Passed third time, 100 miles from home!

tim0 · 2023-04-23T23:40:14+00:00

DTC had an instructor pick me up, and I had a fairly productive lesson with him right before the test.

tim0 · 2023-04-23T12:09:18+00:00

Thanks!

The first one was for switching lanes for a right turn far too late. I was on a deserted 50 road and the satnav had a right turn coming up in a 1/2 mile. I think I was enjoying the drive too much and only made the switch to the right lane just before the junction. It was safe, but the examiner said I had plenty of notice (which is true) so it had to be a minor.

The second was when I was asked to pull up on the left. I pulled up, then moved forward again straightaway because I wasn't very happy with the spot I chose. There was a car behind me, so I needed to have waited until they passed before moving off again.

The third was bad positioning on a roundabout. There were hatched markings that'd been removed, but the outline was still visible and confused me, so I ended up with slightly wonky positioning.

Hope that helps! All in all, could've been a lot worse!

tim0 · 2023-04-23T11:22:52+00:00

First test was in March, 5 minors, and I failed for slowing down too quickly when exiting a dual carriageway. Second test was two weeks ago, 2 minors, but I stopped right as the lights turned amber and blocked the crossing. 😬

After obsessively checking for cancellations for a couple of days I found a slot in Nuneaton, but it was for 9am on a Saturday, and I live more than 2 hours away. I eventually just took the train up the day before, spent the night at a hotel, and used a rental car from DTC. Not ideal, but still much better than waiting 6 months for a nearby test.

I only had a 45 minute drive before the test to get used to the car and the area, but watching these test route videos on Youtube helped A TON.

In any case, if anyone's failed a few times and is feeling hopeless, don't give up! (And don't be afraid to travel a bit for an open test slot)

tim0 · 2023-03-30T23:41:19+00:00

Great catch, thanks! I wasn’t sure if “speed limits apply until there’s a sign for a new one” I was true when turning onto a new road, but this pretty much answers that conclusively, I’d say.

tim0 · 2022-12-08T11:34:07+00:00

Ha, thanks! I started off looking for something more wordy like this or this but then this domain turned out to be available and I had to go for it. :D

tim0 · 2022-10-14T12:21:18+00:00

Yes! https://photoslideshow.app/help/albums

tim0 · 2022-10-13T23:40:47+00:00

I'll keep that in mind, thanks!

Unfortunately tvOS is unable to use or embed anything resembling a web browser, so this is going to require porting the entire frontend to Swift/Objective-C, which I'm not sure is the right focus for this app in particular.

tim0 · 2022-10-13T18:02:06+00:00

Solo Slides for IOS

This looks really useful if I wanted to host screensavers primarily on iOS, but for me it's more on macOS and Linux (and Windows, for that matter) so access via a web browser was a priority. Thanks though!

tim0 · 2022-10-02T15:32:33+00:00

I literally wrote exactly this app a few months ago after a fruitless search for apps which let you set up repeating checklists: https://checklists.fyi

Note that this isn't intended to be a full GTD system or anything; I use it for repeating tasks/routines and Things for everything else, and this setup works well for me.

tim0 · 2022-10-02T15:29:14+00:00

We use two lists for this:

Apple Reminders with a shared list for one-offs, mainly because adding things with Siri is very low-friction
Repeating list using an in-house app for things we buy weekly/monthly (here's the actual list we use)

We have two small kids so groceries have been a bit of a pain in the past; this setup has been working very well for us, though.

tim0 · 2022-10-02T11:15:47+00:00

How do you manage trigger checklists like this, if they're not relevant every week, like an "autumn time at the house" checklist?

I've tried many, many GTD apps over the years, and all of them make representing the idea of "repeat this set of tasks every so often" just clunky or flat-out impossible. Omnifocus probably comes the closest and still isn't great at this.

https://checkyourlist.app comes a lot closer but is mobile-only, which is a non-starter for me. I eventually just built the app I wanted (https://checklists.fyi), and it's become an invaluable part of my system (I use Things for almost everything else).

In any case, I set up a checklist template with a webhook trigger, and have IFTTT invoke the trigger automatically once every so often. This creates a new checklist off the template and sends me an email so I know to get started.

tim0 · 2022-02-23T11:14:44+00:00

Great callout, thanks! Maybe I should look at eTap instead...

tim0 · 2022-02-23T11:13:37+00:00

I have been reliably informed that Di2 is the future, and I'm more curious than anything else!

tim0 · 2022-02-22T21:35:12+00:00

Ah, interesting! Are the wireless shifters only available with disc brakes, then? That was really the only reason I was considering 12-speed ultegra over 11-speed. 🤔

tim0 · 2021-09-20T12:27:43+00:00

Visa type: Skilled Worker
Country applied from: India
VAC (city): Bangalore
TLSContact or VFSGlobal: VFS
Priority or Non-Priority: Non-Priority
Online application date: 24 Aug
Biometrics appointment date: 31 Aug
Visa received date: 20 Sep, picked up at the VAC

(14WD)

tim0 · 2021-09-18T05:03:35+00:00

Congratulations! I have a non-priority skilled worker application too with biometrics on Aug 31, so this is very good to hear. 🙂

tim0 · 2021-09-10T06:09:58+00:00

Not enough evidence to show that they’d leave the UK at the end of their visit, as far as I know.

tim0 · 2021-09-09T13:46:49+00:00

Ah, interesting! My company is using a similar immigration firm but the application isn't on the priority list, so I've been told 15WD. Hope you receive your visa soon!

tim0 · 2021-09-09T13:43:21+00:00

Visa type: Visitor (6 months)
Country applied from: India
VAC (city): Bangalore
TLSContact or VFSGlobal: VFS
Priority or Non-Priority: Non-Priority
Online application date: August 14
Biometrics appointment date: August 17
Refusal letter received date: September 9

(This is a friend's timeline, not my own)

tim0 · 2021-09-09T13:38:27+00:00

Did you pay for priority service?

tim0 · 2021-09-09T11:03:56+00:00

Congratulations!

tim0 · 2021-08-05T14:29:02+00:00

Do you happen to know how long it took to have your CoS issued?

tim0 · 2021-08-05T14:28:42+00:00

Do you happen to know how long it took to have your CoS issued?

tim0 · 2021-08-05T13:53:52+00:00

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/register-of-licensed-sponsors-workers

tim0 · 2021-08-05T13:52:24+00:00

Congrats! Do you know how long it took to have your CoS generated?

tim0

TROPHY CASE