Tuesday 15 November 2011

Fun Online Polls: M5 pile up and crisps

The results to last week's Fun Online Poll were pretty conclusive:

What do you think caused the poor visibility that led to the M5 pile up?

Fog - 61%

Smoke - 8%
Other, please specify - 30%


I'm glad to see that most of you share my cynical view that they only tried to blame it on the fireworks because of this knee-jerk reaction that Somebody Is To Blame and Something Must Be Done. And if that involves Banning Something Which Is Pointless But Fun, then so much the better, of course. The most interesting comment was this one, which I shall have to take at face value:

Ryan: I know somebody who was in the accident. It was caused when a small car pulled out of the slip-road between two lorries. One of these lorries put on its brakes hard causing it to jack-knife and everyone else piled into it. Nothing to do with fireworks (ended ages before apparently).

Which suggests that the accident wasn't even caused by poor visibility in the first place, a thought which hadn't even occurred to my cynical mind. Although it seems beyond dispute that visibility was bad at the time (having ruled out fireworks, we are left with fog), which may have made the crash worse than otherwise.
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My recent post on crisps attracted a (to me) staggering twenty-five comments, people were naming crisp brands which I had long forgotten (or never heard of). I didn't realise that so many other people had such strong views on the topic. So that's this week's Fun Online Poll: "Which is your favourite brand of crisps?"

Vote here or use the widget in the sidebar.
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Next week: "What's your favourite type of nuclear reactor?" Suggestions as to the best way of classifying the basic types welcome.

10 comments:

Lola said...

Not interested in the crisp vote - well not really qualified. But in re the 'favourite nuclear reactor', my favourite will be the type that has the lowest possible probability of failure for whatever reason and can be run safely by even the most numpty of numpties.

Dick Puddlecote said...

Isn't it odd that when it comes to motoring, the authorities bend over backwards not to blame bad driving. Even the term 'accident' implies that the actions of an individual aren't at fault. Like in this case, they will always scrabble round trying to find another reason.

Yet in other areas, we are being battered by the state telling us that we are being irresponsible, making bad choices, and are generally not fit to live our own lives without interference and supervision.

Why? Well, I have a suspicion it's because no driver in the country will tolerate being told that they are not an expert driver. For someone in authority to say so would call down uproar.

So why, if the public can make it taboo to be blamed for driving mistakes, do we tolerate the finger-pointing at us in other areas?

Mark Wadsworth said...

L, sure, but which type is that?

DP, good points. That's why in Hot Fuzz Sgt Angel refers to 'collisions' not 'accidents'.

Lola said...

MW - Only God and my client who is/was a senior engineer at Sizewell may know that...

View from the Solent said...

That wiki article seems to list all the current operating types. I'd add thorium to the list; prototypes are proven, the engineers are on the case.

formertory said...

I was overjoyed to read of the "organic-cooled" reactor in the Wiki article. How marvellous that there's a ecologically-sound nuke! Does that nice Mr Huhne know?

On the crisps thing, an infrequent but much-enjoyed luxury at Formertory Towers is Brannigan's cheese and onion crisps (I'm sure that should that be Brannigans' ?) made into a sandwich with lovely, medium-sliced unhealthy white bread (Warburton's is good) spread with butter, and enjoyed with my favourite bottled beer.

[heaves a heavely sigh of longing]. I wonder when 'er indoors will be out again.....

Anonymous said...

Thorium MSR.

AC1

Bayard said...

Mark, please can we have fusion reactors as an option, even though no-one has got one to work yet?

Derek said...

Sure we do. The Solar System comes equipped with a fusion reactor with a power output of 4e26 watts. That's my favourite type of nuclear reactor.

Although I'm actually quite fond of the fission reactor that we all live on too.

Anonymous said...

Thorium ADSR is deeply cool.