Am 07.07.2014 21:59, schrieb Stephen:
> On 06/07/2014 9:05 PM, Doctor John wrote:
>> What's on your desktop?
>
> You don't want to know. And I don't want to tell you.

How do you know we don't want to know? We can be pretty curious...

...thinks: Well, maybe /that/ is why the cat is gone. We probably 
shouldn't have asked...


"Curiosity killed the cat."
   - E. Schrodinger

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On 7-7-2014 22:16, Stephen wrote:
> On 06/07/2014 11:06 PM, Doctor John wrote:
>> On 06/07/14 22:44, andrel wrote:
>>> two monitors, an old deceased amplifier, a speakerbox, pinter, laptop,
>>> scanner, books, piles of paper, lots of wires, keys, broken glasses,
>>> batteries, caminandes usb thingy (http://www.caminandes.com/), business
>>> cards, mobile phone, mice, 40GB digital tape (unopened), voltage
>>> detector, ...
>>>
>>
>> You really need to tidy up.:-D
>>
>
> It is the man's life you are talking about, John.
>
> andrel, how long have you had that desk as a pet?
>
>

I built it, I think, a year after I moved in, so about 13-14 years now.



-- 
Everytime the IT department forbids something that a researcher deems
necessary for her work there will be another hole in the firewall.

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On 07/07/14 19:21, scott wrote:
> <snip> ... and my gf gets
> 30cm at the end for an in-tray-like contraption that she hardly ever
> touches :-)
> 

Is there no end to your generosity? ;-)

John
-- 
Protect the Earth
It was not given to you by your parents
You hold it in trust for your children

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>> <snip> ... and my gf gets
>> 30cm at the end for an in-tray-like contraption that she hardly ever
>> touches :-)
>
> Is there no end to your generosity? ;-)

Well she has her own desk in another room... she's lucky I haven't 
cleared her stuff off my desk :-)

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On 08/07/2014 2:42 PM, scott wrote:
> she's lucky I haven't cleared her stuff off my desk :-)

No you are lucke. Or wise, even. ;-)


-- 
Regards
     Stephen

I solemnly promise to kick the next angle, I see.

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On 07/07/2014 10:37 PM, clipka wrote:
> Am 07.07.2014 21:59, schrieb Stephen:
>> On 06/07/2014 9:05 PM, Doctor John wrote:
>>> What's on your desktop?
>>
>> You don't want to know. And I don't want to tell you.
>
> How do you know we don't want to know?

'Cause I know better than thou.

> We can be pretty curious...
>

Some say stupid but not twice.

> ....thinks: Well, maybe /that/ is why the cat is gone. We probably
> shouldn't have asked...
>

No point. You wouldn't understand the answer.

>
> "Curiosity killed the cat."
>    - E. Schrodinger
>

Are you sure?

-- 
Regards
     Stephen

I solemnly promise to kick the next angle, I see.

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On 07/07/2014 10:48 PM, andrel wrote:
> On 7-7-2014 22:16, Stephen wrote:
>> On 06/07/2014 11:06 PM, Doctor John wrote:
>>> On 06/07/14 22:44, andrel wrote:
>>>> two monitors, an old deceased amplifier, a speakerbox, pinter, laptop,
>>>> scanner, books, piles of paper, lots of wires, keys, broken glasses,
>>>> batteries, caminandes usb thingy (http://www.caminandes.com/), business
>>>> cards, mobile phone, mice, 40GB digital tape (unopened), voltage
>>>> detector, ...
>>>>
>>>
>>> You really need to tidy up.:-D
>>>
>>
>> It is the man's life you are talking about, John.
>>
>> andrel, how long have you had that desk as a pet?
>>
>>
>
> I built it, I think, a year after I moved in, so about 13-14 years now.
>

Then no man can tell you what to do with it.


-- 
Regards
     Stephen

I solemnly promise to kick the next angle, I see.

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in news:53b9ac20$1@news.povray.org Doctor John wrote:

> What's on your desktop

about 25 books on brewing, box with 7 USB drives, scanner, printer, 2 
broken labtops, pint of porter with two sips left, thing with two legs to 
draw circles, two coffee mugs (empty), a fur dinosaur, abox with my son's 
teeth, blue fur hippo, e-reader, 5 pairs of glasses, cameras and a lot 
more

Ingo

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Am 08.07.2014 22:53, schrieb Stephen:
> On 07/07/2014 10:37 PM, clipka wrote:

>> "Curiosity killed the cat."
>>    - E. Schrodinger
>
> Are you sure?

Well, /if/ Schrodinger's kitty ever turns out to be /definitely/ dead, 
then it /will/ be curiosity that killed it. Without a cruel curious 
observer to open the box to look, kitty could exist happily ever after 
in a state of comfy uncertainty.

(Note that Schrodinger's though experiment is terribly bogus; as he 
noted himself, the idea of a feline being alive /and/ dead at the same 
time is ridiculous enough, but the mere thought of any box providing no 
conceivable escape route for a cat really tops it off. Now a canine, 
that would be an entirely different story...)

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On Tue, 08 Jul 2014 21:53:01 +0100, Stephen wrote:

>> "Curiosity killed the cat."
>>    - E. Schrodinger
>>
>>
> Are you sure?

LOL



-- 
"I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and 
besides, the pig likes it." - George Bernard Shaw

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On Wed, 09 Jul 2014 03:36:23 +0200, clipka wrote:

>  but the mere thought of any box providing no
> conceivable escape route for a cat really tops it off.

With our three cats, that doesn't seem infeasible.  They seem to prefer 
spending all their time in the various boxes we've left around the house 
for them.

Jim



-- 
"I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and 
besides, the pig likes it." - George Bernard Shaw

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From this whole exercise I must conclude that the "Clean Desk" movement 
has gotten nowhere at all :-) At my office somewhen during the nineties 
that was the policy; it didn't work of course.

So, what do I surround me with? Papers (lots of) from snippets (1x5 cm) 
to A4 format; books (also paper, but different, as those from an older 
generation know); a tea mug (full); a piece of toasted bread; a torture 
instrument to pierce holes in paper sheets; two rulers for different 
scales (e.g. 1:250 1:500 1:1250); two pens; a PC + screen; soundboxes.

Not properly on the desktop but within reach on a shelf, are more papers 
and books; a box with an assorted collection of desktop junk like 
scissors and staples etc; a pack of playing cards and a pack of Tarot 
cards; a couple of notebooks (paper); a thermometer; two external drives.

I may have forgotten some items.... :-)

Thomas

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Thomas de Groot <tho### [at] degrootorg> wrote:
> From this whole exercise I must conclude that the "Clean Desk" movement
> has gotten nowhere at all :-)


I don't know about that. From what I've read here everyone seems quite
regulated. Mine is so cluttered it is like an archilogical dig finding things. I
have even misplaced a dwarf wolly mamoth, somewhere.

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On 9-7-2014 13:45, Stephen wrote:
> Thomas de Groot <tho### [at] degrootorg> wrote:
>>  From this whole exercise I must conclude that the "Clean Desk" movement
>> has gotten nowhere at all :-)
>
>
> I don't know about that. From what I've read here everyone seems quite
> regulated.

Well, regulated compared with /your/ desk? ;-)

Mine is so cluttered it is like an archilogical dig finding things. I
> have even misplaced a dwarf wolly mamoth, somewhere.

Yes, that's what I mean. I can easily recognise that :-)

Thomas

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Le 2014-07-08 23:05, Jim Henderson a écrit :
> On Wed, 09 Jul 2014 03:36:23 +0200, clipka wrote:
>
>>   but the mere thought of any box providing no
>> conceivable escape route for a cat really tops it off.
>
> With our three cats, that doesn't seem infeasible.  They seem to prefer
> spending all their time in the various boxes we've left around the house
> for them.
>
> Jim

Feline rules of acquisition:
1. Can I eat it?
2. Can I sleep on it?
	2.a.  Were you trying to read that?
	2.b.  Will cat hair mess it up?
3. Can I sleep in it?

If you've answered yes to any of the questions above, the item now 
belongs to the cat and any attempt to reclaim it will prove to be futile.

-- 
/*Francois Labreque*/#local a=x+y;#local b=x+a;#local c=a+b;#macro P(F//
/*    flabreque    */L)polygon{5,F,F+z,L+z,L,F pigment{rgb 9}}#end union
/*        @        */{P(0,a)P(a,b)P(b,c)P(2*a,2*b)P(2*b,b+c)P(b+c,<2,3>)
/*   gmail.com     */}camera{orthographic location<6,1.25,-6>look_at a }

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Le 2014-07-09 07:45, Stephen a écrit :
> Thomas de Groot <tho### [at] degrootorg> wrote:
>>  From this whole exercise I must conclude that the "Clean Desk" movement
>> has gotten nowhere at all :-)
>
>
> I don't know about that. From what I've read here everyone seems quite
> regulated. Mine is so cluttered it is like an archilogical dig finding things. I
> have even misplaced a dwarf wolly mamoth, somewhere.
>

I had a prof in university who would routinely "lose" the phone on his 
desk and would have no choice but start from the wall jack and follow 
the wire, as the stack of papers and circuit boards would muffle the 
ring sound.



-- 
/*Francois Labreque*/#local a=x+y;#local b=x+a;#local c=a+b;#macro P(F//
/*    flabreque    */L)polygon{5,F,F+z,L+z,L,F pigment{rgb 9}}#end union
/*        @        */{P(0,a)P(a,b)P(b,c)P(2*a,2*b)P(2*b,b+c)P(b+c,<2,3>)
/*   gmail.com     */}camera{orthographic location<6,1.25,-6>look_at a }

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Am 09.07.2014 15:57, schrieb Francois Labreque:

> I had a prof in university who would routinely "lose" the phone on his
> desk and would have no choice but start from the wall jack and follow
> the wire, as the stack of papers and circuit boards would muffle the
> ring sound.

He'll be screwed when they replace the old phones with wireless ones..

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On Wed, 09 Jul 2014 09:53:31 -0400, Francois Labreque wrote:

> Le 2014-07-08 23:05, Jim Henderson a écrit :
>> On Wed, 09 Jul 2014 03:36:23 +0200, clipka wrote:
>>
>>>   but the mere thought of any box providing no
>>> conceivable escape route for a cat really tops it off.
>>
>> With our three cats, that doesn't seem infeasible.  They seem to prefer
>> spending all their time in the various boxes we've left around the
>> house for them.
>>
>> Jim
> 
> Feline rules of acquisition:
> 1. Can I eat it?
> 2. Can I sleep on it?
> 	2.a.  Were you trying to read that?
> 	2.b.  Will cat hair mess it up?
> 3. Can I sleep in it?
> 
> If you've answered yes to any of the questions above, the item now
> belongs to the cat and any attempt to reclaim it will prove to be
> futile.

That explains what happens when a cat lies down on your lap, 
certainly...We call it "cat stapling," but I've also heard it called 
"feline paralysis."

Jim


-- 
"I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and 
besides, the pig likes it." - George Bernard Shaw

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On 09/07/2014 7:48 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
> On Wed, 09 Jul 2014 09:53:31 -0400, Francois Labreque wrote:

>> If you've answered yes to any of the questions above, the item now
>> belongs to the cat and any attempt to reclaim it will prove to be
>> futile.
>
> That explains what happens when a cat lies down on your lap,
> certainly...We call it "cat stapling," but I've also heard it called
> "feline paralysis."
>


My story is:
Quite a few years ago, my wife took time off work because she was ill. 
When I came home that night she was lying on the sofa. Because our cat 
had gone into the bedroom and head butted* her until she got out of bed. 
Then he went to sleep in "his" bed.

* Yes, the cat was from Glasgow and in the UK a head butt is called a 
Glasgow Kiss. So maybe Bertie was being affectionate?

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On 9-7-2014 20:48, Jim Henderson wrote:
> On Wed, 09 Jul 2014 09:53:31 -0400, Francois Labreque wrote:
>
>> Le 2014-07-08 23:05, Jim Henderson a écrit :
>> If you've answered yes to any of the questions above, the item now
>> belongs to the cat and any attempt to reclaim it will prove to be
>> futile.
>
> That explains what happens when a cat lies down on your lap,
> certainly...We call it "cat stapling," but I've also heard it called
> "feline paralysis."

And there is no cure.

One of our cats found it quite normal at night to sleep on my chest, 
front paws on both sides of my neck, snoring in my ears, saliva dripping 
in my neck. The worst however, was when he was dreaming...

Thomas

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On 9-7-2014 13:45, Stephen wrote:
> Thomas de Groot <tho### [at] degrootorg> wrote:
>>  From this whole exercise I must conclude that the "Clean Desk" movement
>> has gotten nowhere at all :-)
>
>
> I don't know about that. From what I've read here everyone seems quite
> regulated. Mine is so cluttered it is like an archilogical dig finding things. I
> have even misplaced a dwarf wolly mamoth, somewhere.

The Clean Desk Policy was very strict. Except for a screen, a keyboard, 
a mouse and a phone, nothing was allowed after working hours. It meant 
you had to re-create your own junk every morning and clean it up before 
leaving. The bright idea (for which managers are sometimes known) behind 
the concept was that a "cluttered desk revealed a cluttered mind" etc 
etc. I suspect that the ideal was a permanently pristine desk during 
working hours.

Ah, but you know all that I am sure.

Thomas

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Le 2014-07-10 03:29, Thomas de Groot a écrit :
> On 9-7-2014 13:45, Stephen wrote:
>> Thomas de Groot <tho### [at] degrootorg> wrote:
>>>  From this whole exercise I must conclude that the "Clean Desk" movement
>>> has gotten nowhere at all :-)
>>
>>
>> I don't know about that. From what I've read here everyone seems quite
>> regulated. Mine is so cluttered it is like an archilogical dig finding
>> things. I
>> have even misplaced a dwarf wolly mamoth, somewhere.
>
> The Clean Desk Policy was very strict. Except for a screen, a keyboard,
> a mouse and a phone, nothing was allowed after working hours. It meant
> you had to re-create your own junk every morning and clean it up before
> leaving. The bright idea (for which managers are sometimes known) behind
> the concept was that a "cluttered desk revealed a cluttered mind" etc
> etc. I suspect that the ideal was a permanently pristine desk during
> working hours.
>
> Ah, but you know all that I am sure.
>
> Thomas
>

At my work, the "clean desk policy" was to prevent confidential 
information from falling into the wrong hands, which makes sense at 
first, but quickly veered into GATTACA levels of paranoia, since going 
through someone's rolodeck might reveal which customers and which 
suppliers she's working with and may give a competitor information about 
deals she's pursuing (assuming, of course, that the janitor is really a 
competitor in disguise), so they enforced rules such as "no telephone 
numbers must be visible" - which meant that depending on how anal 
retentive the person doing the evening workplace audit was, you could 
get written up for having the city phonebook on your bookshelf, or a 
business card from your dentist.

-- 
/*Francois Labreque*/#local a=x+y;#local b=x+a;#local c=a+b;#macro P(F//
/*    flabreque    */L)polygon{5,F,F+z,L+z,L,F pigment{rgb 9}}#end union
/*        @        */{P(0,a)P(a,b)P(b,c)P(2*a,2*b)P(2*b,b+c)P(b+c,<2,3>)
/*   gmail.com     */}camera{orthographic location<6,1.25,-6>look_at a }

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On 10/07/2014 8:29 AM, Thomas de Groot wrote:

> The Clean Desk Policy was very strict. Except for a screen, a keyboard,
> a mouse and a phone, nothing was allowed after working hours. It meant
> you had to re-create your own junk every morning and clean it up before
> leaving. The bright idea (for which managers are sometimes known) behind
> the concept was that a "cluttered desk revealed a cluttered mind" etc
> etc. I suspect that the ideal was a permanently pristine desk during
> working hours.
>
> Ah, but you know all that I am sure.
>
I've always said that a clean and empty desk is a sign of a troubled 
mind. :-)

Having said that and remembering all of my previous replies. My desk at 
work is generally empty. This last week or so I have been working on 
spec-ing workshop papers so I have to have printouts to mark up and give 
to the developers (scanned). But initially I create them in Visio then 
draw on the printouts to label them.


-- 
Regards
     Stephen

I solemnly promise to kick the next angle, I see.

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On 10-7-2014 9:29, Thomas de Groot wrote:
> On 9-7-2014 13:45, Stephen wrote:
>> Thomas de Groot <tho### [at] degrootorg> wrote:
>>>  From this whole exercise I must conclude that the "Clean Desk" movement
>>> has gotten nowhere at all :-)
>>
>>
>> I don't know about that. From what I've read here everyone seems quite
>> regulated. Mine is so cluttered it is like an archilogical dig finding
>> things. I
>> have even misplaced a dwarf wolly mamoth, somewhere.
>
> The Clean Desk Policy was very strict. Except for a screen, a keyboard,
> a mouse and a phone, nothing was allowed after working hours. It meant
> you had to re-create your own junk every morning and clean it up before
> leaving. The bright idea (for which managers are sometimes known) behind
> the concept was that a "cluttered desk revealed a cluttered mind" etc
> etc. I suspect that the ideal was a permanently pristine desk during
> working hours.

obligaory einstein quote:
http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/10805-if-a-cluttered-desk-is-a-sign-of-a-cluttered


-- 
Everytime the IT department forbids something that a researcher deems
necessary for her work there will be another hole in the firewall.

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andrel <byt### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
> obligaory einstein quote:
> http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/10805-if-a-cluttered-desk-is-a-sign-of-a-cluttered

"Over half of quotes out there are misattributed." - Mark Twain

-- 
                                                          - Warp

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On 11-7-2014 5:38, Warp wrote:
> andrel <byt### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
>> obligaory einstein quote:
>> http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/10805-if-a-cluttered-desk-is-a-sign-of-a-cluttered
>
> "Over half of quotes out there are misattributed." - Mark Twain
>

Ah yes! the Einstein quote! But /your/ quote is false! see, 6th image 
from the top: http://energyquotes.blogspot.nl/2013/05/einstein-quotes.html

I shall believe Mark Twain. Can you imagine Einstein with a clean desk?

Thomas

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On 11-7-2014 5:38, Warp wrote:
> andrel <byt### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
>> obligaory einstein quote:
>> http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/10805-if-a-cluttered-desk-is-a-sign-of-a-cluttered
>
> "Over half of quotes out there are misattributed." - Mark Twain
>
obligatory lincoln quote:
http://cheezburger.com/4777806080

-- 
Everytime the IT department forbids something that a researcher deems
necessary for her work there will be another hole in the firewall.

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On Thu, 10 Jul 2014 09:12:56 +0200, Thomas de Groot wrote:

> On 9-7-2014 20:48, Jim Henderson wrote:
>> On Wed, 09 Jul 2014 09:53:31 -0400, Francois Labreque wrote:
>>
>>> Le 2014-07-08 23:05, Jim Henderson a écrit :
>>> If you've answered yes to any of the questions above, the item now
>>> belongs to the cat and any attempt to reclaim it will prove to be
>>> futile.
>>
>> That explains what happens when a cat lies down on your lap,
>> certainly...We call it "cat stapling," but I've also heard it called
>> "feline paralysis."
> 
> And there is no cure.

We have crafted one or two exceptions, but yeah, generally, there is no 
cure. :)

Which is a challenge for me, because I'm actually quite allergic to them.

> One of our cats found it quite normal at night to sleep on my chest,
> front paws on both sides of my neck, snoring in my ears, saliva dripping
> in my neck. The worst however, was when he was dreaming...

...and because of my allergies, they don't sleep in our room at night. :)

Jim

-- 
"I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and 
besides, the pig likes it." - George Bernard Shaw

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On Thu, 10 Jul 2014 09:29:10 +0200, Thomas de Groot wrote:

> "cluttered desk revealed a cluttered mind"

Except that a cluttered desk reveals an *active* mind. :)

Jim



-- 
"I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and 
besides, the pig likes it." - George Bernard Shaw

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On Sun, 06 Jul 2014 23:24:20 -0400, Jim Henderson wrote:

> On Sun, 06 Jul 2014 21:56:34 +0100, Doctor John wrote:
> 
>> On 06/07/14 21:52, Jim Henderson wrote:
>>> On Sun, 06 Jul 2014 21:05:35 +0100, Doctor John wrote:
>>> 
>>>> What's on your desktop?
>>> 
>>> Lots of stuff.
>>> 
>>> Probably too much to enumerate, actually - and I need to clear some of
>>> it off, because I am getting some new gear next week - including a new
>>> 27" monitor for work.  I'm not sure exactly where I'm going to put it,
>>> because I hate to block the view I have to the north out my window.
>>> 
>>> Jim
>>> 
>>> 
>> OK just some of the more unusual items.
> 
> Green laser pointer, and a solar powered charger. :)
> 
> Oh, and a stack of "Get Out of Hell Free" cards.

And now a Thunderbolt display and two Macbook Pros (one Retina, one not).

Well, you did say "some of the more unusual items", and I've not been  
known as an Apple fan in the past, so it's quite unusual that I have 
these items.  But they're for work. :)

Jim
-- 
"I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and 
besides, the pig likes it." - George Bernard Shaw

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On 12-7-2014 0:53, Jim Henderson wrote:

> Which is a challenge for me, because I'm actually quite allergic to them.

Well, you have earned all my respect then. Not easy at all.

> ...and because of my allergies, they don't sleep in our room at night. :)

They have not yet learned to open closed doors?

Thomas

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On 12-7-2014 0:53, Jim Henderson wrote:
> On Thu, 10 Jul 2014 09:29:10 +0200, Thomas de Groot wrote:
>
>> "cluttered desk revealed a cluttered mind"
>
> Except that a cluttered desk reveals an *active* mind. :)
>

My idea entirely.

Thomas

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On 12/07/2014 08:10, Thomas de Groot wrote:
> They have not yet learned to open closed doors?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2oH9dGr1sE



-- 

Regards
     Stephen

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On Sat, 12 Jul 2014 09:10:23 +0200, Thomas de Groot wrote:

> On 12-7-2014 0:53, Jim Henderson wrote:
> 
>> Which is a challenge for me, because I'm actually quite allergic to
>> them.
> 
> Well, you have earned all my respect then. Not easy at all.

The allergist I went to see did the scratch test, which uses a scale of 
0-3, and cat dander was a 3+ for me.  Yeah, not easy at all, but because 
I've been around cats most of my life, I don't get the type of reaction 
that people with a less severe allergy but don't have cats have.

Though when I first moved to Utah, I didn't have cats, and for the first 
time in my life, I was able to breathe properly.  Then I got cats - I 
didn't make the connection until I was tested.

>> ...and because of my allergies, they don't sleep in our room at night.
>> :)
> 
> They have not yet learned to open closed doors?

The doors in our apartment are "handle" doors, so I suppose they could, 
but two of them are > 18 years old, and the youngest is 11 (and 
overweight - he's never been able to jump properly, though - but he does 
give me "high fives" on occasion, which is pretty cute).

If they did, we'd have to lock the bedroom door. :)

Jim


-- 
"I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and 
besides, the pig likes it." - George Bernard Shaw

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On Sat, 12 Jul 2014 09:11:33 +0200, Thomas de Groot wrote:

> On 12-7-2014 0:53, Jim Henderson wrote:
>> On Thu, 10 Jul 2014 09:29:10 +0200, Thomas de Groot wrote:
>>
>>> "cluttered desk revealed a cluttered mind"
>>
>> Except that a cluttered desk reveals an *active* mind. :)
>>
>>
> My idea entirely.

I saw that someone else beat me to it, too. :)

Jim



-- 
"I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and 
besides, the pig likes it." - George Bernard Shaw

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On 12-7-2014 13:55, Stephen wrote:
> On 12/07/2014 08:10, Thomas de Groot wrote:
>> They have not yet learned to open closed doors?
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2oH9dGr1sE

I was curious about that one because of the increased difficulty of a 
round doorknob. Our cats had it easy: the door handle is just a lever to 
be pulled down through a judicious jump ;-)

Thomas

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On 12-7-2014 19:46, Jim Henderson wrote:
> The doors in our apartment are "handle" doors, so I suppose they could,
> but two of them are > 18 years old, and the youngest is 11 (and
> overweight - he's never been able to jump properly, though - but he does
> give me "high fives" on occasion, which is pretty cute).

Little chance then that they will take the trouble to learn a new (and 
tiresome) trick ;-)

Good old age too. Ours did not live beyond 18. A few weeks ago, there 
was mention at the BBC of the /oldest/ cat which died at 24 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/27794411 but there are records of older 
ones still. Oldest seems to be 38, as told in the BBC news.

>
> If they did, we'd have to lock the bedroom door. :)

Alternatively (for a time) mounting the door handle vertically helps too.

Thomas

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On 13/07/2014 08:23, Thomas de Groot wrote:
> On 12-7-2014 13:55, Stephen wrote:
>> On 12/07/2014 08:10, Thomas de Groot wrote:
>>> They have not yet learned to open closed doors?
>>
>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2oH9dGr1sE
>
> I was curious about that one because of the increased difficulty of a
> round doorknob. Our cats had it easy: the door handle is just a lever to
> be pulled down through a judicious jump ;-)
>

I would say that the latch of the lock does not go through the strike 
plate, properly. Either through the house settling or the door warping.
I have known a few doors like that where you have to positively shut the 
door until the latch engages.
The handle even though round looks like it is a mock crystal one with 
facets. The cat might get enough of a grip to give it a small rotational 
moment while it is pulling towards itself.
To me the interesting thing is that it did not go into the room immediately.

-- 

Regards
     Stephen

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Am 13.07.2014 11:33, schrieb Stephen:
> On 13/07/2014 08:23, Thomas de Groot wrote:
>> On 12-7-2014 13:55, Stephen wrote:
>>> On 12/07/2014 08:10, Thomas de Groot wrote:
>>>> They have not yet learned to open closed doors?
>>>
>>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2oH9dGr1sE
>>
>> I was curious about that one because of the increased difficulty of a
>> round doorknob. Our cats had it easy: the door handle is just a lever to
>> be pulled down through a judicious jump ;-)
>>
>
> I would say that the latch of the lock does not go through the strike
> plate, properly. Either through the house settling or the door warping.
> I have known a few doors like that where you have to positively shut the
> door until the latch engages.
> The handle even though round looks like it is a mock crystal one with
> facets. The cat might get enough of a grip to give it a small rotational
> moment while it is pulling towards itself.
> To me the interesting thing is that it did not go into the room
> immediately.

In opening th door it was just doing the dog a favor ;-)

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Am 13.07.2014 09:23, schrieb Thomas de Groot:
> On 12-7-2014 13:55, Stephen wrote:
>> On 12/07/2014 08:10, Thomas de Groot wrote:
>>> They have not yet learned to open closed doors?
>>
>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2oH9dGr1sE
>
> I was curious about that one because of the increased difficulty of a
> round doorknob. Our cats had it easy: the door handle is just a lever to
> be pulled down through a judicious jump ;-)

Pro tip: Most European style door handles can be easily reconfigured to 
vertical orientation for a drastic increase in cat resistance ;-)

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On 13-7-2014 11:33, Stephen wrote:
> To me the interesting thing is that it did not go into the room
> immediately.
>

Yes, and also the obvious fact that the cat did all the work, including 
the mental part about how to tackle the closed door problem. The dog was 
just passive. Tells us something about cats and dogs...

Obviously, this was not the first time that the cat did the trick, hence 
the footage :-)

Thomas

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On 13/07/2014 11:21 AM, clipka wrote:
> In opening th door it was just doing the dog a favor ;-)

Beware of Cats bearing favours. ;-)

-- 
Regards
     Stephen

I solemnly promise to kick the next angle, I see.

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On Sun, 13 Jul 2014 09:38:24 +0200, Thomas de Groot wrote:

> On 12-7-2014 19:46, Jim Henderson wrote:
>> The doors in our apartment are "handle" doors, so I suppose they could,
>> but two of them are > 18 years old, and the youngest is 11 (and
>> overweight - he's never been able to jump properly, though - but he
>> does give me "high fives" on occasion, which is pretty cute).
> 
> Little chance then that they will take the trouble to learn a new (and
> tiresome) trick ;-)

Yep.  The two older ones aren't that bright, and the younger one, while 
he could probably manage it, would probably not be able to reach it. :)

> Good old age too. Ours did not live beyond 18. A few weeks ago, there
> was mention at the BBC of the /oldest/ cat which died at 24
> http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/27794411 but there are records of older
> ones still. Oldest seems to be 38, as told in the BBC news.

Yeah, one of the two older ones has a mild form of dementia, it seems, as 
well as a bit of arthritis.  He gets around OK, but he tends to shout a 
lot.  His brother has a thyroid issue that causes his hair to mat very 
easily.

>> If they did, we'd have to lock the bedroom door. :)
> 
> Alternatively (for a time) mounting the door handle vertically helps
> too.

That could also work, yeah.

Jim
-- 
"I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and 
besides, the pig likes it." - George Bernard Shaw

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Doctor John <j.g### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
> What's on your desktop?

Is it the geekiness or the European-ness that leads to such full desks? I've
seen a lot of support for both.

My non-European, non-geeky (though there are a few items which belie this
claim)desk is Spartan by comparison. The links contain the full tour.

A few comments:
* Watercolor by my mother.
* Each black square is 100 burpees.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/shay_temp/work+desktop/photo+0.JPG
https://s3.amazonaws.com/shay_temp/work+desktop/photo+1.JPG
https://s3.amazonaws.com/shay_temp/work+desktop/photo+2.JPG
https://s3.amazonaws.com/shay_temp/work+desktop/photo+3.JPG
https://s3.amazonaws.com/shay_temp/work+desktop/photo+4.JPG
https://s3.amazonaws.com/shay_temp/work+desktop/photo+5.JPG

 -Shay

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On 11/08/2014 19:55, Shay wrote:
> Doctor John <j.g### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
>> What's on your desktop?
> 
> Is it the geekiness or the European-ness that leads to such full desks? I've
> seen a lot of support for both.
> 
> My non-European, non-geeky (though there are a few items which belie this
> claim)desk is Spartan by comparison. The links contain the full tour.
> 
> A few comments:
> * Watercolor by my mother.
> * Each black square is 100 burpees.
> 
> https://s3.amazonaws.com/shay_temp/work+desktop/photo+0.JPG
> https://s3.amazonaws.com/shay_temp/work+desktop/photo+1.JPG
> https://s3.amazonaws.com/shay_temp/work+desktop/photo+2.JPG
> https://s3.amazonaws.com/shay_temp/work+desktop/photo+3.JPG
> https://s3.amazonaws.com/shay_temp/work+desktop/photo+4.JPG
> https://s3.amazonaws.com/shay_temp/work+desktop/photo+5.JPG
> 
>  -Shay
> 
> 
> 
It might be tied to the capability of employer to dismiss you at lunch
time or not.

US-like-employee's rights are so low that desk should be ready to be
packed within 5 minutes notice.

European-side is usually more slow, due to past battle with unions.

There is also the paternalistic approach of most non-US like companies
(delusion of family). It make your job a second home, so you bring your
stuff over the time.

It's not an atlantic thing: the same difference occurs between
traditional Japan and post-revolution China.

Guess where England stands ?
(or is it UK ? or Great Britain ?)

-- 
IQ of crossposters with FU: 100 / (number of groups)
IQ of crossposters without FU: 100 / (1 + number of groups)
IQ of multiposters: 100 / ( (number of groups) * (number of groups))

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On 11/08/2014 19:59, Le_Forgeron wrote:
> Guess where England stands ?
> (or is it UK ? or Great Britain ?)

It depends whether you mean Scotland, Wales, England and Northern 
Ireland or Scotland, Wales and England. Or you could mean the British 
Isles which includes Southern Ireland. Most places in the UK, people 
bring so many photos of their kids or drawings by them that it takes a 
large box to remove your personal effects, when leaving.
I almost forgot the spoons. The last place I worked, every third person 
had their own metal spoon. It reminded me of "One Day in the Life of 
Ivan Denisovich".


Regards
     Stephen

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On 11/08/2014 10:15 PM, Stephen wrote:
> I almost forgot the spoons. The last place I worked, every third person
> had their own metal spoon. It reminded me of "One Day in the Life of
> Ivan Denisovich".

Interesting...

Where I work, I have my own mug. Mainly because the company mugs are all 
chipped to hell - but also because my mug matches my T-shirt and my 
posters...

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On 11/08/2014 18:55, Shay wrote:

> https://s3.amazonaws.com/shay_temp/work+desktop/photo+5.JPG
>

Has anyone ever told you that you look like "Black Bob (David Troughton) 
from "A very peculiar practice".


-- 

Regards
     Stephen

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On 11/08/14 22:18, Orchid Win7 v1 wrote:
> <snip> - but also because my mug matches my T-shirt and my
> posters...

I was going to be sardonic ... but ...

;-)

John
-- 
Protect the Earth
It was not given to you by your parents
You hold it in trust for your children

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On 7/6/2014 3:05 PM, Doctor John wrote:
> What's on your desktop? Not the virtual one but the real one.
> Right now I have two monitors, a keyboard, a mouse and a KVM switch.
> There are also an empty coffee cup (with the word TEA written on it),
> two landline telephones and a mobile, a pile of unanswered mail, a toy
> penguin called Tux, a half-empty bottle of Lucozade Sport and, for no
> apparent reason, a 2 metre length of Cat5 cable.
>
> John

A whole bunch of crap. :)

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