please empty your brain below
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If relevant, please start your comment with a number from 1 to 30.
(questions will not be answered)
diamond geezer | Homepage | 01.07.25 - 12:00 a.m. | #
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1. I have fond memories of the company-formerly-known-as-BT rolling out 1571 in the 1990s. It seemed so high tech at the time. I can’t believe they’ve not updated it for digital voice.
Dan | 01.07.25 - 7:16 a.m. | #
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15 never look at pictures of your childhood home. My father must be turning in his grave as his front garden is now fully paved over to allow the present owner to park their car, his beloved apple trees in the rear garden have been cut down and his vegetable patches all grassed over.
gruntbuggly | 01.07.25 - 7:19 a.m. | #
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2. My almond and raisin muesli from Lidl still costs the same, but has shrunk from 1.5kg to 1kg. Expect it will be in 750g bags before long.
17. I have twice viewed the Clerk's Well and found it to be an odd combination of both underwhelming and fascinating.
Frank F | 01.07.25 - 7:21 a.m. | #
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9: The thing about disagreeing with the expiry date on a smoke alarm is that if you're wrong you may not be around to find out. Or not be around long enough to blog about it.
10 years is the generally expected lifetime. Some UK fire services recommend that you replace them after 10 years. (no, I didn't do a comprehensive search to check if all of them recommends it. "Some" is enough for me.)
It's really not worth arguing about.
K. | 01.07.25 - 7:36 a.m. | #
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9. Yes mains powered smoke alarms should be replaced after 10 years. The radioactive source decays over time so will be releasing fewer particles to detect smoke after that time
Herned | 01.07.25 - 7:37 a.m. | #
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9. The key word here is 'officially'. I know it's recommended. I'm looking for something official, not just a strong recommendation.
diamond geezer | Homepage | 01.07.25 - 7:44 a.m. | #
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3. Was that [Z]? Could [Peach] be a Brompton folding bike perhaps?
9. As I understand it, something like 3% of smoke alarms fail per year, so 10 years is a reasonable time to replace. Or you could just test it. My battery powered one goes off every time we use the grill (if we forget to close the kitchen door) so I feel pretty safe.
Andrew | 01.07.25 - 7:49 a.m. | #
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3. I assumed [Peach] was a dog - you can sense the pun when DG described it as "one of [Z]'s pet obsessions" first time round.
12. The challenge with digital albums is remembering to organise and print them all, this remains on my to do list as we approach our Crystal anniversary this year.
20. Would being notified by a UV owner of their regular locations spoil the game?
TomH | 01.07.25 - 8:03 a.m. | #
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8. Jackdaw showing usual corvid intelligence when it found the train was not going to Ravenscourt Park (or Crowborough).
Richard Thomas | 01.07.25 - 8:09 a.m. | #
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13. We keep our chocolate in the fridge. But we ate all the Christmas stuff long ago.
Deborah Kelly | 01.07.25 - 8:18 a.m. | #
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1. This can be turned off in your account settings on the BT website if you know where to look. A very annoying 'feature' for those of us who have their own answer machines and where there is a fight over which answering machine picks the call up first. Along with Call Display that they also have a habit of turning off.
davews | 01.07.25 - 8:23 a.m. | #
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15. A few months back I found myself in Eastbourne and decided to go and look at my Grandpa's old bungalow in Willingdon.
The beautifully manicured front lawn and flower beds had been concreted over to accommodate two oversized SUVs.
Sheer bloody vandalism.
Chris | 01.07.25 - 8:50 a.m. | #
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4. My copy of Richard Osman's last book was recycled in a local charity shop. Definitely not as good as his earlier series.
15. My brother recently sent me the estate agent's listing for our childhood home. “Wow! is that the price?” was my reaction. We think my father bought the house in 1951 for £1,500.
The house is now two flats and the garden split in two.
Sara | 01.07.25 - 9:07 a.m. | #
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18. Unique in that all of the services are non-TfL and there are five of them? I can think of other examples of TfL stops not served by any TfL services.
B2024 | 01.07.25 - 9:10 a.m. | #
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22 - or not watch it at all, then you don't need to wait
MKIan | 01.07.25 - 9:12 a.m. | #
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15. I made the mistake of looking up my childhood street on Streetview. Every house on the terrace has been nicely maintained in something approaching its original style... except for my old house, which has been disfigured by a hideous front extension that sticks out like a sore thumb. I'm sure there are pictures of the rest of the house on some estate agent's site but I daren't look.
18. It appears to share this distinction with the stop across the road. I don't know whether this pair is unique in London but they should now show six (non-TfL) routes, being also served by the recently-introduced 714.
Leo | 01.07.25 - 9:13 a.m. | #
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25 - shanty hamlet would be a better description of the two dwellings unless one of the local churches counts as part of the same area. I hope the residents have found better accommodation. Rarely saw anyone outside when passing
Half a physicist | 01.07.25 - 9:14 a.m. | #
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30. I knew that when the answer was published I would be unable to understand how I had failed to see it. And I am. Mention of the Queen was such a giveaway.
dg writes: I added 10 further clues, hourly. The ‘Queen’ hint went in at 9pm.
Malcolm of Kent | 01.07.25 - 9:17 a.m. | #
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1 - I wonder what hardware BT is using there. The little box I have that converts TCP/IP into "telephone" (so I can use my old phones) has a light that blinks when I have a message. I have of course buried it behind the desk and never see it anyhow, but the app will pester me instead.
Chz | 01.07.25 - 9:23 a.m. | #
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9. Sounds like another example of the sloppy and ambivalent building regs in this country. Mine are 20 years old and I was unaware that they degrade over time. An extra job for my electrician next time I have some work done.
Scientist | 01.07.25 - 9:27 a.m. | #
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29: The seats being plastic aside, Glastonbury doesn't have plastic loos. There aren't portaloos. The metal toilets are pretty bad yes, but a lot of the site has compost toilets which are actually fine and don't even really smell.
Charlie | 01.07.25 - 9:40 a.m. | #
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4) I agree, very poor.
15) An identical house to my first in 1985 is on the market for 10 times what I paid new. Glad I do not live there now.
scrumpy | 01.07.25 - 9:42 a.m. | #
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1. As tech person for an elderly neighbour I spent some time persuading her not to have 1571 as well as her answering machine. She was worried someone might phone while she was already on a call and not try again. Eventually convinced her that she would rarely remember to check the dial tone so a caller would think she'd got the message (generally medical calls) but hadn't.
Andrew S | 01.07.25 - 9:49 a.m. | #
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9. Smoke Detectors installation is regulated in the UK by BS 5389-6. Since 2019 mains powered without battery back up are not permitted in new builds. The testing in Germany showed that after 10 years, because of sensor degradation only about 80% functioned properly. this dropped to near 50% after 20 years. So the sensor may or may not work, but the longer you wait the more the odds stack against you.
Keith the Kraut | 01.07.25 - 9:54 a.m. | #
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14. When you said you were on the Liberty line, I'm glad you added 'between Romford and Upminster', because otherwise I wouldn't have had a clue in what part of London you were.
mikeH | 01.07.25 - 9:58 a.m. | #
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9. Americium-241 has a half-life of 432.2 years, so after 10 years of decay your alarm will be running at a mere 98.4% efficiency.
HTFB | 01.07.25 - 10:00 a.m. | #
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6. TfL info available in spreadsheets from here. Bank on the Waterloo & City has the shortest (78m and 79m).
I can't find downloadable spreadsheets for the National Railway, but platform length info, and much more, for all stations is listed here. Sorry, it will be a pain to find the shortest from that.
dg writes: so yes it was one of the shortest, but not the shortest, cheers.
miker | 01.07.25 - 10:04 a.m. | #
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9. on mikeH's update that it's sensor degradation at issue, the alarm actually responds to _not_ picking up the radiation (in case it's being blocked by smoke) so a failing alarm is one that goes off all the time. You'd notice that.
HTFB | 01.07.25 - 10:05 a.m. | #
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17, Ooh, I've always wanted to see the Clerk's well. One of those things on my London list, and I think there are cells near St John's church. I bet you've been there too haha.
SJM | 01.07.25 - 10:17 a.m. | #
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9 - There might have been a time limit printed on the packaging - I assume it was thrown away and that it wasn't you that installed it.
8 vs 11, which is better top content?
22 - in the old days you'd have got your mate to tape it for you, or today you'd have illegally downloaded it.
Still Anon | 01.07.25 - 10:30 a.m. | #
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30 - bit odd to list this in the "30 unblogged things I did in June". I can see that you blogged about it :)
dg writes: and yet not
A3Warrior | 01.07.25 - 10:39 a.m. | #
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11. Anything that gets people to look at the moon is absolutely fine with me.
Jonathan | 01.07.25 - 10:53 a.m. | #
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1: BT have always been user-hostile, so this is no surprise. In the past they set up a supposedly separate company just to surcharge anyone not paying bills by DD, and they only — extremely reluctantly — relented on supplying battery back-up for elderly people with alarm systems forced onto digital voice when MPs intervened after a torrent of complaints. They seem to resent having to provide a phone service at all and just want the dosh.
30: Shows it’s all in the eye of the beholder — and selective narrative vision.
Labourer | 01.07.25 - 10:54 a.m. | #
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30. Should have recognised yesterday's walk with the glaring clue in the first paragraph. When I did it in 2020 I also couldn't find the mysterious information panel right under Shakespeare's nose.
davews | 01.07.25 - 11:24 a.m. | #
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6: someone has already found the definitive answer, but for further nerd-sniping try the National Electronic Sectional Appendix.
dg writes: I spent 15 minutes yesterday failing to find the answer in that.
biggedybiggedybop | 01.07.25 - 12:11 p.m. | #
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30. Glad I didn't comment with my guess yesterday, as I spent a good few mins researching it and I would have been VERY wrong.
Gunnersaurus | 01.07.25 - 12:32 p.m. | #
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1. Yes, all telcos resent providing telephone service and would rather not sell it. Altnets (Community Fibre, Hyperoptic, Cityfibre etc) don't sell it at all; the few providers still providing telephony have landline user bases that are almost entirely elderly and which are shrinking accordingly. Legacy telcos like BT, Virgin etc are bound by their existing older customer bases to keep serving redundant products like landlines and answerphones; all would rather not as it diverts resource away from their respective full-fibre builds to compete with Cityfibre etc. Other countries (and Hyperoptic etc customers) get by fine on all-IP and regard landlines a backward relic.
Bemused | 01.07.25 - 12:52 p.m. | #
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13. Did the same recently.
17. I made some effort to look through the window last year, but thanks for showing me not to try any further. It's nothing.
29. Did you like Caribou and Four Tet?
kr | 01.07.25 - 1:17 p.m. | #
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19. Antony Szmierek actually went into the studio for his 'First, Last, Everything' with RadMac and I thought he was a very charming & interesting guy so I will definitely be listening to Poetry Please on BBC Sounds (£5) so thank you DG.
Wild Edric | 01.07.25 - 2:07 p.m. | #
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1. BT wants me to move to EE, but it seems impossible to keep my landline if I do that. I never use the landline, but older friends and those who don't have my mobile number do. I also hate the answerphone thing and had to phone someone to get it switched off. I also hate that my phone won't ring more than 4 times before going to answerphone.
9. The whole business with smoke alarms bemuses me. I only have battery ones, which were fixed to the ceilings. So when the battery starts to get low, it beeps and I have to get in a ladder to clamber up to get it down and replace the battery (or to switch it off if I burn the toast). I'm too old for that malarky nowadays, so I keep the alarms where I can reach them. My daughter has alarms on the mains, but it seems they have batteries too. Living in an old church, she has immensely high ceilings and the downstairs alarm is extremely hard to get at. I really would think that would occur to fire prevention people that their products should be easy to get at.
Z | Homepage | 01.07.25 - 2:11 p.m. | #
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9 battery units with nonreplaceable 10 year batteries is my preference, even if they start beeping at 8 years. I just wish that the backplate could be standardised by regulation, also twist off with a standard tool for high roofs. I used to have ones that could plug into a lamp pendant (with a bulb socket) and thus hide in a lampshade and self recharge when the light was on
14 my son and I also got checked on a quiet weekend afternoon; my son wanting to tick that line off before his 5-11 zip card expired. So maybe frequent weekend checks is a thing on the Liberty Line
15 no major changes to any of my previous family houses (4: 2 in New Jersey, 2 in UK.) Also no major changes to grandparent's last homes (surprised the one in Royal Oak on the Eastern Chesapeake shore has not succumbed to vulgar "gentrification" and become a "McMansion" to match the newer ones that have been built nearby).
MilesT | 01.07.25 - 2:54 p.m. | #
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9. the only two problems with non-replaceable batteries are that a) you're caught out when they start to beep as you don't have a smoke alarm until you've time to go and buy one and b) they can't be turned off when they do beep because the battery is running down. Or so I found when it happened to me. I had to drown them in a bucket of water and it took quite some time before they shut up.
Z | Homepage | 01.07.25 - 3:10 p.m. | #
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1. For what was a phone company, BT has always been difficult to contact by phone. It's as if they don't want you to actually use the phone.
Pedantic of Purley | 01.07.25 - 3:15 p.m. | #
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11. As long as there's going to be one gullible person eager to eat up uninteresting astronomical phenomena, the articles shall continue. I'm also rather annoyed that all the physics articles seem to be about space nowadays, I hardly ever see other sectors touched on in the news.
14. I had ticket inspectors recently on a Southern train, and a few months prior, there were some on a Southeastern train. Not TfL, but it does feel like they're ramping up inspection. Not sure if necessary on the Liberty, though.
18. I believe a bus stop down by Selsdon is served by a non-TfL route only, yet the stop itself is TfL. I suspect five must be a record, though.
30. From the photo from yesterday's post, I'm strangely surprised the walk happened to be in Central. I was convinced it was way out in the outskirts.
All Over 2a | Homepage | 01.07.25 - 3:42 p.m. | #
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9) BS EN 14604:2006 might be the official source you're looking for. I haven't seen the document myself, but according to citations, it limits smoke alarms to a 10-year lifespan and requires the manufacture and recommended replacement dates to be marked on the device.
J | 01.07.25 - 4:05 p.m. | #
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12) surprised to see you adopting the modern definition of 'dropped'!
29) on which note, I think they're still dropping more full sets on Sounds, should you want to listen to some others while out and about.
martin | 01.07.25 - 5:51 p.m. | #
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9. I had a carbon monoxide detector that beeped incessantly in its dying, and it was put in the garage at the end of the back garden.
We still head it from over 50 feet away and through double glazing.
Finally, I found a kill switch covered by a QC label which worked when the label was removed and the switch popped out.
No mention of a kill switch in the acres of bumf that came with it.
Mike | 01.07.25 - 5:58 p.m. | #
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9. The detector mechanism of most smoke detectors contain a small amount of Americium which is a radioactive isotope. The efficacy of the detector will be degraded over time due to the decay half-life of the isotope.
Jake | 01.07.25 - 6:25 p.m. | #
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15. When we were selling my late father's house we found the advert for it when he and my mother bought it. Increased 100 fold. And the sale was completed sixty years, to the week, from when they bought it.
It has since been sold again. The interior has been so drastically changed it was difficult to work out which room was which, but it has been done quite tastefully, and some changes were long overdue - we had one loo in a household which at one point numbered eight!
timbo | 01.07.25 - 7:18 p.m. | #
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1 - I was tricked into going onto Digital Voice a couple of years back, and went through that voicemail process. I can deal with checking messages when arriving home. What's trickier is that since the switch only one handset of two in the house now rings, which is in a harder-to-hear location. I often therefore do not know there has been a call, and need to pick up a message.
cau1khead | 01.07.25 - 7:37 p.m. | #
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16) I am sure it is not deliberate and have reported it to the appropriate person to see if it can be rectified!
18) A stop or three near Barnet only has the Uno 614 - but not five routes!
Causton | 01.07.25 - 8:46 p.m. | #
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9. It might also be worth checking your CO alarm, they took have an expiry date that should be observed.
dg writes: February 2033, thanks.
Anyoldname | 01.07.25 - 9:16 p.m. | #
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9. The vast majority of smoke detectors sold today are "optical" and don't use radioactive sources or anything exotic - they use an LED and a phototransistor in a labyrinth that light can only get though if bouncing off smoke particles.
So the lifespan is that of any other simple electronics, which as we all know from experience, is sometimes a few years, sometimes decades.
Graham | 01.07.25 - 10:43 p.m. | #
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Days that haven't attracted comment:
5 7 10 21 23 24 27 28
(but the vast majority have, thanks)
diamond geezer | Homepage | 01.07.25 - 11:59 p.m. | #
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15) I see my childhood house frequently mainly because my mother moved to the next street and its on a main through road
Only thing that's changed is windows and door upgrade, no front garden
Rachel | 02.07.25 - 8:26 a.m. | #
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7 - I lived in a HMO once where someone was playing loud music late into the night. As all the fuse boards were in the lobby I was seriously tempted to turn them off.
10 - Congratulations! 🎉
23 - (Isn't no comment totally applicable for this item?)
24 - I passed Rory McGrath once walking around with no top on. He does not have the body of an athlete.
Jon Jones | 06.07.25 - 7:08 a.m. | #
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