Will Brexit Result In A Secure Irish Border?
I have been to Ireland many times and also have had several good friends from Southern Ireland.
One tale I heard was from a respectable farmer, was about how during the Second World War he helped his father smuggle food into the North. As he said, “We couldn’t let fellow Irishmen starve!”
It is tales like this, that have always made me believe that Ireland may not politically be one country, but economically and personally, it is a closer relationship.
I also remember tales from a couple of decades ago, where because of different prices across the border, people would shop or trade, where there was a financial advantage.
I’ve actually never driven across the Irish border, as I’ve only been to both countries in the same trip once and I crossed the border by train.
But as with the borders between Wales and England or Scotland and England, I suspect only the locals know on which side they are standing.
One of the main reasons many voted for Brexit was to keep out immigrants.
What is to stop would-be immigrants to the UK, after Brexit going to Ireland and then being smuggled across the porous border, just as food was in the Second World War?
Surely, the only way to stop the smuggling of immigrants is a secure border!
Crossrail-Spoil Wetland Provides Haven For Wildlife
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the first two paragraphs.
A £70m project to create a wetland twice the size of the City of London is nearly finished with wildlife thriving in new lagoons, marsh and fields.
New wetland on Wallasea Island, off the Essex coast, was created from tunnel spoil from London’s Crossrail project.
Wallasea Island shows that large construction projects don’t have to be all about steel and concrete.
Brush Traction Signs Contract With Skeleton Technologies For Modules For Class 769 Trains
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Rail Advent.
This is the first two paragraphs
Skeleton Technologies has announced that they have signed a contract with Brush Traction to supply SkelStart Engine Start Modules for all Porterbrook Bi Mode Class 769 trains.
The high-power density, safe and tiny size of the 24V SkelStart module were decided over other solutions during the feasibility stage to start the Auxiliary Power Supply (APS) units. Simply put, there was not enough room available for another solution.
The article then gives a few brief details on the SkelStart
Who are Skeleton Technologies?
They have a web site at www.skeletontech.com and there is a brief description on the home page.
Under a title of.
Powering Energy Savings With Ultracapacitors
There is this description.
Skeleton Technologies’ patented curved graphene is changing the world of energy storage.
Our superior technology enables us to deliver ground-breaking energy storage solutions with market leading power and energy density. Our products are used across industries from automotive to aerospace and everything in between.
Curved graphene? I know about graphene, but I’d never heard of it being curved.
There is a Press Release on the Skeleton Technologies web site, which is entitled Skeleton Technologies Signs Contract with Brush Traction to Supply Ultracapacitors for All BMU Class 769 Prime Movers.
This gives a lot more details, including this brief description of size and weight.
The 24V SkelStart has the size of a regular car battery and with its 8kg weight, it solved the space restriction we had.
It looks to be a very simple application of a capacitor with the ability to hold a lot of charge.
One of their products is called a SkelMod 170V 53F Ultracapacitor Module.
The datasheet gives these details.
- Voltage – 170 Volts
- Capacitance – 53 Farads
- Maximum Stored Energy – 0.2127 kWh
- Weight – 77 Kg.
That is a lot of energy for a capacitor.
A 50 kWh capacitor suitable for a bus or train, with this energy density would weigh eighteen tonnes, so it’s a bit impractical for this type of application at present.
But who knows what will be possible in the near future?
Skeleton Technologies would already appear to have pushed capacitor design a long way.
Skeleton Technologies Are An Estonian Company
This surprised me at first! But why not?
An Aside
Somewhere in my past about the 1960s, I remember an electronic news item, where someone like AERE Harwell, had built a one Farad capacitor, that was house-sized. Noe we get 53 Farad in a suitcase.
Conclusion
I think we’ll eventually see supercapacitors big enough to replace lithium-ion batteries in a lot of applications.
The View From The Schilthorn
These pictures were taken from the viewing platform by the side of the Piz Gloria restaurant on the Schilthorn.
It was certainly worth going up to the top of the Schilthorn.
In Piz Gloria; The Rotating Restaurant On Top Of The Schilthorn
I took these pictures in Piz Gloria, which is the restaurant on top of the Schilthorn.
Note.
- During my meal, the restaurant did a complete rotation.
- The food was typically Swiss; reasonable but pricey.
- It was certainly better than any other rotating restaurant I’d eaten in.
- The three prominent peaks grouped together are the Eiger, Mönch and the Jungfrau.
- All the Swiss, were saying that the weather was exceptional.
I think the Swiss couple sitting opposite me, might have been celebrating a birthday or anniversary and they seemed to enjoy the experience.
Walking The Crossrail Route Between Farringdon And Moorgate Stations
I took these pictures on the route between Farringdon and Moorgate stations via Barbican station.
Note.
- The massive amount of new development along the route.
- The new site for the Museum of London.
- Smithfield Market, which surely will be developed or refurbished.
- The large amount of housing in the Barbican Estate.
- The new office developments surrounding Moorgate station.
To me, one of the most interesting developments, is the creation of new walkways across the Barbican Estate and through the new office developments to link Batrbican and Moorgate stations to London Wall and walking routes going towards St. Pauls, Bank and the River.
Crossrail will serve the City indirectly using a modicum of walking in at a pleasant height away from the traffic.
What Are These Guys Watching?
This group of mainly men, reminded me of the scenes you get in pubs with football on the big screen or in betting shops.
But it was in the Leon in Moorgate.
The wait for my gluten-free chicken nuggets was worth it!
The Right Attitude
Also in the diary in today’s copy of The Times, was this paragraph.
Gina Miller has just published a memoir and tell’s Spear’s magazine that opponents told her publisher that they were organising a mass burning of it.
This does not worry her. “It’s OK, they’ve got to buy the book first.” she says.
Never get angry with someone, who is paying you money, for which you are doing no extra physical or mental work!
Top Meerkats Like To Live Fast And Die Old
The title of this post is the same as that of an article in today’s copy of The Times.
Cambridge University researchers led by Dominic Cram, have found that the Alpha Male meerkats get all the meercrumpet, have a good life and live to an average of 4.4 years. Their subordinates have an average of 2.8 years.
I wonder if it applies to humans. Think David Attenborough, Clint Eastwood, Kirk Douglas, Bruce Forsyth, the Duke of Edinburgh and Mick Jagger.
If The Wig Fits, They’ll Wear It
The title of this post is the same as that of an article in the diary in today’s copy of The Times.
Apparently, there has been criticism, of the new film; The Children Act, about the wearing of wigs by barristers.
The tag line of the story, quoting a daily e-mail called The Brief is.
Who cares about accuracy?” The Americans expect to see English lawyers wearing bloody wigs.
C rarely wore her wig, if ever.
In fact, in one case that involved some Americans, they asked her, where they could buy one, so they could take it home as a souvenir.
The Anonymous Widower 