Things you often Wonder

[chrisp65]

When I was working in the same place as the Concord engineers, they had shadow boards. But they were good old fashioned engineer’s shadow boards, so most of the tools were missing, but between them they all knew where they were likely to be, or who’d taken them home to fix up an Austin A5, or what year they’d gone missing. Felt like a decent system, after all, what’s the worst that could happen.

The engine test beds were an absolute delight, like something from a Flash Gordon film set, oversized dials with waivering needles, trumpety looking tannoy speakers, bakerlite controls, and chrome plated Art Deco style levers and handles. Supersonic servicing from the analog age. It would have been easy to convince someone they’d first started servicing Concord in 1932.

Very high levels of smoking of pipes too. High by any metric, but particularly noticeable on an otherwise smoke free site. 

 

Shadow boards are also quite handy in prison kitchens.

 

 

[sidcow]

3 hours ago, fightoffyour said:

We were told in school that was the longest word in the English Language. Probably not true, but it sure is long.

Yeah? Can you spell it though? 

[Seat68]

8 minutes ago, chrisp65 said:

Shadow boards are also quite handy in prison kitchens.

 

 

Thought you had been quiet. Merry Christmas.

Edited January 3, 2023 by Seat68

[sidcow]

2 hours ago, foreveryoung said:

He was legit as far as I know. Mentioning no names my best pal about 20 years ago worked for a big name fraudster. I will never know the detail, but he used to receive money from rich clients to set up businesses for them and after getting the money, claim the business would not work or something? We were 20-25 at the time and my pal was living in a rented house in Little Aston and driving brand new Escort Cosworths, Range Rovers and a Ferrari at one stage, in his early 20s?? He was also going on holiday (I did a few times with him), with Amex cards which we could load but had to cut up before we returned, crazy times. Anyway, Roger cook paid them a visit when they were up North, it was on TV, not sure if that one is on You Tube, I'll have to have a look. Cut a long story short, my pal ended up with 50k debts and the guy fled abroad never to be seen again. genuinely bonkers times.

Sounds more like money laundering than fraud. 

[Stevo985]

3 hours ago, fightoffyour said:

We were told in school that was the longest word in the English Language. Probably not true, but it sure is long.

I was always told it was pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis (that may not be spelled correctly as I've proudly done it from memory. I learned how to spell it at school, and yes I was still a virgin)

But I think that word was "invented". I know, all words are made up, but you know what I mean. So whether it counts or not is debatable.

Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane is definitely a real word though, and that beats Antidisestablishmentarianism by a couple of letters too

[sidcow]

11 minutes ago, chrisp65 said:

When I was working in the same place as the Concord engineers, they had shadow boards. But they were good old fashioned engineer’s shadow boards, so most of the tools were missing, but between them they all knew where they were likely to be, or who’d taken them home to fix up an Austin A5, or what year they’d gone missing. Felt like a decent system, after all, what’s the worst that could happen.

The engine test beds were an absolute delight, like something from a Flash Gordon film set, oversized dials with waivering needles, trumpety looking tannoy speakers, bakerlite controls, and chrome plated Art Deco style levers and handles. Supersonic servicing from the analog age. It would have been easy to convince someone they’d first started servicing Concord in 1932.

Very high levels of smoking of pipes too. High by any metric, but particularly noticeable on an otherwise smoke free site. 

 

Shadow boards are also quite handy in prison kitchens.

 

 

Yeah, I used to have a client who made lots of parts for Harrier Jump Jets.  I visited the factory just after it closed down. You could easily convince me they were making parts for WW2 planes there. Indeed I expect they probably did. 

[Stevo985]

Just now, sidcow said:

Yeah, I used to have a client who made lots of parts for Harrier Jump Jets.  I visited the factory just after it closed down. You could easily convince me they were making parts for WW2 planes there. Indeed I expect they probably did. 

I work for an aerospace company and we regularly make aftermarket parts for aircraft that are 50 years old plus

[BOF]

Just now, Stevo985 said:

I was always told it was pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis (that may not be spelled correctly as I've proudly done it from memory. I learned how to spell it at school, and yes I was still a virgin)

But I think that word was "invented". I know, all words are made up, but you know what I mean. So whether it counts or not is debatable.

Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane is definitely a real word though, and that beats Antidisestablishmentarianism by a couple of letters too

Yeah I always loved a long word in school. It started with the usual antidisestablishmentarianism, and then progressed to floccinaucinihilipilification and ended with the now common (but not back then) pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis but the latter is a medical term so it tends to get an asterisk after it as it's a compound and scientific word. A bit like how Germans can just make a new longer word by sticking a bit on the end. I also taught myself the Welsh train station at some point in primary. Although at the time I learned it phoenetically (from reading it), so nowhere near how it's actually spoken. Had to retro-learn that a bit later on  

[sidcow]

Just now, Stevo985 said:

I work for an aerospace company and we regularly make aftermarket parts for aircraft that are 50 years old plus

Yeah, this company had plenty of locations that were modern, clean precision engineering businesses. Eat your dinner off the floor kind of places. CNC machines as far as the eye can see. 

This place was totally different, up near Hull I seem to recall. Was like walking into a rabbit warren of old mens sheds. 

[fightoffyour]

39 minutes ago, sidcow said:

Yeah? Can you spell it though? 

I-T

[Stevo985]

57 minutes ago, BOF said:

A bit like how Germans can just make a new longer word by sticking a bit on the end

Das Donaudampfgeselleschaftskapitanmutsensilbersternlein

 

Again done from memory so probably spelled completely wrong

 

[mjmooney]

1 hour ago, BOF said:

I also taught myself the Welsh train station at some point in primary. Although at the time I learned it phoenetically (from reading it), so nowhere near how it's actually spoken. Had to retro-learn that a bit later on. 

Same. Me and my mate at primary school learned it phonetically (hence wrong). 

Every Christmas I think that "Don we now our gay apparel" should be a Welsh railway station. 

Edited January 3, 2023 by mjmooney

[bickster]

4 hours ago, BOF said:

I also taught myself the Welsh train station at some point in primary. Although at the time I learned it phoenetically (from reading it), so nowhere near how it's actually spoken. Had to retro-learn that a bit later on

It's a made up name, they only called the station that to get the record for the longest station name in the UK. There is no place by that name, the village is just called Llanfair Pwllgwyngyll and even that is a bit of bollocks because it was originally just called Pwllgwyngyll (The Pool of the white Hazels) until the church got involved (Llanfair = St Mary's Church)

Everyone just calls it Llanfair PG these days

[MakemineVanilla]

8 hours ago, chrisp65 said:

Shadow boards are also quite handy in prison kitchens.

[TheAuthority]

Why hasn't there been a remake of Flash Gordon?

Every comic book known to man has had a film adaptation in the last (what seems like) 3 decades. Why no the campiest of all?

[sidcow]

3 hours ago, TheAuthority said:

Why hasn't there been a remake of Flash Gordon?

Every comic book known to man has had a film adaptation in the last (what seems like) 3 decades. Why no the campiest of all?

Not enough hairdryers anymore 

[mjmooney]

4 hours ago, TheAuthority said:

Why hasn't there been a remake of Flash Gordon?

Every comic book known to man has had a film adaptation in the last (what seems like) 3 decades. Why no the campiest of all?

The 1980 version was a remake. And it was shit. 

[Seat68]

For me, the Buster Crabbe version was always the definitive version, memories of watching that as a child. Loved that.

[Chindie]

4 hours ago, TheAuthority said:

Why hasn't there been a remake of Flash Gordon?

Every comic book known to man has had a film adaptation in the last (what seems like) 3 decades. Why no the campiest of all?

Its been on the cards for a remake/reboot for the past 6 or 7 years. I believe Waititi was doing it last I heard.

I'll be surprised if it ever actually gets released though as the cost benefit on it probably doesn't work.

Saying that, there is still an interest in Flash Gordon stuff - NECA, the toy company, produces Flash Gordon figures as part of one of its lines, which are always sold out. They have a line which does figures of various old school comic serial characters which includes various takes on Flash Gordon, the Phantom, etc. The Defenders of the Earth 80s style being the latest take iirc.

...

They should redo the Phantom.

[Tegis]

1 hour ago, Chindie said:

The Defenders of the Earth

Now there's an earworm from my youth.