The Whinge Thread, Resurrected

[Cochise]

And while we are at it - 'traditional oil-based plastics'. WTF? Are there any non oil-based plastics? Have we all gone stark staring mad and forgot everything that the enlightenment learned in the last three centuries? I despair. The sooner we are replaced by cockroaches the better.

 

[Cochise]

Isn't it because them is actually us?

I got started by not agreeing with something about one of the english universities (I think, it's years ago). So I became a contributor, wrote my piece, argued my case when it was challenged and bob's the proverbial uncle!

You definitely know your stuff @Cochise , why not do the same? Wikipedia isn't monolithic, it's made up of people like you and me

I did try on one of my other areas of enthusiasm, but all that happens is that the original authors keep modifying it back. That's why i started - some while ago - my thing about railway accidents but for various reasons I lost momentum. Must try and get back on that.

 

[EnolaGaia]

And while we are at it - 'traditional oil-based plastics'. WTF? Are there any non oil-based plastics? ...

Yes, there are plastics derived from organic / biomass materials. They're generally called bioplastics. However, bioplastic production and use represents only an extremely small fraction of the overall plastics market space.

 

[Cochise]

And while I'm on a roll, are there no families left in England that are not black/white? I don't use those terms in any racist sense, i don't care about skin colour any more than hair colour - if anything rather less. But it is ridiculous that maybe 75% of couples shown in current adverts - same or different sex - are so coloured.

Especially here in North Wales where a mixed marriage is Celtic/Saxon.

 

[dream_decoder]

And while we are at it - 'traditional oil-based plastics'. WTF? Are there any non oil-based plastics? Have we all gone stark staring mad and forgot everything that the enlightenment learned in the last three centuries? I despair. The sooner we are replaced by cockroaches the better.

Yes, as EnolaGaia pointed out.
I did investigate the use of Polylactic Acid (PLA) Plant derived 'Plastic' retail Project a few years ago but it was too expensive.
It looks and feels like an oil-based plastic, but I can't say I've noticed any further uptake recently.

 

[Cochise]

Yes, as EnolaGaia pointed out.
I did investigate the use of Polylactic Acid (PLA) Plant derived 'Plastic' retail Project a few years ago but it was too expensive.
It looks and feels like an oil-based plastic, but I can't say I've noticed any further uptake recently.

Is not making plastic from organic/biomass still oil based? After all, oil (and coal) are organic - few things more so - and were originally biomass before being compressed by the Earth's natural processes.

edit: maybe I should put that the other way round - why are plastics made from oil or coal - you can indeed do the latter - NOT organic?

We are just cutting the process short by a few million years - the resultant plastics are still - you know - plastics. And still environmentally unfriendly, unless properly recycled.

As an unwhinge - I have a brilliant indestructible (except by fire) waterproof poncho made from recycled plastic bags. It's incredibly difficult to believe its not natural fibre.

 

[Mythopoeika]

And while we are at it - 'traditional oil-based plastics'. WTF? Are there any non oil-based plastics?

Cellophane? PLA?

 

[Mythopoeika]

Yes, as EnolaGaia pointed out.
I did investigate the use of Polylactic Acid (PLA) Plant derived 'Plastic' retail Project a few years ago but it was too expensive.
It looks and feels like an oil-based plastic, but I can't say I've noticed any further uptake recently.

PLA is used a lot in 3D printing.

 

[EnolaGaia]

The earliest patented and widespread plastics were nitrocellulose plastics (e.g., celluloid) made by chemically processing cellulose.

Bioplastics are created from materials that are grown and renewable rather than fossil fuels / petroleum, and they're produced by artificial means rather than waiting around for geologic processes to occur.

This doesn't necessarily mean bioplastics are more biodegradable than petroleum-based plastics. On the other hand, bioplastics can degrade or be reduced to (e.g.) starches and other bio-related substances rather than messy and even toxic hydrocarbon compounds like petro-derivatives.

Recycling therefore remains a problem regardless of the plastic's chemical origin.

 

[Cochise]

The earliest patented and widespread plastics were nitrocellulose plastics (e.g., celluloid) made by chemically processing cellulose.

Bioplastics are created from materials that are grown and renewable rather than fossil fuels / petroleum, and they're produced by artificial means rather than waiting around for geologic processes to occur.

This doesn't necessarily mean bioplastics are more biodegradable than petroleum-based plastics. On the other hand, bioplastics can degrade or be reduced to (e.g.) starches and other bio-related substances rather than messy and even toxic hydrocarbon compounds like petro-derivatives.

Recycling therefore remains a problem regardless of the plastic's chemical origin.

Half of my point

My other point is the bizarre idea that somehow things made from coal and oil are 'different'. They are limited natural resources which we should use cautiously, but i don't understand the paranoia. It's arguably far less harmful to continue to use available organic coal/oil resources than it is to demolish irreplaceable rain forests, along with the actual LIVING species they contain.

 

[Mythopoeika]

Half of my point

My other point is the bizarre idea that somehow things made from coal and oil are 'different'. They are limited natural resources which we should use cautiously, but i don't understand the paranoia. It's arguably far less harmful to continue to use available organic coal/oil resources than it is to demolish irreplaceable rain forests, along with the actual LIVING species they contain.

Yes, I'm with you on that. If we relied on bio sources for everything, there would be no forests and there would be less agricultural land for growing food.

 

[skinny]

Having a totally f’d up day. First a 5am start with gastro kicking in at 5:20. No work process has been tidy due to poor teamwork leading up to my role but anyway work towards a much needed break and reset. 6 hours later I get a break only to find some helpful bugger has turned off the pie warmer and my pasty is stone cold. I am now sitting in the car all anxsty and dehydrated and just done. Fuck days like this!!

ta

 

[skinny]

All good now.

 

[Kondoru]

No sea glass on beach.

Best break that bottle when you finish with it.

 

[Mythopoeika]

No sea glass on beach.

Best break that bottle when you finish with it.

Sure, create a hazard for others.

 

[Kondoru]

That's why you do it in the winter, have it ground down by the summer.

You don't think I was going to make that suggestion in the summer, do you? That would be antisocial

 

[hunck]

How about taking it with you when you leave, along with the rest of your crap including plastic, & putting it in a recycling bin.

 

[Souleater]

That's why you do it in the winter, have it ground down by the summer.

You don't think I was going to make that suggestion in the summer, do you? That would be antisocial

How about taking it with you when you leave, along with the rest of your crap including plastic, & putting it in a recycling bin.

 

[hunck]

Didn't mean to be rude - just saying, visit beach, fine, but take anything you brought away with you. Don't litter. Applies to anywhere really..

 

[Kondoru]

I was making a joke. I don't think you should leave stuff on beaches, -we have the sea to do all that, does a very good job.

But I do collect sea glass (when I can, which is not now) and its very easy to spot a Victorian pleasure spot; lashings of the stuff.

I'm very glad to say finding more modern glass isn't easy.

 

[catseye]

I ordered a can of magnolia paint to cover the dark grey wall in the spare bedroom. And, on the same day, a can of lavender paint to cover the magnolia, and a small pot of white touch-up paint for the ceiling in my room.

The magnolia is here and has been used. The white touch up is here and has been used. Now I am just waiting for the lavender paint, of which there appears to be no sign. Sigh. I've had a whole eleven days off to do this painting and I go back to work tomorrow. I am guessing the paint will turn up tomorrow. While I'm at work, for the double whammy.

 

[Souleater]

I ordered a can of magnolia paint to cover the dark grey wall in the spare bedroom. And, on the same day, a can of lavender paint to cover the magnolia, and a small pot of white touch-up paint for the ceiling in my room.

The magnolia is here and has been used. The white touch up is here and has been used. Now I am just waiting for the lavender paint, of which there appears to be no sign. Sigh. I've had a whole eleven days off to do this painting and I go back to work tomorrow. I am guessing the paint will turn up tomorrow. While I'm at work, for the double whammy.

You would probably have been better off painting the lavender paint straight over the grey, it would probably take 2 coats which is about how many it will take to cover the magnolia

 

[Peripart]

As an unwhinge - I have a brilliant indestructible (except by fire) waterproof poncho made from recycled plastic bags. It's incredibly difficult to believe its not natural fibre.

It's only the Asda logo that gives it away!

 

[catseye]

You would probably have been better off painting the lavender paint straight over the grey, it would probably take 2 coats which is about how many it will take to cover the magnolia

Maybe. But as it stands I've got magnolia but no lavender, so at least it feels like I'm doing something!

 

[Mythopoeika]

I was making a joke. I don't think you should leave stuff on beaches, -we have the sea to do all that, does a very good job.

But I do collect sea glass (when I can, which is not now) and its very easy to spot a Victorian pleasure spot; lashings of the stuff.

I'm very glad to say finding more modern glass isn't easy.

You could make your own. Use a rock tumbler to soften the edges of broken glass.

 

[Kondoru]

An idea, but not one that creates something that an be mistaken for the real deal...

 

[Mythopoeika]

An idea, but not one that creates something that an be mistaken for the real deal...

https://craftingagreenworld.com/articles/make-sea-glass/

 

[blessmycottonsocks]

Buying clothes online can be a costly mistake.
With the ongoing lockdowns, we have resorted to internet shopping more and more but, with no standard approach to sizing, you can end up wasting your money.
Amazon tends to be fairly good about warning you how erratic Asian sizes can be and yet, of the two pairs of hiking trousers I bought over the winter, both of which were labelled XXL, one was a good fit for my 37" waist, whereas the other felt more like a baggy 40".
A linen shirt I ordered in an Asian 4XL was probably equivalent to somewhere between a U.K. L and XL and I could just about squeeze into it.
The worst example though was an order my wife placed through Wish.com for a tartan dress. A UK size 8 is ample for her, so she ordered it in a small.
It took almost a month to arrive - and an anorexic stick insect would have struggled to get into it. So we emailed Wish's customer support to request that my petite wife could return it for a medium or large.
Their response was that it is not company policy to exchange due to size issues.
OK so £23 isn't going to cripple us financially, but it is still exceedingly annoying and we have vowed never to use Wish again.
The incompatibility of European and Asian sizes, not to mention those ridiculous US "vanity sizes" makes online buying something of a minefield. If you have little choice though, probably best to stick to the more reputable suppliers such as Amazon.

 

[maximus otter]

...it is not company policy to exchange due to size issues.

UK law trumps Wish policy:

1.

“You must offer a full refund if an item is faulty, not as described or does not do what it’s supposed to.”

2.

“You do not have to refund a customer if they:

• knew an item was faulty when they bought it
• damaged an item by trying to repair it themselves or getting someone else to do it (though they may still have the right to a repair, replacement or partial refund)
• no longer want an item (for example because it’s the wrong size or colour) unless they bought it without seeing it...”

3.

Online, mail and telephone order customers have the right to cancel their order for a limited time even if the goods are not faulty. Sales of this kind are known as ‘distance selling’.

You must offer a refund to customers if they’ve told you within 14 days of receiving their goods that they want to cancel. They have another 14 days to return the goods once they’ve told you.

You must refund the customer within 14 days of receiving the goods back. They do not have to provide a reason.

https://www.gov.uk/accepting-returns-and-giving-refunds

maximus otter

 

[blessmycottonsocks]

UK law trumps Wish policy:

1.

“You must offer a full refund if an item is faulty, not as described or does not do what it’s supposed to.”

2.

“You do not have to refund a customer if they:

• knew an item was faulty when they bought it
• damaged an item by trying to repair it themselves or getting someone else to do it (though they may still have the right to a repair, replacement or partial refund)
• no longer want an item (for example because it’s the wrong size or colour) unless they bought it without seeing it...”

3.

Online, mail and telephone order customers have the right to cancel their order for a limited time even if the goods are not faulty. Sales of this kind are known as ‘distance selling’.

You must offer a refund to customers if they’ve told you within 14 days of receiving their goods that they want to cancel. They have another 14 days to return the goods once they’ve told you.

You must refund the customer within 14 days of receiving the goods back. They do not have to provide a reason.

https://www.gov.uk/accepting-returns-and-giving-refunds

maximus otter

Thanks Max - I suspected we must have some rights in this area but, given that it would cost us to return the garment and, there are a couple of young and very svelte girls in my wife's family, it has already been put aside as a present for some (lucky?) recipient.
I have, though, added a very critical review of Wish.com to Trustpilot, in the hope that it may prevent other unsuspecting users from wasting money with Wish.