Steve44

They are very rare these days compared to the 1950s-80. I presume it's a combination of aircraft design developing and also the scale of the military and the intense training during the Cold War.

Have a flick through these links listing losses or two RAF types, it's quite sobering.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_accidents_and_incident...

https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/europe/harrier...

The Avro Vulcan was similar, the two cockpit crew had ejector seats but the three others didn't.

There were a few crashes where the cockpit crew ejected, this being one at London Heathrow.

https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1956/dec/...

It would be unjust to the pilot and co-pilot were I not to make it clear, in conclusion, that it was their duty to eject from the aircraft when they did. I am satisfied that there could have been no hope of controlling the aircraft after the initial impact. In these circumstances, it was the duty of the captain to give the order to abandon the aircraft and of all those who were on board to obey it if they were able to do so. Both the pilot and co-pilot realised when they gave their orders that, owing to the low altitude, the other occupants had no chance of escape, and they considered that their own chances were negligible

Apart from the command ejection in two seaters like this one, where depending on the configuration when one person ejects it triggers the other seat, I can only think of one automatic ejection and that is on the F35B as used by the Royal Navy.

If it looses either the lift or main engine the resulting pitch change would be too rapid for a human to react to so the system triggers ejection.

https://x.com/Brick_Suit/status/2056183711549608239

It doesn't look like a fancy manoeuvrer, just slow repositioning and they drifted into each other.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QlJrUX1Ags is probably a better link to the clip.

I've lived in London, various places within the M25, for about 40 years now and still walk around looking up and enjoying exploring both new and old places. We do the Hidden City treasure hunts which is a great way of finding new spots.

Tower of London is good, there is so much history in there and a number of exhibitions well worth seeing.

I've done most of the "tourist traps"[1] and really enjoyed them. The London Eye gives you great views, especially at sunset; The Shard (cocktail bar, not done the viewing platform) is a bit expensive and style over substance but still worth doing once; Buckingham Palace is a world class historical living building; The South Bank has a lot going on and also gives great views of London; The Royal Albert Hall is a stunning concert venue; most of the big museums are free.

The one place I've not done as it really doesn't appeal to me is Madame Tussauds.

[1] Compared to other cites apart from the pedal rickshaws and the find-the-lady on Westminster bridge I don't think London is inundated with rip-off tourist traps like many other cities appear to be.

We have a couple of large customers who will only send remittance advices as a PDF, the are several pages and a couple of hundred rows. Apparently their system can not send XLSX or any other format.

I've been a happy user of Tabula[1] for a few years and it works really well, for my needs anyway.

I just import, auto-detect tables, select "Stream", and then export to a CSV.

[1] https://tabula.technology/ [1] https://github.com/tabulapdf/tabula

I think the problem is that website shows NESW going clockwise, is should be the other way.

N

E W

S

(sorry about formatting)

I've been playing a few times a year with family and once we got over the steep learning curve we really enjoy it and play for many hours several times a year.

What has helped a LOT is we've developed a double sided sheet we print out with the basic game mechanics, tiles, and scoring. It still needs some tweaking but means our rules[1] are clear and we can quickly refer to them as we're playing.

We've a second sheet which shows the winds, once that's been decided we just just orientate it with the players.

[1] We're very aware there are lots of sets of rules, we've just decided on the ones we consistently play.

Also IT'S TABLE TENNIS, NOT PING PONG!

We can also add Whiff Waff to the alternative names!

I'm not sure about the specific Atari 2600 controllers but my hazy memory has at least three types of what appear to be rotary.

One is basically a self centring sprung up/off/down switch. That would be similar to a car indicator stalk and simple left/right arrow keys.

Another would be rotary with a stop but it sent a physical position, presumably it was something like a variable resistor or very fine resolution rotary switch. With these you could instantly position your character by the position on the ring/slider. This could be interpreted as position 1, 2, 3 etc etc.

The third was a free spinning which moved the character faster the faster you spun it. This would be how I remember Tempest playing, you could slowly nudge it or just do a fast spin & stop to quickly move around. This would produce a signal such as clockwise+very slow or anti-clockwise+very fast.

I have a rare brand loyalty for the brand of box I use - only the "Really Useful" stacking boxes.

Same here. I've been using them at home and work for years and they are absolutely fantastic; we've probably got well over 100 and it's rare for one a year to break and even then it's usually just the lid.

I think they've been very clever in how they manage their range. I generally use the 12L and 18L boxes, but I don't need to remember any dimensions because a different profile box would say be 11L or 19L. All you need to do is remember the capacity and it'll be the right matching box.

I was going to say registrars in too, I've a bottle of this I've played about with.

https://www.diamineinks.co.uk/products/diamine-30ml-archival...

Waterproof archival quality fountain pen ink in Blue-Black. Initially writes Blue, then oxidises to Black over time as it bonds to the paper. Traditionally used to record births, deaths & marriages.

And from another source :-

Permanent archival blue-black ink based on an iron-gall formulation, as used by registrars and the clergy for official documents.

Iron gall ink formulations have been used for around 1,500 years, and many of the world's most historic documents have been written using it. This ink will remain legible for hundreds of years.

Please Note: This is an iron-gall ink, which contains particles that can clog fountain pen feeds. It's also acidic, which can damage steel nibs. Use with caution, and at your own risk. Not for use in valuable pens.

I'll never understand how people can think 'Gruyère' and then imagine cheese with holes in it

I've put a lengthier response to the parent post, but look at https://classicfinefoods.co.uk/dairy/5713-french-gruyere-pgi... as that may solve our quandary.

whereas Gruyère has no holes

TIL that Gruyere from France is different to Swiss and it must have holes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gruy%C3%A8re_cheese > The PGI documentation also requires that French Gruyère has holes "ranging in size from that of a pea to a cherry", a significant departure from the Swiss original. Peter Ungphakorn, a Swiss local and an international trade expert, comments that the French Comté cheese could be a closer match to the Swiss version.

And there is a good image of Gruyere with holes here, https://classicfinefoods.co.uk/dairy/5713-french-gruyere-pgi...

In the UK it's fairly common to use the term "Swiss cheese". Most people would know you are talking about Emmental or Gruyere and it would have the bubbles/holes in it.

Although they are not the same cheese, they are quite close in texture and flavour and are fairly interchangeable to the point where I don't think a significant number of people could tell you which was which.

There is also the Swiss Cheese Model which is when several unfortunate events all line up to cause a major incident.

That was a TV presentor from a children's programme called Blue Peter.

If you think that looks dicey, search for the video of when another Blue Peter presenter,John Noakes, cleaned Nelsons Column in Trafalgar Square. Note the overhanging wooden ladder and the entire safety equipment was a pair of flared jeans and platform boots!

He also climbed the mast of HMS Ganges which is possibly even more heart stopping.

We had an office worker who became obsessed about dehydrating, undoubtedly after watching too much social media. She carried the bottle everywhere.

She arrived at work one day in a state of panic because her water bottle spilt in the car and she was terrified of becoming dehydrated during her 15 minute commute.

And no, there wasn't anything medically wrong with her.

food is included in this amount

When my wife was ill a few years ago the doctor suggested Angel Delight[1] to help maintain fluids. Until then it hadn't occurred to me you're still effectively drinking half a pint of milk when you eat a bowl.

[1] It's an instant dessert / mousse that you mix up with milk. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angel_Delight

I don't have a lot to add other than I'm still using a T61p several times a week. It's got by far the best screen[1] I've ever had on a laptop and the keyboard is also lovely.

It's running Win7 and I only use it for RDP onto work. The battery is screwed, perhaps lasts 10 seconds so just enough to cover quickly moving it.

[1] 1920 x 1200 and very matt. It's just stunningly clear and easy on the eyes with great colour rendition.

Finding it also odd that biodegradable plastics and safer alternatives are going quiet.

They tend not to be a good solution to anything.

There are a couple of ways of making degradable plastic. One is to add something to their manufacture so they break down into shorter chains which their supporters tell you will then further break down. These are generally referred to as OXO degradable.

Another is to use bio based plastics such as PLA or cellulose. These both have poor performance compares to oil based plastics.

All of these also require industrial composting where they add no nutrition to the compost, effectively just bulking it out. They [generally] do not break down when littered or even placed in a domestic compost heap.

There is also a problem because these plastics are virtually impossible to sort from recyclable plastics so if they get in each other waste stream the whole batch can be rendered contaminated and useless.

I believe the issue with straws is they were hard to recycle because they were lightweight and often mingled with other materials, such as cups, napkins, and food waste.

They were generally made from PP which is widely recycled as a material.

They are also commonly littered and as they don't break down in the environment led the not only being unsightly but also clogging up waterways and direct damage to wildlife. Paper straws can still be littered, but break down so don't cause the same physical problems in the longer term.

Why we allow making packages (especially for take-away food from pseudo-paper (which is a paper with plastic coating), which is not recyclable at all and, in fact,

I agree that plastic is in most cases a better solution, however you are wrong to say the paper+PE board can't be recycled. Currently here in the UK they are not collected in household waste, but many businesses are recycling them and there is a lot of capacity available.

https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/news/ds-smith-makes-100-uk-coffe...

https://www.thefirstmile.co.uk/online-waste-services/busines...

Some of the issues are the collecting and sorting streams, then there are the commercial aspect of how to sell on the recycled material because it needs to be commercially viable.

"Privatizing Profits and Socializing Losses"

The UK has recently introduced Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging legislation where the theory is the brand owner pays for the entire recycling and collection process of any packaging they put onto the market. Note this isn't just takeaway & food packaging, it's everything. The system though is an unworkable mess, it's so complicated trying to track every item of packaging and who is responsible for paying the tax down the entire supply chain.

I've also heard that unscrewed bottle-caps, or other small plastics also fall in the common waste dump at the facility.

The EU, and UK, recently brought in legislation where the bottle caps are tethered to the bottle. The main reason is to reduce littering, but it does also make recycling easier.

https://phys.org/news/2024-10-plastic-bottles-eu-caps.html

I would actually like to know the average percentage of the content of domestic recycling bins that the entities on the other side bother to see recycled.

https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-...

"An estimated 73% of the plastic bottles produced in 2020/21 were collected from households for recycling. The rate was 47% for pots, tubs and trays and much lower for plastic film at just 4%."

that recycling facilities throw out black plastic utensils just because the infrared light in sorting machines can't sort it

That is very true. The sorting used near-infrared which struggle to detect these black plastics because the carbon black pigments absorb the light. I've quoted information from one our our suppliers which explains it and what they are doing about it.

What is carbon black and why should it be eliminated?

  Carbon black is a pigment widely used in
  many materials to achieve dark and opaque
  colours. However, it poses a problem in sorting
  centers. Indeed, for packaging to be sorted
  correctly, it must be detected by a sensor
  known as "near-infrared," abbreviated as NIR.
  This sensor detects the type of polymer by
  identifying bright spots on the surface of the
  packaging and identifies the range of light
  reflected from the majority of the polymer.
  However, the presence of carbon black
  prevents the packaging from being detected
  because it absorbs the infrared rays emitted
  by the device. Undetected packaging is
  therefore not sorted and subsequently not
  recycled. It will be rejected and sent for
  incineration or landfill.

  As part of the AGEC (The Anti-Waste Law
  for a Circular Economy) law, voluntary
  commitments have been made by various
  stakeholders, including the GUILLIN Group.

  We have developed solutions for PP and PET
  with detectable packaging without carbon
  black. This solution involves eliminating black
  dyes in favour of dark dyes validated by
  COTREP (Center of Resources and Expertise
  on Household Plastic Packaging Recyclability
  in France). With this material, our packaging
  is detectable by optical sorting and can
  therefore be recycled. Some of our ranges are
  also available in transparent or translucent
  versions, giving you additional options.

I've an arm cuff monitor but recently bought a wrist one, both Omron, because my wife didn't like the arm cuff.

What I found was the wrist cuff was incredibly sensitive to both positioning and to any movement, it was harder to get a consistent reading.

I've a FitBit Sense 2 and as I understand it that measures variations in SpO2. I'm not convinced how accurate nor how quickly it responds, it derives an estimate rather than directly measuring. I think it's also sensitive to any movements of the watch on your wrist.

I also have had a finger pulse oximeter which logs and exports to an app via USB. If I sleep with that on it seems to be very reliable at recording the levels, the data certainly looks good and feels much more reliable than the Sense.

The National Memorial Arboretum in the UK has a memorial dedicated to the Merchant Navy. When visiting the scale of it is thought provoking, each tree represents a lost UK ship.

https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/13633

A wood of oak trees representing the 'convoy' of merchant and fishing vessels lost in conflicts of the 20th Century, resulting in the deaths of 46,000 crew. The 2,535 trees each represent a ship lost during WW2.

There is also a memorial at Tower Hill to those with no known grave.

https://www.cwgc.org/visit-us/find-cemeteries-memorials/ceme...

That looks exactly like what's happening, even down to "In fact, with both eyes open, they may not be able to tell which eye is set for distance and which is set for near."

Quick edit to add I didn't expect that to happen as was pleasantly surprised when I noticed it. For me it happens immediately and automatically, it just works.

A friend and I wrote to him with a question when we were about 10 and got a lovely personal letter back explaining why stars flicker & pulse.

Lovely man.

I started wearing a monocle about 5 years ago and it's and absolutely fantastic addition to my glasses.

For about 20 years I've needed glasses for reading and close work, anything more that about five ft. away is clear and in focus.

At my desk or reading I've no problems with glasses, but when I go out to museums or restaurants for example I like to travel light and glasses are a faff having to carry them and continually taking them on and off. I've tried bifocals and didn't like them.

I now take my prescription monocle with me every time I go out. It's so easy, pop it in, read the menu, drop it out.

What I hadn't appreciated was how clever the brain was at processing the images. With it in place my left eye sees distance clearly and my right eye can read close up, my brain merges the two images so I still get depth but also everything is in focus. It's strange, but works.

I've had a few comments about it, generally surprised to see one in use or curiosity, and they have always been positive.

I got mine from https://www.monoclemadness.co.uk/ where they start from £35. If they'd work for you I really suggest giving it a go.