Usable UK Railways Live Departure Boards!

29 Aug 2003: And while we’re on an accessibility tip (see below), big respect to Matthew Somerville for creating an easy-to-use version of the UK Railways Live Departure Boards. Straight to Favo(u)rites.

A Postcode Finder which works!

29 Aug 2003: Here’s a good find: an easy-to-use version of the the Royal Mail Postcode Finder, the normal version being one of those websites which has long been criticised as an overelaborate nightmare (takes ages to load, requires pointless logging-on, etc etc). The nice version is on the Royal Mail Access Website which it has kindly designed "so that people with disabilities, including visual impairments can access it easily". You have to wonder: what about the rest of us? Thanks NTK UPDATE (2007): I can no longer find a separate version for people with disabilities, but the “normal” version has been made somewhat easier to use.

The Case for re-opening the Cambridge to Huntingdon Railway Line

22 Aug 2003: Visit Henry Tribe’s The Case for re-opening the Cambridge to Huntingdon Railway Line if you want good, regular updates on what’s happening on all aspects of this subject. Also, the Milton Railway Station Campaign is campaigning for access to rail services in Milton village north of Cambridge “preferably by building our own Railway Station”, and to improve rail in the region, including the reopening of the Cambridge to St.Ives railway line. Just like us in Cherry Hinton, they have a railway line running right through the village, but no station (D’oh!).

Cheapest directory enquiries calls

21 Aug 2003: Yet another example at the moment of the “all competition is good” mantra which our sadly-deluded successive governments have fallen for. This weekend the telephone directory enquiries service gets opened up to commercial alternatives. They’ve made the new numbers as unmemorable as possible (118 xxx, what’s that all about?) so inevitably people are going to the one which advertises the most, and guess who pays for that? The price differentials are frightening and all I can say is, visit the brilliant Money Saving Expert website, where the guy who runs it, Martin Lewis, has gone through everything. He recommends: [1] Use the internet (like 192.com, which is free); [2] Sign up to One-Tel, which has a free directory enquiries service; [...]

Laundry Guide for men

17 Aug 2003: The Laundry Guide to Common Care Symbols: “a Man’s Lexicon of the symbols on care labels”. This made me laugh like a drain today Thanks B3ta

Boot out the Bus

16 Aug 2003: Whilst the CAST.IRON people are planning to provide an alternative to the daft guided bus system north of Cambridge, plenty of people are campaigning hard to ensure everyone knows how ridiculous the bus plans are. The Hunts Post newspaper seems to be at the forefront with its Boot out the Bus campaign. Good for them.

Take the train from Cambridge to St. Ives!

15 Aug 2003: Well, not yet. Met Tim Phillips today, guiding light behind CAST.IRON (The Cambridge And St. Ives Railway Organisation). The completely unwanted and unworkable Guided Bus system proposed for north of Cambridge will, as most residents know, either take years to happen and be a great white elephant, or will quietly die. What CAST.IRON plans to do is to restore regular, timetabled rail services to the Cambridge-St Ives Line, which hasn’t been in operation for years but which has only been officially closed this summer. It’s a terrific initiative, based on a successful project along similar lines at the Wensleydale Railway in Yorkshire. The plan is simply for the community to buy the line, restore it, and run it themselves, privately. [...]

Ordinary start to the season

9 Aug 2003: Not the best of starts to the new season for Ipswich Town, a one-all draw with Reading at home. Read my report for the full story.