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Bad news for Liz Truss fans, all three of them – politicalbetting.com

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Comments

  • Foxy said:

    boulay said:

    Leon said:

    Foxy said:

    kle4 said:

    I feel like this article popped up in my recommendations due to visiting PB.

    How truffle ruined absolutely everything

    If I shut my eyes, I can remember a time when I’d order a plain pasta pomodoro and mac and cheese came just as it was. My chips were sprinkled only with a dash of flaky sea salt. A much simpler time.

    A time before truffle.

    Then, truffle took over, sending the London food scene into a state of mushroom-induced delirium. Now, seemingly every morsel on every menu is swimming in a thick pungent oil or is scattered with shavings of the crusty, nobbly little creatures. My TikTok For You Page is an explosion of sweaty cheese wheels and twirling forkfuls of truffley pastas. ‘You’ve got to try this new spot in Soho,’ an influencer’s voice proclaims. ‘We had the truffle fries, the truffle pasta and this incredible truffle cocktail with a truffle emulsion.’


    https://www.timeout.com/london/food-restaurant-truffle-takeover?utm_source=pocket-newtab-en-gb

    Anyone giving an incorrect name for macaroni cheese should be taken out and shot.

    Anyone using the phrase "food scene" should also be taken out and shot.

    Not that I have anything against the author.
    I would force feed them egg and chips and post the pictures on all the pompous foodie blogs, as befits someone who eats a raincoat.
    Egg and chips might be the most perfect food. That or a cheese and tomato sandwich.
    No, cheese and tomato is just about the worst sandwich filling. The cheese acts as an impermeable membrane that becomes slimy from the tomato, which also makes the bread soggy. Tomato does not belong in a sandwich.
    You’re using the wrong tomato maybe. And possibly the wrong cheese. And bread

    They are a delicious combination
    The only thing to go with cheese in a sandwich is pickle. Branston. Pan yan. Artisan chutney from a farmers' market. Any of those. But not tomato.

    Between two slices of Mother's Pride.

    If I could only eat one thing for all eternity, that would be it.
    Another from my weird croissant/sandwich weirdness is croissant with Brie, fig jam and prosciutto.
    That's fine. Not making the bread soggy.
    Agree. Sounds delicious.
  • RattersRatters Posts: 1,076
    This isn't one of the better England sides of recent years, with terrible recent form.

    Argentina are a decent side.

    Tempting fate a little, but winning comfortably with a man down for almost the entire game is a very good result.

    It doesn't mean we're suddenly in contention for the tournament, but at least now we have a very good chance of escaping the group stage.
  • turbotubbsturbotubbs Posts: 17,405
    Leon said:

    Scott_xP said:

    And the ref comes to the rescue again...

    Are you actually TRYING to be a caricature of a churlish, chippy Scotsman? This is embarrassing

    Just turn off the telly!
    Scotland have a great side, play exciting rugby. Cheer for them and applaud others. That's the spirit of rugby.
  • 21 pts to 3 = lol to the naysayers .. especially with England down to 14 men..

    Certainly validates folk like you who were bigging up England beforehand. Well done, you must have made a killing on the betting.
    Well... considering that I haven't commented about the match before the KO and consequently haven't bigged up England... you are about as correct as you usually are.
  • Richard_TyndallRichard_Tyndall Posts: 32,521
    edited September 2023
    Not watching the rugby. Last night of the Proms for me. The event that always kicks off the Sacred Season for me.
  • My brother is part of the Scotland coaching staff. He's not answering my WhatsApp messages at the moment...
  • turbotubbsturbotubbs Posts: 17,405

    My brother is part of the Scotland coaching staff. He's not answering my WhatsApp messages at the moment...

    Keep trying!
  • 24pts to 3.. lol The Argies being screwed
  • LeonLeon Posts: 55,277

    Has a top - eight? - nation ever beaten another top eight nation playing a man down for over 70 minutes? I think England have this now, and it'll be an incredible win all things considered.

    Damn good point. A remarkable win, in the circs

    The Argies have been poor, but England have made them look poor, in part. Rattling their ribcages: this is stirring stuff!
  • Scott_xPScott_xP Posts: 35,990
    Wow, the ref gives another decision against Argentina. Remarkable...
  • Scott_xPScott_xP Posts: 35,990
    And again...
  • LeonLeon Posts: 55,277
    Best England performance in a year. Or maybe years

    Good time to do it
  • turbotubbsturbotubbs Posts: 17,405
    Scott_xP said:

    And again...

    Are you aquatinted with the laws of rugby, old chap?
  • Leon said:

    Best England performance in a year. Or maybe years

    Good time to do it

    Scott Borthwick is the greatest coach in the world. FACT.

    Anyone whoever doubted him is a bellend.
  • turbotubbsturbotubbs Posts: 17,405
    Leon said:

    Best England performance in a year. Or maybe years

    Good time to do it

    I'm calling since the World Cup semi final.
  • TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 119,630
    edited September 2023
    England are more than 3 converted tries ahead with 4 minutes to go.

    Not even England can screw this up.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 55,277
    England as champs are down from a generous 16/1 (as I pointed out in my pre match comment) to 10/1

    I got the match wrong. but that was good advice

    https://www.oddschecker.com/rugby-union/rugby-world-cup/winner
  • Leon said:

    Best England performance in a year. Or maybe years

    Good time to do it

    Scott Borthwick is the greatest coach in the world. FACT.

    Anyone whoever doubted him is a bellend.
    That would be me. He's still rubbish. The players have taken control
  • Leon said:

    Best England performance in a year. Or maybe years

    Good time to do it

    Scott Borthwick is the greatest coach in the world. FACT.

    Anyone whoever doubted him is a bellend.
    That would be me. He's still rubbish. The players have taken control
    I doubted him as well.
  • turbotubbsturbotubbs Posts: 17,405

    Leon said:

    Best England performance in a year. Or maybe years

    Good time to do it

    Scott Borthwick is the greatest coach in the world. FACT.

    Anyone whoever doubted him is a bellend.
    That would be me. He's still rubbish. The players have taken control
    Famously that happened in 2007, and ended in a narrow defeat in the final.
  • Not watching the rugby. Last night of the Proms for me. The event that always kicks off the Sacred Season for me.

    One is a popular entertainment for beery blokes who shout a lot, and the other is a rugby match.
  • 21 pts to 3 = lol to the naysayers .. especially with England down to 14 men..

    Certainly validates folk like you who were bigging up England beforehand. Well done, you must have made a killing on the betting.
    Well... considering that I haven't commented about the match before the KO and consequently haven't bigged up England... you are about as correct as you usually are.
    That was kind of my point.

    Aftertimers, no 1 in the top five of betting wankers.
  • tysontyson Posts: 6,117
    I see the last night of the Proms is on....I really used to enjoy this. But now it just makes me feel profoundly sad and depressed about the terrible state of our country.Thank you Brexit and a big thank you to the Tories for the last 12 years....
  • dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 29,401

    Leon said:

    Best England performance in a year. Or maybe years

    Good time to do it

    Scott Borthwick is the greatest coach in the world. FACT.

    Anyone whoever doubted him is a bellend.
    That would be me. He's still rubbish. The players have taken control
    A player took control.
    One man ripped up the game plan after the red card.
    Argentina continued with theirs.
  • Scott_xPScott_xP Posts: 35,990
    Scott_xP said:

    England winning this game will give them unwarranted hubris when they meet a real team

    And so it proves...
  • Hurrah.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 55,277
    Well fucking DONE England

    Proper job. 1 man down. Immense
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 32,553
    tyson said:

    I see the last night of the Proms is on....I really used to enjoy this. But now it just makes me feel profoundly sad and depressed about the terrible state of our country.Thank you Brexit and a big thank you to the Tories for the last 12 years....

    Rule Brittania sung by a Norwegian.
  • Looking forward to the commentary from Scot xP and the Divvie if things start to go against the Jocks.
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 42,134
    Borthball
  • BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 34,663
    Fantastic game management by England given they were a man down for 65 mins.
  • Scott_xPScott_xP Posts: 35,990

    Looking forward to the commentary from Scot xP and the Divvie if things start to go against the Jocks.

    LOL
  • 21 pts to 3 = lol to the naysayers .. especially with England down to 14 men..

    Certainly validates folk like you who were bigging up England beforehand. Well done, you must have made a killing on the betting.
    Well... considering that I haven't commented about the match before the KO and consequently haven't bigged up England... you are about as correct as you usually are.
    That was kind of my point.

    Aftertimers, no 1 in the top five of betting wankers.
    Ooh you bitch...
  • Leon said:

    Well fucking DONE England

    Proper job. 1 man down. Immense

    Well done England. Let's be positive about it. We might not win RWC23 but a win is a win. 👍
  • LeonLeon Posts: 55,277

    Fantastic game management by England given they were a man down for 65 mins.

    Yes, genius decision to go for the drop goals

    Was that Ford or Borthwick? I'd love to know... Either way Farrell has a problem getting back in this team. You would surely keep this 15 for the next match, and so on
  • boulayboulay Posts: 5,486

    Looking forward to the commentary from Scot xP and the Divvie if things start to go against the Jocks.

    I am imagining that it will be something along the lines of “plucky Scots unlucky to be beaten by a team, sorry, teams, who somehow managed to luck out by being better but we are ever so humble compared to those arrogant English bastards who think that by winning a World Cup and getting to a few finals they have some god given arrogant right to claim they have a better World Cup record than us humble Scot’s unlike the arrogant English bastards.”

    Or something completely un-chippy like that.
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 28,368
    ...
    kinabalu said:

    Borthball

    Winning matches by kicking from hand? Well it beats Warrenball.
  • England better without Owen Farrell ?

    Certainly better when they play using their brains instead of thinking their in a virility contest.
  • Re Truss.

    Having gone through the leadership contest cosplaying Thatcher she then produced the sort of budget Thatcher never did and never would have done.

    Did she really not understand what Thatcher was all about ?
  • CyclefreeCyclefree Posts: 25,310
    edited September 2023
    tyson said:

    I see the last night of the Proms is on....I really used to enjoy this. But now it just makes me feel profoundly sad and depressed about the terrible state of our country.Thank you Brexit and a big thank you to the Tories for the last 12 years....

    The musical tradition in this country is something to cherish. I have watched or heard quite a few Prom performances this year and they have been very good indeed. The one I enjoyed most was the Northern Soul one which is worth catching on iPlayer. The documentary about Northern Soul is also worth watching.

    I rather like Marin Alsop as a conductor. She conducted a wonderful performance of Verdi's Requiem a few years back which you can see on YouTube. Well worth catching.The "Libera me" is outstanding.
  • Leon said:

    Fantastic game management by England given they were a man down for 65 mins.

    Yes, genius decision to go for the drop goals

    Was that Ford or Borthwick? I'd love to know... Either way Farrell has a problem getting back in this team. You would surely keep this 15 for the next match, and so on
    I never understand why teams don't go for drop goals more.
  • TimSTimS Posts: 12,986
    edited September 2023
    Cyclefree said:

    The effect of the heat here is that in the valleys we get low mist on the fields caused by the heat from the ground meeting the cooler air above. It creates a magical effect. Sometimes driving over the fells you can see the whole valley below covered in this mist.

    This evening driving back from the other side of the Duddon Estuary I was driving through it, with the sheep happily grazing through it all.




    That and the extremely high humidity this week, with dew points at or near record levels. Right now the DP near you (I’ve looked at coastal Cumbrian stations) is around 16C which is scarcely below the air temperature. That means at 16C it would be foggy. Dewpoint’s been around 20C or above in the South. In the Kentish dry valley where my vineyard station is, earlier this week the dew point reached an incredible 24.6C. Floridian levels of humidity.

  • BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 34,663
    Leon said:

    Fantastic game management by England given they were a man down for 65 mins.

    Yes, genius decision to go for the drop goals

    Was that Ford or Borthwick? I'd love to know... Either way Farrell has a problem getting back in this team. You would surely keep this 15 for the next match, and so on
    I would but sadly I think Borthwick will have Farrell back as soon as he's available.
  • Britain strikes again:

    https://twitter.com/JohnCleese/status/1700316044479656221

    No wonder the Russians blame us for everything.
  • tyson said:

    I see the last night of the Proms is on....I really used to enjoy this. But now it just makes me feel profoundly sad and depressed about the terrible state of our country.Thank you Brexit and a big thank you to the Tories for the last 12 years....

    I love it just as much after Brexit as I did before. I am afraid I find your attitude both sad and somewhat amusing. I didn't think any less of Britain when Blair and Brown were wrecking everything in my eyes. Some things are bigger than politics and worth maintaining.

    It is as daft as saying you won't support the England cricket or rugby team because of Brexit.

    Actually it is rather juvenile.
  • rcs1000 said:

    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    An interesting perspective as the ludicrous hype around UAPs and Washington starts to subside…

    https://washingtonspectator.org/ufo-tales-falling-apart-after-hearings/

    As I said all along.

    The hype around UAPs might well be ludicrous and unfounded (tho then you have to explain why it is happening at all) but that’s a mad article from the “Washington Spectator” which sounds as loopy as any flying saucer spotter

    Sample paragraph:

    “Such Deep State victim claims, no matter how improbable, serve two related goals: a) they help advance far-right, paranoid, anti-government conspiracy beliefs that can potentially be harnessed by aspiring GOP authoritarians and b) fuel the notion among UFO acolytes that if the whistleblowers are in such danger, then their alien tales must be true.”

    So, er, the whole UAP flap is being conjured up by secret Nazis in the Republican Party so incoming “authoritarians” can blah blah blah WTAF

    Ignore

    Why is it happening at all? Same as always, follow the money. There is cash to be made telling yarns.
    Obama? Christopher Mellon? Senator Marco
    Rubio? Lots of other senators? Various ex CIA, Navy, NASA bigwigs? Pilots? Astronauts?

    They’re all in it for the money?

    The US military spent a lot of money investigating psychic phenomena. Would they have done this if the paranormal is all a load of bunkum?
    If that's a serious question, Robert, my serious answer would be 'Yes'.
  • Andy_JS said:

    tyson said:

    I see the last night of the Proms is on....I really used to enjoy this. But now it just makes me feel profoundly sad and depressed about the terrible state of our country.Thank you Brexit and a big thank you to the Tories for the last 12 years....

    Rule Brittania sung by a Norwegian.
    Brilliantly. And in the past it has been sung by many other nationalities. That is one of the joys of the Last Night.
  • Anyway, it's bed time.

    Well done,England. Argentina were pants but what can you do but beat the pants off them, and with fourteen men, that is very, very satisfying.
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 32,553
    I remember how John Adams' piece "Short Ride in a Fast Machine" had to be cancelled twice, in 1997 and 2001.
  • CyclefreeCyclefree Posts: 25,310
    Well, this is why Sugar would never have been a good candidate for Mayor of London - https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/lord-alan-sugar-tried-avoid-186m-tax-payment-non-uk-resident-investigation-kl232xpss
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 57,153

    rcs1000 said:

    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    An interesting perspective as the ludicrous hype around UAPs and Washington starts to subside…

    https://washingtonspectator.org/ufo-tales-falling-apart-after-hearings/

    As I said all along.

    The hype around UAPs might well be ludicrous and unfounded (tho then you have to explain why it is happening at all) but that’s a mad article from the “Washington Spectator” which sounds as loopy as any flying saucer spotter

    Sample paragraph:

    “Such Deep State victim claims, no matter how improbable, serve two related goals: a) they help advance far-right, paranoid, anti-government conspiracy beliefs that can potentially be harnessed by aspiring GOP authoritarians and b) fuel the notion among UFO acolytes that if the whistleblowers are in such danger, then their alien tales must be true.”

    So, er, the whole UAP flap is being conjured up by secret Nazis in the Republican Party so incoming “authoritarians” can blah blah blah WTAF

    Ignore

    Why is it happening at all? Same as always, follow the money. There is cash to be made telling yarns.
    Obama? Christopher Mellon? Senator Marco
    Rubio? Lots of other senators? Various ex CIA, Navy, NASA bigwigs? Pilots? Astronauts?

    They’re all in it for the money?

    The US military spent a lot of money investigating psychic phenomena. Would they have done this if the paranormal is all a load of bunkum?
    If that's a serious question, Robert, my serious answer would be 'Yes'.
    *Whoosh*
  • CyclefreeCyclefree Posts: 25,310
    edited September 2023
    TimS said:

    Cyclefree said:

    The effect of the heat here is that in the valleys we get low mist on the fields caused by the heat from the ground meeting the cooler air above. It creates a magical effect. Sometimes driving over the fells you can see the whole valley below covered in this mist.

    This evening driving back from the other side of the Duddon Estuary I was driving through it, with the sheep happily grazing through it all.




    That and the extremely high humidity this week, with dew points at or near record levels. Right now the DP near you (I’ve looked at coastal Cumbrian stations) is around 16C which is scarcely below the air temperature. That means at 16C it would be foggy. Dewpoint’s been around 20C or above in the South. In the Kentish dry valley where my vineyard station is, earlier this week the dew point reached an incredible 24.6C. Floridian levels of humidity.

    We had a short and very welcome shower this afternoon followed by a magnificent rainbow. One thing I have noticed is how often we get rainbows, often double ones.
  • boulay said:

    Looking forward to the commentary from Scot xP and the Divvie if things start to go against the Jocks.

    I am imagining that it will be something along the lines of “plucky Scots unlucky to be beaten by a team, sorry, teams, who somehow managed to luck out by being better but we are ever so humble compared to those arrogant English bastards who think that by winning a World Cup and getting to a few finals they have some god given arrogant right to claim they have a better World Cup record than us humble Scot’s unlike the arrogant English bastards.”

    Or something completely un-chippy like that.
    I’d unaccountably forgotten the whinging about the Jocks stage in the England psycho rollercoaster.
  • Scott_xPScott_xP Posts: 35,990

    I’d unaccountably forgotten the whinging about the Jocks stage in the England psycho rollercoaster.

    Never fails...
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 32,553
    Most of the Proms songs are better when you can't work out what the lyrics are.
  • Re Truss.

    Having gone through the leadership contest cosplaying Thatcher she then produced the sort of budget Thatcher never did and never would have done.

    Did she really not understand what Thatcher was all about ?

    Evidently you feel that Thatcher was all about the taxman swallowing 37% of GDP a la Sunak.
  • FF43FF43 Posts: 17,208
    edited September 2023
    Cyclefree said:

    tyson said:

    I see the last night of the Proms is on....I really used to enjoy this. But now it just makes me feel profoundly sad and depressed about the terrible state of our country.Thank you Brexit and a big thank you to the Tories for the last 12 years....

    The musical tradition in this country is something to cherish. I have watched or heard quite a few Prom performances this year and they have been very good indeed. The one I enjoyed most was the Northern Soul one which is worth catching on iPlayer. The documentary about Northern Soul is also worth watching.

    I rather like Marin Alsop as a conductor. She conducted a wonderful performance of Verdi's Requiem a few years back which you can see on YouTube. Well worth catching.The "Libera me" is outstanding.
    As we're linking Brexit to classical music, would like to make a very specific point. A relative was an orchestral musician. Orchestras usually have a core complement that they supplement if they need bigger numbers or different configuration of instruments. My relative would go around the orchestras of Europe, playing in say Stockholm mid week then London at the weekend. Brexit was a career ending event for her. No-one will go through the paperwork to take on a Briton when a Spaniard or a Slovak can walk straight in. But there aren't enough orchestras in the UK to support a session musician career.

    Over time this lack of opportunity and c connection will surely degrade the music tradition you refer to.
  • Scott_xPScott_xP Posts: 35,990
    Andy_JS said:

    Most of the Proms songs are better when you can't work out what the lyrics are.

    Like the England Rugby team trying God Save The King.

    4 words. They can't even get that right.
  • Re Truss.

    Having gone through the leadership contest cosplaying Thatcher she then produced the sort of budget Thatcher never did and never would have done.

    Did she really not understand what Thatcher was all about ?

    Evidently you feel that Thatcher was all about the taxman swallowing 37% of GDP a la Sunak.
    Do you know that basic rate income tax was 30% and higher rate was 60% for most of Thatcher's premiership ?

    Now if you want to reduce the amount of taxation you first need to say what public spending cuts you want to make.
  • BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 34,663

    Re Truss.

    Having gone through the leadership contest cosplaying Thatcher she then produced the sort of budget Thatcher never did and never would have done.

    Did she really not understand what Thatcher was all about ?

    Evidently you feel that Thatcher was all about the taxman swallowing 37% of GDP a la Sunak.
    Public sector receipts averaged 38% of GDP during 1979 - 1990, peaking at 40.9% in 1981-82 and 40.6% in
    1982-83.

    https://obr.uk/data/
  • TimSTimS Posts: 12,986
    Lots of big cat diaries antics this evening.

    Is it the heat?
  • CyclefreeCyclefree Posts: 25,310
    FF43 said:

    Cyclefree said:

    tyson said:

    I see the last night of the Proms is on....I really used to enjoy this. But now it just makes me feel profoundly sad and depressed about the terrible state of our country.Thank you Brexit and a big thank you to the Tories for the last 12 years....

    The musical tradition in this country is something to cherish. I have watched or heard quite a few Prom performances this year and they have been very good indeed. The one I enjoyed most was the Northern Soul one which is worth catching on iPlayer. The documentary about Northern Soul is also worth watching.

    I rather like Marin Alsop as a conductor. She conducted a wonderful performance of Verdi's Requiem a few years back which you can see on YouTube. Well worth catching.The "Libera me" is outstanding.
    As we're linking Brexit to classical music, would like to make a very specific point. A relative was an orchestral musician. Orchestras usually have a core complement that they supplement if they need bigger numbers or different configuration of instruments. My relative would go around the orchestras of Europe, playing in say Stockholm mid week then London at the weekend. Brexit was a career ending event for her. No-one will go through the paperwork to take on a Briton when a Spaniard or a Slovak can walk straight in. But there aren't enough orchestras in the UK to support a session musician career.

    Over time this lack of opportunity and c connection will surely degrade the music tradition you refer to.
    I know and deplore it. The arts are not valued here as they should be. But that is surely why we should support what we do still have - and push for changes to mitigate or remove the effects you describe.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 55,277
    FF43 said:

    Cyclefree said:

    tyson said:

    I see the last night of the Proms is on....I really used to enjoy this. But now it just makes me feel profoundly sad and depressed about the terrible state of our country.Thank you Brexit and a big thank you to the Tories for the last 12 years....

    The musical tradition in this country is something to cherish. I have watched or heard quite a few Prom performances this year and they have been very good indeed. The one I enjoyed most was the Northern Soul one which is worth catching on iPlayer. The documentary about Northern Soul is also worth watching.

    I rather like Marin Alsop as a conductor. She conducted a wonderful performance of Verdi's Requiem a few years back which you can see on YouTube. Well worth catching.The "Libera me" is outstanding.
    As we're linking Brexit to classical music, would like to make a very specific point. A relative was an orchestral musician. Orchestras usually have a core complement that they supplement if they need bigger numbers or different configuration of instruments. My relative would go around the orchestras of Europe, playing in say Stockholm mid week then London at the weekend. Brexit was a career ending event for her. No-one will go through the paperwork to take on a Briton when a Spaniard or a Slovak can walk straight in. But there aren't enough orchestras in the UK to support a session musician career.

    Over time this lack of opportunity and c connection will surely degrade the music tradition you refer to.
    Stop. Fucking. Moaning
  • dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 29,401

    Re Truss.

    Having gone through the leadership contest cosplaying Thatcher she then produced the sort of budget Thatcher never did and never would have done.

    Did she really not understand what Thatcher was all about ?

    Evidently you feel that Thatcher was all about the taxman swallowing 37% of GDP a la Sunak.
    Do you know that basic rate income tax was 30% and higher rate was 60% for most of Thatcher's premiership ?

    Now if you want to reduce the amount of taxation you first need to say what public spending cuts you want to make.
    With respect, you don't.
    You need to say it. Then win political and popular approval. Then do it. Then take the flak from those who lose out. Then have the discipline not to blow the savings on backbenchers' pork barrel ideas. And sack the Ministers who funnel the profits to blokes they drink with.
    Then you can cut taxes.
    Saying it is the easy part.
  • BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 34,663
    Leon said:

    FF43 said:

    Cyclefree said:

    tyson said:

    I see the last night of the Proms is on....I really used to enjoy this. But now it just makes me feel profoundly sad and depressed about the terrible state of our country.Thank you Brexit and a big thank you to the Tories for the last 12 years....

    The musical tradition in this country is something to cherish. I have watched or heard quite a few Prom performances this year and they have been very good indeed. The one I enjoyed most was the Northern Soul one which is worth catching on iPlayer. The documentary about Northern Soul is also worth watching.

    I rather like Marin Alsop as a conductor. She conducted a wonderful performance of Verdi's Requiem a few years back which you can see on YouTube. Well worth catching.The "Libera me" is outstanding.
    As we're linking Brexit to classical music, would like to make a very specific point. A relative was an orchestral musician. Orchestras usually have a core complement that they supplement if they need bigger numbers or different configuration of instruments. My relative would go around the orchestras of Europe, playing in say Stockholm mid week then London at the weekend. Brexit was a career ending event for her. No-one will go through the paperwork to take on a Briton when a Spaniard or a Slovak can walk straight in. But there aren't enough orchestras in the UK to support a session musician career.

    Over time this lack of opportunity and c connection will surely degrade the music tradition you refer to.
    Stop. Fucking. Moaning
    Your beloved project is a huge pile of shit; those of us who didn't vote for it are perfectly entitled to moan about it.

    Come to think about it, those who beleived the bullshit and voted for it are are perfectly entitled to moan about the way they were misled too.

    Suck it up.
  • FF43FF43 Posts: 17,208
    FF43 said:

    Cyclefree said:

    tyson said:

    I see the last night of the Proms is on....I really used to enjoy this. But now it just makes me feel profoundly sad and depressed about the terrible state of our country.Thank you Brexit and a big thank you to the Tories for the last 12 years....

    The musical tradition in this country is something to cherish. I have watched or heard quite a few Prom performances this year and they have been very good indeed. The one I enjoyed most was the Northern Soul one which is worth catching on iPlayer. The documentary about Northern Soul is also worth watching.

    I rather like Marin Alsop as a conductor. She conducted a wonderful performance of Verdi's Requiem a few years back which you can see on YouTube. Well worth catching.The "Libera me" is outstanding.
    As we're linking Brexit to classical music, would like to make a very specific point. A relative was an orchestral musician. Orchestras usually have a core complement that they supplement if they need bigger numbers or different configuration of instruments. My relative would go around the orchestras of Europe, playing in say Stockholm mid week then London at the weekend. Brexit was a career ending event for her. No-one will go through the paperwork to take on a Briton when a Spaniard or a Slovak can walk straight in. But there aren't enough orchestras in the UK to support a session musician career.

    Over time this lack of opportunity and c connection will surely degrade the music tradition you refer to.
    Thinking more on this. My relative is now a teacher of the instrument in schools and maybe can get the odd gig in a UK orchestra because she has recent experience of playing at the highest level. This might work for a few years but musicians coming after her won't have that experience. British orchestras will need to recruit from abroad to get experienced musicians but there won't be a pool of British musicians of the same standard.
  • dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 29,401

    Re Truss.

    Having gone through the leadership contest cosplaying Thatcher she then produced the sort of budget Thatcher never did and never would have done.

    Did she really not understand what Thatcher was all about ?

    Evidently you feel that Thatcher was all about the taxman swallowing 37% of GDP a la Sunak.
    Well.
    It was.
  • FF43 said:

    FF43 said:

    Cyclefree said:

    tyson said:

    I see the last night of the Proms is on....I really used to enjoy this. But now it just makes me feel profoundly sad and depressed about the terrible state of our country.Thank you Brexit and a big thank you to the Tories for the last 12 years....

    The musical tradition in this country is something to cherish. I have watched or heard quite a few Prom performances this year and they have been very good indeed. The one I enjoyed most was the Northern Soul one which is worth catching on iPlayer. The documentary about Northern Soul is also worth watching.

    I rather like Marin Alsop as a conductor. She conducted a wonderful performance of Verdi's Requiem a few years back which you can see on YouTube. Well worth catching.The "Libera me" is outstanding.
    As we're linking Brexit to classical music, would like to make a very specific point. A relative was an orchestral musician. Orchestras usually have a core complement that they supplement if they need bigger numbers or different configuration of instruments. My relative would go around the orchestras of Europe, playing in say Stockholm mid week then London at the weekend. Brexit was a career ending event for her. No-one will go through the paperwork to take on a Briton when a Spaniard or a Slovak can walk straight in. But there aren't enough orchestras in the UK to support a session musician career.

    Over time this lack of opportunity and c connection will surely degrade the music tradition you refer to.
    Thinking more on this. My relative is now a teacher of the instrument in schools and maybe can get the odd gig in a UK orchestra because she has recent experience of playing at the highest level. This might work for a few years but musicians coming after her won't have that experience. British orchestras will need to recruit from abroad to get experienced musicians but there won't be a pool of British musicians of the same standard.
    How does classical music flourish in places like South Korea without membership of the EU single market?
  • LeonLeon Posts: 55,277

    Leon said:

    FF43 said:

    Cyclefree said:

    tyson said:

    I see the last night of the Proms is on....I really used to enjoy this. But now it just makes me feel profoundly sad and depressed about the terrible state of our country.Thank you Brexit and a big thank you to the Tories for the last 12 years....

    The musical tradition in this country is something to cherish. I have watched or heard quite a few Prom performances this year and they have been very good indeed. The one I enjoyed most was the Northern Soul one which is worth catching on iPlayer. The documentary about Northern Soul is also worth watching.

    I rather like Marin Alsop as a conductor. She conducted a wonderful performance of Verdi's Requiem a few years back which you can see on YouTube. Well worth catching.The "Libera me" is outstanding.
    As we're linking Brexit to classical music, would like to make a very specific point. A relative was an orchestral musician. Orchestras usually have a core complement that they supplement if they need bigger numbers or different configuration of instruments. My relative would go around the orchestras of Europe, playing in say Stockholm mid week then London at the weekend. Brexit was a career ending event for her. No-one will go through the paperwork to take on a Briton when a Spaniard or a Slovak can walk straight in. But there aren't enough orchestras in the UK to support a session musician career.

    Over time this lack of opportunity and c connection will surely degrade the music tradition you refer to.
    Stop. Fucking. Moaning
    Your beloved project is a huge pile of shit; those of us who didn't vote for it are perfectly entitled to moan about it.

    Come to think about it, those who beleived the bullshit and voted for it are are perfectly entitled to moan about the way they were misled too.

    Suck it up.
    Sure, but expect to see your commentary dismissed as the tedious maunderings of a loon, as is the case witb @Scott_xP

    Beyond all else, it is so UNINTELLIGENT

    Far far greater things are happening to us all, politically, economically, psychologically, than the relatively trivial distraction of Brexit. Not least, the advance of AI. That is about to transform human life

    Endlessly whining about Brexit, in face of these changes, is jejune. Like a soldier demanding better socks during D Day. Brexit simply isn't that important
  • Scott_xP said:

    Andy_JS said:

    Most of the Proms songs are better when you can't work out what the lyrics are.

    Like the England Rugby team trying God Save The King.

    4 words. They can't even get that right.
    I am still getting used to 'God save the King'. Give it time.
  • BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 34,663
    edited September 2023
    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    FF43 said:

    Cyclefree said:

    tyson said:

    I see the last night of the Proms is on....I really used to enjoy this. But now it just makes me feel profoundly sad and depressed about the terrible state of our country.Thank you Brexit and a big thank you to the Tories for the last 12 years....

    The musical tradition in this country is something to cherish. I have watched or heard quite a few Prom performances this year and they have been very good indeed. The one I enjoyed most was the Northern Soul one which is worth catching on iPlayer. The documentary about Northern Soul is also worth watching.

    I rather like Marin Alsop as a conductor. She conducted a wonderful performance of Verdi's Requiem a few years back which you can see on YouTube. Well worth catching.The "Libera me" is outstanding.
    As we're linking Brexit to classical music, would like to make a very specific point. A relative was an orchestral musician. Orchestras usually have a core complement that they supplement if they need bigger numbers or different configuration of instruments. My relative would go around the orchestras of Europe, playing in say Stockholm mid week then London at the weekend. Brexit was a career ending event for her. No-one will go through the paperwork to take on a Briton when a Spaniard or a Slovak can walk straight in. But there aren't enough orchestras in the UK to support a session musician career.

    Over time this lack of opportunity and c connection will surely degrade the music tradition you refer to.
    Stop. Fucking. Moaning
    Your beloved project is a huge pile of shit; those of us who didn't vote for it are perfectly entitled to moan about it.

    Come to think about it, those who beleived the bullshit and voted for it are are perfectly entitled to moan about the way they were misled too.

    Suck it up.
    Sure, but expect to see your commentary dismissed as the tedious maunderings of a loon, as is the case witb @Scott_xP

    Beyond all else, it is so UNINTELLIGENT

    Far far greater things are happening to us all, politically, economically, psychologically, than the relatively trivial distraction of Brexit. Not least, the advance of AI. That is about to transform human life

    Endlessly whining about Brexit, in face of these changes, is jejune. Like a soldier demanding better socks during D Day. Brexit simply isn't that important
    I don't think AI is about to transform human life. For a start so much about the world is physical. Will AI replace a travel writer? Or a flint knapper?

    I acknowledge I may be wrong but I believe AI will be an incremental change, like printed books, electricity, microprocessors, or the internet.

    Feel free to give me an example of what AI will do that might change my mind.
  • FF43 said:

    FF43 said:

    Cyclefree said:

    tyson said:

    I see the last night of the Proms is on....I really used to enjoy this. But now it just makes me feel profoundly sad and depressed about the terrible state of our country.Thank you Brexit and a big thank you to the Tories for the last 12 years....

    The musical tradition in this country is something to cherish. I have watched or heard quite a few Prom performances this year and they have been very good indeed. The one I enjoyed most was the Northern Soul one which is worth catching on iPlayer. The documentary about Northern Soul is also worth watching.

    I rather like Marin Alsop as a conductor. She conducted a wonderful performance of Verdi's Requiem a few years back which you can see on YouTube. Well worth catching.The "Libera me" is outstanding.
    As we're linking Brexit to classical music, would like to make a very specific point. A relative was an orchestral musician. Orchestras usually have a core complement that they supplement if they need bigger numbers or different configuration of instruments. My relative would go around the orchestras of Europe, playing in say Stockholm mid week then London at the weekend. Brexit was a career ending event for her. No-one will go through the paperwork to take on a Briton when a Spaniard or a Slovak can walk straight in. But there aren't enough orchestras in the UK to support a session musician career.

    Over time this lack of opportunity and c connection will surely degrade the music tradition you refer to.
    Thinking more on this. My relative is now a teacher of the instrument in schools and maybe can get the odd gig in a UK orchestra because she has recent experience of playing at the highest level. This might work for a few years but musicians coming after her won't have that experience. British orchestras will need to recruit from abroad to get experienced musicians but there won't be a pool of British musicians of the same standard.
    How does classical music flourish in places like South Korea without membership of the EU single market?
    Or the US
  • Leon said:

    FF43 said:

    Cyclefree said:

    tyson said:

    I see the last night of the Proms is on....I really used to enjoy this. But now it just makes me feel profoundly sad and depressed about the terrible state of our country.Thank you Brexit and a big thank you to the Tories for the last 12 years....

    The musical tradition in this country is something to cherish. I have watched or heard quite a few Prom performances this year and they have been very good indeed. The one I enjoyed most was the Northern Soul one which is worth catching on iPlayer. The documentary about Northern Soul is also worth watching.

    I rather like Marin Alsop as a conductor. She conducted a wonderful performance of Verdi's Requiem a few years back which you can see on YouTube. Well worth catching.The "Libera me" is outstanding.
    As we're linking Brexit to classical music, would like to make a very specific point. A relative was an orchestral musician. Orchestras usually have a core complement that they supplement if they need bigger numbers or different configuration of instruments. My relative would go around the orchestras of Europe, playing in say Stockholm mid week then London at the weekend. Brexit was a career ending event for her. No-one will go through the paperwork to take on a Briton when a Spaniard or a Slovak can walk straight in. But there aren't enough orchestras in the UK to support a session musician career.

    Over time this lack of opportunity and c connection will surely degrade the music tradition you refer to.
    Stop. Fucking. Moaning
    Your beloved project is a huge pile of shit; those of us who didn't vote for it are perfectly entitled to moan about it.

    Come to think about it, those who beleived the bullshit and voted for it are are perfectly entitled to moan about the way they were misled too.

    Suck it up.
    Moan all you like. And we will happily continue to tell you to suck it up.

    As you know I have been extremely open to the failings of the way Brexit has been implemented so far. There are plenty of ways it can be improved and plenty of reasonable suggestions that can be made on how to do it from the Remain side.

    But linking it to every aspect of British life is just sad and pointless. It is classic Remoaner. Nothing constructive to say, lets just moan instead in the hope that we can make everone else as miserable as we are.

    Like I said, it is juvenile. And that is being kind.
  • BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 34,663

    Leon said:

    FF43 said:

    Cyclefree said:

    tyson said:

    I see the last night of the Proms is on....I really used to enjoy this. But now it just makes me feel profoundly sad and depressed about the terrible state of our country.Thank you Brexit and a big thank you to the Tories for the last 12 years....

    The musical tradition in this country is something to cherish. I have watched or heard quite a few Prom performances this year and they have been very good indeed. The one I enjoyed most was the Northern Soul one which is worth catching on iPlayer. The documentary about Northern Soul is also worth watching.

    I rather like Marin Alsop as a conductor. She conducted a wonderful performance of Verdi's Requiem a few years back which you can see on YouTube. Well worth catching.The "Libera me" is outstanding.
    As we're linking Brexit to classical music, would like to make a very specific point. A relative was an orchestral musician. Orchestras usually have a core complement that they supplement if they need bigger numbers or different configuration of instruments. My relative would go around the orchestras of Europe, playing in say Stockholm mid week then London at the weekend. Brexit was a career ending event for her. No-one will go through the paperwork to take on a Briton when a Spaniard or a Slovak can walk straight in. But there aren't enough orchestras in the UK to support a session musician career.

    Over time this lack of opportunity and c connection will surely degrade the music tradition you refer to.
    Stop. Fucking. Moaning
    Your beloved project is a huge pile of shit; those of us who didn't vote for it are perfectly entitled to moan about it.

    Come to think about it, those who beleived the bullshit and voted for it are are perfectly entitled to moan about the way they were misled too.

    Suck it up.
    Moan all you like. And we will happily continue to tell you to suck it up.

    As you know I have been extremely open to the failings of the way Brexit has been implemented so far. There are plenty of ways it can be improved and plenty of reasonable suggestions that can be made on how to do it from the Remain side.

    But linking it to every aspect of British life is just sad and pointless. It is classic Remoaner. Nothing constructive to say, lets just moan instead in the hope that we can make everone else as miserable as we are.

    Like I said, it is juvenile. And that is being kind.
    I'm not linking it to every aspect of British life, far from it, but it's true I have absolutely nothing constructive to say about Brexit. That's because imo there nothing constructive to be said about it.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 71,070

    Re Truss.

    Having gone through the leadership contest cosplaying Thatcher she then produced the sort of budget Thatcher never did and never would have done.

    Did she really not understand what Thatcher was all about ?

    Evidently you feel that Thatcher was all about the taxman swallowing 37% of GDP a la Sunak.
    No - flogging assets to fund current spending.
    Which is why it's impossible to repeat in any meaningful sense.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 71,070
    Leon said:

    FF43 said:

    Cyclefree said:

    tyson said:

    I see the last night of the Proms is on....I really used to enjoy this. But now it just makes me feel profoundly sad and depressed about the terrible state of our country.Thank you Brexit and a big thank you to the Tories for the last 12 years....

    The musical tradition in this country is something to cherish. I have watched or heard quite a few Prom performances this year and they have been very good indeed. The one I enjoyed most was the Northern Soul one which is worth catching on iPlayer. The documentary about Northern Soul is also worth watching.

    I rather like Marin Alsop as a conductor. She conducted a wonderful performance of Verdi's Requiem a few years back which you can see on YouTube. Well worth catching.The "Libera me" is outstanding.
    As we're linking Brexit to classical music, would like to make a very specific point. A relative was an orchestral musician. Orchestras usually have a core complement that they supplement if they need bigger numbers or different configuration of instruments. My relative would go around the orchestras of Europe, playing in say Stockholm mid week then London at the weekend. Brexit was a career ending event for her. No-one will go through the paperwork to take on a Briton when a Spaniard or a Slovak can walk straight in. But there aren't enough orchestras in the UK to support a session musician career.

    Over time this lack of opportunity and c connection will surely degrade the music tradition you refer to.
    Stop. Fucking. Moaning
    I thought you approved of such activities ?
  • ohnotnowohnotnow Posts: 3,783
    edited September 2023

    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    FF43 said:

    Cyclefree said:

    tyson said:

    I see the last night of the Proms is on....I really used to enjoy this. But now it just makes me feel profoundly sad and depressed about the terrible state of our country.Thank you Brexit and a big thank you to the Tories for the last 12 years....

    The musical tradition in this country is something to cherish. I have watched or heard quite a few Prom performances this year and they have been very good indeed. The one I enjoyed most was the Northern Soul one which is worth catching on iPlayer. The documentary about Northern Soul is also worth watching.

    I rather like Marin Alsop as a conductor. She conducted a wonderful performance of Verdi's Requiem a few years back which you can see on YouTube. Well worth catching.The "Libera me" is outstanding.
    As we're linking Brexit to classical music, would like to make a very specific point. A relative was an orchestral musician. Orchestras usually have a core complement that they supplement if they need bigger numbers or different configuration of instruments. My relative would go around the orchestras of Europe, playing in say Stockholm mid week then London at the weekend. Brexit was a career ending event for her. No-one will go through the paperwork to take on a Briton when a Spaniard or a Slovak can walk straight in. But there aren't enough orchestras in the UK to support a session musician career.

    Over time this lack of opportunity and c connection will surely degrade the music tradition you refer to.
    Stop. Fucking. Moaning
    Your beloved project is a huge pile of shit; those of us who didn't vote for it are perfectly entitled to moan about it.

    Come to think about it, those who beleived the bullshit and voted for it are are perfectly entitled to moan about the way they were misled too.

    Suck it up.
    Sure, but expect to see your commentary dismissed as the tedious maunderings of a loon, as is the case witb @Scott_xP

    Beyond all else, it is so UNINTELLIGENT

    Far far greater things are happening to us all, politically, economically, psychologically, than the relatively trivial distraction of Brexit. Not least, the advance of AI. That is about to transform human life

    Endlessly whining about Brexit, in face of these changes, is jejune. Like a soldier demanding better socks during D Day. Brexit simply isn't that important
    I don't think AI is about to transform human life. For a start so much about the world is physical. Will AI replace a travel writer? Or a flint knapper?

    I acknowledge I may be wrong but I believe AI will be an incremental change, like printed books, electricity, microprocessors, or the internet.

    Feel free to give me an example of what AI will do that might change my mind.
    https://blog.google/technology/ai/google-deepmind-rt2-robotics-vla-model/

    Aside from that - I've been deep-diving into this for work reasons. It's quite ... transformative. There are for sure things it won't replace. But I *feel* like there will be a compression. A narrowing.

    Will you still pay for a real human to take your order at Le Manoir? A Sommelier? Sure!

    Will you pay for that at your local gastro pub? ... Maybe.

    Will you pay for it at a drive-thru? ...

    Are you wealthy/idle enough to afford a personal trainer? Yoga instructor? Go for that experience!

    Do you just want to get rid of some lower back pain?

    Same for 'Hallmark' birthday cards, engagement reception DJ's, "here's 10 things you didn't knw about $location" journalism, etc. (not helped by 'journalism' ever more devaluing itself by just being retweets and "@LauraK says !!!!".

    When an LLM/AI can scan your current symptoms and read all your previous medical notes equal or better than a GP in under a second? Does it become unethical to let a muddled/stressed bag of water and protein deal with it?

    I don't think this is going to happen in the next week or anything - but the huge neon pink writing is being written across the skies and a remarkable number of people are stood at the side of the road like Cary Grant in North by Northwest. (I realise he 'won' - but he was also rich)

    Outside of my narrow area of work, I've already helped people use it for legal disputes with employers when their union failed them (which isn't even to address the 'down the line' consequences if "labour" is replaced by something like UBI), people writing government policy papers and wanting arguments against it, for it, whatever,

    At the same time - I'm hugely sceptical of it all. But... I have nagging expectations that it's going to be up there with the printing press. Give it a (compressed) century to play out.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 71,070
    edited September 2023
    .

    FF43 said:

    FF43 said:

    Cyclefree said:

    tyson said:

    I see the last night of the Proms is on....I really used to enjoy this. But now it just makes me feel profoundly sad and depressed about the terrible state of our country.Thank you Brexit and a big thank you to the Tories for the last 12 years....

    The musical tradition in this country is something to cherish. I have watched or heard quite a few Prom performances this year and they have been very good indeed. The one I enjoyed most was the Northern Soul one which is worth catching on iPlayer. The documentary about Northern Soul is also worth watching.

    I rather like Marin Alsop as a conductor. She conducted a wonderful performance of Verdi's Requiem a few years back which you can see on YouTube. Well worth catching.The "Libera me" is outstanding.
    As we're linking Brexit to classical music, would like to make a very specific point. A relative was an orchestral musician. Orchestras usually have a core complement that they supplement if they need bigger numbers or different configuration of instruments. My relative would go around the orchestras of Europe, playing in say Stockholm mid week then London at the weekend. Brexit was a career ending event for her. No-one will go through the paperwork to take on a Briton when a Spaniard or a Slovak can walk straight in. But there aren't enough orchestras in the UK to support a session musician career.

    Over time this lack of opportunity and c connection will surely degrade the music tradition you refer to.
    Thinking more on this. My relative is now a teacher of the instrument in schools and maybe can get the odd gig in a UK orchestra because she has recent experience of playing at the highest level. This might work for a few years but musicians coming after her won't have that experience. British orchestras will need to recruit from abroad to get experienced musicians but there won't be a pool of British musicians of the same standard.
    How does classical music flourish in places like South Korea without membership of the EU single market?
    In ways which have nothing to do with Brexit destroying the livelihood of quite a large number of British musicians.

    The UK will continue to have a significant music industry, but pretending that Brexit hasn't diminished it is silly.

    Let us know what you think are the musical benefits of Brexit ?

    As far as S Korea itself is concerned, they have similar problems of scale.

    https://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_entertainment/1047910.html
    ...Difficulties persist even after winning competitions. Invitations to perform domestically become few and far between after a certain amount of time has passed since winning a competition. Aside from a few who go on to gain international acclaim like Cho Seong-jin, most soon become overshadowed by other musicians who win competitions anew, as the domestic classical music industry is too small in scale to accommodate everyone. In other words, supply trumps demand...
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 32,553
    It's difficult to believe this could be true.

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-12492563/Over-million-Brits-wash-towels-YEAR.html

    "Nearly two million Brits only wash their towels once a year

    One of life's greatest comforts is wrapping yourself in a fresh, fluffy towel after a shower - but research shows over a million Brits go a year without experiencing the simple joy. Worse still, that's 365 days worth of grot and grime building up on the towel used to dry yourself every day. According to experts at Showers to You, almost two million people in the UK only wash their bathroom towels once a year, despite it being a breeding ground for bacteria."
  • viewcodeviewcode Posts: 22,075
    edited September 2023
    Andy_JS said:

    It's difficult to believe this could be true.

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-12492563/Over-million-Brits-wash-towels-YEAR.html

    "Nearly two million Brits only wash their towels once a year

    One of life's greatest comforts is wrapping yourself in a fresh, fluffy towel after a shower - but research shows over a million Brits go a year without experiencing the simple joy. Worse still, that's 365 days worth of grot and grime building up on the towel used to dry yourself every day. According to experts at Showers to You, almost two million people in the UK only wash their bathroom towels once a year, despite it being a breeding ground for bacteria."

    I can confidently say I wash my towels more than once a year.

    How much more, I am not saying. :)
  • Another advance lost to the publisher?



    Liz Truss is to reveal the inside story of her ill-fated premiership in a book which will signal that her political ambitions remain undimmed.

    Daily Mail
  • LeonLeon Posts: 55,277
    That there Rule Britannia, eh?

    Bangin tune
  • Andy_JS said:

    It's difficult to believe this could be true.

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-12492563/Over-million-Brits-wash-towels-YEAR.html

    "Nearly two million Brits only wash their towels once a year

    One of life's greatest comforts is wrapping yourself in a fresh, fluffy towel after a shower - but research shows over a million Brits go a year without experiencing the simple joy. Worse still, that's 365 days worth of grot and grime building up on the towel used to dry yourself every day. According to experts at Showers to You, almost two million people in the UK only wash their bathroom towels once a year, despite it being a breeding ground for bacteria."

    Very difficult to believe it is true. No details as to the poll itself.

  • Nigelb said:

    .

    FF43 said:

    FF43 said:

    Cyclefree said:

    tyson said:

    I see the last night of the Proms is on....I really used to enjoy this. But now it just makes me feel profoundly sad and depressed about the terrible state of our country.Thank you Brexit and a big thank you to the Tories for the last 12 years....

    The musical tradition in this country is something to cherish. I have watched or heard quite a few Prom performances this year and they have been very good indeed. The one I enjoyed most was the Northern Soul one which is worth catching on iPlayer. The documentary about Northern Soul is also worth watching.

    I rather like Marin Alsop as a conductor. She conducted a wonderful performance of Verdi's Requiem a few years back which you can see on YouTube. Well worth catching.The "Libera me" is outstanding.
    As we're linking Brexit to classical music, would like to make a very specific point. A relative was an orchestral musician. Orchestras usually have a core complement that they supplement if they need bigger numbers or different configuration of instruments. My relative would go around the orchestras of Europe, playing in say Stockholm mid week then London at the weekend. Brexit was a career ending event for her. No-one will go through the paperwork to take on a Briton when a Spaniard or a Slovak can walk straight in. But there aren't enough orchestras in the UK to support a session musician career.

    Over time this lack of opportunity and c connection will surely degrade the music tradition you refer to.
    Thinking more on this. My relative is now a teacher of the instrument in schools and maybe can get the odd gig in a UK orchestra because she has recent experience of playing at the highest level. This might work for a few years but musicians coming after her won't have that experience. British orchestras will need to recruit from abroad to get experienced musicians but there won't be a pool of British musicians of the same standard.
    How does classical music flourish in places like South Korea without membership of the EU single market?
    In ways which have nothing to do with Brexit destroying the livelihood of quite a large number of British musicians.

    The UK will continue to have a significant music industry, but pretending that Brexit hasn't diminished it is silly.

    Let us know what you think are the musical benefits of Brexit ?

    As far as S Korea itself is concerned, they have similar problems of scale.

    https://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_entertainment/1047910.html
    ...Difficulties persist even after winning competitions. Invitations to perform domestically become few and far between after a certain amount of time has passed since winning a competition. Aside from a few who go on to gain international acclaim like Cho Seong-jin, most soon become overshadowed by other musicians who win competitions anew, as the domestic classical music industry is too small in scale to accommodate everyone. In other words, supply trumps demand...
    If 'supply trumps demand', that's the opposite problem to the one it was claimed we will suffer from as a result of Brexit. Maybe instead we will have a surfeit of domestic talent?
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 71,070

    Nigelb said:

    .

    FF43 said:

    FF43 said:

    Cyclefree said:

    tyson said:

    I see the last night of the Proms is on....I really used to enjoy this. But now it just makes me feel profoundly sad and depressed about the terrible state of our country.Thank you Brexit and a big thank you to the Tories for the last 12 years....

    The musical tradition in this country is something to cherish. I have watched or heard quite a few Prom performances this year and they have been very good indeed. The one I enjoyed most was the Northern Soul one which is worth catching on iPlayer. The documentary about Northern Soul is also worth watching.

    I rather like Marin Alsop as a conductor. She conducted a wonderful performance of Verdi's Requiem a few years back which you can see on YouTube. Well worth catching.The "Libera me" is outstanding.
    As we're linking Brexit to classical music, would like to make a very specific point. A relative was an orchestral musician. Orchestras usually have a core complement that they supplement if they need bigger numbers or different configuration of instruments. My relative would go around the orchestras of Europe, playing in say Stockholm mid week then London at the weekend. Brexit was a career ending event for her. No-one will go through the paperwork to take on a Briton when a Spaniard or a Slovak can walk straight in. But there aren't enough orchestras in the UK to support a session musician career.

    Over time this lack of opportunity and c connection will surely degrade the music tradition you refer to.
    Thinking more on this. My relative is now a teacher of the instrument in schools and maybe can get the odd gig in a UK orchestra because she has recent experience of playing at the highest level. This might work for a few years but musicians coming after her won't have that experience. British orchestras will need to recruit from abroad to get experienced musicians but there won't be a pool of British musicians of the same standard.
    How does classical music flourish in places like South Korea without membership of the EU single market?
    In ways which have nothing to do with Brexit destroying the livelihood of quite a large number of British musicians.

    The UK will continue to have a significant music industry, but pretending that Brexit hasn't diminished it is silly.

    Let us know what you think are the musical benefits of Brexit ?

    As far as S Korea itself is concerned, they have similar problems of scale.

    https://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_entertainment/1047910.html
    ...Difficulties persist even after winning competitions. Invitations to perform domestically become few and far between after a certain amount of time has passed since winning a competition. Aside from a few who go on to gain international acclaim like Cho Seong-jin, most soon become overshadowed by other musicians who win competitions anew, as the domestic classical music industry is too small in scale to accommodate everyone. In other words, supply trumps demand...
    If 'supply trumps demand', that's the opposite problem to the one it was claimed we will suffer from as a result of Brexit. Maybe instead we will have a surfeit of domestic talent?
    Read the article.
  • Andy_JS said:

    It's difficult to believe this could be true.

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-12492563/Over-million-Brits-wash-towels-YEAR.html

    "Nearly two million Brits only wash their towels once a year

    One of life's greatest comforts is wrapping yourself in a fresh, fluffy towel after a shower - but research shows over a million Brits go a year without experiencing the simple joy. Worse still, that's 365 days worth of grot and grime building up on the towel used to dry yourself every day. According to experts at Showers to You, almost two million people in the UK only wash their bathroom towels once a year, despite it being a breeding ground for bacteria."

    Any hint of how many of the nearly two million voted for Brexit?
  • David Niven (decd.) on Parkinson (decd.).
    They don’t make them like that any more, more’s the pity.

    Can’t say how disappointed I was to read recently that Niven in his final years was treated abominably by his wife Hjordis. Took the shine of perceptions of 40+ years since reading The Moon’s a Balloon.
  • viewcodeviewcode Posts: 22,075

    Feel free to give me an example of what AI will do that might change my mind.

    Tank warfare
    A tank usually has four crew: commander, gunner, loader and driver or variants thereof. This is wasteful in terms of humans. AIs are being developed to provide greater situational awareness, targeting and prioritisation. Combined with an autoloader this should enable the crew of the tank to drop to three or even two

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFs6LG0TEyU

    Manned airborne warfare
    Manned aircraft will be accompanied by "loyal wingmen": semi-autonomous drones that fly in formation with them. Such drones increase effectiveness and (thru sacrifice) survival.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjVuliSr648

    Service Drones
    Unmanned aircraft are being created to service aircraft by delivering supplies and acting as tankers. Augmenting them with AI again enables greater survival

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqZOaUpORjo

    Marine Drones
    In Ukraine we are seeing the rapid evolution of remote controlled marine drones: basically augmented torpedoes. The news that Elon decide to turn off Starlink at a crucial moment is an obvious impetus to AI control.

    https://thehill.com/policy/defense/4193788-musk-acknowledges-he-turned-off-starlink-internet-access-last-year-during-ukraine-attack-on-russia-military/

    Drone swarms
    On any given day there will be about 10,000 drones in theatre in Ukraine. They have proven effective whilst individually directed, but networked and AI controlled they should prove absolutely lethal. The US Replicator program (just as every opinion pollster grew up with Foundation, so apparently every US soldier grew up with Stargate) is intended to have drone swarms numbering in the thousands.

    https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2023-09-01/pentagon-building-killer-drone-swarms-for-possible-war-against-china

  • carnforthcarnforth Posts: 4,586

    David Niven (decd.) on Parkinson (decd.).
    They don’t make them like that any more, more’s the pity.

    Can’t say how disappointed I was to read recently that Niven in his final years was treated abominably by his wife Hjordis. Took the shine of perceptions of 40+ years since reading The Moon’s a Balloon.

    "The Mail also reports that in a 1970 interview at London’s Connaught Hotel, she repeatedly interrupted and corrected his version of events, adding: "I’ve heard all these stories a thousand times and they bore me to death."

    David replied: "Then please go away and die, darling.""

    I feel they may have cleaned up that last remark.
  • bondegezoubondegezou Posts: 11,051
    edited September 2023
    .

    FF43 said:

    FF43 said:

    Cyclefree said:

    tyson said:

    I see the last night of the Proms is on....I really used to enjoy this. But now it just makes me feel profoundly sad and depressed about the terrible state of our country.Thank you Brexit and a big thank you to the Tories for the last 12 years....

    The musical tradition in this country is something to cherish. I have watched or heard quite a few Prom performances this year and they have been very good indeed. The one I enjoyed most was the Northern Soul one which is worth catching on iPlayer. The documentary about Northern Soul is also worth watching.

    I rather like Marin Alsop as a conductor. She conducted a wonderful performance of Verdi's Requiem a few years back which you can see on YouTube. Well worth catching.The "Libera me" is outstanding.
    As we're linking Brexit to classical music, would like to make a very specific point. A relative was an orchestral musician. Orchestras usually have a core complement that they supplement if they need bigger numbers or different configuration of instruments. My relative would go around the orchestras of Europe, playing in say Stockholm mid week then London at the weekend. Brexit was a career ending event for her. No-one will go through the paperwork to take on a Briton when a Spaniard or a Slovak can walk straight in. But there aren't enough orchestras in the UK to support a session musician career.

    Over time this lack of opportunity and c connection will surely degrade the music tradition you refer to.
    Thinking more on this. My relative is now a teacher of the instrument in schools and maybe can get the odd gig in a UK orchestra because she has recent experience of playing at the highest level. This might work for a few years but musicians coming after her won't have that experience. British orchestras will need to recruit from abroad to get experienced musicians but there won't be a pool of British musicians of the same standard.
    How does classical music flourish in places like South Korea without membership of the EU single market?
    Or the US
    The US is a very large federal system with free trade and movement between its States and a total population closer to the EU’s than the UK’s.

    You know that phrase you hear about the EU wanting to move to a United States of Europe. You do know that that’s a reference to the United States of America, yes?
  • viewcode said:

    Feel free to give me an example of what AI will do that might change my mind.

    Tank warfare
    A tank usually has four crew: commander, gunner, loader and driver or variants thereof. This is wasteful in terms of humans. AIs are being developed to provide greater situational awareness, targeting and prioritisation. Combined with an autoloader this should enable the crew of the tank to drop to three or even two

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFs6LG0TEyU

    Manned airborne warfare
    Manned aircraft will be accompanied by "loyal wingmen": semi-autonomous drones that fly in formation with them. Such drones increase effectiveness and (thru sacrifice) survival.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjVuliSr648

    Service Drones
    Unmanned aircraft are being created to service aircraft by delivering supplies and acting as tankers. Augmenting them with AI again enables greater survival

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqZOaUpORjo

    Marine Drones
    In Ukraine we are seeing the rapid evolution of remote controlled marine drones: basically augmented torpedoes. The news that Elon decide to turn off Starlink at a crucial moment is an obvious impetus to AI control.

    https://thehill.com/policy/defense/4193788-musk-acknowledges-he-turned-off-starlink-internet-access-last-year-during-ukraine-attack-on-russia-military/

    Drone swarms
    On any given day there will be about 10,000 drones in theatre in Ukraine. They have proven effective whilst individually directed, but networked and AI controlled they should prove absolutely lethal. The US Replicator program (just as every opinion pollster grew up with Foundation, so apparently every US soldier grew up with Stargate) is intended to have drone swarms numbering in the thousands.

    https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2023-09-01/pentagon-building-killer-drone-swarms-for-possible-war-against-china

    Most of that is automation, not AI, or not in the LLM (ChatGPT etc) sense.
  • DecrepiterJohnLDecrepiterJohnL Posts: 27,890
    edited September 2023
    ohnotnow said:

    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    FF43 said:

    Cyclefree said:

    tyson said:

    I see the last night of the Proms is on....I really used to enjoy this. But now it just makes me feel profoundly sad and depressed about the terrible state of our country.Thank you Brexit and a big thank you to the Tories for the last 12 years....

    The musical tradition in this country is something to cherish. I have watched or heard quite a few Prom performances this year and they have been very good indeed. The one I enjoyed most was the Northern Soul one which is worth catching on iPlayer. The documentary about Northern Soul is also worth watching.

    I rather like Marin Alsop as a conductor. She conducted a wonderful performance of Verdi's Requiem a few years back which you can see on YouTube. Well worth catching.The "Libera me" is outstanding.
    As we're linking Brexit to classical music, would like to make a very specific point. A relative was an orchestral musician. Orchestras usually have a core complement that they supplement if they need bigger numbers or different configuration of instruments. My relative would go around the orchestras of Europe, playing in say Stockholm mid week then London at the weekend. Brexit was a career ending event for her. No-one will go through the paperwork to take on a Briton when a Spaniard or a Slovak can walk straight in. But there aren't enough orchestras in the UK to support a session musician career.

    Over time this lack of opportunity and c connection will surely degrade the music tradition you refer to.
    Stop. Fucking. Moaning
    Your beloved project is a huge pile of shit; those of us who didn't vote for it are perfectly entitled to moan about it.

    Come to think about it, those who beleived the bullshit and voted for it are are perfectly entitled to moan about the way they were misled too.

    Suck it up.
    Sure, but expect to see your commentary dismissed as the tedious maunderings of a loon, as is the case witb @Scott_xP

    Beyond all else, it is so UNINTELLIGENT

    Far far greater things are happening to us all, politically, economically, psychologically, than the relatively trivial distraction of Brexit. Not least, the advance of AI. That is about to transform human life

    Endlessly whining about Brexit, in face of these changes, is jejune. Like a soldier demanding better socks during D Day. Brexit simply isn't that important
    I don't think AI is about to transform human life. For a start so much about the world is physical. Will AI replace a travel writer? Or a flint knapper?

    I acknowledge I may be wrong but I believe AI will be an incremental change, like printed books, electricity, microprocessors, or the internet.

    Feel free to give me an example of what AI will do that might change my mind.
    https://blog.google/technology/ai/google-deepmind-rt2-robotics-vla-model/

    Aside from that - I've been deep-diving into this for work reasons. It's quite ... transformative. There are for sure things it won't replace. But I *feel* like there will be a compression. A narrowing.

    Will you still pay for a real human to take your order at Le Manoir? A Sommelier? Sure!

    Will you pay for that at your local gastro pub? ... Maybe.

    Will you pay for it at a drive-thru? ...

    Are you wealthy/idle enough to afford a personal trainer? Yoga instructor? Go for that experience!

    Do you just want to get rid of some lower back pain?

    Same for 'Hallmark' birthday cards, engagement reception DJ's, "here's 10 things you didn't knw about $location" journalism, etc. (not helped by 'journalism' ever more devaluing itself by just being retweets and "@LauraK says !!!!".

    When an LLM/AI can scan your current symptoms and read all your previous medical notes equal or better than a GP in under a second? Does it become unethical to let a muddled/stressed bag of water and protein deal with it?

    I don't think this is going to happen in the next week or anything - but the huge neon pink writing is being written across the skies and a remarkable number of people are stood at the side of the road like Cary Grant in North by Northwest. (I realise he 'won' - but he was also rich)

    Outside of my narrow area of work, I've already helped people use it for legal disputes with employers when their union failed them (which isn't even to address the 'down the line' consequences if "labour" is replaced by something like UBI), people writing government policy papers and wanting arguments against it, for it, whatever,

    At the same time - I'm hugely sceptical of it all. But... I have nagging expectations that it's going to be up there with the printing press. Give it a (compressed) century to play out.
    Most of those examples are AI as a better search engine. Most of it could be done with Google searches and some tidying up. In fact, much of it has been for years, like your examples of Top 10 journalism or quasi-legal arguments.

    ETA note I'm not saying great change will not happen, rather that it is already happening even without AI.
  • viewcode said:

    Andy_JS said:

    It's difficult to believe this could be true.

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-12492563/Over-million-Brits-wash-towels-YEAR.html

    "Nearly two million Brits only wash their towels once a year

    One of life's greatest comforts is wrapping yourself in a fresh, fluffy towel after a shower - but research shows over a million Brits go a year without experiencing the simple joy. Worse still, that's 365 days worth of grot and grime building up on the towel used to dry yourself every day. According to experts at Showers to You, almost two million people in the UK only wash their bathroom towels once a year, despite it being a breeding ground for bacteria."

    I can confidently say I wash my towels more than once a year.

    How much more, I am not saying. :)
    For hands and face, I've switched to paper towels rather than real ones for hygiene and convenience. Unfortunately, my favourite brand has just been taken off the market and the others don't really work so plan B might be needed.
  • TheValiantTheValiant Posts: 1,874
    kle4 said:


    I feel like they are stuck with the system they have now - even though no one outside the party regards it as democratic anyway, any change to take away the member vote will be accused of being even less democratic and outrageous.

    Some even quesiton what's the point of being a party member if you don't get a vote for leader, despite how recent an innovation it is, and how membership is well down on what it used to be. Admittedly the Corbyn vote did see a surge in membership, but the Tories have not seen that since the system was implemented.

    A possible solution might be to have the final round still include MPs, and weight it (like Labour do).
    50% MP and 50% members.
    So if the members are seriously at odds with the MPs, then the MPs might still be able to 'override' the members. It was fairly obvious Truss had limited support of MPs. She never won any of the MP rounds, and excepting the last round, was third each time. She only just beat Mordaunt.
    A final MP round at the same time as the members ballot might've seen her lose had Mordaunt supporters mostly switched to Sunak.

    Of course, it helps somewhat, but can equally lead to problems down the line anyway.
    If a MP wins the leadership by way of the members, that might be okay as long as the MPs aren't that far apart from them.

    A 53:47 membership victory with a 48:52 MP defeat isn't too bad.
    But a 70:30 membership victory, with only a 35:65 MP vote is asking for trouble.

    In reality of course, Conservative leadership contests shouldn't happen very often, and they only matter when they are in government. A result like the above wouldn't be a problem in opposition. The next GE will confirm or deny the members pick, and if they win at the UKGE, then all MPs will have to fall in line.

    The problem comes in government.

    But no one really foresaw that between 2016 and 2022, the Conservative party would have four leadership contests, two in one year, and all whilst they were in government.
    To put that in perspective, between 1975 and 1990, they had three, and one of those was in opposition.
  • viewcodeviewcode Posts: 22,075
    edited September 2023

    viewcode said:

    Feel free to give me an example of what AI will do that might change my mind.

    Tank warfare
    A tank usually has four crew: commander, gunner, loader and driver or variants thereof. This is wasteful in terms of humans. AIs are being developed to provide greater situational awareness, targeting and prioritisation. Combined with an autoloader this should enable the crew of the tank to drop to three or even two

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFs6LG0TEyU

    Manned airborne warfare
    Manned aircraft will be accompanied by "loyal wingmen": semi-autonomous drones that fly in formation with them. Such drones increase effectiveness and (thru sacrifice) survival.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjVuliSr648

    Service Drones
    Unmanned aircraft are being created to service aircraft by delivering supplies and acting as tankers. Augmenting them with AI again enables greater survival

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqZOaUpORjo

    Marine Drones
    In Ukraine we are seeing the rapid evolution of remote controlled marine drones: basically augmented torpedoes. The news that Elon decide to turn off Starlink at a crucial moment is an obvious impetus to AI control.

    https://thehill.com/policy/defense/4193788-musk-acknowledges-he-turned-off-starlink-internet-access-last-year-during-ukraine-attack-on-russia-military/

    Drone swarms
    On any given day there will be about 10,000 drones in theatre in Ukraine. They have proven effective whilst individually directed, but networked and AI controlled they should prove absolutely lethal. The US Replicator program (just as every opinion pollster grew up with Foundation, so apparently every US soldier grew up with Stargate) is intended to have drone swarms numbering in the thousands.

    https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2023-09-01/pentagon-building-killer-drone-swarms-for-possible-war-against-china

    Most of that is automation, not AI, or not in the LLM (ChatGPT etc) sense.
    Fair enough, but a self-directing mechanism capable of making decisions on the fly without external input is in the same postcode. And if you've got a thousand drones coming towards you directed by nothing other than its own murderous impulses, the distinction will probably be moot. Or at least will not bother you for long.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 71,070
    MTG having a normal day...

    ...We need a very tedious impeachment inquiry that allows us to take a deep dive to uncover the traitors within that conspired together, not only to keep a criminal VP in office, but then work to propel him to highest office in the land, President of the United States, all by covering up the truth and stopping Biden prosecutions from happening.

    The impeachment inquiry can not be rushed.

    It must be done right.

    No matter how long it takes.

    Patience will be the virtue that will lead us to the traitors within...

    https://twitter.com/RepMTG/status/1700498417259069707

    TBF, it's actually a fair description of the GOP impeachment efforts.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 71,070
    viewcode said:

    viewcode said:

    Feel free to give me an example of what AI will do that might change my mind.

    Tank warfare
    A tank usually has four crew: commander, gunner, loader and driver or variants thereof. This is wasteful in terms of humans. AIs are being developed to provide greater situational awareness, targeting and prioritisation. Combined with an autoloader this should enable the crew of the tank to drop to three or even two

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFs6LG0TEyU

    Manned airborne warfare
    Manned aircraft will be accompanied by "loyal wingmen": semi-autonomous drones that fly in formation with them. Such drones increase effectiveness and (thru sacrifice) survival.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjVuliSr648

    Service Drones
    Unmanned aircraft are being created to service aircraft by delivering supplies and acting as tankers. Augmenting them with AI again enables greater survival

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqZOaUpORjo

    Marine Drones
    In Ukraine we are seeing the rapid evolution of remote controlled marine drones: basically augmented torpedoes. The news that Elon decide to turn off Starlink at a crucial moment is an obvious impetus to AI control.

    https://thehill.com/policy/defense/4193788-musk-acknowledges-he-turned-off-starlink-internet-access-last-year-during-ukraine-attack-on-russia-military/

    Drone swarms
    On any given day there will be about 10,000 drones in theatre in Ukraine. They have proven effective whilst individually directed, but networked and AI controlled they should prove absolutely lethal. The US Replicator program (just as every opinion pollster grew up with Foundation, so apparently every US soldier grew up with Stargate) is intended to have drone swarms numbering in the thousands.

    https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2023-09-01/pentagon-building-killer-drone-swarms-for-possible-war-against-china

    Most of that is automation, not AI, or not in the LLM (ChatGPT etc) sense.
    Fair enough, but a self-directing mechanism capable of making decisions on the fly without external input is in the same postcode. And if you've got a thousand drones coming towards you directed by nothing other than its own murderous impulses, the distinction will probably be moot. Or at least will not bother you for long.
    You're not making it sound awfully attractive, this AI thing.
  • viewcodeviewcode Posts: 22,075
    Nigelb said:

    viewcode said:

    viewcode said:

    Feel free to give me an example of what AI will do that might change my mind.

    Tank warfare
    A tank usually has four crew: commander, gunner, loader and driver or variants thereof. This is wasteful in terms of humans. AIs are being developed to provide greater situational awareness, targeting and prioritisation. Combined with an autoloader this should enable the crew of the tank to drop to three or even two

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFs6LG0TEyU

    Manned airborne warfare
    Manned aircraft will be accompanied by "loyal wingmen": semi-autonomous drones that fly in formation with them. Such drones increase effectiveness and (thru sacrifice) survival.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjVuliSr648

    Service Drones
    Unmanned aircraft are being created to service aircraft by delivering supplies and acting as tankers. Augmenting them with AI again enables greater survival

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqZOaUpORjo

    Marine Drones
    In Ukraine we are seeing the rapid evolution of remote controlled marine drones: basically augmented torpedoes. The news that Elon decide to turn off Starlink at a crucial moment is an obvious impetus to AI control.

    https://thehill.com/policy/defense/4193788-musk-acknowledges-he-turned-off-starlink-internet-access-last-year-during-ukraine-attack-on-russia-military/

    Drone swarms
    On any given day there will be about 10,000 drones in theatre in Ukraine. They have proven effective whilst individually directed, but networked and AI controlled they should prove absolutely lethal. The US Replicator program (just as every opinion pollster grew up with Foundation, so apparently every US soldier grew up with Stargate) is intended to have drone swarms numbering in the thousands.

    https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2023-09-01/pentagon-building-killer-drone-swarms-for-possible-war-against-china

    Most of that is automation, not AI, or not in the LLM (ChatGPT etc) sense.
    Fair enough, but a self-directing mechanism capable of making decisions on the fly without external input is in the same postcode. And if you've got a thousand drones coming towards you directed by nothing other than its own murderous impulses, the distinction will probably be moot. Or at least will not bother you for long.
    You're not making it sound awfully attractive, this AI thing.
    :)
  • ‘It’s going to cost billions’: UK councils face huge bills over equal pay claims
    ...
    The problem runs back to the 2000s when a number of equal pay claims were lodged against the council, including a case involving 4,000 female Birmingham city council workers across 49 different jobs who argued they were excluded from bonuses paid to those in traditionally male-dominated jobs such as refuse collectors and road workers.
    ...
    Issues that are cropping up across the UK include task and finish practices, where workers can go home early after completing all their work, not being applied fairly, and job evaluations not being maintained and implemented properly leading to inequalities in pay grades.

    https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/sep/09/going-to-cost-billions-uk-councils-huge-bills-equal-pay-claims

    Back-dated compensation for equal pay claims was the main reason Birmingham declared bankruptcy. It looks like Brum is the canary in the coal mine, with similar claims affecting other councils and also private sector companies.
This discussion has been closed.