I’m Not Bothered If Tanker Drivers Strike
Lt is being reported that Army drivers are being trained up, to drive petrol tankers, if the tanker drivers strike.
I’m actually not bothered, as I don’t drive and use public transport most of the time. Also my gas and electricity come through pipes in the ground. It might mean that Waitrose will be a bit short-stocked, but there are other supermarkets.
This strike though could be the death throws of an industry.
Petrol and diesel usage is dropping and will drop even further, as more passengers and freight go by rail. I wonder if there is a chart, which shows how much fuel gets delivered and where? Compared to ten years ago, it’s probably very depressing for the drivers.
The Fight of the Week Is Warming Up
I’m watching the latest instalment in the Glasgow Premier League.
Rangers have scored a goal and Celtic have had a player sent off.
I wouldn’t like to be the referee for the next few weeks.
Stations Reborn As Shopping Destinations
This was a sub-headline in The Times yesterday describing the new policy of Network Rail in transforming stations. Head of Retail at the company is quoted as saying that they want to move away from the likes of McDonalds and Burger King. As a coeliac, I say good riddance to both of them. At the two stations fully redeveloped in London, they’ve got a Leon at Kings Cross and a champagne bar and Carluccio’s in St. Pancras. Both stations have proper pubs too. Next for the treatment in London is Waterloo, with Euston and Birmingham to follow. Both of the latter are terrible.
The Head of Retail also talked about removing the stranglehold of W H Smith, a shop of last resort if ever there was one. A French company, Relay, has been invited to open in Cannon Street.
Stations can’t be improved fast enough, as far as I’m concerned.
Brian Redhead Was Right
I have been listening to the Malaysian Grand Prix today on BBC Radio 5 Live.
It has been a disaster for Sky, as for most of the race, it has been raining cats and dogs.
So as the late great Brian Redhead once said. “If television had been invented first, radio would be the dominant medium, as the pictures are better!”
The BBC commentators are proving him right, by bringing interesting guests to the microphone, explaining everything that is going on extremely well. But then, the BBC has had all that practice with cricket.
If I was paranoid, after reading Brian Redhead’s Wikipedia entry, I’d think I had a ruptured appendix, as he died of one, after complaining of pain in his left side and leg. But I’ve had my pain for years, so it’s probably nothing to worry about.
My Zopa Spreadsheet
I have a spreadsheet written in Excel, that documents all of my Zopa investment.
What I find about Excel is that it is so illogical and nothing is intuitive. When I wrote a PC-based version of Artemis, that was a project management, spreadsheet and a graphics program, it was way in advance of Excel today for ease-of-use. But then it didn’t have all the features.
Am I being arrogant?
No! At my age and state of health I have that luxury.
On a more important theme, is the spreadsheet telling me what I should do with Zopa?
I think so and I’ll be making changes to my lending philosophy in the next few days.
Zopa Mentioned in the Guardian
My Google Alert for Zopa found this report in the Guardian. It’s not particularly relevant to Zopa or peer-to-peer lending as this extract shows.
Not all hairdressers are on one giant VAT dodge, otherwise there would have been some public outcry and we would all, by now, be doing each other’s hair (we would call it peer-to-peer grooming, it would be somewhere between Zopa and a zoo, and it wouldn’t matter what we looked like, because we’d all look the same).
But it does show that you should choose a unique name for your company.
Right-Handed Typing
I’ve now decided, that even if the mangled nerves in my left arm, aren’t the cause of my problems, holding up my left arm for typing irritates the hand and makes everything worse.
So I’ve now started using just my right hand for typing. I just rest my left arm and hand in my lap.
Years ago, there was a picture taken of me, in a recumbent position with the monitor more-or-less between my feet, which were on the desk and the keyboard in my lap. So I’ve always had problems about getting a convenient position for typing.
I’ve looked for one-handed keyboards on the web and there is nothing like I want. Although, one site says a laptop keyboard is best for one-handed typing and that is what I use anyway.
One thing that may affect my typing is that I’ve done any awful lot of setting of letterpress type. This is a right-handed operation, where the stick is held in the left and the letters are picked and placed by the right. I’m not sure, if I ever did any typsetting after my arm was broken, but if I did, it could explain how easy I find this method of typing.
After all, the last four or five posts have been done this way!
Not Annoyed By Students
As UCH is a teaching hospital, I was always being visited by students, who obviously needed to examine real patients.
I don’t mind this, but others might. But they’ve obviously got to practice somewhere.
I chatted with one all evening, as she only left at about half past eleven. It was certainly a better experience, than watching the dreadful TV system.
The UCH TV/Phone System
It’s no better than the one at Addenbrookes. And there’s still no BBC 5 Live! As Fornula 1 is not on BBC1 much of the time these days, that will be a cause for complaint.
The accounting for the cards didn’t seem to be too accurate either!
I did laugh at the rather smug message.
You are enjoying <channel>
Does anybody with a brain enjoy Channel 5?
Next time, I go into hospital, I’m taking a radio.
The Unusual Things You See in Hospital
I’d never realised until I saw it that all London buses have large identfication letters on their roofs, but looking down from my room I could easily see them.
I suppose they are for identification purposes from Police helicopters or the Air Ambulance.
The Anonymous Widower 