Some observations from trying to book some free tickets for the second May bank holiday weekend in 2026. Sky Garden The website says tickets are released 3 weeks in advance on the prior Monday (or Tuesday if the Monday is a bank holiday). Effectively this means you’re booking 3-4 weeks before the actual date (e.g. … Read more
restic is a cross-platform command-line backup solution. Concepts Users and Passwords Three levels of authentication: Components Server The rest-server is the optional server component. Repo and Docker image. QNAP Container Station Installation instructions. Container Settings (The other installation instructions included –private-repos in OPTIONS but I want to be able to share backups between client PCs.) … Read more
Overview I don’t use my phone much: a few calls and texts, but mostly data which I minimise using: Previously I’ve used Three, Giffgaff, moving on when costs increased, and currently I’m on 1pMobile which now requires a £10 top up every 3 months i.e. £3.33/month 2 months i.e. £5/month. Main information sources: MSE, SIM … Read more
Currently my main pension is with an old employer’s scheme which doesn’t support drawdown or UFPLS, so I need to move it to a SIPP to access it. Main source of info is Monevator’s Broker Comparison. “Experiences” refers to user comments on Monevator or Lemon Fool. Obviously these are my personal notes and not financial … Read more
Transport Trains Interactive map; Map of network (click twice to zoom in, doesn’t cover NW) or this (less detailed) High speed Rome – Florence – Bologna FrecciaLink is an integrated train and bus service to some destinations without a train station. Communication Ubigi eSIM $5 for 3GB 30d Itinerary Bologna (13-16 Oct) Italy’s culinary capital … Read more
I was looking for a couple of screwdrivers to mend a mouse, but a set seems better value. Reviews Reddit here Cheap Options Usual online stores have lots of unknown brand options including Cheap options from recognisable brands include Expensive Options Several recommendations for following brands
Hunted is a TV show where ordinary people try to evade capture by a team of expert hunters who have access to replicated powers of the state including CCTV and ANPR. Often the show comes in for unwarranted criticism for being fake. Here’s my understanding, based on a little Googling. Rules Rule 0: It’s a … Read more
Introduction In 2001 a company called Slim Devices started developing network music players called Squeezebox (SB). Logitech later bought the company out. I have two Squeezebox Radios. Despite not selling the hardware since 2009, Logitech still runs the servers that allow the SB hardware to continue to work. Since the software is no longer being … Read more
These are my notes on using WhatsApp. Bulk Media Download WhatsApp is often used for group trips and holidays, and people post their photos to the group chat. There doesn’t seem to be any easy way to download all the photos from a WhatApp chat to a directory on a PC (e.g. my photos collection). … Read more
I wanted a second mobile phone, partly as a backup, but mostly to take abroad to countries where my own provider charges are high i.e. where a second SIM would be useful. Phone Comparison Notes: Cheapest Prices Once you’ve decided on a phone (I went for the Samsung Galaxy A54 because of the 5 years … Read more