Wednesday 10th April 2002

ZX Speed Trap

A man in Kinross has built his own speed trap out of bits of a television remote control and a ZX Spectrum. Concerned about the number of drivers speeding on the A911 near Loch Leven he's built the contraption to measure speed and report back to the local council.

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[HAWTHORNS TVR]

Sad,very sad.

[thom]

Aren't that kind of people the ones who used to tell the nazis they had spotted jews??

Hang high this

[CarZee]

Right - so this thing works does it? I think not.. it's just a shame the internals of a ZX Spectrum can't electrocute this berkinald...

[PetrolTed]

Of course, (playing devil's advocate) there might be a genuine problem with speeding in his village which no one is doing anything to address?

[CarZee]

Indeed - and to my mind, better to address the problem with the help of Heath-Robinson than Gatsometer BV...

[beano1197]

Scandalous

All these years councils have been squandering our taxes on outlandishly expensive kit when it could have been done with an old broomhandle and roll of "sticky-back plastic".

Outrageous!!!!!! I intend to complain to my local MP......

......take it up in Brussels.........

.......get Bush involved..........

[andytk]

chill out. If this berk flags you down and tells you that you are speeding simply ask if he is a policeman and when he confirms that he isn't simply punch his lights out. Simple

[mel]

How'd he do it exactly, I'm sure I've got an old spectrum in the loft round my mums if so it would be a handy bit of kit at track days.

[domster]

Apparently they are on the look out for a Manic Morris Minor and a Jet Set Willys Jeep.

(Errr, you'll need to have owned a Spectrum to get that ;-)

[M@H]

Will you lot give this guy a break.

I live in a little village with not a lot in it barring a church and a primary school (and pub ). its basically one road and my house is one of ones facing it.

Every day complete tossers steam through the village (30 limit) at 60-70 (sometimes whilst on the phone). Very soon there will be an accident involving someones kiddie being killed, and all the police/council have come up with is a proposal to put some red paint on the road.

I myself would love to get out there and nick some of these Tw4ts who give the rest of us motorists a really bad name. I tend to drive in a "spirited" manner, but not in the 30 zones.

Rant over

Cheers
Matt

[trefor]

If I had my picture in the local paper with a bunch of others who were pictured speeding instead of 3 points on my license. I think it would also make me do 29mph through the village from then on. 3 points wouldn't.

[plotloss]

There was a judge in Philadelphia who applied the same shame tactics to drunk drivers and people who used the services of 'Women of the night'. They were sentenced to 3 weeks standing at a major intersection wearing a sandwich board that outlined why they were standing there.

Worked well apparently.

Matt.

[CarZee]

quote:If I had my picture in the local paper with a bunch of others who were pictured speeding instead of 3 points on my license. I think it would also make me do 29mph through the village from then on. 3 points wouldn't.

Seems to me it's not the 'local people' who're doing it so that'd be neither here nor there unless the FT and the Daily Mail got onboard and I don't think that's likely..

I think in all fairness, most of us here observe the 30 limits in villages etc (esp when we know there's another playtime sign coming up in a mile or so...).

Doesn't stop us hating speed traps in principle though... especially ones with only 48k of RAM and a rubber keyboard.. speaking of which.. I'm surprised no-one has asked why he didn't use a Commodore 64 which is an inherently superior machine, btw

[ZZR600]

zx specturm ..... he must get up at 4am to let the software load

[Marshy]

BBC Micro is the obvious choice... easy to use 4 channel analogue (I think) and 8 bit digital inputs right there on the outside of the case.

[ZZR600]

quote:
BBC Micro is the obvious choice... easy to use 4 channel analogue (I think) and 8 bit digital inputs right there on the outside of the case.

Blimey bbc micro , had them at school cutting edge tecnology they were with floppy drive WOW
and we got to play chuckie egg at playtime

[krsna]

i had bbc micro at school. got suspended for pirateing
all the games at the time put a advert in a computer
and selling them for about 2,50 a time

[atg]

I'll see your Commodore 64 and raise you a Commodore Pet.

(p.s. what a lot of trainspotters)

[ZZR600]

Hows about a vic 20

[Paceracing]

I've still got an Acorn Electron kicking about somewhere do you think I could use it as a Spectrum jammer hooked up to an old telly remote control?
Actually the guy in the village would probably have a better result if he actually threw the Spectrum at speeding motorists as they sped past!
On a more serious note, I live in a village and the local Max Power types use the place as a racetrack after 11 PM so a speed camera here wouldn't be entirely unwelcome, instead Essex police stick them in places where they least useful in order to generate income / good end-of-year statistics (reducing speeding), etc....

Jas.