Funny pictures and videos

[CitroJim]

Yep, I'd agree on the Linux statement

I'd say they had the wrong dog for the PC though. A scruffy mongrel would be better...

[Xaccers]

Yep, I'd agree on the Linux statement

I'd say they had the wrong dog for the PC though. A scruffy mongrel would be better...

Oh I don't know Jim, Windows is somewhat of a pedigree now

I think this represents the iPad quite well

[addo]

Serious retro toy there. Are kids these days, getting further in life with the toys now on offer?

[Xaccers]

Serious retro toy there. Are kids these days, getting further in life with the toys now on offer?

I used to have one of those dogs.
My cousin's son, over in Singapore, had a wooden spoon as his favourite toy when pre-school, using his imagination to make it a rocket, a person, a microphone etc.
My 4 year old neice Poppy has an iPod touch. Loaded with videos. She's a bright kid but I wonder how her development is being stunted, especially when my sister posts things on Facebook saying they realised about a year ago that she had no actual toys!
We got her a toy chest with pictures, wooden large piece puzzle and shaped blocks to go in the holes etc for her 3rd birthday, and this year we got her a dollhouse and because I love my sister so much, a pepper pig musical instrument set consisting of a tamborine, whistle and recorder (tee-hee).

If Danielle and I are lucky enough to have kids, they're going to grow up with lego, books, make believe and proper kids TV shows like Fingerbobs, King Rolo, Mr Ben, Bagpus, and when they're older; Ulysse 31, Dungeons and Dragons (cartoon and game), Mysterious Cities of Gold.

[Xaccers]

[CitroJim]

My toys as a kid were old cars. An Austin 7, an Austin Ruby and an Austin 10 amongst other bits of mechanical stuff. Apart from Lego, I was not really into conventional toys as a kid...

See where it got me

[red_dwarfers]

Lego and Meccano were my favourite toys that I can remember and before that it was a colourful plastic screwdriver. Me and Dad used to build houses, cranes, lorries and everything. The Meccano was mostly my Dads from when he was a kid.
I used to spend a good amount of time in the shed taking broken things to bits. Engines, compressors, a cooker, even got as far as a few houses worth of aluminium windows when I was 12/13 which he said if I were to strip down them and call the scrap merchant, he would take me in with the metal and I would get to keep the money. £40/50 IIRC which was like winning the lottery for me as we never had pocket money or nonsense like that, in fact we were allowed one sweet a week once mum and dad had woken up from their Sunday afternoon nap after roast dinner! Another thing we have always had is the '1 packet of crisps a day' rule. I'm afraid to say me and my siblings still feel terribly guilty when on the very rare occasion we have a second packet. It makes mum and dad laugh as we're older and they're very relaxed and liberal about most things.

My parents were so tight that when I wanted to use the Internet for a decent amount of time (we had pay as you go) I would either walk down my old primary school or cycle out to my grandparents. I will NEVER forget the moment when in 2005 I think, I was slaving away doing some coursework on my Amiga 1200 and Mum walked in and said "I've been looking at this broadband...". To be honest, if we didn't have broadband now I would probably still be working away on the 1200.

I had no interest in cars until I saw a certain flowery Xantia.

[CitroënDave]

Not a picture or a video but emails between a guy who was clamped and a clamping company. Hilarity will ensure.

A Chara

One of your immobilisation devices was attached to my vehicle on
Saturday morning last, 7/7/12. This is deemed illegal under section
113 of the road traffic Act, unauthorised interference with mechanism
of vehicle without reasonable cause. The Law Society of Ireland have
also said that in their opinion this is an illegal act.

So I have since removed the device myself and it is available for
collection at your earliest convenience. However there is a storage
fee of €25 per day and a removal fee of €50. So as of 8.30am 9/7/12
the current balance owing is €75.

My phone number and email are listed above should you wish to make
payment and collect the device.

If the device is not collected within 7 days it will be disposed of

Kind Regards

Gary

You currently owe €120 for the offence while parked illegally plus clamp damages if incurred.

Your mail below has been review and will be passed on to the Garda Síochána for follow up.

I can assure you that all vehicles immobilised are within the legal boundaries that apply to off-street car parking, all with contractual agreement with our clients.

All notice of terms and parking regulation are set out on signage throughout the car which gives those choosing to avail of parking on location an understanding of the full riggers of failure to comply.

As you have, by admission removed the clamp, presumably by criminal means then damage incurred while illegally removing the device will be imposed and sought, after review upon collection.

Furthermore, as you are now in possession of stolen property and using strangely compelling tactics to misappropriate money for stolen property, all further communications will be passed to the Gardaí for follow up.

Trust, we will be in contact with you shortly. However, if by, then you have chosen to dispose of the clamp as understood below, subsequently we will seek compensation on the back of this correspondence, which sets out your purpose and intent.

I can be contacted via mobile set out below for further resolve.

Hi Ray

You mention I owe €120 for an offence, you are aware that for something to be an offence it must be illegal under a section of legislation. For example, interfering with the mechanism of a vehicle is illegal under section 113 of the road traffic act.
Also your assumption that I have damaged the clamp is a little off the mark, in fact I found it incredibly easy to remove without causing any damage to my vehicle or your device.

My mail has been sent for review? I have no issue with that, I will be reporting the illegal interference with my vehicle to the Gardai now that I have an actual name to give them rather than a company name.

You say you can assure me that all vehicles are immobilised within legal boundaries, may I remind you of the findings of the Law Society of Ireland? And may I yet again refer to section 113 0f the RTA? A sign does not allow a person to break the law. The fact you have a contractual agreement with a client or number of clients does not entitle you or anybody else to break any laws.

Moving on to your presumption that I have removed the clamp by causing criminal damage is as I said earlier way off the mark, also by immobilising my vehicle I am entitled to remove the device by any means necessary but for the purposes of keeping good faith and relations between me and my customer, which you are as you are availing of my storage I removed it without causing any harm. Also could you point me to the section of legislation which covers the 'illegal removal' of your device, I can't seem to find it in the statute book.

Furthermore you will find I am not in possession of stolen property, you or one of your employees working under your orders placed it in my possession when attaching it to my vehicle, I am being obligent by simply making it available for collection under certain terms, I am offended at your accusation of theft. I fail to see how I am using 'compelling tactics', your attempt to gain money by illegally immobilising my vehicle could be called extortion tactics could they not?

I do trust you will be in contact soon. If the 7 days are up and you are still deciding to dispute the charges owed to me for my service I will hold on to the device until this is resolved but the storage fee will rise by €5 every 7 days. So from Monday of Next week it will become €30 every day and the following week it will rise to €35 every day and so on

As of today the charge stands at €100 which is broken down as follows

Removal fee €50
Storage @ €25 per day x 2 days €50

If these fees remain unpaid I will be seeking a judgement against NCPS for the full amount.

I accept cheque, credit card, debit card or cash.

Should you choose to pay by cheque the device will not be released until the cheque has cleared but I will store the device free of charge while waiting for the funds to clear.

I look forward to your response and prompt payment, I would hate for this to have to be dragged through the courts but if needs must that is the path I will go down

Kindest Regards

Hi Gary


Please email me your phone number as it was not in your first email and your full postal address and the EN/ vehicle registration number in relation to your offence.


Kindest regards

Hi Ray

I am happy to deal with this via email

Also you have not answered any of the questions I asked and can I yet
again remond you that for something to be an offence it must break a
section of legislation. Also only a member of an Garda Siochana can
deal with an offence and not a private company.

When you agree to pay the fee owed to me I will inform you where the
device can be collected, the number supplied on your notice is no
longer needed as it has already been removed.

Kind Regards

Gary,

This please consider this matter closed if you are not willing to provide the information requested.

Hi Ray
The matter cannot be closed as there is an outstanding bill owed to me. Also as I said the gardai have been informed of the illegal interference with my vehicle.
From your refusal to acknowledge anything I have said it is clear to see you have no answers to the questions posed.
Kind regards

He got his money back

[myglaren]

That's superb.
This should become widely available public knowledge and allow all people illegally clamped to stick it to the clampers.

[CitroJim]

I love it when these little so-called parking enforcement thugs are put up against an intellectual who knows the law. Perfect...

I rate them somewhere below solicitors, estate agents, double glazing salesmen and all cold callers in general.

I had one call me yesterday afternoon. Trying to flog double glazing. After three polite 'no thanks' were misunderstood he seemed most upset when told to p*** off rather intently

I trust common sense prevailed and those nasty little toads conceded defeat gracefully...

[DickieG]

A few years ago I was out on patrol driving the Area Car when we got a call originating from a firm of solicitors reporting a van belonging to a notorious (read nasty) clamping firm parked illegally on the pavement observing one of their clamping sites. By way of revenge for the hassle they'd caused locally my colleague requested the details of the van then promptly wrote out a parking ticket whilst I drove to the location, I had barely stopped the car by the time my colleague slapped the ticket on the clamper vans windscreen.

Bless the poor clamper he got all upset with our tactics, not helping his state of mind was the sight of offices workers cheering out of the windows the poor upset clamper even went to the station to complain but was met by a Sergeant who I'd liken to "Sgt Blakeston" from Heatbeat, you can guess the rest

[CitroJim]

Bless the poor clamper he got all upset with our tactics, not helping his state of mind was the sight of offices workers cheering out of the windows the poor upset clamper even went to the station to complain but was met by a Sergeant who I'd liken to "Sgt Blakeston" from Heatbeat, you can guess the rest

Sweet

[Xaccers]

Many moons ago, not long after I split up with a woman from Mingingham near Grimsby, I received a letter from Humberside police photography club saying I had failed to respond to a NIP for a speeding offence that allegedly took place 30 days prior, I think it was 81mph on an empty motorway.
So I did some research, the Road Traffic Act states that a NIP will be deemed to have been served if it was sent by recorded or registered post within 14 days of the alleged offence.
I replied back saying that I had not received the NIP, could they please provide the tracking number.
Instead they sent another NIP, via 2nd class mail. It was self contained form, you split the side, fill it out to either contest it, tell them who was driving if it wasn't you or accept £60 fine and 3 points, then return it to them. So not registered or recorded.
I replied back pointing out that it was beyond the 14 days, and could they please provide me with the tracking number in line with the RTA (which of course they couldn't because they were only using 2nd class postage rather than adhering to the requirements of the law).
They tried claiming they didn't need to, sent me photo evidence (cropped and modified where as it should be the unmodified image). It could have been me, but to be honest it could have been my mum.
I replied back again stating I would comply with my legal requirement to inform them of who was diving if they were able to provide proof that the NIP was posted within 14 days of the alleged offence and therefore be able to prove that I did have a legal requirement to inform them of who was driving.
Their reply was court papers, which I duly filled out, including pleading guilty as I had not informed them of the driver's identity, and in the extenuating circumstances I explained that I had not received a NIP within 14 days of the alleged offence and the police hadn't been able to prove they had sent it within the 14 days. I also pointed out that the police statement dated 9th Feb claimed I had not replied to them, yet I had proof they'd received my reply on the 4th Feb as I had be using recorded delivery.
I drove up to Grimsby, stayed in a travel lodge the night before the court case, and arrived to a surprised chap from the CPS and an equally surprised Justices' Clerk. They didn't expect me to come all the way up from Portsmouth.
The Justices' Clerk asked if a plea had been entered, and before I could answer yes, the CPS chap said no there hadn't. He then turned to me and said "You'd asked about the letter, and about your reply being received on the 4th Feb, well I asked the police about it and they responded as if I'd asked a completely different question. So if the police aren't bothered about it, I don't think the CPS should be and move to dismiss" The Justices' Clerk agreed, then they both turned to me and said "Did you really drive up all this way? Sorry to have wasted your time"
I could have claimed expenses. 40ppm for driving from Portsmouth to Grimsby and back would have been very nice.

[Xaccers]

[Xaccers]