politicalbetting.com » Blog Archive » Meet Liam Fox, the 21st century Gerald Ratner
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Mr. X, au contraire, Galen was the chap credited with discovering (by treating gladiators and observing their injuries and symptoms) that the personality resided in the brain rather than the heart.0
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Plato was a late adopterPhilip_Thompson said:
Not twenty years ago today. Clue is in the name 95 ...PlatoSaid said:
Twenty years ago today, people rushed to stores to get the newly-released Windows 95. https://t.co/NMGYENLron
21 years ago Window 95 was seen as being a refreshing and good move forwards. Tech has certainly come a long way ...0 -
If Germany want us in the single market they should be paying us for the privilege of the €80bn trade deficit!geoffw said:
It goes on to say that therefore the UK will need to make payments to the EU if it wants to retain access to the single market.williamglenn said:http://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/soziales/brexit-wolfgang-schaeuble-fuerchtet-hoehere-eu-beitraege-fuer-deutschland-a-1111653.html
German government paper says Brexit will cost them billions.
I think most of the EU are expecting a Cameronesque negotiation, whereby we roll over and let them tickle our tummy - which is why we should should say no negotiation at all, it's a 'hard' exit to WTO terms. Then wait and see.0 -
I used email for the first time in October 1995PlatoSaid said:
Twenty years ago today, people rushed to stores to get the newly-released Windows 95. https://t.co/NMGYENLron
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Looks like the trend is switching to The Donald. With only 2 months to go this could be the significant moment. I've just put a few bucks on Trump.rottenborough said:
(((Dan Hodges))) @DPJHodges 4h4 hours agoGIN1138 said:
Who will rock up and tell the Yanks they'll be "at the back of the queue" if they dare to vote for The Donald?MaxPB said:I have to say that the Clinton campaign is eerily similar to the BSE campaign. Her latest insult to Trump voters is reminiscent of Dave's "little Englander" comment. It's just going to make people rally around him.
My prediction Hillary would destroy Trump was predicated on the assumption she would not turn into Mitt Romney.0 -
Mr. K, I still think Clinton will win handily, but this is not good for her.
"You're shit, you are," is meant to be aimed at one's political opponents, not the electorate
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Let wealthy Europhiles like Meeks and TSE personally foot the bill ofgeoffw said:
It goes on to say that therefore the UK will need to make payments to the EU if it wants to retain access to the single market.williamglenn said:http://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/soziales/brexit-wolfgang-schaeuble-fuerchtet-hoehere-eu-beitraege-fuer-deutschland-a-1111653.html
German government paper says Brexit will cost them billions.Protection Moneypayments to their beloved EU.0 -
That's a dangerous game for Clinton to play, with turnout expected at 50 something percent and only a few points between the candidates. Wouldn't take many to turn out to stop her in the key states.MaxPB said:I have to say that the Clinton campaign is eerily similar to the BSE campaign. Her latest insult to Trump voters is reminiscent of Dave's "little Englander" comment. It's just going to make people rally around him.
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Seems to me that the left/socially liberal rely on non voters to not turn out for the right, even when there is a chance to suckerpunxh the establishment.Sandpit said:
That's a dangerous game for Clinton to play, with turnout expected at 50 something percent and only a few points between the candidates. Wouldn't take many to turn out to stop her in the key states.MaxPB said:I have to say that the Clinton campaign is eerily similar to the BSE campaign. Her latest insult to Trump voters is reminiscent of Dave's "little Englander" comment. It's just going to make people rally around him.
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Mr. Mortimer, to be fair, relying on non-voters to not vote has historically been entirely reasonable.
It took some haranguing to get the 'Little Englanders' to turn out in the referendum.0 -
True. But historically the right has relied upon the can't be arsed party to gift them elections whilst stoking the middle's fear of leftism. Evidence seems to suggest this works.Morris_Dancer said:Mr. Mortimer, to be fair, relying on non-voters to not vote has historically been entirely reasonable.
It took some haranguing to get the 'Little Englanders' to turn out in the referendum.
All evidence suggests that non voters are more likely to show up for anti establishment right wing figures/causes.0 -
Mr. Mortimer, we shall soon discover whether the basket of deplorables becomes a nest of vipers for Clinton.
If she loses, she'll go down in history for her double defeat.0 -
You wanted to get on in late August at the peak of Hilary's Convention bounce, he was past 4/1 then. I have since cashed out.MikeK said:
Looks like the trend is switching to The Donald. With only 2 months to go this could be the significant moment. I've just put a few bucks on Trump.rottenborough said:
(((Dan Hodges))) @DPJHodges 4h4 hours agoGIN1138 said:
Who will rock up and tell the Yanks they'll be "at the back of the queue" if they dare to vote for The Donald?MaxPB said:I have to say that the Clinton campaign is eerily similar to the BSE campaign. Her latest insult to Trump voters is reminiscent of Dave's "little Englander" comment. It's just going to make people rally around him.
My prediction Hillary would destroy Trump was predicated on the assumption she would not turn into Mitt Romney.
So predictable his price would come in.0 -
If Non-College Whites bumps 5 points in Turnout and swing to Republican then Hilary still wins assuming nothing else changes - accoding t the all demos of http://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2016-swing-the-election/Mortimer said:
True. But historically the right has relied upon the can't be arsed party to gift them elections whilst stoking the middle's fear of leftism. Evidence seems to suggest this works.Morris_Dancer said:Mr. Mortimer, to be fair, relying on non-voters to not vote has historically been entirely reasonable.
It took some haranguing to get the 'Little Englanders' to turn out in the referendum.
All evidence suggests that non voters are more likely to show up for anti establishment right wing figures/causes.
Eve if you bump them to a 10 point increase in turnout and 10 increase in Republican vote then College Whites voting Democrat 52/48 wins it for the Democracts.0 -
He was right about Ed Miliband and how Labour would do under him. Not to say he is right here, but he very clearly is sometimes right as well.MP_SE said:
Hodges' political insight is always worth ignoring.rottenborough said:
(((Dan Hodges))) @DPJHodges 4h4 hours agoGIN1138 said:
Who will rock up and tell the Yanks they'll be "at the back of the queue" if they dare to vote for The Donald?MaxPB said:I have to say that the Clinton campaign is eerily similar to the BSE campaign. Her latest insult to Trump voters is reminiscent of Dave's "little Englander" comment. It's just going to make people rally around him.
My prediction Hillary would destroy Trump was predicated on the assumption she would not turn into Mitt Romney.0 -
ITV
French police find second car containing gas cylinders https://t.co/2hkhaGRY68 https://t.co/FLQoEJ2dmu0 -
I'm staying in to wave my Union Jack flags in front of the telly!malcolmg said:
GIN, thought you were going out, you not able to find those union jack underpantsGIN1138 said:
Who will rock up and tell the Yanks they'll be "at the back of the queue" if they dare to vote for The Donald?MaxPB said:I have to say that the Clinton campaign is eerily similar to the BSE campaign. Her latest insult to Trump voters is reminiscent of Dave's "little Englander" comment. It's just going to make people rally around him.
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Nick Owens
About to press the button on fresh #KeithVaz revelations...from our brilliant team on the @sundaymirror0 -
Sounds good idea, hopefully with a few refreshmentsGIN1138 said:
I'm staying in to wave my Union Jack flags in front of the telly!malcolmg said:
GIN, thought you were going out, you not able to find those union jack underpantsGIN1138 said:
Who will rock up and tell the Yanks they'll be "at the back of the queue" if they dare to vote for The Donald?MaxPB said:I have to say that the Clinton campaign is eerily similar to the BSE campaign. Her latest insult to Trump voters is reminiscent of Dave's "little Englander" comment. It's just going to make people rally around him.
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You mean, Dyson, which manufactures everything abroad.JosiasJessop said:
I can name two British companies that are generally doing very well: Dyson and JCB. They have one major thing in common that might point to the problem confronting other companies: ownership and finance.Speedy said:
He is unimpressed for anyone not called George Osborne.SquareRoot said:TSE Do I take it that you are unimpressed with Liam Fox?
I have critizised Fox in the past, but Fox is right this time.
It's not just british big businesses though that have become "lazy and fat", all large corporations eventually become like that, just look this month at Apple with their crappy iPhone 7 and Samsung with their exploding Galaxy 7.
To defend Apple (spit): as the competition grows better, it's hard to be revolutionary rather than evolutionary. Some have managed it though: https://www.clove.co.uk/cat-s60
To defend Samsung (spit from Mrs J): this could strike any company that is pushing the envelope. It's just with batteries the consequences of failure can be dire.0 -
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I don't really agree that British companies don't make enough effort to export - I think the problem lies with them not making enough effort to displace foreign imports in the domestic market. That would be easier, hopefully lead to market saturation, and THEN is the time to look for export markets. A rush to export too soon is dangerous and unnecessary.
My issue with 'fat and lazy' British business people is that they're entirely in it to make a fast buck, sometimes by selling their start-up to a foreign corporation at the earliest possible stage, sometimes by asset-stripping (see BHS), and sometimes just by paying themselves grotesque salaries. The idea that you would develop and nurture a business on UK soil over decades seems somehow an oddity these days.0 -
Is anybody shocked there's more?PlatoSaid said:Nick Owens
About to press the button on fresh #KeithVaz revelations...from our brilliant team on the @sundaymirror0 -
I'm a bit agog at what more there could be.FrancisUrquhart said:
Is anybody shocked there's more?PlatoSaid said:Nick Owens
About to press the button on fresh #KeithVaz revelations...from our brilliant team on the @sundaymirror0 -
Not terrorism, It's delboy & Rodney's latest money making scheme.PlatoSaid said:ITV
French police find second car containing gas cylinders https://t.co/2hkhaGRY68 https://t.co/FLQoEJ2dmu0 -
Yes because nothing the company does is of any benefit to the UK, at allsurbiton said:
You mean, Dyson, which manufactures everything abroad.JosiasJessop said:
I can name two British companies that are generally doing very well: Dyson and JCB. They have one major thing in common that might point to the problem confronting other companies: ownership and finance.Speedy said:
He is unimpressed for anyone not called George Osborne.SquareRoot said:TSE Do I take it that you are unimpressed with Liam Fox?
I have critizised Fox in the past, but Fox is right this time.
It's not just british big businesses though that have become "lazy and fat", all large corporations eventually become like that, just look this month at Apple with their crappy iPhone 7 and Samsung with their exploding Galaxy 7.
To defend Apple (spit): as the competition grows better, it's hard to be revolutionary rather than evolutionary. Some have managed it though: https://www.clove.co.uk/cat-s60
To defend Samsung (spit from Mrs J): this could strike any company that is pushing the envelope. It's just with batteries the consequences of failure can be dire.
I guess you'd prefer the company not to exist as long as one lone security guard is employed guarding their empty premises? All for the intellectual purity of having had all the work in the UK.
And in attempting to make a snide comment, you totally miss the point I was trying to make.0 -
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Not in the oft-quoted passage. He told a story where someone asked him how he could afford to sell a silver (plated?) decanter and tray for £xx - he recounted his answer, 'because it's crap'.Alistair said:
He specifically referred to the jewlerry.PlatoSaid said:
He wasn't. I got married in 1988. My wedding ring came from Ratners - it's an eternity ring sort with lots of small diamonds. Never been off my finger since bar a couple of times and still perfect. The settings haven't bent, clicked clothes and all the stones are there/still sparkly.glw said:
Ratner was right, the products he sold were crap. Fox is right as well, British businesses could do a lot more to develop their export business.SimonStClare said:The daft thing was, Gerald Ratner's comments tarnished his own brand, Fox only damages himself. - However to be fair, on this occasion Fox may have a point.
In Ratner's case telling the truth was a disaster, but Fox might provoke a wider debate about why British businesses don't do as well as they might.
The mistake Ratner made was to insult his customers re the average quality of what they sold. IIRC he was referring to cheap decanters or somesuch, not the jewellery.
IIRC it cost about £250 back then. It was bought on HP!
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I don't like Vaz, but it must be a pretty awful position to be in. Having suffered a fairly torrid week, all the time wondering if the papers have anything more to publish.FrancisUrquhart said:
Is anybody shocked there's more?PlatoSaid said:Nick Owens
About to press the button on fresh #KeithVaz revelations...from our brilliant team on the @sundaymirror
I almost feel sorry for him. Almost, but not quite. 0 -
Shocked and amazed - but why is all this being revealed by the Mirror? The last paper to do the dirty on a Labour MP I’d have thought.FrancisUrquhart said:
Is anybody shocked there's more?PlatoSaid said:Nick Owens
About to press the button on fresh #KeithVaz revelations...from our brilliant team on the @sundaymirror0 -
He specifically contrasted the 'total crap' with the jewellery they sold, although he did also say that a prawn sandwich would have a longer life than the earrings they sell for the same price.Luckyguy1983 said:
Not in the oft-quoted passage. He told a story where someone asked him how he could afford to sell a silver (plated?) decanter and tray for £xx - he recounted his answer, 'because it's crap'.Alistair said:
He specifically referred to the jewlerry.PlatoSaid said:
He wasn't. I got married in 1988. My wedding ring came from Ratners - it's an eternity ring sort with lots of small diamonds. Never been off my finger since bar a couple of times and still perfect. The settings haven't bent, clicked clothes and all the stones are there/still sparkly.glw said:
Ratner was right, the products he sold were crap. Fox is right as well, British businesses could do a lot more to develop their export business.SimonStClare said:The daft thing was, Gerald Ratner's comments tarnished his own brand, Fox only damages himself. - However to be fair, on this occasion Fox may have a point.
In Ratner's case telling the truth was a disaster, but Fox might provoke a wider debate about why British businesses don't do as well as they might.
The mistake Ratner made was to insult his customers re the average quality of what they sold. IIRC he was referring to cheap decanters or somesuch, not the jewellery.
IIRC it cost about £250 back then. It was bought on HP!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj9BZz71yQE0 -
Poor man. It's really quite poignant.williamglenn said:
He specifically contrasted the 'total crap' with the jewellery they sold.Luckyguy1983 said:
Not in the oft-quoted passage. He told a story where someone asked him how he could afford to sell a silver (plated?) decanter and tray for £xx - he recounted his answer, 'because it's crap'.Alistair said:
He specifically referred to the jewlerry.PlatoSaid said:
He wasn't. I got married in 1988. My wedding ring came from Ratners - it's an eternity ring sort with lots of small diamonds. Never been off my finger since bar a couple of times and still perfect. The settings haven't bent, clicked clothes and all the stones are there/still sparkly.glw said:
Ratner was right, the products he sold were crap. Fox is right as well, British businesses could do a lot more to develop their export business.SimonStClare said:The daft thing was, Gerald Ratner's comments tarnished his own brand, Fox only damages himself. - However to be fair, on this occasion Fox may have a point.
In Ratner's case telling the truth was a disaster, but Fox might provoke a wider debate about why British businesses don't do as well as they might.
The mistake Ratner made was to insult his customers re the average quality of what they sold. IIRC he was referring to cheap decanters or somesuch, not the jewellery.
IIRC it cost about £250 back then. It was bought on HP!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj9BZz71yQE0 -
Just when he thought it couldn't get worse, people start comparing him with Liam Fox...Luckyguy1983 said:
Poor man. It's really quite poignant.williamglenn said:
He specifically contrasted the 'total crap' with the jewellery they sold.Luckyguy1983 said:
Not in the oft-quoted passage. He told a story where someone asked him how he could afford to sell a silver (plated?) decanter and tray for £xx - he recounted his answer, 'because it's crap'.Alistair said:
He specifically referred to the jewlerry.PlatoSaid said:
He wasn't. I got married in 1988. My wedding ring came from Ratners - it's an eternity ring sort with lots of small diamonds. Never been off my finger since bar a couple of times and still perfect. The settings haven't bent, clicked clothes and all the stones are there/still sparkly.glw said:
Ratner was right, the products he sold were crap. Fox is right as well, British businesses could do a lot more to develop their export business.SimonStClare said:The daft thing was, Gerald Ratner's comments tarnished his own brand, Fox only damages himself. - However to be fair, on this occasion Fox may have a point.
In Ratner's case telling the truth was a disaster, but Fox might provoke a wider debate about why British businesses don't do as well as they might.
The mistake Ratner made was to insult his customers re the average quality of what they sold. IIRC he was referring to cheap decanters or somesuch, not the jewellery.
IIRC it cost about £250 back then. It was bought on HP!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj9BZz71yQE0 -
Not 'Little Englanders' Morris, "Big Englanders" is more like it. Blimey are we in Gullivers Travels?Morris_Dancer said:Mr. Mortimer, to be fair, relying on non-voters to not vote has historically been entirely reasonable.
It took some haranguing to get the 'Little Englanders' to turn out in the referendum.0 -
I'd like to put in a good word for my LG G5. Beautiful phone, superb camera, lovely features like all the updates displaying even when the phone's 'resting' so you can see at a glance what's going on. As a marketer I studiously avoid leading brands. There's a premium to be paid. Challenger brands almost always give you more for less.JosiasJessop said:
I can name two British companies that are generally doing very well: Dyson and JCB. They have one major thing in common that might point to the problem confronting other companies: ownership and finance.Speedy said:
He is unimpressed for anyone not called George Osborne.SquareRoot said:TSE Do I take it that you are unimpressed with Liam Fox?
I have critizised Fox in the past, but Fox is right this time.
It's not just british big businesses though that have become "lazy and fat", all large corporations eventually become like that, just look this month at Apple with their crappy iPhone 7 and Samsung with their exploding Galaxy 7.
To defend Apple (spit): as the competition grows better, it's hard to be revolutionary rather than evolutionary. Some have managed it though: https://www.clove.co.uk/cat-s60
To defend Samsung (spit from Mrs J): this could strike any company that is pushing the envelope. It's just with batteries the consequences of failure can be dire.0 -
Silly vanilla0
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Beaten.0
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I don't think that's true. I think he said "people ask me how I can sell a cut glass decanter and four glasses for twenty quid. And I say, because it's crap."Alistair said:
He specifically referred to the jewlerry.PlatoSaid said:
He wasn't. I got married in 1988. My wedding ring came from Ratners - it's an eternity ring sort with lots of small diamonds. Never been off my finger since bar a couple of times and still perfect. The settings haven't bent, clicked clothes and all the stones are there/still sparkly.glw said:
Ratner was right, the products he sold were crap. Fox is right as well, British businesses could do a lot more to develop their export business.SimonStClare said:The daft thing was, Gerald Ratner's comments tarnished his own brand, Fox only damages himself. - However to be fair, on this occasion Fox may have a point.
In Ratner's case telling the truth was a disaster, but Fox might provoke a wider debate about why British businesses don't do as well as they might.
The mistake Ratner made was to insult his customers re the average quality of what they sold. IIRC he was referring to cheap decanters or somesuch, not the jewellery.
IIRC it cost about £250 back then. It was bought on HP!0 -
We aren't allowed to discuss Jim on here, but if you do some joining of the dots you will work out why, and it isn't to do with NEC.SimonStClare said:
Shocked and amazed - but why is all this being revealed by the Mirror? The last paper to do the dirty on a Labour MP I’d have thought.FrancisUrquhart said:
Is anybody shocked there's more?PlatoSaid said:Nick Owens
About to press the button on fresh #KeithVaz revelations...from our brilliant team on the @sundaymirror0 -
Sometimes newspaper editors like to shift newspapersSimonStClare said:
Shocked and amazed - but why is all this being revealed by the Mirror? The last paper to do the dirty on a Labour MP I’d have thought.FrancisUrquhart said:
Is anybody shocked there's more?PlatoSaid said:Nick Owens
About to press the button on fresh #KeithVaz revelations...from our brilliant team on the @sundaymirror
Some of the accusations are.... verrrrrrrrrryyyyyyy bad.0 -
That's often the case, especially when there are lots of competitors in a market. On the other hand, you often get what you pay for.Luckyguy1983 said:
I'd like to put in a good word for my LG G5. Beautiful phone, superb camera, lovely features like all the updates displaying even when the phone's 'resting' so you can see at a glance what's going on. As a marketer I studiously avoid leading brands. There's a premium to be paid. Challenger brands almost always give you more for less.JosiasJessop said:
I can name two British companies that are generally doing very well: Dyson and JCB. They have one major thing in common that might point to the problem confronting other companies: ownership and finance.Speedy said:
He is unimpressed for anyone not called George Osborne.SquareRoot said:TSE Do I take it that you are unimpressed with Liam Fox?
I have critizised Fox in the past, but Fox is right this time.
It's not just british big businesses though that have become "lazy and fat", all large corporations eventually become like that, just look this month at Apple with their crappy iPhone 7 and Samsung with their exploding Galaxy 7.
To defend Apple (spit): as the competition grows better, it's hard to be revolutionary rather than evolutionary. Some have managed it though: https://www.clove.co.uk/cat-s60
To defend Samsung (spit from Mrs J): this could strike any company that is pushing the envelope. It's just with batteries the consequences of failure can be dire.
One of the tests I try to do on consumer gear (hard on phones) is the button test: press a few of the buttons on the device and see how 'satisfying' the feel of them is: if they feel loose, wobbly, or have no obvious reaction to the press then they haven't put a lot of effort into the buttons. And if they haven't put the effort into that, then they won't have to the internals.
Washing machines are particularly bad for this, as the buttons in cheap machines often have the cheapest (and least reliable) connectors possible.
After handling hundreds of consumer electronic devices, I've found there is a direct correlation between the effort a company spends on the casing and the efforts they put into the internals.0 -
The sampling of the la time tracking poll by Real Clear Politics is bizarre.
26th July
5th August
12th August
28th August
9th September
Why the random gaps?0 -
He called earings they sold as being of less than stellar quality later in the speech.rcs1000 said:
I don't think that's true. I think he said "people ask me how I can sell a cut glass decanter and four glasses for twenty quid. And I say, because it's crap."Alistair said:
He specifically referred to the jewlerry.PlatoSaid said:
He wasn't. I got married in 1988. My wedding ring came from Ratners - it's an eternity ring sort with lots of small diamonds. Never been off my finger since bar a couple of times and still perfect. The settings haven't bent, clicked clothes and all the stones are there/still sparkly.glw said:
Ratner was right, the products he sold were crap. Fox is right as well, British businesses could do a lot more to develop their export business.SimonStClare said:The daft thing was, Gerald Ratner's comments tarnished his own brand, Fox only damages himself. - However to be fair, on this occasion Fox may have a point.
In Ratner's case telling the truth was a disaster, but Fox might provoke a wider debate about why British businesses don't do as well as they might.
The mistake Ratner made was to insult his customers re the average quality of what they sold. IIRC he was referring to cheap decanters or somesuch, not the jewellery.
IIRC it cost about £250 back then. It was bought on HP!0 -
I wouldn't waste your pity on him. He's had a very good run.JosiasJessop said:
I don't like Vaz, but it must be a pretty awful position to be in. Having suffered a fairly torrid week, all the time wondering if the papers have anything more to publish.FrancisUrquhart said:
Is anybody shocked there's more?PlatoSaid said:Nick Owens
About to press the button on fresh #KeithVaz revelations...from our brilliant team on the @sundaymirror
I almost feel sorry for him. Almost, but not quite.0 -
Seriously, this is beyond stupid from Twitter
.@Poppy_Fields1 Twitter is auto-correcting #BasketOfDeplorables to #BasketOfAdorables. Try it. We aren't stupid. @NolteNC0 -
Ratner's most recent venture http://www.geraldonline.com/ seems to be down0
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Well what do you expect for 99 pAlistair said:
He called earings they sold as being of less than stellar quality later in the speech.rcs1000 said:
I don't think that's true. I think he said "people ask me how I can sell a cut glass decanter and four glasses for twenty quid. And I say, because it's crap."Alistair said:
He specifically referred to the jewlerry.PlatoSaid said:
He wasn't. I got married in 1988. My wedding ring came from Ratners - it's an eternity ring sort with lots of small diamonds. Never been off my finger since bar a couple of times and still perfect. The settings haven't bent, clicked clothes and all the stones are there/still sparkly.glw said:
Ratner was right, the products he sold were crap. Fox is right as well, British businesses could do a lot more to develop their export business.SimonStClare said:The daft thing was, Gerald Ratner's comments tarnished his own brand, Fox only damages himself. - However to be fair, on this occasion Fox may have a point.
In Ratner's case telling the truth was a disaster, but Fox might provoke a wider debate about why British businesses don't do as well as they might.
The mistake Ratner made was to insult his customers re the average quality of what they sold. IIRC he was referring to cheap decanters or somesuch, not the jewellery.
IIRC it cost about £250 back then. It was bought on HP!
(Guess ~ £3 now) 0 -
What is amazing is that the sales of "non-desirable" types of stones via those crappy tv channels is incredibly big business and profitable.rcs1000 said:
I don't think that's true. I think he said "people ask me how I can sell a cut glass decanter and four glasses for twenty quid. And I say, because it's crap."Alistair said:
He specifically referred to the jewlerry.PlatoSaid said:
He wasn't. I got married in 1988. My wedding ring came from Ratners - it's an eternity ring sort with lots of small diamonds. Never been off my finger since bar a couple of times and still perfect. The settings haven't bent, clicked clothes and all the stones are there/still sparkly.glw said:
Ratner was right, the products he sold were crap. Fox is right as well, British businesses could do a lot more to develop their export business.SimonStClare said:The daft thing was, Gerald Ratner's comments tarnished his own brand, Fox only damages himself. - However to be fair, on this occasion Fox may have a point.
In Ratner's case telling the truth was a disaster, but Fox might provoke a wider debate about why British businesses don't do as well as they might.
The mistake Ratner made was to insult his customers re the average quality of what they sold. IIRC he was referring to cheap decanters or somesuch, not the jewellery.
IIRC it cost about £250 back then. It was bought on HP!0 -
Apple are a great company. They rip us all off, but they do tell us how.JosiasJessop said:
I can name two British companies that are generally doing very well: Dyson and JCB. They have one major thing in common that might point to the problem confronting other companies: ownership and finance.Speedy said:
He is unimpressed for anyone not called George Osborne.SquareRoot said:TSE Do I take it that you are unimpressed with Liam Fox?
I have critizised Fox in the past, but Fox is right this time.
It's not just british big businesses though that have become "lazy and fat", all large corporations eventually become like that, just look this month at Apple with their crappy iPhone 7 and Samsung with their exploding Galaxy 7.
To defend Apple (spit): as the competition grows better, it's hard to be revolutionary rather than evolutionary. Some have managed it though: https://www.clove.co.uk/cat-s60
To defend Samsung (spit from Mrs J): this could strike any company that is pushing the envelope. It's just with batteries the consequences of failure can be dire.
But anyway Apple are great because their products are great. If you unboxed (I'm coming to live with that term) an apple product in the 80s or 90s you saw their attention to detail. I acquired an Apple II computer when I was about 16 or 17. I forgot girls for at least a day or so.
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Can we have a thread on Hillary doing a full Gordon ;-)0
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Apple are off the boil. Sadly they haven't done anything interesting or important in about 5 years. The same can be said for Google, Facebook, Twitter.Omnium said:
Apple are a great company. They rip us all off, but they do tell us how.JosiasJessop said:
I can name two British companies that are generally doing very well: Dyson and JCB. They have one major thing in common that might point to the problem confronting other companies: ownership and finance.Speedy said:
He is unimpressed for anyone not called George Osborne.SquareRoot said:TSE Do I take it that you are unimpressed with Liam Fox?
I have critizised Fox in the past, but Fox is right this time.
It's not just british big businesses though that have become "lazy and fat", all large corporations eventually become like that, just look this month at Apple with their crappy iPhone 7 and Samsung with their exploding Galaxy 7.
To defend Apple (spit): as the competition grows better, it's hard to be revolutionary rather than evolutionary. Some have managed it though: https://www.clove.co.uk/cat-s60
To defend Samsung (spit from Mrs J): this could strike any company that is pushing the envelope. It's just with batteries the consequences of failure can be dire.
But anyway Apple are great because their products are great. If you unboxed (I'm coming to live with that term) an apple product in the 80s or 90s you saw their attention to detail. I acquired an Apple II computer when I was about 16 or 17. I forgot girls for at least a day or so.
0 -
Agree Apple and Twitter....Google and Facebook lots going on.Jonathan said:
Apple are off the boil. Sadly they haven't done anything interesting or important in about 5 years. The same can be said for Google, Facebook, Twitter.Omnium said:
Apple are a great company. They rip us all off, but they do tell us how.JosiasJessop said:
I can name two British companies that are generally doing very well: Dyson and JCB. They have one major thing in common that might point to the problem confronting other companies: ownership and finance.Speedy said:
He is unimpressed for anyone not called George Osborne.SquareRoot said:TSE Do I take it that you are unimpressed with Liam Fox?
I have critizised Fox in the past, but Fox is right this time.
It's not just british big businesses though that have become "lazy and fat", all large corporations eventually become like that, just look this month at Apple with their crappy iPhone 7 and Samsung with their exploding Galaxy 7.
To defend Apple (spit): as the competition grows better, it's hard to be revolutionary rather than evolutionary. Some have managed it though: https://www.clove.co.uk/cat-s60
To defend Samsung (spit from Mrs J): this could strike any company that is pushing the envelope. It's just with batteries the consequences of failure can be dire.
But anyway Apple are great because their products are great. If you unboxed (I'm coming to live with that term) an apple product in the 80s or 90s you saw their attention to detail. I acquired an Apple II computer when I was about 16 or 17. I forgot girls for at least a day or so.0 -
Go on...FrancisUrquhart said:
Agree Apple and Twitter....Google and Facebook lots going on.Jonathan said:
Apple are off the boil. Sadly they haven't done anything interesting or important in about 5 years. The same can be said for Google, Facebook, Twitter.Omnium said:
Apple are a great company. They rip us all off, but they do tell us how.JosiasJessop said:
I can name two British companies that are generally doing very well: Dyson and JCB. They have one major thing in common that might point to the problem confronting other companies: ownership and finance.Speedy said:
He is unimpressed for anyone not called George Osborne.SquareRoot said:TSE Do I take it that you are unimpressed with Liam Fox?
I have critizised Fox in the past, but Fox is right this time.
It's not just british big businesses though that have become "lazy and fat", all large corporations eventually become like that, just look this month at Apple with their crappy iPhone 7 and Samsung with their exploding Galaxy 7.
To defend Apple (spit): as the competition grows better, it's hard to be revolutionary rather than evolutionary. Some have managed it though: https://www.clove.co.uk/cat-s60
To defend Samsung (spit from Mrs J): this could strike any company that is pushing the envelope. It's just with batteries the consequences of failure can be dire.
But anyway Apple are great because their products are great. If you unboxed (I'm coming to live with that term) an apple product in the 80s or 90s you saw their attention to detail. I acquired an Apple II computer when I was about 16 or 17. I forgot girls for at least a day or so.0 -
I'm not so sure Clinton's comments are far off "doing a Ratner" either. If you are a politician, your stock in trade is the ordinary voter.0
-
Google and Facebook are better at giving the impression they are doing something. But none of Google's much lauded inventions has actually been a hit.FrancisUrquhart said:
Agree Apple and Twitter....Google and Facebook lots going on.Jonathan said:
Apple are off the boil. Sadly they haven't done anything interesting or important in about 5 years. The same can be said for Google, Facebook, Twitter.Omnium said:
Apple are a great company. They rip us all off, but they do tell us how.JosiasJessop said:
I can name two British companies that are generally doing very well: Dyson and JCB. They have one major thing in common that might point to the problem confronting other companies: ownership and finance.Speedy said:
He is unimpressed for anyone not called George Osborne.SquareRoot said:TSE Do I take it that you are unimpressed with Liam Fox?
I have critizised Fox in the past, but Fox is right this time.
It's not just british big businesses though that have become "lazy and fat", all large corporations eventually become like that, just look this month at Apple with their crappy iPhone 7 and Samsung with their exploding Galaxy 7.
To defend Apple (spit): as the competition grows better, it's hard to be revolutionary rather than evolutionary. Some have managed it though: https://www.clove.co.uk/cat-s60
To defend Samsung (spit from Mrs J): this could strike any company that is pushing the envelope. It's just with batteries the consequences of failure can be dire.
But anyway Apple are great because their products are great. If you unboxed (I'm coming to live with that term) an apple product in the 80s or 90s you saw their attention to detail. I acquired an Apple II computer when I was about 16 or 17. I forgot girls for at least a day or so.0 -
Something about prawn sandwiches, no?Alistair said:
He called earings they sold as being of less than stellar quality later in the speech.rcs1000 said:
I don't think that's true. I think he said "people ask me how I can sell a cut glass decanter and four glasses for twenty quid. And I say, because it's crap."Alistair said:
He specifically referred to the jewlerry.PlatoSaid said:
He wasn't. I got married in 1988. My wedding ring came from Ratners - it's an eternity ring sort with lots of small diamonds. Never been off my finger since bar a couple of times and still perfect. The settings haven't bent, clicked clothes and all the stones are there/still sparkly.glw said:
Ratner was right, the products he sold were crap. Fox is right as well, British businesses could do a lot more to develop their export business.SimonStClare said:The daft thing was, Gerald Ratner's comments tarnished his own brand, Fox only damages himself. - However to be fair, on this occasion Fox may have a point.
In Ratner's case telling the truth was a disaster, but Fox might provoke a wider debate about why British businesses don't do as well as they might.
The mistake Ratner made was to insult his customers re the average quality of what they sold. IIRC he was referring to cheap decanters or somesuch, not the jewellery.
IIRC it cost about £250 back then. It was bought on HP!0 -
Clinton lost the CiC debate heavily and is panicking. She is under a lot of stress as the pussycat she thought she was fighting seems to have grown teeth.TheWhiteRabbit said:I'm not so sure Clinton's comments are far off "doing a Ratner" either. If you are a politician, your stock in trade is the ordinary voter.
0 -
There's an interesting question: what'll be the next massively disruptive consumer tech?TheWhiteRabbit said:
Google and Facebook are better at giving the impression they are doing something. But none of Google's much lauded inventions has actually been a hit.FrancisUrquhart said:
Agree Apple and Twitter....Google and Facebook lots going on.Jonathan said:
Apple are off the boil. Sadly they haven't done anything interesting or important in about 5 years. The same can be said for Google, Facebook, Twitter.Omnium said:
Apple are a great company. They rip us all off, but they do tell us how.JosiasJessop said:
I can name two British companies that are generally doing very well: Dyson and JCB. They have one major thing in common that might point to the problem confronting other companies: ownership and finance.Speedy said:
He is unimpressed for anyone not called George Osborne.SquareRoot said:TSE Do I take it that you are unimpressed with Liam Fox?
I have critizised Fox in the past, but Fox is right this time.
It's not just british big businesses though that have become "lazy and fat", all large corporations eventually become like that, just look this month at Apple with their crappy iPhone 7 and Samsung with their exploding Galaxy 7.
To defend Apple (spit): as the competition grows better, it's hard to be revolutionary rather than evolutionary. Some have managed it though: https://www.clove.co.uk/cat-s60
To defend Samsung (spit from Mrs J): this could strike any company that is pushing the envelope. It's just with batteries the consequences of failure can be dire.
But anyway Apple are great because their products are great. If you unboxed (I'm coming to live with that term) an apple product in the 80s or 90s you saw their attention to detail. I acquired an Apple II computer when I was about 16 or 17. I forgot girls for at least a day or so.
Anyone who can answer that is probably already too rich to read PB. 0 -
She really didn't.weejonnie said:
Clinton lost the CiC debate heavily and is panicking. She is under a lot of stress as the pussycat she thought she was fighting seems to have grown teeth.TheWhiteRabbit said:I'm not so sure Clinton's comments are far off "doing a Ratner" either. If you are a politician, your stock in trade is the ordinary voter.
0 -
Apparently the editor bought a dodgy washing machine that set fire to his kitchen and he's a bit sore so hes doing an eight page consumer rights splash featuring lots of dusgruntled washing machine users with long facesSimonStClare said:
Shocked and amazed - but why is all this being revealed by the Mirror?0 -
Agree. Apple are still superficially great but they went off the boil when that guiding genius Steve Jobs died. Plenty of R & D around but nothing new and revolutionary in the works; seemingly.Jonathan said:
Apple are off the boil. Sadly they haven't done anything interesting or important in about 5 years. The same can be said for Google, Facebook, Twitter.Omnium said:
Apple are a great company. They rip us all off, but they do tell us how.JosiasJessop said:
I can name two British companies that are generally doing very well: Dyson and JCB. They have one major thing in common that might point to the problem confronting other companies: ownership and finance.Speedy said:
He is unimpressed for anyone not called George Osborne.SquareRoot said:TSE Do I take it that you are unimpressed with Liam Fox?
I have critizised Fox in the past, but Fox is right this time.
It's not just british big businesses though that have become "lazy and fat", all large corporations eventually become like that, just look this month at Apple with their crappy iPhone 7 and Samsung with their exploding Galaxy 7.
To defend Apple (spit): as the competition grows better, it's hard to be revolutionary rather than evolutionary. Some have managed it though: https://www.clove.co.uk/cat-s60
To defend Samsung (spit from Mrs J): this could strike any company that is pushing the envelope. It's just with batteries the consequences of failure can be dire.
But anyway Apple are great because their products are great. If you unboxed (I'm coming to live with that term) an apple product in the 80s or 90s you saw their attention to detail. I acquired an Apple II computer when I was about 16 or 17. I forgot girls for at least a day or so.
0 -
Judging by the reaction from the Clinton camp since then, they clearly think they lost.Alistair said:
She really didn't.weejonnie said:
Clinton lost the CiC debate heavily and is panicking. She is under a lot of stress as the pussycat she thought she was fighting seems to have grown teeth.TheWhiteRabbit said:I'm not so sure Clinton's comments are far off "doing a Ratner" either. If you are a politician, your stock in trade is the ordinary voter.
0 -
Android? That's not a hit, just the most used phone OS.TheWhiteRabbit said:
Google and Facebook are better at giving the impression they are doing something. But none of Google's much lauded inventions has actually been a hit.FrancisUrquhart said:
Agree Apple and Twitter....Google and Facebook lots going on.Jonathan said:
Apple are off the boil. Sadly they haven't done anything interesting or important in about 5 years. The same can be said for Google, Facebook, Twitter.Omnium said:
Apple are a great company. They rip us all off, but they do tell us how.JosiasJessop said:
I can name two British companies that are generally doing very well: Dyson and JCB. They have one major thing in common that might point to the problem confronting other companies: ownership and finance.Speedy said:
He is unimpressed for anyone not called George Osborne.SquareRoot said:TSE Do I take it that you are unimpressed with Liam Fox?
I have critizised Fox in the past, but Fox is right this time.
It's not just british big businesses though that have become "lazy and fat", all large corporations eventually become like that, just look this month at Apple with their crappy iPhone 7 and Samsung with their exploding Galaxy 7.
To defend Apple (spit): as the competition grows better, it's hard to be revolutionary rather than evolutionary. Some have managed it though: https://www.clove.co.uk/cat-s60
To defend Samsung (spit from Mrs J): this could strike any company that is pushing the envelope. It's just with batteries the consequences of failure can be dire.
But anyway Apple are great because their products are great. If you unboxed (I'm coming to live with that term) an apple product in the 80s or 90s you saw their attention to detail. I acquired an Apple II computer when I was about 16 or 17. I forgot girls for at least a day or so.0 -
That one is easy to answer - driverless vehicles.JosiasJessop said:
There's an interesting question: what'll be the next massively disruptive consumer tech?TheWhiteRabbit said:
Google and Facebook are better at giving the impression they are doing something. But none of Google's much lauded inventions has actually been a hit.FrancisUrquhart said:
Agree Apple and Twitter....Google and Facebook lots going on.Jonathan said:
Apple are off the boil. Sadly they haven't done anything interesting or important in about 5 years. The same can be said for Google, Facebook, Twitter.Omnium said:
Apple are a great company. They rip us all off, but they do tell us how.JosiasJessop said:
I can name two British companies that are generally doing very well: Dyson and JCB. They have one major thing in common that might point to the problem confronting other companies: ownership and finance.Speedy said:
He is unimpressed for anyone not called George Osborne.SquareRoot said:TSE Do I take it that you are unimpressed with Liam Fox?
I have critizised Fox in the past, but Fox is right this time.
It's not just british big businesses though that have become "lazy and fat", all large corporations eventually become like that, just look this month at Apple with their crappy iPhone 7 and Samsung with their exploding Galaxy 7.
To defend Apple (spit): as the competition grows better, it's hard to be revolutionary rather than evolutionary. Some have managed it though: https://www.clove.co.uk/cat-s60
To defend Samsung (spit from Mrs J): this could strike any company that is pushing the envelope. It's just with batteries the consequences of failure can be dire.
But anyway Apple are great because their products are great. If you unboxed (I'm coming to live with that term) an apple product in the 80s or 90s you saw their attention to detail. I acquired an Apple II computer when I was about 16 or 17. I forgot girls for at least a day or so.
Anyone who can answer that is probably already too rich to read PB.
Once they get that developed to the stage where you can put your kid in the car and the car drives the kid to school and then drives itself home again empty this technology will cause mayhem in the road passenger and freight industry with hundreds of thousands of lorry van and taxi drivers out of a job and most of the car insurance industry out of a job because there will be about five policies taken out in the uk all by vehicle manufacturers.0 -
Self Driving cars, Deep Minds / Machine Learning, Home Automation, etc etc etcJonathan said:
Go on...FrancisUrquhart said:
Agree Apple and Twitter....Google and Facebook lots going on.Jonathan said:
Apple are off the boil. Sadly they haven't done anything interesting or important in about 5 years. The same can be said for Google, Facebook, Twitter.Omnium said:
Apple are a great company. They rip us all off, but they do tell us how.JosiasJessop said:
I can name two British companies that are generally doing very well: Dyson and JCB. They have one major thing in common that might point to the problem confronting other companies: ownership and finance.Speedy said:
He is unimpressed for anyone not called George Osborne.SquareRoot said:TSE Do I take it that you are unimpressed with Liam Fox?
I have critizised Fox in the past, but Fox is right this time.
It's not just british big businesses though that have become "lazy and fat", all large corporations eventually become like that, just look this month at Apple with their crappy iPhone 7 and Samsung with their exploding Galaxy 7.
To defend Apple (spit): as the competition grows better, it's hard to be revolutionary rather than evolutionary. Some have managed it though: https://www.clove.co.uk/cat-s60
To defend Samsung (spit from Mrs J): this could strike any company that is pushing the envelope. It's just with batteries the consequences of failure can be dire.
But anyway Apple are great because their products are great. If you unboxed (I'm coming to live with that term) an apple product in the 80s or 90s you saw their attention to detail. I acquired an Apple II computer when I was about 16 or 17. I forgot girls for at least a day or so.0 -
Mixed Reality has a good shot if they can sort out the hardware.JosiasJessop said:
There's an interesting question: what'll be the next massively disruptive consumer tech?TheWhiteRabbit said:
Google and Facebook are better at giving the impression they are doing something. But none of Google's much lauded inventions has actually been a hit.FrancisUrquhart said:
Agree Apple and Twitter....Google and Facebook lots going on.Jonathan said:
Apple are off the boil. Sadly they haven't done anything interesting or important in about 5 years. The same can be said for Google, Facebook, Twitter.Omnium said:
Apple are a great company. They rip us all off, but they do tell us how.JosiasJessop said:
I can name two British companies that are generally doing very well: Dyson and JCB. They have one major thing in common that might point to the problem confronting other companies: ownership and finance.Speedy said:
He is unimpressed for anyone not called George Osborne.SquareRoot said:TSE Do I take it that you are unimpressed with Liam Fox?
I have critizised Fox in the past, but Fox is right this time.
It's not just british big businesses though that have become "lazy and fat", all large corporations eventually become like that, just look this month at Apple with their crappy iPhone 7 and Samsung with their exploding Galaxy 7.
To defend Apple (spit): as the competition grows better, it's hard to be revolutionary rather than evolutionary. Some have managed it though: https://www.clove.co.uk/cat-s60
To defend Samsung (spit from Mrs J): this could strike any company that is pushing the envelope. It's just with batteries the consequences of failure can be dire.
But anyway Apple are great because their products are great. If you unboxed (I'm coming to live with that term) an apple product in the 80s or 90s you saw their attention to detail. I acquired an Apple II computer when I was about 16 or 17. I forgot girls for at least a day or so.
Anyone who can answer that is probably already too rich to read PB.
Magic Leap has got many billions in funding for a product (which we only know is some sort of MR device) that nobody is allowed to see without an incredibly tight NDA.
Will they crack it, I don't know. But being able to mix the real world with overlayed computer generated information / visuals seamlessly would be massive applications in every possible sector.0 -
I'm looking forward to a middle age filled with mind reading devices (and first, complete crap. then hopefully something better).JosiasJessop said:
There's an interesting question: what'll be the next massively disruptive consumer tech?TheWhiteRabbit said:
Google and Facebook are better at giving the impression they are doing something. But none of Google's much lauded inventions has actually been a hit.FrancisUrquhart said:
Agree Apple and Twitter....Google and Facebook lots going on.Jonathan said:
Apple are off the boil. Sadly they haven't done anything interesting or important in about 5 years. The same can be said for Google, Facebook, Twitter.Omnium said:
Apple are a great company. They rip us all off, but they do tell us how.JosiasJessop said:
I can name two British companies that are generally doing very well: Dyson and JCB. They have one major thing in common that might point to the problem confronting other companies: ownership and finance.Speedy said:
He is unimpressed for anyone not called George Osborne.SquareRoot said:TSE Do I take it that you are unimpressed with Liam Fox?
I have critizised Fox in the past, but Fox is right this time.
It's not just british big businesses though that have become "lazy and fat", all large corporations eventually become like that, just look this month at Apple with their crappy iPhone 7 and Samsung with their exploding Galaxy 7.
To defend Apple (spit): as the competition grows better, it's hard to be revolutionary rather than evolutionary. Some have managed it though: https://www.clove.co.uk/cat-s60
To defend Samsung (spit from Mrs J): this could strike any company that is pushing the envelope. It's just with batteries the consequences of failure can be dire.
But anyway Apple are great because their products are great. If you unboxed (I'm coming to live with that term) an apple product in the 80s or 90s you saw their attention to detail. I acquired an Apple II computer when I was about 16 or 17. I forgot girls for at least a day or so.
Anyone who can answer that is probably already too rich to read PB.
Things like VR are playing around the margins, I wonder if the right product to take them mainstream will ever appear. I always think about voice-to-text and how it remains patchy after years of innovation.0 -
Just to underline how badly things are going in Japan, Sony are selling three year paper with a 0.05% interest rate and they are barely at investment grade according to western ratings agencies.
One wonders whether it might be time to think of a new policy.0 -
What do you make of the PS4 Plus? Seems like a lot of very negative reaction and we know that their VR tech is miles behind Vive.MaxPB said:Just to underline how badly things are going in Japan, Sony are selling three year paper with a 0.05% interest rate and they are barely at investment grade according to western ratings agencies.
One wonders whether it might be time to think of a new policy.0 -
VR no...and definitely not current generation of hardware, it ain't all that. AR / MR is really where the opportunities are.TheWhiteRabbit said:
I'm looking forward to a middle age filled with mind reading devices (and first, complete crap. then hopefully something better).JosiasJessop said:
There's an interesting question: what'll be the next massively disruptive consumer tech?TheWhiteRabbit said:
Google and Facebook are better at giving the impression they are doing something. But none of Google's much lauded inventions has actually been a hit.FrancisUrquhart said:
Agree Apple and Twitter....Google and Facebook lots going on.Jonathan said:
Apple are off the boil. Sadly they haven't done anything interesting or important in about 5 years. The same can be said for Google, Facebook, Twitter.Omnium said:
Apple are a great company. They rip us all off, but they do tell us how.JosiasJessop said:
I can name two British companies that are generally doing very well: Dyson and JCB. They have one major thing in common that might point to the problem confronting other companies: ownership and finance.Speedy said:
He is unimpressed for anyone not called George Osborne.SquareRoot said:TSE Do I take it that you are unimpressed with Liam Fox?
I have critizised Fox in the past, but Fox is right this time.
It's not just british big businesses though that have become "lazy and fat", all large corporations eventually become like that, just look this month at Apple with their crappy iPhone 7 and Samsung with their exploding Galaxy 7.
To defend Apple (spit): as the competition grows better, it's hard to be revolutionary rather than evolutionary. Some have managed it though: https://www.clove.co.uk/cat-s60
To defend Samsung (spit from Mrs J): this could strike any company that is pushing the envelope. It's just with batteries the consequences of failure can be dire.
But anyway Apple are great because their products are great. If you unboxed (I'm coming to live with that term) an apple product in the 80s or 90s you saw their attention to detail. I acquired an Apple II computer when I was about 16 or 17. I forgot girls for at least a day or so.
Anyone who can answer that is probably already too rich to read PB.
Things like VR are playing around the margins, I wonder if the right product to take them mainstream will ever appear. I always think about voice-to-text and how it remains patchy after years of innovation.0 -
Apple. In one word you can see why they are a force. They've out-competed one of natures most astonishing works (an actual apple).MikeK said:
Agree. Apple are still superficially great but they went off the boil when that guiding genius Steve Jobs died. Plenty of R & D around but nothing new and revolutionary in the works; seemingly.Jonathan said:
Apple are off the boil. Sadly they haven't done anything interesting or important in about 5 years. The same can be said for Google, Facebook, Twitter.Omnium said:
Apple are a great company. They rip us all off, but they do tell us how.JosiasJessop said:
I can name two British companies that are generally doing very well: Dyson and JCB. They have one major thing in common that might point to the problem confronting other companies: ownership and finance.Speedy said:
He is unimpressed for anyone not called George Osborne.SquareRoot said:TSE Do I take it that you are unimpressed with Liam Fox?
I have critizised Fox in the past, but Fox is right this time.
It's not just british big businesses though that have become "lazy and fat", all large corporations eventually become like that, just look this month at Apple with their crappy iPhone 7 and Samsung with their exploding Galaxy 7.
To defend Apple (spit): as the competition grows better, it's hard to be revolutionary rather than evolutionary. Some have managed it though: https://www.clove.co.uk/cat-s60
To defend Samsung (spit from Mrs J): this could strike any company that is pushing the envelope. It's just with batteries the consequences of failure can be dire.
But anyway Apple are great because their products are great. If you unboxed (I'm coming to live with that term) an apple product in the 80s or 90s you saw their attention to detail. I acquired an Apple II computer when I was about 16 or 17. I forgot girls for at least a day or so.0 -
Anna Firth
Just love this new sign at Geneva airport #Brexit @SuzanneEvans1 @EliotSmith @DanielJHannan https://t.co/KY0n3sbD6m0 -
This has been discussed on here before: IMO they'll have to get cars past the smoke and mirrors they're using at the moment. They're *nowhere* near doing what you want reliably. Yes, they can do the easy things by 'cheating'. They can't do the hard things.Paul_Bedfordshire said:That one is easy to answer - driverless vehicles.
Once they get that developed to the stage where you can put your kid in the car and the car drives the kid to school and then drives itself home again empty this technology will cause mayhem in the road passenger and freight industry with hundreds of thousands of lorry van and taxi drivers out of a job and most of the car insurance industry out of a job because there will be about five policies taken out in the uk all by vehicle manufacturers.
But I was more talking about consumer electronics: the devices that we use every day scarcely with scarcely thinking; the devices that cost sub-£1000 and many people can easily change every year or two.
Here's one: personal biometrics. Measuring and monitoring our health. Most of the tech's there it needs joining up and completing.
It could be a real life-saver, especially if unintrusive in use. As ever, there are privacy implications.0 -
NBC agree : their poll 63:37 in favour of Trump http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/commander-in-chief-forumMaxPB said:
Judging by the reaction from the Clinton camp since then, they clearly think they lost.Alistair said:
She really didn't.weejonnie said:
Clinton lost the CiC debate heavily and is panicking. She is under a lot of stress as the pussycat she thought she was fighting seems to have grown teeth.TheWhiteRabbit said:I'm not so sure Clinton's comments are far off "doing a Ratner" either. If you are a politician, your stock in trade is the ordinary voter.
And remember what happened to Romney when he had a good and a bad debate.
This has been Clinton's worst week of the campaign until the next one.0 -
OK, so question: what tech currently costs thousands that one day might costs hundreds of pounds for a much improved version?JosiasJessop said:
This has been discussed on here before: IMO they'll have to get cars past the smoke and mirrors they're using at the moment. They're *nowhere* near doing what you want reliably. Yes, they can do the easy things by 'cheating'. They can't do the hard things.Paul_Bedfordshire said:That one is easy to answer - driverless vehicles.
Once they get that developed to the stage where you can put your kid in the car and the car drives the kid to school and then drives itself home again empty this technology will cause mayhem in the road passenger and freight industry with hundreds of thousands of lorry van and taxi drivers out of a job and most of the car insurance industry out of a job because there will be about five policies taken out in the uk all by vehicle manufacturers.
But I was more talking about consumer electronics: the devices that we use every day scarcely with scarcely thinking; the devices that cost sub-£1000 and many people can easily change every year or two.
Here's one: personal biometrics. Measuring and monitoring our health. Most of the tech's there it needs joining up and completing.
It could be a real life-saver, especially if unintrusive in use. As ever, there are privacy implications.0 -
Alright, Dave?FrancisUrquhart said:
Not terrorism, It's delboy & Rodney's latest money making scheme.PlatoSaid said:ITV
French police find second car containing gas cylinders https://t.co/2hkhaGRY68 https://t.co/FLQoEJ2dmu0 -
I have a nominal bet with my brother about this... will a commercially available vehicle be able to take you down the A14 by 2020? My "money" is on "no".JosiasJessop said:
This has been discussed on here before: IMO they'll have to get cars past the smoke and mirrors they're using at the moment. They're *nowhere* near doing what you want reliably. Yes, they can do the easy things by 'cheating'. They can't do the hard things.Paul_Bedfordshire said:That one is easy to answer - driverless vehicles.
Once they get that developed to the stage where you can put your kid in the car and the car drives the kid to school and then drives itself home again empty this technology will cause mayhem in the road passenger and freight industry with hundreds of thousands of lorry van and taxi drivers out of a job and most of the car insurance industry out of a job because there will be about five policies taken out in the uk all by vehicle manufacturers.
But I was more talking about consumer electronics: the devices that we use every day scarcely with scarcely thinking; the devices that cost sub-£1000 and many people can easily change every year or two.
Here's one: personal biometrics. Measuring and monitoring our health. Most of the tech's there it needs joining up and completing.
It could be a real life-saver, especially if unintrusive in use. As ever, there are privacy implications.0 -
I'm always well refreshed... As you may have noticed!malcolmg said:
Sounds good idea, hopefully with a few refreshmentsGIN1138 said:
I'm staying in to wave my Union Jack flags in front of the telly!malcolmg said:
GIN, thought you were going out, you not able to find those union jack underpantsGIN1138 said:
Who will rock up and tell the Yanks they'll be "at the back of the queue" if they dare to vote for The Donald?MaxPB said:I have to say that the Clinton campaign is eerily similar to the BSE campaign. Her latest insult to Trump voters is reminiscent of Dave's "little Englander" comment. It's just going to make people rally around him.
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Woohoo, can't wait for the interminable waits in the non-EU line.PlatoSaid said:Anna Firth
Just love this new sign at Geneva airport #Brexit @SuzanneEvans1 @EliotSmith @DanielJHannan https://t.co/KY0n3sbD6m0 -
I'd two colleagues who ended up there
Jake Tapper
Great @nprscottsimon piece on the folks rerouted to and stranded in Newfoundland on 9/11 -- https://t.co/ppwgQtQHsB
38 jumbo jets on the tarmac!0 -
“We also do cut-glass sherry decanters complete with six glasses on a silver-plated tray that your butler can serve you drinks on, all for £4.95. People say, "How can you sell this for such a low price?", I say, "because it's total crap."[7] ”MaxPB said:
Something about prawn sandwiches, no?Alistair said:
He called earings they sold as being of less than stellar quality later in the speech.rcs1000 said:
I don't think that's true. I think he said "people ask me how I can sell a cut glass decanter and four glasses for twenty quid. And I say, because it's crap."Alistair said:
He specifically referred to the jewlerry.PlatoSaid said:
He wasn't. I got married in 1988. My wedding ring came from Ratners - it's an eternity ring sort with lots of small diamonds. Never been off my finger since bar a couple of times and still perfect. The settings haven't bent, clicked clothes and all the stones are there/still sparkly.glw said:
Ratner was right, the products he sold were crap. Fox is right as well, British businesses could do a lot more to develop their export business.SimonStClare said:The daft thing was, Gerald Ratner's comments tarnished his own brand, Fox only damages himself. - However to be fair, on this occasion Fox may have a point.
In Ratner's case telling the truth was a disaster, but Fox might provoke a wider debate about why British businesses don't do as well as they might.
The mistake Ratner made was to insult his customers re the average quality of what they sold. IIRC he was referring to cheap decanters or somesuch, not the jewellery.
IIRC it cost about £250 back then. It was bought on HP!
He compounded this by going on to remark that some of the earrings were "cheaper than an M&S prawn sandwich but probably wouldn't last as long."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_Ratner0 -
It was earrings that cost less than a prawn sandwich at M&S - and didn't last as long. The "crap" comment related to a sherry decanter 4 glasses and a silver tray for less than a tennerPlatoSaid said:
He wasn't. I got married in 1988. My wedding ring came from Ratners - it's an eternity ring sort with lots of small diamonds. Never been off my finger since bar a couple of times and still perfect. The settings haven't bent, clicked clothes and all the stones are there/still sparkly.glw said:
Ratner was right, the products he sold were crap. Fox is right as well, British businesses could do a lot more to develop their export business.SimonStClare said:The daft thing was, Gerald Ratner's comments tarnished his own brand, Fox only damages himself. - However to be fair, on this occasion Fox may have a point.
In Ratner's case telling the truth was a disaster, but Fox might provoke a wider debate about why British businesses don't do as well as they might.
The mistake Ratner made was to insult his customers re the average quality of what they sold. IIRC he was referring to cheap decanters or somesuch, not the jewellery.
IIRC it cost about £250 back then. It was bought on HP!
0 -
The car won't go home empty, it will spend the day driving round as a taxi earning its owner money. But hardly anyone will need to own a car. Most people will be able to use a driverless version of Uber for short trips and maybe hire one for weekend away.Paul_Bedfordshire said:
That one is easy to answer - driverless vehicles.JosiasJessop said:
There's an interesting question: what'll be the next massively disruptive consumer tech?TheWhiteRabbit said:
Google and Facebook are better at giving the impression they are doing something. But none of Google's much lauded inventions has actually been a hit.FrancisUrquhart said:
Agree Apple and Twitter....Google and Facebook lots going on.Jonathan said:
Apple are off the boil. Sadly they haven't done anything interesting or important in about 5 years. The same can be said for Google, Facebook, Twitter.Omnium said:
Apple are a great company. They rip us all off, but they do tell us how.JosiasJessop said:
I can defend Apple (spit): as the competition grows better, it's hard to be revolutionary rather than evolutionary. Some have managed it though: https://www.clove.co.uk/cat-s60Speedy said:
He is unimpressed for anyone not called George Osborne.SquareRoot said:TSE Do I take it that you are unimpressed with Liam Fox?
I have critizised Fox in the past, but Fox is right this time.
It's not just british big businesses though that have become "lazy and fat", all large corporations eventually become like that, just look this month at Apple with their crappy iPhone 7 and Samsung with their exploding Galaxy 7.
To defend Samsung (spit from Mrs J): this could strike any company that is pushing the envelope. It's just with batteries the consequences of failure can be dire.
But anyway Apple are great because their products are great. If you unboxed (I'm coming to live with that term) an apple product in the 80s or 90s you saw their attention to detail. I acquired an Apple II computer when I was about 16 or 17. I forgot girls for at least a day or so.
Anyone who can answer that is probably already too rich to read PB.
Once they get that developed to the stage where you can put your kid in the car and the car drives the kid to school and then drives itself home again empty this technology will cause mayhem in the road passenger and freight industry with hundreds of thousands of lorry van and taxi drivers out of a job and most of the car insurance industry out of a job because there will be about five policies taken out in the uk all by vehicle manufacturers.0 -
75% OF ALL FUNDS RECEIVED BY OWEN WHO
Owen Smith has accepted almost £70,000 worth of donations from a businessman whose company was incorporated in the Cayman Islands. Smith took £67,550 from financial services guru Anthony Watson to help pay the rent for his campaign office. As Guido has previously revealed, Watson’s company Uphold Inc was originally registered in the Caymans. He took charge of the firm in April 2015, when it went by the name Bitreserve. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission documents seen by Guido show that Bitreserve’s jurisdiction of incorporation was the Caymans. Its address is a PO box.
The largest donor to the Owen Smith campaign runs a company incorporated in the tax-free Caymans…
EAGLE SPINS CAYMANS AIDE ROW
Following Guido’s revelation that the firm run by Labour’s new business tsar was incorporated in the Caymans, the FT’s Jim Pickard has asked Angela Eagle for a comment on her “ethical” business adviser. Eagle replied that Anthony Watson’s company “pays taxes in all the jurisdictions in which it operates”. What is the corporate tax rate in the Cayman Islands? Zero percent. Ian Cameron’s Panama fund paid taxes in all the jurisdictions in which it operated, and Labour said that was morally disgusting…0 -
Given the new A14 roadworks are due to begin soon, they might have miles of cones to deal with as well.TheWhiteRabbit said:
I have a nominal bet with my brother about this... will a commercially available vehicle be able to take you down the A14 by 2020? My "money" is on "no".JosiasJessop said:
This has been discussed on here before: IMO they'll have to get cars past the smoke and mirrors they're using at the moment. They're *nowhere* near doing what you want reliably. Yes, they can do the easy things by 'cheating'. They can't do the hard things.Paul_Bedfordshire said:That one is easy to answer - driverless vehicles.
Once they get that developed to the stage where you can put your kid in the car and the car drives the kid to school and then drives itself home again empty this technology will cause mayhem in the road passenger and freight industry with hundreds of thousands of lorry van and taxi drivers out of a job and most of the car insurance industry out of a job because there will be about five policies taken out in the uk all by vehicle manufacturers.
But I was more talking about consumer electronics: the devices that we use every day scarcely with scarcely thinking; the devices that cost sub-£1000 and many people can easily change every year or two.
Here's one: personal biometrics. Measuring and monitoring our health. Most of the tech's there it needs joining up and completing.
It could be a real life-saver, especially if unintrusive in use. As ever, there are privacy implications. 0 -
The Self-Writing AV thread?JosiasJessop said:
There's an interesting question: what'll be the next massively disruptive consumer tech?TheWhiteRabbit said:
Google and Facebook are better at giving the impression they are doing something. But none of Google's much lauded inventions has actually been a hit.FrancisUrquhart said:
Agree Apple and Twitter....Google and Facebook lots going on.Jonathan said:
Apple are off the boil. Sadly they haven't done anything interesting or important in about 5 years. The same can be said for Google, Facebook, Twitter.Omnium said:
Apple are a great company. They rip us all off, but they do tell us how.JosiasJessop said:
I can name two British companies that are generally doing very well: Dyson and JCB. They have one major thing in common that might point to the problem confronting other companies: ownership and finance.Speedy said:
He is unimpressed for anyone not called George Osborne.SquareRoot said:TSE Do I take it that you are unimpressed with Liam Fox?
I have critizised Fox in the past, but Fox is right this time.
It's not just british big businesses though that have become "lazy and fat", all large corporations eventually become like that, just look this month at Apple with their crappy iPhone 7 and Samsung with their exploding Galaxy 7.
To defend Apple (spit): as the competition grows better, it's hard to be revolutionary rather than evolutionary. Some have managed it though: https://www.clove.co.uk/cat-s60
To defend Samsung (spit from Mrs J): this could strike any company that is pushing the envelope. It's just with batteries the consequences of failure can be dire.
But anyway Apple are great because their products are great. If you unboxed (I'm coming to live with that term) an apple product in the 80s or 90s you saw their attention to detail. I acquired an Apple II computer when I was about 16 or 17. I forgot girls for at least a day or so.
Anyone who can answer that is probably already too rich to read PB.0 -
There are not many countries in the world who would justify their flag in a place of prominence like that. Note that the icelandic and Norwegian flags are not festured even though the same applies to them, nor is lichenstein even tbough it borders SwitzerlandPlatoSaid said:Anna Firth
Just love this new sign at Geneva airport #Brexit @SuzanneEvans1 @EliotSmith @DanielJHannan https://t.co/KY0n3sbD6m0 -
Seem to recall they got those signs up basically within days of the vote?PlatoSaid said:Anna Firth
Just love this new sign at Geneva airport #Brexit @SuzanneEvans1 @EliotSmith @DanielJHannan https://t.co/KY0n3sbD6m0 -
You missed out the word voodoo from that phrase.weejonnie said:
NBC agree : their poll 63:37 in favour of Trump http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/commander-in-chief-forumMaxPB said:
Judging by the reaction from the Clinton camp since then, they clearly think they lost.Alistair said:
She really didn't.weejonnie said:
Clinton lost the CiC debate heavily and is panicking. She is under a lot of stress as the pussycat she thought she was fighting seems to have grown teeth.TheWhiteRabbit said:I'm not so sure Clinton's comments are far off "doing a Ratner" either. If you are a politician, your stock in trade is the ordinary voter.
And remember what happened to Romney when he had a good and a bad debate.
This has been Clinton's worst week of the campaign until the next one.0 -
We are not in the non eu line. We are in the same line as EU and Swiss.not_on_fire said:
Woohoo, can't wait for the interminable waits in the non-EU line.PlatoSaid said:Anna Firth
Just love this new sign at Geneva airport #Brexit @SuzanneEvans1 @EliotSmith @DanielJHannan https://t.co/KY0n3sbD6m0 -
But at the back of the queue?Paul_Bedfordshire said:
We are not in the non eu line. We are in the same line as EU and Swiss.not_on_fire said:
Woohoo, can't wait for the interminable waits in the non-EU line.PlatoSaid said:Anna Firth
Just love this new sign at Geneva airport #Brexit @SuzanneEvans1 @EliotSmith @DanielJHannan https://t.co/KY0n3sbD6m0 -
We'll really have brilliant AI when someone writes an insult generator that matches SeanT's output in quality.Sunil_Prasannan said:
The Self-Writing AV thread?JosiasJessop said:
There's an interesting question: what'll be the next massively disruptive consumer tech?TheWhiteRabbit said:
Google and Facebook are better at giving the impression they are doing something. But none of Google's much lauded inventions has actually been a hit.FrancisUrquhart said:
Agree Apple and Twitter....Google and Facebook lots going on.Jonathan said:
Apple are off the boil. Sadly they haven't done anything interesting or important in about 5 years. The same can be said for Google, Facebook, Twitter.Omnium said:
Apple are a great company. They rip us all off, but they do tell us how.JosiasJessop said:
I can name two British companies that are generally doing very well: Dyson and JCB. They have one major thing in common that might point to the problem confronting other companies: ownership and finance.Speedy said:
He is unimpressed for anyone not called George Osborne.SquareRoot said:TSE Do I take it that you are unimpressed with Liam Fox?
I have critizised Fox in the past, but Fox is right this time.
It's not just british big businesses though that have become "lazy and fat", all large corporations eventually become like that, just look this month at Apple with their crappy iPhone 7 and Samsung with their exploding Galaxy 7.
To defend Apple (spit): as the competition grows better, it's hard to be revolutionary rather than evolutionary. Some have managed it though: https://www.clove.co.uk/cat-s60
To defend Samsung (spit from Mrs J): this could strike any company that is pushing the envelope. It's just with batteries the consequences of failure can be dire.
But anyway Apple are great because their products are great. If you unboxed (I'm coming to live with that term) an apple product in the 80s or 90s you saw their attention to detail. I acquired an Apple II computer when I was about 16 or 17. I forgot girls for at least a day or so.
Anyone who can answer that is probably already too rich to read PB.
Malc's already been done Just insert 'turnip' after every word. 0 -
Is a FTA with Switzerland a likely bet soon after we leave the EU, seems like they would be a better focus of attention than most other countries thrown around at the moment?Paul_Bedfordshire said:
There are not many countries in the world who would justify their flag in a place of prominence like that. Note that the icelandic and Norwegian flags are not festured even though the same applies to them, nor is lichenstein even tbough it borders SwitzerlandPlatoSaid said:Anna Firth
Just love this new sign at Geneva airport #Brexit @SuzanneEvans1 @EliotSmith @DanielJHannan https://t.co/KY0n3sbD6m0 -
PB denzines may have missed that Trump "correcting" the questioner about the number of military suicides at the Commander-In-Chief forum has gone over very, very badly given that Trump was wrong.
There was post debate footage where they talked to the questioners are on the military suicides question the questioner was very unhappy with his answer.0 -
Im not so sure of that one. I dont want the great unwashed riding about in my car and leaving their body fluids and odors along with the residue of their food on the seats. Yuck. I might catch something.not_on_fire said:
The car won't go home empty, it will spend the day driving round as a taxi earning its owner money. But hardly anyone will need to own a car. Most people will be able to use a driverless version of Uber for short trips and maybe hire one for weekend away.0 -
If we stay in EEA/EFTA we get one thrown in free.Paristonda said:
Is a FTA with Switzerland a likely bet soon after we leave the EU, seems like they would be a better focus of attention than most other countries thrown around at the moment?Paul_Bedfordshire said:
There are not many countries in the world who would justify their flag in a place of prominence like that. Note that the icelandic and Norwegian flags are not festured even though the same applies to them, nor is lichenstein even tbough it borders SwitzerlandPlatoSaid said:Anna Firth
Just love this new sign at Geneva airport #Brexit @SuzanneEvans1 @EliotSmith @DanielJHannan https://t.co/KY0n3sbD6m0 -
.
Old data0 -
That's wrong though. Any country sees their own interests as paramount. If you fly multiple flags then you choose a ranking. On state visits there's an honorary equal ranking given to whoever it is by flying the flags at the same level. You should fly your own flag highest unless you are being particularly ingratiating to someone else. You should never fly your own flag below another.Paul_Bedfordshire said:
There are not many countries in the world who would justify their flag in a place of prominence like that. Note that the icelandic and Norwegian flags are not festured even though the same applies to them, nor is lichenstein even tbough it borders SwitzerlandPlatoSaid said:Anna Firth
Just love this new sign at Geneva airport #Brexit @SuzanneEvans1 @EliotSmith @DanielJHannan https://t.co/KY0n3sbD6m0
This discussion has been closed.