Martin

Well today is the VERY last day for Maplin in Tamworth (Ventura Park). What little is left is going for peanuts - most cables (mains, signal, data) are fifty pence or a quid, got an aerial signal meter for under four quid, and a 3m BT to RJ11 cable was a mere FOUR NEW PENCE!!!!!!! Sad day though, as despite their usual high prices, at least it was a place to go to get (or browse for) things that you only occasionally needed mb

Well the above mentioned 30m BNC cable was reduced to a mere GBP5-00 yesterday (from an original price of GBP35) - looks like the final days/hours of the sale!

I remember watching him on the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures back in the seventies - one of the few that made science really interesting (and loved the egg races ).

I've not been for a while, but the New Hall Tavern just up the road from you at Samlesbury used to sell excellent homemade burgers (and chips and side and a pint for only a fiver or so)! mb

One thing to bear in mind is that a "combo oven" capacity is usually quite a bit smaller than a traditional oven, so not only can you get less (and smaller) stuff in there, but when you open the door you tend to lose a larger percentage of the heat that has built up. That being said, i have managed with just a combination microwave (currently a Panasonic model) for getting on for twenty years - and haven't starved to dead yet Cheers, mb

Not just any old drone, but one with FLIR fitted! Yup, the Meeja people have taken over what could have been a really interesting series. mb

From https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/shop/map-trade-in.html... ...so unless i have got my maths wrong, you are better off sending multiple maps in bundles of one (with the free postage)? mb

I have a Hanns-G HL231 monitor, and occasionally it goes into this "flashing colours standby mode". I think that it happens when you remove the power suddenly whilst it is in use. Sadly i don't have a blank menu and could not find a "BURN:" option anywhere. However if you pull out the power (in this case, a low voltage feed via a transformer into the back of the monitor), leave it a few seconds, hold the power/standby button in for a few seconds, then replace the power (whilst keeping the button pressed) - it does seem to reset things back to normal (i.e. blank powersave). mb

I hope that you mounted a Scratch Monkey first mb

Howz about a SuperKettle? mb

Good point I still can't read/edit the new .docx and similar Microsoft Office documents on my home PC because i am still running an old version that is perfectly adequate for me to create letters and the like. I am not going to fork out many, many tens of pounds for the privilege either! mb

Some (speculative) discussion here - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7812133 mb

The Pedant’s Revolt: In this joyously combative series, SIMON HEFFER goes to war on sloppy English. Be warned: You’ll either cheer or want to punch him mb

Nope, nothing in there about motorways or cars or speed, or emissions or crashes I take it that you have actually read the 36 page Consultation Document? It strikes me as a sneaky attempt to implement more "Managed Motorways" (as per the M42 and M6 near Birmingham) and nothing whatsoever to do with a several year "trial" (FFS!!!) on whether emmissions will reduce (which they will do anyway due to improved car, and hopefully HGV, technology). As an aside, i find it sad that in these times of austerity and cutbacks, the Highways Agency are operating from an office in "The Cube" in the middle of Birmingham - which isn't exactly the cheapest the place to be

...hey, let's take this further, to an extreme even? Make all vehicles travel at 4mph - that'll sort out the emissions and crash energies straight away. Oh, and we can reduce unemployment to zero by giving jobs to all those red flag carriers If only, mb