A Funny Turn On Thursday
Because of my endoscopy at five on Thursday, I had a quiet day. I wasn’t allowed to eat anything for eight hours before or drink anything but water for four hours.
About one in the afternoon, I was sitting at my computer, typing a post into my blog.
And then everything, went rather fuzzy and words were coming out garbage. Often each letter was replaced by one of the next on the keyboard.
I was also a bit unsteady on my feet and as I was alone in my house, I decided to go out, so that if it was something worse and I collapsed, there would be someone to help me.
As I got to the bus stop, which is about fifty metres away, a violent thunderstorm broke out.
On the bus to The Angel, I tried to check my phone to get the time. It didn’t respond and I couldn’t unlock it. And even with help from the EE Shop and a guy on the bus, the phone wouldn’t respond to my fingers.
At the Angel, I did at least have a sensible conversation with an assistant about a clothes purchase, but in the end I bought nothing.
I left the Angel earlier than I’d intended and as I was on a 38 bus, which starts my journey to Homerton Hospital, I gave up on the idea of going home for some water.
I had a long change at Dalston Junction for the 242 bus for the hospital, but at least the rain had stopped somewhat and I was by now steady on my feet.
My phone was also working, so I was able to read the instructions about where to go at the hospital.
So what had happened to me at one in the afternoon?
Was there a low pressure before the storm, that sucked all the water out of my body and in the process made my fingers dry, so they didn’t work the phone?
Interestingly, I lost 0.9 of a Kg between 08:00 on Thursday and 08:00 on Friday. Was that just the fasting?
My INR also dropped from 2.4 at 08:00 on Thursday to 2.0 at 08:00 on Saturday. Was that because of all the fluid I lost, thickened my blood?
London Underground: Platform Phone Boxes Given Listed Status
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
Four classic phone boxes on London Underground platforms have been Grade II-listed, Historic England has announced.
This is the first paragraph.
The K8 model, which came after the traditional red-panelled box, was designed to have a “modern and minimalist” appearance.
These are the four boxes.
Chalfont & Latimer Station
This box is at Chalfont & Latimer station.
Why is it maroon?
Chorleywood Station
This box is at Chorleywood station
It is maroon like the nearby one at Chalfont & Latimer station. Is it maroon for Metropolitan?
This box is next to a defibrillator. Could the K8 phone boxes be used to protect the defibrillators from the elements?
High Street Kensington Station
The box is on the platform at High Street Kensington station.
Why is it in dark blue? Dark blue is not Circle or District.
Northwick Park Station
The box is on the island platform at Northwick Park station.
I think it needs a bit of tender loving care, rather than listing.
Free Device Charging On The Overground
This picture, that I took at Shoreditch High Street station, says it all.
There were a selection of leads for all the different devices.
A Design Crime – Charging Devices On Swiss Trains
I didn’t find a Swiss train with well-designed designed charging points.
I did find a few and they seemed to be for three-pin plugs and high-up above the window.
My adapter has only two pins and kept falling out, as my phone cable wasn’t long enough to place the phone on the table or the seat.
In the end, I put it in my top pocket to get it charged.
It was a bit difficult to use, as there wasn’t enough space for me in the pocket.
I didn’t see a USB port on any train.
In my view these are the way to go, as they will work for all users, from every country.
£250m Bypass Will Destroy Woodland
The title of this post, is the same as that of an article in today’s copy of The Times.
This is the first paragraph.
A four-mile bypass will be built partly in the South Downs National Park under a plan that conservation groups fear will set a precedent for development in other protected areas.
This map shows the route of the proposed bypass.
The route may be the best solution, but I believe we need to be more radical.
Overcrowded and inadequate roads exist all along the South Coast of England and in many other scenic places in the UK.
I think we need to develop a philosophy to solve the problems of roads in these crowded places.
Building a four-mile bypass at Arundel, may be needed, but we should do many other things to ease traffic congestion and improve transport capacity.
So what do I believe we should do?
We could introduce negative measures like road pricing or other restrictions, but I believe there are positive things we could do.
Broadband
You might think, what has broadband got to do with reducing the need to build roads.
I believe that as more houses and businesses get very high speed broadband, this will reduce the number of journeys taken.
Mobile Phone Coverage
I am not sure, what effect excellent mobile phone coverage will have on traffic, but it certainly will have one.
Cycling
We will all be cycling more and one of the consequences of excellent mobile phone coverage will be the growth of park-it-anywhere bike schemes like ofo and Mobike.
I think a few years time, many short distance journeys will be done by bicycle.
But expect some Luddite councils to legislate against ofo, Mobike and their ilk!
Rail
Fast forward five years and a train journey in an area like along the South Coast or in East Anglia or the West Country, will be very different.
- Digital signalling will increase the capacity of all lines and mean that most stations will have at least four trains per hour (tph) in both directions.
- Digital signalling will also allow more routes.
- Advances in train design will mean that journeys are faster.
- Ticketing will use contactless bank cards or mobile phone payment systems.
- Trains will be a much more comfortable and work-friendly experience, with wi-fi, 4G and power sockets.
- Track layouts will be improved and level crossings will be removed., to allow trains to operate more efficiently.
- Improved information on trains and stations.
- The improved dwell times of modern trains, will allow new stations to be added without degrading services.
The biggest development along the South Coast, will be an improved service between Ashford and Portsmouth/Southampton/Bournemouth.
- Existing tracks will be used, with the addition of short stretches of new track at possibly Brighton and Eastbourne.
- Line speeds will be at least 100 mph.
- Most stations will have a Turn-Up-And-Go four tph service.
There will also be other improved routes to and from London and Gatwick Airport for many of the coastal towns.
This improvement in rail services will be impossible with a rail company like Govia Thameslink Railway providing services.
- They are more conservative, than the RMT.
- They look after their core commuter traffic, at the expense of other passengers.
- The franchise is just too big.
However, digital signalling will allow Open Access Operators to compete and create new services geared to customers needs.
Thameslink
The current Thameslink service will have the following characteristics, when it is completed in December 2019.
- Twenty-four tph through London.
- A well-designed track layout at Bermondsey that unlocks London’s North-South railway.
- Services at a level of at least two tph to many stations in Kent, Surrey and Sussex.
- A set of uncomfortable Class 700 trains, designed by a moronic civil servant in the Department of Transport.
The major Thameslink upgrade was designed totally without vision and charisma.
However, the basics and possibilities are there to do the following.
- Increase the frequency to thirty tph through the Central London core.
- Increase the frequency on the Brighton Main Line through Gatwick, substantially, by using digital signalling.
- Rebuild the trains, with what passengers need.
- Add extra services all along the South Coast.
- Develop a massive rail-air interchange station at Gatwick.
I believe that Gatwick could develop into the busiest station in the UK.
I also think, that anybody going between London and the South Coast, will have a frequency of at least four tph from their local station, using either a direct service or a single change at Gatwick.
Freight
This Google Map shows the A27 through Arundel.
Note the number of trucks on the roads.
Where are they going?
The bypass would get the trucks out of Arundel, but would it just encourage more to use the South Coast route as a bypass for the crowded M25?
We need a proper philosophy for freight in this country.
- As much freight as possible should be by rail.
- Trucks should be for short distance or specialist needs only.
Does Southampton Docks have good enough access to the UK rail network?
I think not, especially as it would be very difficult to increase freight traffic through Southampton Central station, due to the restriction of the double-track Southampton Tunnel.
Conclusion
There is a lot to do, before we spend £250million n a bypass.
Does Talk Radio Make Telephone Fraudsters Go Away?
At the moment, I’m being plagued by telephone fraudsters. What they are up to, I don’t know, but I get around five a day, if I’m sitting by my computer writing.
I usually have my television switched to Radio 5 or something like the News on BBC1, when they call and I find it strange that if I don’t switch the sound on the television off, by the time I get the phone to my ear, the line is dead.
The fraudster seems to hear the noise of the talking and feels they may be wasting their time.
But it never seems to fail!
It reminds me of a story told me by a farmer, who was breeding free-range organic chickens for one of the major supermarket groups.
The local foxes were a problem, until someone suggested that he wire an old radio up to a car battery and put it on Radio 5 all night at a lowish level. It appeared the calm voices of Doton Adebayo and Rhod Sharp convinced the foxes there were people around and he was losing fewer chickens to the foxes.
Unwanted Image Messages On My Mobile Phone
I have started getting unwanted messages from Google and an American company called Peel Remote on my phone. I seem to get at least two every hour.
If they don’t stop, my mobile phone usage will go to emergency only and I’ll switch it on once a week or so!
I am allergic to two things; gluten and advertising!
I also have started getting a TV remote for my Samsung television on the phone. That is really wierd as the TV hasn’t been unpacked from its box and all my other televisions are old Sonys.
Successful Trial Means Tube On Track For 4G Coverage By 2019
The title of this post is the same as this article on Rail Technology Magazine. This is said.
The Tube network will see 4G connectivity arrive in 2019, TfL has confirmed, meaning mayor Sadiq Khan’s original ambitions will be able to go ahead.
The news comes following a successful trial of the technology on the Waterloo & City line, where 4G technology was tested in tunnels and stations along the line in the summer.
I wonder how long it will be before all trains, trams and buses have 4G connectivity.
In some ways, I think providing 4G connectivity outside stations, bus stops and other important places is more important.
Suppose you are stuck in an area with no signal and perhaps you have fallen over and seriously cut your leg and need help or just a lift home.
Wouldn’t it be so much better, if you could find somewhere, where you know you could summon assistance or a lift?
I have two questions.
- Will 4G connectivity be added to the Overground?
- Will 4G connectivity be switch on station-by-station and line-by-line or in one go in 2019?
In some posts about this, it is suggested that a driving force behind the connectivity, is that the emeergency services are moving to mobile phone technology. So if that is the case, then the answers to these questions must be in the affirmative!
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 Anonymous Widower 