Today I finally received the “Your penalty charge notice (PCN) has been canceled” letter from the City of Westminster, London.
This saga has been going on for over 8 months with me posting 9 recorded/signed for letters and the council of City of Westminster around 5.
It all started with a screaming red Charge Certificate stating that it was now too late to appeal to the alleged parking infringement and that I had better pay up.
This meant that the council had failed to notify me first by placing a PCN on my vehicle and second with a Notice To Owner in the mail.
Pretty scandalous way of extorting money from law abiding motorists I thought and started researching my rights in parking disputes.
It was a bit difficult to stay calm so my first letter to the council was a fiery one about extortion, scandals, citizen rights and other silly bits.
The reply was a cold and formal “Thank you for your appeal but it is now too late to appeal“. It was obvious that the council would not listen. Instead they were pushing the matter forward to the County Court.
At this point my only option was to hire the services of a solicitor and swear in a Statuary Declaration that I had not received the original Notice To Owner.
I felt like a criminal sitting in a solicitor’s office, holding the Bible and swearing the fact but it was true and it had to be done.
Luckily the County Court accepted the statuary declaration and this prevented the scary bailiffs and ultimate debt recovery.
You would have thought that the matter would have been cleared at this point but it only put it back to the original Notice to Owner stage.
The new Notice to Owner was promptly sent a few days later demanding once again the £100 (it was too late to pay the discounted £50 charge) or to appeal.
I vaguely remembered that a penalty for an alleged parking offence cannot take place if the PCN was not presented to the vehicle owner, i.e. it had not been served properly.
One could always throw away the PCN and claim that it was never there. However during the last 2 years I have seen many Traffic Wardens photographing vehicles with attached PCNs and I guess this is the reason why.
Since there had been no PCN on my vehicle I knew there could be no photograph and I was prepared to go to the County Court if required so I appealed selecting the wonderful “The offence did not occur” option.
It came as a total surprise that the council chose to accept my appeal and canceled the PCN but I accepted it wholeheartedly.
Below are some other reasons that can invalidate a PCN that I found while researching (some may be just rumours):
1. The traffic warden must be wearing their uniform and hat (have a disposable camera handy)
2. The PCN must have been attached to your vehicle or handed to you. If you see a traffic warden furiously punching on his ticket machine don’t start arguing with him/her, just drive away.
3. A single yellow line must end with a t-bar to be enforceable
4. A sign stating enforcement hours of the yellow line must be close by and visible
5. If the council does not reply within 2 months of receiving your appeal
A very good resource was the National Parking Adjudication Service and I recommend you to study their pages closely.
Pixmania shop review
★☆☆☆☆
The good: Cheap prices
The bad: French specifications, no local returns, questionable warranty
The ugly: lousy communications, price changes when you add item to your basket
The title of the post is a bit misleading as I did not actually manage to shop at Pixmania.co.uk. I tried my best but the shop was not competent enough to accept my money.
Pixmania.co.uk is an online shop that specialises in cheap electronics, especially digital cameras.
I opted to pick up my items from a local pick-up shop as this seemed very convenient. I was also hoping to save the £10 delivery charge but instead there was a £10 service charge on customer pick-up orders.
The items arrived promptly at the pick-up store but that is where my problems started.
The staff in the pick-up store was not able to charge my debit card as it involved getting an authorisation code from their bank.
It was obvious that the staff person was inconvenienced that he was required to call their bank. He was then a bit abusive on the phone. I was told repeatedly that there was an error at my bank.
The following communication with Pixmania was very difficult. Their call center is located in France and they were not familiar with the local pick-up shop procedures nor about standard UK debit card usage.
The automated email which is signed by James Felix (Customer Service Director) announces to use the contact address [email protected]. This address bounces however and the only way to send email to Pixmania.co.uk is to navigate through their FAQ (frequently asked questions) and hopefully finding an appropriate previous question.
The company operates from France and all electronic items are according to French standard. This means that instruction manuals and electric plugs are French by default. Pixmania calls this “European specification”.
The local pick-up shop I visited was handing out UK 3-pin adaptors and instructions on how to download the manual in English from the manufacturer’s web site.
For me the main reason for buying an item in the UK instead from abroad at a cheaper price is the assurance of an UK warranty. Due to the French operation of Pixmania I am not sure whether you can take a faulty item to the manufacturer in the UK or whether you have to deal with the manufacturer in France.
Pixmania states that certain faulty items will be dealt with by the manufacturer; others will have to be sent back to Pixmania in France.
An additional oddity was the way Pixmania prices change in real time. Wen I originally tried to add my item to the basket, I was returned an error (in French). Temporary problems are quite common on web sites so I just navigated back to the product. This was 10 minutes later and the price had gone up by £12.
After failing to pay for my item in the pick-up shop, I was told to put through a second order online and pay directly online. Again, the product I was interested in had gone up by £9 and was not a bargain anymore it had once been.
This bad experience of shopping at Pixmania is really my fault. I should have read some of the Pixmania.com reviews at the Review Center before making my decision.
An overall value of 1.2 out of 10 after 141 reviews is a really poor score. Only 6% of the reviewers would recommend to use Pixmania.com.
The secrets of iTunes and iPod recording
A recording engineer from KenRockwell.com has spent some time evaluating the various options in iTunes when copying (ripping) CDs.
His conclusion was that 128kbs AAC is indistinguishable from the original CD source; especially when combined with variable bit encoding (VBR).
Use following codec: 128kbs VBR AAC
Further he emphasises to always use error correction; something that is left out by default.
To enable error correction:
PREFERENCES > ADVANCED > IMPORTING > CHECK “Use Error Correction” box.
He finds AAC to be a more efficient codec than MP3 as it produces better quality audio with same size files (or smaller files with same audio quality).
It is not worth it converting all old MP3s to AACs but AAC should be used for new encodings.
I myself prefer MP3 due to it’s transportability (more devices support it) and absence of digital rights management (DMR). Even if I have to create larger files to achieve good audio quality (192kbs VBR).
[source]
Torino 2006 Olympic figure skating photographs
Last week we attended two evenings in the figure skating competition at the Torino 2006 Olympics.
(cut the talking and just show me the photos will you)
This was a nice opportunity to snap away with a big zoom lens and gave me a first hand experience in what I think can be called (amateur) photo journalism.
This included the taking and managing of a large amount of photos and finding an efficient RAW workflow.
During each evening there were 25 couples on the ice. On average I shot 10-15 photos of each couple. Using the built in LCD, I then quickly checked the photos and erased the obviously bad ones. This got it down to 4-6 photos per couple.
I can only fit 180 raw shots on the 1 GB compact flash (CF) memory card I use so the erasing of bad shots in between skating couples was necessary.
The equipment I used was a Nikon D70 (digital SLR) and a Sigma 70-300 mm (100-450 35mm equivalent) zoom lens.
The camera model is a fairly sophisticated SLR and includes some of the required features: shutter speed priority metering mode, continuous focus and continuous shooting mode.
Usually I can get steady shots at 1/30s using a 35mm lens but with the 300mm lens I could not go below 1/180s. Once I had noticed this, I locked the camera’s shutter on 1/180s.
This created many underexposed shots but it was only by .5 to 1 step underexposed and I knew I could compensate for this since I was working with raw images.
If I have to choose between blurred images due to camera shake and 0.5 step underexposure, I choose the underexposure any day.
With continuous focus I could follow the subject and the camera kept re-focusing continuously.
One drawback with the D70 is that it doesn’t have eye controlled focus. This forced me to keep the subject in the very middle where the camera focuses in order to stay in focus while in continuous focus mode.
On my older EOS-5 one can position the subject off center but by looking at it in the camera view finder, the camera keeps focusing on the subject.
The lifts were in my opinion the most beautiful and breathtaking part of the performances. In order not to miss any action shot, I let the camera fire 3 shots in quick succession during the lifts.
To travel light, I had not packed the camera battery charger with me. As the days progressed, I kept wondering when the battery would give in.
It did so after 5 days of shooting and after more than 370 shots. This included frequent use of the LCD screen and I find that impressive.
Back at home I was first overwhelmed with the large amount of photos. It took me a few days to summon the strength to start sorting through them.
With a large cup of tea next to me I started by viewing the photos on a large monitor and assigning a score between 0 and 5 to each one. At the same time I deleted the ones that were too blurry.
Several cups of tea later I could finally filter for photographs with a score of 3 or higher.
Had the project required more photographs I might have included score 2 as well. Had the project required just the best of the best, I would have only included photos with a score of 5.
At the moment I find this to be the best method to control a large collection of photos.
I then soldiered on by adjusting the white balances (mainly a batch process to majority of the photos since they all were from same light conditions) and exposure compensation.
Normally I try to present photos just as they are captured without added cropping. This requires composing the image in the camera viewer as much as possible at the moment of capture.
However due to the fast nature of figure skating, a 450mm lens and awkward spectator seats the photo compositions were all over the place.
So my last step was to reposition and crop each photo individually. I made sure to stay with the 3:2 proportions of my camera.
If you are up for it, there are many, many more photographs in the Torino 2006 Olympic figure skating photo gallery. View slideshow, delay 1 or 3 seconds, max size: no limit.
It was a lot of work but a great experience.
Update 2006-03-07
A here is the professional version of photo journalism (via Kottke).
4D baby scan
My master’s thesis was on a non-intrusive neonatal imaging method called optical tomography.
When finished, it will help doctors diagnose newborn babies from brain injury caused by breathing difficulties or other problems that prevent the baby from receiving sufficient amounts of oxygenated blood during birth.
While I was only involved with calibrations of the instrument being developed, I have always stayed interested in non-intrusive imaging methods.
That is why it was a double joy to join my wife the other day for a 4D ultrasound scan session of our little baby boy.
Traditional ultra sound just shows a thin slice of the baby in the mothers womb and is often seen in profile.
With 3D ultrasound, a series of slices is taken in a short amount of time (2s?). The slices are then combined and are visualised as a volume (3D).
4D just means that the volume of images can be seen moving in real time. The video is a bit jerky due to the 2 second scanning sweep but nevertheless it is breathtakingly clear.
The 4D scan was performed at the Create Health London Clinic and I can highly recommend them for being very professional..
Driving a rental car in Northern Italy
My following observations are only based on a 5 day period during which I was driving around in Torino and Milano in Italy. It may not reflect the average Italian driving conditions but I have been scarred for life nevertheless.
Italian drivers have no mercy. If you are a tourist driving around an unfamiliar city you are bound to make a few mistakes. You will then be in need of switching lanes late or going a bit slower in certain parts.
Trying to change lanes is difficult as you are like a sitting duck and the other drivers can smell the fear in the air. They will speed up to minimize your chances of correcting your mistake.
You may be used to leaving a “safe distance” between your car and the car in front. If this distance is any bigger than a small Fiat, then there will be small Fiats cutting in in front of you to advance in the traffic.
A red traffic light only seems to mean “there may be traffic from other direction, be careful”.
Having been driving in Brazil a few times, I am used to cars ignoring a red light but only on lonely streets and during night… but never during the day and in heavy traffic like in Torino.
Pedestrians in Italy have a raw deal. While waiting at a zebra crossing many cars pass before some actually stop to let pedestrians cross.
Combined with the above delights of cars going against red lights it can be tricky to safely cross a street.
One positive sign was that all cars slowed down considerably during a snow storm. This may have been due to common sense or just pure self preservation.
All this may persuade you into paying extra for an excess fee waiver; just like it persuaded me. It turned out to be the most expensive one I have ever come across at €19 per day.
No wonder considering the large amount of cars driving around with dents and scratches. Minor accidents must be quite common.
Hertz was well stocked with a portable SatNav unit and it helped us immensely. We were able to drive around Torino like a local and to navigate to Milan without any hassle. Highly recommended!
Be my anti-Valentine
A pink box full of sugar and saturated fat: $80
Uprooted dead plants: $60
A romantic dinner at home to avoid the Valentine’s menu at restaurant X at triple the price and in a 90 minutes time slot: priceless
Whether you are a single person or just fed up with the commercial pressure of Valentine’s Day, visit Meish for her great anti-Valentine’s Day cards.
The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower by Stephen King
“The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed…”
It was with mixed feelings that I finished The Dark Tower VII
Yeah it was nice to see Roland Deschain finally reach the Dark Tower and conclude the many started mysteries. It was also a bit sad to say a definitive farewell to the characters that I had followed for nearly 10 years.
A true Stephen King fan will appreciate the Dark Tower series due to its many connections with King’s other work. Characters and themes from other books are craftfully fused into the Dark Tower story.
Salems Lot, The Stand, It, The Talisman, Hearts of Atlantis and Insomnia being some of the more important ones. Favourite characters like Father Callahan, Ted Brautigan and several others get a second life and their stories continue within the Dark Tower.
The Dark Tower VII is in my opinion the best out of the whole series which consists of Gunslinger, Drawing of the Three, The Wastelands, Wizard and Glass, Wolves of the Calla, Song of Susannah, The Dark Tower.
“Go then, there are other worlds then these.”
The other highlight in the series was the Drawing of the Three which may be the most suspense book I have ever read (yes, it easily beats The Da Vinci Code).
Wizard and Glass on the other hand felt long winded, misplaced and was tedious to get through. I know it was supposed to elaborate on Roland’s background and childhood but that did not help the feeling of it being a series filler.
The ending of this series is very creative. It is grand, very fitting but also sad.
Many readers will likely complain about it not being fair or being a disappointment after all these years and books. I however bow to King’s imagination.
“Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it…”
Digital Black and White Beach
Converting to digital SLR was great fun but I was missing black and white photography.
I quickly discovered that digital black and white is not achieved by converting digital colour images to grayscale; this only resulted in bland, contrast-less photos.
1 year on and having played with colour channels, curves and blending of layers I am starting to get somewhere. Hopefully I will get a chance to sum it all up in a future post.
For a few more photos in this beach series, see the digital black and white photography album.
Custom IKEA business idea
See and behold, one bastard of cupboards. The frame is from the IKEA bathroom selection, the sliding doors are from the kitchen collection and the feet, plinth and lights are from various other collections.
We were in need of 3 new cupboard units at home. The soon arrival of our baby is one reason but the always increasing amount of gadgets was another one.
Our first impulse was to hire some cunning craftsmen that would conjure up our new storage solution.
Four quotes later however, the highest quote was a pound above £3k and a whole lot above our budget. The drawings from that particular carpenter were great but the total sum was not.
Being the creative money saver my wife is, she started browsing the 2005 IKEA catalog ferociously. By combining furniture parts from different areas, she was able to come up with a combination of units that fitted our measures.
The total sum of shopping was around £500 and this included all kinds of IKEA goodies like plants, carpets, baskets, Swedish food and more boxes.
Besides my sweat and blood, the assembling required many more power tools than the default IKEA hexagonal key. Electrical drill and screw driver, wood saw, iron saw, hammer and wood glue just to mention a few of them.
It got me thinking that there might be a market for Custom IKEA-TM jobs. It would combine the affordability of IKEA furniture with the individuality of hand made furniture.
The customer and the installer would split the difference in price between the IKEA shopping and original quote from a carpenter.
yours sincerely,
The IKEA Boy.