多年来，我想当然地认为伦敦一区是不会有 unrestricted area 可供全天免费停车的。
但是网上说有，而且很多。年初认识到这个停车地图，因为开车去伦敦市区的机会不多，直到明天才有机会检验一下。
如果情况属实，特别鄙视布莱顿市政府，停车搞得比伦敦还难，太失败了。
Tag: car
-
Free parking in London
Parking restriction -
Never use Kwik Fit
很多年前，我去 Kwik Fit 修车前问过一个朋友：“Kwik Fit 可靠吗？” 他说，“糟透了，千万不要用。”他没讲实例，我也没有亲身体会，所以我并没有形成对 Kwik Fit 的坏感。
那时，车的排气管坏了，我公司边上有家 Kwik Fit，我早上把车送给他们修，下班去取，觉得很方便。当然 Kwik Fit 的价格不便宜，但体谅它这么大一个公司肯定有很大的管理费用，所以我也觉得合理，毕竟它有地缘优势。
那次修车还算顺利，所以接着的年检和保养我又想到 Kwik Fit。恰好 Kwik Fit 又在搞年检和保养优惠促销，我就决定去 Kwik Fit 做年检。年检没有通过，Kwik Fit 要我更换一堆零件，包括全部轮胎和电池。我从未被要求一次更换那么多零件（之后也没有过），有点犹豫不决。考虑到去其他地方重检，可能还是得更换，Kwik Fit 又说只要我在它那里换了零件，年检就过了。还是为了方便，我就咬牙让 Kwik Fit 换上了全部轮胎、电池和其他配件。
之后我想，可能我的车到了那个时间就得大量换零件了，所以并未觉得 Kwik Fit 有什么出格之处，只是之后再也不用它了。
后来有一次，车胎破了，拉到一个修理厂，技师怎么也卸不下那个轮胎，最后动用锯子锯断螺钉。技师说，是螺帽拧得过头了。哎，最后一次是 Kwik Fit 拧的。但我还没形成对 Kwik Fit 整体的坏感，只想 Kwik Fit 运气不好，雇了一个不称职的员工。
最近我觉得电池蓄不住电。今天，我在车内听收音机，所有的灯都是关闭的，只有五分钟，竟然连收音机都放不了了。这才几年啊，又要换电池？！当年我不熟悉行情，现在发现 Kwik Fit 的杂牌电池比 Euro Car Parts 的名牌 Bosch 电池要贵一倍多。贵就贵吧，竟然还是这种质量。
终于，我跟 Kwik Fit 的缘份全面崩溃，愤愤不平地写下以上文字警示后来人。
-
Double rainbow is nothing special
Double Rainbow over Devon This week I read a news on dailymail After seven years and 2,000 photographs… a double delight as rainbow lights up Devon
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 9:26 AM on 27th October 2010A photographer who has taken pictures of the view from his office window every day for seven years has finally struck gold by snapping this stunning double rainbow.
Andy Kyle, 53, captured the weather phenomenon as it appeared to create a bridge over the river at Dartmouth in Devon.
Andy, who runs a website called The View From The Dartmouth Office, has been posting pictures of the vista each day for the past seven years.
He said he had taken more than 2,000 images of the view before he snapped the beautiful double rainbow.
Howzat? Sometimes a dim secondary rainbow is seen outside the primary rainbow. Secondary rainbows are caused by a double reflection of sunlight inside the raindropsHowzat? The ‘bridge’ over the river at Dartmouth in Devon. Sometimes a dim secondary rainbow is seen outside the primary rainbow. They are caused by a double reflection of sunlight inside the raindrops
Sometimes a fainter ‘secondary rainbow’ can be seen outside the main rainbow.
Secondary rainbows are caused by a double reflection of sunlight inside the raindrops, and appear at an angle of 50–53°.
If you look closely you can see the colours of the secondary rainbow are inverted, with blue on the outside and red on the inside.
The secondary rainbow is fainter than the primary because more light escapes from two reflections than one and because the rainbow itself is spread over a greater area of the sky.
The effect is quite ghostly, and makes for a stunning photograph, although it makes looking for the pot of gold slightly more tricky.
I did not think about it too much. But today when I was taking my friend Erin to Heathrow Terminal 3, I saw double rainbow just above the airport. It was a pity I had no hands free to take a photo to compete because I was busy driving my car.
When I am back home, I search for “double rainbow” photos, I find it is nothing special but reported many times in many places. If I head up a bit often, I may see double rainbow again very soon.
-
与人方便就是与己方便
今天带老爸参观了PCWorld，回家时19:15左右，通常这个时候停车位最紧俏，我就没指望家门口还有停车位。
所以当我距离到家还有一段路时，发现一个停车位，我就想把车停了。我没注意到前方有一辆车已经先看好了这个车位，正停着准备等我过去然后他好倒车进去。我一个转弯就占了这个位置，然后才发现前方的车好像在等着个停车位。英国人通常都很礼让，我也染得很礼让，要在平时，我肯定会把车重新开出去，另找停车位。
老爸思路不同，说，你先停好了，何必让？！得，尊重老爸的意见。下车，锁门，前面的车看着到手的肥肉被我叼走，也只好走了。于是我跟老爸走了一段路回家，说长不长，说短不短，走到家门口时，发现——空着两个车位！
老爸又说，要是有那么个设备，可以远程告诉你车位占用情况，估计英国可以卖个人手一个。那敢情好，但这个park space indicator发明之前，我还是用哲学方法来判断：与人方便就是与己方便。
