Phone sex forecasts

[sawyl]

Short, not very serious article in today's Guardian on weather forecasting. It starts off well with a mention of the iron abacus in the bomb-proof basement:

According to the NEC SX-8, one of the most powerful supercomputers on the planet and the heart of the Met Office's weather-forecasting operations, it's going to be a fine bank holiday weekend.

before straying off into dodgier territory with a discussion of probabilistic forecasting:

Meanwhile, you can get this kind of inside information today - if you're willing to pay for it. For £17, the Met Office will connect you for three minutes to a senior forecaster, who will give you a one-to-one forecast, tailored to your specifications. It's like phone sex, except about the weather. In other words: phone sex for British people.

Wow. Six quid a minute for a phone conversation. I'm obviously in the wrong part of the organisation.