GRIPES

[old man emu]

Modern technology is a bastard for those who do crosswords!

 

I was doing  an 80-odd clue regular type of crossword the other day and finally got to needing letters for the last two spaces to complete it. The clue was "Inconspicuous music device (6)". By the time I reached this clue, I had the following: "ear _ _ d". I racked the music trivia part of my brain and found nothing to suit. After a while I folded the newspaper and put it down beside my mobile phone and continued to search my memory for the answer. After a while I happened to look down at my phone, and then an Edison screw light bulb materialised above my head. I remembered unboxing my wife's new mobile. Included with it was a set of those little speakers that you put in your ears. They are called earbuds.  How long have those things been common? 

 

What has happened to those old stalwarts of crossword clues, like "Smokey Sicilian (4)"?

 

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Mount Etna

 

[onetrack]

Earbuds have been common for at least 20 years. What mountaintop retreat have you been meditating in, for that length of time?  

 

Or are you deaf as a post like me, wear in-ear hearing aids like me, and have no ability to use earbuds, and throw them away as soon as they're produced? 

 

 

[old man emu]

Not being the type whose whole existence is predicated on being in constant connection with every Tom, Dick and Harriet in the world, or one who cannot exist in a world of audio cacophony, I have had no use for these "inconspicuous music devices". I do use a Bluetooth ear device connected to my phone so that I can answer calls whilst driving, but for most of the time I'm tuned-in to the world around me via Mk.1 eyeballs and the audio lugs on the side of my head.

 

 

[facthunter]

Multi skilling is illusory, even women are not perfect at it. (as is often suggested). The more you concentrate on ANYTHING the less you notice anything ELSE going on around you. It's your choice unless you are completely hooked on your new toy and way of life.  Like so many addictions, fads distractions, compulsions etc, The noise you get may be just Crapophony.  Nev

 

 

[spacesailor]

Multyskilling in industry is to get Lower paid, less skilled workers to do the High paid,high skilled worker,s job when ever possible.

 

Seven years of it at one company, & not a thank you for the work done well.

 

spacesailor

 

 

[Litespeed]

I expect they feel you should be grateful. 

 

Gone are the days of been valued for anything but making the bottom line fat. 

 

 

[Jerry_Atrick]

Hmmm.. Leads me to the grip of the day;.. four letter word... WORK!

 

 

[facthunter]

Maybe that's a wedgie.(if you play football.)  My fan belt lost it's grip and didn't work. Nev

 

 

[Yenn]

You're lucky to have fans, all I have is detractors and no belts.

 

 

[old man emu]

I went to the Henty Field Days and checked out all detractors.

 

 

[facthunter]

Yes and I went to the static exhibit section but couldn't hear the commentary. Nev

 

 

[nomadpete]

Too much static!

 

 

[old man emu]

Is a homodyne whistle different from a heterodyne whistle, or are they both versions of a thistle whistle?

 

 

[Yenn]

I had a wooden whistle and it wooden whistle, so I got a steel whistle and it steel wooden whistle. Now I've got a tin whistle and I tin whistle.

 

 

[onetrack]

Homodyne whistles are for use by gay men. Heterodyne whistles are used by straight guys.

 

 

[nomadpete]

Too many dad gags!

 

 

[old man emu]

If a tin whistle is made out of tin, what's a fog horn made out of?

 

 

[facthunter]

 "Tin "whistles are made of steel with a coating of tin. Fog horns are made of fog coated steel..

 

Steel wool is from where? Dunno, maybe it's off those hydraulic rams.?  Nev

 

 

[onetrack]

Fog horns are made from steel, of course. If they were made from fog, they'd only fog up.

 

 

[old man emu]

If there's no such animal as a "trom", where do they get trombones from?

 

 

[onetrack]

They're the bones that normally go inside a TROM, of course!

 

Total Range Of Movement device - https://www.djoglobal.com/products/donjoy/rehab-trom

 

 

[Jerry_Atrick]

First, stand up humour - much easier to get a cheap laugh as it is so mature... ANd now book titles are frought with the darned things...

 

Profanities.. More and more book titles use F**K and Bullsh*t on their titles..

 

Have we become that base? Do we really need it?

 

I liked stand up humour and comedy that was witty and clever with words.. Just spewing out profanities doesnt really work to get me to laugh, anyway (Admittedly in some situations, the profanitiy cleverly placed does work).

 

In my local book store today (not Amazon), there was so much F**k and Sh*t, I figured authors have gone for the carp end of the market..

 

Oh well, back to Orwell...

[red750]

There are a few standup comedians who do not rely on smut. Some of my favourites are Milton Jones, John Bishop, Carl Barron, Sarah Millican. I like watching Live at the Apollo or Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow. Check out Milton Jones on Youtube.

[old man emu]

Milton Jones is the bloke Phil pinches all his one-liners from!

[facthunter]

Sprung!!!!. For Phil .

I used to reckon the swear words are only because of a limited vocabulary and you throw a few in when stuck for a word. Used profusely, the meaning becomes ?????? WTF? Just an idiosynchrasy/ idiosyncrazy. bloody bad habit. Nev