GOGS...Grumpy Old Gits Society..

333434 Views 8283 Replies 133 Participants Last post by Gripping Pneus, 3 d ago

gordonzz

Discussion Starter · Apr 30, 2016

after all the years of suffering being called a miserable old bar-steward by mrs zz , I am finally rejoicing that she has come round to my way of thinking. the source of this wonderment?... a newly found joint loathing of the foul phenomenon of otherwise seemingly intelligent individuals starting a sentence with the word "so"!!!! if you have been asked , "how do you propose to re-attach that button"? , or , "what method would you use to distribute seed in your garden" , fair enough but otherwise , nooooooooooo! other current hot favourites are "yoofs" with their kecks hanging out the top of their trousers and newly qualified drivers with a green p plate (clearly designating pillock) who refuse to commit to crossing a roundabout without having received a written invitation at least a fortnight in advance! what gets your hackles up?

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tangerinedream

· #981 · May 31, 2018

While it is technically wrong to ease off/brake for other vehicles to join a motorway or indeed any dual carriageway it does put you in control, you make the decision as they might not have bothered to look, might not have seen you, you might be in their blind spot or they may well be in an unmentionable brand of car that does actually own the road, after 18 years in industry of 40000 miles a year with only two rtcs, one my fault and one not my fault this technique worked for me, but I agree that its not what the great and good highway code says, just don't get me started on illegal reg plates dave, see you for dtm after my week at le mans.

JasonB

· #982 · May 31, 2018

Dopamine said:
Perhaps they should train the police drivers better so that they don't crash in the first place.

I always thought the problem with police chases was the danger of the car being chased crashing into other cars, or pedestrians.

I think most police drivers are fairly well trained, but the people they're chasing aren't.

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munter

· #983 · Jun 1, 2018 (Edited by Moderator)

Perhaps they should train the police drivers better so that they don't crash in the first place.

I always thought the problem with police chases was the danger of the car being chased crashing into other cars, or pedestrians.

I think most police drivers are fairly well trained, but the people they're chasing aren't.

I took Dopamines comment as a joke because my comment was slightly ambiguous.

Here is NZ the police are being scrutinized for pursuing fleeing vehicles and some are suggesting that they stop doing it because many citzens (and I use that term lightly) in the fleeing cars are injured or killed when it crashes. Sometimes innocent road users lose their lives or are injured.
Personally I think the police should continue to uphold the law and attempt to stop these idiots.

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Dopamine

· #984 · Jun 1, 2018

Yes, I was being sarcastic, although there was an element of truth within.

I lived in London for many years and know of too many innocent bystander injuries where it's been the police car that's crashed. Better trained than average the police may be, but that doesn't make them infallible or brilliant, as some of them seem to believe they are.

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Ecurie Martini

· #985 · Jun 1, 2018

Twin 50's mounted behind the grill of police cars might help.

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dvd3500

· #986 · Jun 1, 2018

Personally I think the police should continue to uphold the law and attempt to stop these idiots.

In all seriousness, they can use drones to pursue and tag the vehicle.... and then roadblock them. Chances of harm massively reduced.

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StuBeeDoo

· #987 · Jun 1, 2018

gus3049 said:
One of the problems seems to be the thought that the car will save you these days. There are so many aids..........

IMO this is a major contribution to falling driving standards. It wasn't that long ago that cars had no "safety" equipment built-in, and the driver had to rely on his/her own skills to stay out of trouble. Now those skills have been lost to most people. You know the stuff I'm referring to....... Traction control, anti-lock brakes, etc, etc. I'm sorry but if you can't drive without relying on the car being able to second-guess you, you shouldn't get behind the wheel.

dvd3500

· #988 · Jun 1, 2018

IMO this is a major contribution to falling driving standards. It wasn't that long ago that cars had no "safety" equipment built-in,

I remember back in the early 90's in the US when "passive restraints" were required and some auto manufacturers hadn't figured out how to get airbags working so we had "motorized mice" that moved along the top of the door that essentially laid the should belt across your chest for you. The problem? The lap belt had to be fastened manually and since most drivers were too lazy there were thousands of crushed legs and hips as people "submarined" under the dash.

Having driver a Triumph Spitfire year round in Great White North I can agree that when you have a non-retracting belt as your only form of protection and also by virtue of being nearly the smallest (and slowest) thing on the road you do take things a little more cautiously.

The same attitude can be seen though with how people behave online. Everything from when someone starts getting rude and insulting to downright threats as well as the shock and horror people have when they realize something THEY posted or some data THEY submitted was actually used by SOMEONE else! Shock! Horror! GDPR is in part to blame because people simply don't take the time and effort to read and understand and actually consider the consequences of what they are doing. That is part of the reason I am glad Roseanne (sic) got cancelled.

That is why I got into slot racing to a degree. In computer games you just start over. IN slot racing if I overcook it in a corner I will likely not be alone when I leave the slot. It teaches you to win socially as well as technically.

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Dopamine

· #989 · Jun 1, 2018 (Edited by Moderator)

I've thought for a long time that the best way to improve drivers' attention and reduce accidents would be to abandon the current obsession with speed and instead fix a sharpened 9 inch steel spike in the centre of every car's steering wheel, pointing directly at the chest of the driver. I'm pretty sure that would instantly make us all pay proper attention to our driving.

It would make the roadside casualty boards and newspaper headlines much more amusing to read too. "Only 48 skewerings this week!"

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StuBeeDoo

· #990 · Jun 1, 2018 (Edited by Moderator)

2

Dopamine said:
........... a sharpened 9 inch steel spike in the centre of every car's steering wheel, pointing directly at the chest of the driver.

Non-collapsible steering columns used to do a pretty good job of that!

Dopamine said:
"Only 48 skewerings this week!"

ROFL!

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Ecurie Martini

· #991 · Jun 1, 2018

Not unlike the steering column on my Healey 3000

EM

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StuBeeDoo

· #992 · Jun 5, 2018 (Edited by Moderator)

Today, just about everything has made me even grumpier than usual.

Having to go to work.*

At work; our supervisor, who never needs a reason to have a go at me (in the tone of a teacher telling-off a 5-year-old, even though I've got 15 years on him), starting almost as soon as I got through the door.

At home; Wor Lass has a cold, and she can't be poorly in any way, shape, or form, without making everyone else suffer too.

I've just checked my bank account and the lump sum I'm waiting for still hasn't arrived. But on the plus side, the car I want to buy is still being advertised. If it sells before that money arrives I will be severely charred-off. (*I want to hand-in my notice and look for a nicer job, but I can't do that until the cash arrives, either)

I placed an online order which requires special attention. I followed the instructions to the letter, but in reply to my e-mail stating my requirement (as requested in the special-order instructions) I'm told that I haven't followed the special-order process correctly, so I'm only getting the basic item not the customised one I wanted. If following your instructions hasn't worked, you need to re-write them - idiots!

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Wankel Ickx

· #993 · Jun 5, 2018

Dude, you gotta read the instructions they have in the office, not the ones on the webpage.

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StuBeeDoo

· #994 · Jun 9, 2018 (Edited by Moderator)

3

Today I'm more than grumpy, I'm uber-p155ed-off!

I'm trying to book the flights to b***dy Kiev for the b***dy wedding. What a b***ache!!

Whenever I buy stuff off the 'net I use PayPal & if I haven't got funds they take it from my current account. Anything else I pay for with good old reliable cash. No problem whatsoever with either method. I don't (and won't) have a credit card. I can't use PayPal to pay for the flights, so we tried to use Wor Lass's credit card. It got declined, despite having more than enough credit limit. I've wasted 2 hours on it so far, and I still can't get it to accept the frakkin' payment. Why the f*** is life getting more complicated by the day?

At this rate, I'll have to go to a travel agent (which, TBH, is what I suggested to WL in the first instance - but, oh no, "It's easier to do it online").

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Ecurie Martini

· #995 · Jun 9, 2018

Call the credit card company - They are getting very sensitive about fraud these days (and, at least here, if a transaction is fraudulent, they are on the hook for it, not you) Sometimes they will decline a transaction if it is a type you have never previously made or the payee is foreign (Who flies to Kiev?) I always warn my company when I will be traveling abroad.

EM

Wombler

· #996 · Jun 14, 2018

im grumpy and looking for a new job. Ive been at my current job for about 12 years, ive learnt how to do a number of processes in that time and know most things inside out. My team leader knows this and is grateful, he knows he can ask me do do/make/set up anything and it comes out right every time, unless of course the machine itself has a hissy fit.

The problem comes with the new workshop manager. no idea how to do what we do or how it can go wrong, yet knows best every time and never listens to me. Latest example of this being that I spend the last 5 days doing a job wrong because thats how he wanted it done, dispite me trying to tell him it was wrong and I knew how it should be done.. But of course, i dont know what Im talking about!

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munter

· #997 · Jun 14, 2018

Management.....in my book that is a swear word.

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Ecurie Martini

· #998 · Jun 14, 2018

Couple of things that I learned from 25 years on the "boss" side:

Credit (not the financial kind but what you get for doing a good job) has some funny properties. If you try to keep it all to yourself, it shrinks. If you spread it around, it grows and the more you spread it the more you personally have.

You take responsibility for and protect your staff. When someone makes a mistake, and it will happen, you take the responsibility and the knocks. The reward? The staff will work that much harder and the new credit will more than make up for the occasional gig.

The best way to find out what someone is doing and, at the same time, if they really know what they are doing is to ask them to become the teacher and assume the role of the pupil.

Listen, listen, listen

EM

gus3049

· #999 · Jun 15, 2018 (Edited by Moderator)

I had a change of direction in my career because my then boss insisted that I micromanage every member of staff or the whole edifice would come crashing down. I always allowed those that knew their job to get on with it, just checking the results. This allowed me time to sit in my office thinking pleasant thoughts rather than worrying constantly about what was going on out there. The staff used to bring me coffee and cakes and we all got on fine until you know who turned up.

I started my own business and discovered I was better than I thought and he had a mental breakdown. Possibly a message there.

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StuBeeDoo

· #1,000 · Jun 15, 2018

I gave-up being a manager when I could fight the pressure to become a "yes-man" no longer. The way I see it, if you're good at your job you should be left to get on with it. My attitude to my superiors was "If I'm giving the results you want, leave me to get on with the job in my own way. If not, let me go". These days I'm just "one of the lads" and I can walk away from the clock machine at the end of my shift and forget all about work.

Our current "parts leader" (basically, he's the second-in-command of the operation) - who didn't want the job, but then neither did anyone else and he was told "You'll have to do it", is in his mid-40s. Until a few months ago he had rarely been a drinker, to the point where on nights out he always offered to be the designated driver. He was recently seen coming out of a supermarket with several slabs of Stella. When asked who he had been shopping for, replied "They're my supply for the week. It's this f*****g job.......... When I finally get home in the evening I can't switch-off." We also found-out he's on several different medications, including for hypertension.

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