sinclair launches world's smallest folding bike

[Jose Marques]

On Thu, 8 Jul 2004, Julesh wrote:

> Not the "One Per Desk" - as in it was (allegedly) cheap
> enough that a whole office didn't have to share a single
> computer.

Having ten computers (two on my desk, four underneath, four
behind me) in my office at the moment I do wonder if it
wasn't all some ghastly mistake.

--
Jose Marques

 

[Julesh]

Jose Marques wrote:
> On Thu, 8 Jul 2004, Julesh wrote:
>
>
>>Not the "One Per Desk" - as in it was (allegedly) cheap
>>enough that a whole office didn't have to share a single
>>computer.
>
>
> Having ten computers (two on my desk, four underneath,
> four behind me) in my office at the moment I do wonder if
> it wasn't all some ghastly mistake.
>

Yes. Are you sure it's an office? I often used to hide in
the server room when I ran a network. It was lovely on hot
days and a good place to hide from anybody wanting anything
explained. ;-)

Jules

 

[James Thomson]

"Peter Clinch" <[email protected]> wrote:

> Alex Moulton set out to prove that small wheels were not
> intrinsically poor, yet despite not worrying himself with
> things like low cost mass production, [snip]

Historical note: the first series of Moulton bicycles were
designed explicitly with low cost mass production in mind.
Through his motor industry contacts, Moulton had a
production agreement with the BMC plant at Kirkby. About a
quarter of a million Series 1 and 2 Moultons were produced
between 1962 and 1970, and Moulton's sales were second only
to Raleigh.

James Thomson

 

[Jose Marques]

On Fri, 9 Jul 2004, Julesh wrote:

> Yes. Are you sure it's an office? I often used to hide in
> the server room when I ran a network. It was lovely on hot
> days and a good place to hide from anybody wanting
> anything explained. ;-)

Yes, it's an office. The machine room is nearly full and
the aircon is on the blink. My previous office had even
more machines, which was good because the windows wouldn't
shut properly and the computers kept it nice and warm in
winter. The old Suns made a hell of a racket though. My
boss tells me I can move some of the machines next week,
but I'll be getting a new PowerMac G5 DP to make up for the
loss. Woe is me.

NB. To get back on topic. My Brompton (which alas only gets
me from the car park) fits very nicely under the desk
behind me next to an old G4.

--
Jose Marques

 

[Peter Clinch]

James Thomson wrote:

> Historical note: the first series of Moulton bicycles were
> designed explicitly with low cost mass production in mind.
> Through his motor industry contacts, Moulton had a
> production agreement with the BMC plant at Kirkby. About a
> quarter of a million Series 1 and 2 Moultons were produced
> between 1962 and 1970, and Moulton's sales were second
> only to Raleigh.

Thanks for that: I (obviously) hadn't realised he'd made
anything like that number (I thought it was in the 5 figures
range, though that would hardly have been something to
sneeze at as it is).

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer Tel 44 1382 660111
ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital Fax 44 1382
640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net
[email protected] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

 

[Paul]

In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] says...
> "Peter Clinch" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > Alex Moulton set out to prove that small wheels were not
> > intrinsically poor, yet despite not worrying himself
> > with things like low cost mass production, [snip]
>
> Historical note: the first series of Moulton bicycles were
> designed explicitly with low cost mass production in mind.
> Through his motor industry contacts, Moulton had a
> production agreement with the BMC plant at Kirkby. About a
> quarter of a million Series 1 and 2 Moultons were produced
> between 1962 and 1970, and Moulton's sales were second
> only to Raleigh.
>
> James Thomson
>
>
>
I had a Moulton Midi in the 70s, and my sister had a
moulton mini at the same time. We got these bikes because
my folks wouldn't pay for 'proper' racing bikes. I went
miles on that thing.
--
.paul

If at first you don't succeed... Skydiving is probably not
the sport for you.

 

[Danny Colyer]

I found a couple of small pictures here:
<URL:http://www.waff.com/global/story.asp?s=1992870&ClientType=Printable>

--
Danny Colyer (the UK company has been laughed out of my
reply address)
<URL:http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/danny/> "He who
dares not offend cannot be honest." - Thomas Paine

 

[Julesh]

Danny Colyer wrote:

> I found a couple of small pictures here: <URL:http://www.-
> waff.com/global/story.asp?s=1992870&ClientType=Printable>
>
They certainly show the sort of surface it's intended for.
It's not really going to manage potholes is it?

Jules

 

[Simon Brooke]

in message <[email protected]>, Andy Leighton
('[email protected]') wrote:

> On Fri, 09 Jul 2004 14:17:00 +0100, [Not Responding]
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>> On Fri, 09 Jul 2004 12:56:39 GMT, Julesh
>> <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>>Gawnsoft wrote:
>>>
>>>> I was never a Spectrum person. I wanted a 6502 too
>>>> much. So I had an Oric (or two).
>>>>
>>>I recall, white with two blue stripes and tiny keys
>>>wasn't it?

Silver grey rather than white, but yes. There was a later
model called the Atmos which I think was black and red (my
Oric is the early model).

>> Was it the Oric that had a tiny built-in LCD screen
>> allowing you to programme the thing?
>
> No I don't think so. Are you thinking about the Grundy
> Newbrain which had a 1x16 display (but I don't think it
> was LCD)?

Only the Newbrain AD model; I've got one of those as well.

> I don't know whether you could actually use the machine
> without a TV/monitor hooked up either.

Yes, you can.

As you can tell, you _really_ wouldn't want to be sat next
to me at a dinner party!

--
[email protected] (Simon Brooke)
http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; MS Windows: A thirty-two bit extension ... to a
sixteen bit ;; patch to an eight bit operating system
originally coded for a ;; four bit microprocessor and
sold by a two-bit company that ;; can't stand one bit of
competition -- anonymous

 

[Martinm]

Helen Deborah Vecht <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Jon Senior <jon@restlesslemon_DOT_co_DOT_uk.remove>typed
>
>
> > Despite this I've got a soft spot for Mr Sinclair. He's
> > a true British institution. Despite having the inverse
> > Midas Touch [1] he plods onward undaunted.
>
> > Jon
>
> > [1] Everything he touches turns to sh..
>
> Shouldn't that be the Sadim touch??

I heard an urban myth once that a chap walked into Sir
Clive's office (about 15 years ago) unrolled a flat screen
colour tv like a certificate, and promptly left never to be
seen again.

 

[Gawnsoft]

On Fri, 09 Jul 2004 03:25:27 +0100, anonymous coward
<[email protected]> wrote (more or less):

>On Thu, 08 Jul 2004 23:22:18 +0000, Gawnsoft wrote:
...
>> I cycle lots of places where there are potholes. I've yet
>> to cycle /into/ a pothole. I find cycling around the
>> potholes to be a far superior technique. However, you may
>> feel your kung fu is superior to my kung fu...
>
>Quite the opposite, if you manage to avoid _all_ of them!
>
>Riding a recumbent with 406 size wheels, quite small bumps
>can become a big issue. For example if there are roadworks
>and there's 2cm bump where the surface changes, I have to
>slow right down to avoid getting a pinch flat. I used to
>have a bike with a 451 size wheel (not much bigger) and it
>seems to cope much better.
>
>On the other hand, kiddie-scooters seem to cope OK, so
>maybe it can be made to work.

I think it's probably the view of the exact placement of the
front wheel varies from 'bent to mtb.

I find my gaze is pretty much on the ground just a yard or
two in fromt of the front contact patch unless I make an
effort to look somewhere else when I'm on my mtb.

I suspect your 'bent has you gazing ahaead at number-
plate height...

--
Cheers, Euan Gawnsoft: http://www.gawnsoft.co.sr
Symbian/Epoc wiki: http://html.dnsalias.net:1122 Smalltalk
links (harvested from comp.lang.smalltalk)
http://html.dnsalias.net/gawnsoft/smalltalk

 

[Gawnsoft]

On Fri, 09 Jul 2004 14:17:00 +0100, "[Not Responding]"
<[email protected]> wrote (more or less):

>On Fri, 09 Jul 2004 12:56:39 GMT, Julesh
><[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>Gawnsoft wrote:
>>
>>> I was never a Spectrum person. I wanted a 6502 too much.
>>> So I had an Oric (or two).
>>>
>>I recall, white with two blue stripes and tiny keys
>>wasn't it?
>>

The Oric-1 was that. It was later revamped to become the
Oric Atmos, with a red and black colour scheme and a
proper keyboard.

>Was it the Oric that had a tiny built-in LCD screen
>allowing you to programme the thing?

Alas, no.

There was a micro called the Newbury or somesuch that had a
wee single-line LED display built-into the case to alow use
as a portable.

>I started with a ZX81. To an 11 year old science fiction
>buff, having my own computer was like the future had
>arrived. I progressed through Spectrums and even started my
>career as a software engineer.
>
>Looking back, I find it quite remarkable that the nations
>youth (well, the male ones) were so gripped with
>programming as a hobby. Maybe it was just my school but if
>you mastered interrupts, you were The Man.

I fondly remember the crisp £5 notes (wel, cheques really) I
could get from reverse-engineering what interrupt the OS
used for what, and sending off the info to the handy hint
sections of the PC mags.

--
Cheers, Euan Gawnsoft: http://www.gawnsoft.co.sr
Symbian/Epoc wiki: http://html.dnsalias.net:1122 Smalltalk
links (harvested from comp.lang.smalltalk)
http://html.dnsalias.net/gawnsoft/smalltalk

 

[Gawnsoft]

On Fri, 09 Jul 2004 13:58:55 +0100, anonymous coward
<[email protected]> wrote (more or less): ...
>What cycle computer should I fit to warn me when I'm going
>dangerously fast?!

One which will accept wheel-circumference measurements down
to about 360mm, I'd guess.

(Which lets out my £7 Equus Judo, I'm pretty sure)

--
Cheers, Euan Gawnsoft: http://www.gawnsoft.co.sr
Symbian/Epoc wiki: http://html.dnsalias.net:1122 Smalltalk
links (harvested from comp.lang.smalltalk)
http://html.dnsalias.net/gawnsoft/smalltalk

 

[Just Zis Guy]

On Thu, 08 Jul 2004 23:44:58 GMT, Gawnsoft
<[email protected]> wrote in message
<[email protected]>:

>I certainly swapped from civil engineering to electronics
>and comp sci off the back of the summer twixt school and
>uni being spent on a ZX81...

And then switched to mechanical after spending the next
summer on a CBR600 ;-)

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after
posting. http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at
Washington University

 

[Just Zis Guy]

On Fri, 09 Jul 2004 16:28:09 GMT, Julesh
<[email protected]> wrote in message
<[email protected]>:

>Yes. Are you sure it's an office? I often used to hide in
>the server room when I ran a network. It was lovely on hot
>days and a good place to hide from anybody wanting anything
>explained. ;-)

I've just had an "MIS Workroom" built (offices are
political, y'see). Lockable door with no window in it and an
air conditioner :-D

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after
posting. http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at
Washington University

 

[Just Zis Guy]

On Fri, 9 Jul 2004 19:20:49 +0100, Jose Marques
<[email protected]> wrote in message
<[email protected]>:

>The old Suns made a hell of a racket though.

And the heat. The HEAT!

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after
posting. http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at
Washington University

 

[Tony Raven]

MartinM wrote:
>
>
> I heard an urban myth once that a chap walked into Sir
> Clive's office (about 15 years ago) unrolled a flat screen
> colour tv like a certificate, and promptly left never to
> be seen again.

Just another example of young, wealthy and bored aliens
get their kicks from 'buzzing' pre-star travel planets
and making contact only with people whom no-one will
ever believe.

Tony

 

[Julesh]

Simon Brooke wrote:

<snip>
>
> As you can tell, you _really_ wouldn't want to be sat next
> to me at a dinner party!

I'd probably survive. Now - do you remember the Jupiter Ace?
That was an odd one!

Jules

 

[Simon Brooke]

in message <[email protected]>, Julesh
('[email protected]') wrote:

> Simon Brooke wrote:
>
> <snip>
>>
>> As you can tell, you _really_ wouldn't want to be sat
>> next to me at a dinner party!
>
> I'd probably survive. Now - do you remember the Jupiter
> Ace? That was an odd one!

I have two, one assembled after the company went bankrupt
and had run out of top halves of the case. So the top half
is not so much missing as never there. I've also got
Memotech's prototype of a plugin keyboard (proper keys) for
the Jupiter Ace which never went into production. It doesn't
work (and I don't think it ever did) but both Aces work.

--
[email protected] (Simon Brooke)
http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/ ; ... of course nothing
said here will be taken notice of by ; the W3C. The
official place to be ignored is on www-style or ; www-html.
-- George Lund

 

[Gawnsoft]

On Sat, 10 Jul 2004 09:12:31 +0100, "Just zis Guy, you know?"
<[email protected]> wrote (more or less):

>On Thu, 08 Jul 2004 23:44:58 GMT, Gawnsoft
><[email protected]> wrote
>in message <[email protected]>:
>
>>I certainly swapped from civil engineering to electronics
>>and comp sci off the back of the summer twixt school and
>>uni being spent on a ZX81...
>
>And then switched to mechanical after spending the next
>summer on a CBR600 ;-)

A year using a combo of ICL punch-cards (using Pascal),
NorthStar Horizon CP/M machines (using Fortran), and various
vintages of Commodore Pet - including the ancient chiclet
key ones (using Basic) folllowed.

Weirdly, continuing on the comp. sci. joint honours course
depended more on the electrical engineering courses' marks
than on the comp. sci. marks, so I eded up doing electrical
engineering because my marks were worse for that than they
were for comp. sci....

Still, at least I've now got a brand new shiney social
science qualification to add to the collection.

--
Cheers, Euan Gawnsoft: http://www.gawnsoft.co.sr
Symbian/Epoc wiki: http://html.dnsalias.net:1122 Smalltalk
links (harvested from comp.lang.smalltalk)
http://html.dnsalias.net/gawnsoft/smalltalk