Building a Probability Model

I would very much appreciate your input on the following probability model description I’ve been working on. It’s been some 35 years since I used my Statistics degree in anger, so apologies if my technique is a little rusty. Let P be the probability that some muppet will ring the doorbell at the most inconvenient…

School Reunion or Certain Death? Pass me the bacon…

There are some things in life that can make one’s blood run cold. It could be the thought of heights, spiders, Nigel Farage, being shut in a confined space, being shut in a confined space with Nigel Farage, or maybe shopping in Primark. One of the many things that make my veins turn a bit…

Yo-Ho-Ho-Oh-No

Well my friends, what a year eh? There we were emerging from Winter’s gloom through January & February and then it all got very weird. It still feels weird. I keep hearing the phrase ‘The New Normal’ but what the hell does that actually mean? Speaking to others and from my own experience, I’ll tell…

Birthday Dilemma

Another birthday approacheth this weekend and I could do with some advice. I need a toy, a treat to help me try and ward off the dark clouds gathering in my head and general feeling of ‘meh’. The problem is that I don’t know what form that treat/toy should take. I’ve been giving it lots…

Nobody Is Perfect

I am in no way belittling the idea that black lives must matter as much as others but looking at what’s happening in society at the moment, I can’t help but feel that the world has gone totally bonkers. I watched the statue of Colston in Bristol being dumped into the harbour. I’ve listened to…

Neil Peart – my own little tribute

I was shocked and saddened to hear of Neil’s premature death last week. From the little I know of the man, he would no doubt hate me referring to him as a ‘hero of mine’. So, I apologise to him now, wherever he is because that is exactly who he was to me. I don’t…

Virgin Media Complaints System – Review

Back at the end of August and for reasons that nobody seems to know, Virgin Media started to use my workplace as a mailing address. I called them and eventually got through to an overseas call centre. I asked for them to stop using that address and to only send letters to me at home….

Patience Is

I sit so patiently and waitFor that creak of garden gate​Drivers slam a hundred doorsBut I know which one is yoursThrough the darkness I can seeSo you have no escape from meI know your footsteps and your smellEach routine known all too wellI’ve had a very busy dayHiding all my toys awayChasing leaves around the…

High Street v Online Shopping

Much has been said in recent years about the ‘death of the High Street’. We can all see the once-bustling commercial areas, slowly being turned into wastelands because of out-of-town and online shopping. It’s usually assumed that it’s all down to cheaper online prices and convenience. You can pretty much order anything online from the…