Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. Sign in or register to get started.

YouGov CON members poll has Truss 24% ahead – politicalbetting.com

123457»

Comments

  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 122,276
    Leon said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Leon said:

    ANOTHER theory


    We are about to develop true AI (as I have, ahem, been saying for a while). This means civilisations out there which are AI are now taking a keen interest in our new GPT-baby, the way dogs particularly check out other dogs, or teens pay attention to teens


    https://thedebrief.org/could-uap-have-kinship-to-our-ai-systems/

    There is a fabulous article on The Verge about writers using GPT-3 to knock books out quicker:

    https://www.theverge.com/c/23194235/ai-fiction-writing-amazon-kindle-sudowrite-jasper
    My guess is that we are about 10-15 years from AI being able to write better than any human, and that is the end of literature as we know it. Ditto much music, art, and the rest

    I'm almost glad I'm nearer the end of my knapping career than the beginning
    Though only from the range they are programmed for
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 62,401
    Andy_JS said:
    Sunak is value there. Defo. Based on the "events dear boy" model.

    If some serious shite comes out of the closet about Leeds Comp Girl then all bets are off.

    I'm not saying it will but at those odds...
  • FairlieredFairliered Posts: 4,874
    HYUFD said:

    Leon said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Leon said:

    ANOTHER theory


    We are about to develop true AI (as I have, ahem, been saying for a while). This means civilisations out there which are AI are now taking a keen interest in our new GPT-baby, the way dogs particularly check out other dogs, or teens pay attention to teens


    https://thedebrief.org/could-uap-have-kinship-to-our-ai-systems/

    There is a fabulous article on The Verge about writers using GPT-3 to knock books out quicker:

    https://www.theverge.com/c/23194235/ai-fiction-writing-amazon-kindle-sudowrite-jasper
    My guess is that we are about 10-15 years from AI being able to write better than any human, and that is the end of literature as we know it. Ditto much music, art, and the rest

    I'm almost glad I'm nearer the end of my knapping career than the beginning
    Though only from the range they are programmed for
    Let’s hope they’re programmed for Prog Rock and heavy metal, and not cheesy pop or disco.
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 32,170
    Odd how the boring Swedes and Swiss never seem to spot any UFOs.
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 62,401

    Leon said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Leon said:

    ANOTHER theory


    We are about to develop true AI (as I have, ahem, been saying for a while). This means civilisations out there which are AI are now taking a keen interest in our new GPT-baby, the way dogs particularly check out other dogs, or teens pay attention to teens


    https://thedebrief.org/could-uap-have-kinship-to-our-ai-systems/

    There is a fabulous article on The Verge about writers using GPT-3 to knock books out quicker:

    https://www.theverge.com/c/23194235/ai-fiction-writing-amazon-kindle-sudowrite-jasper
    My guess is that we are about 10-15 years from AI being able to write better than any human, and that is the end of literature as we know it. Ditto much music, art, and the rest

    I'm almost glad I'm nearer the end of my knapping career than the beginning
    I noted the other day that DALLE-2 now runs on a credit system whose output you own the IP and are free to monetarise.
    So now you just need to put a Python script together to feed snippets from the works of Shakespeare to DALLE-2 and sell the resulting images as NFTs.
    Surely the photos of the nubiles bathing taken from a hotel window in Macedonia will make more in the long run?
  • FairlieredFairliered Posts: 4,874

    Leon said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Leon said:

    ANOTHER theory


    We are about to develop true AI (as I have, ahem, been saying for a while). This means civilisations out there which are AI are now taking a keen interest in our new GPT-baby, the way dogs particularly check out other dogs, or teens pay attention to teens


    https://thedebrief.org/could-uap-have-kinship-to-our-ai-systems/

    There is a fabulous article on The Verge about writers using GPT-3 to knock books out quicker:

    https://www.theverge.com/c/23194235/ai-fiction-writing-amazon-kindle-sudowrite-jasper
    My guess is that we are about 10-15 years from AI being able to write better than any human, and that is the end of literature as we know it. Ditto much music, art, and the rest

    I'm almost glad I'm nearer the end of my knapping career than the beginning
    I noted the other day that DALLE-2 now runs on a credit system whose output you own the IP and are free to monetarise.
    So now you just need to put a Python script together to feed snippets from the works of Shakespeare to DALLE-2 and sell the resulting images as NFTs.
    Surely the photos of the nubiles bathing taken from a hotel window in Macedonia will make more in the long run?
    Only on the dark web.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 54,677

    Leon said:

    "China claims it has spotted signs of alien civilisations"

    https://www.indy100.com/science-tech/china-alien-sighting-civilization-ufos

    LOL. China just trying to catch up with the West?

    "We saw them first"
    "Sources have told me that other countries have reached out to us since the June UAP report was released. China has established its own UAP task force. South America is active in investigating UAP. International cooperation among government officials and among scientists is crucial in moving forward."

    https://www.space.com/ufos-are-real-leslie-kean-interview


    Unless the entire world has gone mad, this is it, Disclosure. Slowly done: but disclosure
  • Andy_JS said:

    Odd how the boring Swedes and Swiss never seem to spot any UFOs.

    Just boring posters on here
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 62,401
    Leon said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Leon said:

    ANOTHER theory


    We are about to develop true AI (as I have, ahem, been saying for a while). This means civilisations out there which are AI are now taking a keen interest in our new GPT-baby, the way dogs particularly check out other dogs, or teens pay attention to teens


    https://thedebrief.org/could-uap-have-kinship-to-our-ai-systems/

    There is a fabulous article on The Verge about writers using GPT-3 to knock books out quicker:

    https://www.theverge.com/c/23194235/ai-fiction-writing-amazon-kindle-sudowrite-jasper
    My guess is that we are about 10-15 years from AI being able to write better than any human, and that is the end of literature as we know it. Ditto much music, art, and the rest

    I'm almost glad I'm nearer the end of my knapping career than the beginning
    This argument falls down on the "write better" parameter. What does that mean?

    The answer has kept several thousand years of readers, critics and academics debating. So how will we know when the AI has done it?
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 62,401

    Andy_JS said:

    Odd how the boring Swedes and Swiss never seem to spot any UFOs.

    Just boring posters on here
    If you had just flown seventeen billion miles of space to get here would you put Sweden near the top of your tourist visits?
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 51,320
    The Hungarian foreign minister looking very friendly with Sergey Lavrov...

    https://twitter.com/erdelyipe/status/1550153977563697152

    image
  • TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 42,753
    "Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks! rage! blow!
    You cataracts and hurricanoes, spout
    Till you have drench'd our steeples, drown'd the cocks!
    You sulphurous and thought-executing fires,
    Vaunt-couriers to oak-cleaving thunderbolts,
    Singe my white head! And thou, all-shaking thunder,
    Smite flat the thick rotundity o' the world!
    Crack nature's moulds, an germens spill at once,
    That make ingrateful man!"

    "There once was a lady from Dallas,
    Who used dynamite for a phallus.
    They found her vagina
    In North Carolina
    And her asshole in Buckingham Palace."


    Yeah I can see AI doing that any time soon.

  • FairlieredFairliered Posts: 4,874

    Andy_JS said:

    Odd how the boring Swedes and Swiss never seem to spot any UFOs.

    Just boring posters on here
    If you had just flown seventeen billion miles of space to get here would you put Sweden near the top of your tourist visits?
    Why wouldn’t you? Where would you visit instead?
  • LeonLeon Posts: 54,677

    Leon said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Leon said:

    ANOTHER theory


    We are about to develop true AI (as I have, ahem, been saying for a while). This means civilisations out there which are AI are now taking a keen interest in our new GPT-baby, the way dogs particularly check out other dogs, or teens pay attention to teens


    https://thedebrief.org/could-uap-have-kinship-to-our-ai-systems/

    There is a fabulous article on The Verge about writers using GPT-3 to knock books out quicker:

    https://www.theverge.com/c/23194235/ai-fiction-writing-amazon-kindle-sudowrite-jasper
    My guess is that we are about 10-15 years from AI being able to write better than any human, and that is the end of literature as we know it. Ditto much music, art, and the rest

    I'm almost glad I'm nearer the end of my knapping career than the beginning
    This argument falls down on the "write better" parameter. What does that mean?

    The answer has kept several thousand years of readers, critics and academics debating. So how will we know when the AI has done it?
    Because it will sell more
  • wooliedyedwooliedyed Posts: 10,037
    edited July 2022
    Tonights by elections saw a Labour hold in Morecambe with a big challenge from the LDs who picked up pretty much all the 40% as new entrants from localists and greens who stood down, and it saw a small swing Con to Lab since 2019. 2 Tory holds, one in S Staffs by just 10 votes from the LDs but the ward has returned Tories unopposed since 2011 so cannot draw much info from that and a hold in Nuneaton with a small swing to their only opponents Labour, the 17% ftom the greens in 2019 who did not stand effectively broke 12 to 5 to Lab but not enough to win, i suspect the Tories will be very pleased to hold that, it suggests their recent strength in Nuneaton is just about holding.
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 62,401

    Andy_JS said:

    Odd how the boring Swedes and Swiss never seem to spot any UFOs.

    Just boring posters on here
    If you had just flown seventeen billion miles of space to get here would you put Sweden near the top of your tourist visits?
    Why wouldn’t you? Where would you visit instead?
    Macedonia is rammed with beautiful young women in very little clothing apparently.

  • TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 42,753
    There is of course the sand on the beach theory of aliens.

    When you go to the beach and are sitting on the sand, say, two feet away from you and two feet down into the sand could be an ant colony. You would never see or know about it despite being close to it.

    The aliens could be in the vicinity, cosmic-wise but they never bother to investigate the tiny part that is our planet.
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 28,190

    I'm calling it: Truss will be PM longer than Cameron.

    Please show your workings out.
    Assuming of course each prior step is fulfilled then:

    75% Truss becomes PM
    95% Truss survives until next election
    50% Truss wins next election.
    80% Truss survives from winning next election until 2028 crossover date versus Cameron.

    75 * 95 * 50 * 80 = 28.5% chance in my eyes. Though the 50% is my biggest uncertainty.
    I wasn't asking for a timeline. I could have just about worked that out for myself. My request was how does she do it in the face of an horrific economic outlook?
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 32,170

    The Hungarian foreign minister looking very friendly with Sergey Lavrov...

    https://twitter.com/erdelyipe/status/1550153977563697152

    image

    99% of Hungarian gas supply comes from Russia.
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 81,457
    edited July 2022
    The Channel 4 news hit piece on Sunak, they clearly think they are smashing the rich privileged posho...but actually I think it was a very inspiring story of immigrant parents working super hard, themselves succeeding while doing everything they could to give their child the best possible start (and by the sounds of it stretching themselves to send him to Winchester) and in return he has gone on to even bigger and better things.

    In the US, that would be celebrated.
  • EPGEPG Posts: 6,644
    But you can't just marry a billionaire, keep her shielded from UK tax, and promise to become an American, while also proclaiming fiscal rectitude. Do the voters get this?
  • DecrepiterJohnLDecrepiterJohnL Posts: 27,575

    Betfair next prime minister
    1.55 Liz Truss 65%
    2.84 Rishi Sunak 35%

    Next Conservative leader
    1.53 Liz Truss 65%
    2.88 Rishi Sunak 35%

    Betfair next prime minister
    1.49 Liz Truss 67%
    3 Rishi Sunak 33%

    Next Conservative leader
    1.48 Liz Truss 68%
    3 Rishi Sunak 33%
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 56,926
    An excellent story about the challenges of nuclear in a warning world:

    https://www.wired.com/story/nuclear-power-plants-struggling-to-stay-cool/
  • DecrepiterJohnLDecrepiterJohnL Posts: 27,575
    rcs1000 said:

    An excellent story about the challenges of nuclear in a warning world:

    https://www.wired.com/story/nuclear-power-plants-struggling-to-stay-cool/

    That is because they made the mistake of building nuclear power stations, rather than adopting the British view that nuclear power stations are for announcing, not building. This does of course mean we have time to consider the implications of less water and more global warming. Whether we have the inclination...
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 42,205
    rcs1000 said:

    An excellent story about the challenges of nuclear in a warning world:

    https://www.wired.com/story/nuclear-power-plants-struggling-to-stay-cool/

    At least one riverine power plants in the UK used to take the water out of the river downstream, and put it back in upsteeam. They did this so at times of low flow, there was enough water in the system. It has the downside of meaning that in times of low flow, the same water is recycled many times, increasing the temperature of the water and decreasing the plant's thermal efficiency.
  • kamskikamski Posts: 5,125
    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    "China claims it has spotted signs of alien civilisations"

    https://www.indy100.com/science-tech/china-alien-sighting-civilization-ufos

    LOL. China just trying to catch up with the West?

    "We saw them first"
    "Sources have told me that other countries have reached out to us since the June UAP report was released. China has established its own UAP task force. South America is active in investigating UAP. International cooperation among government officials and among scientists is crucial in moving forward."

    https://www.space.com/ufos-are-real-leslie-kean-interview


    Unless the entire world has gone mad, this is it, Disclosure. Slowly done: but disclosure
    As it becomes clear that we are heading towards a kind of collective suicide, people are desperate to believe anything. It's just another way to stick your head in the sand.
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 42,205
    kamski said:

    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    "China claims it has spotted signs of alien civilisations"

    https://www.indy100.com/science-tech/china-alien-sighting-civilization-ufos

    LOL. China just trying to catch up with the West?

    "We saw them first"
    "Sources have told me that other countries have reached out to us since the June UAP report was released. China has established its own UAP task force. South America is active in investigating UAP. International cooperation among government officials and among scientists is crucial in moving forward."

    https://www.space.com/ufos-are-real-leslie-kean-interview


    Unless the entire world has gone mad, this is it, Disclosure. Slowly done: but disclosure
    As it becomes clear that we are heading towards a kind of collective suicide, people are desperate to believe anything. It's just another way to stick your head in the sand.
    Are there aliens? IMV, yes.
    So they fly around interstellar space? Possibly, but unlikely.
    Are they on Earth? No.
    Do they fly around our skies in curious ways? No.
    Are militaries interested in strange things seen in the sky? Yes.
    Do mass hysterias exist? Yes.
    Is Leon prone to mass hysteria? I'll leave that up to the reader to decide. ;)

    I could easily be wrong, but I don't think I am.
  • DecrepiterJohnLDecrepiterJohnL Posts: 27,575
    What did the government do on 'take out the trash day'?
    The last day before MPs break up for the summer is the perfect opportunity for politicians to bury bad news.

    https://news.sky.com/story/what-did-the-government-do-on-take-out-the-trash-day-12656476

    The story includes:-

    The report on the Home Office's response to Channel crossings by an independent inspector, which was handed to Priti Patel five months ago, but only published now

    The bungled bribery probe by the SFO, relating to oil contracts in Iraq worth billions

    the highest number of crimes in 20 years, with sharp increases in fraud, rape and violence

    The UK's soaring Brexit divorce bill, up from £37.3bn a year ago to £42.5bn

    Britain will send scores of artillery guns and more than 1,600 anti-tank weapons in the latest supply of arms.

    And how things were worse under David Cameron, and George Osborne's family life.
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 42,205
    A really random off-topic question for peeps: my son has asked to learn trigonometry over the summer, and I'm looking for a computer web app or program that allows you to code drawing: a but like RISC OS's !Draw package / BASIC interface.

    e.g. MOVE 50,50 DRAW 100,100 POINT 200,200

    Most drawing packages (e.g. Inkscape) are fully interactive and do not have a textual interface.

    I've been looking. but I cannot find something. I could do it on a webpage using canvas or SVG, but that doesn't quite have the immediacy I'd like.

    Anyone got any ideas?
  • DecrepiterJohnLDecrepiterJohnL Posts: 27,575
    Penny Mordaunt conspiracy theorists have been blaming Rishi for lending votes to Truss in order to set up a runoff with a beatable opponent.

    But Andrew Marr suggests to the New Statesman that it was Team Big Dog who orchestrated the Mail's hit job on Mordaunt because they see Liz Truss as their champion to beat the evil, backstabbing, front-stabbing, Boris-stabbing Rishi Sunak.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dH7CaSYMH2Q
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 56,926

    A really random off-topic question for peeps: my son has asked to learn trigonometry over the summer, and I'm looking for a computer web app or program that allows you to code drawing: a but like RISC OS's !Draw package / BASIC interface.

    e.g. MOVE 50,50 DRAW 100,100 POINT 200,200

    Most drawing packages (e.g. Inkscape) are fully interactive and do not have a textual interface.

    I've been looking. but I cannot find something. I could do it on a webpage using canvas or SVG, but that doesn't quite have the immediacy I'd like.

    Anyone got any ideas?

    What about jupyter interactive notebooks on Python
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 56,926

    kamski said:

    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    "China claims it has spotted signs of alien civilisations"

    https://www.indy100.com/science-tech/china-alien-sighting-civilization-ufos

    LOL. China just trying to catch up with the West?

    "We saw them first"
    "Sources have told me that other countries have reached out to us since the June UAP report was released. China has established its own UAP task force. South America is active in investigating UAP. International cooperation among government officials and among scientists is crucial in moving forward."

    https://www.space.com/ufos-are-real-leslie-kean-interview


    Unless the entire world has gone mad, this is it, Disclosure. Slowly done: but disclosure
    As it becomes clear that we are heading towards a kind of collective suicide, people are desperate to believe anything. It's just another way to stick your head in the sand.
    Are there aliens? IMV, yes.
    So they fly around interstellar space? Possibly, but unlikely.
    Are they on Earth? No.
    Do they fly around our skies in curious ways? No.
    Are militaries interested in strange things seen in the sky? Yes.
    Do mass hysterias exist? Yes.
    Is Leon prone to mass hysteria? I'll leave that up to the reader to decide. ;)

    I could easily be wrong, but I don't think I am.
    I don't think most people truly understand the vastness of space.
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 42,205
    rcs1000 said:

    A really random off-topic question for peeps: my son has asked to learn trigonometry over the summer, and I'm looking for a computer web app or program that allows you to code drawing: a but like RISC OS's !Draw package / BASIC interface.

    e.g. MOVE 50,50 DRAW 100,100 POINT 200,200

    Most drawing packages (e.g. Inkscape) are fully interactive and do not have a textual interface.

    I've been looking. but I cannot find something. I could do it on a webpage using canvas or SVG, but that doesn't quite have the immediacy I'd like.

    Anyone got any ideas?

    What about jupyter interactive notebooks on Python
    Thanks - that looks as though it might be ideal.

    PB can be wonderful at times.
  • TomsToms Posts: 2,478

    A really random off-topic question for peeps: my son has asked to learn trigonometry over the summer, and I'm looking for a computer web app or program that allows you to code drawing: a but like RISC OS's !Draw package / BASIC interface.

    e.g. MOVE 50,50 DRAW 100,100 POINT 200,200

    Most drawing packages (e.g. Inkscape) are fully interactive and do not have a textual interface.

    I've been looking. but I cannot find something. I could do it on a webpage using canvas or SVG, but that doesn't quite have the immediacy I'd like.

    Anyone got any ideas?

    seventy years ago plane geometry was my 1st taste of maths. I loved it. We used a book & pencil and paper, a compass, and a straight edge.
    This looks pretty good. but there will be others.
    https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/33063
  • IshmaelZIshmaelZ Posts: 21,830
    rcs1000 said:

    kamski said:

    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    "China claims it has spotted signs of alien civilisations"

    https://www.indy100.com/science-tech/china-alien-sighting-civilization-ufos

    LOL. China just trying to catch up with the West?

    "We saw them first"
    "Sources have told me that other countries have reached out to us since the June UAP report was released. China has established its own UAP task force. South America is active in investigating UAP. International cooperation among government officials and among scientists is crucial in moving forward."

    https://www.space.com/ufos-are-real-leslie-kean-interview


    Unless the entire world has gone mad, this is it, Disclosure. Slowly done: but disclosure
    As it becomes clear that we are heading towards a kind of collective suicide, people are desperate to believe anything. It's just another way to stick your head in the sand.
    Are there aliens? IMV, yes.
    So they fly around interstellar space? Possibly, but unlikely.
    Are they on Earth? No.
    Do they fly around our skies in curious ways? No.
    Are militaries interested in strange things seen in the sky? Yes.
    Do mass hysterias exist? Yes.
    Is Leon prone to mass hysteria? I'll leave that up to the reader to decide. ;)

    I could easily be wrong, but I don't think I am.
    I don't think most people truly understand the vastness of space.
    Anyone who thinks he understands it, doesn't understand it. A light minute is a virtually unimaginable distance, never mind a light year, and people talk about the local group of galaxies.
  • kamskikamski Posts: 5,125
    rcs1000 said:

    kamski said:

    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    "China claims it has spotted signs of alien civilisations"

    https://www.indy100.com/science-tech/china-alien-sighting-civilization-ufos

    LOL. China just trying to catch up with the West?

    "We saw them first"
    "Sources have told me that other countries have reached out to us since the June UAP report was released. China has established its own UAP task force. South America is active in investigating UAP. International cooperation among government officials and among scientists is crucial in moving forward."

    https://www.space.com/ufos-are-real-leslie-kean-interview


    Unless the entire world has gone mad, this is it, Disclosure. Slowly done: but disclosure
    As it becomes clear that we are heading towards a kind of collective suicide, people are desperate to believe anything. It's just another way to stick your head in the sand.
    Are there aliens? IMV, yes.
    So they fly around interstellar space? Possibly, but unlikely.
    Are they on Earth? No.
    Do they fly around our skies in curious ways? No.
    Are militaries interested in strange things seen in the sky? Yes.
    Do mass hysterias exist? Yes.
    Is Leon prone to mass hysteria? I'll leave that up to the reader to decide. ;)

    I could easily be wrong, but I don't think I am.
    I don't think most people truly understand the vastness of space.
    I think it's a long way down the road to the chemist. How does it compare to that?


    Of course, there's a chance that a few billion years ago life forms somewhere figured their planet would eventually die so sent out microbes to whichever planets looked like they might support life (which is how life here started), and have been trying to keep an eye on them ever since. Meanwhile they have developed inter stellar travel and are visiting us now because we have become interesting.
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 42,205
    IshmaelZ said:

    rcs1000 said:

    kamski said:

    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    "China claims it has spotted signs of alien civilisations"

    https://www.indy100.com/science-tech/china-alien-sighting-civilization-ufos

    LOL. China just trying to catch up with the West?

    "We saw them first"
    "Sources have told me that other countries have reached out to us since the June UAP report was released. China has established its own UAP task force. South America is active in investigating UAP. International cooperation among government officials and among scientists is crucial in moving forward."

    https://www.space.com/ufos-are-real-leslie-kean-interview


    Unless the entire world has gone mad, this is it, Disclosure. Slowly done: but disclosure
    As it becomes clear that we are heading towards a kind of collective suicide, people are desperate to believe anything. It's just another way to stick your head in the sand.
    Are there aliens? IMV, yes.
    So they fly around interstellar space? Possibly, but unlikely.
    Are they on Earth? No.
    Do they fly around our skies in curious ways? No.
    Are militaries interested in strange things seen in the sky? Yes.
    Do mass hysterias exist? Yes.
    Is Leon prone to mass hysteria? I'll leave that up to the reader to decide. ;)

    I could easily be wrong, but I don't think I am.
    I don't think most people truly understand the vastness of space.
    Anyone who thinks he understands it, doesn't understand it. A light minute is a virtually unimaginable distance, never mind a light year, and people talk about the local group of galaxies.
    Unless we believe there is intelligent life elsewhere in our solar system (Mars, Io, or wherever), then any aliens have to have travelled vast distances. Using physics as we currently know it, this involves vast amounts of energy and time, thus large generation-style ships that take decades or centuries just to reach the nearest star.

    If we say UFO aliens use physics we do not currently understand, capable of flinging small ships across the vast realms of space, then all bets are off. But that's a big leap. The next question is why? Why would they do it, and act in the way they are?

    This question was best answered by the excellent film 'Morons from Outer Space'... ;)

    The aliens are sightseeing morons.
  • DecrepiterJohnLDecrepiterJohnL Posts: 27,575

    Penny Mordaunt conspiracy theorists have been blaming Rishi for lending votes to Truss in order to set up a runoff with a beatable opponent.

    But Andrew Marr suggests to the New Statesman that it was Team Big Dog who orchestrated the Mail's hit job on Mordaunt because they see Liz Truss as their champion to beat the evil, backstabbing, front-stabbing, Boris-stabbing Rishi Sunak.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dH7CaSYMH2Q

    It is noticeable that Liz Truss has been complaining about the blob, a construct normally associated with Michael Gove and Dominic Cummings.
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 59,994
    rcs1000 said:

    I'm calling it: Truss will be PM longer than Cameron.

    Phew, that's an interesting bet:

    David Cameron was PM for just over six years, so from September 2022, that's September 2028.

    Which means she needs to win in (probably) May 2024, and then remain in power for a further four and a bit years.

    Far from impossible: it is, after all, just what John Major achieved.

    What odds will people offer?
    Well, Betfair offers 4/1 on a Conservative Majority at the next election, so that's about it assuming that parliament runs to terms and then she loses.

    Feels too short though.
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 48,480

    Andy_JS said:

    Odd how the boring Swedes and Swiss never seem to spot any UFOs.

    Just boring posters on here
    If you had just flown seventeen billion miles of space to get here would you put Sweden near the top of your tourist visits?
    Why wouldn’t you? Where would you visit instead?
    California, because "Earth Girls Are Easy":

    https://youtu.be/bc5qKpnWLOI



  • DecrepiterJohnLDecrepiterJohnL Posts: 27,575
    edited July 2022

    Betfair next prime minister
    1.55 Liz Truss 65%
    2.84 Rishi Sunak 35%

    Next Conservative leader
    1.53 Liz Truss 65%
    2.88 Rishi Sunak 35%

    Betfair next prime minister
    1.49 Liz Truss 67%
    3 Rishi Sunak 33%

    Next Conservative leader
    1.48 Liz Truss 68%
    3 Rishi Sunak 33%
    Liz Truss is a best-price 1/2 at Hills and Betfred.
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 42,205
    "Data too long for column 'Name' at row 1" on new thread ...
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 70,513
    This is a bit more what an economic strategy might look like….

    Firms, gov't join hands to turn Korea into 'semiconductor superpower'
    http://m.koreatimes.co.kr/pages/article.asp?newsIdx=333156
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 42,205
    Nigelb said:

    This is a bit more what an economic strategy might look like….

    Firms, gov't join hands to turn Korea into 'semiconductor superpower'
    http://m.koreatimes.co.kr/pages/article.asp?newsIdx=333156

    I must admit I'd favour spending the same amount we've spent on HS2 building up our own chip and component capabilities and the related ecosystems. But it's a massive gamble: for every TSMC there're two or three Hongxins. Multi-billion dollar investments in chips fail frequently.

    https://www.npr.org/2021/03/25/980305760/a-cautionary-tale-for-chinas-ambitious-chipmakers
  • TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 41,798
    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    I missed this remarkable FT article on the economic/market implications of UAPs





    "What’s curious, then, is the degree to which markets have thus far ignored what is becoming the transformation of one of the greatest unknown unknowns of all time into a known unknown.

    "We are, of course, talking about the growing seriousness with which both Pentagon officials and Congress have starting taking the phenomenon of so-called Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) -- more colloquially known as UFOs.

    "For markets, the important thing about these developments is the increasingly fervent admissions by high-level security officials that while the phenomena are real, they remain unexplainable even to the most sophisticated militaries in the world."

    https://www.ft.com/content/800e4b4b-d7b0-4fe5-a1ad-2e7f7d4f1ce7

    Factor ET into your investments, guys

    How much of an investment in tin foil are you advocating?

    Just enough to invest in a hat, or do you need more than that?
    The PB Nitwits will go on chortling about "aliens" right up to the moment the inter-galactic lizard-folk shove probes the size of euphoniums up their terrified, quivering butt-holes
    Possibly true but the PB seers who believe in the aliens early are still going to get the euphonium probe treatment, so where's the advantage?
    I'm hoping THEY will see me as a kind of honorary go-between, or even a John the Baptist announcing their arrival, and I get to skip the rectum bit
    You do know what happened to J the B?
    Tuba probe for you..
  • turbotubbsturbotubbs Posts: 17,177
    rcs1000 said:

    kamski said:

    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    "China claims it has spotted signs of alien civilisations"

    https://www.indy100.com/science-tech/china-alien-sighting-civilization-ufos

    LOL. China just trying to catch up with the West?

    "We saw them first"
    "Sources have told me that other countries have reached out to us since the June UAP report was released. China has established its own UAP task force. South America is active in investigating UAP. International cooperation among government officials and among scientists is crucial in moving forward."

    https://www.space.com/ufos-are-real-leslie-kean-interview


    Unless the entire world has gone mad, this is it, Disclosure. Slowly done: but disclosure
    As it becomes clear that we are heading towards a kind of collective suicide, people are desperate to believe anything. It's just another way to stick your head in the sand.
    Are there aliens? IMV, yes.
    So they fly around interstellar space? Possibly, but unlikely.
    Are they on Earth? No.
    Do they fly around our skies in curious ways? No.
    Are militaries interested in strange things seen in the sky? Yes.
    Do mass hysterias exist? Yes.
    Is Leon prone to mass hysteria? I'll leave that up to the reader to decide. ;)

    I could easily be wrong, but I don't think I am.
    I don't think most people truly understand the vastness of space.
    Star Trek et al have made it seem plausible to zip from system to system, but FTL is beyond our understanding, if possible at all.
    From earlier - @Leon ’s musings about AI taking an interest in our putative AI. This neglects the speed of light issue. The news story about the google weirdo from a few weeks back will take 4 years to reach the nearest star. How long till it reaches an AI can’t be known, but assuming someone is keeping tabs on us and can respond by sending craft to visit is challenging.
  • rcs1000 said:

    kamski said:

    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    "China claims it has spotted signs of alien civilisations"

    https://www.indy100.com/science-tech/china-alien-sighting-civilization-ufos

    LOL. China just trying to catch up with the West?

    "We saw them first"
    "Sources have told me that other countries have reached out to us since the June UAP report was released. China has established its own UAP task force. South America is active in investigating UAP. International cooperation among government officials and among scientists is crucial in moving forward."

    https://www.space.com/ufos-are-real-leslie-kean-interview


    Unless the entire world has gone mad, this is it, Disclosure. Slowly done: but disclosure
    As it becomes clear that we are heading towards a kind of collective suicide, people are desperate to believe anything. It's just another way to stick your head in the sand.
    Are there aliens? IMV, yes.
    So they fly around interstellar space? Possibly, but unlikely.
    Are they on Earth? No.
    Do they fly around our skies in curious ways? No.
    Are militaries interested in strange things seen in the sky? Yes.
    Do mass hysterias exist? Yes.
    Is Leon prone to mass hysteria? I'll leave that up to the reader to decide. ;)

    I could easily be wrong, but I don't think I am.
    I don't think most people truly understand the vastness of space.
    Star Trek et al have made it seem plausible to zip from system to system, but FTL is beyond our understanding, if possible at all.
    From earlier - @Leon ’s musings about AI taking an interest in our putative AI. This neglects the speed of light issue. The news story about the google weirdo from a few weeks back will take 4 years to reach the nearest star. How long till it reaches an AI can’t be known, but assuming someone is keeping tabs on us and can respond by sending craft to visit is challenging.
    The most likely explanation to me for the Fermi Paradox has always been that FTL travel proves impossible so colonisation of the stars doesn't happen. Which might mean we might one day get as far as Mars, but an intergalactic network of habitable planets as beloved of SciFi stories and games might never actually happen.
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 49,774

    The Italian election will be much more important than the Tory contest.

    In the latest polls, Fratelli d'Italia + Lega + Forza Italia + ItalExit would be around 47-48%, which I guess would be enoughfor a majority. Could lead to some explosive battles with Brussels if the right wins.

    Somewhat surprising that 5 Star didn't support Draghi when they look set to be pummeled.

    Depends what battles you mean.

    My (primitive) read on Italian politics is that an needless churn of populist parties (from left and right) win power running against the technocrats and then spend their time in power realising that no way in hell do the electorate actually want to lose the Euro because it means the destruction of wealth and savings.

    Like the UK, it’s stuck in a gerontocratic-populist death loop.
    Liz Truss could be the PM you've been waiting for.

    https://twitter.com/trussliz/status/975822789759389698

    Every generation wants their own version of #freedom- freedom to shape their own lives. This is about #choice #destiny

    This generation are #Uber-riding #Airbnb-ing #Deliveroo-eating #freedomfighters
    That's definitely going to win the hearts and minds of the under 40s, isn't it?
    She's bonkers.
    It's certainly a departure from the home-owning dream. The Tory dream nowadays appears to be live with your parents and eat deliveroo pizza?
This discussion has been closed.