TV

Television annoys me so much that I've started a new blog for my criticism Unreal TV.
It still uses the old Blogger, so is not as easy to update as this Blog.
My wife has a really interesting Blog where she notes everything she ate. I know you're thinking 'well he would say that they're married' and that is true, but it really is interesting.
Go on have a look, if you don't like it you can always have a moan at me.

Yes, Copyright Pirates have already killed TV

The effects of piracy are already visible.
Piracy reduces the amount of money available to the programme makers, which inexorably leads to a reduction in quality and choice.
The big problem is that a lot of people do not realise that they are committing piracy when they copy a friend's disk. I support PCs and I've lost count of the number of times I have been asked to copy Microsoft Office onto a computer, for free. Most of these people obtain it from a friend who thinks it's alright to give copies away as long as they don't pay for it.
Producing good programmes for TV, software, or films costs a lot of money. Piracy cuts the producer off from some of their earnings, so they either cannot produce more work, or have a smaller budget for it.
Look at the TV guide, there are only about 6 channels that show any decent programmes and even they intersperse them with cheap rubbish. The schedules are flooded with shopping, betting, phone-in and reality shows. Producers love these because they cost a fraction of the amount that a good programme does.

10 free ways to cut carbon emissions

I think that global warming is a reality, but there is still doubt regarding whether it's a natural phenomenon. If it is it will go away, probably not in my lifetime, but it's part of the Earth's natural cycle. If it's man-made, we should do something about it.
The whole argument about global warming and carbon emissions misses the point.
The major cause of both of these is the burning of fossil fuels. The Earth is a finite size and fossil fuels only occur in the crust, which is a thin layer near the surface. The crust occupies less than 1% of the total volume of the planet (see Wikipedia).
The supply of fossil fuels is limited, they will run out. It is only a case of when!!
I hear people saying that there's nothing they can do about this, but they are so wrong! There are a number of low cost, or free, things that we can all do to save the planet.

1. Unplug or switch off any electrical appliance you're not using. TV, Stereo, even your phone charger;
2. Stop ironing your clothes, an iron uses more electricity than an old-fashioned 2 bar electric fire, 2 units an hour;
3. Fill your dishwasher and washing machine. Avoid running them partially empty;
4. Fit low energy light bulbs. They can each save around 86 units, that's £8 at current prices, per year. Cheap ones cost less than £2 each and even an expensive one will pay for itself in less than a year and go on saving for up to 15 years;
5. Turn your central heating down 1 degree C (2 degrees Fahrenheit), that can save 10% off your heating bill;
6. Use your microwave less often, for example allow time for frozen food to defrost at room temperature;
7. Don't heat an empty oven, try to fill it with food;
8. Don't accelerate so hard and anticipate when you'll need to slow down. Contrary to popular belief acceleration uses more petrol than driving at a steady speed. Driving a couple of mph slower will also help;
9. Reverse your car when you stop, not when you start. A cold engine uses more fuel than a hot one and reverse gear is the lowest gear in most vehicles. Reversing with a cold engine can increase consumption to around 2mpg, so it doesn't take much to make a difference;
10. Empty your car, don't drive round with unnecessary heavy items in it. It takes fuel to move every pound, less weight = less fuel;

Ok one of these isn't free, but it will very quickly pay for itself.

Cyclists

I enjoy cycling, so it annoys me when I see an idiot on a bike.
The ones who insist on cycling down the road, when there's a perfectly good cycle path. They slow down the traffic, usually wear dark clothing and have no lights.
The news always makes out that the motorist is wrong when they knock someone off their bike. I've come so close to doing it myself that I know that most of the time the poor driver never had a chance.
Adults who believe it's safer to ride on the footpath. They don't take into consideration the poor pedestrian. I'm usually accompanied by two dogs, so cyclists on the footpath cause complete mayhem. The old dog is fine, but the puppy is only 9 months old, therefore still being trained. One of these days I'll be taken by surprise by a cyclist coming from behind and she's going to end up in a nasty tangle on the ground. She just wants to lick everyone she meets, but you wouldn't think so from the leaping about and noise.
I agree that very small children should be allowed to cycle on the footpath, provided they are carefully supervised. Anyone over the age of 5 should be on the road, wearing bright clothes and with approved reflectors and lights on their bike.
This photo shows the difference reflective clothing can make:

It's cheap, effective and could save your life. If you ride a bike on the highway, be seen!

Buses

The world is running out of oil and global warming is a reality. We must do something urgently to persuade people to use their cars less. Buses are certainly not the solution in this area.
It's a common cry that it isn't easy being green. You really do have to put yourself out if you want to help save the planet, for example...
I may have mentioned that I live in East Kent, this used to be the name of the local bus company. Several years ago they were taken over by Stagecoach, which is one of the biggest transport operators in the UK.
On the whole this has not been a good thing. When I was a teenager I used to go to and from school in Sandwich, by bus. The buses were frequent, punctual and ran from early morning until late at night. We used to occasionally go to Canterbury for the evening and the last bus home ran at 10:30 pm. Not very late, but good enough for a film and a pint.
Stagecoach have a range of special tickets allowing people to travel extremely cheaply. One of these is called the Nightrider and offers unlimited travel on East Kent buses after 7pm.
I could use this to catch the last bus to Canterbury, which leaves at 19:19, but I wouldn't be able to return until the following morning, because the later buses from Canterbury stop at Eastry.
This is Kent's largest village and it's 5.5 mile (9 kilometre) away from my house. Would you walk that distance down unlit country lanes late at night?
I don't think so! It would be fairly safe, as there's little traffic, but still beyond what I'm prepared to do to be green.
What about other nearby towns, like Dover 8 miles south of here?
Not a chance!
The last bus to Dover was the last bus from Dover. Let me clarify that. The last bus leaves from Dover at 18:16 and returns to Dover at 19:29.
I like to be green and use public transport whenever possible. I never drink and drive, so it's very fortunate that there are lots of public houses in Deal.

Tests

The classic example of a useless test is the UK MOT (Ministry of Transport) test. This is supposed to ensure that a vehicle, over 3 years old, is roadworthy.
The owner has to take it to an official testing station (their local garage) once a year to be tested. If the vehicle passes the owner is given a certificate that enables them to use the car for the next year.
What's wrong with that?
Well there are several faults in this process:
a) Each item tested is passed or failed. There's no guarantee that an item which passed won't fail the instant that you leave the garage.
b) The test is the same whether you drive 1000, or 100,000, miles every year.
Like most tests this is better than nothing, but not ideal.

My least favourite test is the driving test.
I know that some people fail, but most people pass eventually. Drivers think that passing the test means that they are as competent as Michael Schumacher. This is as realistic as thinking you can pilot a jumbo jet, because you can fly a kite.
Passing the test really means that you are allowed to carry on refining your driving skills, without supervision. This point should be stressed by all examiners, but obviously isn't judging by the statistics.
24% of deaths on UK roads are drivers under the age of 25! Considering that 17 is the minimum age for taking a driving test, that means that nearly one in four teenagers taking the test will dead within 8 years.
RoadPeace has some interesting statistics, including the fact that over 1,000,000 people die every year in road accidents. Compare this with the numbers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan and it's obvious that the automobile is the most lethal weapon ever invented.
I'm particulary incensed by the infringments of the highway code that I see every day. Like most drivers I am also a pedestrian and a cyclist, but unlike most I don't forget this as soon as I climb into the driving seat.
If you are a driver see how many of the questions in my next post you can answer correctly.

Introduction

This is my first post on a blog, so I’m going to outline some of the subjects I’ll cover in later posts.
I have spent most of the last 40 years commuting to work. Whenever possible I use public transport, even though this can be challenging in East Kent where I live.
Many people have the benefit of 24 hour public transport, but this area is not that lucky. The trains run from 5 in the morning, until just after midnight, but the bus services are only available for about 12 hours, from 7-7. Sunday is even worse.
In this era of high speed trains, our train service averages around 40mph (65kph), because it stops so often. Rush hour trains make 15-17 stops between Deal and Charing Cross, or Cannon Street.
The press and politicians concentrate on the punctuality and reliability of the train service, but I’m more concerned about the hours I’ve wasted sitting on a hard seat in a draught. I suppose that I should be grateful that I can sit; many people have to stand, because of the overcrowding. I read today that one railway company reacted to this by cutting a service. How is that supposed to improve matters?
I also own a car, which I use as little as possible. I don’t enjoy driving as much as I used to. The roads are crowded with idiots, who think that they drive well, just because they have passed what is laughingly referred to as a driving test. I am not a fan of tests of any sort, passing a test only proves that you were lucky enough to know the answers to the questions posed. In the case of the UK driving test, I firmly believe that this is a political hot potato.
The government knows that it is to easy to pass, but they won’t make it harder because that would lead to delays and complaints. There are therefore too many people with driving licences and most of them insist upon using them at every opportunity.