h2g2bob @h2g2bob@mastodon.dbatley.com

90s TV where two teams make ridiculous machines out of junk. Episode 1: aeroplanes. Amazing! https://www.channel4.com/programmes/scrapheap-challenge/

Steve Mould explains how petrol pumps turn off when the tank is full https://youtu.be/fT2KhJ8W-Kg

1 in 80 people signed a petition requesting a general election.
1 in 400 are Tory party members.
Time for a general election.
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/619781 #ukpol

Electricity standing charge for those on prepayment metres (ie: zero electricity use) is £187/year. Which is more than 5% of Universal Credit for under-25s (£3,184/year). https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/what-are-the-price-cap-unit-rates-/

Tilting It Sideways: stories about hackers causing damage in the real world. https://www.spacerogue.net/wordpress/?p=625

For the very nerdy, it's the Festival of the Spoken Nerd DVD
https://mathsgear.co.uk/collections/festival-of-the-spoken-nerd/products/festival-of-the-spoken-nerd-full-frontal-nerdity-signed-dvd

Canaletto is known for painting for aristocratic tourists doing the Grand Tour. But in The Stonemason's Yard, he shows a different view of Venice. https://youtu.be/03BfPn6xrSo

1 in 200 people in the UK are calling for a general election. https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/619781 #ukpol

Postgres is adding a "unique nulls not unique" index, which prevents duplicate nulls. Normally a unique index allows duplicates if any column is null, so duplicate values of (123, null) are allowed. https://blog.rustprooflabs.com/2022/07/postgres-15-unique-improvement-with-null

A story from early days of Excel https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2006/06/16/my-first-billg-review/

One-Time Passcodes may be too phishable for real security
https://krebsonsecurity.com/2022/08/how-1-time-passcodes-became-a-corporate-liability/

UK Air Traffic Control is observing a 2 minute silence for the Queen tomorrow https://www.notaminfo.com/explain?id=1854672/0

Tonight! The IgNobel prizes! 6pm US Eastern Time is 11pm British Summer Time. Be there or be a regular quadrilateral! https://improbable.com/ig/2022-ceremony/?amp=1

Delayed Gratification gives the full story. The huge volcano eruption in March has finished, and the number of casualties and risk of another eruption are known.
https://www.slow-journalism.com/long-reads/hunga-tonga-hunga-haapai-volcano-erupts

Paddle Steamer Waverley is back in London and the Thames between 23 September and 9 October. Always exciting to travel by steam ship! https://waverleyexcursions.co.uk/

Never underestimate archivists and librarians – as Donald Trump is discovering – The Law and Policy Blog
https://davidallengreen.com/2022/08/never-underestimate-archivists-and-librarians-as-donald-trump-is-discovering/

The trouble with 64-bit DMA
https://lwn.net/Articles/904210/