The realisation you're getting old

[Ming the Merciless]

Our medical centre use date of birth for id purposes. How otherwise could you get the correct records for one of 6
Alan MacLeans registered with the practice? Nicknames are not accepted.

Well you could use name and postcode, unless they all live in same house / street. But then (if they did) you could just further ask for the number / name of their house. No date of birth required for that. Though I’d say date of birth is something a GP would genuinely need to know.

Most are just trying to verify you are an adult, when they could just ask you to declare that you are over 18 etc.

 

[oldwheels]

Well you could use name and postcode, unless they all live in same house / street. But then (if they did) you could just further ask for the number / name of their house. No date of birth required for that. Though I’d say date of birth is something a GP would genuinely need to know.

Most are just trying to verify you are an adult, when they could just ask you to declare that you are over 18 etc.

I am not an expert but the DOB thing is used as part of the filing system according to the surgery office.
They certainly do not need more than name to id myself but they seem to look under DOB first then look for a name.

 

[Alex321]

Well you could use name and postcode, unless they all live in same house / street. But then (if they did) you could just further ask for the number / name of their house. No date of birth required for that. Though I’d say date of birth is something a GP would genuinely need to know.

Most are just trying to verify you are an adult, when they could just ask you to declare that you are over 18 etc.

Specsavers do the same. It is always your DOB they ask for first when looking you up in their records. They clearly have fewer duplicates in that than in name - which is probably particularly true here in Wales, where there are an awful lots of Jones, Williams, etc.

And they do need your DOB, to know things like whether you are entitled to free eye tests and various other things.

 

[Rusty Nails]

As a Curler, I need to agree... BOWLS?! Eww, get the slippers and pipe out Gramps! 😆

And no, it isn't 'bowls on ice', there's so much more to Curling than that! 🥌



To be fair, I have a set of bowls that I found in a charity shop for £10 (£2.50 a bowl, an absolute steal by any standard!) a few years back and branded with a club local (ish, very ish) to the shop (Garelochhead).

The brain injury group I am involved with used to do it indoors, so I used them then, but this was pre Covid and all that nonsense, and it hasn't been done since.
I still much preferred Curling anyway, bowls just seemed too easy and simple in comparison.

And you can get some practise in while mopping the kitchen floor.

 

[All uphill]

Specsavers do the same. It is always your DOB they ask for first when looking you up in their records. They clearly have fewer duplicates in that than in name - which is probably particularly true here in Wales, where there are an awful lots of Jones, Williams, etc.

And they do need your DOB, to know things like whether you are entitled to free eye tests and various other things.

DOB is a very simple way to file records. Whenever I am asked my surname confusion always ensues with the staff member typing in the way it "should" be spelt, not the way it has been spelt since at least the year 1600.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

DOB is a very simple way to file records. Whenever I am asked my surname confusion always ensues with the staff member typing in the way it "should" be spelt, not the way it has been spelt since at least the year 1600.

Oh no doubt simple for them, but for most companies it is private information they do not and should not have need of. Above people are just listing where it makes sense, and for medical they have a genuine reason to need to know. But does your local butcher or Amazon or Facebook need to know your date of birth, absolutely not.

 

[bobzmyunkle]

But does your local butcher or Amazon or Facebook need to know your date of birth, absolutely not.

Facebook needs to know my age so it can target me with endless adverts for incontinence pads when I reach 60.
To be fair it does allow me to put any old garbage in there - I'm now well over 100 as I decided there would be limited products targeted at that age group.
My butcher has never asked.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

What, using the bowls?

No the boules

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

And you can get some practise in while mopping the kitchen floor.

What, using the bowls?

Unless you have a very smooth floor or what ever, not really, other than for the arm and chest exercise. Besides, nobody really cleans like that anyway... Do they?

Nah, you can't really replicate going quickly down ice sideways whilst having to look forwards, look behind, watching the stone, watching the line, watching your fellow sweeper, having to judge things whilst also communicating with the skip, fellow sweeper and maybe also the player of said shot, whilst also sweeping and stepping over other stones in the way, all simultaneously and without slipping (falling is an art-form all of it's own) and placing that 40lb lump of Ailsa Craig granite perfectly (tactics and stuff, although often it seems more like tic tacs).

But no, it's just like mopping a floor... Take yer comment and mop and stick it where the sun don't shine 😆

Oh and 'Bowls on ice' my arse.

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

No the boules

Sorry, reposted the edited version of my answer.

 

[scragend]

I recently went to watch a couple of games of an U19 international tournament in a sport that I play. I was on holiday and it just happened to be taking place near to where I was staying so I thought it would be rude not to. Niche sport so not a huge event, and only a small crowd.

Got chatting to a woman sitting in front of me, who I think wanted to know the reason why I had turned up to watch, but the question she asked me was whether I had a child playing in the England team. I was taken aback at first and was about to be offended until I realised that it is actually feasible that I could have

 

[Tenacious Sloth]

The sure sign that you’re getting old is when you decide to use the non-slip mat in the bottom of the bath when taking a shower in a hotel on-suite bathroom.

 

[Jenkins]

When you start to look forward to being able to get a senior citizens rail card

Under 22 months to go.

 

[All uphill]

When you start to look forward to being able to get a senior citizens rail card

Under 22 months to go.

Ah, that brief, but difficult, interlude between having a student card and a senior's card.

 

[presta]

Realising that over half a century has passed since that big moment in every young teenage lad's life.

Teenage? I was about 21-22.