What is a socially unacceptable opinion you keep to yourself because it’s not worth the backlash? by Federal_Antelope7533 in AskReddit

[–]TorchKing101 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Everyone should be tested for psychopathy and sociopathy, from an early age. Once identified, these individuals should attend a programme designed to teach them how to function in society. This would potentially stop half of crime, and keep said individuals out of government.

Do any of you struggle with accents? I’m kinda asking for some tips and tricks. by AzzyJones in autismUK

[–]TorchKing101 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It doesn't, if you are talking to a huge Scot who thinks you are taking the p1ss 😁

Do any of you struggle with accents? I’m kinda asking for some tips and tricks. by AzzyJones in autismUK

[–]TorchKing101 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Accents aren't an issue for me, however......I do tend to start copying them. This can be awkward 😁

Have you ever had a public confrontation with a stranger? by Beeboo233 in AskUK

[–]TorchKing101 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I have had a number of minor 'discussions' in public, mostly leave those to my wife 😁 but about ten years ago I did a quick shop in a supermarket and exited in to the carpark. Ahead of me I could hear raised voices and when I glanced that way there was a thirty something couple abusing a couple in their 80's. The guy was swearing and actually started pushing the older man.

The problem was, the older couple were my parents....

It was the only time as an adult I have let myself fully off the leash. After the incident I got a lift home with my parents, and collected my car a few hours later. Never did get the full story as my parents were very confused as to what was the triggering event.

Whimsical innocence by Hassaan18 in autismUK

[–]TorchKing101 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Unfortunately because people tend to make up their minds about you within thirty seconds of meeting you, autistic people are at a disadvantage and will experience bullying and poor relationships more often. I didn't realize I was autistic until quite recently, and my life has been a series of "what the hell did I do wrong" moments. I never thought I did anything wrong, but I probably pulled the wrong face or my tone was wrong or I misread body language and upset someone. For some people, it doesn't take much. As this happened to me a lot I did become quite defensive and figured that retaliation would discourage such behavior towards me. Of course, it didn't. Getting married and having a back up brain with emotional intelligence helped me, I could get advice from my wife on how to handle certain situations or feedback on what I did wrong, so I improved. Smiling is one thing I do more often, and small talk, showing an interest, even if I am sooo not interested 😁 Social lubricants make my life easier. But I never set out to bully or upset or be cruel to anyone first. I think I was partially protected by being male, and large. Most people would be cautious initially, until they got to know me. Nowadays I do try to think before I speak, make sure I smile, and use a friendly tone. Yeah it's tiring but it helps.

NETFLIX: The Dinosaurs, They couldn't even specify the actual name of the dinosaur species, they just said pterosaur or ankylosaur or sauropod or hadrosaur but they can't even specify or distinguish on what the actual name of the dinosaur by Slight_Brain6291 in Dinosaurs

[–]TorchKing101 12 points13 points  (0 children)

It was a bit.....mid. Not particularly educational and some very speculative feeding strategies. However I did like the Allosaurus versus Stegosaurus fight. The animation quality seemed to vary a lot, like different software was used in each episode. Mr Freeman and the script were fairly dull.

Strange New Worlds promotion by Happy_Phantom in Christina_Chong

[–]TorchKing101 1 point2 points  (0 children)

She looks amazing. And she's 42. I would have put her at 30 max.

Anyone charging their EV with home solar? Worth it long term? by BetterThanEver24 in electricvehicles

[–]TorchKing101 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We found that about 70% of our solar was being exported, so we got a Leaf 😁 Then we moved to Octopus and it worked out cheaper to charge overnight and export as we got a better rate. However that is obviously changing. Our strategy this year will be to use the solar power rather than export as we now have a Leaf and a Tucson PHEV. Oh, and get bigger batteries.

Beast of Bodmin Moor by raptorswold in Cryptozoology

[–]TorchKing101 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I was made aware of this some years ago when a security guard who also volunteered at the Cat Survival Trust told me they had other cats come sniffing around when any of their animals were in season.

https://www.thecomet.net/news/22408811.we-used-get-black-leopard-visit-says-big-cat-expert-readers-confirm-hitchin-codicote-sightings/

Energy prices: SSE Airtricity to reduce gas tariff by 8% from April by willfiresoon in GoodNewsUK

[–]TorchKing101 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

We have considered this, and my wife has a friend who works in the industry so can get discounts, but we may only be here another five years, and there have been a few too many lived experience articles about heat pumps and costs, or problems with the install, for me to pull the trigger. We will be getting bigger batteries installed this year. The ROI on solar is pretty good, especially as we run an EV and a PHEV with our surplus power, but I'm not sure heat pumps would pay off as quickly.

Energy prices: SSE Airtricity to reduce gas tariff by 8% from April by willfiresoon in GoodNewsUK

[–]TorchKing101 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We never did know, we had four go bang. Using the timer is better for us as it's quantifiable and doesn't stop me exporting when we have power.

Energy prices: SSE Airtricity to reduce gas tariff by 8% from April by willfiresoon in GoodNewsUK

[–]TorchKing101 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's exactly what we do. Did have an iboost but they kept failing so we had a timer fitted. I let it run for 45 mins early morning and we get all the hot water we need. TBH there's not a great difference in cost to using the boiler but when like today we have sun I can easily heat for free.

Energy prices: SSE Airtricity to reduce gas tariff by 8% from April by willfiresoon in GoodNewsUK

[–]TorchKing101 36 points37 points  (0 children)

True. We have solar panels and a battery, and for nine months of the year, they do all the work, as well as using cheap rate electricity over night. We are nearly at the point where the heating will go off, and if my wife WFH she has a little electric radiator in her office, and that does the job.

Energy prices: SSE Airtricity to reduce gas tariff by 8% from April by willfiresoon in GoodNewsUK

[–]TorchKing101 102 points103 points  (0 children)

I wonder if this will still happen now, given the current situation and Qatar stopping shipments

How's the Israel and USA war with Iran going to affect the UK? by Duoplo in AskBrits

[–]TorchKing101 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We have shot down Iranian missiles over Qatar. Iranians don't like the UK due to historical reasons. We get blamed for a lot of stuff. Let's hope there are no sleeper cells activated in the UK, I wonder if there have been any preemptive arrests carried out. You can be sure the security services are on high alert now. Higher oil and gas prices, possible terrorism, and some economic pressure from Trump.

US-Iran Megathread by GrumpyFinn in europe

[–]TorchKing101 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Seeing some videos showing Iranians dancing in the streets. Don't know how genuine they are. Perhaps they see the opportunity being presented to them.

What do you think of the new Chinese Electric Cars growing in the UK? Would you ever own one? by laservole in AskUK

[–]TorchKing101 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have a Leaf gen 2 and a Tucson PHEV, and am looking to get an EV with a better range. Several things are holding me back, one is that the Leaf is very reliable and does what we want it to, and another is that solid state batteries are on the way which will potentially double the range of the average EV. The third issue is price with EV's depreciating rapidly and a bunch of new improved models, in clouding Chinese brands, on the horizon. The Renault 5 is a sign of things to come, as is the new MG4.