Sorry can't hear you DWM222, i've got popcorn in my ear, i'll have to use the landline.:D

I know i've asked before, but anyone heard from Ugo yet?.

Thanks Laranger, i posted the question before i checked the Oldsters forum.

had a quite a worrying drive home from work tonight. i leave work at 5.30pm and now it's quiet dark, normally not a problem but tonight my foot was hovering over the brake more so. Because i passed around three kids on bikes without lights, if it wasn't for one of the lads fluoresant stripes on his jacket. I might have hit him and one lad in a black jacket and black or dark blue pants i came very close to clipping him. i have noticed quite a few kids and young people just don't seem to bother with making sure they have lights or that they actually work. So if any of you guys have kids please make sure they have lights on their bikes. I have nothing against cyclist because i used cycle myself so i can appreciate what it's like cycling on a fast road or in heavy traffic, but when it comes to cyclist i always seem jinx. I've lost count the amount of times i've had cyclists turning in front of me without signaling or even looking behind. What annoys me is that i'm sure some cyclist just assume as soon as they pull out the vehicles behind will just slow down for them. But when your only just behind them you have to suddenly brake so you get the domino effect and hope you don't get hit from behind from the following car. I'm not saying all cyclist are careless, but i always seem to find ones that are. I remember seeing my Nephew overtaking a bus at a bus stop just as the bus was pulling out. How he never got hit, lady luck must have really been with him. Of cause i had very severe words with him after that kind of cycling. Sorry this is turning into a rant, i apologise to any cyclist here. I just think there are good cyclist and bad cyclist, wish i didn't keep coming across the bad ones.

I'm Mr. Cliche here. Ask my nieces: "Patience is a virtue", "There is do or do not; there is no try", "An ounce of prevention saves a pound of pain", and most appropriately here, "Its cold out so dress in layers, and make sure people can see you."

I agree, mart, there are way too much reckless cyclists driving around. I once counted bikes with and without light that I passed on my way home from work. A quarter of them went without light. :eek:

A couple of years ago I was driving my car with my brother on the passenger seat and we almost hit a cyclist driving around in the night without light, wearing dark clothes. I stopped, my brother turned down his window and yelled something like "Lights on, or tired of life!" (It looses impact at translation.) That guy had his lights on within 5 seconds.

But you don't have do ride a bike to be dangerously careless. Just two days ago a pedestrian was weary of life, too: Nighttime, rainy weather, on a small street on the outskirts. One car drives towards me in the opposite direction. One car parked on my side of the road, across the street and some yards off a youth club, seemingly waiting for someone.
After I got past that waiting car someone decides to run over the street. All I saw at first was the comming car's ligts disappearing and I hit the brakes. When the person got on my side of the street, I only saw the legs of running trousers passing just a few yards in front of me.
The brightest thing on that person was the blue jeans, and that includes his brain. If I hadn't been wondering about that waiting car, I never could have braked in time to avoid hitting the runner.
In retrospect I should have stopped to ask that guy if he wanted a ticket to the hospital.

Mart, you see, other countries have their share of loonies in road traffic, too. (I might be even one of them. ;))

I have had some close calls with cyclist especially in the early morning hours on the way to work. Just don't see them until I am right on them. Reminds me of the deer caught in the headlights senario!

I seen them alot..or should say don't see them. I'm on the road to work at 5AM and I can't count the times I'll be driving down the road and seen something dark moving donw the street.Turns out to be a cyclist wearing dark clothing and no light or anyhthing to reflect light.Lucky for me they were on the other side of the road most of the times.The few times they were on my side I was able to catch part of them under the street lights.

I'm sure you would agree it can be just as frightening for drivers. Always on the lookout for almost invisible cyclists or pedestrians in dark clothing at night. I recently hit a cyclist and wouldn't want to through that again, luckly she wasn't hurt. In my area there is certainly a lack of street lighting nowadays anyway and to make it worse most areas here have changed the streetlights to lower energy lights, which give out far less light obviously to cut the cost of electricity they use. I have heard their to also cut down on lightglare, but i think that may be an excuse. Now a few lights on some roads here are just barely a glow, which in my opinion doesn't help anyone.

Screen sizes are getting bigger all the time. Back in the days 20 inch iMac was the largest you could buy. Not anymore. Today, the smallest iMac has a 21.5 inch display, and the larger model has a 27 inch! :eek:

I'm feeling OK with my 20 inch display. Not everyone has the money or need to upgrade their computer all the time to the latest and greatest.

http://i44.tinypic.com/214rp5g.jpg


I watch a 12' HD ( 1080P) Projection TV at my house. This is a crappy cell phone shot from early this season.... My boy is doing his "Zambrano" impression.

The image quality is quite startling.....
:eek:

I fully agree there, i'll stick with my 17in. For me it's the perfect size mainly because it sitting perfectly on my desk lol.

Oc-Bob, there's big! and there's bloody big!!! lol. You certainly must have a large room for something that size.:D

I've always had a facscination about robots or some would call them androids. Here's a few amazing videos of robots actually running. Truely amazing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sv35ItWLBBk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3C5sc8b3xM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Q0ubRMw8L8

Those videos were cool Mart..wonder what they will have in 10 yrs or so..hope I'm still alive to see..:)

Mr. DWM, at the current rate of advancing rate, maybe we'll see Datas on the streets by that time. About you being alive then or not, "Hierba mala nunca muere". Don't know its English version, though it might translate as "Weed never dies".

Yea that is amazing! The one playing a violin is good also.

Just found this one, they can also jump and i want one for Christmas.:D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpcVQUMBnTo

Check out these fighting robots, mart!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAxi38FE8xo

I wonder if I could get one that mows my lawn and rakes the leaves up?

I've been looking for one for years!, but til then i just use my Nephew. Well he always wants to borrow a few quid from time to time. This way he can earn it rather than borrow it, it's a cruel world!.:D

Ok if you ever fry anything on a gas cooker , don't forget about it. Like i just did tonight. I had some sausages nicely frying away, nipped back in the front room to carry on watching the snooker and the smoke alarms started sounding. Somehow i'd completely forgotten about the sausages, guess i just got too engrossed in the game. By the time i got back out into the kitchen the pan was on fire, which i managed to put out with a damp teatowel. the frying pan was ruined, but i was more concerned about the sausages which were slightly overdone lol. But i didn't panic, i popped down the local chippy, sorted!. If any you guys have smoke alarms test and check they work. Like the English tv commercials says "push the button, not your luck".;)

More good advice, We have smoke and CO detectors. We live in Wisconsin and old man winter has started to kick our butts so it was time to get out the kerosene heater for back up. You can never have too many detectors if you run one of those.

I got a bit of a break there the building codes here required a smoke detector so my dectector is hard wired to the electricty so I don't have to remember to change the battery ever year. No co2 detector though!

I have a co2 monitor fitted in the gas supply system. First time i've heard of a smoke detector system fitted directed into the mains electrical system Captnjack. Not even sure if we have that kind system here. It does sound like a must have though. Oh my fish and chips were lovely last night lol.

Having CO and smoke detectors running on main power has it's pros and cons. Sure, you don't have to replace batteries, but if the power somhow goes out, you loose the detectors, too.
Should a fire destroy the power cabling (or an electrical malfunction causes a short circuit and burning cables) you won't hear anything.
Most of todays fires not caused by arson are mainly caused by electric malfunctions / overheating. To rely on main power for a fire alarm (smoke or CO) doesn't appeal to me.

This year's Holidays
 

Well this year's holidays really sucking for me. End up losing the family dog a few days before Thansgivings and now my mother died last night.Today being my baby brother's birthday so the timing really sucks with Christmas holiday,the birthday and losing our mom.Hope everyone elses Holiday end up being better.

My condolences, Texasdrake
 

I'm sorry to hear about your losses.
My deepest condolences, Texasdrake.

Texasdrake, i'm so sorry to hear this sad news. My deepest condolences my friend.

Thanks guys..Mom's death hadn't really hit me yet.Death usually has a delay affect on me.Its usually when you except to see them at a certain time or you thoughbt of something you wanted to share with them and realize they're not there for you to share it with then it starts to hit you.
My aunt came up today to help get mom's stuff out of the nursing home.Its has to be harder on her cause my mom(her sister) would be the fourth close family member she lost in 2 years.2 years ago my grandmother(her mom) died in June and barely 2 months later in August her youngest son who was in his 30's died.This past Summer her husband died and now my mom died.
My aunt isn't in the best of heath herself so all those deaths is taking thier toll on her.The services going to be on Monday and it will probably hit me then.
Well anyway Thanks again guys

Sorry to hear of your loss Texasdrake my condolances.

Good point locally most of fires are caused by lighting during the summer and from fireplaces & Christmas trees during winter. My electrical power coming into the house is buried in the ground but it is not uncommon to lose power during an ice storm. With me I think my biggest exposure would be forgetting to change the batteries.

Sorry Texasdrake. My condolances for your.

My sincere condolences on the loss of your mother, Texasdrake.

Condolences form here too, Mr. Texasdrake.

Stricken Berlusconi! The shame of sick Italy of hate has made the turn of the world. The Italian politics is dramatic. It had not happened for the years of Mussolini.
My solidarity to the Italian president.

I'm sorry to hear of your loss Texasdrake

Don't feel too ashamed Ugo we Americans have had some rather embrassing moments in politics also.