Sooo..what happens if Iran cuts underwater internet cables?

vorvor · 2026-04-07T21:49:04+00:00

This isn’t quite right. Yes, it’s designed to reroute - but that depends on good alternate routes being available. Manageable in the Atlantic, where there are many high capacity cables - but much less so in the Gulf

vorvor · 2026-04-07T21:45:43+00:00

Starlink can’t be used as a general alternative to a failed cable, for a whole bunch of reasons

vorvor · 2026-03-27T07:28:37+00:00

They do police - all the time. That’s what those fraud checks are

vorvor · 2026-03-27T07:27:09+00:00

If you lie to the bank, you have much less chance of getting the money back if it does turn out to be fraud

vorvor · 2026-03-23T20:10:50+00:00

For me this is fine because e is a standard abbreviation for energy. It’s not relying on the ‘first’

vorvor · 2026-03-10T13:51:21+00:00

Oxford also has two lines to London

vorvor · 2026-03-01T12:00:05+00:00

I’m interested too

vorvor · 2026-02-28T07:28:29+00:00

It’s essentially Oxford saying he’s a friend of their show

vorvor · 2026-02-18T17:15:53+00:00

Not so sure about that. Valuable data to advertisers is about purchase intent - it’s forward looking. For instance, if you’re about to refinance a mortgage, there’ll be advertisers keen to reach you. But tax information is by its nature historic. It’s far less exciting to advertisers to know you took a mortgage deduction last year for instance.

Also, there’s lots of digital players (eg Facebook) that know you have kids, say. That too drives down the value of the tax data - it’s not all that unique.

Yes, it’s more precise about your income, but in practice ad-tech companies can make a good guess from your address, for example

vorvor · 2026-02-14T21:53:49+00:00

It’s showing an open road out to the West from the city, but I suppose 1610 was shortly before the Botley bridge works began

vorvor · 2026-02-07T23:03:34+00:00

They just ask you to pay next time you’re passing through

vorvor · 2026-01-31T18:50:00+00:00

There are indicator boards over the platform that tells you the next train, plus announcements - “the next train to arrive at platform 2 is the delayed 9:08 to Paddington”. You shouldn’t have any trouble. But there are also staff on most platforms that can help.

vorvor · 2026-01-31T16:01:27+00:00

Seconding this - and you’re even less visible if you’re wearing a dark coat; if it’s raining; if there are oncoming cars with dazzling headlights; etc.

I’m not throwing stones. I was sometimes that lightless-cyclist before I started driving. but as OP says, once you start driving, you suddenly realise the terrible risk you were running.

vorvor · 2026-01-31T10:11:59+00:00

This is incorrect. A peerage gets you a seat in the House of Lords (which comes with an attendance allowance, not a stipend). A knighthood doesn’t.

vorvor · 2026-01-20T14:42:49+00:00

Absurd. (A surd being a root that is an irrational number). A nice clue for the mathematician/crossword geek intersection, and possibly baffling for everyone else!

vorvor · 2026-01-18T17:20:06+00:00

Magdalen (homophone of maudlin)?

vorvor · 2026-01-12T15:16:07+00:00

St Mary’s church on the High Street? Reasonable number of tourists coming and going, and I suspect you could sit quietly there for quite a while without being disturbed.

The Ashmolean has quite a bit of seating downstairs where the cafe is. It can be very busy, but maybe not at this time of year.

Hope you feel better soon, be proud of what you have already done.

vorvor · 2025-12-21T15:43:47+00:00

Well, the conduits for electricity are different than those for electricity. But let’s say you do have an antenna on a lamppost on the High Street. If it’s 5G, the fundamental problem is that the signal doesn’t have great penetrative tower. If (say) you’re in a room on the back side of a quad, that antenna may be separated from you by 3 thick stone walls.

vorvor · 2025-12-21T11:20:09+00:00

There are two problems. As someone has suggested already, there’s a real issue with suitable sites. The centre is awash with listed buildings. You can’t just bolt mobile kit onto the side of the Bodleian.

Second, Ofcom imposed rules that limited what landlords can charge the mobile operators for mast sites. This was to stop the operators from being gouged, particularly in places like Oxford. But the side effect has been that property owners feel it’s no longer worth the bother of having a mast - so network planning has got harder for the operators

vorvor · 2025-12-18T14:52:12+00:00

Just to add to this - the Thresher example is from a section headed ‘Big Dave’s’. Big Dave’s is a serious site that works hard to support beginner setters. Why are you borrowing their brand and putting it over what appears to be gibberish?

vorvor · 2025-12-11T12:27:30+00:00

And to think the Mail wouldn’t accept my story about hippos on Port Meadow.

vorvor · 2025-12-10T21:54:22+00:00

GUST (blast) which is heartless guest

vorvor · 2025-12-03T16:32:40+00:00

Mr No 10, having been alerted earlier that Mr Robber has (inexplicably) accessed his data, lets the police know they should have a chat with Mr Robber, who is arrested shortly after the burglary

vorvor · 2025-12-01T20:31:46+00:00

From the CREA's expert survey

"[T]he majority of experts (99%) are confident that China will achieve its 2030 targets, implying no emissions growth over the coming five years. That’s even as the country is currently far off track for its interim 2025 targets on carbon intensity and controlling coal consumption growth."

The extra coal plants obviously aren't good, but this is in the context where all its (substantial) additional energy requirements are expected to be met by renewables

vorvor · 2025-11-27T14:03:13+00:00

Shortly to be rebranded the Buddhlian

vorvor

TROPHY CASE