hevans:

OldBoy:

Shadow_Wolf:

Forseti:

Might be worth starting a new thread (moan) Sue and call it 'Who else other than weather forecasters can get it wrong so often and still be in employment'

It quite obviously isn't the weather forecasters fault; they are merely deceived by unexpected computer modelling - so as usual its the fault of software engineers

This year, the Met Office has again upgraded its systems, from a pair of Cray T3Es to the NEC SX-6/8. This supercomputer has 12.5 times the overall processing ability of the Cray machines. This is roughly equivalent to 1,000 top of the range desktop PCs. It still can't forcast the next days weather correctly!

Sorry, dudes, but somethings are just too complicated. We can make great strides in weather prediction, but making the leap from 3-4 days in the future to accurate predicitions a week into the future are quite difficult.

As a similar question, where will you be and what will you be doing at 19:38 next Thursday? Can you make an accurate (100% guaranteed, no prospect of a deviation from the plan, including your own death) prediction and then justify it (assuming you're not alread dead and reading this, in which case, it's probably pretty certain where you'll be and what you'll be doing)? Ok, now set 10000 PCs to evaluate your life and see if it can accurately predict what you'll be doing.

And yes, I know that this whole subject is a cultural icon of being a Northern European, but either way, the difficulty in the problem doesn't change.

H.

Great - so why have weather forecasters in the first place. Ok, I can go along with the 'one week down the line' thing but overnight - a few hours ahead and they can't even get this right. Can you remember that wonderful hurricane we had in the UK (year escapes me)? I remember watching the ten o'clock news and hearing the forecaster (Michael Fish was it?) babble on about something that wasn't even remotely accurate. A few hours later my car was wrecked.

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pjackson:

sue allen:

I'd just like them to be accurate on the day - every day this week i've looked at the forecast for the day it is on the BBC website and it's been wrong!

If the Met office can’t predict the weather accurately surely they should just phone you Sue to see if you intend to go out with your camera!

 

It appears to be a better indicator than all those computer models.

 

Yep - all I have to do is book some time off work or arrange a day out and the clouds roll in!

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Well they got it right today - grey cold and windy - but then it is the weekend!

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It's all happening now, they're all coming out of the woodwork. Who? Local councillors of course. It's that time when they realise they need us more than we need them. Two actually came to the door this week to show their faces and asked us to vote for them, a happening that's as rare as a coronation around here.

I have a sneaking suspicion that those who are seeking re-election can see their £8,000+ expenses disappearing into the distance, and the new wannabees are eyeing up the prospect of a tidy sum being added to their budget.

Quote of the election addresses pushed through the door, "I want to make this a better place to live."  no mention of how this is to be achieved!

It's a bit like the Monty Python sketch on how to become famous, "Invent a cure for all known diseases".

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ABERS:

It's all happening now, they're all coming out of the woodwork. Who? Local councillors of course. It's that time when they realise they need us more than we need them. Two actually came to the door this week to show their faces and asked us to vote for them, a happening that's as rare as a coronation around here.

I have a sneaking suspicion that those who are seeking re-election can see their £8,000+ expenses disappearing into the distance, and the new wannabees are eyeing up the prospect of a tidy sum being added to their budget.

Quote of the election addresses pushed through the door, "I want to make this a better place to live."  no mention of how this is to be achieved!

It's a bit like the Monty Python sketch on how to become famous, "Invent a cure for all known diseases".

Now all this really annoys me, half a ton of leaflets through the door to say vote for us! What happened to knocking and proving yourself. Then you will get the "we are enviromentaly friendly" but we will chop down half a forest to produce the leaflets to put through your door.

Then i live in burnley so we get the oh so wonderful BNP campaining and then the wonderful attitude of the backwater town i live in.

SO will i vote???? Possibly but only to keep the BNP away and not for any policys because burnley never changes!!!!

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TBPITW 7 times

filter99:

because burnley never changes!!!!

The only thing that changes I bet is the council tax!

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Fingers crossed for government meltdown in local elections. Have to say i was surprised that Frank Field [one of the few politicians who seems to have any integrity and common sense] was bought off with the back of an envelope 'jam tomorrow' promises re returning money to the lower paid.

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Filter I live in what would be classed as white middle class suburbia on the SW London/Surrey border, even we had the BNP leaflet come through the door, I read it but only because I wanted to see what they were saying before I put it out for the recycling which thankfully was being picked up the next day so I didn't have their trash contaminating anything for to long....Sue I agree I was quite surprised that Frank didn't put up more of a fight but at least he fought in the first place which is more than most of the spineless wonders were prepared to do I always thought that the description of an MP was "the voice and representative of the people" how naive of me.....

But can I please urge everyone who is eligible to VOTE if only to keep the insiduous BNP OUT of any seat that they may gain otherwise, after all your vote does count even if you feel it doesn't....and if you don't vote then you don't have any right to complain, and it would suit this govt/mayor/council if people didn't vote as that would mean they have a chance of holding on to their seats.....

Phew rant over

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Keith

Voting BNP? Sounds like frying pan to fire time - swapping one set of control freaks for another even nastier lot!

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krennon:

Filter I live in what would be classed as white middle class suburbia on the SW London/Surrey border, 

Went shopping there this morning, can only agree with "on the SW London/Surrey border" bit of your statement. It's easy to see why the BNP view this area a fertile ground for their campaign. 

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And thats what worries me Abers Kingston/Surbiton is my home and I love living here and would hate to see the likes of the BNP get any kind of foothold round here.....wish I'd known you were coming to town maybe we could have done lunch

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Keith

The problem is that some people turn to fringe parties who have the promise of a quick fix, when the main parties don't seem to be listening. Fortunately, in  this country, the far right and the far left have been equally bad at gaining any kind of power. I do dislike the way the fascist left try to silence the fascist right though - makes them martyrs in some people eyes. Whenever I've heard them allowed to speak and put their views over it only takes a good interviewer to give them enough rope to hang themselves. We had a by election for a vacant council seat here last month and the BNP candidate did I believe come second - second by a very very long way with a small vote - think he beat Labout though! I can't remember a time previously when we've had any kind of local BNP activity worth talking about. We've had above the national average of people of non UK ethnic origin for a long time but it's never been much of an issue - we all just seemed to rub along.

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I've learnt over the years to ignore weather predictions over mar/apr/may and just settle on "there will be weather and quite a lot of it" as a view.

Stinkyfinger:

I've learnt over the years to ignore weather predictions over mar/apr/may and just settle on "there will be weather and quite a lot of it" as a view.

I wonder if the BNP knows this Trigger?

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the bnp cant possibly win but if enough people do vote for them it might just shake up the other parties and make them realise there are still white middle class people in this country .aswell as old age pensioners if democracy is one person one vote why do minoraties always win

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