Rigger's Diary: Women ARE stupid after all

Later I went into a flat and immediately noticed a smell of burning. In
order to dig out the aerial socket I lifted the TV set off the wall
unit. I then found a power supply unit of the type often used with
laptops, wrapped in a plastic bag and sealed up with selotape. It was
very hot indeed. It was the power supply for the DTT box, which was
showing a standby light but turned out to be faulty. I explained to the
lady that it wasn't a good idea to wrap up things like that . She said
that when the power supply had started to smell (a few days after the
receiver had failed)she had wrapped it up in an attempt to prevent the
smell getting into the room.


Bill, you just reminded me of something I haven't thought about for a long
time.
It was the early 1970's I was a TV engineer covering a large council estate
in North Manchester.
I was required to collect a key from a neighbour and repair a TV in this
house. In the room where I was working there was the rather muffled sound of
a radio. Further investigation localised the sound to something tightly
wrapped with a blanket. Loosening the same revelled an old valve Bakelite
Bush DAC90. It was hot, very hot, and very loud. I unplugged it before it
blew up or spontaneously combusted.

Before I left the lady of the house returned, and I asked her 'why'?

Her response was that there had been buglers in the area so she left the
radio on so the house appeared occupied.
And the blanket?
It appears the volume control was faulty and couldn't be turned down, and
she didn't want to annoy the neighbours.

The DAC90 has particular significance for me because as a 7 year old at
boarding school it was the wireless we were allowed to hear 'Listen with
Mother'


--
Graham.



%Profound_observation%

wrote:
Ah, good old Grandma Williamson, .... I
connected a pair of ex-army headphones to her telly. Mains voltages in
the headphones, but I was only 14 and didn't know better. ...
Her neighbour known locally as Mental Meggie, was insane (I'm not using
the word loosely) and on one occasion threw a bucket of water over me
as I slept in my pram.

Good thing she didn't chuck it over Grandma as she was watching the telly

My dad went round and held her head under water for some
considerable time. That was how mental health issues were
dealt with in those days, I suppose.

Eeh, good Yorkshire plain speaking and sound common sense.

Owain

In message .com,
" writes
My nan used to put sellotape over power sockets to prevent the
electricity
leaking into the room

Ah, good old Grandma Williamson, God rest her soul. She took the bulb
out of the outside privvy light in winter so the electric didn't freeze
up and burst the wires. In her later years she became deaf so I
connected a pair of ex-army headphones to her telly. Mains voltages in
the headphones, but I was only 14 and didn't know better. She got an
occasional tingle from them, and declared they were helping her
rheumatics. She took to wearing them all the time to derive maximum
theraputic benefit, even when she went to the corner shop.
Her neighbour known locally as Mental Meggie, was insane (I'm not using
the word loosely) and on one occasion threw a bucket of water over me
as I slept in my pram. My dad went round and held her head under water
for some considerable time. That was how mental health issues were
dealt with in those days, I suppose.

Bill

Around 1958, we all stood around as Gran had her first trip in a car.

The door was held open, and the front seat pushed forward to allow her
to get in.

She stepped in, and stood on the back seat, and plonked herself down on
the rear window sill.

I have to say, though, I personally think men are far more stupid than
women.
--
Ian.

In message , Graham
writes

Her response was that there had been buglers in the area so she left the
radio on so the house appeared occupied.
And the blanket?


I know the fear, I used to bury my head under the blanket when the
bloody Sally Army band came round at 8.30 on Sunday mornings.
--
Ian.

From private education to lowly TV repair man? Something must have gone
wrong. That's meant as a joke by the way. I speak as one who totally
wasted his education, since the state paid a fortune to turn me into a
schoolteacher, then paid the said schoolteacher so badly that he went
back to his childhood interest of fixing TV aerials.

Bill

Dominic Shields wrote:
I am male but frequently read a book whilst listening to something on
the TV and football commentary on the radio, if the phone rings I
speak whilst carrying on the other three. I think that possibly some
people think that one has to give everything 100% attention.

Never mind male/female brain - sounds like you've got several people's
brains in there :-)

Multimedia (adj.) 1. Able to read a book while listening to the wireless.

wrote in message
oups.com...
My nan used to put sellotape over power sockets to prevent the
electricity
leaking into the room

Ah, good old Grandma Williamson, God rest her soul. She took the bulb
out of the outside privvy light in winter so the electric didn't freeze
up and burst the wires. In her later years she became deaf so I
connected a pair of ex-army headphones to her telly. Mains voltages in
the headphones, but I was only 14 and didn't know better. She got an
occasional tingle from them, and declared they were helping her
rheumatics. She took to wearing them all the time to derive maximum
theraputic benefit, even when she went to the corner shop.
Her neighbour known locally as Mental Meggie, was insane (I'm not using
the word loosely) and on one occasion threw a bucket of water over me
as I slept in my pram. My dad went round and held her head under water
for some considerable time. That was how mental health issues were
dealt with in those days, I suppose.



LOL

You have put a big smile on my face this morning

Cheers

Tricky

From private education to lowly TV repair man? Something must have gone
wrong. That's meant as a joke by the way. I speak as one who totally
wasted his education, since the state paid a fortune to turn me into a
schoolteacher, then paid the said schoolteacher so badly that he went
back to his childhood interest of fixing TV aerials.


Not to mention fame and fortune as a journalist Bill.


--
Graham.



%Profound_observation%

"Dominic Shields" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 24 Mar 2005 13:14:50 GMT, Nigel M
wrote:

You try listening to TV while having a conversation. Men can't,
women
can. And do the ironing at the same time ...

I am male but frequently read a book whilst listening to something
on
the TV and football commentary on the radio, if the phone rings I
speak whilst carrying on the other three. I think that possibly some
people think that one has to give everything 100% attention.

Timeslicing is the answer.

Human TDM eh? Whatever next!

I thought it was called multitasking!


--
Woody

harrogate2 at ntlworld dot com

wrote:
From private education to lowly TV repair man? Something must have gone
wrong. That's meant as a joke by the way. I speak as one who totally
wasted his education, since the state paid a fortune to turn me into a
schoolteacher, then paid the said schoolteacher so badly that he went
back to his childhood interest of fixing TV aerials.

Bill

Can I use the comment "Higher Education"

OK, I get my bike, then.

PJ