Chic not Geek.

There has been much traffic on local social media over the last couple of weeks regarding fraudulent use of cash machines - more properly named ATM's - short for Automatic Teller Machines. The ATM's most featured in the discussions are those located outside of Morrison's supermarket in Erith - as pictured above - click on the image for a larger view. I do not know how accurate some of the claims relating to ATM fraud are in this specific case. As many of you will know, my opinion of much of the information published on Facebook groups is very poor indeed. I go by the maxim that many of these groups, which are generally very well meaning, quite often don't let the facts get in the way of a good story. It has been alleged that the ATM's outside of Morrison's have, on a number of recent occasions been tampered with by crooks in order to gain cards, PIN numbers and ultimately cash. Whilst I have no way of verifying the specific claims in this particular case, there are some general rules in relation to using an ATM safely. One of the main ways the criminals fraudulently exploit ATM's is by installing a card skimmer on the ATM. So what exactly is a card skimming machine, and what does it do? A type of fraud which occurs when an ATM is compromised by a skimming device, a card reader which can be disguised to look like a part of the machine. The card reader saves the users' card number and pin code, which is then replicated into a counterfeit copy for theft. ATM skimming is like identity theft for debit cards: Thieves use hidden electronics to steal the personal information stored on your card and record your PIN number to withdraw cash or they illegally copy your account details from the chip or magnetic strip on your credit or debit card when you use an ATM. The fraudster then uses your details to create a fake or ‘cloned’ card to withdraw money from any ATM. The fraud requires two pieces of information, and they have to be gathered separately.  Firstly the scammer needs the card ID details, which used to be stored on the cards magnetic strip, but nowadays in most countries (including the UK) are more commonly stored on the card's embedded chip. A card reader placed over the ATM's real card slot. When you slide your card into the ATM, you are unwittingly sliding it through the counterfeit reader, which scans and stores all the information on the chip. However, to gain full access to your bank account on an ATM, the thieves still need your PIN number. That is where cameras come in - hidden on or near the ATM, tiny spy cameras are positioned to get a clear view of the keypad and record all the ATM's PIN action. The Police advise that users always pay attention to objects mounted on the ATM or located close by. A pinhole or off-colour piece of plastic could give away the camera's hiding place. Some ATM skimming schemes employ fake keypads in lieu of cameras to capture PIN numbers. Just like the card skimmers fit over the ATM's true card slot, skimming keypads are designed to mimic the keypad's design and fit over it like a glove. Be warned.

Following on from the ATM fraud story above, I have been sent another story regarding Morrison's at Erith by a regular reader, and occasional contributor who chooses to remain anonymous. They write:- "C19 has taken everyone by surprise, one day everyone was carrying out their business, the next day we had police riot vans driving around Bexley shadowing the seriousness of the pandemic. The supermarkets had been performing a great job at first, they were quick to enforce distancing and installed suitable protections for staff and customers. Unfortunately roughly a week or so ago I queued up for my usual shop. It was surprisingly busy, far too many people in the shop despite security supposedly regulating the number allowed in to the shop. Walking around it was almost as if it were a Sunday, 10 or so people in my aisle. It's a tricky situation as without some sort of organisation people will head to whatever product is next (ever see the meme where a council put a walkway across a park, only for everybody to take the shortest path? Same story). On my way out I was chatting with the checkout women, she was clearly quite shaken up and upset. She mirrored my concern at the sheer number of people in the shop, to the point she asked me to look down the aisle - people were more or less rubbing shoulders. Where this story really takes a turn, and it wasn't till the end of the conversation she mentioned it, an elderly lady had collapsed on her very till! This had only just happened, she told me the women had a fever and was clearly not well - an ambulance was called. It turns out her idiot son had taken her shopping despite supposedly isolating. It beggars belief they didn't close the till or even shut the store temporarily for cleaning. Now a week on things are not much different which is disappointing. I feel more effort should have been put into click and collect. Would it not have been better for each of the supermarkets to accept shopping lists where the staff can work more efficiently, safer and faster, over customers haphazardly wandering around the store (including myself)? I believe everyone has become complacent, forgetting that we are at the peak, not the end of this crisis. Anyone with a brain can see people are anxious and acting unusually, but we need to hold it together for a while longer." What do you think? Have you experienced any behaviour similar to that witnessed by our anonymous correspondent? Email me in complete confidence to hugh.neal@gmail.com.

This week, back in 1998, Steve Jobs took to the stage of the Moscone Center in San Francisco for a product launch that would indelibly change the face of computing and arguably save the firm he founded almost 22 years earlier. The machine showcased at the MacWorld event was the iMac G3. It was, to put it gently, uncharacteristic for the era. As the wider industry churned out unremarkable beige boxes and towers, the iMac was colourful and appealing to non technical users. An advertising catchphrase was launched - "Chic, not Geek". By 1997 Apple was steadily losing money and market share after a series of failed product launches, including the Newton MessagePad. Experts predicted that it was not a question of if but rather when Apple would go out of business. Steve Jobs, who had recently found himself in the unlikely position as leader of  the company for the second time, was looking for an opportunity for growth, and he turned to the design of the company’s computer cases. Apple had long differentiated itself with its superior graphic performance and a devoted following, but it was producing beige box devices like every other PC on the market. Steve Jobs saw an opportunity to reinvent the notion of personal computing and, possibly, to save the company from collapse. Keeping in mind the rapid ascendancy of the Internet in the daily lives of computer users, Jobs and his team created a device that integrated Internet-ready technology with high-quality graphics performance and a futuristic all-in-one shell. The resulting computer was the iMac, which Apple released in May 1998. The iMac (the “i” initially stood for “Internet”), created under the direction of Apple staff designer Jonathan Ive, quickly became synonymous with sleek, sophisticated, and forward-thinking design. The iMac’s computing systems were integrated into one cohesive unit (harking back to the Macintosh), which subverted the beige plastic standard and was wrapped in a translucent white and aqua (famously called “Bondi” blue) shell. The iMac could be plugged into the wall and used immediately; it required no peripheral parts or connections other than a matching mouse, a keyboard, and an Internet cable. Despite a critically mixed reception and only middling sales numbers, the iMac was a design success and set the course of a new transparent plastic aesthetic in personal computing that can still be felt today.

Now for one of my occasional longer form pieces. Many classic film buffs will be very familiar with the actress photographed above - click on the image for a larger view. What very few know, is that as well as being a major film star in the golden age of Hollywood, she also had a remarkable second career. Please read on. Hedy Lamarr was born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler on the 11th of September 1913 in the city of Vienna, Austria, at the time part of the Austro-Hungarian empire. She married an industrialist called Fritz Mandl, and from him this highly intelligent young woman picked up a lot of information and gossip about the armaments industry with which he was involved in. Unlike her husband, who became enamoured of the Nazi party, Hedwig, who had already started doing some acting, left for London and then went on to Hollywood to take up acting. A swift name change soon followed and Hedy Lamarr was born. She had starred in some rather 'risque' movies, particularly Ecstasy, by the time that she and her musical arranger, George Antheil, found themselves at a dinner party one evening in 1940 thinking about the unfolding European war. The United States, then neutral, was developing a number of weapons that depended upon radio signals for guidance. Amongst these was a guided torpedo, which could be steered towards its target by a radio signal. However, there was a problem. Any radio guided missile had a weak link in that given adequate warning that such missiles were in use, Nazi scientists could easily produce a radio receiver that could be used by prospective targets to detect the signals used to control the missile or torpedo and then a transmitter could be used to jam the guidance system. Indeed, the jamming signal could be very simple - it might be enough to tune a transmitter to the signal frequency and just turn it on. As the missile approached the target, the controlling signal would be weakening with distance from the guiding plane or ship, while the jamming signal on the target would get stronger. Eventually it would overwhelm the guidance signal with the effect that the missile would effectively become a 'dumb' weapon and simply carry on in a straight line past the target. So, what could you do? Hedy was intelligent and resourceful. She quickly realised that if it were possible for the guidance signal to randomly change frequency, it would be difficult for the enemy to actually detect the signal in the first place, and virtually impossible for them to then transmit a jamming signal that would follow the guidance signal. This 'frequency hopping' would need to be random and fairly frequent, to prevent the enemy predicting which frequency would be used next. Changing the frequency of the transmitted signal on such a basis would be reasonably straightforward to achieve. What was more difficult, Lamarr realised, was making sure that the receiver on the missile or torpedo was able to synchronise itself with the transmitted signal so that as the transmitter changed frequency the receiver would change its receive frequency at the same time. Don't forget, by the way, that this was before the invention of the transistor. All radio communications depended upon valves, and the computer, even in its most rudimentary form, would not appear until three years later and would then occupy a whole room...not the stuff you could fit in the head of a torpedo no more than 600mm in diameter. The composer George Antheil was a friend and colleague of Lamarr's, and due in part to his background as a composer, he imagined that one possible solution to the problem of synchronising transmitter and receiver would be to incorporate some sort of switching mechanism into the transmitter and receiver that could read a 'tape' of instructions, a little like the punched paper strips read by automatic 'player pianos'. These machines read cards or paper tape similar to what would be later used to program computers, and as the tape was 'read' through the machine, the holes in the tape caused musical notes to be played. Analogously, thought Antheil, it should be possible for the tape in the transmitter to switch the transmitted frequency as it was slowly unwound through some sort of electronic switch capable of detecting holes in the tape, and similarly an identical tape in the receiver should be able to switch receiver circuits to different frequencies for signal reception. If you had two identical tapes, unwound at the same rate, one in the transmitter and one in the receiver, you could synchronise the transmitter and receiver to stay in step with each other. Of course, any mechanical system is prone to slippage and slight losses of synchronisation, but the principle was there. In December 1940, the concept of a communication system based upon 'frequency hopping' was submitted by Hedy Lamarr and George Antheil to the National Inventors Council, a US Government organisation that was co-ordinating technical developments for the war effort. The patent, number 2,292,387, was eventually filed on 10th June 1941 and was granted over a year later in August 1942.  Unfortunately, the practicalities of setting this up would prove to be too difficult. The synchronising tapes would have to be paper tapes, and the whole technical issue of putting fairly complex electronics and mechanics into the small and rough environment of a bomb or torpedo was too much. Lamarr and Antheil gave their Patent to the US Government as part of the war effort, but their creation would have to wait for almost 20 years until the invention of the transistor and other semiconductor devices allowed the construction of practical, if crude, frequency hopping equipment that was based around digital circuits that created a reproducible, but apparently random, string of random electronic impulses that could switch circuitry with no moving parts. The patent lapsed in the early 1960s, at the heart of the cold war, and the US Navy immediately put the system to use using semiconductor technology to create a frequency hopping secure communications system. This was the start of the military use of 'spread spectrum' technology, the direct descendant of  Lamarr's invention. The technology would soon find itself used in a wide range of military communication systems, with frequency switching taking place many times a second making it difficult for an enemy to even detect a signal. A spread spectrum signal heard on a 'normal' radio receiver just sounds like a slightly higher than usual level of noise on the channel. The technology was eventually de - classified in the 1980s, just in time for the technology to be used in cellular mobile telephone systems. To see why this technology is useful, one has to consider that a lot of mobile phones are in use in the same geographical area. It's not really feasible for a given phone to be given its own frequency, as there just are not enough frequencies. Instead, mobile phones can transmit on a number of frequencies and the frequency in use will 'switch' as the phone call is made and the user moves from one 'cell' on the cellular network to another. The switching from frequency to frequency also reduces the effect of interference on the signal, an interfering signal that is strong on one frequency may be quite weak on another, and so although some of the signal may be lost there is a greater chance for the signal to 'get through'. In addition to the mobile phone, low level spread spectrum transmitters are used in 'wireless' computer networks, where data is sent from portable computers to other computers by u.h.f. or microwave radio signals. Again, single frequencies would not be feasible in a busy office environment or city centre, so the network adapters that allow the computers to talk to one another use spread spectrum techniques to improve reliability and data security. Unless you know a lot about the network, it's quite hard to listen in and detect computer traffic on wireless networks due to the frequency hopping. The algorithms used to control the frequency hopping in different spread spectrum systems are quite varied, depending upon the job in hand. For example, mobile phones and wireless networks use chips that generate a pseudo random string of pulses. Two devices in communication will initiate the session by exchanging enough information to set the 'start' position for the random pulse chain. Provided the two systems start from the same place, they'll keep in synchrony. Alternatively, the message to 'change frequency' might be actually transmitted to the receiver as part of the transmitted signal. This approach is also used in mobile phones and WiFi networks. Data about when to switch and what frequency to switch to is sent as a data packet. This isn't terribly secure as anyone with patience and the correct equipment can log the data packets and simulate the receiver. The ultimate in secure spread spectrum probably involves the modern equivalent of the 'one time pad', a CD-ROM or USB memory stick is used at each end. These devices contain a string of totally random noise pulses from a natural source, like solar radio noise or noise from noise diodes. A CD-ROM might contain enough 'bits' for a few dozen messages, a copy would be made and the copy sent to the receiver site, usually under diplomatic protection. The CD-ROM / USB memory stick would be used for communications, and then after each block of bits is used for a single message it's never used again. Combined with a suitable cipher system, this sort of communication is undetectable (don't forget that the signal sounds like an increase in local noise) and even if it is detected the cipher system ensures that no one else can read the message. And finally, what did Hedy and George get for all their cleverness? Well, until recently not much. Apparently they never even received a formal thank you letter from the US Government. But eventually in the year 2000, Hedy Lamarr received an award from the Electronic Frontier Foundation recognising her contributions to modern computer technology, even though it took place 50 years previously. George Antheil died before he could get the award, but at least now the contribution of the composer and the actress to modern communications has finally been recognised. Today Wonder Woman actress Gal Gadot is about to play Hedy Lamarr in a TV series about her fascinating life. What do you think? Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

The photo above (click on it for a larger version) was taken by me a couple of nights ago in Appold Street, Erith. It also illustrates one of the more bizarre conspiracy theories that persist despite much evidence to the contrary. You may have heard of the Chemtrail Conspiracy? If not, I will explain. The chemtrail conspiracy theory is the unproven belief that long-lasting trails, so-called "chemtrails", are left in the sky by high-flying aircraft and that they consist of chemical or biological agents deliberately sprayed for sinister purposes undisclosed to the general public. The main UK based group of Chemtrail conspiracists have their website here - click to view. Believers in the theory argue that normal aircraft contrails dissipate relatively quickly and that contrails that do not dissipate must contain additional substances. These arguments have been dismissed by the scientific community: such trails are normal water-based contrails (condensation trails) that are routinely left by high-flying aircraft under certain atmospheric conditions. Although proponents have attempted to prove that the claimed chemical spraying does take place, their analyses have been flawed or based on misconceptions. Because of the persistence of the conspiracy theory and questions about government involvement, scientists and government agencies around the world have repeatedly explained that supposed chemtrails are in fact normal contrails. Contrails, or condensation trails, are "streaks of condensed water vapour created in the air by an airplane or rocket at high altitudes." They are the result of normal emissions of water vapour from piston and jet engines at high altitudes in which the water vapor condenses into visible clouds. They are formed when hot humid air from the engines (when Kerosene jet fuel burns, one of the results of combustion is water vapour) mixes with the colder surrounding air. The rate at which contrails dissipate is entirely dependent on weather conditions and altitude. If the atmosphere is near saturation, the contrail may exist for some time. Conversely, if the atmosphere is dry, the contrail will dissipate quickly. The conspiracy theorists will have none of this, however. A 2014  research paper presented results of reviewing 20 chemtrail websites found that believers appeal to science in some of their arguments, but don't believe what academic or government-employed scientists say; scientists and federal agencies have consistently denied that chemtrails exist, explaining the sky tracks are simply persistent contrails. The 2014 paper also found that chemtrail believers generally hold that chemtrails are evidence of a global conspiracy; people who believe in the conspiracy allege various goals which include profit (for example, manipulating futures prices or making people sick to benefit drug companies), population control, or weapons testing (use of weather as a weapon, or testing bioweapons). One of these ideas, is that clouds are being seeded with electrically conductive materials as part of a massive electromagnetic superweapons programme based around the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP). Those who believe in the conspiracy say the chemtrails are toxic; the 2014 review found that chemtrail believers generally hold that every person is under attack and found that believers often express fear, anxiety, sadness and anger about this. Experts on atmospheric phenomena say chemtrails do not exist, and that the characteristics attributed to them are simply features of contrails responding differently in diverse conditions in terms of the sunlight, temperature, horizontal and vertical wind shear, and humidity levels present at the aircraft's altitude. In the US, the grid like nature of the National Airspace System's flight lanes tends to cause crosshatched contrails, and in general it is hard to discern from the ground whether overlapping contrails are at similar altitudes or not. The jointly published fact sheet produced by NASA, the EPA, the FAA, and NOAA in 2000 in response to alarms over chemtrails details the science of contrail formation, and outlines both the known and potential impacts contrails have on temperature and climate. The USAF produced a fact sheet as well that described these contrail phenomena as observed and analyzed since at least 1953. It also rebutted chemtrail theories more directly by identifying the theories as a hoax and disproving the existence of chemtrails. Patrick Minnis, an atmospheric scientist with NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, is quoted in USA Today and online, as saying that logic does not dissuade most chemtrail proponents: "If you try to pin these people down and refute things, it's, 'Well, you're just part of the conspiracy'," What do you think? Leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Now for the weekly local safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Firstly the report from Barnehurst ward:- "No burglaries to report this week however we did have a report of a theft of a motor vehicle. The vehicle was a transit van but the good news is, it has since been found and recovered in Hertfordshire.No other crimes to report. Routine patrols continue. We are concentrating patrols to the alley ways of Parkside Avenue and Eversley Avenue following complaints about vehicles driving in an anti-social manner. Two males were stopped in the open space area by the golf course on 05/05/2020 after acting suspiciously to avoid officers. Both males were in possession of cannabis and dealt with accordingly. Please bear in mind Social distancing when out on essential journeys". Belvedere ward:- "Our frequent patrols of open spaces across the ward continue. These patrols have predominantly been in Franks Park and Lesness Abbey, as we have had reports from both areas of people gathering, using the ball court (at Franks Park) and playground/ gym equipment (at Lesness Abbey), contrary to current Government guidelines around COVID-19. Over the course of the last week have advised people found using the basketball court to refrain from doing so, and have also asked a group of youngsters to exit the (currently locked) playground at Lesness Abbey. A male was also spoken to as he was using gym equipment in the park. In other areas – we have been visiting the Streamway area, again after reports from residents in relation to young people gathering on a regular basis on or around the stairs leading to Grosvenor Road, and also at the wooded area near to the allotments. One male youth was returned to his home (and his parents spoken to) as he was found at the location in possession of cannabis. Other males from this group were spoken to and advised to return to their homes. There was a reported burglary at the offices of the management team of Belvedere Park estate in Lower Belvedere at the end of last week. The target were the gardening equipment including a £4000 sit on mower. Luckily officers saw the suspects taking the equipment across the road and gave chase. The team have also been conducting several stop and searches over the past month, mainly for drug offences. More and more people out and about, which is not good. Several people have been dealt with for cannabis possession". Bexleyheath ward:- "Between Sunday 29/4/2020 2000 and Monday 30/4/2020 0910 Theft of Motor Vehicle Martens Close. Land Rover stolen from outside house keyless entry. Between Sunday 3/05/2020 1700 and Monday 4/05/2020 0800 Criminal Damage to Motor Vehicle Martens Close. Tyres slashed. Between Sunday 3/05/2020 2100 and Monday 4/05/2020 0140 Theft of Motor Vehicle Townley Road. Land Rover stolen from outside house Tuesday 5/05/2020 1040 Theft From Motor Vehicle Broadway Shopping Centre car park. Catalytic Convertor stolen Please ensure that you keep any keys for keyless vehicles in lead lined pouches to prevent them being cloned and the vehicle stolen. Information can be found at met.police.uk. Patrols have been carried out in all of our drug/ASB hotspots and the Officers have had many positive searches and have been deterring youths from gathering. We have also been actively patrolling parks and open spaces to move on people and groups congregating breaching Covid rules". Crayford ward:-"A little more criminal activity than in recent weeks sadly. On Sunday 3rd March at 22.21 windows on a Ford S Max were smashed whilst parked in Grazeley Close, no suspects seen. Between Sunday 3rd and Monday 4th May a shutter was forced up on a garage and the main door behind was forced open in an alley behind Clive Avenue. Two bicycles were stolen, a black and white Dolan Pressio with a glow in the dark stripe on top tube and a black and green Carerra. Two males in a grey BMW with false number plates drove out of Sainsburys without paying for fuel on Monday 4th May at 16.21. On 4th May at 14.00 a brick was thrown smashing the outer pane of a double glazed window in Iron Mill Lane close to Thames Road, three teenage males were seen running away. The spare wheel was stolen from under a silver VW Transporter Kombi whilst parked in Inglewood Road on Tuesday 5th May between 10.30-11.00. We have been out and about patrolling areas where people are likely to gather #stayhomesavelives. There have been several positive stop and searches where drugs have been recovered". Erith ward:-"Due to staffing levels we have been patrolling Northumberland Heath for a few hours each day, which includes the parks, open spaces and shops. Over 17 people removed from Erith Park who decided to set up a football game, strong words of advice was given. There has been a few stop and searches on Erith Pier that have been positive for drugs. Crimes of note. There has been a couple of theft from Motor vehicles in the West Street area, just be mindful of leaving anything in you vehicles when they are unattended. No Burglaries this week." Northumberland Heath ward:- "There are no crime reports of note this week which is brilliant news. There have been intelligence reports regarding drug activity at Becton Place, Erith and Northumberland Park.. Officers are completing patrols when available. Officers will also be completing a letter drop on Streamway this week, to see if any further information can be put together regarding drug activity and local youths congregating in the local area. The more intelligence we receive the more evidence we will have to support an application for a CCTV camera to be placed in the area when available. Unfortunately we have a few Domestic incidents reported to us during this difficult time. The team have advertised Domestic Violence advice onto our twitter page @NorthumberlandHeath. The team will also be putting posters up in the local petrol stations and shops to help support victims. If you would like to tell us about a breach of coronavirus please report online met.police.tua/tell-us-about/c19 then please see our twitter page for further advice". Slade Green and Northend ward:- "An attempted burglary took place at an address in Forest Road in the early hours of Saturday May 2nd. Police arrived but the suspects had gone. This was the second time at the same address in a couple of weeks so enquiries are being made to see if this is a targeted venue and why. Mark and James have been patrolling the ward as and when they can with Mark detaining a male on a moped in Frobisher Road Saturday afternoon. The male is coming back for an interview in the next few days. Reports are frequent relating to breaches of social distancing across the ward and the team are doing their best to patrol these areas as much as possible. Please remember to stay inside and follow government guidelines". Thamesmead East ward:-"Between 12:00 on Thursday 30/04/20 and 3:40pm on Friday 01/05/20 a vehicle parked in Redpoll Way had the driver's window removed, nothing taken. A lorry parked in Hailey Road had a number of items stolen between the hours of 11:00pm on Thursday 30/04/20 and 04:50am on Friday 01/05/20.Three vehicles parked in Howden Close were damaged overnight of Thursday 30/04/20 and Friday 01/05/20.On Tuesday 05/05/20 between the hours of 3:00am and 12:20pm a vehicle parked in Manor Close had a number of items stolen no signs of forced entry". West Heath ward:- "No burglaries have been reported this week. One theft of a catalytic converter in Hollingbourne Avenue which took place between Wednesday 29/04/20 1200 – Saturday 02/05/20 at 17.30. The team are continuing to patrol as usual and advise the local community in relation to the current government Covid 19 regulations".

The end video this week is very topical; it is a message from The Exchange, and a celebration of the recent 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe day. "We wish we could be celebrating with you all today. But as we can't we hope you enjoy this isolation production from some our very talented local residents and friends. A massive thanks to Jade Flannery, Charlotte Jacobs, Rod Henderson, Wendy Gay and of course Tidus for pulling this amazing tribute together. We will meet again!"

Hanlon's razor.

Erith took on the appearance of a Mediterranean town over the Bank Holiday weekend; the skies were deep blue and the weather was unseasonably warm, as you can see from the photographs of the Riverside Gardens and the wooden jetty above - click on either for a larger view. I overheard one lady on the 99 bus, saying to the driver that it was "like being on holiday". The weather was a touch too hot for me - anything over around 22 degrees Celsius is more than I find comfortable - I know some ask me why I refuse to remove my tweed jacket in high temperatures; the main reason is as it offers an equivalent sun protection factor of somewhere around 1000. If exposed to strong sunlight, I do not tan, I just burn - and I hate being hot. If it is cold, you can add layers of clothing to compensate, but when it is hot, there is little you can do. If the hot weather shows signs of returning later, I may seriously consider the purchase of a Pith Helmet. One thing that warm weather brings to the local area is somewhat less welcome. I don't know if you have noticed, but for some obscure reason a certain sector of the local population takes the opportunity to shed their clothes. It seems to me that as soon as the ambient temperature exceeds the aforementioned 22 degrees, a large number of skinny blokes remove their tops and strut around bare chested. They seem to think that this in some ways makes themselves look attractive, yet it seems to have precisely the opposite effect. This strutting around minus a top only seems to last a day or so - mainly as the individuals who do it start off pasty white, and seem to not have any idea about using any form of sun block. Consequently very soon they resemble cooked lobsters, with sun burn which is only obscured by their inevitable tattoos. They seem to exhibit this behaviour year in, year out, and never seem to learn from their previous errors. Whilst you do see this behaviour elsewhere, for some reason it seems to be especially prevalent in Bexley - I wonder if it is something in the water?

You may recall that last week I wrote about the two brand new Bombardier Aventra class 345 trains that are currently based at Abbey Wood station whilst they are being tested, prior to them going into service on the Crossrail / Elizabeth Line at the end of the year. These multi million pound trains are a huge part of the investment made in the new cross London transport system that will do much to improve the transport links into our area. I must admit that when I found out that some local scrote had sprayed graffiti all over one carriage causing several thousand pounds worth of damage to the brand new train, I was extremely annoyed. What also concerned me was that the damage would have taken quite some considerable time to carry out. What if the graffiti vandal had been a terrorist? The time taken to carry out the extensive paint disfigurement of the carriage could have easily been used to plant a bomb, or to sabotage the trains' mechanisms. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com. More on Crossrail later.

Something I have discovered, which until now has not been public knowledge; currently the Metropolitan Police currently have their main vehicle servicing and repair facility located in Vauxhall in Central London. Sources inform me that it will be relocating to Lower Belvedere in January 2019. I am not currently aware of the precise future location of the new workshop facility, but I am sure that information will become available soon. It is good news for the local area, as it will bring some much needed new jobs. Currently the Metropolitan Police are recruiting new Motor Vehicle Technicians - you can see the job advertisement by clicking here.

I am disappointed to say that several restaurants and takeaways in the local area that have previously achieved good results on the Scores on the Doors food hygiene rating system have now been re - tested with some appalling results. For example, the Alford Road, Erith based takeaway China Red has been demoted from a score of 4 out of 5 stars to a worrying 1 out of 5 score. Double Dragon in Gilbert Road, Lower Belvedere has also been reduced from 4 stars to 1. Fortune Star in Erith Road, Bexleyheath has gone from an excellent 5 star rating to a one star, and K's Cafe in Nuxley Road, Upper Belvedere has been rated as 1 star; what is also shocking is the former 4 star rated Radhuny Indian takeaway in Pickford Lane Bexleyheath has been reduced to a single star. The Radhuny has had an excellent reputation, and has published its four star hygiene status on its advertising materials. This is also true of the Root of Spice takeaway in Parsonage Manorway, Upper Belvedere, which also has been rated with 1 star - many locals have regarded the Root of Spice as one of the best Indian takeaways in the borough. This hygiene rating will be a shock to many regulars. A recent review on the Root of Spice dated the 8th of April this year stated:- "Recently moved and so happy to have a brilliant Indian takeaway that deliver! Best curry ever, and we have had many! Won't go anywhere else now. Speedy delivery and good portion size. 10/10". The poor old Belvedere Tandoori gets kicked whilst it is down yet again - the nowadays much unloved sit - in restaurant gets another 1 star rating. I don't know how it manages to struggle on - it has been up for sale for nearly two years, and after relinquishing its drinks licence. Rumours that it is to relaunch as a Turkish restaurant have thus far come to nothing. I really hope a buyer comes along soon to turn around this once much loved restaurant and put it back on a better footing.

There was a discussion in Parliament on Thursday regarding the proposal to extend Crossrail from Abbey Wood, where it currently terminates, down to Ebbsfleet - the short hand for the Crossrail to Ebbsfleet project is "C2E". Gareth Johnson, MP for Dartford, said Government should prioritise finishing the job of Crossrail. Calling it “absurd” that the two great achievements of HS1 and Crossrail are not connected, despite being so close - and despite their joining-up being part of the original vision for Crossrail. He said that the decision to not finish the job on Crossrail had created “ten miles of missed opportunity” between the two lines. Ten miles that will be transformed by C2E, and where the availability of brownfield land offers a unique opportunity to bring much-needed regeneration and housing. Local MP Teresa Pearce (Erith and Thamesmead), made it clear that Crossrail was integral to growth and regeneration strategies in South East London. David Evennett MP (Bexleyheath and Crayford), highlighted the huge support across the area for finishing the job - describing the case for extending beyond Abbey Wood as compelling, and warning that not pushing on risked missing major opportunities for residents and businesses. Responding for the Government, Jo Johnson MP paid tribute to the C2E campaign, local MPs and Council Leaders for their consistent championing of the C2E extension. Jo Johnson agreed that there had been considerable change in South East London and North Kent since the decision to not extend beyond Abbey Wood had been finalised in The 2008 Crossrail Act, and in light of this said Government would take a fresh look at the case for extending to Ebbsfleet. Now that the giant theme park that was due to be constructed near Swanscombe - formerly called the London Paramount theme park, has been delayed yet again, and the development is now looking to be very doubtful. What effect this will have following the statement by Jo Johnson is currently unknown. More in the weeks to come.

Further to my article last week in respect of possible potential problems with mobile phone usage. A senior British judge has highlighted the benefits of legislation that obliges people to carry their mobile phone at all times. Sir Geoffrey Vos QC, Chancellor of the High Court and former head of the Bar Council, raised the prospect of compulsory mobile phone carrying in a speech to the Law Society. Judge Vos drew attention to the advantages that a permanent record of an individual's movement could have on cutting crime. He did not personally advocate the compulsory carrying of location-aware technology, but speculated that public resistance to it may diminish in the future. "I think there will be far fewer contested criminal cases in the future, mainly because of the surveillance of which I have already spoken. We have recently seen the impact that digital disclosure of mobile phone records has had on rape prosecutions. One change in behaviour is already having a big impact on the eradication of contested criminal cases. Most people carry their smartphones on their person at all times with their GPS location switched on. They do this voluntarily, but if the legislators were, for example, to require citizens to carry phones at all times, it would be even more difficult to avoid detection. With or without such a rule, as the location of all persons is continuously uploaded to the cloud, there will be far fewer identity issues in criminal cases. As society seems to accept more and more surveillance, I wonder how radical the change I have mentioned will seem to the population in 10, 15 or 20 years' time". Digital mobile phones have always offered law enforcement the ability to obtain the location of devices via cell tower triangulation, but Silicon Valley's obsessive data hoarding has made the job easier. Google never throws anything away, and continues to collect (and store) location data even when GPS location services are disabled. Two years ago a US appeal court ruled that law enforcement requests to obtain the location history acquired and stored by Google Maps did not require a warrant, as the user had shared the data voluntarily. All this is somewhat moot; Judge Vos does not seem to have a very good handle on human behaviour. He does not seem to understand that quite a large number of people have more than one mobile phone, which may not all be in the same location. Conversely, according to The Office for National Statistics, seven percent of the UK population do not use, or indeed own a mobile phone. Unless Judge Vos has his comments picked up by one of the tabloid newspapers, I doubt we will hear very much more of this story. I believe that Hanlon's razor applies here:- "never attribute to malice what can be adequately explained by incompetence."

The highly influential iMac range of computers from Apple had its twentieth birthday this week. The original - and some way the most revolutionary - version of the computer was launched in May 1998. You can see a photo of the "mark one" version above - click on the photo for a larger view. The original iMac was a product full of firsts. It was Apple’s first computer to be built for the internet era (that is where the i comes from.) It was the first to drop all legacy I/O such as serial and parallel ports in favour of the more modern USB standard. It was the first to show that computers could be cool. To design the iMac, Apple pushed its latent industrial design team, a group that had been underserved by previous company leaders. While the iMac wasn’t the first Apple product to use translucent plastic, it was decidedly more “Un-PC,” without a spot of beige to be found. At the time, all other desktop computers were inevitably beige in colour - whilst other manufacturers were aware that other colours were available, the beige option was the cheapest to produce, as being beige at the outset tended to hide the case discolouration over time due to the Bromine compounds introduced into the ABS plastic to act as a fire retardant. Incidentally old computer restorers have created a chemical cleaning product called Retrobright to restore discoloured computer cases, which I wrote about back in 2014, that you can read here. I digress; The iMac did not come with a bland beige case; quite the opposite. Then-Vice President of Industrial Design, Briton Sir Jony Ive asked “What computer would The Jetsons have had?” when designing the original iMac. Retro-futurism played a quietly important role in the computer’s appeal to customers, which was reminiscent of both the aesthetic used in the animated cartoon series and even vintage computer terminals. The iMac’s vibrant hues also embodied the spirit of 1960s Olivetti typewriters, which were notable for their use of colour in a market dominated by dull, corporate designs.

Now for the weekly local safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Firstly an announcement regarding ward boundary changes:- "With the local elections last week came the Borough's ward changes. With the police SNT Teams not initially expected to have changed their wards until November, it was decided at short notice to implement the changes this week. Hence, our slight delay in sending this email. So you will see that the weekly ward updates below are listed under the new wards. If you are unsure which ward applies to your street, fear not! Visit https://www.met.police.uk/your-area/, enter your postcode and it should show. Even if your ward still shows below unchanged, your street may still have been allocated to another so it is well worth double-checking". Barnehurst ward:- "Good news again for Barnehurst as we did not have many crimes. Criminal Damage to Motor Vehicle- We had 4 motor vehicles on Mayplace Road East that had paint poured over them between the evening of 06/05/18 and the early hours of 07/05/18. We have continued to tackle anti social behaviour on the ward as 1 Section 59 warning was issued to a driver of an off road motor cycle, who was driving in an Anti- Social Manner". Belvedere ward:- "As you are hopefully all aware the ward boundaries have changed in Bexley. Belvedere has expanded, taking over part of Lesnes Abbey and Erith. Welcome to our new Neighbourhood Watch residents. To contact your team you can e-mail us on belvedere.snt@met.police.uk or call us on 0208 721 2050. We are still delivering recruitment letters to residents on our ward and will hopefully set up some new ones in our expanded area. If you know anyone that would like to join please contact the Neighbourhood Watch office [by replying to this email]. Thanks to Peabody housing, we have recovered a stolen moped and returned it to its owner. It was found by their staff on the Galleon Estate in some bushes. If you do see any abandoned vehicles which do not look quite right please let us know as they may be stolen. Last Friday the Belvedere team assisted the North Heath team with a drugs warrant where an amount of cannabis was seized. On Saturday we assisted the North End team with a drugs warrant on their patch. Nothing found on this occasion. If anyone suspects that one of their neighbours are dealing drugs then please tell us, we will act on the information and it will be kept confidential. We keep seeing a red moped with the index of YX07 EVN driving around Lower Belvedere. The rider is causing a nuisance by doing wheelies and driving on the pavements. We have tried to catch the rider but he has eluded us. The moped is not currently registered. If you see it parked up anywhere please let us know as we want to take this moped off the streets and have it crushed for causing anti-social behaviour". Bexleyheath ward:- "Apologies that we have very little today as the systems are all out of sync at the time of submitting this update due to the ward boundary changes. Welcome to parts of our new ward from the old Barnehurst and Brampton wards.  We have been assisting the rough sleepers finding suitable shelter rather than sleeping on the streets. We intervened in a rogue trader who was trying to extort more money from a local resident. We worked with partner agency, Trading Standards; Persons selling fake items on the Broadway have been dealt with. Good news - there have been no burglaries or attempted burglaries". Crayford ward:- "Crayford SNT met on site at the Braeburn Nature Reserve with Shaun Marriott of the London Wildlife Trust to discuss ways of preventing off road bike riders gaining access to the area. This is private land and it is not legal to ride off road motorcycles anywhere here. Volunteers are working hard to restore pathways, create fencing and encourage wildlife to the area. They hold regular events and walks - it’s lovely for family walks and dog walking so it is a pity if a few spoil it for others by their anti-social behaviour. We were given the details of a van that had brought three motorcycles to the Nature Reserve and have contacted the company to make them aware that their employee had done so. He will not have the authority to use this vehicle again. On Polling Day, members of our team paired up with Brampton and Barnehurst officers to ensure that regular checks were made on fifteen Polling Stations across our area for the opening times of 07.00-22.00. On Tuesday 08/05/2018 at 17.10 there was a violent shoplifter at Sainsbury's. Off duty police officers assisted in the arrest. Overnight between 15.00 on 6th May and 09.00 on 7th May a Ford Transit Camper Van was interfered with whilst parked on the driveway in Station Road. The driver’s lock was found on the ground, the passenger lock was tampered with, the ignition had been barrelled and wiring pulled out and the housing surrounding the steering column had been removed and taken. In this instance it would seem that the vehicle battery was flat. There have been a number of ABH, racial and public order offences and arrests have been made. Between 1st May and 5th May a smart car had number plates and wing mirror glass removed whilst parked in Wyatt Road. The London Fire Brigade called police on Sunday to Ridge Way after a sofa was set on fire outside a property, although no accelerants were found the fire was viewed as suspicious, some cosmetic damage was done to the house. This is not the first time recently, please be aware that it only takes a discarded cigarette and dry conditions for an accident to happen, please don’t let this happen to you. Boots reported a shoplifter on 30/05/2018 at 08.59 am. Hobbycraft were able to recover goods stolen from them on 01/05/2018. On 1st May it was discovered that the empty Duke of Wellington Public House at London Road had been broken in to. Entry was made by forcing the rear doors, security cameras were stolen as well as a copper cylinder, the alarm was smashed. We assisted Brampton SNT on Wednesday with a S23 Drugs Warrant. A lady was processed for using her mobile phone whilst driving in Crayford last week. Officers were alerted to a house alarm going off in Iron Mill Lane, thankfully no burglary, it had gone off in error". Erith ward:- "We have a little change of staff in Erith. PC Tom Brown is on an attachment to Lewisham for a few months, PC Charlie Moore is covering Erith as DWO in his place. Also, PCSO Maxine is back on Erith after being on an attachment in Sidcup. So currently your officers in Erith are as follows: PS Bryan Young, PC Gill Couzens, PC Charlie Moore, PCSO Adam Winch, PCSO Maxine Cypher. Ward changes for Erith - We are losing the area of Battle Road including all the side roads from Willis Road to Beltwood Rd, Franks Park and most of Carlton Road. Most of this area is going to Belvedere Ward. We are taking the areas of Larner Road, including Erith Park". Longlands ward:- "Attempted Burglary reported in Carlton Road between 05/05/18/ - 07/05/18. Victim states that she left her house in the morning to go away for a couple of days making sure that everywhere was locked and secured. Unknown Suspect have attempted to break into the garden shed out the rear of the property. Victim states that the suspect/s have attempted to gain entry to the bike shed and have also tried to enter the main shed and have damaged the roof. Entry was not gained. Nothing has been stolen. There have been no reports of Vehicle Crime in Longlands over the last week. On the 4th of May 2018 team arrested a male juvenile for the offence of Possession with intend to supply where after a search he was found in possession of several bags of cannabis". Northumberland Heath ward:- "On Friday 04/05/2018 the team executed a search warrant in Brook Street following intelligence that drugs were being dealt from an address. A number of drugs exhibits were seized and a full investigation will follow. We will continue to tackle all forms of anti-social behaviour including drug delated crime. Please contact us if you have any information that would assist us in tackling these issues. We are pleased that we have had no burglaries reported to us over the last week. One criminal damage to a motor vehicle in Sussex Road. Following the recent ward boundary changes that came in last Thursday following the local council elections, we have gained a number of roads from the Colyers ward. If you have any concerns about which Policing team cover your road, please contact us and we will do our best to help you". Slade Green and North End ward:- "In the last week there have been 4 vehicle crimes, all of which took place overnight. Number plates were stolen from a car in Alderney Road and a reflector light taken from the roof of a council work truck in Wallhouse Road. Both of these happened on the evening of the 4th/5th May. A Sat Nav was taken from a car in Rainbow Road on the evening of 7th/8th May. On the evening of 8/9 May a vehicle had all its windows smashed in Raleigh Close, Frobisher Road. Enquiries are ongoing to ascertain why the victim was targeted. PC’s Mark and James carried out several stop and searches this past week. A vehicle and 2 occupants were searched in Manor Road close to Appold Street after a strong smell of cannabis was detected coming from the car. Drugs paraphernalia was found but no actual drugs. Last Thursday was Polling day and all 3 officers from the team spent the day patrolling the ward and visiting the various polling stations. During these patrols 2 stop and searches were carried out, one in Shermanbury Close leading to a cannabis warning being issued and the second one ended up with the male being arrested for Possession with Intent to Supply (PWITS). A search warrant was executed at Frobisher Road last week with help from our colleagues from North Heath and Colyers Ward and we reciprocated the favour by assisting them with a warrant in Brook Street on North Heath ward. Drugs were seized at both warrants. PCSO Mark has this week attended the Slade Green Big Local Stakeholders Conference where he has made several good new contacts to work in partnership alongside in looking at ways for everyone to improve the local community". Thamesmead East ward:- "Burglaries - Over the bank holiday week-end a burglary occurred at The Link in Bazalgette Way. Motor Vehicle Crimes - Between the hours of 06:00 pm and 08:00 on Friday 04/05/18 both the front and rear number plates were taken from a vehicle parked in Dalberg Way. On Friday 04/05/18 between the hours of 08:00pm and 02:00pm on Saturday 05/05/18 a number plate was taken from another vehicle parked in Dalberg Way. Following the recent Local Elections Thamesmead East has acquired another 7 streets and 6 tower blocks to patrol, as the Lesnes Abbey ward is no longer".

As you may have read back in December, several swans were killed and mutilated in Thamesmead; it was thought that the perpetrator was the so called "Croydon Cat Killer" - a bit of a misnomer in reality, as the person has killed all sorts of domestic animals as well as hundreds of cats in the last few years, and the killings have been spread over a very wide geographic area. Charity workers trailing the so-called Croydon cat killer linked to more than 400 brutal animal murders nationwide have said in a recent interview that “everything points to one person” carrying out the attacks. Boudicca Rising and her partner Tony Jenkins, the two members of South Norwood Animal Rescue and Liberty (SNARL), have detailed the tell-tale signs of the murderer in a new documentary. The pair have been investigating since 2015, when they began noticing reports of cat mutilations in and around Croydon. They have since launched a UK-wide hunt for what is thought to be the country’s first serial animal killer, with reports of murders as far as Manchester, Brighton and the Isle of Wight. “We are not sure if we are talking about one person or a group. Everything we have learnt so far points to one person. Unless he is working with someone very closely, he is by himself because of the way he is working.” Mr Jenkins added: “We have not had any killings on the same day very far away from each other, which could indicate one person.” Rescue organisation SNARL was launched in 2014 to rehabilitate and re-home poorly treated animals. Now, a sometimes harrowing documentary has been made on SNARL's investigations into the pet killer. In 2015, Tony Jenkins, one half of South Norwood Animal Rescue and Liberty (SNARL) began noticing reports of cat mutilations in and around Croydon, London. Following the scent, he and his partner Boudicca Rising unearthed a shocking history of animals deaths which would lead to a nationwide hunt for what it thought to be the UK’s first serial animal killer. Now with over 350 victims, the killer has been given many names:- the Croydon Cat Killer, the M25 Animal Killer, the UK Animal Killer. The brutal “signature” display of the dismembered pets around the homes of their owners is a chilling indication of the killer’s intention to do harm to people as much as the animals. In an unlikely union between two renegade animal rights activists and the establishment, Tony and Boudicca are joined in following the trail of bodies by the RSPCA and the Metropolitan Police. Together they balance the emotional demands of the case with the need for a clear minded approach to a bewildering and unrelenting string of attacks. With unprecedented access to the action as it unravels, “Catching a Cat Killer” goes to the heart of of a strange and chilling quest to end the killing spree. The documentary runs for just under half an hour, and can make harrowing watching. Let me know what you think by either leaving a comment below, or by Emailing me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.