[Les.]

From time to time I think (a little bit) deeply about this.

It seems this is weakening now compared with the first strain.  And of course so did the 1918 Bird Flu.

It has been said that a killer, bug, virus, bacterium or whatever has no future in being too efficient. So just as the 1918 pandemic started off very likely to kill an infected person, clearly it became less so as time went on. So it appears to be with the CoVid-19 pandemic.

Why is that?

Do we ALWAYS develop herd immunity?

Does the strain always weaken?

Of course, unlike 1918, we have developed vaccines, which MUST have saved many lives.

However just like the 1918 thing, as Covid-19 lessens its grip, “Stuff” follows it. For example, Long Covid seems to take many forms. It is being suggested that the rash of hepatitis is a consequence of Covid-19, and I think I am right in saying that Polio was a follow up to 1918 event, and there were others.

However was not the black death MUCH more vicious? But that obviously disappeared eventually.

Perhaps VFM would know, but he has long since absented himself

Les.

[Les.]

Gas versus electric kilns? Let us start with the one main con. Gas kilns can explode and kill people. I know of one fatal incident, and I know of a few which could easily have been fatal. Electrocution is very possible, but I have never hear of one involving a kiln. However, the victim of the fatal incident was a very competent electrical engineer. He was near the door of the kiln when it exploded, the door flew off (or open) and he was struck. No idea if he caused it.

Having dealt with that, gas EVERY time if you know what you are doing.

Hundreds of percent of excess air can be used to VERY SLOWLY raise the temperature of large solid item which are extremely likely to crack or otherwise be ruined. (Mind you that is environmentally bad, filling the local air with acetone and related compounds.

Normal operation with just a few % excess air is desirable for most processes and is easily obtained.

Slightly reducing atmospheres (insufficient air) will turn bone china a delicate shade of blue. It will also bring it to optimum fired condition at a lower temperature.

Strongly reducing atmospheres will bring red building bricks  to a slate blue — traditional “engineering bricks”

I should point out that it is 43 years since I left the ceramics industry, though I had a 12month spell with a kiln construction company sorting out their problem kilns, but so much changed after I left. During the ten years before I left, a big thing was “Lead release”. The US had found a case of lead poisoning caused by a crap, studio pottery produced ewer. Grossly under-fired after glazing due to incompetence. The stringent rules created as a result meant a new approach to decoration firing. Electric kilns were found to need water injection into the cooling section to control the lead release. This could be got around by introducing gas burners, with the products of combustion providing the water vapour.

I assume all tableware is now produced using lead free glazes, but I really don’t know. I do know a lead free glaze can never give the brilliance achieved with lead glazes, just as leadless solders used in electronics are useless.

I had better stop, as I could write all day about all aspects of ceramic firing, and life is too short right now.

Les.

[Les.]

There is a lot of misunderstanding about this mess. Tamara comes from Odessa, and I have been following the events there over the past dozen years.

Let me start by saying that she regards herself as Russian, not Ukrainian. She obviously picks up news from the www, and no doubt favouring pro Russian sites.

10 years ago, there was a general feeling there that Ukraine should align itself with the EU, and move away from the Russian sphere of influence. Tamara thought that was a good idea in fact. But then the Tzar started having his say. The Pro Russian President (Janokovitch), having initially gone with the general view, was instructed by the Tzar to change it around, which he tried to do. Trouble followed, which culminated with Janokovitch cutting and running, and new elections followed. Since then, most Ukrainians, including everybody from Kiev became Nazis and Nationalists.

The Tzar’s propaganda continued as he became more and more of a total thief, well above any of his favourite  thieving oligarks.

One month before this crap actually started, Tamara refused to listen or watch the BBC news, exiting the living room a couple of minutes before the 1:00pm news started.

On the day it kicked off, she said to me “I am happy”!!!!!

Since then she has refused to speak a single word about it. (f I attempt to ask anything, she goes into explosive mode.

I can understand why some families there have difficulties when the two are from opposing  cultures.

As we all know, there are none as blind as those who do not want to see.

The sooner Tzar Bastard id decapitated, the better. One of those drones wants to go looking for him.

No doubt some of his Oligarks would like to stop him, but nobody seems ready to step up to the mark.

Long suffering Les.

[Les.]

Ed, I always had thought it was around 40% hydrogen in towns gas, so a quick look in one of my many reference books threw up a middle figure of 50%. One of the problems of traditional TG produced from coal was that 15% of carbon monoxide, which tempted many to “put their head in the gas oven”, a quite regular occurrence.

Any time a main is opened, it should always be thoroughly purged with a flame trap burner. In the case of a meter change I would hope it would be done individually at every property. Air in the line can cause flame out, followed by the property filling with gas then blowing up.

Of course today EVERY appliance should (will) be equipped with flame failure protection, so everything SHOULD be safe. But, of course —.

At the pottery factory where I was working in 1969, we had 13 individual gas fired kilns. A local contractor had been selected to carry out our towns gas to natural gas conversions. However, I was very uncertain about five of them, knowing the problems with the burners using towns gas. I made my thoughts known, and after some doubts about my views, it was considered wise to take further advice. The gas board were brought in, thought it would be OK, but decided to turn up with a large number of high pressure cylinders of natural gas, and a big three stage  governor system. The contractors in question came along and spent an afternoon concluding it could not be done. Exit stage right.

A few days later, I ventured that I though I could do it. The MD instructed the chief engineer to give me full support!

I went away, redesigned the burner quarls and drilled out all the burner nozzles. Later I redesigned the lighting up poker, which I had already realised was a problem area.

Come the big day, 100% success.

We were still under Harold Wilson’s big pay freeze. It had barely affected me, (I had still had 6 monthly rises), but after that they got bigger.

Les.

[Les.]

Domestic gas supplies should be governed at 8″ water gauge.

Back when I was first involved, town’s gas, it was 2.5″ wg, but the advent of natural gas required burners to have smaller orifices, entrain more air to keep combustion conditions correct, and that necessitated the higher pressure of 8″ wg.

frequently other modifications to prevent the flame “lifting off the burner” and going out.

Water gauge may seem an odd “unit”, but it is very convenient when your test equipment is limited. You can make a simple U-tube manometer with a 2′ length of clear plastic and then check the pressure.

There will be a suitable test point where you remove a brass screw, fit your tube over the TP, and take a reading. The hole in the test point is very small, so you will not fill the room with gas when you remove the screw.

Easy peasy.

Les.

 

[Les.]

John, no, of course linux would not prevent the start up problem, but you are worried about losing your paid for Micro$oft licence if you rma it. That would not be a concern. No offence I hope, Les.

[Les.]

I am not believing this.

You are correct, that list is correct. Once upon a time it was just like that, then it was NOT. I tried to make the link earlier, but it never (seemed) to come through (but it had) so I did it again, and it is now correct.I copied it but did not bother to look at it properly, because I “knew” it was wrong.

I have just done a dummy reply to an email I had this morning, and that is correct (this is a very common set of four attachments that I send).I then realised when I did my actual reply this morning, I did not have to search four out of 10 files, because they were now “easy to find”.

Basically, it has cured itself.

However, I assure you that you can not click on any of those headings and change the list order.

If however I open my documents from the desktop, then the full menu for the setting ARE there up top RH corner.

I feel a fool, but know that for once I am not one.

Les.

[Les.]

Ed, my original PW was “BBCTV4me”, but I  they must have made me change it to something like “Iamalicenceholder2”.I tried getting the crap tablet to work with that today. Unfortunately it had a habit of submitting the login before I had finished, so it the locked the account. I went to my PC, logged out and tried to log back in. Account locked. Went through the procedure, and added another 2 at the end. OK. Logged out, went to the crap tablet, and managed to log in, so that is all OK.

Regarding the file order problem, I (think) I only see it w. hen I am adding an attachment to an email. I will attach a picture of the display.

[Les.]

Dave, How do you know???

Les.

[Les.]

John, you should have gone to   — Linux.

Les.

[Les.]

JCD, thanks for replies. Yes, browser not op sys. Firefox, and yes, it is quite different to what my little book says. I (thought) I had the same one but different for BBC, Ch 4 (F1 replays) and another for Motogp. I assume it was too short for BBC, so I must have created a suitable one then failed to write it down.

Regarding the folder and file listings, whilst setting the order works in the documents folder order (menu up top RHS), the view when opened for attachments is different, no menu present. I have searched a few times, but nothing has presented itself to fix the order. I have delved into system settings but achieved nothing there.

I have even considered doing a backup, wiping disc and reinstalling, but avoided it so far. I happened before and I think it was Dave who gave the answer.

Anyway, MAYBE my rubbish tablet will be able to put a picture on my deliberately  non- smart TV.

Thanks, Les.

[Les.]

Edp, When I was living in Staffs, I had a stream with trout running through the garden. I also dug a deep pond and put in 3 small Koi and seven TINY golden orfe. Two Koi died within a week, but 15 years later the remaining eight  were all massive. My assistant rom work threw in about 4 (bleached white) gold fish from his TROPICAL aquarium. After a few years, there was a pond full of goldfish.

The heron was a regular stream visitor, but one day I caught him eyeing up the fish. I bought some green, plastic coated fencing, about 2 ft high, and fixed as close to the edge of the pond as I could. He could not reach over, and the water was too deep for him to land in. Often watched the kingfisher catching small fish (bullheads most likely) from the stream, but never saw one at the pond. Whenever they were in the stream area, I could hear their warbling song, so would sneak up and watch them, so would likely have heard if they visited the pond. Probably just lucky.

Les.

[Les.]

To anybody of my age with an interest in bikes, Gilera means Geof Duke, 1955, unofficial first 100 mph lap of the TT course. Then he was banned for a year for supporting the underpaid privateers who struck at the Dutch TT and refused to ride for such a pittance.

Move on to 1963 or 1964, and the four cylinder Gilera “Fire engines” were available to race under a “private” banner.

Now for my first connection with Gilera. Alan Shepard was racing one at Oulton Park, and I was a spectator. Afterwards, I went around to the Dunlop tent trying to buy tyres. Used racing tyres that is. I came away looking like Bibendum (the Mitchelin man).

I rode home with some difficulty, sold three of them covering my original outlay (£1 each). One of the remaining two was a triangular section tyre with oil on it. It had been fitted to Alan Shepard’s bike but then got the oil on it. It might have done one lap. It had his name in yellow tyre fitter’s crayon on the side, which of course I did not remove.

I put it on the front of my Norton-Vincent and got about 4,000 excellent miles from it. At the time, a partly used race tyre on the rear lasted less than 1,000 miles.

I had a very good run out on the Cagiva today, just beating a younger pal with his early 2,000s Triumph Bonneville the 20 miles home. Still a teenager where it matters.

Before anybody asks, look for piccies of a 1985 Cagiva 650 Alazzurra.

Les.

[Les.]

Gilera Nordwest 600, 1993 manufacture. Blue, not yellow. A BIG single. You should find plenty of photos online.

Les

[Les.]

Well, I see Dave got it right back in July, and you are back behind the wheel.

I agree with a lot of what you said. Why is Boris not going crazy trying to get hundreds of thousands of foreign drivers. Unless nobody heard, he wants UK PLC to do it itself. Pay the drivers more money he says. Most un-tory like, but it is the only way.

The consumers will have to pay more1 And why not? Everybody wants stuff cheaper (me included) but there is still a price to pay. For the last two years, we have bought all our meat from a local butcher. All Manx meat, he makes his own bacon and sausages. I won’t but any “fresh” food unless it is local, or at the worst, from the UK. Sorry, Bulgarians and all the other eastern Europeans, I really have no idea what you put in stuff, nor want to find out. Manx milk, Manx flour for our bread, Manx ice cream made to a high standard (legislation demands it, but cheap crap UK sourced stuff is allowed in. Why?

Most people have far too much money! The ones on low pay and needing assistance will not need assistance it the wages rise to a fair level. At the risk of sounding like one of Corbyn’s or Starmer’s lot, there is far to much money at the top of both industry and civil service. I get around £1,000 per month pension, Tamara gets nothing, but we go without nothing. I even bought another bike recently, a Gilera. Just need to get it on the road asap. Tamara’s grand daughter has got a job in Gov.. Already, she earns 2.5 X’s what I get, with more to come all the time. Her Fellah earns more, so between the two of them, they don’t know what to spend it on.

Funny world. Good luck with the job.

Les.

[Les.]

Why don’t people just get real over their personal diets, or preferably their eating regimes.

Just get a copy of the British war-time ration allowances. The “man in the street” was fitter and healthier living on the wartime rations than at any previous times. People who were unemployed during the ’30s and could not afford much more than potatoes to live on, now found there was work (wartime meant lots of vacancies) so they could afford the rations, and they ate well. Any well off locals who fattened themselves up prior to ’39 now found that even with a bit of black market, they could still only eat enough to keep then fit not fat. Today we deprecate lard, then it was an essential part of the war time diet.

But today people just eat far too much lard or similar fats, so they get fat, become diabetic, and have heart attacks.

You don’t need university studies, just apply common sense, IF YOU HAVE ANY!

Les.

[Les.]

Interesting story. I had wondered about breweries. About 55 years as years ago I needed some fresh gas analytical equipment. Ten minutes per sample with the Orsat apparatus to get oxygen percentages together with carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. It was really only the oxygen that was needed, and a new piece of equipment was on the market. A paramagnetic device which compared the location of a “dogbone” in a magnetic field. The field was changed by the oxygen compared with nitrogen and the other products of combustion.

What has this got to do with carbon dioxide? The equipment was designed by (or with the backing of) the Distillers Company. Carbon dioxide is a big unwanted bi-product, and they needed to know about the atmosphere in their systems, and this was their answer. I later found out that they were the main suppliers of carbon dioxide. When I got my MIG welder 20 years ago, it required an inert “shielding” gas. The best ones were based on argon, but the pauper (me) could get away with cheap CO2, especially in conjunction with a pre=heater. Who supplied the CO2, Distillers company of course.

OK, MAYBE we need fertilizer, but I bet most people would be happy to drink more beer and get the CO2 that way.

Les.

[Les.]

Right, I think I get it now.

Yes, it has a phone holder. Any modern android phone with 801.11AC. Could be worth reinstalling the App.

Cheers, all, Les.

[Les.]

Just heard back, the phone he bought does not appear to be suitable. He should have listened to Les who does not know, but knows of people who do.

When he was looking at the Utube video earlier, the chap said he needed not just 802.11 etc, but it must be 802.11 b, g, n and AC.

After my tablet thoughts, I just did an Ebay search, and in amongst the stuff offered was this:-  Ebay no.  303182532857
which is a WiFi dongle, 2.4/5GHz. In its specs it has 802.11 b, g, n but no mention of AC. Since it is touted as 5GHz, should that include AC even if not shown?

I had better stop soon or I may become an expert!

Cheers, Les.

[Les.]

Thanks PM and Dave. In spite of my comments this morning, he decided to buy a cheapo phone (All the features of a £400 phone for £70). A little earlier this afternoon he spent more time U-tubing, and found a guy who seems to understand it, had an identical drone, and met the same problem. Right now he is trying to find if he has bought a suitable phone. Let us hope he just struck lucky.

I don’t have an Android phone, but do have a useless old tablet. I seem to recall that whilst phones take SIMs, tablets don’t access the phone system. Does that imply a (suitable) tablet would be better for the task, with generally bigger screen, USB and often HDMI connectivity?

Cheers, Les.

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