I am surprised we aren't talking about Genie 3 from Deepmind.
All the stuff that's going on right now is incredible news for small (and even individual) video game developers, and terrible news for the big studios.
STILL: it is worth remembering that while Rockstar will have spend perhaps $100 million on world building (that Genie 3 can largely automate), most of the effort is in building fund story missions that people want to play. That's what differentiates GTA from (say) MindsEye.
Great tech, looks amazing, shockingly lacking in anything that could be described as fun.
I don't think Deepmind have done it to compete with video games. Genie 3 can't automate what Rockstar are doing. Its about things like providing training environments for embodied agent research.
There is a huge disconnect between training data for 2d and 3d. We have billions of real 2d images of the world. In comparisons 3d worlds / models currently take a huge amount of time to hand craft and as a result there is relatively limited amounts of it, and that restricts training for things like robotic systems.
There is a lot of debate at the moment if you need to create more 3d data or can, as Genie 3 is doing, fake 3d worlds using masses of 2d data.
Thin comfort after all Trump has done to undermine Ukraine.
Why hadn't this been done previously by Biden?
Because until Trump it was not considered in the power of the US President to impose tariffs by Executive Order.
If Biden had had any sense (and he didn't, not by the end at least), he should have issued a flurry of Executive Order around tariffs and the like, above the Republican Congress, to ensure that the Supreme Court struck him down.
Is it not more that on Ukraine, Biden was all fur coat and no knickers? It’s very clear that the Russian policy of the Biden White House pivoted after autumn 2022, to be one of prolonged and bloody containment, rather than rout or forced peace. The counter offensive under nato combined arms doctrine was little more than an expensive (in every sense) fireworks show.
None of us have sufficient info to know whether the unending containment approach was right or wrong. Just as now, none of us know whether Trump using all instruments of state to try and force a peace on current lines is right or wrong. The quiet nuclear hum has returned in the last few days though hasn’t it. I haven’t really heard it in my head since 2022.
I wasn't talking about Russia and Ukraine, I was pointing out that Trump has attempted to extend the powers of the Presidency in ways that have never been done before.
Even if they'd wanted to, I don't think the Biden White House would have considered it within their powers to issue secondary tariffs, because even primary tariffs were considered as being in the gift of the Houses of Congress.
Thin comfort after all Trump has done to undermine Ukraine.
Why hadn't this been done previously by Biden?
Because until Trump it was not considered in the power of the US President to impose tariffs by Executive Order.
If Biden had had any sense (and he didn't, not by the end at least), he should have issued a flurry of Executive Order around tariffs and the like, above the Republican Congress, to ensure that the Supreme Court struck him down.
Is it not more that on Ukraine, Biden was all fur coat and no knickers? It’s very clear that the Russian policy of the Biden White House pivoted after autumn 2022, to be one of prolonged and bloody containment, rather than rout or forced peace. The counter offensive under nato combined arms doctrine was little more than an expensive (in every sense) fireworks show.
None of us have sufficient info to know whether the unending containment approach was right or wrong. Just as now, none of us know whether Trump using all instruments of state to try and force a peace on current lines is right or wrong. The quiet nuclear hum has returned in the last few days though hasn’t it. I haven’t really heard it in my head since 2022.
Is this a positive development then - the return of the 'quiet nuclear hum' in your head?
I am surprised we aren't talking about Genie 3 from Deepmind.
All the stuff that's going on right now is incredible news for small (and even individual) video game developers, and terrible news for the big studios.
STILL: it is worth remembering that while Rockstar will have spend perhaps $100 million on world building (that Genie 3 can largely automate), most of the effort is in building fund story missions that people want to play. That's what differentiates GTA from (say) MindsEye.
Great tech, looks amazing, shockingly lacking in anything that could be described as fun.
I don't think Deepmind have done it to compete with video games. Genie 3 can't automate what Rockstar are doing. Its about things like providing training environments for embodied agent research.
There is a huge disconnect between training data for 2d and 3d. We have billions of real 2d images of the world. In comparisons 3d worlds / models currently take a huge amount of time to hand craft and as a result there is relatively limited amounts of it, and that restricts training for things like robotic systems.
There is a lot of debate at the moment if you need to create more 3d data or can, as Genie 3 is doing, fake 3d worlds using masses of 2d data.
The interesting question is that it used to be a given that in order to truly understand the world, you need a) 3d environments and b) you need to interact within them. That assumption is being severely tested now. Genie 3 seems to have (at least cherry picked examples) so very good understanding of the way the world reacts to certain things e.g. walking in puddles, and my presumption is this was all trained from 2d images / video, perhaps supplemented with video game engine outputs.
The France deal appears to contain terms preventing what some have suggested was going to make it a 1 out for every 10 in arrangement. And some safeguards on who we end up getting:
... 5. The United Kingdom shall be able to open and close the route when it deems it necessary, taking into account the principle of balance between admissions and readmissions set in Article 1 paragraph 3 and France’s obligations in Article 4. 6. For the avoidance of any doubt (and without prejudice to other criteria in the Immigration Rules), this route shall exclude those who pose a national security or public order risk to the United Kingdom, those that have previously been removed from the United Kingdom and unaccompanied minors. 7. For the avoidance of any doubt, the Parties confirm that the United Kingdom may reject applications if the numbers of those effectively admitted in accordance with this Chapter is not balanced with the number of those effectively readmitted under Chapter II, notwithstanding the provisions in Article 20 aimed at achieving a balance between those numbers at the time that the Agreement terminates...
The progress of the pilot scheme will be jointly monitored on a regular basis:
...1. The Parties shall cooperate in the application and interpretation of this Agreement. To this end, a Joint Committee (hereinafter referred to as “the Committee”) is to be established the tasks of which shall include: a. to monitor the application of this Agreement in particular its tantamount objective of balance between the numbers of those readmitted in accordance with Chapter II and those admitted under Chapter III; b. to decide on implementing arrangements necessary for the uniform application of this Agreement; c. to have regular exchanges of information on the implementing arrangements drawn up pursuant to Article 18; d. to monitor, based on weekly data, the numbers of those readmitted under Chapter II and those admitted under Chapter III and to decide upon ways in which to adjust the arrangements to address any imbalance; e. to recommend amendments to this Agreement and its Annex; f. to resolve disputes that may arise regarding the interpretation and application of this Agreement in accordance with Article 19; g. to have regular exchanges based on measures the United Kingdom has implemented to tackle illegal working and strengthened law enforcement on these measures, to avoid pull factors towards the United Kingdom...
It's a modest deal, but my own take is that out seems to be a good faith effort on both sides. If it goes smoothly, I would expect it to be greatly expanded.
Apologies to the frothers, who will probably have to wait until next year to see how this develops.
Who's frothing?
The French/ human rights clauses are equally important, and I'd argue more so.
I have spent most of today in central London wearing my Breitling.
I can confirm I wasn’t mugged and I am now on the way back home.
I was there too! You'd have thought we'd have bumped into each other.
(Phone survived again. Getting silly now how often that happens)
Last week I turned up with my carnation buttonhole and copy of the times but I didn't see you. You would have thought we would have bumped into one another. Going up again on 15th. Tempting fate regarding the phone. Can't believe I have got away with it so many times.
There are so few phone thefts in central London there are now special signs glued to all the pavements, warning people about phone thefts in central London
I have spent most of today in central London wearing my Breitling.
I can confirm I wasn’t mugged and I am now on the way back home.
I was there too! You'd have thought we'd have bumped into each other.
(Phone survived again. Getting silly now how often that happens)
Last week I turned up with my carnation buttonhole and copy of the times but I didn't see you. You would have thought we would have bumped into one another. Going up again on 15th. Tempting fate regarding the phone. Can't believe I have got away with it so many times.
There are so few phone thefts in central London there are now special signs glued to all the pavements, warning people about phone thefts in central London
I have spent most of today in central London wearing my Breitling.
I can confirm I wasn’t mugged and I am now on the way back home.
I was there too! You'd have thought we'd have bumped into each other.
(Phone survived again. Getting silly now how often that happens)
Last week I turned up with my carnation buttonhole and copy of the times but I didn't see you. You would have thought we would have bumped into one another. Going up again on 15th. Tempting fate regarding the phone. Can't believe I have got away with it so many times.
There are so few phone thefts in central London there are now special signs glued to all the pavements, warning people about phone thefts in central London
I have spent most of today in central London wearing my Breitling.
I can confirm I wasn’t mugged and I am now on the way back home.
I was there too! You'd have thought we'd have bumped into each other.
(Phone survived again. Getting silly now how often that happens)
Last week I turned up with my carnation buttonhole and copy of the times but I didn't see you. You would have thought we would have bumped into one another. Going up again on 15th. Tempting fate regarding the phone. Can't believe I have got away with it so many times.
There are so few phone thefts in central London there are now special signs glued to all the pavements, warning people about phone thefts in central London
Hmm, Tory think tank head couldn't possibly have any reason to be snotty about how London is run, could he?
See, if he were genuinely worried about the rest of us he'd say *where* this bit of London is so we could all avoid it (or simply avoid London anyway). Though the overgrown waffle in the background looks like Centre Point maybe?
"Airport operations suspended until at least 20:00 published at 18:04 Breaking We've just had an update from Birmingham Airport which says that operations are now "expected to remain suspended until at least 8pm".
The airport advises people to "speak to their airline" for further information."
Why is Corbyn's new party full of private school kids? And why did its MPs vote against VAT on private schools? Socialism is just a hobby for this mixture of Islamists and toffs ...
I remember that not long distant past when Paul Mason thought Jezza was the Messiah and was fully on board with his band of merry men, women and non-binaries.
Thin comfort after all Trump has done to undermine Ukraine.
Why hadn't this been done previously by Biden?
Because until Trump it was not considered in the power of the US President to impose tariffs by Executive Order.
If Biden had had any sense (and he didn't, not by the end at least), he should have issued a flurry of Executive Order around tariffs and the like, above the Republican Congress, to ensure that the Supreme Court struck him down.
Is it not more that on Ukraine, Biden was all fur coat and no knickers? It’s very clear that the Russian policy of the Biden White House pivoted after autumn 2022, to be one of prolonged and bloody containment, rather than rout or forced peace. The counter offensive under nato combined arms doctrine was little more than an expensive (in every sense) fireworks show.
None of us have sufficient info to know whether the unending containment approach was right or wrong. Just as now, none of us know whether Trump using all instruments of state to try and force a peace on current lines is right or wrong. The quiet nuclear hum has returned in the last few days though hasn’t it. I haven’t really heard it in my head since 2022.
Is this a positive development then - the return of the 'quiet nuclear hum' in your head?
What do you reckon
Well my immediate instinctive reaction is "no". I don't like nuclear hums. But some do. They get energised by it.
Why is Corbyn's new party full of private school kids? And why did its MPs vote against VAT on private schools? Socialism is just a hobby for this mixture of Islamists and toffs ...
I remember that not long distant past when Paul Mason thought Jezza was the Messiah and was fully on board with his band of merry men, women and non-binaries.
Didn't he try and run against Jezmundo in Izzy North last year but didn't get selected (yet again)?
Yes, most Reform voters thinking the rioters have been treated unfairly unlike most voters overall and supporters of the other 3 main UK parties shows Farage has a careful balancing act to tread.
His core vote have some sympathy with Tommy Robinson, swing voters certainly don't
Why is Corbyn's new party full of private school kids? And why did its MPs vote against VAT on private schools? Socialism is just a hobby for this mixture of Islamists and toffs ...
I remember that not long distant past when Paul Mason thought Jezza was the Messiah and was fully on board with his band of merry men, women and non-binaries.
Didn't he try and run against Jezmundo in Izzy North last year but didn't get selected (yet again)?
Yes, he saw the light and realised that Jezza maybe isn't that anti-Brexit...or that he thought he had a better chance of becoming an MP if he went all in with Starmer and then still got overlooked.
Yes, most Reform voters thinking the rioters have been treated unfairly unlike most voters overall and supporters of the other 3 main UK parties shows Farage has a careful balancing act to tread.
His core vote have some sympathy with Tommy Robinson, swing voters certainly don't
Tommy's joined Habib at Advance UK so I doubt Farage is bothered about appealing to his more enthusiastic support (who appear to have boosted Advances membership into the 20,000s 'according to Habib')
Why is Corbyn's new party full of private school kids? And why did its MPs vote against VAT on private schools? Socialism is just a hobby for this mixture of Islamists and toffs ...
I remember that not long distant past when Paul Mason thought Jezza was the Messiah and was fully on board with his band of merry men, women and non-binaries.
Didn't he try and run against Jezmundo in Izzy North last year but didn't get selected (yet again)?
Yes, he saw the light and realised that Jezza maybe isn't that anti-Brexit...or that he thought he had a better chance of becoming an MP if he went all in with Starmer and then still got overlooked.
Just announced: the UK's most famous libel firm, Carter-Ruck, is being prosecuted before the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal for recklessly enabling a $4bn fraud
It's astonishing how reckless Carter-Ruck was - likely causing $$$ more to be lost to fraudsters
Of course it’s in their own interest to buy cheap oil, which is why those who buy it are getting sanctioned by the US.
Double-edged. Russia (and China) were said to be paying rock bottom prices, so bad for Russia in the long term but Moscow needs the cash coming in right now.
Russia’s O&G revenues are down 33% year on year so far, so every little helps. That, and the Ukranian kinetic sanctions on Russian o&G production are slowly squeezing the aggressor economically. They’re already printing money like crazy, are pretty much out of accessible hard currency reserves, and key industries are moving to four-day weeks as energy costs go up and labour supply shrinks.
As in 1990 and the end of the Cold War, we all need to keep going with Ukranian support until the Russians are out of resources with which to fight.
I am surprised we aren't talking about Genie 3 from Deepmind.
All the stuff that's going on right now is incredible news for small (and even individual) video game developers, and terrible news for the big studios.
STILL: it is worth remembering that while Rockstar will have spend perhaps $100 million on world building (that Genie 3 can largely automate), most of the effort is in building fund story missions that people want to play. That's what differentiates GTA from (say) MindsEye.
Great tech, looks amazing, shockingly lacking in anything that could be described as fun.
GTA VI going to be the biggest release in media history, isn’t it?
Just announced: the UK's most famous libel firm, Carter-Ruck, is being prosecuted before the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal for recklessly enabling a $4bn fraud
It's astonishing how reckless Carter-Ruck was - likely causing $$$ more to be lost to fraudsters
The Hundred set for Twenty20 transformation as early as next year
IPL investors in Hundred keen on switch
Formal discussions to take place in October
The Hundred could be changed to a Twenty20 competition as soon as next year. The 100-ball format is enshrined in the England and Wales Cricket Board’s domestic TV contracts with Sky Sports and the BBC until 2028 but the Guardian has learned that both broadcasters are open to switching to T20 next summer if requested by the newly formed Hundred board, which will be dominated by representatives of the eight franchises.
"Airport operations suspended until at least 20:00 published at 18:04 Breaking We've just had an update from Birmingham Airport which says that operations are now "expected to remain suspended until at least 8pm".
The airport advises people to "speak to their airline" for further information."
The Hundred set for Twenty20 transformation as early as next year
IPL investors in Hundred keen on switch
Formal discussions to take place in October
The Hundred could be changed to a Twenty20 competition as soon as next year. The 100-ball format is enshrined in the England and Wales Cricket Board’s domestic TV contracts with Sky Sports and the BBC until 2028 but the Guardian has learned that both broadcasters are open to switching to T20 next summer if requested by the newly formed Hundred board, which will be dominated by representatives of the eight franchises.
The Hundred set for Twenty20 transformation as early as next year
IPL investors in Hundred keen on switch
Formal discussions to take place in October
The Hundred could be changed to a Twenty20 competition as soon as next year. The 100-ball format is enshrined in the England and Wales Cricket Board’s domestic TV contracts with Sky Sports and the BBC until 2028 but the Guardian has learned that both broadcasters are open to switching to T20 next summer if requested by the newly formed Hundred board, which will be dominated by representatives of the eight franchises.
The Hundred set for Twenty20 transformation as early as next year
IPL investors in Hundred keen on switch
Formal discussions to take place in October
The Hundred could be changed to a Twenty20 competition as soon as next year. The 100-ball format is enshrined in the England and Wales Cricket Board’s domestic TV contracts with Sky Sports and the BBC until 2028 but the Guardian has learned that both broadcasters are open to switching to T20 next summer if requested by the newly formed Hundred board, which will be dominated by representatives of the eight franchises.
The Hundred set for Twenty20 transformation as early as next year
IPL investors in Hundred keen on switch
Formal discussions to take place in October
The Hundred could be changed to a Twenty20 competition as soon as next year. The 100-ball format is enshrined in the England and Wales Cricket Board’s domestic TV contracts with Sky Sports and the BBC until 2028 but the Guardian has learned that both broadcasters are open to switching to T20 next summer if requested by the newly formed Hundred board, which will be dominated by representatives of the eight franchises.
The Hundred set for Twenty20 transformation as early as next year
IPL investors in Hundred keen on switch
Formal discussions to take place in October
The Hundred could be changed to a Twenty20 competition as soon as next year. The 100-ball format is enshrined in the England and Wales Cricket Board’s domestic TV contracts with Sky Sports and the BBC until 2028 but the Guardian has learned that both broadcasters are open to switching to T20 next summer if requested by the newly formed Hundred board, which will be dominated by representatives of the eight franchises.
The Hundred set for Twenty20 transformation as early as next year
IPL investors in Hundred keen on switch
Formal discussions to take place in October
The Hundred could be changed to a Twenty20 competition as soon as next year. The 100-ball format is enshrined in the England and Wales Cricket Board’s domestic TV contracts with Sky Sports and the BBC until 2028 but the Guardian has learned that both broadcasters are open to switching to T20 next summer if requested by the newly formed Hundred board, which will be dominated by representatives of the eight franchises.
The Hundred set for Twenty20 transformation as early as next year
IPL investors in Hundred keen on switch
Formal discussions to take place in October
The Hundred could be changed to a Twenty20 competition as soon as next year. The 100-ball format is enshrined in the England and Wales Cricket Board’s domestic TV contracts with Sky Sports and the BBC until 2028 but the Guardian has learned that both broadcasters are open to switching to T20 next summer if requested by the newly formed Hundred board, which will be dominated by representatives of the eight franchises.
The Hundred set for Twenty20 transformation as early as next year
IPL investors in Hundred keen on switch
Formal discussions to take place in October
The Hundred could be changed to a Twenty20 competition as soon as next year. The 100-ball format is enshrined in the England and Wales Cricket Board’s domestic TV contracts with Sky Sports and the BBC until 2028 but the Guardian has learned that both broadcasters are open to switching to T20 next summer if requested by the newly formed Hundred board, which will be dominated by representatives of the eight franchises.
The Hundred set for Twenty20 transformation as early as next year
IPL investors in Hundred keen on switch
Formal discussions to take place in October
The Hundred could be changed to a Twenty20 competition as soon as next year. The 100-ball format is enshrined in the England and Wales Cricket Board’s domestic TV contracts with Sky Sports and the BBC until 2028 but the Guardian has learned that both broadcasters are open to switching to T20 next summer if requested by the newly formed Hundred board, which will be dominated by representatives of the eight franchises.
The Hundred set for Twenty20 transformation as early as next year
IPL investors in Hundred keen on switch
Formal discussions to take place in October
The Hundred could be changed to a Twenty20 competition as soon as next year. The 100-ball format is enshrined in the England and Wales Cricket Board’s domestic TV contracts with Sky Sports and the BBC until 2028 but the Guardian has learned that both broadcasters are open to switching to T20 next summer if requested by the newly formed Hundred board, which will be dominated by representatives of the eight franchises.
The Hundred set for Twenty20 transformation as early as next year
IPL investors in Hundred keen on switch
Formal discussions to take place in October
The Hundred could be changed to a Twenty20 competition as soon as next year. The 100-ball format is enshrined in the England and Wales Cricket Board’s domestic TV contracts with Sky Sports and the BBC until 2028 but the Guardian has learned that both broadcasters are open to switching to T20 next summer if requested by the newly formed Hundred board, which will be dominated by representatives of the eight franchises.
The France deal appears to contain terms preventing what some have suggested was going to make it a 1 out for every 10 in arrangement. And some safeguards on who we end up getting:
... 5. The United Kingdom shall be able to open and close the route when it deems it necessary, taking into account the principle of balance between admissions and readmissions set in Article 1 paragraph 3 and France’s obligations in Article 4. 6. For the avoidance of any doubt (and without prejudice to other criteria in the Immigration Rules), this route shall exclude those who pose a national security or public order risk to the United Kingdom, those that have previously been removed from the United Kingdom and unaccompanied minors. 7. For the avoidance of any doubt, the Parties confirm that the United Kingdom may reject applications if the numbers of those effectively admitted in accordance with this Chapter is not balanced with the number of those effectively readmitted under Chapter II, notwithstanding the provisions in Article 20 aimed at achieving a balance between those numbers at the time that the Agreement terminates...
The progress of the pilot scheme will be jointly monitored on a regular basis:
...1. The Parties shall cooperate in the application and interpretation of this Agreement. To this end, a Joint Committee (hereinafter referred to as “the Committee”) is to be established the tasks of which shall include: a. to monitor the application of this Agreement in particular its tantamount objective of balance between the numbers of those readmitted in accordance with Chapter II and those admitted under Chapter III; b. to decide on implementing arrangements necessary for the uniform application of this Agreement; c. to have regular exchanges of information on the implementing arrangements drawn up pursuant to Article 18; d. to monitor, based on weekly data, the numbers of those readmitted under Chapter II and those admitted under Chapter III and to decide upon ways in which to adjust the arrangements to address any imbalance; e. to recommend amendments to this Agreement and its Annex; f. to resolve disputes that may arise regarding the interpretation and application of this Agreement in accordance with Article 19; g. to have regular exchanges based on measures the United Kingdom has implemented to tackle illegal working and strengthened law enforcement on these measures, to avoid pull factors towards the United Kingdom...
It's a modest deal, but my own take is that out seems to be a good faith effort on both sides. If it goes smoothly, I would expect it to be greatly expanded.
Apologies to the frothers, who will probably have to wait until next year to see how this develops.
Who's frothing?
The French/ human rights clauses are equally important, and I'd argue more so.
I have spent most of today in central London wearing my Breitling.
I can confirm I wasn’t mugged and I am now on the way back home.
I was there too! You'd have thought we'd have bumped into each other.
(Phone survived again. Getting silly now how often that happens)
Last week I turned up with my carnation buttonhole and copy of the times but I didn't see you. You would have thought we would have bumped into one another. Going up again on 15th. Tempting fate regarding the phone. Can't believe I have got away with it so many times.
There are so few phone thefts in central London there are now special signs glued to all the pavements, warning people about phone thefts in central London
Hmm, Tory think tank head couldn't possibly have any reason to be snotty about how London is run, could he?
See, if he were genuinely worried about the rest of us he'd say *where* this bit of London is so we could all avoid it (or simply avoid London anyway). Though the overgrown waffle in the background looks like Centre Point maybe?
Yes, so Centre Point at the Tottenham Court Road end of Oxford Street. Not sure what is meant by ‘zoning’ in this context.
The France deal appears to contain terms preventing what some have suggested was going to make it a 1 out for every 10 in arrangement. And some safeguards on who we end up getting:
... 5. The United Kingdom shall be able to open and close the route when it deems it necessary, taking into account the principle of balance between admissions and readmissions set in Article 1 paragraph 3 and France’s obligations in Article 4. 6. For the avoidance of any doubt (and without prejudice to other criteria in the Immigration Rules), this route shall exclude those who pose a national security or public order risk to the United Kingdom, those that have previously been removed from the United Kingdom and unaccompanied minors. 7. For the avoidance of any doubt, the Parties confirm that the United Kingdom may reject applications if the numbers of those effectively admitted in accordance with this Chapter is not balanced with the number of those effectively readmitted under Chapter II, notwithstanding the provisions in Article 20 aimed at achieving a balance between those numbers at the time that the Agreement terminates...
The progress of the pilot scheme will be jointly monitored on a regular basis:
...1. The Parties shall cooperate in the application and interpretation of this Agreement. To this end, a Joint Committee (hereinafter referred to as “the Committee”) is to be established the tasks of which shall include: a. to monitor the application of this Agreement in particular its tantamount objective of balance between the numbers of those readmitted in accordance with Chapter II and those admitted under Chapter III; b. to decide on implementing arrangements necessary for the uniform application of this Agreement; c. to have regular exchanges of information on the implementing arrangements drawn up pursuant to Article 18; d. to monitor, based on weekly data, the numbers of those readmitted under Chapter II and those admitted under Chapter III and to decide upon ways in which to adjust the arrangements to address any imbalance; e. to recommend amendments to this Agreement and its Annex; f. to resolve disputes that may arise regarding the interpretation and application of this Agreement in accordance with Article 19; g. to have regular exchanges based on measures the United Kingdom has implemented to tackle illegal working and strengthened law enforcement on these measures, to avoid pull factors towards the United Kingdom...
It's a modest deal, but my own take is that out seems to be a good faith effort on both sides. If it goes smoothly, I would expect it to be greatly expanded.
Apologies to the frothers, who will probably have to wait until next year to see how this develops.
Who's frothing?
The French/ human rights clauses are equally important, and I'd argue more so.
"Airport operations suspended until at least 20:00 published at 18:04 Breaking We've just had an update from Birmingham Airport which says that operations are now "expected to remain suspended until at least 8pm".
The airport advises people to "speak to their airline" for further information."
Just announced: the UK's most famous libel firm, Carter-Ruck, is being prosecuted before the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal for recklessly enabling a $4bn fraud
It's astonishing how reckless Carter-Ruck was - likely causing $$$ more to be lost to fraudsters
"Airport operations suspended until at least 20:00 published at 18:04 Breaking We've just had an update from Birmingham Airport which says that operations are now "expected to remain suspended until at least 8pm".
The airport advises people to "speak to their airline" for further information."
Whoops, taking a little longer than expected to move the dead plane from the runway.
I'd guess they need to inspect the runway after a prang like this, and having inspected it, fill in any new holes they find.
Yes, it’s a complicated process.
Assuming no injuries, the first job is to document the scene for investigators, then start clearing up the debris from the runway and surrounding areas, making repairs as necessary. There will probably be some lights missing and some ruts in the Tarmac.
Then the main recovery team will come in, and supervise lifting the aircraft, hopefully getting it back on its wheels to be dragged away, or of not then loaded carefully onto a trailer that can be taken to a hangar.
If there’s serious injuries then the AAIB will be turning up in person, which makes the whole process slower as each step is documented in much more detail.
Thin comfort after all Trump has done to undermine Ukraine.
Why hadn't this been done previously by Biden?
Because until Trump it was not considered in the power of the US President to impose tariffs by Executive Order.
If Biden had had any sense (and he didn't, not by the end at least), he should have issued a flurry of Executive Order around tariffs and the like, above the Republican Congress, to ensure that the Supreme Court struck him down.
Is it not more that on Ukraine, Biden was all fur coat and no knickers? It’s very clear that the Russian policy of the Biden White House pivoted after autumn 2022, to be one of prolonged and bloody containment, rather than rout or forced peace. The counter offensive under nato combined arms doctrine was little more than an expensive (in every sense) fireworks show.
None of us have sufficient info to know whether the unending containment approach was right or wrong. Just as now, none of us know whether Trump using all instruments of state to try and force a peace on current lines is right or wrong. The quiet nuclear hum has returned in the last few days though hasn’t it. I haven’t really heard it in my head since 2022.
Is this a positive development then - the return of the 'quiet nuclear hum' in your head?
What do you reckon
I'm not hearing it myself but then it's August and there;'s a lot of silliness about at this time of year as history tells us.
Containment is a policy which has worked very well for a lot of people (not of course the Russians and Ukrainians who are doing the fighting and the dying) but the "military-industrail complex" is having a great time testing their new toys an supplying death and destruction aplenty to willing consumers.
Further afield, the "threat" from Putin's new Russian colossus (which can't actually get as far as Kharkiv it would seem) combined with Trump's equivocation has allowed the hawks to take over western European military and strategic thinking and that means defence spending - lots of it - which again is grist to the mill of the arms manufacturers and others.
Did it have anything to do with all the people leading the Epping protests associated with The Homeland Party, Britain First, Blood and Honour, former Combat 18, former BNP, former National Front, British Democrats ... ?
(Clue: if you don't want to be described as a fascist, don't go to demonstrations they are running.)
You really DO need to wake up and smell some coffee.
Even the one in Ashfield, which was basically peaceful, was largely provoked by a guy called Alan Leggett, who was a sidekick of Ten Prison Terms Tommy, before he tried to go on his own.
lol. When I posted this claim yesterday then every lefty on here simply said “well, they are fascists”, “what do these fascists expect?”, “that’s good police work” etc etc
I wouldn't call myself a leftie.
And I did demonstrate the accuracy if the police (now) *had* called them fascists, in that the demo was animated by specific such groups - notably and most prominently the Homeland Party. They are a splinter group of Patriotic Alternative; their leader is a former BNP candidate. The chap on the pickup making a speech was from that group.
You need to take a serious look at just who you are fluffing, and for whom you are being a useful idiot.
But since you play a character here, you may not actually believe this stuff.
Thin comfort after all Trump has done to undermine Ukraine.
Why hadn't this been done previously by Biden?
Because until Trump it was not considered in the power of the US President to impose tariffs by Executive Order.
If Biden had had any sense (and he didn't, not by the end at least), he should have issued a flurry of Executive Order around tariffs and the like, above the Republican Congress, to ensure that the Supreme Court struck him down.
Is it not more that on Ukraine, Biden was all fur coat and no knickers? It’s very clear that the Russian policy of the Biden White House pivoted after autumn 2022, to be one of prolonged and bloody containment, rather than rout or forced peace. The counter offensive under nato combined arms doctrine was little more than an expensive (in every sense) fireworks show.
None of us have sufficient info to know whether the unending containment approach was right or wrong. Just as now, none of us know whether Trump using all instruments of state to try and force a peace on current lines is right or wrong. The quiet nuclear hum has returned in the last few days though hasn’t it. I haven’t really heard it in my head since 2022.
Is this a positive development then - the return of the 'quiet nuclear hum' in your head?
What do you reckon
I'm not hearing it myself but then it's August and there;'s a lot of silliness about at this time of year as history tells us.
Containment is a policy which has worked very well for a lot of people (not of course the Russians and Ukrainians who are doing the fighting and the dying) but the "military-industrial complex" is having a great time testing their new toys an supplying death and destruction aplenty to willing consumers...
What happens when China decides it's falling behind in the testing stakes ? Up until now their support for Russia has been indirect, and (implausibly) deniable.
The Hundred set for Twenty20 transformation as early as next year
IPL investors in Hundred keen on switch
Formal discussions to take place in October
The Hundred could be changed to a Twenty20 competition as soon as next year. The 100-ball format is enshrined in the England and Wales Cricket Board’s domestic TV contracts with Sky Sports and the BBC until 2028 but the Guardian has learned that both broadcasters are open to switching to T20 next summer if requested by the newly formed Hundred board, which will be dominated by representatives of the eight franchises.
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal ruled that was improper.
Now he’s appealing.
A 🧵 on why it matters.
I sincerely hope Zahawi's side loses this appeal.
£1m+ in legal costs already. Seems crazy.
It's a large legal firm trying to protect it's own backside. To quote the AI summary Osborne Clarke are well-regarded for their work in technology and media, particularly for their innovative legal solutions and client service.
And it seems to be one of those "innovations" they are trying to protect here...
Did it have anything to do with all the people leading the Epping protests associated with The Homeland Party, Britain First, Blood and Honour, former Combat 18, former BNP, former National Front, British Democrats ... ?
(Clue: if you don't want to be described as a fascist, don't go to demonstrations they are running.)
You really DO need to wake up and smell some coffee.
Even the one in Ashfield, which was basically peaceful, was largely provoked by a guy called Alan Leggett, who was a sidekick of Ten Prison Terms Tommy, before he tried to go on his own.
lol. When I posted this claim yesterday then every lefty on here simply said “well, they are fascists”, “what do these fascists expect?”, “that’s good police work” etc etc
I wouldn't call myself a leftie.
And I did demonstrate the accuracy if the police (now) *had* called them fascists, in that the demo was animated by specific such groups - notably and most prominently the Homeland Party. They are a splinter group of Patriotic Alternative; their leader is a former BNP candidate. The chap on the pickup making a speech was from that group.
You need to take a serious look at just who you are fluffing, and for whom you are being a useful idiot.
But since you play a character here, you may not actually believe this stuff.
You are completely ludicrous
Do you still believe the chinese robot dog was an AI fake?
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal ruled that was improper.
Now he’s appealing.
A 🧵 on why it matters.
I sincerely hope Zahawi's side loses this appeal.
£1m+ in legal costs already. Seems crazy.
There's a lot of KCs involved.
Back in 2011 I hired a £3,000 per hour plus VAT and disbursements barrister.
The world wouldn't be worse if lawyers were paid a pittance. (Including some sort of shoe allowance obviously - I don't want to agitate the great powers)
Did it have anything to do with all the people leading the Epping protests associated with The Homeland Party, Britain First, Blood and Honour, former Combat 18, former BNP, former National Front, British Democrats ... ?
(Clue: if you don't want to be described as a fascist, don't go to demonstrations they are running.)
You really DO need to wake up and smell some coffee.
Even the one in Ashfield, which was basically peaceful, was largely provoked by a guy called Alan Leggett, who was a sidekick of Ten Prison Terms Tommy, before he tried to go on his own.
lol. When I posted this claim yesterday then every lefty on here simply said “well, they are fascists”, “what do these fascists expect?”, “that’s good police work” etc etc
I wouldn't call myself a leftie.
And I did demonstrate the accuracy if the police (now) *had* called them fascists, in that the demo was animated by specific such groups - notably and most prominently the Homeland Party. They are a splinter group of Patriotic Alternative; their leader is a former BNP candidate. The chap on the pickup making a speech was from that group.
You need to take a serious look at just who you are fluffing, and for whom you are being a useful idiot.
But since you play a character here, you may not actually believe this stuff.
You are completely ludicrous
Do you still believe the chinese robot dog was an AI fake?
And the second time (at least) tonight you have been completely irrational. I have no idea who is right on either subject, but it is irrational of you to counter an argument on topic a) by countering topic b).
Why don't you deal with the points raised on this topic rather than another topic. Points were raised. If wrong counter them. Don't deflect.
Yes, most Reform voters thinking the rioters have been treated unfairly unlike most voters overall and supporters of the other 3 main UK parties shows Farage has a careful balancing act to tread.
His core vote have some sympathy with Tommy Robinson, swing voters certainly don't
Tommy's joined Habib at Advance UK so I doubt Farage is bothered about appealing to his more enthusiastic support (who appear to have boosted Advances membership into the 20,000s 'according to Habib')
24% of voters now have a favourable view of Tommy Robinson, 45% unfavourable.
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal ruled that was improper.
Now he’s appealing.
A 🧵 on why it matters.
I sincerely hope Zahawi's side loses this appeal.
£1m+ in legal costs already. Seems crazy.
There's a lot of KCs involved.
Back in 2011 I hired a £3,000 per hour plus VAT and disbursements barrister.
The world wouldn't be worse if lawyers were paid a pittance. (Including some sort of shoe allowance obviously - I don't want to agitate the great powers)
You do know TSE's shoe allowance would be more than he got paid under you scheme...
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal ruled that was improper.
Now he’s appealing.
A 🧵 on why it matters.
I sincerely hope Zahawi's side loses this appeal.
£1m+ in legal costs already. Seems crazy.
There's a lot of KCs involved.
Back in 2011 I hired a £3,000 per hour plus VAT and disbursements barrister.
The world wouldn't be worse if lawyers were paid a pittance. (Including some sort of shoe allowance obviously - I don't want to agitate the great powers)
You do know TSE's shoe allowance would be more than he got paid under you scheme...
Yes, most Reform voters thinking the rioters have been treated unfairly unlike most voters overall and supporters of the other 3 main UK parties shows Farage has a careful balancing act to tread.
His core vote have some sympathy with Tommy Robinson, swing voters certainly don't
Tommy's joined Habib at Advance UK so I doubt Farage is bothered about appealing to his more enthusiastic support (who appear to have boosted Advances membership into the 20,000s 'according to Habib')
24% of voters now have a favourable view of Tommy Robinson, 45% unfavourable.
Sadly our “Tommy” has done a good job with the US alt-conservative media, into portraying him as a journalist and free-speech warrior, rather than someone with a history of contempt of court. The US should really deny him a visa, based on his long criminal record.
Re the below. Something isn't right when the arguments as to what it is you agreed are more profitable than the actual agreements and more profitable still than the potential gain from the actions that you agreed upon.
NEWS: Trump tells European leaders earlier today that he intends to hold a bilat with Putin and then shortly after a trilat with Zelensky, following Witkoff meeting in Russia.
Yes, most Reform voters thinking the rioters have been treated unfairly unlike most voters overall and supporters of the other 3 main UK parties shows Farage has a careful balancing act to tread.
His core vote have some sympathy with Tommy Robinson, swing voters certainly don't
Tommy's joined Habib at Advance UK so I doubt Farage is bothered about appealing to his more enthusiastic support (who appear to have boosted Advances membership into the 20,000s 'according to Habib')
24% of voters now have a favourable view of Tommy Robinson, 45% unfavourable.
Sadly our “Tommy” has done a good job with the US alt-conservative media, into portraying him as a journalist and free-speech warrior, rather than someone with a history of contempt of court. The US should really deny him a visa, based on his long criminal record.
Under the current Administration, that sounds like a qualification for a top government job.
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal ruled that was improper.
Now he’s appealing.
A 🧵 on why it matters.
I sincerely hope Zahawi's side loses this appeal.
£1m+ in legal costs already. Seems crazy.
There's a lot of KCs involved.
Back in 2011 I hired a £3,000 per hour plus VAT and disbursements barrister.
The world wouldn't be worse if lawyers were paid a pittance. (Including some sort of shoe allowance obviously - I don't want to agitate the great powers)
rather a lot of them are, of course – which is one reason why large legal chains are a very bad idea when you are trying to organise a house move. They will charge you as though it is being done by senior partners and then give it to minimum wage trainees some of them literally fresh out of school.
“Donald Trump has done the brave, principled and logical thing - finally punishing the countries that have been funding Putin’s vicious war machine by buying Russian oil and gas. When will Britain and the rest of Europe have the guts to do the same?”
I am surprised we aren't talking about Genie 3 from Deepmind.
All the stuff that's going on right now is incredible news for small (and even individual) video game developers, and terrible news for the big studios.
STILL: it is worth remembering that while Rockstar will have spend perhaps $100 million on world building (that Genie 3 can largely automate), most of the effort is in building fund story missions that people want to play. That's what differentiates GTA from (say) MindsEye.
Great tech, looks amazing, shockingly lacking in anything that could be described as fun.
GTA VI going to be the biggest release in media history, isn’t it?
“Donald Trump has done the brave, principled and logical thing - finally punishing the countries that have been funding Putin’s vicious war machine by buying Russian oil and gas. When will Britain and the rest of Europe have the guts to do the same?”
Labour homelessness minister Rushanara Ali threw four tenants out of her east London townhouse before relisting the property for £700 a month more in rent,
Labour homelessness minister Rushanara Ali threw four tenants out of her east London townhouse before relisting the property for £700 a month more in rent,
Yes, most Reform voters thinking the rioters have been treated unfairly unlike most voters overall and supporters of the other 3 main UK parties shows Farage has a careful balancing act to tread.
His core vote have some sympathy with Tommy Robinson, swing voters certainly don't
Tommy's joined Habib at Advance UK so I doubt Farage is bothered about appealing to his more enthusiastic support (who appear to have boosted Advances membership into the 20,000s 'according to Habib')
24% of voters now have a favourable view of Tommy Robinson, 45% unfavourable.
For the general public, the last numbers I saw for Tommy Robinson from earlier in 2025 were Like:17% Dislike:42%, from a very large sample (n>22000).
The comparative 2024 numbers were 15% and 37%, so a little better known and somewhat more polarised in 2025.
The 2025 greatest "likes" were 25-34 men (37%) and 35-44 men (29%). Greatest dislikes were also men, from 35+ it is basically 40%-60% all the way (35-44) is 38%.
Amongst Reform-intention voters (n=3815) "like TR" in the 2025 survey was 36%, and slightly lower amongst 18-24s (n=260) at 34%.
Labour homelessness minister Rushanara Ali threw four tenants out of her east London townhouse before relisting the property for £700 a month more in rent,
Check with your airline if you’re due to fly out of there tomorrow, many planes were diverted elsewhere and the closure was a lot longer than expected, so pilots out of hours etc…
Good news is that all passengers and crew were discharged by the ambulance service on site.
I am surprised we aren't talking about Genie 3 from Deepmind.
All the stuff that's going on right now is incredible news for small (and even individual) video game developers, and terrible news for the big studios.
STILL: it is worth remembering that while Rockstar will have spend perhaps $100 million on world building (that Genie 3 can largely automate), most of the effort is in building fund story missions that people want to play. That's what differentiates GTA from (say) MindsEye.
Great tech, looks amazing, shockingly lacking in anything that could be described as fun.
GTA VI going to be the biggest release in media history, isn’t it?
As in several billion dollars in the first week.
By a mile.
Game makers are finished, tho, aren't they? As we have known them
They are baked and packed and cooked and discarded and ready for the bin
Labour homelessness minister Rushanara Ali threw four tenants out of her east London townhouse before relisting the property for £700 a month more in rent,
It's a bit of a nothingburger apart from what sounds like a bit of over-push by the letting agent - in overdoing dilapidations.
She gave them 4 months notice, put it on the market, it failed to sell, and now it is still on the market with new tenants in whilst it continues to be marketed.
They could have stayed, as she had previously offered them the chance to stay on a normal rolling contract with 2 months notice - I assume whilst she marketed it; if there are new tenants in now then presumably they turned her down.
It seems loopy to turn her down if she offered them a rolling contract, since that would avoid a pile of fees for them - but London tenants are strange beasts; I have one T who has been on a monthly rolling contract since 2011.
The new tenants with have at least a 6 month fixed period as per the law.
NEWS: Trump tells European leaders earlier today that he intends to hold a bilat with Putin and then shortly after a trilat with Zelensky, following Witkoff meeting in Russia.
Guess the two of them need to get their ducks in a row first.
More importantly, during the 2011 riots academics were at pains to understand what were the underlying causes in the face of substantial public opinion which dismissed the rioters as mindless thugs (tl/dr: they weren't).
The report focuses on the marginalisation of eg the local black communities in the riot-hit areas and the behaviour of the police as being contributory factors and rightly so imo.
Unaccountably there seem to have been no analogous attempts to "understand" the 2024 riots in a similarly rigorous academic fashion.
I even emailed one of the co-authors to ask if they would be conducting such an exercise into these riots and he said (or implied or I paraphrase) - no they were racist thugs.
This article examines different theoretical explanations for rioting and crowd disorder drawing on psychological, sociological and political perspectives. The role of the law and in particular, police practice in tackling and exacerbating crowd violence are explored with a critical eye on the latest police science research. Both psychological motivations of rioters and systemic intersectional inequalities are considered together in this piece to comprehensively account for the reasons why people choose to riot. The adequacy of theoretical explanations and recommendations for how future riots might be avoided are considered in relation to the English riots of August 2011 and August 2024.
This is not an academic analysis of the 2024 riots. It is an attempt to understand the motivation of "rioters" without using the 2024 ones as a specific example (they cite plenty of specific research into the 2011 riots). It ultimately introduces the idea of a typology of rioters (professional, revengeful, adventurer, victim-centric) to the analysis.
Not seen anything about the 2024 riots specifically.
They discuss the 2024 riots:
With the August 2024 UK riots also being attributed to far-right organised gangs by politicians and the media alike, forthcoming careful analysis of all of those involved is warranted before the accuracy of such claim can be established. Therefore, in evaluating the efficacy of the convergence explanation as a unified theory of rioting, it is clear that limited empirical evidence (beyond political discourse) appears to support this theory. In fact, research findings over time and place indicate rioters are often socially integrated and representative of diverse members of society, from varied social backgrounds (McPhail, 1971; Reicher, 2001; Willmott and Ioannou, 2017). To be clear, available contemporary evidence does not provide strong support for the conclusion that those who take part in riots are largely representative of an uncivilised inherently impulsive (Farrington and Aguilar-Carceles, 2023), anti-social (Farrington and Liu, 2023), mentally disordered (Rode et al., 2024) or criminal (Jackson et al., 2023) ‘underclass’.
Labour homelessness minister Rushanara Ali threw four tenants out of her east London townhouse before relisting the property for £700 a month more in rent,
It's a bit of a nothingburger apart from what sounds like a bit of over-push by the letting agent - in overdoing dilapidations.
She gave them 4 months notice, put it on the market, it failed to sell, and now it is still on the market with new tenants in whilst it continues to be marketed.
She had previously offered them the chance to stay on a normal rolling contract with 2 months notice; if there are new tenants in then presumably they turned her down. It seems loopy to turn her down if she offered them a rolling contract, since that would avoid a pile of fees for them - but London tenants are strange beasts; I have one T who has been on a monthly rolling contract since 2011.
The new tenants with have at least a 6 month fixed period as per the law.
I am surprised we aren't talking about Genie 3 from Deepmind.
All the stuff that's going on right now is incredible news for small (and even individual) video game developers, and terrible news for the big studios.
STILL: it is worth remembering that while Rockstar will have spend perhaps $100 million on world building (that Genie 3 can largely automate), most of the effort is in building fund story missions that people want to play. That's what differentiates GTA from (say) MindsEye.
Great tech, looks amazing, shockingly lacking in anything that could be described as fun.
GTA VI going to be the biggest release in media history, isn’t it?
As in several billion dollars in the first week.
By a mile.
Game makers are finished, tho, aren't they? As we have known them
They are baked and packed and cooked and discarded and ready for the bin
It's an amazing time to be a solo developer with a great idea.
I am surprised we aren't talking about Genie 3 from Deepmind.
All the stuff that's going on right now is incredible news for small (and even individual) video game developers, and terrible news for the big studios.
STILL: it is worth remembering that while Rockstar will have spend perhaps $100 million on world building (that Genie 3 can largely automate), most of the effort is in building fund story missions that people want to play. That's what differentiates GTA from (say) MindsEye.
Great tech, looks amazing, shockingly lacking in anything that could be described as fun.
GTA VI going to be the biggest release in media history, isn’t it?
As in several billion dollars in the first week.
By a mile.
Game makers are finished, tho, aren't they? As we have known them
They are baked and packed and cooked and discarded and ready for the bin
After GTA VI quite possibly.
But the buildup to this particular release is going to be like nothing else the media industry has ever known. No movie is coming close to it.
Those of us who are closer to 50 than 40 are buying up PS5s in anticipation, our wives wondering what the Hell we’re doing.
But every single one of us who was a gamer in the ‘90s and ‘00s is doing it.
The limitation is going to be the Content Delivery Networks, GTA VI could quite conceivably break the Internet for several days on release.
I am surprised we aren't talking about Genie 3 from Deepmind.
All the stuff that's going on right now is incredible news for small (and even individual) video game developers, and terrible news for the big studios.
STILL: it is worth remembering that while Rockstar will have spend perhaps $100 million on world building (that Genie 3 can largely automate), most of the effort is in building fund story missions that people want to play. That's what differentiates GTA from (say) MindsEye.
Great tech, looks amazing, shockingly lacking in anything that could be described as fun.
GTA VI going to be the biggest release in media history, isn’t it?
As in several billion dollars in the first week.
By a mile.
Game makers are finished, tho, aren't they? As we have known them
They are baked and packed and cooked and discarded and ready for the bin
After GTA VI quite possibly.
But the buildup to this particular release is going to be like nothing else the media industry has ever known. No movie is coming close to it.
Those of us who are closer to 50 than 40 are buying up PS5s in anticipation, our wives wondering what the Hell we’re doing.
But every single one of us who was a gamer in the ‘90s and ‘00s is doing it.
The limitation is going to be the Content Delivery Networks, GTA VI could quite conceivably break the Internet for several days on release.
What's the date?
I shall order in a long and interesting book so I can stay away from the Internet for those days.
I am surprised we aren't talking about Genie 3 from Deepmind.
All the stuff that's going on right now is incredible news for small (and even individual) video game developers, and terrible news for the big studios.
STILL: it is worth remembering that while Rockstar will have spend perhaps $100 million on world building (that Genie 3 can largely automate), most of the effort is in building fund story missions that people want to play. That's what differentiates GTA from (say) MindsEye.
Great tech, looks amazing, shockingly lacking in anything that could be described as fun.
GTA VI going to be the biggest release in media history, isn’t it?
As in several billion dollars in the first week.
By a mile.
Game makers are finished, tho, aren't they? As we have known them
They are baked and packed and cooked and discarded and ready for the bin
It's an amazing time to be a solo developer with a great idea.
No kind of expert on games. But…
If AI can generate quality stuff from a few prompts, then surely
1) AI in writing code always needs assistance/touching up. Surely Ai for games will be similar? Bit like the old masters using apprentices to fill in big chunks? 2) AI doing work could allow increases in resolution and quality for the less human input?
I would be astonished if the whole industry goes to “whatever the AI chucks out, ship it”. Sure there will be cheap games like this. But won’t a big part of it go towards increasing expectations?
I’m thinking of the McDonalds trials of automated kitchens - where they put the staff out front to *improve* the experience.
Huge thanks to @Leon for recommending The Leopard (Netflix).
Best TV series I have watched in a long time.
You're welcome
To my mind, it is an absolute masterpiece. And puts to bed my fearful theory that the Golden Age of TV Drama is closing
It's magnificent in multiple ways - the acting, the casting, the location work, the absurdly luscious food. But also: the music. It is sublime
Totally agree. Stunning on all fronts. Would that the Beeb could make something like this ever again.
The lighting should also be added to your list.
Must of cost a frigging fortune given the crowd scenes, long outdoor sequences with horses etc etc.
Do Netflix dramas count for Emmys?
Actually, the BBC's co-pro (with Screen Australia) "The Narrow Road to the Great North" is ALSO a masterpiece. Much bleaker and darker, but I strongly recommend it
Brutally terse but powerful scriptwriting, a wonderfully sad love story at the heart, and truly horrific scenes of wartime cruelty by the Japanese
Did it have anything to do with all the people leading the Epping protests associated with The Homeland Party, Britain First, Blood and Honour, former Combat 18, former BNP, former National Front, British Democrats ... ?
(Clue: if you don't want to be described as a fascist, don't go to demonstrations they are running.)
You really DO need to wake up and smell some coffee.
Even the one in Ashfield, which was basically peaceful, was largely provoked by a guy called Alan Leggett, who was a sidekick of Ten Prison Terms Tommy, before he tried to go on his own.
lol. When I posted this claim yesterday then every lefty on here simply said “well, they are fascists”, “what do these fascists expect?”, “that’s good police work” etc etc
I wouldn't call myself a leftie.
And I did demonstrate the accuracy if the police (now) *had* called them fascists, in that the demo was animated by specific such groups - notably and most prominently the Homeland Party. They are a splinter group of Patriotic Alternative; their leader is a former BNP candidate. The chap on the pickup making a speech was from that group.
You need to take a serious look at just who you are fluffing, and for whom you are being a useful idiot.
But since you play a character here, you may not actually believe this stuff.
You are completely ludicrous
Do you still believe the chinese robot dog was an AI fake?
And the second time (at least) tonight you have been completely irrational. I have no idea who is right on either subject, but it is irrational of you to counter an argument on topic a) by countering topic b).
Why don't you deal with the points raised on this topic rather than another topic. Points were raised. If wrong counter them. Don't deflect.
I am surprised we aren't talking about Genie 3 from Deepmind.
All the stuff that's going on right now is incredible news for small (and even individual) video game developers, and terrible news for the big studios.
STILL: it is worth remembering that while Rockstar will have spend perhaps $100 million on world building (that Genie 3 can largely automate), most of the effort is in building fund story missions that people want to play. That's what differentiates GTA from (say) MindsEye.
Great tech, looks amazing, shockingly lacking in anything that could be described as fun.
GTA VI going to be the biggest release in media history, isn’t it?
As in several billion dollars in the first week.
By a mile.
Game makers are finished, tho, aren't they? As we have known them
They are baked and packed and cooked and discarded and ready for the bin
After GTA VI quite possibly.
But the buildup to this particular release is going to be like nothing else the media industry has ever known. No movie is coming close to it.
Those of us who are closer to 50 than 40 are buying up PS5s in anticipation, our wives wondering what the Hell we’re doing.
But every single one of us who was a gamer in the ‘90s and ‘00s is doing it.
The limitation is going to be the Content Delivery Networks, GTA VI could quite conceivably break the Internet for several days on release.
What's the date?
I shall order in a long and interesting book so I can stay away from the Internet for those days.
The Bulwark @BulwarkOnline · 24m Abbott: “There are Democrats in the state of Texas right now…the Texas Department of Public Safety is seeking and will find them, and they will arrest them and bring them to the Texas Capitol…There's no way for these Democrats to be able to escape justice here.”
Comments
There is a huge disconnect between training data for 2d and 3d. We have billions of real 2d images of the world. In comparisons 3d worlds / models currently take a huge amount of time to hand craft and as a result there is relatively limited amounts of it, and that restricts training for things like robotic systems.
There is a lot of debate at the moment if you need to create more 3d data or can, as Genie 3 is doing, fake 3d worlds using masses of 2d data.
Even if they'd wanted to, I don't think the Biden White House would have considered it within their powers to issue secondary tariffs, because even primary tariffs were considered as being in the gift of the Houses of Congress.
The French/ human rights clauses are equally important, and I'd argue more so.
https://x.com/sam_dumitriu/status/1953135971999924326?s=46&t=bulOICNH15U6kB0MwE6Lfw
See, if he were genuinely worried about the rest of us he'd say *where* this bit of London is so we could all avoid it (or simply avoid London anyway). Though the overgrown waffle in the background looks like Centre Point maybe?
published at 18:04
Breaking
We've just had an update from Birmingham Airport which says that operations are now "expected to remain suspended until at least 8pm".
The airport advises people to "speak to their airline" for further information."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c4g73rvzm20t
https://x.com/paulmasonnews/status/1953074396349739155
I remember that not long distant past when Paul Mason thought Jezza was the Messiah and was fully on board with his band of merry men, women and non-binaries.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c30zq28v0dlo
His core vote have some sympathy with Tommy Robinson, swing voters certainly don't
It's astonishing how reckless Carter-Ruck was - likely causing $$$ more to be lost to fraudsters
The full story:
https://x.com/DanNeidle/status/1953084192658440692
Bloody lawyers.
As in 1990 and the end of the Cold War, we all need to keep going with Ukranian support until the Russians are out of resources with which to fight.
As in several billion dollars in the first week.
https://www.carter-ruck.com/lawyers/claire-gill/
IPL investors in Hundred keen on switch
Formal discussions to take place in October
The Hundred could be changed to a Twenty20 competition as soon as next year. The 100-ball format is enshrined in the England and Wales Cricket Board’s domestic TV contracts with Sky Sports and the BBC until 2028 but the Guardian has learned that both broadcasters are open to switching to T20 next summer if requested by the newly formed Hundred board, which will be dominated by representatives of the eight franchises.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/aug/06/the-hundred-set-for-twenty20-transformation-as-early-as-next-year?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
England Men v Pakistan
Wednesday 19 August: 1st Rothesay Test – Headingley, Leeds, 11am
Thursday 27 August: 2nd Rothesay Test – Lord’s, London, 11am
Wednesday 9 September: 3rd Rothesay Test – Edgbaston, Birmingham, 11am
https://www.ecb.co.uk/news/4320034/england-cricket-fixtures-for-2026-international-summer-announced?utm_campaign=2658902_2026 International Fixture Announcement Fixtures All Supporters Opted In 24.07.25&utm_medium=email&utm_source=ECB Supporters&dm_i=2SX2,1KZME,NTKXX,6EEYC,1
Forgive me for being cynical that anything in cricket at the moment is for the benefit of the fans.
The irony is ... ferocious.
https://x.com/DanNeidle/status/1952648323229257812
In 2022, Nadhim Zahawi’s solicitor sent me a libel threat - and said I wasn’t even allowed to say he’d written to me.
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal ruled that was improper.
Now he’s appealing.
A 🧵 on why it matters.
I sincerely hope Zahawi's side loses this appeal.
Assuming no injuries, the first job is to document the scene for investigators, then start clearing up the debris from the runway and surrounding areas, making repairs as necessary. There will probably be some lights missing and some ruts in the Tarmac.
Then the main recovery team will come in, and supervise lifting the aircraft, hopefully getting it back on its wheels to be dragged away, or of not then loaded carefully onto a trailer that can be taken to a hangar.
If there’s serious injuries then the AAIB will be turning up in person, which makes the whole process slower as each step is documented in much more detail.
Containment is a policy which has worked very well for a lot of people (not of course the Russians and Ukrainians who are doing the fighting and the dying) but the "military-industrail complex" is having a great time testing their new toys an supplying death and destruction aplenty to willing consumers.
Further afield, the "threat" from Putin's new Russian colossus (which can't actually get as far as Kharkiv it would seem) combined with Trump's equivocation has allowed the hawks to take over western European military and strategic thinking and that means defence spending - lots of it - which again is grist to the mill of the arms manufacturers and others.
And I did demonstrate the accuracy if the police (now) *had* called them fascists, in that the demo was animated by specific such groups - notably and most prominently the Homeland Party. They are a splinter group of Patriotic Alternative; their leader is a former BNP candidate. The chap on the pickup making a speech was from that group.
You need to take a serious look at just who you are fluffing, and for whom you are being a useful idiot.
But since you play a character here, you may not actually believe this stuff.
Up until now their support for Russia has been indirect, and (implausibly) deniable.
That can change.
The west needs to defeat this invasion, quickly.
It was always T20 anyway
And it seems to be one of those "innovations" they are trying to protect here...
Do you still believe the chinese robot dog was an AI fake?
Back in 2011 I hired a £3,000 per hour plus VAT and disbursements barrister.
Why don't you deal with the points raised on this topic rather than another topic. Points were raised. If wrong counter them. Don't deflect.
Or is another demonstration of low IQ.
So it is quite possible now that most ReformUK voters have a favourable view of Robinson
https://yougov.co.uk/topics/international/trackers/fame-and-popularity-tommy-robinson
NEWS: Trump tells European leaders earlier today that he intends to hold a bilat with Putin and then shortly after a trilat with Zelensky, following Witkoff meeting in Russia.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/aug/06/gambling-industry-profitable-tax-fight-child-poverty
@TheRickWilson
It's great that J.D. Vance is hosting the first meeting of the 25th Amendment Committee tonight at the Naval Observatory.
Best TV series I have watched in a long time.
https://publiclawproject.org.uk/latest/public-law-litigation-in-the-automated-state/
“Donald Trump has done the brave, principled and logical thing - finally punishing the countries that have been funding Putin’s vicious war machine by buying Russian oil and gas. When will Britain and the rest of Europe have the guts to do the same?”
https://x.com/borisjohnson/status/1953128540330770694
https://x.com/theipaper/status/1953152881617420311
The comparative 2024 numbers were 15% and 37%, so a little better known and somewhat more polarised in 2025.
The 2025 greatest "likes" were 25-34 men (37%) and 35-44 men (29%). Greatest dislikes were also men, from 35+ it is basically 40%-60% all the way (35-44) is 38%.
Amongst Reform-intention voters (n=3815) "like TR" in the 2025 survey was 36%, and slightly lower amongst 18-24s (n=260) at 34%.
We need a proper generalist, right?
To my mind, it is an absolute masterpiece. And puts to bed my fearful theory that the Golden Age of TV Drama is closing
It's magnificent in multiple ways - the acting, the casting, the location work, the absurdly luscious food. But also: the music. It is sublime
https://x.com/bhx_official/status/1953167864002650463
Check with your airline if you’re due to fly out of there tomorrow, many planes were diverted elsewhere and the closure was a lot longer than expected, so pilots out of hours etc…
Good news is that all passengers and crew were discharged by the ambulance service on site.
They are baked and packed and cooked and discarded and ready for the bin
She gave them 4 months notice, put it on the market, it failed to sell, and now it is still on the market with new tenants in whilst it continues to be marketed.
They could have stayed, as she had previously offered them the chance to stay on a normal rolling contract with 2 months notice - I assume whilst she marketed it; if there are new tenants in now then presumably they turned her down.
It seems loopy to turn her down if she offered them a rolling contract, since that would avoid a pile of fees for them - but London tenants are strange beasts; I have one T who has been on a monthly rolling contract since 2011.
The new tenants with have at least a 6 month fixed period as per the law.
https://archive.is/20250806182656/https://inews.co.uk/news/homelessness-minister-threw-out-tenants-increased-rent-3846449
With the August 2024 UK riots also being attributed to far-right organised gangs by politicians and the media alike, forthcoming careful analysis of all of those involved is warranted before the accuracy of such claim can be established. Therefore, in evaluating the efficacy of the convergence explanation as a unified theory of rioting, it is clear that limited empirical evidence (beyond political discourse) appears to support this theory. In fact, research findings over time and place indicate rioters are often socially integrated and representative of diverse members of society, from varied social backgrounds (McPhail, 1971; Reicher, 2001; Willmott and Ioannou, 2017). To be clear, available contemporary evidence does not provide strong support for the conclusion that those who take part in riots are largely representative of an uncivilised inherently impulsive (Farrington and Aguilar-Carceles, 2023), anti-social (Farrington and Liu, 2023), mentally disordered (Rode et al., 2024) or criminal (Jackson et al., 2023) ‘underclass’.
The lighting should also be added to your list.
Must of cost a frigging fortune given the crowd scenes, long outdoor sequences with horses etc etc.
Do Netflix dramas count for Emmys?
But the buildup to this particular release is going to be like nothing else the media industry has ever known. No movie is coming close to it.
Those of us who are closer to 50 than 40 are buying up PS5s in anticipation, our wives wondering what the Hell we’re doing.
But every single one of us who was a gamer in the ‘90s and ‘00s is doing it.
The limitation is going to be the Content Delivery Networks, GTA VI could quite conceivably break the Internet for several days on release.
I shall order in a long and interesting book so I can stay away from the Internet for those days.
If AI can generate quality stuff from a few prompts, then surely
1) AI in writing code always needs assistance/touching up. Surely Ai for games will be similar? Bit like the old masters using apprentices to fill in big chunks?
2) AI doing work could allow increases in resolution and quality for the less human input?
I would be astonished if the whole industry goes to “whatever the AI chucks out, ship it”. Sure there will be cheap games like this. But won’t a big part of it go towards increasing expectations?
I’m thinking of the McDonalds trials of automated kitchens - where they put the staff out front to *improve* the experience.
Brutally terse but powerful scriptwriting, a wonderfully sad love story at the heart, and truly horrific scenes of wartime cruelty by the Japanese
Ticks all the boxes!
@atrupar.com
REPORTER: Speaker Johnson was in the West Bank and said it belongs to the Jewish people. Is that official US policy?
TAMMY BRUCE: Clearly that's his opinion
REPORTER: But it's not the opinion of the govt?
BRUCE: I'm not going to speak about the opinion of the govt*
*Editor's note.
Tammy Bruce
Spokesperson for the United States Department of State
The Bulwark
@BulwarkOnline
·
24m
Abbott: “There are Democrats in the state of Texas right now…the Texas Department of Public Safety is seeking and will find them, and they will arrest them and bring them to the Texas Capitol…There's no way for these Democrats to be able to escape justice here.”
https://x.com/BulwarkOnline/status/1953183516402876875