to know
what’s hot or not, to keep your limbs intact…
You need to know a
right from wrong, but who’s is the question…
I applaud those who
teach with a premise of control present…
I condemn those who
teach with control active...
I praise those who
teach with realisation of ability…
I repulse those who
teach a closed mind…
School approaches
all to soon…
And you leave your second womb…
People jostle all
about, some you know, some I doubt…
First day, first
play, first to say “Hi”
You learn and learn
the skills of life…
As life teaches
you skills of it’s own…
You see the bad, You
the good…
How will you choose
what’s understood…
Family should teach
you a way that’s safe…
But, sadly, this is
not always the case…
Some are open and
teach many views…
Some are closed and
you cannot choose…
This time of growing
should be free from care…
This time of
learning should show what’s out there…
You should not be
taught to fear…
You should never be
taught to hate…
School is over all
to soon…
Hormones kick in and
you sleep till noon…
You find your
partner, if lucky, your mate…
sometimes you know
from the first date…
You expand your
world through travel…
And learn new views
on life…
You dance and laugh
with someone..
And that someone is
now your wife…
Jobs have come and
gone…
One gels and life
gently slows…
Time now for
memories new…
But most of all,
your time to teach...
Another life comes
into this world…
You watch it being
born…
Amazed in every
single way
You look at your own
baby and say…
“I wonder what you
will be someday”
Sunday 4 September 2016
Most nights, when I sleep I dream...
Most nights, when I
sleep I dream...
Most of these dreams
are weird and very multi tangent
Mostly I remember
snippets of these upon waking but they fade to quickly when I try
write them down
But some just keep
reoccurring… more fleshed out each time…
This is a synopsis of the latest…
Standing on an edge
above the universe yet seeing everything right in front of me... The
wars.. The lovers.. The stupidity of most races…
Trying not to look,
to hard, in one direction for as soon as I do I’m there and a
puzzle to solve before I am back standing on that edge again...
This time it’s
Anguilla a small green planet in the Kellion system a few million
human like people on a few trillion tons of rock
The water here is
thicker, than most, and little life exists in the shallows but in
it’s deepest depths there are the beginnings of another race. The
next to inhabit Anguilla… possibly…
The puzzle, maybe, is whether to help those already here or those who will be...
Anguilla is lucky in
that it only has three races.. The Klemmen, the Gueeds and the Angs,
who are the remains of the first race...
For longer than
recorded time the three have never all been in agreement, and
peace... There is always some small part of their world being argued
over…
For the Anguillians
do not fight wars… None of the races produce many offspring and each just wishes to survive…
But those emerging
from the waters will not be the same… they can spawn in thousands
when the food supply is good.. or less when it is not… so all they
will see is food…
For when a mind is
simple it just wants to survive. It has no thoughts of learning, no
thought of art, no concept of crime…
I look at Aelion the
leader of the Angs and marvel as his skills. Stand amazed at the sculptures he takes decades to make and the patience he has
to teach others...
I look at Gldes the
leader of the Gueeds and am impressed with his guidance of his people
to greater learning and the written arts...
I look at Kmlem the
leader of the Klemmen and find such wisdom within this single person
and how he imparts it to all his people, simply stunning...
In all this vast,
beyond comprehension, universe there are few places that in their
isolation evolve in, relative, peace… War is the norm… Greed is
the driver… Jealousy it’s mistress…
So why am I here…
This time there is
no puzzle… only to sit and watch and learn…
To learn the hard
fact of existence…
I have helped so
many end their war or started one to end their suffering but …
Did I really do
anything…
I sit and watch for
millennia…
Watch the waves of
creatures who have no name, climb out of the sea…
They crawl then walk
across the land and eat all they come across, all but those who hid
to deep…
Then the swarm
retreats back to the oceans, to where the food is now…
And the few
survivors that are left come out of hiding…
Their statues dust,
their scriptures rotted away but their knowledge of what was still
clear…
They build again... The three races appear again and Anguilla rises once more but all is
not peaceful and there is war...
For those who saw
the desolation passed down the memory of what was lost… some sort
to recreate it and others let loose the greed they had suppressed before and sort to own it all…
I have no concept of ownership, or greed, so cannot understand those who do
I have no concept of ownership, or greed, so cannot understand those who do
A lesson never
learnt is that in whatever a race thinks it is true… That truth
exists for only as long as that race exists…
I learnt…
To help
others, both in starting and ending wars... But to wish the need was not there
To understand the beauty of the moment perfection is
created… A statue carved, a great novel written, an understanding
reached or, simply, someone finding their soul mate...
I understand this beauty does not need war to exist but those who crave ownership and greed do not
I understand this beauty does not need war to exist but those who crave ownership and greed do not
Millennia of
destruction offset by moments of perfection, is their legacy…
But in the end
everything is lost in the timeless eternity...
I saw the worlds
before this creation and I will see the worlds in the next for
eternity is longer than even I can comprehend...
I am not a God...
I have no, and want
none, possessions...
I have no power
other than what you give me...
I am one of many...
I am a thought...
Tuesday 14 June 2016
Respect for Orlando
The news of the deaths in Orlando was shocking, both in the number of dead and the stupidity of the shooter..
We all have our views on the "lifestyles" of others but a community that only enjoys life should not be treated like one that seeks to control or harm...
A recent Facebook quote, shared by a friend, got me thinking on this subject...
Also hate the word Homophobia... not because of the word; or its meaning, but because of the, apparent, need for it...
Don't, totally, agree about the "you're an asshole", but it is well used in it's context..., as disagreeing with someone's point of view is the reasoning behind many of mankind's advancements...
But if your disagreeing to degrade someone... Then you're an asshole...
Your not scared... Weeeellllll... yes, some, people are... often because of what is in the next paragraph...
I have always felt that Homophobia is a phobia... But it is a personnel one... Back in the 60/70's it was known as *****bashing... But the more I heard people bragging about it the more certain I was that they were not scared of Gay people... But the fact that they might be Gay themselves... And therefore beat up or degrade them at every opportunity was "necessary"to prove themselves not...
It was so surreal listening to idiots boasting how "manly" they were, watching how their eyes changed while talking... Going from an ego boosted glow at the start to a dim scared "I am not gay... I am not gay" look as they walked away...
You could say I lost a few friends back then... Gained a few to...
Being Gay holds no appeal for me but I respect those who genuinely are...
While individualism is allowed in the world... Groups, of all types, will both survive and have to survive tragedy... And I wish we could all have space and the freedom to, simply, BE
People from the top to the bottom of society still think.... "Why can't you live by my rules - There good rules" when, in fact, they are saying "If I cannot/will not do this then you cannot/will not either"..
Sure they live,love and carry on enjoying their own life... but any chance to boost their ego's by reducing it in others seems, to some people, as necessary as the two things you can do without concious thought... eating and reproducing...
Whether it's in the monetary sense of "socialise costs and privatise profit" to control and enjoy the riches while ensuring others don't
Or just in the good old fashioned "You WILL do as I say"... Because the fact that an individual CAN think for themselves really scares the elite... a fact taken to the extreme in some countries....
Control is what some people seem to think life is really all about...
I feel ashamed for all who died or were injured...
I feel angry that someone felt they had to do this...
But I also feel pride that the whole community came together in support... And that all LGBT communities WILL live, laugh, love and remember...
We all have our views on the "lifestyles" of others but a community that only enjoys life should not be treated like one that seeks to control or harm...
A recent Facebook quote, shared by a friend, got me thinking on this subject...
Don't, totally, agree about the "you're an asshole", but it is well used in it's context..., as disagreeing with someone's point of view is the reasoning behind many of mankind's advancements...
But if your disagreeing to degrade someone... Then you're an asshole...
Your not scared... Weeeellllll... yes, some, people are... often because of what is in the next paragraph...
I have always felt that Homophobia is a phobia... But it is a personnel one... Back in the 60/70's it was known as *****bashing... But the more I heard people bragging about it the more certain I was that they were not scared of Gay people... But the fact that they might be Gay themselves... And therefore beat up or degrade them at every opportunity was "necessary"to prove themselves not...
It was so surreal listening to idiots boasting how "manly" they were, watching how their eyes changed while talking... Going from an ego boosted glow at the start to a dim scared "I am not gay... I am not gay" look as they walked away...
You could say I lost a few friends back then... Gained a few to...
Being Gay holds no appeal for me but I respect those who genuinely are...
While individualism is allowed in the world... Groups, of all types, will both survive and have to survive tragedy... And I wish we could all have space and the freedom to, simply, BE
People from the top to the bottom of society still think.... "Why can't you live by my rules - There good rules" when, in fact, they are saying "If I cannot/will not do this then you cannot/will not either"..
Sure they live,love and carry on enjoying their own life... but any chance to boost their ego's by reducing it in others seems, to some people, as necessary as the two things you can do without concious thought... eating and reproducing...
Whether it's in the monetary sense of "socialise costs and privatise profit" to control and enjoy the riches while ensuring others don't
Or just in the good old fashioned "You WILL do as I say"... Because the fact that an individual CAN think for themselves really scares the elite... a fact taken to the extreme in some countries....
Control is what some people seem to think life is really all about...
I feel ashamed for all who died or were injured...
I feel angry that someone felt they had to do this...
But I also feel pride that the whole community came together in support... And that all LGBT communities WILL live, laugh, love and remember...
Tuesday 7 June 2016
Time I posted something lighter..
A
child doth scream in the isles…..
Its
Parent just stand there and smiles…..
A
watcher pulls a face of disdain…..
So
the child screams even more, as in pain…
The
parent just shakes their head…….
Any
more of that and I'm buying Marmite instead…..
The
child shuts up, walks over and says…
What
sort of game machine is that….
Why is life like Star Wars
The Referendum, and the thought of living in a superstate, drives me nuts... VOTING IN OR OUT MEANS CHANGE... Everybody vying for their own point with little thought to how we got to this point in the first place...
Why does the Human race try so hard to either destroy or control itself...
Its like Star Wars offers the only life choices you can make...
You can either be with the Republic or with the Rebellion... There is no other choice..
You may think there is... But if you hide away in an Republic area you support the Republic by not opposing it... And if you hide away in a Rebellion area you support that by not opposing it...
The mantra of "it's nothing to do with me" is the biggest blind truth you can ever tell yourself...
You could say... "well... at least the Rebellion listen to you and wants to help"
You could say... " well... the Republic has our best interests at heart"
Both end up being the same, in our self destructive nature...
The Rebellion, if they win, carry on down a path that leads to self destruction through corruption...
The Republic , if they win, carry on down a path that leads to self destruction through corruption...
(Corruption does not always mean monitory... Corruption through Ideology also destroys... Sacrifices to the God's only has an effect on population control, as any rain, increase in harvest or the sun rising is purely coincidental...)
And then the idiotic merry go round starts all over again...
How many great civilisations have there been in the millennia of mankind...
How many have survived past "the next latest and greatest of all time" regime...
Were the Incas the Republic until the Spanish came along to make them the Resistance...
Are you the Rebellion if you live in the jungle with a hard, but free, idyllic lifestyle and are hunted down, converted by the Republic ... even if means wiping out thousand by introducing viruses...
The need to "own" and "have" seems to supersedes all... Why value people when you can value money and possessions
Why can "civilised" mankind just not "get "a life...
You want to know a fact...Things only cost more because you put the price up
I rue the day that some accountant worked out that if your product costs £1, you have to sell it for £2.50 to make 60% profit... and love the fact that if you use the 100% profit rule you buy an item for £1 and sell it for £2...
Why does the Human race try so hard to either destroy or control itself...
Its like Star Wars offers the only life choices you can make...
You can either be with the Republic or with the Rebellion... There is no other choice..
You may think there is... But if you hide away in an Republic area you support the Republic by not opposing it... And if you hide away in a Rebellion area you support that by not opposing it...
The mantra of "it's nothing to do with me" is the biggest blind truth you can ever tell yourself...
You could say... "well... at least the Rebellion listen to you and wants to help"
You could say... " well... the Republic has our best interests at heart"
Both end up being the same, in our self destructive nature...
The Rebellion, if they win, carry on down a path that leads to self destruction through corruption...
The Republic , if they win, carry on down a path that leads to self destruction through corruption...
(Corruption does not always mean monitory... Corruption through Ideology also destroys... Sacrifices to the God's only has an effect on population control, as any rain, increase in harvest or the sun rising is purely coincidental...)
And then the idiotic merry go round starts all over again...
How many great civilisations have there been in the millennia of mankind...
How many have survived past "the next latest and greatest of all time" regime...
Were the Incas the Republic until the Spanish came along to make them the Resistance...
Are you the Rebellion if you live in the jungle with a hard, but free, idyllic lifestyle and are hunted down, converted by the Republic ... even if means wiping out thousand by introducing viruses...
The need to "own" and "have" seems to supersedes all... Why value people when you can value money and possessions
Why can "civilised" mankind just not "get "a life...
You want to know a fact...Things only cost more because you put the price up
I rue the day that some accountant worked out that if your product costs £1, you have to sell it for £2.50 to make 60% profit... and love the fact that if you use the 100% profit rule you buy an item for £1 and sell it for £2...
Friday 27 May 2016
The UK EU Referendum
This is my view on things...
If you agree, after reading, that's great...
If you disagree, after reading, that's great to....
For the important thing is to vote the way your head tells you to, as the heart can get a little fuzzy on the details sometimes...
Anyhoo....
I hear, see and read all these things that our "glorious" leaders tell us will happen if we leave... But some of the stuff Mr Osborne has been coming out with are just so far out of the ball park. You just gotta wonder how dumb he thinks people are...
He cannot hit his own targets, or keep his promises, so how does he suddenly know, with such certainty, what will happen...
Mind you... Dodgy Dave has been an apple short of a fruitcake with his comments too...
And then there is Boris... Now there's a man who is proud to be and apple short of a fruitcake and is damn clever while doing it...
I do like Boris... A politician who does not answer a question with a question but gives you an answer...
But the truth is....Nobody knows the truth.... and that's the truth....
Staying IN or OUT... WILL mean change and that is the truth...
The money men, and those with money, want to stay in because they see it as beneficial for making money...
The government want to stay in because all they can see is ways to exploit it... and make money...
Neither seem to be able to grasp the fact that the EU, i.e. Germany, wants to control everything.... including money...
The unelected autocratic bureaucracy have been churning out laws and legislation by the van load to achieve this end...
Some say.... (imagine a Mr Clarkson impression here)
House prices will go up... well my thoughts on this is that house prices go up through greed, so that's not going to change while people praise money and "ownership" above all else... The mantra of consumerism... "I Want... therefore you cannot have"
A house in the 80's that was worth, say, £100,000 and now costs £250,000.... it only costs more because people pay more... there has been no increase in the number of bricks its made from... It did not ask to be worth more... It does appreciate all the new paint, paper and windows...
The NHS will be saved if we leave.... Nope... It's doomed....
Our own government has been actively making it fail to its present point and is now selling it off to the highest bidder, or is that contributor to the cause.... Can't make a profit if its a free service...
Don't need to be IN or OUT of the EU for that to continue...
Thousand of jobs will be lost.... Quite possibly... but if less product does come in from the EU then we need to start making stuff again... we were very good at that once... so not so much jobs lost... just different ones...
We are safer IN.... Err... NO... open borders between stable, similar minded/lifestyle countries is one thing but to open borders to bring in a, so called, cheap labour force that hold vastly different, even ignoring our, values, is not safe...
The EU answer... an EU army... forget we already have NATO... An all new EU army will solve all the problems... Err... NO... Just another tool for the unelected autocratic bureaucracy to use to create its superstate...
I Say...
I like being British... I like being English... I do not want to live in the EU state of...
I like miles per hour and driving on the left...
I like our postcode system...
I like the Monarchy, but am not a royalist... The Royal family do far more for this country than most people will ever understand...
I would like being able to choose what power of appliance I prefer...
I would like to keep eating fish caught by a British trawler..
I like freedom of choice... not limitation of product or packaging so it packs, stacks and ships more cost effectively...
-------------------------------
Our system is far from perfect and accountants have made it way to profit orientated...
Also I have no idea of what will become of the UK once it is owned by everybody else...
But to have an unelected autocratic bureaucracy that's heading towards a, lets call it an, Orwellian state by Marxist means (feel free to use your own terms here), with a bit of self destruction along the way, is not for me..
So my vote is NO... No to staying in the EU unelected autocratic bureaucracy...
I wish that staying in or out of the EU was the biggest problem at the moment... But standing up for your country, your rules, your heritage is a start...
Wars are great for population control, technology advancement, and restructuring the landscape... But suck for those who don't survive it...
If you agree, after reading, that's great...
If you disagree, after reading, that's great to....
For the important thing is to vote the way your head tells you to, as the heart can get a little fuzzy on the details sometimes...
Anyhoo....
I hear, see and read all these things that our "glorious" leaders tell us will happen if we leave... But some of the stuff Mr Osborne has been coming out with are just so far out of the ball park. You just gotta wonder how dumb he thinks people are...
He cannot hit his own targets, or keep his promises, so how does he suddenly know, with such certainty, what will happen...
Mind you... Dodgy Dave has been an apple short of a fruitcake with his comments too...
And then there is Boris... Now there's a man who is proud to be and apple short of a fruitcake and is damn clever while doing it...
I do like Boris... A politician who does not answer a question with a question but gives you an answer...
But the truth is....Nobody knows the truth.... and that's the truth....
Staying IN or OUT... WILL mean change and that is the truth...
The money men, and those with money, want to stay in because they see it as beneficial for making money...
The government want to stay in because all they can see is ways to exploit it... and make money...
Neither seem to be able to grasp the fact that the EU, i.e. Germany, wants to control everything.... including money...
The unelected autocratic bureaucracy have been churning out laws and legislation by the van load to achieve this end...
Some say.... (imagine a Mr Clarkson impression here)
House prices will go up... well my thoughts on this is that house prices go up through greed, so that's not going to change while people praise money and "ownership" above all else... The mantra of consumerism... "I Want... therefore you cannot have"
A house in the 80's that was worth, say, £100,000 and now costs £250,000.... it only costs more because people pay more... there has been no increase in the number of bricks its made from... It did not ask to be worth more... It does appreciate all the new paint, paper and windows...
The NHS will be saved if we leave.... Nope... It's doomed....
Our own government has been actively making it fail to its present point and is now selling it off to the highest bidder, or is that contributor to the cause.... Can't make a profit if its a free service...
Don't need to be IN or OUT of the EU for that to continue...
Thousand of jobs will be lost.... Quite possibly... but if less product does come in from the EU then we need to start making stuff again... we were very good at that once... so not so much jobs lost... just different ones...
We are safer IN.... Err... NO... open borders between stable, similar minded/lifestyle countries is one thing but to open borders to bring in a, so called, cheap labour force that hold vastly different, even ignoring our, values, is not safe...
The EU answer... an EU army... forget we already have NATO... An all new EU army will solve all the problems... Err... NO... Just another tool for the unelected autocratic bureaucracy to use to create its superstate...
I Say...
I like being British... I like being English... I do not want to live in the EU state of...
I like miles per hour and driving on the left...
I like our postcode system...
I like the Monarchy, but am not a royalist... The Royal family do far more for this country than most people will ever understand...
I would like being able to choose what power of appliance I prefer...
I would like to keep eating fish caught by a British trawler..
I like freedom of choice... not limitation of product or packaging so it packs, stacks and ships more cost effectively...
-------------------------------
Our system is far from perfect and accountants have made it way to profit orientated...
Also I have no idea of what will become of the UK once it is owned by everybody else...
But to have an unelected autocratic bureaucracy that's heading towards a, lets call it an, Orwellian state by Marxist means (feel free to use your own terms here), with a bit of self destruction along the way, is not for me..
So my vote is NO... No to staying in the EU unelected autocratic bureaucracy...
I wish that staying in or out of the EU was the biggest problem at the moment... But standing up for your country, your rules, your heritage is a start...
Wars are great for population control, technology advancement, and restructuring the landscape... But suck for those who don't survive it...
Wednesday 27 April 2016
Worth less.... Worth More...
Wrote a line in a Facebook post that got me thinking...
I know... I know... but my one brain cell does actually work on occasion...
Why do some people think others are "Worth Less"...
No one is "worth less" and no one is "worth more"...
Nearly everybody I have said this to has disagreed with me... with, very few, asking if I meant financially or humanitarianly... Pretty much, everyone just went into a monetary based reply....
Get a life... Greed is not good... Its was the reason behind the original wall street crash... it is behind the apathy which is causing the current blindness to mass migration... A labour force is not cheap if it depletes finances and overwhelms resources...
We are all the same... We eat, sleep, defecate and die...
So, on to what this post is about, promoting the incorrect fact that the "Big Cheese" is worth more than the workforce...
The workforce is in two parts...
The producing part of a process, which may or may not contain "the boss"... it produces the items to be sold to have the money to pay itself....
The management, which may or may not include "the boss" is the consuming part of the process that requires the producing part of the process to pay for itself...
A, hands on, small company boss often just has enough to have a slightly better home and lifestyle than the workforce...
The effect of the small company boss can be very small on the items produced price, with, often, the cost of the workforce having a bigger, percentage, effect on the unit price...
Then there is the "top dog" variable...
The senior person of the company who requires both the management and the production processes to pay for themselves...
A "top dog" system requires a massive increase in the produced item price... and, often, an increase in non productive, high level management, staff...
So why does the smallest cog in the chain... the single "top dog"... "deserve" reward because they are "worth more"?
Never quite got that point...
A worker can work for decades and get nothing when they retire.... not even a handshake, sometimes...
But a "top dog" can work for less than a year and retire with a "golden" handshake... and repeat that process over and over again...
The "top dog" is not worth millions... its just the greed system of generating fear and feeding apathy that allows them to... With many a "top dog" getting their "due" bonus even when failing...
Worked alongside a person who solved a problem the company was having with one of it's newly developed products... He could see the problem because he actually machined the part... not looked at in on some computer CAD system...
He talked to the designer many times, only to be repeatedly treated like he could not have any idea of what he was talking about... and then some "Brown-nose" overheard him one day... The part was changed... it now worked flawlessly... The worker getting nothing... and the "sycophant" getting promoted...
Who was worth more or less for finding the solution?
I have had several jobs in my life and have been both worker and management... Did not make me feel different... I did upset many people, at one company, though... As while working as an industrial engineer the company had a problem with staffing in it's Bronze foundry... which is where I started... I was an air press moulder... good one to...
So when asked if I could help out by covering people on holiday I said yes... Unheard of in those days... office was office... shop floor was shop floor...
But after years of service I received a glowing tribute with my 15 years long service award and my redundancy, pittance, notice on the same day... from the same manager... who then moved all production to China and made everybody redundant...
Name against clock card... if you have to clock in then, to some, you are "worth less"
But I can honestly say that I have only worked for one good boss... He rewarded those who put forward ideas... he rewarded as you trained... he asked our opinions on working hours and shift rotas, rather than just forcing change...
Loved that job... I felt part of something... Not an employee... Not a name next to a clock number... My worth appreciated...
It was intensive, challenging and you always had to be at the top of your game... But it was in the Fibre optic communication industry and when Marconi when south in the early noughties this company went south with it...
Yes my outlook on top management, in general, is biased... openly accept that...
But generating paperwork to justify jobs is self defeating in the end... And spending millions on consultants that end up torpedoing the company is mind-numbingly bad management...
But the elitists still keep employing each other with no thought to worth... just greed...
My first boss, after leaving school, was a tyrant... I earned £6 a week (it was 1970 folks) and the apprentice (I was promised a printing apprenticeship but it never happened) was on £9... The person training me up in Lithographic printing left after six months... and the boss did not replace him... So for a year I taught myself to run the presses we had... Then he sacked me, sighting colourblindness... so I could not get another job in that industry...
But, my outlook, is not as biased as the preconception that you are worth more if you control someone
I keep re-reading this and it's hard to separate wealth and worth... so I hope it makes sense...
I know... I know... but my one brain cell does actually work on occasion...
Why do some people think others are "Worth Less"...
No one is "worth less" and no one is "worth more"...
Nearly everybody I have said this to has disagreed with me... with, very few, asking if I meant financially or humanitarianly... Pretty much, everyone just went into a monetary based reply....
Get a life... Greed is not good... Its was the reason behind the original wall street crash... it is behind the apathy which is causing the current blindness to mass migration... A labour force is not cheap if it depletes finances and overwhelms resources...
We are all the same... We eat, sleep, defecate and die...
So, on to what this post is about, promoting the incorrect fact that the "Big Cheese" is worth more than the workforce...
The workforce is in two parts...
The producing part of a process, which may or may not contain "the boss"... it produces the items to be sold to have the money to pay itself....
The management, which may or may not include "the boss" is the consuming part of the process that requires the producing part of the process to pay for itself...
A, hands on, small company boss often just has enough to have a slightly better home and lifestyle than the workforce...
The effect of the small company boss can be very small on the items produced price, with, often, the cost of the workforce having a bigger, percentage, effect on the unit price...
Then there is the "top dog" variable...
The senior person of the company who requires both the management and the production processes to pay for themselves...
A "top dog" system requires a massive increase in the produced item price... and, often, an increase in non productive, high level management, staff...
So why does the smallest cog in the chain... the single "top dog"... "deserve" reward because they are "worth more"?
Never quite got that point...
A worker can work for decades and get nothing when they retire.... not even a handshake, sometimes...
But a "top dog" can work for less than a year and retire with a "golden" handshake... and repeat that process over and over again...
The "top dog" is not worth millions... its just the greed system of generating fear and feeding apathy that allows them to... With many a "top dog" getting their "due" bonus even when failing...
Worked alongside a person who solved a problem the company was having with one of it's newly developed products... He could see the problem because he actually machined the part... not looked at in on some computer CAD system...
He talked to the designer many times, only to be repeatedly treated like he could not have any idea of what he was talking about... and then some "Brown-nose" overheard him one day... The part was changed... it now worked flawlessly... The worker getting nothing... and the "sycophant" getting promoted...
Who was worth more or less for finding the solution?
I have had several jobs in my life and have been both worker and management... Did not make me feel different... I did upset many people, at one company, though... As while working as an industrial engineer the company had a problem with staffing in it's Bronze foundry... which is where I started... I was an air press moulder... good one to...
So when asked if I could help out by covering people on holiday I said yes... Unheard of in those days... office was office... shop floor was shop floor...
But after years of service I received a glowing tribute with my 15 years long service award and my redundancy, pittance, notice on the same day... from the same manager... who then moved all production to China and made everybody redundant...
Name against clock card... if you have to clock in then, to some, you are "worth less"
But I can honestly say that I have only worked for one good boss... He rewarded those who put forward ideas... he rewarded as you trained... he asked our opinions on working hours and shift rotas, rather than just forcing change...
Loved that job... I felt part of something... Not an employee... Not a name next to a clock number... My worth appreciated...
It was intensive, challenging and you always had to be at the top of your game... But it was in the Fibre optic communication industry and when Marconi when south in the early noughties this company went south with it...
Yes my outlook on top management, in general, is biased... openly accept that...
But generating paperwork to justify jobs is self defeating in the end... And spending millions on consultants that end up torpedoing the company is mind-numbingly bad management...
But the elitists still keep employing each other with no thought to worth... just greed...
My first boss, after leaving school, was a tyrant... I earned £6 a week (it was 1970 folks) and the apprentice (I was promised a printing apprenticeship but it never happened) was on £9... The person training me up in Lithographic printing left after six months... and the boss did not replace him... So for a year I taught myself to run the presses we had... Then he sacked me, sighting colourblindness... so I could not get another job in that industry...
But, my outlook, is not as biased as the preconception that you are worth more if you control someone
I keep re-reading this and it's hard to separate wealth and worth... so I hope it makes sense...
Wednesday 13 April 2016
9.3 Millions worth of.... Well nothing really
Just received my "why we should stay in" leaflet from the Government.... And I must say... TOTALLY UNIMPRESSED... For all that money I though it would be thicker... and not contain photographs it had no, real, legal right to publish.... Nice shot of Felixstowe Docks though...
Anyhoo... Here is my simple, maybe naive, view of it...
The cover..
Black and white statement about how the Government think its best to stay in... So no subliminal message there then.... being in black and white.....
Ignoring pages one and the picture on two as with the present turmoil only the date of the referendum stated there can be looked on as accurate as all the "Special Status" bullet points might not hold true in the future
Page 3...
A Stronger Economy...
The EU is by far the UK's biggest trading partner... EU countries buy 44% of everything we sell abroad.... So, firstly, no one will buy any British product if we leave???.... Secondly.... 44% means that our biggest oversea sales, 56%, are to NON EU countries....
The EU's single market has over 500 million customers and an economy over five times bigger than the UK... So our own economy is not that small then.... Given how many countries are in the EU... And those customers will no longer need, or want, what we make if we leave?
The Single market makes it easier and cheaper for UK companies to sell their products outside the UK, creating jobs....
First off... Do they meant "to the EU/Single Market" ie the 44% market we will lose if we left?.... As this just reads that it is easy and cheap to sell, red tape aside, outside the UK.... like... Anywhere... but if we leave we will never sell to anyone ever again as it will be "not easy and to expensive"...
Create jobs.... A one of the thousands who used to work for Crane Fluid Systems.... who now work elsewhere, if they can, and all the other heavy industry companies that are no longer here... Because all the "CHEAP" products are now made in China, or elsewhere......
Being inside the EU also makes it more attractive to companies to invest in the UK...
In the early days this was true as many companies built plant here, or registered companies, as it was a gateway into the EU for those outside it... Think of car manufacturing companies, amongst others, who used the UK to avoid import duties...
But these days.... Companies will still invest in the UK if we leave because of the Governments insistence that everything must be in private hands, and are... Genesis album title... "Selling England by the Pound"... Well Euro these days... You name it... NHS... Dartford Crossing... Electricity... Roads... Royal Mail... Land Registry (don't know how many, truly, realise the effect of this one... but it really does enables those that have to ride rough shod over those who have not)... Schools and far to many more to list here...
But bottom line for our (your fave name for them here) if its public, or free... it wont be soon....
Over the last decade foreign companies have invested £540 billion in the UK, equivalent to £148 million each day...
Foreign companies..... so not just EU companies then... and how much of that is for selling out this country...
Below all this misdirection and badly worded "facts" is a list of meaningless numbers... Trust me in this... As a trained, if not qualified, Industrial Engineer this list of numbers is just that... a list of numbers...
Page 4...
Page four is a very nice, staged, picture with its almost (come on... no female in there somewhere) PC correct workforce...
Since 2010 tourism has been the fastest growing sector in the UK in employment terms. Britain is forecast to have a tourism industry worth over £257 billion by 2025.
(Taken from www.visitbritain.org/visitor-economy-facts)
So I guess that soon most people will be working in a tourist/entertainment based job and spend their holidays at other tourist/entertainment places....
You know I could go on right threw this waste of money but do not, in my wildest dreams, think anybody would make it to the end...
Will end with one more phrase from the "What happens if we leave?" page...
The Government judges it could result in 10 years or more of uncertainty as the UK unpicks our relationship with the EU and over 50 other countries around the world...
Who worded this...
The Government "Judges"... like they do that so well... Bail something out for 100 million and then sell it for 10 or setting share prices way below the true market value...does not give confidence in their good judgement.. (wish I could sit on a comfy bench and go Arff Arff... And claim dodgy allowances for twice my wages or more)
Could result??? way to go with the conviction (subliminal/scare tactics???) factor there...
As for "the UK unpicks "our" relationship".... "it's" makes sense but "OUR" just screams "I'm rich and have not got a clue how to talk to these.... what do we call them... Oh yes.. common people...
Be Happy folks and vote the way your own heart tells you.... but please either vote or don't complain when stuff hits the fan...
Anyhoo... Here is my simple, maybe naive, view of it...
The cover..
Black and white statement about how the Government think its best to stay in... So no subliminal message there then.... being in black and white.....
Ignoring pages one and the picture on two as with the present turmoil only the date of the referendum stated there can be looked on as accurate as all the "Special Status" bullet points might not hold true in the future
Page 3...
A Stronger Economy...
The EU is by far the UK's biggest trading partner... EU countries buy 44% of everything we sell abroad.... So, firstly, no one will buy any British product if we leave???.... Secondly.... 44% means that our biggest oversea sales, 56%, are to NON EU countries....
The EU's single market has over 500 million customers and an economy over five times bigger than the UK... So our own economy is not that small then.... Given how many countries are in the EU... And those customers will no longer need, or want, what we make if we leave?
The Single market makes it easier and cheaper for UK companies to sell their products outside the UK, creating jobs....
First off... Do they meant "to the EU/Single Market" ie the 44% market we will lose if we left?.... As this just reads that it is easy and cheap to sell, red tape aside, outside the UK.... like... Anywhere... but if we leave we will never sell to anyone ever again as it will be "not easy and to expensive"...
Create jobs.... A one of the thousands who used to work for Crane Fluid Systems.... who now work elsewhere, if they can, and all the other heavy industry companies that are no longer here... Because all the "CHEAP" products are now made in China, or elsewhere......
Being inside the EU also makes it more attractive to companies to invest in the UK...
In the early days this was true as many companies built plant here, or registered companies, as it was a gateway into the EU for those outside it... Think of car manufacturing companies, amongst others, who used the UK to avoid import duties...
But these days.... Companies will still invest in the UK if we leave because of the Governments insistence that everything must be in private hands, and are... Genesis album title... "Selling England by the Pound"... Well Euro these days... You name it... NHS... Dartford Crossing... Electricity... Roads... Royal Mail... Land Registry (don't know how many, truly, realise the effect of this one... but it really does enables those that have to ride rough shod over those who have not)... Schools and far to many more to list here...
But bottom line for our (your fave name for them here) if its public, or free... it wont be soon....
Over the last decade foreign companies have invested £540 billion in the UK, equivalent to £148 million each day...
Foreign companies..... so not just EU companies then... and how much of that is for selling out this country...
Below all this misdirection and badly worded "facts" is a list of meaningless numbers... Trust me in this... As a trained, if not qualified, Industrial Engineer this list of numbers is just that... a list of numbers...
Page 4...
Page four is a very nice, staged, picture with its almost (come on... no female in there somewhere) PC correct workforce...
Since 2010 tourism has been the fastest growing sector in the UK in employment terms. Britain is forecast to have a tourism industry worth over £257 billion by 2025.
(Taken from www.visitbritain.org/visitor-economy-facts)
So I guess that soon most people will be working in a tourist/entertainment based job and spend their holidays at other tourist/entertainment places....
You know I could go on right threw this waste of money but do not, in my wildest dreams, think anybody would make it to the end...
Will end with one more phrase from the "What happens if we leave?" page...
The Government judges it could result in 10 years or more of uncertainty as the UK unpicks our relationship with the EU and over 50 other countries around the world...
Who worded this...
The Government "Judges"... like they do that so well... Bail something out for 100 million and then sell it for 10 or setting share prices way below the true market value...does not give confidence in their good judgement.. (wish I could sit on a comfy bench and go Arff Arff... And claim dodgy allowances for twice my wages or more)
Could result??? way to go with the conviction (subliminal/scare tactics???) factor there...
As for "the UK unpicks "our" relationship".... "it's" makes sense but "OUR" just screams "I'm rich and have not got a clue how to talk to these.... what do we call them... Oh yes.. common people...
Be Happy folks and vote the way your own heart tells you.... but please either vote or don't complain when stuff hits the fan...
Friday 26 February 2016
Realisation of action is a totally different thing to freedom of speech…
Realisation of
action is a totally different thing to freedom of speech…
I fully accept
that everyone has a right to their viewpoint… I just want the right
not to have to accept it as the only viewpoint…
Watching the Victoria Derbyshire program this morning (26/02/16) and
a part of it was about the “Safe Place” in campuses for freedom
of speech being “restricted” with “certain” topics being
banned
The present PC madness continues… controlling what you can and
cannot say/do….
It's a “Safe Place” no more no less...
The problem is not with what you can say….
The problem I watched... was of not letting people say it…
Whether that was by a “controlling body” limiting the scope of
subjects or by the, watched, heckling/shouting at the speaker...
It the old days it
was “The person on speakers corner”... not massed people with
megaphones or aggressive placards of “Behead X… Homo X… Black
X… White X” and many others..
You stopped… you
listened, if you wanted to… but you accepted that that person
had a right to free speech and that was their
view… You
thought about it or you didn’t… You
got on with life as you chose...
There must be
free speech or the “he who shouts loudest will prevail” theology
wins out…
What seems to be
happening these days is that rather than accept that a person has,
for the moment, a legal right to express their opinion some would
risk losing this rather than “offend” someone…
I cannot see much
difference between someone saying “this offends me” or
“J'accuse”… Both cause the death of something...
Free Speech… A
person can express their view…. You have the free choice to listen
or move on…
Free Speech… You
can give out leaflets to others who then have the free choice to read
it or bin it.
Realisation of
Action… Knowing what you do enhances your view over all others..
Realisation of Action… The, viewed, persons persistent heckling
that stopped the debate... knowing that only his view was valid...
and by repeating three words, loudly, over and over again would
negate the speakers viewpoint... All would remember him and not the
speaker, or the speech...
Realisation of Action… By limiting free speech you must accept that
phobia's, oppression, increase
Example… Chairman Mao... Free speech… His little red book…
Realisation of Action… Everybody had to read it… He knew
by reading it you gave up your freedom of choice...
Realisation of
Action… Groups trying to change you to agree with them… not
letting someone have a choice… Is oppressive, self limiting and
often accompanied by violence..
Realisation of
Action… Groups intimidating by action… not letting someone walk
in the own town at night... Is oppressive, self limiting and often
accompanied by violence..
Final
thought's on freedom and actions…
If I walk into a
bar… and it's, say, a gay bar… I walk out… its not because of
being homophobic… its because I am not Gay…
I know many Gay
people and am truly pleased for those who find happiness in being so…
But I also know that
if you tell someone who is truly Gay, that you are not... They will
treat you as a friend… not an object to be converted…
Freedom of speech is
a fundamental part of existence… The freedom of listening to other
viewpoints is paramount…
If it was not…
The world would still be flat and the centre of a very small
universe..
Saturday 20 February 2016
50 First Dates... Another "Does Heaven Exist" if you want to not read any further...
Hi All
Just checking my blog stats and found that one reader was from the Arab Emirates.... don't know if I should be worried or not about this, the way the world is going these days....
A couple of my posts are about religion (which to me is just a means of control), or more correctly whether heaven and hell exist...
The more I research... the more I believe the only way heaven, or hell, can work is if it is like the film "50 first dates"... If you only remember one day.... it can always be perfect..... you can have as many as you like because you look forward to a tomorrow that does not exist...
But as the, alive, brain cannot fathom large numbers... the reality of "forever" is... well unfathomable...
You live a full life, if you are lucky, and get to 100+ plus... and that entitles you to millennia in "heaven" or "hell" and when that millennia runs out... you get another one.... who thinks that works...
I get reincarnation... I truly do... but I'm not as covinced about rebirth as I am about the knowledge stored in our genes...
I have been told by two separate "knowledgeable" people that I am to close to my last life.. going to my death, by bayonet, in the trenches... one was local to be... but the other... I traveled a long way to see... not by appointment but by research and just turning up.
I do like cold steel but is that a coincidence... I don't know...
Went on a schools trip around Suffolk, back in the 60's, and when we got to Thetford and its priory ruins... I knew the guide was wrong... I knew the people who he was talking about... I just knew...
A belief I have long held is that we are all connected.... telepathy is something we have lost over time... not something new to learn....
Brainwaves are electrical impulses.... radio waves if you like.... and our thoughts are still out there.... all of them.... probes send photos back from distant planets using less lower than is in our own heads..
And if your brain comes across a wave from the past that is of the same frequency.... you hear it... You know it...
So did I know the monks names because I was there or because of a brainwave I received from the person who was....
Think of it as crossover between to stations on the radio......
And there's always the option of the memory being passed down through my genes
Heaven...
You can do anything in Heaven... play a piano.... how did that get there... did it have a "good" soul to... and how can you just know how to play it.... do you have to play Mozart 'caus he's there first...
How does all the other "life" stuff get there...
How do the cavemen get on with modern technology...
Are the flat earth society all condemned to hell....
If you don't need money... is God a sugar daddy?
Would Rastafarians have their own "patch" of heaven.... make their own clouds...
Hell...
With all the greed in our lifetime... he must have a devil of a time trying to stay the "Don"...
Does "Stockholm Syndrome" mean we all end up as friends....
Do your fingernails grow back so he can pull them out again....
After being scared by bugs for the umpteenth time... do you think.. frell this I'm gonna kill something...
What about those who get off on pain... and start eating the lesser minions... will that cause harmony in hell, as anarchy is the norm...
See... only "50 First Dates" makes any sense of being happy or terrified for the 2.4 billionth time.
Just checking my blog stats and found that one reader was from the Arab Emirates.... don't know if I should be worried or not about this, the way the world is going these days....
A couple of my posts are about religion (which to me is just a means of control), or more correctly whether heaven and hell exist...
The more I research... the more I believe the only way heaven, or hell, can work is if it is like the film "50 first dates"... If you only remember one day.... it can always be perfect..... you can have as many as you like because you look forward to a tomorrow that does not exist...
But as the, alive, brain cannot fathom large numbers... the reality of "forever" is... well unfathomable...
You live a full life, if you are lucky, and get to 100+ plus... and that entitles you to millennia in "heaven" or "hell" and when that millennia runs out... you get another one.... who thinks that works...
I get reincarnation... I truly do... but I'm not as covinced about rebirth as I am about the knowledge stored in our genes...
I have been told by two separate "knowledgeable" people that I am to close to my last life.. going to my death, by bayonet, in the trenches... one was local to be... but the other... I traveled a long way to see... not by appointment but by research and just turning up.
I do like cold steel but is that a coincidence... I don't know...
Went on a schools trip around Suffolk, back in the 60's, and when we got to Thetford and its priory ruins... I knew the guide was wrong... I knew the people who he was talking about... I just knew...
A belief I have long held is that we are all connected.... telepathy is something we have lost over time... not something new to learn....
Brainwaves are electrical impulses.... radio waves if you like.... and our thoughts are still out there.... all of them.... probes send photos back from distant planets using less lower than is in our own heads..
And if your brain comes across a wave from the past that is of the same frequency.... you hear it... You know it...
So did I know the monks names because I was there or because of a brainwave I received from the person who was....
Think of it as crossover between to stations on the radio......
And there's always the option of the memory being passed down through my genes
Heaven...
You can do anything in Heaven... play a piano.... how did that get there... did it have a "good" soul to... and how can you just know how to play it.... do you have to play Mozart 'caus he's there first...
How does all the other "life" stuff get there...
How do the cavemen get on with modern technology...
Are the flat earth society all condemned to hell....
If you don't need money... is God a sugar daddy?
Would Rastafarians have their own "patch" of heaven.... make their own clouds...
Hell...
With all the greed in our lifetime... he must have a devil of a time trying to stay the "Don"...
Does "Stockholm Syndrome" mean we all end up as friends....
Do your fingernails grow back so he can pull them out again....
After being scared by bugs for the umpteenth time... do you think.. frell this I'm gonna kill something...
What about those who get off on pain... and start eating the lesser minions... will that cause harmony in hell, as anarchy is the norm...
See... only "50 First Dates" makes any sense of being happy or terrified for the 2.4 billionth time.
Royal Enfield Constellation Load Limit....
In the early 80's my brother and I rode through Austria, France, Germany and Italy..... sort of a mini "Grand Tour". We don't always get along but any reason to head south is good enough for me...
My ride, at the time, was a single overhead cam Honda CB750 F1 with a massive Dunstall alloy tank and twin Cibie "40" rally lamps for headlamps.... find an idiot who does not dip his headlights.. turn both on and you can see the colour of the tie he's wearing.... Nice....
It did have a "tiny" problem, as we found out,..... over 70mph it burnt more oil than petrol...... this was, basically, because I had stripped down the top end to do the valves etc and "on advice" from my brother did not re ring and hone the bores... which were a bit "shiny"..... so after we found this out we stuck more to the back roads...
Chris rode a Kawasaki GPZ550 Uni-track.... great, zippy, little bike that ran really sweet....
Great ride down through Germany.... great roads and strange people.... The eagles nest near Berchesgaden is an impressive place... remember well the entrance tunnel with its wood paneling and impressive chandeliers... You could easily drive any army truck through this but it was, definitely, designed to impress.... But mostly remember the 40+ person lift that whispered you up the "house".... you got in and then got out.... no sound... no sensation of movement.... truly spoooky...
Oh yes the other memory was of the bus ride up to the entrance tunnel.... real old school bus with a driver that could only be described as a maniacal Russian shot put "lady"... single track lane... sheer drops...loose gravel and tree branches everywhere and... well... I guess the driver just likes speed... and hill climbs, with a rally cross twist.... she was not slow....
The mountain fortress itself was not open, in those days, and always intended to go back there now it is....
On into Austria via an unfinished, but, strangely, open tunnel we found... tarmac was good but the tunnel itself was still being lined.... you could still see the tooling marks etc on the walls... trouble was the, unfinished, toll booths were manned.... and, although, there was no sign of a "pay x" anywhere it was an interesting few moments sorting what we had against what they would take...
Austria is stunning..... and expensive.... only had changed up a few pounds for petrol... but that went at the first coffee shop... heading up the road from the tunnel and there was a sharp left up ahead.... hit the left hard (well... straights are boring...) and the view suddenly got... well... simply stunning....
We had turned to be running, high up, along one side of a valley... the other side simply being one of the best mountain views I've seen.... there was a big gravel car park/view point right on the corner exit and an impressive cafe/hotel behind...
I drifted straight into the parking area as Chris just flashed up the road ahead.... so I stroll over and order a coffee... enjoy the view... did not have a camera on this trip and phones were not that mobile in those days.... the view was so big though, a stunning wall of snow capped peaks, it would have been hard to capture it properly.. (Ric/Neil... would liken it to heading for the tunnel, with the psychedelic lighting, near Grenoble)... so through Austria and onto Italy... Venice awaits and time was short....
My first time in Italy so my brother pulls up alongside me and starts to shout... "Whatever you do DON'T ride near to white line in a corner cos there mad here and vans will......" just at that point a big blue van flies round this corner, towards us, straddling the white line.... and Chris has to dodge in behind me very sharpish.... "SEE" he shouts....
So funny.... so very funny..... I do cut corners (cough) a bit but the Italians are mad.... probably wear out the horns faster than their tyres...
Another entertaining moment... I was riding along behind him on a short section on Italian "motorway", near Venice, when something suddenly flips up from the road and hits me in the chest... and then falls onto the top of my tank....
It was the front sprocket retaining plate for a Kawasaki...... My brother was riding a Kawasaki..... Bugger... so pulled him over... whipped of the sprocket cover to find... his was still there.... Nice... but often wondered about what happened to the guy who lost it...
Anyhoo onto the subject of the title..
We pulled into Aosta.... which is up in the top left hand corner of Italy... not far from Mont Blanc and its famous tunnel....
We had stopped in a run down area on the edge of Aosta because of.....
1/ It was getting late in the day..... and...
2/ There was this big shiny square glass built motorcycle shop.... looked really out of place..... bikes on the ground level and clothing and helmets on the second... got the impression that the area was some sort of tax haven.... going by the prices...
So its late in the day and we ask for directions to a campsite.... you just know its gonna be... "ah my cousin runs campsite... best campsite... you come... you follow... I show..." and that's exactly what happened....
So we follow this little Renault van down some dodgy lanes and into the campsite... must admit it really was a nice site.... not the best by any means.... but clean, good toilets and a cafe, of sorts,...
We set up our tents and were walking up the site when a couple siting outside this old, huge, canvas tent said "hello" in the broadest of scouse accents.... cannot remember there names now but a nicer pair of people it would be harder to meet... do remember he was a good 6ft 4 and she was a petite 4ft 10.....
Ended up spending the evening with them.... listing to the story of how they had just been through Yugoslavia and stayed with a local family, for three days, while a new dynamo, for his Enfield, was being shipped out to him from the UK....
He had travelled down to the bottom of Portugal the previous year and Poland the year before that.... all on this immaculate Royal Enfield Constellation.... Respect..... Even more so in the morning.... but read on...
Never really thought about it but were are talking away... sitting outside this massive tent... I mean massive... they slept in one half and the bike was parked in the other......
Were sitting there while he's cooking away on a two ring camping stove more suited to a caravan and the gas bottle is a dumpy 4.5kg one... not some tiny canister... he's using proper pots n pans brought from home.... proper full sized frying pan.... kettle... mugs... yes it was probably in there somewhere to...
Just assumed he had a trailer around the back...
So... in the morning Chris and myself awoke to watch this pair load up the Constellation...
First off... out came wooden boxes... homemade ply and baton affairs... and everything got put into a wooden box of one size or another... and these boxes got strapped, not bunged, onto the bike.....
Both my brother and I watched in amazement... just more and more boxes going on.... to say they had a system is an understatement for this couple.... large boxes... small boxes..... one after the other after the other....
After they had finished... it was stacked so high that when the girl sat "into" the rear seat you could not see her.... truth.... from back or sides she was hidden...
We say goodbye and he climbs on and we watch this "mobile parcel" wobble off up the dirt road and out of the campsite.....
How much weight.... dare not think about it....
How on earth the frame did not snap is beyond me.....
Those poor tire's....spokes..... ???...
Respect does not even cover it..... The miles they had travelled.... and those to come no doubt....
When I asked him about the it before he left... he simply said... "if you are not in a hurry you will get there..... if you rush you may not.."
Lesson learnt... two on a push bike in the UK is an offence.... the family and a goat on a Honda Crunch in India is normal... I will, and always, say.. the more "civilised" we get the more stupid we get...
Its not a matter of whether you think he was a danger to others or not, as in our modern "PC" world he may well not be allowed to travel like that.... but it worked.... nothing was going to fall off the way it was strapped.... he could repair any box easily..... he could even have repaired the dynamo, once he had worked out what was making the noise.... And yes he had a full toolkit to...
Monday 8 February 2016
ZX1 Micro Oil Treatment Thoughts and Review
Friction free oil/engine treatments....
As soon as you talk to anyone about these you are likely to encounter two types of answer... three in you count a quick smack in the mouth...
1... Snake oil.... Hokum.... Don' need it.... or any other similar comment before they launch into their reasoning behind this.....
2... I've used it.... sometimes this does comes with a "but"..
So my thoughts......
I have looked at many engine treatments over the years, especially those that are used in a racing environment.... Molyslip, STP, Wynn's all have their place in engine longevity...
There has been, though, a few brands that are just hype and even the perennial "Slick 50" and it's earlier derivatives seizing an engine or three due to the fact that the size of the PTFE molecules were larger that the oil filter mesh pores.....
Interesting fact about PTFE.... if you heat it past 536°F it turns into a very nasty gas... check this out.....
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=15+1829&aid=2874
Also another, similar, page states "Recent findings show that 95% of Americans have detectable levels of Teflon-related chemicals in their blood" and that's not a good thing...
My First Honda CX500 was one of the original batch which had the wrong big end shells fitted and hence were known for seizing easily..... So I tried some American stuff called, inventively, TMT (The Motor Treatment)... which was basically graphite based.. Which I must admit worked really well in increasing gas mileage.... anything graphite based has its limitations
But since I stumbled across ZX1 many years, and hundreds of thousands of miles, ago I have used it in everything I have owned....
For me it's main strength is it's versatility.. You can add it at any time, it does not need clean/new oil... and you can add it to, almost, anything...
As it's a "Modified Oil" all the "friction free" element needs is a carrier.... so you can put it in the engine, in the petrol, in the radiator, into hydraulic fluid and even brake/clutch fluid... that's something not a lot of the others can do..
So long as it makes contact with a metallic surface it will do its job..... and as it mechanically bonds with metal at about 70 deg it stays there even after the oil/fluid change....
One of my first uses for ZX1 was in a Mitsubishi Colt... the model before they went hatchback.... Nice car but had not been that well looked after...
So I am driving home from London to Ipswich and as I am going through Chelmsford the oil light comes on... not good as its a pressure light not a "low level" light on these...
So... 40 miles from home and no oil pressure... As my Father was still alive and we had a breakdown truck I decided to carry on home... reasoning behind this was that the engine was probably toast so the nearer I was to home the less it needed to be towed...
The engine/fuel system had been treated about a 1000 miles before this and I am happy to say that I just drove the car all the way home... not a problem.... not a sound.... added new oil and drove it around for another two years before I sold it... Kind of makes you think "Yea this stuff does work".
The original formula was invented for drilling heads on the oil rigs etc... If you want any info on this and the range of products they make now... head over to...
http://www.team-zx1.com/
Hope you do because you will find a review I did on a Kawasaki ZX10 compression over time... a short lived trial for a reason you will find when reading...
ZX1 has been a standard part of my maintenance regime for decade... cars, motorcycles, strimmer heads, hedge trimmer blades, lawnmowers even my central heating system.. ie if it moves and is metal..
Word of warning though... don't put it in a new vehicle... don't put it in an all metal torque converter or all metal clutch etc... and when putting it in a engine make sure you run it for at least 20 mins/drive for at least 40 miles or it will smoke like a train....
DO NOT PUT IT IN - DRIVE 1/2 MILE DOWN THE ROAD TO GET THE PAPER/MILK/ETC... basically as it bonds at 70 deg a quick trip will heat up the area around the rings more than anywhere else and if you switch of the engine the oil around the rings will bond there only and make a very smooth "blow by" area.... trust me I did this with a Suzuki 1150EFE and it billowed smoke for days until it sorted itself out....
Originally they only made the "treatment" but nowadays they have a nice range of products.... I love the new grease (the original grease was a bit pants in that it disappeared to quickly) its all red and sparkly and is superb in wheel bearings....
The little pin oilier is another winner, especially on a motorcycle, so easy to lube levers, footrests, linkages, anything that moves really... Its also great in lubing cables and unlike WD40 it does not freeze in winter or affect to cable lining.
The C60 micro spray is, for me, the oddest one... I suppose because I use the pin oilier in most places you would use the spray... will say its great with sliding doors, windows etc... but I mainly use it as a "soak" to degrease and clean stuff.
Works well with carbs... especially if you heat them up with a blow gun and dunk them again after cleaning... really helps to give a smooth slide action
Last comment... I have bought many treatment bottles (especially back in the day when QVC used to sell a twin pack) and give them to people to try out for themselves... saying only "if you don't think it works don't pay me" and so far everybody has paid me...
There are drawbacks with this product that I am not going to go into here as I am sure that someone will add a comment about this and just want to hear who says what first, before adding my thoughts and findings....
As soon as you talk to anyone about these you are likely to encounter two types of answer... three in you count a quick smack in the mouth...
1... Snake oil.... Hokum.... Don' need it.... or any other similar comment before they launch into their reasoning behind this.....
2... I've used it.... sometimes this does comes with a "but"..
So my thoughts......
I have looked at many engine treatments over the years, especially those that are used in a racing environment.... Molyslip, STP, Wynn's all have their place in engine longevity...
There has been, though, a few brands that are just hype and even the perennial "Slick 50" and it's earlier derivatives seizing an engine or three due to the fact that the size of the PTFE molecules were larger that the oil filter mesh pores.....
Interesting fact about PTFE.... if you heat it past 536°F it turns into a very nasty gas... check this out.....
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=15+1829&aid=2874
Also another, similar, page states "Recent findings show that 95% of Americans have detectable levels of Teflon-related chemicals in their blood" and that's not a good thing...
My First Honda CX500 was one of the original batch which had the wrong big end shells fitted and hence were known for seizing easily..... So I tried some American stuff called, inventively, TMT (The Motor Treatment)... which was basically graphite based.. Which I must admit worked really well in increasing gas mileage.... anything graphite based has its limitations
But since I stumbled across ZX1 many years, and hundreds of thousands of miles, ago I have used it in everything I have owned....
For me it's main strength is it's versatility.. You can add it at any time, it does not need clean/new oil... and you can add it to, almost, anything...
As it's a "Modified Oil" all the "friction free" element needs is a carrier.... so you can put it in the engine, in the petrol, in the radiator, into hydraulic fluid and even brake/clutch fluid... that's something not a lot of the others can do..
So long as it makes contact with a metallic surface it will do its job..... and as it mechanically bonds with metal at about 70 deg it stays there even after the oil/fluid change....
One of my first uses for ZX1 was in a Mitsubishi Colt... the model before they went hatchback.... Nice car but had not been that well looked after...
So I am driving home from London to Ipswich and as I am going through Chelmsford the oil light comes on... not good as its a pressure light not a "low level" light on these...
So... 40 miles from home and no oil pressure... As my Father was still alive and we had a breakdown truck I decided to carry on home... reasoning behind this was that the engine was probably toast so the nearer I was to home the less it needed to be towed...
The engine/fuel system had been treated about a 1000 miles before this and I am happy to say that I just drove the car all the way home... not a problem.... not a sound.... added new oil and drove it around for another two years before I sold it... Kind of makes you think "Yea this stuff does work".
The original formula was invented for drilling heads on the oil rigs etc... If you want any info on this and the range of products they make now... head over to...
http://www.team-zx1.com/
Hope you do because you will find a review I did on a Kawasaki ZX10 compression over time... a short lived trial for a reason you will find when reading...
ZX1 has been a standard part of my maintenance regime for decade... cars, motorcycles, strimmer heads, hedge trimmer blades, lawnmowers even my central heating system.. ie if it moves and is metal..
Word of warning though... don't put it in a new vehicle... don't put it in an all metal torque converter or all metal clutch etc... and when putting it in a engine make sure you run it for at least 20 mins/drive for at least 40 miles or it will smoke like a train....
DO NOT PUT IT IN - DRIVE 1/2 MILE DOWN THE ROAD TO GET THE PAPER/MILK/ETC... basically as it bonds at 70 deg a quick trip will heat up the area around the rings more than anywhere else and if you switch of the engine the oil around the rings will bond there only and make a very smooth "blow by" area.... trust me I did this with a Suzuki 1150EFE and it billowed smoke for days until it sorted itself out....
Originally they only made the "treatment" but nowadays they have a nice range of products.... I love the new grease (the original grease was a bit pants in that it disappeared to quickly) its all red and sparkly and is superb in wheel bearings....
The little pin oilier is another winner, especially on a motorcycle, so easy to lube levers, footrests, linkages, anything that moves really... Its also great in lubing cables and unlike WD40 it does not freeze in winter or affect to cable lining.
The C60 micro spray is, for me, the oddest one... I suppose because I use the pin oilier in most places you would use the spray... will say its great with sliding doors, windows etc... but I mainly use it as a "soak" to degrease and clean stuff.
Works well with carbs... especially if you heat them up with a blow gun and dunk them again after cleaning... really helps to give a smooth slide action
Last comment... I have bought many treatment bottles (especially back in the day when QVC used to sell a twin pack) and give them to people to try out for themselves... saying only "if you don't think it works don't pay me" and so far everybody has paid me...
There are drawbacks with this product that I am not going to go into here as I am sure that someone will add a comment about this and just want to hear who says what first, before adding my thoughts and findings....
Saturday 6 February 2016
Buell Free Spirits Belt Tensioner Spindle/Nipple Modification
About a year ago I bought another Free Spirits belt tensioner for my Buell Ulysses.....
The original design of the factory Buell tensioner is a fixed item... And, although, Eric worked out the maths and it works well for about 95% if its travel it did not allow any flexibility for the usual road debris found in the UK and elsewhere.... especially if you like the "odd bit of off roading".
So the Free Spirits idea was to make the tensioner wheel sprung loaded... Now while they did a fair job in making it look nice and sturdy... there's a couple of design flaws that Eric's original did not have....
The worst one of these is that it, unless you set it up very carefully, it fouls the exhaust... The lower inside section rubs against the rear exhaust bracket and exhaust itself... Not good.... and the other problem is that the pivot sucks..... a split bush, just in the center section and a shaft that is 40mm long (unit is 50mm wide) that has a countersunk Allen screw, very lightly tightened, each end does not make for a safe secure pivot..... loctite is the order of the day to stop them unwinding...
Oh yes... its sold as a "maintenance free" item...... moving parts... aluminium rubbing against aluminium.... road crap, water and salt.. I don't think its anywhere near "maintenance free".... if fact it seizes up quite nicely thank you.... frequently....
So my plan was to modify my nice new one (the old one has done way to many miles and is a bit knackered to say the least) it to an idea I had... Now as much as I like the look of the "upgrade" kit you can get from Maz at the "Buell Emporium"... to me it still had one fault.... you cannot, easily, tell if it needs a strip and clean or starting to seize because its needs to be oiled more often..
So my plan was not to have a pin that was "fixed" in the outer plates and only rotates in the inner section bush....
My design was to ream out the outer pieces to take the same bush as the centre..... make a shaft/pivot pin that was wider than the tensioner and knurl it to aid rotation...
Will put some photos of it fitted on here in a few days to show how it looks fitted...... The back end is a bit long only so that there was room for adjustments or alternative ways of retention...
The above photo shows nicely the PTFE washers... the pin and end washer are stainless... What I should have done is taken a photo of it disassembled as the bearing part of the shaft is spiral grooved to aid in lubrication and the side plates have been recessed just enough to allow fitting "O" rings to help keep the grease/oil in and the dirt out....
The whole thing is being kept in place by an "E" clip at the moment.... if it works OK it will stay that way.... but if its not secure enough then I can always switch to another option..
The PTFE washers are also a trial as should give a long life but he also machines various types of Nylon/Nylatron etc
Also have a plan to turn up a cover plate which will push it to cover the grease nipple (Its designed to accept a standard grease gun nozzle into the recess)....
I like the look as is but I'm sure many would want a cover...
So all I have to do is rotate the shaft before riding/ monthly..... and if it does not rotate smoothly.... grease it..... if its stuck.. strip n clean time....
The plan now is to see if anybody else would like one....
As I no longer have access to a decent lathe (after being in engineering for a couple of decades I do miss the access to equipment) the whole thing was made by Probitts Engineering out of Finbows Yard, near Bacton in Suffolk..
His mainstay is in high quality parts for all sizes of model trains, but he makes far more than that.
And the good thing is that if enough people want one he will run off a batch....
Message me If you want any more info.. but the plan plan... is to give him my old unit to have a total rethink on the idea of "how to hold the wheel"... I like the idea of a "gull wing" rear piece to eliminate the rubbing/wear issue as a "just change one piece option"..... Or maybe a totally new design that loses the "travel limiting roll pin" by extending the rose joint thread (female rose joint and correct length Allen bolt?) through the back of the center section, which would also make fitting and removal MUCH easier.
Have fun out there....
The original design of the factory Buell tensioner is a fixed item... And, although, Eric worked out the maths and it works well for about 95% if its travel it did not allow any flexibility for the usual road debris found in the UK and elsewhere.... especially if you like the "odd bit of off roading".
So the Free Spirits idea was to make the tensioner wheel sprung loaded... Now while they did a fair job in making it look nice and sturdy... there's a couple of design flaws that Eric's original did not have....
The worst one of these is that it, unless you set it up very carefully, it fouls the exhaust... The lower inside section rubs against the rear exhaust bracket and exhaust itself... Not good.... and the other problem is that the pivot sucks..... a split bush, just in the center section and a shaft that is 40mm long (unit is 50mm wide) that has a countersunk Allen screw, very lightly tightened, each end does not make for a safe secure pivot..... loctite is the order of the day to stop them unwinding...
Oh yes... its sold as a "maintenance free" item...... moving parts... aluminium rubbing against aluminium.... road crap, water and salt.. I don't think its anywhere near "maintenance free".... if fact it seizes up quite nicely thank you.... frequently....
So my plan was to modify my nice new one (the old one has done way to many miles and is a bit knackered to say the least) it to an idea I had... Now as much as I like the look of the "upgrade" kit you can get from Maz at the "Buell Emporium"... to me it still had one fault.... you cannot, easily, tell if it needs a strip and clean or starting to seize because its needs to be oiled more often..
So my plan was not to have a pin that was "fixed" in the outer plates and only rotates in the inner section bush....
My design was to ream out the outer pieces to take the same bush as the centre..... make a shaft/pivot pin that was wider than the tensioner and knurl it to aid rotation...
Will put some photos of it fitted on here in a few days to show how it looks fitted...... The back end is a bit long only so that there was room for adjustments or alternative ways of retention...
The above photo shows nicely the PTFE washers... the pin and end washer are stainless... What I should have done is taken a photo of it disassembled as the bearing part of the shaft is spiral grooved to aid in lubrication and the side plates have been recessed just enough to allow fitting "O" rings to help keep the grease/oil in and the dirt out....
The whole thing is being kept in place by an "E" clip at the moment.... if it works OK it will stay that way.... but if its not secure enough then I can always switch to another option..
The PTFE washers are also a trial as should give a long life but he also machines various types of Nylon/Nylatron etc
Also have a plan to turn up a cover plate which will push it to cover the grease nipple (Its designed to accept a standard grease gun nozzle into the recess)....
I like the look as is but I'm sure many would want a cover...
So all I have to do is rotate the shaft before riding/ monthly..... and if it does not rotate smoothly.... grease it..... if its stuck.. strip n clean time....
The plan now is to see if anybody else would like one....
As I no longer have access to a decent lathe (after being in engineering for a couple of decades I do miss the access to equipment) the whole thing was made by Probitts Engineering out of Finbows Yard, near Bacton in Suffolk..
His mainstay is in high quality parts for all sizes of model trains, but he makes far more than that.
And the good thing is that if enough people want one he will run off a batch....
Message me If you want any more info.. but the plan plan... is to give him my old unit to have a total rethink on the idea of "how to hold the wheel"... I like the idea of a "gull wing" rear piece to eliminate the rubbing/wear issue as a "just change one piece option"..... Or maybe a totally new design that loses the "travel limiting roll pin" by extending the rose joint thread (female rose joint and correct length Allen bolt?) through the back of the center section, which would also make fitting and removal MUCH easier.
Have fun out there....
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