grrclark

You can hire rotary torque sensors from instrument hire companies that will tell you everything that you need to know. You would couple the sensor between the top of the valve shaft and the valve key and the instrument would measure throughout the cycle from closed to open and vice versa. Look at these people as an example https://www.sensors.co.uk/torque-sensors/

Steve, the little white dot that is flashing is very likely hard disk drive activity. It could be the your PC is downloading updates in the background that is taking up bandwidth, but more than likely the performance of the Internet in being slow is actually just your PC running slower. Every PC will use what is called virtual memory, where it uses the hard disk drive to store short term bits of information that it needs to process, Internet browsers can be particualrly heavy on this sort of approach, especially on web pages that are very dynamic, think Facebook or Instagram or YouTube. First option is a quick system restart, that will flush out any cached memory and make sure no background tasks are running. Also make sure that you dont have lots of applications or webpages open at the same time as this consumes memory and increases the amount of virtual memory that is used. Also make sure that your anti-virus software isn't doing a system scan as that also has a big impact on disk usage. If the problem persists longer term then you can start to look at what services are maybe starting automatically and turn those off so they dont hog resource. And you can use other tools to make sure that everything is optimised. Of course it might just be an Internet performance issue on your exchange.

I don't believe we are even really seeing what the damage and suffering is yet, although some are feeling it very hard already.

I am inclined to agree and it disappoints me gravely.

I’ve not read it yet, but the “nudge team” was one of the most effective deliverables of Cameron’s time in office. Really smart people who are very well tuned in.

I think that we are in a phase of a cycle Mel, there is talk of increasing libertarianism in pursuit of personal freedoms, but the evidence appears to be somewhat contrary. I do have many fears about where we might end up in this phase though and even although i'm only in my 40s I also feel like a dinosaur at times.

I am genuinely concerned by it Mel, it is Orwellian. Collectively I think that we need to speak out and accept that there might be a lot of flak coming our way. Both the gender recognition bill and the hate crime bill in Scotland are part of the legislative agenda before the end of this parliamentary term, depending on how things look as the debates progress then the more vocal and active i will become about it, but ultimately unless our representatives in parliament speak out then we're in trouble.

I hope he stays symptom free too, being a bit fed up for a week or so is by far the preferable alternative.

It is the problem of not having an effective opposition. Practical and necessary give way to ideology and ultimately abuse of power. Unfortunately, the SNP have a track record of trying to have the state have too much influence, there was the flawed named person scheme which was a state appointed guardian for every child, even those in family units would have still had a state named guardian appointed to ensure the safeguarding and well being of children. Which of course at face value who could argue with the safeguarding of kids welfare. However seen in the context of things such as the Hate Speech Bill would the state guardian have some arbitrary measure of what 'appropriate welfare' was and start to step in, i.e. your parents don't agree with our view of what is right or wrong so we will decide. There is a schism in the SNP just now around gender recognition laws and self identification. The party consensus is that anybody can identify as whatever gender they please, just by saying so. To give an example I could identify as a woman, but in every single outward respect look and behave like a man, and if was denied access to women only spaces such as shared changing rooms, female welfare groups such as group counselling for sexual abuse, etc then those denying me access would be in breach of the law. If a journalist chooses to write a polemic to try and highlight the absurdity they will be guilty of hate speech. If a comedian, film maker or playwright chooses to satirise the situation they will be guilty of hate speech. If that gender recognition bill becomes statute and the hate speech bill as presented just now does too, then me writing what I just have could be considered hate speech and actionable under the law. If in the family group in the private home the mum or sister says out loud that they don't agree with that, but the woke teenager who is fed this narrative of 'fairness' through the school curriculum decides not to agree then they phone the rozzers, report mum and sister for hate speech in the house and the blue disco light car comes around and they are criminalised. The really sad thing is that the majority of people look past this, it is boring to have to consider and in principle all this talk of being fair to everyone and stopping people being hateful is a good thing. How often do we see #BeKind on social media posts, of course being kind is good, but it is now used as a weapon to try and silence disagreement. Don't argue with someone about something they are passionate about, it is hurtful #BeKind. There is an active campaign for people to tell tales on their neighbours for breaking covid rules, all dressed up under the banner of it 'being for the greater good and saving lives', but it is just another accession to stronger state control. If we can tell tales on people having their own family in their own house then why wont a neighbour tell tales on someone overhearing a conversation in the garden saying "i think it is wrong that a middle aged, bearded individual with physically intimidating presence and full male genitalia was in the same communal changing room as my teenage daughter because they said they identify as a female". All of that sounds like mad loony tunes conspiracy nonsense, but we in Scotland are genuinely right on the cusp of that becoming reality. SNP members have been expelled from the party for daring to speak out, especially in the gender recognition discussion. I have taken this thread wildly off topic now, but ultimately so many of the behaviours that we are seeing around covid, the polarisation of opinion and taking extreme positions is what leads to this. The really sad thing is that we are inviting it upon ourselves, the more voice we give to "there should be a law against..." or "this isn't right, the government should..." the more that we cede our liberty to positions of idealist extreme.

This link will be behind a paywall most likely, but unfortunately it is very real indeed. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/past-six-days/2020-10-28/scotland/hate-crime-bill-hate-talk-in-homes-must-be-prosecuted-6bcthrjdc

I am in violent agreement with you both. In terms of the new normal, our Tier 0 (1st tier) actually still has a limit on how many people you can meet in your house or outside. It is described as being the default state until an effective vaccine is produced and administered. So our default state has a significant imposition of a loss of personal liberty within our own homes and I have not seen a single reference to that in the press. I find that so incredibly alarming that there is a silent acceptance and acquiescence of the loss of liberties by the majority is gratefully received as the default. Of course if they have their way then even dissenting talk about that inside the home could see us before the beak. I genuinely find it hard to believe I am writing that sort of statement in all seriousness in the UK in 2020. For all those who celebrate the weakness of the opposition political parties to the ones that they favour, this is what happens when government gets to run unchecked.

The real scary thing, and this is going off a tangent, is while all this nonsense of tiers takes up the headlines along with the odd snippet of the ongoing public spat between Salmond and Sturgeon, our justice secretary is trying to push through a Hate Speech Bill in the Scottish parliament and he is pushing very hard for that bill to include things said within the private home. So if in a chat around the dinner table a family member says something that is perceived as hate speech the encouragement is for the other family members to report that to the police. So as example, the SNP are trying to pus a policy that self identification as a male/female is all you need to determine gender, if in the family dinner table conversation someone says 'I don't agree with that' under the new proposed law that is an offence. The thought police is genuinely becoming a very real thing in these parts of the woods. Anyhow, that was going off at a tangent but it is scary what this covid crisis is masking, like the change in the law to retain DNA or fingerprint samples for the innocent for an non-determined period to support covid measures.

We have 5 tiers in Scotland, but labelled 0-4 so tier 4 is actually the 5th tier. My region will be going into Tier 2,(3rd Tier), which is pretty much the same level of restriction as England's Tier 1, but with a wee bit of England's Tier 2 added in, so I guess Scotland Tier 2 (3rd Tier) = England Tier 1.5. Scotland Tier 4 (5th Tier) is officially described as being similar to the national lockdown of earlier this year, but the schools will stay open and some other things will stay open too, so it is the same as lockdown but different. And people wonder why folk don't have a clue what is actually asked or expected of them.

Sadly Steve I don't think fishing will slow down in any respect. I agree with you too.

Nespresso commercial or a Flavia machine if you want fresh coffee every cup and a wider selection. Me, i’d opt for two Bravalor type machines and nominate a couple of people to make a fresh pot or two every so often. Make a thing about changing coffee types every month or two so the staff know you care and are thinking about it. You’re bang on the money about the length of time for pod/sachet machines take to dispense. Cheaper to employ a barista and make coffee for everyone and deliver to desks, keep them tethered to the sausage machine and working hard churning out those fee earning letters 😉

I voted leave, it’s not about taking a side. it’s taking an objective and considered view of what is a momentous change. I hope the working class do benefit.

The parallel is that the impact of Brexit will be felt large by very many people and it absolutely wont be the magical nirvana that so many appear to think it will be. In time it absolutely can and I believe will work, (albeit after a change in senior government) but in the interim there will be very many people who feel short changed relative to their expectations.

People adjust, those at the very bottom probably wouldn't really notice all that much, the aspiring band above that would feel it harder, but the ones that would feel it hardest are the squeezed middle, but over time they would adjust. The underpinning message that resonates with many is one of hope, entirely disingenuously as it happens, but the big slogan by the nationalist campaigners is Hope over Fear, folk align to that as it is much easier want to believe rather in an optimistic outcome than the far harsher reality. The same applies to Brexit, there is an awful lot of misguided belief in the 'magic' of Brexit instead of the reality of that too. I happen to believe that there is a beneficial outcome that can be had from Brexit, (however, the utter buffoon in No'10 is unlikely to be the one to deliver that despite his belief in his Churchillian image, but that is for another thread) but that is going to mean a change of shape from where we are now and lots of people who voted for it are not going to like the taste of what is delivered.

Damn those payslips !! If everyone is honest there is not a single person on PW who either hasn’t or wouldn’t take a cash in hand payment and not declare it. Human nature to take advantage, some just go a bit further and become exploitative, neither is a surprise.

Agreed, i think the immediate harm of the next 20-30 years would have a lasting limiting impact. The main benefit to my way of thinking could be a significantly smaller state machine, but that is absolutely the polar opposite of the current narrative.

It was inevitable and I think also unavoidable given the pace at which schemes had to be provided. Why anybody might be shocked at the opportunistic taking advantage is in itself shocking, it is basic human nature. Sure it is on a different scale but does everyone on PW who gets £50 for a days beating or picking up declare that to the taxman? The only place i ever see £50 notes is at clay shoots when people are using up their wages from days beating. The more alarming thing isn't so much the deception by opportunistic individuals or even organised gangs, but by the nation states who have used the opportunity to take funds out the UK via shell companies. When the UK government guarenteed loan scheme was released new company registrations in that month shot up to about 3-4 times more than normal as people registered businesses to take a loan, even although the lending rules said they shouldn't be able to do that, but circumstance due to pressure from the business community enabled it.

What a depressing read through In the main. Interesting in parts, especially about decentralisation, however that bizarrely is the opposite current SNP behaviour where they are alienating councils, especially non SNP controlled ones, and pulling authority back to Edinburgh. Hence Shetland agitating for a devolved solution. A federal UK is an interesting academic exercise, but one I don’t think could ever be achieved. For common areas such as defence there is already a massive disconnect between SNP and rUK, if considering things such as harmonised foods standards then taking the latest bill in parliament as an example there is no easy outcome there. How would we apportion the share of assets and liabilities, how might the option of variable taxation work when considering federal government bonds/gilts yields or is that devolved down to state level so effectively Wales and NI could never borrow at anything other than savagely punitive rates, Scotland little better and England little better still.? The only workable outcome, and I say that with a huge qualification, would be total secession from the union and that would do significant harm to iScotland and rUK for at least 2 generations. A question often touted by Scot Nationalists, although completely falsely, is that if Scotland is a drain on English resources why does UK government fight against Scotland leaving. The truth is Scotland isn’t a drain on English or rUK resource, no more than Yorkshire is or Cornwall or London. The disbursement of funds via Barnett is only one measure against very many that needs to be considered, likewise apportionment of notional tax revenues. AVB would you advise buying a business just looking at the current account balance or payroll costs? I am in no doubt whatsoever that an iScotland would ultimately be a self sustaining and successful small nation, however it will come at significant cost in the medium term, 20-30 years, and it will bear little reflection to what is here now. It will also not deliver against the narrative promoted by so many of the nationalist camp. Scottish secession from the UK would be Immensely damaging on both side of the border, especially so in a post Brexit scenario. If we are daft enough to vote that way, should another referendum happen, i’ll be OK. There will be opportunity for me to make an absolute fortune in the chaos and mayhem that will follow, but sadly i will be in the minority who will gain. Bizarrely it’s the people who stand to lose out the most in terms of lost opportunity for them and their kids who are keenest to vote for it; The folk who would ride out the bumps and difficulties would vote no, yet we’re the ones selling the nation short 🤔

Every time this conversation comes up the same names peddling the same tripe. Little England lives large in PW.

Your opening comment made me laugh, i knew exactly what it was about. I do fear that it will have flown clear above the head of the original protagonist however.

I have seen Dan's work on Facebook and it is top quality. I'll get my mate to ask Dan directly on FB for a price.