General

Follow through with me here.

Marketing calls to individuals on the telephone preference service are illegal. Our fixed-line phone companies (BT, for example) know who just called us. Why, when we get a nuisance call can we not simply pick up the phone and dial a 5-digit code which allows us to report the last call as a nuisance? That would seem to work on a lot of levels: consumers often don't know where the caller is coming from, and shouldn't have to do a lot of work to report these cases. In addition, numbers are often withheld, or the message is recorded. I wouldn't even mind answering, say, three questions about the call by pressing keys on my keypad if it helped with the investigation of this callers.

Sadly, I suspect that phone companies want to make revenue whoever is making the call, whether it bothers the recipient or not.

This is what I got back in response to my complaint about the Avatar 3D showing I attended on Saturday.

Just sent the following complaint to Empire Cinemas after my disappointment in Wycombe when I went to see Avatar 3D. Utter madness, and all caused by cost-cutting and bad management.

This afternoon the weather was absolutely beautiful, and there were several gliders up from Wycombe Air Park. I thought I'd pop up there (a couple of miles at the most from Mum's) and take a look around.

I started by dropping into the office, logbook in hand. That broke the ice with the receptionist immediately, and we got chatting about prices for flying in the club. Finally, she radioed the launch point and the CFI, Mike Cotter gave me the go-ahead to enter the field and pay them a visit.

See the Guardian article on traffic light removal in Ealing.

A comment from one user: PhilippaB at 06 May 09, 2:07pm

The electric traffic light ...is a device inimical to the British character of waiting our turn. The British people should be trusted. When given freedom, a spontaneous order emerges, not anarchic chaos. We form a polite queue.

Isn't there then a danger that at busy junctions/crossroads, traffic will be slowed down even more as people wave each other on with cheerful cries of "after you, my good man!" - "no, please, I insist, after you!" - "Oh, really, you are too kind, good sir, but I really must insist!" - "Nay, sirrah, the privilege is yours!" etc etc.

Thus, traffic lights could be seen as actually speeding traffic up, by preventing drivers from being rendered immobile by their innate sense of generosity and fair play.

More tea vicar?

Some of you may have read about my proposed trip through France. In the light of the huge number of miles, I think I'm going to scale back my expectations so that I can spend more time relaxing, rather than driving. If I think how tiring it is just doing a weekend run up to the Lake District and back, I'm simply not being realistic about my health and happiness in a 10-day trip. I'll save a longer run for when I can share the journey (and driving!) with Clare, and take a little more time. Going with someone else effectively halves all the costs as well: rooms for two cost as much as rooms for one, normally, and the fuel bill is halved. On the subject of halves, I'm also inclined to believe that other halves make for more fun holidays!

Accordingly, here is my adjusted route:


View a big'un

My stop-off in La Rochelle is due to the fact that I have a friend to visit there. It is also a great town that I've visited before, and, in fact, was the subject of one of my old French GCSE textbooks (don't ask me the name... Encore Tricolor?) I feel the place needs more exploration!

My plan will be to blatt through industrial France, sticking to the countryside where possible, and avoiding toll-roads. I'm hoping for sun (aren't we all?) and to find nice, reasonable places to stay. If you care to join me, you're welcome!

P.S. Thanks to all who kindly gave southerly suggestions. I'll make use of them in due course, but Atlantic Coast sights are of particular interest now!