We finished watching It’s A Sin. It’s very good, it’s beautifully put together, and it’s emotionally powerful. I think I cried after every episode. It’s really worth watching.

Because I am a number plate nerd, I was distracted by some historic inaccuracies: in the 1988 episode, the bus that delivers the demonstrators uses the narrower post-2001 typeface, and I spotted at least one blue strip (these were also introduced in 2001 and were the reason for the new narrower typeface).

Bus with historically inaccurate typeface on number plate

Car with blue strip on number plate

I am available to consult on number plate authenticity for your upcoming historical dramas.

I’m fascinated by the logistics of getting period-accurate cars for filming. There really aren’t very many 80s cars around any more. There are only a few hundred Austin Maestros left, for example, although they haven’t gone up in price due to scarcity. There’s one on AutoTrader for £600 at the moment. Nobody ever really liked them, I suppose.

I wonder if there are people out there buying up superseded cars at the point where they become near-worthless, and storing them for decades until they can hire them out, and how soon CGI will make that completely redundant.

I haven’t killed that Yamaha keyboard after all. I bypassed the power supply, fed it directly with 5V from a USB cable, and it’s fine. I’ll just replace all the components in that part of the circuit next time I’m placing an order with Mouser. That means I need to decide what my next electronics project will be!

It looks like I’ll be getting a vaccine sooner than originally expected. The initial estimate was July or August for a first dose, but now that they’ve said that the 40-49 age bracket will be next after the first nine priority groups, that looks like April. But Reuters says that Boris Johnson fanzine The Telegraph says that vaccines for over-40s will begin in March so maybe it’ll be sooner. (Actually, it says “this month” but it’s clearly tomorrow’s edition, because there’s none of February left.)

Yes, I’ll be getting a vaccine as soon as I’m offered. Not because I’m particularly worried about getting the rona, but because I would very much like it to be over, and I think it’s my civic duty. Realistically, what’s the worst that can happen? I might feel a bit rubbish for a day or two? The Swiss medical agency has a particularly readable page on side effects of COVID-19 vaccinations that makes for pretty reassuring reading.

That bargain darbuka turned out to be a dud. It had a crack in the rim, so I sent it back before the day was out. But I replaced it with a new one at full price. It’s a a lot louder than my little one! I might have to practice in the park. That will be allowed in a week’s time.