LOL *NSFW* *The new Demote thread*

Sounds a bit like work

Buy new application from random startup company
"test" application by deploying it to all live laptops on a subnet
Complain when said application doesn't work an causes security breaches

 

You forgot rule number 4: Cut income tax at the last budget before a general election, to fool the thicko, gullible voters into thinking your party is the best.

 

Actually, I omitted rule 0 (because it's the unwritten rule!) - Don't get caught. Many politicians have failed to read this unwritten rule and thereby broken it.

 

Getting increasingly bored of every bike website and magazine trying to shill E-bikes at every opportunity...

The whole point of cycling is that it's supposed to be good for the environment and the body, but here is the industry producing thousands more li-on batteries and electric motors, expecting people to put less effort in (or just travel at outright dangerous speeds) and use more electricity when those batteries run dry.

 

Not even an e-bike will get you up some the hills round here in one piece.

 

or, you know, like transport for getting from A to B.

 

nah- that's a modern perversion- I shall explain:

you see, bicycles were invented before internal combustion engines as a quicker means of travel- and less expensive & demanding than a horse. Then came the engine, and some clever sod strapped one to a bicycle frame ( you can still buy kits that are basically the same thing a hundred or more years later ) in order to make the bicycle quicker. Then more clever sods came with bigger engines, so they designed a purpose-built bike frame and omitted the pedals since they weren't needed any more. Fast forward many years and different clever sods invented electric motors and batteries, and another clever sod strapped those to a bicycle as a method for travelling quicker*, using far less 'fuel' than a bike with an internal combustion engine ( you can charge an e-bike using renewables, not just power from the grid- the way things are heading fossil fuel power stations will be extinct soon enough, leaving relatively clean Nuclear, and wind/solar/tidal etc ) but far cheaper and cleaner than a big noisy motor bike or scooter ( *some miserable sods decided that going too fast on an electric bike is bad so you are artificially limited in terms of top speed, but if you have a bike license that isn't an issue ).

Then some clever nutter came along and took a motor bike frame and strapped a monstrously large electric motor and battery to it so that they could have all the fun of a big, noisy motor bike, but with none of the mess, and they still only cost literal pennies to charge up- same with electric cars ( I strongly recommend subscribing to 'Fully Charged' on youtube, fantastic channel fronted by Robert Llewellyn, Cryten from RedDwarf ).

The whole 'good for the environment and body' thing is true, but that was never the intention or mission- that's just a happy coincidence that lycra-clad wombles like to shove down everyone's throat in an attempt to take some kind of moral or ethical highground

 

Problem with an electric motorcycle is the lack of noisy pipes . In all seriousness, having a loud exhaust isn't just for showing off: even if people genuinely haven't seen you, with a loud exhaust you can be damn sure they've heard you. I often keep my revs quite high when I'm filtering through traffic since my bike doesn't make that much noise (it's an every day commuter, not a track day monster that you might ride a handful of times per year).

This guy was riding an electric motorcycle; if the bus driver hadn't been paying attention then this would have been an accident instead of one of the most British videos you've ever seen:

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10156097296081636

I'd love to try riding an electric motorcycle though. Zero is the only OEM I'm aware of (outside of Chinese imports) who are selling electric motorbikes, and they are not cheap. Their most basic models start at £10,000 and that kind of money goes a long way with "traditional" bikes.

 

He was doing about 5mph and was coming to a stop before the Bus driver even stuck his hand up, but sure, there is the potential for accidents due to the lack of noise electric vehicles make- that's why many models come fitted with a sound system that simulates a traditional engine noise, albeit reduced ( some in Japan make a weird UFO noise- same kinda idea ).

I'd hardly qualify the noise motorbikes make as being 'a safety feature'- if people insist on crossing the road in silly places then accidents will happen regardless of the vehicle's power source, that's just a road-sense ( or lack-there-of ) issue. That said I almost got nailed by some guy coasting down around a blind bend with his foot on the clutch- couldn't even hear the engine in his Peugeot until he was within spitting distance; I made sure to cross the road in a safe spot but unfortunately many road users seem to forget about those pesky things called pedestrians and treat the road like their private race track, especially early in the morning or at night when it's quiet, so road-safety goes both ways in terms of people vs vehicles.

Electric vehicles are expensive though, for sure, but then again petrol motor bikes have been around maybe a century, electric motor bikes for maybe a decade or so- it takes time for the costs to come down with new technology and infrastructure to improve that in turn will drive up demand and lower prices as e-vehicles become far more viable. No one should expect them to become as cheap or cheaper than traditional means of transport overnight, and petrol prices are only ever going to go up in the long term.

 

You'd be surprised. I was told that before I started riding and I was just as sceptical, but it really does make a difference. When people are sat in a queue at a junction, traffic lights, roundabout, etc, they're usually more concerned with cars approaching from behind, they're not looking for vehicles coming up between the lanes of traffic and as a biker it's very easy to manoeuvre into someone's blind spot - quite often people genuinely haven't seen you, and not because they're not paying attention. So even if someone genuinely doesn't see you, with a decently loud exhaust you can be fairly certain that they've heard you and may actually be looking out for you. Still doesn't stop people from swapping lanes with no warning or people running out into the road in stupid places, but motorbikes can be extremely hard to see - anything you can do to make people aware of your presence is going to help.

 

How to apply Thermal Paste

 

Purina test on animals?

Purina? Maker of [amongst other things] animal food...

...no ****ing **** they test on animals...