SimonBlog

If you work in a field (such as patents) where the exact date of publication of a document is important, do not rely on the date printed on a newspaper or magazine as being the actual date of publication. It is not uncommon for weekly news magazines to reach subscribers the day before the printed date, and sometimes newspapers have early editions published before the printed date. Some magazines were traditionally sold the month before the stated month, and went on sale a day or so earlier (e.g. an October magazine might be on sale by say August 29 or so). If the document you are concerned with is such a publication, check the exact publication date carefully. It’s likely to be earlier than stated. This even ignores the question of time zones (which are maybe more of an issue for online publications). The UK Intellectual Property Office do their weekly publication run after 13:00 precisely so that patents and patent applications are not “available to the public” earlier than the date s...

There are calls among some people to abolish standing charges in the UK for electricity and gas. I do recall a time, a little over 10 years ago (and I don't know when this started and ended) when, instead of a "standing charge", there were "primary units" and "secondary units" of electricity and gas, the "primary units" being more expensive to in effect collect the equivalent of a standing charge. Why did this end with standing charges brought back? Who forced this?

It has occurred to me that the typical Acela service is AWFUL. The average speed from DC to Boston is slightly slower than the average  speed from London to Edinburgh on the slow  intercity that goes via Birmingham (the UK one is 71 mph, Acela is 69 mph; the fast Euston to Glasgow or King's Cross to Edinburgh is typically around 90 mph average).

 UK drive-up airport parking seems to be hilariously expensive at major airports, e.g. at Manchester Airport it is £58 per day. https://www.manchesterairport.co.uk/parking/turn-up-and-park/ It should be noted that parking in central Manchester  is closer to £20.50 a day. https://www.manchester.gov.uk/directory_record/394691/arndale_centre/category/1790/resident_permits_available While expensive, and no doubt there are cheaper options, £20.50 per day  for central Manchester  is perhaps tolerable. Manchester Airport's price is more expensive than drive-up parking in central London . (It is less to park at the Westfield at Shepherd's Bush which is £15 a day, or if available parking at Hounslow West tube station which is £6.50 per day or £31.20 per week.) I also saw a price for a random, very central, London car park at £35.95 a day. But why is UK major airport drive-up parking so hilariously expensive? More than central Manchester or even central London?

As is well known, Rochester lost its official city status in 1998 when the current Medway Council was formed. This was apparently deliberate but the reason is unknown (either saving a few quid or animosity). https://democracy.medway.gov.uk/Data/Regeneration%20&%20Community%20Overview%20and%20Scrutiny%20Committee/20030304/Agenda/Report%20(Agenda%20item%205)%203.pdf   Medway repeatedly apply for city status (for the whole of Medway Council) and have, repeatedly, been denied. They are adamant that any city status should be for the whole borough. However  I think I have found a solution. The historic area of the (former) City of Rochester can no longer form "Charter Trustees". What they can  do is become a Parish/Town council, i.e. a local authority in their own right. This could then apply for city status, and also as its own council would be able to independently do some minor functions like keep the city centre clear of litter. http://askyourcouncil.uk/understanding-yo...

The British government seem to be intent on abolishing the BBC television licence fee. And yet it is not clear that there are better funding alternatives. Direct "grant in aid", as used to be provided for the World Service, would make the BBC even more dependent on government largesse Advertising, while used already for non-UK services, would compromise independence if it beame more than a minor source of funding Subscription is impractical for broadcast radio and television, and undesirable at least for the text parts of the websites Other commercial sales, while useful, will not bridge the gap. I think the licence fee is the least worst option. If this is to end, I would much prefer direct taxpayer "grant in aid" to the other alternatives (acknowledging that they are already far too beholden to government as it is so an annual grant may not make much difference).

Cambridge has a reputation for being one of the best universities in the UK for STEM subjects. However, even as a Cambridge graduate, I must caution people considering applying about the grading system. A lot of STEM subjects have fairly strict norm referencing (there is some leeway), based on percentages per degree class which were definitely generous when they were set but now are mean compared with degree class inflation that has occurred elsewhere. If you do go to Cambridge, please bear this in mind and please also bear in mind that many employers anonymise applications (including the name of the university) and as such this relative strictness may not be taken into account if you do get a 2:1 which might be a first elsewhere, or a 2:2 which might be a 2:1 elsewhere. I have no knowledge of the situation for Oxford. I suspect it is similar.

What do passport e-gates actually check? And, in particular, are they really sufficient to prevent immigration abuses from us who live in western countries? Ben, of BenBlog fame, thinks they are enough. With respect, if the aim is secure immigration then they are not. But then GWR-style e-tickets are also a step back from security so I guess Ben  wins?

Some may remember R v Middlemiss , a Canadian military case where Master Seaman Middlemiss was fined and reprimanded for refusing to pay for and attend a mess dinner. I get that mess dinners are part of the military tradition (in Canada, the UK, the USA and no doubt elsewhere). But a direct order to pay for “compulsory fun” sits uneasily with me. An order to attend a unit team-building event is one thing, an order to spend money is another. One might argue that mess dues and extra messing charges are such an obligation also; one might equally argue that it is perhaps justified to subject officers to different obligations than other ranks. I also appreciate that in US basic training they do order you to pay for haircuts and for some items of non-issue kit, which also sits uneasily with me. I think the British military technically allows you to bring the relevant items but discourages it. I still don’t think “tradition” justifies military orders to spend money, other than to reimburse fo...

Network Rail published a strategy essentially stating that most of the Great Britain railway network should be electrified with 25 kV overhead wires, and hydrogen and batteries should be reserved for special cases. (In the case of hydrogen this is good, as making the hydrogen uses a large amount of energy. There is no need for railways to use hydrogen ever , or even batteries except in depots or maybe  for very short branch lines.) https://www.networkrail.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Traction-Decarbonisation-Network-Strategy-Interim-Programme-Business-Case.pdf So why do the UK government hate the idea of such investment? Indeed, they seem a LOT more keen to have OLE on roads than on railways! A similar argument can be made re opposition to HS2. My issue is that it is insufficiently ambitious, even as proposed never mind with the misguided government cuts. I would make one change. The western leg of HS2, including Birmingham to Toton, should be built in full , and should be exte...