GreatAlbatross
@GreatAlbatross@feddit.uk
- Comment on The NHS gave £330 million contract to Palantir to build an NHS data platform. Well we've found out that most English hospitals aren't using it. 2 weeks ago:
It’s a well-known tune.
“How much will it cost to do this internally?” ‘£50 million, and we’d need to commit to staff to maintain it. But then we’d own it, and it would be about as financially efficient as possible’ “OK, this big company says they can do a basic version for £49m, and with the first year of support for free” ‘That won’t even do half of it. And they’ll just ramp the cost up later’ “No, this is a good plan, we should use the free market to efficiently do these things”
The project then becomes £330m once the private company quotes up including all the essentials that weren’t in the original quote, but the wheels are already turning, so it happens
- Comment on UK Minister accused of being too close to big tech after rise in meetings 2 weeks ago:
This was my query: Are these meetings butter-up luncheons?
Or simply a minister attending meetings that are part of their job. - Submitted 2 weeks ago to unitedkingdom@feddit.uk | 7 comments
- Fly-tippers’ vehicles to be crushed in bid to save England from ‘avalanche of rubbish’www.theguardian.com ↗Submitted 4 weeks ago to unitedkingdom@feddit.uk | 8 comments
- Comment on Britain's state-owned energy company will not be allowed to use solar panels linked to Chinese slave labour, under changes to government plans 5 weeks ago:
With the right investment into production automation, and classifying energy generation as a national security factor, I could see us building our own at prices that make sense.
The real kicker I guess is going to be the supply of rare earths required. - Comment on Heat pumps to be sold ‘smart-ready’ in plans to save households money 5 weeks ago:
not flash enough to make their Instagram account about renovating the house which I have been advised not to read as they are horrible people with bad taste
I’ll take “slapping grey paint on every surface, then fitting grey laminate flooring and black gloss worktops for $500, Alex”.
That, and painting over every patch of damp with tanking rather than actually fixing it.
- Comment on Heat pumps to be sold ‘smart-ready’ in plans to save households money 5 weeks ago:
I like to rant about this, but it is possible to insulate old properties without causing damp and mould.
It requires understanding of how the materials work (breathability, etc), and more expensive materials, so it’s often difficult to get it done for a reasonable price. - Comment on Heat pumps to be sold ‘smart-ready’ in plans to save households money 5 weeks ago:
‘You’ll need new radiators, and ideally more insulation’
“Utterly unworkable, now fit me a new gas boiler” - Comment on Beachfront property 1 month ago:
I’ve genuinely considered moving there.
They have a radio station, and it’s run by the chillest guy ever. Just playing tunes, and chatting between.
- Comment on Anyone else over April Fools being an extension of companies R&D depts 2 months ago:
Hell yeah buddy. Here at feddit.us, we love april fools.
- Comment on Police launch urgent search after girl, 11, falls into River Thames 2 months ago:
It varies by county too.
Cornwall does a shitload of swimming lessons, plus all the beach safety stuff (what the flags mean, how to spot/escape a rip, slip/slop/slap) - Comment on Millions of Britons brace for across-the-board bill rises in ‘awful April’ 2 months ago:
At least your water bill isn’t the best part of £1000 so the company involved can pay dividends…
- Comment on Virgin Physicists 2 months ago:
Sounds like a 6 ohm resistor solution.
- Comment on PC gamers spend 92% of their time on older games, oh and there are apparently 908 million of us now 2 months ago:
I can agree with this: All the hype around KCD:2 led me to buying/playing KCD:1
- Comment on The landlord special 2 months ago:
This is why I end up doing so much DIY.
A job that takes a professional half a day could take me a whole weekend.
But having to play “how likely are they to fuck it up, and how much of a pain will it be to fix” drives me up the wall so much, I often just buy the tool and do it myself.My time to do it: 15 hours, plus £200 in materials.
Cheap tradesman, 8 hours, £450 total, non-zero chance I’ll have to rip it out and re-do it myself anyway.
Specialist tradesman time to do it: 5 hours, £900-1200 total.So it either ends up being lots of work, a gamble, or lots of money. Quick, good, cheap, pick two!
- Comment on Andrew and Tristan Tate leave Romania, sources tell BBC - live updates 2 months ago:
Or they’re used as a bargaining chip by the US.
- Comment on Andrew and Tristan Tate leave Romania, sources tell BBC - live updates 2 months ago:
New cabinet pick for the US on its way, I guess.
- Submitted 3 months ago to unitedkingdom@feddit.uk | 12 comments
- Comment on Busses with LED advertising on the side. 3 months ago:
Like the arena in my area that keeps lights on all night (apparently to help the grass grow), while causing shitloads of light pollution. Why are there even regulations for grass quality? A bit of random pitch variance might make football interesting.
- Comment on We've increased our subscription from $9.99 to $29.99 a month 3 months ago:
“We realised we could use the same neural pathways that rabies does. Isn’t it lovely when nature saves a large corporation development money?”
- Comment on Not enough teachers, children turned away: Schools 'can't cope' with population boom 3 months ago:
100% agree on this. The societal backstops get underpaid, then every other resource comes crashing down on them.
Honestly, I’d consider teaching, and probably wouldn’t even mind doing the pastoral side of things, if it just paid OK, and wasn’t treated like “wow, you get to teach? And you get 6 weeks off in summer? Lucky!” - Comment on WH Smith in secret talks to sell historic high street arm 4 months ago:
Smiths own a lot of their commercial property, so they can often hang on to a location when other stores on lease agreements might have closed up.
It’s been talked about for a while, when the vulture capital firms would eventually be in to squeeze all that real estate juice into billionaire pockets.
- Comment on Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin blames 'dinner party classes' for pubs crisis 4 months ago:
For me, the price difference between chain pub food and nice resturant food is now too small as a percentage.
If I’m going out, and the choice is £20 a head in a half decent local restaurant, or £17.50 for something mediocre in a pub full of sports fans, it’s not a hard decision.Same as happened with a lot of the fast food places: When you’re approaching “proper food” money, people will spend a couple of quid extra for something nicer.
My local does decent cheap food, and does well because of it. (And in this comparison, it’s the £12.50 option)
- Comment on You better find a different spot 4 months ago:
The ninjas will get you.
- Comment on I need this framed in every room so I don't make that mistake again 4 months ago:
It also gives you a retreat space if you’d like to stay, but want half an hour to yourself midway through.
- Comment on Driver stopped in Tesla Cybertruck banned in UK 4 months ago:
I think Brum lives in the Cotswolds.
CT would never make it there, too many A roads. - Comment on Bloodletting recommended for Jersey residents after PFAS contamination 4 months ago:
Always nice to have a silver lining!
I really don’t want to think about a 10 year future where everyone has to go through this. - Comment on Bloodletting recommended for Jersey residents after PFAS contamination 4 months ago:
The bioaccumilation of PFAS in mortal blood is concerning for me and my colleagues.
It would be very sad to live for 600 years, only to be killed off by rain fire suppressant. - Submitted 4 months ago to unitedkingdom@feddit.uk | 17 comments
- Comment on UK ‘one of world’s least work-oriented countries’ claims BrewDog founder - as he slams obsession with 'work-life balance' 4 months ago:
IIRC, the owner chose to support brexit because it might mean the UK implemented minimum alcohol pricing sooner, which might have increased his trade when the gap between supermarket and pub drinking got smaller.
It really rubbed me the wrong way that was his reason.