Nice People 13: Nice Save

michaels

HAMISH_MCTAVISH wrote: »

Interesting.

We've run Audi diesels now for the last 4 cars.

Never had a breakdown in 500K miles.... But the current high-miler, while still mechanically strong, is having a lot of mildly annoying minor niggles with interior electrics.

My parents have the same fiat as us, similar age and mileage and have few if any problems - but they tend to have a minimum trip of 10m and most of their journeys are probably more than 100m - modern diesels do not like short journeys

zagubov

vivatifosi wrote: »

I just tried to write a considered post in response to michaels's and yorkies comments re libraries. First I wasn't allowed to quote and then it lost what I'd written, so will try again.

As always, I can't say who I work for or where, though michaels knows and has met me at work.

Libraries are changing. They have to change to stay relevant, but they also have to change to respond to budgetary pressures and different technologies, community needs and so forth.

I'm glad that michaels is responding to the Hertfordshire survey. It's important that people are aware of the issues and are part of the formation of the service going forward. The public can only get out what they put in, and if they don't inform the county of their thoughts, then services cannot be commissioned according to their need moving forward. For my part I think Hertfordshire's approach is brave, pragmatic and strategically focused.

Co-location will become the norm. With what will depend on the area and suitability of spaces; when will depend on leases and what needs doing first. The use of volunteers and partnering with other community organisations will also be commonplace, and rightly so. Serving customers face-to-face in a library is expensive. Doing so digitally is significantly cheaper. That's why we have to change. If library staff resist they will go the way of the dinosaur. As I've alluded to with the police example, we will become more of a community information point. We're taking on a greater role in getting people connected.

If it costs money for them to come to the library, there has to be a saving elsewhere. We save the DVLA money by facilitating people applying for their driving licences; HMRC money when small business owners can come in and do their returns online. We also teach a lot of people the wrong side of the digital divide to get online.

What do people come to the library for? Yes they borrow books, but the elderly come in and we may be the only person they speak to all week. The homeless come in to stay warm. Children come to listen to story or sing nursery rhymes, or make craft projects like in michaels's library. Older kids do their homework. Commuters drop by to find out about ebooks. People come in to trace their family history.

It's a really exciting time to work in libraries, providing you are pragmatic and not a dinosaur. Change is good. Bring it on.

I think that libraries are essential, like schools. In Northern Ireland they're run by the Education Authorities, and I think they should be integrated more into the education process.

When I moved to London, PL Travers whoi wrote the Mary Poppins books used to contribute to a children's storytelling group in our local library.

As usual, the world's greenest city, Curitiba, has got it right. Its libraries are called Lighthouses of Knowledge.

GDB2222

michaels wrote: »

Also seen this on ebay but the price is too low so I fear expensive problems:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/181548467111

Why does the description say maroon? The pictures don't tally?

Doozergirl

michaels wrote: »

Needs to have at least 5 seats, if they made a 7 seater outlander phev (as they do for the petrol and diesel) it might be of interest.

On exchange and mart there is a renault fluence for 7k, hideously ugly, no hatch and being electric only we would need a second car or to hire but the price means that depreciation is limited....

Also seen this on ebay but the price is too low so I fear expensive problems:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/181548467111

You either have a leased battery at £s per month which is replaced 'free' when needed or the car comes with a purchased battery, in which case you will have to replace at a cost of £5000 or so. Each car comes with either/or - you can't change.

The second hand Renaults don't run with a sensible battery re-charge time. It's only the new batteries (mainly Nissan) with true fast charge that make the things remotely usable, IMO.

They're not particularly cheap motoring, yet. There's still a sacrifice to be made for planet love. Next generation, I say.

That ebay car hurt my eyes

Generali

Doozergirl wrote: »

You either have a leased battery at £s per month which is replaced 'free' when needed or the car comes with a purchased battery, in which case you will have to replace at a cost of £5000 or so. Each car comes with either/or - you can't change.

The second hand Renaults don't run with a sensible battery re-charge time. It's only the new batteries (mainly Nissan) with true fast charge that make the things remotely usable, IMO.

They're not particularly cheap motoring, yet. There's still a sacrifice to be made for planet love. Next generation, I say.

That ebay car hurt my eyes

I'm really looking forward to electric cars being viable. Stack the roof with solar panels in a nice sunny country

It's a lovely day today. The sun is shining but it's not crazy hot like yesterday.

lostinrates

Generali wrote: »

I'm really looking forward to electric cars being viable. Stack the roof with solar panels in a nice sunny country

It's a lovely day today. The sun is shining but it's not crazy hot like yesterday.

I know of a land rover in south of France with solar panels or power, home made, some years ago.

Generali

lostinrates wrote: »

I know of a land rover in south of France with solar panels or power, home made, some years ago.

LOL. I meant the roof of the house not the car!

It'd be great. Charge up the van all day and do deliveries between 4&7am.

vivatifosi

Generali wrote: »

LOL. I meant the roof of the house not the car!

It'd be great. Charge up the van all day and do deliveries between 4&7am.

I thought solar water heating was fairly commonplace there. Looking at the weather here today I'd face a,very cold shower if I relied solely on solar here. It's miserable and wet.

Generali

vivatifosi wrote: »

I thought solar water heating was fairly commonplace there. Looking at the weather here today I'd face a,very cold shower if I relied solely on solar here. It's miserable and wet.

Yeah. Lots of people, in-laws included, have a system where the water is heated by the sun in the day on the roof and topped up with I-Can't-Believe-It's-Not-Economy-7.

Solar power for fairly obvious reasons is a lot more viable in Aus than the UK. TBH though it amazes me the dislike for it over there. People are idiots frankly. Solar is the future until fusion works.

vivatifosi

Generali wrote: »

Yeah. Lots of people, in-laws included, have a system where the water is heated by the sun in the day on the roof and topped up with I-Can't-Believe-It's-Not-Economy-7.

Solar power for fairly obvious reasons is a lot more viable in Aus than the UK. TBH though it amazes me the dislike for it over there. People are idiots frankly. Solar is the future until fusion works.

One of my rels has solar water heating here. Solar definitely makes sense for us living in an all electric house, but as one of a pair of semis, our roofs in every direction are triangular, so there's not as much south facing space as we'd like. We're waiting for the next generation of the technology, if it ever arrives, ie photovoltaic film as that would work better with the shape.