Things you always wanted to know the answer to [Vol. 3]

[Rostfritt]

Shakermaker said:

prand said:

I had heard it was for deaf and blind people to know that it was safe to cross, as they wouldn't be able to see the pedestrian lights change to green or hear the beeps.

Although I've always wondered how a deaf and blind person can manage to find the crossing without falling into the road or experiencing some other fatal mishap on their way, they must be incredibly brave to go out in this world.

In Australia they have vibrating beepers which you can "feel" the sound if you place your hand on the unit, sound a bit like strangulated 2 stroke engines to me.

if you walk around most streets here in the UK, you'll notice that the road pavings are different at crossings, junctions etc. A few slabs with raised dots, or raised lines will be enough for a person with limited or no vision to know when they are at a road crossing and act accordingly. The lines even vary when they interact with things like cycle lanes or similar.

I walked somewhere earlier that had paved a large area at the bottom of some steps with the spotted tactile pavement. I don't think that is how they are supposed to be used and it felt a bit weird to walk on. I like the vibrating beepers though. I tend to stick my hand on them so they sound all distorted when beeping.

[anonymous-user]

Tactile paving guidance:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/governmen...

I use it daily, or at least I've memorised the elements I need to know. It's very dull reading indeed.

[captain_cynic]

Shakermaker said:

if you walk around most streets here in the UK, you'll notice that the road pavings are different at crossings, junctions etc. A few slabs with raised dots, or raised lines will be enough for a person with limited or no vision to know when they are at a road crossing and act accordingly. The lines even vary when they interact with things like cycle lanes or similar.

It's called tactile paving.

You can either get entire slabs with textured surfaces or retrofit existing pavement which are usually bright yellow dots/bars screwed or glued in.

Edit... Beaten by OpulentBob.

[StevieBee]

Welshbeef said:

Shakermaker said:

Welshbeef said:

Why should the general tax payer incl the poor needy and disabled etc have to pay compensation to the Windrush victims?

Because everything the government does wrong is paid for by tax?

So it’s ok for those with the least to pay for this?

Why?

It's not a direct cost. It won't appear as a separate line on your tax bill.

The tax we pay is linked to incomes and levels of wealth so (in theory) we each contribute something that is proportional to our individual situations. This goes into a pot and is divvied out as the government sees fit to run the country on our behalf.

Part of the pot will be a contingency to cover things like the Windrush issue. That pot also occasionally gets topped up through things like fines issued to banks (for things like Libor).

[schmunk]

How soon will a Mod notice this thread has reached 500 pages, lock it and open Volume 4?

[Frank7]

Welshbeef said:

It’s because hotels do not put 5 physical people in a normal room.
They put you in a junior suite or suite or duplex instead - or a full on swim up room as that’s only where the room capacity meets the 5 head need.

£8k was the norm the £13k was in Marbella(but it was B&Q and didn’t look all that).

Note the hotel star ratings are 4*+ or 5* and it’s the peak 2 weeks in Aug

Colour me dumb, but what is B & Q in a holiday accommodation context, is it the cognoscenti term for self catering, as in B & Q =DIY?
I know B & B, and Air b’n’b, but not B & Q.

[john2443]

talksthetorque said:

Did the wife find out?

When I had to store some potential babies before some nasty medical things, I had to go three times in four days to the wkbank.

By the third time in the same room with no stimulus, i may have been struggling a little for inspiration.
When I finally stepped out of the room, beetroot faced and walking funny, the nurse said ‘you took your time’
There were three blokes in the waiting room...

When a mate was waiting to make his contribution for IVF, the bloke before him came out of the room and the nurse commented on how long he'd been in there and he said ' Yes, sorry, the first time I missed the jar!'

[Willy Nilly]

Why do we refer to wheat, barley, grass and oil seed rape as singular yet beans, peas and potatoes as plural?

[wiggy001]

schmunk said:

How soon will a Mod notice this thread has reached 500 pages, lock it and open Volume 4?

126...

[schmunk]

Willy Nilly said:

Why do we refer to wheat, barley, grass and oil seed rape as singular yet beans, peas and potatoes as plural?

Is it not to do with them being 'countable' or 'uncountable' nouns, similar to the rule for using "less" or "fewer"?

[Vipers]

My son is freelancing in London, sent me this pic hanging up in the office he is working in, wondering where it is. If you zoom in you can see wind generators, so guessing offshore around the Norfolk coast or thereabouts.

Guessing the forts are from WWII but so close together.

[Timmy40]

Willy Nilly said:

Why do we refer to wheat, barley, grass and oil seed rape as singular yet beans, peas and potatoes as plural?

In a similar vein, a single sheep or a group of sheep, a single cow or a group of cows. Why?

[captain_cynic]

Timmy40 said:

Willy Nilly said:

Why do we refer to wheat, barley, grass and oil seed rape as singular yet beans, peas and potatoes as plural?

In a similar vein, a single sheep or a group of sheep, a single cow or a group of cows. Why?

Mass nouns are usually because the plural sounds incorrect. I.E. Sheeps sounds wrong. Also it's probably something that has hung around for years because we've always done it. Something you'll hear a lot when learning a new language is "don't question it, just learn it" because often lexical rules aren't in any way logical.

Also, from Willy Nilly's list, only wheat and barley are mass nouns.
Grass/grasses
Oil/oils
Seed/seeds
Rape/rapes (not sure what this is doing there, unless he meant rapeseed).
Bean/beans
Pea/Peas
Potato/potatoes

[SpeckledJim]

Vipers said:

My son is freelancing in London, sent me this pic hanging up in the office he is working in, wondering where it is. If you zoom in you can see wind generators, so guessing offshore around the Norfolk coast or thereabouts.

Guessing the forts are from WWII but so close together.

Maunsell Forts, in the Thames estuary.

[Vipers]

SpeckledJim said:

Vipers said:

My son is freelancing in London, sent me this pic hanging up in the office he is working in, wondering where it is. If you zoom in you can see wind generators, so guessing offshore around the Norfolk coast or thereabouts.

Guessing the forts are from WWII but so close together.

Maunsell Forts, in the Thames estuary.

Thank you very much,

[Moonhawk]

captain_cynic said:

Mass nouns are usually because the plural sounds incorrect.

Mouses is a perfectly acceptable plural.

[schmunk]

Moonhawk said:

captain_cynic said:

Mass nouns are usually because the plural sounds incorrect.

Mouses is a perfectly acceptable plural.

I thought it was Meeces: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QI_2ERlcM8

[popeyewhite]

Moonhawk said:

captain_cynic said:

Mass nouns are usually because the plural sounds incorrect.

Mouses is a perfectly acceptable plural.

'Mice' is preferable and more widely used. http://grammarist.com/usage/mice-mouses/

[Halmyre]

Moonhawk said:

captain_cynic said:

Mass nouns are usually because the plural sounds incorrect.

Mouses is a perfectly acceptable plural.

Maybe, but you'll get pelters for using it. Anyway, sort this lot's plurals out and then ponder why foreigners hate learning English:

blouse
grouse
house
louse
mouse
spouse

[Ayahuasca]

Halmyre said:

Moonhawk said:

captain_cynic said:

Mass nouns are usually because the plural sounds incorrect.

Mouses is a perfectly acceptable plural.

Maybe, but you'll get pelters for using it. Anyway, sort this lot's plurals out and then ponder why foreigners hate learning English:

blouse
grouse
house
louse
mouse
spouse

My old spice hated mouse, loathed a lice in the hice, liked roast grice wearing a blice. But my new one is OK with it.