Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.

136

General Discussion Area / Re: Apple - One Small Step For Man Kind.

« on: 04 October 2013, 15:39:00 »

interesting choice of words "beginning"


Apple have been in the habit of annoying core users for YEARS .....


yet we still keep coming back......   mostly because there isn't always a viable alternative.


for example , I will be buying used 17" Macbook pros for many years,   because they no longer make one, an yet it is precisely the tool i NEED to do my job.....   


they dropped PCI-express slots from the 15",   meaning that 17 was then the only portable solution ,  and then they dropped the 17....   they've clearly got it in for me...   


and the New Mac Pro,  iBiscuit tin?     No pci of any sort,  no room for hard drives,   and not enough busses internallly to allow full independence in high bandwidth applications....  (HD video and HD surround audio take fair bit of grunt and bandwidth to do real time processing on , and use up connection ports very rapidly. )

137

General Discussion Area / Re: Computers/Tablets

« on: 04 October 2013, 15:31:07 »

I've seen occasional PC magazine shoot outs where they're shocked to discover that a mac runs whinedoze better than  most PC's .....  but the answer is usually that they're comparing an entry level HP/Dell/insert brand here,  lapcrock o shitetop with a macbook pro,   rather than one of the PC companies actual fair equivalent....   


for me it's a combination of things.

1) primarily, much of the software i use for work is Mac only.....   thus the choice of OS and hardware is pretty much fixed.....  BUT..... 

2) even if it wasn't,   and there are a number of packages i use that ARE cross platform,   I'd still choose a Mac,  overall reliability is better,   and down time ,  and cost of ownership is actually lower......       AND they're elegantly designed....    although that is probably the least important thing for me....    but given the choice between 2 premium performing laptops,  at similar prices  (say Alienware and Mac, for example)  i will choose the more elegant, less boy racer looking one......     much like my choice in cars,  Omega and Jag......    elegant,  but powerful......   

3) Experience,  even now we've moved away from PPC,   the OS concepts and design ethos remains similar, and i've been a mac user since , oh long long ago....   early 90's.....      so i "know" how they work.... 

138

General Car Chat / Re: Thanks to JamesV6CDX , and an acknowledgement of all the "i told you so's"

« on: 04 October 2013, 15:14:19 »

insurance sorted.....   

bit bemused,  but happy.....


when i changed from MV6 to Jag,  i got a refund as the jag was cheaper to insure than the Mv6....

now....  as i change back....  i get another refund,  as the Mv6 is now cheaper to insure than the Jag. (which is now stored in the garage ....  )


WTF?


but whatever....   it's legal......   yayyyy

convenient timing....   got an MID notice this morning ......   wonder how long they'll take for the Jag.

139

General Discussion Area / Re: Apple - One Small Step For Man Kind.

« on: 04 October 2013, 00:00:52 »

they'll add a glass dome on top later,  so they can develop the iAtmosphere ,  in a closed iEcology , and .........   well.....   

140

General Car Chat / Re: Thanks to JamesV6CDX , and an acknowledgement of all the "i told you so's"

« on: 03 October 2013, 23:49:17 »

Thanks Josh,   oddly enough,  i too have a copy.....   

suffice to say , i am a sucker, and fell for several tired old arthur daley tricks,   and yes , any number of breaches of the guidelines.....  thing is they are just guidelines, not hard and fast rules ....  and a lot is open to subjective interpretation.


any time any of you lot want to rip someone off,  give me a call, i'll fall for it every time....

141

General Car Chat / Re: Thanks to JamesV6CDX , and an acknowledgement of all the "i told you so's"

« on: 03 October 2013, 22:34:54 »

nearly,  rear tyre and MOT to do....  and still maybe an O2 sensor...     and swap insurance over.....   

142

General Car Chat / Thanks to JamesV6CDX , and an acknowledgement of all the "i told you so's"

« on: 03 October 2013, 22:08:57 »

james did sterling work as always ,  sorted my cam belt, and drive belt and tensioner, and hopefully the leaky crank sensor...   + the oil change and coolant change...   

checked wiring on O2 sensor.... looks like a new sensor might be in order....    but will wait to see if EML comes back on...


now then....

time to break out your best "i told you so " paraphrases .


the Jag....    developed a bit of a coolant leak,  initially thought it was just a cracked hose spigot from the expansion tank, failed because some numpty put the hose clip on the wrong way up and it fouled the bonnet liner....    so replaced it,  reversed the clip ,  and away we went....   however, it still lost coolant....

  from the strong whiff of exhaust in the coolant tank,...   it's probably safe to suggest the head gasket is fubarred.    very disappointed....  is an understatement....   it's a lovely drive,  and very pretty, i WAS really happy with it.....    but the problems that have surfaced in the last couple of weeks have really stuffed me ....

headgasket....
oil leak underneath....  might be sump gasket,  might be end seal... 
possible transfer case seal (this is critical, the thing only holds 600ml of fluid.... and if it runs dry it's dead in short order... )

and minor irritation.... a blockage in fuel filler....  filling it up takes about 20 minutes..... didn't discover this immediately,  as it came with a  full to the brim tank of fuel... 

going to get quote from local jag dealer in the morning.....   and take it up with selling dealer , followed by trading standards, and a lawyer.

i was told there was a warranty.....     but when i called said warranty company,  they said there was never a warranty issued on it.....   

and now , i can't get a response on the phone from the dealer,  nor does google turn up any information about him....   

in other words, the git lied , took my money and laughed....     



so back in the mv6 i go.....  hoping james's discovery of the timing being out , and fixing it,  might improve the fuel consumption....   

143

General Car Chat / Re: So what have you done to your car today?

« on: 03 October 2013, 18:52:50 »

(courtesy of James.....    BTW.....  who discovered my existing belt was 1 tooth or so out while in the process of doing it....       and yes my tensioner on the drive belt was lunched....     all running much smoother now....   and we think we may have solved the oil leak.....   ,  although time will tell.....   ,  can;t wait to be able to drive it  (need to swap insurance over,   from one of the other cars.... get new rear tyres, and the MOT is due on the 5th )

144

General Car Chat / Re: So what have you done to your car today?

« on: 03 October 2013, 18:18:46 »

cam belt,  aux drive belt, drive belt tensioner,  new seal arrangement on crank sensor. , oil change and coolant....

145

General Discussion Area / Re: Computers/Tablets

« on: 02 October 2013, 21:23:31 »

PC's are handy for wedging doors open,..


 

146

General Discussion Area / Re: Computers/Tablets

« on: 02 October 2013, 21:03:02 »

i've just had to replace my 17" macbook pro, after a fatal accident , where it fell 4 foot on to concrete....  hard drive survived intact,  and the thing even powered up, but failed to boot,  collected a logic board fault , screen survived as well... but the thing was deemed uneconomical to repair,  case was a bit mangled on one end.....         so,  an immaculate C2D 2.93GHz 17" MBP off ebay for £780 (needed for assorted features, like 3/4 pci-express slot,   and work related mac only software....  ) 


typically a mac lasts me 5-6 years before i need to upgrade ...    and then usually only because of compatibility issues with clients and their current software versions...

8GB ram, and a 750GB hybrid SSD/platter drive , it's not the quad core i7 i would have liked,  but it's left me enough money to buy parts for the omega out of the insurance settlement,...     thank god......   (i could have bought the i7 , but need the mv6 sorted....   so bit the bullet and got the lower spec machine....  it's not like it's short on grunt ) , so cam belt ,  drive belt,  oil and coolant ,  amongst other things....    got a rear tyre to sort, then the MOT at the weekend...   

fingers crossed...

still don;t own a tablet....    quite fancy an iPad,  but really cannot justify the expense.....  it's not like it does anything i can't do on the laptop....   i debated getting the wife a used  one of egay,  ,   but instead bought her a new battery and trackpad/keyboard/top plate for her ageing 15 inch macbook pro.....     make it shiny and useful again..... 

   

147

Meetings, gatherings, parties etc / Re: Pre cat party at Sereks

« on: 02 October 2013, 11:25:14 »

Ah, shit, yes, that would explain the noise of an axle stand flying around a boot with a big metal tank in it 

 

Best you take them out and put them in the garage kitchen... 

Piled alongside my current tool collection in the kitchen

She's put her foot down at having a jack in the house, so no car work for me until next year 

mate, my trolley jack has a nice smart plastic case it lives in....     we could always swap for a bit,  to disguise it as not being a jack... but a big black plastic box

148

General Car Chat / Re: Should I buy an Omega Estate?

« on: 01 October 2013, 21:16:04 »

solution 2....    carry a load....    but make sure it's tied down!!!!

149

General Car Chat / Re: Should I buy an Omega Estate?

« on: 01 October 2013, 21:15:28 »

noise is dealt with by closing the load area cover, and leaving a big heavy blanket deliberately messed up in the boot (assuming boot is empty)

seriously,  it;s REALLY not that bad.....   and i'm a noise freak.....   (practical acoustics engineering = the blanket)

150

General Car Chat / Re: okay. so i know pattern parts are generally not recommended... but

« on: 30 September 2013, 11:26:00 »

yup chris, reckon that's us....   


or you and TB ,   on my days off,...   

you don;t get days off....