BS: The Triumph of Style over Substance

Subject: BS: The Triumph of Style over Substance
From: Acorn4
Date: 03 May 08 - 05:09 PM

My wife recently went out and bought a new lawn mower -it looks as if it should be driven by Lewis Hamilton -any more examples on offer, either musical or non-musical?

Subject: RE: BS: The Triumph of Style over Substance
From: Little Hawk
Date: 03 May 08 - 06:14 PM

"Action" movies.

Contemporary running shoes.

Subject: RE: BS: The Triumph of Style over Substance
From: Amos
Date: 03 May 08 - 06:15 PM

Newscasters, and televised news in general.


A

Subject: RE: BS: The Triumph of Style over Substance
From: Little Hawk
Date: 03 May 08 - 06:19 PM

Oh, yeah!!! Good one, Amos.

Subject: RE: BS: The Triumph of Style over Substance
From: bobad
Date: 03 May 08 - 06:20 PM

Pop stars.

Subject: RE: BS: The Triumph of Style over Substance
From: Gurney
Date: 03 May 08 - 06:25 PM

Political electioneering, and gamesmanship. Where just making the opposition look bad is an acceptable outcome.

Style over substance? Itsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka-dot bikinis?

Subject: RE: BS: The Triumph of Style over Substance
From: artbrooks
Date: 03 May 08 - 06:42 PM

Politicians - regardless of party, country, gender or anything else!

Subject: RE: BS: The Triumph of Style over Substance
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 03 May 08 - 08:06 PM

Was it Spaw who mentioned the Gas Grill (outdoor) somewhere here?

John

Subject: RE: BS: The Triumph of Style over Substance
From: Sorcha
Date: 03 May 08 - 09:02 PM

Brittany, Jaimie and Paris. Need I say more?
Honestly, does ANYONE except their mothers care? I know I don't.

If these girls are 'news' then count me out.

Subject: RE: BS: The Triumph of Style over Substance
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 03 May 08 - 09:36 PM

You're right, most Triumphs had more style than substance. The exception was the TR-7. It had neither.

Subject: RE: BS: The Triumph of Style over Substance
From: heric
Date: 03 May 08 - 09:42 PM

Spinning wheel rims. A sad wave of pity comes over me when they pull alongside.

Subject: RE: BS: The Triumph of Style over Substance
From: Slag
Date: 03 May 08 - 09:43 PM

re those bikinis, Gurney, they no longer have room for the polka-dots!
re politics; there is always style of a sort but not much class. When a politician exhibits class they call the "Statesmanship". That or "also ran".
Tiumph motorcycles were always pretty good, back in the day.

Subject: RE: BS: The Triumph of Style over Substance
From: frogprince
Date: 03 May 08 - 10:53 PM

Hoos Lewis Hamilton?

Subject: RE: BS: The Triumph of Style over Substance
From: M.Ted
Date: 04 May 08 - 01:08 AM

At least show us a picture of the lawn mower, so we know what you're talking about. And if you're so fussy, why didn't you buy the lawnmower yourself? Inquiring minds want to know!

Subject: RE: BS: The Triumph of Style over Substance
From: Acorn4
Date: 04 May 08 - 04:19 AM

M. Ted.

Traditional gender roles are reversed in our household .

me:- shopping , cooking, washing up,

Julia:- DIY , financial stuff, purchase and operation of lawn mowers,

Unfortunately haven't got the technical bits to get photo of mower on screen, will try to work on this .

Subject: RE: BS: The Triumph of Style over Substance
From: GUEST,Shimrod
Date: 04 May 08 - 07:55 AM

- Contemporary British Art and Artists

- Contemporary British Marketing and Marketeers

- Contemporary British Design and Designers

Subject: RE: BS: The Triumph of Style over Substance
From: M.Ted
Date: 04 May 08 - 12:19 PM

Just enter the name of the mower into the search engine, find the mfg's home page, and link us to the product--or, if that's too much, just give us the brand name and model number.

I personally have always payed to have the lawn done--Our first house was set on an acre of land, on a picturesque but perilous hill--a mowing with the typical "home center" riding mower took about two and a half hours, if the rider knew how to avoid typing on the hill(which I didn't)--we had to find a new cutter every month or so, because our lawn was so difficult. Our ultimate cutter, Jason, could do the lawn in 45 minutes, and approached it with the zeal of a motocross rider--he had a vehicle that looked like this: Swisher Zero-turn riding mower

Subject: RE: BS: The Triumph of Style over Substance
From: Bee
Date: 04 May 08 - 12:47 PM

I do all the lawn mowing for our place. The terrain is lumpy, has two acutely slanted sections, also lumpy, and numerous glacial boulders poking through the surface.

For years I struggled with #@&%#$ gasoline operated lawn mowers, the rubber choke buttons which either don't work or in which the rubber melts down, the pull starts designed to dislocate a woman's shoulder at every pull, and which hardly ever work, and which often come unwound and lie there like impotent skinny penii. I rarely curse. Gasoline mowers caused me to utter streams of four letter words each time I hauled one out of the garage.

At last, I rebelled and got one of the cheapest electric mowers Canadian Tire sells. It cost a hundred bucks three years ago. It's light enough to be pushed or dragged with one hand. It always starts. It's every bit as successful at taming our expanse of weed infested half wild grassy half acre as any of the others were. It has a replaceable blade. I don't care if it uses electricity. I don't own a clothes dryer, a dishwasher, or an electric stovetop. An electric mower is my personal electric luxury item.

Subject: RE: BS: The Triumph of Style over Substance
From: Chris Green
Date: 04 May 08 - 12:51 PM

Tony Blair and David Cameron. I find it quite hard to tell them apart!

Subject: RE: BS: The Triumph of Style over Substance
From: Little Hawk
Date: 04 May 08 - 03:20 PM

The male peacock.

Subject: RE: BS: The Triumph of Style over Substance
From: Amos
Date: 04 May 08 - 04:54 PM

Most cocks, now that you mention it, LH....



A

Subject: RE: BS: The Triumph of Style over Substance
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 04 May 08 - 05:08 PM

Gurney suggested:

Style over substance? Itsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka-dot bikinis?

No, Gurney, in that case it's substance (sometimes all too much of it) revealed by style!

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: BS: The Triumph of Style over Substance
From: Amos
Date: 04 May 08 - 05:25 PM

Ah, but viva la substance!!


A

Subject: RE: BS: The Triumph of Style over Substance
From: Acorn4
Date: 05 May 08 - 04:32 AM

Have found picture of said mower:-

Vroom, vroom, vroom!

It's a flymo.

http://images.gonegardening.com/assets/product_images/3/frc3400.jpg

Subject: RE: BS: The Triumph of Style over Substance
From: M.Ted
Date: 05 May 08 - 11:20 AM

With due respect, I think you are wrong about your wife's mower--it seems very practical--I am particularly impressed with the compactness, and our own Bee would favor the fact that it is electric. The combination of oppressive noise and the smell of burned gasoline and butchered grass is rather unpleasant, I must say.

From the evidence presented, you wife's Flymo does not actually fly on a cushion of air, as the original Flymo, and it's American cousin, the Toro, did forty odd years ago---THAT qualified as style over substance.

Subject: RE: BS: The Triumph of Style over Substance
From: autolycus
Date: 05 May 08 - 12:25 PM

Most goods for sale.

More the exceptions - a lot of books; a lot of CDs; some DVDs; fresh fruit and veg, nuts, seeds, beans, legumes, pulses, water;Sainsbury's basics; low-energy light-bulbs; and the Bomb.[:-)]

Most everything else.

In other words, I worked from the bottom up, rather than viceversa.


Ivor

Subject: RE: BS: The Triumph of Style over Substance
From: Amos
Date: 05 May 08 - 01:14 PM

My wife uses scissors on the lawn. She says it's because that's all there is, there isn't any mower...

A

Subject: RE: BS: The Triumph of Style over Substance
From: Acorn4
Date: 05 May 08 - 02:39 PM

M.Ted - I just didn't see the point of making a mower aerodynamic!

Subject: RE: BS: The Triumph of Style over Substance
From: Acorn4
Date: 05 May 08 - 02:42 PM

And on the subject of SOS I suppose I'd include most music recorded in the eighties.

Subject: RE: BS: The Triumph of Style over Substance
From: autolycus
Date: 05 May 08 - 05:15 PM

Amos
You're wife uses scissors on the lawn for what. Does she do silhouettes?

Ivor

Subject: RE: BS: The Triumph of Style over Substance
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 06 May 08 - 03:03 AM

A few years back I saw a bloke using an old rotary mower
called a reel mower here on his lawn, and another time I saw another bloke using what looks like these
hedge shears to mow his lawn

Of course, both lawns were the small square of grass in the front yards of inner city terrace houses!

sandra

Subject: RE: BS: The Triumph of Style over Substance
From: Gurney
Date: 06 May 08 - 03:10 AM

Hey, Flymos are good on steep sections! Work downward, swinging the thing like a scythe.

Subject: RE: BS: The Triumph of Style over Substance
From: Mrrzy
Date: 06 May 08 - 08:53 AM

The current presidential hooha in the US?

Subject: RE: BS: The Triumph of Style over Substance
From: Amos
Date: 06 May 08 - 09:39 AM

The AMerican culture...

Walmart's best.


A

Subject: RE: BS: The Triumph of Style over Substance
From: Mr Red
Date: 06 May 08 - 09:57 AM

Stilleto Heels?
Politcal Posturing?
Entertainment v Folk?
Cats and Pigeons?

put yer Flymo on a rope (not the chord) and swing it all the way down a long steep bank.

Subject: RE: BS: The Triumph of Style over Substance
From: GUEST,Vic at work
Date: 06 May 08 - 09:59 AM

SOS is now a cultural norm - better watch out Dave, the SOS police are probably monitoring this thread.

Subject: RE: BS: The Triumph of Style over Substance
From: catspaw49
Date: 06 May 08 - 11:02 AM

If there is something worse than the gas powered hover mowers than its the electric version which has even less power but certainly looks good! Lotsa' style, precious little substance


Back in the early 60's, our neighbor was a true yard freak. Every morning he was home (like my Dad, this guy, "Bud," was a railroad engineer) you would see him squatting on his honches with his plastic bucket scouring his lawn pullling weeds and other grasses which he didn't want. I'm serious! The entire family was OC and I have a long list of moderately humorous and often frightening stories of their neuroses. Bud did all manner of things to his lawn that resulted in a lush bluegrass on turf so deep and soft it was like a combination of silk and foam rubber to walk upon. Naturally, no one walked on it but stayed on the edged walkways.

Bud bought a new mower at least every year and sometimes twice in the year and always had two mowers. Why I have no idea. Whatever Bud bought of anything, mower, garden hose, patio cover, car, or refrigerator, was the "Best gawdamn __________ they ever made." Whenever he brought home a new mower it would sit "on display" in the driveway for awhile so everyone would notice before he used it. The first usage was always attended by several neighbors happy to humor Bud and feed his OC while getting a few laughs to lighten the day as well as another good "Bud" story. Many counted on my Dad being present as the Old Man knew how to wind Bud up and goad him to new heights on these times when he was holding court in his driveway.

And so it was that one mid summer day a new Toro mower showed up in the driveway. But this was something truly different from anything else as it had no wheels! Back then I loved to cut grass and always kept an eye on new mowers and had seen one of these at our local hardware store. Bud had seen it as well and as he began his spiel I admit to feelings of envy. This too was the "best gawdamn mower they ever made" and as he filled it with gas I was kind of excited. He fired it up and the damn thing hovered spookily over the concrete. Bud showed how easily it turned and then on the second running allowed several in the crowd to feel it as well. I was lucky enough to get the chance and Bud beamed proudly as I obviously showed my pleasure and excitement in moving the mower around the group.

Finally, it was time to demo its cutting ability. With a brief check of the oil and gas, Bud once again fired her up. The group stepped back and Bud prepared to swing the hovering Toro over his lush and deep turf. By this time you probably know what's coming. Instead of gliding across the lawn, neatly clipping the tips, the turf was built up so deep and actually above the driveway level to such a degree that the mower couldn't cope. Instead of hovering above, it dug in......and it dug in deeply, stalling the engine. Dirt and chunks of dense sod flew in all directions.   Bud jerked the mower back away onto the concrete and away from his wounded lawn.   A large and deep semi-circular gash scarred the turf.

I don't recall Bud saying anything at all, just standing there staring at the damage with his mouth hanging open, half a PallMall stuck to the corner of his lower lip. Others like myself stood in silence, not know what to say. My Old Man though had no trouble as he was doubled over and laughing his ass off.   He manged to grab my arm and pull me towards our house while turning over his shoulder saying, "Damn Bud, that's a shame," in a voice still heavy with laughter.

The Toro went back to the hardware where it remained for quite awhile, more of a novelty than anything else. Bud brought home a Lawn Boy "Quiet-Flite" which was basically their 21" deck mower with a full shroud around the engine and a special muffler. It was something else as well. Unrepentant, bloody, but unbowed, Bud proclaimed it to be the "Best gawdamn mower they ever made."


Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: The Triumph of Style over Substance
From: Rowan
Date: 07 May 08 - 04:28 AM

The kangaroos mow what lawn I have. You can tell I don't have much.

Cheers, Rowan

Subject: RE: BS: The Triumph of Style over Substance
From: M.Ted
Date: 08 May 08 - 12:13 PM

Spaw--Thank you for that story--I've had that "lost in the 21st Century" feeling lately , and you brought me back to a place in time that made sense. We had our own "Bud", whose lawn was highlighted by a number of decorative pea gravel pathways. His house had a couple big "picture windows", and he claimed that "teenagers" were always shooting tiny holes in the glass with BB guns. Of course you know that what was really happening was that stray bits of the pea gravel were regularly getting caught up in the mower blades. He had little dents all over his Rambler, too.

Subject: RE: BS: The Triumph of Style over Substance
From: Amos
Date: 08 May 08 - 12:27 PM

Spaw, Ted:



Shades of the Perfect People of the Nineteen-Fifties, both of yez!!!


LOL!


A

Subject: RE: BS: The Triumph of Style over Substance
From: Little Hawk
Date: 08 May 08 - 12:43 PM

Ah, yes...that story does bring back the flavor of times gone by.

We had an OC neighbour like that too. Sam Laletin, otherwise known as "Silent Sam" (because he never stopped loudly talking...an endless flow of boasting about himself and his family and his property and his dog, opinionating and pontificating about this and that...the man could have bored the balls off a Cape Buffalo as the old saying goes). He sold Hobart refrigerators and other household appliances, and liked to talk about them nonstop to anyone willing to listen, but such people were not too easy to find. Sam was very obsessive-compulsive about his lawn and garden too, but his particular concern was the desire to grow a large tree in the backyard and to keep it well-watered. So he bought about the largest sapling he could from a local nursery, did the necessary excavations, had it brought in on a flatbed truck and had the massive ball of earth under it installed by some workers whom he drove nearly nuts by harassing them and yelling orders all the while. He then spent 2 or 3 hours every day standing out there with a hose and watering the tree. At twilight in silouette it sort of looked like he was peeing on it, but actually he was holding the hose at waist level, cocked up to a 45 degree angle.

He watered that tree so much that it finally died!

So he bought another one, and the whole process started over again. That tree also died. By this time the ground was getting pretty soft in Sam's backyard, so installing the 3rd tree was a rather messy procedure, but they got it done.

Sam resumed his daily watering frenzy.

Some smart aleck went out there one night and hung a sign on the tree saying, "Help! I'm drowning!!!"

Sam was not amused, but I noticed that he cut back some on the watering after that, and the third tree did manage to survive.

Spaw - Regarding the hovering Toro mower... How the hell does a mower hover? I've always wondered about that. I bet those things cost a bundle.

Subject: RE: BS: The Triumph of Style over Substance
From: Amos
Date: 08 May 08 - 01:59 PM

It generates an air-cushion that lifts it up, LH. There a formed skirt around the base of the blade area, much like a hovercraft. If the skirt around the base of the mower is relatively level, net motion is hover. Tilt it up in back and net motion = forward.


A

Subject: RE: BS: The Triumph of Style over Substance
From: Little Hawk
Date: 09 May 08 - 09:53 AM

It sounds like it could be a bit dangerous. Someone's feet might get under it or it might gobble up the dachshund...assuming he was silly enough to get that near a roaring machine. Dachshunds hate vacuum cleaners and mowers and other such noisy, infernal mechanized devices, so they usually keep their distance from them unless they are the really aggressive type. If so, they may attempt to close with the hated machine that is violating their territory and engage in a battle to the death with it. With the hovermower that would not be good.

Subject: RE: BS: The Triumph of Style over Substance
From: Amos
Date: 09 May 08 - 09:55 AM

Ah, well, you could always change your name to Dunderbeck and sell him for sausage.



A

Subject: RE: BS: The Triumph of Style over Substance
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 09 May 08 - 11:14 AM

Wandering from the subject of the thread, here.

Just as a matter of curiosity, what is "an OC neighbor"?   Inquiring minds want to know.

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: BS: The Triumph of Style over Substance
From: Amos
Date: 09 May 08 - 11:19 AM

Obsessive-Compulsive person living nearby.


A

Subject: RE: BS: The Triumph of Style over Substance
From: Acorn4
Date: 09 May 08 - 12:35 PM

I once had an O/C neighbour who was a Jim Reeves obsessive -"Distant Drums" at 11.30 every night. CREEPY!