What's more current than the weather? - Page 76

xoxoxoBruce · 01-24-2016, 08:35 PM

Made two passes up the driveway and a path to the front door before the snowblower quit. I've got supplies, and my first appointment is February 24th, so I left a message with the shop that I paid $350 to make it all nice-nice 3 months ago and told them to come get it.

Griff · 01-25-2016, 06:22 AM

ggrrrr...

glatt · 01-25-2016, 11:44 AM

As I gaze out my window at our still unplowed street, it occurs to me that Arlington Virginia needs more plows and drivers at times like these. But it's such a rare event, it would be silly to always have those plows on hand, sitting idle.

What if there was an Uber for plows? There are surely lots of plows in, I don't know, Pittsburgh, for example, sitting idle right now. They have wheels. Why don't they drive here and plow my street? Why doesn't some company form an Uber-like service for plows, and the various local municipalities subscribe to that service so they can pay a little extra for temporary extra plow capacity?

During power outages, you hear of linemen coming in from out of state to help out. Those are private companies though.

xoxoxoBruce · 01-25-2016, 12:44 PM

A little extra?

There is nothing little about snow removal, not the equipment, the time frame, nor the costs. Do they use garbage trucks down there?

glatt · 01-25-2016, 01:50 PM

A little extra compared to what they are already paying, and compared to what it would cost to buy a bunch of new equipment to handle this kind of storm.

If such a service existed, they could even cut back on the equipment they keep on hand.

glatt · 01-25-2016, 02:40 PM

They had already called school off for today and tomorrow, and now they have called it for Wednesday as well.

They are using at least one of the school's parking lots for piling the snow up. There are huge mountains of snow piled up blocking everything at that school. Supposedly, they are bringing the snow melter in soon.

Undertoad · 01-25-2016, 03:00 PM

All parts of my body are in pain.

fargon · 01-25-2016, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Undertoad

All parts of my body are in pain.

What did you do?

Undertoad · 01-25-2016, 03:33 PM

We got 26", I shoveled it. Three hours.

mostly the calves and shoulders hurt

Carruthers · 01-25-2016, 03:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by limey

Gusts up to 50? Pshaw! We don't get excited about any gusts under 60 ...

Quote:

Originally Posted by richlevy

Yes but you're probably thinking in KPH

. KPH is to speed what the peso is to money. It sounds like a lot until you figure out what you need to buy a loaf of bread.

It's time to go back to your roots and use Imperial measurements.

Foot = king's foot
League = average distance to nearest soccer stadium

Quote:

Originally Posted by limey

Nope. In Blighty we measure small things in cm and metres (note spelling!) but bigger things in miles so I was thinking Mph, definitely.
I think it is because we didn't want to go the all the public expense of changing all of the road signs ...

Having learnt both Imperial and Metric systems at school, I suppose that I should be able to move from one to the other without problems.
Unfortunately, I don't. I always estimate distances/dimensions in Imperial terms.
If I need say, a piece of 2" x 2" deal about 2' 6" long, I will go down to the shed and, with a bit of luck, emerge with something the right size having eye balled it.
If I was expected to look for a piece of 50mm x 50mm timber 76cm long I wouldn't know where to start.
OK, I could use the other side of a tape measure but I don't hold with all these high tech gizmos.

Anyway, it was pleasing to read this letter in this morning's Daily Telegraph.

Quote:

Foot marks in snow

SIR – What a pleasure it has been over the past two or three days to hear US citizens describing the snowfall in feet and inches.

Much appreciated by us dinosaurs still roaming about.

John England
Stroud, Gloucestershire

xoxoxoBruce · 01-25-2016, 08:34 PM

That's my problem with metric, Carruthers, I learned the numbers and conversions but still continued to think in Imperial, then had to convert. That's a pain in the ass so as soon as I didn't have to, I didn't and now I've lost all that stuff to rust.

monster · 01-25-2016, 09:10 PM

It was weird as all shit to grow up with both -old-fashioned imperial at home and in the shops, metric at school, to finally change to all metric ....then move here (a country I always considered "modern") and back to Imperial. Which they call English.

BigV · 01-25-2016, 09:22 PM

Here's Twil's driveway from a couple winter's ago. Shovel that? Shove this!

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xoxoxoBruce · 01-25-2016, 10:32 PM

Well, there's 2 kinds of countries in the world. Those that use metric and those who have been to the moon. At least we don't use B.S.Whitworth.

Happy Monkey · 01-26-2016, 10:11 AM

I don't think Liberia or Myanmar have been to the Moon...

01-24-2016, 08:35 PM	#1126
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	Made two passes up the driveway and a path to the front door before the snowblower quit. I've got supplies, and my first appointment is February 24th, so I left a message with the shop that I paid $350 to make it all nice-nice 3 months ago and told them to come get it. __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

01-25-2016, 06:22 AM	#1127
Griff still says videotape Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 26,813	ggrrrr... __________________ If you would only recognize that life is hard, things would be so much easier for you. - Louis D. Brandeis

01-25-2016, 12:44 PM	#1129
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	A little extra? There is nothing little about snow removal, not the equipment, the time frame, nor the costs. Do they use garbage trucks down there? __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

01-25-2016, 08:34 PM	#1136
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	That's my problem with metric, Carruthers, I learned the numbers and conversions but still continued to think in Imperial, then had to convert. That's a pain in the ass so as soon as I didn't have to, I didn't and now I've lost all that stuff to rust. __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

01-25-2016, 09:10 PM	#1137
monster I hear them call the tide Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Perpetual Chaos Posts: 30,852	It was weird as all shit to grow up with both -old-fashioned imperial at home and in the shops, metric at school, to finally change to all metric ....then move here (a country I always considered "modern") and back to Imperial. Which they call English. __________________ The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity Amelia Earhart

01-25-2016, 11:44 AM	#1128
glatt ™ Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Arlington, VA Posts: 27,717	As I gaze out my window at our still unplowed street, it occurs to me that Arlington Virginia needs more plows and drivers at times like these. But it's such a rare event, it would be silly to always have those plows on hand, sitting idle. What if there was an Uber for plows? There are surely lots of plows in, I don't know, Pittsburgh, for example, sitting idle right now. They have wheels. Why don't they drive here and plow my street? Why doesn't some company form an Uber-like service for plows, and the various local municipalities subscribe to that service so they can pay a little extra for temporary extra plow capacity? During power outages, you hear of linemen coming in from out of state to help out. Those are private companies though.

01-25-2016, 01:50 PM	#1130
glatt ™ Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Arlington, VA Posts: 27,717	A little extra compared to what they are already paying, and compared to what it would cost to buy a bunch of new equipment to handle this kind of storm. If such a service existed, they could even cut back on the equipment they keep on hand.

01-25-2016, 02:40 PM	#1131
glatt ™ Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Arlington, VA Posts: 27,717	They had already called school off for today and tomorrow, and now they have called it for Wednesday as well. They are using at least one of the school's parking lots for piling the snow up. There are huge mountains of snow piled up blocking everything at that school. Supposedly, they are bringing the snow melter in soon.

01-25-2016, 03:00 PM	#1132
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	All parts of my body are in pain.

01-25-2016, 03:33 PM	#1134
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	We got 26", I shoveled it. Three hours. mostly the calves and shoulders hurt

01-25-2016, 09:22 PM	#1138
BigV Goon Squad Leader Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Seattle Posts: 27,063	Here's Twil's driveway from a couple winter's ago. Shovel that? Shove this! __________________ Be Just and Fear Not.

01-25-2016, 10:32 PM	#1139
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	Well, there's 2 kinds of countries in the world. Those that use metric and those who have been to the moon. At least we don't use B.S.Whitworth. __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

01-26-2016, 10:11 AM	#1140
Happy Monkey I think this line's mostly filler. Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: DC Posts: 13,575	I don't think Liberia or Myanmar have been to the Moon... __________________ _________________ \|...............\| We live in the nick of times. \| Len 17, Wid 3 \| \|_______________\| [pics]

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