One USB plug to rule them all? That's sensible, but no...

Re: As the old saying goes...

apart from better sanitation - Maybe planned on computer, but the nuts and bolts of poop disposal and recycling is still a rather analogue thing. I don't see that changing soon.

and medicine - Computers make things easier, but modern medicine was born somewhat before the digital age, and I would reckon the most part of it is still an analogue process.

and education - I am of an age where we had books and Dewey Decimal and had to look shit up. How educational is it to learn to copy-paste from the first match of a Google search?

and irrigation - I live rural. I can tell you for absolute fact that the maize irrigation is almost completely analogue and mechanical. The part that isn't is the now obligatory water flow counter. The farmer(s) experimented with computer controlled devices, but they were unreliable, and very expensive for a device that basically does what the mechanical stuff has done for years and years without flaw. Maybe in some parts of the world there are big computer controlled flooding and canals and such for irrigation. That isn't digital helping, that's the owner deciding the tech is cheaper than hiring people to do it manually.

and public health - isn't this covered by sanitation and medicine?

and roads - maybe in Japan where they have to figure out how to put a road on top of another road which is already on top of another road, and make the whole thing earthquake proof. Here? Dig the roadway. Roll it flat. Pound it flatter. Chuck down stuff to stabilise it. Throw down tar and lob gravel at it. Rinse and repeat until the result looks like a road. There will be computers doing stuff like saying the most effective mixtures and probably guidance to get the road going exactly on target. Of course, for computer assistance is turning up everywhere.

and a freshwater system - i kind of think that water supplies came first and the tech came along much more recently.

and baths - oh come on. My bath, and I'd guess a lot of reader's baths have a hole at the bottom and one or two taps (single or mixer). The only wire in sight? The required earth wire...

and public order... - really?

what has digital done for us? - what a bunch of weird examples.

How about: entertainment, evidence gathering, the ability to make friends on the other side of the planet, keep in contact with family members around the country, pictures or it didn't happen, music when and where you want it, you aren't buggered if it is 2am and you need cash for the taxi ride home thanks to bank machines, ditto previous with "in other countries" suffixed, your plane isn't going to crash and burn on a foggy landing (...usually!) thanks to radar and autopilot, ubiquitous mobile comms so the bastard in the seat next to you on the train can talk loudly for the entire journey, and, finally, clever control for nuclear reactors and wind turbines to make the power to permit you to do all of this stuff.

Are you enjoying reading this rubbish I've written? That is what digital is doing for you, right now. Providing you with amusing ways to waste time.

Re: As the old saying goes...

32A is the cable rating. The idea of the ring is the power can circulate either way around the ring and so it is supposed to save copper (it's original intention).

Of course the main problem is if the ring becomes broken then you risk a fire on the halves of the ring which could now be carrying more than they should.

Radials are better in this regard, if the radial circuit has a break then you know exactly where the problem is (all of the outputs after the break will be dead).

Re: As the old saying goes...

I don't know what you mean by "capable" but the solid brass pins on older UK mains plugs can easily carry 30A and a 13A mains fuse will tolerate 2-3x its rating for quite some time.