I've just logged onto an old online todo / task manager app that I used to use ten-fifteen years ago. It's a bit like looking back into my personal history and seeing some of the things I *still* haven't got around to doing...
Trello?
It is the start of a new working week, as across Britain we reach for our todo lists, cross out Friday and write Monday at the top.
No, Remember The Milk. I used it for a while before I gave up work, and there's quite a few minor work-related tasks that I never completed but the clients paid me for! And I think I've 'mowed the garden' since I added it into the list, although we've moved twice since then...
(After that, I moved to simply using Excel sheets. But I'm starting to hanker after something better that integrates well with my phone and PC. Microsoft ToDo is pants.)
Essentially the West is now in a final war between those who dream, who do, who drive - like Elon Musk, above all - and the Left, which seeks only division and a dreary levelling down, a morass of argument and inertia, where they can prosper, cause they are more boringly determined to argue over bullshit than anyone else
I know where I stand. With Elon Musk, who captures rockets and will go to Mars
How many rocket engineers are seeking asylum?
Other than von Braun.
It’s a more interesting case than the simple headlines.
Under ITAR and other rules, dual use technologies (military applications) have to be carefully guarded. Enormous fines and criminal penalties apply.
SpaceX took the approach of whole sections of the company being “inside the wall” - even janitors. This isn’t uncommon in smaller aerospace companies.
This meant that applications from asylum seekers from a number of countries went straight in the bin.
Err, yeah. Perhaps one part of the US Federal government should speak to the other part of the US Federal government?
Anyone who’s not a US citizen - even British rocket scientists - finds it pretty much impossible to get a job at SpaceX or Blue Origin.
Because the US government wants to keep a really close eye on anyone with knowledge that might be useful to an enemy, and the sort of stuff they are doing with the rockets is not only commercially sensitive but also militarily sensitive. No-one wants the Russians or the Chinese to end up with any information that lets them build something so large yet also so controllable.
Some great pictures on today’s front pages!
So the DOJ's suit says "you can totally hire non-Americans while complying with the export control regulations, just do this simple additional box-ticking". The problem is that from the point of view of the person required to tick the boxes this isn't so simple and anything involving national security requires a lot of regulatory mind-reading and if you get it wrong you might end up in jail.
Cynically the way to make a really thorough job of ticking the boxes correctly is if you hire somebody who used to work at the regulatory agency.
Yes, just because there’s a loophole somewhere that will, with a lot of additional paperwork, theoretically allow them to possibly hire aliens, the majority of companies in that position are going to say sod all this I’m just hiring Americans.
Especially so when one error in all that documentation can and will be used to put the manager concerned in prison, as well as potentially exposing the company to an increased risk of IP theft. Perhaps it might be justified for a superstar designer they’ve poached from a rival and who they know is already well vetted, but not for any regular employee.
The cynic in me might think it could possibly have something to do with Mr Musk coming out as Republican a few weekends before the election.
LOL. Musk has been backing Trump and the GP agenda for many months.
Musk declared for Trump on the day the candidate was shot. 13th July. Which is actually three months ago now, how time flies!
It was obvious he was a GOPper *way* before that. I wonder what deals have been done...
The Twitter meme is that he’s going to be put in charge of the Department of Government Efficiency. Which of course shortens to DOGE.
Essentially the West is now in a final war between those who dream, who do, who drive - like Elon Musk, above all - and the Left, which seeks only division and a dreary levelling down, a morass of argument and inertia, where they can prosper, cause they are more boringly determined to argue over bullshit than anyone else
I know where I stand. With Elon Musk, who captures rockets and will go to Mars
How many rocket engineers are seeking asylum?
Other than von Braun.
It’s a more interesting case than the simple headlines.
Under ITAR and other rules, dual use technologies (military applications) have to be carefully guarded. Enormous fines and criminal penalties apply.
SpaceX took the approach of whole sections of the company being “inside the wall” - even janitors. This isn’t uncommon in smaller aerospace companies.
This meant that applications from asylum seekers from a number of countries went straight in the bin.
Err, yeah. Perhaps one part of the US Federal government should speak to the other part of the US Federal government?
Anyone who’s not a US citizen - even British rocket scientists - finds it pretty much impossible to get a job at SpaceX or Blue Origin.
Because the US government wants to keep a really close eye on anyone with knowledge that might be useful to an enemy, and the sort of stuff they are doing with the rockets is not only commercially sensitive but also militarily sensitive. No-one wants the Russians or the Chinese to end up with any information that lets them build something so large yet also so controllable.
Some great pictures on today’s front pages!
So the DOJ's suit says "you can totally hire non-Americans while complying with the export control regulations, just do this simple additional box-ticking". The problem is that from the point of view of the person required to tick the boxes this isn't so simple and anything involving national security requires a lot of regulatory mind-reading and if you get it wrong you might end up in jail.
Cynically the way to make a really thorough job of ticking the boxes correctly is if you hire somebody who used to work at the regulatory agency.
Yes, just because there’s a loophole somewhere that will, with a lot of additional paperwork, theoretically allow them to possibly hire aliens, the majority of companies in that position are going to say sod all this I’m just hiring Americans.
Especially so when one error in all that documentation can and will be used to put the manager concerned in prison, as well as potentially exposing the company to an increased risk of IP theft. Perhaps it might be justified for a superstar designer they’ve poached from a rival and who they know is already well vetted, but not for any regular employee.
The cynic in me might think it could possibly have something to do with Mr Musk coming out as Republican a few weekends before the election.
LOL. Musk has been backing Trump and the GP agenda for many months.
Musk declared for Trump on the day the candidate was shot. 13th July. Which is actually three months ago now, how time flies!
It was obvious he was a GOPper *way* before that. I wonder what deals have been done...
The Twitter meme is that he’s going to be put in charge of the Department of Government Efficiency. Which of course shortens to DOGE.
ISTR he's been going on about that himself. And it would be a disaster.
I wouldn't go that far, but I do wonder why he chose to remove those ones in particular. Lizzie 1 was a particularly important figure in British history. If he replaces them, I wonder who'll they be replaced by?
At the risk of going all @Leon, is that an October Suprise currently trending, or is someone about to get sued for millions for seriously defaming an American politician?
I’m not going to post a link unless it’s from a very reputable news organisation. Which there isn’t yet.
Slavery reparations back on the table ahead of the upcoming Commonwealth summit with David Lammy being earmarked by commonwealth leaders to work on, and secure, the sum. Anything from £206 billion to trillions based on research from academics.
I wouldn't go that far, but I do wonder why he chose to remove those ones in particular. Lizzie 1 was a particularly important figure in British history. If he replaces them, I wonder who'll they be replaced by?
There's no figure of British history he'd be proud to have up, except Clement Attlee or Nye Bevan.
Slavery reparations back on the table ahead of the upcoming Commonwealth summit with David Lammy being earmarked by commonwealth leaders to work on, and secure, the sum. Anything from £206 billion to trillions based on research from academics.
At the risk of going all @Leon, is that an October Suprise currently trending, or is someone about to get sued for millions for seriously defaming an American politician?
I’m not going to post a link unless it’s from a very reputable news organisation. Which there isn’t yet.
Just looked it up. I suspect some people will end up financially worse off as consequence. Sounds bollocks and convenient timing.
I wouldn't go that far, but I do wonder why he chose to remove those ones in particular. Lizzie 1 was a particularly important figure in British history. If he replaces them, I wonder who'll they be replaced by?
There's no figure of British history he'd be proud to have up, except Clement Attlee or Nye Bevan.
I was thinking of the traitorous little shit Stafford Cripps.
Slavery reparations back on the table ahead of the upcoming Commonwealth summit with David Lammy being earmarked by commonwealth leaders to work on, and secure, the sum. Anything from £206 billion to trillions based on research from academics.
CNN analyst breaks down a major warning sign for the Kamala Harris campaign - with the nation having a GOP ADVANTAGE for the first time in many years.
2016: D+3 2020: D+6 NOW: R+1
You will be an absolute hero come early November. Many of us were convinced Kamala had this, but we were looking at the wrong YouTube channels and the wrong evidence. You are going to make us all very wealthy.
At the risk of going all @Leon, is that an October Suprise currently trending, or is someone about to get sued for millions for seriously defaming an American politician?
I’m not going to post a link unless it’s from a very reputable news organisation. Which there isn’t yet.
Just looked it up. I suspect some people will end up financially worse off as consequence. Sounds bollocks and convenient timing.
Indeed, but there’s going to be an awful lot of sleepless nights in the US - including Elon Musk, campaign offices of both parties, and a lot of lawyers.
Either this will be the biggest story in the world about eight hours from now, or will get totally buried in lawsuits before sunrise.
At the risk of going all @Leon, is that an October Suprise currently trending, or is someone about to get sued for millions for seriously defaming an American politician?
I’m not going to post a link unless it’s from a very reputable news organisation. Which there isn’t yet.
Just looked it up. I suspect some people will end up financially worse off as consequence. Sounds bollocks and convenient timing.
Indeed, but there’s going to be an awful lot of sleepless nights in the US - including Elon Musk, campaign offices of both parties, and a lot of lawyers.
Either this will be the biggest story in the world about eight hours from now, or will get totally buried in lawsuits before sunrise.
I don't think I can see anything relevant on my Twix timeline or Trending.
The cynic in me might think it could possibly have something to do with Mr Musk coming out as Republican a few weekends before the election.
The DOJ lawsuit was filed last summer. I'm not going to try to read Musk's mind but support for Trump is kind of an asymmetrical bet because Trump will definitely abuse his power to reward supporters and punish opponents, whereas the Dems will only do this in very subtle ways if at all.
The suspect, identified as Vem Miller, was intercepted by police at a checkpoint about a half-mile from an entrance to the rally in Coachella Valley, California, soon before the rally began, police said Sunday.
“We probably stopped another assassination attempt,” Riverside county sheriff Chad Bianco said, adding that Miller was plotting to kill Trump.
Police said Miller was carrying a loaded shotgun, handgun and high-capacity magazine and is believed to be a member of a rightwing anti-government organization.
He holds a UCLA master’s degree, and in 2022 ran for Nevada state assembly. Bianco said Miller considers himself a so-called sovereign citizen, a group of people who do not believe they are subject to any government statutes unless they consent to them...
*Probably - but given they released him on bail, the evidence can’t have been slam dunk.
That’s the third sassytempt in a few weeks. Extraordinary how it has been normalised
Only it wasn't an assassination attempt. It was a right-wing nutjobs carrying multiple weapons. Nothing extraordinary about that.
Except, as you have hopefully seen later in the thread, this wasn’t done at Starmer’s direction, but was a pre-planned re-arrangement of government art.
At the risk of going all @Leon, is that an October Suprise currently trending, or is someone about to get sued for millions for seriously defaming an American politician?
I’m not going to post a link unless it’s from a very reputable news organisation. Which there isn’t yet.
Just looked it up. I suspect some people will end up financially worse off as consequence. Sounds bollocks and convenient timing.
Indeed, but there’s going to be an awful lot of sleepless nights in the US - including Elon Musk, campaign offices of both parties, and a lot of lawyers.
Either this will be the biggest story in the world about eight hours from now, or will get totally buried in lawsuits before sunrise.
Yup and I suspect the latter. I cannot imagine for one minute due diligence would not have been done at a forensic level. Just throwing Mud IMHO.
I'm surprised there has not been more on the story of P Diddy as well given the lurid claims around what he has supposed to have done.
Except, as you have hopefully seen later in the thread, this wasn’t done at Starmer’s direction, but was a pre-planned re-arrangement of government art.
Yeah, that doesn't set anything off at all on the bollocksometer.
We have been considering putting a lump sum roughly equivalent to the rest of the year's contributions into my pension before the budget, just in case the tax relief gets cut. At one point this looked an obvious thing to do but I am really not sure now. Obviously I should be asking the doctors union for advice.
We have been considering putting a lump sum roughly equivalent to the rest of the year's contributions into my pension before the budget, just in case the tax relief gets cut. At one point this looked an obvious thing to do but I am really not sure now. Obviously I should be asking the doctors union for advice.
Why? It would be impossible ( and unfair) to make changes mid tax year
When microwaving baked potatoes OVERcook them so they gain this weird delicious crispiness, even crunchiness, then soften this dried snappabiltiy with fats - oil, butter, the flavoured oils from a fried steak. Then they become utterly delicious and better than baked spuds from the oven
The average single baked spud needs maybe 17 minutes at full power
Nothing tastier than a crunchy potato.
Honestly, they're great. But you have to be watchful, it takes about a minute for them to go from wonderfully crunchy to inedible cinders, but if you hit the sweet spot, MMMMMM
I believe, and I am wary of exaggeration, that my microwaved baked potato discovery is on a par with Elon Musk's Giant Chopsticks Capturing The World's Hugest Missile achievement earlier today, tho I accept that the several PB-ers with Musk Derangement Syndrome will clearly see my triumph as the greater, and I am thankful for their approbation
You need to get an air fryer.
I almost certainly do, but I don't have room in a small 1 bed flat
A flat which BTW I love, for my sins, BECAUSE it is so small. Lock up and leave!
I fly to Asia tomorrow
I have a small flat too but the air fryer is a must. I barely turn my oven on anymore. It really doesn't take all that much worktop space and more than justifies it.
Really? It's that good? Why??
Genuine question. I probably have room for one more device in my small but lovable kitchen
An air fryer is that much of a boon?
PB has already persuaded me to get a smartwatch, and that was a great decision, so an air fryer as well?
I just bought a basket press, so I can crush my own grapes. Definitely not enough space on the kitchen work surface for that.
I’ve resisted an air fryer because they are unattractively rounded in shape and look naff, like a 90s CD player, but they do seem to be very useful machines.
Yes exactly, they are so ugly. They look like rice cookers, which are pointless
But I am willing to be persuaded by the Gathered Genius of PB. Which has somewhat changed my life - for the better - with the Garmin Venu 3
The round ones do look a bit stupid. The bigger ones look like surface top ovens and have shelves you can slide trays into. They're still not God's gift to kitchen design, but good nonetheless.
I briefly noted a comment later yesterday that my SpaceX comment was “overblown” followed by a list of Big Days in space flight. Yesterday was one of those days - a giant leap forward and the first one in ages.
Again, what did we see. The heaviest rocket ever launched from a payload-to-orbit perspective. Launched off a milk-stool structure and then less than 6 minutes later returning to be gently caught by its own launch tower.
On this test flight they let the engines go uncooled to test what happens. A few outer engines warped. In service that doesn’t happen - and the booster can be immediately refuelled, have another Starship stacked on top and be relaunched. In less than an hour.
If you don’t think that capability is a giant step, you don’t understand steps…
Confirms my decision to vote for Jenrick, attacking help for those with autism, opposing maternity pay and saying 10% of civil servants should be jailed with no evidence makes Badenoch not up to leadership in my view
Yet you welcomed in the lying clown with open arms
Boris was likeable and generally didn't attack large categories of the population
Muslims, girly swots and anyone involved in business wave hello
The suspect, identified as Vem Miller, was intercepted by police at a checkpoint about a half-mile from an entrance to the rally in Coachella Valley, California, soon before the rally began, police said Sunday.
“We probably stopped another assassination attempt,” Riverside county sheriff Chad Bianco said, adding that Miller was plotting to kill Trump.
Police said Miller was carrying a loaded shotgun, handgun and high-capacity magazine and is believed to be a member of a rightwing anti-government organization.
He holds a UCLA master’s degree, and in 2022 ran for Nevada state assembly. Bianco said Miller considers himself a so-called sovereign citizen, a group of people who do not believe they are subject to any government statutes unless they consent to them...
*Probably - but given they released him on bail, the evidence can’t have been slam dunk.
That’s the third sassytempt in a few weeks. Extraordinary how it has been normalised
And another with a right-wing back story.
I mean, is Trump not fascist/authoritarian enough for these guys? What more does he have to do for them?
We have been considering putting a lump sum roughly equivalent to the rest of the year's contributions into my pension before the budget, just in case the tax relief gets cut. At one point this looked an obvious thing to do but I am really not sure now. Obviously I should be asking the doctors union for advice.
Why? It would be impossible ( and unfair) to make changes mid tax year
I think that if she cut the tax relief from 40% to 20% she would have to do it with immediate effect from the time of the announcement. To do otherwise would have billions poured into pensions before April and very likely cause a recession because of the collapse in demand. She might still do this but the risks have reduced somewhat because the public sector unions are on the case pointing out what effect it would have on their better paid members.
We have been considering putting a lump sum roughly equivalent to the rest of the year's contributions into my pension before the budget, just in case the tax relief gets cut. At one point this looked an obvious thing to do but I am really not sure now. Obviously I should be asking the doctors union for advice.
My understanding is that it's quite hard to change this mid financial year, particularly taxation on lump sums.
A lot of my colleagues have put in their pension claims in the last few months, in order to get it in the bank before April.
Fundamentally Reeves problem in trying to raise billions by tinkering with allowances etc distorts behaviour so people can get around the new rules, and doesn't raise much as a result.
Far simpler and better to put a couple of % on the tax rates across the board, but Reeves hobbled herself on this.
Regarding Mickey Mouse murals in child's reception centres, these aren't children - children do not make the channel crossing alone. They are male teenagers and young adults. The worst example of this is someone placed in foster care who tuened out to be a serial killer. Putting Mickey Mouse murals up in the first place was insincere wankery by those concerned. Jenrick should not have painted them over - politically it's a stupid thing to do - but it wasn't a cruel thing to do.
I briefly noted a comment later yesterday that my SpaceX comment was “overblown” followed by a list of Big Days in space flight. Yesterday was one of those days - a giant leap forward and the first one in ages.
Again, what did we see. The heaviest rocket ever launched from a payload-to-orbit perspective. Launched off a milk-stool structure and then less than 6 minutes later returning to be gently caught by its own launch tower.
On this test flight they let the engines go uncooled to test what happens. A few outer engines warped. In service that doesn’t happen - and the booster can be immediately refuelled, have another Starship stacked on top and be relaunched. In less than an hour.
If you don’t think that capability is a giant step, you don’t understand steps…
No-one was saying it wasn't a giant step. Just that other launches were also giant steps.
Regarding Mickey Mouse murals in child's reception centres, these aren't children - children do not make the channel crossing alone. They are male teenagers and young adults. The worst example of this is someone placed in foster care who tuened out to be a serial killer. Putting Mickey Mouse murals up in the first place was insincere wankery by those concerned. Jenrick should not have painted them over - politically it's a stupid thing to do - but it wasn't a cruel thing to do.
It was performative cruelty for the sake of performative cruelty. It has become his signature.
The murals weren't doing any harm and some of the children were younger than teenagers. Irrespective of age seeing a cheerful cartoon character as a youngster is probably more reassuring than seeing the outline of one that has been painted out.
We have been considering putting a lump sum roughly equivalent to the rest of the year's contributions into my pension before the budget, just in case the tax relief gets cut. At one point this looked an obvious thing to do but I am really not sure now. Obviously I should be asking the doctors union for advice.
My understanding is that it's quite hard to change this mid financial year, particularly taxation on lump sums.
A lot of my colleagues have put in their pension claims in the last few months, in order to get it in the bank before April.
Fundamentally Reeves problem in trying to raise billions by tinkering with allowances etc distorts behaviour so people can get around the new rules, and doesn't raise much as a result.
Far simpler and better to put a couple of % on the tax rates across the board, but Reeves hobbled herself on this.
Yeah, nobble the poor and the working class and allow the well off to keep taking their large lump sums from their pensions. Truly redistributive.
We have been considering putting a lump sum roughly equivalent to the rest of the year's contributions into my pension before the budget, just in case the tax relief gets cut. At one point this looked an obvious thing to do but I am really not sure now. Obviously I should be asking the doctors union for advice.
My understanding is that it's quite hard to change this mid financial year, particularly taxation on lump sums.
A lot of my colleagues have put in their pension claims in the last few months, in order to get it in the bank before April.
Fundamentally Reeves problem in trying to raise billions by tinkering with allowances etc distorts behaviour so people can get around the new rules, and doesn't raise much as a result.
Far simpler and better to put a couple of % on the tax rates across the board, but Reeves hobbled herself on this.
Yeah, nobble the poor and the working class and allow the well off to keep taking their large lump sums from their pensions. Truly redistributive.
Or why not index the personal allowance to the old age pension and start the 45% tax band where the 40% band starts now?
There are many options to change rates and be redistribution if a CoE has a free hand.
Comments
(After that, I moved to simply using Excel sheets. But I'm starting to hanker after something better that integrates well with my phone and PC. Microsoft ToDo is pants.)
I’m not going to post a link unless it’s from a very reputable news organisation. Which there isn’t yet.
https://x.com/lozzylozboz/status/1845584107830690038
Either this will be the biggest story in the world about eight hours from now, or will get totally buried in lawsuits before sunrise.
I'm surprised there has not been more on the story of P Diddy as well given the lurid claims around what he has supposed to have done.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c869qd5j09xo
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/doctors-threaten-strike-if-rachel-reeves-slashes-25-tax-free-lump-sum/ss-AA1s4yQx?ocid=entnewsntp&pc=U531&cvid=50ac8351b56c44efa9a2c45679e379a0&ei=12
Again, what did we see. The heaviest rocket ever launched from a payload-to-orbit perspective. Launched off a milk-stool structure and then less than 6 minutes later returning to be gently caught by its own launch tower.
On this test flight they let the engines go uncooled to test what happens. A few outer engines warped. In service that doesn’t happen - and the booster can be immediately refuelled, have another Starship stacked on top and be relaunched. In less than an hour.
If you don’t think that capability is a giant step, you don’t understand steps…
A lot of my colleagues have put in their pension claims in the last few months, in order to get it in the bank before April.
Fundamentally Reeves problem in trying to raise billions by tinkering with allowances etc distorts behaviour so people can get around the new rules, and doesn't raise much as a result.
Far simpler and better to put a couple of % on the tax rates across the board, but Reeves hobbled herself on this.
https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2024-10-11/britain-s-tories-are-lost-because-their-ideology-failed?srnd=undefined&embedded-checkout=true
NEW THREAD
The murals weren't doing any harm and some of the children were younger than teenagers. Irrespective of age seeing a cheerful cartoon character as a youngster is probably more reassuring than seeing the outline of one that has been painted out.
There are many options to change rates and be redistribution if a CoE has a free hand.