c4countdown

There was a presenter on the BBC News channel (or BBC News 24 as it used to be), who I think specialised in busisness/economic matters who was around in about 2001/2. Male, dark hair, probably 40ish or 30s. I think he became a bit flavour of the month for a while and I think got his own show, or at least was a main person on another show. Who was he?

I had in my mind that he might have been called Noel, but that has turned up nothing, so probably not that.

Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Sat Jan 22, 2022 11:32 am There was a presenter on the BBC News channel (or BBC News 24 as it used to be), who I think specialised in busisness/economic matters who was around in about 2001/2. Male, dark hair, probably 40ish or 30s. I think he became a bit flavour of the month for a while and I think got his own show, or at least was a main person on another show. Who was he?

I had in my mind that he might have been called Noel, but that has turned up nothing, so probably not that.

I found this guy with a bit of searching. Is this him?

Callum Todd wrote: ↑Sat Jan 22, 2022 12:51 pm

Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Sat Jan 22, 2022 11:32 am There was a presenter on the BBC News channel (or BBC News 24 as it used to be), who I think specialised in busisness/economic matters who was around in about 2001/2. Male, dark hair, probably 40ish or 30s. I think he became a bit flavour of the month for a while and I think got his own show, or at least was a main person on another show. Who was he?

I had in my mind that he might have been called Noel, but that has turned up nothing, so probably not that.

I found this guy with a bit of searching. Is this him?

Yes, it seems so. Thanks!

Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Sat Jan 22, 2022 12:59 pm

Callum Todd wrote: ↑Sat Jan 22, 2022 12:51 pm

Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Sat Jan 22, 2022 11:32 am There was a presenter on the BBC News channel (or BBC News 24 as it used to be), who I think specialised in busisness/economic matters who was around in about 2001/2. Male, dark hair, probably 40ish or 30s. I think he became a bit flavour of the month for a while and I think got his own show, or at least was a main person on another show. Who was he?

I had in my mind that he might have been called Noel, but that has turned up nothing, so probably not that.

I found this guy with a bit of searching. Is this him?

Yes, it seems so. Thanks!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paddy_O%27Connell

Looks like he's on Radio 4 these days

Callum Todd wrote: ↑Sat Jan 22, 2022 2:06 pm

Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Sat Jan 22, 2022 12:59 pm

Callum Todd wrote: ↑Sat Jan 22, 2022 12:51 pm



I found this guy with a bit of searching. Is this him?

Yes, it seems so. Thanks!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paddy_O%27Connell

Looks like he's on Radio 4 these days

I find him quite listenable.

David Williams wrote: ↑Mon Jan 13, 2020 8:44 pm

Phil Reynolds wrote: ↑Mon Jan 13, 2020 11:11 am

Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Mon Jan 13, 2020 10:59 am Newsreaders assuming knowledge of this sort of stuff is annoying.

Also quizmasters. On Pointless Richard Osman says things like "teams in the 2018-19 Champions League" and I have no idea what that means. I know the names of some football teams, so I could have a wild guess, but I have no idea whether I'm meant to be guessing local or national teams or whether they have to be British, European or whatever.

"And now, tonight's Champions League results. The Champions League is an annual football tournament contested by the leading clubs in Europe. Football, or association football, is a game played between two teams of eleven . . . "

Unfortunately there won't be time for any of this, because the bulletin started with
"Firstly, the latest news on Brexit. Brexit is the abbreviation commonly applied to describe the process by which the United Kingdom will leave the European Union. The European Union is . . ."

On this general topic, the Six Nations rugby is going on at the moment, but also the BBC have been going on about Scotland winning the Calcutta Cup with no explanation. But having looked it up, it seems that the winner of the Engalnd/Scotland Six Nations game also wins the Calcutta Cup. I don't think most people would know that so I consider it pretty weak journalism.

How would the Queen be viewed if George VI had lived a more normal life and survived into the 1980s? She might only have been on the throne for 30 to 40 years and might be considered just another transient monarch.

On a similar subject, will Queen Camilla become the Queen Mother when Charles dies?

Marc Meakin wrote: ↑Sun Feb 06, 2022 9:54 am On a similar subject, will Queen Camilla become the Queen Mother when Charles dies?

I really doubt it, unless there's a bigger surprise waiting for us from the early 80s.

On the subject of royalty, anyone living a longish life that was born after Prince George can potentially expect to see 5 British monarchs in their lifetime.
Was there a period in time previously when someone could have done the same?

Marc Meakin wrote: ↑Mon Feb 07, 2022 1:58 pm On the subject of royalty, anyone living a longish life that was born after Prince George can potentially expect to see 5 British monarchs in their lifetime.
Was there a period in time previously when someone could have done the same?

Someone born in around 1900 only had to live to 1952 to see Victoria, Edward VII, George V, Edward VIII, George VI and Elizabeth II. That's six. Easy.

Edit - It wouldn't have been completely impossible for someone to have been born in 1837 and died in 1952 at the age of 114 having seen William IV as well, but we'd probably know if it had happened. And someone living as long as Jeanne Calment allegedly did could have been born in 1830 seeing George IV as well.

Marc Meakin wrote: ↑Mon Feb 07, 2022 1:58 pm On the subject of royalty, anyone living a longish life that was born after Prince George can potentially expect to see 5 British monarchs in their lifetime.
Was there a period in time previously when someone could have done the same?

Plenty of occasions when people would have seen at least that many monarchs, especially if you extend to pre-Britain. Someone born in 1460 and living to 100 - unusual but probably happened - would have got 9.

If the question is specifically could someone be born and expect to see 5 monarchs, probably also true. Someone born at the end of e.g. George III or Victoria could reasonably expect to get through a few, without knowing exactly how.

Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Mon Feb 07, 2022 2:30 pm allegedly

lol

How is it that you can suck the colour and flavour out of an ice lolly?

Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Mon Feb 07, 2022 6:42 pm How is it that you can suck the colour and flavour out of an ice lolly?

Because the concentrate has a lower melting point than the water?

Marc Meakin wrote: ↑Sun Feb 06, 2022 9:54 am On a similar subject, will Queen Camilla become the Queen Mother when Charles dies?

Even apart from the obvious, when George V died his wife became the Queen Mother, but simply carried on being called Queen Mary. When George VI died that was a bit of a problem, because there would have been two Queen Elizabeths, so Queen Mother was added to her title. As an afterthought, Queen Mary was actually the Queen Grandmother when she died!

Incidentally, the unusual aspect of number of monarchs in a lifetime is surely the number of people living to a decent age who will only have seen one - anyone dying under the age of 70 from now on. I suspect there aren't many people hereabouts who can match my current total of two.

Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Sun Feb 06, 2022 8:17 am On this general topic, the Six Nations rugby is going on at the moment, but also the BBC have been going on about Scotland winning the Calcutta Cup with no explanation. But having looked it up, it seems that the winner of the Engalnd/Scotland Six Nations game also wins the Calcutta Cup. I don't think most people would know that so I consider it pretty weak journalism.

Isn't this a bit like complaining that they don't explain the rules of Countdown at the start of every episode? Most people who tune into rugby would know what the Calcutta Cup is. For every person who found it useful to hear an explanation there would be dozens who would be irritated. And more so nowadays when Alexa will tell you in an instant.

David Williams wrote: ↑Mon Feb 07, 2022 7:54 pm

Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Sun Feb 06, 2022 8:17 am On this general topic, the Six Nations rugby is going on at the moment, but also the BBC have been going on about Scotland winning the Calcutta Cup with no explanation. But having looked it up, it seems that the winner of the Engalnd/Scotland Six Nations game also wins the Calcutta Cup. I don't think most people would know that so I consider it pretty weak journalism.

Isn't this a bit like complaining that they don't explain the rules of Countdown at the start of every episode? Most people who tune into rugby would know what the Calcutta Cup is. For every person who found it useful to hear an explanation there would be dozens who would be irritated. And more so nowadays when Alexa will tell you in an instant.

No, because I'm not tuning in to watch rugby. It's on their news page. If someone becoming an octochamp made the news, I'd expect some explanation.

Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Mon Feb 07, 2022 8:40 pm

David Williams wrote: ↑Mon Feb 07, 2022 7:54 pm

Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Sun Feb 06, 2022 8:17 am On this general topic, the Six Nations rugby is going on at the moment, but also the BBC have been going on about Scotland winning the Calcutta Cup with no explanation. But having looked it up, it seems that the winner of the Engalnd/Scotland Six Nations game also wins the Calcutta Cup. I don't think most people would know that so I consider it pretty weak journalism.

Isn't this a bit like complaining that they don't explain the rules of Countdown at the start of every episode? Most people who tune into rugby would know what the Calcutta Cup is. For every person who found it useful to hear an explanation there would be dozens who would be irritated. And more so nowadays when Alexa will tell you in an instant.

No, because I'm not tuning in to watch rugby. It's on their news page. If someone becoming an octochamp made the news, I'd expect some explanation.

On the news page you have more of a point. I still think most of those who are interested would know anyway, and are they really going to take the time and space to say not only that Scotland have beaten England to win the Calcutta Cup, and the Calcutta Cup (which will probably be called something else pretty soon) is a cup awarded to the winner of the game between England and Scotland?

There's always Google ffs
Which had I used I probably would have worked out the 6 monarchs answer

Other than where there's a diving board, why do swimming pools ever need to make you out of your depth?

Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Fri Mar 04, 2022 9:48 am Other than where there's a diving board, why do swimming pools ever need to make you out of your depth?

To facilitate heavy petting?

Would there ever be a viable reason to have Num Lock turned off on your keyboard?

Does the Flat Earth Society have a Global President?

Fiona T wrote: ↑Tue Dec 28, 2021 11:47 pm

Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Tue Dec 28, 2021 10:09 pm Why is it just assumed by the media that Jackie Weaver was in the right and why has she become some sort of "hero"?

As someone who has spent many hours arguing the intricacies of governance, she was wrong. That's not to say her colleagues didn't behave appallingly, but she indeed did not "have the authority".

Still funny though

A bit of a follow-up in the news today.

They paid £85K for that? Heck I could have told them for £75K

People are always clamouring for an edit feature on twitter. Can't you just delete the tweet and write a new one?

What's wrong with leaving the toilet seat up, exactly? It's flushed, what's the problem?

Mark Deeks wrote: ↑Sat Apr 30, 2022 6:41 pm What's wrong with leaving the toilet seat up, exactly? It's flushed, what's the problem?

I have been reliably informed that some women use the loo in the dark after bedtime so the assumption is that the seat should alway be down

Marc Meakin wrote: ↑Sat Apr 30, 2022 7:49 pm

Mark Deeks wrote: ↑Sat Apr 30, 2022 6:41 pm What's wrong with leaving the toilet seat up, exactly? It's flushed, what's the problem?

I have been reliably informed that some women use the loo in the dark after bedtime so the assumption is that the seat should alway be down

Previous discussion here.

Basically my position remains the same as it did then. The "proper" way of doing it is to put the lid down, but there's no difference between leaving the seat up or down if the lid is up. Both are uncouth.

Plus it's mental to go to the toilet in the dark.

Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Sat Apr 30, 2022 8:53 pm

Marc Meakin wrote: ↑Sat Apr 30, 2022 7:49 pm

Mark Deeks wrote: ↑Sat Apr 30, 2022 6:41 pm What's wrong with leaving the toilet seat up, exactly? It's flushed, what's the problem?

I have been reliably informed that some women use the loo in the dark after bedtime so the assumption is that the seat should alway be down

Previous discussion here.

Basically my position remains the same as it did then. The "proper" way of doing it is to put the lid down, but there's no difference between leaving the seat up or down if the lid is up. Both are uncouth.

Plus it's mental to go to the toilet in the dark.

Sometimes the seat down makes aiming more of an issue.
When you get to my age I go for a sit down wee anyway

Marc Meakin wrote: ↑Sun May 01, 2022 8:21 am Sometimes the seat down makes aiming more of an issue.
When you get to my age I go for a sit down wee anyway

Well obviously you shouldn't piss with the seat down (while standing up) any more than you should piss with the lid down. This is about how you leave the toilet afterwards.

Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Sun May 01, 2022 9:12 am

Marc Meakin wrote: ↑Sun May 01, 2022 8:21 am Sometimes the seat down makes aiming more of an issue.
When you get to my age I go for a sit down wee anyway

Well obviously you shouldn't piss with the seat down (while standing up) any more than you should piss with the lid down. This is about how you leave the toilet afterwards.

Quite so. the lid should always be down when not in use, especially when flushing.

None of this has convinced me.

Mark Deeks wrote: ↑Sun May 01, 2022 2:50 pm None of this has convinced me.

I'm not sure whether you were mainly concerned with leaving the seat up versus leaving the seat down and the lid up, or leaving the seat up versus leaving the seat and lid both down.

I would agree that there is no moral difference between leaving the seat up and leaving the seat down but the lid up, so maybe that will partially satisfy you.

Mark Deeks wrote: ↑Sun May 01, 2022 2:50 pm None of this has convinced me.

I guess if you live alone then it really doesn't matter but if you are in a share house or are cohabitating then consideration to your fellow housemates should be considered

How do things you eat colour your wee? I'm thinking beetroot here (if you've ever had a beetroot shot, you'll have seen the alarming results!), but also things like B vitamins.
There's no direct connection (as far as I know) between the digestive system and the bladder, so presumably the colour has to get to your wee via the bloodstream then kidneys? If the beetroot dye is that strong and being carried around in your blood, why aren't other bits of you turning pink too?

(Although I do remember stories of a child turning yellow after drinking too much Sunny Delight back in the day...)

edit - link to said story - sadly no pics!

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/too- ... 34703.html

Smells too with some foodstuffs, Coffee and Sugar Puffs both spring to mind

And asparagus!

Also garlic, I worked with a guy who sweated garlic, or at least the smell of it

My layman's knowledge of the digestive system is that it essentially takes what it needs (and some things it doesn't) and rejects the rest. I don't think it expels them into the blood. I thought that liquids found their way to the bladder mainly through the kidneys, and also extracted by the solidification of waste in the colon. Pretty much any foodstuff does get digested, but if there is something in there which is completely indigestible it just goes straight through and emerges unaltered.

David Williams wrote: ↑Thu May 19, 2022 9:22 am My layman's knowledge of the digestive system is that it essentially takes what it needs (and some things it doesn't) and rejects the rest. I don't think it expels them into the blood. I thought that liquids found their way to the bladder mainly through the kidneys, and also extracted by the solidification of waste in the colon. Pretty much any foodstuff does get digested, but if there is something in there which is completely indigestible it just goes straight through and emerges unaltered.

yeah that makes sense for, er, solids - the undigestible stuff doesn't go near the blood.

But as you say, the bladder is fed from the kidneys - afaik the kidneys are basically filtering blood - I don't think there's any other way for that red dye or asparagus smell to enter the bladder except via the blood stream, which all seems very weird!

The Duolingo-Amber Heard social media row. What does the offending comment actually mean?

https://thetab.com/uk/2022/05/19/duolin ... ard-252204

My best guess is it's meant to imply "it would be funny if she saw how much everyone on TikTok is taking the piss out of her" but I had to think for a while even to get there and I'm still not sure at all.

Yet this and other articles are written as if it should be self-explanatory. I'm obviously not very bright.

There are 10 pints of blood in the human body. It's perfectly possible to drink 10 pints of beer in an hour or two. I don't think your blood becomes that heavily diluted. I thought the small intestine extracted the liquid that it needed and passed the rest to the large intestine, which extracts the liquid to leave solid waste. Google is remarkably silent as to what it does with the liquid extracted, but you'd have to think that if you were designing a human body the logical place to send it is the bladder. Sending it to the blood when you've previously taken all the liquid you need, and identified this as waste, would be perverse.

David Williams wrote: ↑Fri May 20, 2022 7:40 am There are 10 pints of blood in the human body. It's perfectly possible to drink 10 pints of beer in an hour or two. I don't think your blood becomes that heavily diluted. I thought the small intestine extracted the liquid that it needed and passed the rest to the large intestine, which extracts the liquid to leave solid waste. Google is remarkably silent as to what it does with the liquid extracted, but you'd have to think that if you were designing a human body the logical place to send it is the bladder. Sending it to the blood when you've previously taken all the liquid you need, and identified this as waste, would be perverse.

So you're proposing a route to the bladder from the intestines that does not go via the main bloodstream? Interesting thought - will google some plumbing...

Follow up question - if it does go via the main bloodstream, and I drink (say) three beetroot shots before donating blood, will the recipient have pink pee?

Phil H wrote: ↑Fri May 20, 2022 7:34 am The Duolingo-Amber Heard social media row. What does the offending comment actually mean?

https://thetab.com/uk/2022/05/19/duolin ... ard-252204

My best guess is it's meant to imply "it would be funny if she saw how much everyone on TikTok is taking the piss out of her" but I had to think for a while even to get there and I'm still not sure at all.

Yet this and other articles are written as if it should be self-explanatory. I'm obviously not very bright.

Well I think it's just people posting stuff about Amber Heard on the Chinese government website and tbe Duolingo person basically saying "You fools. You know she's not going to see any of this don't you?"

A bit like when people on an F1 forum start congratulating a driver for something. They're not going to see it. Edit - Or indeed like congratulating Rachel Riley for having a baby on this forum

Not really much of a joke and even less to get offended about. But thetab - hardly mainstream news. Non-event. Edit - If anything she's the one taking the sensible line. Everyone doing their memes on the Chinese government site and she comes along and says "Get a life. She doesn't see these. Move on." The offended will be offended.

Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Fri May 20, 2022 8:11 am
Well I think it's just... the Duolingo person basically saying "You know she's not going to see any of this don't you?"

That might seem the most literal reading, but then I don't understand how it appears to have been largely interpreted as anti-Heard and pro-Depp.

Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Fri May 20, 2022 8:11 am But thetab - hardly mainstream news.

It was in the New York Post too, but I didn't especially want to give that the additional clicks.

Of course most people probably aren't particularly invested in this, but it seems a decent-sized number are. I wasn't so much looking to make a judgement about whether the backlash was justified (or worth covering at all), though; I just hoped to understand the story at its basic level.

Why do some ovens refuse to work until you've set the clock?

Mark Deeks wrote: ↑Sun Jun 19, 2022 7:28 pm Why do some ovens refuse to work until you've set the clock?

I'm guessing to make sure the alarm goes off and you don't accidentally forget you have food in the oven and burn it or cause a fire.

But they don't require an alarm. This isn't about the alarm. I cannot use my oven until I've set some kind of time on its clock (again, not its alarm timer), even if I do not use an alarm. Madness.

Mark Deeks wrote: ↑Sun Jun 19, 2022 7:28 pm Why do some ovens refuse to work until you've set the clock?

To encourage you to set it. What if you have visitors over? What if they go into your kitchen and see the oven clock blinking midnight? They'll think you don't know how to set it. They'll think you're the kind of person who phones their niece or nephew because "my Facebook isn't working". It's no good pleading laziness and claiming you just didn't get round to it - that's what they all say. Your card will be marked forever as a technophobe. Neff have only got your best interests at heart. You'll thank them one day.

Sometimes it's the bigger man who simply says, "I don't know."

I think the real question here is why does my bloody dad keep turning the oven off at the plug for no reason. But I don't think this thread is going to help me answer that.

Mark Deeks wrote: ↑Sun Jun 19, 2022 10:18 pm I think the real question here is why does my bloody dad keep turning the oven off at the plug for no reason. But I don't think this thread is going to help me answer that.

The real question is why do so many things have clocks at all. How much electricity do they use over the lifetime of the appliance for virtually no benefit?

Well, yeah, that too.

Why do people talk about winning the "point" in tennis when they actually win up to 15 of them? 10, 15 or unspecified (if it goes to a non-numerical score like advantage or game).

Mark Deeks wrote: ↑Sun Jun 19, 2022 10:18 pm I think the real question here is why does my bloody dad keep turning the oven off at the plug for no reason. But I don't think this thread is going to help me answer that.

He might join the forum. Corby's dad did.

Those big multi-chamber revolving doors that some offices, hotels etc have. Why?

Mark Deeks wrote: ↑Mon Jul 11, 2022 3:39 am Those big multi-chamber revolving doors that some offices, hotels etc have. Why?

Keeps the inside relatively well insulated while allowing easy access/egress?

Jon O'Neill wrote: ↑Mon Jul 11, 2022 7:13 am

Mark Deeks wrote: ↑Mon Jul 11, 2022 3:39 am Those big multi-chamber revolving doors that some offices, hotels etc have. Why?

Keeps the inside relatively well insulated while allowing easy access/egress?

Not too popular on bring your pet to work day though