Things you always wanted to know the answer to [Vol. 5]
Discussion
Doofus said:
What's the business model for funfairs?
Does one person/business own the lot, and employ people, or do different people own the rides/attractions and they just come together as a collective?
Presumably somebody has to be in charge, and who's responsible for things like fences, litter and the like?
I can only give a very incomplete and dated answer.Does one person/business own the lot, and employ people, or do different people own the rides/attractions and they just come together as a collective?
Presumably somebody has to be in charge, and who's responsible for things like fences, litter and the like?
It used to be (I'm talking 50 years ago) a very close-knit group of a few families. New members would start working on other peoples stalls. Then they'd be allowed a small stall of their own and then work their way up until they owned many stalls, waltzers, dodgems etc. They'd then buy amusement arcades in seaside towns. They generally intermarried. My knowledge of this was from a friend of my parents who had married into one of the families and would talk about it from an outsider's point of view.
There is also the Showmen's Guild of Great Britain (https://showmensguild.co.uk/) that seems to have an overseeing role.
RizzoTheRat said:
bigpriest said:
Page 228 for me. Am I doing this right? 
Yes, most of us have a Porsche or a Ferrari, you have a BMW 
Plus you're wearing out your scroll wheel.
AstonZagato said:
Doofus said:
What's the business model for funfairs?
Does one person/business own the lot, and employ people, or do different people own the rides/attractions and they just come together as a collective?
Presumably somebody has to be in charge, and who's responsible for things like fences, litter and the like?
I can only give a very incomplete and dated answer.Does one person/business own the lot, and employ people, or do different people own the rides/attractions and they just come together as a collective?
Presumably somebody has to be in charge, and who's responsible for things like fences, litter and the like?
It used to be (I'm talking 50 years ago) a very close-knit group of a few families. New members would start working on other peoples stalls. Then they'd be allowed a small stall of their own and then work their way up until they owned many stalls, waltzers, dodgems etc. They'd then buy amusement arcades in seaside towns. They generally intermarried. My knowledge of this was from a friend of my parents who had married into one of the families and would talk about it from an outsider's point of view.
There is also the Showmen's Guild of Great Britain (https://showmensguild.co.uk/) that seems to have an overseeing role.
When I go abroad, my laptop/tablet/phone knows I'm abroad, presumably due to my IP. It therefore starts sending me to geographically local websites, rather than UK ones.
I'm subscribed to a couple of email things (Car and Classic being one), and those start arriving in the local language too.
All fine, no problem with the above. But:
Why the f
k do my devices never change back once I return to the UK?
I'm subscribed to a couple of email things (Car and Classic being one), and those start arriving in the local language too.
All fine, no problem with the above. But:
Why the f
k do my devices never change back once I return to the UK?Doofus said:
When I go abroad, my laptop/tablet/phone knows I'm abroad, presumably due to my IP. It therefore starts sending me to geographically local websites, rather than UK ones.
I'm subscribed to a couple of email things (Car and Classic being one), and those start arriving in the local language too.
All fine, no problem with the above. But:
Why the fk do my devices never change back once I return to the UK?
Cache is King! I'm subscribed to a couple of email things (Car and Classic being one), and those start arriving in the local language too.
All fine, no problem with the above. But:
Why the f
k do my devices never change back once I return to the UK?The browser reverts to your most recent history to determine what you might be after. It will correct itself after a while but there's a bit of latency depending on how you use the internet when you get back.
I use a VPN when abroad so the Internet thinks I'm in the UK. This allows me to watch iPlayer, etc. But the time on the laptop is still the local time and have often wondered how that works if everything else thinks I'm somewhere else.
StevieBee said:
Doofus said:
When I go abroad, my laptop/tablet/phone knows I'm abroad, presumably due to my IP. It therefore starts sending me to geographically local websites, rather than UK ones.
I'm subscribed to a couple of email things (Car and Classic being one), and those start arriving in the local language too.
All fine, no problem with the above. But:
Why the fk do my devices never change back once I return to the UK?
Cache is King! I'm subscribed to a couple of email things (Car and Classic being one), and those start arriving in the local language too.
All fine, no problem with the above. But:
Why the f
k do my devices never change back once I return to the UK?The browser reverts to your most recent history to determine what you might be after. It will correct itself after a while but there's a bit of latency depending on how you use the internet when you get back.
I use a VPN when abroad so the Internet thinks I'm in the UK. This allows me to watch iPlayer, etc. But the time on the laptop is still the local time and have often wondered how that works if everything else thinks I'm somewhere else.
I've been back in the UK since the end of May, and my emails from Car and Classic are still in French.
I noticed this a few weeks back, and I've noticed it again. I'm in the pub and they've put the footy on the big telly. It's a good telly. Some shots are in perfectly crisp clear HD imagery, but some shots look like really old crappy CGI from an twenty year old Sega, Play Station or Xbox. Why? They're changing shots every few seconds, some look real, which they are, some look beyond fake, like really crap AI/CGI or even Subbuteo, which they aren't, they're real 
21st Century Man said:
I noticed this a few weeks back, and I've noticed it again. I'm in the pub and they've put the footy on the big telly. It's a good telly. Some shots are in perfectly crisp clear HD imagery, but some shots look like really old crappy CGI from an twenty year old Sega, Play Station or Xbox. Why? They're changing shots every few seconds, some look real, which they are, some look beyond fake, like really crap AI/CGI or even Subbuteo, which they aren't, they're real
Ours does that, I assume it's momentarily running out of bandwidth, not enough to freeze up and give the swirly sinkdrain of buffering doom but definite loss of quality.I've never been to Thailand..but what's the deal with these bars on Soi 6?
to preface, I've no interest of ever going there specifcally, the idea of walking down that street and seeing them all stare at me would fill me with dread. But I look at these videos people post online and there seems to be 20 or more girls to each one of these bars, more girls than the bars even have seating. The ratio even when busy is always well off with tons more women then men. Is it just to get them in to stay the evening and spend money on booze?
From what it looks like it just feels like you're walking down a market but all the vendors are selling the exact same thing.
to preface, I've no interest of ever going there specifcally, the idea of walking down that street and seeing them all stare at me would fill me with dread. But I look at these videos people post online and there seems to be 20 or more girls to each one of these bars, more girls than the bars even have seating. The ratio even when busy is always well off with tons more women then men. Is it just to get them in to stay the evening and spend money on booze?
From what it looks like it just feels like you're walking down a market but all the vendors are selling the exact same thing.
ambuletz said:
I've never been to Thailand..but what's the deal with these bars on Soi 6?
to preface, I've no interest of ever going there specifcally, the idea of walking down that street and seeing them all stare at me would fill me with dread. But I look at these videos people post online and there seems to be 20 or more girls to each one of these bars, more girls than the bars even have seating. The ratio even when busy is always well off with tons more women then men. Is it just to get them in to stay the evening and spend money on booze?
From what it looks like it just feels like you're walking down a market but all the vendors are selling the exact same thing.
Partly to spend money on drinks, but how do you know they are all girls? A friend of mine went to one of these bars whilst on holiday in Thailand and got the shock of his life to preface, I've no interest of ever going there specifcally, the idea of walking down that street and seeing them all stare at me would fill me with dread. But I look at these videos people post online and there seems to be 20 or more girls to each one of these bars, more girls than the bars even have seating. The ratio even when busy is always well off with tons more women then men. Is it just to get them in to stay the evening and spend money on booze?
From what it looks like it just feels like you're walking down a market but all the vendors are selling the exact same thing.
Gladers01 said:
Partly to spend money on drinks, but how do you know they are all girls? A friend of mine went to one of these bars whilst on holiday in Thailand and got the shock of his life
Some are ladyboys (ie. don't identify as women, or don't identify solely as women) and some are trans women (ie. do identify as women), so technically you're correct that they're not all girls. You'd have to be pretty naive not to know about the possibility of a Thai girl being a ladyboy, though, as Thailand is famous for this. There's a sizeable Wikipedia page on the subject: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathoey
Edited by Clockwork Cupcake on Wednesday 26th June 15:20
Why do people feel the need to consume pints of beer at arena/stadium gigs? Is it learned behaviour or are they all borderline alcoholics?
Like babies missing a teat they queue for 20 minutes to get their precious pint, disturb those already sat down by squeezing past and spill beer down the backs of those on the row in front.
Then they're up and down for the next couple of hours lavatory, bar, lavatory, bar, lavatory etc etc
Like babies missing a teat they queue for 20 minutes to get their precious pint, disturb those already sat down by squeezing past and spill beer down the backs of those on the row in front.
Then they're up and down for the next couple of hours lavatory, bar, lavatory, bar, lavatory etc etc
popeyewhite said:
Why do people feel the need to consume pints of beer at arena/stadium gigs? Is it learned behaviour or are they all borderline alcoholics?
Like babies missing a teat they queue for 20 minutes to get their precious pint, disturb those already sat down by squeezing past and spill beer down the backs of those on the row in front.
Then they're up and down for the next couple of hours lavatory, bar, lavatory, bar, lavatory etc etc
I don’t get your workings. At Twickenham, you’re limited to four pints per person a visit which is usually enough to last a rugby halfLike babies missing a teat they queue for 20 minutes to get their precious pint, disturb those already sat down by squeezing past and spill beer down the backs of those on the row in front.
Then they're up and down for the next couple of hours lavatory, bar, lavatory, bar, lavatory etc etc
or maybe I’m getting old. Gassing Station | The Lounge | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff