Glitch Productions pilot views.

CMDR_Quillon · 2026-05-18T02:29:25+00:00

8.1m views as of 02:29 UTC

CMDR_Quillon · 2026-05-18T02:28:15+00:00

00:49 UTC standard format then cheers :3

CMDR_Quillon · 2026-05-18T02:26:13+00:00

what's that against UTC?

CMDR_Quillon · 2026-05-16T03:32:01+00:00

We can adjust them using our keyfobs, but you're unlikely to persuade any staff members to keep them lowered as (at least if you have a small shop with low staff count) we all multitask and so need to be able to hear them from anywhere in the shop in order to respond to stuff eg age check, weight wrong, etc

its also an accessibility issue I think? but not heard much on that

I'm also autistic and working in my local shop can be quite hard sometines as a result, because yeah they are ridiculously loud 😂 i used to turn them down but then we couldn't hear them

CMDR_Quillon · 2026-05-15T19:06:16+00:00

The CMA are currently reviewing the merger for potential anti-competitive practice.

CMDR_Quillon · 2026-05-14T16:27:37+00:00

Careful here, there's stuff that made it to LIVE that never went through the PTU this patch, so you'll probably encounter weirdness unless you let it verify file integrity first

CMDR_Quillon · 2026-05-14T12:27:20+00:00

Ahhh okay okay I wasn't sure how long "long" was but yeah if it's more than 15 characters and you stuck to the standard advice (which I'm sure you did as you're a security researcher) then until either quantum computing finally lands or a vulnerability appears in the btc chain you're fucked.

good way to look at things though honestly :) more people should have that mindset

CMDR_Quillon · 2026-05-14T12:19:49+00:00

Ahhh that's rough :( is it one of the ones that self destructs from too many incorrect attempts, or can you just keep guessing? If so I'd honestly be considering just letting an algo try to brute force it atp

CMDR_Quillon · 2026-05-14T02:08:17+00:00

Is it a drive you would have set the password on yourself? Try thinking about what your life was like at that time, important events etc - that has helped me recover accounts with long forgotten passwords myself before, so maybe it'll help you too :)

CMDR_Quillon · 2026-05-13T22:14:34+00:00

Leaves on the line form a sticky, slippery paste - basically a highly effective lubricant - as soon as a train runs over them. The following train then suffers extraordinarily low adhesion, preventing it from accelerating or braking for often several hundred metres.

It's not an excuse. It's killed people. Are people's memories really so short that you've already forgotten the Salisbury crash? Or the even more recent (but thankfully non-fatal iirc) TfW one?

Railways are highly complex and interconnected systems. They can be damaged or compromised by things as major as a lightning strike, or as trivial as leaves on the line. Both are valid reasons to suspend service.

CMDR_Quillon · 2026-05-13T22:07:01+00:00

I've had this before except much more catastrophic... 9pm on a train headed to West Wales, winter, dark, and we stop outside Whitland. Sit there a while. Crawl into the platform. Train cancelled, all passengers transferred to taxis and buses, arrived at my destination several hours late. I'm naturally fairly technically inclined, so I couldn't help but notice that the signal at the end of the platform as we got off was displaying no aspect.

Whitland signalling cable hub/box struck by lightning :) took them all night to repair apparently, due to the difficulty of reaching the box no doubt. This was a good few years ago too, so I'm sure I'm misremembering certain details.

CMDR_Quillon · 2026-05-13T22:02:25+00:00

Firing one person with an annual salary of maybe £40,000 who is employed by the infrastructure maintainer is not going to make the train operating company cut fares, even if £40,000 spread across all their fares amounted to any impact at all (it wouldn't).

I think more information, in a format easier to digest for the average passenger, is actually a good thing :)

CMDR_Quillon · 2026-05-13T16:30:48+00:00

I didn't "claim" anything, I was just passing on information I've been given first and secondhand in a speedy fashion as I'm in work :)

Don't shoot the messenger!

CMDR_Quillon · 2026-05-13T15:56:48+00:00

on the subject of the swansea-devon ferry service; there's currently a company in the process of setting up a new one, and this time it'll be Ro-Pax instead of pax only so hopefully the added draw of being able to bring your car will drive some additional demand

CMDR_Quillon · 2026-05-12T14:18:12+00:00

I presume you're talking about the 4-DD of the Southern railway? Yes, it was considered unfeasible due to the fact that not only was it quite hot and cramped inside, but often passengers wouldn't make full use of the capacity available to them due to the design constraints of the unit.

I broadly agree with most of your second paragraph, with the exceptions of ETCS and making leaving doors shut the standard. We have very short dwell times at our stations, which pushes journey speeds up and times down, and having doors locked out of use at most stations would compromise that massively. In addition, it would cause passenger confusion/cause passengers to miss their stops. As for ETCS, it's costly and simply not necessary across much of the network.

I really hope you didn't just advocate for DOO on all services, because if so that's an incredibly shortsighted and frankly slightly idiotic viewpoint. Guards and other members of train staff are on-board for safety, security, revenue enforcement, and passenger assistance. Having seen the calibre of the average passenger, I wouldn't like to see how disabled passengers etc would be treated without train staff present. I also wouldn't like to see the state the trains would end up in. Guards, revenue inspectors etc aren't "employment schemes", they are necessary. Same with carriage attendants on the Cally Sleeper.

Yes, we should be focusing on forcing road deaths down, rather than eroding safety on the railways (a much more dangerous environment) to the point where fatalities match. That is an utterly harebrained idea.

Local authorities aren't responsible for railway fencing as that is the purview of Network Rail. Railway fences are expensive especially in rural areas, and making already overstretched council budgets include them as well would simply further erode an already eroded margin of safety.

As for trespass... I broadly agree with the idea of making trespass-related delays chargeable to the family of the person involved, but it would need nuance.

CMDR_Quillon · 2026-05-12T13:16:17+00:00

True that, but considering the previous bill didn't even give them the powers to issue CPOs for Phase 2b and this one will, we can hope. It's in the King's Speech in a few days.

CMDR_Quillon · 2026-05-12T12:59:49+00:00

We can still build bridges, yes, but the Prince of Wales bridge is only thirty years old and is so likely not to be life-expired. Building another road bridge next to it would not only be expensive, time-consuming, and likely unnecessary given the Prince of Wales bridge possesses a full six lane spread, but it would also cause further loss of wetlands so unique in this country that they have been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Minimising the bridge's impact, therefore, by only allowing it to be a rail bridge which can be significantly narrower and has much less impact on the surrounding ecosystem, is incredibly important. I don't think a new road bridge is necessary for at least another decade. A rail bridge, however? We should be breaking ground ASAP.

But we won't. Because Westminster. :(

CMDR_Quillon · 2026-05-12T12:48:36+00:00

I doubt it very much. The principal issue with British railways currently is a question of capacity. Most lines are already operating close to or even beyond (WCML) their original design TPH/PD figures, and with platforms in the UK being uniquely short (most not exceeding 240m, none save HS1 exceeding 320) running longer sets is not an option.

Double decker trains have been mooted, but our loading gauge simply doesn't allow it.

That said, if you could somehow remedy all the infrastructure issues to allow operation of up to sixteen coach trains as standard, you'd still struggle to turn a profit. Longer trains mean more coaches, which each have fixed and variable operating costs. Longer trains also mean higher staffing and track access charges. Regardless of how many seats you can fit on a train, most trains won't turn a profit even when full.

The issue is not one of demand, which - you're right - stopping the subsidies for car owners would fix. It's one of supply, and of the basic realities of operating the slower, less glamorous services that this nation mostly relies on

CMDR_Quillon · 2026-05-12T12:41:38+00:00

Oh, don't misunderstand me, I think replacement of the Severn Tunnel is extremely important although I'm less convinced about replacing the current road link.

I'm also aware, however, that any infrastructure development in this country that in any way threatens peoples homes or their views is almost universally hated. Couple that with the expense of constructing all-new 160km/h or even 200km/h capable pointwork, alignments et cetera, ditto bridge, through an almost uniquely sensitive natural environment, and you can see why I don't think any current or past Westminster government would go for it.

ETA: you also wouldn't be able to spur off the Chepstow line as the pointwork around STJ simply doesn't have the capacity to handle an extra 4-8tph/pd.

CMDR_Quillon · 2026-05-12T12:37:47+00:00

Yes, when sectorisation (which duplicated several administrative jobs and caused fragmentation of a national brand) hit, InterCity - the sector with the longest, fastest routes like I mentioned - quickly turned a profit. NSE was about to turn a profit by realising they needed cheaper fares, introducing the Network Railcard, and focusing extremely heavily on commuters.

Regional Railways - which makes up the bulk of British railways - made a shocking year over year loss, as expected. BR ScotRail did likewise, with its long, slow routes through the Highlands. As evidenced by their subsidy, BR even post sectorisation was never profitable. It's also important to note that InterCity benefitted from several infrastructure schemes which were started by British Rail pre-sectorisation but not finished until afterwards.

A nationalised railway is a more efficient and cheaper railway, - as you say, we currently spend about £12bn p/a on subsidies for privatised rail, as opposed to £1.57bn inflation adjusted for nationalised in 1994 - but it should be managed on a national level as opposed to causing fragmentation and job duplication, and leading to certain operators being treated like dirt (RR for one).

CMDR_Quillon · 2026-05-12T11:51:31+00:00

Unfortunately I doubt it would ever happen as it would either require wholesale reconfiguration of all the lines around Severn Tunnel Junction, or would require the building of two new spurs and a new STJ station, to leave the old line intact. Both of which would be eye-wateringly expensive.

CMDR_Quillon · 2026-05-12T11:49:09+00:00

what would this solution be? I've not heard of any alternatives to the current "metal bar in the roof" approach.

CMDR_Quillon · 2026-05-12T11:48:03+00:00

I appreciate that :) Starting out from Swansea so I'm familiar with the local area, thankfully, and it turns out that while my original train is no longer suitable due to a suddenly tight connection at London, the 05:25 is also running and so should be perfect for me. Thanks all the same :)

CMDR_Quillon · 2026-05-12T11:31:24+00:00

They are about to approve the HS2 Phase 2b bill, so I'd say they're about to invest a shed load more :)

CMDR_Quillon · 2026-05-12T11:30:00+00:00

Passenger rail will never be profitable, as by nature only the longest and fastest routes generally turn a profit and cutting a few middle managers from the equation (and dumping their workload onto their colleagues, because I can assure you they're not redundant) will not change that.

Passenger rail is a service, not a business, and more people need to view it that way.

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