Week commencing Monday, 8 August 2022
Quantified Self
- This week: Stand 6/7; Exercise 3/7 and Move 4/7. (62%, going backwards).
Life
- Saturday was hot and we spent it at a family party. The Wham-inspired ‘Choose Life’ outfits seemed to work. There was a performance with (almost) two of ABBA.
- The drive north took longer than expected. Is getting middle-Lane range a thing?
- Monday night was another night of music. Saw Luke Bayer perform at a Piano bar near the Barbican. More good music but he had a, self-admitted, tendency for sadder songs.
- Related: Monday nights are probably not for Nespresso Martinis.
- Inspired by reading the Agile Comms Handbook a few weeks ago, I finally got round to reading a book recommended by our Chief Product Officer. The book, Shape Up: Stop Running in Circles and Ship Work that Matters from the makers of Basecamp, is an insight into how the Basecamp team builds products. It would be quite nice to work in six week cycles, shipping useful things and without the relentless burden of backlogs, sprint meetings (I really can’t bring myself to say ceremonies) and QA shenanigans.
- As a lover of train travel and regular user of the network I did not have the best week with Britain’s railways. To be fair, my interactions with the UK’s coach network was not any better. Before I get into the frustrations I should say that my first trip on the Elizabeth Line, albeit just one stop, was really good. Everything does feel really big compared the The Tube.
- Avanti West Coast’s Delay Repay service required me to create another account with them but I had to use the same email address that I use for the account required to book tickets with them in the first place we. It’s not customer friendly at all and a recipe for problems next time I come to book a ticket.
- But, the delay repay form did allow me to take a picture of the tickets (that need the refund) with my phone and upload that.
- Next, the required ‘confirmation code’ (without which the form can’t be submitted) is not the code that appears on my booking receipt labelled, “Confirmation” followed by some numbers. You need the ‘collection reference’. Go figure.
- Then, Avanti West Coast’s entirely separate complaint form won’t allow the picture of the tickets that need the refund that I just took with my phone, and successfully attached to the delay repay request, to be uploaded via the complaint form. They require a different file format. And a smaller size.
- Monday morning I needed a step-free train route to Victoria. I’m lucky that I have a choice of routes. According to various websites and route planners, lifts were out of action at Wimbledon, Clapham Junction and Vauxhall. But no indication of which lift and if I would need them. Took a gamble and went via Clapham. One of the lifts I needed was, indeed, out of service.
- But it’s not just trains. Wikipedia helpfully says that Victoria Green Line Coach Station should not be confused with the nearby Transport for London owned Victoria Coach Station but, if I hadn’t looked it up, all the signs point to the TFL one. Some of the staff at the Green Line Coach Station seemed a bit confused about which operators served the stops. It didn’t help alleviate travel stress.
Archive
To save the links getting lost in the future I checked the Internet Archive to see what they had saved for the posts linked here. If the original source above no longer works, these should.
- Shape Up: Stop Running in Circles and Ship Work that Matters
- Avanti Delay Repay – Automated Delay Compensation
- Avanti What can we help you with?
- Green Line Coach Station
Archived at The Wayback Machine