Ketlane

Yes, had a call from a number close to my mobile number. Looks like a Cunning Plan by the scammers. Didn't succeed.

Interesting piece about current understanding of infection mechanisms. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-00251-4 Suggests that aerosol transmission is much more important and needs to be stressed everywhere. Surface transmission, which was the primary concern, is no longer considered to be as important.

My latest one from an 020 number (apparently) was allegedly HMRC. It's stunningly incompetent - how would HMRC hire someone with a New York accent? HMRC would first attempt to verify the identity of whoever picked up the phone.... And HMRC never phone people..... But presumably some people fall for it and all it needs is a tiny proportion of them to give bank details / make payment /whatever and the scammers are in profit. On the other hand no-one has contacted me about inheritance from Nigeria for ages, and I'd really like some of those $5,000,000 (Five Million) dollars....

The Times has an excellent obit. The night before the supersonic flight, Yeager and his colleagues spent the evening in the bar - beers and tequila. Then he and his wife went riding in the dark; coming back he rode into the stable yard gate which they'd left open, but was now closed. Briefly unconscious and two ribs broken. Refused to go to hospital, found a doc to patch him up. Found he couldn't close the access door to the X1; with help from the engineer he made a piece of broom handle into a lever to do it! Flew in WW2, 13 kills inclusing ace-in-a-day, 5 Me109s. 127 sorties in the Vietnam war. Survived a spin at high alttitude in a F104 followed by ejecting. 1986 broke the propeller-driven record for coast to coast in the US - 5h 23min. Last flew supersonic as a passenger in 2012 for the 50th anniversary.

No comment.....

Eton remains open - but not for its normal pupils. It's offering free education for children of key workers. It's also offering free accommodation for key workers, and making its online curriculum available free to other schools, while continuing to teach online. That's quite a serious commitment.

Two pieces with interesting and informed views on lockdown: Germany - https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/26/virologist-christian-drosten-germany-coronavirus-expert-interview New York, Washington state and the US - https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/05/04/seattles-leaders-let-scientists-take-the-lead-new-yorks-did-not

60% of the crew on Theodore Roosevelt who tested positive were asymptomatic. That compares with 18% of the much less healthy, much older passengers on Diamond Princess. Of the deaths analysed last week in UK, 91% had co-morbidities and they averaged 2.7 co-morbidities each. So different demographics are very differently at risk.

Sainsbury's well stocked today with minor exceptions - broccoli, soap, though handwash was in stock. Cashier told me that the over-70s session had been completely manic, though. Local small shops well stocked. our village shop is increasing the number of lines on sale. Looks like things are calming down now and we just batten down the hatches for a while (the length of a "while" being a bit as unpredictable as a Microsoft "minute")

This doocument might be a useful source of accurate information for a while. The situation and the science are changing by the minute, of course. http://sblinkedmedia.s3.amazonaws.com/RSB_COVID-19_Bulletin_20200320.pdf

Post Office though they use a claims handling company so I fancy other insurers will have the same.

We were going to Kenya. Kenya government has banned all inbound travel except for citizens. FCO advice is to avoid all non-essential travel. So we can claim on insurance - 90 mins on hold, 16-page forms to complete, it'll take longer than the flight times just to get the admin done.

Long ago we lent ours to Rotary Club for data entry for a half marathon or something. Can't remember details now but everyone happy, no issues; I think it was three or four weeks, one evening a week.

Our local domestic tip takes them in their "small appliances" skip - they disappear somewhere for recycling according to the site staff.

Not sure this belongs here, but never mind. I was a bit slow getting the best price.....

As for this.....

Not only is there no plan for Brexit. The March to Leave seems to have had a defective plan: https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/news/brexit-betrayal-march-attempts-to-cross-tees-on-transporter-bridge-realise-its-closed-on-sundays/18/03/ ... they aimed to use the Transporter Bridge but it's closed on Sundays......

At least one MIS (SchoolBase) has this built in....

Long ago our bursar went on holiday. Gave his secretary the key to the safe so she could manage petty cash and so on. key was identified by a big label tied to it saying "Safe key." So she didn't lose it, she kept the key on top of the safe. And yes the office was burgled during the bursar's holiday.

Might help relieve some of the frustration..... https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5054849/Angry-villagers-torch-huge-effigy-BT-van-Devon.html

It's complicated but not impossible. Driving licence rules very complex too, but again not insurmountable. Well worth getting all drivers MIDAS trained and qualified. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/section-19-and-22-permits-not-for-profit-passenger-transport/section-19-and-22-permits-not-for-profit-passenger-transport https://www.gov.uk/driving-a-minibus https://ctauk.org/training/midas/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Board_of_Inland_Revenue_v_Haddock deals with the cow.....

I can see two other issues here - one of which was spotted by one of the Dragons. 1. The data is stored in the cloud for the teacher. "Interesting" GDPR etc issues which need consideration, particularly as it seems teachers who buy their own are storing pupil data independently of the school. If there is evidence that teachers in our schools have bought their own, there will need to be some careful internal politics and policy-making. 2. He was quite clear that he hadn't sorted out linking the MarkMate data to the school's MIS, so double keying will still be needed, or someone has to devise the import routines. That said, I think it's a good idea and one of the "why didn't I think of that?" things - again as mentioned by one of the Dragons.

It all depends on consequences. Daughter is cabin crew - failure to bring the pass means sent home, no flight, no pay. They don't forget passes!

Our hotel room had a note on the window explaining that it could only be opened by oscillo beating. In France.....