Hit and Miss

Hit and Miss was the theme tune from Juke Box Jury; a UK TV show which ran from 1959 to 1967 where a panel consisting of two male and two females judges listened to the latest 45 vinal records then voted it a hit or miss. The show was hosted by David Jacobs who looked more like a bank manager than a person who would be aware of what teenagers would listen to. But it was popular ;with an audience of twelve million at its peak. The theme tune may sound quite dated now but to me it is a portal to how music was evolving. Like most early music in the UK the show was a spin of from far more sophisticated versions in America mainly because the music there was so original.

If you stop and think about life, its all about Hit and Miss when what seems like small insignificant events can move you in a totally different direction, most times ones that you have no control over. Your eighteen standing at bar with friends, there are two groups of girls sitting in different parts of the room, over the night a girl from each group smiles at you, choose the wrong one and you will end up with a bitter divorce, choose the second one and will have a really happy marriage. It’s hit and miss. I could go on but with other examples but most people will have experienced moments of (if only)

Remember the classic song (If I could turn back time) well at the moment we can’t so think before committing.

China doesn’t need military action to rule the world, because it already does.

Amazing how quiet China has become while there is turmoil in the rest of the world, despite the fact that it is effected by the trade blockade implemented by Iran and the Americans. Of course they have greater stockpiles of oil and gas than most countries and have moved faster than most into green energy with vast soler panel and wind farms. Even the issue of Taiwan has been put on the backburner. So have they become more diplomatic, probably but that’s not the only reason for this new more measured approach.

But as I have said many times China has a long term policy of being the worlds greatest supplier of everything, and they are nearly there. What Iran is doing in the Strait of Hormus and preventing supplies getting to different parts of the world China can do the same. Its a clever philosophy and maybe they wont ever use it because there are benefits in keeping things the way they are.

And I wish I had a little of what they have got, I am still trying to get funding or a company to produce my products. I could go on all day about the amount of doors I have knocked ( that’s a very old expression) or websites I have visited but instead I will just put an image of the Smart-Thread nut on the screen the fastener has exactly the same profile both use threads to lock or unlock it. Its aesthetic, has a very high torque level and can be loaded on the tooling without falling of and will look amazing in any situation. Then there is the Try-Ring high-security fastener which is more like a lock.

Of course I am biased, but when everyone uses my fasteners maybe I could rule the World.

More little bits that stick in your mind for no particular reason.

I remember when Putin started the war with Ukraine, he said it would be over in a few days; it’s now been over four years, and it’s started to trash the economy and cost thousands of lives.

I remember when DJT started the war with Iran, and he said it would be over in a few days; it’s started to trash the economy, and the loss of lives will come later if America decides to implement a land war.

Despite my criticism of DJT, I hope he finds a way to end both of these wars; life is a precious thing that ends far too soon without any outside help.

Andy Burnham is the new Prime Minister of the UK. I wish him well and hope he can transform this country into one where we all help one another. But I have noticed that as soon as something that’s possibly good comes along, journalists try to find something that’s bad. Honey moons don’t last long; how long did yours last?

When I was eighteen and working as an apprentice at BIP Tools, Tyburne Road, Birmingham, the person in charge of the group of aspiring toolmakers was always smoking a cigarette; it never left his mouth even when he talked, and he never knocked the ash off it until it started to burn his mouth. The strange thing was that he had a really bad stutter, but the ash stayed on right to the end. A scientific miracle.

Alf Perry was in charge of the shaping section. His face always reminded me of the long, carved faces found on Easter Island; I can’t ever remember him smiling, and if someone made a mistake and scrapped a piece of metal, he would hold his head in both hands and say ‘dear mother’.

Most people in factories would stand up all day; it was difficult to operate most machines while sitting.

There was the middle-aged man on the polishing section who couldn’t keep still when you talked to him; he moved from one foot to the other completely unaware of what he was doing, but he had a lovely disposition and never stopped smiling

There were two hundred toolmakers at BIP Tools and twenty apprentices, possibly the largest group of engineers in the country at that time. And several trade union representatives; I rarely spoke to any of them until one day the main one stood close to me, obviously distressed. He talked, and I listened. ‘I was chairing a major union meeting last night. I stood up to give them the latest news and figures, and I couldn’t remember what to say; I couldn’t remember anything. It’s never happened before; I could talk all night. Got to see the Doctor next week.’ It was the first time I knew about Alzheimer’s.

BIP closed down a few years after I left, all those amazing people with stories that could fill a library, engineers with skills that have disappeared with them. Let’s hope memorise go somewhere and aren’t lost. Perhaps they head towards the stars, waiting to find a home.

Congratulations, America

It’s been a long time since America became independent, and unlike many other countries that gained freedom from an oppressor, America has thrived and become a blueprint for other countries. It has problems, but so do many other parts of the world. It has retained a lot of the DNA that was inherited from the British rule and improved on it with a sense of freedom from the usual restraints placed by other countries. I think Frank Sinatra was referring to America in that famous song America, ‘If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere, New York, New York, New York.

My first next-door neighbour was an Indian Doctor. He was a really nice man, and despite his country being governed by the British for many years, he said it was the best thing that happened to them. ‘You gave us our first railways, built roads and bridges, and taught us engineering.’

Why is it that when we share our knowledge with other people, they become better than us in how they use it?

There will be no end to the war in Iran; a peace deal will be signed, broken, and another one will be signed. It’s just like the hokey-pokey: ‘you put left leg in, left leg out, in out in out shaky it all about, you get the gist, it goes on forever.

DJT has told his military command that if he is killed in an Iranian assassination, they must get revenge by bombing Iran. War is a terrible thing for everyone, but especially for the people who have no say in it.

The war in Iran is ending ?

Apparently the peace deal in in Iran is being signed electronically this Friday which should mean that the cargo ships in the Strait of Hormuz will be allowed to pass through it unharmed. So first lets thank the President for ending a war that he started. second, check to see if the Iranians actually put their own signature and not Micky Mouse (its amazing how many business cheques had that name put on them and the recipient never noticed until the clerk at the bank started sniggering and pointed it out).

America without any doubt has the best military forces in the world but it was very unlikely that they would have conquered Iran without a ground invasion and at a considerable cost. And this stalemate could have gone on for months or even years. The one idea that brought about this peace deal was the blocking by the American Navy of the Iranian oil supplies. The Iranians blocked the oil supplies to the world but when the Americans did the same to them they realized that long term that their economy would collapse.

I doubt this was initially thought of as a lever, more an act of desperation by American leaders, because when your over a barrel its amazing how quickly the mind works.

It was properly a junior junior that said in a subservient whisper,’ What if ………… Look for someone who suddenly gets lots of medals and a large pension.

Don’t be stupid I’me not talking about DJT. Then again?

Little bits that for no particular reason stay in your mind

Funny how something stay in your mind when age takes away the more important memories. Oh I am eighty four today and time is passing eighty four times faster than when I was one.

There was a Burtons clothes shop in the Parade Sutton Coldfield, it had been there a long time and for some strange reason their seemed to be snooker tables on the top floor of most of these stores.

But the reason I remember the the shop (and written about it before) is that most of these stores had their own resident taylor, and the one in this branch was very special. He was in his late fifties, small and slim with eyes that could instantly assess how to fit a suit or jacked to get the best results from very demanding customers. This was the era of the Teddy Boys, a time when a thin hand stitched collar was a must, trouser had fourteen inch bottoms, many so tight that he fitted zips into the bottom of the trouser legs, This was a time when not everything was made in china but when there were craftsmen in the UK.

He made me several suits, and the most amazing blue blazer with a lovely soft texture and no outside pockets, how I wished I still had it.

When the first company I worked for went into liquidation , my apprenticeship was transferred to BIP Tools next door, a firm that had two hundred toolmakers It was an amazing company and many of the machines in it had been made inhouse, One metal planer so large that the operator could sit on it as it moved up and down, shaping large chunks of metal from a block of steel several metres long. It didn’t go down very well with the management when the toolmaker who was controlling it sat on the cross slide as it was machining and started reading a daily newspaper.

At a time when clothes had just started to change from bland to slightly more innovative I found a blue silk shirt with a diamond pattern that became one of my most cherished possessions. Wish I still had it and the blue Jacket.

Lots of wishes on a Birthday

Bobs and Bits in reverse

I have started using AI Copilot to convert line drawings into images, and it initially seemed to work quite well. But now it is developing a personality. Tonight I uploaded a page with seven images and a small amount of text. ‘Can you improve the text?’ I asked. ‘Do you want a white background or a grey background? ‘ it asked, and then gave me a list a page long of questions or suggestions with nothing to do with my simple initial request. After thirty minutes, I gave up.

There is a new, quite worrying twist in the war between Iran and America as the US starts to increase coal production despite stating that they have vast amounts of oil supplies. It won’t be long before drivers pull up at petrol stations and the attendant says, ‘I still haven’t got used to these hi-tech steam cars, do you want one bag of coal or more?.

The war in Iran is still at a stalemate, with Iran in the driving seat. Apparently, DJT’s favourite song was ‘If I could turn back time.’ It isn’t anymore.

The weather in the UK is becoming even more unpredictable, with temperatures of 35, then a few days later dropping to 16 degrees. And then there are days of what seems like continuous rain.

Not many people seem to realise that China has conquered every country in the world, but not with an invasion of soldiers, but simply because they make nearly everything, and very soon, if they wanted to shut the world down, they could. It’s a very clever strategy, and perhaps initially it was unintentional, but sometimes ideas start that way.

If you ever get something like a fishbone stuck in your throat, try eating a banana to free it. It does work sometimes, but don’t do this if you’re choking; always see a doctor. There is no truth in the rumour that I own a banana plantation. Just 50 percent.

Miss-Mash

It’s an M8 Smart-Thread high-security bolt and part of a range of products I have designed that could revolutionize fasteners and their use.

I have tried to get UK companies to help me have them made and to get funding from the government, without any success. I may be biased, but I think the Chinese would have my whole range of products up and running in six months.

The UK has lost that sense of innovation that was once part of our culture. We have websites that are outdated and politicians that can talk the talk, but can’t walk the walk.

Must learn to speak Chinese.

Someone will make millions from these products. Wonder who it will be.

I can tell within seconds if someone is a trained engineer or woodworker; just give them a hacksaw or wood saw and watch how they use them. If they have been trained correctly, their action is smooth and measured, with no attempt to move the saws too fast, and because most saws only cut on the forward motion, that is when you apply downward pressure.

Bet you really wanted to know that?

Trump keeps kicking the can down the road in the Iran war, and they kick it back again. Remember when Putin was going to defeat Ukraine in four weeks, and it’s now four years. And Trump was going to end the war in days. Best of luck with that, Donald.

The Presidents boogy wo0gy

I do the Boogie Woogie as Glen Miller plays, my body matching the music as I dance on the stage. The girls smile and clap their hands as I complete a somersault and land on my hands. Glen nods his head. He knows I’m the best, and I can dance all night without taking a rest. Is that Elvis or just an illusion? I run over, shake his hand, and tell him, “I’m one of your greatest fans.” “Thanks, Mr President,” he says in that American drawl, and suddenly I’m eight feet tall.

I do the Boogie Woogie as Glen Miller plays, my body matching the music as I dance on the stage. The girls smile and clap their hands as I complete a somersault and land on my hands. Is that Michel, Jackson, moonwalking towards me? It’s so difficult to know if he’s coming or going, and I wonder if he was backward at school, and that special walk made him no one’s fool.

I do the Boogie Woogie as Glen Miller plays, my body matching the music as I dance on the stage. The girls smile and clap their hands as I complete a somersault and land on my hands. I started with nothing, just a million or two, but because I’m clever, it grew and grew. So I know what it’s like to have holes in my socks, and I have thought about it long and hard, then worked out that without that hole, your foot wouldn’t go in; that’s why I’m clever, and that thought makes me grin.

I do the Boogie Woogie as Glen Miller Plays, my body matching the music as I dance on the stage. The girls smile and clap their hands as I complete a somersault and land on my hands.

Hit and miss bits and bobs

I have spent a long time developing a range of nuts and fasteners, and I know I am biased, but they are quite innovative. It should be love that holds the world together, but it’s actually nuts and bolts. I doubt that there’s a building in the world that is without them. The problem is that I can’t get anyone in the UK to make them. What was that Beatles song HELP? Have enclosed one of the simplest versions where I have tweaked the design of an existing product into something far more useful. The other products are so radical that I will only disclose them with an NDA.

The Iran war has reached a stalemate, and it’s a question of who blinks first.

Only an engineer would know this. If you drill a hole right through an object, the sound changes just before you break through the other side, so you ease the pressure.

Always wonder what happened to Christine Robinson, the girl who lived next door to me when I was ten years old and she was slightly older than me. We spent so much time together playing in the road outside our houses in Kingstanding. Hope she had a good life.

I spent years using a three dimensional pantagraph it was an amazing machine and could produce the finest details in steel dies. I produced car badges for nearly all the best car manufacturers in the world. Somehow, I have this ability to make a lot of money for other people and none for myself. Not sure if God likes me. Might start going to church more often.

I am trying to use AI, but I now realize it is trying to use me. Not a bad picture of the Try-Fast locking system. Maybe I can sell it as a poster or for £45.000 pounds and ten percent of turnover, you can manufacture all my products and make millions. They are very innovative, almost art. Somehow think I will end up with what I usually get. £00000000000. God has found out that I might be an atheist.