tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91071739602645125532024-03-05T23:01:30.151+00:00Roger's BlantI'm a London bus driver, Radio Amateur, and average nut-job in general ;)
This is a combination blog-cum-rant, or "Blant" on, well, whatever is the centre of my attention at the time, really!Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17773910041947142728noreply@blogger.comBlogger422125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107173960264512553.post-32370995172694692802022-09-08T21:31:00.001+01:002022-09-08T21:31:04.197+01:00 The Queen is dead. Long live the King.Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17773910041947142728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107173960264512553.post-30593628543176560042022-06-09T14:55:00.005+01:002022-06-09T14:59:14.764+01:00On Fountain Pens...Lots of the folks where I work are amazed that I use a fountain pen; one of the more printable comments was "Wow, that's well old school!". Well, yeah, I guess. When I went to school, the Parker 25 was kinda popular.But over the years, I've gone from fountain pens, to ball points, to roller balls, back to ball points, and again, back to fountain pens.Why back to fountain pens? Simply put, IRogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17773910041947142728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107173960264512553.post-55281889115285779902022-05-06T21:52:00.002+01:002022-05-06T21:52:07.145+01:00Interesting.
The London Borough of Bromley (the borough in which I live) election results are in.
There's no real effect on the borough, as the Conservatives still have a majority in council, but still, 2 x labour, 5 x Indies, and 3 x libDems have taken ten Tory seats in the Council Chamber. The Tories still have 35 of those 55 seats, so not an overwhelming majority, but a clear majority none Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17773910041947142728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107173960264512553.post-37234109368755978522022-05-01T15:48:00.002+01:002022-05-01T15:48:33.259+01:00A quick tip for those of you refilling short International ink cartridges for your fountain pens...Just a quick tip, for those of you refilling short International ink cartridges with your own preferred inks, and using the international cartridge stoppers from Hamilton Pens to seal them when they're yet to be used...I carry three spare refilled cartridges for my two 'EDC' fountain pens (one for my filofax, the other is my 'work' pen); I use these fieldcraft-style tinder tins from Amazon.One Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17773910041947142728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107173960264512553.post-81841863443124474022022-03-28T00:42:00.003+01:002022-03-28T01:30:00.431+01:00Not a bad long weekend at all, this one... 🙂It would help if I remember to turn the bloody keyboard on when I want to type. D'OH (Bluetooth keyboard that gets turned off when the computer is off, to save the batteries in the keyboard). Now I gotta type a load of stuff again 😂Anyhow.Normally on a 'long weekend' (Thursday through Sunday, inclusive, that's two days from each of two back-to-back weeks, welded together to form a four-day Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17773910041947142728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107173960264512553.post-86609910914929988762022-03-25T22:35:00.004+00:002022-03-25T22:38:23.613+00:00Sod's law, and all that crap...I spoke too damn soon.The Gravitas Pocket fountain pen I bought at the London pen Show a few weeks back jammed up about a week ago.Turns out, after much gnashing of teeth and dark mutterings, not to mention a liberal quantity of very rude words, that it was the damned INK that jammed up all three of my fountain pens.Who made the ink, I hear you ask?Kaweko. The same people who made my other two Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17773910041947142728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107173960264512553.post-68309688136863897052022-03-14T14:41:00.002+00:002022-03-14T14:41:15.406+00:00It's a nice pen, this Gravitas Pocket fountain pen...!I've found that the cartridges of ink I'm using in the Gravitas Pocket fountain pen, last about a week of consistent (journalling per day in a Leuchtturm1917 pocket-sized notebook) use.
I'm reasonably happy with that: They're small cartridges, the International size, and shouldn't last all that long with regular use.
Cleaning out the old cartridge was dead easy using the hobby syringe kit I gotRogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17773910041947142728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107173960264512553.post-82364598906326766372022-03-06T18:49:00.003+00:002022-03-06T18:59:00.694+00:00A little retail therapy...! I attended the London pen Show today. First one I've been to. It caters to pens, obviously, but mostly fountain pens, which I like. However, my last few haven't really done well with me; two Kawekos, a Platinum, and a Lamy Safari, and before that, in school (AHEM years ago!), a Parker 25.
The Lamy and the Platinum still work fine, I just can't get comfortable enough with them: They're too Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17773910041947142728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107173960264512553.post-84726558127362071762022-02-24T22:37:00.003+00:002022-02-24T22:41:33.621+00:00Time for some DIY...Also, bugger. The weekends single job has morphed into three, this morning.Job #1. Replace shredded garden gate.Job #2. Fix apparently blocked water trap to down pipe from gutters to water butt.Job #3. Replace 22" LCD computer monitor, which just this morning died, dammit 😠Well, dodging between the hailstones, I partially drained the water butt so it was no longer overflowing, unblocked the downRogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17773910041947142728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107173960264512553.post-35418397035561792372022-01-02T01:08:00.003+00:002022-01-02T01:08:27.044+00:00A quick update... OK, I may have the settings for comments sorted on here, now; seems I missed an aspect of commentary on here which may save me a lot of time in the future. If you want to comment, you should now be able to create an account. This provides a level of safety; I still have the blog on 100% moderation (and apols for the historical comments that just got approved, there was a shedton of spam I Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17773910041947142728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107173960264512553.post-71075360437628640472022-01-01T00:01:00.018+00:002022-01-01T00:01:00.162+00:00Happy New Year, 2022! Happy New Year!I've not posted here in a l o n g time, so it's high time I restarted posting again.So. New Year's Resolution: Post at least once a month on here, if not more regularly.I'll also be looking at possibly moving this blog somewhere else, where I can vet who can post comments prior to those comments being moderated.In the past, I've had to remove spam and other, more Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17773910041947142728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107173960264512553.post-77281304415756824922020-10-08T00:41:00.005+01:002020-10-08T09:32:16.636+01:00Toothache is a pain - getting treatment in these unpleasant times is agony.I just spend the last four days in some considerable pain (occasionally fold-up wish the world would bugger off type pain) from toothache.
Thanks to anti-covid measures, my dentist wasn't able to take me as an emergency examination until earlier today; no other dentists, private or NHS, could help, they're all in the same damn boat, and that ruddy Rib (Rigid Inflatable Boat) is just about swampedRogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17773910041947142728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107173960264512553.post-26720822958116993132020-09-21T11:05:00.012+01:002020-10-08T09:31:17.431+01:00Lions and Tigers and Bears, OH MY! (Data Security, app bans, and National Security)Once again, the current US President (No 45, in this case) is making a mountain out of a molehill.Just, in this case, not much of one, and for one of the small number of instances in his tenure as El Prez, he's actually hitting on a genuine (NOT FAKE! WOW!) issue. A Judge in the USA has issued a 'stay' order, preventing the US Government (USG) from denying US internet users the ability to Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17773910041947142728noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107173960264512553.post-82008331424609475322020-09-09T23:07:00.005+01:002020-09-09T23:10:03.944+01:00Facebook, I've had more than enough of your rubbish.It's a crying shame that the first post on here in a long time is going to have to be on this topic, but they forced it on us, so they can reap this blant as a direct result.Facebook, the social media platform, is rolling out a "new and improved" web-based interface, which will replace the "Classic" interface we've been using on desktop machines for a few years now.They are now apparently callingRogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17773910041947142728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107173960264512553.post-68582046321815839322019-04-28T15:49:00.000+01:002019-04-28T15:49:23.210+01:00Dash Box: Micro update...
Well, THAT was a whole lot easier than I was expecting!
If you've been keeping up, I laid my mitts on some polystyrene sheeting (2mm thick) to replace the loose fascia panels that came with the instrument case that's forming the body of the Dash Box. These are slide-in panels that are nominally held in place by the frame of the box at each end, in grooves moulded into the case for that purpose.Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17773910041947142728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107173960264512553.post-29862628691832100422019-04-27T08:29:00.000+01:002019-04-27T08:29:22.175+01:00Project Dash Box - Quick update:
Arrived yesterday through Amazon, a 2mm thick plastic (polystyrene) sheet for use as the front (and possibly rear as well) panel of the dash top box, and a tool I should have had when I drilled the Meccano girder, a deburring tool. This WILL come in useful for tidying up the panel cut outs I do this weekend, and will save a mahoosive amount of grief by not having to use the Clarke Rotary tool toRogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17773910041947142728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107173960264512553.post-7522838065027440282019-04-17T15:02:00.002+01:002019-04-17T15:02:57.665+01:00Project Dash Box - another update...!
Dash air vent mounting, Meccano Girder, and alternative phone mounting method...
The Dash Air Vent Mounting bolts...
The ‘L-bolts’ a mate of mine (Thanks Dave!) threw together, using his welder, arrived today. And it was immediately apparent I may have cocked things up a bit. The holes in the vent between the vanes are smaller than the bolt shank, dammit, by about a millimetre and a Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17773910041947142728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107173960264512553.post-5551515332214264312019-04-16T18:54:00.000+01:002019-04-16T18:54:46.173+01:00Project Dashbox update...
OK, I have the Meccano 'girder' prepared for painting. However, I have encountered an unforeseen problem.
Enlargening a pair of holes in the girder (the first one I messed up: I opened out on of the holes nearest the sidewall, but the nut for the mount wouldn't fit there!
So, plan B: Open up another hole, this time in the centre line. Job done on second attempt ;)
However, on testing the fit Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17773910041947142728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107173960264512553.post-52726791875748203272019-04-14T03:46:00.001+01:002019-04-14T03:48:46.944+01:00Dash Box project: Musings and developments...
OK, an update on Project Dash Box...
Following a couple of really good suggestions, I’ve laid my grubby mitts on a Rivnut installation tool with assorted metric sized rivnuts. It’s a bit like a pop rivet gun, but for threaded pop rivets style nuts to accept screws and bolts. I’m awaiting delivery of a few metric Cap Head Socket Screws (hex, or Allen key sockets).
From the imagery and Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17773910041947142728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107173960264512553.post-76717007783200141912019-04-09T10:56:00.000+01:002019-04-09T10:57:35.308+01:00Dash Box developments...
Right, interesting developments and a couple of follow-ups. The latter first, I think...
As promised, here are the links to those two items I mentioned yesterday.
The red phone mount from the previous posting:
Ulanzi ST-03 Metal Smart phone Tripod Mount with Cold Shoe Mount for Microp... https://smile.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07D4D3XND/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_U_x_6.1QCbW99F6GZ
Double ball joint armature&Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17773910041947142728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107173960264512553.post-27118251296871904282019-04-07T21:23:00.003+01:002019-04-07T21:24:41.646+01:00OK, another update on Project Dash Box...OK, an update on Project Dash Box...
I hit a snag as I was working on the design today. While I no longer need to mount the dash camera to the new box (it's fitted to a bracket mounted on the rear-view mirror now), I still need to find a way to mount the phone to the dash in a way that is a solid mounting, not something that meanders all over the shop every time I go over a pothole. So, mountingRogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17773910041947142728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107173960264512553.post-31251667814253533742019-04-07T16:59:00.003+01:002019-04-07T16:59:30.553+01:00The Dash Box. Oh joy, new problems...
Right, there I was, ready to set-to and sort the box out, and a fresh problem, one I thought I had a fix for, popped up and said "AAAAARGH!"
I have the measurements for the front plate, where I'll be fitting some of the USB power sockets, the switches, and the control head for my Yaesu FT-8900R Amateur Radio transceiver. I thought I had sufficient space to mount my phone atop the box, and Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17773910041947142728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107173960264512553.post-65689490940935915832019-04-01T02:51:00.002+01:002019-04-01T02:59:15.312+01:00In less than 24 hours, one of the best social media platforms is being murdered.I just made what's likely to be my last posting over on Google Plus, which is scheduled to be murdered by Google for the crime of being too civilised.
Too civilised as it was easy to prevent idiots from ruining our corners of the playground (blocking, circles, privacy, they all worked perfectly).
Murdered, because there was no trial conducted, no appealable verdict: Google have acted as JudgeRogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17773910041947142728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107173960264512553.post-29194282048883752172019-03-31T16:57:00.000+01:002019-04-07T16:51:57.122+01:00The Dashtop box: Interim measures...
Dashcam installed, cable management improved
Right, progress :)
I have:
Removed the spaghetti junction of cabling in the front dash and centre console area.
Installed the dash cam on the Unimount set, attached to the rear view mirror stalk.
Replaced the haphazard mess that was accessory cabling into a more tidy and safer temporary installation, pending the installation of a properly (not a Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17773910041947142728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107173960264512553.post-38084512917996148922019-03-31T12:46:00.002+01:002019-04-07T16:51:45.493+01:00Oh joy, it's before sparrow fart a.m....Well, Amazon woke me up this morning, mutter mutter wibble burble before coffee etc. ;-)
So, the Plastikote paint and matt ("clear sealer") rattle can sprays, the new dashcam (A "YI Compact Dash Cam, 1080P Full HD Car Dashboard Camera with 2.7" LCD Screen, 130° WDR Lens, G-Sensor, Night Vision, Loop Recording - Black" Good lord, why do people give things such loooooooong highly specific names, Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17773910041947142728noreply@blogger.com0