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Topics - Gaffers

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General Car Chat / And so it begins

« on: 23 May 2018, 10:24:53 »

We are going to see more and more vehicles having security vulnerabilities discovered in critical electrical and software systems. I feel we are currently at the thin end of the wedge. Considering that half of the vulnerabilities found in this test on Beemers require physical access, how much do you trust your MOT tester, garage, (or in Lord Opti's case) you valet?

https://keenlab.tencent.com/en/Experimental_Security_Assessment_of_BMW_Cars_by_KeenLab.pdf

General Discussion Area / Cooker question

« on: 10 April 2018, 18:15:36 »

I have a SFO2SS which in the words of SWMBO went pop and tripped the fuse. After which the grioll didn't work. It's nearly 5 years old and well out of warranty so I popped the back off to have a butchers. I quickly found the culprit by the big brown mark on the side and a quick google told me it was a temperature regulator.

I ordered a placement which arrived today. Despite the pictures online being identical to the old one, upon inspection it appears the new part is different. Firstly the old regulator is rated to 100C, the new one 115C. The polarity also seems different (red mark).

Is this important or should I send it back and insist on a the correct one being sent out?

General Discussion Area / Moving to US

« on: 13 February 2018, 19:14:00 »

In order to avoid hijacking Mark's thread any further I have created my own. Sorry bud.

Basically, Dr G, I was looking at something suitable for both Mrs Guffer and myself. She will need proximity to a suitable airport hub from which to work and I will need an area where my skills are in high demand. We both like Chicago and the sums add up very nicely even if we aim for an area just 5 miles outside of the loop. Yes there are cheaper areas then Chicago but then demand for my skills may be lower and Cindy's commute to work will be longer.

We have looked at Hawaii but without US Security clearance I am stuck trying for a job with Hawaiian Telecom and their security jobs come up very infrequently. I have also looked at Fort Collins which is developing as a bit of a tech hub at the foot of the Rockies. I would love it but then Mrs Guffer will be flying out of Denver and her flying schedule will be awful. New York, the salaries for me are amazing but so is the cost of living, plus that would mean flying out of Sewark and the desk staff there are the worst I have ever come across so I could not imagine Mrs Guffer working there. West coast looks nice but I am not sure how I would like working with/for the silicone valley mindset, plus I have a dislike for Hell-A so I would prefer San Fran. Midwest seems the best fit culturally even if the winters can bite as low as 20C which it did at New Year. Even I felt that.

Then comes the curve-ball. The people I am in partnership with don't really want to lose me and would consider raising some capital to buy a small cyber security company which I would then run and build up. I have been excitedly doing some research but the small list of firms that are of a suitable size seem to be near Hell-A with one or two in the midwest. This is before we start the approach and feasibility which will no doubt knock the list right down again. I have 13 months left with this current client so there is plenty of time to find something suitable either way.

General Car Chat / MOT fail question

« on: 07 February 2018, 14:05:26 »

I had my S-Type fail it's MOT last weekend due to "Mandatory wing mirror cover missing" and it was given a code 001. Now I have checked all the VOSA information I can gather and nothing mentions that the mirror cover is mandatory just that there should be not sharp edges from damage or corrosion. The car was side-swiped by a lorry recently and it knocked the cover off although the mirror itself didn't break.

I checked it myself and none of the edges are sharp and none are really protruding to the point where they could cause injury. Do I have a case for an appeal to VOSA, should I? I know I could just slap on a new cover and get it passed but if they have made an error of judgement then I would consider fighting it.

Thoughts from the masses? $:-\$

General Discussion Area / Kin 'ell!

« on: 12 January 2018, 11:34:17 »

https://hackaday.com/2018/01/11/fail-of-the-week-engine-flips-out/

I bet they're glad that didn't happen during a run at 200+mph

General Discussion Area / Currently near Mecca.....

« on: 25 September 2017, 09:02:42 »

... For cyclists!

Working the week in The Hague and i have brought my bike. Boy do they hate motorists, 30 euros a day for parking. Cyclists everywhere! If as a pedestrian you walk in to a cycle lane here and get knocked over, you are liable. Free council-run underground secure storage for my bike. Cycle paths that are actually fit for purpose and get used, a lot! The rear tyre was a bit flat, outside a bike shop.... Free compressed air!

Bi gron would absolutely love it here

Now, if only their women were fit and they made nice beer...

General Discussion Area / Letter from the council

« on: 31 August 2017, 17:18:33 »

So it seems I have upset a neighbour, I have a good idea which c$%t it is.

I received a letter saying that I was in breach of the planning restrictions on my dwelling by storing a boat on the drive. I double-checked the paperwork and they are right, I should not have a boat stored on the drive....

Except, it has been there a couple of days at a time while I perform maintenance on it. It is normally stored at a sailing club in Pompy. I class that not as storing it, but as parking it temporarily. I have explained this in writing to the council who will go away and make a judgement.

Has anyone else come across this? Will I find myself in the stockade, pelted with rotten veg and fruit?

General Car Chat / Back to charging leisure batteries on the move

« on: 02 August 2017, 09:24:39 »

I know I have touched on this topic before but the circumstances (and ahem car) have changed since then.

Situation:

Jag fitted with towbar, 7N +12S sockets. The latter has a bypass relay fitted.
RIB on trailer which I am fitting out with a 12v 50AH deep-cycle Leisure battery.

I want to be able to charge the battery with the car whilst towing, but also keep it topped up whilst it is stationary with a small solar panel and/or wind generator. I doubt I will be able to to something as simple as just adding a 10 guage wire from the switched live and ground line on the 12S and adding a charge regulator for the solar/wind feed?

The battery will power a couple of lights, radio and eventually a raspberry pi which will provide a number of security and navigation functions (plan of using a b+ for keeping the power drain low. This is not the focus of the question but just added for context. I am just a little hazy on the best way to setup the charging part.

All tips/help greatly appreciated

General Discussion Area / Has Mr DTM been driving trains again?

« on: 25 July 2017, 12:38:47 »

http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/15431297.Investigation_launched_after_steam_locomotives_collide_in_Swanage/

General Car Chat / Scoobie Legacy cut out issue

« on: 22 June 2017, 22:42:43 »

Good evening chaps,

Just had to recover the car home. I was about to join a dual carriageway and engaged 4th when it suddenly popped out of gear which sent the revs to about 4k. The engine then cut out. I tried to restart while coasting but no joy. It behaved like a flat battery with the tell-tale clicking, alarm going off when I turn the key, etc. I got the car home and the battery was 11.8v, I expected less but I guess that would be low enough to stop it from turning over.

The kicker is that I had no warning light on at all prior to cut out. I had driven 2 hours back from work to home. I had stopped for 20 minutes before heading out again. No sign of a battery about to die, engine started normally yet 10 minutes later it cut out. I also thought that diesels carried on even when the battery was flat unless the fuel pump stops. Can batteries go off a cliff-edge like that?

General Discussion Area / another one for the builders

« on: 10 October 2016, 18:31:20 »

I have a wall between the kitchen living room which has swing doors fitted. I hate them. I want to replace them with pocket doors. The wall in question is plasterboard with stud and joist but i am not sure whether it is load bearing or not which would put a debbie downer on the idea. The wall in question does butt up to the u-shaped stairs, in fact they go over part of the wall in to the living room which further makes me suspicious.

Apart from ripping off the plasterboard and having a peek is there anyway i can find out if the wall is load bearing or not?

General Discussion Area / Interesting article

« on: 31 August 2016, 13:30:47 »

and some shocking statistics:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-37229880

Having just yesterday submitted footage from my dashcam which got a ~~local yob~~ reckless quad driver arrested, I can see the usefulness of more dash/helmet cams. It also means that your own driving is being recorded and potentially under scrutiny.

I would like to say that the type of incident experienced by JV in this article is rare, but while the majority of motorists are good toward cyclists it is shockingly common to be confronted by the ignorant few. I normally get the initial rage from a motorist and then they get a look at the size of me and calm down. If I was smaller I guess many more situations would escalate. In the latest occurrence I was politely asking a motorist to give cyclists more room when passing in future (by rights I was entitled to be angry as the pass was so close if I had not swerved there would have been contact with my handlebar) when a man in a vehicle came rushing to confront me with an aggressive "Are you having a go at that woman?". After pointing out a few errors in his knowledge of the highway code he calmed down I showed him the footage after which he grunted and went back to his car.

The statistics in the article were certainly sobering. "In 2014, 21,287 cyclists were injured in reported road accidents, according to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA). This included 3,514 who were killed or seriously injured."

"According to RoSPA figures for 2013, "failing to look properly" was the highest known contributory factor to an accident involving at least one cyclist and another vehicle. Their records showed that one third of the 9,375 incidents were caused by cyclists while two thirds were caused by the other vehicles."

Yikes!

General Discussion Area / Car vs cyclist

« on: 07 June 2016, 17:04:38 »

http://road.cc/content/news/192794-video-olympic-champion-anna-meares-versus-porsche-boxster

General Discussion Area / Please take a moment....

« on: 02 June 2016, 19:52:18 »

26 years ago Andy's life was cut short and was taken from my family.

Some of you may remember this from when it was on TV back in the late 90's https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPnjeVHYQBM

I try and keep my passion for cycle safety under control but sometimes it boils over. Hopefully this explains it a bit.

General Discussion Area / It's not everyday you see a light aircraft impaled on the front of a lorry

« on: 01 May 2016, 17:35:16 »

Video and pics to follow.