WHAT ATTRACTED YOUR ATTENTION TODAY?

[Stanley]

But I wonder how much it cost to attempt the change?

See THIS report in BBC News. I also heard it on R4 yesterday.
Fast-fashion brand PrettyLittleThing (PLT) is facing criticism from customers who have had their accounts with the company deactivated because of the number of times they have returned their purchases. In an email seen by the BBC, shoppers were told on Friday that their accounts had been reviewed and shut down so they would not be able to place any further orders. Some of those affected have used social media to criticise the new policy, claiming they had only made one return so far this year, or suggesting they would return fewer items if the firm was more consistent in its sizing of clothing items.
Dinosaurs like me who were reared in an ethos where sales were a contract and final have never been able to understand this free returns policy.....

[Tizer]

The last pic is lovely and had me laughing!
`Resting cuckoo bees win insect photo competition' BBC

[Cathy]

Lots of beautiful photos there Tize, but gosh that last insect ‘Look into my Eyes’ is so full of detail.
Glad it’s only tiny

[Stanley]

The fact it is to be even warmer today! They are forecasting 24C.
I have remembered that I have an appointment for a blood test at 11:50. This is good, at least my brain must be working!

[PanBiker]

The amount of email traffic generated after reporting a faulty street light!

This is one of the street lights on our back street, opposite the top of Bessie St and Pleasant View, it's been out for weeks.

I went on the LCC Website to report it and was informed to do it via my mobile using "The Clean Streets" app which I duly downloaded. That told me to take a photograph of the offending lamp, I then had to select it on a street map at which point it tagged it with a "what 3 words" reference and asked what was wrong with it which I added.

First email asked me to confirm my device, that was followed by a second that said that my report had been received and it had a reference number, third one said that the job had been updated, (whatever that means) and fourth repeated the fact that the job had been updated, (which I already knew even though I don't know what it means) Three emails yesterday and one today.

I bet they don't send a bloke with a ladder, it will probably need a simon snorkel platform. I can remember the lamp standards that used to have a horizontal cross piece near the top just handy for propping a ladder against! I haven't heard of multiple fatalities of lamp menders so the old simple bloke with a ladder obviously used to work. It's an LED lamp so likely to be the opto sensor or a supply failure, I will never know unless I'm about when the cavalry comes.

I might take a picture of another one on our street which is on all day.

[Tripps]

This reinforces my long held opinion that "man has never lived with a level of technology below that which is available" though Google seems not to have heard of it.

Any attempt to show that the old way of doing things is equal or better than the new digital way is usually treated as an outbreak of Luddism. Tell me about it. . .

[Stanley]

"Any attempt to show that the old way of doing things is equal or better than the new digital way is usually treated as an outbreak of Luddism."
I have hit that one too David. The last lamp I reported was the ones on the Pioneer Car Park The Council refused to accept my report and after a struggle I persuaded them that the lights existed. Turns out they had been missed out when the system was digitised.



You're right about the cross bar and the ladder Ian. The clocks that controlled the lights had to be serviced once a week.

[PanBiker]

I got another email at 9pm last night to tell me my report has been completed whatever that means. They tell me to look at the app on my phone for details....

Aha, that says that my report has been closed! Closer inspection shows that what this actually means is that the report has been passed to LCC. LCC have said that it is now on their work schedule. Plain speak would be appreciated here I think.

Why couldn't I report it directly to LCC in the first place which is what I tried? Inserting a middle man into the process must increase the cost or at least a delay. Seems a bit daft to me but what do I know!

[Big Kev]

I got another email at 9pm last night to tell me my report has been completed whatever that means. They tell me to look at the app on my phone for details....

Aha, that says that my report has been closed! Closer inspection shows that what this actually means is that the report has been passed to LCC. LCC have said that it is now on their work schedule. Plain speak would be appreciated here I think.

Why couldn't I report it directly to LCC in the first place which is what I tried? Inserting a middle man into the process must increase the cost or at least a delay. Seems a bit daft to me but what do I know!

I've used the app quite a few times and it seems to work very well despite some of the 'weird' responses.

[Stanley]

Am I simply naïve or could one of the reasons for making the process so complicated and detailed be that this generates more work for the jobsworths who handle it? Surely not........

[Stanley]

See THIS improbable but welcome piece of news. I wish them well but am a bit sceptical about it.
Marks & Spencer is launching a new service for clothing repairs and alterations. From August, customers will be able to book through a dedicated online hub and have their fixed items posted back to them within seven to ten days.
The work will be carried out by Deliveroo-style repairs start-up Sojo, and its in-house team of tailors, with prices starting at £5. The move comes as retailers try to encourage more sustainable habits among their shoppers.
The work will be time-consuming and I don't see how Sojo can charge enough to make it work.
As I say, I like the idea and wish them well but don't hold your breath......

[Stanley]

I can't find anything on the web about it but I heard a news item about the growth of 'buy now, pay later' options when shopping. I forget the figures but it's serious and whilst sellers will like the increase in sales volumes it engenders, it must make the market more vulnerable to external shocks and the fact that these are going to happen is one of the few certainties we have.

[Tizer]

This topic was bound to attract some creative shots...
`Your pictures on the theme of 'shadows'' BBC

[Cathy]

I enjoyed the Shadow Photos, thanks Tize.

[Stanley]

See THIS report on the hurricane expected in the Caribbean.
Caribbean nations are warning residents to make emergency preparations with a powerful and potentially deadly hurricane strengthening further as it moves towards them. Beryl, the first named hurricane of the season, is due to make landfall over a number of islands late on Sunday. Forecasters said the hurricane is "extremely dangerous" and anticipate it developing into a category four storm - meaning it is predicted to have winds of up to 155mph (250km/h) and storm surge of 6-10ft (1.8-3m). The major storm is expected to strengthen further as nears the Caribbean islands of Barbados, Dominica, Grenada and Martinique, among others. "It’s rare to see a storm rapidly intensify this fast, this early in the season, in this part of the Atlantic. Several islands across the Lower Antilles are facing an extreme risk to lives and property,” AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Forecaster Alex DaSilva warned.
I was commenting this morning on how boring our weather is at times but then I saw this and immediately thought of Doc and Carole..... Boring may be good at times!

[Stanley]

Margaret and Mick fly back to Australia on Friday. They'll be glad to get back to the sunshine and higher temperatures of their Winter! Someone is going to tell us that this year is another hottest year but they haven't had to put up with our Barlick weather.
It would be nice to have a bit of summer but there's no sign of it yet!
( And in case you hadn't noticed, the days are shortening as we head into the back end of the year.)

[Big Kev]

I was commenting this morning on how boring our weather is at times but then I saw this and immediately thought of Doc and Carole..... Boring may be good at times!

I sent Doc a message, they're both good and Doc said to say hello

[Stanley]

That's good news and thanks for letting me know Kev.....
I have just had a video call from Oz. My two great grandchildren Kahara and Lily wanted to talk to me before they go out to visit a fire station. That can waken you up!
When you think about it, what a small world it is.... 10,000 miles away and it's as easy as calling next door....
The main thing that had grabbed me though is that today I get a chance to play my part in the biggest defeat for the Tories in anybody's memory......

[Stanley]

Later.... I have been listening to a fascinating programme on World Service on taste and flavour and the influence of genes on our perception of them. It explains why two people can have such a different reaction to a taste.
Fascinating!

[Tizer]

Colourful photos! ...
`Scotland's skies aglow with rare clouds' BBC

[Stanley]

The fact that the heating was on when I went into the shed at 06.00 this morning.

[Stanley]

Mick and Margaret flew out yesterday and are on the last leg Dubai to Perth as I write. I'm always glad to hear they are safely home and look forward to a message later today.

[Tizer]

Amazon celebrated its 30th birthday yesterday. Wikipedia notes... Amazon history
Amazon was founded by Jeff Bezos from his garage in Bellevue, Washington,[3] on July 5, 1994. Initially an online marketplace for books, it has expanded into a multitude of product categories: a strategy that has earned it the moniker "the everything store".[4] It has multiple subsidiaries including Amazon Web Services (cloud computing), Zoox (autonomous vehicles), Kuiper Systems (satellite Internet), Amazon Lab126 (computer hardware R&D). Its other subsidiaries include Ring, Twitch, IMDb, MGM Holdings and Whole Foods Market.
It also notes that: Bezos initially incorporated the company in Washington state with the name Cadabra, Inc. After a few months, he changed the name to Amazon.com, Inc, because a lawyer misheard its original name as "cadaver".

[Tripps]

I have nothing to do at all with Amazon. I don't like how they try (and sometimes succeed) in deceiving you into signing up for their delivery system. That isn't ethical.

Google - the other digital phenomenon of the age - has contacted me today, and asked me effectively to make my digital will. Oddly (for me) I have complied and simple arrangements are in place in the event of my account not being used for a period of three months.

[Stanley]

David, I agree totally with your view on Amazon. They also had a nasty habit of slipping you into a faster and more expensive mode of delivery unless you kept a very careful eye on them. I used to use them a lot but apart from that expensive gizmo got to make my old TV set accept ITVx which failed completely because it insisted I lived in Minnesota.... I don't use them now. (Kev tried to get round that glitch for me but failed so I gave up on it and gave it to him. I'm happy to say he eventually found a fix and got it to work for him.)
I doubt if I will do anything with Google if they ask. They are another online entity that is very intrusive if you let them.
I have no intention of trying to control anything after I die!