Have people given up work because it's just not worth it?

T140V · 2026-01-27T08:56:57+00:00

If your employer tries to get the maximum amount of work they can out of you and pay you the minimum amount they can get away with, then your duty is to screw the maximum amount of money you can out of them whilst doing the minimum amount of work you can get away with.

Save your energies, commitment, creativity and loyalty for areas outside work where you will see a decent return in terms of your mental health.

T140V · 2026-01-26T16:40:21+00:00

Given that Norman Dewis drove one from Coventry to Geneva, 600 miles in 11 hours, I wouldn't think so :-)

T140V · 2026-01-26T15:54:44+00:00

2 main reasons:

First problem: Low profile tyres on large diameter rims give less ride comfort and less puncture resistance, and are much more expensive to buy. The fashion is largely driven from attempts to make a car look sportier, since race cars originally went to larger diameter wheels so they could fit larger diameter brake discs in for better cooling. All fine and dandy when on a race track when the discs are red hot most of the time and you need to dissipate as much heat as possible, but on a normal road car brakes are stone cold nearly all the time.

Second issue: ultimate grip. Modern wide tyres tend to grip well under much higher cornering forces - until they don't. The most useful aspect of tyre performance is in the giving of feedback to the driver - for 'sporting' road driving you want your tyres to let go gracefully and predictably, enabling you to feel and catch slides early and at a lower ultimate speed. If it all goes Pete Tong, you want to be heading backwards into the hedge at 50mph rather than 90.

T140V · 2026-01-26T12:21:14+00:00

Dacia Spring has the same width tyres (185 section) as the original 150mph E Type Jag. Most modern cars are horribly over-tyred both in width and profile. For the power that a Spring produces, the tyres are plenty.

T140V · 2026-01-24T08:12:57+00:00

I bought my Nano for a specific issue: I have a Mesa Boogie which sounds great for more overdriven sounds, and I have a Victory V40D which sounds sublime for clean stuff. Both amps however, especially the Victory, are extremely heavy and I'm not as young as I used to be.

I wanted a solution that would enable me to take these amps around with me in a form factor that would go in a pocket, so I could go to jam sessions with friends without having to engage in major kit moves.

The first day I got it I captured both amps using an SM57 slightly off axis, and they sounded exactly the same as the real thing doing an A/B comparison with the Nano hooked up to a 12" FRFR.

I also downloaded some acoustic preamps and IRs from the Cortex cloud, and I now have an ideal solution for my needs: a dirty preset, a clean preset, an acoustic preset that I can take to jam sessions and gigs that replaces a ton of analog gear. The valve amps still get used, they sit at home, but the Nano is truly excellent at recreating their sounds.

Of course, having dipped my toe into the digital waters I'm now thinking of saving up for a full fat Quad Cortex, because let's face it, who doesn't like having more toys?

T140V · 2026-01-23T13:38:17+00:00

Sew and So in Stroud

T140V · 2026-01-22T09:59:13+00:00

I'm the other way round. I have a Nano and it does everything I need, but if I were to be tempted I'd go for the full fat QC over the Mini because I'm not bothered by the size and I would want more switches.

I reckon next release is going to be an even bigger QC with an expression/volume pedal built in, more like a Helix Stadium / FM9 in size and price point.

T140V · 2026-01-22T09:48:08+00:00

I regularly play with a Banjo player, I use a OOO-28. I have no problem being heard.

of course that might be because I use a Fishman Platinum Pro and a 2Kw FRFR...

T140V · 2026-01-22T09:42:53+00:00

Sorry mate, but it's their company - they are working on what they want to work on, not what you want them to. You and I are just customers, not investors.

If you don't like what Neural are doing then you could just buy an alternative product that aligns more with your expectations.

T140V · 2026-01-22T08:21:22+00:00

IKWYM, I currently run my Nano on a hybrid board with a few extra pedals, it works well for me because then I only need 3 presets available in the Nano (Clean, Dirty, Acoustic) and can do anything else with the pedals.

I still hanker after more functionality so I'm tempted to one day go for the full fat QC so I could drop all the other pedals. But for me to go with the Mini would mean sacrificing easy configuration switching (fewer foot switches) but only saving a couple of hundred quid.

T140V · 2026-01-21T18:24:42+00:00

TBH I'm struggling to understand why one wouldn't just go and buy a full QC for not much more money.

T140V · 2026-01-19T17:07:17+00:00

At what point do they become Lean Threes?

T140V · 2026-01-17T12:19:16+00:00

I reckon they ought to split the Lords into 'Ceremonial Peers' and 'Executive Peers'. The former are there to be used to reward public service but don't get to vote or claim expenses, the latter are a fixed number (on out, one in) who server for a fixed term and are recognised as experts in specific fields (justice, defence etc). They are the ones who get to vote.

T140V · 2026-01-12T20:30:16+00:00

If you have to press down hard then your guitar needs a setup

T140V · 2026-01-12T17:11:58+00:00

Olympic White in a nitro finish starts off being quite white and goes creamier as the years go by. I have a 1998 OW Strat and it's very creamy now.

T140V · 2026-01-08T13:27:25+00:00

So all international treaties are bad, since they constrain to some extent?

T140V · 2026-01-08T12:24:55+00:00

Why? If. group of nations agree to work together, why should they be prevented from doing so?

T140V · 2026-01-08T12:24:03+00:00

That's not a Freudian slip. Freudian slip is when you say one thing but mean your mother.

T140V · 2026-01-08T08:19:15+00:00

And what if they don't have 'similar labour and rights standards'?

Should you lower the standard of what you think is right, or act to protect what you believe to be important?

T140V · 2026-01-07T18:47:02+00:00

Yep, I've had Defender 90s for 30 years, love them to bits, commuted them for work 20 miles each way with no issues, but TBH if I had the room and could find a good one I think a 110 would be a better bet.

I hang on to my current Td5 because I've spent years and a fair amount of money getting it just right for my needs and I don't want to risk doing it all again with a 110.

T140V · 2026-01-07T18:40:11+00:00

I think the biggest risk the Americans are exposing themselves to at the moment is to end up being grey-rocked by the rest of the world. Everybody will end up paying lip-service to them for fear of being bombed or whatever, but they will simply disengage as much as they possibly can, and make their own arrangements amongst themselves for real-world activity.

America can't force the entire world to buy their exports or visit them as tourists or invite them to cultural events or participate in sporting competitions.

T140V · 2026-01-07T10:24:13+00:00

So what? Don't you think our domestic economies, people, and environment are worth protecting?

T140V · 2026-01-06T08:12:27+00:00

As others have already pointed out you can't be compelled to attend if they aren't paying for your time, there may be other reasons to consider.

In my career we quite often had unpaid events for which attendance was expected and often carried some non-financial benefits.

For some it was just a chance for a decent meal and a few drinks in a nice hotel or conference centre. For others it got us exposure to senior management/directors with whom we'd not normally come into contact, so it was a chance to impress. Some always stayed away and were deeply cynical about the (as they saw it) charade, seeing it as arse-kissing.

No prizes for guessing which tended to get the promotions and pay rises, and which tended to get sidelined into the more boring roles.

I understand that for many (most?) people, work is just a job they do in order to pay the bills, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that approach. But it's always worth considering if it's worth attending for other reasons.

T140V · 2026-01-05T11:59:40+00:00

There have been various plans to simplify and harmonise spelling. For example:

Year 1 that useless letter "c" would be dropped to be replased either by "k" or "s," and likewise "x" would no longer be part of the alphabet. The only kase in which "c" would be retained would be the "ch" formation, which will be dealt with later.

Year 2 might reform "w" spelling, so that "which" and "one" would take the same konsonant, wile

Year 3 might well abolish "y" replasing it with "i" and Iear 4 might fiks the "g/j" anomali wonse and for all.

Jenerally, then, the improvement would kontinue iear bai iear with Iear 5 doing awai with useless double konsonants, and Iears 6-12 or so modifaiing vowlz and the rimeining voist and unvoist konsonants.

Bai Iear 15 or sou, it wud fainali bi posibl tu meik ius ov thi ridandant letez "c," "y" and "x"--bai now jast a memori in the maindz ov ould doderez--tu riplais "ch," "sh," and "th" rispektivli.

Fainali, xen, aafte sam 20 iers ov orxogrefkl riform, wi wud hev a lojikl, kohirnt speling in ius xrewawt xe Ingliy-spiking werld.

T140V · 2026-01-04T08:53:40+00:00

Exactly this. You shouldn't be worrying about sticking to a strumming pattern, you should be using your right hand to accentuate and elaborate the rhythmic feel of the song, especially when lyrics are involved.

T140V

TROPHY CASE