Elektrine
Log in Register
Paige Chat Timeline Gallery Friends Email Drive DNS Private DNS Domains VPN Kairo Nerve
Remote

Paul Southworth

@pws@social.coop
mastodon 4.5.18
  • Open on social.coop

Former bicycle mechanic, retired tech worker, repairer of things. Tell me about your bike and I'll try to help you fix it.

1261 Followers
372 Following
16 Posts
Joined November 08, 2022
Location:
Shelburne, Vermont
My posts:
https://justmytoots.com/@pws@social.coop
Open post
Paul Southworth @pws@social.coop
· 2w ago
Replying to
@ai6yr@m.ai6yr.org I know this area well and it's always populated with asshole drivers and motorcyclists trying to kill themselves and everyone else. It's a weekend race track there and on Skyline and on Highway 9.
5
1
2
0
Open post
Paul Southworth @pws@social.coop
· 2mo ago
Replying to
@ascentale@sfba.social @grammasaurus@mastodon.social @bikenite@fedigroups.social A5) It really depends on the hole - how big it is and whether there is significant damage to the casing. If the hole is large enough that you can see the tube starting to bulge into it, it's time to replace it. If it's tight enough that at full inflation everything looks good and the tire hasn't developed a lumpy appearance in the area of the hole, I would reuse it. I would also inspect it after some rides to make sure the tire still tracks true to the rim and doesn't waver at the point where it was punctured. That would be a sign of damage to the casing. #BikeNite
9
0
2
0
Open post
Paul Southworth @pws@social.coop
· 2mo ago
Replying to on m.ai6yr.org
@ai6yr@m.ai6yr.org Before you start bending frames, don't assume you have a straight wheel. It's also quite possible to have both a bent frame and a wheel that's out of dish and misaligned rear dropouts at the same time. I would not even call that rare. Better to measure the rear triangle alignment and check the dropout alignment before you make changes, because you don't want to be repeatedly making changes.
5
1
1
0
Open post
Paul Southworth @pws@social.coop
· 2mo ago
Replying to
@ai6yr@m.ai6yr.org @scott@mastodon.clitheroe.ca Missy lives on my wall forever
4
3
1
0
Open post
Paul Southworth @pws@social.coop
· 5mo ago
Replying to
After cycling through a variety of short assignments, including stacking tea crates and working reception at the Royal National Institute of the Blind ("the elevator is on your left") I was placed at Ernst & Whinney on the 10th floor with an eye level view of the clock tower on the north side of the river. This was before the surveillance state so it was no problem to blow through the term of a work visa until I decamped to Yugoslavia for a cycling trip down the coast from Trieste, Italy to Dubrovnik. The Yugoslav inflation rate was around 2500% that year, so they had just started printing the 50,000 Dinar note when I arrived. They started printing the 100,000 Dinar note about 3 weeks later. A barkeep told us that 25,000 Dinars was "good pay for a month's work 10 years ago and now it's 2 beers". (Unconfirmed but good story!) Shops handed out candy in lieu of small change when making a purchase.
8
4
1
0
Open post
Paul Southworth @pws@social.coop
· 5mo ago
Replying to
@afewbugs I promise I will start caring about the Met Gala when everyone is fed and housed and has healthcare
4
0
1
0
Open post
Paul Southworth @pws@social.coop
· 2mo ago
Replying to
@fifonetworks@infosec.exchange The other thing I tell people is don't rush to cancel their cell phone plan. You may need it to get into accounts.
1
1
0
0
Open post
Paul Southworth @pws@social.coop
· 6mo ago
Replying to
@Jgbird In case you need this: ❤️ 💕 💓 💖 💗 🤸‍♂️
3
0
0
0
Open post
Paul Southworth @pws@social.coop
· 8mo ago
@jessamyn Library borrowing history ofc
5
1
0
0
Open post
Paul Southworth @pws@social.coop
· 5mo ago
Replying to
@pencilears@mastodon.eternalaugust.com I've worked with three food shelves in Vermont (never the state food bank, just the local distribution places). They vary a lot in terms of who they allow to shop, but anyone showing up in an emergency situation is offered food even if they don't technically qualify. One of them requires evidence of living in the town (such as a piece of mail, no ID required), one does the same but also asks you to attest to your income and family size but does not ask for any proof, and one asks almost nothing. Even when residency evidence is requested, if someone says they are camping or living in a car, there is no way they are leaving without as much food as we can provide. But the message I have for anyone struggling to get food is go to the food shelf and ask. The people working at the food shelves I have volunteered at all want to help everyone. That is why they are there.
2
0
0
0
Open post
Paul Southworth @pws@social.coop
· 5mo ago
Replying to
Funny thing about working at E&W... the office was full of Macs but the process to requisition software was onerous, so I became the guy who went around copying software from one machine to another (ie, the unofficial office pirate). Nobody cared how it happened and I didn't give it a second thought. They just wanted the latest copy of Microsoft Word and a day later it was there like magic. I was everybody's friend. The rest of the work involved typing dictation recorded on tapes, using a pedal operated tape player. I was the typist for around 40 management consultants. Many of them worked on joint venture projects in the Baltic region, and it was actually kind of interesting to see how the money machine worked on things like forestry projects in Latvia. This was a much more plush typing job than the typing pool which was something like 50 women sitting in rows in one room typing all day, and far better than opening business-reply mail on a slicing machine.
2
0
1
0
Open post
Paul Southworth @pws@social.coop
· 5mo ago
Replying to
@tg9541 My dad bought a Motobecane in 1972 (in the US). It had one of those Huret derailleurs with the smooth pulley wheels, no teeth. Another bike with almost every part made of steel. Funny to think about the evolution of Huret which ended up as SRAM, and see where they are now.
2
0
1
0
Open post
Paul Southworth @pws@social.coop
· 5mo ago
Replying to
@tg9541 When we unpacked Peugeot bikes to build in the shop (this was in the 1980s) they came wrapped in a big plastic bag that mechanics referred to as "the placenta"
2
2
0
0
Open post
Paul Southworth @pws@social.coop
· 2mo ago
Replying to
@ascentale@sfba.social @edd@freeradical.zone @bikenite@fedigroups.social This depends on many factors - how hard the ride is, the weather conditions, your level of fitness, whether it's a supported ride. A century ride with a mountain in it is completely different from a mostly flat route, or a ride in hot or freezing conditions. It really helps to build up to it so you can figure out your hydration and nutrition plans. That said, the only really long rides that have not gone well for me are the ones where I did not have enough food or water, or where my stomach did not care for food provided along the way, so I take more than I think is necessary. But if you haven't done some long rides, it's hard to know what you need. A supported ride with feed stations helps manage that risk. I try to avoid taking drink mix from feed stations or strange sports food that my body is not familiar with, but bananas and pretzels and other normal food I would consider fair game. Ideally I eat and drink only things that I have tried before. #BikeNite
0
0
1
0
Open post
Paul Southworth @pws@social.coop
· 7mo ago
Replying to
@xeophin@swiss.social On macOS, screenshots are not added to the photo library. If you open the Screenshot app, there is an Options button that will let you pick the default location for saving them. It will also tell you the current default save location. That setting will also apply when you take a screenshot using the keyboard shortcuts, you just wouldn't see the Options button in that case.
0
1
0
0
Back
313k7r1n3
Elektrine

Tor hidden service

elekhj7afj4qnrr4yd3bkzslsyo5jgfxw3orgjkhlcxifueodybyiiad.onion

I2P eepsite

j6b6cyk6gjmepjih7jjadxgxvvf3lzzujljuu2v4biemzpg3naya.b32.i2p

Platform

  • Email
  • Chat
  • Timeline
  • VPN
  • DNS

Company

  • About
  • Contact
  • FAQ
  • Lite (no JS)

Legal

  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • Transparency Report
  • Report Abuse
  • Warrant Canary
  • VPN Policy

Support

  • support@elektrine.com
  • Report Security Issue
Mail client setup IMAP mail.elektrine.com:993 POP3 mail.elektrine.com:995 SMTP mail.elektrine.com:465
© 2026 Elektrine. All rights reserved. Server: 19:56:36 UTC