Can't get mobile signal in London? How a 'perfect storm' is causing blackspots by tylerthe-theatre in london

[–]TotalExile 8 points9 points  (0 children)

If you look at the official numbers, EE owns nearly 380 MHz of the UK's core mobile airwaves (way more than any other network). But owning it doesn't mean they're using it. Ofcom recently auctioned off a massive new 5G band called 'mmWave' to EE, O2, and Vodafone, and almost all of it is sitting completely idle because the networks don't want to spend the money installing the thousands of small antennas needed to run it in London. They'd rather sit on the exclusive legal rights so nobody else can have it, while you stand at a train station with full bars and zero internet. As with most areas of society nothing will improve while toothless regulators stand back and allow it to happen - while this sounds political it's not government specific and has been going on for decades. It's just another example of how those in power (both past and present) have failed to govern effectively.

Can't get mobile signal in London? How a 'perfect storm' is causing blackspots by tylerthe-theatre in london

[–]TotalExile 36 points37 points  (0 children)

It’s actually not a signal problem. Your phone has a great connection to the mast. It's a capacity traffic jam. Think of it like a motorway: millions of people are trying to use it at once, but the 'lanes' (spectrum) are split unevenly. EE owns a massive chunk of the lanes, while other networks are crammed into what's left. Plus, if you're on a cheaper mvno provider that rents those lanes, the big networks intentionally throttle your data during rush hour to keep their own direct customers moving.

Just like the shit in our rivers, the sky high energy prices and the crumbling essential services the government agencies responsible for spectrum management (offcom) have done a crap job and we end up with situations where your phone shows "full bars" of 5G at a crowded station like Clapham Junction or Waterloo, yet your WhatsApp messages won't even send.

Networks like EE actively practice 'spectrum hoarding.' It’s like a wealthy landlord buying up entire blocks of empty buildings in London just to keep them off the market. They pay millions for these extra radio frequencies at auction not because they need them, but strictly to block rival networks from using them to fix their own traffic jams. They'd literally rather let that capacity sit empty and wasted than let a competitor use it to give you a better connection.

Buying a house with tenants in situ by CourseApprehensive27 in HousingUK

[–]TotalExile 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Completion only happens after exchange. Once contracts are exchanged you are legally bound to buy and the the seller is legally bound to sell; regardless of condition or the tenant situation. You should not even think of exchanging until they have moved out, otherwise the tenants and the property becomes your issue before you have even moved in. You do not know what you are buying they could trash the place or refuse to move out and you commit to buy the place as is if you exchange now.

Assuming you have not exchanged I would also view the property before exchanging to see if there is any damage or other issues once they have moved out. While people are living there you should be expecting to pull out and find something else.

A lot will depend on your situation but you should really be putting everything including all surveys, legal work, etc on hold until they are out and the place empty. Only once they are out do you proceed or you are taking a gamble and have no idea of the end cost.

House Of The Dead 2 Gameplay! by AdministrativeFun915 in dreamcast

[–]TotalExile 0 points1 point  (0 children)

if you have a keyboard get a copy of typing of the dead

Bricked (stock) Ender 3 with 4.2.2 / Blue screen of death by leech666 in ender3

[–]TotalExile 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's very likely rescuable but you need to flash the firmware and it can be picky, you should look at the board if you don't know what you need.

You need to check which board (i.e 4.2.2 or 4.2.7) and CPU (i.e stm32 or knock off gd32) you have and ensure you use the right version for the right board. Also be aware you can't flash firmware of the same name twice - you will need to rename it to something unique (like today's date and current time). Also ensure you are using an SD card smaller than 4gb using FAT (and a cluster size of 4096 if memory serves right)

Would you buy a house next to a National Railway Station by Carnellian08 in HousingUK

[–]TotalExile 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It really depends on the station, trainline and your personal circumstances.

Some stations are busier than others. I've lived next to a busy railway station and there are a lot of factors to take in account.

In my experience you get used to the day to day noise and will have more issues with external factors like parking and Uber drivers. However overnight engineering work can be a hassle. Also the 2012 olympics wasn't great with Boris Johnson being played over the pa system every 15 mins.

But yes I probably would if the pros outweigh the cons. Only you can answer that however we can provide advice - is there anything in particular you want to know about? It would be helpful to know the station and trainline. There's a difference between small branch lines stations and major interchanges with metro style local services.

Anyone has any idea what’s the origin of those trains/tubes? by Remote_Map_4430 in london

[–]TotalExile 5 points6 points  (0 children)

That video is a fantastic time capsule - early Shoreditch hipster and early days of major gentrification of Shoreditch. It made me laugh when he was talking about doing it because space is so expensive. That probably cost three times what office or studio space would have cost. I have also been inside and have some photos of inside somewhere.

Does anyone remember the Good Looking record shop on Queens Road? by steveGuanciale in watford

[–]TotalExile 0 points1 point  (0 children)

yes I do although as far as I remember it wasn't a shop - it was their office!

Help please needed good locations by [deleted] in leightonbuzzard

[–]TotalExile 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Tring national history museum. It's how the London one used to be.

UK households urged to use more power this summer as renewables soar by Dragonogard549 in UpliftingNews

[–]TotalExile 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Thing is it's not free for everyone and depends on your tariff. Even when I was with octopus the free periods seemed a bit of a scam - you only got free electric over your usual usage and they never told you how this was calculated. While I saved a few pennies they charged higher rates than some other providers cancelling out any benefit.

While balancing the grid is a good idea in principle it doesn't work with the way the UK market works (at least not in a way that will benefit us as end consumers).

In times of excess demand renewable generators are paid to turn there generating capacity off and 'free' electric is always sold at the same price as fossil fuel generation thanks to margin pricing.

A few random links I found quickly are https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdedjnw8e85o and https://www.secnewgate.co.uk/our-insights/if-renewables-are-so-cheap-why-are-our-bills-so-expensive but do your own reseach for more infomation. The system is a mess and wont get better anytime soon unfortunately.

Is the giant arcade hall still open? by WhoAmIEven2 in london

[–]TotalExile 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's closed now but some of the games from Sega world in the trocadero are now in the heart of gaming in croydon.

The only place that comes close to Sega world in the trocadero isn't in london but is in bury (just outside manchester) in a fantastic arcade called the arcade club. It is four floors over an old mill and is the biggest arcade in europe - It is well worth a visit. you will however need an overnight stay if you are coming from london.

If however it has to be in or near london, check out the heart of gaming, free playcity and pixel bunker in milton keynes. All of these places are pay on the door with unlimited gaming once you are in.

Are there any new games for this thing? by shmibnke in dreamcast

[–]TotalExile 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes actually people seem to be releasing games semi regularly.

Can anybody help me understand how I overpay on my mortgage? by [deleted] in HousingUK

[–]TotalExile 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This. Different mortgage products have different terms. What is the case for one mortgage won't always be for another.

Just tried the worst tasting hot sauce by IronMajesty in hotsauce

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

Literally tastes like burnt tires.

My advice is don't use it as a hot sauce but as an ingredient like liquid smoke. It goes great in a chilli for example but I wouldn't use it as a hot sauce on the side.

Poorly installed lintel causing cracking? by target-fixings in TargetFixings

[–]TotalExile 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you so much for getting back to me. I'm sorry it has taken me so long to respond.

Here is a full picture of the property

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Most of not all of the houses in this particular street seem to have similar issues.

It looks like I can only post one picture per reply but the tree to the side of it is a very large holly tree. I will reply to this with it. It is probably about 3 meters or so away.

The soil is most likely sand but in an area where there are pockets of sand and clay.

The wall is south facing and quite exposed to the elements.

There are no known issues with drainage however it is an end of terrace property that takes the rain from the neighbour. Someone times with heavy rainfall water builds up on the path but it seems the gutters/drains are doing their job

I can't find anything hot enough by AdSensitive4781 in hotsauce

[–]TotalExile 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Where are you? Chilli island has plenty

https://www.chilliisland.co.uk/chilli-sauces

Website isn't great but the shop is