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Silent Ben

Posted: 14 Aug 2017, 17:43
by yogi
On August 21, the day of the total solar eclipse, Big Ben will go silent for four years. It's been operating for 157 years and is in need of being refurbished. That's quite a run. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-brita ... SKCN1AU0LU

Re: Silent Ben

Posted: 18 Aug 2017, 22:18
by tomsk
I'm not that bothered to be honest...
It's not that important.. :nana:

Re: Silent Ben

Posted: 18 Aug 2017, 23:43
by yogi
It is a world famous monument and needs to be preserved. You may not miss it if you can't hear it already.

Re: Silent Ben

Posted: 19 Aug 2017, 00:14
by tomsk
It's iconic but people are more important...
I've never heard it chime live only on TV or radio...

Re: Silent Ben

Posted: 19 Aug 2017, 12:54
by yogi
I agree about the importance of people. But, the things made by people reveal much about them as well.

Re: Silent Ben

Posted: 19 Aug 2017, 23:34
by tomsk
True..
I've lived in London all my life and never heard the chimes in real time...
I do find them a pealing though...

Re: Silent Ben

Posted: 20 Aug 2017, 00:54
by yogi
:clap: <== CLAPPER

Re: Silent Ben

Posted: 20 Aug 2017, 03:24
by tomsk
If that's all we had to worry about the World would be a better plaice...

:bigben: :fishchip: :bowler: :pint: :fishchip: :fishchip:

Re: Silent Ben

Posted: 20 Aug 2017, 04:51
by yogi
I think that's what they are trying to do with Big Ben. Make it better.

Re: Silent Ben

Posted: 20 Aug 2017, 04:57
by tomsk
Oh perleasae it's only a clock..

Re: Silent Ben

Posted: 20 Aug 2017, 13:38
by yogi
It's a 157 year old clock :xclaim: Surely it has some significance.
Why else would they be repairing it?

Re: Silent Ben

Posted: 20 Aug 2017, 19:17
by tomsk
Help pass the time..
boom boom...

:mrgreen: :lol:

Re: Silent Ben

Posted: 21 Aug 2017, 12:07
by yogi
:thud: I like your punny humor

Re: Silent Ben

Posted: 23 Aug 2017, 12:07
by tomsk
:mrgreen:
What's your favourite landmark Yogi?
:think:

Re: Silent Ben

Posted: 23 Aug 2017, 13:00
by yogi
As far as man made ones go, I'd say they pyramids most fascinate me. Those in the middle east as well as central America amaze me.
The Alps would be right up there in terms of natural landmarks.

Re: Silent Ben

Posted: 23 Aug 2017, 21:42
by pilvikki
how could you possibly not have heard big ben, tom? seriously??? i've heard it so many times and i love the sound of it!

hell of a long time to fix a clock, though... :think:

Re: Silent Ben

Posted: 23 Aug 2017, 23:21
by yogi
They got to order the parts from China. It's custom made and a long ways off.

Re: Silent Ben

Posted: 27 Aug 2017, 23:04
by pilvikki
oh please, not china! :eek:

when we started a new line of aircraft at dehavilland, the parts were mostly chinese and dear gods what a mess! one rather memorable kevlar wing section showed up inverted with the honeycomb on the outside... yeah, that would have flown a treat. :facepalm:

then the struts back to front; brackets with off-set hole patterns; some with no wholes.

yes, we'd get screwed up part from everywhere, including canada, but the chinese... ugh! and often late as well.

Re: Silent Ben

Posted: 27 Aug 2017, 23:06
by pilvikki
oh, and the bosses' well-worn and utterly inane line: "just do the best you can!"

:doh: :doh:

Re: Silent Ben

Posted: 28 Aug 2017, 00:03
by yogi
Working for Motorola we did a lot of interacting with China. Most of our manufacturing moved there at one point. Documentation was a nightmare. They don't use blueprints per se. There is a drawing with what the part looks like and the fabricator is supposed to figure out how to make it. This was fine when we were giving them prints, but trying to interpret the documentation they provided was nothing less than impossible. I'm not surprised one bit at your story.