N2O.

I took the photo above a couple of weeks ago - it shows a box of industrial Nitrous Oxide - N2O canisters which had been empty and dumped in Erith, not long before the Christmas break.  The UK's ban on Nitrous Oxide, also known as laughing gas and which has the chemical formula N2O, came into effect on November 8, 2023. This controversial move has sparked debate, with supporters praising its potential to curb anti-social behaviour and protect public health, while critics question its effectiveness and raise concerns about unintended consequences. what is already apparent is that - unsurprisingly - drug addicts are still finding ways to purchase the now illegal gas. Nitrous Oxide does have legitimate uses, including as an anesthetic and pain reliever in dentistry and surgery, as a whipping agent in cream dispensers, and as an oxidiser in rocket propellants and fuel cells. However, Nitrous Oxide also has psychoactive effects, leading some to inhale it for its euphoric and disorienting properties. This recreational use, particularly among young people, has raised concerns about potential health risks. The immediate risks of Nitrous Oxide misuse can be severe; inhaling pure Nitrous Oxide displaces oxygen, potentially leading to suffocation, especially in enclosed spaces. The extremely cold gas can cause severe frostbite on lips, mouth, and even lungs, leading to tissue damage and potential scarring. The disorientation and impaired coordination caused by Nitrous Oxide increase the risk of accidents, falls, and injuries. Beyond the immediate dangers, chronic misuse carries even more concerning consequences: Nitrous Oxide interferes with vitamin B12 absorption, leading to nerve damage, numbness, tingling, and potentially irreversible neurological problems. Long-term use can contribute to anxiety, depression, and even psychosis, Studies suggest potential harm to unborn babies during pregnancy, with risks of birth defects and developmental delays. Although not classified as a classic addictive substance, Nitrous Oxide can lead to dependence and compulsive use. The government's decision to ban Nitrous Oxide was driven by concerns about its misuse and the potential for harm. The ban classifies Nitrous Oxide as a Class C drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, making possession illegal, with potential penalties including fines, community punishments, and even imprisonment. If one is found to have been supplying the drug - this is a more serious offence, with harsher penalties, including up to 14 years in prison for large-scale suppliers. Comments to me as usual at hugh.neal@gmail.com. 

Last week, the world marked a significant milestone: the 90th anniversary of FM radio broadcasting. On December 26, 1933, American inventor Edwin H. Armstrong patented the technology that revolutionised audio transmission, offering a crisper, cleaner listening experience compared to its predecessor, AM radio. Armstrong's innovation wasn't just about better sound quality. FM, or Frequency Modulation, provided greater resistance to static and interference, allowing for broader musical bandwidth and faithful reproduction of high frequencies. This opened the door for a richer soundscape, making it ideal for broadcasting music, especially as the swing era was taking flight. The transition to FM wasn't immediate. Radio stations clung to the familiar AM technology, and early FM receivers were costly and bulky. However, the advantages of FM were undeniable. By the 1960s, it had become the dominant format for music broadcasting, particularly with the rise of rock and roll, which demanded the fidelity FM offered. The years that followed saw FM blossom. both popular and classical music found its voice on the airwaves, pirate radio challenged the status quo in and around the UK's larger cities - London being home to dozens in the 1980's and beyond, and local stations became community hubs. Talk radio provided platforms for diverse voices, and the relaxation of licencing rules in the late 1990's led to a greater number of independent local FM radio stations. Looking ahead, FM radio faces new challenges in the digital age. Competition from DAB+, streaming services and online platforms requires stations to adapt and innovate. Yet, FM's unique strengths – its immediacy, intimacy, and local reach – offer potential for continued relevance. By embracing new technologies like digital radio and leveraging its inherent strengths, FM radio can still capture the imagination of a new generation of listeners.

Anyone watching terrestrial TV over the last few months cannot have failed to see adverts by Omaze, fronted by a woman who in my opinion gives the most cheesy and insincere performance currently on UK television. There is a great deal to be said about the Omaze house lottery - much of it mixed. For many, winning a luxurious house in a stunning location through the Omaze UK lottery seems like a dream come true. But against the odds, a surprising trend has emerged: most winners choose to sell these dream homes rather than move in. While Omaze covers expenses like stamp duty and mortgage, running costs and upkeep for these often grand properties can be hefty. Winners, unaccustomed to such costs, may find the financial burden daunting, pushing them towards sale. The houses are often stunning, but the location might not be ideal for everyone. Some winners find the property too remote, too crowded, or simply not the right fit for their existing family or career needs. Owning a large property can be a lot of work. Maintenance, upkeep, and potential renovations can become a burden, especially for those already juggling busy lives. Renting or selling can offer a lighter load. Additionally, selling the house presents an opportunity to instantly unlock a significant amount of cash. This can be life-changing, allowing winners to pay off debts, invest in other properties or businesses, or simply achieve financial security they might never have imagined. Cash offers more freedom than a single property. Winners can choose to travel, pursue passions, or support loved ones without being tied to a specific location. It is important to remember that Omaze is transparent about the potential financial burdens of winning a house. Their website outlines estimated running costs and encourages potential entrants to carefully consider their ability to manage them. Ultimately, the decision to keep or sell is a personal one. While some winners may find their dream home in an Omaze prize, others find that the financial realities or lifestyle considerations make selling the house the best choice for their future. So, the next time you see an Omaze draw advertisement, remember that the "dream home" might not always be the happily ever after it seems. It's a life-changing opportunity, but one that comes with its own set of challenges and considerations. The less said about the smarmy Omaze TV advert presenter, the better.

Regular readers will recall that over the years I have written at some great length about local businessman, inventor and somewhat morally dubious character Sir Hiram Maxim. It is now well documented that in addition to inventing the automatic machine gun, the sprung mouse trap, and the fire sprinkler, he also constructed the first heavier than air flying machine, several years before the Wright Brothers. Whilst researching Sir Hiram Maxim, I came across the story of another pioneering aviation engineer, whose story is much less well known, but just as fascinating. Patrick Young Alexander (28th March 1867 – 7th July 1943) was a British aeronautical pioneer fascinated by the possibility of heavier-than-air flight. He was an enthusiastic balloonist and he was also particularly active in meteorology. He performed many meteorological and aviation experiments, designing and building his own equipment. He travelled widely, visiting Australia in his youth and later making many visits to the USA — crossing the Atlantic at least fifty times. Alexander was born and brought up at Hern Villa in Belvedere, and later lived in both Sheffield and Bath. His mother was Harriotte Emma and his father was Andrew Alexander from Scotland. He had an elder brother, John Edmond. His father, Andrew Alexander, was a civil engineer of some standing and a mechanical engineer. He was interested in aeronautics and was a founder member of The Royal Aeronautical Society in 1866. He presented some papers to the society including "Power in Relation to Weight in Aerial Navigation". In 1875, he went to see Thomas Moy's Aerial Steamer at The Crystal Palace. This machine had many interesting design features and may have achieved a brief hop into the air; accounts vary. That year, Andrew Alexander became manager of the Cyclops works of Charles Cammell and Company in Sheffield, where he worked on the improvement of armour plate for warships. In 1878, Patrick Alexander, doubtless encouraged by his father, built an elastic driven model aeroplane of the Penaud type. In the late summer of that year, Patrick was taken by his father to see the Paris Exhibition. One attraction was irresistible: the enormous hydrogen balloon of Henri Giffard, which was capable of taking 52 passengers at a time on a tethered ascent to 500 metres (1,600 ft). The experience left a deep impression on Alexander, then 11 years old. When Andrew Alexander left the Cyclops works, the Alexander family moved from Sheffield to Bath and Patrick decided on a career in the Merchant Navy. On 1 April 1885, just 3 days after his 18th birthday, Patrick Alexander signed as an apprentice Merchant Navy officer. The very next day he sailed upon the Minero, a barque of 478 tones bound for Fremantle in Western Australia, a distance of 12,500 miles (20,000 km) in a vessel powered only by the wind. Sixty days into the journey, while aloft helping with the sails, Patrick lost his grip and fell. As he hit the deck, he broke his leg. The ship was still three weeks away from port and there was little that could be done other than to strap Patrick into a bunk for the rest of the journey, letting the leg heal without expert attention. The Minero had left England with a crew short by one member. At Fremantle, two of the crew jumped ship, possibly encouraged by rumours of gold being found in the desert; replacement crewmen were hard to come by and only one could be found. The Minero set sail for Cossack and Port Walcott some 1,000 miles (1,600 km) to the North, seeking a cargo, probably of wool and pearl shell, for the return to London. Patrick was getting about with the aid of a crutch and, given the shortage of crew, he was helping as best he could. On 10 August, in rough weather on a wet and slippery deck, Alexander fell again and re-broke his injured leg. He was taken to Victoria Hospital at Geraldton. The Minero returned to London without him. Patrick returned to England; despite treatment, it was clear that his injuries would leave him lame for life. Due to his disability, he chose to come ashore, and pursue other interests. In 1893, Patrick Alexander ordered a balloon of 100,000 cubic feet (2,800 m3) capacity from Percival Spencer. At the time, C.G. Spencer and Sons' largest advertised balloon was of 80,000 cubic feet (2,300m3) and when it was made it attracted much public interest. Capable of lifting 12 passengers, it was one of the largest balloons yet made. Alexander named her the Majestic. In 1894, Patrick took it to Germany where he conducted scientific ascents that excited interest among German scientists and the lay public, as well as that of Kaiser Wilhelm II. Ever since the first balloon ascent by the Montgolfier Brothers in 1783, it had been realised that for balloons to be really useful, they had to be navigable. Patrick Alexander applied his mind to this problem of airship propulsion. In 1893 and 1894 he filed a number of patents. His ideas included reciprocating oars and an adjustable-pitch propeller that resembled a pair of fans. One patent includes a means of heating the gas in the balloon envelope by using piped steam, the steam pipe also served to support the balloon in the shape of a parachute in the event of the balloon being burst or punctured. None of Patrick’s ideas ever came to anything; but throughout his life, he never lost faith in the practicality of airships. Patrick Alexander was very interested in the development of heavier-than-air flying machines. Early in the 1890s, he travelled to Germany to meet Otto Lilienthal who was experimenting with gliders, and he continued to study ideas from a wide variety of sources. Patrick was in contact with Octave Chanute and others experimenting with flight. In the USA, sometime before 1903, Patrick visited Samuel Pierpont Langley whose successful models had attracted much attention. At Christmas 1902 he visited the Wright brothers at Kitty Hawk. On hearing that Patrick Alexander was planning a return trip to the USA in October 1903, the Wright brothers, not known for welcoming interruptions to their work, said they would be happy to meet him. However, Patrick missed a crucial telegram and never received their message. Patrick must have been most disappointed to have missed the opportunity to witness the first flights of the Wright Flyer on 17 December 1903. Sadly at the age of fifty, his inheritance gone, Patrick Alexander spent the remainder of his life at The United Services College, Windsor, where he taught students the basic principles of aeronautics. He would also hold model flying competitions for the students in the park, watched by the Eton College boys. A young apprenticed carpenter boy, who lived in the same road as Patrick Alexander, started the ‘Windsor Model Aircraft Club’. The boy was very keen at making propellers and testing them on model airplanes he built and flew in the park.  The boy later became to be known the designer of the Hawker Hurricane fighter - the backbone of the RAF during The Battle of Britain -  Sir Sydney Camm. Patrick Alexander died on 7 July 1943, almost penniless — having given most of his money away. Today, he is not well known; having failed to make any singular, lasting contribution to aviation, and there being just a few modest memorials to his name. His primary contribution to the history of aviation was that through his tireless efforts, many journeys, writings, public speeches, and generous donations he was responsible for collecting and disseminating ideas across nations and continents without which development in the field would have proceeded more slowly. He was a generous man — generous with his time, his intellect and with his money. An inheritance and his business ability made him wealthy, but financial success meant little to him, and he ended up giving almost all of his money away. He was driven by native curiosity and ambition, and yet he was always supportive of the efforts of others, often making generous financial contributions, and was not jealous of their achievements. Patrick Alexander was buried in a small churchyard in Windsor. Ironically his headstone faces the flight path from Heathrow Airport. Comments to me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Following publication of my article on large screen televisions last week, fellow local Blogger Richard of The Thamesmead Grump contacted me with the following message - which I reproduce in full, with his permission:- "I was reading your article about low income families and large screen TVs although I never realised the subject was “vexed”. Daily Mail readers may well be vexed but that is probably their default state about anything so not too much should be read into it. I do remember some years ago, the Sun used to bleat on a lot about prisoners being allowed to watch (shock, horror) colour TV in prison. This was before the its owners bought into mass media outlets like Sky, then their opposition seems to have faded away. As far as flat screen televisions are concerned, I would challenge anyone to find any other sort. As far as I am aware, the old CRT screens have not been manufactured for many years. There is also some outdated assumption about the cost of these things. Considering the Daily Mail readership again and whose readers have probably not bought a new set in decades, as per your article, it's probably unlikely any of them know just how cheap they are to buy now. A quick look on the Argos website shows that you can buy a 65” set for a whisker under £380. If we assume it will last for only 5 years, that equates to just £76 a year, or £1.46 a week. Not a huge expense, even for a family living on the breadline. The TV licence costs more than twice that, even if they are watching TV on Granny's old 14” portable she bought from Dixon's in 1975 for about £500".

You may have seen the advert above - or something roughly similar recently. It promotes a smart TV receiver unit that makes some very interesting claims over what it can do. The advert has been placed on social media sites including Facebook and TikTok, and has also appeared on tabloid newspaper websites, including The Sun. In the advert above, the device is just referred to as Smart TV, but in other places it is called the Seurico Magic TV Box, SyncTech Smart TV Evolution, UnboundScreen TV Evolution, Zonevel TV Streaming Device, and now HIDONE TV Streaming Device. These names all refer to the same piece of equipment. The HIDONE TV Streaming Device scam relies on wildly fabricated claims of proprietary technology developed in Silicon Valley that can exploit cable and media company feeds to unlock free access to any channel or streaming content. However, the reality is the device shipped out after purchase for up to £150 is merely an unlabeled £5 streaming stick available on Chinese e-commerce sites. The scammers rely on running compelling yet highly deceptive ads on platforms like Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube that present the HIDONE device as tapping into satellite streams and using advanced artificial intelligence to crack encrypted feeds from cable networks. Some examples of the completely fabricated claims made about accessing copyright-protected content include: -  “Disrupting the cable TV industry by unveiling secret technology for tapping into premium channel streams without monthly fees” “Utilizing encrypted satellite signal interception algorithms programmed through TensorFlow machine learning” “Exploiting a loophole in Netflix DRM allowing their full catalog to stream for free forever” “Infinitely growing content library automatically generated from siphoning media company servers using HIDONE’s proprietary cracking interface”. To the average consumer unaware of broadcast copyrights, these claims leverage buzzwords like “artificial intelligence”, “satellite interception”, and “content cracking algorithms” to seem like the HIDONE device uses exclusive high-tech methods to tap cable TV and streaming content sources. However victims find after over paying £100+ for each device that it is actually just a generic unlabeled streaming stick identical to a £5 model on eBay. Needless to say, it lacks any sort of feed tapping or decryption capabilities to access channels or content for free - which in any case would be a criminal breach of copyright. The scam relies on convincing language, fake discounts, and a sense of urgency about time-limited deals to generate impulse purchases before prospective buyers thoroughly research the questionable pop-up companies behind the adverts. Refunds are notoriously difficult to obtain after falling victim when the devices inevitably fail to perform as advertised. The scam starts with carefully designed social media ads portraying the HIDONE device as a remarkable innovation allowing unbelievable access to premium channels. The scammers routinely run ads on platforms like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. These compelling ads tout things like “access any channel for free” and leverage fake reviews and authority claims to portray the devices as incredible cable replacements powered by advanced technology. Some examples of the dubious claims and techniques used in the adverts include: “All your favourite shows with no subscriptions required!” which is patently impossible. “Developed by Silicon Valley legends and used by over 200,000 people!” when no such pedigree exists. Outlandish claims of accessing any streaming service or live event for free, which violates copyrights, if it was actually true - which it is not. Fake reviews and perfect 5 star ratings to fabricate social proof. The goal is to present an extremely exaggerated depiction of the capabilities in order to generate a flood of clicks driven by the hype. But it’s carefully orchestrated deception. Some false claims are offering full access to thousands of cable TV channels without fees, unlocking Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime and other streaming services to access all content for free, using advanced technology to secretly intercept and divert media feeds, and flawless compatibility with essentially all modern TV models. The fake social media ads funnel victims to dubious websites packed with more fake demonstrations, false claims, fake discounts and reviews as well as aggressive up selling urging purchase before fake timers run out. Many report the sellers instantly disappear after taking payment, leaving no way to contact them when the fraudulent streaming stick arrives and fails to actually unlock free access to cable channels or subscription streaming platforms as depicted in the deceptive and illegal adverts. It is an example of the time worn old adage - "if it seems too good to be true, it probably is" - you have been warned. 

Despite an outright ban set to take effect today - December 31st, 2023, the sale of XL Bully dogs continues in the UK, raising concerns about public safety and the ethics of breeding and selling these potentially dangerous dogs. As you can see from the screen capture above - made on Friday of last week, XL Bully dogs are still openly for sale. In September 2023, the UK government announced the addition of XL Bully dogs to the list of banned breeds under The Dangerous Dogs Act 1991. This means that breeding, selling, advertising, re-homing, abandoning, or allowing an XL Bully dog to stray will be illegal from December 31st. Existing owners will be required to keep their dogs muzzled and on a lead in public places, and ownership will be illegal from February 1st, 2024, unless the dog is registered on an exemption index. Several factors contribute to the continued sale of XL Bully dogs despite the impending ban: Loophole Exploitation: Some breeders are exploiting loopholes in the legislation, such as selling puppies before the ban date or claiming they are a different breed. Financial Incentives: Unscrupulous breeders are driven by the high price tag of XL Bully puppies, which can fetch thousands of pounds. Lack of Enforcement: Concerns exist about the capacity of authorities to effectively enforce the ban, particularly in identifying and tracking down XL Bully breeders and sellers. Owner Resistance: Some XL Bully owners oppose the ban and may attempt to circumvent it by keeping their dogs unregistered or selling them through private channels. Many - but not all - XL Bully owners are part of the criminal fraternity and use the ugly, aggressive and vicious mutant animals as a weapon and as a guard for their criminal activities such as mugging, burglary and drug dealing. The continued sale of XL Bully dogs in the UK casts a shadow over the impending ban and raises serious concerns about public safety and animal welfare. It is crucial that the government and relevant authorities take decisive action to enforce the ban effectively and address the underlying issues that fuel the demand for these potentially dangerous dogs. Only then can the UK truly put an end to the XL Bully sales and ensure the safety of its residents and animals alike.

The end video this week is a bit unusual; as you may be aware, the driving test centres in both Belvedere and Erith are regarded as the hardest places to take a driving test anywhere in the UK. In this video, a driving instructor takes a camera around one of the Belvedere test centres routes for driving test candidates. Comments and feedback as always to hugh.neal@gmail.com.