Brexit, for once some facts.

[oyster]

Did you see that Ocado has had another fire at one of their warehouses? Three robots crashed into each other.

I can't help wondering the implications of this sort of event. I think most of us would imagine that a purpose-built warehouse, with relatively low top speeds, is an order of magnitude less complex than real-world roads. And I suspect that the robots are actually pretty darned expensive and quite sophisticated.

Yet still they manage to have a pile-up. And start a fire.

And the government continues with plans to allow self-driving cars this year...

 

[Woosh]

It was a topical jest about the moon actually wobbling, flecc, just seemed appropriate.
NASA predicts moon 'wobble' and climate change will lead to more floods, more often The slightest change in the moon's orbit could see big problems for coastal regions.

the moon wobbles? did you watch the 'Dark' series on Netflix? I am afraid for our lot, we are stuck in a 33 year-cycle based on the Einstein-Rosen-bridge theory. Fancy seeing BJ coming back as PM in 2019+33=2052.

 

[oyster]

Fancy seeing BJ

One of the simplest questions. No.

Though it might be possible to come up with imagined situations of such unpleasantness to him that actually seeing him in them would counteract the fundamental visceral reaction to seeing him.

 

[oyster]

They can't even get their own ministers understanding their isolation policies.

Does this reflect on the mental capacity of those defining and promulgating the policy or the ministers who fail to understand?

No 10 insists it is 'crucial' for people to isolate when pinged, in rebuke to minister who implied otherwise

Downing Street has in effect slapped down Paul Scully, the business minister, for suggesting it is acceptable for people to ignore a request from the NHS Covid app to isolate. (See 9.25am.) A No 10 spokeswoman said:

Isolation remains the most important action people can take to stop the spread of the virus.

Given the risk of having and spreading the virus when people have been in contact with someone with Covid it is crucial people isolate when they are told to do so, either by NHS Test and Trace or by the NHS covid app.

Businesses should be supporting employees to isolate, they should not be encouraging them to break isolation.

This suggests that Scully, and his business minister colleague Gerry Grimstone, were freelancing when they started pointing out that people could ignore the app, and not peddling an agreed No 10 line.

Or both?

 

[oldgroaner]

the moon wobbles? did you watch the 'Dark' series on Netflix? I am afraid for our lot, we are stuck in a 33 year-cycle based on the Einstein-Rosen-bridge theory. Fancy seeing BJ coming back as PM in 2019+33=2052.

NO!

 

[oldgroaner]

Did you see that Ocado has had another fire at one of their warehouses? Three robots crashed into each other.

I can't help wondering the implications of this sort of event. I think most of us would imagine that a purpose-built warehouse, with relatively low top speeds, is an order of magnitude less complex than real-world roads. And I suspect that the robots are actually pretty darned expensive and quite sophisticated.

Yet still they manage to have a pile-up. And start a fire.

And the government continues with plans to allow self-driving cars this year...

Were the robots supplied by Serco?

 

[oldgroaner]

They can't even get their own ministers understanding their isolation policies.

Does this reflect on the mental capacity of those defining and promulgating the policy or the ministers who fail to understand?

No 10 insists it is 'crucial' for people to isolate when pinged, in rebuke to minister who implied otherwise

Downing Street has in effect slapped down Paul Scully, the business minister, for suggesting it is acceptable for people to ignore a request from the NHS Covid app to isolate. (See 9.25am.) A No 10 spokeswoman said:




This suggests that Scully, and his business minister colleague Gerry Grimstone, were freelancing when they started pointing out that people could ignore the app, and not peddling an agreed No 10 line.

Or both?

Both I suspect!
It was a Cummings Nudge

 

[flecc]

No 10 insists it is 'crucial' for people to isolate when pinged, in rebuke to minister who implied otherwise

Seems business is no better.

I've just got back from my Sainsburys superstore. All of the customers were masked but none of the staff were.

What is worse though is that they've removed all of the perspex separators around and between the self checkouts, leaving us shoulder to shoulder again, and removed screens from some other parts of the store such as internal service counters.
.

 

[Danidl]

Seems business is no better.

I've just got back from my Sainsburys superstore. All of the customers were masked but none of the staff were.

What is worse though is that they've removed all of the perspex separators around and between the self checkouts, leaving us shoulder to shoulder again, and removed screens from some other parts of the store such as internal service counters.
.

That seems difficult to follow , but maybe they felt compelled to. It cost money to put them up and now money to remove them. The only logical reason, I can think is that they might be concerned that they are contravening Fire Brigade evacuation regulations. While the emergency regulations were in force, they had an force majure excuse for a contravention, but with that removed , they would need to get new assessments.

 

[flecc]

And the government continues with plans to allow self-driving cars this year...

I doubt we need worry about this. The systems simply don't work remotely well enough to cope with British urban areas where 86% of the population live. So every journey for most starts manually and will continue that way until reaching roads with fully lined lanes, motorway style,

But although they can cope with that, not too well it seems. Nissan stress their system shouldn't be used above 60 mph, so the slow lorry lane only, which I doubt many will want to drive in on motorways.

And Elon Musk of Tesla seems to have lost confidence after their fatal accidents. His latest technical submission to the US department of transport only claims level 2 ability, in other words full time driver control with the system only as an aid, therefore like Nissan's.
.

 

[flecc]

That seems difficult to follow , but maybe they felt compelled to. It cost money to put them up and now money to remove them. The only logical reason, I can think is that they might be concerned that they are contravening Fire Brigade evacuation regulations. While the emergency regulations were in force, they had an force majure excuse for a contravention, but with that removed , they would need to get new assessments.

I think that is highly unlikely, the personal service counter screens were simply face separators, not in any way impeding access or egress. Since they also had a large sign in the entrance saying customers don't need to mask any more and had got rid of the extensive hand cleansing station and the one way entry and exit signs too, I got the impression they just wanted to get straight back to "do as you please" normal.

It will be interesting to see whether the customers will continue masking given these negative influences.
.

 

[oldgroaner]

Is this how governments that are not Fascist are supposed to behave?

 

[oyster]

We got rid of Asquith during WW1. Can we please get rid of Johnson... Much of the criticism of Asquith applies to Johnson. Where is our Lloyd George?

 

[oldgroaner]

We got rid of Asquith during WW1. Can we please get rid of Johnson... Much of the criticism of Asquith applies to Johnson. Where is our Lloyd George?

To hell with that! where is Cromwell when you need him?
(Not applicable in NI or Eire I might recommend!)

 

[oyster]

To hell with that! where is Cromwell when you need him?
(Not applicable in NI or Eire I might recommend!)

Thomas or Oliver?

 

[oldgroaner]

Thomas or Oliver?

We already have the duff one!

 

[oyster]

I see our local cases have risen from about 25 in April to over 290. Despite summer weather.

 

[flecc]

I see our local cases have risen from about 25 in April to over 290. Despite summer weather.

We are doing OK in the London Borough of Croydon. From highish levels here's been a drop of just over 33% in confirmed cases from week ending 8th July and week ending 15th July. So trending the right way.

And our weather in the latest period is heat wave stuff, 24 to 30 degrees reached each day.
.

 

[oyster]

Just one bleeding day!

Tory MPs suspended for trying to influence judge in Elphicke case
Day’s suspension ordered for MPs who wrote to senior judges before hearing in sexual assault case

 

[flecc]

E-car news - Another of my intermittent reports on electric car information.

When I first got my Nissan Leaf fully electric car in 2018 the indicated range at end of charge in warm weather was between 165 and 172 miles, compared with the WLTP mixed use official figure of 168 miles. Some may recall that when I tested that twice it was easily met in practice with some to spare.

Now over three and a quarter years later it hasn't changed at all, my charge completed yesterday for example indicating 172 miles available. It's easy to see now how these batteries have been reported as lasting for ten years with little or no loss.

It's a far cry from when Nissan launched the first Leaf and knowing no better, nervously gave a 5 year with 25% loss of capacity battery warranty, their fingers firmly crossed hoping that would prove true. Obviously they are very happy with the outcome and it's given huge confidence to all the other e-car makers in the market now.

E-car Li-ion battery technology matched with their very low stress battery environment has made them a winner, especially given their running costs are a fraction of that of ICE cars.
.