Things never used for their intended purpose

[AdamW]

I was just thinking (always a bad idea).

The ashtray in a car, that's a funny thing. The handbook calls it an ashtray, I call it an ashtray, if I pointed to it and said "What's that?" you would probably say "Well Adam, it's an ashtray".

But I have never seen anyone use one for ash. Smokers I know flick their ash out of the window, and when they are finished the dog end goes the same way. Even cars without cigar lighters have ashtrays. I would imagine the most common contents of a car ashtray are sweet wrappers and loose change. My Astra, a family hatchback, also has an ashtray in the back... would you let your kids smoke in the back?

Any other things that are seldom if ever used for their designed purpose?

 

[Diyisfun]

Seldom used, but when they are its generally for the purpose 'AIR BAGS', I was watching tv the other night (as you do) air bags for pedestrians. I wonder if the bored will run out into the road to try them.

 

[pipme]

Ash tray, just the place to store the security wheel-nut socket !!

Perhaps the road shold be contained within a huge tunnel like air bag, pedestrians could walk and play on it, cars and lorries bounce off the inner walls, while the internal polluted air could be srubbed before entering the normal atmosphere

 

[ninebob]

In my flat, I have an ashtray with my keys in it, a mug as a pen tidy, and most weirdly a fridge as a filing cabinet!

 

[andy]

my ashtray has a morrisons fuel points card and some change

 

[andy]

fridge as a filing cabinet!

keep documents cool in the event of a fire?

 

[ninebob]

The fridge was here when I moved in, but I already had my own fridge-freezer. I can't get rid of itr because it's brand new and belongs to the landlord, so I use it for storing my correspondence.

The utility companies all know what a cool customer I am!

 

[pipme]

45p ---> Freezing your assetts ?

Have an ashtray, it was nicked from a swish-ish country club of which I was a member in the 70's ... took this dollly bird along, big impression, she nicked a f'ing ashtray !! Might as well have taken her to dirty dicks for a bacon sarny !!
P

 

[jasy]

this web site!

 

[mildmanneredjanitor]

this web site!

Hahahahahahah!!!!!

I remember some time back, that a friend bought a new Audi and had the no cost option of a non smoking car - Minus ash tray!

 

[jasy]

 

[pipme]

I shouldn't worry about all that nonsense .. Asia has more people smoking and driving by the minute, anything we do is literally a pizz drop in the ocean .... All the green stuff which Govn goes along with is to extract more taxes from us on the premise of a better future for our kids -- what ? we keep the air above us do we -- sorry we share and can do nowt about it .. yes it may be critical, try telling that to someone who has watched the West indulge itself for generations -- they want and will have some of the goodies - we started it, they may finish it !! .. irrespective of what we do -- Imagine how they already look at us as cheats and liars and thieves, as if they would be swayed by our actions !! be glad to see us suffer more like !!
P

 

[jasy]

deep man....really deep

 

[masona]

I shouldn't worry about all that nonsense .. Asia has more people smoking and driving by the minute, anything we do is literally a pizz drop in the ocean .... All the green stuff which Govn goes along with is to extract more taxes from us on the premise of a better future for our kids -- what ? we keep the air above us do we -- sorry we share and can do nowt about it

Very true and the USA is one of the biggest polluter in the world and what are they doing about it specially with their cheap petrol & cars doing 15/20 mpg ?
Blair's government is not interested, only our money

I think I've got it right that in the UK is less than 1% pollution ???

 

[AdamW]

I do wonder if the current popularity of SUVs and the trend for larger-than necessary engines in normal cars is some kind of last-chance binge? Our engines are more fuel-efficient than those of previous decades, so instead of using the same size engines and saving fuel, we stick larger engines in and use the same amount of fuel as before. If we were all logical types we would stop buying our 2-litre superminis, 3+ litre small family hatchbacks and 4 litre 4x4s, and make the most of what is left. But, that isn't human nature:

If I have a packet of chocolate biscuits, I will eat them 3 at a time. No, not three at once! I mean cup of tea plus 3 biscuits. I know there is a whole packet of biscuits left, one day they will be gone but that is a while away.

But what happens when I realise there are 4 biscuits left in the packet? Do I make them last? Do I have 2 biscuits now and 2 biscuits another time? No. I have 4 biscuits.

So, oil is like biscuits, and we know we've only got 4 left. So we better hurry up and invent jaffa cakes or... we might have to walk sometimes.