Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[Specmaster]

Specmaster: HP3478A is all yours - feel free to place a bid 

Nah, got my eye on an extra digit now, voltnuttery is getting me 

Cats: horrid diseased animals that make your kit furry and spitty. Ick.

Cats are no worse then dogs, apart from they can and do sit on the bench and gear, but they do make good lab assistants as they are good listeners so act as sounding boards and in the case of my cats, talk back to you as well so I'm afraid NO you cant stuff them in room 101

Trucks: saw a suitable vehicle for TEA aquisitions. Man 6 ton army doodah:

Not a bad truck but it has too many flaws to take on a run for tea acquisitions, especially to edgardigital, 1/Loading height is way to high, 2/not big enough, means making multiple trips, 3/ Not waterproof / watertight meaning thats bound to rain on the trip and precious cargo will be water damaged and lastly, 4/Tonnage is not high enough either with too few axles to help spread the weight. 

What is happening is that I sold something which doesn't exist yet to someone on the basis that I deliver it on a risky as fuck deadline. Ergo 18 hours a day programming and consumption of red bull. Got a break today while I wait for a couple of servers to arrive so dropping a quick post in here. Getting a bit old this now though - life is usually slow and methodical now but this is going back to circa 2000 startup mode ... result is likely to mean I can devote many more hours to TEA so this has a positive trade off 

That does sound very risky, get it wrong and then the speculations that were flying around could in part become a reality, instead of SWMBO doing you in, it would be the customer 

On the plus side however, we could be having a silent key sale in that event 

[bd139]

Specmaster: HP3478A is all yours - feel free to place a bid 

Nah, got my eye on an extra digit now, voltnuttery is getting me 

It has begun.

Cats: horrid diseased animals that make your kit furry and spitty. Ick.

Cats are no worse then dogs, apart from they can and do sit on the bench and gear, but they do make good lab assistants as they are good listeners so act as sounding boards and in the case of my cats, talk back to you as well so I'm afraid NO you cant stuff them in room 101

Actually they are worse. Toxoplasma gondii. No thanks. Don't like dogs either. Guinea pigs get a  though.

Trucks: saw a suitable vehicle for TEA aquisitions. Man 6 ton army doodah:

Not a bad truck but it has too many flaws to take on a run for tea acquisitions, especially to edgardigital, 1/Loading height is way to high, 2/not big enough, means making multiple trips, 3/ Not waterproof / watertight meaning thats bound to rain on the trip and precious cargo will be water damaged and lastly, 4/Tonnage is not high enough either with too few axles to help spread the weight. 

True. However it'll be fine for raiding companies of their test gear when zombie apocalypse comes.

What is happening is that I sold something which doesn't exist yet to someone on the basis that I deliver it on a risky as fuck deadline. Ergo 18 hours a day programming and consumption of red bull. Got a break today while I wait for a couple of servers to arrive so dropping a quick post in here. Getting a bit old this now though - life is usually slow and methodical now but this is going back to circa 2000 startup mode ... result is likely to mean I can devote many more hours to TEA so this has a positive trade off 

That does sound very risky, get it wrong and then the speculations that were flying around could in part become a reality, instead of SWMBO doing you in, it would be the customer 

On the plus side however, we could be having a silent key sale in that event 

If I don't deliver I don't get paid but still have a product to sell so can't lose. Just will take longer. Also I suspect that the risk of this getting into someone else's hands is going to allow some leeway. I don't work well unless I'm under pressure so... 

Anyway off again for a few days

[Specmaster]

Cats: horrid diseased animals that make your kit furry and spitty. Ick.

Cats are no worse then dogs, apart from they can and do sit on the bench and gear, but they do make good lab assistants as they are good listeners so act as sounding boards and in the case of my cats, talk back to you as well so I'm afraid NO you cant stuff them in room 101
[/quote]

Actually they are worse. Toxoplasma gondii. No thanks. Don't like dogs either. Guinea pigs get a  though.

Your far more likely to get Toxoplasma gondii through eating undercooked meat then from a cat, and a cat that is basically an indoor cat and fed only cooked meat is highly unlikely to be carrying Toxoplasma gondii either. A cat has to be eating raw uncooked meat to get it so your at greater risk with wild or stray cats as they will have no option but to hunt their prey in order to survive. My cats while not being strict indoor ones which i think is cruel, are allowed to go out if they wish but when they do, they stay within our garden. They don't need to catch anything to eat as they are well fed anyway and birds and squirrels are quite happy to share the garden with them as they have come to understand that they pose no threat to them.

So with that that I suggest that you're possibly at great risk when you eat food that others have prepared so be wary of going to a restaurant, or having a Kebab etc   

Good luck with your software development and 18 hours of pressure a day, had enough of that when I automated a crematorium many years ago, got a buzz from it though when it was debugged and working which was a lengthy process with thousands of lines of code to sift through. All of which I have since forgotten though. 

[BillB]

This is a good coupon.  They always appear right after I buy something on ebay.  I bought something this morning, then a little while later this coupon appears.  So, to everyone who takes advantage of this, you're welcome. 

This happens because you actually live in the solipsistic BillB-Murphy universe and the rest of us are figments of your imagination, except for Murphy of course.

Well, I am surely doing something wrong then.  All of you figments of my imagination seemed to have been prepared for this coupon's arrival and have purchased everything out from under me.  All the stuff I was watching disappeared and I didn't use the coupon!

[tggzzz]

Your far more likely to get Toxoplasma gondii through eating undercooked meat then from a cat,

Reference, please.

and a cat that is basically an indoor cat and fed only cooked meat is highly unlikely to be carrying Toxoplasma gondii either. A cat has to be eating raw uncooked meat to get it so your at greater risk with wild or stray cats as they will have no option but to hunt their prey in order to survive. My cats while not being strict indoor ones which i think is cruel, are allowed to go out if they wish but when they do, they stay within our garden. They don't need to catch anything to eat as they are well fed anyway and birds and squirrels are quite happy to share the garden with them as they have come to understand that they pose no threat to them.

Maybe if you live in a tower block and/or have an obese cat. All the cats I've seen and played with are owned, wander, and take great pleasure in catching Things That Move. And, if you are unlucky, vomiting up the remains on the sofa.

There is too much concern about T. plasmosis (playing fields and playgrounds excepted), and too little concern about T. Gondii. Perhaps that's because it is easy to catch and fine dog owners, but not cat owners.

[bitseeker]

This is a good coupon.  They always appear right after I buy something on ebay.  I bought something this morning, then a little while later this coupon appears.  So, to everyone who takes advantage of this, you're welcome. 

This happens because you actually live in the solipsistic BillB-Murphy universe and the rest of us are figments of your imagination, except for Murphy of course.

Well, I am surely doing something wrong then.  All of you figments of my imagination seemed to have been prepared for this coupon's arrival and have purchased everything out from under me.  All the stuff I was watching disappeared and I didn't use the coupon!

I feel your pain and have bought things just before a promo many times. This time, it came too early and I couldn't figure out what to get. Ah, well. There will be others. TEA is not cured that easily.

[denimdragon]

You know it's hopeless when your desktop wallpaper is this.......

Totally OT, but what desktop widget is that? Is it native? Pretty groovy 

[Specmaster]

Your far more likely to get Toxoplasma gondii through eating undercooked meat then from a cat,

Reference, please.

Try this link, all cats from domestic right through to big game cats could carry Toxoplasma gondii http://www.parasitesinhumans.org/toxoplasma-gondii.html. With that in mind, whats the answer, exterminate all cats? Everything in life is a risk, you could cross the road tomorrow and get run over and killed by a bus, where do you draw the line?

and a cat that is basically an indoor cat and fed only cooked meat is highly unlikely to be carrying Toxoplasma gondii either. A cat has to be eating raw uncooked meat to get it so your at greater risk with wild or stray cats as they will have no option but to hunt their prey in order to survive. My cats while not being strict indoor ones which i think is cruel, are allowed to go out if they wish but when they do, they stay within our garden. They don't need to catch anything to eat as they are well fed anyway and birds and squirrels are quite happy to share the garden with them as they have come to understand that they pose no threat to them.

Maybe if you live in a tower block and/or have an obese cat. All the cats I've seen and played with are owned, wander, and take great pleasure in catching Things That Move. And, if you are unlucky, vomiting up the remains on the sofa.

There is too much concern about T. plasmosis (playing fields and playgrounds excepted), and too little concern about T. Gondii. Perhaps that's because it is easy to catch and fine dog owners, but not cat owners.

I have had cats all of my life and so has my family and not a single person in 70 years has become ill as a result of the cats and none of the cats have ever wanted to wander, they are perfectly happy to be companions to us humans, they are family and get lots of love and affection daily, seldom get left on their own and get games played with them to give them exercise. We're responsible owners, have them neutered and microchipped, unlike the vast majority of other owners around us who seldom allow their cats in the house once they get past the kitten stage. They have beds (if their lucky) left outside in the porch and food left outside if they can remember that they actually own a cat. So these cats remain attached to the house because of their homing instincts but are almost wide cats, left to fend for themselves and generally make a pest of themselves breeding indiscriminately and screeching to attract a mate.

I don't live in a block of flats either, I have a 4 bed house, cats are not obese in the slightest, they are just happy and contented cats who know only too well that they are loved and wanted and are very well cared for, can come and go as they please but its their personal preference to stay in the house with us. If we go out in the garden to do some gardening, or clearing out the garage etc, then its not unusual to find the cats tagging along to be with us. They have a litter tray that they use, infact if they are in the garden then they will go indoors and use the litter tray rather then use the garden. The litter tray gets cleaned daily and once a week is disinfected and replenished with new litter.

What is the point of having a pet if you don't intend to love it and make it part of your family once it ceases to be a kitten/puppy?

As I said we are all fit and healthy nobody in our family has ever caught anything from the cats and we are perfectly normal, if having 3 eyes is normal 

[Mr. Scram]

It has begun.

Actually they are worse. Toxoplasma gondii. No thanks. Don't like dogs either. Guinea pigs get a  though

True. However it'll be fine for raiding companies of their test gear when zombie apocalypse comes.

If I don't deliver I don't get paid but still have a product to sell so can't lose. Just will take longer. Also I suspect that the risk of this getting into someone else's hands is going to allow some leeway. I don't work well unless I'm under pressure so... 

Anyway off again for a few days

I don't think not owning cats protects you from Toxoplasma Gondii. It's a very common infection in the EU population and cats are so ubiquitous that it's pretty much impossible to avoid contact. It's apparently more common than herpes, better known as the chronic infection that causes cold sores.

It's weird to think we live with so many uncurable diseases and most don't really seem to care.

[Specmaster]

It has begun.

Actually they are worse. Toxoplasma gondii. No thanks. Don't like dogs either. Guinea pigs get a  though

True. However it'll be fine for raiding companies of their test gear when zombie apocalypse comes.

If I don't deliver I don't get paid but still have a product to sell so can't lose. Just will take longer. Also I suspect that the risk of this getting into someone else's hands is going to allow some leeway. I don't work well unless I'm under pressure so... 

Anyway off again for a few days

I don't think not owning cats protects you from Toxoplasma Gondii. It's a very common infection in the EU population and cats are so ubiquitous that it's pretty much impossible to avoid contact. It's apparently more common than herpes, better known as the chronic infection that causes cold sores.

It's weird to think we live with so many uncurable diseases and most don't really seem to care.

That's precisely it, its something that has been there since the world was created, just as volcanoes have been, its part of the natural tapestry of life and if mankind was able to eradicate it, something else would rise to the top and take its slot and might be even more potent and yet could be something that cats them selves are unwittingly suppressing by their very existence. 

[Mr. Scram]

That's precisely it, its something that has been there since the world was created, just as volcanoes have been, its part of the natural tapestry of life and if mankind was able to eradicate it, something else would rise to the top and take its slot and might be even more potent and yet could be something that cats them selves are unwittingly suppressing by their very existence.

It does explain why cats are so popular, despite them being utter dicks. Cute, furry dicks.

[bd139]

That’s two T. Gondii victims there. Go read up on it.

[Mr. Scram]

That’s two T. Gondii victims there. Go read up on it.

I'm well aware of it. It doesn't change the story. The vast majority of people in the EU are infected. It's impossible to avoid infection risk.

[Specmaster]

That’s two T. Gondii victims there. Go read up on it.

I'm well aware of it. It doesn't change the story. The vast majority of people in the EU are infected. It's impossible to avoid infection risk.

I think all anyone can do to minimise the risk be a total Vegan, eating or using anything that comes from an animal, meat, milk, fat, leather carries a risk and sometimes that is even glue as some glues are made from animal bones, so its almost impossible to avoid.

[Mr. Scram]

I think all anyone can do to minimise the risk be a total Vegan, eating or using anything that comes from an animal, meat, milk, fat, leather carries a risk and sometimes that is even glue as some glues are made from animal bones, so its almost impossible to avoid.

Only a select few animal products pose a risk, but most don't. Vegetables can pose a risk themselves, so that's not a viable strategy to avoid Toxoplasma Gondii either. If a cat shat on your veggie patch you could be done. Sounds like a children's book to boot.

Are you maybe thinking of prions?

[Specmaster]

Nope, I just made the assumption that if an animal is infected that it would be present in anything to do with that animal.

[tggzzz]

Your far more likely to get Toxoplasma gondii through eating undercooked meat then from a cat,

Reference, please.

Try this link, all cats from domestic right through to big game cats could carry Toxoplasma gondii http://www.parasitesinhumans.org/toxoplasma-gondii.html. With that in mind, whats the answer, exterminate all cats? Everything in life is a risk, you could cross the road tomorrow and get run over and killed by a bus, where do you draw the line?

and a cat that is basically an indoor cat and fed only cooked meat is highly unlikely to be carrying Toxoplasma gondii either. A cat has to be eating raw uncooked meat to get it so your at greater risk with wild or stray cats as they will have no option but to hunt their prey in order to survive. My cats while not being strict indoor ones which i think is cruel, are allowed to go out if they wish but when they do, they stay within our garden. They don't need to catch anything to eat as they are well fed anyway and birds and squirrels are quite happy to share the garden with them as they have come to understand that they pose no threat to them.

Maybe if you live in a tower block and/or have an obese cat. All the cats I've seen and played with are owned, wander, and take great pleasure in catching Things That Move. And, if you are unlucky, vomiting up the remains on the sofa.

There is too much concern about T. plasmosis (playing fields and playgrounds excepted), and too little concern about T. Gondii. Perhaps that's because it is easy to catch and fine dog owners, but not cat owners.

I have had cats all of my life and so has my family and not a single person in 70 years has become ill as a result of the cats and none of the cats have ever wanted to wander, they are perfectly happy to be companions to us humans, they are family and get lots of love and affection daily, seldom get left on their own and get games played with them to give them exercise. We're responsible owners, have them neutered and microchipped, unlike the vast majority of other owners around us who seldom allow their cats in the house once they get past the kitten stage. They have beds (if their lucky) left outside in the porch and food left outside if they can remember that they actually own a cat. So these cats remain attached to the house because of their homing instincts but are almost wide cats, left to fend for themselves and generally make a pest of themselves breeding indiscriminately and screeching to attract a mate.

I don't live in a block of flats either, I have a 4 bed house, cats are not obese in the slightest, they are just happy and contented cats who know only too well that they are loved and wanted and are very well cared for, can come and go as they please but its their personal preference to stay in the house with us. If we go out in the garden to do some gardening, or clearing out the garage etc, then its not unusual to find the cats tagging along to be with us. They have a litter tray that they use, infact if they are in the garden then they will go indoors and use the litter tray rather then use the garden. The litter tray gets cleaned daily and once a week is disinfected and replenished with new litter.

What is the point of having a pet if you don't intend to love it and make it part of your family once it ceases to be a kitten/puppy?

As I said we are all fit and healthy nobody in our family has ever caught anything from the cats and we are perfectly normal, if having 3 eyes is normal 

For the avoidance of doubt, I didn't write that.

specmasters quoting is up the creek - again.

[Mr. Scram]

I'm sure Specmaster didn't write that either. 

[tggzzz]

I think all anyone can do to minimise the risk be a total Vegan, eating or using anything that comes from an animal, meat, milk, fat, leather carries a risk and sometimes that is even glue as some glues are made from animal bones, so its almost impossible to avoid.

Only a select few animal products pose a risk, but most don't. Vegetables can pose a risk themselves, so that's not a viable strategy to avoid Toxoplasma Gondii either. If a cat shat on your veggie patch you could be done. Sounds like a children's book to boot.

Are you maybe thinking of prions?

Just so. Specmaster is up the creek without a paddle on this topic.

Fortunately it has nothing to do with TEA, so the topic should be dropped, as should anything to do with cats.

[Mr. Scram]

Having a rough day, eh? Have a cold pint on me. Sometimes it beats TEA hands down.

[tggzzz]

I'm sure Specmaster didn't write that either. 

Interesting. I wonder what happened there. Probably the solution is to avoid using a tablet and to use a real machine.

Tablets are ok  for content consumption, but at crap at content creation.

[bd139]

I wrote most of my posts on an iPhone

Skills 

Anyway must stop slacking and write some bloody code. I keep getting distracted by AIM TTI’s web site.

[Mr. Scram]

Interesting. I wonder what happened there. Probably the solution is to avoid using a tablet and to use a real machine.

Tablets are ok  for content consumption, but at crap at content creation.

The initial version of this post illustrated your point in poignant irony. But yeah, mobile devices are content consumption oriented.

[Specmaster]

Your far more likely to get Toxoplasma gondii through eating undercooked meat then from a cat,

Reference, please.

Try this link, all cats from domestic right through to big game cats could carry Toxoplasma gondii http://www.parasitesinhumans.org/toxoplasma-gondii.html. With that in mind, whats the answer, exterminate all cats? Everything in life is a risk, you could cross the road tomorrow and get run over and killed by a bus, where do you draw the line?

and a cat that is basically an indoor cat and fed only cooked meat is highly unlikely to be carrying Toxoplasma gondii either. A cat has to be eating raw uncooked meat to get it so your at greater risk with wild or stray cats as they will have no option but to hunt their prey in order to survive. My cats while not being strict indoor ones which i think is cruel, are allowed to go out if they wish but when they do, they stay within our garden. They don't need to catch anything to eat as they are well fed anyway and birds and squirrels are quite happy to share the garden with them as they have come to understand that they pose no threat to them.

Maybe if you live in a tower block and/or have an obese cat. All the cats I've seen and played with are owned, wander, and take great pleasure in catching Things That Move. And, if you are unlucky, vomiting up the remains on the sofa.

There is too much concern about T. plasmosis (playing fields and playgrounds excepted), and too little concern about T. Gondii. Perhaps that's because it is easy to catch and fine dog owners, but not cat owners.

I have had cats all of my life and so has my family and not a single person in 70 years has become ill as a result of the cats and none of the cats have ever wanted to wander, they are perfectly happy to be companions to us humans, they are family and get lots of love and affection daily, seldom get left on their own and get games played with them to give them exercise. We're responsible owners, have them neutered and microchipped, unlike the vast majority of other owners around us who seldom allow their cats in the house once they get past the kitten stage. They have beds (if their lucky) left outside in the porch and food left outside if they can remember that they actually own a cat. So these cats remain attached to the house because of their homing instincts but are almost wide cats, left to fend for themselves and generally make a pest of themselves breeding indiscriminately and screeching to attract a mate.

I don't live in a block of flats either, I have a 4 bed house, cats are not obese in the slightest, they are just happy and contented cats who know only too well that they are loved and wanted and are very well cared for, can come and go as they please but its their personal preference to stay in the house with us. If we go out in the garden to do some gardening, or clearing out the garage etc, then its not unusual to find the cats tagging along to be with us. They have a litter tray that they use, infact if they are in the garden then they will go indoors and use the litter tray rather then use the garden. The litter tray gets cleaned daily and once a week is disinfected and replenished with new litter.

What is the point of having a pet if you don't intend to love it and make it part of your family once it ceases to be a kitten/puppy?

As I said we are all fit and healthy nobody in our family has ever caught anything from the cats and we are perfectly normal, if having 3 eyes is normal 

For the avoidance of doubt, I didn't write that.

specmasters quoting is up the creek - again.

Hmm, maybe, but what is it that you didn't write?

[Specmaster]

I think all anyone can do to minimise the risk be a total Vegan, eating or using anything that comes from an animal, meat, milk, fat, leather carries a risk and sometimes that is even glue as some glues are made from animal bones, so its almost impossible to avoid.

Only a select few animal products pose a risk, but most don't. Vegetables can pose a risk themselves, so that's not a viable strategy to avoid Toxoplasma Gondii either. If a cat shat on your veggie patch you could be done. Sounds like a children's book to boot.

Are you maybe thinking of prions?

Just so. Specmaster is up the creek without a paddle on this topic.

Fortunately it has nothing to do with TEA, so the topic should be dropped, as should anything to do with cats.

Hmm, that maybe because the actual link that I was referring to, appears to be broken, it contained a lot about Toxoplasma gondii and it showed a nice graphic of the life cycle of it and it  and it did seem show that the link to humans was much more of a direct link from the meat and animal products rather then from direct contact with cats and I don't recall seeing any link with vegetables etc, but as the link seems to be broken I can't actually demonstrate that.

But you are right its not TEA related really but it did arise from a lab cat picture that Cubdriver posted and illustrates what has been described here recently by others as "watercooler talk"