Hearts and minds

I planned to start blogging again, but with a different format. One long form post on the first day of each month.

Yesterday though my Dad was rushed into hospital because his heart was only beating 32 times per minute.

I knew what my post today was going to be. I had the topic, the structure, many of the actual words, but my attention has been diverted.

I visited him this evening. He's ok. For now. He will be 86 in October if he makes it that far. He will be fitted with a pacemaker, and could live for a good few years yet perhaps. The old fucker seemed indestructible, and this is only the third time in 85 years that he has spent a night in a hospital.

We plan golf.

Anyway, today was going to be a big long mainly coherent post about... Well something important to me.

It's now tomorrow, and I have missed my self imposed deadline.

So here instead is a seemingly unconnected video that is sort of relevant. The issues I wanted to deal with aren't going away, and a month makes no difference. See you on the 1st of September.

Acronyms

DOB: 1967

CND: 1981

THC: 1982

NUM 1983

PTSD:  1984

LSD: 1995 

M: 2004

ADI:2005 

S: 2020

It's the end of The World as we know it

And I feel fine.

This is my last post here.

Because I've started to include mature content that sometimes pertains to people close to me, I've set up a new blog under a different account.

Thanks for reading.

Bye bye.

Quaking in their boots!

Last time Tottenham Hotspur came to Prenton Park, Tranmere Rovers held them to a 2-2 draw. OK, they fluked a 4-0 win in the replay, but their third goal was a mile offside, and it came at an important psychological moment, right before half time.

But this time round, they don't have Gascoigne.

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And Tranmere are going to win.

Yes, you read it right. I predict a win, for League Two play off hopefuls, Tranmere Rovers, against a team of Premier League internationals.

Every time a defender takes the ball from the toe of Harry Kane, they win. Every time James Norwood forces a save from the Spurs keeper, they win. Every time some trickery on the wing sends a Tranmere winger on a run to the by-line, they win. I'm not sure Lloris would have kept this one out either...

Oh, and the money from a packed ground, and BTSport is a win too :)

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Seriously though, I went to both legs back in 1989. Gascoigne, whatever demons he has, was one hell of a player. Watching him dribbling through the Tranmere midfield, leaving them befuddled in his wake, you couldn't help but feel a kind of awe. I don't remember much else about it, except the atmosphere was brilliant, both home and away. I swore we outsang the Tottenham fans at White Hart Lane. The TV coverage belied my recollection.

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How long would it take Voyager 2 to stop?

According to the Highway Code, stopping distances are as follows.

Thinking Distance (feet)	Braking Distance (feet)	Overall Stopping Distance	Ratio
(Speed in MPH)	(speed x ratio)	(TD + BD)
10	5	15	0.5
20	20	40	1
30	45	75	1.5
40	80	120	2
50	125	175	2.5
60	180	240	3
70	245	315	3.5
80	320	400	4
90	405	495	4.5
100	500	600	5

These figures were arrived at through research carried out by the government in the 1930's. A car would be driven. A signal would be given and at that precise moment, a blob of paint was fired onto the road beneath the car. After a short interval, the driver would react, and start the process of stopping the car. As soon as the brake was pressed, another blob of paint was fired. Then finally, a third blob was fired at the point where the car finally stopped. Repeat at different speeds... It loosely fitted the pattern shown above, and was adopted as the accepted figures. Modern brakes, tyres and suspension, as well as such things as anti lock brakes mean that the braking distances are much shorter, but they've kept the original figures presumably so that it includes a safety margin. So when you hear the police say "It would have taken this vehicle the length of two football pitches to stop" they're using this formula. It's also velocity squared divided by 20 by the way.

Voyager two is travelling at around 34,000mph. This squared is 1,156,000,000. Divide that by 20 and you get 57,800,000. That's your braking distance in feet. Thinking distance, assuming the stopping would be carried out by a driver with normal capabilities would be a further 34,000 feet for a total overall stopping distance of 57,834,000 feet. That's 10,953 miles. I'm not sure what that is in football pitches.

This assumes a dry road, obviously. Braking distances can double in very wet conditions, and it can take up to ten times longer to stop when driving on ice.

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