Southend In The Sun
I went to Southend more out of curiosity than anything else, as the BBC Weather web site said that nearby Shoeburyness would be one of the sunniest places in the UK.
As you can see, the BBC was right.
Walking From Hampton Court To Kingston
I hadn’t intended to walk, but when I saw the distance was 3.5 miles and it was sunny, I thought why not!
It took me twenty minutes over the hour and I had lunch in Bill’s by the river before taking the train home.
A Walk Along The River
It was very sunny so I walked along the Thames from Blackfriars station to the Tower.
Note.
- The works for the Tideway Tunnel.
- The impressive new Blackfriars Pier for the Thames Clippers.
- Queenhithe.
- You walk underneath the City’s waste transfer station at one point.
I couldn’t believe that the weather was that good for December.
At Queenhithe, you have to walk inland as the Thames Path is blocked by development, that was done a couple of decades ago.
I do hope that the new development at Queenhithe will include a bridge across the ancient dock to continue the path.
Why Isn’t The Mall Traffic Free?
This article on the BBC is entitledPlans to block vehicles from the Mall brought forward after Berlin lorry attack.
I can’t understand, why the Mall isn’t traffic free from say nine in the morning until perhaps four or five in the afternoon.
This would create a large walking area from Trafalgar Square to Victoria, with the shops of Oxford, Bond and Regent Streets and Crossrail to the North-West and the Thames not far away in the East.
This Google Map shows the area around Buckingham Palace.
It would improve London for everyone, except prossibly taxi and Uber drivers.
But just as with the pedestrianisation of Oxford Street, there would be protests.
Why Did You Cancel Your BT Direct Debit?
I picked up the phone and a believable voice asked the title of this post.
As there was no number visible on the phone display, I said that I hadn’t cancelled it and said, that I’ll check with my bank, before I put the phone back in its cradle.
It rang immediately, so I picked it up and told the caller to Fuck Off, as no company like BT would react like that, after I’d told them, I would check with my bank.
The phone rang about four more times and I suspect they had control of it, so I didn’t use it, but conteacted my bank on my mobile. The BT Direct Debit was still there.
An hour or so later, I rang a couple of friends to check my phone and the phone appeared to be working fine.
On checking with BT, they told me it was a well known scam.
The strange thing was that the call came on the day before my BT bill was due to be paid.
So as the scammer, had my phone number, name and billing date, it sounds like someone had read my details in a BT database.
One thing though the helpful girl from BT told me, was that if you cancel your Direct Debit to BT for any reason, you’ll get an e-mail.
So if you haven’t received an e-mail saying you’ve cancelled, it would appear that you haven’t cancelled.
Bloodly scammers!
The Last Cowboy Rides On
Kirk Douglas is a hundred today.
I always liked his film; Lonely Are The Brave, ever since I watched it late one night, whilst programming Artemis.
Happy Birthday, Kirk!
Smoking In Claridges
Apparently if you’re a billionaire and want to stay in one of the expensive suites at Claridges, they change the furniture for a set for smokers and back again afterwards.
That has a certain style, but as the story came in an article about an autocratic Chinese businessman in the Business section of The Sunday Times, I doubt I’ll be using, the stores talked about in the article. Smokers should not be indulged.
Trump Recruits A Mad Dog
The title of this article on the BBC is Trump names Gen James ‘Mad Dog’ Mattis as defence secretary.
It needs no comment!
Wattway
I was pointed to this French innovation by the Sunday Times.
Effectively, Wattway, is a system of solar panels that you can put in a road and drive on.
Click here for the Wattway web site.
I have a feeling that it will lead to all sorts of applications, especially where power is needed at a remote location.
I suspect too, that it doesn’t need planning permission as such, whereas even a small wind-turbine might!
Is Wi-Fi Becoming A Curse?
I usually only switch wi-fi on when I need it, on my Samsung phone. And when I don’t, I switch it off immediately.
Yesterday, I forgot to switch it off and this morning as the bus went through the Angel, the phone had switched itself to an O2 advert and it was trying to get me to install fourteen copies of updated apps.
I immediately, switched wi-fi off and didn’t install any updated apps, as in fact, I only use one app and that never seems to update itself.
How many people just update all the apps, they’re asked to do and inadvertently load a piece of malware, that empties their bank account?
Remember, it is in your phone service provider’s interest that you keep updating, as this generally increases your bill.
I also have no financial details on my mobile phone. Anybody who does, deserves to lose all their money!
The Anonymous Widower 