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There's been a bit of a fuss today about the unveiling of a third Edinburgh tram line route. And my thoughts about it aren't simple enough to stick into a link title, so I thought I'd ramble a little.

Firstly, it seems to me that this is not a council announcement of anything. The map is plastered with the repeated word "concept". It contains both Picardy Place and York Place (Picardy Place was created when York Place was removed, when the tram extension was carried out in 2023). I've seen discussions that it's based on an old version of the existing routes taken from Wikipedia.

The source is a Scotsman article, rather than a council publication. And even then the coverage is mostly taken from a speech given at the Rail in Scotland conference - where the council's transport convener said he "was excited at taking a closer look" - but it's not the main priority. Certainly there's nothing on the council's news page mentioning it.

So I'm not convinced that this is more than a "Here's an interesting possibility"

Secondly, I'm not convinced it's viable financially. Which isn't to say that trams, in general, can't be worthwhile. If Edinburgh hadn't badly botched the construction of the first tram line then it would be well in profit now. But that tram line runs from one of the most densely populated parts of the city (Leith Walk) to one of the business hubs (Gyle and Gogar), through some of the most touristy stretches (Princes Street).

Much though I love the idea of a tram that literally stops in my road and goes to both the airport and Portobello, nearly the whole route is low-density. The bus route that is closest to it is the 38, which is so low-use outside of rush hour that it's a single-decker that has to be subsidised.

Admittedly, it's cheaper to build than a new tram line, as it's mostly a question of re-using the old train line. But I'd like to see a concrete business case for it, that checked that the number of potential users would support running tram-trains along that route.

vivdunstan

This evening’s fun, making coffee with our new Moka pot for the first time. Remarkably successful and rather magical to watch. We will definitely do this again.

Martin usually adds gallons of sugar to his coffee, but didn’t realise until way through the coffee that he hadn’t added any! It was a lovely flavour, and not bitter at all. We did try to follow all the tips for making it in the best way possible.

Watch on YouTube

vivdunstan

Clearing more books to go to charity, using a dot sticker method (low adhesive). I'm stickering spines of books that I'd like to go. Then Martin can see them, and check if he's happy for them to go too. Other books are more my own easy choice. But the stickering method is working well for us.

Note these are all fairly modern books, so I've no concerns re using the (checked carefully) low adhesive dot stickers on them for a short time before being removed. I would not use this method on valuable or rare or very old books. Which I'm less likely to be donating to charity anyway!

andrewducker

Fairly sure that this used to be a bath.

Before Sophia watched a video on how to make the perfect comfy hideaway.
Original is here on Pixelfed.scot.

vivdunstan

Watch on YouTube

andrewducker

Nature is looking particularly fractal this morning.
Original is here on Pixelfed.scot.

vivdunstan

Starting to watch a Sky Arts broadcast (recorded, and available on catch up for those with Sky) of Nicola Benedetti and friends (including a classical guitarist and an accordionist) in concert. We had tickets for her Dundee show in the autumn but had to bail out after I was too direly ill with a heavy cold to be able to go. The same tour’s concert in Belfast was filmed, and includes lots of folk-themed music. So yes, we are getting to see it after all!

andrewducker

1. India and EU announce Free Trade Agreement: (tags:india europe trade )
2. Risk of dying from cancer in Scotland at lowest rate on record (down almost 25% in the last few years): (tags:cancer scotland GoodNews )
3. Nigella to avoid Bake Off tent innuendo culture from the moment she opens the flaps: (tags:bakery TV satire funny celebrity sex )
4. Charities shouldn't exclude trans people, regulator says: (tags:UK charity transgender LGBT )
5. How to not revise for exams: (tags:exams funny )
6. Doing the thing is doing the thing: (tags:advice productivity )
7. How the UK became Putin's enemy number one: Britons might be surprised to learn how much hatred their country receives from Russia, with threats of nuclear obliteration now a fairly common occurrence
(tags:russia uk politics )

vivdunstan

For any fellow Discworld fans the Discworld Reading Blanket is back in stock at the Discworld Emporium in Wincanton (*), after it sold out rapidly previously. Buying me one!

* Wincanton is the town very near to Martin's home village in Somerset. So where his family would go to the supermarket, post office, school etc. He went into the Discworld Emporium once, on a visit back home twenty years ago. Was rather wowed.

ffutures

This is an offer of material from multiple publishers compatible with the RPG Shadowdark, a modernized "old school" game of dungeons, monsters, etc.

https://bundleofholding.com/presents/ShadowCompat

This doesn't include the Shadowdark rules, but you can get a free Shadowdark Quickstart Set from Drivethru RPG.

I'm not really into dungeon-bashing games any more, but Shadowdark is apparently state of the art for the genre, and this bundle adds a lot of adventures at a reasonable price. If you're into the system it's probably worth a look.

andrewducker

In a slightly more sensible world this would be a perfect time for the One Nation/Moderate Conservatives to say "Thank goodness all of the far right monsters have left the party, time to pull the party back towards the center".

But I'm not convinced there are more than a few of them left.

vivdunstan

Following my recent post about favourite Eleventh Doctor stories I thought I'd post a list of my favourite Tenth Doctor ones. These are in chronological order, not order of favourites. And I am being picky, although I seem unable to get to a shorter list!

The Christmas Invasion. Given David Tennant's Doctor is unconscious for much of the episode, he must have made a heck of an impression on me when he woke up. I was already confident that he was going to be great in the role after having seen him in Casanova. Now I was convinced.
Tooth and Claw. This is not a flawless story. I greatly dislike the digs at some of the Royal Family (and I'm not a Royal fan at all), and some of the other Rose bits are pretty unsubtle too. But in other respects it's a magic mix. Ninja monks, a scary werewolf, a library full of books, and Scotland! Thank you RTD.
The Girl in the Fireplace. This was instantly my Dad's favourite Who story ever and remained so for the rest of his life. Just magical, even if you do pick it apart, and realise it's a retelling of The Time Traveller's Wife. A route that Steven Moffat went down far too often. But still, wow. Clockwork Droids and Madame de P.
The Impossible Planet / The Satan Pit. For a Doctor Who fan I'm not much of a fan of scifi in space. I'm really not. But this is a base under siege, from within, and facing dark primeval forces. So gripping. And fully merits the two part treatment. I really wish that we'd got more Doctor Who from the writer Matt Jones.
Human Nature / The Family of Blood. A moving piece of historical fiction and lost romance and chances. This is so very special. Thank you Paul Cornell.
Blink. Ok another where David Tennant is barely in it. But it's just so good. We needed more Sally Sparrow on TV! A star in the making. And my favourite Tenth Doctor story of all.
Silence in the Library / Forest of the Dead. I rewatched this recently. It's still superb. Tight plotting, imaginative scifi, another iconic new monster, and hey, who's this we meet?

Clearly I enjoyed Steven Moffat's writing for the Tenth Doctor. And his gas mask double parter for the Ninth Doctor remains my all-time favourite Who story ever, even beating a spaghetti-faced Count in Paris. But it's nice to see some other writers represented in the list here.

vivdunstan

Thinking of my Dad who would have been 91 today. He loved Robert Burns poems and songs from a young age, and I inherited a book of them he bought as a young man in Yorkshire. He always used to treat himself to a haggis meal on Burns Night. Still much missed.

vivdunstan

Recently I rewatched the Matt Smith Doctor Who stories again. And I'm now rewatching Peter Capaldi's run. But it's been tricky to keep going. I think he's one of the best actors ever to play the part, but the characterisation as presented is often so unlikeable. Especially at the start of his run, but also with his treatment of Danny. It's very difficult to relate to this Doctor early on, and to want to watch the series.

I paused my rewatch part way through "Robot of Sherwood" and it took me some months to summon up the enthusiasm to restart. I'm now part way through series 8 episode 6 "The Caretaker". I've enjoyed some of the previous stories more than I expected to. Not least "Time Heist" which I could barely remember anything of. Though I rather yearn for simpler old style storytelling, rather than Steven Moffat esque convoluted timey wimeyness.

But I'm still hating the dislikeable aspects of this Doctor, which are particularly evident in
8. Not so much his alienness, but what I perceive too often as unnecessary cruelty to watch in the series. It feels like experiencing the early Sixth Doctor all over again. But pushing on ...