what I have learned today.

[sam]

Ellison was a dick, but wrote some truly oddball and unique stories.

'I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream' comes immediately to mind.

He used to set up his typewriter in book store windows and bang them out.

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

That “Soldier” by Harland Jay Ellison was the inspirational book behind “The Terminator”.

Robert Bloch, the author of Psycho, described Ellison as "the only living organism I know whose natural habitat is hot water."

That is what Ellison claimed.

I've read that story. There is almost nothing connecting Soldier to Terminator, apart from them both featuring a soldier sent back in time.

Ellison was a dick, but wrote some truly oddball and unique stories.

I haven't read 'soldier' but going on wiki, 'almost nothing' is arguable.  And it was, and Ellison won a settlement with Orion.

Cameron was against Orion's decision and was told that if he did not agree with the settlement, he would have to pay any damages if Orion lost a suit by Ellison. Cameron replied that he "had no choice but to agree with the settlement. Of course there was a gag order as well, so I couldn't tell this story, but now I frankly don't care. It's the truth."

[hatler]

In a delicious and sad irony, that the Cutty Sark was launched in the same year that the Suez Canal opened.

[Tim Hall]

In a delicious and sad irony, that the Cutty Sark was launched in the same year that the Suez Canal opened.

Mind slightly blown.

[hatler]

I know that the Cutty Sark was launched in 1869. That date is fixed because the Cutty Sark was 11 years younger than the Maria Asumpta, and I just know that she was launched in 1858.

[Mr Larrington]

Today I are mostly learning that Roy Estrada, bassist for The Mothers Of Invention, Little Feat and The Magic Band, is currently in prison in Texas for kiddy-fiddling and will not be eligible for release until 2037

[rogerzilla]

Dawn from The Office is Jasper Carrott's daughter.

[robgul]

Dawn from The Office is Jasper Carrott's daughter.

. . . she was also Hayley in the everyday story of country folk on R4 for quite a while.

[campagman]

I thought her name was Norra.

Sent from my moto g(50) using Tapatalk

[Mr Larrington]

Today I are mostly learning that the Empire Windrush was German until BRITAIN seized it off of them Nazis in 1945, and was originally called the Monte Rosa.

[Cudzoziemiec]

The word 'werle', which is Wolof for 'hands'. As I am unlikely to learn any other Wolof words or speak with a Wolofian, I shall endeavour to use this word in English sentences, such as 'Look mum, no werle!'

[rafletcher]

That councils can no longer charge for DIY waste

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-65977938

They say it’ll push up costs, but they have to clear up the fly tipped waste already. It’ll also mean when you want a new bathroom the plumber will want you to dispose of the old one.

[ian]

That councils can no longer charge for DIY waste

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-65977938

They say it’ll push up costs, but they have to clear up the fly tipped waste already. It’ll also mean when you want a new bathroom the plumber will want you to dispose of the old one.

When we had our place refurbished, we were billed and paid for all the disposal.

I was told that while the county runs the waste and recycling centres around here, the flytipping is cleared up by the district council, so if the council cuts back that service, the pain is reserved for the district council who have to clear up the mess. Personally I'd discourage flytipping with death-from-the-sky-drones. #harshbutfair

[Feanor]

That councils can no longer charge for DIY waste

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-65977938

They say it’ll push up costs, but they have to clear up the fly tipped waste already. It’ll also mean when you want a new bathroom the plumber will want you to dispose of the old one.

From my reading of the news, the cooncil were ignoring the rules, finding a loop-hole to charge where they should not have been. They are just closing this loop-hole.

"In 2015, the government banned charges on local residents disposing of household rubbish at household waste centres.
Guidance made clear this includes DIY household waste. But some local authorities were still able to charge for certain types of DIY material, under rules designed for construction waste."

[Canardly]

The landfill tax increases year on year and gives rise to less scrupulous action by some 'contractors'. Stopping the LAs charging nominal fees for providing a service is nonsense and will do nothing as regards fly tipping. See Hampshire ppe fly tipping.

[Cudzoziemiec]

But some local authorities were still able to charge for certain types of DIY material, under rules designed for construction waste.

It's going to make hardly any difference to fly tipping unless they extend free disposal to commercial waste too.

[rafletcher]

More probably learned again, the origin of the term "scot free".

https://www.theguardian.com/notesandqueries/query/0,5753,-2732,00.html

[Nuncio]

That gives 2 origins (the second of which sounds more plausible to me).

[Cudzoziemiec]

That the rails inside the Severn Tunnel are tin plated to reduce corrosion in the saltwater environment.

[hatler]

Blimey. On my Corrosion Engineering course we were assured that no protection was required for rails 'cos they wear out before they rust. Do they do the same for the lines past Dawlish Warren ?  Perhaps the combination of salty air and relatively little air movement combines to make a particularly aggressive environment.

[Cudzoziemiec]

I don't know about Dawlish Warren, though it would seem logical. The same place I read that did say that rails normally last about 25 years but in the Severn Tunnel they need to be replaced every 10.

[ravenbait]

That Deep Purple bassist Roger Glover was responsible for invertebrate prog rock sensation The Butterfly Ball.

Sam

[Mr Larrington]

Continuing the musical theme, today I are learning that The Band's “Robbie” Robertson is in fact called “Jaime Royal” Robertson.  Also, he'll be 80 next week.

[Canardly]

The the Cambridge house fire which sadly killed a woman and two children over the week end was caused by an electric bike which was on charge at the time.

[robgul]

The the Cambridge house fire which sadly killed a woman and two children over the week end was caused by an electric bike which was on charge at the time.

I think the next question is what was the bike/battery ?  . . . . . there are some notoriously poor quality bikes and batteries out there . . .   From data I've seen I doubt it was an established/mainstream brand.   Whatever, not leaving the battery on-charge unattended is prudent.