Today's Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

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#3463046 19-Feb-2026 13:49

We have an apartment. It's in large apartment building in Welly and all of the apartments came with whiteware when built. It turns out that the apartments were designed so the laundry cupboard would accommodate a washing machine that is about 10mm narrower than standard. These were an Indesit model, ordinarily sold in AU but not in NZ. I guess, the developers just had the local distributor or whoever import them for the build.

Fast Forward 20 years and our washing machine is on the way out. 20 years is a good run, we've had it for the last 10,with no issues at all. But now that it likely does need replacing ... we cannot find a single washing machine for sale in NZ that has the right footprint ... we can get one that's 5mm too wide but that's the closest.

I wonder how much the developers saved per washing machine with that genius move?

Mike

pdh

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#3463055 19-Feb-2026 14:13

>That would probably be illegal.

I find this hugely depressing.

NZ has become so obsessed with regulating safety - that we have forgotten how to live.

This is both a huge economic drain - and a spiritual drain, where almost every component of the adventure of life is limited and constrained and slowed down (or just forbidden) by some committee's desire to keep everybody _safe_.

When I took a 3rd-hand caravan through 60-odd provinces and states in Canada & the US, 9 years ago, none of them required me to have an electrical WOF, a plumbing WOF, an LPG WOF, or a mechanical WOF/COF.

Somehow, it all worked - and there was fun.

Yes, a camper has nothing obvious to do with this school - but they are both symptomatic of our malaise.
If a school doesn't chain closed its emergency exit doors, and doesn't involve a 10-storey building, just how is a rapid response by the fire department going to make anyone 'safer' ? Bah !

We used to be a country where 'giving it a go' was well looked upon.
Sadly, we now deem almost everything too dangerous unless a regulator is holding our hand.

Yes, I'm sure it saves 10 lives a year.
But at what cost ?

freitasm

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#3463070 19-Feb-2026 15:03

[Moved to a new topic in politics]

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kingdragonfly

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#3463142 19-Feb-2026 16:56

MikeAqua: We have an apartment. laundry cupboard would accommodate a washing machine that is about 10mm narrower than standard.&

If it's a front-loader, and you need less than 600 mm width, you're pretty much screwed.

There are about 5 top-loading models being sold in New Zealand at 560mm width

Kogan appears to be the narrowest at 555 mm

MikeAqua

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#3463328 20-Feb-2026 13:13

kingdragonfly:
MikeAqua: We have an apartment. laundry cupboard would accommodate a washing machine that is about 10mm narrower than standard.&

If it's a front-loader, and you need less than 600 mm width, you're pretty much screwed.

There are about 5 top-loading models being sold in New Zealand at 560mm width

Kogan appears to be the narrowest at 555 mm

There are quite a few at 595mm but we only have 590mm of width available. I hadn't come across anything smaller than 595, so thank you for the link. It's possible I'll able to change the plumbing a little and gain another 5mm, but I need building manager approval for that.

Mike

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#3464030 24-Feb-2026 13:47

I currently can't print to the wired printer 10 metres from my desk because a cloud provider is having an outage. Who designed this system?!

HP

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KiwiSurfer

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#3464043 24-Feb-2026 14:44

Behodar:

I currently can't print to the wired printer 10 metres from my desk because a cloud provider is having an outage. Who designed this system?!

That's why I have stuck with HP. They just print wirelessly directly over your LAN from any AirPrint/CUPS/IPPS compatiable device - Windows, Linux, MacOS, iOS, Android, etc. You can even browse to the IP address of the printer to check status and adjust settings etc. Anything cloud-based is entirely optional.

MadEngineer

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#3464399 24-Feb-2026 21:55

^ I can also print from my iPhone to my HP printer at home over a Wireguard VPN from anywhere. Just works.

You're not on Atlantis anymore, Duncan Idaho.

SepticSceptic

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#3464402 24-Feb-2026 22:17

Behodar:

I currently can't print to the wired printer 10 metres from my desk because a cloud provider is having an outage. Who designed this system?!

Company IT departments don't care much for printers and print systems, until they don't print. Then all hell breaks loose ..

Cloud system = someone else's computer . always.

MadEngineer

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#3464409 24-Feb-2026 23:13

Wait, I didn't pick up on that being a 'work' desk... if so that's definitely a bit left field.

SepticSceptic:

Behodar:

I currently can't print to the wired printer 10 metres from my desk because a cloud provider is having an outage. Who designed this system?!

Company IT departments don't care much for printers and print systems, [snip]

I'd disagree with that. Printers are something under my wing that I treat with some level of priority because not only do they perform a required business function but also because I understand that they can be a source of frustration.

You're not on Atlantis anymore, Duncan Idaho.

Behodar

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#3464427 25-Feb-2026 07:35

I did indeed mean at work.

Lenovo

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floydbloke

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#3464431 25-Feb-2026 07:47

MadEngineer:

^ I can also print from my iPhone to my HP printer at home over a Wireguard VPN from anywhere. Just works.

...and then your dog picks it up off the printer and puts it in the fax machine so you get your hardcopy wherever you are.😝

Sometimes I use big words I don't always fully understand in an effort to make myself sound more photosynthesis.

freitasm

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#3465333 27-Feb-2026 09:16

Decided to have burgers for lunch today. But I couldn't be bothered making the patties, so I decided to buy ready ones.

Option 1: Woolworths brand, 85% meat, $21/kg
Option 2: First Light, 88% meat $30.25/kg
Option 3: Silver Fern Farms, 97% meat, $26.9/kg
Option 4: Woolworths mince (no patty), 100% beef $21.90/Kg.

This means that since mince costs $21.90/kg, Woolwoorths is filling 15% of their burgers with something that is being charged at $15.90/kg (not considering manufacturing). Meanwhile, First Light is using 12% of something, at $6.42/kg (considering their mince is more expensive).

It just shows how hard is to decide when buying things at a supermarket.

[Edited: correct prices]

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SCUBADOO

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#3465358 27-Feb-2026 10:16

I suspect that the last burger patties I purchased from a local supermarket consisted of 70% meat containing perhaps 40% fat, flavouring, breadcrumbs with the rest being some form of edible glue to hold it all together.

Quality mince for me next time.

kingdragonfly

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#3465389 27-Feb-2026 12:31

Speaking of mystery meat.

From McDonalds. I jumped ahead in this long video

The Dumbest Lie At McDonald's jump

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