Old Stuff I Really Miss

[Nifty1]

Laid up in bed with KindyFlu and got to do a bit of grumbling. It started with the electric blanket.

Old style blankets had a clicky lever and the maximum effort was 3 clicks to whatever temperature you wanted. And you could feel the numbers. This one has a switch on the back, then turn over and press the button for feet maybe 8 times to get it on full, then another button for the main section - another 8 presses - but you also have to read the pissy little display to make sure you didn't press too many times. That's not a better product.

Antifoul. I used to use a paint with TBT in it. It worked. Lasted for years, but was banned as too toxic (ie too good). So now I have to use inferior products three times as often, making three times as much toxic waste. I want my TBT back.

Creosote. Guaranteed to make timber immune to pests and rot. Haven't seen it for ages. I guess it must be illegal now.

Decking Oil. I used some water based decking oil last time. Always slightly tacky, gets milky when wet, always looks dirty. I'm going back to real oil. Hope the environment can cope with that.

Marine Safety. Took the grandkids out in the 11' dinghy, but it was 3 hours of preparation to have the right lifejackets, with current AS ratings (and this meant weighing the kids!), check expiry dates on the flares, new battery for the waterproof torch, check the fire extinguisher, anchor, oars, bailer, and current rego for the boat and the trailer. Yes I know it's common sense but this is in a lake and canals, never more than 50m from shore, and so shallow you could probably walk it in anyway. Flares, for Christ's sake!

Common Sense. A mate has informed me that in the world of OH&S you are actively discouraged from using common sense. Apparently it's better to sift through the manuals and standards to find an approved procedure, and common sense is reckoned to be a very poor defence if you are ever called to account.

Knobs. Much better than multiple presses on a button when all you want to do is change the volume.

And Switches. So much more direct than the nested menus that have escaped from computers to infect he rest of the world.

There's lots more but now I'm too depressed to continue

and I posted in the wrong section too - sorry

[Bird]

found creosote for you

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aczPDGC3f8U

[xcvator]

You didn't need the flares 

[Nifty1]

Yep, don't need them, but you MUST have them. I heard about a bloke near Metung who didn't have them and got picked up a few years ago. Apparently he gave the cops a real mouthful and he copped multiple fines to cover each of the 4 flares he didn't have.

The fine for having a flat battery in your torch used to be $176, probably close to $200 now. And it's not good enough to just be carrying a spare battery either. I guess that makes sense in a way.

[Mrs smith]

Yep, wont be long and you'll need a PFD just to go swimming.
There hell bent on dumbing us down...

[whitey1]

What's the torch for?
And I thought you only had to carry flares if you were more than 1 km off shore.
Yep, just looked it up, here in WA at least in enclosed protected waters all you need is a bailer, skippers ticket and a fire extinguisher. No flares or even life jackets required but are recommended.

[Nifty1]

You West Australians must be so much tougher than us Victorians! Even on this protected lake I gotta have all this stuff even one inch off the shore. I guess the torch is to signal for help if the bloody flares don't work.

Guys here can get busted launching their boats if not wearing a lifejacket. Single person on board means Heightened Risk so lifejacket required thanks as soon as the boat breaks contact with the trailer.

[Paul (SA)]

I miss Vincent powders...

[nab]

Playing tennis/cricket/footy in the street. Someone would yell "car" whenever needed and stumps(wheely bin) etc would get shifted to the side and drivers would wave at you as they went past, not yell expletives.

Oh the 80s were good haha

[achjimmy]

bates salve. If you had a splinter no mucking about digging it out with a needle. Heated the bates up with a match and dropped it on and out would come the splinter a day later.

[GeoffA]

I miss Vincent powders...

BEX is better.....

There's a reason they're both gone.

[Symon]

BEX is better.....

There's a reason they're both gone.

Pretty nasty too - http://samhs.org.au/Virtual%20Museum/Medicine/Australian_analglesia/Australian_analglesia.html

[GeoffA]

My grandmother used to take a Bex every morning, just in case she got a headache.

The power of advertising.....

[speewa158]

BEX is better.....

There's a reason they're both gone.




         Did you sniff them , or swallow them 

[paulo]

Analogue TV for me. No pixilation and if the reception went dodgy at least you could still hear what was going on and half see things through the snow, no blue screen flickering on and off.

E-mailing instead of Facebook. Have to have FB because that's the only way to keep up with kids sport.

And not being sent paper copies of accounts and such to "save paper". More like save money and effort. Still needs to be printed out at home, by me.

Kids riding around on pushies without any worry and people being responsible for themselves and leaving other peoples stuff alone.

Rant over 

[Mrs smith]

bates salve. If you had a splinter no mucking about digging it out with a needle. Heated the bates up with a match and dropped it on and out would come the splinter a day later.

A few alternatives we use at home.

Thars Ointment

http://www.rawleigh.net/antiseptic_salve.htm

[Garfish]

My first boat  and 40 series cruiser. Don't miss the petrol bill from it though


Sent from my fingers via my brain

[Bird]

I miss a world without fun police and politican correctness stupidity

[Azz]

I blame lawyers for pretty much all of the above.

If it wasn't for a lawyer suing on behalf of some idiot that should really be dead (Darwin's theory) and thus winning a huge settlement for said idiot that should be no longer living.
Idiot goes on to reproduce more idiots, that are now cashed up.

So then the government, being the cash cows they are, due to our funding them by working our asses off for them to steal away more than half from us place laws, rules, regs and red tape so there is less chance of being sued.

Remove the lawyers, make people responsible for their own actions.

This OHS stuff has become an industry to protect people from themselves, is it needed, really?

[Tim - Stratford]

Spot on Azz - I'll even go a step further. Politicians and police need to take some responsibility too - if we hadn't introduced seat belt and XPCA laws in the 70's imagine how many less numpties we'd have around today!  unfortunately the legislation and enforcement prevented Darwin's theory taking today's numpties' grandparents and parents!

A couple of bosses at work didn't see it the same way when I mentioned it though! 

[Dingo0163]

Talking to Vic coast guard this morning , you do not need flares or anchor for rivers or lakes. I have a 10' car topper with the floor filled in between the two seats. I was told I need a bilge pump if you have any flooring. On the bright side they gave me a waterproof phone bag. 

[gronk]

I miss the days when all you worried about was getting old  ......aahh those were the days !!

[Bird]

This OHS stuff has become an industry to protect people from themselves, is it needed, really?

amazing aint it!!!
I mean we all need a sign on a hot tap saying its HOT.... or buy a McDonalds Coffee and need HOT on the lid, cause coffee maybe hot! Or ... a HOT APPLE PIE!!!!!!!! IT MAYBE HOT...
or if you fall down those stairs you may get injured....

[briann532]

Can I add my wife?

She's old and I keep missing her, one day I'll get her though!!!!



On a serious note, I really miss "service"
You know when people actually cared and let you know..............
Ah the good ole days.....................

[xcvator]

BEX is better.....

Only with a good lay down