back to article A cardboard desk? I won’t stand for it (actually I will)

This week, I have been worried about getting it to stand up. The more I worry, the greater the difficulty in ensuring a sturdy erection that doesn’t immediately flop over. I hope you understand that this has never happened to me before. Perhaps I could try again in a few minutes? Ah, there we are. Nice and stiff and thick …

  1. Hans Neeson-Bumpsadese Silver badge

    gnome dancing around the aforementioned Stonehenge

    +1 for the Spinal Tap reference

    1. Steve K

      Re: gnome dancing around the aforementioned Stonehenge

      Absolutely - big thanks to Dabbsy for the link reference - it made me laugh on a Friday morning, and make a note to order the DVD as I have not seen the film in years!

      1. Dabooka

        Re: gnome dancing around the aforementioned Stonehenge

        What's a DVD?!

        1. Fungus Bob

          Re: gnome dancing around the aforementioned Stonehenge

          Digital Virgin Dispenser

  2. Fihart

    Cats 'n boxes.

    What is it with cats and boxes ? Try to get them into a pet carrier and you end up in A&E. But leave a box/shopping bag unattended for a moment and it'll be wriggling around and a face will appear with an expression (as per article pic) suggesting that the cat is trapped and panicking -- which clearly it is not. Only time I actually had to intervene was when my cat caught her head in the handles of a Sainsbury bag and was racing around the house desperately trying to evade this rustling pursuer. She collided with me with such force that the handles tore off.

    1. magickmark

      Re: Cats 'n boxes.

      Schrodinger

      That is all.

    2. Franco

      Re: Cats 'n boxes.

      Standard behaviour for pets. Blow in a dogs face and it'll go nuts. Open a car window at speed however.....

      1. Anonymous Custard

        Re: Cats 'n boxes.

        Yup, have now been the servant of two cats, both of whom like nothing better than a large paper bag (think old-style American grocery bag, like you used to get from Ikea over here) that they could curl up in. But woe betide you if you went anywhere near it when they're in residence, as claws will inevitably be thrust out to gouge hands or whatever you've put near the bag.

        I guess it's a security thing, as current one also seems to like snoozing in a cardboard box at night.

      2. cklammer

        Re: Cats 'n boxes.

        Halitosis?

      3. Anonymous Coward
        Paris Hilton

        Re: Cats 'n boxes.

        "Blow in a dogs face and it'll go nuts".

        Added Paris icon, because... well...

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Cats 'n boxes.

      If I knew anything about cats, let them nearby a neat cardboard surface, and soon it will get "signed" by their claws....

      1. Commswonk

        Re: Cats 'n boxes.

        Not a cardboard box*, but it's still typically feline...

        https://simonscat.com/blog/new-film-trash-cat/

        It's Friday; enjoy.

        *I'll keep looking.

        Edit: see also https://simonscat.com/blog/playlikeacatwithelmo/

        1. J.G.Harston Silver badge

          Re: Cats 'n boxes.

          Sorry, I couldn't get pas the first 12 seconds. THAT'S A WHOLE F****G CHICKEN HE'S THROWING AWAY!!!!

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Cats 'n boxes.

        And what about when you need to give 'em a tablet from the vet?

        The vet shows you how to do it and they swallow the damned thing straightaway. Then, when you try it at home - and this is a true story - you need gardening gloves and a blood transfusion to get them to take it, and they still manage to spit the bloody thing out behind the sofa five minutes later.

        1. TomPhan

          Re: FURY ROAD!!!

          I found welding gloves to be useful when grabbing cats.

    4. This post has been deleted by its author

    5. Vinyl-Junkie
      Joke

      Re: Cats 'n boxes.

      Amazon - the world's largest supplier of cat beds!

      1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge
        Pint

        Re: Cats 'n boxes.

        "Amazon - the world's largest supplier of cat beds!"

        I think you'll find El Reg has already given that crown to HP in their Aboxalypse now series.

    6. swampdog
      Mushroom

      Re: Cats 'n boxes.

      My wife's cat, when I first met her (the wife that is*) used to treat a litter tray like a dog burying a bone in a sandpit. In compensation for there never being any litter in his tray he took to using any coiled up wire he chanced apon: failing that, a pair of shoes.

      I suggested we get a cat-flap pronto. Unfortunately our new abode was a first floor flat so I ended up constructing a complicated climbing frame so he could get in and out.

      (*) She wasn't my wife when I first met her. That would be a wierd.

    7. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Cats 'n boxes.

      @Fihart; "my cat caught her head in the handles of a Sainsbury bag and was racing around the house desperately trying to evade this rustling pursuer"

      Maybe she thought it was a cat-tle rustler.

  3. magickmark
    Paris Hilton

    Standing Comments

    I think that's the first time I've seen a box being unboxed!!

    Not the most aesthetic of things is it?

    Paris? Apparently she knows a few things about making erections.

    1. Anonymous Custard
      Paris Hilton

      Re: Standing Comments

      I think she knows a thing or two about boxes being unboxed too...

      1. You aint sin me, roit
        Paris Hilton

        Re: Standing Comments

        And while she might not be fussy, I bet she can tell the difference between a box and erection...

        I'm not so sure with this "desk".

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Standing Comments

      @magickmark; "I think that's the first time I've seen a box being unboxed!!"

      Yo dawg.

  4. Peter Gathercole Silver badge

    More testing needed

    It seems a little lacking in foresight just leaving the surface as untreated cardboard .

    Why don't they at least put a shiny, moderately coffee proof surface on it (especially as a result of the 'drawback').

    We need a long term test! I think Dabbsy should actually use it, and report monthly on how it is faring with regard to cup rings, grease stains, wear from mice (strangely missing from his desk) and keyboard legs.

    Oh, and the use of it to support virgins, if only one at a time.

    1. Mage Silver badge
      Coffee/keyboard

      Re: More testing needed

      You need Blue Peter's Sticky Backed Plastic?

      The legs look unstable.

      The price seems high as I got nearly as much cardboard with my industrial 2.2m high MDF & steel shelving, which as the uprights are in two parts could make two standing desks. It's half that price too. Bolt free. No screw driver needed.

      1. Alistair Dabbs

        Re: More testing needed

        The legs are stable and very strong: they are composed of multiple layers glued together, about 1.5cm thick. I admit it's a challenge to ensure a taut fit when slotting them in place without creasing any other part or crushing the corners of the slots. But as my mini video demonstrates, the forward-backward stability might be like a rock but side-to-side is a bit creaky.

        1. Commswonk
          Paris Hilton

          Re: More testing needed

          I admit it's a challenge to ensure a taut fit

          Is this another "Paris" reference? the forward-backward stability might be like a rock but side-to-side is a bit creaky tends to support the idea that it might be...

        2. Yesnomaybe

          Re: More testing needed

          Did seem a bit expensive. You can get (flat packed) desks with electric height-adjustable legs from Ikea for only slightly more than that. They are petty sturdy, and come in several colours. Coffee-proof too...

        3. Stuart 18
          Boffin

          Re: More testing needed

          Ahem "wobbly" & "leftover bits"!? Neither the icon or Mechanical Engineering qualifications are needed to form a link between those :-)

          Lo and behold the spurious leftover bits look like corner reinforcing triangular plates! Methinks from pure logic they belong at the top inside of the legs performing anti-wobble reinforcing functionality.

          Just a pure guess:-)

      2. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

        Re: More testing needed

        "The price seems high as I got nearly as much cardboard with my industrial 2.2m high MDF & steel shelving,"

        I was wondering why the packaging was not part of the desk itself. It does seem odd to pack a flat pack cardboard desk in more cardboard which then needs to be disposed of. It would make far more sense to use the desk itself as the packaging in some way, e.g. the outside of the packaging would be on the inside of the assembled desk so any labels or transportation marks don't show.

        I've seen some very complex shaped/folded single piece cardboard boxes which are a triumph of engineering design and origami. Surely someone could design cardboard furniture which includes the packaging in the design.

  5. TheProf
    Happy

    ?!?!?!?!?!

    ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-NINE Great British Pounds for a wobbly cardboard table?

    Well done Mr. Dabbs, that is surely the funniest article you have ever written.

    (I opened the video in a separate tab and the other videos on the offered appear to be German Benny Hill style smut. Well done for keeping such good company.)

    1. Dan 55 Silver badge

      Re: ?!?!?!?!?!

      It might seem expensive but bear in mind it comes in a free cardboard box.

    2. Filippo Silver badge

      Re: ?!?!?!?!?!

      Blame Brexit!

  6. sawatts

    £129?

    I paid much less for my somewhat larger and rather solid home desk (with storage)...

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: £129?

      Yes, I was also going to call bollocks on this one, for the same reasons (even including the optional glass top the desk I've used for the last ten years cost less than £100). However, searching my trusty office equipment provider (IKEA) for the term "standing desk" only gives me items in the £400-500 range, so I guess the cardboard equivalent is of roughly proportionate price.

      If only the term "standing desk" wasn't being deemed the marketing equivalent of "hipster twat with too much money" we might see something reasonable for £129.

      1. H in The Hague
        Pint

        Re: £129?

        "However, searching my trusty office equipment provider (IKEA) for the term "standing desk" only gives me items in the £400-500 range ..."

        Those are electrically adjustable (Bekant range) and actually quite good. I've got one of their bases (fitted with my own custom top) and it's v stable and seems to be robustly built.

        I find I prefer to do typing sitting down, but standing is fine for reviewing documents.

        Here's a beer to start the weekend.

      2. John Brown (no body) Silver badge
        Paris Hilton

        Re: £129?

        "If only the term "standing desk" wasn't being deemed the marketing equivalent of "hipster twat with too much money" we might see something reasonable for £129."

        Yes, it does seem rather a lot just for the extra 6" (on the legs)

        Icon because....do I really need to say why?

  7. Haku

    Next time you assemble a cardboard box, video the full process.

    Jeremy Clarkson did.

  8. Potemkine Silver badge

    150 € for this? :omg:

    Can't you find something in real wood in the next flea market, you could even transform as you wish to feed your needs? An old folding table for instance?

    The ultra-consumerist attitude to buy and throw has to be amended. Let's reuse old things instead of making new junk.

    JM2C, of course ^^

    1. swampdog

      Re: 150 € for this? :omg:

      We had to remove a door which opened the wrong way in our house and being of the older persuasion it was nigh-on solid wood. Bit of 2by4 plus some large shelf brackets and instant desk.

      There's a self assembly plywood computer desk circa late 1980's buried under some dust. It has bowed about 3 inches and all it has on it is an Atari ST, a couple of ST monitors and one of those ST "slab" hard disks: 100mb £400. I find it real hard to chuck stuff because I don't like waste. Next to it, the ST printer (Citizen 120D) is still powered, attached to my old firewall (FreeBSD 4.x) box and has been flashing "out of paper" for over nearly two decades.

      Nothing wrong with an old door! :--)

  9. Olivier2553

    The virgins are in the cardboard

    It's being said in their web site: "Strength & Rigidly from 3-ply Virgin Corrugated Card"

    1. Phil O'Sophical Silver badge
      Coat

      Re: The virgins are in the cardboard

      What are 3-ply virgins, and what's so special about the cardboard they corrugate?

      1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge
        Coat

        Re: The virgins are in the cardboard

        "What are 3-ply virgins,"

        Thicker and softer?

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: The virgins are in the cardboard

          Stronger even when wet?

  10. Dan 55 Silver badge

    You put your Mac kit on that?

    You're a braver man than I.

    1. TeeCee Gold badge
      Coat

      Re: You put your Mac kit on that?

      I agree it looks dodgy, but it would seem It Just Works.

      Who could have seen that coming?

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Embodied energy

    This is one of those ideas that literally every new generation of design graduates comes up with.

    Meanwhile, my generic desk from an office supply catalogue in melamine coated chipboard, has been going for 25+ years. Since there’s no reason I'll ever need a new one, it trounces your soybean and hemp furniture hundreds of times over.

    1. John Presland

      Re: Embodied energy

      Office supply, nothing. Go to a builder's supplies store. Two A-frame trestles and (basic spec) a door or (looks better, lasts for ever) a 2-metre solid timber board of appropriate width. Saw the latter in half and place on the former. Disassembles in a minute when you don't want it where it is.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Embodied energy

        Offset that cut and you have a nice hole to gather cables through.

  12. Filippo Silver badge

    Cardboard furniture?

    I admit this is the first time I hear about cardboard furniture. Even after reading the article, I can't fathom why anyone would come up with the notion, or why anyone would buy it, especially at that price.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Cardboard furniture?

      When I was a child, my sister had a grocery shop made of printed cardboard furniture. We also had cardboard "horses". So nothing new here, just now they are selling to adults...

      If you need a reliable mobile desk (although not a standing one), check this:

      http://www.pelican.com/us/en/product/mobile-military-weapon-cases/mobile-office/field-desk/472-FLD2-DESK-TA/

      No need to fear children/cats/etc. with one of these....

    2. Captain DaFt

      Re: Cardboard furniture?

      " ...why anyone would buy it, especially at that price."

      Amen! I would have stopped off a an appliance shop and asked for a box a full-sized fridge came in.

      Use a box cutter or shears to trim to height, cut a knee well, use the left over bits for bracing, and Bang!, cardboard desk at no cost, and probably less time to assemble.

      1. katrinab Silver badge

        Re: Cardboard furniture?

        You could buy a full sized fridge for not much more than that, and you get a free box with it. Just remember to ask the delivery person not to take the box away when they unpack it for you.

    3. IT Poser

      Re: Cardboard furniture?

      I could see it being useful when working in remote, as in outdoors and far from civilization, locations. If for some reason the next people to visit Rockall happen to need a desk something similar, preferably waterproof, would be ideal.

  13. Loyal Commenter Silver badge

    Here I am thinking that those left-over bits are probably supposed to be inserted somewhere to prevent the wobbling...

  14. cklammer

    Squeezzy breasts, hmm? What happened to to good old rubber ducky?

    1. magickmark
      Black Helicopters

      " What happened to to good old rubber ducky?"

      My understanding is that "rubber ducky" aka Donald "The Duck" Trump, is busy and about to take over the running of the free world. No problems there then!!

      Rubber tits seem like a suitable substitution to me!!!

      1. This post has been deleted by its author

      2. You aint sin me, roit
        Paris Hilton

        Re: " What happened to to good old rubber ducky?"

        I've heard... people are saying... I don't know if it's true... Donald likes to squeeze other parts of the female anatomy. I could be wrong, it's just what people are telling me...

        If you're famous they let you do anything you want.

  15. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Reinforcement

    It wouldn't have been difficult to give it a coat of polyurethane paint, which would make it a lot more waterproof (and aesthetic).

    Conclusion: Someone is having a laugh at someone else's expense.

  16. Teiwaz

    Coffee re-enactment of Computer death from Superman III

    I like to compute with a really hot cup of coffee near at hand. My 2010 Acer netbook managed to survive a quick spill (lucky I don't take milk or sugar).

    Can't see this contraption lasting even a cup with a damp base for long, nevermind a clumsy put down of fairly full cup.

    Three cheap camera tripods with a sturdy plastic top would be better, more durable, just as portable and cater to people of varying stature.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Coffee re-enactment of Computer death from Superman III

      "I like to compute with a really hot cup of coffee near at hand."

      My preference is a cup of really hot coffee:-D

  17. allthecoolshortnamesweretaken

    "As a result, the process of opening the box felt less like I was unpacking a heap of cardboard slats and more like defusing a bomb, with David Hemmings down in the boiler room asking me by walkie-talkie whether to cut the red wire or the white one."

    IIRC, it's always the blue one.

    Unless they're all blue. In that case you're screwed.

    1. Rich 11

      The bombmaker cunningly incorporated a blue light in the compartment underneath the oversized LED countdown timer, making the blue wire look white.

    2. Gotno iShit Wantno iShit

      Red! Red! R, E, D, RED!

  18. nagyeger

    those cornery things...

    Missing from the instructions:

    If you happen to find that your new hyperexpensive wobbly desk is too wobbly, you may, assuming you never want to flat-pack-it again, apply copious quantities of GLUE to all joints. For additional stability, apply to the GLUE, the materials known as PINE or MDF (available at all good hardware stores for a small suplimentary fee). PINE and MDF may be conveniently cut to size with a 2.5kw Circular SAW, much to the enjoyment of neighbours.

    We also supply strange cornery bits known as 'braces' that when attached to the legs and the desk-top in the correct manner (6.75 packets of araldite) provide additional bracing.

    There. Fixed it for them:

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: those cornery things...

      "PINE and MDF may be conveniently cut to size with a 2.5kw Circular SAW, much to the enjoyment of neighbours."

      Pine warps and MDF is very heavy. My favourite bodging material for these jobs is the lowest grade of marine ply. Incredibly easy to cut, easy to sand, glue a few wooden braces on the bottom for added rigidity and assemble with 6mm panhead screws, nuts and washers. When you get tired of the product or want to make changes it is dirt simple to redo. My current desk started as a small Scandinavian desk made out of marine ply, then when the top got too small I simply put a bigger piece on. The one piece of advice I offer for free is that when you get your cheap circular saw replace the blade with a fine one with tungsten carbide inserts. It doesn't cost much and it cuts ply with no mess, fast and clean, and the slight give permitted by the inserts makes cutting extremely easy.

      My circular saw and set of clamps, with half a sheet of suitable ply, would cost somewhat less than the cardboard desk, and after that you're limited to cost of materials.

  19. Ol'Peculier
    Mushroom

    Portability

    The site says it's portable, I doubt it could stand being assembled and disassembled many times.

    And I wouldn't trust anything worth more than about 42p being safe on top of it.. especially with cats about.

    1. The First Dave
      Boffin

      Re: Portability

      An ISO shipping container is portable, doesn't mean you can fold it flat when you're done.

      1. Rich 11

        Re: Portability

        I might not be able to, but my local scrapyard could.

      2. DJ Smiley

        Re: Portability

        Actually... they did make them do that...

        http://www.shippingcontainersuk.com/brands/foldable_containers.php

  20. allthecoolshortnamesweretaken

    "I’d retrieve what I thought was the packaging except for the fact that it got collected by the recycling lorry an hour ago."

    Cardinal mistake when assembling anything that comes in a box, no matter what.

    Always keep every last bit of the packaging until whatever it is is unpacked, assembled and tested.

    Otherwise the single loose page correcting the manual or that other tiny plastic baggie with nuts and bolts will be lost forever.

    And you won't realise it until after the shops are closed / the helpdesk is off duty / everbody else has left / the zombies are already on the front porch.

    (Harsh lessions, learned young, etc etc. Have a nice weekend, everybody. I'm off to the DIY emporium.)

    1. Mystic Megabyte
      FAIL

      @allthecool

      Like when I got some gadget and being a smug git just powered it up. Afterwards, when reading the f***ing manual I noticed that it said "DO NOT SWITCH ON BEFORE DOING THIS..." Ooops!

  21. Cuddles

    Why cardboard?

    I assumed there was going to be some trick that made it easy to switch between sitting and standing*, due to the lighter materials or something. But this isn't a desk that changes height, it's just a taller than normal desk that happens to be made of cardboard. But you can get a desk made out of materials that aren't utter shit for less than that, so what exactly is the point?

    * Incidentally, there's absolutely no point in getting a desk that only allows you to stand, studies have shown that's just as bad as spending all your time sitting. It seems to be changing your stance and posture from time to time that actually gives benefits, so unless you get a fancy desk that goes up and down you might as well get a normal one that allows you to slouch properly.

    1. Rich 11

      Re: Why cardboard?

      But this isn't a desk that changes height

      Yes, it is. It's light enough that you can lift it up while slipping a couple of encyclopaedias under each leg.

    2. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

      Re: Why cardboard?

      That's the reason for the cardboard.

      First thing in the morning it's an upright standing desk, by lunchtime it's become a regular sitting desk and by the end of the day it's the perfect height for slouching.

      The cleaners then throw it away overnight (while leaving the overflowing full bin in the kitchen) and in the morning you get to start all over again

      Expensive on desks though

  22. 404
    Boffin

    All that and more for $0 to $25

    Take 8-16 cinder blocks and 4'x8' sheet of OSB.

    1. Cut OSB to size/shape desktop desired. (Custom!)

    2. Stack blocks to provide sitting or standing desk (Adjustable!).

    3. Place OSB desktop on top of cinder blocks. (Ease of Use!)

    4. Computate. (Efficient!)

    We also offer custom bookshelves, rack enclosures (smaller bricks), and buildings.

    1. Rich 11

      Re: All that and more for $0 to $25

      Ah, happy days. Reminds me of my first student bookshelf, built the day after a somewhat inebriated after-hours visit to a building site and completed after spending 60p on sandpaper in the nearby B&Q.

    2. Jim Mitchell

      Re: All that and more for $0 to $25

      You get a better surface with a door blank. Good size for a desk as well, you would probably have to cut down the full size OSB. Our desk is a door blank, some angle iron under it, all across two short filing cabinets.

  23. Dr_N

    Video Nasty

    Is there not an El Reg rule against posting scary videos?

    On the desk drawback side, apart from exhibiting all the stability of a 3 legged donkey, what happens to it in the event of a liquid spillage incident, Mr Dabbs?

    Time for an in depth coffee/tea/fizzy-drink spillage test?

    1. Haku

      Re: Video Nasty

      "Is there not an El Reg rule against posting scary videos?"

      That's a bit harsh, Alistair Dabbs isn't very scary.

      1. Vinyl-Junkie
        Coat

        Re: Video Nasty

        ITYM Alistair Dabbs isn't THAT scary!

    2. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

      Re: Video Nasty

      From a purely engineering point of view a 3 legged donkey (assuming the center of mass was inside the triangle) would be optimally stable.

      That's why Im a rocket scientist but they don't let me build desks

  24. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    It only makes sense if....

    ... the £129 was tax deductible from the payment you got for writing this.

  25. Paul Hargreaves
  26. Captain Hogwash

    Cardboard Desk?

    You were lucky. We worked for three months on a brown paper bag in a septic tank.

    1. ecofeco Silver badge

      Re: Cardboard Desk?

      At least you HAD a septic tank! Why, in my day.....

  27. Velv
    Coat

    £129 for all that cardboard. Missed a trick there, should have just ordered something small and cheap from HP

    (For those that don't remember)

  28. Anonymous Coward
    Trollface

    That £129 could have been used for better things ...

    Like paint for the skirting board for example or a couple of hours down the pub

  29. Dabooka

    Even just looking at it

    you could see lateral wobble would be a problem, even before the video. Even cheap chipboard things do that, let alone cardboard. I hope to high lord you got that sent as a gimmee and didn't spend your own coinage on it.

    It's a box FFS. AT £130

    1. rototype

      Re: It's a box FFS. AT £130

      Yes, and he has a Mac on it so obviously he's used to spending extortionate amounts of money of toys.

  30. J.G.Harston Silver badge

    You seem to be holding your camera the wrong way around. If you glance around you'll notice that humans eyes are horizontally aligned, not vertically.

  31. Baldy50

    Made me laugh!

    Have you looked at the folding desks available on eBay for less than £30 quid?

    I was well prepared for the pics and didn't need to clean my keyboard, a shame bonfire night is over and it's going to completely fill your recycling bin! Can you torch it in the back garden with some old kit on it and post the pic to the manufacturer for a laugh?

    Thanks!

    1. J.G.Harston Silver badge

      Re: Made me laugh!

      Isn't is supposed to come with a Trump mannikin as well?

  32. Ugotta B. Kiddingme
    Coffee/keyboard

    "Olympic-standard swearing"

    Indeed. When assembling several pieces of flat-packed DIY furniture for my son's first apartment, I was swearing long and loudly enough that the neighbors popped round to see if everything was OK. My son greeted them at the door with a rapid and complex series of shrugs, gesticulation in my direction, and various silently-mouthed apologies. They responded with a slightly less complex series of knowing grins, silent nods, and dismissive hand gestures. It was a brief but enlightening (and mildly amusing) glimpse into modern methods of non-verbal communication.

    1. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

      Re: "Olympic-standard swearing"

      "It was a brief but enlightening (and mildly amusing) glimpse into modern methods of non-verbal communication."

      And verbal non-communication.

  33. Jeffrey Nonken

    I had no idea who David Hemmings was, but I immediately recognized the scene you described. (the movie showed up a few times on HBO during the few years I subscribed.) Unfortunately I couldn't remember the name of the movie, either, though I did remember Omar Sharif being the captain.

    I looked up "David Hemmings" on IMDB and started scanning titles backwards until I encountered one that had absolutely nothing to do with exploding boats -- I did remember THAT much about the title -- and sure enough, "Juggernaut" turned out to be the movie I remembered, and presumably the one you referenced. High fives!

    You sound pretty much like I'd expect. Only when I'm reading your articles, the voice in my head insists on speaking with an American accent. But then, most of the voices in my head speak with an American accent, even when I know better. Oddly enough, it's the same accent I speak with. (I'm sure it's a coincidence.) Now I've actually heard you speak, perhaps I can convince my brain to at least read your words with something other than "bland Midwestern US with a dash of New England but grew up in semi-rural PA". As I write this we (at work) have a guy visiting from Australia, maybe I'll get confused and you'll end up with an Aussie accent in my head.

    Come to think, I'm already confused, that part's a no-brainer. Speaking of which... back to work!

    "I may be stupid, but I'm not BLOODY stupid!"

  34. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    A quick, easy, & cheap standing desk...

    Just get rid of your chair & you'll be standing in no time.

    If you want to vary sitting & standing just have the Mrs hide your chair every time you go to the loo. By the time you find it again you've had your excersize for the day!

    Now if you'll excuse me I've got a chair to find...

  35. ecofeco Silver badge

    Yes, but....

    Will it fit in my cardboard house?

  36. Chris G

    Value for money

    I am stunned that you paid £129 for enough cardboard to freeze the arse off a homeless person (seeing as there would not be enough to cover his arse) well maybe if you include the packaging his arse could be draft free.

    For that much money you should be able to buy enough cardboard to house a family, albeit a tad too cosy, http://thetinylife.com/tag/emergency-shelter/

    Ah @The firstDave see below the emergency shelter on this page, foling ISO containers.

  37. Paul 129
    Thumb Up

    Nice Unboxing!!!

    I normally don't enjoy your Dabbles....

    This was good though!

POST COMMENT House rules

Not a member of The Register? Create a new account here.

  • Enter your comment

  • Add an icon

Anonymous cowards cannot choose their icon