*****This Volume is now closed. Please see Volume 79, which can be found here*****
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=32678
In this thread you may ask any question for which you need help, advice, suggestions or whatever.
It does not need to be motoring related. In fact, in this thread it should not be.
No Questions About PC's. They now go in another Thread.
No politics
No Speeding, speed cameras, traffic calming
No arguments or slanging matches
Nothing which I think is not following the spirit of the thread
Nothing that risks the future of this site (please see the small print for details www.honestjohn.co.uk/credits/index.htm )
Any of the above will be deleted. If the thread becomes difficult to maintain it will simply be removed.
However, as has been said a couple of times, there is a wealth of knowledge in here, much of which is not motoring related, but most of which is useful.
This is Volume 78. Previous Volumes will not be deleted,
A list of previous volumes can be found here:-
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=18847
PLEASE NOTE:
When posting a NEW question, please "Reply to" the first message in this thread, i.e. this one. This keeps each question in it's own separate segment and stops each new question from getting mixed up in amongst existing questions. Also please remember to change the subject header.
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This may be somewhat out of date, but I did some contracting work for Cable and Wireless about 7 years ago and I seem to remember that they owned Rediffusion at about that time.
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Company details and history at:
www.transdiffusion.org/tvh/history/index.htm
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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I've just returned from a few days in Cala D'or, Majorca. The town has a marina for over 500 boats and there were plenty in there. Being inquisitive we looked in the shop fronts of boat sale agents to look at prices. How much?! I was shocked - what seemed to me to be no more than a mobile home with a couple of Volvo Penta engines stuck to it was retailing for £500,000 second hand - these were Fairline (?) boats, but I couldn't see half a million quid in a piece of fibre glass.
What sort of prices are these things new?
What's depreciation like?
What are running costs like?
Would you buy one or is a helicopter preferable!?
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Who was it said that running a boat was like standing under a shower tearing up £50 notes....?
Sorry Davey jp to disillusion you as to the nature of wealth but what you are looking at the very very cheapest end of the market.
I have seen whilst sailing around the Med a number of yachts which come complete with their own helipads and helicopters and they use Fairlines like you describe as playthings for the children....I am not kidding.
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There were a couple in Cala Dor which had to be tied up along their length and not nose out due to the sheer size of them (one of which seemed to be owned by someone operating a work at home scam, so there is money in these schemes for someone!!)- the Fairline seemed about the size of boat which would be just about large enough for four adults to live together for a weekend (hence the mobile home comment!) so I was just inquisitive as to the cost. We saw a large yacht in Chicago last year which had a helicopter on it so I know exactly what you mean.
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As demonstrated by the second hand prices, depreciation is fairly low.
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In another league altogether Roman Abramovich apparently owns three of the 100 largest private yachts, two in the top ten.
www.powerandmotoryacht.com/megayachts/0804top100/i...l
See numbers 5, 6, and 16.
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Sunseekers are meant to be the best "smaller" boats (before you get too ferry sized craft) or are they all about the same?
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Does anyone have any experience of switching from a digital compact to a digital SLR ? Are the photos any better ?
My 2.5 year old Fuji with it's measly 3Mp (hey that was good 2.5 yrs ago) is clearly obsolete and I'm going to replace it. There are some really amazing compacts, although if you wait a week it seems there's something even better but I'm vaguely wondering about the new Nikon D50, out this month and said to be 25% less bulky than a D70. Down side - price, weight, size (?) and you probably have to swap the lens now and again. Has anyone taken the plunge ? Are they great or have you got a dislocated shoulder ?
Thanks,
John
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John
I've done a little (and I mean a little) reseach on this.
I have mainly looked at Canons because I have A Canon EOS 500 with various high quality lenses which I want to use. The first budget Canon was the 300D,(about £450 now) since superceded by the smaller and lighter 350D which is about £685 from Jessops with a kit full of stuff.
However, (and assuming you know about focal lengths etc) the size of the photocell which 'sees' the shot is both further away and smaller that the corresponding 35mm film in a traditional 35mm SLR.
The effect is the increase the focal length of every lens by 1.6. So a 50mm lens becomes 80mm. I want a wide angle lens for work (wider than 30mm) and my 24mm becomes 38.4mm which is no good.
The kit does come with a 18mm - 55mm zoom (equivalent 29mm - 88mm) though which is pretty good for all normal photography.
The bodies I have looked at are similar in size to film SLRs.
Hope this helps!
--
Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
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Thanks Espada,
yes I understand focal lengths, I'm still hanging on in there when it comes to f numbers. I fall asleep when Rayleigh's law bites though, something to do with small sensors are bad news so stick to 35mm.
My Fuji goes from 38 - 228mm (35 mm equivalent)so you can see, in traditional 35mm that's probably a lens change from one extreme to the other or a versatile and expensive lens. And against some of today's compacts with image stabilisation 228mm is just the start.
My question is really about weight and bulk v image quality. I can't help thinking that the bigger sensor, and I mean physically bigger, not number of Mp, in a DSLR v a compact is going to produce better images.
Thanks,
John
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My biggest let-down in using a digital after a good single lens reflex was the amount of time it took to operate the 'shutter' after pressing the button. Action shots were a no no. Things may or may not have improved. Take care.
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Buzbee,
I agree, the Fuji is appalling for shutter lag. I understand that the world has moved on though and for DSLRs there's just no lag at all. Another attraction v digital compact.
I may have found something that gets outdated even faster than a pc.
Thanks,
John
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Regarding shutter lag....as a long time Pentax SLR user this is the major reason I have been holding back from digital cameras. But in the last year things have indeed moved on thanks largely to DSLRs like the Nikon D70. I got one of these partially for work and partially for home use about a year ago and havent used my old cameras since. The shutter lag is unnoticeable, the autofocus is spot on. OK it is a big solid camera but then all Nikons are. Prices at this level are dropping and they have just released the D50 so I would try one out at the nearest photographic shop.
My D70 is 6.1MP...and the optical quality of the zoom lens is such that I have to blow an image up to A3 before noticing the pixelation.
If you are interested I can put an image on a web page somewhere.
Cheers
StarGazer
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Thanks stargazer, I think you're telling me what I already know (have you noticed how you ignore inconvenient facts when you're trying to make a decision ? Or is that just me ?). I think I'll have to face up to it. They're big, they're black and they take good photos. It's no good, I'll have to find a free weekend and go to a good camera shop.
Thanks,
John
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There's a chap selling new Canon & Nikon DSLRs on uk.ebid.tv
Can't personally vouch for him but his feedback seems OK.
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I have 3 digital cameras, one of which is a small 2mp Minolta Dimage x20, the most recent is a 4mp Fuji s5500 but the oldest and the best is an Olympus C2100uz. The latter both have 10x optical zoom lenses but IMO the Olympus's is by far the best output and I have no problem printing crystal clear photos at a4 size using less than the highest resolution available. IMO the lenses are more important than the megapixels and a good larger camera will always be better than a good small one. That having been said, I can't slide the Olympus into my shirt pocket :)
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The bigger sensor in a DSLR gets you lower noise at a given ISO rating, plus DSLRs tend to have more sophisticated focusing & metering systems, and interchangable lenees of course.
After 25 years of Pentax SLR use I'm getting seriously tempted, but the lack of a 'real' wideangle at a sensible price is putting me off :-/.
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I swapped from a film SLR to digital last year. I took the Nikon D70 with excellent zoom lens as a kit (common package).
It is much heavier than my previous camera but image quality is superb, certainly good enough for the publishing work I do, and good enough for selling images on stock libraries such as istockphoto.com
A good camera review site is www.dpreview.com
If you go the Nokon route check out www.bythom.com
The most important thing is to RTFM, and shoot in RAW mode.
Let me know if you want me to email a sample image to you.
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Another first class digital camera review site is:
www.steves-digicams.com/
Recent expensive digital cameras from brands such as Canon, Nikon etc now have almost instantaneous shutter lag - certainly on a par or almost with a film SLR's mirror delay.
Apart from the size of the sensor (and, again, some new digital models have a 35mm size sensor) and the number of MP available, the quality of the lens or lenses is equally, if not more, important.
My near three-year-old Minolta Dimage E203 only has 2MP but the zoom lens quality is such that up to 8x6 or 10x8 prints are acceptable.
I still prefer my Nikon 401 body and Tamron 28-200mm AF zoom or Ashai Spotmatic and its 1.8 Takumar lens for serious stuff until I can afford a really serious digital equivalent.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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In my smoking early twenties (the late 1970s) I recall that NSM was introduced and added to many best selling brands of ciggies. It was meant to be healthier than tobacco. I think most NSM cigs were a combination of tobacco and NSM. It failed to capture the smoking public's enthusiasm and was withdrawn later.
Interested to know if anyone else can remember this and if NSM has, itself, been implicated in any health scares.
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White packet, red logo, supposed to be the flower of the plant rather than the leaves, IIRC. Although I can't remember the name of the brand at all. That would have been in 1978/9.
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Are letterbox sizes getting smaller?
I've just received some photos through the post from a film processor. However, they included in the envelope a free film and it was too big to go through my letterbox. (Naturally, the postman left it hanging out of the box!) The depth of my letterbox aperture is only about 34.5 mm and the film box was 39mm.
Is there a British Standard regarding letterbox sizes? (It's a uPVC door, or an uPVC door if I believe my spell ckecker which I don't.)
--
L\'escargot by name, but not by nature.
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Just measured my Alluminium door, added to the porch, about 14 years ago and it is exactly 40mm. Similar age inside one is about 3mm more.
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An organisation has legal protection insurance. One of its employees is being prosecuted for an action in the course of his duties. (He possibly shouldn't have done what he did.)
The Legal insurance is refusing to pay up as he doesn't have a reasonable chance of getting off.
Needless to say, there is nothing like a policy schedule that has been sent out to the organisation. (The insurance is organised by a trade-type body & sold on.)
Is this normal? Who determines what chance there is of getting off? (The legal protection insurance is tied to a particular Law Firm who are specialists in this area.)
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So i'm a newbie to ebay, have opened a paypal account, have bought a few items using Paypal but now it's time to do some selling.
So how does it work?
If i sell an item and they pay using paypal can i use this money to buy others ebay items? Does it work like a bank account?
If no then how do i get my money?
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www.paypal.com/uk/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_display-fees
You can withdraw the money to a UK bank account for free - provided there's more than £50 of it.
Can somebody explain to me please what they mean by 'Personal accounts are free, but may not receive debit or credit card payments.' Does that mean that one can accept certain sorts of payments for free?
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It works like a bank account, but beware: Paypal is not covered by banking regulations so the company has no legal obligations to people who are in credit. In other words the money is yours in name only.
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I have used the paypal account in the following way.
Sell a few items, this gets me say 80 or 90 quid in there.
Then perhaps buy items using my balance and if I'm left short the extra money comes off my credit card.
If my paypal account is empty then purchases come off the credit card.
H
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thanks hugo that's what i wanted to know more or less..
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I think you need a premier account to receive credit and debit card payments. To get this, just follow the link on paypal site to upgrade your account.
Paypal will debit a payment for a specified amount with a code next it. This code will apear on your statement (online or paper.)
When you get this code, click on the email link they will send to you and enter code. You will then have a premier account with a higher spend limit and ability to receive debit/credit card payments.
When you receive a payment, you will have to follow the instructions to transfer into your nominated bank account which takes 20 seconds.
Its not too complicated.
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Once you have a premier account it will cost you about 3.5% to receive money. Well worth every penny, imho.
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Paypal UK is now regulated by the FSA so you now have a limited amount of protection.
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I want one of these for my annual camping holiday in France.
Any ideas whewre from?
The Camping and Caravan Club ,who used to sell them to me, now say you have to be a member. The AA used to do them but passed the buck to the Caravan Club.
I note the RAC and Green Flag will sell them to members- why not the AA?
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I wasna fu but just had plenty.
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Hmmm. The only routes w/o joining the organisations you mention I can find would be:
1. Take out insurance with either www.alanrogers.com/ar2005/NavPages/Home.shtml
www.select-site.co.uk/insurance.aspx
who will provide you with a carnet at little or no charge.
2. Obtain one from a foreign camp site - Danish camp sites certainly sell them, and they may be available from French ones too. You'd need to check this, although I seem to remember they are.
3. The Cyclists Touring Club used to sell them, but for some reason have suspended this service. Might be worth giving them a ring to check on details.
4. Err, that's it.
Sorry I can't be more helpful - have a good holiday!
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Hi- just become pround (and now penniless) owner of an LCD TV with a widescreen (16:9) screen. When watching programmes from my Freeview receiver, I get the full 16:9 picture, no problem. However, if watching the same programmes picked up by the TV's analogue tuner, they only appear in 4:3 format. They can be made to fill the screen by setting the TV to 16:9, but only by distorting (flattening).
Is it that you can only watch programmes in (undistorted) 16:9 format off digital transmissions, or should you be able to get them off analogue as well?
Cheers
John
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I have found the same thing.
Ananlogue programmes are broadcast in one format only I think i.e. 4:3. Its only digital that can have different formats.
--
Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
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Thanks Espada. Good - I was afraid I was going to have to RTFM.
John
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Sone analogue programmes appear in wide screen but it's fairly rare. Channel 4 used to show some films in that format. I don't know whether they still do.
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Sone analogue programmes appear in wide screen but it's fairly rare. Channel 4 used to show some films in that format. I don't know whether they still do.
Not sure what you mean Welliesorter- AFAIK a lot of (most?) modern programmes are shot in widescreen, and when you watch them on a 4:3 TV, you don't see the edges. Are you talking about films, which are obviously shot in widescreen, but then broadcast in 4:3 but in 'letterbox' format (black strips top and bottom) so you can see all of the image on your 4:3 TV?
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Not sure what you mean Welliesorter- AFAIK a lot of (most?) modern programmes are shot in widescreen, and when you watch them on a 4:3 TV, you don't see the edges. Are you talking about films, which are obviously shot in widescreen, but then broadcast in 4:3 but in 'letterbox' format (black strips top and bottom) so you can see all of the image on your 4:3 TV?
I mean that certain films are broadcast in such a way that a widescreen tv knows to show them in that format rather than letterbox. I don't know the technicalities, or what the difference is between those and the films that appear in letterbox format on a widescreen tv.
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I think this site explains what your asking.
www.amcro.co.uk/widescr.htm
and this ones about the ratios films are/were shot in
valueservices.org/reelimage/widescreen/widescreen1...m
If it is recorded in widescreen and you're receiving an analogue signal then the ratio will be 14:9 as opposed to 4:3 (12:9). This is why when watching programs filmed in widescreen on a 4:3 TV with analogue signal there's a very small gap between top and bottom of image and the edge of the screen which is not there when watching something originally recorded in 4:3
I think a widescreen TV usually knows the correct ratio by the signal received through one of the SCART pins.
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I have inherited a Vax vacuum cleaner. One of the many attachments has a rotating brush driven by air power. The suction turns a little paddle-wheel which drives a belt which turns the brush.
But, what do you call it? Vax's instruction manual is no help. The best phrase I could come up with is "air motor". Is there a correct phrase that should be used? Apart from the inevitible, "Who cares? You really should get out more"
TIA
Hawkeye
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Stranger in a strange land
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Upholstery brush? Good for the car, or is it in an oblong head in which case it is a turbo head to imitate the action of an upright cleaner in a cylinder machine.
--
Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
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Its called a Turbo Head
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RF is spot on, as usual.
I think vacuuming is a waste of time - you spend hours doing the whole house, and just six months later it needs doing again.
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My standard charcoal BBQ has been out in the rain all winter and is rusted beyond use.
Was thinking of getting a new one but also thinking of a gas one. However, the expected use doesn't justify a big spend.
Saw the attached from Lidl, does this look any good and how much would a gas bottle cost?
www.lidl.co.uk/gb/index.nsf/pages/c.o.oow.20050609...e
Anyone offer any opinion? Is it a case of if I had a gas one I would use it more often?
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My parents had a cheap gas one from Lidl or somesuch place. Gutless.
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Why do most people call current pence "peas" (or "pees")? Nobody ever called old pence "deas" (or "dees") ~ they were always called pence or pennies. The currency was occasionly abbreviated to LSD (instead of pounds, shillings and pence) but that was all.
--
L\'escargot by name, but not by nature.
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I suspect to differentiate during conversion.
Don't forget, they were "New pennies" or "new p" for the longest time, even ofter the old stuff had gone away.
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I recall reading recently that when 'p's started to be referred to thus that the Government became very outraged at the
urinary
[on a line on its own in case the swear filter doesn't like it]
connotations, and tried to abolish it as a term.
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Without checking, hence quite possibly misspelt:
L= libra
S= sesterces
D= dinarii
Again unchecked and dredged up from 50 years ago, I seem to remember they were weights, presumably of silver, whatever.
bax
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SWMBO has been sent information on a product called Pain Gone:- has anyone any information on this product?
It seems to be a pen shaped device which as the name suggests, is supposed to remove pain. Does it work? My wife suffers from rheumatoid artheritis and would be grateful for any relief from the pain.
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I got the same info a couple of weeks ago.
Also being a sufferer of arthritis I was quite curious, but it's a lot of money if it doesn't work - cheap if it does though!
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I have no direct experience of the pen. However, I believe it is based upon the more normal Tens machine which worked through a couple of electronic contacts direct to the skin. I did get considerable relief from one of those at one point, but found that I fairly quickly needed it stronger and stronger.
It might be that the pen would be too weak.
Having said that I am talking of an experience from 10 years ago, so who knows what has changed.
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I have had a tens machine, such as Mark describes for many years and used for running injuries. The efficacy could only be described as limited.
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In view of Mark's comment, I wonder if it is the same? (not familiar with the tens machine)
IIRC it stated 'no batteries', implying not electrical based.
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wish I had the Blues .. anyone know if NYPD is coming back (ever), pse? I miss it. Apart from Mash, t'iz the only American entertainment I can handle.
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i think channel 4 have the rights for it but as they put the last series on after midnight i think they have lost the plot.not sure but i think we are at least 2 series behind and it is now finished for good.fox studios can't seem to be bothered to put the series 3 on dvd either.all very sad.
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am I allowed to say "damn"?
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am I allowed to say "damn"?
The fact that you have asked the question must mean that at the very least you are somewhat unsure about it. If in doubt, err on the side of propriety.
--
L\'escargot by name, but not by nature.
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I think I get pretty poor service for my licence fee.
There are no transmitters anywhere in Essex, as far as I can make out, and to get anything like local news I have to rely on the Sudbury/Anglia transmitter in distant Suffolk.
The aggravating BBC keep pushing digital between nearly all their programmes, but a check on the Freeview site reveals "not available" for any of the postcodes for many miles around.
I can't even get channel 5 at a watchable level.
I expect the provision of transmitters is in the hands of some 'arms length' outfit so that any broadcaster can shrug their shoulders and point the finger of blame when moaned at.
Not good enough.
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Quit moaning.
Put the TV on eBay.
Get a life.
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... and save yourself the licence fee.
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Morning Mr Frostbite,
If you're determined to watch the vast quantities of dross that is broadcast nowadays you may want to consider...
www.freesatfromsky.com/
which is a bit like Freeview but through a dish.
Regards,
John R @ Home
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Frostbite - Just because the freeview site says you cannot receive in your postcode doesn't mean to say its true.
I live on the border between Crystal Palace and Midhurst transmitters and have aerials tuned to both and can receive freeview on both televisions in the house although the website says I should not be able to.
The best reception is on our old television with an Echostar digibox ( available from Argos around £45).
Our main television has an integrated digibox and receives most of the additional channels although reception can vary.
You can also put a booster in to improve reception.
I only found out we could receive freeview because the local television shop owner is a friend.Ask your neighbours or at your local TV or aerial supplier if they know what reception is like in your area.
That said - most of the additional channels are absolute rubbish .
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Like Helicopter we were told digital was a no no on freeview's site, but a local aerail rigger suggested it was possible. Coverage is boosted from time to time as transmission companies install new kit and tweak signal strengths.
The Digital Television site at www.dtg.org.uk (retailer pages) has more accurate prediction of coverage than BBC. Check with local installers.
You often need a high gain/wideband aerial so a sudden growth of new and large aerials on neighbours roofs is another clue that DTV has arrived!.
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Thanks for the replies and suggestions (bar one, anyway!).
I managed to borrow a friends redundant Sagem box, and discovered that some of the freeview channels do indeed work - oddly, including ch5 which is a noisy and snowy mess on terrestrial.
The box is on offer for £25 so I might subject myself to a bit more dross.
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Analogue C5 is "mushy" because, being broadcast on a channel originally used for the RF output of VCRs, the signal is under strength to avoid transmitter overlaps and often outside the range for which the standard aerial is optimised.
Digital TV is broadcast in multiplex groups(mux), C5 sharing with several other channels at the same output. The dtg site will show which channels are in which mux for your area and the braodcast channel (ie frequency) on which each mux is radiated from the transmitter.
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I live about 15 miles from Winter Hill and get excellent Freeview transmissions both on a Pioneer set top box and a PCI TV card.
However, my best mate, who runs an independent audio/visual/appliance outlet and has the Freeview book detailing postcode coverage or otherwise, told me some time ago that in certain parts of the town Freeview can be received OK in some houses, but only partially or not at all in others in the same street...:-)
The only thing, as already suggested, is to test the waters on the same basis as my best mate - if it doesn't work we will take it back and provide a full refund.
Incidentally, the recent launch of E4 and E4+1 as free to air on Freeview has caused some severe problems with certain brands of set top boxes.
Apparently the original TVTopup E4 transmissions were slightly altered, resulting in some recent TVTopup equipped boxes failing to receive the revised channels or, in one brand's case, no transmissions at all. Software updates have or are being prepared but it's caused a lot of grief both for owners and retailers.
Ironically, the older ITVDigital set top boxes have taken the switch in their stride - as is the case with my Pioneer model.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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Family holiday...
Whilst there are thousands of holiday cottages to rent,
I'm having trouble finding one in the UK with broadband so I can take my laptop with me and download/upload large files.
Does anyone know of a holiday letting company which makes provision for us poor self-employed people who have to be available all of the time (apart from hotels).
Ta.
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"self-employed people who have to be available all of the time "
Not much of a holiday Brill, if you can't get away from work. I don't envy you - everyone needs a break to recharge batteries for the year ahead. Are you sure you can't manage to have a week with your family without contact with work? - might make the world of difference. Hope you enjoy hols whatever.
Quick Google of "Holiday cottages broadband " came up with
www.countrycottagesonline.net/project/search/cotta...p
www.freshbreaks.co.uk/
www.internet-cottages.com/holiday-cottage-self-cat...p
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Cheers Phil,
I do usually manage to get cover for me, but this time there is a magazine deadline right in the middle of the school hols. so I will need to review and return files online.
All the other school summer holiday weeks seem to be booked up with cubs camps, guide camps, sports camps....nice of the kids to fit me in!
Stu.
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I just can't get my head round this today! Please help if you can. It's a real situation even though it sounds like an exam question.
I want to book some US exhibition space which is being sold in feet, the minimum space being a 10' x 10' booth.
I can get a grant of £1500 if I take a space of at least 5 square metres.
Will a 10' x 10' booth be big enough to get the grant?
All help gratefully received!
Rebecca
Motoring link - it's a truck & off road exhibition
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Yes
10 feet = 3.3 yards
3.3 yards = 3.02 metres
3.02 x 3.02 = 9.11 square metres.
Oh I do like ones I can answer
Cheers
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10' x 10' is 9.3 square metres, so yes that'll be plenty.
--------------
Mike Farrow
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Thanks Mike & AR!
In record time too!
If you could only see the debates this has caused in the office today...the white board is covered with various calculations and diagrams!
One last question (to put an end to the debate) - is '5 square metres' the same thing as 5 metres squared' (not sure how to get superscript 2)
?
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One last question (to put an end to the debate) - is '5 square metres' the same thing as 5 metres squared'
I think so. When you write it down you use 5m² which is '5 metres squared'.
I think people only get caught out when (incorrectly) writing '5 squared meters', which is 25 metres!
(not sure how to get superscript 2)
Copy it from Start, Run, "charmap" or Alt+253 (as in hold down Alt then type in 2, 5 then 3 on the numeric keypad).
--------------
Mike Farrow
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5 square metres is 5 lots of 1 square metre
5 metres squared is 25 square metres
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A space of 5 square metres is only 2.23 metres each way though
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>>One last question (to put an end to the debate) - is '5 square metres' the same thing as 5 metres squared' (not sure how to get superscript 2)
I think you're mixing up
(a) '5 metres squared' - which doesn't mean anything much, with
(b) '5 metres square' - which means a big square with all sides 5 metres long. So 25 square metres.
Which is not the same as
(c) 5 square metres - which is 1 square metre repeated 5 times.
So if a box of carpet tiles contains 1 square metre of tiles. And you want to carpet a room that is 5 metres square (i.e. its walls are 5 metres long) then you need 25 boxes of 1 square metre each, i.e. 25 square metres.
HTH!
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Those mouldable foam pillows - are they any good or do they have a limited lifespan. Any satisfied users out there?
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Tell you in a few months - SWMBO has just ordered a pair for our aged necks.
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Does anyone know if the emergency glass hammers sold for cars are suitable for domestic double glazing? A hammer claimed to be for domestic use is featured on www.liveaxe.com/ but in practice it is impossible to locate for purchase. The emergency hammers found on eBay are for cars.
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Does anyone know if the emergency glass hammers sold for cars are suitable for domestic double glazing?
Aren't they a bit of a gimmick anyway? I would have thought that any reasonably-sized hammer would break either a car window or a domestic double-glazed window. And when you're not using it to break windows you could use it for other less destructive purposes.
--
L\'escargot by name, but not by nature.
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The arrangements for our forthcoming trip to SE Asia and Australia are now almost finalised. However, getting to Heathrow in plenty of time for check-in on the morning of departure is looking very pricey - at £178 (one-way) plus taxes per person, I feel bmi are extracting the Michael somewhat, but they're the only carrier from Belfast to Heathrow. We can head over the evening before for £11 each, so a B&B very near Heathrow looks like a better option. I'm about to start Googling, but does anyone have recommendations for somewhere cheap & clean?
--
andymc
Vroom, vroom - mmm, doughnuts ...
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A premier travel inn? There are 2 at Heathrow. £75 per room per night or about £55 depending on the day of the week. OK, so not a more personal B&B, but not at all bad. We have used the Gatwick one many times.
Something else to consider is whether your airline from Heathrow operates a 'twilight' check in, where you can check in your bags the night before you fly when the airport is not so busy (also saves lugging bags to overnight hotel). That means on the morning of departure you just need to go through security about an hour before your flight (or whatever current recommendation is) rather than 3 hours. You can have your overnight stuff as cabin bags.
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Do a keyword search on Excelsior Inn, Heathrow and then economy room.
Stayed their some years ago courtsey of Singapore Airlines when there Jumbo developed a fault. Wow. And the buffet breakfast - didn't eat for two days.
Courtesy transport to airport.
DVD
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How about the Ibis - not stayed in this one but the French ones are OK for overnighting
www.ibishotel.com/ibis/fichehotel/gb/ibi/0794/fich...l
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There is a cheap travel lodge in Staines (5 miles away from t4)
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Can anyone recommend hotels/resorts in Sharm El Sheikh?
Priorities are:
1) On the beach.
2) Good snorkelling and scuba.
3) Close to restaurants and bars.
4) Informal but efficient service.
Kevin...
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We stayed at the Crowne Plaza over last Christmas.
1) - No proper beach as the hotel is built on a hillside which slopes towards the sea. Hotel is terraced over three levels with sunbathing terraces cut in to the cliff. Pontoons lead in to the sea.
2) - Lack of large sandy beach is more than made up by the excellent snorkelling. The hotel is built on the bay of the 'Garden' diving area, some of the best in Sharm. Plenty of dive boats go there every day.
3) - About 4 miles from Naama Bay - free bus from the hotel at regular intervals during the evening (the place is virtually closed during the day)- taxi back is about £2.50 - Pug 405 estates being the local favourite!
4) - Part of the Crowne Plaza group - 5 star, very clean, but not 'stuffy'. Hotel has four pools and a sauna, gymnasium.
Naama Bay has better beaches, but the reefs aren't as good.
St Katherines Monastry is a recommended day out - but it takes three hours to get there and back.
I don't know when you are going, but its V hot in summer - 40+ degs, but the Red Sea is cold, just bearable without a wetsuit in December, but not for long periods of time - locals said it doesn't get much warmer during the summer as the water is in a narrow and very deep channel.
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Won a MS Office CD last friday. Payment details included that the owner will accept a cheque but not post until cleared which is fair enough.
However E-BAy said they had no record of the sellers payment address but included his E-mail address.
Have mailed him several times asking for his payment address and had no reply.
Any ideas on the next step if he fails to respond.
Another question..I don't like the idea of Paypal after reading a site about them. If you pay by switch or CC does this information go to the seller or do E-Bay only have your info and they settle with the seller.
alvin
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Don't know the answer to your query but can you let us know more about Paypal as that is the method I always use?
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Bobby, There is a site dedicated to a "I hate paypal and this is what happened to me"
Quite a while since I read it but it persuaded me to opt out.
Whether its all factual I dont know but a Google search should throw it up.
WIll have a look for it later today.
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Paypal is pretty good, but it is not a bank, not regulated (I don't think) by the FSA, and has some weaknesses. But it is not as weak as cash.
For the buyer, it is brilliant. You pay immediately. You know your money has got there. You save the cost of a stamp, the effort of walking to the post office. If the item doesn't arrive, you start a non-performing seller routine, and (provided they have money in their paypal account) you automatically get the money back - you cannot do that with a cheque!
For the seller, it is not so good. It costs 3.5%. You are subject to a chargeback if the item doesn't arrive & you have no track & trace number for the item.
Sign up & use it & simplify your life. & no, the vendor does not get your credit card details. He merely sees the money come into his paypal account.
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PayPal is regulated by the FSA and as a seller, I would say it favours the buyer more than me!
The onus is on the seller to provide a tracking number otherwise if the item is not received you get a claw back. As I obtain a proof of posting for all my items and say that if no insurance is taken out postage is done at the sellers risk, this has been irritating in the past.
Thankfully most buyers are honest (much more than cynics would think)and the PO is better than you would think.
I have seen the PayPal website that runs the whole thing down and I must say I could not disagree with them more. As a retailer try and get a proper merchant account...nightmare and your money is commonly held back as an internet trader for 1-2 months, PayPal take about a week.....and as a buyer it is very convenient and safe as the seller does not get your card information.
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>>the PO is better than you would think.>>
Absolutely agree and I get a lot of items delivered by the Post Office and ParcelForce and, equally, find that letters sent first class almost invariably arrive next day.
What is not so pleasing is the fact that you never know from day to day just what time the postman is actually going to deliver....:-(
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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>>As I obtain a proof of posting for all my items and say that if no insurance is taken out postage is done at the sellers risk, this has been irritating in the past.
It is a term of your contract with paypal that you use a tracking&tracing mail system. Break the terms of the contract & then there you are...
Don't try going onto the eBay discussion boards & posting what you've written there!
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I agree...hence potential clawback scenario. Strictly speaking it is not a contract though, just the rule PayPal have concerning burden of proof.
From a business point of view eBayers are touchy about postage costs and there is the extra time spent doing RD's to consider, so I just go with proof of posting.
At the moment, the amount of problems mean it is best to admit defeat gracefully and refund before it is snatched back as the amounts are small in the whole scheme of things.
If the amount of problems increased dramatically, I would have to rethink this method.
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I need to buy £2000 of Euro's - where can I get the best rate ?
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The post office.
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Seconded - top rates and no commission.
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Agree with the Post Office. The best bit is if you do not use all of them you can cash them back with no commission either - provided you keep the exchange receipt.
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