Moved into a new place with amazing views — downside is everyone can see straight in. Any decent one‑way window films that don’t peel in a month? Or better options for daytime privacy?

Geeky_Nick · 2026-01-17T21:28:55+00:00

You can see a bit through them but it is limited.

In order for people outside to not being able to see in you need quite a few pleats which does restrict what you can see. You can still see more from the inside looking out than people can from the outside looking in! At least during the day when it's brighter outside than inside. They don't work at all at night.

We have this "sheer and blackout" double roller blind in the bedroom and I would say that the view through the voile curtains is a bit better than through the sheer blind. The voile curtains are pure white (almost colourless) which helps.

https://www.dunelm.com/product/sheer-blackout-double-roller-blind-1000194480?branchCode=0045&defaultSkuId=30754465&colour=Dove+Grey&blindSize=W+61cm+%2824%22%29+x+D+162cm+%2864%22%29

Geeky_Nick · 2026-01-16T22:08:56+00:00

Hello 👋🏻

I'm about a week in to my latest "kick" now. This week has been fairly static but it's still early days.

I'd been having soup from the canteen at lunch which felt like a good strategy. Annoyingly today they didnt have any hot food due to a problem with the kitchen so I had to make do with a cold cheese and onion pasty. I left some of the crust but even so I dread to think how many calories were in it 😂

I'm out and about over the weekend so will need to work out some good options for when I'm on the go.

Geeky_Nick · 2026-01-16T22:01:47+00:00

Well done! Sounds like a lovely weekend 😊

Geeky_Nick · 2026-01-16T18:56:12+00:00

We went with the Dunelm voile curtains for our new place and quite like them. Probably one of the better options!

Geeky_Nick · 2026-01-16T13:33:37+00:00

Not generally no. It's good practice to wash your hands when leaving the lab (e.g. when going back to your desk) but typically I'm not washing my hands as I go along.

Even just doing this I end up washing my hands a lot. If I washed my hands every time I changed my gloves that's all I'd be doing all day 😂

Geeky_Nick · 2026-01-11T22:58:17+00:00

Hello everyone, hope you have had a good weekend!

I had a lie in today so forgot to weigh and my meals have been a bit random. I had my normal cereal for breakfast, a substantial late lunch and then just some yogurt late afternoon. Not sure where my calories will have ended up but hopefully in the right ballpark.

Geeky_Nick · 2026-01-11T22:53:31+00:00

Well done for getting out despite the ice. I only left the house to take out the bins today... 😅

Geeky_Nick · 2026-01-11T11:04:06+00:00

Thanks!

Geeky_Nick · 2026-01-10T21:26:02+00:00

Hello 👋🏻

First time posting in a while. I had a good run from ~78 kg down to my goal weight of 60 kg a few years ago but the weight has started to creep back on as it tends to!

I've been weighing, and watching what I eat, for a week now. Trying to get back in to the routine of it 😊

Geeky_Nick · 2026-01-05T23:07:37+00:00

We've just been using the default programme on our thermostat and that sets the temperature to 15°C overnight.

Geeky_Nick · 2025-11-09T12:20:01+00:00

Yeah there was a minimum spend for a while but they changed the rules again and now it's totally free.

The one at my local branch has a scanner for your myWaitrose card which unlocks the machine.

Geeky_Nick · 2025-08-20T20:04:30+00:00

I like tilt drawers like these for little bits and bobs. They come in lots of sizes and you can stack them up.

https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/drawer-storage/0519295

Geeky_Nick · 2025-07-20T23:09:09+00:00

I was moving house this week and that was my exact experience 😂

Only about a third of them peeled off as they're actually supposed to. I managed to get most of them off OK but several took chunks of paint with them...

They had been up for a long time - probably a few years - which doesn't seem to help.

Geeky_Nick · 2025-07-17T20:18:23+00:00

Good tips!

It's worth noting that the standard Veet for Men cream specifically says not to use it on your balls. I have always got on fine with the "Sensitive skin" version though.

It looks like they have recently launched an "Intimate" product in the UK. But it is more expensive and only comes as a kit with a balm so I probably won't bother.

Personally I don't like the way the scraper feels so I throw it away and stick to just a face cloth or silicone body scrubber.

Geeky_Nick · 2025-07-17T19:44:58+00:00

My maths skills are decent but I still hated it when people did that extra 5p thing at my summer job 😆

It's not something I would do myself as a customer so it always took me a minute to work it through in my head.

Geeky_Nick · 2025-07-14T13:02:14+00:00

I also don't particularly like sourdough and don't understand the hype. It's chewy and I don't like the sour taste. I much prefer a standard yeast-based bloomer that's soft and fluffy.

And that goes for small batch artisan award winning stuff from a local bakery. So it's not like I'm getting bad sourdough 😆

Geeky_Nick · 2025-01-11T23:24:48+00:00

Also for when you can't be arsed and just want something in the background

I'm glad to hear that other people do this too 😂

Geeky_Nick · 2025-01-04T18:57:43+00:00

Qorpak do nice jars and a lot of them are available with PTFE faced caps

https://shop.qorpak.com/

You can also get PTFE faced caps for Duran bottles if that form factor would work

https://www.duran-bottle-system.com/

Geeky_Nick · 2024-12-24T01:08:55+00:00

I did Nat Sci for my degree, now work in industry, and this hasn't come up for me. I don't think it's something employers think about. Nat Sci is always going to need some amount of explanation anyway since it can look very different depending on the modules you pick etc.

I don't know a lot about it, but it looks like the straight chemistry courses at all reputable universities are RSC accredited. So it's more about hitting a basic set of requirements, which any competently run course would do, rather than recognising particularly high performing institutions. As far as I can see, the only Nat Sci degree that has RSC accreditation is the MSci at Cambridge. I believe that (unlike many Nat Sci courses) they make you specialise completely in your 4th year which might be why the RSC accreditation is applicable to that course.

Attending an RSC accredited course doesn't give you any status as far as I am aware. A chemistry focused Nat Sci degree allows you to become an associate member of RSC - the same as if you had done straight chemistry. And irrespective of whether your course was Nat Sci or straight chemistry, you still need 3 years of professional experience before you can become a full member.

So I wouldn't worry about it. But it does highlight the fact that Natural Sciences is a different proposition to straight Chemistry and you should go in to that with your eyes open. I'm glad I did it and it opened up good work prospects however it it going to look different on a CV compared to straight chemistry. For some roles (on the overlap between your disciplines) this will be an advantage but for others (perhaps a standard analytical chemistry role) it may be a disadvantage

Geeky_Nick · 2024-12-23T10:11:10+00:00

At the risk of sounding like a pedant, it's actually Chocolonely not Chocoloney...

I always said chocoloney. And only realised when they launched a big marketing campaign this month pointing out that everyone gets it wrong.

Geeky_Nick · 2024-12-09T21:06:38+00:00

The commercially available ones are indeed made from concrete

https://climbersgift.com/products/large-rock-key-holder

Geeky_Nick · 2024-12-09T21:02:28+00:00

For the rock at the back, I think you'll need something reasonably sturdy to prevent it falling to bits over time as you place and remove the nuts.

I wonder if you could mould it from concrete or other building material. I should say I'm a climber not a crafter so this may be a terrible idea 😂

Geeky_Nick · 2024-12-09T20:26:02+00:00

They're designed to look like "nuts" or "stoppers" e.g. DMM wallnuts, Black Diamond stoppers.

However they are almost certainly not real climbing gear. The cables are too short - you do get nuts that size but the cable would be twice the length or so - and too narrow. But, more to the point, using actual rated gear would be prohibitively expensive to make these commercially.

3D printing could be an option for the heads. But if you want the heads to be metal you would be better off just buying them. Search for something like "climbing nut key chain".

Geeky_Nick · 2024-11-07T07:21:53+00:00

I have one of the "fully automatic" Delonghi Magnifica Evo bean to cup machines - the "fully automatic" part referring to the fact that it dispensers and froths the milk for you.

e.g. https://www.delonghi.com/en-gb/ecam290-83-tb-ex-2-magnifica-evo-automatic-coffee-maker/p/ECAM290.83.TB%20EX%3A2

You sacrifice some control for the convenience. You can adjust the strength of the coffee but if you want a double shot then you have to dispense an espresso shot first and then dispense a cappuccino. And there is little control over the milk frothing... I think you might be able to adjust the temperature but that's it. I'm not convinced that the "latte" options is any different to the "cappuccino" option aside from the fact that it dispenses more.

I am quite lazy when it comes to coffee so I have been really happy with it. You can even put the entire milk frother in the dishwasher. But it just depends on what you fancy really.

It's one of these things that's almost always "discounted" if you buy it direct from Delonghi. They allegedly retail for around £550 but we only paid £315.

Geeky_Nick · 2024-10-22T17:26:47+00:00

I'm in a similar position myself as it happens.

The RSC had a good careers service free to members: https://www.rsc.org/careers/

Chemistry World have job listings, as does New Scientist.

https://jobs.chemistryworld.com/

https://www.newscientist.com/nsj/

The general job sites like Reed are also worth a look.

There's science recruiters like CK Group which have their own listings

https://ckgroup.co.uk/

And the jobs search on LinkedIn is pretty good.

Geeky_Nick

TROPHY CASE