The Anonymous Widower

Traffic Chaos at the Angel

I said on Saturday that I got very wet in the chaos at Highbury Corner due to road works disrupting the buses.

Today I went shopping at Waitrose at the Angel and getting there on a 38 bus from my previous call in Clerkenwell, I was held up by traffic jams caused by the extensive road works all over the area.

Afterwards, as I’d got a lot to bring home, I decided to take a taxi. the lady driver had to go all through the backstreets to get me home.  Someone had told her, that Islington still has money to spend from the 2010-11 budget and are doing as much work as is possible before the deadline.

I certainly will be avoiding the Angel for the next week or so, unless I can do it on foot or by the Underground.

It’s funny, but in all my years, I’ve never hailed a black cab driven by a lady.

If this is true, it sounds like their project management skills are in line with the Cambridge Busway and the Edinburgh Tram.

February 21, 2011 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , | Leave a comment

Where Have All the Brass Washers Gone?

I’m in need of some more oversized brass washers to complete the staircase.

Oversized Brass Washers

My supplier has told me, they can’t get any more. I can’t find any on the Internet in the UK either.

February 21, 2011 Posted by | World | , | 3 Comments

More Readings of Noise on Buses

A few days ago, I measured the noise on one of the conventional buses that run on the 43 route. It gave a rest reading of 57 dBA and a full speed one of 87 dBA.

Since then I’ve taken a few more readings.

141 – Volvo Hybrid 55/86

141 – Volvo Conventional 61/80

277 – Dennis Conventional 52/85

73 – Mercedes Bendy 67/83

In all cases I was sitting at the back by the engine on the lower deck. 

It does seem that they are fairly similar with the hybrid being slightly quieter.

If you search the Internet for London bus noise, you’ll find this chat about the noise outside the Volvo buses that run on the 76 route.  Over the last few days, the route has received a batch of new Volvo hybrid buses.  So does it pay to complain about bus noise in London?

February 21, 2011 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , | Leave a comment

Gaddafi on the Ropes

It looks like the odious Colonel Gaddafi’s evil hold on Libya is coming to an end.

His son has blamed all and sundry in a speech.

But we are the ones to blame, just as we were to blame for the rise of Saddam Hussein in Iraq.

Western governments seemingly will do anything to get the oil they need to keep their people happy, so we gave them everything they wanted years ago.

As an example, when Yvonne Fletcher was shot dead outside the Libya embassy in London, we let the Libyans sneak out of the country, without a proper investigation.  Some believe that the shot didn’t come from the embassy, but surely a thorough investigation at the time could have proved the truth.

Supposedly now, some claim that we are selling him the arms he has used to kill his own people.

We’ll do anything to get oil!  But as I have shown in the last few months, only the selfish need a car of their own. We’ll all going to have to change our lifestyle sooner or later, so why not do it now?

February 21, 2011 Posted by | News | , , | 1 Comment

A Better Way to Measure Blood Pressure

I do hope so, as the current method seems to cause all sorts of problems when healthcare staff measure mine using the traditional cuff, whether it’s connected to a high tech machine or a manual device.

In Hong Kong, they were very worried about my blood pressure and they were always measuring it.  Sometimes they changed from the new to old devices.

My previous doctor too, often got a different result to her nurse and another doctor, said I suffered from a classic case of white-coat hypertension.

So a new blood pressure device developed at the University of Leicester is to be welcomed. Especially, as it can measure the blood pressure closer to the heart or the brain.

It also looks to me that after fully researching and sorting the medical principles, instrument engineers have applied modern electronic technology to the problem.

We shall be seeing more devices like this to monitor many bodily parameters in the future.

February 21, 2011 Posted by | Computing, Health, News | | Leave a comment