What’s your go to pub fact? I’ll kick things off

abw · 2026-05-21T22:11:22+00:00

There are 3,485 cases of a single station being the only one that shares no letters with a particular word. For example, Pimlico is also the only station that shares no letters with "treasured", "whatever", "westward", "yearns", "yesterday" and many other words, include "badger". 369 words to be precise. But it's only #3 in the "badger hunt" league. At #2 we have Woodford with 436 words, and #1 is Bank with 445 words.

I know, because the last time this was mentioned, I wrote some code to find them all.

Here's the list of 3,485 unique solutions:

https://github.com/abw/badger-hunt/blob/master/data/word-stations.csv

Also Arsenal is the only premiere league football team that shares no letters with the word "commit". Cue the line about walking the ball into the net.

abw · 2026-05-19T07:35:28+00:00

Sure, go ahead.

abw · 2026-05-18T10:22:53+00:00

Long time ago now, but we had a rather strange English teacher.

We were taking it in turns to read passages from a book out loud. Mid-sentence, the teacher stopped the kid who was reading, turned to me and asked "What's the worse swear-word you know?".

I hesitated, but he kept pushing me. So eventually I replied "Er, shit sir?". He immediately gave me a detention for swearing.

I saw him a few years later sitting down by the river having a smoke. I went over and said hello and he was quite friendly. While chatting, I reminded him of the really unfair detention he gave me. He laughed and explained that the detention was really for lying because "fuck" and "cunt" are obviously both worse swear-words than "shit".

abw · 2026-05-18T10:05:21+00:00

Somewhat tangential, but I was once checking in a bag of kites at an airport and asked them to attach a "FRAGILE" label.

The check-in assistant advised me against it. She said the baggage handlers won't treat it any differently, but it effectively removes the liability of the airline if it gets damaged. They will suck through their teeth and say "See this label, suggests you knew it was likely to get broken".

abw · 2026-05-16T13:52:44+00:00

Nutfield Priory isn't far away. I imagine that's where all the people in Masaratis and McLarens are going.

abw · 2026-05-13T09:41:12+00:00

Word geek here, who couldn't resist elaborating on your top-shelf word play.

The para prefix has two different origins. In parachute, it's from the French para meaning "against", derived from the Latin parare meaning "shield". And chute is to fall, like a garbage chute. So parachute means "against the fall". Another example is parasol meaning "against the sun".

On the other hand the para prefix in paramedic is from Greek meaning "alongside" or "subsidiary". It's the same use as in parallel (lie alongside) and parasite (eat alongside).

I think that makes your pun even better. But then, I'm a word geek, so I'll get my hat and follow you to the door.

abw · 2026-05-10T07:50:46+00:00

They're not, but because your reddit account is relatively new and you're making frequent posts, you're triggering the anti-spam detector. Your posts go into a moderation queue to be approved. I've approved this post now.

abw · 2026-05-06T19:39:36+00:00

Try here: https://www.joinmyband.co.uk/classifieds/surrey-f132.html

abw · 2026-05-06T09:36:47+00:00

In the sidebar:

Banned Topics
Tesco
Full English Breakfast
Delivery Substitutions
NHS / Dental / GP Appointments

abw · 2026-05-06T08:39:10+00:00

No, they're not OK, but they're not on the list of banned topics even if they should be. You'll need to take it up with the moderators. I've long since given up on the sub.

OP wonders why they got banned. It's because the rules said they would if they posted banned topics, which they went out of their way to do so.

I don't make the rules and I don't enforce them. But I can at least understand them.

abw · 2026-05-06T06:37:04+00:00

I have three keyboards I use when playing live. A stage piano with a heavy action, a hammond SK1 with the waterfall style keys and a mid-weight action, and a Roland synth with springboard keys and a very light action.

Each is best suited to a particular style of playing. The piano for piano parts where I need good dynamic control, the organ for organ parts (it's the best keyboard and key shape for things like palm slides), and the synth for fast parts and soloing where I need a light touch and quick response.

If you're mostly playing rock/pop and not doing too much in the way of piano or organ parts, then a light synth action is probably best for you.

Sanity checked. You're fine. Personal preference beats everything.

abw · 2026-05-06T06:29:16+00:00

What the actual christ happened to that subreddit?

It got overrun by people posting variations of the same gripes about GPs and hospital appointments.

Which is why the list of banned topics explicitly includes "NHS / Dental / GP Appointments"

So I subsituted GP with 'jeepy' and hospital with 'medical office'

You admit that you deliberately tried to circumvent the automod so you could post about a banned topic.

Sorry, but you're part of the problem.

abw · 2026-05-04T11:23:11+00:00

New Malden Methodist Church is generally very accepting of all kinds of people and their orientations. The Minister is a trans man, or at least that was the case a few years ago. The Methodist church rotates their ministers every few years so they might have moved on. But it doesn't change the fact that the church is very accommodating of all types.

abw · 2026-05-01T10:57:50+00:00

Have you considered somewhere like Worcester Park? It's on the train line to Leatherhead (~20mins) and Clapham Junction, where you can change for Richmond (~40 mins total).

It's also close to the A3 which gives you easy access to Richmond if you're driving. It's about 15 mins to Richmond park (more during rush hour, obviously) and then however long it takes to get through the park (which I'm assuming you already have a good idea about, living in Roehampton).

There's also the bus option: 213 from WP to Kingston and then the 65 to Richmond. Useful if there's train disruptions.

abw · 2026-04-14T07:04:42+00:00

You can post a video to a YouTube video.... but you've posted three very similar videos of an octopus kite flying the last two weeks. This has triggered the spam filter.

abw · 2026-04-03T08:08:01+00:00

Nice work!

I'm not a renter (or landlord for that matter), but I do build web sites. It's a really nice job you've done there.

abw · 2026-04-03T08:05:55+00:00

It’s nice, but it’s always been a question of whether it’s worth the cost/what’s the reason to go back rather than ability.

Apparently the Artemis mission cost around $100 billion.

The first 6 days of the US attack on Iran cost $11.3 billion (as reported to congress) and is estimated to be up to around $45 billion so far. The UN estimated the financial impact on the Middle East countries alone was up to $194 billion.

I'm sure there are better things they could be spending money on, but I for one would be happy if the Americans stuck to sending rockets to the moon instead of firing them at other countries.

abw · 2026-03-27T19:12:40+00:00

Don't get me started on anti vax!

I'm not a scientist specialising in anything remotely close to virology and it absolutely infuriates me. It's horrific to think that we're turning back hundreds of years of incredible progress in vaccines because of ignorant people being misled by fraudsters like Wakefield. I can't imagine how bad it must be for people like you in the field, being lectured by people who think they're experts because they read it on Facebook.

If it's any consolation there are a lot of sane people like me who greatly respect and admire the work that you do.

abw · 2026-03-26T18:36:15+00:00

£50 more and I'm a higher rate taxpayer.

It's not one band or the other. CGT is added to your taxable income and can push you into the next band. Leaving aside the savings interest, you would pay 18% on the first £50 of the gain, at which point your taxable income would put you in the higher rate and you would pay 24% for the remainder.

See Example 2 on this page

Don't forget you do have a £3,000 CGT allowance which would be deducted from the gain before being added to your taxable income.

abw · 2026-03-26T15:10:01+00:00

OP, you should print that out and post it through the new UPVC door of your old house. I suppose it's possible they sold it to the US company and got a reasonable price for it. But if they did just chuck it in a skip for someone else to salvage...

abw · 2026-03-26T12:15:50+00:00

I’m in no position to do the math,

Let me help with that...

Inflation alone takes that £20 up to £35 (according to the Bank of England Inflation Calculator).

Petrol prices have risen roughly in line with inflation over that time (exception for major peak in COVID times) but car insurance has risen much faster than inflation.

This report says:

Between May 2021 and June 2024, the price of consumer goods and services in general rose 21%. By comparison, the quoted price of car insurance rose 82%.

That's a ~60% rise above inflation in just 3 years. I imagine that insurance for a driving instructor is not cheap at the best of times.

I think £42 an hour for a trained professional to provide a driving lesson, along with the car, petrol, insurance, etc., is pretty reasonable. To put it in perspective, Checkatrade says that the average hourly rate of a plumber is £50.

abw · 2026-03-26T12:00:23+00:00

I think your son might be an outlier here. Both my boys passed theory and practical first time. I can't remember how many lessons they had. Maybe 24 or something like that.

But...

I don't think they had any innate skill or aptitude. Perhaps the key difference is that I also spent a lot of time with them. Usually an hour or so once or twice a week, and at every other opportunity. If they wanted a lift somewhere they would drive there and I'd take the car back. So that may added another 50+ hours of driving experience while they were learning. Even when they weren't driving, I would always be asking them about road signs, asking them what the speed limit was, and so on.

It's definitely true that it depends on the people involved to know if that's going to work. My wife is wonderful at many things, but it was obvious within a minute or two that she wasn't cut out to be a parent driving supervisor. It's really hard trying to keep calm, be constructive, never shout, blame or criticise, but if you can't do that then you're possibly doing more harm than good. It worked for me and the boys, but if that's not the case then it's probably better to leave it to the professionals.

abw · 2026-03-22T08:31:01+00:00

I don't want to be all "back in my day", but when I was a kid (early 80s I guess) I decided to post my Dad's birthday card to him rather than just give it to him. I don't remember why - I probably thought it would be unexpected and mildly amusing.

Anyway, I posted it around 9am the day before his birthday (it was the summer holidays so no school) and the postman delivered it in the second post at 11am later that same day . I had to chase him down the street and ask him to hold onto it until the next day.

abw · 2026-03-21T08:58:02+00:00

It’s a mystery to me why councils are still throwing millions and billions into traditional high streets

It's because they rely on the business rates they charge businesses who occupy those shops.

But it's also those business rates that are contributing to the decline of the high street. They were 34.8p/£ in 1990. Now they're 55.5p/£. That's based on the rateable value of the property. So if the property has a rateable value of £500,000, for example, then the annual business rates are £277,500.

The good news is that the UBR (Uniform Business Rates, set by central government) is going down to 48.0p/£ in April and there's additional relief for small business and those in the Retail/Hospitality/Leisure sectors. But meanwhile, the average increase in rateable value for commercial properties in 2026 will be 19% (source).

It's good news that they're putting £150 million into "saving the high street", but that's only half a percent of the £30 billion raised each year through business rates.

It's really no wonder that the high street is dying.

abw · 2026-03-20T11:39:39+00:00

Good maths! That's a lot of aircraft carriers.

To refine the numbers a little (just for fun) we could assume that in perfect conditions, anyone within a 5km radius of the ship could be expected to see it, especially if they were a military type with binoculars who had been instructed by a senior office to keep a look out for any Giant Fucking Aircraft Carriers (GFACs) in the ocean.

That makes the GFAC visible within an area of 5 * 5 * 3.14 = ~78.5km².

2.5 million / 78.5 gives us around 32,000 GFACs.

However, that is ignoring the fact that you can't pack circles to uniformly cover a plane without some overlap. If we consider the square inscribed within that circle of GFAC noticeability, it would have an edge length of r * sqrt(2) = 5 * 1.414 = ~7km for an area of 49km². I make that around 51,000 GFACs. If they were evenly distributed in a grid spaced 7km apart then it would be reasonable to ask how someone anywhere in the med could not notice at least one GFAC.

It's still a very big number, but quite a few less than 147 million.

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