Rant of the Day v2.

[llondel]

All I know is that my branch code has remained the same following both closures, and at the moment I can still operate Online. So far.

My UK account is a bit like that. I think I know where my current branch is, but the sort code has remained unchanged.

[CharlieOneSix]

B*****d Amazon delivery drivers. Whilst in our fully lit and obviously occupied house at 1849 last night - CCTV checked - an Amazon driver posted a fairly slim package containing a book partly into the letter box in our porch. I didn't find it until 0745 this morning, soaked through with the rain. I checked the CCTV and he didn't bother to ring the doorbell or chap the door (chap = knock ... I've been too many years in Scotland!). It was a birthday present from Mrs C16's brother to her so he's about to fire the big guns.....

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

Plumbing fittings

Air plumbing in this case - vacuum pipes.
All measured up with a micrometer today.
All of the outlet ports on my 4 tools have different inner and outer diameters.
Only the outlet of my mitre saw matches one of the vacuum hoses on my vacuum cleaners, and that only with the 'adapter' (ha ha) removed.
None of the commercially available vacuum pipe systems match any of my tools, or my vacuum hoses, or are compatible with each other.
None of any of them match the cyclone chamber I shall be including.
Nobody has everything in stock for a complete system by any manufacturer, all the suppliers are missing at least one identical part, so I can't make up a system from different suppliers.
And everybody wants an arm and a leg for a few bits of plastic these days, at least $100.

However, after a couple of hours, I have determined I can connect everything up using
a 5' long bit of no-longer-made 2" pvc vacuum tube I found at the back of the barn (I have a big barn).
My $15 heat gun to soften the tube.
A $5 foot-long piece of flexible 2" hose from Princess Auto (they sell it by the foot).

It's the same with water systems, in my experience.
I even had to buy a 22mm-to-22mm converter once - that's not a typo, it really was called that - long story.

[Hydromet]

^Fox3, I sympathise. My workshop vac won't fit any of my tools either. I have an adaptor from a previous vac that died. It fits my current vac, but none of its 4 sizes fit any of the tools.

[Woody]

The number of people who go bankrupt every year because of medical bills

UK - 0
France - 0
Spain - 0
Denmark - 0
Iceland - 0
Italy - 0
Finland - 0
United States - 643,000

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

Now add in the number of people who die because they can't get a doctor, or seen in the emergency department, in those countries with a national health service.
I'll choose bankrupt and alive any day.

[llondel]

Now add in the number of people who die because they can't get a doctor, or seen in the emergency department, in those countries with a national health service.
I'll choose bankrupt and alive any day.

Emergency service is usually pretty good, and if you've got a time-critical problem, those are mostly seen pretty quickly.

Contrast the waiting list experience to an acquaintance in the US who's had his medical treatment delayed while he fights with his insurance company about it. The amount spent per person in the UK is about half that spent in the US, and it covers everyone, not just those with insurance.

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

Personally, I think both systems suck at the moment.

[OFSO]

Hospital staff on strike here in Spain. (Details ? No idea, just caught tail-end of news item).

[OFSO]

Another person from another part of the Royal Bank of Scotland, located Somewhere Else (Manchester), phoned me yesterday. Unaware that the matter has been dealt with (sort of) by somebody else from the RBS (Isle of Man), unaware of my letter to the CEO (Edinburgh), unaware of action having been taken (Channel Islands). Lord, what fools they mortals be.

[PHXPhlyer]

I experienced a total breakdown of customer service all across the spectrum.
Doctor's offices (2) same group different specialties. Round and around in Catch-22s.
Medicare health insurance providers (2). Ditto
Motor vehicle department. Rep basically said "Go look at the website"!
Home Depot (2) different stores. One store manager acknowledged the breakdown but said that that was the new normal for them.
FAA FSDO. They were all painfully bad experiences but this one was by far the worst! Rep said that no one could help over the phone. I would have to email and wait hope for a reply.
Good thing that most of these encounters occurred via phone or else I might be corresponding from lock-up.
PP

[ExSp33db1rd]

Standard procedure in the Digital Age, and those infuriating CHAT Bots are even worse.

How often do you get an e-mail with no reply allowed ?

I might be corresponding from lock-up

Me too, due recent personal changes I looked at my present local Recycling Collection Centre website, and it clearly said that it accepted used engine oil for disposal. Drained my motor bike into two of those plastic,square ice cream containers, sealed the lids and went to the dump. Jobsworth refused to accept them as they weren't in an original plastic oil bottle. The only acceptable container I have is one with some as yet unused oil in it, so stuff that for now.

Things not going well that day, and my anger at having wasted my time barely refrained from physical assault at his verbal response to me, but fortunately I didn't, tho' in turning away I accidentally ( truly ) knocked over his collection bin of assorted plastic bottles ! Of course it wasn't his fault, the Digital Info. is incomplete. I've been back to apologise but he wasn't there !

World's Gone Mad.

[OFSO]

Aaaargh. Noticed pharmacist had yesterday given 30mg tablets instead of prescribed 90mg tablets for wife, so changed them this morning. But when I tried to file a med insurance claim for this (and in a hurry) today of all days med insurance insisted I change my password first (every few months) but wouldn't accept my new one....

[llondel]

Many years ago I had a system that told me to change my password. It didn't accept dictionary words, but clearly it had a limited dictionary because when I gave it 'bollocks' as a new password, it accepted it.

[PHXPhlyer]

One of my password protected sites requires me to change passwords quarterly and will not allow use of recycled passwords.
For other sites I have two or three variations of one password depending on requirements of length, numbers, special characters, etc.
Most are saved automatically but I always keep notes for each site in my phone's contacts as a backup.

PP

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

I'll bet Biden has his nuclear code on a post-it note.


..or maybe his valet carries it

"I say Jeeves, those Norks are a bit troublesome, how about we give them a bit of a boshing?"
"Very good, Sir. Would Sir care for a three MIRV airburst over the Capital, or a selection of ground bursts on their major command bunkers?"
"Oh, whatever you think best. Not really my department."
"I shall see to it, Sir"

[Woody]

60 pence for a Cadburys cream egg

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

Unbelievably helpful tracking info.

Friday, 16 February
9:20 AM Package arrived at a carrier facility.
6:23 AM Package left the carrier facility.
5:15 AM Package arrived at a carrier facility.
1:41 AM Package left the carrier facility.

Thursday, 15 February
10:49 PM Package arrived at a carrier facility.
7:30 PM Package left the carrier facility.
5:36 PM Package arrived at a carrier facility.

Tuesday, 13 February
Carrier picked up the package.

I do not know even which continent it's on.
Floating down the big river, maybe in South America....

[PHXPhlyer]

Good News, Bad News

I have been without the use of my dishwasher.
It was throwing off an error code involving draining.
YouTube instructions had me check out the drain outlet in the tub and if cleaning that did not resolve the issue it could be either a drain blockage in the drain hose or a drain pump O/S.
Looking in the undersink cabinet I saw that the tank for the R/O system was sinking through the bottom of the cabinet.
I removed the tank and found that the particle board floor of the cabinet soaked and the particleboard disintegrating.
Apparently the weight of the tank was restricting the drain hose running under the floor of the cabinet.
I then ran a test rinse cycle and the machine seemed to drain and am now running a full cycle.
Now to find the source of the water that soaked the particleboard. If no source obvious I may have to assume that the water came through the hole that the sprayer attachment comes through the sink.
There is a slab underneath so I can leave it open and hope that no permanent damage has been done to the cabinet frame.

PP

[PHXPhlyer]

Apparently the rinse cycle wasn't a complete validation of the fix.
Mid way through the full wash cycle it stopped and threw the error code.
Back to square one.

PP