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Howell Harris

@trefeca.bsky.social

1.1K followers 1.1K following 4.8K posts

Retired (US, business & technology) historian. Twitter escapee. Hope this doesn't go the same way. Welsh & European. Durham resident. Gardener & cyclist.

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Howell Harris @trefeca.bsky.social · 7h

Farage has a large minority of apparently enthusiastic would-be voters, & in our divided, multi-party, FPTP political system, 30-odd percent is enough to give him the keys to No. 10 & to wreck our country. Starmer & Co. have provided no _positive_ reasons why ppl shd sustain them in power. Alas.

Howell Harris @trefeca.bsky.social · 12h

He’s a no-account **** as well as, in our nightmare future, perhaps the next PM. Starmer & Co. had a good chance, & one job to do. Unfortunately they blew the first & have proved useless/worse at the second…

Howell Harris @trefeca.bsky.social · 13h

What local car industry?

Howell Harris @trefeca.bsky.social · 16h

At least a third of used cars, perhaps more. Local garage I deal with doesn’t carry anything else. None of them adapted.

Reposted by Howell Harris

Jonathan Coe @jonathancoe.bsky.social · 19h

A bleak dystopia where Sharia law predominates, while economic and cultural divisions mean that the different communities live parallel, segregated lives.

Oh, wait, that’s Dubai …

Roland Smith @rolandmcs.bsky.social · 20h

Mind how you go...

Howell Harris @trefeca.bsky.social · 17h

I don’t give a flying **** what he’s called, as long as it has nothing to do with Wales. “Prince” still sounds like a pretty royal title to me, too, so his surrender of his titles hasn’t gone very far yet.

Howell Harris @trefeca.bsky.social · 17h

Effective communicator, true believer, & ambitious — like Leni (von?) Riefenstahl.

Howell Harris @trefeca.bsky.social · 17h

What have you got against state subsidy to the nearly-new secondhand-car market (Motability is the main source of supply)? Got a very nice 3 yr-old Golf 8 years ago. Was a good idea to start with, then it got gamed. See all sorts of state/private sector interactions in the UK. Gov’t is flat-footed.

Howell Harris @trefeca.bsky.social · 17h

Given that Zoopl gives you figures (close to current) on actual sales prices & average/trends in your postcode, there’s no excuse for estate agents giving or sellers accepting inflated valuations.

Howell Harris @trefeca.bsky.social · 19h

It’s unsettling, hearing this **** from the mouth of a cheerleader.

Howell Harris @trefeca.bsky.social · 19h

Years ago I had a venture cap friend who described investment advisory business as “an industry without a product” — same for hedge funds, or was it private equity, “remuneration policies in search of business plans.” Most “active“ funds are flogging moonshine to marks who haven’t heard of Vanguard.

Howell Harris @trefeca.bsky.social · 1d

Translation: They "respected" it, but they didn't really, or they really didn't. "Respect" as in "with all due respect".

Howell Harris @trefeca.bsky.social · 1d

He really is worse than useless -- was in the Environment job too.

Howell Harris @trefeca.bsky.social · 1d

Have you noticed that Jenrick is getting to look more and more like Goodwin, too?

Howell Harris @trefeca.bsky.social · 1d

Channel 4's coverage has been the only bright spot in the media landscape during the war on Gaza.

Howell Harris @trefeca.bsky.social · 1d

My Olivetti Lettera 32 was EXTREMELY well-traveled, & used to the transatlantic trips, between 1974 (1st Fulbright) and the mid 1990s (1st Toshiba laptop, transformative). Cd hardly imagine _not_ taking my notes on a keyboard from getting used to it as grad student. Last 30 yrs = free text database

Howell Harris @trefeca.bsky.social · 1d

Lucky you, to have at least some enlightened architectural patronage locally. In Durham we are rarely so lucky. Even Oxford doesn’t always dodge the bullets.

Howell Harris @trefeca.bsky.social · 1d

Very difficult to improve on a vacant (cleared) site nowadays — the land, briefly, regains its innocence & promise, & then gets ****ed worse than the last time.

Howell Harris @trefeca.bsky.social · 2d

No regrets anyway, just decided that we liked the idea of owning a small nuclear power station (solar energy is nuclear, after all). Ditto adding 10 KwH of batteries to maximise using our energy at home. This chart is home consumption [blue], grid export [green], & bought in [red]. 5+ months no red

Howell Harris @trefeca.bsky.social · 2d

We could probably have paid a bit less for our PV, but the quickest installer (meant we got a higher FIT rate) was not the cheapest. There are ongoing costs, too — e.g. roof replacement if you’ve got panels = £1,500 removal & refitting (panels and racks); new inverter after 10-11 yr/s about the same

Howell Harris @trefeca.bsky.social · 2d

The investment (or expenditure?) on PV back in 2014 was always sentiment rather than calculation. If I’d been into maximising I’d have left the £10K in a portfolio that’s done a steady 8+% p.a. ever since (all income reinvested, & net of fees & taxes). Without the FIT payments it’d have been worse.

Howell Harris @trefeca.bsky.social · 3d

My sentiments exactly. I wonder how much their cost/benefit analysis will get ****ed up by increased hospital admissions etc. from the “young old” over this winter? I have seen arguments — by an economist — that they have boobed, badly.

Howell Harris @trefeca.bsky.social · 3d

I’m 74, so too young. Paying £98 to maintain my unbroken vaccination record.

Howell Harris @trefeca.bsky.social · 3d

Spikes in late Feb. & I think May = visit from family member with an EV. The message for me from this chart is that the PV makes a pretty marginal difference (except for, thanks to FIT payments, our net energy costs). In the months when the sun doesn’t shine, or not much, gas consumption dominates

Howell Harris @trefeca.bsky.social · 3d

He disna know, or he just disna care.