Posts by Splinter

  • BBC Radio

    BBC Radio stations are free to listen to and not geographically blocked, so tune in, pop-pickers!

    Talking of which, Tony Blackburn is 80 today and was the first DJ on Radio 1, having started on pirate radio way back in the 60s. His dulcet tones can still be heard on Radio 2.


    Sounds of the 60s with Tony Blackburn - Happy Birthday Tony - Happy Birthday Tony Blackburn: 80 Poptastic Years - Part 1: The Man and His Music - BBC Sounds
    Dermot O'Leary and Tony Blackburn in conversation on the occasion of Tony's 80th Birthday!
    www.bbc.co.uk

  • Vehicle maintenance jobs you can do yourself

    Quote from serafina

    Splinter , on the account of nuts: the new car we bought last year came with "antirobo" nuts. We have a special attachment to add to the spider to be able to unlock the bolts!

    I have seen my husband change tires, even under pouring rain, and I am still in an awe.

    I would have needde several YouTube video to get the gist of it.

    We used to have those special nuts but we lost the master nut and had to have all the wheels forced :facepalm:

  • Vehicle maintenance jobs you can do yourself

    Quote from serafina

    I am pretty useless with cars. Aside from checking the oil level, I can't do much. I wouldn't be able to change a flat tire. Luckily, I am a woman and I suppose a man would stop and help me. With or without any money involved!


    On the topic of cars, my SIL asserts that having an emergency tire inflater is a must as - she said - it allows you to run away in case you run a flat in a bad area, or if someone puts nails on purpose to come to your "rescue" and bring you to the nearest car shop.

    The tool kit supplied with most cars is basic at the least and the tyre iron/spanner thing for releasing the nuts is worse than useless. I keep a much larger 'spider' in the car but even that won't release the nuts which are usually extremely tight following a visit to a tyre repair shop.


    So I also keep a three foot metal pipe which fits over another tool to get more leverage and it works. Also, a thick block of wood is also useful to support the jack if you find yourself on soft ground.

  • Vehicle maintenance jobs you can do yourself

    We have a Honda Fit (Jazz) 2007 with 149,000 kms on the clock and although it's showing its age, it still runs very well. I try to do as much maintenance that I can to save money, but oil and oil filter changing we have done at the local YPF together with their usual checks.

    There is an engine sputtering, misfire issue issue which is likely due to the on-plug coils, so I'll be changing those and the plugs because I have no idea when or if they have ever been changed.

    This can be a very expensive job and I've seen DIY videos with people in the US saying they were quoted $850 for the labour cost alone, so imagine what it would cost here. I'll be removing a plug and coil and taking a photo to make sure I get the right parts.

    I recently changed the failed rear door struts which was an easy job and not too expensive and I also need to change the windscreen wipers.

    Changing the battery, which usually only lasts about two years, is also very easy.

    There is another fault where the remote locks the doors but they won't unlock correctly. I've looked into this but can't find a solution so I will probably have to have it looked at.

    Which jobs do you do on your car?

  • Don't see coins very much any more?

    I've just noticed that we don't see peso coins much any more. Centavo coins went a while ago and I used to get a lot of peso coins at toll booths until I got a tag for the bike.

    As we've mentioned before, in shops they just seem to round up, probably to their own advantage. I used to collect coins in a jar and last year I ended up with about $500 worth of coins, which at the time was worth something, so I took them to Coto, for which they were very grateful and bought beer!

    But it's confusing because now we have two types of $1 and $2 coins, with $5 and $10 coins too, which nobody uses any more.

    Adri said I should get rid of all my saved coins because soon, nobody will want them. What a sign of the times when inflation is only in our pretty little heads.



    I'll take these to the kiosk in exchange for some baccy papers as they only have a value of about $130.

  • Tech articles

    Quote from Splinter

    It appears that Facebook has banned Dave's Computer Tips from posting any articles on their site. I only discovered this having read a reply to my recent article regarding Microsoft and the woke problem and at first I thought it was a joke. It's not.

    What's worrying is that some Facebook users have reported DCT content as abusive. Really?

    Cue incoming DCT article on this subject which won't pull any punches.

    I'm pleased to report that the Facebook block on DCT articles has gone, so all DCT links on FB now work as normal.

    I'm not a huge fan of Facebook but the links we post there do find readers and generate income for the site.

    This is good news and my article on the subject should be published soon.