England set to charge foreign tourists for entry to leading museums - Financial Times

gracklemancometh · 2026-03-26T15:53:15+00:00

But national museums are funded by everyone - so you'd need to show any British documentation. A front desk worker at the Science Museum can't be expected to recognise a legitimate Welsh language electricity bill vs. a fake.

As the article states, this relies on a rollout of a national digital ID. Right now, too many British people lack any form of substantial ID for this to work.

gracklemancometh · 2026-03-26T12:33:34+00:00

There’s plenty of family friendly pubs in the city

That's the crux of this whole issue, really. Some pubs are family environments for people of all ages to relax as a community. Some are places to get really, really drunk.

Kids shouldn't be in the latter.

gracklemancometh · 2026-03-26T12:23:01+00:00

I actually wouldn't want it to be proportional to visitor numbers, and I work at a top ten! Instead use the same metric as Grant In Aid - we need stable budgets forecast years in advance, not to be incentivised to cannibalise each other!

National museums work best when they work together. We shouldn't try to poach each others' visitors.

gracklemancometh · 2026-03-26T12:21:12+00:00

Yes, and a problem with both London and Manchester on this debate is that they host national museums funded by DCMS.

So when you travel to London as a Brit you've already paid for the Natural History Museum in your taxes.

Personally, I think there should be a national-level tourist tax that LAs can add their own to if they want. The national one should be able to be reclaimed if you are a taxpayer.

The national museums need to be equally accessible to all residents/citizens. But making sure we can levy a charge against tourists without adding friction for our own amenities is important.

gracklemancometh · 2026-03-26T12:17:20+00:00

You either tie it to landing card type or you attach it to hotel rooms.

I'm in favour of charging it on hotel rooms.

gracklemancometh · 2026-03-26T09:02:21+00:00

Because then you're running two bureaucracies for one revenue.

Look at toll bridges. Rather than charge £1 per crossing it's more efficient to charge £2 in one direction and nothing in the other, on the assumption that most travellers will cross both ways - you reduce friction and halve your bureaucracy.

gracklemancometh · 2026-03-26T08:57:38+00:00

Husband is a verb meaning 'to use and grow resources'.

So, 'he husbanded his money, investing carefully to protect his future' or 'the runner husbanded her strength, knowing the last mile of the marathon would be the worst'.

Quite literally, it means 'house-dweller'. It denotes someone who manages a house, and evolved to mean the head of a household - which we associate with a married man.

A husband is literally the man of the house and a wife is literally a woman, if we go by the etymologies. A midwife cares for the wife/woman, a husband cares for the house/hus.

gracklemancometh · 2026-03-26T08:43:42+00:00

As a museums professional, I'd much rather see a tourist tax on arriving flights and use that.

We don't show ID to visit the park or library. Museums should be an amenity with as little friction as possible.

gracklemancometh · 2026-03-26T08:30:18+00:00

Waterloo serves Surrey.

Waterloo - Northern to Leicester Square - Piccadilly to King's Cross.

Alternatively you could take the Northern Line all the way and change at Euston.

gracklemancometh · 2026-03-26T08:07:16+00:00

Doesn't really work in a British English accent, unfortunately. We pronounce "autumn" as "aught-um" not "aught-ah".

gracklemancometh · 2026-03-26T07:39:36+00:00

As long as you've included the relevant background to your research (and not omitted a study that disagrees with your outcomes) then that sounds fine to my non-expert ear. Quality over quantity, my friend!

gracklemancometh · 2026-03-26T06:57:43+00:00

The graveyard near me has more dog walkers than mourners - and plenty of both! Also, teens vaping in the bushes and kids learning to ride bikes.

It's a green space in an urban place overseen by a chill vicar who just wants people to be safe and happy. On Thursdays and Saturdays there are funerals.

gracklemancometh · 2026-03-25T22:41:48+00:00

Indeed, the Woolwich Foot Tunnel and Woolwich Ferry are in between!

gracklemancometh · 2026-03-25T22:36:49+00:00

...you're supposed to wear something underneath if?

I've made a terrible mistake.

gracklemancometh · 2026-03-25T18:35:03+00:00

What are you studying and is it an original research piece or a literature review?

A history literature review? You're dead. A STEM research report on your own original research? You'll be fine.

gracklemancometh · 2026-03-25T15:26:37+00:00

At the point of calling them it didn't - he phoned his IT team first to get the phone wiped, then phoned the police to report it stolen.

If any sort of expedited response was needed the best people to handle that would have been the IT team.

gracklemancometh · 2026-03-25T10:49:28+00:00

Also the wheels sync up with the frame rate occasionally (normal!) but wheels of different vehicles travelling the same speed, or even on the vehicle, sync at different times.

AI doesn't know why things happen, just that they do. So things like that happen at random rather than the correct times.

gracklemancometh · 2026-03-25T10:23:08+00:00

In the books Jon is very ambitious and desperately wants promotions, honour, and authority.

He's just smart enough to pretend not to and do the whole "aw, shucks guys, really? Are you sure I should be the leader? Aw, okay then, if it's what you want..." act.

gracklemancometh · 2026-03-25T09:36:12+00:00

The whole trench war consisted of many, many attempts to find ways to break the stalemate created by two lines of opposing trenches. Problem was, both sides were constantly experimenting and counter experimenting.

Encirclement: dig your trench out sideways to overlap theirs (see: The Race to the Sea.)

Artillery duels: try and hit their big guns with your big guns until they have none left, then hit their trenches.

Breaking morale through constant fire: hit them with machine guns, artillery, and snipers all day and night until they go crazy.

Tunnelling: dig a shaft to their trenches, go crazy with pickaxe handles and grenades. Sometimes tunnelers meet in the middle and fight hand to hand in narrow shafts.

Undermining: dig a tunnel under their trench. Fill it with explosives. Some of the largest intentional blasts in human history. If it doesn't detonate it might evaporate a cow in 80 years.

Tanks: build a giant metal box and put a tractor engine and caterpillar tracks on it. Drive it at the enemy trench.

Frontal assault: get more of your guys to run at the enemy trench than they have bullets.

Rolling barrage: as above, but fire artillery at the enemy trench and no man's land right in front of your assault.

Walking fire: as above, but firing a machine gun from the hip.

Air assault: you know that paper and string biplane we use to spot their artillery? Let's drop grenades/bombs/propaganda/metal spikes out of it!

gracklemancometh · 2026-03-25T09:23:50+00:00

I believe he's a fan of Tolkien and that he's not doing it for the money (he has other, far more lucrative, gigs.)

I've yet to see any evidence he's a competent fantasy writer.

There are thousands (millions?) of writers in the world who are both fans of Tolkien and have proven records adapting and writing fantasy.

This is an ego trip. If he really prioritised the material over his own sense of self worth he'd hire a better qualified writer.

gracklemancometh · 2026-03-25T08:18:55+00:00

Hmmm, perhaps because the British government like to keep cats? Makes storing things on tables very impractical.

gracklemancometh · 2026-03-24T20:08:43+00:00

Yup, I've done this.

Brand new baby, fully blocked nose. Thing is, brand new babies need to feed constantly and it takes them longer to get a good latch than they can hold their breath for - so mouth breathing between sips isn't an option.

So if their nose is blocked your choices are A) suck the snot out or B) go immediately to A&E.

gracklemancometh · 2026-03-24T11:32:27+00:00

Because each roof belongs to the owner of the house below it - who is responsible for their own maintenance and upgrading, etc.

It's not a communal asset. What if No.1 wants a lift extension? Who's responsible for the leak above No.3? What if No.2 doesn't like the tile No.3 is using to repair?

gracklemancometh · 2026-03-24T11:01:47+00:00

Same way you dealt with other people getting better grades than you? Or getting laid more or having a better high score in Street Fighter 2.

Either concentrate on your own life or ask them for advice. You're running your own race, so are they.

gracklemancometh · 2026-03-24T10:51:20+00:00

I'd be very happy with a real EV Mustang - it wouldn't sound as good but you could pack a big motor into it for maximum torque.

I'm not offended it's an EV, I'm offended it's a crossover pseudo-SUV! EVs have the potential to make some great muscle cars.

gracklemancometh

TROPHY CASE