Well, after all the kerfuffle about whether banning Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending their team’s match was or wasn’t an anti-semitic act, there comes the news that the Tel Aviv derby match between Hapoel and Maccabi has had to be called off because of rioting fans! Who is the antisemite now?
Granddaughter Number Two put out this message on our family group chat this morning:
“Heads up - Lloyds bank and Halifax have been affected by an Amazon Web Services outage and there are reports that bank cards are being declined as banking apps are inaccessible”
And I find myself reflecting on all those people who do everything via a phone app. As we come to rely more and more on paying for stuff with plastic, when such outages occur loads of people will be stranded unable to buy stuff, unable to pay for their transport. This is the way the world ends … with a massive IT breakdown!
My own phone is too old a model to support certain apps. This morning I had to go to a dental workshop so that a technician could match the shade on the crown that is to be fitted at the front of my mouth. As the workshop is in a rather obscure bit of Bury I decided to go by taxi. Book an Uber, I was advised. All well and good but my phone cannot support the Uber app! So I had to revert to oldfangled methods and phoned a local taxi firm. That worked, even though my taxi was delayed in arriving because of temporary roadworks all over the place. Returning home I was able to coordinate bus and tram and used my old-lady bus pass!
On the subject of taxis, here’s a link to an article announcing the arrival of driverless taxis on London roads next year. If the system is satisfactory then presumably it will be expanded into other large cities in the UK. What I want to know is whether the taxis will be programmed to participate in inane chat / deep philosophical discussion / political arguments with their passengers. Just a thought!
Here’s another thought: if successful the driverless taxi plan will put another swathe of people out of a job. This is called progress!
I shall continue my small campaign to pay for purchases in cash, especially in small shops, and to avoid using the self-service checkouts in supermarkets!
And lastly, here’s a cartoon about England flags:-
Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!
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