28 September 2025

Digital ID cards pros and cons

Pros

Reduce extensive paperwork, Universal Credit is a beaurocratic nightmare

3-13% GDP gain from less fraud (especially with online scammers and ID theft), streamlined banking, productivity

Consolidate and replace many other forms of ID, like Government Gateway, NHS number, National Insurance number, library card, driving licence, blue badges

Helps bring more government services online, rather than phoning someone between 10am and 4pm or posting letters

Remove the need to pay for ID in the form of driving licence, passport, or Citizen ID card

Should help get a bank account and a job for those without one, and without a fixed address or other forms of ID, which makes it easier to vote, open a business, and access justice

Make it easier to access adult content without sharing your data with third parties, rent and buy houses, pay bills, and cars and phone

Streamline applications for migrants and refugees

Many countries already have it and it's considered normal, in Estonia it can also be used to vote

Reduces fraud in benefits such as undeclared income, savings or partners


Cons

Higher priorities for spending money like addressing poverty such as food banks. A good system will cost billions, but weigh that against lost productivity from existing beaurocracy from multiple forms of ID

Risk of single point of failure, stopping or excluding people accessing any service

We already have National Insurance Number, this is just adding to more things we need - it would likely replace it

Not everyone has a smartphone, computer or internet, forcing poor people to pay for one. There would have to be a solid alternative (e.g. physical card, or free phone)

High security and fraud risk, though paper documents are already highly forged

Risk of surveillance by tracking your activities, which could lead to denying public access by creating checkpoints and social credit scores

Errors could cripple someone's livelihood or access with no appeals process


In summary, making them mandatory, and without a solid alternative non-mobile plan, will create barriers for poor people, or just unlucky people.

However, a good, secure, Estonia-like ID system with civilian oversight so it is not misused for surveillance, accessible to everyone regardless of finances, with an easy way to fix errors, would help everyone.

3 September 2025

Sandwich

 


https://cuberule.com/


"Sandwich" to me is a very narrow definition.

  • When you go to the sandwich isle of Tesco for a meal deal, you expect things like BLT, tuna mayo, cheese triple. You don't expect there to be a roll, a burger, a taco, a baguette, or a hot dog. Those will be in their own section.
  • When you go to Split airport in Croatia, and they close the majority of shops at night time with only one stall left open, all they advertise they are selling is "sandwiches". And they only 2 options: chicken, or cheese.
  • When there's an announcement on a GWR train saying the cart is coming through selling "sandwiches, crisps, soft drinks, tea and coffee", I'm not expecting them to have a hot dog.
  • When I look at a local indie artisan coffee shop brunch menu, and look under the section for sandwiches, hot dog isn't under there, hot dog is in its own section, if at all.
  • If you go on Family Fortunes, and you're asked to name sandwiches from a survey of 100 people, the top result is probably BLT.
  • If you look for emojis of sandwiches, none of them are hot dogs.


Sandwich has a specific structure, and there is an expected, small subset of predictable sandwiches.

Not a sandwich:

  • Chip butty, despite having the structure of a sandwich, has its own name, and does not fall into the category of predictable sandwiches.
  • Ice cream sandwich throws a spanner to this: it's not a predictable sandwich, so it's not a type of sandwich, but, it does borrow the sandwich only by name and structure. 
  • A sub, wrap, or burrito might appear in a certain subsection of the Tesco meal deal area next to sandwiches, but because they have a different structure and their own name, they aren't sandwiches - even if they have predictable fillings.


When we say sandwich without context, we mean a subset with predictable structure and fillings.

2 March 2025

Mobile phone operator history and phones I used

  1. 2002: BT (Vodafone) (Philips Cellnet)
  2. 2009: Tesco Mobile (O2) (Nokia 1110, Sony Ericsson W300i, LG Cookie, Sony Ericsson W850i)
  3. 2010: Three (HTC Wildfire)
  4. 2012: Giffgaff (O2) (LG Optimus 2X, Google Nexus 4, 5, 5X)
  5. 2017: Vodafone (Google Pixel 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10)
  6. 2022 (6 months free): Lebara (Vodafone)

7 February 2025

How to use an airport

Pre-req:

  • Passport (not expiring within 6 months)
  • Booked tickets and boarding pass loaded to phone
  • Booked hotels
  • Travel insurance
  • Online check-in completed as early as possible, not at the last minute 
  • If driving, book parking
  • Data roaming planned 
  • Check for required vaccinations on government travel advice
  • Arrive 2 hours before the departure time
  • Power adapter
  • Generally, no liquids over 100ml or pressured cans
  • Cabin luggage (backpack, small suitcase etc) 
  • Checked in luggage (suitcases and large items)
  • In-flight entertainment (game, book, movie)


Steps:

  1. Regularly check the gate and departure time on display boards for cancellations
  2. Go to Checked in luggage to drop off suitcase
  3. Go to Departures
  4. Go through Security. In most cases, remove shoes, belt, jackets, hats, and sometimes electronics, liquids in their own bag, empty your pockets. Check all pockets for water you might still have etc.
  5. Go through the shopping labyrinth to the gate waiting lounge
  6. Wait until your gate is announced then go to gate. Buy snacks or drink for the plane.
  7. Scan boarding pass and board the plane (may involve a bus, corridors, waiting rooms, walking outside) 
  8. Find seat, ignore anyone who asks to swap a seat with you
  9. Follow instructions. Get up at least once an hour or two either for toilet or water or chat, it really helps with anxiety.
  10. Leave plane, double check you have everything e.g. headphones, passport, overhead bags 
  11. Arrivals - Passport stamp, customs bags checks if required
  12. Collect luggage from the right conveyor for your flight
  13. Exit / Transport. Book Uber or get train, etc, using maps app to your hotel