Feeling Deflated

As of this week, we have managed to get a total of 4 flat tyres on the cars over the last year. That's equivalent to an entire set. Two of those flats have been simple nails in the tread and have been easily repaired. The other two have been tears in the side wall which have necessitated a new tyre. On all occasions it has meant fitting the space space-saver tyre and heading down to the local tyre fitters. Space saver tyres are far from ideal but they will, at least, allow a gentle run home or to the nearest fast-fit centre. Increasingly, cars are not being fitted with a spare of any type and instead get a "can of gunk"  which is intended to plug and inflate a punctured tyre until they can be changed. Personally, I'm not convinced.

Part of the reasoning behind the tyre emergency repair kits is to save space and weight. Saving space means that the car is more functional (bigger boot etc) which is good. Saving weight means that the car will use slightly less fuel. This is good to a point but it does mean that if a tyre goes flat the emergency can needs using. For our punctures, this would have worked for the simple nail in the tread but we wouldn't have been able to get the tyres repaired: once the gunk is used they have to be replaced. For the two times we had split side-walls we would have been completely knackered as the gunk can't typically deal with this - the only solution would have been a call to the AA (or a mobile tyre fitting firm). Whereas the cost saving from the reduced fuel consumption is welcome I can see this being completely overridden by the extra cost of the replacement tyres. Of course, the car companies are quite keen on dropping the spares. Partly this is to save on costs (a spare will add to the vehicle cost) but it also allows them to reduce the official CO2 figure which buys all sorts of tax benefits. However, if the additional cost is writing off perfectly serviceable and repairable tyres or dragging out the AA with a pick-up truck and then scrapping repairable tyres then the environmental saving is somewhat of a mirage.

One possible other solution is to use run-flat tyres. These allow the driver to carry on driving at reduced speed for a short while - theoretically enough to get to a repair centre. BMW fits these on many cars and one of my colleagues can attest to their effectiveness - although by the time he made it to the tyre centre the tyre was damaged beyond repair. However, the problem with many run-flat tyres is that they have significantly higher rolling resistance then the equivalent standard tubeless rubber. This means that any fuel saving from the weight reduction is lost back at the tyre. Having said that, I can see the advantage of not having to get out and change the thing. Usually, when I have to change a tyre, I am stuck in some sort of monsoon conditions and end up losing my rag like a scene from The Incredible Hulk:

One of my colleagues has just bought a VW Up! Which does not come with a spare as standard. Apparently VW offer a full size spare as an optional extra and I advised my colleague to go for this. Whether she would be happy changing the tyre herself is another matter. As for the space in the car, I don't think it compromises it too much. The Up! is remarkably spacious for a city car. In fact they seem to have copied the best bits from the Toyota Aygo and fixed the downsides (the Up! actually has a usable boot space). The optional spare was £50 - I suspect that a call-out from a breakdown firm will cost at least that much.

Phone Home...

My mobile phone broke a couple of weeks ago. For some people, this would have been a major catastrophe. I know people who regard mobile phones in the same category as water or oxygen. For me, I have never really taken to the concept. I have had a phone for almost 15 years now but I tend to use one as I used to use a public call box - for outgoing calls only. Once in a while, it is convenient to be contactable and I will leave the phone switched on when I know I need to be called but for the most part I rather enjoy the concept of being "out".

For someone who works in the technology industries I find that I am not entirely enamoured to new technology. It's not a case of Luddism but merely a scepticism over claims of the wonders of new technology. I used to be an early adoptor in thrall of the latest technological gizmos but, ultimately, I have had my fingers burnt too often  (Interestingly, a BBC Editor appreciated just such a comment on the subject this week see #68 ). Given that I only really use a phone occasionally for outgoing calls it might be assumed that I have no interest in the latest multi-function phones but I can see their uses. I do tend to think smart phones are a bit wanky but this doesn't mean that they don't do things that appeal to me. I bought my last phone, not because of it's call making potential, but because I wanted an MP3 player. Now, I don't use it anything like as much as I imagined (I'm still more of a CD man) but the phone I chose was effectively a Sony Walkman MP3 player that also happened to be a phone. It also did other things (the FM radio was nice) but I actually rather liked the fact that I could hide away mobile phone functionality into something that provided genuine use to me: well, at least until it stopped functioning somewhere around Lockerbie.

I did think of just sticking with my works phone for a while. However, I do prefer to keep my work and personal life separate and I also fancied having something else a bit functional to carry around with me. In fact, the thought came to me when I was at the BBC Television Centre - I'd really like to have a half decent camera as well as a phone. Now we have a couple of small point and click cameras - both Kodaks (who, unfortunately, have now pulled out of the camera business). But what I wanted was a reasonable camera built into a cheap phone. I narrowed it down to two options: an LG feature phone and a T-Mobile own brand item called a Vivacity. After some deliberation I went for the latter (mainly because I could get it cheap on an upgrade deal from T-Mobile). This is an Android phone and it is different from my previous phones in a couple of ways. Firstly, it is a fully fledged smart phone with a proper operating system. Secondly, it has a touch screen.

In the first instance, the touch screen was causing me a bit of a problem. I just didn't seem to be able to get it to work. Also, my fingers seemed to be far to fat. I think the problem is that I don't just prod away when I am typing. I can type very quickly - provided I have something that is modelled on the classic IBM type M keyboard which is naturally moulded to my wide techie fingers. The other thing with the touch screen is that it requires motions to perform the mouse functions which are just not that natural to me. Finally, I had an epiphany and managed to make the whole thing work effectively - I removed the protective plastic sheet from the screen: it worked far better. However, this also revealed another bugbear of touch screens: they get very mucky very quickly. I struggle somewhat to read the screen at the best of times (mainly my own fault for being a bi-focal refusenik) but when the screen is smeared in fingerprints it really makes the process that much worse. One thing that did surprise me with this phone is how well the internet works when connected to the wireless modem. It's not as easy to browse as a PC with a 22" screen but it is certainly readable.

I did say that I bought my previous phone for it's MP3 capability. This phone does it as well, in fact surprisingly well and at least as good as the Sony did - quite impressive as it is not their stock in trade. The supplied headphones are OK but I did plug in the cheap cans I leave next to the PC and the improvement is phenomenal. I even tried it on my home HI-FI and it sounds perfectly reasonable although the top end distortion from the MP3 compression is very noticeable. The FM radio that was included works, of sorts, but it is nowhere near as good as the RDS one that was included on the Sony. I suppose you can't have it all ways.

The camera facility is what I actually bought the phone for and, at over 5 Megapixels, it actually has a higher resolution than the first digital camera I bought over 10 years ago (an Olympus model). The one thing I wasn't expecting is for the pictures to be to the same quality as a point-and-click camera. It's not why I bought it. I've tried a few shots and it seems to be fairly reasonable but it does have it's limitations. Partly, this is because of the touch screen. Whereas a point-and-click camera will have the shutter button located to the side (thus ensuring a firm grip) the camera phone requires a tap to the screen for the picture to be taken which immediately wobbles the whole unit. It appears to compensate for this by having a very long delay between the tap and the picture being taken - by long, I mean 2 to 3 seconds rather than the few tenths that may be experienced with the Kodak units. For simple snapshots, this isn't a problem but it does limit other uses which I will demonstrate through the medium of whippets...

This is Eddie at the park. Originally Sam was in shot but had accelerated off shot like a velociraptor by the time the photo was taken:

  To get a better shot of Eddie I took this when he was slumped down in his basket:

However, that was actually the second attempt as when I clicked the first time, this happened:

Finally, I managed to get Sam to sit still for this:

You can tell the flash was used as his eyes are lit up like laser beams: although his eyes really are that close together normally. For this he was concentrating on a bottle of beer which I was holding behind the camera. The dog rescue people never tell you that the mutts are wanton alcoholics but I suppose it has its uses.

Unlike my previous phone, this one also includes a camcorder. I did try to get Eddie to do a piece to camera but the best I could get out of him was a half hearted "Want one!":

 Well, that's whippets for you... and phones as well, I suppose.

Greening Fingers

We have been now living in our new house (at least the old Victorian one we moved into) for a year. The odd thing is, this house really feels like ours - unlike the previous house which we lived in for over 10 year but which always somehow felt like it was "rented". I suppose part of it is down to the fact that I always knew that living in the middle of nowhere wasn't entirely practical. Whilst I enjoyed the quiet and seclusion I also rather missed not being able to walk to the local shop/pub/library or whatever I needed. As much as I enjoy driving there are many occasions on which I rather wish I didn't have to.

The one thing that has surprised me is how much we have done to the new place. I was reluctant to spend anything when we first moved in - partly because I had a bridging loan on the old house and a level of debt that would make most mortal men shudder (or if you are Greek, shrug). However, since selling the old house we have done quite a bit to the new place - either out of choice, such as re-fitting the bathroom and decorating the downstairs rooms; or through necessity such as re-felting the flat extension roof.

One thing we have been trying to do properly is the garden. In the old house I never really got any real enjoyment from the garden. I spent most of my time either cutting back foliage or cutting the grass in the few odd hours that the weather would permit. I think the main problem is that it was just too large: the grass alone was a quarter of an acre. The garden in the new house is less than half the size but it is still big by most standards and we are managing to get it under control. We conspired with our neighbours to get rid of the Leylandii hedge (much to their relief) which makes the garden feel much brighter and more spacious and I cut back the bushes at the back which were also completely overgrown. However, we have also made an effort to constructively plant things.

We have replanted one side of the garden completely - partly with lavender but also with fruit bushes which was always a plan at the old house but was habitually shelved after I wore myself out with an axe and chainsaw and bloody great bonfire. The bushes we have planted don't look up to much yet (they are just woody stumps) and I don't expect to see much in the way of fruit this year, but in future we should have a reasonable supply of raspberries, blueberries, Tay and Loganberries and honeyberries. The last is  a new one on me but apparently they are a type of edible honeysuckle which originates from Northern Russia. They are an odd looking thing but if they can survive the Winter in Siberia, then the Scottish weather should be a doddle.

Recalculating... Recalculating...

For someone who works in the Technology industries I am not really much of an early adopter. This hasn't always been the case but I think my experience as a veritable Betamax man has put me off new technology until it has really bedded in. I think On Digital was the straw that broke that camel's back. Satellite Navigation is one such technology that I have kept away from. I can certainly see the benefits of the devices but I generally know where I am going and, on the few odd occasions that I am uncertain on where I am going, I have been happy to look it up on Google Maps or my favourite mapping site streetmap.co.uk. Overall, it seemed to be a very expensive alternative to a roadmap. However, there are occasions when a satnav would really make life easier and, as the devices have now become much cheaper, I decided to take the plunge.

There are a vast array of features and facilities available with GPS devices - some useful but many not. I decided that for a first satnav I wanted something relatively simple but which would cover all Western Europe - one of the times I could really do with it is when racing for a Dutch Ferry or navigating around the backwoods of Schleswig. I settled on the Garmin Nüvi 2240 which appears to do everything I wanted - with the exception that I couldn't get Brian Blessed doing the voice (he is only available with TomTom). The voice I used was the standard English of "Emily", a pleasant enough voice - sort of an English Kirsty Young (now that's a voice I'd really go for). The only problem with Emily is that some of her Scottish pronunciation is slightly off. I can live with that and it is preferable to the male voice, Daniel, who sounds like an insurance salesman. I did try the German voice, Steffi, although she would make more sense when actually driving in Germany.

As far as the instructions go, it's fairly plain sailing. I was a little worried that I would end up staring at the screen but the voice commands are simple and easy to follow, although when driving on familiar roads it can be a little annoying to be constantly told to stay on the M8 (or whatever). I first used this in anger to get to Lochwinnoch to pick up the new dog. It found the kennels perfectly. However, it appears to have come into it’s own in the last week with visits to Liverpool and Manchester. I set it up on the way down even though I know the way. In some respects it is a bit silly. After passing Hamilton Services, just south of Glasgow, it told me to drive straight on for 138 miles. However, on that day it came in to it's own as the motorway was blocked between junctions 28 to 26. I took a deliberate wrong turning off the junction and received a message of Recalculating... Recalculating... from Emily who told me re-join the M6. I ignored her and headed for the signed diversion. I then received a rather more irritated message of Recalculating... Recalculating... and was redirected to... well, I'm not quite sure but I ended up re-joining the M58 near Skelmersdale - back on my original route. I even noticed that it kept track of where I was when driving through the Mersey Tunnel (and, obviously, away from any satellite signals). Overall, I was very impressed.

The other locations around Manchester seemed to work very well. I normally miss the exit for Didsbury but it kept me on the correct lane and I arrived in a much less flustered state. I also liked some of the other functions; for example, it can bleep when exceeding the local speed limit which is far more useful than any supposed speed camera detector although it hasn't been updated for the newly finished M80 (it still thinks there is a 50 limit around Cumbernauld). It can't be followed blindly and it's no substitute for good local knowledge but as a driving aid I can see real value in it.

The next piece of reluctant technology I will have to tackle is my mobile phone which stopped working on the way back to Scotland. I am even considering giving up on that altogether but I have at least £10 on the pay-as-you-go so it seems a waste.

DON'T PANIC!

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy had the words "DON'T PANIC" inscribed in large friendly letters on its cover. Maybe our current government should have read it? Unfortunately, these class one idiots have told the nation to panic, and panic now, and created, for many people, a large amount of unnecessary stress and inconvenience. The reason behind this actually rather hard to fathom. The trade union Unite, which represents fuel tanker drivers has balloted for a strike to try and force the drivers' employers into arbitration on a variety of grievances regarding their working conditions. This is just a run of the mill industrial dispute, in which both sides are negotiating, and is well within both the letter and spirit of the law. If Unite were to call a strike, they would have to give 7 days notice and it may cause some minor disruption for a few days but nothing that couldn't be managed. So what were our government ministers dreaming of?

The problem with disruptions to fuel supplies is that there is form on this. Panic buying fuel is illogical - until everyone else does it in which case it becomes highly logical. It's basic game theory. Unfortunately, with the balance between supply and demand on a just-in-time basis the public can be a tad jittery. We had a case of this a few years ago when there was industrial action at the big INEOS refinery at Grangemouth. This produces fuel for most of Scotland. However, when the strike at the plant did actually go ahead there were no serious shortages in Scotland - but there were in England. As far as I can tell, the main reason behind this was a big gesture by Alex Salmond, the First Minister, who used his media savvy by pointing out that major supplies of fuel were being sent from Europe. The response from the UK government was not as charismatic. The announcement to put people's minds at rest came from the business secretary rather than the Prime Minister and, whilst what he said was perfectly reasonable, it didn't give the public as much confidence and panic buying, in some areas, ensued.

The current government's approach is incredible: Francis Maude told drivers that they should not only rush out and fill their vehicles but also stock up with "a little bit in their garage as well in a jerry can". It's mindlessly stupid advice. Not only did he effectively say, "PANIC! PANIC! WE ARE ALL DOOMED! EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF!" but he also encouraged a very unsafe practice in stockpiling large amounts of flammable liquid. Given the riots that took place last year I would have thought that the last thing a minister should be doing is to encourage the storing of one of the main ingredients of a Molotov cocktail.

For what it's worth, I haven't seen much in the way of queuing at petrol stations in Scotland. Maybe this is still the Salmond factor? Unfortunately, I am planning on travelling down to North-West England this weekend and I have heard from several people that they have struggled to find fuel on sale (or not without a huge queue of cars outside). As it is, I easily have enough fuel to get down but not enough to get all the way back up. Given that the union bosses have been emphasising that they are not imminently going on strike I am hoping that things will have calmed down by the middle of the week.

As for the current government, I didn't think my opinion of them could sink any lower - but they are surpassing themselves. I don't have to agree with the policies of a politician to have respect for them but I do have to believe that they are trying to do their best for the country. I thought the previous administration were incompetent but, once stripped of the veneer of an expensive private education, the current crowd don't just appear to be very bright at all.