Call Sign September 2005 - Page 9 - Computer Chinchat

taxi. I did enjoy the quick trip on the horse-drawn bus, but what is a PlayStation area and 007 area to do with a Motor
Museum? Still, it was a nice trip down the M3.

Vinces London History!
Regular readers of my articles, and I know both of you, will know Ive started internet web site ventures before which failed dismally; but Ive another!
   I love history. When starting the knowledge over 20 years ago it opened my eyes to Londons fantastic heritage. Over the past 2-3 years, Ive been collecting old London negatives / photos / slides, also ensuring the copyright of these photos would belong to me. Ive now amassed thousands of antique photographic artefacts ranging from Victorian, Edwardian to the 1970 / 80s, many containing cabs such as Hansoms, Growlers and Unics etc. By mid-September Ill be selling reprints of these, but more interestingly Ill be selling calendars of many subjects including London locations and its professions, such as the Police, Fire Brigade and ours.
   Check out www.netxposure.net but please bear in mind that its early stages for me as scanning, fixing and editing these negatives takes a very, very, long time. Over the next few years I hope to build an excellent UK photographic resource.
   If youve time, check it out and please send me any comments or queries.

Be lucky
Vince Chin

At the time of writing this article its bang in the middle of the school holidays and as were not jetting off abroad, Im struggling for ideas of places to take the kids so I thought Id check out the Net for some guidance.

Thorpe Park
Many years ago wed been to Thorpe Park and the kids were asking to go again so I visited www.thorpepark.co.uk to see if anything had changed. Quite a lot had changed with the introduction of new exciting rides such as the Colossus and Nemesis and the web site provides some great downloadable Flash movies to experience the thrill of the rides. Colossus is at
Here
and Nemesis is at
Here.
We decided to go early in the season in an attempt to avoid the queues - what a mistake that was! After paying the 82 entrance fee, 1.5 hour queues were the norm for the popular

rides such as Colossus and Nemisis. Luckily we arrived at
10am and focused on those two rides first, by noon the wait was
too long - that is unless you wanted to pay extra for the fast-track tickets! The kids enjoyed Thorpe Park but wouldve liked more rides on the Nemesis and Colossus, Im just glad we dont have to go there again!

National Motor Museum
As a Licensed London Cab Driver who also likes cars, I thought Id visit the National Motor Museums web site to see whether its worth a visit at www.beaulieu.co.uk. I must admit I was impressed with the web site as it looked like there was a lot to see and do, even for the kids. So on a sunny Saturday in early August we crawled down the M3 to the New Forest.
Within an hour of paying the 42 entrance fee, we were leaving. I expected many more vehicles than they have displayed, although there is one Unic

TAXI DRIVING TEST REVISED FEES

The Driver Standards Agency (DSA), which is contracted to carry out taxicab driving assessments on behalf of the Public Carriage Office, has advised that its fees will increase with effect from 1 September 2005. The new fees (inclusive of VAT) will be:
Normal Hours:
Taxi driving test and wheelchair test 62.50
Wheelchair test only 18.00
Saturday and evenings:
Taxi driving test and wheelchair test 76.00
Wheelchair test only 22.00
Tests booked prior to 1 September but not conducted until after this date will remain at the old fees.
Further information in respect of the DSA taxi-driving test, including an online booking service can be found at www.dsa.gov.uk. In addition to the new Internet booking service, the ability to book taxi driving tests by telephone, fax or post continues to be available.

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