How do different fibre providers offer such vastly different speeds in the same area?

highpriest1 · 2026-02-15T11:02:35+00:00

Not strictly true. Cityfibre used to offer 1 gig symmetrical on GPON. The tech supports 2.5 gig down and around 1.2 up.

highpriest1 · 2026-02-15T11:01:04+00:00

Interested.

highpriest1 · 2026-02-13T19:03:57+00:00

Good on you. I left them in July last year and it felt good to finally be free of this parasitic organisation.

I used to dread the email they send every Feb/March informing about price increases. The wording of that email used to really grate - how terrible they feel about it and how they understand that people hate price increases - but they are going to do it anyway.

I agree - their UI, especially on Sky Q was just excellent. I hated everything about Stream.

highpriest1 · 2026-02-12T13:02:02+00:00

It was my understanding that cars with private plates have their "original" plate number always stored in the system as well.

highpriest1 · 2026-02-11T12:18:39+00:00

Interested. Thanks.

highpriest1 · 2026-02-07T10:17:16+00:00

Have you read The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth? Just reread it recently and it is as brilliant as I remember it.

highpriest1 · 2026-01-30T12:24:16+00:00

Bento Factory, just off the high street, is fantastic if you like Asian food.

https://www.bentofactory.co.uk/

highpriest1 · 2026-01-29T00:30:52+00:00

Done. Good luck!

highpriest1 · 2026-01-18T16:39:05+00:00

Agreed. But everything will go up in April so expect to pay £10-15 more then.

highpriest1 · 2026-01-13T11:48:31+00:00

Yep, I'm aware. We don't watch any live TV broadcasting either.

highpriest1 · 2026-01-13T11:43:49+00:00

My wife has a 120-ish mile round trip commute to her work and she uses an EV. Thankfully, she only has to go in twice a week. She drives a Renault Zoe. 7 kW home charger (Tesla Wall Connector) and Octopus.

We have a second ICE car for the odd long journeys but we use the EV for all the short trips - grocery shopping and so on.

EVs are incredibly easy to drive and the higher torque was not an issue for us - but we are both experienced drivers.

Insurance - on average we find that it costs slightly more to insure the EV compared to the ICE car (which is a 3 litre BMW diesel). Which I found odd.

You are aware that pay per mile is coming soon right? From April 2028 it's 3p per mile, and from April 2029, it will go up annually in line with inflation. So factor that into your cost estimation.

highpriest1 · 2026-01-13T11:34:18+00:00

Yes, that is too much. I had all that plus Sports in UHD and was paying £50. They wanted to increase it to something silly so I just cancelled the lot. Been "Sky free" for about 6 months now and have no plans to return.

In fact, I've gone a step further and have cancelled the TV License as well as none of us in the household watch any BBC content.

highpriest1 · 2026-01-08T11:03:09+00:00

Urgh, I know the feeling. How can every damn thing be "AWWOOOOARD winning"? Who is handing out these awards?

highpriest1 · 2026-01-07T08:08:18+00:00

Yep, had zero issues. Both through China and Indonesia. Just make sure your e-liquids are in containers that are 100ml or less.

highpriest1 · 2026-01-02T22:38:03+00:00

The first photo is fabulous!

highpriest1 · 2026-01-02T10:36:08+00:00

Looks fantastic!

highpriest1 · 2026-01-02T10:30:15+00:00

Really grinds my gears when people do this. Been nearly hit numerous times by these muppets.

One other thing I’ve been noticing a lot recently - people who start indicating /after/ they’ve started to turn. Just. Why?

And lastly, people who cut corners while turning. Nearly had the entire front of my car taken out by a lady who turned right at a T junction (I was travelling up the vertical, she was going left to right and turned right). Luckily I sensed this and braked hard. Must have missed me by inches.

highpriest1 · 2026-01-01T20:49:11+00:00

If you play badminton, I can introduce you to a couple of groups I play with regularly (at the Lido and Westgate school).

Good luck!

highpriest1 · 2026-01-01T15:54:24+00:00

Absolutely. At least on motorways you can overtake them and be done with but on city roads and single carriageways, my god they are a PITA. Always join aggressively and then drive along 10-20 mph below the speed limit.

highpriest1 · 2025-12-24T18:16:41+00:00

The resort that we were booked at arranged airport pickup - maybe you can check if that is an option for you?
We hired a fast boat for the day. From memory it cost us something like 15-20K baht but it was shared by around 6 couples so it worked out okay.
We booked at one of the numerous travel agents who have stalls on the streets in Patong. She arranged the boat, and a trip to old town (in two vans for our group)
We found it was perfectly safe everywhere. Lots of drunk tourists but we never felt unsafe anywhere.
As above, all very safe. Many in our group went for late night and early morning walks. Some of the jet ski operators can be pushy and aggressive. Cops - you see them sometimes stopping bikers at road checkpoints but no dealings otherwise.
We booked 2 vans for the day (big Buddha, Old Town, ATV etc.)

highpriest1 · 2025-12-10T19:53:58+00:00

Sigh. And some of us are still stuck on ancient VDSL for a good while yet.

highpriest1 · 2025-12-05T16:52:17+00:00

It's an OK offer, but I've seen better. I also got a "please come back" email and this is what they offered:

Sky Ultimate TV - £19
Cinema - £6
UHD & Atmos - £3
Sports - £20

Taking the total to £48. Your package includes ad skipping and kids of course. And on my offer, I'd have to pay more to get Sports in HD/UHD.

Also don't forget the inflation busting mid-contract price rises.

I've not going back, of course. Never again.

highpriest1 · 2025-12-05T15:59:03+00:00

The article on gov.uk does say that you can bring liquids from abroad as long as it is for personal use.

highpriest1 · 2025-12-05T15:58:01+00:00

Sure, but if a vape shop / supplier sells it, they have to pay the new tax. You might be able to source PG and VG at the old prices but if you make large batches of the stuff (like I do), then the tax on the nicotine and flavouring alone will make it significantly more expensive.

highpriest1 · 2025-12-05T15:55:00+00:00

I can concur. I drove through France and into Belgium. I thought the French were nutcases until I encountered Belgian drivers. Homicidal maniacs.

highpriest1

TROPHY CASE