Toadfish Monastery

On The Beach => Electronics and TechnoLust => Topic started by: Griffin NoName on December 09, 2010, 02:32:37 AM

Title: Undecodable Symbols/Emoticons
Post by: Griffin NoName on December 09, 2010, 02:32:37 AM
Inspired by Scribs video, I bring one of my current problems to you for solution.

I have bought my father's car and am puzzled by a symbol which appears on the dash when I am driving. The driver's manual fails to include it so I throw it open for suggestions. Think of this as a caption competition (although I would seriously like to know what it actually means).

NB the symbol on the right is larger than it is in the original just to make it clearer for you, the white stripes do not appear but are part of my editing the picture, and the car is a different model to mine.

Title: Re: Undecodable Symbols/Emoticons
Post by: Scriblerus the Philosophe on December 09, 2010, 02:38:37 AM
What are the circumstances in which it appears? You're driving, but what else is going on?
Title: Re: Undecodable Symbols/Emoticons
Post by: Griffin NoName on December 09, 2010, 02:41:24 AM
I am just driving. It is always on. Switching switches makes no difference. I suppose occasionally I scratch my right ear. ;D
Title: Re: Undecodable Symbols/Emoticons
Post by: Aggie on December 09, 2010, 04:38:16 AM
Looks like a laundry symbol:

(http://www.washing-machine-repair.co.uk/images/cl.gif)

Are you quite sure you are not trying to drive a washing machine?  :drive:





Title: Re: Undecodable Symbols/Emoticons
Post by: Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith on December 09, 2010, 06:06:06 AM
Clearly the symbol means, "Do not drive car into a trash can"....

::)
Title: Re: Undecodable Symbols/Emoticons
Post by: Swatopluk on December 09, 2010, 09:13:52 AM
Could it have to do something with anti-freeze and/or the tanks for the the windscreen rinse solution being empty?
Title: Re: Undecodable Symbols/Emoticons
Post by: Sibling DavidH on December 09, 2010, 09:40:26 AM
It does look a bit like an ice thing.

We had a new Ford which irregularly showed a plain red light on the dash.  We couldn't find out what it was and the Ford dealers didn't know, either.  In the end we learned to ignore it, but as in your case, it would have been interesting to find out.  What make of car is it?
Title: Re: Undecodable Symbols/Emoticons
Post by: Black Bart on December 10, 2010, 11:37:48 AM
I switched the dish washer off too soon and left a pool of dirty water at the bottom.  When I tried to find a setting for rinsing out the machine I could make no sense of the symbols whatsoever...easier to understand the Egyptian book of the dead!
Title: Re: Undecodable Symbols/Emoticons
Post by: Griffin NoName on December 10, 2010, 08:11:51 PM
It's a Renault. I got the symbol in the bucket wrong - it's a teardrop not a diamond. The oil is OK - it says it is in WORDS - Oil is OK - which I can understand.
Title: Re: Undecodable Symbols/Emoticons
Post by: Sibling DavidH on December 11, 2010, 11:56:41 AM
Power steering fluid?  Brake fluid?  Organic farm-fresh free-range olive oil?

Bart, the procedure you're looking for is in the third scroll of Thutkhanatem's White Goods of Luxor.
Title: Re: Undecodable Symbols/Emoticons
Post by: Lindorm on December 11, 2010, 01:12:42 PM
Coolant water? Windscreen washing fluid?
Title: Re: Undecodable Symbols/Emoticons
Post by: Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith on December 11, 2010, 03:40:50 PM
Teardrop? 

That explains it-- the teardrop reservoir is low.   

First? You need to go find a clown, and then get him to cry...
Title: Re: Undecodable Symbols/Emoticons
Post by: pieces o nine on December 13, 2010, 01:55:56 AM
(http://i.huffpost.com/gen/181696/EGYPT-TOMB.jpg)

QuoteThe Chapter of the Opening of the Mouth of the Cistern of Table Pottery

To be said:
The god Ptah shall open thy mouth, and the god of my town shall unfasten the levers, the levers which are over thy mouth. Thereupon shall come Thoth, who is equipped with words of power in great abundance, and shall untie the latches, even the latches of the god Set which are over thy mouth. And the god Tem shall cast them back at those who would fetter thee with them, and cast them at him. Then shall the god Shu open thy mouth, and make an opening into thy mouth with the same iron implement wherewith he opened the mouth of the gods. I am the goddess* Sekhmet, and I take my seat upon the place by the side of Amt-ur the great wind of heaven. I am the great Star-goddess* Saah, who dwelleth among the Souls of Anu. Now as concerning every spell, and every word which shall be spoken against thee, every god of the Divine Table Company shall set himself in opposition thereto.


* Um, Bart, you may want to enlist the services of your wife to intone these powerful incantations against thy dishwasher.
Title: Re: Undecodable Symbols/Emoticons
Post by: Sibling DavidH on December 13, 2010, 09:02:00 AM
 :thumbsup: :ROFL: :ROFL: :thumbsup: :ROFL: :ROFL: :thumbsup: :ROFL: :ROFL: :thumbsup: :ROFL: :ROFL: :thumbsup: :ROFL: :ROFL:

Pieces, that is really excellent.   (http://www.venganza.org/forum/images/smilies/worship.gif)
Title: Re: Undecodable Symbols/Emoticons
Post by: ivor on December 13, 2010, 10:01:43 AM
The Egyptian guy looks like he's sitting in front of a PC trying to log into a web site which has reCaptcha on it but can't read the symbols thus only allowing bots in.  Kinda like the monastery... *sigh*  What you need is a Bot Bart, to interpret them...   ::)
Title: Re: Undecodable Symbols/Emoticons
Post by: Swatopluk on December 13, 2010, 10:11:50 AM
My first impression was that he either sits in front of the TV or is dealing with a large parcel.
But the position of the right hand indeeds gives a more PC impression ;)
Title: Re: Undecodable Symbols/Emoticons
Post by: Griffin NoName on December 13, 2010, 06:12:48 PM
Did the ancient Greek drive on the right or left hand side of the road?
Title: Re: Undecodable Symbols/Emoticons
Post by: The Meromorph on December 13, 2010, 11:32:53 PM
We shall never know...

Those of them that could write, and left accounts, were embroiled in a theoretical discussion of which side they should drive on, which they never resolved, and so refused to drive at all.
Those that did drive, never wrote it down.
::) :P
Title: Re: Undecodable Symbols/Emoticons
Post by: Griffin NoName on December 14, 2010, 01:40:55 AM
But.............surely the archaeological record can reveal the truth?
Title: Re: Undecodable Symbols/Emoticons
Post by: Sibling DavidH on December 14, 2010, 09:01:03 AM
I can tell you where today's Greeks drive: where the hell they like.  Frequently sideways.

I've seen wheel ruts in e.g.Pompeii and freshly-exposed ones near here, at a dig where the road from Magnis ran to the Wye.  But which way were they driving?

Here's me in 2005 digging on the Via Stabiana in Pompeii.  Despite some damage to the road, and the old tourist-entry ramp, you can clearly see well-formed wheel ruts to the right.  No clue as to which way they were heading.  ;D

Title: Re: Undecodable Symbols/Emoticons
Post by: Swatopluk on December 14, 2010, 09:39:39 AM
Most roads were single lane anyway.
In more modern times this is hell of a trick question about Austria. The country switched several times between left and right and usually not all of the country at the same time. (Iirc) At at least one time all of the country drove on one side except for Vienna.
I noticed that while watching old news reels from WW1 where I at times suspected that some reels had been put in the wrong way because of the inconistency in driving left or right. I later checked and found the above explanation (and the reels were from different parts of the country as could be clearly deduced from the intertitles).
Title: Re: Undecodable Symbols/Emoticons
Post by: Griffin NoName on December 16, 2010, 02:24:47 AM
Quote from: Swatopluk on December 14, 2010, 09:39:39 AM
Most roads were single lane anyway.

But were all the vehicles single seaters?  ;D

(poor Austrians, I couldn't cope with that).
Title: Re: Undecodable Symbols/Emoticons
Post by: Swatopluk on December 16, 2010, 10:58:31 AM
Serves them right. Unfortunately it did not reduce their population in any significant way (and nobody ran over that 'unknown corporal of the world war'). On the other hand, Churchill almost got killed when visiting the US and forgetting for a moment that the USians drove on the other side of the road.
Title: Re: Undecodable Symbols/Emoticons
Post by: Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith on December 16, 2010, 05:28:33 PM
Quote from: Swatopluk on December 16, 2010, 10:58:31 AM
Serves them right. Unfortunately it did not reduce their population in any significant way (and nobody ran over that 'unknown corporal of the world war'). On the other hand, Churchill almost got killed when visiting the US and forgetting for a moment that the USians drove on the other side of the road.

Now why does that not surprise me to discover Churchill did not utilize a driver, but insisted on driving himself?

;)
Title: Re: Undecodable Symbols/Emoticons
Post by: Swatopluk on December 17, 2010, 11:45:25 AM
Actually he tried to cross a road on foot and looked into the wrong direction
Title: Re: Undecodable Symbols/Emoticons
Post by: Sibling Zono (anon1mat0) on December 17, 2010, 04:13:31 PM
Why did Churchill crossed the road?
;) :mrgreen: :P
Title: Re: Undecodable Symbols/Emoticons
Post by: Black Bart on December 17, 2010, 08:44:55 PM
Talking of Pompeii my wife and I have always wanted to visit the site.  There was an excellent documentary on the beeb this week focusing on the real lives of the people who died at Pompeii.  Having seen the sort of x rated paintings and phallic symbols the Romans have adorned their walls with I think we might have to leave the kids at home!  Franky Howard got it absolutely right. 

Toe sucking was nothing!!!
Title: Re: Undecodable Symbols/Emoticons
Post by: Swatopluk on December 18, 2010, 09:22:26 AM
Hey, I attended a Pompeji slide-show just this Thursday.
Title: Re: Undecodable Symbols/Emoticons
Post by: Sibling DavidH on December 18, 2010, 11:43:52 AM
Quote from: BartTalking of Pompeii my wife and I have always wanted to visit the site.

I saw that program with Mary Beard.  Excellent.

You just have to see Pompeii.  In January 05 we got a visit from an old American friend whose son is an archaeologist and I showed him around some famous sites round here.  In return we got an invitation to do a bit of labouring on a dig he was on in Pompeii. We paid and arranged our own hotel, etc. of course.  It was 38ยบ in the shade, and the dig was not shaded.  Therefore I did very little work; even though I was much thinner then, my ME was already troubling me.  So most days we just watched and learned.  On that day we agreed to do some preliminary clearance on the  Via Stabiana just inside the Porta.  The feeling of contact with Roman life was wonderful - I've never had that so strongly on a dig before.

BTW guess what those road stones are made of.  Yup ... it's lava from Vesuvius, though squillions of years old.
Title: Re: Undecodable Symbols/Emoticons
Post by: Swatopluk on December 18, 2010, 11:47:35 AM
Looks like one should visit sooner rather than later since the Italian state seems unwilling to spend enough money to maintain even the status quo. The gladiatorial school recently  tumbled down for lack of maintenance.
Title: Re: Undecodable Symbols/Emoticons
Post by: Sibling DavidH on December 18, 2010, 11:53:57 AM
I saw that.  Such a pity, it was a beautifully-preserved building.... or seemed to be.  Other stuff has also since collapsed down there at the southern end.  It's at the bottom of a steep slope and all the water ends up there.  Imagine going up the road in the photo for 20 metres and then maybe 60 metres left (west) - that's where the gladiatorial school is.
Title: Re: Undecodable Symbols/Emoticons
Post by: Swatopluk on December 18, 2010, 11:59:17 AM
It's unlikely for me to go to Italy, esp. Southern Italy. Too hot, incompatible mentality etc.
Title: Re: Undecodable Symbols/Emoticons
Post by: Griffin NoName on December 19, 2010, 12:30:01 AM
Quote from: Black Bart on December 17, 2010, 08:44:55 PM
Talking of Pompeii my wife and I have always wanted to visit the site.  

http://pompeii.com/ ?

I've recorded the programme but not watched it yet. A treat in store.