The totally off-topic thread

[erkpod]

For someone who has a small collection of train related signs in his backyard, this place is like a toy store!







There's a lot of new orange signs going up.

 

[JohnK]

If you tell someone a secret is it still a secret?

 

[RB]

Saw this in the Aussie press today. We visited this while we were in India in 2013 and it was amazing

Rock Garden of Chandigarh: India’s secret garden

 

[Pushka]

Saw this in the Aussie press today. We visited this while we were in India in 2013 and it was amazing

Rock Garden of Chandigarh: India’s secret garden

There is an interesting line in the story which prompted him to start building the garden. Raises the issue of whether we keep natural areas undeveloped when no one can see them or get to them. “For 18 years nobody came to know. There was a forest here, who would come here and what for? There were no roads to come and go,”

 

[amaroo]

Russian central bank raises interest rate to 17% to prevent rouble’s collapse

Russian central bank raises interest rate to 17% to prevent rouble

Russia’s central bank has taken drastic action to halt the rouble’s freefall on the foreign exchanges by raising interest rates by 6.5 percentage points to 17%.

 

[Princess Fiona]

Russian central bank raises interest rate to 17% to prevent rouble’s collapse

Russian central bank raises interest rate to 17% to prevent rouble

Yikes !! No financial interest in Russia thank goodness

 

[amaroo]

Yikes !! No financial interest in Russia thank goodness

We were looking to buy our first home (late 80's) when Australia's interest rates was 17% .... the average mortgage back then would've be less than today's average household CC limit. When interest rates start climbing here - it will be interesting!

 

[Buzzard]

We were looking to buy our first home (late 80's) when Australia's interest rates was 17% .... the average mortgage back then would've be less than today's average household CC limit. When interest rates start climbing here - it will be interesting!

I still remember those days. 17.5% on the home loan.
By the time I paid the mortgage there was only enough left for sausages and cask wine :shock:

 

[medhead]

The story I read said Russian interest rates went to 100% in 1998.

 

[JohnK]

Russian central bank raises interest rate to 17% to prevent rouble's collapse

I miss those days.

First loan at 17.3% and as first homebuyer rate dropped 0.3% first few months. Term deposit rates were ~15% and you felt like you got something for your hard earned.

 

[Princess Fiona]

Any tips for non-ironers like myself?
I just got 3 new sets of scrubs for work and they wash like rags
I've never ironed anything in my life and I don't want to start now.
All the usual tricks like getting them out of the machine straight away and shaking before hanging out don't work. Neither does hanging the dried uniforms in the bathroom with the shower on.
Shrek's suggested I send them out to the Dry Cleaners (like I do with all my nice things that need pressed) but I think that's a bit excessive for work uniforms.

 

[JohnM]

Any tips for non-ironers like myself?
I just got 3 new sets of scrubs for work and they wash like rags
I've never ironed anything in my life and I don't want to start now.
All the usual tricks like getting them out of the machine straight away and shaking before hanging out don't work. Neither does hanging the dried uniforms in the bathroom with the shower on.
Shrek's suggested I send them out to the Dry Cleaners (like I do with all my nice things that need pressed) but I think that's a bit excessive for work uniforms.

Get Shrek to iron them...and what about some training for those offsprogs of yours .

 

[Princess Fiona]

Get Shrek to iron them...and what about some training for those offsprogs of yours .

Ok, that's two options I hadn't thought of

 

[Mal]

Any tips for non-ironers like myself?
I just got 3 new sets of scrubs for work and they wash like rags
I've never ironed anything in my life and I don't want to start now.
All the usual tricks like getting them out of the machine straight away and shaking before hanging out don't work. Neither does hanging the dried uniforms in the bathroom with the shower on.
Shrek's suggested I send them out to the Dry Cleaners (like I do with all my nice things that need pressed) but I think that's a bit excessive for work uniforms.

One of my old tricks was to remove stuff before the spin cycle, but I think you may have tried this.
There's also the trick of adding a cup of white vinegar before the final rinse, but when I tried this ages ago, it did leave an odd smell on the clothes

 

[anat0l]

Any tips for non-ironers like myself?
I just got 3 new sets of scrubs for work and they wash like rags

How have you gotten away with not ironing for so long? And I don't ask that with a chauvinistic / anti-feminist disposition...

For most men who have to wear some sort of shirt for work, let alone trousers of some kind, ironing is a staple skill (unless you don't have to be serious about it).

I think there are still serviced laundries about who will iron your clothes for a modest price. Unsure about turnaround time.

Alternatively, you could face the music and confide in a friend (or neighbour) who might do you a favour in exchange for a modest gift.

 

[anat0l]

One of my old tricks was to remove stuff before the spin cycle, but I think you may have tried this.
There's also the trick of adding a cup of white vinegar before the final rinse, but when I tried this ages ago, it did leave an odd smell on the clothes

Both rarely work in my experience. The vinegar thing is essentially a substitute for using fabric softener; supposed to be ideal for those who are allergic to the fragrance compounds, but you don't put too much or it needs very good airing in order to ensure you don't smell like a chippy.

 

[Mal]

For most men who have to wear some sort of shirt for work, let alone trousers of some kind, ironing is a staple skill (unless you don't have to be serious about it).

While I can iron, and don't mind doing it, I think I can count the number of times I've ironed a work shirt in the last 5 years on one hand.

The combination of non-iron fabric, washing clothes 'correctly', and the occasional use of laundry services means there just hasn't been that requirement.

 

[anat0l]

While I can iron, and don't mind doing it, I think I can count the number of times I've ironed a work shirt in the last 5 years on one hand.

The combination of non-iron fabric, washing clothes 'correctly', and the occasional use of laundry services means there just hasn't been that requirement.

I have to admit I'm a lazy ironer, and it isn't exactly a hobby of mine.

This winter I've gotten even lazier since layers cover up the unironed shirt.

All of my shirts require ironing (not that kind of non-iron fabric); they actually don't look rather flash if they are not ironed, so I'd only put it on after giving it a good shake down and if I don't have to meet anyone important that day (i.e. hermit time).


One thing that does surprise me in Switzerland is having to do my laundry in the washing machine followed by the tumble drier. At home in Australia, it goes in the washing machine, which takes at least 1.5x the time to complete even in softer water, and it is line dried. Yet over here I get better clothes washed, less overall lint spread (in fact, none), save much more time (even though it still takes 2.5 hours minimum per wash load) and the clothes haven't been destroyed or shrunk. The only real disadvantage is that the clothes are overall more crinkled compared to line drying, but nothing an iron doesn't fix anyway.

 

[Buzzard]

We just pay an ironing lady.

 

[anat0l]

Here's another thing I notice compared to home.

Who here (in Australia) buys supermarket branded products? And I mean not only brands like You'll Love Coles or Woolworths Select, I mean some of the bargain basement supermarket brands like Black and Gold, Home Brand, etc.?

Supermarket branded products here also have a range from budget to more expensive, but I tend to buy from the budget range. That's lots of things from edibles, milk and household products. Normally supermarket branded products get a bad rep in Australia even if they are cheaper, but over here I find that the products are pretty good. Food is edible, the quality is at least reasonable, and household products (like washing detergent) work pretty well.

If you bought supermarket branded budget products in Australia, people conclude either you are poor, tight or aren't interested in quality.