Recent content by Tortoise

I believe the exchange battery pack is already in development as ..... somewhere I've seen the film on TV. Refuel simply by driving over an appropriate fitting in the refuelling station, and it's all done automatically underneath the car in just less than a minute.

In a similar vein, the online booking system I use operates only during surgery hours, so using it interrupts my working day. I sometimes wonder how the people in the surgery would react if supermarkets, other retailers, eBay & banks etc followed the same approach.

I suspect it's fully governed by the rules being strictly implemented in the IT systems, without any capability for the receptionists to apply a sensible over-ride (.....within a further set of limits). Providing flexibility would of course cost more and put even more of our money into the hands...

Interesting - I think "industrial" must be the key as the domestic equivalent I had was poor in the extreme. Just searched, and yes, they are much more powerful than the domestic sewing motors.

Good summary, and I'd add that testing every feature in software is extremely difficult (impossible) in-house, so there comes a point when release (or a beta to a real user subset) becomes the best way forward. That well known law says there will be users (well, there'll always be one...) that...

Yes. I have recently worked on an english antique and there, everything is imperial. Reconstructing a piece from fragments and the witness marks on them it's been pleasing to calculate the dimensions of missing parts and find they are all values seen on an imperial ruler. For interest, I can add...

What a prompter! From within a nationalised organisation I recall the prototype of electricity smart meter being developed - a "bread-board" approach. Prior to the internet, so any communication had to be via dial-in but the system couldn't cope with certain comms disruptions. Commercial...

How can I put this.... it also depends on your eyesight (maybe age...) and the task you're performing - plus the degree of reflection you have from walls and ceiling. My electrician said (about ceiling lights) "this will give you more than enough light", but he was wrong. I fully agree with...

Thanks - enough for me to go on here.

I have a watchmaker' 8mm lathe and wish to add a suitable motor drive. Many years ago I tried it using a 1/10 hp "sewing machine" motor with foot control and found it under-powered and hard to control the speed consistently. I want to mount the motor on a base with the lathe so the assembly...

Local antiques warehouses as suggested earlier, also charity shops as there's limited demand for brown furniture. Also try the-saleroom.com and search for furniture. The search facilities are pretty basic, but you can have multiple searches and daily emails will arrive. If items are too far...

Yes, and first day at work at a rural builders yard, my friend got sent to the local hardware store to get a box of skyhooks. (Again, true - and not me!)

Enjoyed the read and all excellent points. The weaknesses are generic and certainly exist in the "lower" models, with a few extra (like the less well constructed / engineered bearing block). Irritated me soon after purchase, especially when the sales chap could only retort at a later encounter...

If you're going to S Wales, do you have the day fixed? (I'm just off the M25)