Plug

Went to Vegas a couple of years ago and had probably the best holiday ever.. having said that, it was just myself and the Mrs... I don't really think Vegas is a place for kiddies. We stayed at the Luxor (albeit in the towers, not the Pyramid) and it was fabulous. Visited all the big hotels on the Strip, sounds sad doing a week visiting hotels but they are more like theme parks! Neither of us are gamblers, but had a few goes on the fruities/video poker machines and I reckon I ended up about 5 bucks down at the end of the week... not too crippling We did go to CircusCircus one day, to be honest I wasn't impressed.. it looked somewhat down-at-heel, but they knock down/refurbish Vegas hotels at the drop of a hat so it could be better now.. I would second the fact that if you go, take a trip to the Grand Canyon (preferably by helicopter). I'm not normally one to be impressed by landscape, but it is totally jaw-dropping. We took a tour where we flew down and had a picnic inside the canyon, an unforgettable experience. Cost about $500 IIRC, but it was well worth it.. Cheers, Plug

No offence taken.. Think I can probably work it through without having to resort to a Dummies book.. I do look after 30 PC's at work.. Look, I can even do smileys now..

Hello all, I've done the computer equivalent of "going over to the dark side", after umpteen years of PC ownership (anyone remember DOS 3.3?) I've bought a Mac... Fed up with the noise of the PC in the living room, the Mac is near as dammit silent.. wonderful. But I am a complete newbie to OS X, anyone know somewhere to pick up a few pointers? Cheers, Plug

I'm sorry too for all those people who suddenly find their livelihoods in the balance, but this again is a political thing.. consider the timing (and I don't mean 3 degrees over TDC) There is no way that the sale of a major UK motor manufacturer to a distant foreign concern could take place without the nod from the UK government. There are too many vested interests. No doubt there are sweeteners being plied in both directions to make the deal go through, the UK side have design experience and the Chinese have cheap labour, both could benefit. However, with the election being called (what a surprise to all concerned, not) the Chinese suddenly have the upper hand. Very bad politically for any UK party to let the whole deal go down the toilet, marginal constituencies, British manufacturing best in the world etc. Suddenly there is a very different bargaining position, I know if I was brokering the deal on behalf of the Chinese I'd go for the throat. Somehow I doubt the UK will come out better off in the long run. Either the company and its IPR will be sold off for beans to clear the decks, or a "rescue package" will be put in place to keep jobs in the country at a loss (to be paid for by the UK taxpayer). Once enough manufacturing expertise has been transferred to China, then it's goodbye, Longbridge.. Call me a cynic, if you wish. Plug

1 MB ADSL at the moment. My ISP are changing their pricing model to one based on bandwidth rather than speed. As I don't use that much bandwidth, I will be laughing.. I am 400 yds from the main exchange and will get an 8Mb link for the same price I'm currently paying... Ho ho ho. Cheers, Plug

<< Ain't you got a Fiat Punto to service or sumpin Joolian lol >> Or possibly a fat lass.. Cheers, Plug.

Why? What are you trying to clash with? Leave it as it is! Cheers, Plug

Have just been setting the clock on my new phone (why does a phone need to know the time?) and have noticed the date. Duh. Just noticed that early this morning it would have been 01:02 03.04.05. Just thought I'd mention that as today's piece of useless information, probably got some deeply significant meaning if you're a numerologist/druid/whatever. I personally was asleep at the time and missed it, but there you go. Cheers, Plug

Saw that and thought "if ever there was a dish with my name on it".. It was ice cream rolled in something like smashed up Crunchy Nut Cornflakes, then flash fried in (what must have been) extremely hot oil. Healthy? I think not, but it was good! Comes recommended.. Cheers, Plug

Best of luck.. wish I was going too! Spent some time in the Emirates in the mid 90's.. loved it, would love to go back and see what has changed. Hope they still serve deep fried ice-cream in the Intercon in Abu Dhabi... Cheers, Plug

Looking good! Couldn't have one of those in this neck of the woods, there are too many suicidal pheasants running around on the roads hereabouts.. at least they don't jump up and try and get into the bonnet scoop... Cheers, Plug

I am considering going to look at another car tomorrow.. {Dons nomex overalls} It isn't a Scooby... Cheers, Plug

From the likes of Currys etc. I got a "reminder" in the post the other day that my computer is 3 years old. I know this. I also knew, when I bought it off PC World's bargain shelf, that I could fix it if it went wrong, and declined any form of extended warranty, something that has distressed them ever since, judging from the amount of letters that Mastercare have sent me in the meantime. However, they don't give up, and the latest letter reminds me that "computers go wrong more often as they get older". Keine scheizer, Herr Holmes. They have offered me their (no doubt excellent) cover for the next 12 months at the bargain price of...... whatever, got bored at that point and threw it in the shredder. It did occur to me that there is very little of the original PC left, though. I suppose you could say I am still using it, but the bits that still exist are: 1. Motherboard 2. Processor (but that is on its third heatsink) 3. One stick of memory 4. The floppy drive and cable Do you think it would still be covered if I declare the mods that have been done Cheers, Plug

Love the shape of her a*se, more like! Top totty. Cheers, Plug

Errrmm... Polish?? Wassat then.. Cheers, Plug

Andy, do you have a Momo steering wheel? There are known issues with these. To solve the problem, simply remove the wheel. This will cure the strange "waggling" sensation whenever you turn it whilst the car is in motion. This should cure both the "left" waggle and the "right" waggle. You may find your driving enjoyment is reduced by this modification. However, you may find that applying a pair of "Mole Grips" to the splines on the steering column will restore full functionality. HTH, Plug

Bad news, but at least he's in the best place. Get well soon. Cheers, Plug

Normal running around town, back and forwards to work (5 miles each way) = 19 mpg. Done a few motorway runs recently down to Kent and back (100 miles each way), 29-30 mpg. I may have been cruising at slightly over 65 mph during this time. Mine's an unmodded '98 turbo.. just goes to show, they are sensitive to the type of driving you're doing. Cheers, Plug

I've been to that pub! Mate of mine used to live in Blagdon. British Airways also have a 747 named "Blagdon Lake", or at least they used to. I flew out to Cairo on that once, don't yer know. I thought your day might be fulfilled by that completely useless piece of trivia... Cheers, Plug

Looks cool, I love the peppermint green. Rare colour (I've only ever seen one that shade on the road) and a very tidy looking motor. The wing is a bit OTT for my tastes, but it's your choice.. if you're happy who am I to say it's wrong? Should look the dog's once the colour coding is complete Cheers, Plug

Thanks for all the stories and kind words. Day 5 has been a struggle as I haven't been at work today, at least that keeps my mind busy. But I am still going! Reading how all you lot have managed it has increased my resolve. I was wobbling earlier, went and had a look at nicotine patches, they cost almost as much as fags! I'm going to do it the hard way. I can do stubborn in huge quantities, as anyone who's tried to win an argument against me will verify. The main thing I keep thinking of is how much of the cost of a packet of fags is TAX!! The taxman grabs far too much out of my salary as it is, then whatever else you buy with what's left gets taxed as well. When, like me, your favourite things are booze, fags, and Optimax it doesn't take a brain the size of a planet to work out that Gordon Brown rubs his hands every time I get my wallet out. At least with fags off the list I won't be getting shafted quite as badly. Cheers all, Plug

I thought the Multipla was ugly until I saw an Aztek.. Cheers, Plug

A short, and completely off-topic, rant by Plug about giving up smoking. I have been a regular smoker since the age of 18 (so that's 22 years now for those of you that don't know me). I did have a brief hiatus in 1990 or thereabouts, gave up for nearly a year after splitting with my then fiancee and having to deal with the enforced poverty arising therefrom. However, after one particularly bad day at work, I cadged a Benson and Hedges from a colleague and was straight off down the newsagents for a full packet about 10 minutes later. Stupid, and I was back on 20 a day in short order. Fast forward 14 years, coming to rest last Sunday. I was lucky enough (if you can call it that) to come down with a particularly evil strain of cold/flu, confining me to bed for 48hrs. To say I was not a happy camper would have been an understatement. But, as every cloud has a silver lining, I didn't have the slightest urge to smoke during those 2 days (actually, getting oxygen of out the air was hard enough). Once I could breathe again, I thought I might as well try and carry on without the fags... I am now on day 4 and haven't succumbed, although I'm sure some of my colleagues wish I would. This is hard, b*st*rd rotten to the core hard, some doctors reckon going cold turkey off heroin is easier than nicotine withdrawal. Never having been one for hard drugs, I'm not in a position to comment, but it is driving me mental with a capital M. I *WILL* make it stick this time.. but I need words of encouragement. Misery loves company.. anyone else trying to quit? Arrrrgh..... Plug

I'd be having serious words with the supplying dealer if it was me... 1.) Why was it first registered in Spain (assuming it is RHD!), who would want it there.. 2.) Why, if they sold it as UK supplied car (should say declared new on first registration on the V5), are they now trying to back pedal.. 3.) Why don't we come to a mutually agreeable solution (such as YOU fix it and YOU pay for it) before I involve trading standards.... I'm sure a main dealer will just shut up and fix it rather than risk bad press.. as you say, it's not even expensive. It won't cost them anywhere near what they'll try and charge you. Just my £0.02! Cheers, Plug

OMG... a TR7??? Nice pics! Cheers, Plug