Things you've always wondered about but couldn't be bothered to find out

[tian447]

When did traffic lights in Edinburgh stop speaking to you, or do any still do this? 

 

From when I was wee, I remember traffic lights at pedestrian crossings would announce "Traffic coming from *Street name* has been signalled to stop" 

 

I remember it happening outside the St James Centre and in Musselburgh, but can't find any evidence to support it did actually happen! 

[Lemongrab]

6 hours ago, tian447 said:

When did traffic lights in Edinburgh stop speaking to you, or do any still do this? 

 

From when I was wee, I remember traffic lights at pedestrian crossings would announce "Traffic coming from *Street name* has been signalled to stop" 

 

I remember it happening outside the St James Centre and in Musselburgh, but can't find any evidence to support it did actually happen! 

There was definitely one on Shandwick Place too, and I think there was another on Home Street near The Kings.  Others used to beep.

 

A lot of the boxes for pedestrian crossings used to have a wee plastic cone on the underside, which spun when the green man was on, also to help the sight impaired. I'm now wondering if newer crossings still have this.

[been here before]

1 hour ago, Lemongrab said:

There was definitely one on Shandwick Place too, and I think there was another on Home Street near The Kings.  Others used to beep.

 

A lot of the boxes for pedestrian crossings used to have a wee plastic cone on the underside, which spun when the green man was on, also to help the sight impaired. I'm now wondering if newer crossings still have this.

 

They do.

[tian447]

3 hours ago, Lemongrab said:

There was definitely one on Shandwick Place too, and I think there was another on Home Street near The Kings.  Others used to beep.

 

A lot of the boxes for pedestrian crossings used to have a wee plastic cone on the underside, which spun when the green man was on, also to help the sight impaired. I'm now wondering if newer crossings still have this.

 

That's the ones!  I take it they've all been phased out, in favour of the spinning cone (which as you say, is exactly for the visually impaired - the red tactile path area lets you know you're at a crossing, and the spinning thing tells you when it's safe to cross, aside from the crossing beeps - which is no help to someone with a hearing impairment). 

 

Are there any left in Edinburgh at all? Or any videos showing them in action?

 

This definitely isn't off the back of an argument and needing to be proved right... 

 

[Normthebarman]

2 hours ago, tian447 said:

 

That's the ones!  I take it they've all been phased out, in favour of the spinning cone (which as you say, is exactly for the visually impaired - the red tactile path area lets you know you're at a crossing, and the spinning thing tells you when it's safe to cross, aside from the crossing beeps - which is no help to someone with a hearing impairment). 

 

Are there any left in Edinburgh at all? Or any videos showing them in action?

 

This definitely isn't off the back of an argument and needing to be proved right... 

 

 

Definitely used to be one on Shandwick Place. My mates old man drove a taxi and was once asked by tourists why the lights spoke. He told them it was to let blind people know the lights have changed. 

 

"Gee, really!?! We don't let blind people drive back home..." 

[JimKongUno]

Havnt always wondered but for some time iv looked at this and thought what the **** does it mean ?

 

 

[Justin Z]

I lived in Roseburn and the crossing on Roseburn Terrace right next to Roseburn Gardens still talked as of a year ago. I didn't realise it was something that had been put in place ages ago.

[hughesie27]

1 hour ago, JimKongUno said:

Havnt always wondered but for some time iv looked at this and thought what the **** does it mean ?

 

 

Interesting

 

At least that Is what I assumed it meant. No idea of its origins.

[Tazio]

Do european golfers think in yard or metres when they are playing?

[Justin Z]

10 minutes ago, Tazio said:

Do european golfers think in yard or metres when they are playing?

 

Yeah! Good question. I actually found the European version of Wii Sports for my flatmates ages ago so that the game would measure the wind in kilometres per hour instead of miles, but the other effect was making the holes be listed in metres, including on the putting green!

[A Boy Named Crow]

2 hours ago, hughesie27 said:

Interesting

 

At least that Is what I assumed it meant. No idea of its origins.

I assumed the same, would be interehjrlested to know how it came about though 

[I P Knightley]

On 18/08/2019 at 13:28, Normthebarman said:

Definitely used to be one on Shandwick Place. My mates old man drove a taxi and was once asked by tourists why the lights spoke. He told them it was to let blind people know the lights have changed. 

 

"Gee, really!?! We don't let blind people drive back home..." 

"The traffic coming from Princes Street has been signalled to stop." All fine if you know what direction it is to Princes Street.

 

On 26/08/2019 at 13:55, Tazio said:

Do european golfers think in yard or metres when they are playing?

I played with a French lad in France and he talked the golf course in metres. However, he's mad keen on watching the sport and, of course, most of the coverage is American so he's kind of bilingual and was able to give me guidance in yards.

[Cal_]

Why do the reporters at the matches on sky sports news soccer Saturday face away from the action. Why not put the camera in front so they can provide the update without looking away?

[Thommo414]

2 hours ago, Cal_ said:

Why do the reporters at the matches on sky sports news soccer Saturday face away from the action. Why not put the camera in front so they can provide the update without looking away?

Because we would never have gotten this gem otherwise 

 

 

[Locky]

Why are ales usually much cheaper than lagers? I know they're a bit weaker, but I've seen pubs sell things like Belhaven and John Smiths for about £1.50 a pint cheaper than say Tennents.

[hughesie27]

1 hour ago, Locky said:

Why are ales usually much cheaper than lagers? I know they're a bit weaker, but I've seen pubs sell things like Belhaven and John Smiths for about £1.50 a pint cheaper than say Tennents.

Because only pensioners drink them.

[DETTY29]

Didn't want to start a new thread but I didn't know this is how you could lay concrete blocks / bricks on roads / pavements.

 

Better and cheaper option?

 

Would they last?

 

How to have fixed the Rose Street in a quicker and cheaper fashion?

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 16, 2019 by DETTY29

[been here before]

2 hours ago, DETTY29 said:

Didn't want to start a new thread but I didn't know this is how you could lay concrete blocks / bricks on roads / pavements.

 

Better and cheaper option?

 

Would they last?

 

How to have fixed the Rose Street in a quicker and cheaper fashion?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They done thst with the red cloured 'tar' at the end of the roads in Dalry when I stayed there 20 odd years ago. Used a frame as opposed to a roller but the same effect.

[FWJ]

Bits of the M90 in Kinross-Shire were huge prefabricated concrete slabs laid on site.  They’ve all been replaced by tarmac now - so must have some disadvantages?

[FWJ]

When you order a cheese course in a restaurant why is it always an odd number of cheeses (3, 5, 7)?

[Smithee]

10 hours ago, DETTY29 said:

Didn't want to start a new thread but I didn't know this is how you could lay concrete blocks / bricks on roads / pavements.

 

Better and cheaper option?

 

Would they last?

 

How to have fixed the Rose Street in a quicker and cheaper fashion?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not as good as this

 

 

[Sharpie]

On 26/08/2019 at 05:55, Tazio said:

Do european golfers think in yard or metres when they are playing?

Canada went metric some time ago, but I just realised reading this post that as far as I am aware the golf courses I played in still use yards.

[Salad Fingers]

What do the post office do with all the wee kiddies letters to Santa? 

[Cade]

33 minutes ago, Salad Fingers said:

What do the post office do with all the wee kiddies letters to Santa? 

You send them in to a special address then the Royal Mail send replies back

https://www.postoffice.co.uk/write-to-santa

https://www.royalmail.com/christmas/letters-to-santa

 

Final posting date 6th Dec this year.

Edited November 29, 2019 by Cade

[Samuel Camazzola]

"Marc Darcey" Menswear. Often see it flash up on advertising boarding at football. Is this a clothing brand or a retailer selling household names? 

[Ribble]

On 07/09/2019 at 16:36, Cal_ said:

Why do the reporters at the matches on sky sports news soccer Saturday face away from the action. Why not put the camera in front so they can provide the update without looking away?

 

It's because there are pre-defined camera spots for live games, they then use one of these for in-game updates, the camera spots are designed/placed so as to not interfere/block the view of fans so there is space only for the camera operator, switching them around would have the camera blocking the view of fans and also have cables causing more of a hazard

[Ribble]

On 16/10/2019 at 15:01, DETTY29 said:

Didn't want to start a new thread but I didn't know this is how you could lay concrete blocks / bricks on roads / pavements.

 

Better and cheaper option?

 

Would they last?

 

How to have fixed the Rose Street in a quicker and cheaper fashion?

 

 

 

Surely the biggest issue would be if there is any sort of ground movement then huge concrete slabs will crack where individual bricks allow more movement and also drainage?  

[I P Knightley]

On 17/10/2019 at 01:32, bobsharp said:

Canada went metric some time ago, but I just realised reading this post that as far as I am aware the golf courses I played in still use yards.

The only place I've played in Canada was Victoria, BC. I'm pretty certain the yardages were in, eh, yards, maybe because of the 'British' part of BC. They might be more metric over towards the East where they also speak funny?

[Maple Leaf]

23 minutes ago, I P Knightley said:

The only place I've played in Canada was Victoria, BC. I'm pretty certain the yardages were in, eh, yards, maybe because of the 'British' part of BC. They might be more metric over towards the East where they also speak funny?

 

Golf courses in North America are all still in yards.  Same with American football.  Even in football (soccer), there is still the 18-yard box and the six-yard box.

 

Younger people, say those under 30, all think in metric.  They weren't taught the imperial system in school, so haven't a clue about inches, feet, yards, pounds, ounces, etc.

 

People older than that are typically OK with either system.

[Jambomuzz]

Random this one. 

But why on bottles in evian water is there a message that says "package not designed for long distance transportation outside Europe". 

 

[A Boy Named Crow]

22 minutes ago, Jambomuzz said:

Random this one. 

But why on bottles in evian water is there a message that says "package not designed for long distance transportation outside Europe". 

 

There’s a part of me that wants to reply, because the package was not designed for long distance transportation outside Europe. But I know that part of me is the daft, immature part. The part that gets me into trouble in pubs etc. I’m just going to leave it.

 

Nothing to see here.

[A Boy Named Crow]

30 minutes ago, Jambomuzz said:

 

Edited January 13 by A Boy Named Crow

[All roads lead to Gorgie]

40 minutes ago, Jambomuzz said:

Random this one. 

But why on bottles in evian water is there a message that says "package not designed for long distance transportation outside Europe". 

 

A bit of a guess but maybe the bottles are not designed for the change of air pressure on long flights or temperature changes on board ships over time!

The plastic used in bottles appears to be thinner now and less rigid than it once was!

[Jambomuzz]

51 minutes ago, A Boy Named Crow said:

There’s a part of me that wants to reply, because the package was not designed for long distance transportation outside Europe. But I know that part of me is the daft, immature part. The part that gets me into trouble in pubs etc. I’m just going to leave it.

 

Nothing to see here.

Hahahaha I have a sense of humour, so I'd have understood, rare on here mind you. 

[Jambomuzz]

31 minutes ago, All roads lead to Gorgie said:

A bit of a guess but maybe the bottles are not designed for the change of air pressure on long flights or temperature changes on board ships over time!

The plastic used in bottles appears to be thinner now and less rigid than it once was!

That was my initial thinking, I also wonder if its something to do with helping the envirment, like why transport bottled water half way across the world, when they could drink their own. But I couldn't find a definitive answer. 

[All roads lead to Gorgie]

1 hour ago, Jambomuzz said:

That was my initial thinking, I also wonder if its something to do with helping the envirment, like why transport bottled water half way across the world, when they could drink their own. But I couldn't find a definitive answer. 

I can see the larger water companies buying smaller bottled water producers in other countries to keep market share. It is probably a falling market anyway as I see a lot of places like coffee shops, pubs and work places now have large water holders where you can top up a bottle. A good thing for planet anyway.

[Angel eyes]

On 16/10/2013 at 04:11, Eddie said:

How can woman bleed for a week and not die?

 

How can Woman claim that child birth is the most painful experience ever when theyve never had a leather football smashed square in the nuts?

 

 

Or one o they tiny splinters that you get on your finger or thumb that catch on everything they are fecking sore.

[JWL]

On 27/08/2019 at 17:19, I P Knightley said:

"The traffic coming from Princes Street has been signalled to stop." All fine if you know what direction it is to Princes Street.

 

I played with a French lad in France and he talked the golf course in metres. However, he's mad keen on watching the sport and, of course, most of the coverage is American so he's kind of bilingual and was able to give me guidance in yards.

 

Off topic but that reminds me of the story Colin Montgomerie tells about Bernhard Langer. Langer was so meticulous about the yardage on a golf course that he asked his caddy how many yards it was to the sprinkler, when his caddy replied 148 (or something), Langer replied 'is that to the front of the sprinkler or the back'.................well I thought it was funny.

 

Back on topic, every time I watch Air Crash Investigation, they mention the point at which a plane has reached the maximum speed at which point the plane is unable to abort the take-off. Why can't the plane just put the anchors on at this point and continue along the runway until it stops (assuming there is enough runway to play with)?

[Taffin]

25 minutes ago, JWL said:

 

Off topic but that reminds me of the story Colin Montgomerie tells about Bernhard Langer. Langer was so meticulous about the yardage on a golf course that he asked his caddy how many yards it was to the sprinkler, when his caddy replied 148 (or something), Langer replied 'is that to the front of the sprinkler or the back'.................well I thought it was funny.

 

Back on topic, every time I watch Air Crash Investigation, they mention the point at which a plane has reached the maximum speed at which point the plane is unable to abort the take-off. Why can't the plane just put the anchors on at this point and continue along the runway until it stops (assuming there is enough runway to play with)?

 

I imagine the bit in bold is the main reason; that simply it wouldn't be able to stop at that speed before running out of runway.

 

Or, once they hit a certain speed the lift being generated is such that the plane will take off and trying to air brake or adjust the flaps at that speed would be impossible to control.

 

Both just guesses though on my part.

 

 

I like the Langer story 👍😂

[Maple Leaf]

45 minutes ago, JWL said:

 

Off topic but that reminds me of the story Colin Montgomerie tells about Bernhard Langer. Langer was so meticulous about the yardage on a golf course that he asked his caddy how many yards it was to the sprinkler, when his caddy replied 148 (or something), Langer replied 'is that to the front of the sprinkler or the back'.................well I thought it was funny.

 

Back on topic, every time I watch Air Crash Investigation, they mention the point at which a plane has reached the maximum speed at which point the plane is unable to abort the take-off. Why can't the plane just put the anchors on at this point and continue along the runway until it stops (assuming there is enough runway to play with)?

 

The last part of you post, in brackets, is the key.

 

As the plane is accelerating down the runway, the co-pilot monitors the speed.  The critical speed is called V1, which he will announce aloud to the pilot.  When V1 is reached, the aircraft no longer has enough runway to safely brake to a halt so they are committed to take-off.

[Tazio]

I mentioned this on a thread in the terrace but got no answers. 
When did flags at the halfway line stop being used by clubs and specifically Tynecastle? 

[3fingersreid]

Last night walking along Stenhouse Drive to meet the wife , the pavement is split into two halves , one for pedestrians the other for cyclists . 
Why is it that the pedestrian half is closest to the road ? 
 

reason I ask is some ******* in a car went thru a puddle and I got a hibs fans bath , not ****ing happy about it .😡

[cheetah]

What is an itch?

[I P Knightley]

11 hours ago, 3fingersreid said:

Last night walking along Stenhouse Drive to meet the wife , the pavement is split into two halves , one for pedestrians the other for cyclists . 
Why is it that the pedestrian half is closest to the road ? 
 

reason I ask is some ******* in a car went thru a puddle and I got a hibs fans bath , not ****ing happy about it .😡

Great phrase; I've not seen it before. 

 

Edinburgh council (and the roads & planning, especially) has always been a model of good sense and sound judgement. Why they'd come up with an arse over tit plan for road users is a mystery. It must be an aberration. 

[John Gentleman]

13 hours ago, Taffin said:

 

I imagine the bit in bold is the main reason; that simply it wouldn't be able to stop at that speed before running out of runway.

 

Or, once they hit a certain speed the lift being generated is such that the plane will take off and trying to air brake or adjust the flaps at that speed would be impossible to control.

 

Both just guesses though on my part.

 

 

I like the Langer story 👍😂

Not quite. Takeoff speed is known as 'Vr' (rotational velocity). Providing the aircraft is otherwise trimmed and configured properly (flaps down etc), at this speed a pilot will announce "rotate" and (in the case of Boeings) pull on the yoke which causes the front of the aircraft to lift (ie, 'rotate'). This speed will vary depending on aircraft weight, weather conditions etc as will the angle of this rotation (Angle of Attack - AoA).

[been here before]

37 minutes ago, John Gentleman said:

Not quite. Takeoff speed is known as 'Vr' (rotational velocity). Providing the aircraft is otherwise trimmed and configured properly (flaps down etc), at this speed a pilot will announce "rotate" and (in the case of Boeings) pull on the yoke which causes the front of the aircraft to lift (ie, 'rotate'). This speed will vary depending on aircraft weight, weather conditions etc as will the angle of this rotation (Angle of Attack - AoA).

 

If they ever make Carry On Flying theres the script right there.

[Taffin]

59 minutes ago, John Gentleman said:

Not quite. Takeoff speed is known as 'Vr' (rotational velocity). Providing the aircraft is otherwise trimmed and configured properly (flaps down etc), at this speed a pilot will announce "rotate" and (in the case of Boeings) pull on the yoke which causes the front of the aircraft to lift (ie, 'rotate'). This speed will vary depending on aircraft weight, weather conditions etc as will the angle of this rotation (Angle of Attack - AoA).

 

Thanks for that, it's very interesting. I was just taking a guess so it's nice to learn how it actually works. Cheers 👍👍

 

I like aviation but don't really know anything about it from a practical point of view so always nice to learn something new.

[sandyk]

14 hours ago, Tazio said:

I mentioned this on a thread in the terrace but got no answers. 
When did flags at the halfway line stop being used by clubs and specifically Tynecastle? 

Weird one that - some non-league clubs still use them (they are still optional) but you are very unlikely to see them in league games.  I am guessing it may be because they have to be at least 1 yard from the line and really serve no purpose .  Looking at Back from the brink' - I can see one in footage from 1977, but not 1979 onwards, unless my eyes are deceiving me!

 

best I could come up with!

[Old Blue Eyes]

How would the present generations coped without a washing machine, tumble drier, dish washer, mobile phone, car, combi-boiler, central heating, electric shower, microwave, fridge-freezer, holidays abroad? Or has anxiety increased since the introduction of the aforementioned?

[trotter]

4 hours ago, John Gentleman said:

Not quite. Takeoff speed is known as 'Vr' (rotational velocity). Providing the aircraft is otherwise trimmed and configured properly (flaps down etc), at this speed a pilot will announce "rotate" and (in the case of Boeings) pull on the yoke which causes the front of the aircraft to lift (ie, 'rotate'). This speed will vary depending on aircraft weight, weather conditions etc as will the angle of this rotation (Angle of Attack - AoA).

 

There are actually three key speeds that are used on takeoff: V1, Vr and V2. 

 

V1, also known as 'decision ' or 'commit-to-fly' speed, is the point of no return. As ML states above, once a plane reaches this speed it can no longer safely stop on the remaining length of runway, so any problem after this point you take into the air with you and sort it out there. The reasoning behind this is that it's typically safer to do that rather than run off the end of the runway and hit something. It is calculated for each take-off individually and depends on runway surface, weather conditions, airport altitude, aircraft type, weight, etc. 

Vr, also known as 'take-off' speed comes after V1 and as JG states, is the speed when the pilot in control can begin lifting the nose of the aircraft off the ground. 

V2, also known as 'take-off safety' speed, comes after Vr and reflects the minimum speed that the plane must be flying in the event that one engine fails after V1 in order to be at a minimum altitude of 35 ft at the end of the runway and be able to climb at a rate sufficient to avoid any nearby obstacles. All planes must show that they can reach V2 on one engine as part of its certification. 

This video from Manchester a few years back shows the last part in action. The pilot has already reached Vr and begins to lift-off when he nails the bird. The right engine is immediately shutdown and he continues climbing safely at V2 before circling back to the airport.