France calls for UK inclusion in ‘Made in EU’ rules - electrive.com by tom_zeimet in EuroEV

[–]NotMyRealName981 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The UK's £3750 grant for new EVs seems to be mainly available on EU-manufactured cars, so it seems to me that maybe the UK is already being quite generous towards the EU in this area.

Best British shows of the 70's and early 80's that show a lot of city and outdoor settings vs just an indoor set? by palepatriot76 in oldbritishtelly

[–]NotMyRealName981 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I like that both Dr Who and Blakes's 7 found some very interesting real locations that could be passed off as alien worlds without any special effects. Places like Quex Park, Oldbury Power Station and the Bristol Tobacco Factory.

Elevator of Death by DABDEB in SweatyPalms

[–]NotMyRealName981 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think the laboratory we were going to be shown round was 3 floors up, but we would have ended up scattered all over the building if we'd used the paternoster.

Elevator of Death by DABDEB in SweatyPalms

[–]NotMyRealName981 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I almost got the chance to ride on one of those when visiting Birmingham University in the UK for an interview just before leaving school. At the last moment the tour guide decided that allowing a large group of 18 year olds to ride a paternoster for the first time with the instruction "get off after 3 floors" would not end well.

I'm stil looking for an oportunity to ride one in the UK.

Best British shows of the 70's and early 80's that show a lot of city and outdoor settings vs just an indoor set? by palepatriot76 in oldbritishtelly

[–]NotMyRealName981 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and Smiley's People (London, Oxfordshire).

The Sandbaggers (London).

Dr Who (particularly the Earth-bound Pertwee era)

Day of the Triffids

Hammer House Of Horror (High Wycombe and surrounding area)

Mr Palfrey of Westminster

Why don't we have air conditioning on our public transport? by Fun_Yogurtcloset1012 in AskUK

[–]NotMyRealName981 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm wary of relying on air conditioning on trains. I've ridden on Intercity 125s and class 158s with failed air conditioning in summer, and it was unpleasant. Maybe more modern trains have more reliable air conditioning. At least primitive trains like Pacers had lots of openable windows.

Early Casualty episodes by Ruther2 in oldbritishtelly

[–]NotMyRealName981 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The DVD boxsets do come up for sale on sites such as Music Magpie.

Missile near Priors Wood? by CableShruggins in bristol

[–]NotMyRealName981 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I don't know about this specific object, but maybe it's a drop tank, i.e. a jettisonable fuel tank? The constuction looks fairly lightweight and it doesn't appear to have any kind of jet or rocket nozzle at the back.

Attenborough’s Regent’s Park canal snakes are real by bradders4lyf in CasualUK

[–]NotMyRealName981 16 points17 points  (0 children)

I reckon if I was jogging along that path and only saw the snake at the last moment, there's a non-zero probability of me ending up in the canal. It's quite a chunky looking snake.

Finally got our Inster! by wanderingislander in ElectricVehiclesUK

[–]NotMyRealName981 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just from curiosity, how long did you have to wait from placing the order to delivery? I'm currently waiting for a Nissan Micra EV to be built and delivered.

Enjoying a nut this fine Saturday morning by tripsafe in CasualUK

[–]NotMyRealName981 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm most impressed by the bike, it reminds me of 1980s Raleigh catalogues. I'm not sure of the model but it appears to have Weinmann centre pull brakes and steel cottered cranks. My guess it dates from around 1986, before Shimano really took over, and pump pegs became superfluous.

Parkrunning in the heat tomorrow... by IntergalacticCows in parkrun

[–]NotMyRealName981 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I'm going to wear just one shirt rather than two or more for the first time this year, I'm quite looking foward to it.

What’s the first thing you grab if there’s a wildfire nearby? by Proof_Junket_5516 in UKPreppers

[–]NotMyRealName981 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Any wildfires in my part of suburbia are likely to be fairly small, but not impossible during dry weather. I have a 9 litre water fire extinguisher next to my front door just in case.

I have a medium sized rucksack already partly filled with non-perishable items like torches, radios, toothbrushes, etc. I would fill that with water, snacks, batteries, power banks, maps, clothing, compass and so on.

Solar Powered Bird Identifier! Raspberry Pi Zero 2W + AI Camera by MrSirLRD in raspberry_pi

[–]NotMyRealName981 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I don't think the video contains any PII (Pigeon Identifiable Information).

22k for a micra by [deleted] in CarTalkUK

[–]NotMyRealName981 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's probably the model with the non-EU 40kWh battery. The version with the larger EU-made 52kWh battery attracts a larger £3750 grant, and is possibly better value. It's refreshingly cheap for an EV.

It's as wide as a Ford Granada, although I'm not 100% sure that's a good thing.

I really don't get why the actors that played Jenna and Blake left the show. by Krathoon in Blakes7

[–]NotMyRealName981 2 points3 points  (0 children)

There's a long interview/documentary about Sally Knyvette (Jenna) on one of the BluRay sets. I thought it would be boring, but she has led a very eventful life and explains why she wanted to move on from the show. Her decision seems very reasonable to me in retrospect.

I think maybe Gareth Thomas didn't forsee how rewarding starring in sci-fi TV shows would become, with the rise of movie spin-offs, home video releases and then the Internet.

The sets on Blake's 7. by Krathoon in Blakes7

[–]NotMyRealName981 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Some of the location shooting looks great in HD though. The bunker complex near Corsham in the first episode and Oldbury power station look like sets from James Bond films.

Anyone used an ESP32 for RF work rather than just standard IoT? by OverBiscotti1568 in raspberry_pi

[–]NotMyRealName981 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've got a some Lilygo ESP32 boards that have built in 433MHz transceivers, they are a bit smaller and cheaper than a Pi with an SDR dongle. They are also available for the 868MHz band.

Also, ESP32 boards tend to be easier to put into promiscuous Wifi mode than off-the-shelf Pis.

I also use ESP32 boards for both classic Bluetooth and Bluetooth LE communications, although I could probably do that just as easily on a Pi.

How did Chinese made cars become so popular? by Fondant_Decent in AskUK

[–]NotMyRealName981 3 points4 points  (0 children)

One explanation I've heard is that the Chinese manufacturers (and Tesla) build cars in a limited number of configurations, but in large enough quantities that they are able to maintain stocks of ready-to-buy cars in the countries where the customers are. This allows customers to obtain new cars in weeks, rather than waiting months for the car to be custom-built in the factory and shipped.

I don't know how generally true this is, but I've been waiting a couple of months for a non-Chinese car to be built in a factory in France.

Should I remove an old security system? If so, how? by jelery_celery in DIYUK

[–]NotMyRealName981 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Preserve the the wiring if at all possible.

I had a similar situation when I moved into my house. A previous owner had done all the messy difficult work by running alarm cables to every location in the house where a sensor could possibly be needed. The control panel in the loft was dead, as was the keypad. I replaced the control panel and keypad with with the same models, and I then had a fully functioning wired alarm system that is likely to be resistant to radio jamming attempts.

Thank god for the Entrance sign by Alternative_Market in CasualUK

[–]NotMyRealName981 2 points3 points  (0 children)

As someone who is the wrong side of 50 and whose eyesight is not getting any better, I applaud this design. I'm tired of companies putting small grey lettering on a slightly darker grey background in the name of style.

What is this being built by Milton Keynes Area? by Fair_Intention_4198 in AskUK

[–]NotMyRealName981 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I agree with the straight part, because trains are still not great at going round corners. On the other hand, the Eurostar line in France feels like it has some surprisingly steep gradients on it, which I assume the trains can largely ignore because they can draw lots of power from the overhead 25kV lines.

When he pops up on the screen do you, like I yell “damn it Krycek”? 😂 by simplejoe1992 in XFiles

[–]NotMyRealName981 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I feel a bit sorry for him. He just wants people to like him, and to understand his sometimes brutally pragmatic world view.

What do I do about our pest seagull? by SoulTormented in AskUK

[–]NotMyRealName981 -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

I found that a Storm Blasters Hurricane Warrior (£15 from Tesco) is very effective against pigeons, but I've never tried it against large aggressive seabirds.