Bad beat/Moaning/Venting thread - It's the end of the world as we know it

[Hitchhiker's Guide To...]

Best of luck when the weather isn't so good and the whole LCY schedule gets thrown out for the day.

Aer Lingus to LHR and then jump on the newly opened Elizabeth Line across the city is the pro move. ~40 mins from LHR to Liverpool Street.

Is that because the Embraers can't fly as conveniently in dodgy weather?

[Micknail]

Randomly bumped into this dude on a quiet street and the Mrs insisted that I fanboy it up.

IMG-20230605-WA0013.jpg

Jeez that's a really tall Elvis impersonator you met.

[ionapaul]

DNegs rocking the GG gear in a random photo, loving that

[dinekes]

Jeez that's a really tall Elvis impersonator you met.

Mind you it looks like AI did the hands

He must be doing weights with those veins!

[Raoul Duke III]

The game is afoot in Ukraine, hopefully it can be a decisive victory for Ukraine.

I see the RuSSian Nazis have descended to mass eco-terrorism as their latest genius plan to stave off the inevitable.

The really big fear is that they would then blow up the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant next. Which would be insane but would have a certain mad logic to it.

[Solksjaer!]

I’m kind of getting worried about this Russian craziness. The gym I attend is City West Leisure centre, right beside it is one of those refugee places full of Ukrainians (who quite often have an ol scrap to relieve the boredom and divert the local Gardai away from local scumbas) You could take out 70 of them with a simple attack . I saw a drone the other day and was ready to dive under a digger truck that was parked in the multicultural car park , but nothing was loading up to fire. I thought drones were banned from that area as Baldonnel Airport is right there. Anyhow, this is not how I want to die, collateral damage in the expanded Russian- Ukrainian war. Hitch has your bro in law being doing anything suspect lately. Tell him the City West folk are moving to Sligo.

[Hitchhiker's Guide To...]

I'd say we are now odds-on for the US pressurizing a ceasefire around September. It seems like Russia has a very different defensive position to what they had this time last year when Ukrainians strolled through Kherson, and clearly they also have a lot more strategic intelligence given the successful recent strikes on very small anti-missile and weapons storage defensive positions. There's not going to be a jolly Ukrainian romp into Crimea is the main point. And one of the big things we've seen is that attacking ends up killing about three times more soldiers than defending - it's hard to see how that would be sustainable for the Ukrainians.

That's maybe a good thing all round as it, at least, stops the killing. Indeed, I would say the main point of the current actions by the Ukrainians in Russia is not for any military strategic objective, but rather to weaken Russian resolve to stick at the agression and be amenable to a ceasefire.

[Hitchhiker's Guide To...]

Presumably the Russians are also woefully looking at their "I visited Bakhmut and all I got was a pile of rubble, and 30000 dead soldiers" t-shirts and pondering how sustainable the whole thing is. It *feels* like a classic ceasefire moment, unless there is some novel strategic brilliance about to be unveiled in the long-delayed counter-offensive. But that seems unlikely. Not least because there are far more Russian soldiers in the field than Ukrainian soldiers, and there has now been nearly a year of prep for this event.

[Pat Mustard]

yes, assuming you get the benefit of Best Odds Guaranteed.

Thanks.. after a few calls to "head office" and a 20 min stand off got paid @ 6/5.

[horatio1]

LIV , PGA and DP world tour merging to form one entity.

[ArmaniJeans]

LIV , PGA and DP world tour merging to form one entity.

Seems to be the same way that Walmart 'merged' with Mom and Pops grocery store. (With LIV as Walmart obviously)

[Raoul Duke III]

That's maybe a good thing all round as it, at least, stops the killing. Indeed, I would say the main point of the current actions by the Ukrainians in Russia is not for any military strategic objective, but rather to weaken Russian resolve to stick at the agression and be amenable to a ceasefire.

So you think the Ukrainians are attacking not to throw the fascist invaders out of their sovereign territory, but rather to negotiate with them as to how much Ukrainian sovereign territory they can steal?
Seems legit.

[Hitchhiker's Guide To...]

So you think the Ukrainians are attacking not to throw the fascist invaders out of their sovereign territory, but rather to negotiate with them as to how much Ukrainian sovereign territory they can steal?
Seems legit.

The goal of the Ukrainians might be crystal clear, but the realpolitics of their supporters is probably more practically oriented. We saw that with the leaked US documents - the US, and presumably other aligned nations, engage in brutally realistic assessments. If nothing major happens over the summer then some sort of ceasefire will clearly be imposed by backers.

[Raoul Duke III]

The goal of the Ukrainians might be crystal clear, but the realpolitics of their supporters is probably more practically oriented. We saw that with the leaked US documents - the US, and presumably other aligned nations, engage in brutally realistic assessments. If nothing major happens over the summer then some sort of ceasefire will clearly be imposed by backers.

Except 'nothing happened' in terms of the frontline for the last 9 months.
By your rather convoluted logic, the US would have 'imposed' a settlement long before now.

[Hitchhiker's Guide To...]

Except 'nothing happened' in terms of the frontline for the last 9 months.
By your rather convoluted logic, the US would have 'imposed' a settlement long before now.

I guess they still have to bring the Ukrainians along on any decision. So - I would say - the argument is going something along the lines of "we had this big breakthrough last summer, maybe we can do the same again this year". And they have to be given that chance. But then, if that doesn't work (and it's probably not likely to given the changed defenses, although maybe it is) you are facing into another winter of grinding out 30k deaths on both sides for another year of stalemate. I strongly suspect that's not going to be supported - primarily to protect the Ukrainians, but also because of the few hundred billion cost for no perceivable benefit.

[Raoul Duke III]

I guess they still have to bring the Ukrainians along on any decision. So - I would say - the argument is going something along the lines of "we had this big breakthrough last summer, maybe we can do the same again this year". And they have to be given that chance. But then, if that doesn't work (and it's probably not likely to given the changed defenses, although maybe it is) you are facing into another winter of grinding out 30k deaths on both sides for another year of stalemate. I strongly suspect that's not going to be supported - primarily to protect the Ukrainians, but also because of the few hundred billion cost for no perceivable benefit.

Good job you're not in the White House.

So basically you think Ukraine's allies should let Hitler v2.0 keep whatever bits of Ukraine he has managed to hang on to. Because, eh, that would 'protect the Ukrainians'.

[Hitchhiker's Guide To...]

Good job you're not in the White House.

So basically you think Ukraine's allies should let Hitler v2.0 keep whatever bits of Ukraine he has managed to hang on to. Because, eh, that would 'protect the Ukrainians'.

I don't think it should happen, I just think it will happen. Let's see what happens though with the counteroffensive, maybe there will be a breakthrough that justifies continuation (militarily, not morally - they obv have the moral right to continue forever).

I'm not sure what you think happens in The White House, but it's certainly not "let's give it a lash", they will obv be role-playing all these scenarios in order to work out what is best for Ukraine and for broader geopolitics. One of those scenarios will be the pros and cons of a ceasefire and that will clearly become a lot more prominent if it looks like Ukraine is set to be stuck in a grinding war that continues to destroy their fighting capabilities.

Actually one of the things in the leaked papers was that they were pressuring Ukraine to withdraw from Bakhmut because of a fear that it would prevent their ability to launch what was once billed as a Spring Offensive. So they clearly do think about all these things.

[Hectorjelly]

When do you think there will be a ceasefire by Hitch?

[ComradeCollie]

When do you think there will be a ceasefire by Hitch?

From my Tarot card readings it will be soon after Zelenskyy kills himself next August.

[Solksjaer!]

Ukrainians at CityWest walking around with added pep this Evening. Got 5 nods . I who never normally nods gave a slight chin Hi. These people know somethings afoot . Nice fresh evening to cool the sunburn all the same.

[Hitchhiker's Guide To...]

When do you think there will be a ceasefire by Hitch?

Well I was going to propose a bet to Raoul earlier, but as I typed it out proposing an official ceasefire proposed by at least two G7 countries before Oct 31st, I started to have doubts . My specific doubt was that I might be correct in essence, but that it would be more of an unofficial thing with a slowdown in weaponry supply. So I'm clearly not 100% convinced myself on the idea.

[Hitchhiker's Guide To...]

That PGA/LIV thing is mad all the same. Playing the anti-Saudi angle for a year and seemingly all it took was a bit of cash. Really makes the lads who stuck with PGA look like mugs.

[Solksjaer!]

That PGA/LIV thing is mad all the same. Playing the anti-Saudi angle for a year and seemingly all it took was a bit of cash. Really makes the lads who stuck with PGA look like mugs.

It doesnt make them look like mugs ' it makes the PGA look everything Phil Mickelson accused them of. Loyalty has a price in Golf. A great game but it's way up its own arse in hypocrisy.

[Pat Mustard]

Well I was going to propose a bet to Raoul earlier, but as I typed it out proposing an official ceasefire proposed by at least two G7 countries before Oct 31st, I started to have doubts . My specific doubt was that I might be correct in essence, but that it would be more of an unofficial thing with a slowdown in weaponry supply. So I'm clearly not 100% convinced myself on the idea.

never change

[Hitchhiker's Guide To...]

ha, ty pat. the key is never giving yourself the opportunity to be wrong

[MysteryGuest]

It doesnt make them look like mugs ' it makes the PGA look everything Phil Mickelson accused them of. Loyalty has a price in Golf. A great game but it's way up its own arse in hypocrisy.

Looked up Keith pelley and jay monahan earlier- pellets hard drives should be checked, Monaghan just looks like a hard nosed cube- I’d say he’s set after this - has played mcilroy like a violin

[MysteryGuest]

ShatGPT move over- the aliens are here

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/06/whistleblower-ufo-alien-tech-spacecraft?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

remember these guys being benevolent and having amazing tech to solve climate change is literally our only way out- let’s all hope they aren’t intergalactic Brits

[MysteryGuest]

Oh man raoul really believes US have ukraines best interests at heart bless

[dinekes]

Out for a run at the ungodly hour of 5.45
A nice 4k jog at 6.05 pace

Nice and peaceful at that hour yet still a few people jogging/walking dogs, one guy asleep on a bench and an older lad with a bottle of vodka in hand talking to himself!

[Lazare]

'Intergalactic Brits'

[Lazare]

Out for a run at the ungodly hour of 5.45
A nice 4k jog at 6.05 pace

Nice and peaceful at that hour yet still a few people jogging/walking dogs, one guy asleep on a bench and an older lad with a bottle of vodka in hand talking to himself!

Good man. Sets you up nice for the day that.

[Raoul Duke III]

Well I was going to propose a bet to Raoul earlier, but as I typed it out proposing an official ceasefire proposed by at least two G7 countries before Oct 31st, I started to have doubts . My specific doubt was that I might be correct in essence, but that it would be more of an unofficial thing with a slowdown in weaponry supply. So I'm clearly not 100% convinced myself on the idea.

Your track record on Ukraine to date does speak for itself.

If anything, the weaponry supply is increasing. NATO fighters will be in Ukraine's hands by year end.

[Keane]

'Intergalactic Brits'

I've probably mentioned this before but I always associate your username with this guy Bob Lazare who used to be on all the UFO conspiracy shows on Discovery claiming to have been some NSA/CIA/FBI type working in Area 51 and all this stuff.

On an unrelated note I saw a man walking up to the beach here yesterday that I was so sure was you I pulled in the car to check if you had posted anything about being on holidays in Kerry.

[6starpool]

Out for a run at the ungodly hour of 5.45
A nice 4k jog at 6.05 pace

Nice and peaceful at that hour yet still a few people jogging/walking dogs, one guy asleep on a bench and an older lad with a bottle of vodka in hand talking to himself!

Slightly different from your old life of leaving the Fitz at 5.45 and having a chat with Frank before you went home.

[Lao Lao]

In the airport heading to Porto for Primavera Sound.

This year they've extended it from 3 to 4 days and I'm a year older so should be interesting

[dinekes]

Slightly different from your old life of leaving the Fitz at 5.45 and having a chat with Frank before you went home.

Indeed! ...a paradigm shift I would call it.

Obviously hardly play live at all any more and very little online.
Did a 14 hour or so stint on my last live outing and was utterly wrecked (nice profit though)

[Hitchhiker's Guide To...]

The saltiness of the Brit coverage of the Harry case is rather glorious. The media there has spent decades breaking the law, violating people's private lives, and now someone has the temerity to call them on it. Just a reminder of what is already proven in the public:

- bribing police officers to get personal information
- breaking into people's homes
- spying on the messages of a teenage murder victim

[Solksjaer!]

Actually this is a great opportunity for someone like Nike (that budget ) to step in and agree to pay the equivalent in purse winning to all golfers who refuse to accept the LIV/PGA tournament winnings.
And yet still want to compete in these tournaments. Considering what they pay in marketing, they could easily reengineer how they pay out. So the Sponsorship would have a moral impact also (hmm rules Nike out then lol)

[Hitchhiker's Guide To...]

Actually this is a great opportunity for someone like Nike (that budget ) to step in and agree to pay the equivalent in purse winning to all golfers who refuse to accept the LIV/PGA tournament winnings.
And yet still want to compete in these tournaments. Considering what they pay in marketing, they could easily reengineer how they pay out. So the Sponsorship would have a moral impact also (hmm rules Nike out then lol)

This Nike, aka nike al arabia?

[Solksjaer!]

This Nike, aka nike al arabia?

Well i did rule them out but you get my gist .

[Raoul Duke III]

This Nike, aka nike al arabia?

You do have to hope the person who persuaded them that 'SFA' was a wonderful acronym for their sportwashing organization gets all the accolades he/she is due.

[Hitchhiker's Guide To...]

The Apple Vision Pro looks to be another in a long line of VR disappointments, based on the reviews. Reviews suggesting its a mile ahead of Meta VR, but still hard to work out what exactly the point is. Our wait to live in a metaverse continues.

[Denny Crane]

ShatGPT move over- the aliens are here

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/06/whistleblower-ufo-alien-tech-spacecraft?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

remember these guys being benevolent and having amazing tech to solve climate change is literally our only way out- let’s all hope they aren’t intergalactic Brits

I think we can rule it all out. There's no way Trump, if he had any inkling, would have turned down his chance at going down in history as the president that revealed it.

[Micknail]

The Apple Vision Pro looks to be another in a long line of VR disappointments, based on the reviews. Reviews suggesting its a mile ahead of Meta VR, but still hard to work out what exactly the point is. Our wait to live in a metaverse continues.

A lot of commentators stating that it is telling the head honcho Tim Cook was not actively seen using it at the launch,
as opposed to pretty much every other product from the last 25 years.

[6starpool]

The Apple Vision Pro looks to be another in a long line of VR disappointments, based on the reviews. Reviews suggesting its a mile ahead of Meta VR, but still hard to work out what exactly the point is. Our wait to live in a metaverse continues.

VR is like driverless cars or 3D cinema. After massive hype they all were essentially designated as not viable as things stand. They (well maybe not the 3D cinema) will evolve in future to something that makes them functional and useful that become widespread, but we're some time off that yet.

[Hitchhiker's Guide To...]

VR is like driverless cars or 3D cinema. After massive hype they all were essentially designated as not viable as things stand. They (well maybe not the 3D cinema) will evolve in future to something that makes them functional and useful that become widespread, but we're some time off that yet.

I think so. Like that video has something where you can immerse yourself in old photos. Which sounds ridiculously sad as an idea. To feel you are living in some moment you can't get back and probably didn't appreciate at the time.

On that note of depressing dystopia, I see Black Mirror is back next week.

[oleras]

I think we can rule it all out. There's no way Trump, if he had any inkling, would have turned down his chance at going down in history as the president that revealed it.

And end up like JFK?

[6starpool]

I think so. Like that video has something where you can immerse yourself in old photos. Which sounds ridiculously sad as an idea. To feel you are living in some moment you can't get back and probably didn't appreciate at the time.

On that note of depressing dystopia, I see Black Mirror is back next week.

Until there is a way to somehow have tactile response with VR, such as feel something in the VR, then really feel like you are feeling it, it's doomed to be a gimmick. I'd imagine that sort of holodeck like experience is beyond our lifetime though, even to a more basic headset wearing degree.

[Solksjaer!]

Until there is a way to somehow have tactile response with VR, such as feel something in the VR, then really feel like you are feeling it, it's doomed to be a gimmick. I'd imagine that sort of holodeck like experience is beyond our lifetime though, even to a more basic headset wearing degree.

Example.
Where will the fetish stuff end . Will the fake stuff drive the perrvs to seek more real connection. Will AI VR etc accomodate our wildest perversions so much that in effect we'll be self groomed into further perversion. Not that HH has far to go but it's a murky future appealing to the dark side of the masses and blurringvthe lines .IMO of course.

[DeadParrot]

[Hitchhiker's Guide To...]

Got a first bit of new tech in ages today using the work annual slush training fund. The reMarkable2. Anyone have one? They seem to be one of the few new gadgets out there doing something clearly new and useful. Went for the full works - the pen with eraser, the keyboard etc.

Decent review of it here:

[Opr]

I think so. Like that video has something where you can immerse yourself in old photos. Which sounds ridiculously sad as an idea. To feel you are living in some moment you can't get back and probably didn't appreciate at the time.

On that note of depressing dystopia, I see Black Mirror is back next week.

Even worse you can immerse yourself in past experiences to relive them but in order to do that you have to record them with the headset. In one of the demos they had a person reliving their kid blowing out candles at their birthday party and you are part of the whole experience reliving it. In order to do this though when the experience first occurred you have to be having it while wearing the headset to capture it all.

The headset has two huge front-facing cameras. This has something to do with the weird feature that when you are wearing the headset the front can change from solid to your eyes. So you can talk to someone in the same physical space while wearing the headset and instead of them looking at the headset they are looking at your eyes which is achieved by mirroring the camera looking at your eyes from the inside to the outside.

[Opr]

Until there is a way to somehow have tactile response with VR, such as feel something in the VR, then really feel like you are feeling it, it's doomed to be a gimmick. I'd imagine that sort of holodeck like experience is beyond our lifetime though, even to a more basic headset wearing degree.

I don't think we are that kind of timeframe away from that future. We have already developed artificial skin which is probably the most likely avenue to provide that in VR.

Outside of that, AI means surely all bets are off in all areas as to how far in the future something will or won't exist. If it becomes smarter than us we have no way to comprehend how quickly things could advance.

[Opr]

This isn't as alarmist as the title would suggest. I think it is quite an enjoyable and accessible listen. He does believe that we are much, much closer to things changing radically than most people currently believe.

[Hitchhiker's Guide To...]

I don't think we are that kind of timeframe away from that future. We have already developed artificial skin which is probably the most likely avenue to provide that in VR.

Outside of that, AI means surely all bets are off in all areas as to how far in the future something will or won't exist. If it becomes smarter than us we have no way to comprehend how quickly things could advance.

You could be right on the impact of AI, but I did read this book within the last few months, from someone who develops metaverses. While it was an extremely painful read as it was so badly written, it did heavily emphasise how current computing is simply unable to do the things that we would expect from a virtual world.

[Opr]

You could be right on the impact of AI, but I did read this book within the last few months, from someone who develops metaverses. While it was an extremely painful read as it was so badly written, it did heavily emphasise how current computing is simply unable to do the things that we would expect from a virtual world.

That looks interesting, I'll give it a go. Any examples of the kinds of things he feels it needs to be able to do for an inflection point?

Current limitations are painfully obvious by the usage statistics. It is something insane like only 10% of Oculus headsets are still used regularly after the 6-month mark.

[Theresa]

The "End the war now, redraw the borders, save Ukrainian boys" narrative is picking up pace over here.
Someone today told me to listen to Scott Ritters take on it

[Hectorjelly]

The "End the war now, redraw the borders, save Ukrainian boys" narrative is picking up pace over here.
Someone today told me to listen to Scott Ritters take on it

Good short video on why not to here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrYkTRnTlQU

[Raoul Duke III]

The "End the war now, redraw the borders, save Ukrainian boys" narrative is picking up pace over here.
Someone today told me to listen to Scott Ritters take on it

Ah yes, 'save Ukraianian lives (by surrendering to fascist aggression)'.

Good job everyone on here is too sophisticated to fall for such a line.

[Theresa]

Ah yes, 'save Ukraianian lives (by surrendering to fascist aggression)'.

Good job everyone on here is too sophisticated to fall for such a line.

It blows my mind that this is even a thing.

The argument that was made to me was that:
Russia are too strong.
Either it becomes a world war, or Ukraine lose.
In either branch, there are countless more needless deaths.
Give Russia new borders and a hard red line.

And honestly, the person that brought this to me is someone I hugely respect.

The same person said that Russia might use nukes.

Incredibly frustrating as on one hand they are saying placate and give a new red line (you get the land you stole officially, but you can't reinvade again), while on the other hand saying that there are no red lines (using nukes) for Russia.

I am actually despairing a bit.