Howdy, Stranger!

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

Truss now favourite to be PM after next election – politicalbetting.com

24567

Comments

  • what3words I think works offline which is a good feature.

    Google Maps does work offline but unless you've saved the local maps you won't see anything
  • LeonLeon Posts: 46,268
    TOPPING said:

    Leon said:

    OK let's go through this. Let's see how W3W is doing versus PB's received opinion that it is simultaneously rubbish, boring, useless, and only doing what other maps already do

    So, how are they doing?

    DHL have adopted it:

    https://www.enterprisetimes.co.uk/2022/04/07/dhl-partners-with-what3words-for-uk-parcel-app/

    As we know, all the carmakers want to use it:

    https://www.axios.com/2022/05/05/carmakers-adopt-what3words-app-for-voice-navigation

    Taxi companies are using it:

    https://www.taxi-point.co.uk/post/taxi-despatch-firm-sherlock-partners-with-what3words

    The Queen uses it to report fires:

    "The team took to Instagram to plead with visitors over a safety matter, writing: "The Royal Parkland still remains very dry after the hot weather. Please remain vigilant when visiting, report a fire immediately, we would also encourage visitors to download 'what3words' app to help with locations. Please do not BBQ and take home any rubbish to help reduce the risk."

    https://www.hellomagazine.com/homes/20220808147614/the-queen-home-sandringham-safety-warning-fires/

    Ecommerce deliveries:


    https://edelivery.net/2022/08/gfs-partners-what3words/


    McKinsey calls it "the future of navigation"

    https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/automotive-and-assembly/our-insights/the-future-of-navigation-in-a-digitized-world-an-interview-with-what3wordss-clare-jones


    Missing hikers in Ontario are using it:

    https://globalnews.ca/news/9006869/missing-hikers-located-ontario-what3words/

    Local listings are using it:

    https://www.marketingtechnews.net/news/2022/jun/21/yext-aims-to-give-customers-control-over-location-data-with-what3words/

    The Germans have invested €60m


    https://tech.eu/2022/05/24/german-media-pool-backs-what3words-with-eur80-million-media-volume-for-geolocation-solution/


    Not bad for a company that is basically just a shittier version of an old Ordnance Survey map and a pencil

    We like it, Leon, we like it. In particular situations for some and others for others. Some see different options for the same thing.

    Just that it is endearing that you should just have only now discovered it.

    Never previously considered myself bleeding edge before but then you pop up.

    So thanks.
    No worries. I only know about it even now because I went to Stowe with my teen daughter yesterday and I saw these weird 3 word combos on the official National Trust map and she told me what they meant. Like, hello Daddio, get with the kidz

    What I do have, however (and the rest of you, apparently, don't) is the ability to extrapolate, very fast. This has the potential to transform the way humans look at the world, and how they think about place. It is that big
  • PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 75,842
    Nigelb said:

    On venture capital...

    https://twitter.com/ChrisJBakke/status/1556791928238342152
    The funniest transfer of wealth in modern times is the SoftBank Vision fund which took $100 billion in Saudi oil money and gave it to founders who were “reimagining salad delivery” and building coupon apps for dogs that required $2B in funding...

    ..I spent 3 years as the head of product at a company that was building DTC toothpaste for rabbits and I just paid off my $4m beach house.

    Thanks, Masa!

    It's going to be hilarious the day the oil runs out in Saudi tbh - they are shocking investors, saved by the fact they've got gazillions spouting out the ground daily.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 61,575

    what3words I think works offline which is a good feature.

    Google Maps does work offline but unless you've saved the local maps you won't see anything

    Yes, it's really pretty good for fixed locations.
    I don't know why they're hyping mountain rescue at all.
  • BlancheLivermoreBlancheLivermore Posts: 5,129
    edited August 2022
    To any PBers near Leeds who like my musical taste (if there are any!), have you heard of The Haggis Horns?

    They’re an excellent funk band from Leeds who I’ve seen a couple of times in London. I've just seen on Facebook that they're playing at a place called Smokestack in Leeds on Sunday 28th of this month

    They are really talented, play decent, original music, and put on an excellent show. I'd heartily recommend them to anyone nearby

    This is a good track of theirs with a Bruce Lee feel - Enter The Haggis
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1Tr4WIZDEc

    And the facebook event page
    https://www.facebook.com/events/419988126830270
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 61,575
    Great map showing soil quality across Europe. You can see why Ukraine is the breadbasket of Europe.
    https://twitter.com/lijukic/status/1557344834171682816

    And why the Vikings became... Vikings.
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 39,149
    edited August 2022

    Leon said:

    Fascinating interview with the guy who founded what3words, and had the basic idea

    He really put in the hours


    "He grabbed a dictionary and began the painstaking process of copying every word into an Excel spreadsheet and assigning each one a score out of ten for its suitability for use within the app, with common, easy to spell words given the highest marks and trickier, rarer words given lower ratings. “I did it every day for six months. It makes you notice how long the dictionary actually is,” he says. “I was living on my friend’s sofa at the time. And he was certainly confused. But I think he also admired my persistence.”"

    https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/can-what3words-revolutionise-the-way-we-navigate-the-world-tt0706nnv


    This company is going to EXPLODE

    Why did he put in the hours when online word lists (dictionaries) are freely available and can be put into spreadsheets (again, why?) at the click of a mouse? Entrepreneurs today are just not lazy enough. Which may explain why he has formed a company to revolutionise getting lost in the Cairngorms while I'm unemployed and unemployable.
    So he cam be 100% sure he doesn't have lawyers hassling him for copyright in the arrangement of a dictionary database?

    He did still need to choose and delete, anyway.
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 26,286
    I still think paper maps are better than computerised ones. You can see a lot more at the same time with a paper map.
  • FlatlanderFlatlander Posts: 3,853
    Carnyx said:

    Leon said:

    Fascinating interview with the guy who founded what3words, and had the basic idea

    He really put in the hours


    "He grabbed a dictionary and began the painstaking process of copying every word into an Excel spreadsheet and assigning each one a score out of ten for its suitability for use within the app, with common, easy to spell words given the highest marks and trickier, rarer words given lower ratings. “I did it every day for six months. It makes you notice how long the dictionary actually is,” he says. “I was living on my friend’s sofa at the time. And he was certainly confused. But I think he also admired my persistence.”"

    https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/can-what3words-revolutionise-the-way-we-navigate-the-world-tt0706nnv


    This company is going to EXPLODE

    Why did he put in the hours when online word lists (dictionaries) are freely available and can be put into spreadsheets (again, why?) at the click of a mouse? Entrepreneurs today are just not lazy enough. Which may explain why he has formed a company to revolutionise getting lost in the Cairngorms while I'm unemployed and unemployable.
    So he cam be 100% sure he doesn't have lawyears hassling him for copyright in the arrangement of a dictionary database?

    He did still need to choose and delete, anyway.
    But he started with a paper dictionary. That is definitely copyrighted.
  • Something I am very interested in is directions into large complexes and where shops are etc

    Google do have this functionality but sadly because GPS is so useless indoors it doesn't work very well
  • Nigel_ForemainNigel_Foremain Posts: 13,766
    Leon said:

    TOPPING said:

    Leon said:

    OK let's go through this. Let's see how W3W is doing versus PB's received opinion that it is simultaneously rubbish, boring, useless, and only doing what other maps already do

    So, how are they doing?

    DHL have adopted it:

    https://www.enterprisetimes.co.uk/2022/04/07/dhl-partners-with-what3words-for-uk-parcel-app/

    As we know, all the carmakers want to use it:

    https://www.axios.com/2022/05/05/carmakers-adopt-what3words-app-for-voice-navigation

    Taxi companies are using it:

    https://www.taxi-point.co.uk/post/taxi-despatch-firm-sherlock-partners-with-what3words

    The Queen uses it to report fires:

    "The team took to Instagram to plead with visitors over a safety matter, writing: "The Royal Parkland still remains very dry after the hot weather. Please remain vigilant when visiting, report a fire immediately, we would also encourage visitors to download 'what3words' app to help with locations. Please do not BBQ and take home any rubbish to help reduce the risk."

    https://www.hellomagazine.com/homes/20220808147614/the-queen-home-sandringham-safety-warning-fires/

    Ecommerce deliveries:


    https://edelivery.net/2022/08/gfs-partners-what3words/


    McKinsey calls it "the future of navigation"

    https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/automotive-and-assembly/our-insights/the-future-of-navigation-in-a-digitized-world-an-interview-with-what3wordss-clare-jones


    Missing hikers in Ontario are using it:

    https://globalnews.ca/news/9006869/missing-hikers-located-ontario-what3words/

    Local listings are using it:

    https://www.marketingtechnews.net/news/2022/jun/21/yext-aims-to-give-customers-control-over-location-data-with-what3words/

    The Germans have invested €60m


    https://tech.eu/2022/05/24/german-media-pool-backs-what3words-with-eur80-million-media-volume-for-geolocation-solution/


    Not bad for a company that is basically just a shittier version of an old Ordnance Survey map and a pencil

    We like it, Leon, we like it. In particular situations for some and others for others. Some see different options for the same thing.

    Just that it is endearing that you should just have only now discovered it.

    Never previously considered myself bleeding edge before but then you pop up.

    So thanks.
    No worries. I only know about it even now because I went to Stowe with my teen daughter yesterday and I saw these weird 3 word combos on the official National Trust map and she told me what they meant. Like, hello Daddio, get with the kidz

    What I do have, however (and the rest of you, apparently, don't) is the ability to extrapolate, very fast. This has the potential to transform the way humans look at the world, and how they think about place. It is that big
    You gotta love the zealous evangelicalism of a boomer when he picks up on a technology that was a talking point about 5 or 6 years ago lol.
  • Mr. JS, Constantinople was all set to be conquered around the turn of 1400. Then Tamerlane rolled up from the east and obliterated the Turks, while the Sultan embarked on an exciting new career as Tamerlane's foot stool.

    Sometimes, huge changes can and do happen.

    Even with a 100 seat majority, there's every chance the Conservatives can lose the next election.

    Macmillan had a 100 majority in 1959.
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 39,149
    Nigelb said:

    what3words I think works offline which is a good feature.

    Google Maps does work offline but unless you've saved the local maps you won't see anything

    Yes, it's really pretty good for fixed locations.
    I don't know why they're hyping mountain rescue at all.
    I wonder where CHB is on the thing?
  • TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 40,950
    edited August 2022
    Leon said:

    TOPPING said:

    Leon said:

    OK let's go through this. Let's see how W3W is doing versus PB's received opinion that it is simultaneously rubbish, boring, useless, and only doing what other maps already do

    So, how are they doing?

    DHL have adopted it:

    https://www.enterprisetimes.co.uk/2022/04/07/dhl-partners-with-what3words-for-uk-parcel-app/

    As we know, all the carmakers want to use it:

    https://www.axios.com/2022/05/05/carmakers-adopt-what3words-app-for-voice-navigation

    Taxi companies are using it:

    https://www.taxi-point.co.uk/post/taxi-despatch-firm-sherlock-partners-with-what3words

    The Queen uses it to report fires:

    "The team took to Instagram to plead with visitors over a safety matter, writing: "The Royal Parkland still remains very dry after the hot weather. Please remain vigilant when visiting, report a fire immediately, we would also encourage visitors to download 'what3words' app to help with locations. Please do not BBQ and take home any rubbish to help reduce the risk."

    https://www.hellomagazine.com/homes/20220808147614/the-queen-home-sandringham-safety-warning-fires/

    Ecommerce deliveries:


    https://edelivery.net/2022/08/gfs-partners-what3words/


    McKinsey calls it "the future of navigation"

    https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/automotive-and-assembly/our-insights/the-future-of-navigation-in-a-digitized-world-an-interview-with-what3wordss-clare-jones


    Missing hikers in Ontario are using it:

    https://globalnews.ca/news/9006869/missing-hikers-located-ontario-what3words/

    Local listings are using it:

    https://www.marketingtechnews.net/news/2022/jun/21/yext-aims-to-give-customers-control-over-location-data-with-what3words/

    The Germans have invested €60m


    https://tech.eu/2022/05/24/german-media-pool-backs-what3words-with-eur80-million-media-volume-for-geolocation-solution/


    Not bad for a company that is basically just a shittier version of an old Ordnance Survey map and a pencil

    We like it, Leon, we like it. In particular situations for some and others for others. Some see different options for the same thing.

    Just that it is endearing that you should just have only now discovered it.

    Never previously considered myself bleeding edge before but then you pop up.

    So thanks.
    No worries. I only know about it even now because I went to Stowe with my teen daughter yesterday and I saw these weird 3 word combos on the official National Trust map and she told me what they meant. Like, hello Daddio, get with the kidz

    What I do have, however (and the rest of you, apparently, don't) is the ability to extrapolate, very fast. This has the potential to transform the way humans look at the world, and how they think about place. It is that big
    Maybe we shall see - I posted some stats earlier but one thing is true: many venture capital/PE guys have been looking at this for quite some time and I'm guessing that while none may be on PB (but who knows), they will have a very good idea of the potential growth and value opportunity. 30m downloads is not taking the world by storm, and a $250m valuation is not stratospheric for a take over the world company.

    For me it seems that the barriers to entry are low and the revenue model suspect (part coming from the rescue services which don't seem all to be convinced by the app). If they start charging then I suspect substitution will be a factor as people will discover the button on google maps all of a sudden ( @CorrectHorseBattery I just submitted feedback!)

    But yes absolutely - the guy who APPARENTLY spent six months leafing through the OED is sitting on some major part of $250m so well done him.

    I suspect a trade sale exit shortly and then it might indeed take off.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 46,268
    Nigelb said:

    what3words I think works offline which is a good feature.

    Google Maps does work offline but unless you've saved the local maps you won't see anything

    Yes, it's really pretty good for fixed locations.
    I don't know why they're hyping mountain rescue at all.
    I can see why. Because it is great marketing. On that I am sure the "W3W PB skeptics" are - unusually - right. For this app to work to its full - and enormous, world-changing potential - it needs to get into as many phones as fast as possible. It needs to blitzscale like Uber, it needs to become THE app that does this one brilliant thing, for everyone

    How do you get people to download an app? Tell them it can literally save their life. So why not download it? It's free and takes 5 seconds. Once you've got it, then you realise that its potential uses are so much more interesting and varied than "saving an idiot in the Grampians"

    Nonetheless, it does seem to save people

    "Audrey Cura, 57, was out for a walk in Suffolk forest when her spooked dog Biscuit ran at her and instantly broke two bones in her leg - but thankfully she had what3words downloaded to help the ambulance pinpoint her exact location"

    https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/woman-breaks-leg-two-places-27581555

    https://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/20162243.dorset-police-remind-rural-residents-use-what3words/

    https://www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/news/people/derbyshire-4x4-response-volunteer-praised-for-use-of-what3words-app-to-direct-firefighters-to-tree-blaze-3734509
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 61,575
    the Ukrainian army struck the bridge next to the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant in #Kherson used by the Russians to transport their equipment. The bridge is rendered defunct.
    https://twitter.com/KyivPost/status/1557335384627023872
  • TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 40,950
    Nigelb said:

    what3words I think works offline which is a good feature.

    Google Maps does work offline but unless you've saved the local maps you won't see anything

    Yes, it's really pretty good for fixed locations.
    I don't know why they're hyping mountain rescue at all.
    Revenue model. The emergency services pay for it. If they don't like it they lose a chunk of revenue (they are making a loss as it is, obvs, as a relative start up).
  • Nigel_ForemainNigel_Foremain Posts: 13,766
    Leon said:

    Nigelb said:

    what3words I think works offline which is a good feature.

    Google Maps does work offline but unless you've saved the local maps you won't see anything

    Yes, it's really pretty good for fixed locations.
    I don't know why they're hyping mountain rescue at all.
    I can see why. Because it is great marketing. On that I am sure the "W3W PB skeptics" are - unusually - right. For this app to work to its full - and enormous, world-changing potential - it needs to get into as many phones as fast as possible. It needs to blitzscale like Uber, it needs to become THE app that does this one brilliant thing, for everyone

    How do you get people to download an app? Tell them it can literally save their life. So why not download it? It's free and takes 5 seconds. Once you've got it, then you realise that its potential uses are so much more interesting and varied than "saving an idiot in the Grampians"

    Nonetheless, it does seem to save people

    "Audrey Cura, 57, was out for a walk in Suffolk forest when her spooked dog Biscuit ran at her and instantly broke two bones in her leg - but thankfully she had what3words downloaded to help the ambulance pinpoint her exact location"

    https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/woman-breaks-leg-two-places-27581555

    https://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/20162243.dorset-police-remind-rural-residents-use-what3words/

    https://www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/news/people/derbyshire-4x4-response-volunteer-praised-for-use-of-what3words-app-to-direct-firefighters-to-tree-blaze-3734509
    Fairly scary having a dog biscuit come charging at you.
  • state_go_awaystate_go_away Posts: 5,415
    On paper maps and road atlases , I dont have Sat Nav and I dont get lost - Road Atlases are such a manly joy - you are in charge of your route not some algorithm , the ten minutes or so at the start of a long journey day planning your route using a physical atlas is not wasted but filled with purpose for the day , reinforcing whatever mission you have at the other end as well as reinforcing British geography but also more importantly curiosity - in those ten minutes you will be surprised somewhere you think you knew was slightly located somewhere else, discover a village you had never heard of despite being in the same region as you and a strange feature of the landscape . You dont get this with Sat Nav (and you still get lost)
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 61,575
    Is today's announcement a peak for US inflation ?
  • LeonLeon Posts: 46,268
    edited August 2022
    Carnyx said:

    Nigelb said:

    what3words I think works offline which is a good feature.

    Google Maps does work offline but unless you've saved the local maps you won't see anything

    Yes, it's really pretty good for fixed locations.
    I don't know why they're hyping mountain rescue at all.
    I wonder where CHB is on the thing?
    I checked. It's near a tree in a forest near Riviere-Koksoak, Quebec


    https://what3words.com/correct.horses.battery
  • StuartDicksonStuartDickson Posts: 12,146
    Nigelb said:

    Great map showing soil quality across Europe. You can see why Ukraine is the breadbasket of Europe.
    https://twitter.com/lijukic/status/1557344834171682816

    And why the Vikings became... Vikings.

    Denmark, where England’s vikings mostly came from, isn’t too bad.

    Neither is Mälardalen, where the Sutton Hoo folk originated.
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 24,587

    what3words I think works offline which is a good feature.

    Google Maps does work offline but unless you've saved the local maps you won't see anything

    Can we all arrange to meet up at "Elizabeth, Truss, Chaos" in January 2025?
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 47,789
    Hopefully this isn’t indicative of Biden’s short-term memory:

    https://twitter.com/steveguest/status/1557011318175047680
  • Nigel_ForemainNigel_Foremain Posts: 13,766

    On paper maps and road atlases , I dont have Sat Nav and I dont get lost - Road Atlases are such a manly joy - you are in charge of your route not some algorithm , the ten minutes or so at the start of a long journey day planning your route using a physical atlas is not wasted but filled with purpose for the day , reinforcing whatever mission you have at the other end as well as reinforcing British geography but also more importantly curiosity - in those ten minutes you will be surprised somewhere you think you knew was slightly located somewhere else, discover a village you had never heard of despite being in the same region as you and a strange feature of the landscape . You dont get this with Sat Nav (and you still get lost)

    Would I be right in thinking you are what is colloquially known by young folk as a "boomer"?
  • TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 40,950
    edited August 2022
    Leon said:

    Nigelb said:

    what3words I think works offline which is a good feature.

    Google Maps does work offline but unless you've saved the local maps you won't see anything

    Yes, it's really pretty good for fixed locations.
    I don't know why they're hyping mountain rescue at all.
    I can see why. Because it is great marketing. On that I am sure the "W3W PB skeptics" are - unusually - right. For this app to work to its full - and enormous, world-changing potential - it needs to get into as many phones as fast as possible. It needs to blitzscale like Uber, it needs to become THE app that does this one brilliant thing, for everyone

    How do you get people to download an app? Tell them it can literally save their life. So why not download it? It's free and takes 5 seconds. Once you've got it, then you realise that its potential uses are so much more interesting and varied than "saving an idiot in the Grampians"

    Nonetheless, it does seem to save people

    "Audrey Cura, 57, was out for a walk in Suffolk forest when her spooked dog Biscuit ran at her and instantly broke two bones in her leg - but thankfully she had what3words downloaded to help the ambulance pinpoint her exact location"

    https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/woman-breaks-leg-two-places-27581555

    https://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/20162243.dorset-police-remind-rural-residents-use-what3words/

    https://www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/news/people/derbyshire-4x4-response-volunteer-praised-for-use-of-what3words-app-to-direct-firefighters-to-tree-blaze-3734509
    Substitution is your enemy here.

    Google has a similar, clunky atm thing. When/if w3w really takes off and especially if they start charging to download the app, Google will rebrand their version, put it front and centre, bundle it, as it is already bundled with google services, and w3w will take a bath.

    And also, as mentioned above, rebrand

    51°30'28.7"N 0°09'39.8"W
    51.507980, -0.161044

    as

    Tomato.Plum.Carrot
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 61,575
    Pulpstar said:

    Nigelb said:

    On venture capital...

    https://twitter.com/ChrisJBakke/status/1556791928238342152
    The funniest transfer of wealth in modern times is the SoftBank Vision fund which took $100 billion in Saudi oil money and gave it to founders who were “reimagining salad delivery” and building coupon apps for dogs that required $2B in funding...

    ..I spent 3 years as the head of product at a company that was building DTC toothpaste for rabbits and I just paid off my $4m beach house.

    Thanks, Masa!

    It's going to be hilarious the day the oil runs out in Saudi tbh - they are shocking investors, saved by the fact they've got gazillions spouting out the ground daily.
    They're still going to have massive energy resources in the form of the world's most productive and reliable locations for solar.
    And not every investment will be a miss.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 61,575
    Carnyx said:

    Nigelb said:

    what3words I think works offline which is a good feature.

    Google Maps does work offline but unless you've saved the local maps you won't see anything

    Yes, it's really pretty good for fixed locations.
    I don't know why they're hyping mountain rescue at all.
    I wonder where CHB is on the thing?
    I asked that on the last thread, without response.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 46,268

    Leon said:

    TOPPING said:

    Leon said:

    OK let's go through this. Let's see how W3W is doing versus PB's received opinion that it is simultaneously rubbish, boring, useless, and only doing what other maps already do

    So, how are they doing?

    DHL have adopted it:

    https://www.enterprisetimes.co.uk/2022/04/07/dhl-partners-with-what3words-for-uk-parcel-app/

    As we know, all the carmakers want to use it:

    https://www.axios.com/2022/05/05/carmakers-adopt-what3words-app-for-voice-navigation

    Taxi companies are using it:

    https://www.taxi-point.co.uk/post/taxi-despatch-firm-sherlock-partners-with-what3words

    The Queen uses it to report fires:

    "The team took to Instagram to plead with visitors over a safety matter, writing: "The Royal Parkland still remains very dry after the hot weather. Please remain vigilant when visiting, report a fire immediately, we would also encourage visitors to download 'what3words' app to help with locations. Please do not BBQ and take home any rubbish to help reduce the risk."

    https://www.hellomagazine.com/homes/20220808147614/the-queen-home-sandringham-safety-warning-fires/

    Ecommerce deliveries:


    https://edelivery.net/2022/08/gfs-partners-what3words/


    McKinsey calls it "the future of navigation"

    https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/automotive-and-assembly/our-insights/the-future-of-navigation-in-a-digitized-world-an-interview-with-what3wordss-clare-jones


    Missing hikers in Ontario are using it:

    https://globalnews.ca/news/9006869/missing-hikers-located-ontario-what3words/

    Local listings are using it:

    https://www.marketingtechnews.net/news/2022/jun/21/yext-aims-to-give-customers-control-over-location-data-with-what3words/

    The Germans have invested €60m


    https://tech.eu/2022/05/24/german-media-pool-backs-what3words-with-eur80-million-media-volume-for-geolocation-solution/


    Not bad for a company that is basically just a shittier version of an old Ordnance Survey map and a pencil

    We like it, Leon, we like it. In particular situations for some and others for others. Some see different options for the same thing.

    Just that it is endearing that you should just have only now discovered it.

    Never previously considered myself bleeding edge before but then you pop up.

    So thanks.
    No worries. I only know about it even now because I went to Stowe with my teen daughter yesterday and I saw these weird 3 word combos on the official National Trust map and she told me what they meant. Like, hello Daddio, get with the kidz

    What I do have, however (and the rest of you, apparently, don't) is the ability to extrapolate, very fast. This has the potential to transform the way humans look at the world, and how they think about place. It is that big
    You gotta love the zealous evangelicalism of a boomer when he picks up on a technology that was a talking point about 5 or 6 years ago lol.
    Well, I REALLY wish you'd talked about it, on here, a few years ago, because then I would have invested. Unfortunately, it is now too late. They have all the investors they need, and then some
  • TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 40,950

    On paper maps and road atlases , I dont have Sat Nav and I dont get lost - Road Atlases are such a manly joy - you are in charge of your route not some algorithm , the ten minutes or so at the start of a long journey day planning your route using a physical atlas is not wasted but filled with purpose for the day , reinforcing whatever mission you have at the other end as well as reinforcing British geography but also more importantly curiosity - in those ten minutes you will be surprised somewhere you think you knew was slightly located somewhere else, discover a village you had never heard of despite being in the same region as you and a strange feature of the landscape . You dont get this with Sat Nav (and you still get lost)

    And then you get to road closed/diversion and you're screwed.

    Can you believe people used to drive around with a book, a frigging book on their laps. Jeez.
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 39,149
    Leon said:

    Carnyx said:

    Nigelb said:

    what3words I think works offline which is a good feature.

    Google Maps does work offline but unless you've saved the local maps you won't see anything

    Yes, it's really pretty good for fixed locations.
    I don't know why they're hyping mountain rescue at all.
    I wonder where CHB is on the thing?
    I checked. It's near a tree in a forest near Riviere, Koksoak, Quebec


    https://what3words.com/correct.horses.battery
    Interesting, ta. Obvs more than one equine, but a little checking gets nothing for correct.horse.battery so I assume it's a default in this case.
  • LostPasswordLostPassword Posts: 14,772
    Guess what? I've just encountered a Brexit benefit!

    Since Brexit there's now no VAT charged on international removals between the UK and EU countries. That's going to save us many hundreds of pounds on our move to Ireland.

    Cheers Leavers!
  • Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 60,933
    The magnetic navigational powers of the enormo-haddock are far superior to this 'app' nonsense.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 61,575
    Leon said:

    TOPPING said:

    Leon said:

    OK let's go through this. Let's see how W3W is doing versus PB's received opinion that it is simultaneously rubbish, boring, useless, and only doing what other maps already do

    So, how are they doing?

    DHL have adopted it:

    https://www.enterprisetimes.co.uk/2022/04/07/dhl-partners-with-what3words-for-uk-parcel-app/

    As we know, all the carmakers want to use it:

    https://www.axios.com/2022/05/05/carmakers-adopt-what3words-app-for-voice-navigation

    Taxi companies are using it:

    https://www.taxi-point.co.uk/post/taxi-despatch-firm-sherlock-partners-with-what3words

    The Queen uses it to report fires:

    "The team took to Instagram to plead with visitors over a safety matter, writing: "The Royal Parkland still remains very dry after the hot weather. Please remain vigilant when visiting, report a fire immediately, we would also encourage visitors to download 'what3words' app to help with locations. Please do not BBQ and take home any rubbish to help reduce the risk."

    https://www.hellomagazine.com/homes/20220808147614/the-queen-home-sandringham-safety-warning-fires/

    Ecommerce deliveries:


    https://edelivery.net/2022/08/gfs-partners-what3words/


    McKinsey calls it "the future of navigation"

    https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/automotive-and-assembly/our-insights/the-future-of-navigation-in-a-digitized-world-an-interview-with-what3wordss-clare-jones


    Missing hikers in Ontario are using it:

    https://globalnews.ca/news/9006869/missing-hikers-located-ontario-what3words/

    Local listings are using it:

    https://www.marketingtechnews.net/news/2022/jun/21/yext-aims-to-give-customers-control-over-location-data-with-what3words/

    The Germans have invested €60m


    https://tech.eu/2022/05/24/german-media-pool-backs-what3words-with-eur80-million-media-volume-for-geolocation-solution/


    Not bad for a company that is basically just a shittier version of an old Ordnance Survey map and a pencil

    We like it, Leon, we like it. In particular situations for some and others for others. Some see different options for the same thing.

    Just that it is endearing that you should just have only now discovered it.

    Never previously considered myself bleeding edge before but then you pop up.

    So thanks.
    What I do have, however (and the rest of you, apparently, don't) is the ability to extrapolate, very fast...
    So that's what it's called. :smile:
  • LeonLeon Posts: 46,268
    Nigelb said:

    Carnyx said:

    Nigelb said:

    what3words I think works offline which is a good feature.

    Google Maps does work offline but unless you've saved the local maps you won't see anything

    Yes, it's really pretty good for fixed locations.
    I don't know why they're hyping mountain rescue at all.
    I wonder where CHB is on the thing?
    I asked that on the last thread, without response.
    https://what3words.com/correct.horses.battery

    Quebec. Third tree on the left
  • LeonLeon Posts: 46,268
    Carnyx said:

    Leon said:

    Carnyx said:

    Nigelb said:

    what3words I think works offline which is a good feature.

    Google Maps does work offline but unless you've saved the local maps you won't see anything

    Yes, it's really pretty good for fixed locations.
    I don't know why they're hyping mountain rescue at all.
    I wonder where CHB is on the thing?
    I checked. It's near a tree in a forest near Riviere, Koksoak, Quebec


    https://what3words.com/correct.horses.battery
    Interesting, ta. Obvs more than one equine, but a little checking gets nothing for correct.horse.battery so I assume it's a default in this case.
    Yep
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 39,149
    TOPPING said:

    On paper maps and road atlases , I dont have Sat Nav and I dont get lost - Road Atlases are such a manly joy - you are in charge of your route not some algorithm , the ten minutes or so at the start of a long journey day planning your route using a physical atlas is not wasted but filled with purpose for the day , reinforcing whatever mission you have at the other end as well as reinforcing British geography but also more importantly curiosity - in those ten minutes you will be surprised somewhere you think you knew was slightly located somewhere else, discover a village you had never heard of despite being in the same region as you and a strange feature of the landscape . You dont get this with Sat Nav (and you still get lost)

    And then you get to road closed/diversion and you're screwed.

    Can you believe people used to drive around with a book, a frigging book on their laps. Jeez.
    Just check on traffic scotland or its equivalents before you go (which you should be doing anyway).
  • TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 40,950
    Carnyx said:

    TOPPING said:

    On paper maps and road atlases , I dont have Sat Nav and I dont get lost - Road Atlases are such a manly joy - you are in charge of your route not some algorithm , the ten minutes or so at the start of a long journey day planning your route using a physical atlas is not wasted but filled with purpose for the day , reinforcing whatever mission you have at the other end as well as reinforcing British geography but also more importantly curiosity - in those ten minutes you will be surprised somewhere you think you knew was slightly located somewhere else, discover a village you had never heard of despite being in the same region as you and a strange feature of the landscape . You dont get this with Sat Nav (and you still get lost)

    And then you get to road closed/diversion and you're screwed.

    Can you believe people used to drive around with a book, a frigging book on their laps. Jeez.
    Just check on traffic scotland or its equivalents before you go (which you should be doing anyway).
    I was introduced to Waze when there was an accident in front of me and the uber driver's app updated in front of my eyes almost as it happened.
  • noneoftheabovenoneoftheabove Posts: 20,454
    TOPPING said:

    On paper maps and road atlases , I dont have Sat Nav and I dont get lost - Road Atlases are such a manly joy - you are in charge of your route not some algorithm , the ten minutes or so at the start of a long journey day planning your route using a physical atlas is not wasted but filled with purpose for the day , reinforcing whatever mission you have at the other end as well as reinforcing British geography but also more importantly curiosity - in those ten minutes you will be surprised somewhere you think you knew was slightly located somewhere else, discover a village you had never heard of despite being in the same region as you and a strange feature of the landscape . You dont get this with Sat Nav (and you still get lost)

    And then you get to road closed/diversion and you're screwed.

    Can you believe people used to drive around with a book, a frigging book on their laps. Jeez.
    Driving in daytime London I would guesstimate live traffic updates cut journey times by about 20-30%. It is pretty unpredictable which roads get most clogged up each day.
  • Nigel_ForemainNigel_Foremain Posts: 13,766
    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    TOPPING said:

    Leon said:

    OK let's go through this. Let's see how W3W is doing versus PB's received opinion that it is simultaneously rubbish, boring, useless, and only doing what other maps already do

    So, how are they doing?

    DHL have adopted it:

    https://www.enterprisetimes.co.uk/2022/04/07/dhl-partners-with-what3words-for-uk-parcel-app/

    As we know, all the carmakers want to use it:

    https://www.axios.com/2022/05/05/carmakers-adopt-what3words-app-for-voice-navigation

    Taxi companies are using it:

    https://www.taxi-point.co.uk/post/taxi-despatch-firm-sherlock-partners-with-what3words

    The Queen uses it to report fires:

    "The team took to Instagram to plead with visitors over a safety matter, writing: "The Royal Parkland still remains very dry after the hot weather. Please remain vigilant when visiting, report a fire immediately, we would also encourage visitors to download 'what3words' app to help with locations. Please do not BBQ and take home any rubbish to help reduce the risk."

    https://www.hellomagazine.com/homes/20220808147614/the-queen-home-sandringham-safety-warning-fires/

    Ecommerce deliveries:


    https://edelivery.net/2022/08/gfs-partners-what3words/


    McKinsey calls it "the future of navigation"

    https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/automotive-and-assembly/our-insights/the-future-of-navigation-in-a-digitized-world-an-interview-with-what3wordss-clare-jones


    Missing hikers in Ontario are using it:

    https://globalnews.ca/news/9006869/missing-hikers-located-ontario-what3words/

    Local listings are using it:

    https://www.marketingtechnews.net/news/2022/jun/21/yext-aims-to-give-customers-control-over-location-data-with-what3words/

    The Germans have invested €60m


    https://tech.eu/2022/05/24/german-media-pool-backs-what3words-with-eur80-million-media-volume-for-geolocation-solution/


    Not bad for a company that is basically just a shittier version of an old Ordnance Survey map and a pencil

    We like it, Leon, we like it. In particular situations for some and others for others. Some see different options for the same thing.

    Just that it is endearing that you should just have only now discovered it.

    Never previously considered myself bleeding edge before but then you pop up.

    So thanks.
    No worries. I only know about it even now because I went to Stowe with my teen daughter yesterday and I saw these weird 3 word combos on the official National Trust map and she told me what they meant. Like, hello Daddio, get with the kidz

    What I do have, however (and the rest of you, apparently, don't) is the ability to extrapolate, very fast. This has the potential to transform the way humans look at the world, and how they think about place. It is that big
    You gotta love the zealous evangelicalism of a boomer when he picks up on a technology that was a talking point about 5 or 6 years ago lol.
    Well, I REALLY wish you'd talked about it, on here, a few years ago, because then I would have invested. Unfortunately, it is now too late. They have all the investors they need, and then some
    Only teasing. I agree with you. I think it is really smart, and yes, I wish that when someone showed it to me a few years ago I'd said, "hey that is cool, I'll invest" rather than thinking of renaming my house by it's 3 words which were quite amusing.
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 24,587
    Andy_JS said:

    I still think paper maps are better than computerised ones. You can see a lot more at the same time with a paper map.

    Yeah, back in the day, a huge open AA map book propped up on the Sierra's steering wheel at 80 mph was far more functional than a satnav.
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 49,614

    Hopefully this isn’t indicative of Biden’s short-term memory:

    https://twitter.com/steveguest/status/1557011318175047680

    Sad to have to see someone get old in public like that.
  • TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 40,950
    TOPPING said:

    Carnyx said:

    TOPPING said:

    On paper maps and road atlases , I dont have Sat Nav and I dont get lost - Road Atlases are such a manly joy - you are in charge of your route not some algorithm , the ten minutes or so at the start of a long journey day planning your route using a physical atlas is not wasted but filled with purpose for the day , reinforcing whatever mission you have at the other end as well as reinforcing British geography but also more importantly curiosity - in those ten minutes you will be surprised somewhere you think you knew was slightly located somewhere else, discover a village you had never heard of despite being in the same region as you and a strange feature of the landscape . You dont get this with Sat Nav (and you still get lost)

    And then you get to road closed/diversion and you're screwed.

    Can you believe people used to drive around with a book, a frigging book on their laps. Jeez.
    Just check on traffic scotland or its equivalents before you go (which you should be doing anyway).
    I was introduced to Waze when there was an accident in front of me and the uber driver's app updated in front of my eyes almost as it happened.
    Oh god.

    @Leon

    There is this app called Waze.

    Well you'd never believe it but guess what it does? It only tells you in near real time what the traffic conditions are and advises on alternative routes to optimise your journey.

    Yes really.

    Get your chequebook out I think they are open to investment and you've managed to catch it early.
  • state_go_awaystate_go_away Posts: 5,415

    On paper maps and road atlases , I dont have Sat Nav and I dont get lost - Road Atlases are such a manly joy - you are in charge of your route not some algorithm , the ten minutes or so at the start of a long journey day planning your route using a physical atlas is not wasted but filled with purpose for the day , reinforcing whatever mission you have at the other end as well as reinforcing British geography but also more importantly curiosity - in those ten minutes you will be surprised somewhere you think you knew was slightly located somewhere else, discover a village you had never heard of despite being in the same region as you and a strange feature of the landscape . You dont get this with Sat Nav (and you still get lost)

    Would I be right in thinking you are what is colloquially known by young folk as a "boomer"?
    No I an of Gen x actually but I am an orienteer and a map reader ! Orienteering is a great empowering and confidence building skill and indeed sport- unlike being ordered to turn left by your car
  • MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 37,603
    TOPPING said:

    And all any competitor needs or indeed Google need to do is replace:

    51°30'28.7"N 0°09'39.8"W
    51.507980, -0.161044

    with

    Apple.Banana.Marrow

    for the GUI.

    That would mean Google purchasing W3W for lots of money. They can't just copy it because there's all kinds of IP associated they'd be violating. I can't imagine W3W would sell for less than a billion.
  • TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 40,950

    On paper maps and road atlases , I dont have Sat Nav and I dont get lost - Road Atlases are such a manly joy - you are in charge of your route not some algorithm , the ten minutes or so at the start of a long journey day planning your route using a physical atlas is not wasted but filled with purpose for the day , reinforcing whatever mission you have at the other end as well as reinforcing British geography but also more importantly curiosity - in those ten minutes you will be surprised somewhere you think you knew was slightly located somewhere else, discover a village you had never heard of despite being in the same region as you and a strange feature of the landscape . You dont get this with Sat Nav (and you still get lost)

    Would I be right in thinking you are what is colloquially known by young folk as a "boomer"?
    No I an of Gen x actually but I am an orienteer and a map reader ! Orienteering is a great empowering and confidence building skill and indeed sport- unlike being ordered to turn left by your car
    So you sit with a 1:25,000 map on your lap as you navigate the Hangar Lane Gyratory System?
  • StuartDicksonStuartDickson Posts: 12,146
    TOPPING said:

    Carnyx said:

    TOPPING said:

    On paper maps and road atlases , I dont have Sat Nav and I dont get lost - Road Atlases are such a manly joy - you are in charge of your route not some algorithm , the ten minutes or so at the start of a long journey day planning your route using a physical atlas is not wasted but filled with purpose for the day , reinforcing whatever mission you have at the other end as well as reinforcing British geography but also more importantly curiosity - in those ten minutes you will be surprised somewhere you think you knew was slightly located somewhere else, discover a village you had never heard of despite being in the same region as you and a strange feature of the landscape . You dont get this with Sat Nav (and you still get lost)

    And then you get to road closed/diversion and you're screwed.

    Can you believe people used to drive around with a book, a frigging book on their laps. Jeez.
    Just check on traffic scotland or its equivalents before you go (which you should be doing anyway).
    I was introduced to Waze when there was an accident in front of me and the uber driver's app updated in front of my eyes almost as it happened.
    Waze is the business. Lightning fast info. Has saved me from many unpleasant blockages.

  • LeonLeon Posts: 46,268
    TOPPING said:

    Leon said:

    Nigelb said:

    what3words I think works offline which is a good feature.

    Google Maps does work offline but unless you've saved the local maps you won't see anything

    Yes, it's really pretty good for fixed locations.
    I don't know why they're hyping mountain rescue at all.
    I can see why. Because it is great marketing. On that I am sure the "W3W PB skeptics" are - unusually - right. For this app to work to its full - and enormous, world-changing potential - it needs to get into as many phones as fast as possible. It needs to blitzscale like Uber, it needs to become THE app that does this one brilliant thing, for everyone

    How do you get people to download an app? Tell them it can literally save their life. So why not download it? It's free and takes 5 seconds. Once you've got it, then you realise that its potential uses are so much more interesting and varied than "saving an idiot in the Grampians"

    Nonetheless, it does seem to save people

    "Audrey Cura, 57, was out for a walk in Suffolk forest when her spooked dog Biscuit ran at her and instantly broke two bones in her leg - but thankfully she had what3words downloaded to help the ambulance pinpoint her exact location"

    https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/woman-breaks-leg-two-places-27581555

    https://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/20162243.dorset-police-remind-rural-residents-use-what3words/

    https://www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/news/people/derbyshire-4x4-response-volunteer-praised-for-use-of-what3words-app-to-direct-firefighters-to-tree-blaze-3734509
    Substitution is your enemy here.

    Google has a similar, clunky atm thing. When/if w3w really takes off and especially if they start charging to download the app, Google will rebrand their version, put it front and centre, bundle it, as it is already bundled with google services, and w3w will take a bath.

    And also, as mentioned above, rebrand

    51°30'28.7"N 0°09'39.8"W
    51.507980, -0.161044

    as

    Tomato.Plum.Carrot
    It's notable that in all their interviews the main guys at W3W are very careful to say "we are not a rival to Google Maps, we work with them, and through them, we complement each other"

    So they are obviously aware of the danger of provoking Google (which does seem to be the big predator in this area)

    What W3W need to do is get so big so quick that any rival 3-word-mapping system will not be able to compete as W3W is already the global default

    They are not there yet but with 30m downloads, up from 11m the year before, they're en route. At what point do they become unchallengable? 100m downloads? 400m?

    I see they are driving into the Indian market
  • state_go_awaystate_go_away Posts: 5,415
    edited August 2022
    TOPPING said:

    On paper maps and road atlases , I dont have Sat Nav and I dont get lost - Road Atlases are such a manly joy - you are in charge of your route not some algorithm , the ten minutes or so at the start of a long journey day planning your route using a physical atlas is not wasted but filled with purpose for the day , reinforcing whatever mission you have at the other end as well as reinforcing British geography but also more importantly curiosity - in those ten minutes you will be surprised somewhere you think you knew was slightly located somewhere else, discover a village you had never heard of despite being in the same region as you and a strange feature of the landscape . You dont get this with Sat Nav (and you still get lost)

    And then you get to road closed/diversion and you're screwed.

    Can you believe people used to drive around with a book, a frigging book on their laps. Jeez.
    I still do ! road closures make an Atlas even more of an essential item as you can be SURE with an atlas than your diverted route is going where you want , with SAT NAV you have a nagging doubt because you cannot envisage the area you are in that a atlas can
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 26,286
    London weather on Saturday:

    BBC: 36 degrees
    Met Office: 32 degrees
  • This would be a really sensible market for the Truss troops to "invest" in. Beating Labour is more important to the Tory members than anything else
  • Dura_AceDura_Ace Posts: 12,880
    Leon said:

    TOPPING said:

    Leon said:

    Nigelb said:

    what3words I think works offline which is a good feature.

    Google Maps does work offline but unless you've saved the local maps you won't see anything

    Yes, it's really pretty good for fixed locations.
    I don't know why they're hyping mountain rescue at all.
    I can see why. Because it is great marketing. On that I am sure the "W3W PB skeptics" are - unusually - right. For this app to work to its full - and enormous, world-changing potential - it needs to get into as many phones as fast as possible. It needs to blitzscale like Uber, it needs to become THE app that does this one brilliant thing, for everyone

    How do you get people to download an app? Tell them it can literally save their life. So why not download it? It's free and takes 5 seconds. Once you've got it, then you realise that its potential uses are so much more interesting and varied than "saving an idiot in the Grampians"

    Nonetheless, it does seem to save people

    "Audrey Cura, 57, was out for a walk in Suffolk forest when her spooked dog Biscuit ran at her and instantly broke two bones in her leg - but thankfully she had what3words downloaded to help the ambulance pinpoint her exact location"

    https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/woman-breaks-leg-two-places-27581555

    https://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/20162243.dorset-police-remind-rural-residents-use-what3words/

    https://www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/news/people/derbyshire-4x4-response-volunteer-praised-for-use-of-what3words-app-to-direct-firefighters-to-tree-blaze-3734509
    Substitution is your enemy here.

    Google has a similar, clunky atm thing. When/if w3w really takes off and especially if they start charging to download the app, Google will rebrand their version, put it front and centre, bundle it, as it is already bundled with google services, and w3w will take a bath.

    And also, as mentioned above, rebrand

    51°30'28.7"N 0°09'39.8"W
    51.507980, -0.161044

    as

    Tomato.Plum.Carrot
    It's notable that in all their interviews the main guys at W3W are very careful to say "we are not a rival to Google Maps, we work with them, and through them, we complement each other"

    So they are obviously aware of the danger of provoking Google (which does seem to be the big predator in this area)

    What W3W need to do is get so big so quick that any rival 3-word-mapping system will not be able to compete as W3W is already the global default

    They are not there yet but with 30m downloads, up from 11m the year before, they're en route. At what point do they become unchallengable? 100m downloads? 400m?

    I see they are driving into the Indian market
    Shouldn't you be doing your nut over this new Chinese shrew virus instead of this boomer app obsession?
  • state_go_awaystate_go_away Posts: 5,415
    TOPPING said:

    On paper maps and road atlases , I dont have Sat Nav and I dont get lost - Road Atlases are such a manly joy - you are in charge of your route not some algorithm , the ten minutes or so at the start of a long journey day planning your route using a physical atlas is not wasted but filled with purpose for the day , reinforcing whatever mission you have at the other end as well as reinforcing British geography but also more importantly curiosity - in those ten minutes you will be surprised somewhere you think you knew was slightly located somewhere else, discover a village you had never heard of despite being in the same region as you and a strange feature of the landscape . You dont get this with Sat Nav (and you still get lost)

    Would I be right in thinking you are what is colloquially known by young folk as a "boomer"?
    No I an of Gen x actually but I am an orienteer and a map reader ! Orienteering is a great empowering and confidence building skill and indeed sport- unlike being ordered to turn left by your car
    So you sit with a 1:25,000 map on your lap as you navigate the Hangar Lane Gyratory System?
    well its not hard is it ? I have always found the Hanger Lane Gyratory easy enough without SATNAV
  • AlistairAlistair Posts: 23,670
    Nigelb said:

    Is today's announcement a peak for US inflation ?

    0% month on month inflation. The Inflation Reduction Act having an immediate affect!
  • IshmaelZIshmaelZ Posts: 21,830

    The magnetic navigational powers of the enormo-haddock are far superior to this 'app' nonsense.

    Except during Carrington Events, and when the breeding enormo-haddock-wives are crazing them with pheromones.
  • TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 40,950
    edited August 2022
    MaxPB said:

    TOPPING said:

    And all any competitor needs or indeed Google need to do is replace:

    51°30'28.7"N 0°09'39.8"W
    51.507980, -0.161044

    with

    Apple.Banana.Marrow

    for the GUI.

    That would mean Google purchasing W3W for lots of money. They can't just copy it because there's all kinds of IP associated they'd be violating. I can't imagine W3W would sell for less than a billion.
    Well w3w (as per @Leon's post) has a link to the satnav service of your choice but the fact remains that Google Maps has all the functionality of w3w so it wouldn't take a huge copyright violation to make, say, the buttons big and red and easy to use for example.

    GoogleFind.

    They can have that one for free.
  • TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 40,950

    TOPPING said:

    On paper maps and road atlases , I dont have Sat Nav and I dont get lost - Road Atlases are such a manly joy - you are in charge of your route not some algorithm , the ten minutes or so at the start of a long journey day planning your route using a physical atlas is not wasted but filled with purpose for the day , reinforcing whatever mission you have at the other end as well as reinforcing British geography but also more importantly curiosity - in those ten minutes you will be surprised somewhere you think you knew was slightly located somewhere else, discover a village you had never heard of despite being in the same region as you and a strange feature of the landscape . You dont get this with Sat Nav (and you still get lost)

    Would I be right in thinking you are what is colloquially known by young folk as a "boomer"?
    No I an of Gen x actually but I am an orienteer and a map reader ! Orienteering is a great empowering and confidence building skill and indeed sport- unlike being ordered to turn left by your car
    So you sit with a 1:25,000 map on your lap as you navigate the Hangar Lane Gyratory System?
    well its not hard is it ? I have always found the Hanger Lane Gyratory easy enough without SATNAV
    Waze will take you through streets you never imagined existed just by saying turn left turn right in 100 yds take the second exit at the roundabout.

    No map can do that as safely or efficiently.
  • MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 37,603
    TOPPING said:

    MaxPB said:

    TOPPING said:

    And all any competitor needs or indeed Google need to do is replace:

    51°30'28.7"N 0°09'39.8"W
    51.507980, -0.161044

    with

    Apple.Banana.Marrow

    for the GUI.

    That would mean Google purchasing W3W for lots of money. They can't just copy it because there's all kinds of IP associated they'd be violating. I can't imagine W3W would sell for less than a billion.
    Well w3w (as per @Leon's post) has a link to the satnav service of your choice but the fact remains that Google Maps has all the functionality of w3w so it wouldn't take a huge copyright violation to make, say, the buttons big and red and easy to use for example.

    GoogleFind.

    They can have that one for free.
    No, it would be because plus codes are not the same at all. As Leon has been pointing out the beauty of w3w is that you can tell people a location name with three words. That's the IP value and Google would need to buy it from them.
  • IshmaelZIshmaelZ Posts: 21,830
    edited August 2022

    Leon said:

    Fascinating interview with the guy who founded what3words, and had the basic idea

    He really put in the hours


    "He grabbed a dictionary and began the painstaking process of copying every word into an Excel spreadsheet and assigning each one a score out of ten for its suitability for use within the app, with common, easy to spell words given the highest marks and trickier, rarer words given lower ratings. “I did it every day for six months. It makes you notice how long the dictionary actually is,” he says. “I was living on my friend’s sofa at the time. And he was certainly confused. But I think he also admired my persistence.”"

    https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/can-what3words-revolutionise-the-way-we-navigate-the-world-tt0706nnv


    This company is going to EXPLODE

    He did it by hand? Mad.

    You can access dictionaries online. With a python script I daresay. And then you can use a Soundex function to work out which ones sound similar, and how many characters they differ by, etc.

    Why would you do that by hand? By hand?
    For a $500m cheque from google by the sound of it

    ///if.you.are

    ///so.smart.how

    ///come.you.aren't

    ///RICH! RICH! RICH?
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 24,587

    Hopefully this isn’t indicative of Biden’s short-term memory:

    https://twitter.com/steveguest/status/1557011318175047680

    You Alt Rights worry about a double handshake but go crazy-ape-bonkers, claiming the death of democracy, when the FBI try to retrieve classified Federal documents from a civilian with known connections to Putin.
  • state_go_awaystate_go_away Posts: 5,415
    TOPPING said:

    TOPPING said:

    On paper maps and road atlases , I dont have Sat Nav and I dont get lost - Road Atlases are such a manly joy - you are in charge of your route not some algorithm , the ten minutes or so at the start of a long journey day planning your route using a physical atlas is not wasted but filled with purpose for the day , reinforcing whatever mission you have at the other end as well as reinforcing British geography but also more importantly curiosity - in those ten minutes you will be surprised somewhere you think you knew was slightly located somewhere else, discover a village you had never heard of despite being in the same region as you and a strange feature of the landscape . You dont get this with Sat Nav (and you still get lost)

    Would I be right in thinking you are what is colloquially known by young folk as a "boomer"?
    No I an of Gen x actually but I am an orienteer and a map reader ! Orienteering is a great empowering and confidence building skill and indeed sport- unlike being ordered to turn left by your car
    So you sit with a 1:25,000 map on your lap as you navigate the Hangar Lane Gyratory System?
    well its not hard is it ? I have always found the Hanger Lane Gyratory easy enough without SATNAV
    Waze will take you through streets you never imagined existed just by saying turn left turn right in 100 yds take the second exit at the roundabout.

    No map can do that as safely or efficiently.
    well I am still here and dont really want to die on my deathbed wishing I was more efficient in life
  • LeonLeon Posts: 46,268
    IshmaelZ said:

    Leon said:

    Fascinating interview with the guy who founded what3words, and had the basic idea

    He really put in the hours


    "He grabbed a dictionary and began the painstaking process of copying every word into an Excel spreadsheet and assigning each one a score out of ten for its suitability for use within the app, with common, easy to spell words given the highest marks and trickier, rarer words given lower ratings. “I did it every day for six months. It makes you notice how long the dictionary actually is,” he says. “I was living on my friend’s sofa at the time. And he was certainly confused. But I think he also admired my persistence.”"

    https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/can-what3words-revolutionise-the-way-we-navigate-the-world-tt0706nnv


    This company is going to EXPLODE

    He did it by hand? Mad.

    You can access dictionaries online. With a python script I daresay. And then you can use a Soundex function to work out which ones sound similar, and how many characters they differ by, etc.

    Why would you do that by hand? By hand?
    For a $500m cheque from google by the sound of it

    ///if.you.are

    ///so.smart.how

    ///come.you.aren't

    ///RICH! RICH! RICH?
    Likewise, all the PB-ers telling us "oh I knew about W3W in 2017"

    Well then why didn't you bloody tell us? Because it's obviously a genius idea and we could all have invested money and now we'd all be sitting back waiting for Google to give us £2m for our shares

    Chiz
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 61,575
    edited August 2022
    Dura_Ace said:

    Leon said:

    TOPPING said:

    Leon said:

    Nigelb said:

    what3words I think works offline which is a good feature.

    Google Maps does work offline but unless you've saved the local maps you won't see anything

    Yes, it's really pretty good for fixed locations.
    I don't know why they're hyping mountain rescue at all.
    I can see why. Because it is great marketing. On that I am sure the "W3W PB skeptics" are - unusually - right. For this app to work to its full - and enormous, world-changing potential - it needs to get into as many phones as fast as possible. It needs to blitzscale like Uber, it needs to become THE app that does this one brilliant thing, for everyone

    How do you get people to download an app? Tell them it can literally save their life. So why not download it? It's free and takes 5 seconds. Once you've got it, then you realise that its potential uses are so much more interesting and varied than "saving an idiot in the Grampians"

    Nonetheless, it does seem to save people

    "Audrey Cura, 57, was out for a walk in Suffolk forest when her spooked dog Biscuit ran at her and instantly broke two bones in her leg - but thankfully she had what3words downloaded to help the ambulance pinpoint her exact location"

    https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/woman-breaks-leg-two-places-27581555

    https://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/20162243.dorset-police-remind-rural-residents-use-what3words/

    https://www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/news/people/derbyshire-4x4-response-volunteer-praised-for-use-of-what3words-app-to-direct-firefighters-to-tree-blaze-3734509
    Substitution is your enemy here.

    Google has a similar, clunky atm thing. When/if w3w really takes off and especially if they start charging to download the app, Google will rebrand their version, put it front and centre, bundle it, as it is already bundled with google services, and w3w will take a bath.

    And also, as mentioned above, rebrand

    51°30'28.7"N 0°09'39.8"W
    51.507980, -0.161044

    as

    Tomato.Plum.Carrot
    It's notable that in all their interviews the main guys at W3W are very careful to say "we are not a rival to Google Maps, we work with them, and through them, we complement each other"

    So they are obviously aware of the danger of provoking Google (which does seem to be the big predator in this area)

    What W3W need to do is get so big so quick that any rival 3-word-mapping system will not be able to compete as W3W is already the global default

    They are not there yet but with 30m downloads, up from 11m the year before, they're en route. At what point do they become unchallengable? 100m downloads? 400m?

    I see they are driving into the Indian market
    Shouldn't you be doing your nut over this new Chinese shrew virus instead of this boomer app obsession?
    No h2h transmission yet.

    The news about this is not the particular virus, but rather that surveillance is starting to show the extent and frequency of zoonotic transmission.
    (Which, FWIW, provides incremental evidence for the natural vs lab origins explanation for Covid.)
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 47,789
    Horrifying:

    Reports 'man's hand chopped off' outside Deighton WMC as shocked onlookers 'pick up hand in tea towel'

    “I have lived here for 20-odd years and there will be reprisals. I hear he has lost his hand over a £10 bag of weed. I was here the last time a lad had his arm nearly sliced off.”


    https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/local-news/reports-mans-hand-chopped-off-24715290
  • TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 40,950
    edited August 2022
    MaxPB said:

    TOPPING said:

    MaxPB said:

    TOPPING said:

    And all any competitor needs or indeed Google need to do is replace:

    51°30'28.7"N 0°09'39.8"W
    51.507980, -0.161044

    with

    Apple.Banana.Marrow

    for the GUI.

    That would mean Google purchasing W3W for lots of money. They can't just copy it because there's all kinds of IP associated they'd be violating. I can't imagine W3W would sell for less than a billion.
    Well w3w (as per @Leon's post) has a link to the satnav service of your choice but the fact remains that Google Maps has all the functionality of w3w so it wouldn't take a huge copyright violation to make, say, the buttons big and red and easy to use for example.

    GoogleFind.

    They can have that one for free.
    No, it would be because plus codes are not the same at all. As Leon has been pointing out the beauty of w3w is that you can tell people a location name with three words. That's the IP value and Google would need to buy it from them.
    Yes that's true they are the unique characteristic and are shareable. The IP just seems to me to be open to competition. Plus $250m after five years doesn't seem crazy valuation.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 61,575
    TOPPING said:

    TOPPING said:

    On paper maps and road atlases , I dont have Sat Nav and I dont get lost - Road Atlases are such a manly joy - you are in charge of your route not some algorithm , the ten minutes or so at the start of a long journey day planning your route using a physical atlas is not wasted but filled with purpose for the day , reinforcing whatever mission you have at the other end as well as reinforcing British geography but also more importantly curiosity - in those ten minutes you will be surprised somewhere you think you knew was slightly located somewhere else, discover a village you had never heard of despite being in the same region as you and a strange feature of the landscape . You dont get this with Sat Nav (and you still get lost)

    Would I be right in thinking you are what is colloquially known by young folk as a "boomer"?
    No I an of Gen x actually but I am an orienteer and a map reader ! Orienteering is a great empowering and confidence building skill and indeed sport- unlike being ordered to turn left by your car
    So you sit with a 1:25,000 map on your lap as you navigate the Hangar Lane Gyratory System?
    well its not hard is it ? I have always found the Hanger Lane Gyratory easy enough without SATNAV
    Waze will take you through streets you never imagined existed just by saying turn left turn right in 100 yds take the second exit at the roundabout.

    No map can do that as safely or efficiently.
    Google Maps does something along those lines (though probably with less efficiency ?).
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 61,575
    A rare Russian Ural Tornado-U armored cargo truck which was transporting artillery projectiles was destroyed in Novooleksiivka, #Kherson Oblast yesterday - 150km+ behind the front line.

    The ammo depot was also destroyed nearby - but what weapon was used is unknown.

    https://twitter.com/UAWeapons/status/1557364322963263488
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 61,575
    I guess one country one system is now official policy.

    China has withdrawn a promise not to send troops or administrators to Taiwan if it takes control of the island, an official document showed, signaling a decision by President Xi Jinping to grant less autonomy than previously offered
    https://twitter.com/Reuters/status/1557310819926433793
  • Looks like @Leon's got bored of DALL.E 2 :lol:
  • TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 40,950

    TOPPING said:

    TOPPING said:

    On paper maps and road atlases , I dont have Sat Nav and I dont get lost - Road Atlases are such a manly joy - you are in charge of your route not some algorithm , the ten minutes or so at the start of a long journey day planning your route using a physical atlas is not wasted but filled with purpose for the day , reinforcing whatever mission you have at the other end as well as reinforcing British geography but also more importantly curiosity - in those ten minutes you will be surprised somewhere you think you knew was slightly located somewhere else, discover a village you had never heard of despite being in the same region as you and a strange feature of the landscape . You dont get this with Sat Nav (and you still get lost)

    Would I be right in thinking you are what is colloquially known by young folk as a "boomer"?
    No I an of Gen x actually but I am an orienteer and a map reader ! Orienteering is a great empowering and confidence building skill and indeed sport- unlike being ordered to turn left by your car
    So you sit with a 1:25,000 map on your lap as you navigate the Hangar Lane Gyratory System?
    well its not hard is it ? I have always found the Hanger Lane Gyratory easy enough without SATNAV
    Waze will take you through streets you never imagined existed just by saying turn left turn right in 100 yds take the second exit at the roundabout.

    No map can do that as safely or efficiently.
    well I am still here and dont really want to die on my deathbed wishing I was more efficient in life
    The more efficient you are the longer you live.
  • LDLFLDLF Posts: 144
    edited August 2022
    I now think there is all to play for in the next election. Both Truss and Starmer are, I think, slightly more profound people than they are generally given credit for, but whether they will have the opportunity to play to their strengths is not going to be up to them - this is politics, and it depends on the events that fall into their laps.

    Truss's big flaw seems to be impulsiveness, though she at least has the sense to backtrack and abandon her more batty ideas rather than stick with them. She has been in government long enough either to understand the problem, or to be a part of it - the jury is still out on which. If she does indeed think outside the box, this would be very welcome, but she has up until this campaign always supported whichever government she was a member of in public (Orange Book Coalition, Merkelite Cameroons, May's Joe Chamberlain tribute act and Boris Johnson on iPod shuffle settings) that I do not think that we are seeing the real Liz Truss in this campaign - perhaps we never will, it probably is not suitable for a family audience. Still, she has at least shown herself to be a more fleet-of-foot campaigner than Sunak, which suprises me.

    Starmer has taken his party in the right direction but has boxed himself in by framing every debate around his own personal moral character and integrity, and the idea that he takes responsibility for everything (the second of these assertions has already been somewhat tested). The result is that even the most harmless little undeclared sale of 7 acres of Surrey comes back to bite him. How would he manage heading the government, which, even when fuctioning well, has to cope with at least one big scandal, and several tiny ones, every year?

    One thing that seems clear, whoever wins the next election: both Truss and Starmer have demonstrated a remarkable and shameless capability to change their minds. Very quickly.
  • dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 27,840

    Horrifying:

    Reports 'man's hand chopped off' outside Deighton WMC as shocked onlookers 'pick up hand in tea towel'

    “I have lived here for 20-odd years and there will be reprisals. I hear he has lost his hand over a £10 bag of weed. I was here the last time a lad had his arm nearly sliced off.”


    https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/local-news/reports-mans-hand-chopped-off-24715290

    Yorkshire common sense should be running the country.
  • DecrepiterJohnLDecrepiterJohnL Posts: 23,932
    edited August 2022
    It's not just Chinese shrew viruses...

    Urgent polio boosters for London children
    All children aged one to nine and living in Greater London will be offered a polio vaccine after the virus was detected in sewage.
    ... snip ...
    Polio is seen as a disease of the past in the UK after the whole of Europe was declared polio-free in 2003.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-62492784
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 24,587
    dixiedean said:

    Horrifying:

    Reports 'man's hand chopped off' outside Deighton WMC as shocked onlookers 'pick up hand in tea towel'

    “I have lived here for 20-odd years and there will be reprisals. I hear he has lost his hand over a £10 bag of weed. I was here the last time a lad had his arm nearly sliced off.”


    https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/local-news/reports-mans-hand-chopped-off-24715290

    Yorkshire common sense should be running the country.
    Southampton Yorkshire or Swaffham Yorkshire?
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 55,026
    Leon said:

    Fascinating interview with the guy who founded what3words, and had the basic idea

    He really put in the hours


    "He grabbed a dictionary and began the painstaking process of copying every word into an Excel spreadsheet and assigning each one a score out of ten for its suitability for use within the app, with common, easy to spell words given the highest marks and trickier, rarer words given lower ratings. “I did it every day for six months. It makes you notice how long the dictionary actually is,” he says. “I was living on my friend’s sofa at the time. And he was certainly confused. But I think he also admired my persistence.”"

    https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/can-what3words-revolutionise-the-way-we-navigate-the-world-tt0706nnv


    This company is going to EXPLODE

    He is Dr. johnson, and I claim my £5.

    Was his first alpha test of the app ///fart.fiddle.fornicate ?
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 55,026

    Looks like @Leon's got bored of DALL.E 2 :lol:

    I'm trying to think if there's any subject on the planet he wouldn't lose his shit about.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 61,575
    edited August 2022

    Hopefully this isn’t indicative of Biden’s short-term memory:

    https://twitter.com/steveguest/status/1557011318175047680

    You Alt Rights worry about a double handshake but go crazy-ape-bonkers, claiming the death of democracy, when the FBI try to retrieve classified Federal documents from a civilian with known connections to Putin.
    Senile or not, he's getting consequential legislation through.

    The day the CHIPS act was signed, Micron Tech announced $40bn plans to invest in US fabs.
    He might well be a one term President, but those who already wrote him off as a failure will quite likely be proved wrong.

    Which will infuriate some of them, and cause memory lapses in others.
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 38,851
    Anyway, striving to entertain the blog before I decamp to the Belsize bar that few know about, but also to illustrate a very serious political flaw in Liz Truss, being her uncontrollable mindless fetish for ... tax cuts.

    So, Liz the GP:

    “Doctor, I’m being plagued by a ghastly pain in the neck.”
    “Ah me too. Rishi’s such a trial.”
    “No, a pain in MY neck, I mean.”
    “Oh, I see. Ok. For how long?”
    “Over a week now. Can you prescribe me something for it?”
    “I certainly can! I know exactly what you need. We’ll put you on a course of tax cuts.”
    “That will cure my bad neck?”
    “No idea - but you’ll have more of your own money in your pocket.”

    And Liz the stand-up comedian:

    This Yorkshireman walks into a bar in Belsize Park and the barman is a rough and ready cockney -
    “What can I get you mate?” (in rough and ready 'geezer' accent)
    “A pint of vodka please.” (in Yorkshire accent but not a very strong one)
    “Bloody hell. Are you ok mate?”
    “Yep, pint of voddy, I’m celebrating.”
    “Must be something special!”
    “It is – I'm a banker and I’ve had a tax cut so I’ve got more of my own money in my pocket.”
    “Sure there’s enough room?
    “What do you mean?”
    “Well let’s face it, pal, there’s always lots of other people’s money in there too, right?”
    “Oh piss off you smartass cockney geezer barman.”

    And last but not least - Liz the grooved up reggae singer:

    Money in my pocket cos my tax has just been cut (yeah)
    Money in my pocket cos my tax has just been cut
    The cash is really mine
    I work for it all the time (yeah)
    It’s hard for a man to live without a tax cut … no no

    ... don't tell me not to give up the day job because this IS the day job :smile:
  • IshmaelZIshmaelZ Posts: 21,830

    Horrifying:

    Reports 'man's hand chopped off' outside Deighton WMC as shocked onlookers 'pick up hand in tea towel'

    “I have lived here for 20-odd years and there will be reprisals. I hear he has lost his hand over a £10 bag of weed. I was here the last time a lad had his arm nearly sliced off.”


    https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/local-news/reports-mans-hand-chopped-off-24715290

    “Drugs are horrific,” says Rishi Sunak. “There is nothing recreational about them. I have never taken them and I will be incredibly tough on anyone who does.”

    https://mobile.twitter.com/AdamBienkov/status/1557086306341195776

    He meant it. But Golly it makes him sound like 4 foot 8 of prissy little shit.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 61,575
    kinabalu said:

    Anyway, striving to entertain the blog before I decamp to the Belsize bar that few know about, but also to illustrate a very serious political flaw in Liz Truss, being her uncontrollable mindless fetish for ... tax cuts.

    ....

    ... don't tell me not to give up the day job because this IS the day job :smile:

    OK, give up the day job ! :smile:
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 61,575
    IshmaelZ said:

    Horrifying:

    Reports 'man's hand chopped off' outside Deighton WMC as shocked onlookers 'pick up hand in tea towel'

    “I have lived here for 20-odd years and there will be reprisals. I hear he has lost his hand over a £10 bag of weed. I was here the last time a lad had his arm nearly sliced off.”


    https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/local-news/reports-mans-hand-chopped-off-24715290

    “Drugs are horrific,” says Rishi Sunak. “There is nothing recreational about them. I have never taken them and I will be incredibly tough on anyone who does.”

    https://mobile.twitter.com/AdamBienkov/status/1557086306341195776

    He meant it. But Golly it makes him sound like 4 foot 8 of prissy little shit.
    You're not suggesting it was him ?
  • dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 27,840
    IshmaelZ said:

    Horrifying:

    Reports 'man's hand chopped off' outside Deighton WMC as shocked onlookers 'pick up hand in tea towel'

    “I have lived here for 20-odd years and there will be reprisals. I hear he has lost his hand over a £10 bag of weed. I was here the last time a lad had his arm nearly sliced off.”


    https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/local-news/reports-mans-hand-chopped-off-24715290

    “Drugs are horrific,” says Rishi Sunak. “There is nothing recreational about them. I have never taken them and I will be incredibly tough on anyone who does.”

    https://mobile.twitter.com/AdamBienkov/status/1557086306341195776

    He meant it. But Golly it makes him sound like 4 foot 8 of prissy little shit.
    Christ.
    It just gets worse.
  • Scott_xPScott_xP Posts: 32,739

    I'm trying to think if there's any subject on the planet he wouldn't lose his shit about.

    Surprised he isn't in on this...

    Why should hard-working taxpayers in my constituency have to pay for an academic to write about his experiences masturbating to Japanese porn?

    The non-STEM side of higher education is just much too big, producing too much that is not socially useful.


    https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/14687941221096600 https://twitter.com/NeilDotObrien/status/1557236449786957824/photo/1
  • TOPPING said:

    TOPPING said:

    On paper maps and road atlases , I dont have Sat Nav and I dont get lost - Road Atlases are such a manly joy - you are in charge of your route not some algorithm , the ten minutes or so at the start of a long journey day planning your route using a physical atlas is not wasted but filled with purpose for the day , reinforcing whatever mission you have at the other end as well as reinforcing British geography but also more importantly curiosity - in those ten minutes you will be surprised somewhere you think you knew was slightly located somewhere else, discover a village you had never heard of despite being in the same region as you and a strange feature of the landscape . You dont get this with Sat Nav (and you still get lost)

    Would I be right in thinking you are what is colloquially known by young folk as a "boomer"?
    No I an of Gen x actually but I am an orienteer and a map reader ! Orienteering is a great empowering and confidence building skill and indeed sport- unlike being ordered to turn left by your car
    So you sit with a 1:25,000 map on your lap as you navigate the Hangar Lane Gyratory System?
    well its not hard is it ? I have always found the Hanger Lane Gyratory easy enough without SATNAV
    Waze will take you through streets you never imagined existed just by saying turn left turn right in 100 yds take the second exit at the roundabout.

    No map can do that as safely or efficiently.
    Waze is good but after it took me down the twistiest, turniest national speed limit back road, ignoring the lovely, empty, dual carriageway when I went to South Wales a few months ago I thought I'd give apple maps a whirl. What with carplay and all that. Don't think I'll go back to waze.

    If I'd been in something with a bit of poke the back road would've been ace. Shame I was in a 1 litre Picanto. Sorry Dura.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 61,575

    Looks like @Leon's got bored of DALL.E 2 :lol:

    I'm trying to think if there's any subject on the planet he wouldn't lose his shit about.
    Costive substances ?
  • noneoftheabovenoneoftheabove Posts: 20,454
    Nigelb said:

    Hopefully this isn’t indicative of Biden’s short-term memory:

    https://twitter.com/steveguest/status/1557011318175047680

    You Alt Rights worry about a double handshake but go crazy-ape-bonkers, claiming the death of democracy, when the FBI try to retrieve classified Federal documents from a civilian with known connections to Putin.
    Senile or not, he's getting consequential legislation through.

    The day the CHIPS act was signed, Micron Tech announced $40bn plans to invest in US fabs.
    He might well be a one term President, but those who already wrote him off as a failure will quite likely be proved wrong.

    Which will infuriate some of them, and cause memory lapses in others.
    Cue some videos of a man with a stammer all his life, stammering approaching 80, to prove his senility.
  • GardenwalkerGardenwalker Posts: 20,812
    edited August 2022
    LDLF said:

    I now think there is all to play for in the next election. Both Truss and Starmer are, I think, slightly more profound people than they are generally given credit for, but whether they will have the opportunity to play to their strengths is not going to be up to them - this is politics, and it depends on the events that fall into their laps.

    Truss's big flaw seems to be impulsiveness, though she at least has the sense to backtrack and abandon her more batty ideas rather than stick with them. She has been in government long enough either to understand the problem, or to be a part of it - the jury is still out on which. If she does indeed think outside the box, this would be very welcome, but she has up until this campaign always supported whichever government she was a member of in public (Orange Book Coalition, Merkelite Cameroons, May's Joe Chamberlain tribute act and Boris Johnson on iPod shuffle settings) that I do not think that we are seeing the real Liz Truss in this campaign - perhaps we never will, it probably is not suitable for a family audience. Still, she has at least shown herself to be a more fleet-of-foot campaigner than Sunak, which suprises me.

    Starmer has taken his party in the right direction but has boxed himself in by framing every debate around his own personal moral character and integrity, and the idea that he takes responsibility for everything (the second of these assertions has already been somewhat tested). The result is that even the most harmless little undeclared sale of 7 acres of Surrey comes back to bite him. How would he manage heading the government, which, even when fuctioning well, has to cope with at least one big scandal, and several tiny ones, every year?

    One thing that seems clear, whoever wins the next election: both Truss and Starmer have demonstrated a remarkable and shameless capability to change their minds. Very quickly.

    You misdiagnose Starmer.

    He is obviously an effective bureaucrat, and the proof is to be seen in his career before politics; and in his subsequent clean up of the Labour Party.

    One gets the sense too that he has been effective in part by eschewing strong political positions and not seeming to rock the boat.

    But these bureaucratic strengths are likely weaknesses in retail politics.
    He doesn’t do bold.
    He doesn’t do passion.
    He doesn’t even respond to attacks head on.
    He’s not sure how growth happens, and he’s not terribly clear what his vision is, or why we should be optimistic about it.
  • RH1992RH1992 Posts: 788
    edited August 2022
    TOPPING said:

    TOPPING said:

    On paper maps and road atlases , I dont have Sat Nav and I dont get lost - Road Atlases are such a manly joy - you are in charge of your route not some algorithm , the ten minutes or so at the start of a long journey day planning your route using a physical atlas is not wasted but filled with purpose for the day , reinforcing whatever mission you have at the other end as well as reinforcing British geography but also more importantly curiosity - in those ten minutes you will be surprised somewhere you think you knew was slightly located somewhere else, discover a village you had never heard of despite being in the same region as you and a strange feature of the landscape . You dont get this with Sat Nav (and you still get lost)

    Would I be right in thinking you are what is colloquially known by young folk as a "boomer"?
    No I an of Gen x actually but I am an orienteer and a map reader ! Orienteering is a great empowering and confidence building skill and indeed sport- unlike being ordered to turn left by your car
    So you sit with a 1:25,000 map on your lap as you navigate the Hangar Lane Gyratory System?
    well its not hard is it ? I have always found the Hanger Lane Gyratory easy enough without SATNAV
    Waze will take you through streets you never imagined existed just by saying turn left turn right in 100 yds take the second exit at the roundabout.

    No map can do that as safely or efficiently.
    I don't use a sat nav or an atlas. I find the road signage in the UK is pretty good compared to some other countries so all I usually do before I drive somewhere new is take a look at Google Maps just before I leave so I can memorise the last bit of the journey.

    e.g I've never been to Stoke-on-Trent but I know that you'd get there from Leeds via the M62 westbound, anti clockwise around the M60 onto the M56 then down the M6 until you reach the relevant exit. At that point I'd have memorised roughly where I needed to go although if it's a residential street or I'm struggling I sometimes might need to pull over briefly to check where I am. I'm never usually more than a mile or so from where I need to be.

    I don't begrudge people using sat navs, but it concerns me that the art of navigating is disappearing. I often find the worst people on motorways are people who panic about which lane to be in making last minute decisions, for example, when there's a lane drop that's been signed a good 1 or 2 miles in advance of it happening. More often than not when I overtake there's a sat nav stuck to the windscreen right in front of their face and it's obvious they haven't taken a single look at any road sign. It also makes me concerned what else they're not watching on the road, like speed limit signs, warning signs, red Xs or actual hazards and obstructions.
  • IshmaelZIshmaelZ Posts: 21,830
    Nigelb said:

    IshmaelZ said:

    Horrifying:

    Reports 'man's hand chopped off' outside Deighton WMC as shocked onlookers 'pick up hand in tea towel'

    “I have lived here for 20-odd years and there will be reprisals. I hear he has lost his hand over a £10 bag of weed. I was here the last time a lad had his arm nearly sliced off.”


    https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/local-news/reports-mans-hand-chopped-off-24715290

    “Drugs are horrific,” says Rishi Sunak. “There is nothing recreational about them. I have never taken them and I will be incredibly tough on anyone who does.”

    https://mobile.twitter.com/AdamBienkov/status/1557086306341195776

    He meant it. But Golly it makes him sound like 4 foot 8 of prissy little shit.
    You're not suggesting it was him ?
    Well, the timeline is suggestive. Yorkshire plugs should be looking over their shoulder just now.
  • Leon said:

    TOPPING said:

    Leon said:

    OK let's go through this. Let's see how W3W is doing versus PB's received opinion that it is simultaneously rubbish, boring, useless, and only doing what other maps already do

    So, how are they doing?

    DHL have adopted it:

    https://www.enterprisetimes.co.uk/2022/04/07/dhl-partners-with-what3words-for-uk-parcel-app/

    As we know, all the carmakers want to use it:

    https://www.axios.com/2022/05/05/carmakers-adopt-what3words-app-for-voice-navigation

    Taxi companies are using it:

    https://www.taxi-point.co.uk/post/taxi-despatch-firm-sherlock-partners-with-what3words

    The Queen uses it to report fires:

    "The team took to Instagram to plead with visitors over a safety matter, writing: "The Royal Parkland still remains very dry after the hot weather. Please remain vigilant when visiting, report a fire immediately, we would also encourage visitors to download 'what3words' app to help with locations. Please do not BBQ and take home any rubbish to help reduce the risk."

    https://www.hellomagazine.com/homes/20220808147614/the-queen-home-sandringham-safety-warning-fires/

    Ecommerce deliveries:


    https://edelivery.net/2022/08/gfs-partners-what3words/


    McKinsey calls it "the future of navigation"

    https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/automotive-and-assembly/our-insights/the-future-of-navigation-in-a-digitized-world-an-interview-with-what3wordss-clare-jones


    Missing hikers in Ontario are using it:

    https://globalnews.ca/news/9006869/missing-hikers-located-ontario-what3words/

    Local listings are using it:

    https://www.marketingtechnews.net/news/2022/jun/21/yext-aims-to-give-customers-control-over-location-data-with-what3words/

    The Germans have invested €60m


    https://tech.eu/2022/05/24/german-media-pool-backs-what3words-with-eur80-million-media-volume-for-geolocation-solution/


    Not bad for a company that is basically just a shittier version of an old Ordnance Survey map and a pencil

    We like it, Leon, we like it. In particular situations for some and others for others. Some see different options for the same thing.

    Just that it is endearing that you should just have only now discovered it.

    Never previously considered myself bleeding edge before but then you pop up.

    So thanks.
    ...What I do have, however (and the rest of you, apparently, don't) is the ability to extrapolate, very fast...
    "But what I do have are a very particular set of skills, skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my [puppyish enthusiasm for something casually mentioned by my ] daughter go now, that'll be the end of it."
  • IshmaelZIshmaelZ Posts: 21,830
    RH1992 said:

    TOPPING said:

    TOPPING said:

    On paper maps and road atlases , I dont have Sat Nav and I dont get lost - Road Atlases are such a manly joy - you are in charge of your route not some algorithm , the ten minutes or so at the start of a long journey day planning your route using a physical atlas is not wasted but filled with purpose for the day , reinforcing whatever mission you have at the other end as well as reinforcing British geography but also more importantly curiosity - in those ten minutes you will be surprised somewhere you think you knew was slightly located somewhere else, discover a village you had never heard of despite being in the same region as you and a strange feature of the landscape . You dont get this with Sat Nav (and you still get lost)

    Would I be right in thinking you are what is colloquially known by young folk as a "boomer"?
    No I an of Gen x actually but I am an orienteer and a map reader ! Orienteering is a great empowering and confidence building skill and indeed sport- unlike being ordered to turn left by your car
    So you sit with a 1:25,000 map on your lap as you navigate the Hangar Lane Gyratory System?
    well its not hard is it ? I have always found the Hanger Lane Gyratory easy enough without SATNAV
    Waze will take you through streets you never imagined existed just by saying turn left turn right in 100 yds take the second exit at the roundabout.

    No map can do that as safely or efficiently.
    I don't use a sat nav or an atlas. I find the road signage in the UK is pretty good compared to some other countries so all I usually do before I drive somewhere new is take a look at Google Maps just before I leave so I can memorise the last bit of the journey.

    e.g I've never been to Stoke-on-Trent but I know that you'd get there from Leeds via the M62 westbound, anti clockwise around the M60 onto the M56 then down the M6 until you reach the relevant exit. At that point I'd have memorised roughly where I needed to go although if it's a residential street or I'm struggling I sometimes might need to pull over briefly to check where I am. I'm never usually more than a mile or so from where I need to be.

    I don't begrudge people using sat navs, but it concerns me that the art of navigating is disappearing. I often find the worst people on motorways are people who panic about which lane to be in making last minute decisions, for example, when there's a lane drop that's been signed a good 1 or 2 miles in advance of it happening. More often than not when I overtake there's a sat nav stuck to the windscreen right in front of their face and it's obvious they haven't taken a single look at any road sign. It also makes me concerned what else they're not watching on the road, like speed limit signs, warning signs, red Xs or actual hazards and obstructions.
    Bad thing about Google is this: if you fucked up it used to tell you to do a u turn ASAP. About 3 years ago it obviously had a liability scare and stopped doing that for fear of causing pile ups, and now it will literally send you on a 25 mile loop to retrieve 100 yards because it daren't tell you just turn round. And because you can't see its intentions on a map you are buggered.
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 58,043
    Ben Hodges
    @general_ben
    Russia's logistics system is exhausted. Can't replace systems and parts, transport overstretched...signs of the impending total collapse of Russian forces. Sanctions are working. Send UKR what it needs and maintain pressure on Kremlin. This could be over by the end of the year.

    https://twitter.com/general_ben/status/1556968315691614208
  • RH1992 said:

    TOPPING said:

    TOPPING said:

    On paper maps and road atlases , I dont have Sat Nav and I dont get lost - Road Atlases are such a manly joy - you are in charge of your route not some algorithm , the ten minutes or so at the start of a long journey day planning your route using a physical atlas is not wasted but filled with purpose for the day , reinforcing whatever mission you have at the other end as well as reinforcing British geography but also more importantly curiosity - in those ten minutes you will be surprised somewhere you think you knew was slightly located somewhere else, discover a village you had never heard of despite being in the same region as you and a strange feature of the landscape . You dont get this with Sat Nav (and you still get lost)

    Would I be right in thinking you are what is colloquially known by young folk as a "boomer"?
    No I an of Gen x actually but I am an orienteer and a map reader ! Orienteering is a great empowering and confidence building skill and indeed sport- unlike being ordered to turn left by your car
    So you sit with a 1:25,000 map on your lap as you navigate the Hangar Lane Gyratory System?
    well its not hard is it ? I have always found the Hanger Lane Gyratory easy enough without SATNAV
    Waze will take you through streets you never imagined existed just by saying turn left turn right in 100 yds take the second exit at the roundabout.

    No map can do that as safely or efficiently.
    ...I often find the worst people on motorways are people who panic about which lane to be in making last minute decisions, for example, when there's a lane drop that's been signed a good 1 or 2 miles in advance of it happening. More often than not when I overtake there's a sat nav stuck to the windscreen right in front of their face and it's obvious they haven't taken a single look at any road sign...
    Google maps, and all decent factory car nav systems, give well-timed warnings as you approach a motorway exit or other junction. Your caricature of satnav users suggests you haven't really understood how it works or haven't been able to make it your servant rather than your master.

  • Ooof nasty burn for the superb Richard Hawley: Jarvis Cocker joins Pulp bandmate onstage to support Sheffield Leadmill

    https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/aug/10/jarvis-cocker-joins-pulp-bandmate-onstage-to-support-sheffield-leadmill

    I saw the Verve there, their first gig for a couple of years, a few weeks before they released Urban Hymns. I was a few feet from the stage. Perhaps the best gig I've ever been to. They were so hungry, up for it. Brilliant. And I got off with some fit lass I've never seen since. Superb.

    Googling it, I see it was 25 years ago yesterday. 25 years!!!!!!! Crikey. I'm old. From 19 to 44 has gone by depressingly quickly...
  • I feel like Leon reads about something and then immediately jumps in at a million miles an hour.

    Reminds me of my CEO who has an idea and then spends an hour writing emails
  • MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 49,960
    eek said:

    "the challenge facing the Tories at the next election is so great that it is hard to see how they can stay in power unless they secure an overall majority"


    1. The DUP can be bought. Its just, the price went up.

    2. The challenge facing Labour is the Tories got an 80 seat majority at the last election. And in much of that majority, the trend is not Labour's friend.

    3. Labour are a dismal void, bereft of any alternative postures that remotely enthuse the voters. Embodied by their leader.

    On her showing so far, the Tories could be on hands and knees begging Wallace to take over from Truss in a coronation this winter. Hope I'm wrong (as I vote for Rishi), but there is a material risk the voters will hate her by then.

    While the DUP can be bought - if they only have 6 seats instead of 10 they may not be worth buying.
    Depends how far they are off a majority.

    If 15, not so much an issue.

    If 5......
  • DavidLDavidL Posts: 50,772
    RH1992 said:

    TOPPING said:

    TOPPING said:

    On paper maps and road atlases , I dont have Sat Nav and I dont get lost - Road Atlases are such a manly joy - you are in charge of your route not some algorithm , the ten minutes or so at the start of a long journey day planning your route using a physical atlas is not wasted but filled with purpose for the day , reinforcing whatever mission you have at the other end as well as reinforcing British geography but also more importantly curiosity - in those ten minutes you will be surprised somewhere you think you knew was slightly located somewhere else, discover a village you had never heard of despite being in the same region as you and a strange feature of the landscape . You dont get this with Sat Nav (and you still get lost)

    Would I be right in thinking you are what is colloquially known by young folk as a "boomer"?
    No I an of Gen x actually but I am an orienteer and a map reader ! Orienteering is a great empowering and confidence building skill and indeed sport- unlike being ordered to turn left by your car
    So you sit with a 1:25,000 map on your lap as you navigate the Hangar Lane Gyratory System?
    well its not hard is it ? I have always found the Hanger Lane Gyratory easy enough without SATNAV
    Waze will take you through streets you never imagined existed just by saying turn left turn right in 100 yds take the second exit at the roundabout.

    No map can do that as safely or efficiently.
    I don't use a sat nav or an atlas. I find the road signage in the UK is pretty good compared to some other countries so all I usually do before I drive somewhere new is take a look at Google Maps just before I leave so I can memorise the last bit of the journey.

    e.g I've never been to Stoke-on-Trent but I know that you'd get there from Leeds via the M62 westbound, anti clockwise around the M60 onto the M56 then down the M6 until you reach the relevant exit. At that point I'd have memorised roughly where I needed to go although if it's a residential street or I'm struggling I sometimes might need to pull over briefly to check where I am. I'm never usually more than a mile or so from where I need to be.

    I don't begrudge people using sat navs, but it concerns me that the art of navigating is disappearing. I often find the worst people on motorways are people who panic about which lane to be in making last minute decisions, for example, when there's a lane drop that's been signed a good 1 or 2 miles in advance of it happening. More often than not when I overtake there's a sat nav stuck to the windscreen right in front of their face and it's obvious they haven't taken a single look at any road sign. It also makes me concerned what else they're not watching on the road, like speed limit signs, warning signs, red Xs or actual hazards and obstructions.
    Back in the day my mum used to "navigate" for my dad. She was terrible at it. Even with the map upside down so it was pointing the way we were going she constantly got left and right muddled. When I was about 8 I noticed that my dad wasn't paying a lot of attention to the drama in the passenger seat. He admitted to me that throughout their marriage he had memorised the entire route before he left but I was very firmly instructed not to tell her and, of course, I didn't.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 61,575
    Who was it who said "If you're innocent, why are you taking the Fifth ?" ...

    They were, of course, wrong to question 5th Amendment rights.

    https://twitter.com/AndrewFeinberg/status/1557366978238619649
    Former president Trump says he invoked his Fifth Amendment rights during his deposition with @NewYorkStateAG ⁩’s office
  • LeonLeon Posts: 46,268
    RH1992 said:

    TOPPING said:

    TOPPING said:

    On paper maps and road atlases , I dont have Sat Nav and I dont get lost - Road Atlases are such a manly joy - you are in charge of your route not some algorithm , the ten minutes or so at the start of a long journey day planning your route using a physical atlas is not wasted but filled with purpose for the day , reinforcing whatever mission you have at the other end as well as reinforcing British geography but also more importantly curiosity - in those ten minutes you will be surprised somewhere you think you knew was slightly located somewhere else, discover a village you had never heard of despite being in the same region as you and a strange feature of the landscape . You dont get this with Sat Nav (and you still get lost)

    Would I be right in thinking you are what is colloquially known by young folk as a "boomer"?
    No I an of Gen x actually but I am an orienteer and a map reader ! Orienteering is a great empowering and confidence building skill and indeed sport- unlike being ordered to turn left by your car
    So you sit with a 1:25,000 map on your lap as you navigate the Hangar Lane Gyratory System?
    well its not hard is it ? I have always found the Hanger Lane Gyratory easy enough without SATNAV
    Waze will take you through streets you never imagined existed just by saying turn left turn right in 100 yds take the second exit at the roundabout.

    No map can do that as safely or efficiently.
    I don't use a sat nav or an atlas. I find the road signage in the UK is pretty good compared to some other countries so all I usually do before I drive somewhere new is take a look at Google Maps just before I leave so I can memorise the last bit of the journey.

    e.g I've never been to Stoke-on-Trent but I know that you'd get there from Leeds via the M62 westbound, anti clockwise around the M60 onto the M56 then down the M6 until you reach the relevant exit. At that point I'd have memorised roughly where I needed to go although if it's a residential street or I'm struggling I sometimes might need to pull over briefly to check where I am. I'm never usually more than a mile or so from where I need to be.

    I don't begrudge people using sat navs, but it concerns me that the art of navigating is disappearing. I often find the worst people on motorways are people who panic about which lane to be in making last minute decisions, for example, when there's a lane drop that's been signed a good 1 or 2 miles in advance of it happening. More often than not when I overtake there's a sat nav stuck to the windscreen right in front of their face and it's obvious they haven't taken a single look at any road sign. It also makes me concerned what else they're not watching on the road, like speed limit signs, warning signs, red Xs or actual hazards and obstructions.

    “I don't begrudge people using sat navs, “

    That’s a golden PB moment
This discussion has been closed.