The Off Topic Topic

[Sheilbh]

Fair enough. I always view them as a bit like Skyscanner but generally pretty helpful. The route thing is a real problem on the National Rail app though when I'm just looking at the journey planner - leaving King's Cross now and want to get to, say, Lewisham and it'll suggest a two hour multi-train journey that leaves now Although it's still far better than CityMapper if you're using the trains.

Although I fully acknowledge I generally probably pay more for train travel than I could - but this is because the cheapest tickets are if you book a specific seat on a specific train. Which I never do and I find being tied to a sppecific time really stressful.

So I'm always looking at one form of open ticket or other - and for that the main difference is just that it's far cheaper if you book about a month in advance (although I don't really even like committing to a specific day for travel ).

Edit: Incidentally can't find it now but I saw really interesting stuff on rail usage. Basically we're more or less back at peak on Tuesdays-Thursdays, but still a lot lower on Mondays (especially) and Fridays. But there's also been a shift so people are commuting less but using the inter-city lines more and usage on weekends (and a bit on Fridays) are up.

Obviously all because of WFH and other covid shifts - I found the increased inter-city interesting though and apparently it means some weekends are a lot busier than they were pre-covid. Not sure how it works for engineering works because you used to do that on the weekend when there's no commuters so lower demand but I'm not sure if there's engineering work that you can basically do on Mondays and Fridays or if you need a chunk of time like a weekend?

[garbon]

Fair enough. I always view them as a bit like Skyscanner but generally pretty helpful. The route thing is a real problem on the National Rail app though when I'm just looking at the journey planner - leaving King's Cross now and want to get to, say, Lewisham and it'll suggest a two hour multi-train journey that leaves now Although it's still far better than CityMapper if you're using the trains.

Although I fully acknowledge I generally probably pay more for train travel than I could - but this is because the cheapest tickets are if you book a specific seat on a specific train. Which I never do and I find being tied to a sppecific time really stressful.

So I'm always looking at one form of open ticket or other - and for that the main difference is just that it's far cheaper if you book about a month in advance (although I don't really even like committing to a specific day for travel ).

So not really an issue for you are as you are happy to be charged whatever. #castlelife

[garbon]

Oh on flights I've switched to using momondo. I've found they have a bit more flexibility on filters and can help you to avoid the 'wow, that flight to US looks great, oh wait that's because I get no hold luggage.'

[Sheilbh]

So not really an issue for you are as you are happy to be charged whatever. #castlelife

No. I will book a little bit in advance

I just don't like being locked in to specific times or days if I can avoid it (speaking as someone who has missed more than one train ).

I don't know why because I'm just thinking about it because I am militant about being on time (two hours early) for a plane, but consistently faff and rush and occasionally miss trains

Separately global WFH post-covid:


I suspect some is just how bad the pandemic hit/how prolonged lockdowns werre and some will also just be the mix of economies between those with lots of people who can WFH and many who can't. But still some surprises. Interesting to see if it shows up in productivity figures in the future too as we have a bit of an accidental global experiment now

[Sheilbh]

Oh on flights I've switched to using momondo. I've found they have a bit more flexibility on filters and can help you to avoid the 'wow, that flight to US looks great, oh wait that's because I get no hold luggage.'

Thanks - not used before. Hold luggage filter would be very helpful as it's a nightmare.

Ryanair

[Grey Fox]

I'm pretty much the Canadian average of that graph. I have to go to the office 4 times a week but I don't have to work 80% of my hours at the office.

[Duque de Bragança]

Screw-up of the day for the Guardian:



Not that there was much Bruce Lee (or Le) in the Game of Death theatrical cut anyways.

PS: now corrected. Ah, those fake Bruce Lees...

[OttoVonBismarck]

100 year old Henry Kissinger met with China's Defense Minister Li Shanfu and Wang Yi, its top diplomat.

Note that Li is under U.S. sanctions, and refused a meeting with SecDef Austin in Singapore last month.

[Valmy]

Still trying détente after all these years.

The Nixon guys have hung around with puzzling persistence.

[Sheilbh]

China does that with elder statesmen.

See also Paul Keating

[mongers]

Why does UK train ticketing and so planning has to be SO complicated? 

You just say that because you have the ridiculous idea its meant to be a public service to get people from A to B and enhance the economy rather than a way for properly connected old boys to get their fair share out of the country.

I think I'd travel more via train and spend more if it didn't always feel like a research project.

Exactly.

I'm currently 'researching' a trip to North Wales and some of the suggested route are rather odd.

[Sheilbh]

Lioness on the loose in Berlin?!

[mongers]

Lioness on the loose in Berlin?!

One of the UK footballers missed their connecting flight to New Zealand?

[Duque de Bragança]

Lioness on the loose in Berlin?!

One of the UK footballers missed their connecting flight to New Zealand?

Good thing Berlin is not the main hub in Germany then. 

[Savonarola]

I was reading an article in the IEEE Communication Society about using UAVs to house radio base stations (that is instead of having towers, you could put everything on a drone).  I thought something like that might work for us as a temporary measure especially in rail where we could launch and land drones as trains entered and exited territory; but how would we stop people from stealing our drones, or shooting them down?  I realized then that I may have spent a few too many years in Detroit.