Night night, sleep well, sweet dreams Buddies 
Good morning everyone it looks like it will be a very overcast day today still with a strong breeze.
Enjoy your day everyone 
@El Loro posted 26/01/2022:We also played a word game we called stars and dots. It was based on a long lost game and uses just paper and pencils/pens. One of us (almost always my dad) would decide on a word of 5 letters (all different letters). We would take turns to call out a word. If a letter was in the right position, that was a star, if a letter was in the word but not the right position, that was a dot. For instance if Dad decided on PIANO and I said VIOLA he would say 1 star (for I) and 2 dots (for A & O).
The game predates the Mastermind range of games including the Word one which only has 4 letters so is easier.
The game "Wordle" which has been in the news today is similar to the above other than the number of guesses is restricted to six. (and, no, I'm not the inventor of "Wordle" 
)
@El Loro posted:The game "Wordle" which has been in the news today is similar to the above other than the number of guesses is restricted to six. (and, no, I'm not the inventor of "Wordle"
I saw that it has been bought by the Daily Telegraph and is free...for now 
You could start up a thread on here to play El....then you would sort of be the inventor 
@slimfern posted:I saw that it has been bought by the Daily Telegraph and is free...for now
You could start up a thread on here to play El....then you would sort of be the inventor
It's been sold to the New York Times
I'll have to pass on that as it would be breach of copyright - people have tried doing that already 
https://www.theguardian.com/ga...monetising-free-game
@El Loro posted:It's been sold to the New York Times
I'll have to pass on that as it would be breach of copyright - people have tried doing that already
https://www.theguardian.com/ga...monetising-free-game
Yes! the New York Times, knew it was something to do with Telegraph or Times 
Couldn't you do an El version with dots and dashes?
Or would that be subject to copyright as being a close version?
@slimfern posted:Yes! the New York Times, knew it was something to do with Telegraph or Times
Couldn't you do an El version with dots and dashes?
Or would that be subject to copyright as being a close version?
I would have to be an expert in international copyright law to be able to answer
night EL slim moonsieee
Good morning everyone it's a dull and cloudy day but at least it's dry.
Enjoy your day everyone
@slimfern posted:End of the world warning: Record-breaking 500-mile lightning strike puts experts on alert
I suspected that this was a headline frim the Express and found that it is, the typical scaremongering it uses.
What the Express didn't bother to mention was that lightning measurements used to be done using ground based equipment but can now be done from space based equipment from Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites which started in 2016. So when it says it's record breaking, that's only covers the period since 2016. It might be a record but the Express can't justify it as being an end of the world warning.
Just rung HMRC about a client regarding a comment they made on the tax calculation letter which he will have received today. The comment is inappropriate and likely to cause him distress. They accept that they should not have done this and will send him a formal letter of apology.
@El Loro posted:I suspected that this was a headline frim the Express and found that it is, the typical scaremongering it uses.
What the Express didn't bother to mention was that lightning measurements used to be done using ground based equipment but can now be done from space based equipment from Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites which started in 2016. So when it says it's record breaking, that's only covers the period since 2016. It might be a record but the Express can't justify it as being an end of the world warning.
No I suspected as much. I tend not to believe anything that the tabloids try to sensationalize 
It's an amazing shot though don't you think? Looks like a scene from 'War of the Worlds'
@El Loro posted:Just rung HMRC about a client regarding a comment they made on the tax calculation letter which he will have received today. The comment is inappropriate and likely to cause him distress. They accept that they should not have done this and will send him a formal letter of apology.
How unprofessional of them. It's all very well sending out an apology, but the damage will already have been done. Unless you have spoken to your client to minimise the effect of sed letter El.
@slimfern posted:No I suspected as much. I tend not to believe anything that the tabloids try to sensationalize
It's an amazing shot though don't you think? Looks like a scene from 'War of the Worlds'
Here's WMO's Youtube clip which does contain lightning flashes so don't watch if you suffer from photosensitivity:
@slimfern posted:How unprofessional of them. It's all very well sending out an apology, but the damage will already have been done. Unless you have spoken to your client to minimise the effect of sed letter El.
I have left a message for my client with a warning not to read the letter (the comment is at the end of the second page). The calculation was the same as mine so there's no need for him to read it.
@El Loro posted:I have left a message for my client with a warning not to read the letter (the comment is at the end of the second page). The calculation was the same as mine so there's no need for him to read it.
Nice one El
and 
Well done on getting the same calculation ...not that any of us would be in doubt of your capabilities
@slimfern posted:Nice one El
and
I do use commercial tax software to do tax returns so can't take too much credit for getting the same calculation result I do review it before sending it off to clients. The software I use bases the calculations on HMRC's own model.
HMRC has a paper version of that though I doubt if many people use it - the pdf document is 50 pages long 
The way tax is calculated on interest income is sufficiently complicated that even accountants tend to rely on their tax software to work out the tax. For most people, there's no tax to pay due to low interest rates but if interest rates increase then more people will find that they should be paying tax. When the present system of calculating tax on interest income was brought in a few years ago, even HMRC's calculations were wrong for a small proportion of taxpayers - that got sorted out the following year.
One of the people who own the company from where I get my tax software created an Excel tool for accountants to be able to check if the error affected their clients. He is also a lecturer on tax courses. When that tool was first released I bought a copy. I discovered with the tool that there were some situations where an error should have been identified but it didn't. I got in touch with the company to alert them to this. They gave me his home phone number and I spoke with him (I had spoken with him at courses). He checked my findings and agreed with them 
Then there's "top slicing relief". There are circumstances where a life policy maturing results in a taxable gain. That gets added on to other taxable income. If the effect is to push someone into the higher rate of tax then top-slicing relief. The calculation is so complicated that even experienced tax experts find it challenging. So far I've never had a client with this
@El Loro posted:
I do use commercial tax software to do tax returns so can't take too much credit for getting the same calculation result
HMRC has a paper version of that though I doubt if many people use it - the pdf document is 50 pages long
@El Loro posted:The way tax is calculated on interest income is sufficiently complicated that even accountants tend to rely on their tax software to work out the tax. For most people, there's no tax to pay due to low interest rates but if interest rates increase then more people will find that they should be paying tax. When the present system of calculating tax on interest income was brought in a few years ago, even HMRC's calculations were wrong for a small proportion of taxpayers - that got sorted out the following year.
One of the people who own the company from where I get my tax software created an Excel tool for accountants to be able to check if the error affected their clients. He is also a lecturer on tax courses. When that tool was first released I bought a copy. I discovered with the tool that there were some situations where an error should have been identified but it didn't. I got in touch with the company to alert them to this. They gave me his home phone number and I spoke with him (I had spoken with him at courses). He checked my findings and agreed with themThen there's "top slicing relief". There are circumstances where a life policy maturing results in a taxable gain. That gets added on to other taxable income. If the effect is to push someone into the higher rate of tax then top-slicing relief. The calculation is so complicated that even experienced tax experts find it challenging. So far I've never had a client with this
It's no wonder the average Joe doesn't want to get involved with the tax system if it's often hard work for the professional accountant to fathom 
I've often thought it's done on purpose
Just as well we have you on the ball to keep these so called experts on their toes hey El 
I should be so lucky to have to pay tax on my interest
@El Loro posted:Many years ago I was told that in the States you could get tax relief if you had chickens at home,
I have no idea if there is any truth in that though
I think it was only if you were making money from them El
Chicken poop is also included in the tax relief bracket - when used to make electricity
@slimfern posted:It's no wonder the average Joe doesn't want to get involved with the tax system if it's often hard work for the professional accountant to fathom
I've often thought it's done on purpose
Just as well we have you on the ball to keep these so called experts on their toes hey El
I should be so lucky to have to pay tax on my interest
There are several reasons why the tax system is complicated
New legislation is added to existing laws.
Chancellor comes up with new ideas without necessarily consulting with tax experts. The interest complexity is an example of that. That's the case with all chancellors regardless of party.
Crafty people come up with loopholes to reduce tax bills so chancellor subsequently makes changes to combat those loopholes.
etc.
@El Loro posted:Here's WMO's Youtube clip which does contain lightning flashes so don't watch if you suffer from photosensitivity:
fantastic EL Magnificent flashes
night EL slimmoonsieee
Good morning everyone it's a cloudy day and the temperatures are slowly rising.
Enjoy your day everyone
@El Loro posted:I would have to be an expert in international copyright law to be able to answer
"Either way this is a complex area, fraught with legal risk for anyone thinking of using this code to release their own Wordle."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-60231055
Only relevant to Virgin Media users. Their site for accessing bills and email changed on the 1st. You can still access their bills but you can no longer view phone costs which have arisen since the last bill. However, at least for the time being, you can still access the old billing page which does show those phone costs via this link:
https://my.virginmedia.com/my-bills/index
Obviously you have to be logged in to be able to see that page.
@El Loro posted:Only relevant to Virgin Media users. Their site for accessing bills and email changed on the 1st. You can still access their bills but you can no longer view phone costs which have arisen since the last bill. However, at least for the time being, you can still access the old billing page which does show those phone costs via this link:
https://my.virginmedia.com/my-bills/index
Obviously you have to be logged in to be able to see that page.
Thanks El 