I was flicking through one of our journals at work – Computing, I think – and noticed a reference on the contents page to an article about the IT implications of police force mergers was accompanied by a photo of John Nettles captioned “Mergerac”.

When I got to the article in question, the same photo had been used again – captioned “Midsomer Mergers”.

You, er, probably had to be there…

Another smoking-related incident, which I omitted to mention in my previous post. On the way in to Haymarket station, I was handed a card advertising a “smoking cessation” service. This card apparently entitles me to £20 off my first session, which made me wonder how expensive a session must be if they can afford to knock £20 quid off the price. A check on the website tells me that the usual price is £220! Maybe that’s a good deal if you’re currently buying several packets of fags a week. We can add quit smoking services to signwriters as an industry that will benefit from the ban.

I also received an email yesterday advertising a sports centre and telling me that:

New legislation requires everyone to stop smoking in enclosed places.
As an alternative to smoking why not try exercise.

Yes, instead of stepping outside for five minutes to have a ciggie, why not travel across the city to the sports centre for some circuit training. In other news:

New legislation requires everyone to stop glorifying terrorism.
As an alternative to glorifying terrorism why not try knitting.

One of my concerns about the smoking ban in Scotland, which comes in force on Sunday, is the prescriptive regulations being placed on businesses. They are required to display non-smoking signs meeting statute-set criteria for size and content. Given that the vast majority of workplaces will be non-smoking, it might have been less burdensome to require smoking areas to be signposted. This regulation requires employers to be aware of the new law; why can’t the same requirement be placed on members of the public? Shops don’t, after all, have to put up signs saying, “No stealing” – some do, of course (“Shoplifters will be prosecuted”, etc.), but that’s their choice. Workplaces like my own, which were already non-smoking, will now have to display signs even though their status hasn’t changed. This applies to all workplaces that are covered by the legislation – so if you’re a partnership, neither of you smoke and you’re the only people using your office, you’re still required to display these signs (and needless to say that even if both of you smoke, you have to go outside your office to do it).

I spotted one such No Smoking sign outside a shop on Dalry Road as I walked to the station this evening. It was a signwriter’s, showing off their wares. At least that’s one type of business that will benefit from the ban.

As usual when I arrived on the platform at Haymarket I had to walk through the smoke of the two women who insist on standing at the end of the bridge smoking. I wonder I’ll find the law being enforced at the same time on Monday.

Finally, and apologies for being lavatorial, but there has been one positive change at Haymarket already. The gents toilets, which were pretty rank, have had the floor resurfaced. They’re still not that pleasant, but it’s an improvement at least. First Scotrail – for I assume it was them – do at least seem to be making an effort.

The answers to my Star Wars/Doctor Who puzzler then.

Nick correctly identified Leslie Schofield (Caleb in The Face of Evil and Leroy in The War Games), Don Henderson (Gavrok in Delta and the Bannermen), Dave Prowse (the Minotaur in The Time Monster) in the Vader costume, and Peter Cushing, who played Dr. Who in the two 1960s Dalek films.

The other Who actor in the scene – which I only discovered while checking my facts before putting this up – is Cy Town, who plays one of the guards (“Imperial Trooper Guard Tajis Durmin”, apparently) and has an absolutely massive list of Doctor Who credits, albeit many of them uncredited. He was a Dalek operator in every Dalek story from Frontier in Space to Remembrance of the Daleks, and was also in Spearhead from Space, The Silurians, Inferno, The Three Doctors, Invasion of the Dinosaurs, The Android Invasion, Revenge of the Cybermen, The Masque of Mandragora, The Invisible Enemy, The Sun Makers, Castrovalva, Enlightenment, Attack of the Cybermen, The Happiness Patrol, and The Curse of Fenric. And he gets extra points for playing, uncredited, a technician in the last episode of Blake’s 7.