BS: The soft side of hard times

Subject: BS: The soft side of hard times
From: Joe_F
Date: 08 Mar 09 - 10:43 PM

Says the Washington Post: "The economic downturn is forcing America's households to learn a tough lesson: how to fend for themselves." Two examples:

"Procter & Gamble said that it had noticed more questions from customers about how to dye their hair at home to match salon coloring." Evidently the possibility of putting up with, or even liking, one's original hair color is not on the table.

"Mary changed the bulb in the headlight of her Mercedes, cutting out a $120 trip to the mechanic." How many Mercedes mechanics does it take to change a light bulb?

*

A mailing list I subscribe to contained the news that a certain young lady had moved to Georgia after getting laid off twice in Washington, D.C. -- but "off" got left out. Freud lives!

Subject: RE: BS: The soft side of hard times
From: CarolC
Date: 08 Mar 09 - 10:51 PM

Hell, by that sort of definition, I've never not been in hard times. Having said that, I feel quite blessed to have a head full of graying hair that I can cut myself, and toilets I can fix myself, and cars that I can change the light bulbs in.

Subject: RE: BS: The soft side of hard times
From: Gurney
Date: 08 Mar 09 - 11:01 PM

Just graying, Carol? A mere child by the standards of Mudcat.

But beware the modern head-lamp bulb! The quartz globe must not be touched with bare hands. Honestly. Fingerprints burn into the 'glass' because they run VERY hot.

Subject: RE: BS: The soft side of hard times
From: CarolC
Date: 09 Mar 09 - 12:16 AM

It's all stripey right now (and I prefer it that way), but the white hairs are starting to overtake the stripes, so it could be mostly white at some point in the next decade.

Thanks for the heads up about the head lamps. Are they hot even when they're not on? So far, we've not had a problem with ours when changing the bulb.

Subject: RE: BS: The soft side of hard times
From: Ebbie
Date: 09 Mar 09 - 12:48 AM

In Alaska a great many people's hair is cut at home, either by self or spouse. A friend of mine has cut his own for 30 years, and he looks good.

Subject: RE: BS: The soft side of hard times
From: bald headed step child
Date: 09 Mar 09 - 01:25 AM

I cut mine this very evening, and I think it looks pretty good.

That reminds me, I need to make an appointment with the optometrist.

BHSC

Subject: RE: BS: The soft side of hard times
From: Gurney
Date: 09 Mar 09 - 02:00 AM

No, Carol, they are just like the old kind when 'off.' When the fingerprint that burns into the quartz, it dulls it. Handle them by the big metal disk. Or clean them with alcohol before use, and polish with a clean cloth. We're talking about the small tubular ones on a big base.

Subject: RE: BS: The soft side of hard times
From: CarolC
Date: 09 Mar 09 - 02:30 AM

Oh, I get it. I was misunderstanding. Ok. I'll definitely keep that in mind. Unfortunatly, I'm pretty sure I touched the two I was working with a couple of weeks ago.

Subject: RE: BS: The soft side of hard times
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 09 Mar 09 - 05:59 AM

In a worst case case, a bit of "finger oil" on the glass of one of the quartz-halogen lamps can get hot enough to crack the "glass." The filament lasts about .00034 microseconds after that.

The more usual case is, as mentioned, that the "dirt" burns and blocks some of (or most of) the light, so you don't get full efficiency.

A common recommendation is that if you must touch the glass you should wear a clean cotton glove, but at the ultraclean lab where I worked some years back the usual practice was just to rinse the fingers in methanol (and dry over the vacuum port in the "sterile hood") to remove all of the oil from the finger tips, before handling "superclean" components. With this method the cleanliness (oil free) of the fingers lasts only a very short time and must be repeated frequently - and it's sort of a "learned skill" to get the knack of just how frequently the cleaning is needed, or how much you can get done before repeating the wash. (And you do have to start with "clean hands.")

Trying to follow the alternate recommendation of "flushing" the glass with alcohol after the bulb is in place can be messy, but is another option. "Wiping" with alcohol doesn't work too well, since it just moves the grease around. You have to flush until the stuff drips off.

Note that "flavored alcohol" is not good for either method, as the flavor comes from "stuff" that may leave a residue on the glass, and even some apparently pure "rubbing alcohols" may contain additional scents or "lubricants." In the US, the common "rubbing alcohol" is around 70% propanol, and quite a few of these are "scented." You usually can find 90% that's generally good enough at grocery or pharmacy shops.

John

Subject: RE: BS: The soft side of hard times
From: CarolC
Date: 09 Mar 09 - 06:10 AM

I just remembered that I was wearing rubber gloves while I was working on the car. Is that ok? (I always wear rubber gloves while working on the car, silly as that may make me look.)

Subject: RE: BS: The soft side of hard times
From: Leadfingers
Date: 09 Mar 09 - 06:32 AM

It only takes one Mechanic to change a lamp , but Mercedes , in line with ALL other Manufacturers , lays down established time/costs for EVERY Job , with a minimom of Fifteen Minutes . So with an Hourly labour rate in excess of £100 when I left Daimler Chrysler seven years ago , the charge for ONE lamp would be over £30 (Inc VAT) plus the cost of the lamp !

Subject: RE: BS: The soft side of hard times
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 09 Mar 09 - 06:35 AM

CarolC -

Most rubber gloves will hold a lot more grease on the surface than your bare fingers, and if you've been "working on the car" they've probably picked up quite a bit of crud.

For handling a lamp bulb I'd take the gloves off and wash the hands well, then splash enough alcohol on the fingers to make the finger tips "feel dried out." Or get a pair of cotton gloves just for handling the bulb (and wash them after each use and don't use them for anything else.)

Be careful with the alcohol if you happen to be sensitive to it; but most people have enough "callous" on the finger tips to stand fairly liberal washing of the palms and finger tips with it.

Just don't get it into any cracks or crevises in the skin if you don't like "red-hot poker pleasures." If you should happen to "feel a burn" from the alcohol COLD WATER will kill the burn and rinse the alcohol off painlessly. Warm water will just make it burn worse.

John

Subject: RE: BS: The soft side of hard times
From: CarolC
Date: 09 Mar 09 - 07:00 AM

Ok. Thanks.

Subject: RE: BS: The soft side of hard times
From: gnomad
Date: 09 Mar 09 - 08:22 AM

The last headlamp bulb I bought came with a thin polyfoam sleeve over the "glass" bit. With similar bulbs you can fit them by simply holding them by the sleeve, but don't forget to remove it before final assembly, I reckon melted-on sleeve is probably terminal for the bulb.

Subject: RE: BS: The soft side of hard times
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Mar 09 - 10:12 AM

I have a Chevy Silverado, year 2000. My mechanic gushes about these pickups, they are the best designed ones around from 2000 to about 2006, he says. Need to change a bulb? Then unscrew a couple of screws at the tailgate area, swing the lens on its hinge, twist out the old bulb and twist in the new one. I use a clean dish towel to handle bulbs. The front bulbs are even easier. Two long pins hold the housing in place. Pull them out, lift up the housing for the front bulbs, do the same dish towel maneuver, and you're set.

But I need to do some appliance research. I have a side-by-side fridge/freezer with a defrost function on the fritz (it's all components, I need to see which one needs to be replaced and order it). But the washer may be a bit harder. Darned things stopped working on "spin" last night after making a lot of clunking noise. It's another box with a few components, and I've seen people fix them, but do I want to wade into that one? I'll research it first. I know a guy who might do it for a few bucks and a good dinner. An "off the books" repair.

I have the list of parts for the freezer--don't trouble yourself to offer to look them up, anyone! But I do have one question maybe someone here can answer. How in hell do these two appliances know that I'm due this week to receive my income tax refund? Why is it something always breaks right when you'd really like to pay off something else? It's uncanny.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: The soft side of hard times
From: gnomad
Date: 09 Mar 09 - 10:58 AM

For those contemplating home appliance repairs this site Samurai Appliance Repair Man may be worth bookmarking for future reference.

Subject: RE: BS: The soft side of hard times
From: Gurney
Date: 10 Mar 09 - 12:57 AM

Sage, changing a headlamp bulb via the tailgate? No wonder chargeout rates are high. :)
The washer problem MIGHT be the water pump.   I would trace the hose back and dismount the pump to see if it is blocked by something, particularly if the noise had an element of squeal in it!

I've found socks, nails and a hankerchief in ours. Comes from (someone) stacking washing on top and pushing it down in.
Oh, and (another idiot) not emptying his pockets before putting his work jeans for the wash.

Subject: RE: BS: The soft side of hard times
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 10 Mar 09 - 03:10 PM

Well, since this thread seems to have drifted into headlight land...

Modern headlight bulbs are much brighter and produce a broader beam than old style "sealed beam" headlights. For that reason, it's not as obvious as it used to be, from the driver's standpoint, that a bulb has burned out. Lose a headlight in a 1966 Chevrolet, and you know it right off. Lose one in a 2005 Toyota and you may not know it until you get stopped by the police. Check 'em frequently.

Subject: RE: BS: The soft side of hard times
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 10 Mar 09 - 05:47 PM

Thead drift:

Sage, changing a headlamp bulb via the tailgate? No wonder chargeout rates are high. :)

The story is circulated by email forwarders (we know who they are) about the gynocologist who's practice was failing and he was under lots of stress so he decided to change his occupation.

After casting about a bit, he decided that auto mechanics were making pretty good money, and it seemed to be a fairly low-stress job, so he enrolled in a school that promised to make him a "certified first-class mechanic."

He studied very hard, and did his best to learn it all; but he was told by his fellow students that the final exam was really difficult, so he applied himself diligently to attempt to learn everything possible about everything that might be on the test.

When he received the result for his final exam, he was puzzled that his score was shown as "150 point" when it was supposed to be a 100-point exam.

When he questioned his instructor about the discrepancy, the instructor replied that he had disassembled the entire engine and transmission correctly and that was worth 50 points.

He had also awarded 50 points for correctly assembling the entire engine and transmission.

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The other 50 points was because the instructor had never seen anyone do the whole job from the tailpipe end, working through the muffler.

John

Subject: RE: BS: The soft side of hard times
From: freda underhill
Date: 11 Mar 09 - 08:51 AM

reading, playing scrabble, maybe all the cheap pre techno pastimes might have a resurgence, during these dire financial times. I've been going walking with friends, round the city. Cheaper and healthier than concerts, good for morale and fun to do.

apparently people eat more chocolate when times are hard, I've resisted so far.

:-)

Subject: RE: BS: The soft side of hard times
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 11 Mar 09 - 01:42 PM

Even the (US) government feels the budget crunch and has to resort to "low cost" methods:

[quote]

FTC FIGHTS FREECREDITREPORT.COM WITH SPOOF AD

Posted: Tuesday, March 10 2009 at 04:28 pm CT by Bob Sullivan

You're the federal agency charged with protecting consumers. You have a $250 million annual budget, subpoena power and the ability to refer cases to the Justice Department for prosecution. So what do you do when one of America's biggest companies continually flouts the law?

You challenge the company to a joke-off.

At least, that's what the Federal Trade Commission has done. On Tuesday it released two videos that spoof the popular FreeCreditReport.com commercials and their trademark catchy tunes.

[end quote]

The brief article says something about the difficulties of regulating rip-off scams with lots of money; and the two videos are actually kinda cute. I'm not sure they do a lot for "folk music," but allowing for the source they're not too bad for "coffee shop" genre.

John

Subject: RE: BS: The soft side of hard times
From: Rasener
Date: 11 Mar 09 - 02:20 PM

Blimey, I thought this thread was about, erm what is that tablet called that gives you hard times for hours and used by men when things are normally soft. Can't think of the name. Damn. I do know it causes memory loss. Now what was it...erm.....

Subject: RE: BS: The soft side of hard times
From: Gurney
Date: 11 Mar 09 - 03:39 PM

It's something to help your memory, what you need, not to help your relations, Villan.

Subject: RE: BS: The soft side of hard times
From: GUEST,Guest from Sanity
Date: 11 Mar 09 - 10:13 PM

Soft side of hard times???...Sounds like a thread for henpecked husbands, some of which must be married to some of the 'babes' on here!

Subject: RE: BS: The soft side of hard times
From: Mr Red
Date: 12 Mar 09 - 11:08 AM

Changing car light bulds?

modern cars are moving to LED's and headlights will be on that agenda soon. Their life and robustness mean you may not have to change them - more likely change the car and keep the LED.

Car manufacturers like them because it gives them more freedom to design in any shape and because they wont need changing the subassembly can be cheaper and doesn't need access doors.

But there is a soft side of hard times I spend less - I refuse to buy on the net unless the vendor gives a UK address and telephone number. It worked when I bought red sheepskin mittens - I just wish I had stuck to the rule more often. I am now and not buying anything lately.

Let them moan all they want, but I want to hear it not be ignored.

Subject: RE: BS: The soft side of hard times
From: Joe_F
Date: 28 Mar 09 - 09:42 PM

In a subsequent issue of the Washington Post National Weekly Edition, we read:

Out-of-work financiers reap dividends by roaming the globe, exploring new opportunities

...

    One byproduct of the economic bloodbath of the past several months has been a bumper crop of relatively young and wealthy but out-of-work financiers.

Subject: RE: BS: The soft side of hard times
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 28 Mar 09 - 10:08 PM

The original post here cited an increase in home hair coloring.

Note that in many large corporations (and some smaller ones) a "youthful appearance" is considered mandatory, especially for those seeking a new job. It's likely that more men are currently resorting to artificial coloring than women.

At my last assignment at Enormous Airplane Factory, I had a supervisor who had all the requirements for management there. He was (relatively) young. He was a little taller than average. And he had a very nice suit.

So far as I could determine, there were no other requirements for his job (unless facile lying and evading responsibility were actually a help to him - I never really could tell whether he was making any progress so those abilities may not have been of benefit).

John

Subject: RE: BS: The soft side of hard times
From: freda underhill
Date: 28 Mar 09 - 10:45 PM

some people i know think my hair has been treated so it's deliberately + expensive platinum, not so. it's now mostly white, and i put the occasional pink touches in myself!

Subject: RE: BS: The soft side of hard times
From: Gurney
Date: 29 Mar 09 - 04:41 PM

Good news for tailors on the news this morning: Suit sales in England have risen by something over 30%!


Bad news. Reason (blame?) is supposed to be because people are smartening themselves up in an attempt to keep their jobs, or to look smart for job interviews.

Time marches on, Freda. My beard was dark brown with a reddish mo 50 years ago, but now it is platinum blond.:)

John, I too have noticed that competence is not a requirement for management. Probably why so many salesmen get into it.