How to tell if you have a fake pound coin

So, since the story hit the news a couple of weeks ago, I thought I would keep my eyes open and see if I ended up getting palmed off with one of the 30 million (or approximately 2%) fake pound coins that are reported to be in circulation...I had a few pass through my hands that were definitely a "maybe" (but I couldn't be 100% sure) until I happened to be lucky(?) enough to get two identically dated Welsh-themed year 2000 pound coins - comparing the two, it was immediately clear that they had some considerable differences (you can click these pictures to zoom in much further if you like, I took them at quite high res) -

Firstly - looking at the front, you can see the fake coin (on the right) is a much lighter colour, the face image isn't centred properly, and lots of the detail, including many of the little dots around the edge are either blurred or missing completely...

Next step, carefully spin the coin over, flip it horizontally without turning it at all (this is important) you can see a similar lack of detail to the front, but most tellingly, the front and back of the coin are not perfectly aligned, the fake coin is close, but it's definitely off by a few degrees...a classic sign of the amateur mint...

Thirdly, turn the coin on it's side and examine the edge, you can see that not only is the fake coin's text irregular (check out the giveaway tiny "S" in a slightly different font) and wonky, it's also not even Welsh! If you are in any doubt at all, you can check out which edge corresponds with which front here in the Royal Mint Design Portfolio...some are obvious, like this example, others not so, also make sure the text is good and deep, and the lines running all along the edge are clearly defined...

Now comes the difficult part...As an academic/investigative exercise I've successfully identified that I have been given a fake coin. However, this does now mean I will be guilty of commiting a crime if I go ahead and spend it...So I think the lesson learned here is, as long as it looks convincing enough at first glance (when you are handed it), don't bother looking too much further (I don't really want a pile of fake coins cluttering up the house)...Sometimes ignorance is bliss...

>:S

How to VW T25 brake squeak repair and general service check - DIY

This was actually a few weeks ago now (as you can probably tell by the glorious sunshine in the shots)...poor old Colin the Camper had been suffering with an extremely noisy squeak (squeal/what-have-you) which was obviously linked to the brakes as it stopped when they were applied (for a minute or two), the only problem was that we had absolutely no idea which wheel was to blame (the noise was piercing, intermittent, evasive and didn't happen at low speed)...Anyway, one kind chap we bumped into with Flyingpops' pal Sam to whom we mentioned the problem said that it was 99% likely to be a spring from the rear brakes that had either disintegrated or just popped out of position (leaving one of the pads pressing up against the drum), so, having nothing much else to go on, I bought a new fitting kit (£10 from Just Kampers), and we popped over to see Uncle and Auntie to see if they could help us diagnose the fault...

We started with the low hanging fruit (the rear ones) first of all find a hard point, then raise the wheel to be inspected off the ground with a jack (Uncle Alan has rather a good one) -

- (oh and that is the bag of springs etc. on the rear bumper)...anyway, remove the hub cap, followed by the wheel nuts -

- and put the wheel (and the nuts) somewhere safe...

Next, use a small spanner or socket to carefully remove the drum -


- to reveal the workings...

At this stage it's most important that no-one presses the brake pedal or the whole thing will probably fall to bits! Firstly, inspect the brake shoes and the inside of the drum for obvious signs of uneven wear (also if the shoes are noticeably thin, consider getting them replaced, the ones you see here are perfectly fine), next check for (and remove) any debris (Uncle Alan used his compressed air gun and considerable amounts of brake dust flew out - this can be a cause of odd noises if there is a build-up) -

- do the same with the drum -

- check to see if any of the springs have popped out from where they should be (it's fairly obvious) and if so, pop them back on, using new ones from the service kit if required, but if you replace one, then replace all of them on *both* sides of the bus to avoid uneven brakeing (just as you would with tires/pads/anything else involving the wheels) there are enough in the kit to do this...pop everything back together and then test the brakes by setting the wheel spinning (it should spin freely) and then get a friend to push the brake pedal (it should stop the wheel immediately and hold it, but that should go without saying)...now lower the bus and do the other back wheel...Next on to the front brakes, these are disk brakes, so no cover, just pop off the wheel and there you go -

- check the disk itself for pitting (stones and things can get caught up as it is exposed to the elements) and look for uneven wear (as before), now get your head over the top of the callipers and check that the two brake pads both jiggle around loosely on the pegs they are hanging off, then get a friend to press the brake pedal and make sure they are both pushed firmly up against the disk. If they do, then the brakes are fine. On our last wheel (typical!) it became apparent that ours didn't.

So, this is the process to try and fix the problem, first, remove the two restraining pins (hammer and thin screwdriver do the job perfectly) -


- remove the brake pad -

- and then watch while your assistant pumps the brake pedal to see if the calliper arm extends inside the gap -

- ours extended, but didn't go back when the pedal was released, so, some lubrication (WD40 and some specialist brake lubricant) and a lot of elbow grease (just extend it and then use something to push it back in until it works freely) -

- re-assemble, then check the wheel spins freely and then stops when the pedal is pressed, and then it's time for a test drive!

Squeaking brakes - DONE... ;)

Securely Wipe deleted files on XP for free

So Whittleman asked me the other day for a tool to wipe clean (properly wipe clean, not just into the recycle bin and empty, which leaves everything still there) all the files on his old PC as he is going to make a present of it to his mum...wonder what the dirty little scamp has been getting up to that he doesn't want mum to see eh..? ;)

So, as I was documenting it for him anyway, I thought I would copy and paste it for the greater good while I was at it...

This *free* tool, available direct from Microsoft technet, complies fully with the US Department of Defence clearing and sanitizing standard "DOD 5220.22-M", being in the knowledge of which, I'm sure, will make you feel very happy and secure... ;) Also note that the DOD usually feel the need to "clear and sanitize" four times (I'm sure you will be equally happy to hear), so you might want to repeat the last couple of steps a few times just to be on the safe side (depending on how "sensitive" your soon-to-be-deleted-data is, of course)...

So, to the procedure -

(Note - if the feds are banging on the door right now, it might be a little late to be starting this, as it takes about 15 minutes per sweep...so before you kick it off, move the freezer in front of the door... ;)

1. Grab this file
2. Extract the .exe file from the .zip file to the root of C:\
3. Hit the "Start" button
4. Hit "Run"
5. Type in "CMD" (and press enter)
6. Type in "cd\" (and press enter)
7. Type in "sdelete /?" (enter)
8. Click the “Agree” button
9. Go back to the command window and type in "sdelete -z C:\" (enter)
10. Wait until it finishes…Your free space on the drive is now as clean as the US Department of Defence insists it must be for a dumped hard drive…(well, actually, as I mentioned before they run it several times to be sure, you can choose the number of passes with -p [number], in the step above, or just do "sdelete -z C:\" (enter) again a few times, makes no difference)…

And there we go, all your accidentally downloaded animal pr0n will be gone forever!

.aa to .mp3 conversion

Okay, I've gone through this so you don't have to...Ricky Gervais, in his wisdom, has decided to release his podcasts in .aa format which my Sony PSP won't play, so in order to turn them back into regular .mp3 files you need to go through the following procedure -

Convert .aa to .mp3

1) Install the nonsense that is mandatory to play .aa files (you'll go through that bit when you register at Audible.com)
2) Go here and grab the free version of "Total Audio Converter", install it, choosing all the default options
3) Grab this file
4) Grab this file (put it in the same place as the .dll you grabbed in step 3) and then run it, hit "install" and then "close" (when it's done), then you can delete both the .dll and the .exe
5) Re-boot
6) Launch "Total Audio Converter", navigate to the .aa file in the central dialogue, hit "MP3" in the "Convert to" bar at the top, then hit the "finish" button, then hit the "continue" button - you *may* see another dialogue box appear asking you for a logon and password, if so insert the logon and password you specified when you registered for Audible.com
7) Wait a few seconds then enjoy your shiny new .mp3 on your non-.aa playing audio device of choice... ;)

Update - looks like they may have done something to cripple the larger file size transfer process, if you get a hang at about 50% just download one of the other quality offerings and try again...happened a couple of times now...

Update Update - Looks like you can also use Goldwave 5.12 to do the conversion easily enough, as my Total Audio Converter trial period just ended and we have at least one Ricky Gervais podcast on the way...it's very easy, just do "File", "Open" then choose a filetype of "All" from the dropdown menu, once it has imported, just do "File", "Save As", then choose MP3 and off you go...peasy... ;)

Update update update - Audible really are being selfish, cutting all links to files, so I suggest just going with the Goldwave solution for the time being (a$$h0l3z)...

Moroccan Lamb Tagine - Update #2

Update - Steps 1 and 2 previously posted (as I had some trouble!)...

Okay, cooked this last night but not had a chance to blog it yet, so - when I last left off I'd already ground up all the spices and coated the chunked lamb with half of them (and kept it in the fridge for, well, 2 nights by then)...So, next was two large grated onions (a torture device, my eyes's didn't stop watering! I can chop them without discomfort, but grating...? Ouch...!) plus the remaining spices and three cloves of garlic (crushed) placed on the hob at a really low heat (in the casserole dish)...

...meanwhile, the meat from the fridge should be browned off in a hot pan to flash seal on all sides...

...add that to the sweated onions etc. and then deglaze the frying pan with tomato juice...

...then combine the lot together with a generous drizzle of runny honey, small handfuls of chopped dates, sultanas and chopped almonds...I also threw in some of the lamb stock from the bone from Sunday's roast...I don't follow recipes exactly... ;)

Pop it in the oven at 150 degrees and cook for about two and a half hours (the meat should be extremely tender, if not falling to bits), take it out, chop a large handfull of coriander and parsley and serve with steaming cuscus...it should look something like the above... ;)

...and the verdict....? *Wonderful*! An awesome combination of curry flavours, spices and all that amazing sweetness from the fruit...give it a go! :) Apparently a similar effect can be achieved in a slow cooker by just throwing everything in, but I cannot confirm...I think a bit of frying helps the flavours...

Moroccan Lamb Tagine - Update

Okay, got the ginger yesterday from my folks, de-boned and diced the lamb, and coated the chunks (2 inch-ish chunks) in half the spice mix...it went in the fridge before I started on the roast dinner, where it will stay until tonight...smells magnificent! ;)

Update - See the rest of the steps here...!

Moroccan Lamb Tagine

Okay, I've made a start...unfortunately I'm scuppered *again*! Looks like this is destined to go wrong...I need *ground* ginger and I only have fresh...have to get some when we nip over to my folks later on...Anyway this is pounded cayenne, pepper corns, paprika, turmeric and cinnamon sticks...

Update - see the next step here...!

Curses...

...was just about to start cooking Moroccan lamb tagine for my supper tonight, bought all the bits I needed in Tesco this afternoon and just noticed that the *SECOND* instruction (after "1. Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas2.") is to coat the meat in the spices and leave it overnight! BAH! Guess I'll be having that on Monday instead then (Sunday roast tomorrow)!

Worrall Thompson must have a blooming rubbish oven... >:(

Perfect English Roast Dinner...

Cooked Flyingpops a nice birthday dinner last night and just thought I would document it as a "how to"...so, step by step, how to cook the perfect roast dinner (Fink-style)...IMHO, of course... ;) I took the pictures at extremely high resolution, so if you want a close up, click away...you might need to log on to Flickr to see them at full res though... ;)

#1 - Peel 'em and boil 'em
Buy some nice Maris Pipers, peel (with a speed peeler), chop (small, roughly 1.5" randomly shaped chunks, tapering ends work really well, as do thick disks) and boil them for no more than 15 mins with a little salt. You can test that they are ready by poking them with a small knife, if the blade penetrates easily then they are done...

#2 - Strain and distress
Strain the spuds, as shown here, then pop them back in the drained pan and "distress" them - i.e. bang them about a bit (thanks Delia)...this step helps boost the crunch factor later on... ;)

#3 Heat herbs and oil
Meanwhile heat the oil with shredded rosemary and thyme in the oven (180C) warming for the meat...fresh herbs from the garden if possible...careful as you lift the tray out! ;)

#4 Pop into the sizzling oil and turn
One by one arrange the spuds on the tray, kitchen tongs are *not* optional here unless your fingers are made of asbestos...gently turn them in the hot, herb oil until each is coated then pop them into the oven...they will need around an hour and a half...

#5 - Add a herb crust to the joint
Get your rolled and trussed joint (boned leg of lamb) and pat it down with more shredded rosemary, thyme and a little mint before popping it in the oven for the minimum cooking time (it should be pink in the middle and juicy, moist and succulent when cooked)...this one took about 70 minutes so it followed the spuds after about twenty minutes...

#6 - Don't add a 2cm cut to your palm with a large knife
Stormbringer (my trusty but extremely large/heavy Victorinox blade that I prefer to use for chopping swede) once again gashed me...bah...however it's so sharp I actually didn't notice the cut until the blood dripped onto the work surface! Anyway, speed peel the carrots and parsnips, then chop everything (other veg I chose were cabbage, swede (as I mentioned), cauliflower, leek and brocolli), all this goes into the steamer, carrots and cauliflower on the bottom, cabbage, leek and brocolli in the middle and minted garden peas on the top...this gets turned on for the last twenty minutes (i.e. ten minutes before the meat comes out to rest)...Chopped parsnips join the spuds for around 40 minutes in the oven...

#7 - Crispy, and fluffy roasters, fink-style
Remove the meat ten minutes before the spuds are done (if timing is slightly off, don't worry, just turn the oven down just to keep them warm) they will be crunchy on the outside and (because they were sealed by the oil) fluffy on the inside...let the meat "rest" for about ten minutes, then carve generous slices (too much for each person is better than not enough)...

#8 - Jus and Swede
Red wine jus in the front, a reduction of red wine and deglaze of what was in the bottom of the roasting tin...in the rear, swede (*boiled* for 20 minutes) about to be drained and mashed with butter, cracked black pepper and a little sea salt...

#9 - Assemble components and consume
So here we have it, Flyingpops' birthday dinner is finished (this is actually my plate)... ;) So attach your napkin, pour a glass of chilled wine and tuck in! Bon Apetite!

Make your own automatic lockpick

Ingredients and procedure (with pics and video) here...apparently it will defeat most domestic padlocks (at the very least)...interesting! ;)