Tim O

Full time rocket scientist, part time geek, and cyclist.

Cluster, DoubleStar, Rosetta, CINEMA, Solar Orbiter, JUICE, RadCube, ERSA ...

Some cat photos too. 🙄

[Tim O @FlexAgain]

Yay!

[City of London Police @CityPolice]

The successful capture and prosecution of prolific phone snatcher Sonny Stringer shows our focus on detecting and bringing to justice those who snatch phones.

PC Smith, who is trained in tactical pursuit & containment (TPAC), took the decision to make contact with his e-bike.

[Tim O @FlexAgain]

#TfL are outdoing themselves today. I got on the next tube that wasn't going to Edgware Road from Wimbledon, and then 3 others left, not for Edgware Road, before they changed this one to Edgware Road anyway. It takes a special ability to be that disorganised.

[Tim O @FlexAgain]

A few hours later, it was delivered.

Presumably this means it was just a poor response, so either a badly designed system or bad user training.

[Tim O @FlexAgain]

Apparently #Parcelforce can't find anyone in an 80000 square foot supermarket, to accept an eBay Click and Collect parcel.

... or maybe they just didn't try, or generated an unhelpful response to some other occurrence.

Either way, that's not very professional. 🙄

[Tim O @FlexAgain]

@sexandtheswiss All cables fail eventually, and modern consumer cabling is made to aggressive cost limits so often don't last as long as might be desirable.

Either keep a few cheap spare cables handy, or spend more on a higher quality cable eg braided, as mentioned by others (or do both!)

[Tim O @FlexAgain]

@sakraft1 @hackaday @LOOKMUMNOCMPUTR Yes, traditional Vero-board is what I've always preferred, at least with DILs and traditional through-hole parts. With SMD parts you either need to use those with DIL adapter boards, or just give in, and make a (far cheaper now) custom PCB.

[Paul Manzotti @manzanotti]

Whilst on our lunchtime walk, I saw this minibus driver get out and throw the bollard into the planter.

I walked over asking him if he was going to at least put it back after driving illegally through the filter.

He got back in and drove at me until the minibus was touching me.

[Tim O @FlexAgain]

@sexandtheswiss You may want to check a 'heat map' of the UK for rental prices. One like this will give you a better idea of what areas are likely to work the best for you.

https://t.co/jZObNcrg1l

[Tim O @FlexAgain]

I don't dare leave the house, as Royal Mail won't refund anything if I'm not here.

The "Let us know as soon as you can" is ridiculous, when they don't attempt the same, even slightly.

Once upon a time, #RoyalMail were one of the better delivery organisations. Not any more. ☹

[Tim O @FlexAgain]

So, for the second day running, after being up at 7am, I've passed the end of the #RoyalMail's estimated parcel collection time. I assume I'll be here until 7pm again, when (and if) they bother to tell me that it won't be happening today. 🙄 😠

[Tim O @FlexAgain]

. . . all the stops to Wimbledon appear to be showing the same (incorrect) message.

[Tim O @FlexAgain]

Somewhat moronically, the Tram stop displays at Wandle Park say that the stop is closed. Someone should probably tell the drivers of the trams stopping there. 🙄

(There are closures, but on the other end of the network, nowhere near Wandle Park).

#CroydonTrams #Tramlink #TfL

[Tim O @FlexAgain]

@MaitreDuChateau @aggarwal_pallav Remember, this isn't a power-supply, it's just talking to the other end of the USB connection, and requests a voltage and current-limit from that USB source. I don't believe 3.3V is a Power Delivery option, so that would necessitate a whole lot of extra complexity.

[Tim O @FlexAgain]

Fred Dibnah, gone but not forgotten. He was a real character. His TV series will live on for quite a while, demonstrating a somewhat eccentric traditional tradesman, possibly born a few decades too late. 🙂

[BBC Archive @BBCArchive]

"I’ve never fell off a big chimney. You only fall off one of them once."

#OnThisDay 1979: Extraordinary steeplejack Fred Dibnah was introduced to the nation.

[Tim O @FlexAgain]

@sexandtheswiss @cyclingislife7 @envecomposites @cervelo I was thinking you need 650Bs not 700Cs, then I saw this Tweet! 😆 You can't easily tell heights, from photos alone. 🙂

Nice colour. 👍

[Tim O @FlexAgain]

@danbarker That wasn't necessarily the most dangerous thing on Blue Peter, Lesley Judd almost falling into the North Atlantic near Bishop Rock lighthouse has to be up there on that list too.

Both cases were worryingly scary, when I watched them live. 😮

Somewhat crazy, by any measure.

[Tim O @FlexAgain]

I hope the @EmbassyOmanUk realise how badly this sort of behaviour reflects upon them, and their country. ☹

https://t.co/vtTX26DUAG

[Jeremy Vine | Here, on Tiktok, Insta & Facebook @theJeremyVine]

What happens when you film a mobile phone driver and he says “I can’t get fined because I don’t have a licence?”

This just happened to me on (of course) Kensington High Street.

[Tim O @FlexAgain]

@theJeremyVine A diplomat can't be arrested, or even charged, for such an offence, however the Foreign Office could complain to the Omani embassy or Government.

Enough furore on the Internet (on X maybe?), could result in that Government being embarrassed, and him getting in trouble with them.

[Tim O @FlexAgain]

@CassandasC @theJeremyVine Arguably Cycling without Due Care and Attention, or possibly Dangerous Cycling. Definitely an offence, but difficult to report to the police. 😕🙁 A police officer could charge someone, if they saw them. I'm a cyclist, but never use a phone when cycling.

[Tim O @FlexAgain]

@xialulee @kevsmac I wouldn't think so. There's a damned great big hole for the USB connector, what appear to be ventilation holes, and a lack of any seals.

It's 'tactical' insofar as it's a chunky looking case, but I wouldn't rely on it to keep water or other contaminants out.