Paulb

@paulb3964

Retired pharmacist from UK, Married, Spaniel owner, private pilot, EV (not Tesla) driver.

922 Following949 Followers3,928 Posts

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Paulb@paulb3964· Jul 3

Manchester is clearly in the Midlands (as is Chester)

A map of England with red horizontal lines splitting the country into 3 horizontally (a northern area (North of Hull & Preston), a Southern area S of Worcester) with a (geographical) Midlands in between)

Paulb@paulb3964· Jun 30

You are quite right. I’m sure I read somewhere that my iPhone 13 wouldn’t be compatible. Is it some of the Siri/AI features that I won’t see?

List of iPhone models compatible with forthcoming iOS27. (Every thing since 2nd gen iPhone SE)

Paulb@paulb3964· Jun 29

Why would the US have investigative primacy for an offence that occurred on UK soil? Is whether the offender was on or off duty or on or off the airbase relevant. US Airbases in UK are surely UK territory. It *is* **RAF** Lakenheath & not USAF Lakenheath? www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

Screen shot of Guardian article with photo showing the name of the airbase as RAF Lakenheath.

Paulb@paulb3964· Jun 26

Hey @metoffice.gov.uk Yesterday we were in the RED heat alert area. Today we’re AMBER, but it feels just as hot and oppressive as ever. Currently 32º I guess it involves more than just temperature

Screen shot of a map of SE England from Sheffield in the North to Portsmouth in the South. It shows Amber and Red alert areas for extreme heat

Paulb@paulb3964· Jun 24

More than that “One of the Jewels in the BBC’s Crown returns to iPlayer” Our Friends in the North is stunningly good TV and features James Bond (Daniel Craig) & Dr Who (Chris Eccleston) as you never seen them before…. Not forgetting the wonderful Gina McKee www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...

Screenshot of part of a newspaper article about the return of “Our Friends in the North” The image features future James Bond, Daniel Craig and Mark Strong in their roles.

Paulb@paulb3964· Jun 15

Partial screen shot of a gov.uk web page. It says

Follow us on X, Instgram, Facebook, Flickr & YouTube

Paulb@paulb3964· Jun 8

When you go to the camera shop, but the guitar shop is right next door #Epiphone #LesPaul

Epiphone inspired by Gibson Custom 1959 Les Paul Standard re-issue

Paulb@paulb3964· May 31

I thought exactly the same thing…. Further down the news this is what passes for “Culture” in 2020’s UK.

Photo of two people, one is apparently a presenter on Love Island & the other a footballer. The news headline says “Reuben Dias says he ‘draws line’ over Maya Jama break-up speculation”

Paulb@paulb3964· May 30

Is this what passes for culture in the BBC News room in 2026? A footballer breaking up with (or possibly not) a Love Island presenter?

Photos of footballer Reuben Dias and Presenter Maya Jama with a headline that says “Reuben Dias says he ‘draws line’ over Maya Jama break-up speculation.” The BBC news item is tagged “culture”

Paulb@paulb3964· May 28

Will I still be able to do this?

Screen shot of Siri settings in iPasOS26 with Siri disabled

Paulb@paulb3964· May 14

I have a paper book printed in 1843 and it’s still perfectly readable. It even has annotations.

A page from an 1843 Prescriber’s Vade Mecum with handwritten annotations made by (I assume) the original owner.

Paulb@paulb3964· May 10

#Politics people… What happens if no-one can agree to form a council in #Birmingham? Can Reform (largest party) just install a leader? Surely they’d be voted out by the rest? Is it a mess and will the residents suffer?

Council election results for Birmingham 2026. 99 of 101 seats declared.

Reform 22
Green 19
Lab 17
Con 16
Ind / others 13
LD 12

Paulb@paulb3964· May 9

Who is going to sort the bins out in Birmingham now? www.bbc.co.uk/news/electio...

Birmingham City Council elections results 2026. (101 seats 51 needed for majority 95 declared)

Reform 21 (+21 compared to 2022)
Lab 18 (-41)
Con 18 (-5)
Green 17 (+15)
Lib Dem 12 (-)
Ind + Others 10 (+10)

Paulb@paulb3964· Mar 3

Considerate parking here in Birmingham by the Prius. I was going to write to the local councillor but he pavement parks too, as did the unmarked police car the other day. “Pavement driving” seems to be a thing here too. (Rather than waiting for a car to pass, one will drive on the pavement.)

A white Toyota Prius parked completely on the pavement on a residential street. No pedestrians can pass without walking in the road

Paulb@paulb3964· Feb 13

We have a spaniel! *Loves* mud! He can find it even in fine weather.

Very muddy Chocolate roan Sprocker Spaniel standing on a fallen tree with green grass and blue sky in the background.

Paulb@paulb3964· Feb 13

Is anyone else suffering a deluge of “unknown calls” from various mobile numbers and landline numbers from SW England (but probably India). Why can @ofcom.bsky.social not do more to prevent this scourge?

Screenshot of “unknown callers” list on a iPhone

Paulb@paulb3964· Feb 2

Here’s Rex the (probably) Sprocker Spaniel

Paulb@paulb3964· Jan 5

Minister defended use of X in Parliament today (even when asked a Q about sexualised images created without consent.) hansard.parliament.uk/lords/2026-0...

Lord Pack (LD)
My Lords, I am sure that the Minister has seen the recent reports of X generating on-request sexualised images of people without their consent, including of children, yet the Government repeatedly prioritise the use of X. To give just one example, the Home Office’s public social media policy encourages the use of X by promising to read all messages sent to it via that platform, a promise that is not made about any other social media network. Is it not the time for the Government to stop prioritising and promoting the use of X ahead of other social media network platforms?

Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent
(Lab)
My Lords, I genuinely do not agree that we prioritise the use of X, but 19.2 million British citizens use X. It is incredibly important, in an age of misinformation and disinformation, that facts are available on the platforms people are using, as opposed to the platforms we wish people were using, which is why the Government will continue to post organic content on

Paulb@paulb3964· Dec 31

“Did you bring your tablets in with you?” “Yes…”

A bag of assorted (but predominantly yellow) capsules and tablets

Paulb@paulb3964· Dec 31

Come and live round here. We get fireworks (just the noisy ones, not the pretty ones) most nights… often after midnight. Rex the spaniel lets us know he’s not keen on them.

Rex the (probably) sprocker spaniel. He’s chocolate roan with big fluffy spaniel ears

Paulb@paulb3964· Dec 17

This isn’t from the Lidl car park but the car park is visible on the right. The Lidl has now moved to a larger site on the other side of the canal, but its car park no longer overlooks the canal. Mirfield, West Yorks (April 2016)

View from Bull Bridge Mirfield, West Yorks.

Paulb@paulb3964· Dec 6

Expert scamming here - they obviously have no personal details or details of the vehicle. They also seem unaware that VED never expires mid-month. Even so, I guess some will fall for it.

Fake scam email stating that car tax is out of date.

Paulb@paulb3964· Nov 27

Hmmm… from that document. Exemptions incoming. The last sentence implies it’s the occupier that will pay.

The government will also consult on a full set of reliefs and exemptions, as well as proposed rules for more complex ownership structures including companies, funds, trusts and partnerships. The consultation will also cover treatment of those who are required to live in a property as a condition of their job (tied property).

Paulb@paulb3964· Nov 26

Large temperature variations esp in western UK at the moment. Cardiff airport currently 0º, whereas Exeter is -5º and Newquay +4º (The 2nd temps in the reports are dew points)

Aviation weather reports from airports in SW UK showing temperature variation.

Paulb@paulb3964· Nov 16

Has anyone here use a Focusrite Scarlett #AudioInterface (or any other Audio Interface)?

Paulb@paulb3964· Nov 3

It was this paragraph towards the end that struck me

$HS2 had little choice - once the act set out the work required they had no choice but to follow it - but the council could have acted. The sensible thing would have been to get the road redesignated as a bridleway or footpath, an idea that has some local support and seemed like the obvious solution to people I spoke to at HS2. This would have created a lovely, traffic-free public amenity for walkers or cyclists along a stretch of the Chiltern Way, and then the bridge could have been a simple footbridge instead. It wouldn’t have needed to be built to the same standards, it could be much smaller, more discrete, more attractively designed, and probably a fraction of the cost. Everyone would have been a winner - local residents, HS2, and the British taxpayer.$

Paulb@paulb3964· Nov 1

This pic of #Silverstone motor racing circuit on a rather grey and showery summer’s day has just popped up in my photo “memories”

Silverstone Motor Racing circuit from the air

Paulb@paulb3964· Oct 22

Sell Gold, buy beef! (Or is it the other way round? I never get this stuff right which explains why I’m rich!) (Image from Sky News)

Screen shot from Sky news item reporting on a fall in gold prices but a rise in beef prices.

Paulb@paulb3964· Oct 19

Who robbed the Louvre? Right answers only.

Still from ITV1 series Frauds starring Jodie Whitaker & Suranne Jones

Paulb@paulb3964· Oct 18

The pronunciation of numbers in aviation is more odd than letters. Here’s the pronunciation guide for numbers… all to avoid confusion when transmitting over the air. All contained in a UK CAA document whose name is easily remembered. CAP413! www.caa.co.uk/our-work/pub...