Be Excellent To Each Other

New top

New guitar. I wanted an acoustic that didn't feel like an acoustic and this seems perfect.

It is nice and quiet when not plugged in and that's great for my use case which is quietly noodling in the garden or light play while watching films.

Needed to replace our beloved old Pure DAB radio that is finally giving up on life after being sat by our bedside for the best part of 20 years, it was a well designed object that always just did its job and was easy to use (well mostly always did its job, at various times I replaced the screen, the antenna, the power supply and sorted out some dry solder joints but for whatever reason now it just doesn't get a good signal most of the time). Pushed the boat out for a replacement and upgrade with a Ruark R1S and it sounds so good compared to the old one (which at the time got good reviews for its sound), like properly good especially for something so small and it just feels like a decently well made thing:



It also has modern features so can listen to Spotify, internet radio etc. at long last we can wake up listening to public access radio from Slovenia or air traffic control from Wisconsin.

Oh, I like that, it looks proper smart.

I strongly recommend The Rock from New Zealand, especially if you can catch Jay and Dunc's afternoon show.

Cool, will give it a listen.

What a sleek radio!
Love the shelf too.

Replacement for old Vax carpet cleaner that we'd had for about 10 years and that I was never really happy with. Leaked from the day we bought it and discovered that it was a commonly reported problem. It was also a bugger to clean properly.

This one has much better reviews and it's waaaaaay better than the old one, in particular cleaning, as the brush cover can be removed, as can the brushes themselves, so I can rinse out any debris that hadn't been picked during pre-vacuuming.

I love a good carpet washer.

We currently have a Shark and a Rug Doctor Rug Doctored all the car interior yesterday

Yup, with two dogs that are in and out of the garden frequently, it's essential to keep the muck under control.

It'll be my next gadget, for sure - you do not want to know how long it has been since my parents' carpets have been cleaned (!)

I read a review of one cleaner that had the line "as I clean my carpets weakly" that made me raise my eyebrows (but maybe not my standards).

I'm now seeing lots of Vax ads on FB. Coincidence? I think not, but I'd like to point out to them that I'VE JUST BOUGHT ONE!!!!!

On the subject of coincidences, the other day we were playing a guessing game, where everyone gives a clue and one person has to guess the word. There is no talking out loud so you can't collude. The word was Babybel, and as the round started I got a notification from Uber eats saying there was a special offer on Babybel.

The apps are reading people's minds now!

If one person searched for it and was on the same WiFi network (or IP) as you, that can trigger adverts to start appearing.

The timing of the notification was as I was looking at the card to see what the word was going to be. (I don't my phone is reading my mind, I just think it was an amazing co-incidence - either that, or it new what game we were playing, and the order of the cards, and it worked it out, just to slightly freak me out)

Picked up the in law's family portrait from the Ol' Chazeroo for
£7.

You’re *really* wanting to get rid of that sealant, aren’t
you?

Yes. It was problematic, but nevertheless, out with the old, in with the new.

Heh, I've just been doing this exact same job this weekend. I've had to grind out a load of discoloured grout too, though. Fun times.

I need to do that job. thanks for the reminder..

I've bought an original Gameboy off Devilman. He said it was in a bit of a state but nothing that a bit of elbow grease didn't fix. I've also put a new screen in it and I don't think this picture does it justice because it is glorious!

Looks brand new!

It does!!

Screen looks crisp and clear - not green and blurry like I remember from my OG GB.

Is that because of the camera/photo or is it like that in real life too?

Yep, it's a brand new IPS screen which makes a night and day difference from the original.

It looks backlit to me - is it? What's the scrolling like on an IPS screen? The OG was a bit smeary when things moved.

You've made me look into whether an IPS screen is backlit now but, I think I know what you mean. The original mod for the Gameboy was to include a backlight for the screen that was already in there. I've got one of those and it's good, but not great. This new one is a completely new modern screen that is bright and whilst not technically a backlight I believe, it is lit up.

The scrolling is perfect too with no smears or blurs. It's absolutely pixel perfect.

If you haven't had a go at it yet or if you've had a go before and found it nightmare, I can strongly recommend the following video.

This guy contradicts a lot of things I've seen in other videos and things I've struggled with in the past. In fact I spent hours last weekend stripping out the old sealer in the shower stall and then use a curved spreading tool instead of a straight one, that I didn't realise was the wrong size, and although it was sealed, it was a mess. I was very, VERY pissed off by the end of the day. It was so bad, that I had to strip it all out again today and re-do it.

It was WAAAAY easier this time because I had the right tools for the job, in particular the Cramer Fugi profiling kit, which also has a great little tool for stripping out the old stuff. It's £24.49 at Screwfix and Toolstation, but it's worth every penny. I also tried using WD40 to loosen the old sealant, as recommended in some other videos, but it was only partially successful, and the 'No Nonsense Sealant Remover' was much better, but still took several applications.

I use a tube of silicone sealant and my thumb, like God intended when he invented silicone guns.

Those Cramer kits are awesome

Yeah, they make it a piece of piss to get a neat job. In the past I'd used my finger and also picked up a tip about using washing up liquid to stop it sticking to your finger whilst you smooth it. But having acquired a doctorate in silicon sealing from YouTube university I now know that this is just about the worst thing you can do.

This may as well go here

That’s really lovely. And massive.

Is it of a real life castle? How long did it take?

It’s Neuschwanstein in Germany. We visited there a couple of years ago.

I wasn’t timing the build, but somewhere around 6-8 hours.

The Bomb Jack castle!



My favourite graphic from any video game.

Bloody hell, so it is!

Never knew that.

Isn't also the castle from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang?

Finally a reference that I can get.

You’re my little chucchy face.

"This is X. As in..."

"X and bacon"

"X and ba...aahhhh!"