HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: evansmp@uhura.aston.ac.uk (Mark Evans)
Newsgroups: uk.misc
Subject: Re: Video Plus
Date: 6 Jan 93 12:51:36 GMT
Organization: Aston University
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL241235]

Dr A. N. Walker (anw@maths.nott.ac.uk) wrote:
: 
: 	Well, it would certainly be nice to have a way of hacking them
: into the video -- we get rotten C4 reception annoyingly frequently, and
: teletext reception seems to be the first thing to go.

it usually is, the human eye is more tolorent than the electronics.

: 	Hear, hear.  I'm fed up with having to set all BBC recordings
: to start 2mins earlier and finish 5mins later than advertised, just in
: case.  [How do Video+ users cope with this?  If you have to tap in a
: stream of random digits *and* *then* still have to fiddle with the
: results, this must make the system completely worthless, surely?]

I think there is a built in margin on video plus, not sure what the
exact value is.
(though it could cause problems where you have one program after another
in time, on different channels to record)

: [We missed the climax of the penultimate episode of "Between The Lines",
: thanks to allowing too little for over-run -- the girlfriend had just
: jumped into the river, lots of blood, then ... phzzzzzzzzz.]

--
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mark Evans                                   |evansmp@uhura.aston.ac.uk
+(44) 21 429 9199  (Home)                    |evansmp@cs.aston.ac.uk
+(44) 21 359 6531 x4039 (Office)             |
Newsgroups: uk.misc
From: roy@harlqn.co.uk (Roy Badami)
Subject: Re: Fast & Cheap Money Xfer to USA
Organization: Harlequin Limited, Cambridge, England
Distribution: uk
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 19:35:34 GMT

In article <20988@acorn.co.uk> agodwin@acorn.co.uk (Adrian Godwin) writes:

   After moaning to my bank (Royal Bank of Scotland) about the excessive cost
   of IMOs etc (especially when compared with credit card payments), they 
   offered to provide me with a US dollar account. This should cost me about 
   5 pounds to write a cheque, but the cheque will be drawn in US dollars and 
   should be cashable in the US at no additional charge to the payee.
   The account has no other associated charges, and currency conversion is
   performed when I transfer money from my UK current account into it, at
   the usual published rate & fee (wish I'd filled it at last year's rate!).

   Since I haven't received the cheque book yet, I can't be sure if it works
   as intended (I wouldn't be surprised to see something like the $4 charge
   you mention at the other end).

   The cheapest methods - but not always acceptable - appear to be credit
   card or actual cash, obtained from a bureau de change.

When I've seen people on the net selling things mail-order, they quite
often insist that cheques must be drawn on a US bank.  Presumably
that's to make extra certain they won't have to pay any additional
charges...

	-roy
--
Roy Badami, Harlequin Ltd, Barrington Hall, Barrington, Cambridge,  U.K.
Internet: roy@harlqn.co.uk               UUCP: ..!mcsun!uknet!harlqn!roy

When we reach that point, whatever happenned _will_ happen again...
From: cabr53@ccsun.strath.ac.uk ("R.A.McPheat")
Newsgroups: uk.misc
Subject: Teletext time. Was Re: Video Plus (a few questions) Phil?
Date: 11 Jan 93 16:41:31 GMT
Distribution: uk
Organization: University of Strathclyde

In article <1993Jan11.144526.1386@infodev.cam.ac.uk> maj@cl.cam.ac.uk (Martyn Johnson) writes:
>
>At the moment, only BBC1/2 seem to be any good. Their teletext time
>is generally very close to the truth. We are told that it drifts
>when MSF is down, but I have never checked this myself.  Oracle
>used to be not bad, but the new Teletext time is terrible.  The
>various channels I get on cable are pretty ropey; some usually
>within a few seconds, but I observed one recently wrong by around
>ten minutes.
>
At Hogmanay last year, just before the bells the time skipped from 23:59/56
to 00:00/00. This was at the same time as the bells rang on the programme on
the screen (this was BBC1). It would appear that the teletext clock does
drift by a few seconds and is brought back into line occasionally.

Robert.
From: rf@cl.cam.ac.uk (Robin Fairbairns)
Newsgroups: uk.misc
Subject: Re: Solmin
Date: 4 Jan 93 13:56:58 GMT
Organization: U of Cambridge Computer Lab, UK

In article <1993Jan4.120608.9177@bradford.ac.uk>, P.A.Foulkes@bradford.ac.uk (Pete Foulkes) writes:
|> In article <prk.725103260@polaris> prk@planet.bt.co.uk (Peter Knight) writes:
|> >leveret@warren.demon.co.uk (Nick Leverton) writes:
|> >
|> >>As far as I know, "Solmin" used to be the only paracetamol tablet you can
|> >>chew without water, and it was very useful to keep a tube of them in the
|> >>overcoat pocket in case headaches strike in those out-of-the way places.
|> >
|> >>NOW THEY'VE BEEN WITHDRAWN FROM SALE :-(
|> >
|> >>And my head hurts ...

I agree with other people in this thread: Solmin is (was) an
aspirin-based thing as far as I recall.  As far as I'm concerned,
aspirin and paracetamol are equally (in)effective in dealing with
headaches.  However, one's supposed to be cautious about aspirin-
family products if one is asthmatic.

|> Try Nurofen, they're sugar coated and actually rather nice.
|> 
|> Based on Ibuprofen (sp.) I think.

Two points:

1) Nurofen is a Boots product and is seriously more expensive than
generic Ibuprofen (correct spelling).  If you can, buy the generic.

2) Ibuprofen is an aspirin family drug (says my doctor).  If you're
asthmatic, treat it with care.  (NB, I am asthmatic, and have the
go-ahead to use Ibuprofen from my doctor.  It's not an absolute
bar...)
--
Robin (Campaign for Real Radio 3) Fairbairns       rf@cl.cam.ac.uk
U of Cambridge Computer Lab, Pembroke St, Cambridge  CB2 3QG, UK
"They had twelve years to lay in wait for us" - Bush supporter on Nov 4
From: sm@cel.co.uk (salim mehta)
Newsgroups: uk.misc
Subject: Re: Video Plus (a few questions) : ONE ANSWER
Date: 12 Jan 93 09:49:09 GMT
Distribution: uk
Organization: Crosfield Electronics Ltd.
In-reply-to: mark@mark-one.inet-uk.co.uk's message of 8 Jan 93 15:29:57 GMT

In article <1993Jan8.152957.12280@mark-one.inet-uk.co.uk> mark@mark-one.inet-uk.co.uk (Mark Powell) wrote:
> A few questions about PDC, teletext aware videos:
> 
> Do these new teletext aware videos set the videos clock from the teletext
> time at the top of the page?

My Philips VR713 does exactly this, it takes the time data from the teletext
service on (its) channel 1. It updates the time data at what appear to be
random intervals!

> This would be really nice. However does it mean one has to be careful
> taping programs early on the morning of the last Sunday in March and
> October when the GMT->BST and BST->GMT changes take place? ie the GMT->BST
> change takes place at 2:00am GMT ie the clock goes 1:59:59 then 1:00:00
> (or is it the other way around) then setting the video to tape a  program
> starting at, say, 1:00am and finishing at 1:30am  will cause the program
> to be taped twice :)

I guess that once in "record" mode the time will not be updated, this avoids
this kind of problem. I haven't actually done this to check - are there any
programmes broadcast at this sort of time? : )

Here are some questions:

Because the PDC codes have only been used by C4, what is unclear is what the
VCR will do if it is set to record 2 programmes on 2 different channels and
if a time slip causes an overlap - which programme takes priority?

Also once a PDC timer has been set the VCR monitors that channel for the PDC
code - can it monitor more than one channel?

Anyone know if the broadcasters have mutual agreements to transmit other
channel PDC codes (seems unlikely given the level of co-operation)?

If the net is unable to answer these questions I wonder who is?

--
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Salim Mehta                             Phone :  +44 442 230000  x3450
Crosfield Electronics Ltd               Fax   :  +44 442 232301
Hemel Hempstead  HERTS HP2 7RH  UK      Email :  sm@crosfield.co.uk
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
     Alt email :  sm@cel.uucp     ...!{mcsun,uknet,uunet}!cel!sm
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: uk.misc
From: rpt@edscom.demon.co.uk (Richard Tomlinson)
Subject: Re: Mornington Crescent rules anyone?
Organization: EDS-Scicon, Milton Keynes, UK
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1993 09:11:52 GMT

In article <1993Jan6.095202.27792@medusa.prime.com> richm@CIS.Prime.COM writes:
>Please, if anyone does really know the rules, and if there are
>any, could they post them to this group or Email them to me
>as well. 
-- 
Richard Tomlinson, EDS Scicon Ltd, Wavendon Tower, Milton Keynes, UK MK17 8LX
rpt@edscom.demon.co.uk   Tel:  +44 908 284539          Amateur radio: G4TGJ
All opinions expressed are mine, and are not necessarily those of my employer.
From: jkn@ohm.york.ac.uk (John Nicoll)
Newsgroups: uk.misc
Subject: Clangers patterns sought & offered
Date: 5 Jan 93 11:02:35 GMT
Distribution: uk
Organization: Electronics Department, University of York, UK

Now that the blessed `Clangers' is back on TV,
my mind has returned to making soft toys of such.
I have a knitting pattern for yer basic clanger
(by Oliver Postgate, no less) - I have made a few
of these and they have worked out well. If there is
demand for this on the net I will transcribe and post it.

In return (!), I am looking for a pattern for the Soup Dragon - 
legend has it that this can be found in an old copy of
a Clangers Annual. Any offers of photocopies etc. _very_
gratefully received.

	email replies preferred - thanks#

	john N

-- 
john nicoll (jkn@ohm.york.ac.uk)
Department of Electronics  University of York
Heslington   YORK YO1 5DD U.K
Tel +44 (904) 433221   Fax +44 (904) 432335
From: mathew@mantis.co.uk (mathew)
Newsgroups: uk.misc
Subject: Re: Transport subsidies and Record Companies
Date: 12 Jan 93 17:33:11 GMT
Organization: Mantis Consultants, Cambridge. UK.
X-Newsreader: rusnews v0.98

snail@lsl.co.uk writes:
>In article <930108.155837.0K7.rusnews.w165w@mantis.co.uk>, 
>mathew@mantis.co.uk (mathew) writes:
>> Indeed.  Personally, I don't buy multiple formats, I don't buy compilation
>> albums (with one exception), and I don't buy anything in a DigiPak.
> 
> I do my best not to. What is a DigiPak?

Nasty packaging made from a single plastic tray glued into folded cardboard. 
Less robust than a plastic jewel box, easier to damage, falls to bits and is
hard to repair, and uses up more non-recyclable materials than an ordinary
plastic box.

It's being pushed by a couple of US companies who want it to take over from
the plastic jewel box.  By a strange coincidence, said companies happen to
own the company that makes the DigiPak, and the design just happens to be
patented.


mathew
Newsgroups: uk.misc
From: dave@dhcs.demon.co.uk (Dave Hodgkinson)
Subject: Re: Think of a number
Organization: IISC, dept of hackery.
	<zlsiida.682@fs1.mcc.ac.uk>
Apparently-To: mail2news@news.demon.co.uk
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1993 17:46:03 +0000

In article <zlsiida.682@fs1.mcc.ac.uk> zlsiida@fs1.mcc.ac.uk (dave budd) writes:

   In article <1993Jan7.123646.20720@infodev.cam.ac.uk> gdb15@grebe.cl.cam.ac.uk (Guy Barry) writes:

   >In article <zlsiida.677@fs1.mcc.ac.uk> zlsiida@fs1.mcc.ac.uk (dave budd) writes:
   >>How many Afro-Caribbean and Asian people live in Britain?
   >>The population of Britain is around 60million.
   >>What did you guess?
   >>The true answer is:. 
   >>2.54million
   >>Apparently 'most' people guess around 10 or even 20 million.
   >>It is believed that this may be an expression of racially based fear.

   >I'd say it's more likely to be because most people in the media live
   >in London or other large cities where there's a much higher proportion
   >of non-white people, and so their reporting reflects the culture
   >they see around them, rather than that of the country as a whole.
   >This is bound to affect popular opinion.

Hmmm. I'd say a lot _work_ in London and then flee to the country (cf
Posy Simmonds et al :-)

   Yes it was suggested that the racially based fear is largely the result of 
   media hysteria.  Like the discrepancy between the likelihood of being mugged 
   and the fear of it.  [nb in Manchester there were more white muggers than 
   black in, I think, 1990; but it's hard to convince people of this without 
   the police stats in your hand]

Yes, but express the absolute numbers in terms of proportion of the
population. If numbers of muggers of each (I nearly said both :-)
colour is the same, and 90-95% of the population is white, then the
numbers speak for themselves.

   But I don't think the reporting is affected so much by the proportion of non-
   whites in the areas where mediafolk live.  I think they do it deliberately 
   to make sales-getting headlines.  Call me an old cynic if you like.

You are an old cynic :-)

     No Trespassing: 4/17ths of a haiku.     D.Budd@mcc.ac.uk   fax 6040
     Dave Budd, MCC, Oxford Rd, Manchester, England    (44|0)61-275-6033  

Walking on glass...

Dave

-- 
Dave Hodgkinson | Nearest thing to a Chief Wizard at IISC | +44 71 628 6960
S:10 I:17 W:8 D:14 C:13 Ch: 15      About to die: daveh@cix.compulink.co.uk
            Direct, to my desk, three times a day ... dave@dhcs.demon.co.uk
   This message brought to you by the most excellent Demon Internet Service
From: tchua@soda.qmw.ac.uk (Terence Chua)
Newsgroups: uk.misc,rec.arts.tv.uk
Subject: Re: Ariston music for TV Advert
Date: 8 Jan 93 07:49:21
Organization: QMW Department of Laws
Distribution: uk
NNTP-Posting-Host: soda.berkeley.edu
In-reply-to: nealet@syma.sussex.ac.uk's message of Fri, 8 Jan 1993 10:57:24 GMT

In article <1993Jan8.105724.19094@syma.sussex.ac.uk> nealet@syma.sussex.ac.uk (Neale Type) writes:

   Does anyone know what the source of the music (cheap sounding computer
   ditty) comes from, as I am sure it sounds like an old Comodore-64 game
   tune ??

   Neale


All I know is that it's got my vote for the most irritating advert on the air
just a few points short of the Renault Clio ("Papa?" "Nicole!") ad. The
bloody thing just goes aristonandonandonandonandon...

Aaagh!
--
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Terence Chua, Dept of Laws, Queen Mary College, University of London
Snail Mail: 22 Courcy Road, London N8 0QH
Telephone: (044)081-888-1210
E-Mail: T.Chua@qmw.ac.uk 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
"I am not a free man, I am a lawyer!"
From: cc@dcs.ed.ac.uk (Chris Cooke)
Newsgroups: uk.misc
Subject: Re: Drugs
Date: 8 Jan 93 14:14:50 GMT
	<1993Jan8.130345.9922@infodev.cam.ac.uk>
Organization: Department of Computer Science, University of Edinburgh, Scotland

In article <1993Jan8.130345.9922@infodev.cam.ac.uk> dahe@cl.cam.ac.uk (David Elworthy) writes:

   Well, I've heard it claimed by some people that they drive better when
   mildly stoned, because it allows their intuitions and reflex to take over
   from a more analytic mode of thought.

Someone once made this claim to me.  For him, it's true - when he's NOT
stoned he's an extremely bad driver because he gets annoyed very easily and
his tempers distract him from the driving.  When he's under the influence
he's rather more calm and easy-going.  He's still not a very good driver
though :-) although he thinks he's a wonderful driver.
--
	-- Chris. 	cc@dcs.ed.ac.uk   (on Janet, cc@uk.ac.ed.dcs)

		
Newsgroups: uk.misc
From: andy@syma.sussex.ac.uk (Andy Clews)
Subject: Re: Shrewsbury Station on a Sunday Afternoon
Organization: University of Sussex
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL5
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 11:46:11 GMT

Brian O'Donovan (odonovan@inmos.co.uk) wrote:
: If things go according to plan, I will be on Shrewsbury Station from
: 4:48pm to 6:41pm on Sunday 17th January, along with my wife and two 
: kiddies.
: 
: I would like to know what the station and surrounding area are like.
: Is there anything to see, do or eat there at that time?

Shrewsbury Station is old and has some character, but it's pretty grotty on
the whole, and so is the surrounding area. If you have the time, walk a bit
further into the town centre, which is quite nice when the weather's OK.
BUT, seeing as you are there when it's already got dark, you aren't going to
see much....

Hope you don't get *too* bored!


-- 
Andy Clews, Computing Service, Univ. of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9QJ, England
JANET: andy@uk.ac.sussex.syma      OTHER NETWORKS: andy@syma.sussex.ac.uk
From: dpl@aber.ac.uk (David Philip Langstaff)
Newsgroups: uk.misc
Subject: Re: Transport subsidies and Record Companies
Date: 8 Jan 93 10:22:10 GMT
Distribution: uk
Organization: University of Wales, Aberystwyth

In article <29963@castle.ed.ac.uk> fofp@castle.ed.ac.uk (M Holmes) writes:
>
>Hah, you were lucky! You should be a Hawkwind fan.
>
>To add to the interest there are cases of the same album being called
>different names on different releases, different albums being called the
>same names, different albums with different names but the same covers,
>albums with tracks listed which don't appear on the album, tracks
>appearing on albums unlisted, the same track appearing under different
>names, different tracks appearing under the same names. The CD's of
>course usually have extra tracks, but the extra tracks are often
>squeezed on to foreign releases of the vinyl. I won't even bother
>mentioning the limited edition releases :-(
>
Perhaps this should go into the 'Drugs' discussion as a previously
undocumented deleterious effect of cannabis.

Nick Turner's Allstars are are playing some pretty serious swing 
these days, does anyone know if they've got anything out, preferably
on an analogue medium ?


-- 
Dave Langstaff | Janet:dpl@uk.ac.aber
Any views expressed are those of the author alone. | Phone:(0970)622838 
After-life, After-shave, don't hold with any of it, bleugh! - Sir Henry
From: igb@fulcrum.co.uk (Ian G Batten)
Newsgroups: uk.misc
Subject: Re: Hi-fi TV sound?
Date: 8 Jan 93 14:55:16 GMT
Organization: Fulcrum Communications

In article <1993Jan8.125536.2911@unipalm.co.uk> keith@unipalm.co.uk (Keith Mitchell) writes:
> cheap. Ones I am aware of are from Maplin, Sachs-Nicam, and ARCAM, cost range
> about 100-500 quid. These have audio outputs you can feed into your Hi-Fi

The Arcam Delta 150 is going for 199 at the moment.  And it's very good
indeed...

ian
From: dominic@natcorp.ox.ac.uk (Dominic Dunlop)
Newsgroups: uk.misc
Subject: Re: New teletext franchise
Date: 11 Jan 93 14:19:12 GMT
Organization: British National Corpus, Oxford University, GB
Originator: dominic@onions.natcorp.ox.ac.uk

In article <1993Jan6.160247.16951@unix.brighton.ac.uk>
ndl@unix.brighton.ac.uk (nathan) asks:
> What are peoples opinions on the new teletext service providers ?

The service providers?  Well, I'm deeply suspicious of anything which
has anything to do with Associated Newspapers, but have yet to see
anything which particularly justifies this view.

The service?  Glad you didn't ask.  I greatly miss the programme
previews and back-up material on channel 4.  Having schedules for all
channels on channel 4 is an improvement, but does not balance the
disappearence of almost all programme background information.
Other missed pages: 541-549; 611; 621-628.

The ``channel 3'' content used to be abysmal.  It's improved a little.

At least the page access times on the commercial chanels are bearable:
BBC2 access times are a disgrace.  (And what a strange coincidence
that the BBC should have had the idea of revamping its Ceefax service
just before the appearence of a new contractor on the commercial
channels...)
-- 
Dominic Dunlop
From: des@inmos.co.uk (David Shepherd)
Newsgroups: uk.misc
Subject: Re: Think of a number
Date: 12 Jan 93 10:08:38 GMT
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL8]

Mr R J Tinsley (cstadgs@csv.warwick.ac.uk) wrote:
: In article <zlsiida.677@fs1.mcc.ac.uk> zlsiida@fs1.mcc.ac.uk (dave budd) writes:

: >How many Afro-Caribbean and Asian people live in Britain?

: >The population of Britain is around 60million.

: >2.54million

: From the CIA World Factbook entry for the United Kingdom...

: Population:
:     57,797,514 (July 1992)
: Ethnic divisions:
:     English 81.5%, Scottish 9.6%, Irish 2.4%, Welsh 1.9%, Ulster 1.8%, West
:     Indian, Indian, Pakistani, and other 2.8%

: ... and 2.8% of 57.80m is 1.62m. How come the discrepancy?

I think that the 2.54 million figure comes from the recent census results
which are the first officially "counted" figures rather that estimates 
from guesses or statistical sampling.

also 2.8% doesn't agree with figures used by equal opportunities agencies
of about 4% of the working population coming from "ethnic minorities".


--
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
david shepherd: des@inmos.co.uk                     tel: 0454-616616 x 625
                inmos ltd, 1000 aztec west, almondsbury, bristol, bs12 4sq
                New Year Resolution for 1993: Start using capital letters.
Newsgroups: uk.misc
From: keith@unipalm.co.uk (Keith Mitchell)
Subject: Re: Video Plus
Organization: Unipalm Ltd., 216 Cambridge Science Park, Cambridge CB4 4WA, UK
Distribution: uk
Date: Tue, 5 Jan 1993 13:24:52 GMT

wdrdjh@thor.cf.ac.uk (Dr D J Harvey 92) writes:

>|: The encoding is proprietary to this company and subject to
>|: patent protection.  Listings publishers pay for the privilege of
>|: printing these numbers, so it is not surprising the Video+ people
>|: are touchy about it.

>I always thought that the whole point of a "patent" was that the info
>was publicly available (from the patent office), but that it was _USE_
>that was protected by the law - after all, if you can't tell what other
>people have invented, how are you supposed to know not to use it?

Sorry, I was being a bit vague here as I wasn't quite sure of my
facts.  It is some time since I only saw part of the extensive
discussion about Video+ in the Us on sci.crypt, so I may have my
facts wrong.

I *think* what actually happened was that the fact the codes were
patent *pending* was used as part of the legal case to keep them
secret. I am happy to stand corrected by anyone better informed. I have
no idea what the UK/Europe legal status of Video+ codes is. But I
still do NOT like proprietary systems with secrecy in them.

Keith Mitchell

Public IP Exchange             keith@pipex.net
216 The Science Park           keith@unipalm.co.uk
Cambridge, UK                  keith@uk.co.pipex	(non-IP JANET sites)
Phone: +44 223-424616
Fax:   +44 223-426868
From: mathew <mathew@mantis.co.uk>
Newsgroups: uk.misc
Subject: Re: Drugs
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 93 14:44:43 GMT
Organization: Mantis Consultants, Cambridge. UK.
X-Newsreader: rusnews v0.98

Tim Steele <tjfs@tadtec.co.uk> writes:
> Two comments: firstly, given a choice of aspirin, paracetamol and 
> ibuprofen, which should you take for most common problems?  I take the 
> aspirin for colds, paracetamol for hangovers and ibuprofen for headaches, 
> but I suspect this is entirely arbitrary.  Anyone know better?

I prefer the pre-emptive cure for hangovers:  drink at least half a litre of
water before falling asleep.  And ideally drink milk and eat something before
any serious drinking.


mathew
Newsgroups: uk.misc