Diary: K-9 has nothing on Dave

Is this the future of construction? We certainly hope so. Pioneers Mace and Heathrow Airport are trialling “Spot the Dog” – a robot developed by Boston Dynamics in a bid to improve efficiency and safety on major projects. After holding a competition, they’ve affectionately named their android pooch Dave, and are putting him to work on the ongoing refurbishment of a 1960s cargo tunnel at the airport. Dave is equipped with a Trimble X7 scanner to provide quick and accurate 3D laser scans, and he reduces the risk of humans slipping in dark and hazardous locations. All of which makes him a very good boy. A jolly good follow Welcome to another instalment of “Who has former EG editor Peter Bill accidentally followed on Twitter this week?”, the niche social media game in which we find out which account has achieved the honour of being Bill’s sole follow. If you’re joining us for the first time, Bill has spoken before of his desire to keep his following count for @peterproperty at zero, saying that he preferred “to disseminate information from sources other than Twitter”. Diary spotted a few weeks back that he had broken that rule by following Jim Armitage, business editor at The Sunday Times, but alas it appeared to be a mistake, and Bill’s count dropped quickly back to zero. But wait – now it’s on one again! And this time, the lucky account is none other than @okx, which claims to be “one of the world’s most reliable crypto trading & web3 apps”. Bill has joined 2.2m followers of OKX, so is clearly in good company. Until he realises his mistake, that is. Elf in the shed Diary can’t say all its life choices have worked out, but one decision we’ll never regret is the one to remain blissfully child-free. And we’re never more certain of that than in December, when other more family-minded friends are dealing with the nightmare modern phenomenon that is Elf on the Shelf. Lack of experience means we’re not quite 100% on the details, so we asked a colleague who is a parent if they had any insights they can share. “Not in language that would be suitable for the pages of EG,” came the response. So it’s down to us to handle the news that the cursed Elf has found a “new home in time for Christmas”. Apparently, there is an official Elf Store, which, owing to the baffling demand for its products, has agreed a five-year lease on a 5,850 sq ft warehouse unit in Kingston, Milton Keynes, where the shelves will be lined not only with elves, but with advent calendars, board games, blankets, cushions, party packs, books and more. Business is so good the deal has set a rental record for the TORC:MK estate, according to Kirby Diamond. Always nice to hear the logistics sector is in good elf. EG-ly done In May, Diary noted how no less an organ than The Wall Street Journal confused us here at EG with the similarly named petrol station retail chain the EG Group. An EG mistake to make, as we punned at the time – and, indeed, one that the WSJ is far from alone in making. In recent weeks, our EG newsdesk email has received a couple of missives from correspondents whose enquiries were intended for different eyes. First, there was the message from an individual in Birmingham left traumatised by the leaky roof at a service station in the city. They provided no fewer than three videos demonstrating the “huge flood”, and the deluge of water they were caught in. “I got high temperature and can’t sleep because I can not face the rain on my head,” they wrote. “I am still up at 2am just because of that.” Sounds dreadful, and Diary only wishes there were something we could do to help. Same goes to the enterprising soul who copied us in this week on their attempts to secure work with the EG Group, expressing interest in the vacant position of administrator at an office space or any similar roles. Again, there’s no good word we can put in, but if you’re out there reading this and would consider an alternative career in real estate journalism, we’ll keep your CV on file (not really, as that would probably breach GDPR). Perfect stocking filler? Publication of Gordon Brown’s 40-point plan to devolve power in Britain was somewhat eclipsed this week by the government’s U-turn on housing policy. But placed even more in the shade was the mission statement published by shadow levelling up secretary Lisa Nandy. Her vision for Britain, titled All In: How We Build a Country That Works, was published the week before, but to little fanfare. The book is an attempt to reclaim the levelling-up agenda for the left, which Nandy says would actually have substance and funding under Labour. Indeed, she points out that it has been Labour’s core mission since the party’s foundation. But even that can’t fully explain why it is currently listed, on Amazon.co.uk, as “#1 Best Seller in British Historical Biographies 1501-1700”. Main image © Mace. Elf © Misty Ladd/Unsplash