🇬🇧🇹🇼 Solar, infosec, maker stuff, unlicensed pilot, avians, photography, science, ham radio M1AJB. In a personal capacity. GM at A&A | NED at LINX.

Blog: https://www.okcheersbye.co.uk
Old Twitter: twitter.com/alexbloor
Camera: Fuji X-H2S // X-100VI
Callsign: M1AJB

Last Notes

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https://cdn.masto.host/bloortw/media_attachments/files/115/411/412/334/506/741/original/e42847e5cc6356f4.png

2025-10-10 22:30:44 UTC

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FINALLY I am really quite confident the hot water tank did its legionella/get really hot briefly type cycle, as I am pretty sure it does it Friday mid-afternoon, and when I got home I was initially surprised to see the hot tank was at beyond 60 degrees C (it's usually 50). So it's good to see that that is being done.
I've booked our energy firm to come and remove the gas meter and cap off the gas. So that will save us £9 a month in standing charge.
3/ends.

2025-10-10 22:27:00 UTC

Heat pump saga.
I've now had the "insurance backed" 2 year workmanship guarantee through; which theoretically protects me if the installer goes bust.
And the installer also sent me the 7 year guarantee on the Samsung heat pump itself.
So, I mean, they are sort of doing some stuff properly, in terms of the "paperwork" aspects.
I also received good news from my mortgage lender that they've processed our application for the "Greener Home Reward", giving us £2k for free for some reason.
1/some

2025-09-18 23:22:30 UTC

How often do people change their phones? I am on 1182 days, and just beginning to think I might change. 3 years and almost 3 months doesn’t seem *insane* to think about changing, does it?

2025-03-10 12:08:50 UTC

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Statutory Late Payment Penalty, issued automatically, credited [the first time] cheerfully.

2025-02-12 13:53:44 UTC

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Kinda weirdly captured same mood, almost spookily identically back in 2021...
https://cdn.masto.host/bloortw/media_attachments/files/113/991/248/700/730/459/original/c965797c7482642a.png

2025-02-06 11:26:21 UTC

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A base rate cut is forecast by some , too. Which may trickle through.

2025-02-05 16:35:34 UTC

Ofcom rn :
https://cdn.masto.host/bloortw/media_attachments/files/113/952/248/209/458/088/original/70921abae14cfdb9.png

2025-01-28 22:16:27 UTC

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sorry it has not gone well so far. That sounds unlike our usual performance. We have quite a lot of practice at this, and though it hasn’t always been entirely smooth, the vast majority work fine now. If you email alex@aa.net.uk with your login / account / any ticket numbers I can get my colleague to look into it tomorrow. Apologies again.

2024-10-26 19:19:03 UTC

*DIY intensifies*
https://cdn.masto.host/bloortw/media_attachments/files/113/375/332/872/027/089/original/fe92ba4b266621ea.jpg
https://cdn.masto.host/bloortw/media_attachments/files/113/375/333/006/579/051/original/420eced498f169dd.jpg
https://cdn.masto.host/bloortw/media_attachments/files/113/375/333/118/769/838/original/5a8062879ebca1d0.jpg

2024-09-24 08:58:58 UTC

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even though I am GM of A&A I’d still recommend Mythic for hosting/domain needs.
A&A does do these things, for sure, but not to the extent mythic does. OTOH if it’s broadband you are looking for, roll up roll up etc

2024-09-24 08:26:06 UTC

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This is unexpected as I, too, hold (held?) them in high regard.
They just got a new CEO, maybe worth reaching out to him?

2024-09-08 08:53:07 UTC

It must be a weird situation; to be so wealthy (or able to utilise the wealth of others) that you can buy a thing for 40 billion, ruin it so badly that it may be worth half of that in less than one year, and STILL be on track, by some accounts, to be worth one trillion by just a few years time.
It must be strange that how ever big your fuckup is, somehow inexorably, your wealth rises, almost as though it was a force of nature. What does that do to a person, mentally?

2024-08-27 15:42:59 UTC

Amazon is convenient. But multiple times recently I've discovered stuff; ordinary stuff, cheaper elsewhere.
Example today:
Patterson & Ilford Film Processing Starter Kit
£99.00 on Amazon
or you could go (as I did) to a non-gigantic behemoth company, Bristol Cameras, who are literally a camera shop... in Bristol, and pay £81, including delivery, for the exact same item. And give the business to a small firm who might possibly appreciate it.

2024-08-27 08:23:58 UTC

Update:
https://cdn.masto.host/bloortw/media_attachments/files/113/033/019/485/008/348/original/4bdd7b6d74d3866b.jpg

2024-08-26 20:48:11 UTC

I am... perhaps unexpectedly... doing something actually useful with my 3D printer.