RowlyBot12000

Which UK country are you from, and do you consider yourself British? (aside from literally being British)

Posted by Rough-Foundation9208@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 88 comments

RowlyBot12000@reddit

Welsh dad, english mum - I was born in germany. I've lived in england (wiltshire, essex, humberside, cambridgeshire), wales (in the valleys as a kid with grandparents for summers etc, not as an adult though) and scotland (glasgow). I've always called myself british.

Is Brixton still a bad area?

Posted by Due-Body-2572@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 7 comments

RowlyBot12000@reddit

Had a friend grow up in Peckham. Said Peckham was lovely and Brixton horrible and dangerous. Had another friend who grew up in Brixton. They said Brixton was lovely and Peckham was horrible and dangerous. I took it that the 'other borough'is always much worse in London. But what do I know, I lived near elephant and castle for a year, my friends from North London asked if I had a death wish. Worst I saw was an old lady trip and fall over and a few teenagers laugh before they were told off by the kebab shop owner who went to help the last back to her feet. Hardly gang land Harry brown action to be fair.

Why do people seem to like to harass me in public?

Posted by let_it_rain_boat@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 295 comments

Bus drivers or inspectors tell you stories about remembering certain passengers you have to deal with?

Posted by SunnyShineKitty88@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 17 comments

Bus drivers or inspectors tell you stories about remembering certain passengers you have to deal with?

Posted by SunnyShineKitty88@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 17 comments

RowlyBot12000@reddit

I think they mean non-public transport school bus. As in a contracted bus just for school kids. It's how I got to secondary school, there was no public bus that did a route suitable for school 'commutes'. This was back in the 90s though. I believe in larger cities its more common for the public routes to be used as they are (supposedly) more regular and stops are possibly more convenient to use for school runs.

Why don’t more people in the UK use their own coffee cups?

Posted by Budget_Dot694@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 302 comments

What apps do you use for podcast listening?

Posted by pusopdiro@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 23 comments

Do you rinse after brushing your teeth?

Posted by ntrrgnm@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 112 comments

RowlyBot12000@reddit

As a kid, rinse after brushing. As an adult dealing with teeth wear (acid reflux did a number on my back teeth before the issue was resolved), "spit, don't rinse". Use the enamel repair toothpaste, leave it after brushing to work. I noticed a significant reduction in sensitivity issues since I was given that advice.

What do you actually think of the concept of 15-minute cities?

Posted by ICantBelieveItsNotEC@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 1378 comments

RowlyBot12000@reddit

I see you've read my local town's FB group at least once then. Hilariously my little town probably already has everything within a 15min walkable distance from the edges to the centre (ok so the centre is a bit sparse and we'd need a chunk of investment to make it somewhere people would walk to). But yes, apparently Ol'Kier himself will be standing on the A141 with a rocket launcher blowing up anyone who dares drive down the road to the train station in the next town over.

About how much fuel would you use on a 4 hour journey?

Posted by Beneficial-Star-336@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 225 comments

RowlyBot12000@reddit

My car gets \~400miles per tank. 160miles is sort of a third of a tank (its not, I know but close enough). My tank costs about £60 to fill so if you were feeling nice and I were the driver, you giving me £20 seems fair. Or a tenner and drink/snack as a thank you.

What are your thoughts on Jimmy Carr performing at the Riyadh Comedy Festival?

Posted by MaximusSydney@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 931 comments

Has anyone used ancestry DNA and found distance relatives?

Posted by Technical_Front_8046@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 21 comments

RowlyBot12000@reddit

My dad had a half-sister he didn't know about due to his father's brief infidelity. My dad always had a passing interest in genealogy and had joined Ancestry I think it was. Ended up getting a message from a lady asking him to confirm some details as she thought they shared the same dad. My dad, well he deleted the message thinking it was a scam attempt... But in a passing conversation with his little sister, my aunty Karen, she then took up a bit of an interest in the genealogy too. As it happens, the other lady contacted my aunty Karen. Who was less of a suspicious type and entered into conversation and details exchange etc. The lady did indeed share a father with my dad and his siblings. And we ended up having a bit of family reunion/meeting with 'the other side' that we didn't know about.

How would the UK actually fare in a Zombie apocalypse?

Posted by Slothjitzu@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 857 comments

Has motorway driving ever been worse?

Posted by Green-Caregiver416@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 107 comments

What unusual jobs have your friends ended up doing?

Posted by Scarred_fish@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 123 comments

RowlyBot12000@reddit

This sounds familiar to my uni experience. It was a friend mixed between media studies and computer science types, with the odd accountancy student as well. The 'queen bee' media studies girl waxed lyrical about all her connections through her dad, who worked in theatre darling dontcha know, etc etc whilst the rest of us would wallow away in our mundane jobs. She ended up a stay at home mum with three kids and a firefighter husband. And as far as I can tell, settled (finally) into being a nice person. But god, she could be such a bitch during those uni years haha.

Have the recent heatwaves altered your view on climate change?

Posted by Slink_Wray@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 559 comments

Commute time for the first job does it worth it?

Posted by anituuskee@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 93 comments

RowlyBot12000@reddit

In the past I did a 2.5hr each way commute, 5 days a week (pre COVID, just outside Cambridge to Hammersmith in London). A 30min drive, a 1.5hr train, and then another 30mins on the underground (if everything sync'd up perfectly which it never did). It was both expensive and exhausting. But the up-skilling I did in that job that I managed to stick to for a year completely turned my life around career wise. I went from making just over minimum wage, to doubling my salary in the London job and then taking those skills and experience to companies closer to home for the good pay and easier commute. I can't say it will work out the same for you but sometimes horrible difficult things do work out as a benefit in the end. Good luck!

How common is saying Cheers/Cheerio as a thank you?

Posted by Fawxhox@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 91 comments

Why do people get nipple or intimate piercings?

Posted by LeoPalaceFTW@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 33 comments

How lucrative are ice cream vans?

Posted by Delicious_Bet_6336@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 225 comments

Why did the Conservative government end free movement just to open the doors to even higher immigration from non-EU countries?

Posted by Poch1212@reddit | AskABrit | View on Reddit | 162 comments

What things did you covet as a kid that you never had?

Posted by vegan_voorhees@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 167 comments

RowlyBot12000@reddit

I can't remember what it was called but it was a battery powered truck toy. Where the wheels had these little plastic claws that popped out to give it better 'off road capability'. I can't remember if the claws popped out automatically or if there was button somewhere. But maybe it was a fever dream as I can't ever seem to find what it was called or find an old grainy youtube showing the advert like so many other toys from the late 80s/early 90s.

Why do so many towns in the UK have two-word names (Chipping Sodbury, Milton Keynes, etc)?

Posted by steavoh@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 298 comments

What lies were you told which you only realised a lot later?

Posted by ThisIsAnAccount2306@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 149 comments

RowlyBot12000@reddit

I once chatted to a lady from Singapore. I'm not sure why but she decided to tell me that people from Singapore are 'Singapese' - and gullible me thought "Oh like Chinese, Japanese, Taiwanese... that makes sense." And it wasn't until I was sat in a meeting at work many years later, discussing our new Singaporean technical support team did I realise that I had been had.

What are the traffic laws for a school 'walking bus'. Am i legally required to stop even if they continuung to cross for a long time afyer the light goes green ?

Posted by iwanttobelievey@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 135 comments

Have you ever intervened to stop a fight of people you don’t know? What was the outcome?

Posted by Barca-Dam@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 144 comments

RowlyBot12000@reddit

Once - I got between a drunk 50ish year old bloke who showed up uninvited to my girlfriend's old work colleague's leaving do. He got in the face of the early-twenties-ish boyfriend of the colleague for reasons I never heard or understood. Whilst the older guy was taller than the younger guy, I was taller than both. So I just stepped between and told him to sit back down. He gave it the "Who the fuck are you?" but did sit back down after his glazed eyes managed to focus upwards at me. Not sure what I would have done had he decided to go for me - I've never been in a proper fight to be honest. But he looked like he'd fall over in a stiff breeze with the wobbling he was doing so I wasn't that worried to be fair. The lad, smartly, left. The party broke up and the old bloke just sat there looking like an idiot. My girlfriend said we should leave with everyone else, so we did.

Any idea why Somerset - specifically Wincanton is so protected by the government?

Posted by SailorWentToC@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 148 comments

What UK TV adverts are so well known that they are part of culture, recognised by everyone?

Posted by turboNOMAD@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 1111 comments

how can i get paid carers?

Posted by RichSector5779@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 65 comments

RowlyBot12000@reddit

I believe they mean you should contact the council that your caravan's address would be under the authority of. Ie the council where you actually live and not of the house that you don't.

What even are Taxes? How do they work? If we're supposed to know what they are without a business degree then why didn't school teach us?

Posted by BlueNexusItemX@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 36 comments

RowlyBot12000@reddit

Cables can have more than one wire. One wire for data, one for power (at its most basic example). Remove the power wire from the cable, it is now a data only cable - as it only has the data wire.

How much mileage do you expect from a car?

Posted by Past_Machine_2499@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 95 comments

RowlyBot12000@reddit

My 12 year old Seat Toledo just passed 130k miles. It's doing fine. I think peoples' expectations of car/engine longevity haven't progressed at the same rate as technology has. I remember my dad always saying that any car with 100K+ on the clock was ready for the scrap heap.

Will I face any legal charges for having a bouncer take my fake ID off me?

Posted by FishingMotor5633@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 50 comments

Is it true that you can not get a 15 to 30 year fixed rate mortgage? What happens when the rates go up?

Posted by bennus64@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 78 comments

RowlyBot12000@reddit

For me it was a 5 year fixed at 2% ish, a remortage for 2 years at about the same. Then Truss happened. And now I'm another 2 year at 5% ish. In the first 7 years I paid off about half of what I borrowed. My mortage payments still increased. I went from borrowing 100k, and paying £490pcm to 7 years later, borrowing 50k and now paying £560pcm.

What's the most stupid thing you've ever seen on a local Facebook page?

Posted by MisterWednesday6@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 364 comments

What heated goods (blanket, throw, socks) are you using in this cold spell?

Posted by nuttimoff@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 129 comments

What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen in London?

Posted by Tiny-Thing-6055@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 217 comments

RowlyBot12000@reddit

An unconscious (possibly dead?) homeless man laying across the pavement on Oxford Street with everyone just casually stepping around him. Late 80s/early 90s (I was young I can't recall exactly when).

What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen in London?

Posted by Tiny-Thing-6055@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 217 comments

How do I respond and counter my boomer family who say it was just as difficult to buy a house when they did, as it is today?

Posted by Tasty-Explanation503@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 703 comments

Are there any words in other English dialects (British, Irish, Australian, Canadian etc) that you prefer/make more sense to you than the American English word?

Posted by EscapedSmoggy@reddit | AskAnAmerican | View on Reddit | 1721 comments

RowlyBot12000@reddit

Not so much these days. The older folks might still use Alsatian but for the rest of us it's probably more common to have reverted to a German Shepard. Some make this weird argument that short haired types are Alsatians and long haired types are GSDs but they're weird and you can ignore them.

Are the Household Cavalry horses trained to have this temperment?

Posted by After_Exit_1903@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 674 comments

How to start a train driving career?

Posted by No-Communication2985@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 47 comments

Should I get a wfh job?

Posted by im-a-circle@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 130 comments

Who's at work but slacking off a bit? If so what are you doing and what are you supposed to be doing?

Posted by fatfat8ight@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 24 comments

RowlyBot12000@reddit

Whilst waiting for others to do what they needed to do to unblock my work I painted some 15mm ww2 wargames figures. Each is only about as tall as a penny so they take too long to get through as long as I'm near.

What tales have you heard of disgruntled ex-employees getting back at their employers, with insider information?

Posted by HallowedAndHarrowed@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 6 comments

RowlyBot12000@reddit

Happened after I left so I heard it all second hand, and the person in question wasn't an ex-employee until after it was discovered but... A guy wasn't happy with his role, I believe he didn't get a promotion or something. Managed to uncover a series of cheats and exploits for the MMO that we worked on. He contacted a Chinese 'gold seller' company. Sold them the cheats or the knowledge, or received a 'finders fee' for every transaction they made. He cleaned up. Made hundreds of thousands apparently. He bought a lambo and showed that off on Facebook a lot, bought a house in a fairly affluent area supposedly with cash. Eventually discovered and sacked for gross misconduct.

What did British people eat everyday back in the 50s, 60s and 70s?

Posted by badoopidoo@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 1415 comments

RowlyBot12000@reddit

Its a roast 'something' on Sunday. Sometimes beef, or lamb, or pork, or chicken. Feeling really fancy and flush? Goose or some kind of game bird. And at christmas, turkey.

For such a small country, why is the overall internet coverage and speed so poor?

Posted by LongJumpingBalls@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 121 comments

RowlyBot12000@reddit

There is strong opposition to developing rural areas. Between NIMBYism and desires to 'protect the green belt' there are incredible difficulties to do as you say. My little market town is struggling for space out here in the Fens - 3 housing developments are currently underway. One of them has been 'under consultation' for about 20 years due to people not wanting to lose (and admittedly I agree with them) a local meadow that has been enjoyed as a 'public space' for the past 150+ years. Admittedly the local council have run roughshod over those sentiments and decided that rare endangered newts are not worth protecting and have agreed to allow 300 new houses anyway. But like I say, it took about 20 years of constant back and forth to reach that decision.

What is the controversial/ rumour thing that happened in your school?

Posted by divine_pearl@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 482 comments

RowlyBot12000@reddit

I knew a girl called Vicky who had the same experience unfortunately. Made her seem very grown up, at least to her, but she was just another victim really.

What is the controversial/ rumour thing that happened in your school?

Posted by divine_pearl@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 482 comments

People who have left/are leaving the UK...how?

Posted by beneath_the_knees@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 96 comments

RowlyBot12000@reddit

I think OP is interested to know how people did that. Did you, for example, move there first without a job, find sponsorshop etc and then get your permit? Did you apply for your permit before you even started looking for jobs? My ex for example always wanted to be a nurse in New Zealand. So she trained here in the UK first, did a few years to get experience. Moved their on a working tourist visa, met someone, got married and got a spousal visa and stayed there.

Roughest Town or City you have been to in the UK?

Posted by Crispo765@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 3198 comments