Early Risers.

[polybear]

Oops:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-56743556

$300M for "loss of reputation", amongst other things.  Talk about takin' the p***.  Drive it thru', get it to the worst place possible, swing it 90 degrees then scuttle it.  Watch 'em winge then

 

And what about the two Egyptian Pilots reportedly on board at the time?

Edited April 14, 2021 by polybear

[The Lurker]

Greetings all from a Sidcup which is chilly but still sunny. Sorry to read of Dave’s Dads woes but I hope he gets some relief soon and also that Gordon S continues his recovery. Last day of a week off in which I have achieved little but watch the work emails pile up. We have also managed hair cuts which takes away one reason for Mrs Lurker to have a go!! I went for a walk through Foots Cray Meadows now that the ground is a lot drier so that made a nice change.

 

work tomorrow but before then I shall volunteer to ensure the viakal is suitably deployed!!

 

have a good day all 

[Tony_S]

1 hour ago, PupCam said:

1 hour ago, polybear said:

 

Ah a positive benefit I would have thought!   (I hate auto stop/start, thank heavens I no longer have to drive hire cars OCS!)

My battery isn’t in the tip top charge condition to allow stop start to function but it can be deselected if you don’t like it. When I bought the car it was recommended that I didn’t use it for my first few drives in the car if I wasn’t familiar with such a feature. I had experienced it before in a Skoda hire car and it was quite obvious the engine had stopped but my Evoque is so quiet at tickover and the stop start is very smooth anyway. 

[pH]

1 hour ago, PupCam said:

Ah a positive benefit I would have thought!   (I hate auto stop/start, thank heavens I no longer have to drive hire cars OCS!)

Agreed! I hated that on UK rented cars. I would immediately find out how to turn it off. I’ve never had the ‘feature’ on any car I’ve rented in North America - in fact, I don’t know if it’s even available here.

[iL Dottore]

5 hours ago, polybear said:

...iD and Bear concur; the company daily rate went out of date about twenty years ago now (if it has risen then it'll only be by a tenner or so - the days of twenty quid-ish a night B&B's are long gone, sadly.  Bear has been lucky enough to fly long-haul business on numerous occasions in recent years (does wonders for the air miles account) - though I'd never pay my own hard-earned for such privileges (the cost difference being obscene)...

Well, it can be - if you don’t shop around (see my comment about going via a third country. Airlines make money on long haul flights, so love to get you on them, no matter the starting destination. (I once bought a business class ticket on Air France, LHR-CDG-IAD, which was half the price of BA business class LHR-IAD).

 

But given the huge amount of work related travel that both Mrs iD and I did, we really racked up the air miles and, as we holidayed off-season, we could use them to get Business Class tickets to our holiday destination (which is how we flew Singapore Airlines Business Class in an A380 to Melbourne). One other thing we did was, given that we both frequently flew to the Far East (Mrs iD) or the US (me) for work was we’d tack a holiday onto a business trip - so only one fare needed to be paid by us.

I’m more than happy to pay for Business Class (but see above), but I won’t pay for First Class. I’ve been upgraded more than a few times to First, but apart from better champagne, food and amenity bags, the difference (now that most good Business Classes have lie-flat seats) I find is otherwise minimal and not really worth paying for. Having said that, BA did serve really good British food in First (which was usually what they ran out of first), whilst Business, Premium Economy (a nice budget compromise for the shorter “long haul”, e.g. LHR-JFK) and Economy got rather uninteresting “Euro-Food” It’s almost as though BA catering was ashamed of British food (or didn’t want to offend sensibilities by serving robust British dishes). I’m sure passengers (not “customers”) would have appreciated a nice pasty or sausage roll rather than a “mystery meat Euro platter”. You don’t see that with other national airlines: Air France’s menu was as Gallic as you can get, Air Egypt did a wicked Om Ali and Singapore Airlines’ Singapore Sling and Hokkien mee were incredibly more-ish 

Of course the ultimate in travel (business and private) is not commercial but private (and I’ve done that once or twice). Maybe if I ever get lucky and scoop a huge Euromillions jackpot, I’ll buy me an aircraft (perhaps a BAe 146 Statesman converted for long-haul)

 

Enjoy humpday

 

iD

Edited April 14, 2021 by iL Dottore
typo

[polybear]

7 minutes ago, pH said:

Agreed! I hated that on UK rented cars. I would immediately find out how to turn it off. I’ve never had the ‘feature’ on any car I’ve rented in North America - in fact, I don’t know if it’s even available here.

 

Bear normally deselects S/S too, especially with the low mileage I'm doing now.  Whilst I quite like it I'm of the view that the wear and tear on the starter etc. must be infinitely higher when it's enabled.

[tetsudofan]

5 hours ago, polybear said:

 

 

https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/south-korea/grand-hyatt-seoul/selrs?src=corp_lclb_gmb_seo_selrs

 

 

Many moons ago I lived in Seoul for three years and was a regular lunchtime visitor to the Seoul Hyatt.

 

A couple of years after I left Seoul went back there for a couple of days and was taken to lunch by one of my Korean ex-colleagues (my ex-deputy as it happens - best guy I ever hired). We started lunch with a salad and I happened to mention that there was a green shrimp amongst many pink shrimps in the salad. 

 

Mr. Shin suddenly shouted  STOP, DON'T TOUCH IT and called one of the waiters. He went to town with the guy and subsequent layers of hotel management which resulted in my plate being quickly removed and I never saw the salad again.

 

Other than that episode, it was a good place to visit!

 

Keith

[Tony_S]

The reason for stop start is the same one as not putting a real spare wheel in. Manufacturers need to keep the fuel consumption down across their range of vehicles for some legislative reason. 

[PupCam]

1 hour ago, iL Dottore said:

perhaps a BAe 146 Statesman converted for long-haul

Oh if you could please!

 

Then, if I ask ever so nicely, could I have a go in it please?    I worked on the fatigue test of the nose and "full aircraft" specimens back in the 80's just before and after the prototype's maiden flight and I'd love to have a go in one but sadly it's never happened.      As both specimens were pressurised during testing they were conducted in big tanks of water.   A legacy of the unfortunate accidents that befell the early DH Comets.

 

FYI - Puppers is not present in this photograph

[Sidecar Racer]

4 hours ago, BSW01 said:

. I’ve had operations on both of my shoulders and each time I was given exercises to do, which I did and the end result was I had more and better movement than the surgeon got whilst carrying out the operations!

 

 

 Can you do this though . 

 

 

[TheQ]

25 minutes ago, Sidecar Racer said:

 

 Can you do this though . 

 

 

There isn't a emoji  for that..

[chrisf]

1 hour ago, iL Dottore said:

Well, it ca

1 hour ago, iL Dottore said:

Well, it can be - if you don’t shop around (see my comment about going via a third country. Airlines make money on long haul flights, so love to get you on them, no matter the starting destination. (I once bought a business class ticket on Air France, LHR-CDG-IAD, which was half the price of BA business class LHR-IAD).

 

 

iD

 

Forgive my lamentable ignorance, but where is IAD?

 

Chris

[polybear]

1 hour ago, Tony_S said:

The reason for stop start is the same one as not putting a real spare wheel in. Manufacturers need to keep the fuel consumption down across their range of vehicles for some legislative reason. 

 

Fortunately the designers of the car Bear has (chinese MG) had the sense to put in a full-size spare wheel well

 

 

28 minutes ago, PupCam said:

.........and I'd love to have a go in one but sadly it's never happened.     

 

Bear has   What's even better, the Great Empire paid for it - several times

(Air Yuk, sorry Air UK had eleven of them at one point)

[polybear]

2 minutes ago, chrisf said:

 

Forgive my lamentable ignorance, but where is IAD?

 

Chris

 

Dulles International Airport, Washington DC.

[Tony_S]

13 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

Fortunately the designers of the car Bear has (chinese MG) had the sense to put in a full-size spare wheel well

 

 

 

Bear has   What's even better, the Great Empire paid for it - several times

(Air Yuk, sorry Air UK had eleven of them at one point)

I did wonder when we flew from London City to Zurich if we would be on a BAe 146 but it was an Embraer. One of those trips where you thought it was Swissair according to the booking but was “this flight is operated by...” . There was some problem with the plane which meant we got put on the next flight at midday instead of dawn. Otherwise no problem on the way out. On the way back everything was ok but security and the gate control at Zurich  was the most obnoxious I have seen anywhere.  The gate custodian was marching up and down the waiting passengers and clearly picking on young women with handbags to see if they exceeded the tiny size on that airlines carriage conditions, while men with laptops were not hauled off to pay extra. Aditi was told off for not putting her asthma puffers in a plastic bag. Aditi said they are not liquids or gels, they were powder. This annoyed the woman and she said she was only permitted one. Aditi said they were different medications. The flight crew however were very nice. I got extra chocolates, probably for paying attention during the safety briefing. 

[Coombe Barton]

Flying anywhere again, ever, is not on my to do list.

 

Edited April 14, 2021 by Coombe Barton

[Ian Abel]

HUMP day.

 

Too quiet here yesterday, almost fell asleep at the PC

Managed to taxi the Mrs though as I was charged with obtaining the comestibles for dinner, a rather nice shrimp/scallop and snow peas stir-fry concoction

 

'Nowt else going on!

 

-1 first thing and an overnight coating of snow that was going within an hour of the sun coming up.  8 the expected high and overcast all day.

 

Enjoy the day.

[Mike Bellamy]

7 hours ago, polybear said:

https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/malaysia/grand-hyatt-kuala-lumpur/kuagh

There's been a fair few dives over the years too....

 

 

My two work visits to KL were to the Intercontinental and Shangri-La . . . . . 

 

https://www.ihg.com/intercontinental/hotels/gb/en/kuala-lumpur/kulha/hoteldetail

 

https://www.shangri-la.com/en/kualalumpur/shangrila/

 

Worst hotel that work booked was in Tel Aviv - I think it was a Mercure built over a main road but you couldn't have any windows open due to traffic fumes and noise all night. We refused to go back and went to the Dan Hotel, an 'old fashioned' hotel built in the 1950s in a prominent position on the beach - seven visits in six years.

 

https://www.danhotels.com/TelAvivHotels/DanTelAvivHotel

[Pacific231G]

4 hours ago, PupCam said:

Ah!  The traffic becomes a source of targets!  

 

Double Whammy  benefits then! 

      Free targets for our friends in the Army

     An overall reduction in traffic volume (once the smouldering wrecks have been removed)

Nah, after the latest "cyberwar" defence review they'll probably be limited to hacking the cars' computers and getting the GPS to navigate them into the nearest river! I can't see that working against Russian tanks. 

 

On Stonehenge,  I sometimes wonder what archaeologists in a few thousand years will make of enormous concrete sarcophagi, the only remains of a long lost civilisation  (digital media means we'll leave no written records) covered with strange symbols like these. 

 

 

After yesterday's aviating excitement, today has so far  been much more placid. I had my weekly game of Covid roulette in Tesco this morning (remember when private flying was dangerous and shopping was safe?) Then had a long chat on the phone this morning with a friend who's been having a bit of a rough time but seems to be coming out of it.

Then my daily 4K + constitutional (aka walkies). I can't understand why the GPS based stepometer app. on my phone seems to come up with such wildly different distances for the same walks. On Monday it was 1.8km going out and about 2.2 km coming back on exactly the same route. I suspect the GPS loses signal and just gives a straight line distance between identified points either side of the dark zone.

Edited April 14, 2021 by Pacific231G

[Barry O]

I watched thevopening of the Petronus Towers from the outdoor poolat the in KL (the Shangi La was always called the by Vicers people..)

It was also the place I had the most expensive meal ever.. £400 for 3 people at the Japanese restaurant in the hotel...HOW MUCH!!

 

The couple who lived downstairs from us in Bragbury End worked at Hatfield..he was the manager in charge of machining the 146 wing centre section from a single alumum bilet.

 

We did visit an open day at Hatfield once.. an American B2 bomber flew down the centre line of the runway ar not a great height..then an airbus did similar..the same one crashed at another display shortly afterwards.

 

I found Dulles Airport ..dull.. leaking roof, poor transportation and sharks fins on the roof of the transit buses.. these were the jacks used to lift the bus body to be level with the planes doors for taking passenfers to and from the flight....never traveled that way again..

 

Her indoors has decreed that if we want to anywhere long haul we will fly Business Class. I must say Singapore Airlines did us proud last time we flew to and from Australia... better save my coins of the realm...

 

Baz

[New Haven Neil]

Manx Flappyways had some 146's, they were very popular with the crews. Got taken over by someone, ended up as Flymaybe with crummy Q400's on which you couldn't all sit together as they couldn't trim them, now...bust.

[The Stationmaster]

Afternoon all,

 

The day started, and continued for some time, with a trip to Marlow in order that Mrs Stationmaster could visit her dresser  of hair.  fortunately (or not) the local authoprity appears to be looking to encourage 'shoppers' so the car parking there is currently free so that saved a few bob.  pleasant tow to walk around although plenty of covidiots to whom 2 metres apparently translates as 2 inches notwithstanding generally wide pavements - soIi wore a mask as were some other folk.   I found a nice little eatery serving via their front door so left their frontage with a bacon and black pudding sarnie in sourdough bread - the latter coming in slices nearly half an inch thick; should anyone visit Marlow look out for 'Strawbery Grove' down towards the church.  Decent trip there and back apart from one brain dead cockwomble who pulled out right in front of me on the 60mph stretch of road at Danesfield - If I'd be doing 60, or more, instead of a bit under 50 I think his offside door, and him, would have had 1.5 tonnes of Peugeot shoving them out through his nearside door.  we then returned home via Tesco - end of the day's excitement (probably).

 

Crummiest hotel I've ever stayed in?  Paris - near the Gare du Nord on a try out to see if it was suitable for company use for traincrew - they'd have gone on strike if they'd been subjected to it.  Mind you one i tried imn Manchester on a similar mission wasn't much better so i don't blame the French.  And i stayed ina superb place on the Left Bank in Paris back in the 1970s - top floor, no hot water on tap but delivered every morning along with a plate of piping hot croissants etc by madame who'd struggled up the stairs to the 4th floor and the straw filled mattress (honest) was given a good shake up daily when she made the bed.  Equal to about 15 bob (75p) a night and nice and comfy despite the climb up the stairs - booked through. the tourist bureau which was at PNO (Paris Nord) back in those days.  But always good for hotels were those arranged by the secretariat of Forum Train Europe, the European timetable conference - seems the Swiss were well versed at picking hotels.

 

Enjoy the rest of your day and i hope something can be done to cheer up Dave's da.  no doubt the problem is that having been heartily blamed for sporeading covid to patients the NHS/various hospitals have now gone the otehr way and are doing their level best to prevent spread - looks like they can't will whichever they do but patient well being, including mental well being, really needs careful thought.  thoughts too for Gordon.

[New Haven Neil]

Down to 14 live covid cases, we have it licked.  Just as well, as the announcement of lifting of lockdown on Monday coming has been taken to mean today....if what I saw on my walk in the bright lights of Royal Ramsey this afternoon is the same island-wide.  10% mask wearing in the presence of others, groups of feral kids....and adults....so on and so forth.  The pharmacy was still doing only 2 in the shop and masks must be worn, I didn't venture elsewhere.

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. A package arrived this morning with something for a model railway project I'm working on. A few details to work out first including where did I put that resin body?

4 hours ago, TheQ said:

Where would the traffic go?  Through Larkhyill and past them thar tanks to  the north, or south down the A338 past old Sarum to Salisbury. Salisbury has been in dire need on a bypass for years, but has no chance because either it's a "Site of Special scientific Interest" of there's historic monuments in the way..

 

PS going via Larkhill and dropping down to the 303 before Sherwton is a good way of bypassing the Stonehenge  problems.. (or used to be some time ago I ain't tried it lately.)

The suggestion that the road be closed came from the anti-car lobby so can easily be ignored.

4 hours ago, PupCam said:

Ah!  The traffic becomes a source of targets!  

 

Double Whammy  benefits then! 

      Free targets for our friends in the Army

     An overall reduction in traffic volume (once the smouldering wrecks have been removed)

Not quite, see the above, they won't be in any cars but brightly coloured Lycra should be an easy target.

[PupCam]

16 minutes ago, Pacific231G said:

I can't understand why the GPS based stepometer app.

GPS distance should be pretty good unless you happen to be walking around in a tunnel, particularly mountainous areas with limited satellite visibility or one of these areas ....

 

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/spectrum/information/gps-jamming-exercises

 

Are you sure it's using GPS and not actually just inaccurately measuring steps (clues's in the name) with the phone's IMU?    GPS based mapping apps on phones generally make a pretty good job of determining path and track lengths (as will an Arduino Nano and a little GPS Module).

 

Of course a really intelligent app would fuse data from all of the available sensors to get the most accurate/appropriate result. 

 

Alan