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What a tosser. Get back on the bike asap. You never know he may have been on a regular run and you may see the van again. The problem though is no one clocked the details... the police won't be able to help.

@Psy - thanks!
@Sharkstar - chortle chortle : )
@wingedangel - oh I did so deserve a kiss! haha! : ) thanks

Good. Although I'm not quite sure what the point of your post is? is it a warning, if so to who?

Presumably the criminal penalty for possession of cartoon imagery only applies to imagery that is " "grossly offensive, disgusting or otherwise of an obscene character" and focus on a child’s genitals or anal region, or portray a range of sexual acts "with or in the presence of a child".

If anyone has such imagery then I don't have any objections to them being subjected to the full penalty of the law.

I don't understand this "...the unintended consequence of lessening barriers to the possession of real imagery."

If there is some concern as to whether a cartoon depicts under 18's, then don't save them. Pretty simple really I'd have thought. Why would any healthy person be interested in keeping cartoons of mid to late teens? Sleazy distasteful and questionable at least.

"In the presence of a child" in the sense of a cartoon would simply mean depicting a child character observing sexual scenes. To suggest otherwise is silly, IMHO.

Having said all this, I have a vague memory of the rather dreadful Kill Bill movie which had some pretty appalling scenes in concerning a child cartoon character, something which had I known was in the movie would have been the perfect excuse I needed not to see the wretched film (I caved in to peer pressure, not being a Tarantino fan). So maybe anyone that owns or rents or hires a copy of this movie is now falling foul of the law?

Being banned from driving is not fun... I once won enough points (2 x Gatso's and 1 x police stop for doing >100mph on M6) to win a 6 month holiday from Her Majesty's Highways and that's when you find out how shitty and expensive and inconvenient national public transport is. Although you get a clean license after three years insurance premiums lingers longer (naturally) for 5...

BTW I'm not saying bans for 18 months is sufficient punishment for killing cyclists... I'm just saying they are worse than you might think if you've never had one. Sometimes you can lose your job over it.

There is (was) a late season hill climb event on White Lane next to Titsey Hill... can't remember the organising club.

I think the "officially" steepest hill (though not the highest) in Surrey is Succumbs Hill, the climb from the A22 Caterham rdb near Anne Summers HQ up to Warlingham. 1:3 and 3/4's on the left hand bend... notice the double arrowhead on the OS map.

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=534733&y=157454&z=110&sv=succombs+hill&st=6&tl=Map+of+Succombs+Hill,+Warlingham,+Surrey,+CR6&searchp=ids.srf&mapp=map.srf

Crickey hope the twat rots in hell.

@temper_temper.. I think I'm over it now...
@markrjohnson..indeedy, but can be so sweet too...
@ufrasia .. ; ) thx!

Thx ade!

Allin’s bike shop was my favourite of the two that Croydon had to offer the serious cyclist. Run by Stan and Anne Butler, he a former racing star, this store was an Aladdin’s cave of wonderment. It wasn’t in the smart end of town, if Croydon had such a thing, and it wasn’t a smart shop. But you could always get the vital left handed widget that you needed; it would just take a few minutes for Stan, Anne or the enigmatic “Ching” to rummage through the workshop and you’d be all set.

Even a small shop such as Allin’s holds a huge amount of stock, and the accounts hold surprisingly large numbers, though Heaven only knows how the books were reconciled as the “till” consisted of a wooden draw and a paper roll on which all sales were hand written. On a busy summer’s day it could take 20 minutes to get into the shop, with the queue extending some distance down the road.

Cyclists being cyclists, this would be treated as a social opportunity as we’d exchange views about the latest two wheeled news, gadgets and gizmos. Indeed it was in one such queue that my chum Andy and I were approached by a chap who enticed us to join the Anerley Bicycle Club, and hence my racing began.

At one stage in my illustrious career I ended up working at Allin’s. Stan and Anne had retired, selling to John and Ray; I was bored with my job at the time, and thought it would be a fun thing to do, to work in the bike industry. And it was, for a couple of years, but then I had to find some other area in which to build my career, Lisa seduced me and I was away.

However whilst working in Allin’s I met many wonderful people, some odd balls as cycling seems to attract more than its fair share of characters, but all fine people. One regular customer was an enthusiast, not a club cyclist, but nonetheless keen and of course his custom was most welcome. Alas I forget his name now, though I’m certain it wasn’t Zeus, however his daughter’s name was Helen and she did indeed make quite some impression on me.

It turned out that Helen lived not so far from me, indeed every day I cycled past the road down which she and her family lived. I took quite a shine to this blonde torch and rather felt that the feeling was reciprocated; lots of eye contact, smiles and that indefinable, powerful, know no bounds, earth-shattering chemistry that seems to occur between two people that are attracted to each other.

So, one Friday night, as I cycled home on my trusty Whitehorse fixed wheel steed, I thought I’d seize the moment - carpe diem and all that and with a swipe of my credit card I left the florist’s with a fine, bold, colourful, beautiful bouquet of flowers. If this wasn’t going to melt Helen’s heart and make me her Menelaus, then nothing would.

As I approached the turn off that would lead me to her house, I must have started to lose concentration as wildly improbable images filled my mind. The anticipation of an assignation with my ship-launching beauty was just too much to bear and as I negotiated the sharp left hand turn into her road I lost control of my bike.

To this day I still have no idea what happened; I just can’t explain it. All I know, all I recall, is that there was a wobble of monumental proportions and I suddenly found myself flying through the air, over the top of the bars, and torpedo-like I landed in the gutter, bike clattering down on top of me. Fortunately, mid-flight, I’d had the incredible presence of mind to throw the bouquet away from me so that I wouldn’t land on top of it.

Once I’d extricated myself from my less-than-trusty Whitehorse steed, dusted myself down, picked myself up and ensured no laughing witnesses, I took stock and noticed that my new jersey had been shredded on my left arm, and there was a dark damp patch that was slowly spreading through the fabric. oo, that’s gotta hurt. (Five stitches. I still have the scar).

I hobbled over to my love’s only ever so slightly damaged gift, gingerly remounted and safely but slowly negotiated the final fifty yards to my date with destiny.

The door opened, though it wasn’t my golden haired princess that answered, but her mother, possibly called Leda. She was only somewhat startled to see me there and assured me that Helen would be thrilled with the flowers...

...once she got home from being out with her boyfriend.

This isn't right. it does solve it. I have astigmatism in both eyes and 2 eye surgeons have said I'm an excellent candidate. I have heavily astigmatised friends who have had it - it worked fine.

Goodo! Glad to be corrected - this was 10 years ago, I don't know if things have moved on since then or maybe I've mis-remembered what I was told...

Fun with iTunes.

I have an old G4 Powerbook which now sits on bookshelf just above my hifi. All my CDs are now in iTunes on this G4. I have my hifi plugged via aux port to an Airport Express wifi box, wifi "zone" called Lounge. I also have a small denon in my bedroom also connected to an Airport Express box called zone "Bedroom".

From the G4 I can select either or both zones to play music on.

By using the "Share my music" and "Find shared music" feature in iTunes I can use the MBP I'musing to type this to also control the G4 music playlist, in either or both zones.

I have a yr 2000 iMac in my Kitchen which streams music in this way into the Kitchen...

And I can also use the iPhone Remote app to control the music too.

And son no2 can use his dome iMac to access his music on the g4 too...

It's a cool and cheap way of getting music distributed around a house, great for parties!

Note - the BT Homehub doesn't recognise Airport Express boxes and totally killed this so I was only with BT for a few weeks as they couldn't/wouldn't fix. I met and spoke with their Director of Applications at their research centre in Ipswich and he was clueless about it. Now with Zen thanks to folk on this here forum and music system has been restored :)

Also vision with contacts is great - glasses tend to distort straight edges and make things smaller (or so I tell my girlfriend) and on those occasions when I forgot to take lenses out before going to sleep and wake up being able to see!! it's like wow, man!

I do quite a bit of video and audio editing and eyes get fried wearing contacts when doing that...

I have a problem going down - whenever I'm on my drops I find I'm looking over the top of my specs

I always take my glasses off when going down.

I wear glasses, hate being short sighted.

I tried contacts, good for bikes and motorbikes esp in wet weather but have had grit cause probs. have to carry spares.

Investigated laser treatment 10 years ago and this is my understanding. The laser burns the living tissue that covers the eye to correct the focussing of the lens, so effectively you have a scar on the from of your eye. This is living tissue and no one knows what the long terms effects of this are, although I've not heard any reports of successful operations going bad. Laser treatment doesn't solve astigmatism which is caused by misshapen lens, so in my case my focussing would be perfect but vision not perfect as I'd still have astigmatism - so about as good as daily disposables which at that time didn't affect astigmatism.

Eyesight changes over time - so in my case 10 years ago I'd have up to may be 10 years of not having to wear glasses but then I'd have to start wearing them again... and indeed last year right on cue there was a shift in my focussing ability....

So all in all it's a big bag of poo and the only solution is a new pair of eyes.

I have a spare battery for my iPhone which comes complete with keyboard, 15inch screen and trackpad and is marketed as a macBookPro ;)

The iPhone exposes the weakness of battery technology.

What we need are miniature nuclear powerstations.

Dunno.

I don't understand why you'd want to cycle without at least one calliper brake, even if on fixed.

I remember the day vividly.

A decision had been made, today was the day for the rite of passage; one that would mark him out, allow him to distinguish himself, to join a more select group, increase his social standing, give him street cred and increase his self-confidence, his self-esteem. He would grow up a little today.

He’d been showing all the signs that he was ready for some time. Eagerness to progress, balanced by frustration that it wasn’t happening. So he had to learn and we went to the park.

The dew in the grass reflected the warming spring sun’s rays and each droplet sparkled like a diamond set into a lush green carpet. He was apprehensive and excited, she was a quietly amused, bemused onlooker, I was determined and cheerfully optimistic.

He got on his two wheeled steed, recently shorn of its extra set of wheels, those all too visible identifiers that were the source of the malcontent. To balance him I held on to the back of his saddle and he started to pedal, I walked then trotted to keep pace with him, encouraging him to turn the bike this way and that, leaving his wheel marks and my footprints in the damp dew, the spore of some strange wild beast.

His confidence grew and he controlled the bike with increasing skill, using the brakes and not his feet to slow down and stop. All the while I was beside him, my hand less and less on the saddle, little though did he know it.

Then it was time. Time to let go, to set him free. As we zoomed along, dancing our father and son tango, I gently and for the last time removed my hand from the bike, and slowed down to a walk and then stopped; he though carried on, swooping around curves, carving his own furrow in the grass, sun glinting off bright paintwork and chrome, legs a blur as they propelled him along, independent of me, his mum, those wretched stablisers, and I laughed.

~

I remember the day vividly.

I was sat astride my bike, on an awkward leather saddle with a propensity to pinch a boy’s prized assets, and I was determined to do it. One rod-lever brake, balloon tyres and a crappy U-tube frame; but it was mine, my key to freedom if only I could figure it out.

Dad had taken the stabilisers off and I balanced myself by leaning on the rough brick wall. I launched myself into a limitless liminal world and wobbled precariously along the path. A car swooshed down the road disrupting my concentration, but I’d made progress and I felt a surge of confidence; I could do this and with mounting excitement I remounted and had another go.

This time I made it. I made it to the top of the drive! I could do it! I did it again, and again, and again! Elation! Jubilation! I’d redefined myself, taken myself away from being a little boy; more of an equal to my big brother, on a par with Dad.

The ecstacy was disorienting. The new found freedom was intoxicating, made me giddy. The world had suddenly opened up, my horizons had expanded, limitations were removed, the possibilities were endless. I looked down the road and could see no end to the universe; I had passed the test. I was worthy.

~

I remember the day vividly.

The day we both crossed a threshold and grew up a little.

Thanks DJ.

I haven't cycled in London for years, living out in the sticks as I do... what is the reference to "ghost bikes"?

If F1 was limited to one lap, it would be a lot more exciting.

The thrill of the open road! The wind in your hair! The excitement of freewheeling down hill! For many cycling is a pleasure and with TEAM GB's recent performance at the Olympics, we seem pretty good at it, giving Johnny Foreigner a total and absolute thrashing which they'll never live down so much for our EU partners we won the war anyway....

... but many are put off cycling as they feel frightened by the swooshing downhill in a somewhat out of control I'm going to fall off and die type of feeling. And indeed, falling off and dying does tend to spoil most peoples' day, even a spot of road rash as your skin is scrapped of as you slide along the tarmac can be an upsetting experience for some misguided whimps.

Fortunately, from LFGSS store's very own product development team, comes the answer for those that would like to cycle, but don't want to experience that swooshing downhill in a somewhat out of control I'm going to fall off and die type of feeling...

.. as the erudite LFGSS subscriber knows, Newton's first law of motion says "Every object in a state of uniform motion tends to remain in that state of motion unless an external force is applied to it" and Newton's second law of motion says "The relationship between an object's mass m, its acceleration a, and the applied force F is F = ma. Acceleration and force are vectors; in this law the direction of the force vector is the same as the direction of the acceleration vector" and the third law says "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction"

Our scientists have carried out extensive studies of all forms of bicycle throughout history and have concluded there is a fundamental flaw in the design. The traditional bicycle wheel is based on the circle, which places the machine in a state of unstable equilibrium, thus falling into Newton's laws 1, 2 and 3.

By making a radical step change in design we introduce a new paradigm for bicycle wheels which places the machine into a state of STABLE EQUILIBRIUM, thereby nullifying the somewhat irritating effects of laws 1,2 and 3... which LFGSS boffins have described as being a most unfortunate discovery, Newton really should have stuck to counting pebbles on the beach instead of standing on the shoulders of his fellow scientists...

We are proud to introduce, exclusively for the LFGSS store, the SQUARE BICYCLE WHEEL. This amazing, revolutionary design allows those people that don't want to experience that swooshing downhill in a somewhat out of control I'm going to fall off and die type of feeling to enjoy being out in the countyside on their iron steed, but completely removes that swooshing downhill in a somewhat out of control I'm going to fall off and die type of feeling!!

Experience the sights, sounds and smells of nature and farms and diesel tractors and cars and combined harvestors and jets flying overhead and motorbikes zooming past** IN COMPLETE SAFETY**, knowing you'll never again experience that awful swooshing downhill in a somewhat out of control I'm going to fall off and die type of feeling...

Call NOW on 0979LFGSS and order your SQUARE BICYCLE WHEELS today! As a special introductory offer we'll provide TWO revolutionary SQUARE BICYCLE WHEELS for the price of one for the amazing unbeatable never to be repeated price of £299.99.

As an extra special inducement to part you from your hard earned cash, we'll chuck in a pair of MiniMe square stabilisers complete with useless toolkit which fit no known to man or woman child or other type of human make of bike.

All forms of payment are accepted, major and minor and medium credit cards, worldpay, ebay, dockofthebay and good old fashioned folding readies.

Please allow forever for deliver and don't complain if they don't arrive.

Satisfaction totally not guaranteed so don't even think about calling our customer complaints line on 123.

it is currently 22:29:00

Yes pretty good, bummer about the end of the solar system though.

what Hippy said.

Nice & congratulations :)