http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/This blog has no particular theme. It is just a "catch all" for the odd observations and comments that do not fit the other main blogs. More common topics include comments on current affairs and travel.en-EUhttp://backend.userland.com/rss092http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/http://data5.blog.de/design/preview/bc/ba53108900a168f2f8c4971f47612b_160x200.jpg <p>When doing business travel, it is often important to get online to avoid getting behind with urgent e-mails, etc. In my old job we were issued with Blackberries which I did not particularly like. I think they were issued by my American employer as an attempt to get us to work in our private time. Also for many things - like checking spreadsheets and presentations the screen format was too small to be useful. They were good though for answering simple questions or doing e-mail approvals. If I had time at an airport I preferred to open my laptop and pay for local wifi access by credit card.</p> <p>In my old job we were expected to work when flying despite the fact that I could only open my laptop properly in economy class if the seat next to me was emplty and I could sit obliquely. When I started doing market research for being self-employed, I purchased a Samsung NC10 netbook which seemed to combine good battery life, a reasonable keyboard and a very small size which is an advantage travelling. It is small enough to be unfolded on a plane or train. I was pleasantly surprised back in February to find that on the train from Inverness to Kings Cross there was a wifi service which while slow was very useful.</p> <p>I am now using the same netbook on the Pendelino from Glasgow to London and thought I should compare internet access this year during train travel.</p> <p><em>National Express Inter City 125<br></em></p> <p>I used this again going from London to Pitlochry on the ECML in May. The service is free of charge even in standard class but you are asked to be considerate to other users and avoid large downloads. It was not particularly fast but certainly quite usable for e-mail or basic web browsing. Very occasionally, I got disconnected and had to reconnect but the journey was fairly long.</p> <p><em>Virgin Pendelino<br></em></p> <p>A few days later I took the WCML with a Virgin Pendelino from Lancaster to Birmingham. This time I found out that the wifi was a commercial service supplied by T-Mobile. I ended up paying £4.90 for 1 hour (24 h would have been £9.79). The service seemed reliable - though I was only connected for the hour - and seemed to be a similar speed to that from National Express. However in both cases the number of people online would have been a major factor with speed.</p> <p><em>Vodafone 3G/GPRS Dongle</em></p> <p>A month ago I decided that I wanted to avoid wifi charges (in airports, hotels and trains) and took the plunge with a Vodafone dongle. More rural areas are not covered by 3G, but it reverts to GPRS (2.5G) if necessary. I am using this service today as I write. Compared with the wifi on the train the speed is comparable but varies with location. The disadvantage is that you get occasionally cut off and have to reconnect (usually fairly quick). While this has not hindered me greatly it is more frequent than with wifi. Worst areas were just north of London, near the Lake District and just north of Carlisle.</p> <p>For me as an infrequent train traveller I think using Vodafone has been the best choice. I suppose a regular traveller with Virgin inter city services would find the T-Mobile monthly pricing a possible alternative (though more than I pay for Vodafone). Happiest of all would be a regular traveller with National Express.</p> <p> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2009/08/28/internet-access-during-rail-travel-6839302/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2009/08/28/internet-access-during-rail-travel-6839302/Fri, 28 Aug 2009 09:11:51 +0200 <p>Mrs O and I have often travelled down to Cornwall rushing through Devon either on the A30, the A38 or by train. This year we decided that we should stop this and see a bit of Dartmoor. Strangely heading west from Exeter to Launceston you see very little of Dartmoor from the A30 as the views are obscured by nearby small hills and hedges. We decided to stay a few nights at <a href="http://www.woodlandsprings.co.uk">Woodland Springs</a> that is <a href="http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=269386&y=91130&z=0&sv=EX6+6PG&st=2&pc=EX6+6PG&mapp=map.srf&searchp=ids.srf">located</a> a short distance from the A30, East of Okehampton.</p> <p><a title="Woodland Springs" href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/woodland_springs/3742723"> <img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/723/3742723_e537f54e2e_m.jpeg" alt="Woodland Springs"></a></p> <p>The following is our quick review:</p> <p><em>Situation and Layout</em></p> <p>The campsite is about 100 metres from the A382 in the tiny hamlet of Venton. As such it is easily accessible from the A30, you are aware of some traffic noise but nothing disturbing. There are about 60 pitches laid out around 3 roadways generally separated by trees or hedges.</p> <p>The site is well located for getting onto the moor and for walks in the Okehampton and Chagford areas.</p> <p><em>Facilities</em></p> <p>There is a reception/shop which sells basics and some local produce. There is a centrally located toilet/washing block that was build in November 2008 and is immaculately clean. Showers have a good pressure but work off push buttons about 10 s at a time. The campsite is obviously trying to mimimise its envirnonmental impact by having no night lighting and by clear separation of recyclable rubbish from the rest.</p> <p>There were plenty of taps around the site.</p> <p>There was a wireless internet service that cost about £8 for two days. The signal was very good indeed and much appreciated when there was limited mobile phone coverage; O2 worked well, but neither Orange nor 3 had a signal.</p> <p><em>Pitches</em></p> <p>There are a variety of pitches with grass only, half grass and gravel. We had a tent and used a grass pitch which was fairly waterlogged. In fairness July 2009 has had torrential rain and other people have said this is typical for Dartmoor. There was no evidence of waterlogging with the pitches for caravans with gravel.</p> <p><em>Tarifs</em></p> <p>Full informaiton is given <a href="http://www.woodlandsprings.co.uk/tariffs.htm">here.</a></p> <p>We paid £19/night for a "standard pitch" with electricity and found this OK.</p> <p><em>Overall</em></p> <p>We were happy with our visity despite the wet ground underfoot. It is a good location for doing Dartmoor walks. An environmentally friendly place.</p> <p>One point I have not mentioned is that it is "adults only". With our first holiday without kids this was not an issue. However many visitors had 2-4 dogs! You miss the sound of kids playing but must be prepared for barking dogs. However overall it was a quiet site apart from the "dog moments".</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2009/08/01/campsite-review-woodland-springs-dartmoor-6631606/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2009/08/01/campsite-review-woodland-springs-dartmoor-6631606/Sat, 01 Aug 2009 18:02:58 +0200 <p>Just before the New Year my brother-in-law took us for a trip on one of the water bus routes in the Rotterdam area. These are fast travelling catamarans that complement other modes of public transport - the closest analogy in the UK would be the Thames Clipper.</p> <p><a title="Water bus" href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/water_bus/3151447"> <img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/447/3151447_2333d3100a_m.jpeg" alt="Water bus" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a></p> <p>We boarded the waterbus near Krimpen aan den Ijssel although the river here is the Lek rather than the Ijssel. In the background the large Brienenoordbrug can be seen which links Rotterdam with motorways leading south and east. Close to the waterbusstop there was a shipbuilding yard with a large ocean-going tug under construction.</p> <p>The waterbus route went to Dordrecht which is the oldest city in the Netherlands. After a few minutes travelling upstream the waterbus took the Noord rather than the Lek then stopped at Ridderkerk.</p> <p><a title="Shipyard" href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/shipyard/3151446"> <img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/446/3151446_ea94bb48d3_m.jpeg" alt="Shipyard" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a></p> <p>Again there was another shipbuilder across the Noord on the East bank. As is usually the case on the big rivers there was plenty of barge traffic.</p> <p><a title="barge on Noord" href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/barge_on_noord/3152101"> <img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/101/3152101_0cf8267b94_m.jpeg" alt="barge on Noord" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a></p> <p>Most barges were quite substantial such as the one above on the right carrying containers.</p> <p> <p><a title="six barges" href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/six_barges/3152102"> <img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/102/3152102_1a0d55f35c_m.jpeg" alt="six barges" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a></p> <p>However, there is a "pusher" boat pushing no less than six barges here; it is being overtaken by the container barge.</p> <p>At the end of the Noord there is the point where the Merwede river splits into the Oude Maas and Noord. <a href="http://www.multimap.com/maps/?qs=dordrecht&countryCode=NL#map=51.81123,4.66814|14|4&bd=useful_information&loc=NL:51.81122:4.6681:14|dordrecht|3311%20Dordrecht,%20Zuid-Holland">Dordrecht</a> is on the south bank. Papendrecht is on the north side and Zwijndrecht on the west side.</p> <p>We took Voorstraat (means 'Forestreet') towards the city centre. Many of the buildings looked quite old.</p> <p><a title="Dort gable" href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/dort_gable/3151441"> <img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/441/3151441_73164d67d0_m.jpeg" alt="Dort gable" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a></p> <p>Many gables were stepped such as the one above. However, what was very obvious was that older buildings suffered subsidence and as a result had walls at an angle.</p> <p><a title="kissing walls" href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/kissing_walls/3151442"> <img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/442/3151442_c7bef88d93_m.jpeg" alt="kissing walls" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a></p> <p>The walls bordering this alley off Voorstraat look like they want to kiss each other! After taking a look around the centre, we did a loop walking around some of the old harbours. Some fronts had an <em>art deco </em>look to them.</p> <p><a title="art deco front" href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/art_deco_front/3151440"> <img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/440/3151440_9659c0019a_m.jpeg" alt="art deco front" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a></p> <p>One harbour was bounded by historic buildings. I do not know the name of this harbour however the street on the east side was called <em>Kuipershaven</em> (literally "Cooper's haven").</p> <p><a title="kuipershaven" href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/kuipershaven/3151443"> <img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/443/3151443_3d78a8c889_m.jpeg" alt="kuipershaven" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a></p> <p>This is shown in the photo above.</p> <p><a title="wolwervershaven" href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/wolwervershaven/3151448"> <img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/448/3151448_83b22a8c2b_m.jpeg" alt="wolwervershaven" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a></p> <p>The west side was called <em>Wolwevershaven </em>(literally "wool weaver's haven"). Many historic barges were moored on this side of the harbour.</p> <p>We then went to the <em>Grote Kerk </em>(Great Kirk) which was shut. A sign outside said that it leaned 2.5 metres out of true at the top which was comparable to the leaning tower of Pisa! By this time we were freezing so we went into a cafe for a toastie and coffee.</p> <p><a title="noordendijk" href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/noordendijk/3151444"> <img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/444/3151444_133865c9e8_m.jpeg" alt="noordendijk" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a></p> <p>We returned to the waterbus stop on the east side of the old town. This view in Noordendijk shows how many buildings lean out of true.</p> <p><a title="bikes on waterbus" href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/bikes_on_waterbus/3152168"> <img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/168/3152168_02bc429ec0_m.jpeg" alt="bikes on waterbus" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a></p> <p>On the return journey I was impressed by the number of bikes being taken on the waterbus. In fact behind the photographer's position there was a large bike rack in the stern of the boat.</p> <p>When we took the waterbus back towards Krimpen the light was fading completely. We decided to take the waterbus all the way to Rotterdam to see the skyline by night. It was quite spectacular but none of my photos are any good due to the motion of the waterbus and the slowish exposures.</p> <p><a title="rotterdam" href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/rotterdam/3151445"> <img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/445/3151445_992d7ea7d3_m.jpeg" alt="rotterdam" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a></p> <p>The waterbus station sign for Rotterdam is the only evidence I can show that we got that far!</p> <p>In conclusion, I can recommend the waterbus as a means of transport for any visitor. It is fast and offers great views by night and day. Also Dordrecht is probably not the most famous town to visit in the Netherlands but is well worth a visit.</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2009/01/17/on-the-waterbus-to-dordrecht-5396098/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2009/01/17/on-the-waterbus-to-dordrecht-5396098/Sat, 17 Jan 2009 22:10:30 +0100 <p>A few weeks ago I reported that I have an occasional job as a fish & game van driver. After a few deliveries with a white van I am now allowed to drive with a properly marked van.</p> <p><a title="angler fish" href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/angler_fish/3075306"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/306/3075306_951990e2e1_m.jpeg" alt="angler fish" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a></p> <p>This is part of the design on the side of the van. It is of course an angler fish, which is better known as <em>monkfish </em>on the fish counter.</p> <p>I have also had much better success in programming the satnav. Found I liked km/m more than miles/yards and have finally got the thing to stick to the windscreen. Visiting customers for the second and third time also means that I am knowing the route rather than blindly following the satnav.</p> <p>This will almost certainly be my last post this year as I will be offline in the Netherlands for the coming week.</p> <p>Happy New Year to all!</p> <p> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/12/27/beyond-the-white-van-5284090/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/12/27/beyond-the-white-van-5284090/Sat, 27 Dec 2008 12:23:03 +0100 <p>After a month without work I got a job as a relief driver last week delivering fish for a local wholesaler. I spent a day delivering fish to restaurants, pubs and hotels in Winchester and Portsmouth.</p> <p>I turned up at the warehouse at 07:30 and was duly assigned a white Mercedes Vito. I have never driven one before but have always been impressed by Mercedes vehicles. When I asked about how I was to find my way to the different customers I was given a Tom Tom satnav device, but the boss couldn't tell me how to use it.</p> <p>The first two hours were a bit of a nightmare. Firstly I could not get it to stick to the dashboard so ended up putting it on a flat surface in the middle of the car above the dashboard. I managed to work out how to program the device for the first customer using the postcode and set off. Unfortunately the Tom Tom slid around the flat area and it was not possible to read the display. Worse still when I grabbed the device the touch screen was triggered and it went into a menu mode! Also I found it very hard to get use to a display showing tenths of a mile then yards; I simply do not think in multiples of 176 yards - what is 0.4 miles in yards? I actually really missed the simplicity of driving with kilometres that I had in my decade in Germany - you know without thinking that 0.4 km is 400 metres.</p> <p>I made the first delivery to a village pub. I had taken quite a roundabout route to get to the village which I had never previously visited. Later in the day I realise that the village was off a B road that I know well and I could have taken a much shorter route. The third drop was to a hotel in a former stately home. I was suspicious when the satnav device indicated that I should drive past the main entrance; but I assumed that the tradesman's entrance had a separate driveway. It then showed that I should turn right into a single track lane, which after 500 metres was completely flooded with a 20 metre long puddle. Finally it took me almost back to the main road I had started on and suggested that I turn through 315 degrees right. This was a tree-lined avenue leading to the house - perhaps formerly the main entrance - but now a muddy bridle path.</p> <p>Although I have occasionally done sightseeing in Winchester I know none of the hotel and restaurant locations. I duly managed to go round the circulatory system about 4-5 times trying to find customers. In two cases I drove right past them before realising I had to turn off the road.</p> <p>All this time I had not got the Tom Tom to speak to me. I duly checked the preferences and ensured that the sound was on maximum volume but it still refused to speak to me.</p> <p>So off to Portsmouth...at least I could find my way there on the M3 and M27 without satnav. It was a clear day with great views so an enjoyable drive. Two customers were in Old Portsmouth on the harbourside or near the old defences. It is a quiet and attractive area that I have not visited for 3 decades. Then for the last deliveries I was again at the mercy of satnav - I totally lost my sense of direction in Southsea. The problem with these devices is that they do not help you to learn to drive round the town you are visiting. It is like having tunnel vision! The last two restaurants both complained - one that I had not found the tradesman's entrance and had delivered fish via the restaurant and the other that I had found the tradesman's entrance when I should have come through the restaurant. Ho humm!</p> <p>Then back to base...this time thankfully navigating with my brain rather than a GPS device. Technology seems to take us two steps forward and simultaneously one backward! At least the return journey had great views and no snarlups.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/12/08/white-van-driver-5180237/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/12/08/white-van-driver-5180237/Mon, 08 Dec 2008 10:18:39 +0100 <p>Recent behaviour of our banks has reminded me a lot of the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant in Matthew 18:23-30. I planned to write this a few weeks ago but did not get round to it.</p> <blockquote><p>Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accunts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and all that he had should be sold to repay the debt. The servant fell on his knees before him, 'Be patient with me', he begged, 'and I will pay back everything'. The servant's master took pity on him, cancelled the debt and let him go.</p> <p>But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow-servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!'. He demanded. His fellow-servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back'.</p> <p>But he refused. Instead he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.</p> </blockquote> <p>The excesses of the banking industry have made joyless reading. However, isn't it galling to see the behaviour of some of the newly-nationalised banks? A year or so ago they were offering mortgages (e.g. 125% or 6x salary) that were quite irresponsible as a small setback (e.g. uptick in interest rates) would make the mortgage payments unaffordable. Northern Rock was one of the leaders of this with them raising money on wholesale markets. Then banks hit trouble and the state has to bail them out. With us entering a recession you would think that they would show some flexibility towards their debtors; yet Northern Rock has been reported as being one of the most <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7676671.stm">aggressive reposessors</a>! Indeed responsible for <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/nov/18/northernrock-bradfordbingley">10% of repossessions</a>.</p> <p>Of course, banks need to recapitalise and really bad debts need to be dealt with. However, I suspect that many of these reposessions are either a result of people being encouraged to over-borrow or due to short-term payment difficulties. It behoves the banks who invested so much in persuading the public to get into debt to invest time in helping customers replan their finances to remain solvent.</p> <p>I was encouraged to see yesterday that the Royal Bank of Scotland is <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7757840.stm">postponing the process of reposession</a> to 6 months in arrears. Let's hope that this is not simply a marketing gimmick and that banks proactively engage with their customers to help them replan their finances.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/12/02/the-parable-and-the-unforgiving-mortgage-lender-5149901/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/12/02/the-parable-and-the-unforgiving-mortgage-lender-5149901/Tue, 02 Dec 2008 10:30:34 +0100 <p>There is something wrong with the UK's approach to transport infrastructure. We cut too much of the railway network under Dr Beeching, have failed to electrify it, then have dithered for decades over really important projects like London's CrossRail. I always find it refreshing to see a more strategic approach in Germany or France.</p> <p>Munich started its U-Bahn around the time of the 1972 Olympics and has invested steadily in expanding the network since then. Unlike London's deeper underground lines which seem to be designed for dwarves, the U-Bahn trains are wide (probably slightly wider than those on the Circle, District and Metropolitan lines) with plenty of headroom for tall people.</p> <p>On my trip this week I was impressed at the design of some stations. On the U-Bahn map two lines are showing as crossing over but in the intersection station the lines come into the station in parallel. Such stations like Innsbrucker Ring have 4 platforms in parallel.</p> <p>I noticed that in the rushhour, the trains were synchronised to allow passengers to change line. The way it worked is shown in the following photos:</p> <p> <a title="ubahn 1" href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/ubahn_1/2987532"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/532/2987532_e2619d1065_m.jpg" alt="ubahn 1" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a></p> <p>In this example the eastbound U5 train arrives in the station.</p> <p> <a title="ubahn 2" href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/ubahn_2/2987533"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/533/2987533_8d4583d041_m.jpg" alt="ubahn 2" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a></p> <p>Before the U5 train has stopped completely, the U2 eastbound train arrives in the station.</p> <p> <a title="ubahn 3" href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/ubahn_3/2987534"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/534/2987534_244090f547_m.jpg" alt="ubahn 3" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a></p> <p>A fair number of passengers change trains. The trains leave with a separation of about 30 seconds. In rush hour both lines operated one train every 3-4 minutes.</p> <p>The pictures above show the older style of train with distict coaches - up to 6 per train.</p> <p> <a title="ubahn 4" href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/ubahn_4/2987535"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/535/2987535_a3fa795903_m.jpg" alt="ubahn 4" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a></p> <p>However the more modern trains have a concertina between each coach meaning that the six coach train appears as one continuous space as shown above.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/11/14/efficient-munich-u-bahn-5037142/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/11/14/efficient-munich-u-bahn-5037142/Fri, 14 Nov 2008 21:27:23 +0100 <p>This week I visited the Electronica trade show in Munich; Europe's largest in this industry branch. The trade fair centre - <a href="http://www.messe-muenchen.de/en/Home/cn/Exhibition_centres/New_Munich_Trade_Fair_Centre">Neue Messe Muenchen</a> - was under construction in the late 1990s before I moved back to the UK, however I have never taken a look at it. In my decade in Germany I often represented my company at Electronica. In those days however the trade show as at the old fairground to the west of the Theresienwiese.</p> <p>The <em>Messestadt </em>is well served by public transport with two U-bahn (underground) stations and plenty of bus connections.</p> <p> <a title="munich messestadt1" href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/munich_messestadt1/2986373"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/373/2986373_6676b99eb3_m.jpg" alt="munich messestadt1" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a></p> <p>There is an entrance building at both east and west ends of the centre. The photo above shows the west entrance.</p> <p> <a title="munich messestadt2" href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/munich_messestadt2/2986374"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/374/2986374_172e42bef0_m.jpg" alt="munich messestadt2" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a></p> <p>The exhibition halls are in three rows (A, B & C) with a large green space between each row of halls. On the first day it was pleasant enough to sit outside, but on my second day there was constant rainfall. The photo above looks towards the end of the B row with the A row out of view on the right.</p> <p> <a title="munich messestadt 3" href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/munich_messestadt_3/2986375"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/375/2986375_864acda998_m.jpg" alt="munich messestadt 3" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a></p> <p>Most <a href="http://www.messe-muenchen.de/link/en/16629283">exhibition halls</a> are 161 metres long and 71 metres wide and have extensive spaces in between presumably for vehicles when setting up and tearing down exhibition stands.</p> <p> <a title="electronica hall 1" href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/electronica_hall_1/2986377"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/377/2986377_bebe17cc8c_m.jpg" alt="electronica hall 1" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a></p> <p>Inside the halls have a vast volume.</p> <p>I only stuck to row A at Electronica but that row alone accomodated a huge number of stands.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/11/14/new-munich-trade-fair-centre-5034257/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/11/14/new-munich-trade-fair-centre-5034257/Fri, 14 Nov 2008 11:08:22 +0100 <p>It is decades since I visited South Wales and Mrs O has never been there. This is a shame as it is only 3 hours drive away. We booked a weekend in Monmouth staying at a B & B above the <a title="Bistro Prego" href="http://www.pregomonmouth.co.uk/">Bistro Prego</a>. I had expected tow ork a full Friday but since I am no longer working we were able to get away early.</p> <p>We crossed the older Severn Bridge and then drove up the Wye Valley from Chepstow. This is all new for me and the trees on the east side of the valley were lit by the fading sun. When we got to Tintern, the sun was aready behind the hills to the west.</p> <p> <a title="Tintern Abbey" href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/tintern_abbey/2959608"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/608/2959608_6340d3d9df_m.jpg" alt="Tintern Abbey" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a></p> <p>Nevertheless the abbey rin looked great with the backdrop of sunlit trees in their autumn glory.</p> <p>Monmouth is at the junction of the Wye and the Monnow rivers. We made our way to Prego which is very close to the centre of town.</p> <p> <a title="Monmouth 081101" href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/monmouth_081101/2959609"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/609/2959609_c1414d90b7_m.jpg" alt="Monmouth 081101" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a></p> <p>It is in the narrow street in the photo above which is for pedestrians only. The Prego B & B is small and reasonably priced with about £40 for single occupancy and £60 for double. The room was simple but comfortable. We headed out for a curry, which tasted good but the service was less than friendly. We decided we would try the <a href="http://foodfun.blog.co.uk/2008/11/06/restaurant-review-bistro-prego-monmouth-4992962">Prego restaurant</a> the following evening.</p> <p> <a title="Mennow bridge" href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/mennow_bridge/2959610"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/610/2959610_cc2d2bdebe_m.jpg" alt="Mennow bridge" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a></p> <p>At the foot of the main street there is the bridge over the Monnow. It was built in the 1270s and is the only surviving old bridge with a town gate on it. I have seen many pictures of bridges like this in history books but it was good to see one for real.</p> <p> <a title="Edwards of Monmouth" href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/edwards_of_monmouth/2959611"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/611/2959611_7cf0286243_m.jpg" alt="Edwards of Monmouth" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a></p> <p>On the whole I thought that the town was very pleasant. The shopfront signs on the main street were noticably subdued compared with the typical high street. There were lots of buildings a few hundred years old with lovely high ceilings. A fair number of the older buildings had 4 storeys.</p> <p>I knew nothing about the town until last weekend, but was pleasantly surprised and would not mind going there again.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/11/04/monmouth-4981926/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/11/04/monmouth-4981926/Tue, 04 Nov 2008 12:13:49 +0100 <p>After almost 16 years, I had a surprise visit from my boss and was told I was being made redundant. I had half expected this a year ago, yet it was still a surprise to be hit yesterday. I have much to be thankful for, having had steady employment since graduating and as far as I can see I am being treated fairly...however it is a sobering time to be thrown onto the jobs market.</p> <p>...ho humm.</p> <p>O.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/10/30/redundancy-4954110/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/10/30/redundancy-4954110/Thu, 30 Oct 2008 07:45:24 +0100 <p>I first got to know St Pancras station in 1979 when I went for my first job interviews at the end of my B.Sc (Eng) at Glasgow University. I recall taking the sleeper from Glasgow Central to London Euston then taking the train from St Pancras to Bedford for an interview at Texas Instruments. My impression then of St Pancras was a very mixed one - on the one hand it was incredibly drab and stank from the diesel exhaust from the multiple units that took the short term traffic to Bedford, on the other hand there was this enormous arched roof that was larger than any other London terminus or major railway station in Birmingham, Glasgow, Edinburgh, York, etc.</p> <p>There was the terrible story about selling off the antique clock (and destroying it when taking it down!). With the electification of the "Bedpan" line in the early 1980s there was the sensible development of electic traction and the Thameslink local service. However, St Pancras remained a fairly grim and neglected terminal compared with the others serving northward destnations e.g. Euston or Kings Cross.</p> <p> <a title="st pancras 4" href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/st_pancras_4/2937538"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/538/2937538_c54e56f642_m.jpg" alt="st pancras 4" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a></p> <p>I was happy to hear that St Pancras would be redeveloped as the Eurostar terminus. The arch over the train shed had tremendous potential. On my previous Eurostar trips from Waterloo station, I was very impressed by the redevelopment of the Gare du Nord from drab terminus to modern TGV terminal (including French TGV, international Thalys trains to Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands, and Eurostar to the UK). There was a lot of use of glass and the whole station seemed much lighter than decades ago.</p> <p> <a title="st pancras 1" href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/st_pancras_1/2931799"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/799/2931799_3d2034109c_m.jpg" alt="st pancras 1" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a></p> <p>The huge William Barlow train shed is a very fitting London Terminus for the Eurostar service. I am delighted that this much neglected building is now pivotal to London's international connections. This is a worthy complement to the redeveloped Gare du Nord. I recall the Barlow shed as being so dingy and yet the glass panels and the blue metalwork come across very well.</p> <p> <a title="st pancras 2" href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/st_pancras_2/2931800"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/800/2931800_b176c40d31_m.jpg" alt="st pancras 2" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a></p> <p>When I first read of the new terminal and the bronze statue of an embracing couple, I was quite moved. I understand that the sculptor is British and that he had a long term relationship with his French wife. This brought back strong memories of my long-distance relationship with my wife over 20 years ago when I was in London and she was in the Netherlands. Despite that I found the scale of the sculputure overbearing. To my surprise I much preferred the life size status of John Betjeman.</p> <p>The development of the lower level - former brewery storage - was very good.</p> <p> <a title="st pancras 3" href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/st_pancras_3/2931801"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/801/2931801_4a2a27da6c_m.jpg" alt="st pancras 3" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a></p> <p>The retail and restaurant spaces in the old beer storage looked generally well-architected. It seemed like an imaginative combination of old and new.</p> <p>I have not yet made a Eurostar journey from St Pancras but think that it is a very fitting terminal for international train services.</p> <p>What a shame that the "regional EuroStar" services going from Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh to Paris and Brussels were dropped! What a shame that there are no services from St Pancras to say Amsterdam, Köln or Lyon. What a poverty of vision!</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/10/27/st-pancrasstation-4935602/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/10/27/st-pancrasstation-4935602/Mon, 27 Oct 2008 02:45:15 +0100<p>I was greatly saddened yesterday to read of the <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/at-23-daniel-chose-to-end-his-second-class-life-965447.html">assisted suicide of Daniel James</a> in the Independent. Daniel had been an outstanding rugby player who had played for England Under-16s and for his University team. In early 2007 he had an accident in training which left him quadriplegic. It is not surprising if he was in despair following this shock. However I am disturbed with the reason given for his suicide.</p> <blockquote> <p>Yesterday afternoon Daniel James's family issued a statement through their lawyers. It told of how he refused to live a second-class existence, and concluded: "This is the last way that the family wanted Dan's life to end but he was, as those who know him are aware, an intelligent, strong-willed and some say determined young man."</p> </blockquote> <p>Having only a few months ago seen the Paralympics I am amazed at what disabled people can do even in sport; we saw some of our medal winners in the <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympic_games/7673446.stm">parade in London</a> on Thursday. My wife works at a school with children having severe physical and mental disabilities but is so happy to see children reach their potential.</p> <p>When I read that Daniel was quadriplegic I recalled a book I had borrowed some 3 decades ago about a young woman - Joni Eareckson who was very successful in sport but was paralysed from the neck downward in a diving accident (<em>Joni </em>ISBN: 0553115723). This book tells of her struggles and suffering in hospital initially; a time of total despair. She ends up only being able to move her head but finds meaning though her faith in God and as she developed new skills as an artist.</p> <p>It is sad that Daniel's condition was not as bad as this.</p> <blockquote>Yesterday, his physio, who asked not to be named, told The Independent that she believed Daniel could have gone on to live a "worthwhile life". She added: "I heard that Dan had died last month and I was totally shocked. He was improving and, despite technically being a quadriplegic he still had the use of his arms and hands. He could feed and dress himself and was able to push himself around in his wheelchair. Most quadriplegics do improve over time; these improvements come perhaps two or three years after the accident. It was early days for Daniel."<br><br></blockquote> <p>In the same newspaper there is a story of another young quadriplegic rugby player - <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/matt-hampson-where-i-used-brawn-now-i-use-my-head-965446.html">Matt Hampson</a> - also aged 23. He had a long recovery but is active in the rugby scene as a journalist and business.</p> <blockquote> <p>My passion for rugby has never diminished, in fact it's probably stronger than it ever has been. The support I've had from the rugby community has been amazing, it is one big family and I'm proud to be part of it. I still watch the Leicester Tigers, in fact I'm probably one of their harshest critics....Life is busy and a lot of fun. I have my own website and memorabilia company and I'm in the process of writing a book with sports writer Paul Kimmage. I have regular physiotherapy sessions which are a great help. Although physically I'm not an athlete, mentally I always will be, and I need to be pushed.</p> </blockquote> <p>While there are gut-wrenching stories of people who are terminally ill and want to die, the flip side if assisted suicide is legalised people who are ill or severely disabled may feel under pressure to commit suicide to avoid being a "burden".</p> <p>It is important that our society values disabled people as having real and meaningful lives as fellow-citizens and not as having "second class lives".</p> <p>Daniel was not terminally ill and his treatment was showing great promise. Given another two years of treatment he might have been like Matt Hampson and found a new "first class life". The poor guy was obviously in despair but did he get help to cope with the shock and depression of his condition?</p> <p>I hope that the investigation will look into whether we do enough to help people like Daniel cope with their condition and rebuild their lives. A life at 23 with use of arms and hands ought to be a life of opportunity not despair. We need to learn to help future accident victims - suicide should not be the answer. Measures to help those close to a victim - such as families and friends - are also needed.</p><p> <small> <a href="http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/10/19/thetragedyof-daniel-james-4896469/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/10/19/thetragedyof-daniel-james-4896469/Sun, 19 Oct 2008 19:37:09 +0200 <p>Well, I would never be any good as a financial adviser! A month or so ago I thought that the <a href="http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/09/09/property-the-british-and-investment-4706097">stock market might recover</a> sometime this year. With the recent crashes....I clearly need to eat my words. The markets are absolutely fearful and banking is still in a big crisis.</p> <p>This morning I looked at the market capitalisation of my company and it is now $2.4B. This valuation seems crazy given that the company has no debt and $1B cash in the bank and has orders from multi-year deals covering most of the revenue forecast for the next fiscal year. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/10/10/eating-my-words-4848644/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/10/10/eating-my-words-4848644/Fri, 10 Oct 2008 09:29:12 +0200 <p>I am currently on a business trip to Munich (München) and just read some of the local newspapers while I ate my dinner alone. When I lived in Glasgow from 1975-1982 I occasionally read the <em>Daily Record</em>. When I lived in the Munich area from 1987-1998 I occasionally read the <em>Tageszeitung</em>. I have always been convinced that they both reflect a similar mentality.</p> <p>Both are strong on local traditions - be it <em>Trachten</em> or <em>kilts</em> - yet are not so conservative that they are against modern developments. Both represent the local nation without being nationalistic.</p> <p>I also feel that people in both München and Glasgow exhibit a real honesty (no bullshit) yet with warmth. Despite being brought up in Southern England I resent the coldness from some (but not all) places - especially those with lots of money. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/10/09/muenchen-glesga-4847309/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/10/09/muenchen-glesga-4847309/Thu, 09 Oct 2008 22:46:24 +0200 <p>Investments such as property and shares have widely varying prices that can rise and fall. Right now we have a slump in both property and share prices. Many ordinary people lose money because they get caught up with popularly held views at the wrong time. I have been no exception having bought my first property shortly before the crash in London in the late 1980s.</p> <p>Investment decisions are sometimes influenced by "greed". If you hear that people have invested in a sort of asset before you and see that asset rise in value you may feel you are being left out and try to do the same. If you are say in the early part of an upswing this may be profitable but if it is late in the cycle you may simply pay too much for an asset. (or it it is a property borrow too much too!). When hearing of other people who have massively appreciated investments remember that it is a "paper gain" until the asset is sold when it becomes a "real profit".</p> <p>Conversely, some people lose money through fear. If you are holding stocks now and the value has plummeted you may fear a further loss. On the other hand selling now may simply mean that you turn your paper loss into a real loss. </p> <p>Nobody can tell when a market will hit a peak or a trough but Warren Buffet  - one of the world's most successful investors - has some <a href="http://www.woopidoo.com/business_quotes/authors/warren-buffett-quotes.htm">prudent advice</a>.</p> <blockquote><p> We simply attempt to be fearful when others are greedy and to be greedy only when others are fearful.<br> </blockquote>  <br> He seems to be putting this advice rigorously into practice in today's fearful markets. On 22 September he made a significant <a href="http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewarticle+articleid_2646117.html">investment in Goldman Sachs</a> at a knockdown price. Today he has made a similar <a href="http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/081001/ge_buffett_investment.html">investment in General Electric</a>. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/10/01/warren-buffet-true-to-his-word-4808346/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/10/01/warren-buffet-true-to-his-word-4808346/Wed, 01 Oct 2008 20:27:28 +0200 <p>A galling aspect of recent bank rescues on both sides of the Atlantic is that those bank executives and traders whose irresponsible risk taking has taken their banks to their knees, have profited greatly in recent years from huge bonuses when their bets paid off. However, the people who pay for "toxic" assets and for bailouts are the poor taxpayers - most of whom are paid modestly. Many observers have pointed out to "socialist solutons" to capitalism but this is far more ironic. It is nationalisation of losses (and therefore risk) despite privatisation of gain.</p> <p>Today's <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/nancy-pelosi-reckless-republicans-are-to-blame-for-this-economic-catastrophe-947341.html">Independent</a> provides the following quote from the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi</p> <blockquote><p>Let's get this straight. We have a situation where on Wall Street people are flying high, they are making unconscionable amounts of money. They make a lot of money, they privatise the gain; the minute things go tough, they nationalise the risk. They get a golden parachute as they drive their firm into the ground, and the American people have to pick up the tab. Something is very, very wrong with this picture.</p> </blockquote> <br>Apt words indeed, and inevitably an excuse to blame the Republicans. But weren't the Democrats in a majority in the House? What have they done to prevent this situation? Or did that sort of news simply not make it across the Atlantic?</p> <p>Of course it is no better here. The risk takers who borrowed too heavily on wholesale money markets at Northern Rock doubtless earned big money in the good days. Similarly those at Bradford and Bingley who offered self-certified ("liar"-) mortgages.</p> <p>I hope that the current mess will result in some proper regulation. Certainly the current rescues to avoid a collapse of the banking system should not be allowed to give the impression that the next lot of bank managers can take irresponsible risks without consequences. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/10/01/nationalisation-of-risk-privatisation-of-gain-4806590/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/10/01/nationalisation-of-risk-privatisation-of-gain-4806590/Wed, 01 Oct 2008 14:36:38 +0200 <p>Well we have interesting times here in the UK. My current account has been with Halifax Bank of Scotland (HBoS) and my mortgage is with Bradford & Bingley. This month both banks have seen their share price collapse and they have been taken over. On 17th September it was announced that <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7622180.stm">Lloyds TSB was taking over HBoS</a>. Now today I see that <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/bampb-nationalised-today--and-sold-944940.html">Bradford & Bingley is to be nationalised</a> and sold (presumably at a firesale price to Banco de Santander or Barclays).</p> <p>Ho hum! Well at least I have not seen a run by account holders with either bank. But I wonder if this bank consolidation will actually lead to more confidence in each other. It seems like no bank is willing to lend to another at present even though some have plenty of cash.</p> <p>Demutualisation of friendly societies used to be trumpeted as one of the successes of British capitalism. Obviously account-holders who benefited from selling shares in the new 'mortgage banks' made a profit, however this took a safe, prudent set of societies who worked in the interests of their members into the brave new world of high risk banking. With hindsight we would have much less of a credit crunch here in the UK if there had been no demutualisation. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/09/29/share-collapse-for-both-my-banks-4794660/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/09/29/share-collapse-for-both-my-banks-4794660/Mon, 29 Sep 2008 08:28:05 +0200 <p>For years the United States government and institutions - along with the Thatchers, Blairs, etc in other countries - have lectured on the importance of free markets and of the evils of state bailouts. They have also railed against regulation. It is now quite incredible that with the credit crunch causing real casualties, that the United States government is likely to spend $700,000,000,000 of taxpayer's money to buy up dodgy or "toxic" assets.</p> <p>I do not envy the likes of Hank Paulson or Ben Bernanke who face a major dilemma:</p> <p>a) Go the "economic Darwinian" route and allow institution after institution to fail and there is a risk that a large number of ordinary US taxpayers may lose their money - other than what is covered by deposit protection schemes - due to further collapses of financial instutions. Nobody would want to see the tent cities of the Great Depression because of people being evicted from homes they can no longer pay for.</p> <p>b) Go the "state interventionist" route and prop up failing institutions and there is the risk that millions of small guys - who pay tax and do not have clever beancounters who help avoid it - will pay for the greed and folly of those bankers who ultimately have caused the crisis.</p> <p>Most capitalists believe in unreining markets and that free markets will ultimately work for the good of all. If true it would make life very easy indeed. However it is patently obvious that markets can be bent by for example monopolistic companies or recently by derivative products that are opaque to those who trade in them.</p> <p>For everybody's sake I hope that there will be a return to stability. However, I hope that the solutions being contemplated in Washington will not those who have profited from selling collateralised debt obligations (CDOs) and other toxic products. I also hope that a more thorough approach will be taken to regulate financial markets. This need not be bureaucratic but must force financial institutions and their staff towards responsible behaviour.</p> <p>Above all there must be transparency. A key cause for the current credit crunch has been that some derivative products like CDOs have not been transparent. Their value (or lack of it) and risks has been hidden by layers of packaging. A very scary thought is that accountants seem to be moving away from transparency. A letter in last Thursday's Independent by <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/letters/letters-the-next-financial-bubble-934134.html">Malcolm Howard</a> warns that new international accounting standards are moving away from transparency. If he is right this needs to be nipped in the bud! </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/09/25/extraordinary-times-in-finance-4778214/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/09/25/extraordinary-times-in-finance-4778214/Thu, 25 Sep 2008 13:32:16 +0200 <p>From what I recall, <a href="http://www.chicagotraveler.com/chicago-ohare-airport-map.htm">Chicago O'Hare's </a>Terminal 5 - the "International terminal" - was built in the mid 1990s. From what I recall then - flying with American Airlines - was that the O'Hare T5 immigration section was far faster than other airports such as San Francisco (I have not been to San Francisco for some years but know that they have a significantly better area for international arrivals now). The hall where passports were checked was large and there seemed like a big baggage claim area.</p> <p>However, flying with American meant that departures back to Europe were from Terminal 3 which American Airlines also uses for domestic connections. I therefore never got to see what the departures area of Chicago's Terminal 5 was like. In the last 3-4 years I have flown to Texas using a Gatwick-Dallas connection then taken the short connection to Austin. This was not available and the booking system came up with BA to Chicago then AA onward to Austin.</p>  <a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/o_hare_t5/2822569" title="O Hare T5"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/569/2822569_e0d08789b9_m.jpg" alt="O Hare T5" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a> <p>Yesterday I arrived in Chicago from Austin and proceeded to T5. I expected a spacious departure area with plenty of space for shopping, eating and drinking. I expected a similar space to the arrivals area. I was shocked that once I was through the security checks the main departures area was the five metre wide corridor you see above with tiny stalls selling things. There was a small "concessions area" to the right and there was a BA lounge hidden away but very acceptable. I was underwhelmed at the design...it seemed like a missed opportunity.</p>  <a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/o_hare_747/2822570" title="O Hare 747"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/570/2822570_973aea0af8_m.jpg" alt="O Hare 747" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a> <p>For most of the last decade I have generally flown in 777s or 767s across the Atlantic. Overnight it was a 747-400 for a change...and on arrival Heathrow's Terminal 5 seemed hugely impressive in comparison.</p> <p>The only downside of arriving at Heathrow T5 was that BA had sent the outward flight from Terminal 4. The dog's leg journey using the Heathrow train system and a change at Heathrow Central was timeconsuming. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/09/18/chicago-o-hare-terminal-4745721/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/09/18/chicago-o-hare-terminal-4745721/Thu, 18 Sep 2008 15:55:37 +0200 <p>I am staying in a fairly large hotel in Austin, Texas. Austin has avoided the devastation of hurricane Ike and indeed has been a key shelter area for those fleeing Ike or the earlier Gustav hurricanes. Houston, the city where NASA's Mission Control is based has been devastated so it is obvious to ask who is controlling missions like the International Space Station. The <em>Austin Statesman</em> newspaper claimed to have the <a href="http://www.statesman.com/search/content/news/stories/local/09/14/0914ikebriefs.html">answer </a>today.</p> <blockquote><p>A brief statement from NASA on Thursday set a minor Hurricane Ike odyssey in motion: "The International Space Station Flight Control Room at Mission Control in Houston was shut down Thursday morning. Station flight control continued through backup teams located near Austin and Huntsville, Ala." </p> <p>Logically, a team escaping the giant storm would head up to Alabama to guide the space station from the ground, since a back-up control room stands at the ready there. </p> <p>But near Austin? Is there a secret control room here? </p> <p>Calls to Central Texas public agencies, evacuation officials, hospitality industry leaders and hotel managers Friday failed to produce results. </p> <p>"Yes, a team of flight controllers with high-speed laptop computers has moved to an Austin-area hotel and is controlling the space station through high-rate data lines back to computers at Mission Control in Houston," said NASA spokesman Michael Curie late Friday. "Mission Control has power and generators in case it loses power. A backup plan in case Mission Control loses power will hand control to another tram of Johnson Spacecraft Center flight controllers who traveled to Huntsville, Ala." </p> <p>A hotel near Austin. But where? </p> <p>"We don't have an exact location, other than they are in the Austin area," Curie said on Saturday. "They will remain until Houston's Mission Control Center returns to normal operation. It is too early to know how long it will be before that happens." </p> </blockquote>  In my childhood I recall seeing Mission Control in Houston with rows of computer terminals and a big map dealing with Apollo moon shots. I realise that computing hs moved on massively since then. We are not only past mainframes but mobile computing has become the norm. We are regularly hearling of sensitive UK Government data getting lost when an official loses his laptop after work in the pub. However, despite that I find it bizarre that the space station might be controlled from laptops further down my hotel corridor.</p> <p>This is especially odd when there is a fully functional backup control centre in Alabama. It was surely not for the Ike <a href="http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/09/14/0914ikeparties.html">parties</a> that were running in Austin on Friday night.</p> <p>However, if the statement "<em>a team of flight controllers with high-speed laptop computers has moved to an Austin-area hotel and is controlling the space station through high-rate data lines back to computers at Mission Control in Houston"</em> is true they cannot really be in my hotel. Broadband speed here is adequate but not stunning! </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/09/15/nasa-mission-control-down-the-corridor-4728695/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/09/15/nasa-mission-control-down-the-corridor-4728695/Mon, 15 Sep 2008 04:03:11 +0200 <p>I am writing this from Chicago O'Hare airport - definitely not the worst entry point to the US - on my way to Austin. In two decades of regular travel to the US I have never been told by an immigration official that I will probably not make it to my destination but was this time.</p>  <a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/chicago_ohare/2810674" title="chicago ohare"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/674/2810674_e01e50448d_m.jpg" alt="chicago ohare" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a> <p>We were a bit delayed on leaving Heathrow but flying over Canada there was a 175 km/h headwind. Normally there is a headwind heading west but this is more than I can recall seeing previously. We were not that late in arriving despite the headwind but there was very low cloud and local TV was reporting flooding.</p> <p>A hurricane is a terrible thing and I was aware before leaving that it was hitting Galveston where a century ago there had been massive deathtoll. However in our media-obsession with richer countries let's not forget Haiti where it is reported that <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7613851.stm">one million are homeless</a>! Haiti has almost no infrastructure and is very poor.</p> <p>My flight to Austin was cancelled, presumably due to the hurricane, I waited in a long queue for people who had not made their connections. Many will not be able to fly tonight. I have mercifully been booked onto a 22:00 flight to Austin...mere inconvenience compared with those poor people who have faced the devastating power of Ike. Many passengers did not fare so well either and had to get flights the following morning.</p> <p>O. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/09/14/ike-and-stuck-in-chicago-airport-4724275/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/09/14/ike-and-stuck-in-chicago-airport-4724275/Sun, 14 Sep 2008 01:37:18 +0200 <p><em>Background<br> </em><br> We are currently in a time of international property woes. Banks in much of the western world are facing liquidity and confidence problems because of greedy investments in dubious investment vehicles that were based on bad quality property loans in the US. As usual while huge profits were made by those driving those investment vehicles there were almost no voices in the financial world who were predicting that the market was unsustainable.</p> <p>DISCLAIMER: Oregano is no financial adviser or genius. The following is just "stream of consciousness output" and may not be construed as financial advice. Indeed Oregano's stock picks are usually best avoided!</p> <p><em>Dire Warnings</em></p> <p>I am an engineer, not an economist, but there have been a few worrying signs around investments in the last decade. In the 1980s I did (to my later regret) not take advantage of the privatisation of UK companies e.g. British Telecom because I felt it was wrong that the Government was selling assets owned by taxpayers. I later realised that it was good if most citizens participate in the stock market but am still very sceptical about the ideologically-driven (rather than taxpayer value-driven) privatisations in the UK. I still fear it was essentially redistribution of the wealth of the UK from the taxpayers to the wealthy.</p> <p>When Deutsche Telekom offered its customers shares when I lived in Germany in the 1990s I already owned shares of a few companies and took part profitably. Shortly after returning to the UK, I was amazed that taxi drivers in Munich were giving me stock tips. On the one hand it was a sign of progress that German citizens were finally making their own stock investments, however on the other hand it was a scarey signal. Most market bubbles take place when naiive investors get involved - and with all due respect  for my taxi driver - we were about to hit the telecom bubble bursting. I heard that chambermaids took part in the final stages of the South Sea Bubble in the 1700s.</p> <p>I bought my first property in 1985 midway in a big upswing in the London property market. After having moved to Germany we decided to sell in 1989 which was just when the market bubble was bursting. Foolishly I was greedy and listened to an estate agend (in his mid 20s) who convinced me that the market trajectory was continuing and that I should adopt an aggressive selling position.  A rival - actually Halifax agent - of the same age - said that the market was slowing and that I should expect a lower selling price if I wanted my property to go. The Halifax guy was right and I ended up selling much later than expected and at a lower price than he had suggested.</p> <p>We should not be surprised at a mortgage problem in the UK quite independently of the US mortgage crisis. When I bought my first property I was allowed to borrow 2.5 x my salary. Two years ago I was hearing of offers of 6 x somebody's salary. OK, interest rates are much lower than in the 1980s but this is a sign of an exuberent unsustainable market.</p> <p><em>Assets and Investments</p> <p></em>In Germany when I made my first investments in stocks and bonds my first step was to buy a 100-page paperback on investing. This German language guide was simply written (just as well given my language skills <img src="/img/smilies/icon_sad.gif" alt=":(" class="middle" border="0"> ) but has never been contradicted by what I have subsequently read in the British or US financial press.</p> <p>Three key things were:</p> <p>a) <em>Understand allocation</em> betwen different <em>asset classes</em> e.g. shares, bonds, property and cash. There are different risk/reward relationships with any of these asset classes. Shares may go down dramatically as well as go up; though on average give better returns than bonds. Bonds are subject to less volatility but on average have lower returns. Cash is not volatile but tends to have low returns. Property often has had spectacular gains or losses but unlike shares is not liquid. In a down market it may be relatively easy to dispose of shares but tough to dispose of property. Similarly in an  overheated market it is still possible to purchase shares (at an inflated price) but may be tough to acquire property.<br> b) <em>Diversity risk. </em>Regardless of asset class it is important to diversify the investment. For example, it is safer to split a stock portfolio between 10-20 shares rather than say 3 shares. It is safer to split a property investment between 10 properties than 2. It is safer to split retirement savings between 3 fund managers than just one; remember Equitable Life.<br> c) <em>Investment Horizon and Liquidity<br> </em>With any investment you are expecting a payback sometime. Most issues depend on your investment horizon; in other words do you want a return in say 18 months or 10 years. The answer will determine your attitude to risk. A short investment horizon will mean risk minimisation while a longer horizon will make more risk taking attractive.<br> In either case it is important to consider liquidity - the ability to buy or sell assets. A market with no liquidity works against any short term investment strategy. In the short term bonds or stock are better investments in general than property because they can be disposed of easily.</p> <p><em>Property Focus or Obsession?</p> <p></em>In the UK, the desirability of investing in property has been unquestioned in my lifetime whether by the man/woman in the street, journalists or financial institutions. However while that might be reflected in say the US or the Netherlands it is not necessarily reflected in say France or Germany. In some of these countries I fear that most people - those in favour of property investment or against - have not thought through the basic principles.</p> <p>Bubble property conditions aside, I worry when friends have referred to their nice house as their "pension". In an inflating property market that might make sense providing you convert the asset into a pension-friendly form when you are close to retirement. In a deflating market too much tied up in property can be tough to dispose of. You also need to be willing to downsize or move to a less expensive area to realise the "pension".</p> <p>My fear is that too many people in the UK have invested in property (rather than say alternatives like stocks or bonds) withouth thinking through the consequences. Property does not create value in the sense that say a growing company can. Its value (and potential rental income) is really based on supply and demand so is a good investment for a period of time when accomodation is in short supply but no good if there is oversupply. Company shares potentially can provide more if they innovate or establish new markets. Think of Apple in the last decade with their iPod products or ARM in the UK. Of course companies can stagnate too.</p> <p>Of course there is one very good reason for purchasing property and that is to provide a roof over your head. This avoids rental payments (though generally mortgage payments will be greater) and gives more control over the property. The obvious advantage of owning is that after the loan is paid off there are no further payments needed plus the asset can potentially be sold.</p> <p>Of coursre the value depends on what subsequent purchasers think. Having paid off a mortgage, a declining asset may  be a millstone round the neck.</p> <p><em>Buyng for Rental?</p> <p></em>This is a tricky area where I cannot give good advice other than to be cautious in the current climate. I would rather live off a property portfoilio than do my present job..Yet I cannot conceive that I can purchase such a portfolio in the short-term despite depressed markets. However I can more readily purchase assets in depressed stock markets.</p> <p>Right timing can produce fantastic gains in property asset values but requires more research than I have undertaken.</p> <p>I am betting - <em>and this is absolutely no investment recommendation!!</em> - that the stock market will recover more quickly than the property market. Even if the stock market mildly corrects as an investment it also has the advantage of being more liquid.</p> <p>...Sorry for rambling so long.<img src="/img/smilies/icon_sad.gif" alt=":(" class="middle" border="0"> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/09/10/property-the-british-and-investment-4706097/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/09/10/property-the-british-and-investment-4706097/Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:51:38 +0200 <p>One thing that we noticed (and has been noted by Technomist) on our holiday was the number of blue and white ceramic tiles we saw in various places in Portugal. The colours were reminiscent of those used in Delft pottery. It seems to have been used in different centuries.</p>  <a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/blue_tiles_obidos/2795761" title="blue tiles obidos"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/761/2795761_43d263d4be_m.jpg" alt="blue tiles obidos" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a> <p>They were used at the main entrance to Óbidos. This part was obviously newer than the town walls and castle but must be a few centuries old.</p>  <a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/blue_tiles_peniche/2795762" title="blue tiles peniche"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/762/2795762_e63b712ddb_m.jpg" alt="blue tiles peniche" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a> <p>This tile mural is at the public washhouse in Peniche. It was obviously built in the last century and to our surprise is still in use.</p> <p>  <a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/blue_tiles_lisboa/2795763" title="blue tiles lisboa"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/763/2795763_69802829e2_m.jpg" alt="blue tiles lisboa" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a> <p>This set of tile murals with a monastic theme was seen walking down from the Sao Joao castle towards the Baixa in Lisbon.</p>  <a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/intermarche_fish_counter/2784459" title="intermarche fish counter"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/459/2784459_454717098d_m.jpg" alt="intermarche fish counter" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a> <br>Finally there are blue and white tiles as the backdrop to this fish counter in Peniche. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/09/08/blue-tiles-4699724/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/09/08/blue-tiles-4699724/Mon, 08 Sep 2008 18:37:38 +0200 <p>This recent holiday is not my first time in Portugal. I have had two business trips for sales conferences to Lisbon when we were bussed from the airport to a hotel. We then sat through several days of presentations then were bussed back to the airport. As a presenter on both occasions I was not bold enough to venture out after 23:00 for late night exploration. Last year we explored <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belém,_Lisbon" title="Belém, Lisbon" class="mw-redirect"><u>Belém</u></a> a little but did not see central Lisbon.</p>  <a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/mosteiro_dos_jer_os/2784751" title="Mosteiro dos Jerónimos"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/751/2784751_4760c90205_m.jpg" alt="Mosteiro dos Jerónimos" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a> <p>This year I realised I did not even have a mental picture of the centre of Lisbon. Books and articles on Portugal regularly feature the Jerónimos Monastery (shown above) or the Torre de Belém or the Navigator's Monument. However all of these places are in Belém rather than Lisbon itself. Of course Belém is only 6 km west of the centre of Lisbon but while historically important it is not the capital.</p> <p>This holiday we decided to take a walk around the city centre and we were pleasantly surprise. We started out at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Apolónia" title="Santa Apolónia"><u>Santa Apolónia</u></a> railway station and headed upward in a northwesterly direction through the narrow streets of Alfama. This was the Moorish old town and the streets are narrow, crooked and in many cases just pedestrian stairways. It was difficult to follow a particular direction and we ended up zigzagging northwestward and updward. </p> <p>At the top of the hill is the castle of São Jorge; this was again something I had never seen in photos of Portugal, yet well worth the walk. </p>  <a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/lisbon_castle_1/2784748" title="lisbon castle 1"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/748/2784748_3bb8a3a720_m.jpg" alt="lisbon castle 1" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a> <p>The castle was originally built by the Moors but subsequently extended after the reconquest. It is possible to go inside the main keep and to walk along the walls and go into the towers providing you pay the entrance fee.</p> <p>It also offers great views over the city centre such as the view below to the Rossio square and station to the north west. </p>  <a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/lisbon_rossio/2784750" title="lisbon rossio"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/750/2784750_a0609b18be_m.jpg" alt="lisbon rossio" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a> <p>The Rossio is at the north end of the Baixa district that was devastated by the 1755 earthquake and tsunami. It is now laid out in a grid iron pattern.</p> <p>We wandered down the hill towards the Baixa hitting a street where trams made the journey uphill. </p>  <a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/lisbon_baixa/2784818" title="Lisbon Baixa"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/818/2784818_08514542f5_m.jpg" alt="Lisbon Baixa" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a> <p>Now I must admit I have seen pictures of Lisbon's old trams. The street here is Rua de Santo Antonio de Sé where we also stopped for <a href="http://foodfun.blog.co.uk/2008/08/31/lunch-in-lisbon-4662230">lunch</a>. Turning left after a few blocks we came into a huge square with a victory arch and numerous government buildings. The square looks out on the south side to the Tejo river.</p> <p>Despite the fact that Lisbon itself does not seem that well known by most UK people, I think it is will worth a visit and would like to explore more on a future visit.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/09/04/surprisinglisbon-4682174/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/09/04/surprisinglisbon-4682174/Thu, 04 Sep 2008 17:50:47 +0200 <p>I old towns I am fascinated by the patterns of roofs if you are looking down from city walls. We recently visited <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ã&ldquo;bidos,_Portugal">Óbidos</a> which is about 100 km north of Lisbon not far from the A8 motorway. This is a very well preserved fortified town and well worth a look. The <em>roofscape </em>views from the walls are good.</p>  <a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/roofscape_1/2770691" title="roofscape 1"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/691/2770691_13342ced86_m.jpg" alt="roofscape 1" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a> <p>This view is taken from the wall not far from the main entrance to the town. It shows some of the variety of chimneys that are to be seen.</p>  <a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/roofscape_2/2770692" title="roofscape 2"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/692/2770692_a3859d9d75_m.jpg" alt="roofscape 2" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a> <p>There is plenty of lichen on the roofs implying good air quility.</p>  <a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/roofscape_3/2770693" title="roofscape 3"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/693/2770693_5e2e036b03_m.jpg" alt="roofscape 3" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a> <p>Chimneys come in a variety of forms including elongated ones (right) here and rounded.</p>  <a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/roofscape_4/2770694" title="roofscape 4"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/694/2770694_9bcc31a2e4_m.jpg" alt="roofscape 4" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a>  <a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/roofscape_5/2770695" title="roofscape 5"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/695/2770695_7af8c11460_m.jpg" alt="roofscape 5" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a> <p>Some chimneys such as these just outside the city wall remind me of lighthouses! </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/08/30/roofscapes-in-obidos-4657461/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/08/30/roofscapes-in-obidos-4657461/Sat, 30 Aug 2008 12:48:10 +0200 <p>We are now near the end of the "silly season" when the press - starved of the normal volumes of political news sees fit to publish material that normally would not make the mark for publication. However, there are also many stories that make the press that seem  to totally misrepresent fact yet get published if they support a particular political angle. Sometimes I think that the worst of these come in the Euro myth category where almost any story regardless of accuracy is used to attack Britain's participation in the European Union. One such article was a piece from Neil Parrish in the <a href="http://www.thisiswesternmorningnews.co.uk/livingcornwall/Government-fails-save-acre-EU-oblivion/article-291624-detail/article.html#StartComments">Western Morning News on 27th August 2008</a>. I have wanted to comment in depth on such articles and Mr Parrish's article was a random choice; I have had no particular reason to single him out.</p> <p>For reference, I am broadly in favour of Britain's EU membership having benefited from the free movement of goods and labour in my lifetime. I have however never been a fan of the common agricultural policy and some of the more grandiose schemes mooted. However I am tired of the bleating of British politicians who seem not to be able to do their jobs.</p> <p>I picked this one out about the demise of the acre because having registered land for my house in 1999 I have a little idea of what really goes on. I also remember the state of metrication in the UK when at school in the 1960s and 1970s and resent the Orwellian way that some politicians rewrite our history.</p> <p>Now let's take a look at the article...</p> <blockquote><p><strong>Government fails to save the acre from EU oblivion</p> <p></strong>VERY quietly over the summer, when no-one was looking, the EU took advantage of the holidays to quietly kill off the acre.</p> </blockquote> This is a wild claim. European law must be ratified by the European Parliament of which Neil Parrish is a member. How can they "take advantage of the holidays"? If he is not happy with the measure what did he do in the European Parliament to stop it? Was he caught napping?</p> <blockquote><p>Sadly, from January 2010, our ancient measurement will be consigned to history, no longer to be used when land is registered.</p> </blockquote>  <br>Many ancient measures have been consigned to history for good reason. We no longer have bushels, firkins, Winchester gallons, Scottish stones and ells. Phasing out a unit might just be because it is past its 'sell by' date.</p> <blockquote><p>Europeans tend to look over the Channel with puzzlement at our imperial measurements and are generally completely unable to fathom exactly what they mean. The pound, the pint, the mile, the hand and the acre may not be totally logical, but they are part of what makes us special. They represent the unique history of our island story, but unfortunately they fall foul of the EU drive for harmonisation and uniformity.</p> </blockquote> Actually it is not just fellow Europeans who are puzzled by Britain's attachment to imperial measures. Citizens of the Commonwealth, Asia and South America are equally puzzled. In the 1960s Britain said it was going to go metric and those Commonwealth countries who were not already metric decided to do the same. Australia and New Zealand changed over successfully in the 1970s.</p> <p>Units like the acre are not unique to Britain, after all it was introduced by the Anglo-Saxon invaders. Not surprisingly the Dutch and Germans had a similar unit - the Morgen - if they are puzzled, then it is only to ask why we have not modernised.</p> <blockquote><p>After repeated attempts to rid us of our other imperial measurements, European bureaucrats finally got one over on us by managing to kill the acre when no-one was looking. Hidden deep down in page 30 of the minutes of the last EU Agriculture Ministers' meeting was the sentence that killed it. Ministers approved it with little debate and no protest from the British Government.</blockquote>  This is not the root cause of the acre going. When the UK joined the EU in 1973 it agreed to adopt the metric system confirming a decision taken in 1965. However some derogations were negotiated e.g. allowing the pint for draft beer and the acre for land registration.</p>  <a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/praze_map/2770112" title="praze map"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/112/2770112_0de1f0f6aa_m.png" alt="praze map" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a><br>Reproduced from Ordnance Survey map data by permission of Ordnance Survey. © Crown Copyright <p>Acres are odd units for land registration, as land registration relies on maps. Our Ordnance Survey maps are based on a one kilometre grid and this is nothing new. The same system has been used since the 1940s. A hectare being a 100 m by 100 m square fits perfectly with an OS map as there are 100 hectares in every OS grid square; ten rows and ten columns. Not surprisingly the UK Government - which had the option to retain the acre - started replacing the acre with the hectare or square metres in 1995 and this was compulsory from 2003. When I purchased my building plot in 1999 the land registration was metric.</p> <p>Furthermore the EU rules governing units of measurement come from the Units of Measurement Directive - reviewed in 2007 - and not the EU Agriculture Ministers' meeting. The agricultural ministers would have to implement what was agreed in the directive. This directive was subject to a <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/prepack/unitmeas/uni_ms_en.htm">public consultation</a> and any UK citizen could have taken part. The UK Government made strong representations to the consultation as did some industry bodies. If the loss of the acre was so important what did Neil Parrish do to mobilise his constituents?<br> <br> <blockquote>The humble acre is one of Britain's most ancient units, measuring 4,840 square yards, and has had an illustrious history. The word itself represents this history, coming from the Old Saxon word of aecer, meaning open field, and the Latin word "ager." This Latin word is also the root for "agriculture". Its exact size was first set out under a law passed in the reign of Edward 1 in the early 14th century.</p> </blockquote>   <a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/medieval_20farming/2770107" title="Medieval%20Farming"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/107/2770107_fc3c4c9036_m.jpg" alt="Medieval%20Farming" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a> <br>from <a href="http://www.garway.org.uk/historic/hg_enlarged-medieval-farming.html">Garway</a></p> <p>I agree that the acre has a long and important history - and I like the word - in fact it dates back to the 9th century when it was defined by a furlong and chain. It is rooted in our European history and is close to the Dutch 'akker' or German 'Acker' which mean cultivated fields. Like most imperial units it has its origin in invaders from the Continent - just like the Romans introduced the mile.</p> <blockquote><p>I can't help feeling that to throw away a word and a unit of measurement with such a tradition, and to replace it with the "hectare", measuring 2.471 acres and hated by most farmers I know, is a sad betrayal of our entire agricultural tradition.</blockquote> Obsoleting a unit is not the same as throwing away a word; we talk of "milestones" figuratively although they have been obsolete for decades.. 'Old money' in other words £sd had an even longer tradition going back to Roman times. Yet despite its antiquity it was absolutely necessary for our finance system to phase it out and use modern decimal currency.</p> <p>Nobody I know can define the acre. Area units are normally based on squares e.g. square metre or square foot. The <a href="http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/units/dictA.html">acre</a> is an awkward oblong unit - one furlong (furrow long) by a chain. Who understands chains these days? The acre was the size of an Anglo Saxon strip field - we have abandoned strip farming between the 17th and 19th centuries in the UK - an obsolete concept. The acre - like 'old money' - is an important part of our past but belongs in a museum.</p> <p>A hectare is a sensible unit being 100 metres square - about the size of a rugby pitch. For London dwellers it is about the size of the pedestrianised area in Trafalgar Square.</p> <p>I know some people involved in agriculture and have never heard that hectares are the subject of widespread hatred. Indeed a friend at church who is an agricultural chemist tells me they are very useful. His company does soil surveys to ensure that farmers target precisely where fertilizer is needed (based on soil analysis) to save indescriminate fertilizer usage. They take one sample per hectare (using GPS to position the sample) and of course this fits with OS maps.</p> <blockquote><p>I accept that in reality, it probably won't change everyday life for Westcountry farmers too much. The acre has not formally been used for several years. Hectares are currently used in tandem with acres for most documentation and so this ruling will make little practical difference to most farm sales.</p> </blockquote> <br>In other words this is saying that the issue is a storm in a teacup!</p> <blockquote><p>In what now appears a cunning plan by the EU to lay the foundation to kill the acre, all Single Farm Payment claims are already made in hectares, and have been for some time. </p> </blockquote> <br>Single Farm Payments need to be based on the same rules in every country so the hectare was an obvious choice. Since the UK has already phased out the acre for Land Registration how can this be an EU 'cunning plan'? The acre was already gone when land registration started to use hectares and square metres in 1995.</p> <blockquote><p>However, psychologically it is a hammer blow to the British countryside, reminding us once and for all that no-one can avoid the arbitrary rules of the European Union. The humble acre may have given us the very template for the mishmash of fields which make up the British countryside, it may be well-loved, easy to visualise for our farmers and have existed since the 14th century, yet all this is no match for the pen of European bureaucrats.</p> </blockquote>  <br>No, the mishmash of long abandoned strip fields was the template for the acre not the other way round. How is phasing out an obsolete unit a "hammer blow" to farmers? The land still has the same area regardless of the units used. The land will produce the same whether measured in acres or hectares!</p> <blockquote><p>Originally, an acre described the amount of land that could be ploughed by a man and an ox in a single day, and while I accept that most Westcountry farmers no longer plough their land in this way, our entire agricultural heritage is based on holdings measured in acres. More importantly, farm sizes sound a lot bigger when they are measured in acres.</p> </blockquote>  <br>I am relieved that Mr Parrish acknowledges that his constituents have moved on from strip farming. </p> <p>However why is it an advantage that "farm sizes sound a lot bigger when they are measured in acres". Anybody buying or selling land needs to compare like with like. They need to know that a 100 hectare farm is bigger than a 70 hectare one (or equivalent in acres). Would Mr Parrish prefer to specify farms in square metres? That would make the numbers much bigger!</p> <blockquote><p>In an ideal world a compromise could have been sought. Many other countries seek opt-outs of EU policies which affect or impinge on ancient traditions &ndash; and we could have done the same. The EU is constantly attempting to downgrade our traditions and all this achieves in doing is driving people more and more eurosceptic. Our Government always seems to let them get away with it &ndash; and it makes me wonder if this is their intention.</p> </blockquote>  <br>Why are we clinging on to imperial measurement traditions in the 21st Century? It is a sad reflection on the demise of numeracy and science in the UK that such drivel is stated by politicians - though I suspect the motive is simply to blame the EU at any pretext. Imperial measures were developed for an illiterate and innumerate society. Metric units are designed to be used for calculation in other words for modern numerate people.</p> <blockquote><p>It is no secret that our imperial system of measurements drives the Europeans mad. For years, the EU has been trying to persuade our Government to give them up. It dreams of a Britain where people drive (preferably on the right) in kilometres, weigh themselves in kilograms, drink litres rather than pints and measure their land in hectares. For years, it has put the pressure on and generally the Government has been able to resist.</p> </blockquote>  <br>This is really the Orwellian bit. An objective look at our history will show that the UK wanted to modernise its manufacturing and professional practices in the 1960s by adopting metric. This was a good decade before joining the EEC. Successive Conservative and Labour governments failed to see the conversion program through and we now have had decades of mess.</p> <p>Having had a miserable few years struggling with long division and multiplication in imperial units and 'old money' in the 1960s, I can assure Mr Parrish that learning imeprial properly should drive anyone mad. I recall when my school textbooks were switched from dreadful imperial calculations to sensible decimal currency and metric units around 1970 by then Education Secretary Margaret Thatcher. My practical numarcy improved by leaps and bounds. We were told that the UK was going metric in a few years and needed to be prepared. Governments have let down two generations of children by teaching one system and retaining the old one.</p> <blockquote><p>Then came along Directive 80/181/EEC on units of measurements allowed in member states. Once again the pint, mile, yards and hands were threatened and once again the UK was able to negotiate a derogation &ndash; or an opt-out &ndash; to continue using them. A word of caution here, though &ndash; a derogation only puts off the decision for a few years, so expect them to be challenged once more in the future.</p> <p>However, because of the Common Agricultural Policy, the EU has been able to tie in payments to hectare measurements. Gradually, the acre has become less and less important in practical terms. Granted, we all continue to refer to acres unofficially, but officially virtually everything is done in hectares. As a result, in July's Agricultural Ministers' meeting, the final abolition of the acre was on the agenda.</p> <p>Now you would have thought for such an important event the UK would have sent a cabinet minister, as most other EU countries did. But no. The UK sent only a junior minister from Defra. Now Jonathan Shaw is an able politician, but surely for a debate on the future of the UK's oldest unit of land measurement, our Government could have taken it more seriously and sent the Secretary of State?</p> <p>As the meeting developed, it became clear why Hilary Benn didn't bother to attend: there was little debate and no protest whatsoever from the British Government. We could and should have stood up to the EU in this case &ndash; and with a bit of a fight, we could have secured a reprieve for the acre.</p> </blockquote>  <br>This seems like a 'porky' to me. The acre issue surely had already been decided in the Units of Measurements Directive (80/181/EEC) review in 2007. The outcome of the review was approved by the European Parliament on <a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2007/1129/breaking57.htm">29 November 2007</a>. The issue was already decided before Mr Parrish's meeting so no wonder Hilary Benn did not attend.</p> <blockquote><p>While I always enjoy attacking the Government, the real villains in this piece are the EU. This kind of pointless interference into every little nook and cranny of our national life is exactly what annoys people about it. We face major agricultural challenges in the next few years, particularly with food prices rising &ndash; yet the only response the EU can offer is to ban the acre. They really should get their priorities right.</p> </blockquote>  <br>Now Neil Parrish comes clean. This is what his article is about!</p> <p>Food price rises and the state of farming are important. What the dickens has using acres got to offer in terms of helping with price increases?</p> <blockquote><p>Unfortunately, though, the deed is done. No-one will have the right to sell or even advertise their land in acres and I wonder just how long it will be before we see more metric martyrs being prosecuted for daring to mention the word "acre" in idle conversation in the pub.</p> </blockquote>  <br>What twaddle! 'Old money' was phased out in 1971 yet we talk of a car 'turning on a sixpence'. Why should anyone be prosecuted for mentioning an 'acre' even if it is no longer a unit in use? The hundredweight (cwt) was phased out but there is no law against using it in conversation.</p> <blockquote><p>Neil Parish is a Conservative MEP for the South West of England and chairman of the European Parliament's Agriculture Committee</p> </blockquote>  <br>It riles me that we pay people to represent us at the European Parliament and while their job is to scrutinise European directives and laws, all they seem to be able to do is to blame everything on the EU. An abdication of responsibility?</p> <p>I do not like the Orwellian way with which Neil Parrish MEP attempts to rewrite history; though he is not alone on this! The final irony is that it was the last Conservative government and not the EU that effectively killed off the acre for Land Registration. In other words Mr Parrish's own party killed off the acre despite trying to blame Brussels over a decade after the event.</p> <p>I am glad that the UK government decided to retire the acre - we need modern units for modern Britain! However it is galling that polticians attempt to represent a UK decision implemented in 1995 as a 'cunning plot' from Brussels in 2008. So where is integrity? </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/08/30/silly-seasonampeuromyths-4656378/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/08/30/silly-seasonampeuromyths-4656378/Sat, 30 Aug 2008 05:24:19 +0200 <p>Last year I intended to post a tip on car rental in Lisbon. We were wanting to find a way to transport a family of five plus surf boards from Lisbon airport to the Peniche area. Checking out the usual rental companies at Lisbon airport suggested that the only option was an expensive people carrier. Our agent at <a href="http://www.balealrentals.com/">Baleal Rentals</a> told us that if we took the taxi to Santa Apolónia  we could rent two Seat Ibizas for less than a people carrier. He was right! We duly booked online. The limitation is that there is one choice - the Seat Ibiza - but at a great daily rate.</p> <p>InterRent is located at the Santa Apolónia railway terminus which is close to both the river Tejo and the ancient Alfama area of Lisbon. It is a bit over 10 minutes taxi ride from the airport and the ride only cost &euro;7. Last year we found the rental office an an obscure part of the station. There was a young and friendly man - who speaks excellent English - who seemed to run the entire operation single handed. He would deal with our booking, check our documents and ask us to sign the contract. Then he ran out of the station and drove back with the vehicle; he did everything in a helpful and friendly manner which makes a pleasant change from some surly rental staff at airports. He seemed to be the only InterRent employee although I cannot imagine he does the cleaning and servicing of the cars as well.</p>  <a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/interrent_santa_apollonia/2769058" title="interrent santa apollonia"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/058/2769058_80f5407bba_m.jpg" alt="interrent santa apollonia" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a> <p>The good news is that they are still there at Santa Apolónia but have moved their office into the main station concourse near the ticket office. There is still a good 6.99&euro;/day basic price to which you need to add insurance, extra driver fees, etc. Despite the extras it is still a great deal.</p>  <a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/interrent_hard_worker/2769059" title="interrent hard worker"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/059/2769059_8b2e7d2887_m.jpg" alt="interrent hard worker" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a> <p>Furthermore the excellent, friendly internet employee with a toothy smile is still there working as hard as ever! He always has a friendly smile and speaks French as fluently as he speaks English. He now definitely has at least one colleague to help drive the cars around. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/08/29/travel-tipc3372ab7b9129fb8d4ca9ed1bf70899blisbon-4654262/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/08/29/travel-tipc3372ab7b9129fb8d4ca9ed1bf70899blisbon-4654262/Fri, 29 Aug 2008 16:17:15 +0200 <p>I sometimes wonder if people in this country think there was some sort of golden age in the 1940s and 1950s. A lot of people seem to be very nostalgic about the past while paying less attention to the future's challenges.</p>  <a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/firstmoves/2703921" title="Firstmoves"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/921/2703921_329d7de89e_m.jpg" alt="Firstmoves" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a> [Photo courtesy of A1 Steam Locomotive Trust] <p>That thought crossed my mind again with the launch of the <a href="http://www.a1steam.com/">first steam engine for 50 years</a>. Don't misunderstand me, I am certainly not knocking the determination and achievement ot the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust; they should be congratulated on their achievement. It is just that there seems to be too little attention focused on building a railway fit for the 21st Century.</p> <p>While countries like France, Germany, Italy and Spain have been steadily been building their high speed railway networks, we are stuck with a mere branch line from Calais to St Pancras. The original plan to have Eurostar trains run through to Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow were quietly dropped. It took 3 decades to come to a decision on CrossRail in London while Paris has already got 4 RER lines and German cities have their cross-city S-Bahn lines. </p> <p>Similarly Heathrow airport is served by the branch line for the Heathrow Express. Heathrow is close to the Paddington to Reading line and to the Staines line from Waterloo. Heathrow ought to be a railway hub for trains coming from Paddington, Reading, Waterloo and Basingstoke.</p> <p>Our visionary Victorian railway engineers like Robert Stevenson and Isambard Kingdon Brunel must be turning in their graves! We should value our history but not at the expense of our future. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/08/02/branch-line-mentality-4533157/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/08/02/branch-line-mentality-4533157/Sat, 02 Aug 2008 13:59:34 +0200 <p>A challenge that Mrs O and I have had for many years is synchronisation of holidays. My American employer is absolutely driven by a quarter end rush - end January, end April, end July and end October. Mrs O's holidays are driven by the local education authority. Result is that she wanted to go on holiday at the end of last week and I could get one day off to help set up the tent.</p> <p>Checking the weather forecast around the middle of last week suggested that the weekend would be showery. We hit the road on the early hours of Friday and reached our Cornish destination in good time. We set up the tent then went for a 10 km walk along the beach to a supermarket then back along a direct return route.</p> <p>Yestereday we did a wonderful walk from Rinsey to Porthlevel by striking inland and then returning along the coast path. It was a thrilling 4 hour trip. This was followed by a BBQ at the campsite.</p> <p>This morning we went to a church service in St Ives where we heard a sermon on Daniel chapter 9. The sermon focused on how Daniel not only confessed his own sins, but confessed the sins of his nation Israel. It went on to deal with asking for God's forgiveness. There was plenty that could be applied to me our to our UK nation at present.</p> <p>After a short lunch, it was back on the train home. The downside is that I probably face an awful pressure in the coming week. The upside is that the trainride is beautiful - sorry no photos! This is one of the only connections in the week directly from W Cornwall to Hampshire and while slow from Penzance to Exeter is reasonalby fast after Exeter. </p> <p>I was fairly upset to part from my wife knowing that we will not be able to enjoy things together. Nevertheless I should not omit the blessings of the train ride. The views over coastline were absolutely spectacular whether it was Par to Gribbin Head, the river Teign around Teignmouth or the red sandstone cliffs around Dawlish or across the Exe towards Sidmouth. The white cliffs of the Jurassic Coast were also visible. Similarly to my trip from Inverness to London there were great city views. Rail journeys not only offer good countryside views but usually pass through cities in a way that motorways do not. There were great views of the centres of Truro, Exeter and Salisbury.</p> <p>So now, I'm back at home awaiting a difficult week at work...must not feel self pity!!! Ughh!!! </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/07/27/great-weekend-sad-homecoming-4508461/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/07/27/great-weekend-sad-homecoming-4508461/Sun, 27 Jul 2008 23:34:40 +0200 <p>Have you ever had the feeling that you are being ripped off by insurers or other financial service companies? I have that feeling from time to time and I got another nasty dose of it yesterday.</p> <p>One example was when I bought a second hand car for Mrs O at a "car supermarket" in West London. We had just moved back from Germany and a friend had recommended the place. There was certainly a good choice of vehicles. I signed up for an "extended warranty" agreement which seemed like a good idea given that I had no friendly mechanic to inspect the vehicle. A year later there was a serious mechanical failure and my wife arranged for the vehicle to be towed in for repair. I realised that we should call the extended warranty company and called them after the event. I was told in no uncertain terms that I had invalidated the warranty by not phoning the company before arranging for the car to be towed and repaired. When I protested that this was a ripoff the call centre referred me to the clause in the agreement. Indeed deep in the small print there was a clause to that effect.</p> <p>One of my sons is on an InterRailing holiday in Europe. He asked if he was covered by my travel insurance policy that I have through my work. I duly read the main sections of the policy but not the detailed small print. I concluded that he was well covered for things like theft of baggage and loss of tickets or passport. On Sunday he called from Krakow Poland to say that his rucksack had been stolen from his youth hostel with practically everything in it. I thought I would call the insurance company to get a claim form and was horrified to be told that he was not covered. His youth hostel had no lockers left so he had put a padlock to close his rucksack to protect it. I was duly referred to a clause in the policy which says that if a bag is unaccompanied claims are only valid if they are locked away with receipt to prove that it was locked away. I think you need a lawyer to help you make a claim. Despite that I am glad that my son was unharmed.</p> <p>Aaaarghhh! </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/07/10/check-the-small-print-4431140/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://oddsends.blog.co.uk/2008/07/10/check-the-small-print-4431140/Thu, 10 Jul 2008 19:43:15 +0200