Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) : Discussion and Group Therapy Thread

[tggzzz]

"We are an old traditional British Sweet Shop, our sweets are kept in retro glass jars, weighed out in front of our customers and bagged in classic candy striped paper bags."
https://www.thebathsweetshop.com/

There are others, e.g. in Bristol:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Treas ... FQAw%3D%3D

(apologies for the long URL; it enables a picture of the shopfront and interior)

And generations of children have picked a selection at my local off-licence

[bd139]

Tripped on this one during a discussion on Discord. Amused me at least (from LPWS):

Screenshot 2026-05-25 at 10.27.56.png

[tggzzz]

Good to see you still exist. Still feeling grubby after your flirt with hamdom?

Thanks for (re)introducting me to LPWS - NOT!

[MED6753]

Tripped on this one during a discussion on Discord. Amused me at least (from LPWS):

Screenshot 2026-05-25 at 10.27.56.png

WTF?

[tggzzz]

Tripped on this one during a discussion on Discord. Amused me at least (from LPWS):

Screenshot 2026-05-25 at 10.27.56.png

WTF?

http://www.laughingpoliceman.com

Let's just say test equipment isn't the only sub-culture to have its own schisms and vicious infighting Certainly some of the comments about typical radio amateurs were borne out at the recent Dunstable Downs rally (fortunately held in the middle of a big field).

But, to be fair, Luton is not an "upscale area". Those in the UK might like to while away the hours with
https://www.ons.gov.uk/census/maps/chor ... =E06000032

[MED6753]

On a lighter note. Blondie is watching a TV show originating from the UK talking about weight loss. I was surprised to see that you Brits still measure body weight in terms of "Stones" (14 pound increments). Even the scales are calibrated in stones. So a person weighing 150 pounds is 10 stones, 7 pounds.

Next time I go to the doctor and they ask my weight I'm going to tell them in terms of "stones" and see how many puzzled looks I get.

[tggzzz]

There are a few more Imperial units still in "everyday" use: miles (plus furlongs if you race the geegees!), mpg rather than l/100km (Imperial gallons, not the anaemic US gallon[1]), lbs (if you are a greengrocer wanting to make political points), feet and inches when related to bodies.

But almost all are metric nowadays, including food prices[2].

[1] typical journalists don't realise that, and rely on the gallon-litre conversion in their calculator

[2] Most local supermarkets sell one item costing £3k-8k per kg, depending on the origin. Guess what

[MED6753]

There are a few more Imperial units still in "everyday" use: miles (plus furlongs if you race the geegees!), mpg rather than l/100km (Imperial gallons, not the anaemic US gallon[1]), lbs (if you are a greengrocer wanting to make political points), feet and inches when related to bodies.

But almost all are metric nowadays, including food prices[2].

[1] typical journalists don't realise that, and rely on the gallon-litre conversion in their calculator

[2] Most local supermarkets sell one item costing £3k-8k per kg, depending on the origin. Guess what

Yes, I know that a US gallon is smaller than an Imperial gallon. Is there an "official" 14 pound stone in the government standards or just based upon tradition?

[tggzzz]

There are a few more Imperial units still in "everyday" use: miles (plus furlongs if you race the geegees!), mpg rather than l/100km (Imperial gallons, not the anaemic US gallon[1]), lbs (if you are a greengrocer wanting to make political points), feet and inches when related to bodies.

But almost all are metric nowadays, including food prices[2].

[1] typical journalists don't realise that, and rely on the gallon-litre conversion in their calculator

[2] Most local supermarkets sell one item costing £3k-8k per kg, depending on the origin. Guess what

Yes, I know that a US gallon is smaller than an Imperial gallon. Is there an "official" 14 pound stone in the government standards or just based upon tradition?

Hint: consider long-ton vs short-ton vs metric-ton. Don't ask about cwt

Does the act of 1824 count as "tradition" or "government"? https://www.britannica.com/topic/Imperial-unit
"...the Americans were just adopting units based on those discarded by the act of 1824. The standard U.S. gallon is based on the Queen Anne wine gallon..."

[Robert]

<SNIP>

[2] Most local supermarkets sell one item costing £3k-8k per kg, depending on the origin. Guess what

Saffron?

[tggzzz]

Too easy.

Try asking a shop assistant whether they have flowers costing more than £3000/kg, and see if you get a sensible answer.

[EC8010]

[1] typical journalists don't realise that, and rely on the gallon-litre conversion in their calculator

I used to work with journalists. I can assure you that most can't operate the % button on a four function calculator, let alone find the conversions. They probably use their phone. Which might well warn them of the difference between UK and US gallons.

By the way, one of my bikes has 27" wheels. Naturally, being Imperial, the wheels are not actually 27", but some tyres that fit the rims are 27" when correctly inflated.

Isn't printer ink even more expensive than saffron?

[tggzzz]

Hp305xl 4ml for £21, or £5200/litre.

I'd call it equal

[Robert]

I'm having trouble with private messages. I was conversing with EC8010 and now my messages are just sitting in the "outbox". Anyone got any ideas?
And EC8010, I'm not ignoring you and my faith was justified
Robert.

[tggzzz]

I'm having trouble with private messages. I was conversing with EC8010 and now my messages are just sitting in the "outbox". Anyone got any ideas?
And EC8010, I'm not ignoring you and my faith was justified
Robert.

My unconfirmed suspicion is that messages sit in the outbox until they have been read. More accurate info welcomed.

[Zenith]

I use Linux Mint 21.1, Xfce and Firefox. I run the updates manually about once a week. I've never had the least problem with PMs, or trouble with passwords. Messages do sit in the outbox until they've been read. There are notifications on incoming PMs and replies to posts. I haven't looked into whether that has to be specifically configured. I'm sure I just chose the defaults.

[Zenith]

I'm having trouble with private messages. I was conversing with EC8010 and now my messages are just sitting in the "outbox". Anyone got any ideas?
And EC8010, I'm not ignoring you and my faith was justified
Robert.

I've sent you a PM.

Title: Test
Contents: Just a test.

[EC8010]

Three messages all arrived at once in my inbox, so we're sorted. I've had odd things happen with private messaging here and at the Other Place.