Boris wins

If she actually goes into production with it, you[1] can point out that what
all the screens will be doing is putting out the same amount of energy lower
down the emission spectrum, as infra-red and heat, with the possibility of
the screens catching fire. Some bullshit about minimum emission thresholds
and black body radiation[2] wouldn't go amiss. Also, complain that you
can't get a deep enough shade of black, and ask to be emailed a totally
black image that you can print out and photograph.

[1]or "someone"
[2]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_body [3]
[3]As soon as she mentions "black body", allege that the terminology has
been considered racist for years.

 

Because some of us have tried to overtake one, or get across a
junction that's completely blocked by one, or got stuck behind a queue
of four of the fucking things carrying a total of three passengers, or
got stuck behind a separate queue of three of them where the lead one
could not negotiate the "Keep Left" bollards outside Cannon St station
because of a combination of Clancy Docwra's roadworks and an
inconveniently parked van (which would have been no problem for a
conventional bus)and then could not reverse to solve the problem
because the queue stretched back almost to Mansion House, or tried to
use a pedestrian crossing with one of the fucking things straddling
it, so you're forced to walk at least 9.5 meters left or right to get
round the fucking thing, or caught one the other Tuesday from
Whitechapel Hospital to Bank, and taking thirty-five fucking minutes,
all the time watching folk get on and off without even pretending to
swipe in with an oyster card.

Other than that they're lovely.

Take a trip down Cornhill any weekday morning.

"Only a ghastly dehumanised moron would want to get rid of the
Routemaster ..."

 

G'wan...

 

[snip]

But, why? What is PAYG actually supposed to achieve?

why? As in, why should I /care/ who runs each bit of public transport
in London.

yes. I would say the price of these have risen >100% in the 10 years
I've been living in London.

prevented from doing so by whom?

 

Spookily enough having a darker screen apparently does save energy. Or
so EnergyStar seem to think..

So you may have inadvertently suggested a good idea. Bad journalist! No
biscuit!

Phil.

 

I think we should just ban busses from the City entirely. Let the
proles walk.

 

Given it's only about a mile across, I can't see why people don't.

 

I was being mildly ironic, as I do in fact walk between London
Liverpool St. and Newgate St. (St.Pauls) twice a day. On average it's
quicker than using the Tube, and a *lot* quicker than using busses
(ugh).

 

Just because you don't swipe an Oyster card doesn't mean you don't have
a valid ticket to travel. Paul C and I, at least have no need to swipe
anything but we both have valid tickets.

The last time I was on a 73, revenue did one of their heists that they
often do. They picked up 2 people out of a busload of, around 60 I would
guess. Hardly running away with avoidance. The last 'normal' bus that
was checked by revenue also hauled 2 with dodgy tickets. There were
about 20 on that bus.

 

While I'm happy to see the fuckwit Livingston out, well pleased rather
than happy as I don't actually live in London, and although I know
Johnson is a very bright boy, I share the same reservation about him as
about Ken and many other politicians who come to positions of (actual)
power. He has not AFAIK ever been a successful businessman. Trying not
to be biased about it, I do think it should be a pre-requisite. Business
is all about the art of the possible (rather than desire), about having
ideas and making ideas into something real, creating income and managing
efficient expenditure, motivating yourself and others, relationship
management. Now if everyone could do that we would all be in good
businesses, in fact few people are really good at it. I'm not aware that
Boris has ever shone thus.

--

 

I can see your point but I think you're missing it: it's not only
business that gives you the qualities you mention. A good shop steward
also knows about negotiation, motivation and the allocation of
resources and cannot rely on coercion to get people to do things.

 

I see yours but Boris is getting into running a rather large business.
Or perhaps I should say I think that might be the best way to look at
the problems.

Govmint certainly need such skills in their IT projects! (no I'm not
applying)

--

 

I don't think it is: you can't direct Londoners they way you can
direct a workforce. Maybe you can treat them as customers.

 

Look, a transport poster that doesn't.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7387113.stm
So Mr. Johnson is improving things already.

 

I don't understand why we don't just have tickets that you buy like phone
topup cards and gradually get used up rather than Oyster cards.

 

The trouble, as it seems to me, is that the drivers make no allowance
for the extra length, and think that they can get most of the way
across a junction, forgetting that they are no longer able to leave a
gap behind them. They also often need to get the front end almost to
the opposite kerb to negotiate parked delivery vans, etc.

If BJ wants to get shot of them, he needs to direct City Plod to
station an eager young PC at the bottom of New Change, and nick every
Bendy bus turning left towards Cannon st.

Why?

Cos they can't do it from the "Turn left" lane, only from the "Right
Turn only" lane. Failure to obey a traffic signal: 3 points, £60.

All the drivers would be banned through totting up by the end of the
first day.

Just for fun, the left filter's usually been green for a minute before
the right filter kicks in. By the time said bus has negotiated the
turn, they're both red. Consequently a complete sequence of traffic
lights is required to get *one* bus around a corner.

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Paul Corfield

Ooh! Ooh! Me! Me! I know this one!

It's the thing that lets you travel to some stations and not others, and
only those with a doctorate in Travelology (and the supercilious **** on
the ticket barrier) will know which is which.

What did I win?

 

That's the most sensible suggestion anybody has made so far in this
thread. I like jelly, me.

 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I've met him. Clapham Junction, couple of years ago.

A free trip on the Circle Line. If it's running.

 

well, they're superficially similar, but a phone PAYG charges you for
what you've actually used. An Oyster PAYG charges you for what you've
actually used, or what the system thinks you might have used, /
whichever is higher/.