Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Bad beat/Moaning/Venting thread - Wordle Gummidge

Collapse
This topic is closed.
X
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    Having my first ever go at a 'dry January'. Feels more like six weeks than 11 days so far
    Gone full 'Glinner' since June 2022.

    Comment


      Originally posted by ComradeCollie View Post
      Having my first ever go at a 'dry January'. Feels more like six weeks than 11 days so far
      This really isn't the time to be giving up anything.
      "We are not Europeans. Those people on the continent are freaks."

      Comment


        Dinekes; are you back on your feet?
        "We are not Europeans. Those people on the continent are freaks."

        Comment


          Originally posted by Strewelpeter View Post
          Getting more than a little pissed off with covid minimisers/ deniers and various gobshites regurgitating content from patreon tin rattling chancers like Ivor Cummins and distorting their drivel into Trumpian denial. Fuck them all.

          Given the way the numbers are going its going to be a very close run thing in the race between how much longer we can keep this virus away from my Father and how soon we can get the vacccine into him. In my house where I'm working and mostly living I have three other people who are locked down to shopping and some bits of farming and animal husbandry they are committed to. Then in his house there are a rota of about 8 different carers coming and going and they all have their homes and lives to look after as well.
          There is no clear plan yet to deliver the vaccine to the likes of him and his carers but I'm hoping it will be in Feb early March but its starting to concern me that whatever the plan is it hasn't been shared with the Homecare providers and GP's yet.

          Yes....relentlessly fucking stupid people whose gesture of defiance is to not have their mask covering their stupid big fucking noses. Not sure which I despise more the genuine imbeciles or the fuckwits who gird themselves with whatever "fact" is going this week on their favourite conspiracy website and patronisingly beat you over the head with their "proof" every time you have the deep misfortune to have to waste breath talking to the cunts. The exact same type of dangerously stupid "hell Yeah USA" morons with their slack jaws and their dumb beards, their intolerance and bitter hatred of anyone them deem below them (which is zero) and above them (basically any human ever born bar those lobotomised cretins, and most animals)


          rant over


          Hope all will be well with your Da. It's a stressful time no doubt.

          Comment


            Originally posted by ComradeCollie View Post
            Having my first ever go at a 'dry January'. Feels more like six weeks than 11 days so far
            I postponed it - not the time

            Comment


              Originally posted by Raoul Duke III View Post
              Dinekes; are you back on your feet?
              Ah ye, cheers, feel way better.
              Fever free since Friday. Looking forward to getting out.

              Comment


                Originally posted by ComradeCollie View Post
                Having my first ever go at a 'dry January'. Feels more like six weeks than 11 days so far
                I'm off it too.
                in fairness wasnt too hard the past 11 days.

                Did 6 weeks before and genuinely felt great with loads of energy etc. You just have to be careful re integrating it.

                Comment


                  My Mam got her 'measles vaccine' today in the home, so she can go back to school.
                  Dementia is a very rotten thing really. Hopefully with all staff and patients done they'll be able to relax the regime a little.

                  Comment


                    On a lighter note, nothing say taking back control more than having your ham sambo's seized by Dutch customs.

                    Comment


                      The PGA telling Trump to GTFO is a thing of beauty
                      Genuine chance that someday we get to see him do a perp walk, an orange jump suit is probably still too much to hope for.
                      Turning millions into thousands

                      Comment


                        Heart dropped a bit reading that post AJ. Hopefully the homes are opened very soon.
                        "We're not f*cking Burundi" - Big Phil

                        Comment


                          Originally posted by Strewelpeter View Post
                          The PGA telling Trump to GTFO is a thing of beauty
                          Genuine chance that someday we get to see him do a perp walk, an orange jump suit is probably still too much to hope for.
                          3 years to mount a case that happens to run with the next election cycle.

                          Comment


                            Originally posted by Strewelpeter View Post
                            Getting more than a little pissed off with covid minimisers/ deniers and various gobshites regurgitating content from patreon tin rattling chancers like Ivor Cummins and distorting their drivel into Trumpian denial. Fuck them all.
                            Just wondering where you came across that Cummins gobshite. Have a couple old old friends who've been totally taken with his bs. Think they originally started reading his stuff when they got into the keto diet, and now it's more like the blind following only religious cult leaders used to get. Article about him in the UK Times today https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/i...tary-d2mn0cxjp
                            Gone full 'Glinner' since June 2022.

                            Comment


                              Originally posted by RichieM View Post

                              3 years to mount a case that happens to run with the next election cycle.
                              Very likely he'll be ineligible to ever run in another federal election. Which means we may have the delight of Kim il Don Jr running - like Senior, except with less charm or intelligence.
                              "We are not Europeans. Those people on the continent are freaks."

                              Comment


                                Let's indulge in other people's problems for a moment.

                                So you're a dyed-in-the-wool Conservative Republican Congressman from Buttfuck, Indiana. Your voters are by and large white evangelicals who love God, guns and Donald J Trump.

                                When the vote calling on Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment comes up today, what do you do and why?
                                "We are not Europeans. Those people on the continent are freaks."

                                Comment


                                  Originally posted by Strewelpeter View Post
                                  Great read IMO, something to look out for is the one bit that he is clearly wrong about is his reading of the SF element of the book, while he is correct at his time of writing (early Eighties) and correct that its a mistake to consider it SF he of all people has misread completely and in a way he would appreciate if he was around to see it how AI would allow computers to take over the role of the all watching eye!
                                  I haven’t read 1984. So not familiar with the details.
                                  But I’d assume Asimov was very familiar with what is SF is, and isn’t. So interested to know in which way he was wrong.

                                  Comment


                                    Originally posted by Raoul Duke III View Post

                                    Very likely he'll be ineligible to ever run in another federal election. Which means we may have the delight of Kim il Don Jr running - like Senior, except with less charm or intelligence.
                                    Whoever they run, a Trump or not the damage that the last republican president being prosecuted will kill their chances by association. 3 years and it hits the courts meaning that the republican nominee has to decide if they are going to shit all over trump or try to explain away what's happened.

                                    Pretty unlucky for republicans that they nearly had Jeb Bush, his Mexican wife and progressive for republicans agenda which would have brought them closer to the American center. Instead they are the neo nazi and kkk guys who stormed the capitol.

                                    Comment


                                      Originally posted by RichieM View Post

                                      Whoever they run, a Trump or not the damage that the last republican president being prosecuted will kill their chances by association. 3 years and it hits the courts meaning that the republican nominee has to decide if they are going to shit all over trump or try to explain away what's happened.

                                      Pretty unlucky for republicans that they nearly had Jeb Bush, his Mexican wife and progressive for republicans agenda which would have brought them closer to the American center. Instead they are the neo nazi and kkk guys who stormed the capitol.
                                      You reap what you sow. Actions have consequences.

                                      They didn't have to turn the Republican Party into a personality cult to a deranged narcissist. They chose to do it - and they spat in the face of the few conservatives principled enough to call out Trump for what he is (McCain, Jeff Flake, Romney etc).

                                      The Dems don't even have to do much now, they can just sit back and watch the GOP tear itself apart between the never say die Trump loyalists and those who still have some semblence of institutional loyalty. The Dems went through a schism like this in 1968, although for completely different reasons.
                                      "We are not Europeans. Those people on the continent are freaks."

                                      Comment


                                        Stockport manager Jim Gannon . His refusal to do Sky interviews after the company failed to fix his broken Sky box is hysterical . Legend

                                        Comment


                                          After several months of IPB being banned through my work VPN I seem to be able to access it again. I wonder how that happens.

                                          Comment


                                            Originally posted by Gimmeabreak
                                            Willie any improvement today or do you still think you have covid?
                                            Feel good today. Doubt it was covid . No symptoms. Just knackered to the point of dropping .

                                            Or maybe it was 5g draining me reserves.

                                            Comment


                                              Ate oysters out with GAB a couple years ago and was floored for 3 days. Haven't been able to stomach the thought of shellfish since. Mrs made a prawn stir-fry last night = only me up till 6am spraying the house with every orifice. Good for weight loss bet with Sickpuppy, not good trying to finish two large quotes while doing schoolwork with kids in between more trips to the jacks

                                              Typing this from the jacks, some hum in here

                                              Comment


                                                Originally posted by Dice75 View Post
                                                Ate oysters out with GAB a couple years ago and was floored for 3 days. Haven't been able to stomach the thought of shellfish since. Mrs made a prawn stir-fry last night = only me up till 6am spraying the house with every orifice. Good for weight loss bet with Sickpuppy, not good trying to finish two large quotes while doing schoolwork with kids in between more trips to the jacks

                                                Typing this from the jacks, some hum in here
                                                You might be allergic to shellfish?

                                                Be careful today, you're probably dehydrated and might pull a mussel.
                                                "We are not Europeans. Those people on the continent are freaks."

                                                Comment


                                                  Originally posted by Raoul Duke III View Post

                                                  You reap what you sow. Actions have consequences.

                                                  They didn't have to turn the Republican Party into a personality cult to a deranged narcissist. They chose to do it - and they spat in the face of the few conservatives principled enough to call out Trump for what he is (McCain, Jeff Flake, Romney etc).

                                                  The Dems don't even have to do much now, they can just sit back and watch the GOP tear itself apart between the never say die Trump loyalists and those who still have some semblence of institutional loyalty. The Dems went through a schism like this in 1968, although for completely different reasons.
                                                  Worth remembering that a lot of the centrist/moderate Republicans were primaried. The guys there now all know that there's a sizeable chunk of the US electorate who want them to act this way. Certainly enough for them to have strong incentives to pander to the more insane end of the conservative/right/rapidly approaching fascist Republican base. The problem here isn't the Republicans entirely. The insane bubble of right-wing media has exerted a remarkable control over huge swathes of the US population. This has primed them for this. The people who get elected then have to speak to the issues that Fox initially and now the even weirder right wing media outlets (OAN etc) have pumped into the minds of their viewers. The idea starts with the information and disinformation pumped into homes. Then those people elect politicians who speak to those same ideas. The Republican party is thus being filled with conspiracy theorists, climate change deniers and people like Matt Gaetz who is objectively one of the worst politicians I've ever seen. He takes being disingenuous and wilfully stupid to an artform.

                                                  What you're seeing in the make up of the Republican party is not the cause, it's the effect. The real cause is the right wing media, which is WHY they've made attacking real media a centrepiece of their platform. Liars always accuse others of lying first. Then when the counter-accusation comes it seems petty. It's a very old trick and it really works.
                                                  You are technically correct...the best kind of correct
                                                  World Record Holder for Long Distance Soul Reads: May 7th 2011

                                                  Comment


                                                    Originally posted by Kayroo View Post

                                                    Worth remembering that a lot of the centrist/moderate Republicans were primaried. The guys there now all know that there's a sizeable chunk of the US electorate who want them to act this way. Certainly enough for them to have strong incentives to pander to the more insane end of the conservative/right/rapidly approaching fascist Republican base. The problem here isn't the Republicans entirely. The insane bubble of right-wing media has exerted a remarkable control over huge swathes of the US population. This has primed them for this. The people who get elected then have to speak to the issues that Fox initially and now the even weirder right wing media outlets (OAN etc) have pumped into the minds of their viewers. The idea starts with the information and disinformation pumped into homes. Then those people elect politicians who speak to those same ideas. The Republican party is thus being filled with conspiracy theorists, climate change deniers and people like Matt Gaetz who is objectively one of the worst politicians I've ever seen. He takes being disingenuous and wilfully stupid to an artform.

                                                    What you're seeing in the make up of the Republican party is not the cause, it's the effect. The real cause is the right wing media, which is WHY they've made attacking real media a centrepiece of their platform. Liars always accuse others of lying first. Then when the counter-accusation comes it seems petty. It's a very old trick and it really works.
                                                    All good points. I would also chip in that this didn't suddenly happen with Trump, the rightward drift has been happening for decades - all the way back to the nutters in the John Birch Society (who genuinely believed President Eisenhower was a Communist!). Trumpism is just taking this drift to its logical conclusion and the removal of the traditional media filters have amplified it.
                                                    "We are not Europeans. Those people on the continent are freaks."

                                                    Comment


                                                      Originally posted by Raoul Duke III View Post

                                                      You reap what you sow. Actions have consequences.

                                                      They didn't have to turn the Republican Party into a personality cult
                                                      Thats a decision they made in the 1970's when they allowed themselves to use Reagan to capture the 'christian' right. Since then they have been an empty vessel for whoever can keep the nutjobs onboard.


                                                      Turning millions into thousands

                                                      Comment


                                                        Originally posted by Strewelpeter View Post

                                                        Thats a decision they made in the 1970's when they allowed themselves to use Reagan to capture the 'christian' right. Since then they have been an empty vessel for whoever can keep the nutjobs onboard.

                                                        I will put it to you that not one of Nixon, Ford, Reagan or Bush Snr would recognise this current manifestation. Bush Jnr might. And none of them (not even Nixon) would have ever even have dreamed of the kind of shit that was attempted last week.

                                                        But they could all accurately describe where it came from..
                                                        "We are not Europeans. Those people on the continent are freaks."

                                                        Comment


                                                          Jesus Microsoft Teams is a colossal piece of garbage.

                                                          Baffling that such a prominent tech firm can create something so bad, so clunky and user unfriendly.

                                                          I hold silver in tit for tat, and I love you for that

                                                          Comment


                                                            Originally posted by Mellor View Post
                                                            I haven’t read 1984. So not familiar with the details.
                                                            But I’d assume Asimov was very familiar with what is SF is, and isn’t. So interested to know in which way he was wrong.
                                                            In Orwells book the TV is a two way device that is watching you which at the time had many catogorise the book a SF, Asimov argues against this correctly on a number fronts but I find it amusing that he misses how computing would develop when he says

                                                            Originally posted by [url
                                                            http://www.newworker.org/ncptrory/1984.htm[/url] ]

                                                            The great Orwellian contribution to future technology is that the
                                                            television set is two-way, and that the people who are forced to hear and
                                                            see the television screen can themselves be heard and seen at all times and
                                                            are under constant supervision even while sleeping or in the bathroom.
                                                            Hence, the meaning of the phrase 'Big Brother is watching you'.
                                                            This is an extraordinarily inefficient system of keeping everyone under
                                                            control. To have a person being watched at all times means that some other
                                                            person must be doing the watching at all times (at least in the Orwellian
                                                            society) and must be doing so very narrowly, for there is a great
                                                            development of the art of interpreting gesture and facial expression.
                                                            One person cannot watch more than one person in full concentration, and
                                                            can only do so for a comparatively short time before attention begins to
                                                            wander. I should guess, in short, that there may have to be five watchers
                                                            for every person watched. And then, of course, the watchers must themselves
                                                            be watched since no one in the Orwellian world is suspicion-free.
                                                            Consequently, the system of oppression by two-way television simply will not
                                                            work.
                                                            ...

                                                            Orwell was unable to conceive of computers or robots, or he would have
                                                            placed everyone under non-human surveillance. Our own computers to some
                                                            extent do this in the IRS, in credit files, and so on, but that does not
                                                            take us towards 1984, except in fevered imaginations. Computers and tyranny
                                                            do not necessarily go hand in hand. Tyrannies have worked very well without
                                                            computers (consider the Nazis) and the most computerised nations in today's
                                                            world are also the least tyrannical.
                                                            There is a lot to unpack there in terms of how now citizens of the capitalist west are volunteering their lives to be the object of surveillence at the behest of corporations while actively resisting sharing data with the state andon the other hand we have the way China and some other states use data to observe its citizens.

                                                            The review as a whole is a really great piece of writing IMO.
                                                            Turning millions into thousands

                                                            Comment


                                                              Originally posted by Lazare View Post
                                                              Jesus Microsoft Teams is a colossal piece of garbage.

                                                              Baffling that such a prominent tech firm can create something so bad, so clunky and user unfriendly.
                                                              Really?
                                                              I noticed it was acting up a bit this morning, (messages from laptop weren't getting out but desktop and phne were ok) its the first time I've had any issues with it.
                                                              Mostly it works great and is way ahead of any of it competitors IMO
                                                              Turning millions into thousands

                                                              Comment


                                                                Originally posted by Raoul Duke III View Post

                                                                I will put it to you that not one of Nixon, Ford, Reagan or Bush Snr would recognise this current manifestation. Bush Jnr might.
                                                                George W made a statement about the current mess last week. And he publicised the fact he wasn’t voting for Trump in 2016. I doubt he did in 2020 either.


                                                                Laura and I are watching the scenes of mayhem unfolding at the seat of our Nation’s government in disbelief and dismay. It is a sickening and heartbreaking sight. This is how election results are disputed in a banana republic – not our democratic republic. I am appalled by the reckless behavior of some political leaders since the election and by the lack of respect shown today for our institutions, our traditions, and our law enforcement. The violent assault on the Capitol – and disruption of a Constitutionally-mandated meeting of Congress – was undertaken by people whose passions have been inflamed by falsehoods and false hopes. Insurrection could do grave damage to our Nation and reputation. In the United States of America, it is the fundamental responsibility of every patriotic citizen to support the rule of law. To those who are disappointed in the results of the election: Our country is more important than the politics of the moment. Let the officials elected by the people fulfill their duties and represent our voices in peace and safety. May God continue to bless the United States of America.

                                                                Comment


                                                                  Originally posted by Mellor View Post
                                                                  I haven’t read 1984. So not familiar with the details.
                                                                  But I’d assume Asimov was very familiar with what is SF is, and isn’t. So interested to know in which way he was wrong.
                                                                  Asimov was a world-class SF writer who spent his whole career exploring future worlds, and he was judging 1984 based on his own set of standards. Asimov was great at thinking through the mechanics of how new technology would change the universe, that was his forte. 1984 is more about the present than the past, yes the technology wasn't as well thought out as in Asimov's work, but then 1984 contained more humanity than all of Asimov's works put together.

                                                                  Comment


                                                                    Originally posted by Raoul Duke III View Post

                                                                    I will put it to you that not one of Nixon, Ford, Reagan or Bush Snr would recognise this current manifestation. Bush Jnr might. And none of them (not even Nixon) would have ever even have dreamed of the kind of shit that was attempted last week.

                                                                    But they could all accurately describe where it came from..
                                                                    I think the big change is post Ford and yeah Ronnie and Snr. might not recognise it but they were just steps along the path.

                                                                    The problem for me is what the next guy will be like and quoting again drom the review of 1984 by Asimov offers some light in this regard when he claims
                                                                    In short, Big Brothers do die, or at least they have so far, and when
                                                                    they die, the government changes, always for the milder.
                                                                    I'm not convinced and my worry is that just as Turmp's tenure has been defined by a series of exercises where he walks up to a line that everyone knows cannot be crossed , crosses it and then runs back claiming he didn't really cross the line etc. ad nauseam. The next time they rent themselves out to someone who sees truth, decency and democracy as enemies to be removed those lines that cannot be crossed have already disappeared.
                                                                    Dangerous times ahead
                                                                    Turning millions into thousands

                                                                    Comment


                                                                      Originally posted by Strewelpeter View Post

                                                                      Really?
                                                                      I noticed it was acting up a bit this morning, (messages from laptop weren't getting out but desktop and phne were ok) its the first time I've had any issues with it.
                                                                      Mostly it works great and is way ahead of any of it competitors IMO
                                                                      I downloaded the app and set up an account on my phone last week. Added my phone number. Realised then that my main work email address wasn't linked to it. Wouldn't let me link it saying it's an invalid email address. wtf?

                                                                      Tried to set up a new account but couldn't link my phone number to it, as it was already in use. Went in and removed my phone number from the original one. It still won't let me create a new account saying 'that numer is already is use'.

                                                                      Now when I try to log back in to the original account it asks to add a phone number, but tells me the number I removed is 'already in use'.

                                                                      Tells me to login with my phone number.

                                                                      I log in with my fucking phone number and it asks me to add a phone number to the account. Won't let me past that stage. 'This number is already in use'

                                                                      A fucking piece of shit that I've wasted far too much time on today.

                                                                      I've a meeting scheduled for 11am tomorrow with some guys in The Netherlands. If they send me the link to the meeting, will it be possible for me to click it and join, without the need for an account?
                                                                      I hold silver in tit for tat, and I love you for that

                                                                      Comment


                                                                        hospcases.JPG Looks like we'll have double the peak from last April of people in hospital with covid by tomorrow
                                                                        Attached Files
                                                                        Gone full 'Glinner' since June 2022.

                                                                        Comment


                                                                          Originally posted by Strewelpeter View Post
                                                                          In Orwells book the TV is a two way device that is watching you which at the time had many catogorise the book a SF, Asimov argues against this correctly on a number fronts but I find it amusing that he misses how computing would develop when he says
                                                                          The TV as described sounds like a SF element
                                                                          to me, but that doesn’t necessarily make the entire book SF.
                                                                          Asimov certainly get the genre significant thought.


                                                                          He comments at the end, to me, as if they are specific to his review of the story. “non-human surveillance” alludes essentially to AI computers observing the TV cameras in “1984”. Which certainly solves the logistical issues.
                                                                          Statement about tyranny and technology reads to me as what’s not necessarily the case, but not what won’t or can’t be the case.

                                                                          I’m sure at some point Asimov would have predicted his own version of 2000, 2050 or something.

                                                                          Comment


                                                                            Originally posted by Hectorjelly View Post

                                                                            Asimov was a world-class SF writer who spent his whole career exploring future worlds, and he was judging 1984 based on his own set of standards. Asimov was great at thinking through the mechanics of how new technology would change the universe, that was his forte. 1984 is more about the present than the past, yes the technology wasn't as well thought out as in Asimov's work, but then 1984 contained more humanity than all of Asimov's works put together.
                                                                            I’m familiar with Asimov, his work, rules and thoughts on the definition of SF. I was a little disingenuous, I wasn’t really assuming he understood.
                                                                            But I genuinely knew very little of 1984. Other that it’s a dystopian totalitarian alternative future.

                                                                            Comment


                                                                              Originally posted by Lazare View Post

                                                                              I downloaded the app and set up an account on my phone last week. Added my phone number. Realised then that my main work email address wasn't linked to it. Wouldn't let me link it saying it's an invalid email address. wtf?

                                                                              Tried to set up a new account but couldn't link my phone number to it, as it was already in use. Went in and removed my phone number from the original one. It still won't let me create a new account saying 'that numer is already is use'.

                                                                              Now when I try to log back in to the original account it asks to add a phone number, but tells me the number I removed is 'already in use'.

                                                                              Tells me to login with my phone number.

                                                                              I log in with my fucking phone number and it asks me to add a phone number to the account. Won't let me past that stage. 'This number is already in use'

                                                                              A fucking piece of shit that I've wasted far too much time on today.

                                                                              I've a meeting scheduled for 11am tomorrow with some guys in The Netherlands. If they send me the link to the meeting, will it be possible for me to click it and join, without the need for an account?
                                                                              It’s possibly you couldn’t add your work email due to how your work email set up. It’s not like signing up to Twitter with a random email. It fully integrates to Outlook which is probably controlled by your IT department.
                                                                              If it doesn’t recognise your outlook email address. It might be an alias, and your account uses a different log on.

                                                                              Delete one if the accounts. But unless your whole workplace/team is isn’t it. It won’t be much use.

                                                                              But it’s all good. You can click the link and join via a web browser as a guest.

                                                                              Comment


                                                                                Snow by John Banville - distinctly underwhelmed and in no rush to finish. However he does have a nice turn of phrase which makes it readable at least.

                                                                                The Last by Hanna Jameson - post apocalyptic whodunnit, reasonably entertaining. Quite a young author which may explain some of the less than nuanced decisions taken by some of the survivors.

                                                                                Anyone read any good bukes lately?


                                                                                Apart from A Gentleman in Moscow which I do intend to get to at some point.


                                                                                Someone mentioned the Stand recently-would recommend
                                                                                Also by Stephen King - The Gunslinger and The Drawing of the Three - get these 2 and you will be hooked for the series.
                                                                                Last edited by dinekes; 12-01-21, 13:30.

                                                                                Comment


                                                                                  Originally posted by ComradeCollie View Post
                                                                                  hospcases.JPG Looks like we'll have double the peak from last April of people in hospital with covid by tomorrow
                                                                                  BUY!
                                                                                  "We're not f*cking Burundi" - Big Phil

                                                                                  Comment


                                                                                    Originally posted by Kayroo View Post

                                                                                    Worth remembering that a lot of the centrist/moderate Republicans were primaried. The guys there now all know that there's a sizeable chunk of the US electorate who want them to act this way. Certainly enough for them to have strong incentives to pander to the more insane end of the conservative/right/rapidly approaching fascist Republican base. The problem here isn't the Republicans entirely. The insane bubble of right-wing media has exerted a remarkable control over huge swathes of the US population. This has primed them for this. The people who get elected then have to speak to the issues that Fox initially and now the even weirder right wing media outlets (OAN etc) have pumped into the minds of their viewers. The idea starts with the information and disinformation pumped into homes. Then those people elect politicians who speak to those same ideas. The Republican party is thus being filled with conspiracy theorists, climate change deniers and people like Matt Gaetz who is objectively one of the worst politicians I've ever seen. He takes being disingenuous and wilfully stupid to an artform.

                                                                                    What you're seeing in the make up of the Republican party is not the cause, it's the effect. The real cause is the right wing media, which is WHY they've made attacking real media a centrepiece of their platform. Liars always accuse others of lying first. Then when the counter-accusation comes it seems petty. It's a very old trick and it really works.
                                                                                    Agreed. But what is the end game for the media outlets your are referring to? Russian involvement on social media might be an effort to destabilase an enemy\competitor. That I can understand. But whos or what agenda is driving the right-wing media? Might they just be tapping into and reflecting the true feeling of their target market?

                                                                                    I think traditional media trying to keep up with social media and having to eschew any type of moderate position, might have something to do with it.
                                                                                    Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product. ~Eleanor Roosevelt

                                                                                    Comment


                                                                                      Originally posted by Lazare View Post
                                                                                      Jesus Microsoft Teams is a colossal piece of garbage.

                                                                                      Baffling that such a prominent tech firm can create something so bad, so clunky and user unfriendly.
                                                                                      I find it about as good as these things get.
                                                                                      Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product. ~Eleanor Roosevelt

                                                                                      Comment


                                                                                        Originally posted by ArmaniJeans View Post
                                                                                        My Mam got her 'measles vaccine' today in the home, so she can go back to school.
                                                                                        Dementia is a very rotten thing really. Hopefully with all staff and patients done they'll be able to relax the regime a little.

                                                                                        Jesus AJ, that's tough to read, let along go through. Hope you are holding up OK!

                                                                                        Comment


                                                                                          Originally posted by dinekes View Post
                                                                                          Snow by John Banville - distinctly underwhelmed and in no rush to finish. However he does have a nice turn of phrase which makes it readable at least.
                                                                                          if this is on me, the 'Snow I recommended is the one by Orhan Pamuk
                                                                                          "We are not Europeans. Those people on the continent are freaks."

                                                                                          Comment


                                                                                            Originally posted by Lazare View Post

                                                                                            I've a meeting scheduled for 11am tomorrow with some guys in The Netherlands. If they send me the link to the meeting, will it be possible for me to click it and join, without the need for an account?
                                                                                            Yeah you will

                                                                                            Sign on with multiple accounts is a MS wide problem, difficult to mix work and home accounts ok best option is to ringfence MS for work using single sign on and Google for personal
                                                                                            Turning millions into thousands

                                                                                            Comment


                                                                                              Person that works for me went for a Covid test this morning - They sit in the same office as me, albeit, we are spaced out a minimum of 2 meters apart.

                                                                                              Last Wednesday morning they advised us that their daughter had got symptoms so they were told to stay at home despite them having no symptoms. Daughter was confirmed with Covid on Friday.

                                                                                              Work colleague started to get symptoms on Sunday and had test this morning, awaiting results but I find it hard to see it will be anything other than a positive result.

                                                                                              Looking at the time lines, it is completely possible that they had it before last Wednesday (when they were in the office) with the symptoms only showing up Sunday.

                                                                                              As people in work have had no contact with them within 48 hours of them getting symptoms, we're not deemed to be close contacts and hopefully that will be the end of it but it really is a complete and utter mind fuck.

                                                                                              I have to be in/out with my Dad quite a bit (even more since level 5 kicked in) and Mrs Lao Lao has had to do a bit for her Dad since new Years as he had a big blood pressure problem that saw him temporarily lose his sight in one eye - It's almost fully back now but he is somewhat restricted in what he can do - We will both need to be extra vigilant over the next week to 10 days minimum.

                                                                                              I've zoned out of the news a lot since last March as it was just too depressing but are they reporting on the numbers vaccinated on a daily basis so people can see the progress they are making?

                                                                                              Comment


                                                                                                Originally posted by Lao Lao View Post
                                                                                                I've zoned out of the news a lot since last March as it was just too depressing but are they reporting on the numbers vaccinated on a daily basis so people can see the progress they are making?
                                                                                                giving weekly numbers as far as I can see, think it was 35k last week

                                                                                                we seem to be slow getting out of the blocks on vaccination (i.e. we're vaccinating less people than we are getting doses for) but that seems to be a problem everywhere. FWIW, Mrs D3, who gets insight into such things thinks it will be ramped us massively by Q2 with mass vaccination centres.
                                                                                                "We are not Europeans. Those people on the continent are freaks."

                                                                                                Comment


                                                                                                  Originally posted by Lao Lao View Post

                                                                                                  I've zoned out of the news a lot since last March as it was just too depressing but are they reporting on the numbers vaccinated on a daily basis so people can see the progress they are making?
                                                                                                  Vaccinated numbers coming through weekly only, on Thursday I think. 35k done last week.
                                                                                                  Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product. ~Eleanor Roosevelt

                                                                                                  Comment


                                                                                                    Interesting report from Nature on a recent study on the characteristics of Covid vax resistant folk in Ireland and UK. Lol Nordies and SF'ers.

                                                                                                    Comment


                                                                                                      If I did a jog beyond the 5km limit I'd be trying to find cops to quiz me so I could brag about it. YES OFFICER , I live all the way back there . Not bad eh ? . Some people cant even walk that.

                                                                                                      Comment


                                                                                                        On the vaccine. Do folk who've beat the virus get vaccinated?

                                                                                                        Comment


                                                                                                          Originally posted by Strewelpeter View Post

                                                                                                          In Orwells book the TV is a two way device that is watching you which at the time had many catogorise the book a SF, Asimov argues against this correctly on a number fronts but I find it amusing that he misses how computing would develop when he says



                                                                                                          There is a lot to unpack there in terms of how now citizens of the capitalist west are volunteering their lives to be the object of surveillence at the behest of corporations while actively resisting sharing data with the state andon the other hand we have the way China and some other states use data to observe its citizens.

                                                                                                          The review as a whole is a really great piece of writing IMO.
                                                                                                          Clearly you're a BezosBot: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-No...A1G3UP32AZJ14F

                                                                                                          No matter what PSV says 2e for all Orwell's works is good value.

                                                                                                          Comment


                                                                                                            Originally posted by Wombatman View Post

                                                                                                            Agreed. But what is the end game for the media outlets your are referring to? Russian involvement on social media might be an effort to destabilase an enemy\competitor. That I can understand. But whos or what agenda is driving the right-wing media? Might they just be tapping into and reflecting the true feeling of their target market?

                                                                                                            I think traditional media trying to keep up with social media and having to eschew any type of moderate position, might have something to do with it.
                                                                                                            Well it's a gradual thing. There was always a conservative movement in the US, of course there was.

                                                                                                            Fox pandered to that. They started doing stories that riled conservatives up and kept them watching. The constant narrative that "ABC, CBS, NBC are lying to you or only telling you their version of the truth but here at Fox we are fair and balanced" worked its way in to people's belief system. Fox lived to drum up controversy and, explicitly in many instances, to push Republican talking points and candidates. This became circular. The candidates needed Fox and so they started to tailor themselves to suit a Fox audience.

                                                                                                            Facebook groups then started pandering to the same people except that was free-range crazy. Not even the sheen of editorial control. Once Russian and other state and non-state actors start using false information on those closed FB groups they push the narrative further and further. Fox actually has to react to this by moving the same way. Their hosts get crazier and wilder until guys like Chris Wallace start criticising their own network on the air for some of the misinformation.

                                                                                                            Simultaneously, seeing there is (unbelievably) room to the right of Fox News, other media groups like OAN pop up and start pandering directly to Trump and, through him, to his base. And they get viewers. Which brings in money. So now it's a rock rolling down a hill. You don't need to keep it going. You don't need a continuing motivation. The profit incentive from any large group willing to spend money is enough as it is, not to mention the momentum of this whole enterprise.

                                                                                                            The traditional media have taken different approaches. MSNBC has gone the way of Fox for the left, I grant you. But the rest of the news orgs, including CNN, still have moderate positions. It's just that when one side moves so far to the right, it makes the former middle look like it's on the left. The media has not moved from very slightly centre-left (where it's always been as a whole, albeit with plenty of explicitly left and right parts to it). The centrist, straight media orgs. are still moderates. It's just the formerly right have become WAY right. That's what's skewed the perception.

                                                                                                            You are technically correct...the best kind of correct
                                                                                                            World Record Holder for Long Distance Soul Reads: May 7th 2011

                                                                                                            Comment


                                                                                                              There will be 700,000 vaccinated (20% or so of eligible people as under 18s aren't eligible) by the end of March. Thats the slow start done with then. Slow because of vaccine arrival (we were only getting about 40k vaccines a week, now 55,000k). But that should include your father.

                                                                                                              After that point we'll have about 20% of the population being vaccinated every month, dependent on one last vaccine by Johnson and Johnson being approved (results of that vaccine trial announced today, fingers crossed).

                                                                                                              It'll all be a distant memory by the summer thankfully.

                                                                                                              It is unfortunately looking like we will be shut down until the end of March though (the idea being mooted now is an Easter reopening - April 4th). That fits also with the idea of getting all the most vulnerable vaccinated by then.

                                                                                                              While MrsRD clearly knows better than me, I'd imagine we will all mainly get our vaccine in the likes of Boots, rather than in mass vaccination sites. Not least because Boots already has the system set up for flu vaccinations.

                                                                                                              "We're not f*cking Burundi" - Big Phil

                                                                                                              Comment


                                                                                                                "We're not f*cking Burundi" - Big Phil

                                                                                                                Comment


                                                                                                                  Originally posted by Raoul Duke III View Post

                                                                                                                  giving weekly numbers as far as I can see, think it was 35k last week

                                                                                                                  we seem to be slow getting out of the blocks on vaccination (i.e. we're vaccinating less people than we are getting doses for) but that seems to be a problem everywhere. FWIW, Mrs D3, who gets insight into such things thinks it will be ramped us massively by Q2 with mass vaccination centres.
                                                                                                                  Just on this, I think that was just an initial thing because they wanted a bit of emergency stock in case there was any interruptions to supply.
                                                                                                                  "We're not f*cking Burundi" - Big Phil

                                                                                                                  Comment


                                                                                                                    Originally posted by Hitchhiker's Guide To... View Post

                                                                                                                    Just on this, I think that was just an initial thing because they wanted a bit of emergency stock in case there was any interruptions to supply.
                                                                                                                    It was mentioned on PrimeTime last week that they were stockpiling a certain amount to ensure that in the event of problems with the supply chain, those who received a 1st dose would be guaranteed their 2nd dose so 1st wasn't an effective waste.

                                                                                                                    Comment


                                                                                                                      Originally posted by Hitchhiker's Guide To... View Post
                                                                                                                      this will make my daughter feel better about forgetting the password to her tablet and having to do a factory reset

                                                                                                                      There absolutely must be firms that could crack this?
                                                                                                                      "We are not Europeans. Those people on the continent are freaks."

                                                                                                                      Comment


                                                                                                                        If there is new uk South African strains of this flu virus will the vaccine be effective anyone here not to keen on the vaccine? I think if you are elderly or have underlying medical conditions it should be taken healthy young seems a little wasteful. We are basically at war afraid to leave our houses and economy in tatters because of bat eating cunts from China .

                                                                                                                        Comment


                                                                                                                          Originally posted by Murdrum View Post

                                                                                                                          It was mentioned on PrimeTime last week that they were stockpiling a certain amount to ensure that in the event of problems with the supply chain, those who received a 1st dose would be guaranteed their 2nd dose so 1st wasn't an effective waste.
                                                                                                                          They've changed their mind on this somewhat

                                                                                                                          Gone full 'Glinner' since June 2022.

                                                                                                                          Comment

                                                                                                                          Working...
                                                                                                                          X