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Most ballpoint ink is alcohol based so try meths first.

Scoby_Beasley hits the nail on the head. In my young day the two weakest links in the hi-fi chain were the record deck (remember them, your parents called them gram-o-phones!) and the speaker(s). The arrival of the CD has eliminated the first weak link but the speaker problem remains. The...

Thanks keyplayer. It's nice to know that one's efforts aren't just blowing in the wind. Another nice thought but maybe we need a bit more diversity. The idea of a planet devoid of managers, salesmen and politicians sounds great in theory but I'm not convinced it would work. On the other...

This reminds me of the Kronenberg Uncertainty Principle When you have a night you can't remember, all those around you have one they can't forget.

I'm not at all surprized that some people can be so stupid. My father was a secondary school science teacher until 1984 and he had noticed with some dismay the gradual dumbing down of science, both in schools and on TV programs like Tomorrow's World. It's got a lot worse since then. A...

Sex education? Don't get me started! Actually there's no need to get me started because this isn't about sex education at all. Even the pathetic excuse for sex-ed that British schools offer would have prevented this triple c*ck-up (no pun intended) so I won't bother reiterating my...

Left over gloss paint has many uses: 1) Paint it on the raw chipboard edges found on the backs of far too many kitchen units. 2) Paint it thickly onto the ends of fence posts when they've finished soaking up preservative. 3) Paint the insides of metal guttering. The colour mismatch...

Sorry all you baldies but the claim that baldness is a sign if virility is based on a false premise. Excess testosterone causes baldness? This is true. Excess testosterone will make you more virile? Er, no! A small amount is all you need for a healthy interest in the opposite sex. Women...

It's true that your share of democracy is not very big. How many general elections will you see during your voting lifetime? Not a lot. What difference will your single vote make amongst the millions of others? B****r all! In short, the probability that your vote will change so much as one...

Since nobody seems to have picked this up yet --- Halogen bulbs do not take kindly to being dimmed. If you do a search you'll find long running arguments over this. The gist of it all is that the halogen is put in there for a reason, namely to pick up tungsten from the envelope, which is...

Are these mains bulbs or low voltage? I've come across the two (or more) together puzzle before on low voltage halogen bulbs and it goes like this: 1) The bulbs are on a good old fashioned transformer with coils on an iron core. 2) The bulb which is going to blow draws a huge current...

I've had to cut holes in lath and plaster before. Laths that are cut right through tend to flap around behind and there's a risk of the plaster crumbling. One way out is to put a disc of plywood/plastic/metal/anythingyoulike between the light fitting and the ceiling. You cut your nice round...

White vinegar OR sodium bicarbonate can be used but NOT both at the same time. Vinegar is acid and bicarb is alkaline. They will neutralize each other in a great fizz-up! Alkalis are best for removing grease whereas acids are better for limescale and tarnished metal. You can add common salt...

For a straight run choose solid every time. It won't sag or allow condensation to collect in corrugations. Speaking of condensation, try to arrange a slight downward slope towards the outside so that this can escape.

If I was PM - or opposition leader for that matter - and I knew I would have to move over, I would first make sure that my job went to somebody I approved of. Why? Because I wouldn't want to spend the rest of my days on the back benches that's why. I would be trying to rig things so that I...

I might have got the wrong end of the stick here but is this something to do with people on community service and how it's somehow demeaning to make them wear orange overallls? Quite right. They should have regulation prison blue.

Thanks MMJ, I'll give that a try. If it comes in a spray can there's no danger of confusing it with the whisky either!

Getting back to lorries --- Does this sound familiar? You're cruising along the motorway in moderate traffic when you see the dreaded sign "Slow Lorries Ahead". No problem you think. There are three lanes. So why is there a huge bunch of cars building up ahead? The problem isn't the...

I came across a very amusing thread on a different forum, spent an hour writing a reply then found that the moderators had deleted it! Don't you just hate that? For your amusement I have rewritten what I can remember of the original post along with my reply. I'm not sure whether it belongs...

Since the first light works you are looking for a bad connection (or cable) between the first and second lights.