Random Daily Banter

[briantrumpet]

I would lock your front door, just to be on the safe side.

Joking aside, I pointedly don't put photos of my house out there, for more than one reason. Though credit to the postie who did deliver a fan postcard very vaguely addressed (though the postie probably knows I'm The Only Englishman In The Village).

 

[Pblakeney]

Joking aside, I pointedly don't put photos of my house out there, for more than one reason. Though credit to the postie who did deliver a fan postcard very vaguely addressed (though the postie probably knows I'm The Only Englishman In The Village).

In the early 90s I received a letter from the US addressed simply as Forename, Surname (spelt incorrectly) City (10 miles away from my town).
I looked at the phonebook at the time (remember the big ones? 😂) and there were dozens of permutations/possibilities. It got to me directly.

 

[briantrumpet]

Ha - things turned out well on my return journey from France:

Eurostar cancelled my Saturday night train, so I had to stay in a nice Ibis Styles hotel in Lille rather than a crappy hostel in London (it was a stupidly expensive night to stay anywhere in London), so I'll claim for the Ibis Hotel (I couldn't cancel the hostel, so I'm not being dishonest)

I absent-mindedly did my tap in & out on the Underground on my Caisse d'Epargne card on Google Wallet, and the next day I got a notification that the £3 cost had been refused by CdE.

The train from Paddington was delayed by 15 minutes, which meant I missed the connection to Topsham, and that being more than 30 minutes after the scheduled service, I've claimed 50% back from GWR (as it was sold as a connecting train).

 

[briantrumpet]

Even worse for London, I've now logged the Lille hotel as perfect when using Eurostar. Out of adversity, and all that.

 

[Pross]

Ha - things turned out well on my return journey from France:

Eurostar cancelled my Saturday night train, so I had to stay in a nice Ibis Styles hotel in Lille rather than a crappy hostel in London (it was a stupidly expensive night to stay anywhere in London), so I'll claim for the Ibis Hotel (I couldn't cancel the hostel, so I'm not being dishonest)

I absent-mindedly did my tap in & out on the Underground on my Caisse d'Epargne card on Google Wallet, and the next day I got a notification that the £3 cost had been refused by CdE.

The train from Paddington was delayed by 15 minutes, which meant I missed the connection to Topsham, and that being more than 30 minutes after the scheduled service, I've claimed 50% back from GWR (as it was sold as a connecting train).

Does not compute

 

[briantrumpet]

Does not compute

Well, I like it less now, as I need a room in Lille on 9 September, and their cheapest then is £135. Bugger dynamic pricing!! It was OK for £60, with aircon and a fantastic breakfast included. So I'm going elsewhere, for £67. Train tickets cheap though: Valence - Lille £35 1st class, Eurostar £85 (hmm, should have booked earlier, but still not bad), Paddington to Topsham £32.

 

[briantrumpet]

Ha - things turned out well on my return journey from France:

Eurostar cancelled my Saturday night train, so I had to stay in a nice Ibis Styles hotel in Lille rather than a crappy hostel in London (it was a stupidly expensive night to stay anywhere in London), so I'll claim for the Ibis Hotel (I couldn't cancel the hostel, so I'm not being dishonest)

I absent-mindedly did my tap in & out on the Underground on my Caisse d'Epargne card on Google Wallet, and the next day I got a notification that the £3 cost had been refused by CdE.

The train from Paddington was delayed by 15 minutes, which meant I missed the connection to Topsham, and that being more than 30 minutes after the scheduled service, I've claimed 50% back from GWR (as it was sold as a connecting train).

I have had two or three notifications from CdE that they've repeatedly refused to pay the £3. I'm now actually intrigued how many times TfL keep trying to get the money.

The thing was that it was entirely inadvertent, but once the entry barrier had let me through on the CdE card, I presumed I'd need to use the same card to exit.

 

[briantrumpet]

I miss Jay Rayner's writing in the Graun - now behind a paywall on the FT. His restaurant reviews are always fun and well written, and mostly full of praise for things that have been done well. But, occasionally...

 

[briantrumpet]

I miss Jay Rayner's writing in the Graun - now behind a paywall on the FT. His restaurant reviews are always fun and well written, and mostly full of praise for things that have been done well. But, occasionally...

View attachment 16311

Haha, his alt text on the photos here is brilliant. It even includes the comment that the basket of four bits of bought-in bread (that would be free and unlimited in France) cost £9.

https://bsky.app/profile/jayrayner1.bsky.social/post/3mqvrwy2ft22h

 

[briantrumpet]

The Daily Mail (!) says that 20mph limits in London and other urban settings does not increase fuel use.

https://www.dailymail.com/money/cars/article-15894833/Does-car-use-fuel-20mph-30mph.html

"Taking London, average speeds are 7.4mph, so reducing the speed limit from 30mph to 20mph reduces emissions by avoiding cars speeding up to 30mph, only then to have to slow down again soon. The process of speeding up takes a lot of energy and creates emissions. So, if you have congestion, or junctions and crossings at regular intervals, a slower speed limit is preferable. Even better, the lower limit hardly increases journey times."

And the thing that stands out: they cite a "typical 2.5-mile journey". Why on earth would anyone be jumping in a car in London for a 2.5-mile journey to drive at 7.4mph?

 

[Rusty Nails]

I miss Jay Rayner's writing in the Graun - now behind a paywall on the FT. His restaurant reviews are always fun and well written, and mostly full of praise for things that have been done well. But, occasionally...

View attachment 16311

I cannot accept restaurant critics as journalists. Having a nice turn of phrase does not mean they are doing anything worthwhile.

Nice job if you can get it.

 

[icowden]

The Daily Mail (!) says that 20mph limits in London and other urban settings does not increase fuel use.

Blimey - has a sub snuck the article in?

And the thing that stands out: they cite a "typical 2.5-mile journey". Why on earth would anyone be jumping in a car in London for a 2.5-mile journey to drive at 7.4mph?

Lazy journalism. If you google "average car journey in London" guess what the AI tells you:-

Typical car trips within Inner London range from 1.6 to 4.2 km (1 to 2.6 miles)

I imagine that the vast majority of those are taxi journeys.

 

[Ian H]

I cannot accept restaurant critics as journalists. Having a nice turn of phrase does not mean they are doing anything worthwhile.

Nice job if you can get it.

Good writing is always worthwhile.

 

[Rusty Nails]

Good writing is always worthwhile.

Depends on your definition of good writing.

There's a difference between smartarse and smart.

 

[briantrumpet]

There's a wild fact going round on Bluesky that the last president's lifetime *not* to overlap with Herbert Hoover's lifetime was Abraham Lincoln.