Rant of the Day v2.

[4mastacker]

ExSp, AFAIK our pumps don't have a click on.

4ma, was it a Tesla?

I'll ask my canal colleague tomorrow when I see him. He did say his wife had had a mishap in their Tesla but said it was because she wasn't looking at the gauge wot tells her how many miles worth of electrickery was left in the battery.

[Woody]

[Pontius Navigator]

Crazy golf, over the bridge, look for the hole

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

So, if the work was "necessary", why is not now "necessary"?

[4mastacker]

Somebody at the local council trying to make a name for themselves?

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

Somebody at the local council dishing out a juicy contract to a mate is slightly more common
Follow the money.

[1DC]

Smart meter has gone TU, talked to Scottish Power. They advised to switch off for ten minutes and then switch back on and stand it next to the proper meter for 45 minutes and it should start working again. Did it a couple of times with no joy so talked to SP again who said they wouldn't replace it because it was over twelve months old. I Suggested that all this crap about getting a smart meter so we could manage our energy usage was just a load of bull then, the nice young lady said basically yes. The real smart meter is in the meter box and that is the only one they are interested in the little indicator in my kitchen was for me and it is of no use to them as far as they are concerned it can go in the bin. She was very pleasant about it and did say that she noticed I was a pensioner and therefore on their vulnerable list so if I was having trouble paying my bills she could extend my payment time if I wanted. Apparently some companies let you buy a new smart meter if yours goes TU.

[llondel]

Smart meter has gone TU, talked to Scottish Power. They advised to switch off for ten minutes and then switch back on and stand it next to the proper meter for 45 minutes and it should start working again. Did it a couple of times with no joy so talked to SP again who said they wouldn't replace it because it was over twelve months old. I Suggested that all this crap about getting a smart meter so we could manage our energy usage was just a load of bull then, the nice young lady said basically yes. The real smart meter is in the meter box and that is the only one they are interested in the little indicator in my kitchen was for me and it is of no use to them as far as they are concerned it can go in the bin. She was very pleasant about it and did say that she noticed I was a pensioner and therefore on their vulnerable list so if I was having trouble paying my bills she could extend my payment time if I wanted. Apparently some companies let you buy a new smart meter if yours goes TU.

If you're that interested, you can buy your own gadget, one part clamps over the input feed, the other sets up in your kitchen. Nothing to do with their meter, although of course your results may differ slightly from the official ones.

[4mastacker]

Received next years tax code from the robinbastids at HMRC. Next years tax free allowance has dropped by £1500 from this current year. Robinbastids.

[k3k3]

4ma, even worse here, they've dropped my tax code by exactly the same amount as my projected state pension.

[G-CPTN]

Next years tax free allowance has dropped by £1500 from this current year.

Can anyone explain this?

The personal allowance is set at £12,570 for 2022/23. Both the personal allowance and the basic rate limit have been fixed in value from 2021/22.

From:- https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/re ... 02021%2F22.

[CharlieOneSix]

Thank your lucky stars you don't live in Sturgeon's high income tax and exorbitant house stamp duty Scotland.

[4mastacker]

.......

Can anyone explain this?

Simple really. The robinbastids are out to get as much of your money out of you as they can by any means they can think of. I sometimes wonder if the @@ts in HMRC actually have to live by the rules they impose on everyone else.

[Smeagol]

.......

Can anyone explain this?

Simple really. The robinbastids are out to get as much of your money out of you as they can by any means they can think of. I sometimes wonder if the @@ts in HMRC actually have to live by the rules they impose on everyone else.

Maybe I can help.
My daughter-in-law's sister and her partner, both work for HMRC, and both are rabid socialists who think any private enterprise (which includes anyone earning more than them) is criminal and must be punished by taxation.

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

I have a second cousin who is quite high up in a regional office of HMRC. He joined when they went after real tax-dodgers and other criminals, and I recall discussing with him some of the baddies he'd managed to track down. Last I heard (about 3 years ago), he was appalled with how things have developed, was keeping his head down, and looking for early retirement.

[Boac]

Why do these idiot journos keep talking about 'prices coming down' when they tell us inflation has reduced slightly?

[Smeagol]

Why do these idiot journos keep talking about 'prices coming down' when they tell us inflation has reduced slightly?

Two reasons :

They are 'journalists'
They are idiots.

[Boac]

I think I got there ahead of you

[Pontius Navigator]

1DC, our smart meter failed around Christmas, dead as in Norwegian Blue. All lights on in the meter box but it is not talking to either our monitor or to Ovo.

They are due in the next 10 minutes to fix/change the meters. In the interim, as old, decreipt, and vulnerable I have required them to read the meters every month. I could read them myself by why should I?

Actually I rather hope they don't come as they paid £30 last time they missed an appointment.

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

Why do these idiot journos keep talking about 'prices coming down' when they tell us inflation has reduced slightly?

It's maths.
They cannot deal with the mathematics of derivatives. This typically shows up around Grade 9.
Most people cannot do this.
It's a classic problem in teaching all STEM subjects.
There is a work-around, which is to present the information graphically. If necessary, you get them to draw a graph from the data even if one isn't given, then teach them to answer the question from the graph they've drawn.
They can pick values off the graph to answer a question. You can also teach them how to get a gradient and what that means (a first order derivative). They cannot deal with translating what the graph tells them about rates of change into words. You can, however, teach them by rote the two forms of words the examiners might want, and how to pick which one.
You also have to teach them how to draw graphs correctly. This is a further problem, as many graphs in all media are not drawn correctly, in order to emphasise a written or verbal statement (true or not).

Here endeth the lesson.