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willslab
Friday, May 14, 2021
Friday, April 9, 2021
Post-Brexit bullsh*t
A week ago, I bought a second-hand cassette deck on eBay, from a seller in Germany, for €59 (about £51). Given the model, this was a pretty good price. Shipping was quoted as €22 (£19) - OK. Then, the post-Brexit shit started to hit the fan.
First, eBay charged VAT at 20% on the purchase, as apparently they now have do for items bought from the EU for under £135. So, that's another £14.
Then the seller got in touch to say the courier had increased their prices as a result of the UK leaving the EU. So, that was another £11.
Then, today, the courier got in contact to say they wouldn't deliver the parcel until I paid another £10 in import VAT and a £12 clearance fee. So, another £22.
All told, Brexit cost me an additional £47 on a item that cost £51.
I did not vote for this. Those of you who did, welcome to the new world, I hope you feel it was all worth it.
Saturday, February 6, 2021
h = 25
My Google Scholar h-index just ticked over to 25; five months since the last uptick. Minorly faster steady progress ;-)
Saturday, November 28, 2020
The Five Years of the Linux Desktop
I've been using Linux exclusively - desktop, laptop, and server - for about five years now. It's been a really great experience, and it's been fun to see the world move in the same direction. Microsoft bought github, introduced WSL, and "loves Linux" now, apparently. Well, better than the "Linux is a cancer" MS view of old. We now teach R on a web server rather than SPSS on Windows, and test using OpenSesame on JATOS, rather than E-prime on Windows. I made some new friends at the local LUG and Tech Jam. It's been quite a ride. Looking forward to the next five years.
Monday, September 7, 2020
h = 24
Nine months after reaching 23, my Google Scholar h-index is now 24. The steady progress of this index continues.