FLINT FLICKERS FORTNIGHTLY has commissioned me to do a road trip from San Francisco to Seattle. *which is nice*
However I don’t know this coast at all. Or indeed inland of this coast. I’ve been to Seattle and environs - I’ve done Mount Saint Helens - but that’s it. Any ideas what I should do? Any must-sees?
Stay home. Watch a couple of videos of that exact road trip. Phone in article to the Gazette copy-takers. What next? Route 66? Land's End to John o' Groats?
But the joke's on me. I've been suckered into thinking the Gazette is like National Geographic when in fact 99.4 per cent of all travel journalism is bought and paid for by tourist boards and hotel chains.
FLINT FLICKERS FORTNIGHTLY has commissioned me to do a road trip from San Francisco to Seattle. *which is nice*
However I don’t know this coast at all. Or indeed inland of this coast. I’ve been to Seattle and environs - I’ve done Mount Saint Helens - but that’s it. Any ideas what I should do? Any must-sees?
I've done Seattle to Cali and back.
A lot of Oregon isn't actually that well to do on the coast. Places like Coos Bay are a bit abandoned although I think they are trying to big up the tourism. There's some monster sand dunes and, well, it is still the Pacific, so parts are reasonably scenic.
In California - there's the Coast Redwoods (not the Giant Redwoods of the Sierras). You might be able to blag a visit to the world's tallest known tree if you ask the right people, but if not, Tall Tree Grove nearby is seriously impressive and has plenty of noom (have camped there).
On the subject of big trees, the Olympic peninsula is also great if you like rain, moss and ferns and it might cause you to reassess the Sitka spruce. Unfortunately Forks is now overrun with Twilight fans these days (maybe you are one?).
For politics, Portland was of course an 'interesting' experiment...
Interesting thanks. So I’m getting the impression there isn’t that much to see?
Depends on what you are looking for!
Inland up the Cascades is probably more classically scenic (Crater Lake et al) but might not provide a vast amount of copy. Two National Parks isn't that bad, albeit rather less visited ones.
» show previous quotes I was suggesting your obsession is with the LibDems, FWIW.
You are complaining about someone having an obsession with the Libdems on a site full of political anoraks talking about politics, betting, and mens shed TV topical issues because they happened to mention the only newsworthy thing that their party Leader Ed Davey has uttered all summer? Well its a view.
In fairness to @Nigelb it is an odd obsession. I have commented on it several times. It is regular and completely out of the blue and usually out of context and random.
I commented only the other day in a light hearted way by asking whether he was a member of the Institute of Bar Charts to be so obsessed and offended by the LDs.
PS Oh and they are not a supporter. The complete opposite. So obsessed even when there isn't any news.
Note my "FWIW".
I was having what I thought was a mild dig at Taz, in response to his saying of Davey: This moron supports them (Palestine Action) as it’s a cosy, middle class, obsession.
As the accusation was plain wrong, I thought a little pushback was merited. FWIW.
No, I was not saying he supports Palestine Action, I don’t think that at all, I was saying he supports people who say they support them.
A bit like politicians in the eighties on the left who clearly didn’t support the IRA but happy to support people who did.
He should have qualified what he said and say the proscription is wrong in his view, if it is his view, and he gets the supporters but it is not right to support a proscribed group.
It may be relevant to suggest that the group has been proscribed for reasons of political theatre rather than because it is a genuine security threat. Just because the government of the day makes something illegal and then prosecutes those who are now deemed to be breaking the law does not also mean that the government is immune from profound criticism for its action in banning the thing in the first place.
The trespassers at Brize should be maximally punished, and if the PA organisation is deemed to be receiving covert support from Russia, then that should also be rooted out. However using blanket "anti terror" legislation in the way the government has chosen to do is a misuse of the legislation and profoundly corrosive to free speech and our democracy. Ed Davey is right to criticize Starmer's use of the legislation and to call him out on it.
"It may be relevant to suggest that the group has been proscribed for reasons of political theatre rather than because it is a genuine security threat."
Nope - attacking military equipment is not political theatre. We could be at war tomorrow. That equipment isn't available.
The trial is going to be interesting to watch. I’m going to guess that the defence will be that they didn’t realise emptying a can of spray paint into an aircraft’s engine would cause up to £10m of damage, that they thought it would all be cleaned off the next day rather than having to totally strip down and rebuild the engines.
Ignorance is no defence. "I had no idea shoving a knife into his leg might sever an artery and see him bleed out in minutes in front of me, guv."
I suspect the defence will be based on that used by the Colston protestors in Bristol i.e. they did it but it was justified.
This defence was successfully used by the Shannon protestors in 2017 when they repainted a US 767 so hopefully it'll work here.
A lot depends on whether it goes to court in Oxford or Swindon (would suggest an Oxford area jury pool would be more likely to acquit)
» show previous quotes I was suggesting your obsession is with the LibDems, FWIW.
You are complaining about someone having an obsession with the Libdems on a site full of political anoraks talking about politics, betting, and mens shed TV topical issues because they happened to mention the only newsworthy thing that their party Leader Ed Davey has uttered all summer? Well its a view.
In fairness to @Nigelb it is an odd obsession. I have commented on it several times. It is regular and completely out of the blue and usually out of context and random.
I commented only the other day in a light hearted way by asking whether he was a member of the Institute of Bar Charts to be so obsessed and offended by the LDs.
PS Oh and they are not a supporter. The complete opposite. So obsessed even when there isn't any news.
Note my "FWIW".
I was having what I thought was a mild dig at Taz, in response to his saying of Davey: This moron supports them (Palestine Action) as it’s a cosy, middle class, obsession.
As the accusation was plain wrong, I thought a little pushback was merited. FWIW.
No, I was not saying he supports Palestine Action, I don’t think that at all, I was saying he supports people who say they support them.
A bit like politicians in the eighties on the left who clearly didn’t support the IRA but happy to support people who did.
He should have qualified what he said and say the proscription is wrong in his view, if it is his view, and he gets the supporters but it is not right to support a proscribed group.
It may be relevant to suggest that the group has been proscribed for reasons of political theatre rather than because it is a genuine security threat. Just because the government of the day makes something illegal and then prosecutes those who are now deemed to be breaking the law does not also mean that the government is immune from profound criticism for its action in banning the thing in the first place.
The trespassers at Brize should be maximally punished, and if the PA organisation is deemed to be receiving covert support from Russia, then that should also be rooted out. However using blanket "anti terror" legislation in the way the government has chosen to do is a misuse of the legislation and profoundly corrosive to free speech and our democracy. Ed Davey is right to criticize Starmer's use of the legislation and to call him out on it.
"It may be relevant to suggest that the group has been proscribed for reasons of political theatre rather than because it is a genuine security threat."
Nope - attacking military equipment is not political theatre. We could be at war tomorrow. That equipment isn't available.
The trial is going to be interesting to watch. I’m going to guess that the defence will be that they didn’t realise emptying a can of spray paint into an aircraft’s engine would cause up to £10m of damage, that they thought it would all be cleaned off the next day rather than having to totally strip down and rebuild the engines.
Ignorance is no defence. "I had no idea shoving a knife into his leg might sever an artery and see him bleed out in minutes in front of me, guv."
There is a philosophy thought-experiment which could be applied to your scenario:
Man A shoves a knife into a man's leg and severs an artery and the man dies Man B With equivalent force and intent shoves a knife into a man's leg and misses an artery and the man is just injured
Is there a difference in the two crimes?
Intent is the usual separator. What was the intent in doing it and the events leading up to it.
» show previous quotes I was suggesting your obsession is with the LibDems, FWIW.
You are complaining about someone having an obsession with the Libdems on a site full of political anoraks talking about politics, betting, and mens shed TV topical issues because they happened to mention the only newsworthy thing that their party Leader Ed Davey has uttered all summer? Well its a view.
In fairness to @Nigelb it is an odd obsession. I have commented on it several times. It is regular and completely out of the blue and usually out of context and random.
I commented only the other day in a light hearted way by asking whether he was a member of the Institute of Bar Charts to be so obsessed and offended by the LDs.
PS Oh and they are not a supporter. The complete opposite. So obsessed even when there isn't any news.
Note my "FWIW".
I was having what I thought was a mild dig at Taz, in response to his saying of Davey: This moron supports them (Palestine Action) as it’s a cosy, middle class, obsession.
As the accusation was plain wrong, I thought a little pushback was merited. FWIW.
No, I was not saying he supports Palestine Action, I don’t think that at all, I was saying he supports people who say they support them.
A bit like politicians in the eighties on the left who clearly didn’t support the IRA but happy to support people who did.
He should have qualified what he said and say the proscription is wrong in his view, if it is his view, and he gets the supporters but it is not right to support a proscribed group.
It may be relevant to suggest that the group has been proscribed for reasons of political theatre rather than because it is a genuine security threat. Just because the government of the day makes something illegal and then prosecutes those who are now deemed to be breaking the law does not also mean that the government is immune from profound criticism for its action in banning the thing in the first place.
The trespassers at Brize should be maximally punished, and if the PA organisation is deemed to be receiving covert support from Russia, then that should also be rooted out. However using blanket "anti terror" legislation in the way the government has chosen to do is a misuse of the legislation and profoundly corrosive to free speech and our democracy. Ed Davey is right to criticize Starmer's use of the legislation and to call him out on it.
"It may be relevant to suggest that the group has been proscribed for reasons of political theatre rather than because it is a genuine security threat."
Nope - attacking military equipment is not political theatre. We could be at war tomorrow. That equipment isn't available.
The trial is going to be interesting to watch. I’m going to guess that the defence will be that they didn’t realise emptying a can of spray paint into an aircraft’s engine would cause up to £10m of damage, that they thought it would all be cleaned off the next day rather than having to totally strip down and rebuild the engines.
Ignorance is no defence. "I had no idea shoving a knife into his leg might sever an artery and see him bleed out in minutes in front of me, guv."
I suspect the defence will be based on that used by the Colston protestors in Bristol i.e. they did it but it was justified.
This defence was successfully used by the Shannon protestors in 2017 when they repainted a US 767 so hopefully it'll work here.
A lot depends on whether it goes to court in Oxford or Swindon (would suggest an Oxford area jury pool would be more likely to acquit)
I understand that the Brize Norton five are heading to the Old Bailey, starting on 18th January 2027. So even if acquitted they will all spend a long time in prison.
FLINT FLICKERS FORTNIGHTLY has commissioned me to do a road trip from San Francisco to Seattle. *which is nice*
However I don’t know this coast at all. Or indeed inland of this coast. I’ve been to Seattle and environs - I’ve done Mount Saint Helens - but that’s it. Any ideas what I should do? Any must-sees?
Stay home. Watch a couple of videos of that exact road trip. Phone in article to the Gazette copy-takers. What next? Route 66? Land's End to John o' Groats?
But the joke's on me. I've been suckered into thinking the Gazette is like National Geographic when in fact 99.4 per cent of all travel journalism is bought and paid for by tourist boards and hotel chains.
“Hi Grok, I am planning a trip from City A to City B. Please can you describe what are the attractions in these cities and close to the route between them. Please reply in around 2,000 words and following the style guide of The Gazette”.
» show previous quotes I was suggesting your obsession is with the LibDems, FWIW.
You are complaining about someone having an obsession with the Libdems on a site full of political anoraks talking about politics, betting, and mens shed TV topical issues because they happened to mention the only newsworthy thing that their party Leader Ed Davey has uttered all summer? Well its a view.
In fairness to @Nigelb it is an odd obsession. I have commented on it several times. It is regular and completely out of the blue and usually out of context and random.
I commented only the other day in a light hearted way by asking whether he was a member of the Institute of Bar Charts to be so obsessed and offended by the LDs.
PS Oh and they are not a supporter. The complete opposite. So obsessed even when there isn't any news.
Note my "FWIW".
I was having what I thought was a mild dig at Taz, in response to his saying of Davey: This moron supports them (Palestine Action) as it’s a cosy, middle class, obsession.
As the accusation was plain wrong, I thought a little pushback was merited. FWIW.
No, I was not saying he supports Palestine Action, I don’t think that at all, I was saying he supports people who say they support them.
A bit like politicians in the eighties on the left who clearly didn’t support the IRA but happy to support people who did.
He should have qualified what he said and say the proscription is wrong in his view, if it is his view, and he gets the supporters but it is not right to support a proscribed group.
It may be relevant to suggest that the group has been proscribed for reasons of political theatre rather than because it is a genuine security threat. Just because the government of the day makes something illegal and then prosecutes those who are now deemed to be breaking the law does not also mean that the government is immune from profound criticism for its action in banning the thing in the first place.
The trespassers at Brize should be maximally punished, and if the PA organisation is deemed to be receiving covert support from Russia, then that should also be rooted out. However using blanket "anti terror" legislation in the way the government has chosen to do is a misuse of the legislation and profoundly corrosive to free speech and our democracy. Ed Davey is right to criticize Starmer's use of the legislation and to call him out on it.
"It may be relevant to suggest that the group has been proscribed for reasons of political theatre rather than because it is a genuine security threat."
Nope - attacking military equipment is not political theatre. We could be at war tomorrow. That equipment isn't available.
The trial is going to be interesting to watch. I’m going to guess that the defence will be that they didn’t realise emptying a can of spray paint into an aircraft’s engine would cause up to £10m of damage, that they thought it would all be cleaned off the next day rather than having to totally strip down and rebuild the engines.
Ignorance is no defence. "I had no idea shoving a knife into his leg might sever an artery and see him bleed out in minutes in front of me, guv."
I suspect the defence will be based on that used by the Colston protestors in Bristol i.e. they did it but it was justified.
This defence was successfully used by the Shannon protestors in 2017 when they repainted a US 767 so hopefully it'll work here.
A lot depends on whether it goes to court in Oxford or Swindon (would suggest an Oxford area jury pool would be more likely to acquit)
I will also be interested to see whether the MoD valuation is probed. And whether it is credible. I recall, when a major MoD warehouse burned down, MoD stated that the goods were worth £x gazillion, especially spare Olympus engines and other parts for V-bombers. Which last were in the process of going out of service, with no civilians (then) being allowed to acquire them for flight, making the engines (a specific variant for the aforesaid V-bombers) worth no more than scrap value.
FLINT FLICKERS FORTNIGHTLY has commissioned me to do a road trip from San Francisco to Seattle. *which is nice*
However I don’t know this coast at all. Or indeed inland of this coast. I’ve been to Seattle and environs - I’ve done Mount Saint Helens - but that’s it. Any ideas what I should do? Any must-sees?
NW of SF you have Point Reyes, where the lighthouse featured in Carpenters "The Fog".
Fort Lewis is near Tacoma. You can see the Military Museum there. I was disappointed it was named after but not founded by the Lewis and Clark guy. Tacoma was also where a quite remarkable number of serial killers hail from. I was advised the best way to go between San Diego and Vancouver is. To SF by road. Fly to Sea-Tac. To Vancouver by road. Best of both worlds.
I’ve been to Tacoma. Famous for the “Tacoma aroma” - and not in a good way. Also that bridge collapsing - incredible video - when the wind hit the critical frequency IIRC
However on the same trip I stayed with friends (a wedding) in an idyllic seaside cabin on Puget Sound where you could eat oysters gathered from the beach and shucked there and then, and as you say back with your half dozen you could watch sea otters playing on the islets
Sublime part of the world when the sun shines
Agreed. Puget Sound is gorgeous. However. It soon gets old if you don't like the outdoor pursuits too much. And it isn't really between SF and Seattle. It's more near Seattle.
» show previous quotes I was suggesting your obsession is with the LibDems, FWIW.
You are complaining about someone having an obsession with the Libdems on a site full of political anoraks talking about politics, betting, and mens shed TV topical issues because they happened to mention the only newsworthy thing that their party Leader Ed Davey has uttered all summer? Well its a view.
In fairness to @Nigelb it is an odd obsession. I have commented on it several times. It is regular and completely out of the blue and usually out of context and random.
I commented only the other day in a light hearted way by asking whether he was a member of the Institute of Bar Charts to be so obsessed and offended by the LDs.
PS Oh and they are not a supporter. The complete opposite. So obsessed even when there isn't any news.
Note my "FWIW".
I was having what I thought was a mild dig at Taz, in response to his saying of Davey: This moron supports them (Palestine Action) as it’s a cosy, middle class, obsession.
As the accusation was plain wrong, I thought a little pushback was merited. FWIW.
No, I was not saying he supports Palestine Action, I don’t think that at all, I was saying he supports people who say they support them.
A bit like politicians in the eighties on the left who clearly didn’t support the IRA but happy to support people who did.
He should have qualified what he said and say the proscription is wrong in his view, if it is his view, and he gets the supporters but it is not right to support a proscribed group.
It may be relevant to suggest that the group has been proscribed for reasons of political theatre rather than because it is a genuine security threat. Just because the government of the day makes something illegal and then prosecutes those who are now deemed to be breaking the law does not also mean that the government is immune from profound criticism for its action in banning the thing in the first place.
The trespassers at Brize should be maximally punished, and if the PA organisation is deemed to be receiving covert support from Russia, then that should also be rooted out. However using blanket "anti terror" legislation in the way the government has chosen to do is a misuse of the legislation and profoundly corrosive to free speech and our democracy. Ed Davey is right to criticize Starmer's use of the legislation and to call him out on it.
"It may be relevant to suggest that the group has been proscribed for reasons of political theatre rather than because it is a genuine security threat."
Nope - attacking military equipment is not political theatre. We could be at war tomorrow. That equipment isn't available.
The trial is going to be interesting to watch. I’m going to guess that the defence will be that they didn’t realise emptying a can of spray paint into an aircraft’s engine would cause up to £10m of damage, that they thought it would all be cleaned off the next day rather than having to totally strip down and rebuild the engines.
Ignorance is no defence. "I had no idea shoving a knife into his leg might sever an artery and see him bleed out in minutes in front of me, guv."
I suspect the defence will be based on that used by the Colston protestors in Bristol i.e. they did it but it was justified.
This defence was successfully used by the Shannon protestors in 2017 when they repainted a US 767 so hopefully it'll work here.
A lot depends on whether it goes to court in Oxford or Swindon (would suggest an Oxford area jury pool would be more likely to acquit)
I understand that the Brize Norton five are heading to the Old Bailey, starting on 18th January 2027. So even if acquitted they will all spend a long time in prison.
Normally I’d say that being on remand for more than 18 months ahead of a trial is a sign of a failing justice system, but in this case it provides some telling advice to anyone who might be planning similar stunts.
» show previous quotes I was suggesting your obsession is with the LibDems, FWIW.
You are complaining about someone having an obsession with the Libdems on a site full of political anoraks talking about politics, betting, and mens shed TV topical issues because they happened to mention the only newsworthy thing that their party Leader Ed Davey has uttered all summer? Well its a view.
In fairness to @Nigelb it is an odd obsession. I have commented on it several times. It is regular and completely out of the blue and usually out of context and random.
I commented only the other day in a light hearted way by asking whether he was a member of the Institute of Bar Charts to be so obsessed and offended by the LDs.
PS Oh and they are not a supporter. The complete opposite. So obsessed even when there isn't any news.
Note my "FWIW".
I was having what I thought was a mild dig at Taz, in response to his saying of Davey: This moron supports them (Palestine Action) as it’s a cosy, middle class, obsession.
As the accusation was plain wrong, I thought a little pushback was merited. FWIW.
No, I was not saying he supports Palestine Action, I don’t think that at all, I was saying he supports people who say they support them.
A bit like politicians in the eighties on the left who clearly didn’t support the IRA but happy to support people who did.
He should have qualified what he said and say the proscription is wrong in his view, if it is his view, and he gets the supporters but it is not right to support a proscribed group.
It may be relevant to suggest that the group has been proscribed for reasons of political theatre rather than because it is a genuine security threat. Just because the government of the day makes something illegal and then prosecutes those who are now deemed to be breaking the law does not also mean that the government is immune from profound criticism for its action in banning the thing in the first place.
The trespassers at Brize should be maximally punished, and if the PA organisation is deemed to be receiving covert support from Russia, then that should also be rooted out. However using blanket "anti terror" legislation in the way the government has chosen to do is a misuse of the legislation and profoundly corrosive to free speech and our democracy. Ed Davey is right to criticize Starmer's use of the legislation and to call him out on it.
"It may be relevant to suggest that the group has been proscribed for reasons of political theatre rather than because it is a genuine security threat."
Nope - attacking military equipment is not political theatre. We could be at war tomorrow. That equipment isn't available.
The trial is going to be interesting to watch. I’m going to guess that the defence will be that they didn’t realise emptying a can of spray paint into an aircraft’s engine would cause up to £10m of damage, that they thought it would all be cleaned off the next day rather than having to totally strip down and rebuild the engines.
Ignorance is no defence. "I had no idea shoving a knife into his leg might sever an artery and see him bleed out in minutes in front of me, guv."
There is a philosophy thought-experiment which could be applied to your scenario:
Man A shoves a knife into a man's leg and severs an artery and the man dies Man B With equivalent force and intent shoves a knife into a man's leg and misses an artery and the man is just injured
Is there a difference in the two crimes?
Intent is the usual separator. What was the intent in doing it and the events leading up to it.
Intent is nonsense, it should be risk based. Anyone who decides that they will attack someone with a deadly weapon is risking another person's life, regardless of where they aim that weapon. It should be life in prison as someone who is willing to take that kind of risk with someone else's life is a danger to the public. Whether or not they hit the artery, intentionally or otherwise, is immaterial.
» show previous quotes I was suggesting your obsession is with the LibDems, FWIW.
You are complaining about someone having an obsession with the Libdems on a site full of political anoraks talking about politics, betting, and mens shed TV topical issues because they happened to mention the only newsworthy thing that their party Leader Ed Davey has uttered all summer? Well its a view.
In fairness to @Nigelb it is an odd obsession. I have commented on it several times. It is regular and completely out of the blue and usually out of context and random.
I commented only the other day in a light hearted way by asking whether he was a member of the Institute of Bar Charts to be so obsessed and offended by the LDs.
PS Oh and they are not a supporter. The complete opposite. So obsessed even when there isn't any news.
Note my "FWIW".
I was having what I thought was a mild dig at Taz, in response to his saying of Davey: This moron supports them (Palestine Action) as it’s a cosy, middle class, obsession.
As the accusation was plain wrong, I thought a little pushback was merited. FWIW.
No, I was not saying he supports Palestine Action, I don’t think that at all, I was saying he supports people who say they support them.
A bit like politicians in the eighties on the left who clearly didn’t support the IRA but happy to support people who did.
He should have qualified what he said and say the proscription is wrong in his view, if it is his view, and he gets the supporters but it is not right to support a proscribed group.
It may be relevant to suggest that the group has been proscribed for reasons of political theatre rather than because it is a genuine security threat. Just because the government of the day makes something illegal and then prosecutes those who are now deemed to be breaking the law does not also mean that the government is immune from profound criticism for its action in banning the thing in the first place.
The trespassers at Brize should be maximally punished, and if the PA organisation is deemed to be receiving covert support from Russia, then that should also be rooted out. However using blanket "anti terror" legislation in the way the government has chosen to do is a misuse of the legislation and profoundly corrosive to free speech and our democracy. Ed Davey is right to criticize Starmer's use of the legislation and to call him out on it.
"It may be relevant to suggest that the group has been proscribed for reasons of political theatre rather than because it is a genuine security threat."
Nope - attacking military equipment is not political theatre. We could be at war tomorrow. That equipment isn't available.
The trial is going to be interesting to watch. I’m going to guess that the defence will be that they didn’t realise emptying a can of spray paint into an aircraft’s engine would cause up to £10m of damage, that they thought it would all be cleaned off the next day rather than having to totally strip down and rebuild the engines.
Ignorance is no defence. "I had no idea shoving a knife into his leg might sever an artery and see him bleed out in minutes in front of me, guv."
I suspect the defence will be based on that used by the Colston protestors in Bristol i.e. they did it but it was justified.
This defence was successfully used by the Shannon protestors in 2017 when they repainted a US 767 so hopefully it'll work here.
A lot depends on whether it goes to court in Oxford or Swindon (would suggest an Oxford area jury pool would be more likely to acquit)
I will also be interested to see whether the MoD valuation is probed. And whether it is credible. I recall, when a major MoD warehouse burned down, MoD stated that the goods were worth £x gazillion, especially spare Olympus engines and other parts for V-bombers. Which last were in the process of going out of service, with no civilians (then) being allowed to acquire them for flight, making the engines (a specific variant for the aforesaid V-bombers) worth no more than scrap value.
Military accounting, it’s how Biden and Trump say that hundreds of billions of dollars have been given to Ukraine, when the vast majority of the hardware that’s been transferred is end-of-life previous-generation equipment.
Hi @Taz, I got flagged yesterday in a reply post to you. It seems very unlike you to flag me, although it seems unlikely anyone else would flag it either as it was very tame. I am assuming it was a fat finger post by someone in error.
It would be good to know it wasn't you as it seems very unlike you to do so. Cheers kjh.
FLINT FLICKERS FORTNIGHTLY has commissioned me to do a road trip from San Francisco to Seattle. *which is nice*
However I don’t know this coast at all. Or indeed inland of this coast. I’ve been to Seattle and environs - I’ve done Mount Saint Helens - but that’s it. Any ideas what I should do? Any must-sees?
Stay home. Watch a couple of videos of that exact road trip. Phone in article to the Gazette copy-takers. What next? Route 66? Land's End to John o' Groats?
But the joke's on me. I've been suckered into thinking the Gazette is like National Geographic when in fact 99.4 per cent of all travel journalism is bought and paid for by tourist boards and hotel chains.
That’s the only way it is economically feasible for 99.4% of travel journalists, papers/websites, etc
Even then the pay is dismal. Last year I did a scuba diving piece in the Maldives. Took an entire week - scuba diving some of the best dive sites in the world - like shark alley - manta ray central - using those James Bond underwater dive propulsion machines. And we were forced to stay in two DIFFERENT five star hotels in the sun, with famous underwater restaurants, flying out by sea plane, etc
So that’s a whole week of me having to dive and see hammerhead sharks and eat Patagonian toothfish in over water bistros and what did I get at the end of it? £400. For a week!
I’m tempted to go on strike for better conditions, frankly
FLINT FLICKERS FORTNIGHTLY has commissioned me to do a road trip from San Francisco to Seattle. *which is nice*
However I don’t know this coast at all. Or indeed inland of this coast. I’ve been to Seattle and environs - I’ve done Mount Saint Helens - but that’s it. Any ideas what I should do? Any must-sees?
Hmmm. There's Mount St Helens. And various other disaster sites and (I expect) abandoned industrial landscapes.
There are also several Frank-Lloyd Wright houses en route - eg the Hanna-Honeycomb House is great and an archetype of his design (1936) in Stanford (involves hexagons), but currently closed for renovations where it is normally open for visitors.
The Tracy House at the other end was occupied from 1956 to 2012 by the couple who had it built for them, but afaik is still a private house. Amusingly it was a "Usonian Automatic" home, designed to control construction costs - for FLW ! It didn't.
Both are Usonian Houses (FLW word), which would let you educate your readers with more vocabulary. There are others.
FLINT FLICKERS FORTNIGHTLY has commissioned me to do a road trip from San Francisco to Seattle. *which is nice*
However I don’t know this coast at all. Or indeed inland of this coast. I’ve been to Seattle and environs - I’ve done Mount Saint Helens - but that’s it. Any ideas what I should do? Any must-sees?
NW of SF you have Point Reyes, where the lighthouse featured in Carpenters "The Fog".
Fort Lewis is near Tacoma. You can see the Military Museum there. I was disappointed it was named after but not founded by the Lewis and Clark guy. Tacoma was also where a quite remarkable number of serial killers hail from. I was advised the best way to go between San Diego and Vancouver is. To SF by road. Fly to Sea-Tac. To Vancouver by road. Best of both worlds.
I’ve been to Tacoma. Famous for the “Tacoma aroma” - and not in a good way. Also that bridge collapsing - incredible video - when the wind hit the critical frequency IIRC
However on the same trip I stayed with friends (a wedding) in an idyllic seaside cabin on Puget Sound where you could eat oysters gathered from the beach and shucked there and then, and as you say back with your half dozen you could watch sea otters playing on the islets
Sublime part of the world when the sun shines
Agreed. Puget Sound is gorgeous. However. It soon gets old if you don't like the outdoor pursuits too much. And it isn't really between SF and Seattle. It's more near Seattle.
Yes. It was all based in Seattle. Mount st Helen’s is also incredible to visit (or it was back then). Mile after mile of flattened trees and total desolation. Wild
» show previous quotes I was suggesting your obsession is with the LibDems, FWIW.
You are complaining about someone having an obsession with the Libdems on a site full of political anoraks talking about politics, betting, and mens shed TV topical issues because they happened to mention the only newsworthy thing that their party Leader Ed Davey has uttered all summer? Well its a view.
In fairness to @Nigelb it is an odd obsession. I have commented on it several times. It is regular and completely out of the blue and usually out of context and random.
I commented only the other day in a light hearted way by asking whether he was a member of the Institute of Bar Charts to be so obsessed and offended by the LDs.
PS Oh and they are not a supporter. The complete opposite. So obsessed even when there isn't any news.
Note my "FWIW".
I was having what I thought was a mild dig at Taz, in response to his saying of Davey: This moron supports them (Palestine Action) as it’s a cosy, middle class, obsession.
As the accusation was plain wrong, I thought a little pushback was merited. FWIW.
No, I was not saying he supports Palestine Action, I don’t think that at all, I was saying he supports people who say they support them.
A bit like politicians in the eighties on the left who clearly didn’t support the IRA but happy to support people who did.
He should have qualified what he said and say the proscription is wrong in his view, if it is his view, and he gets the supporters but it is not right to support a proscribed group.
It may be relevant to suggest that the group has been proscribed for reasons of political theatre rather than because it is a genuine security threat. Just because the government of the day makes something illegal and then prosecutes those who are now deemed to be breaking the law does not also mean that the government is immune from profound criticism for its action in banning the thing in the first place.
The trespassers at Brize should be maximally punished, and if the PA organisation is deemed to be receiving covert support from Russia, then that should also be rooted out. However using blanket "anti terror" legislation in the way the government has chosen to do is a misuse of the legislation and profoundly corrosive to free speech and our democracy. Ed Davey is right to criticize Starmer's use of the legislation and to call him out on it.
"It may be relevant to suggest that the group has been proscribed for reasons of political theatre rather than because it is a genuine security threat."
Nope - attacking military equipment is not political theatre. We could be at war tomorrow. That equipment isn't available.
The trial is going to be interesting to watch. I’m going to guess that the defence will be that they didn’t realise emptying a can of spray paint into an aircraft’s engine would cause up to £10m of damage, that they thought it would all be cleaned off the next day rather than having to totally strip down and rebuild the engines.
Ignorance is no defence. "I had no idea shoving a knife into his leg might sever an artery and see him bleed out in minutes in front of me, guv."
I suspect the defence will be based on that used by the Colston protestors in Bristol i.e. they did it but it was justified.
This defence was successfully used by the Shannon protestors in 2017 when they repainted a US 767 so hopefully it'll work here.
A lot depends on whether it goes to court in Oxford or Swindon (would suggest an Oxford area jury pool would be more likely to acquit)
I will also be interested to see whether the MoD valuation is probed. And whether it is credible. .
Regrettably my cousin's lad is no longer on No.101, the silly sod took a ground tour that was fraudulently sold to him as a 'career-maker'. So I have no tea on this. However, one of the aircraft was in the Falklands a week after it got the paint in the starboard engine. They might have changed a donk, but probably not in that time. Maybe they just threw a bucket of acetone into the arse end of the engine and hoped for the best. The EGT of a Trent has be 1,000+ deg so the other possibility is that they just put the throttles on the firewall and YOLO'ed it to burn the paint out.
FLINT FLICKERS FORTNIGHTLY has commissioned me to do a road trip from San Francisco to Seattle. *which is nice*
However I don’t know this coast at all. Or indeed inland of this coast. I’ve been to Seattle and environs - I’ve done Mount Saint Helens - but that’s it. Any ideas what I should do? Any must-sees?
you would need to do the obvious , Golden Gate bridge, Alcatraz. Further up but a bit inland Yosemite , Lake Tahoe.
Trouble is I’ve done all those. Apart from Lake Tahoe
I’ve been to California a lot. I was hoping for something new and exciting north of Frisco but it sounds like there’s not that much
Temperate rainforest with lots of trees. Nice country to drive through. The beaches are rather fine and somewhat deserted because of the cold current and wind. I saw some interesting Indian rock art.
FLINT FLICKERS FORTNIGHTLY has commissioned me to do a road trip from San Francisco to Seattle. *which is nice*
However I don’t know this coast at all. Or indeed inland of this coast. I’ve been to Seattle and environs - I’ve done Mount Saint Helens - but that’s it. Any ideas what I should do? Any must-sees?
Stay home. Watch a couple of videos of that exact road trip. Phone in article to the Gazette copy-takers. What next? Route 66? Land's End to John o' Groats?
But the joke's on me. I've been suckered into thinking the Gazette is like National Geographic when in fact 99.4 per cent of all travel journalism is bought and paid for by tourist boards and hotel chains.
“Hi Grok, I am planning a trip from City A to City B. Please can you describe what are the attractions in these cities and close to the route between them. Please reply in around 2,000 words and following the style guide of The Gazette”.
“Hi Grok, after completing the above, please can you detail and compare how much it might cost for a human to do the same trip. Work on the human costing $500/day in wages, plus his flights (from UK, biz class) hotels, car hire, food and drink etc. Please also write 500 words on how AI can very easily replace travel journalism, when it can quickly write an article that might cost in the five figures for a human to do.”
FLINT FLICKERS FORTNIGHTLY has commissioned me to do a road trip from San Francisco to Seattle. *which is nice*
However I don’t know this coast at all. Or indeed inland of this coast. I’ve been to Seattle and environs - I’ve done Mount Saint Helens - but that’s it. Any ideas what I should do? Any must-sees?
NW of SF you have Point Reyes, where the lighthouse featured in Carpenters "The Fog".
Ta
I literally know nothing about this coast. Eg Oregon. What do I see in Oregon?! I’ve always thought it sounds pleasant but in reality I have no idea
I presume you've done the wine country north of SF ?
No. Never! Is that a must? For some reason I’ve got the idea it’s a bit dull. Wine countries can be dull. And if you’re solo driving you can’t even do fun tastings
Have I got it all wrong? Advice welcome
We visited Sonoma back when we lived in the States. It was very nice but a bit sterile in the way that wealthy parts of the US tend to be. Some of this may be the Europan bias against anywhere that feels too recently constructed, equating new with fake, which is an unfair yardstick in the New World I guess.
Yes that’s kinda my expectation. A viticultural version of Palm Springs or Sanibel
But maybe I’m wrong. I should probablyask @rcs1000 or @StillWaters - seeing as they actually live there
Yes, recent knowledge is essential. My experience of it is a couple of decades or more back, and I've little doubt it will have changed massively. Some of the old Victorian era towns were great - but a lot of historic stuff has burned since, I think.
One of the best holidays I had was cycling through the wine country back in the 80s, but it certainly wouldn't be recognisable now.
Not sure how I'd choose today between doing the first bit on the coastal road, or going inland on the 101 to Healdsburg (which is probably still worth a visit).
» show previous quotes I was suggesting your obsession is with the LibDems, FWIW.
You are complaining about someone having an obsession with the Libdems on a site full of political anoraks talking about politics, betting, and mens shed TV topical issues because they happened to mention the only newsworthy thing that their party Leader Ed Davey has uttered all summer? Well its a view.
In fairness to @Nigelb it is an odd obsession. I have commented on it several times. It is regular and completely out of the blue and usually out of context and random.
I commented only the other day in a light hearted way by asking whether he was a member of the Institute of Bar Charts to be so obsessed and offended by the LDs.
PS Oh and they are not a supporter. The complete opposite. So obsessed even when there isn't any news.
Note my "FWIW".
I was having what I thought was a mild dig at Taz, in response to his saying of Davey: This moron supports them (Palestine Action) as it’s a cosy, middle class, obsession.
As the accusation was plain wrong, I thought a little pushback was merited. FWIW.
No, I was not saying he supports Palestine Action, I don’t think that at all, I was saying he supports people who say they support them.
A bit like politicians in the eighties on the left who clearly didn’t support the IRA but happy to support people who did.
He should have qualified what he said and say the proscription is wrong in his view, if it is his view, and he gets the supporters but it is not right to support a proscribed group.
It may be relevant to suggest that the group has been proscribed for reasons of political theatre rather than because it is a genuine security threat. Just because the government of the day makes something illegal and then prosecutes those who are now deemed to be breaking the law does not also mean that the government is immune from profound criticism for its action in banning the thing in the first place.
The trespassers at Brize should be maximally punished, and if the PA organisation is deemed to be receiving covert support from Russia, then that should also be rooted out. However using blanket "anti terror" legislation in the way the government has chosen to do is a misuse of the legislation and profoundly corrosive to free speech and our democracy. Ed Davey is right to criticize Starmer's use of the legislation and to call him out on it.
"It may be relevant to suggest that the group has been proscribed for reasons of political theatre rather than because it is a genuine security threat."
Nope - attacking military equipment is not political theatre. We could be at war tomorrow. That equipment isn't available.
The trial is going to be interesting to watch. I’m going to guess that the defence will be that they didn’t realise emptying a can of spray paint into an aircraft’s engine would cause up to £10m of damage, that they thought it would all be cleaned off the next day rather than having to totally strip down and rebuild the engines.
Ignorance is no defence. "I had no idea shoving a knife into his leg might sever an artery and see him bleed out in minutes in front of me, guv."
I suspect the defence will be based on that used by the Colston protestors in Bristol i.e. they did it but it was justified.
This defence was successfully used by the Shannon protestors in 2017 when they repainted a US 767 so hopefully it'll work here.
A lot depends on whether it goes to court in Oxford or Swindon (would suggest an Oxford area jury pool would be more likely to acquit)
I will also be interested to see whether the MoD valuation is probed. And whether it is credible. .
Regrettably my cousin's lad is no longer on No.101, the silly sod took a ground tour that was fraudulently sold to him as a 'career-maker'. So I have no tea on this. However, one of the aircraft was in the Falklands a week after it got the paint in the starboard engine. They might have changed a donk, but probably not in that time. Maybe they just threw a bucket of acetone into the arse end of the engine and hoped for the best. The EGT of a Trent has be 1,000+ deg so the other possibility is that they just put the throttles on the firewall and YOLO'ed it to burn the paint out.
I do recall reading about the time a FAA Phantom visited the Independence and the residents changed the roundel to the US national marking (the pre war one with the central blob and no bars) and the 'Royal Navy' to 'Colonial Navy'.
I don't recall reading about HMG wanting to prosecute but perhaps they weren't so keen then as they are today to prosecute overseas persons for overseas offences, Usonian flattops being strictly Usonian territory.
FLINT FLICKERS FORTNIGHTLY has commissioned me to do a road trip from San Francisco to Seattle. *which is nice*
However I don’t know this coast at all. Or indeed inland of this coast. I’ve been to Seattle and environs - I’ve done Mount Saint Helens - but that’s it. Any ideas what I should do? Any must-sees?
Stay home. Watch a couple of videos of that exact road trip. Phone in article to the Gazette copy-takers. What next? Route 66? Land's End to John o' Groats?
But the joke's on me. I've been suckered into thinking the Gazette is like National Geographic when in fact 99.4 per cent of all travel journalism is bought and paid for by tourist boards and hotel chains.
“Hi Grok, I am planning a trip from City A to City B. Please can you describe what are the attractions in these cities and close to the route between them. Please reply in around 2,000 words and following the style guide of The Gazette”.
“Hi Grok, after completing the above, please can you detail and compare how much it might cost for a human to do the same trip. Work on the human costing $500/day in wages, plus his flights (from UK, biz class) hotels, car hire, food and drink etc. Please also write 500 words on how AI can very easily replace travel journalism, when it can quickly write an article that might cost in the five figures for a human to do.”
Claude says Mendocino. But it sounds like you need to pull a 23-year old.
The town of Mendocino perches on coastal bluffs like a Victorian fever dream, its 19th-century architecture preserved with the sort of meticulous care typically reserved for museum pieces. This former logging town has reinvented itself as a destination for romantic weekends and artistic retreats, where bed-and-breakfasts occupy lovingly restored mansions and galleries showcase local craftsmanship.
The Mendocino Headlands State Park surrounds the town with dramatic coastal scenery, where walking trails traverse bluffs that offer panoramic ocean views. Sea arches and blow holes punctuate the coastline, creating natural spectacles that photographers pursue with religious devotion.
FLINT FLICKERS FORTNIGHTLY has commissioned me to do a road trip from San Francisco to Seattle. *which is nice*
However I don’t know this coast at all. Or indeed inland of this coast. I’ve been to Seattle and environs - I’ve done Mount Saint Helens - but that’s it. Any ideas what I should do? Any must-sees?
Stay home. Watch a couple of videos of that exact road trip. Phone in article to the Gazette copy-takers. What next? Route 66? Land's End to John o' Groats?
But the joke's on me. I've been suckered into thinking the Gazette is like National Geographic when in fact 99.4 per cent of all travel journalism is bought and paid for by tourist boards and hotel chains.
“Hi Grok, I am planning a trip from City A to City B. Please can you describe what are the attractions in these cities and close to the route between them. Please reply in around 2,000 words and following the style guide of The Gazette”.
“Hi Grok, after completing the above, please can you detail and compare how much it might cost for a human to do the same trip. Work on the human costing $500/day in wages, plus his flights (from UK, biz class) hotels, car hire, food and drink etc. Please also write 500 words on how AI can very easily replace travel journalism, when it can quickly write an article that might cost in the five figures for a human to do.”
Happily that’s never going to happen. Because readers will insist - indeed are already insisting - that a human experiences these things so a human can say what it’s like for a human to do them
True story. This is already impacting travel pages - they’re commissioning MORE personal travel stories because it turns out these are in demand
Machines can churn out the facts and figures - and will do so. The bottom is falling out of the already tiny market for writers giving the boring info on flight delay compensation
But stories like “how I went to the Maldives and saw 300 sharks” are even more popular than ever
This is the way ahead. If your job involves some irreplaceable human element - and you are good at it - it is not only safe you could possibly flourish and make more money than ever. If your job is not irreplaceably human or you’re not especially skilled, eek
FLINT FLICKERS FORTNIGHTLY has commissioned me to do a road trip from San Francisco to Seattle. *which is nice*
However I don’t know this coast at all. Or indeed inland of this coast. I’ve been to Seattle and environs - I’ve done Mount Saint Helens - but that’s it. Any ideas what I should do? Any must-sees?
Hmmm. There's Mount St Helens. And various other disaster sites and (I expect) abandoned industrial landscapes.
There are also several Frank-Lloyd Wright houses en route - eg the Hanna-Honeycomb House is great and an archetype of his design (1936) in Stanford (involves hexagons), but currently closed for renovations where it is normally open for visitors.
The Tracy House at the other end was occupied from 1956 to 2012 by the couple who had it built for them, but afaik is still a private house. Amusingly it was a "Usonian Automatic" home, designed to control construction costs - for FLW ! It didn't.
Both are Usonian Houses (FLW word), which would let you educate your readers with more vocabulary. There are others.
FLINT FLICKERS FORTNIGHTLY has commissioned me to do a road trip from San Francisco to Seattle. *which is nice*
However I don’t know this coast at all. Or indeed inland of this coast. I’ve been to Seattle and environs - I’ve done Mount Saint Helens - but that’s it. Any ideas what I should do? Any must-sees?
you would need to do the obvious , Golden Gate bridge, Alcatraz. Further up but a bit inland Yosemite , Lake Tahoe.
Trouble is I’ve done all those. Apart from Lake Tahoe
I’ve been to California a lot. I was hoping for something new and exciting north of Frisco but it sounds like there’s not that much
Steven Malkmus (Pavement) wrote the song 'Unfair' which I think is about his perception that North California (and Oregon?) is better than South California, but is not credited as such. In your place, I would be making this the thesis of my whole article. Though perhaps this might be a bit esoteric for the readership of Flint Flickers Fortnightly.
Up to the top of the Shasta Gulch And to the bottom of the Tahoe Lake Man-made deltas and concrete rivers The south takes what the north delivers
FLINT FLICKERS FORTNIGHTLY has commissioned me to do a road trip from San Francisco to Seattle. *which is nice*
However I don’t know this coast at all. Or indeed inland of this coast. I’ve been to Seattle and environs - I’ve done Mount Saint Helens - but that’s it. Any ideas what I should do? Any must-sees?
Hmmm. There's Mount St Helens. And various other disaster sites and (I expect) abandoned industrial landscapes.
There are also several Frank-Lloyd Wright houses en route - eg the Hanna-Honeycomb House is great and an archetype of his design (1936) in Stanford (involves hexagons), but currently closed for renovations where it is normally open for visitors.
The Tracy House at the other end was occupied from 1956 to 2012 by the couple who had it built for them, but afaik is still a private house. Amusingly it was a "Usonian Automatic" home, designed to control construction costs - for FLW ! It didn't.
Both are Usonian Houses (FLW word), which would let you educate your readers with more vocabulary. There are others.
Don't know what Calistoga is like today, but it was a great little hippy town forty years ago.
I remember thinking even back then, hiking through the woods to visit the Petrified Forest that if it ever caught fire, you'd be very lucky to get out.
FLINT FLICKERS FORTNIGHTLY has commissioned me to do a road trip from San Francisco to Seattle. *which is nice*
However I don’t know this coast at all. Or indeed inland of this coast. I’ve been to Seattle and environs - I’ve done Mount Saint Helens - but that’s it. Any ideas what I should do? Any must-sees?
Stay home. Watch a couple of videos of that exact road trip. Phone in article to the Gazette copy-takers. What next? Route 66? Land's End to John o' Groats?
But the joke's on me. I've been suckered into thinking the Gazette is like National Geographic when in fact 99.4 per cent of all travel journalism is bought and paid for by tourist boards and hotel chains.
“Hi Grok, I am planning a trip from City A to City B. Please can you describe what are the attractions in these cities and close to the route between them. Please reply in around 2,000 words and following the style guide of The Gazette”.
“Hi Grok, after completing the above, please can you detail and compare how much it might cost for a human to do the same trip. Work on the human costing $500/day in wages, plus his flights (from UK, biz class) hotels, car hire, food and drink etc. Please also write 500 words on how AI can very easily replace travel journalism, when it can quickly write an article that might cost in the five figures for a human to do.”
Happily that’s never going to happen. Because readers will insist - indeed are already insisting - that a human experiences these things so a human can say what it’s like for a human to do them
True story. This is already impacting travel pages - they’re commissioning MORE personal travel stories because it turns out these are in demand
Machines can churn out the facts and figures - and will do so. The bottom is falling out of the already tiny market for writers giving the boring info on flight delay compensation
But stories like “how I went to the Maldives and saw 300 sharks” are even more popular than ever
This is the way ahead. If your job involves some irreplaceable human element - and you are good at it - it is not only safe you could possibly flourish and make more money than ever. If your job is not irreplaceably human or you’re not especially skilled, eek
You know I’m just bored and sitting in an hotel bar in Krakow, winding you up because it’s fun and I know you take it in good spirits. Best of luck with the assignment.
Hi @Taz, I got flagged yesterday in a reply post to you. It seems very unlike you to flag me, although it seems unlikely anyone else would flag it either as it was very tame. I am assuming it was a fat finger post by someone in error.
It would be good to know it wasn't you as it seems very unlike you to do so. Cheers kjh.
Hi, I have no recollection of tagging you, I know we don’t share the same politics but I think you’re cool, and had a look through my posts yesterday and cannot see any post where I did.
The deputy leader of Worcestershire County Council has resigned, three months into the role.
David Taylor, from the county's ruling Reform UK party, will remain a member of the cabinet, with Rob Wharton filling in as deputy leader while the group decides on a permanent replacement.
"Labour smell dirty tricks over asylum hotel court ruling - but the risks are clear
If hotels housing asylum seekers across the country start to empty out following Tuesday's High Court injunction, the Home Office will struggle to find alternative options."
The deputy leader of Worcestershire County Council has resigned, three months into the role.
David Taylor, from the county's ruling Reform UK party, will remain a member of the cabinet, with Rob Wharton filling in as deputy leader while the group decides on a permanent replacement.
The deputy leader of Worcestershire County Council has resigned, three months into the role.
David Taylor, from the county's ruling Reform UK party, will remain a member of the cabinet, with Rob Wharton filling in as deputy leader while the group decides on a permanent replacement.
As with the detentions in the US after Trump become world god president again, and plane crashes for the same period, are more councillors resigning than normal or are people just paying attention because its Reform?
FLINT FLICKERS FORTNIGHTLY has commissioned me to do a road trip from San Francisco to Seattle. *which is nice*
However I don’t know this coast at all. Or indeed inland of this coast. I’ve been to Seattle and environs - I’ve done Mount Saint Helens - but that’s it. Any ideas what I should do? Any must-sees?
Stay home. Watch a couple of videos of that exact road trip. Phone in article to the Gazette copy-takers. What next? Route 66? Land's End to John o' Groats?
But the joke's on me. I've been suckered into thinking the Gazette is like National Geographic when in fact 99.4 per cent of all travel journalism is bought and paid for by tourist boards and hotel chains.
“Hi Grok, I am planning a trip from City A to City B. Please can you describe what are the attractions in these cities and close to the route between them. Please reply in around 2,000 words and following the style guide of The Gazette”.
“Hi Grok, after completing the above, please can you detail and compare how much it might cost for a human to do the same trip. Work on the human costing $500/day in wages, plus his flights (from UK, biz class) hotels, car hire, food and drink etc. Please also write 500 words on how AI can very easily replace travel journalism, when it can quickly write an article that might cost in the five figures for a human to do.”
Happily that’s never going to happen. Because readers will insist - indeed are already insisting - that a human experiences these things so a human can say what it’s like for a human to do them
True story. This is already impacting travel pages - they’re commissioning MORE personal travel stories because it turns out these are in demand
Machines can churn out the facts and figures - and will do so. The bottom is falling out of the already tiny market for writers giving the boring info on flight delay compensation
But stories like “how I went to the Maldives and saw 300 sharks” are even more popular than ever
This is the way ahead. If your job involves some irreplaceable human element - and you are good at it - it is not only safe you could possibly flourish and make more money than ever. If your job is not irreplaceably human or you’re not especially skilled, eek
Luckily the LLMs are entirely factual and truthful and would never hallucinate having seen sharks.
The deputy leader of Worcestershire County Council has resigned, three months into the role.
David Taylor, from the county's ruling Reform UK party, will remain a member of the cabinet, with Rob Wharton filling in as deputy leader while the group decides on a permanent replacement.
As with the detentions in the US after Trump become world god president again, and plane crashes for the same period, are more councillors resigning than normal or are people just paying attention because its Reform?
In both cases, they just seem to be a bit of a cabinet reshuffle.
No takers on my question about what's the best place you've been but haven't been back to since the 1990s or thereabouts?
Was that addressed to me?
It's a good and juicy question
For me its a bit difficult because I go everywhere all the time, so I tend to return. I would have said Japan up until last year, but last year I went to Japan for a whole month (and it was as great as ever)
I'd say Syria but, well, Jesus, that's too bleak
How about Namibia? I was last there in the noughties, it's stellar destination, in multiple ways
» show previous quotes I was suggesting your obsession is with the LibDems, FWIW.
You are complaining about someone having an obsession with the Libdems on a site full of political anoraks talking about politics, betting, and mens shed TV topical issues because they happened to mention the only newsworthy thing that their party Leader Ed Davey has uttered all summer? Well its a view.
In fairness to @Nigelb it is an odd obsession. I have commented on it several times. It is regular and completely out of the blue and usually out of context and random.
I commented only the other day in a light hearted way by asking whether he was a member of the Institute of Bar Charts to be so obsessed and offended by the LDs.
PS Oh and they are not a supporter. The complete opposite. So obsessed even when there isn't any news.
Note my "FWIW".
I was having what I thought was a mild dig at Taz, in response to his saying of Davey: This moron supports them (Palestine Action) as it’s a cosy, middle class, obsession.
As the accusation was plain wrong, I thought a little pushback was merited. FWIW.
No, I was not saying he supports Palestine Action, I don’t think that at all, I was saying he supports people who say they support them.
A bit like politicians in the eighties on the left who clearly didn’t support the IRA but happy to support people who did.
He should have qualified what he said and say the proscription is wrong in his view, if it is his view, and he gets the supporters but it is not right to support a proscribed group.
It may be relevant to suggest that the group has been proscribed for reasons of political theatre rather than because it is a genuine security threat. Just because the government of the day makes something illegal and then prosecutes those who are now deemed to be breaking the law does not also mean that the government is immune from profound criticism for its action in banning the thing in the first place.
The trespassers at Brize should be maximally punished, and if the PA organisation is deemed to be receiving covert support from Russia, then that should also be rooted out. However using blanket "anti terror" legislation in the way the government has chosen to do is a misuse of the legislation and profoundly corrosive to free speech and our democracy. Ed Davey is right to criticize Starmer's use of the legislation and to call him out on it.
"It may be relevant to suggest that the group has been proscribed for reasons of political theatre rather than because it is a genuine security threat."
Nope - attacking military equipment is not political theatre. We could be at war tomorrow. That equipment isn't available.
The trial is going to be interesting to watch. I’m going to guess that the defence will be that they didn’t realise emptying a can of spray paint into an aircraft’s engine would cause up to £10m of damage, that they thought it would all be cleaned off the next day rather than having to totally strip down and rebuild the engines.
Ignorance is no defence. "I had no idea shoving a knife into his leg might sever an artery and see him bleed out in minutes in front of me, guv."
There is a philosophy thought-experiment which could be applied to your scenario:
Man A shoves a knife into a man's leg and severs an artery and the man dies Man B With equivalent force and intent shoves a knife into a man's leg and misses an artery and the man is just injured
Is there a difference in the two crimes?
Outcomes make a difference to what crime is committed. Man A: Guilty of murder as long as he has an intent to cause really serious bodily harm AND the man dies. If intent fall short of really serious, then manslaughter.
Man B: Guilty of GBH with intent if the injury is bad enough, lesser offence if not. Can't be done for attempted murder unless he has intent to kill. Which is why attempted murder is the hardest burden of proof there is on the prosecution. Murder doesn't require intent to kill, attempted murder does.
There is of course no difference in the acts or intentions of A and B. Luck plays a huge part in very serious offending, just as it does in speeding/parking/red lights.
The ones to avoid for us ordinary non criminal types are: causing death driving under alcohol; and death by careless driving. Especially the second, which can happen to anyone without any warning and without any effort. Maximum 5 years IIRC.
FLINT FLICKERS FORTNIGHTLY has commissioned me to do a road trip from San Francisco to Seattle. *which is nice*
However I don’t know this coast at all. Or indeed inland of this coast. I’ve been to Seattle and environs - I’ve done Mount Saint Helens - but that’s it. Any ideas what I should do? Any must-sees?
Stay home. Watch a couple of videos of that exact road trip. Phone in article to the Gazette copy-takers. What next? Route 66? Land's End to John o' Groats?
But the joke's on me. I've been suckered into thinking the Gazette is like National Geographic when in fact 99.4 per cent of all travel journalism is bought and paid for by tourist boards and hotel chains.
“Hi Grok, I am planning a trip from City A to City B. Please can you describe what are the attractions in these cities and close to the route between them. Please reply in around 2,000 words and following the style guide of The Gazette”.
“Hi Grok, after completing the above, please can you detail and compare how much it might cost for a human to do the same trip. Work on the human costing $500/day in wages, plus his flights (from UK, biz class) hotels, car hire, food and drink etc. Please also write 500 words on how AI can very easily replace travel journalism, when it can quickly write an article that might cost in the five figures for a human to do.”
Happily that’s never going to happen. Because readers will insist - indeed are already insisting - that a human experiences these things so a human can say what it’s like for a human to do them
True story. This is already impacting travel pages - they’re commissioning MORE personal travel stories because it turns out these are in demand
Machines can churn out the facts and figures - and will do so. The bottom is falling out of the already tiny market for writers giving the boring info on flight delay compensation
But stories like “how I went to the Maldives and saw 300 sharks” are even more popular than ever
This is the way ahead. If your job involves some irreplaceable human element - and you are good at it - it is not only safe you could possibly flourish and make more money than ever. If your job is not irreplaceably human or you’re not especially skilled, eek
Luckily the LLMs are entirely factual and truthful and would never hallucinate having seen sharks.
Have a look at some travel pages. More and more, papers, mags and websites are insisting the writers take selfies when they do a piece, they then publish the selfie. This is because readers demand it, they want proof the writer went there and did all the stuff, and proof the piece isns't just made up
I've just been catching up on the past thread. Congratulations to @HYUFD
I always assumed old mate was in his early 80s so a bit of a surprise. Like when we found out Morris Dancer isn't actually in his 70s I nearly fell off my fucking "Gamer" chair.
I missed this, what happened (congrats to HYUFD in any case!)
A few years ago HYUFD and his sweetheart got married. She is expecting a child. Estimated birth date is November. It's the first for both of them.
Good morning
And @HYUFD's wife sings in Ely Cathedral choir, which I think is wonderful
Bondegezou’s post has prompted me to read last night’s thread.
Congratulations to you @HYUFD and Mrs. Hyufd! I hope your wife is keeping well and am pleased she is able to sing in Ely Cathedral.
If you have a girl, will you be calling her Margaret? In deference to your wife, if you have a boy, will you be calling him Ed?
Not sure how terminally nerdy @Leon is being, or whether he wants obscure walk-on curios that his readers may not want to visit.
There's the "Birthplace of Silicon Valley" in SF, which is the garage where Hewlett-Packard were founded in the 1950s. This is like many of the bizarre things to be found in London eg the original Samaritans' telephone - Mansion House 9000.
A varied lot of local by-elections tomorrow. We have a double Con defence in Runnymede and 2 separate Con defences in Surrey. We have Lab defences in East Renfrewshire and Hounslow. Finally there is a LD defence in East Hampshire, an Ind defence in Gwynedd, and a Ref defence in Doncaster.
FLINT FLICKERS FORTNIGHTLY has commissioned me to do a road trip from San Francisco to Seattle. *which is nice*
However I don’t know this coast at all. Or indeed inland of this coast. I’ve been to Seattle and environs - I’ve done Mount Saint Helens - but that’s it. Any ideas what I should do? Any must-sees?
Stay home. Watch a couple of videos of that exact road trip. Phone in article to the Gazette copy-takers. What next? Route 66? Land's End to John o' Groats?
But the joke's on me. I've been suckered into thinking the Gazette is like National Geographic when in fact 99.4 per cent of all travel journalism is bought and paid for by tourist boards and hotel chains.
“Hi Grok, I am planning a trip from City A to City B. Please can you describe what are the attractions in these cities and close to the route between them. Please reply in around 2,000 words and following the style guide of The Gazette”.
“Hi Grok, after completing the above, please can you detail and compare how much it might cost for a human to do the same trip. Work on the human costing $500/day in wages, plus his flights (from UK, biz class) hotels, car hire, food and drink etc. Please also write 500 words on how AI can very easily replace travel journalism, when it can quickly write an article that might cost in the five figures for a human to do.”
Claude says Mendocino. But it sounds like you need to pull a 23-year old.
The town of Mendocino perches on coastal bluffs like a Victorian fever dream, its 19th-century architecture preserved with the sort of meticulous care typically reserved for museum pieces. This former logging town has reinvented itself as a destination for romantic weekends and artistic retreats, where bed-and-breakfasts occupy lovingly restored mansions and galleries showcase local craftsmanship.
The Mendocino Headlands State Park surrounds the town with dramatic coastal scenery, where walking trails traverse bluffs that offer panoramic ocean views. Sea arches and blow holes punctuate the coastline, creating natural spectacles that photographers pursue with religious devotion.
I've stayed with friends in Mendocino. It's nice town by Californian standards but the 'preserved 19th-century architecture' is underwhelming to anyone coming from, say, Europe. The coastline is very nice there, with a high chance of seeing whales (maybe depending on the season)
Not sure how terminally nerdy @Leon is being, or whether he wants obscure walk-on curios that his readers may not want to visit.
There's the "Birthplace of Silicon Valley" in SF, which is the garage where Hewlett-Packard were founded in the 1950s. This is like many of the bizarre things to be found in London eg the original Samaritans' telephone - Mansion House 9000.
I actually do intend to go to Silicon Valley, just to see it. To get the vibe, I understand there is virtually nothing there to ACTUALLY see and do but that's fine. Also you've now given me a target, an obscure but fascinating location, so thanks!
No takers on my question about what's the best place you've been but haven't been back to since the 1990s or thereabouts?
Nepal - Kathmandu, the Himalayas. I remember trekking up to Annapurna base camp on my own in the off-season. The occasional rains meant having to regularly pick leeches off. Good times.
Not sure how terminally nerdy @Leon is being, or whether he wants obscure walk-on curios that his readers may not want to visit.
There's the "Birthplace of Silicon Valley" in SF, which is the garage where Hewlett-Packard were founded in the 1950s. This is like many of the bizarre things to be found in London eg the original Samaritans' telephone - Mansion House 9000.
I actually do intend to go to Silicon Valley, just to see it. To get the vibe, I understand there is virtually nothing there to ACTUALLY see and do but that's fine. Also you've now given me a target, an obscure but fascinating location, so thanks!
See if you can find a way to go to the new Apple HQ, Norman Foster’s big donut and supposedly the world’s best office building.
FLINT FLICKERS FORTNIGHTLY has commissioned me to do a road trip from San Francisco to Seattle. *which is nice*
However I don’t know this coast at all. Or indeed inland of this coast. I’ve been to Seattle and environs - I’ve done Mount Saint Helens - but that’s it. Any ideas what I should do? Any must-sees?
Stay home. Watch a couple of videos of that exact road trip. Phone in article to the Gazette copy-takers. What next? Route 66? Land's End to John o' Groats?
But the joke's on me. I've been suckered into thinking the Gazette is like National Geographic when in fact 99.4 per cent of all travel journalism is bought and paid for by tourist boards and hotel chains.
“Hi Grok, I am planning a trip from City A to City B. Please can you describe what are the attractions in these cities and close to the route between them. Please reply in around 2,000 words and following the style guide of The Gazette”.
“Hi Grok, after completing the above, please can you detail and compare how much it might cost for a human to do the same trip. Work on the human costing $500/day in wages, plus his flights (from UK, biz class) hotels, car hire, food and drink etc. Please also write 500 words on how AI can very easily replace travel journalism, when it can quickly write an article that might cost in the five figures for a human to do.”
Happily that’s never going to happen. Because readers will insist - indeed are already insisting - that a human experiences these things so a human can say what it’s like for a human to do them
True story. This is already impacting travel pages - they’re commissioning MORE personal travel stories because it turns out these are in demand
Machines can churn out the facts and figures - and will do so. The bottom is falling out of the already tiny market for writers giving the boring info on flight delay compensation
But stories like “how I went to the Maldives and saw 300 sharks” are even more popular than ever
This is the way ahead. If your job involves some irreplaceable human element - and you are good at it - it is not only safe you could possibly flourish and make more money than ever. If your job is not irreplaceably human or you’re not especially skilled, eek
Luckily the LLMs are entirely factual and truthful and would never hallucinate having seen sharks.
Have a look at some travel pages. More and more, papers, mags and websites are insisting the writers take selfies when they do a piece, they then publish the selfie. This is because readers demand it, they want proof the writer went there and did all the stuff, and proof the piece isns't just made up
Luckily pictures are entirely truthful and can't be faked, created or edited.
» show previous quotes I was suggesting your obsession is with the LibDems, FWIW.
You are complaining about someone having an obsession with the Libdems on a site full of political anoraks talking about politics, betting, and mens shed TV topical issues because they happened to mention the only newsworthy thing that their party Leader Ed Davey has uttered all summer? Well its a view.
In fairness to @Nigelb it is an odd obsession. I have commented on it several times. It is regular and completely out of the blue and usually out of context and random.
I commented only the other day in a light hearted way by asking whether he was a member of the Institute of Bar Charts to be so obsessed and offended by the LDs.
PS Oh and they are not a supporter. The complete opposite. So obsessed even when there isn't any news.
Note my "FWIW".
I was having what I thought was a mild dig at Taz, in response to his saying of Davey: This moron supports them (Palestine Action) as it’s a cosy, middle class, obsession.
As the accusation was plain wrong, I thought a little pushback was merited. FWIW.
No, I was not saying he supports Palestine Action, I don’t think that at all, I was saying he supports people who say they support them.
A bit like politicians in the eighties on the left who clearly didn’t support the IRA but happy to support people who did.
He should have qualified what he said and say the proscription is wrong in his view, if it is his view, and he gets the supporters but it is not right to support a proscribed group.
It may be relevant to suggest that the group has been proscribed for reasons of political theatre rather than because it is a genuine security threat. Just because the government of the day makes something illegal and then prosecutes those who are now deemed to be breaking the law does not also mean that the government is immune from profound criticism for its action in banning the thing in the first place.
The trespassers at Brize should be maximally punished, and if the PA organisation is deemed to be receiving covert support from Russia, then that should also be rooted out. However using blanket "anti terror" legislation in the way the government has chosen to do is a misuse of the legislation and profoundly corrosive to free speech and our democracy. Ed Davey is right to criticize Starmer's use of the legislation and to call him out on it.
"It may be relevant to suggest that the group has been proscribed for reasons of political theatre rather than because it is a genuine security threat."
Nope - attacking military equipment is not political theatre. We could be at war tomorrow. That equipment isn't available.
The trial is going to be interesting to watch. I’m going to guess that the defence will be that they didn’t realise emptying a can of spray paint into an aircraft’s engine would cause up to £10m of damage, that they thought it would all be cleaned off the next day rather than having to totally strip down and rebuild the engines.
Ignorance is no defence. "I had no idea shoving a knife into his leg might sever an artery and see him bleed out in minutes in front of me, guv."
I suspect the defence will be based on that used by the Colston protestors in Bristol i.e. they did it but it was justified.
This defence was successfully used by the Shannon protestors in 2017 when they repainted a US 767 so hopefully it'll work here.
A lot depends on whether it goes to court in Oxford or Swindon (would suggest an Oxford area jury pool would be more likely to acquit)
I will also be interested to see whether the MoD valuation is probed. And whether it is credible. .
Regrettably my cousin's lad is no longer on No.101, the silly sod took a ground tour that was fraudulently sold to him as a 'career-maker'. So I have no tea on this. However, one of the aircraft was in the Falklands a week after it got the paint in the starboard engine. They might have changed a donk, but probably not in that time. Maybe they just threw a bucket of acetone into the arse end of the engine and hoped for the best. The EGT of a Trent has be 1,000+ deg so the other possibility is that they just put the throttles on the firewall and YOLO'ed it to burn the paint out.
I do recall reading about the time a FAA Phantom visited the Independence and the residents changed the roundel to the US national marking (the pre war one with the central blob and no bars) and the 'Royal Navy' to 'Colonial Navy'.
I don't recall reading about HMG wanting to prosecute but perhaps they weren't so keen then as they are today to prosecute overseas persons for overseas offences, Usonian flattops being strictly Usonian territory.
This is the noble art of "zapping" and is as old as military aviation itself. We got zapped by the "Desert Duck" on Invincible in the Gulf. A USN helicopter landed on the desk, two sailors piled out with buckets of yellow paint and giant ducks' feet on broom handles. They hastily painted the footprints of the Desert Duck on the deck, jumped back in their SH-60 and fucked off.
The pinnacle of the practice is considered to be the No.1(F) Harrier which had every single exposed surface painted pink by the French Air Force in a clandestine special forces operation in the middle of the night at Cazaux.
No takers on my question about what's the best place you've been but haven't been back to since the 1990s or thereabouts?
Nepal - Kathmandu, the Himalayas. I remember trekking up to Annapurna base camp on my own in the off-season. The occasional rains meant having to regularly pick leeches off. Good times.
Mine would be Sana'a and the surrounding area, Yemen. Loved going there in the early 90's - had an edge, but was safe enough to walk around the ancient city and the Souk without issue. Remarkable architecture, houses built a thousand years ago still occupied by the same families, a camel or a donkey on the ground floor working a grind stone. Going to the top storey in the afternoon to be social and chew khat (once with the head of the Yemeni secret police, a man with dead, shark-like eyes). So many stories, so many memories.
FLINT FLICKERS FORTNIGHTLY has commissioned me to do a road trip from San Francisco to Seattle. *which is nice*
However I don’t know this coast at all. Or indeed inland of this coast. I’ve been to Seattle and environs - I’ve done Mount Saint Helens - but that’s it. Any ideas what I should do? Any must-sees?
Stay home. Watch a couple of videos of that exact road trip. Phone in article to the Gazette copy-takers. What next? Route 66? Land's End to John o' Groats?
But the joke's on me. I've been suckered into thinking the Gazette is like National Geographic when in fact 99.4 per cent of all travel journalism is bought and paid for by tourist boards and hotel chains.
“Hi Grok, I am planning a trip from City A to City B. Please can you describe what are the attractions in these cities and close to the route between them. Please reply in around 2,000 words and following the style guide of The Gazette”.
“Hi Grok, after completing the above, please can you detail and compare how much it might cost for a human to do the same trip. Work on the human costing $500/day in wages, plus his flights (from UK, biz class) hotels, car hire, food and drink etc. Please also write 500 words on how AI can very easily replace travel journalism, when it can quickly write an article that might cost in the five figures for a human to do.”
Happily that’s never going to happen. Because readers will insist - indeed are already insisting - that a human experiences these things so a human can say what it’s like for a human to do them
True story. This is already impacting travel pages - they’re commissioning MORE personal travel stories because it turns out these are in demand
Machines can churn out the facts and figures - and will do so. The bottom is falling out of the already tiny market for writers giving the boring info on flight delay compensation
But stories like “how I went to the Maldives and saw 300 sharks” are even more popular than ever
This is the way ahead. If your job involves some irreplaceable human element - and you are good at it - it is not only safe you could possibly flourish and make more money than ever. If your job is not irreplaceably human or you’re not especially skilled, eek
Luckily the LLMs are entirely factual and truthful and would never hallucinate having seen sharks.
Have a look at some travel pages. More and more, papers, mags and websites are insisting the writers take selfies when they do a piece, they then publish the selfie. This is because readers demand it, they want proof the writer went there and did all the stuff, and proof the piece isns't just made up
Luckily pictures are entirely truthful and can't be faked, created or edited.
The people who should be worried are, perhaps ironically, anyone that can Work From Home
If you can Work From Home, your job is deeply imperilled....
FLINT FLICKERS FORTNIGHTLY has commissioned me to do a road trip from San Francisco to Seattle. *which is nice*
However I don’t know this coast at all. Or indeed inland of this coast. I’ve been to Seattle and environs - I’ve done Mount Saint Helens - but that’s it. Any ideas what I should do? Any must-sees?
NW of SF you have Point Reyes, where the lighthouse featured in Carpenters "The Fog".
Fort Lewis is near Tacoma. You can see the Military Museum there. I was disappointed it was named after but not founded by the Lewis and Clark guy. Tacoma was also where a quite remarkable number of serial killers hail from. I was advised the best way to go between San Diego and Vancouver is. To SF by road. Fly to Sea-Tac. To Vancouver by road. Best of both worlds.
I’ve been to Tacoma. Famous for the “Tacoma aroma” - and not in a good way. Also that bridge collapsing - incredible video - when the wind hit the critical frequency IIRC
However on the same trip I stayed with friends (a wedding) in an idyllic seaside cabin on Puget Sound where you could eat oysters gathered from the beach and shucked there and then, and as you say back with your half dozen you could watch sea otters playing on the islets
Sublime part of the world when the sun shines
You could go do the fruit loop, on the Hood River. Whether you will meet any other fruit loops while there, or will be the only one, I cannot say.
If it’s an impending visit, you might be there when they pick all the apples. I’m in the South Tyrol most autumns, and they produce a huge quantity of apples and other orchard fruit; in the Italian Alps the roads are full of the farmers’ little tractors towing a row of containers brimming with fruit - but only the Americans would make the fruit harvest into a tourist attraction.
No takers on my question about what's the best place you've been but haven't been back to since the 1990s or thereabouts?
Nepal - Kathmandu, the Himalayas. I remember trekking up to Annapurna base camp on my own in the off-season. The occasional rains meant having to regularly pick leeches off. Good times.
Yucatan peninsula in '83, before they ruined it. Cancun an eerie maze of metalled roads and lampposts but almost no buildings. Tulum a sleepy campsite with American hippies living naked on the beach. Cozumel gently crumbling into history like the Mayan ruins themselves.
Hi @Taz, I got flagged yesterday in a reply post to you. It seems very unlike you to flag me, although it seems unlikely anyone else would flag it either as it was very tame. I am assuming it was a fat finger post by someone in error.
It would be good to know it wasn't you as it seems very unlike you to do so. Cheers kjh.
Hi, I have no recollection of tagging you, I know we don’t share the same politics but I think you’re cool, and had a look through my posts yesterday and cannot see any post where I did.
Thanks for confirming @Taz . Appreciated. I didn't think you would. It just didn't make sense for anyone else to. I'm putting it down to a missed like from someone (wishful thinking on my part).
You will be surprised that I don't disagree with you on much stuff, but obviously respond to stuff where I do, but tend to like where I agree rather than comment. You will see you have a few likes from me.
Re thinking I'm 'cool', well that has made my day. Truly chuffed. Never been called 'cool'. My wife will enjoy that. I might have to lift he off the floor as she falls off the chair laughing
FLINT FLICKERS FORTNIGHTLY has commissioned me to do a road trip from San Francisco to Seattle. *which is nice*
However I don’t know this coast at all. Or indeed inland of this coast. I’ve been to Seattle and environs - I’ve done Mount Saint Helens - but that’s it. Any ideas what I should do? Any must-sees?
Stay home. Watch a couple of videos of that exact road trip. Phone in article to the Gazette copy-takers. What next? Route 66? Land's End to John o' Groats?
But the joke's on me. I've been suckered into thinking the Gazette is like National Geographic when in fact 99.4 per cent of all travel journalism is bought and paid for by tourist boards and hotel chains.
“Hi Grok, I am planning a trip from City A to City B. Please can you describe what are the attractions in these cities and close to the route between them. Please reply in around 2,000 words and following the style guide of The Gazette”.
“Hi Grok, after completing the above, please can you detail and compare how much it might cost for a human to do the same trip. Work on the human costing $500/day in wages, plus his flights (from UK, biz class) hotels, car hire, food and drink etc. Please also write 500 words on how AI can very easily replace travel journalism, when it can quickly write an article that might cost in the five figures for a human to do.”
Happily that’s never going to happen. Because readers will insist - indeed are already insisting - that a human experiences these things so a human can say what it’s like for a human to do them
True story. This is already impacting travel pages - they’re commissioning MORE personal travel stories because it turns out these are in demand
Machines can churn out the facts and figures - and will do so. The bottom is falling out of the already tiny market for writers giving the boring info on flight delay compensation
But stories like “how I went to the Maldives and saw 300 sharks” are even more popular than ever
This is the way ahead. If your job involves some irreplaceable human element - and you are good at it - it is not only safe you could possibly flourish and make more money than ever. If your job is not irreplaceably human or you’re not especially skilled, eek
Luckily the LLMs are entirely factual and truthful and would never hallucinate having seen sharks.
Have a look at some travel pages. More and more, papers, mags and websites are insisting the writers take selfies when they do a piece, they then publish the selfie. This is because readers demand it, they want proof the writer went there and did all the stuff, and proof the piece isns't just made up
They’re still mostly clickbait for posting on Facebook and X, where the headline matters more than the content, or something for couples to flick through in bed on a Sunday morning, after a shag or, later in life, instead of.
Not sure how terminally nerdy @Leon is being, or whether he wants obscure walk-on curios that his readers may not want to visit.
There's the "Birthplace of Silicon Valley" in SF, which is the garage where Hewlett-Packard were founded in the 1950s. This is like many of the bizarre things to be found in London eg the original Samaritans' telephone - Mansion House 9000.
I actually do intend to go to Silicon Valley, just to see it. To get the vibe, I understand there is virtually nothing there to ACTUALLY see and do but that's fine. Also you've now given me a target, an obscure but fascinating location, so thanks!
Yep. If you dig around there are things like venues where early people would go for working lunches. And the thing was known as "The Valley of Hearts Delight" before it was built up iirc.
And there are curios that might not be your thing - more LA-wards you have things such as Robert Shullers' Crystal Cathedral" (early 1950s-60s televangelist) now being a Roman Catholic Cathedral, and the remains of the Murphy Ranch, which was in urban legend an American Nazi site, left over swingers clubs, and the rest. It's all buried in obscure Youtube channels.
Not sure how terminally nerdy @Leon is being, or whether he wants obscure walk-on curios that his readers may not want to visit.
There's the "Birthplace of Silicon Valley" in SF, which is the garage where Hewlett-Packard were founded in the 1950s. This is like many of the bizarre things to be found in London eg the original Samaritans' telephone - Mansion House 9000.
No takers on my question about what's the best place you've been but haven't been back to since the 1990s or thereabouts?
Nepal - Kathmandu, the Himalayas. I remember trekking up to Annapurna base camp on my own in the off-season. The occasional rains meant having to regularly pick leeches off. Good times.
Mine would be Sana'a and the surrounding area, Yemen. Loved going there in the early 90's - had an edge, but was safe enough to walk around the ancient city and the Souk without issue. Remarkable architecture, houses built a thousand years ago still occupied by the same families, a camel or a donkey on the ground floor working a grind stone. Going to the top storey in the afternoon to be social and chew khat (once with the head of the Yemeni secret police, a man with dead, shark-like eyes). So many stories, so many memories.
And now a brutal war zone.
Ha, probably Bristol for me as I never left the country til 2001
FLINT FLICKERS FORTNIGHTLY has commissioned me to do a road trip from San Francisco to Seattle. *which is nice*
However I don’t know this coast at all. Or indeed inland of this coast. I’ve been to Seattle and environs - I’ve done Mount Saint Helens - but that’s it. Any ideas what I should do? Any must-sees?
Stay home. Watch a couple of videos of that exact road trip. Phone in article to the Gazette copy-takers. What next? Route 66? Land's End to John o' Groats?
But the joke's on me. I've been suckered into thinking the Gazette is like National Geographic when in fact 99.4 per cent of all travel journalism is bought and paid for by tourist boards and hotel chains.
“Hi Grok, I am planning a trip from City A to City B. Please can you describe what are the attractions in these cities and close to the route between them. Please reply in around 2,000 words and following the style guide of The Gazette”.
“Hi Grok, after completing the above, please can you detail and compare how much it might cost for a human to do the same trip. Work on the human costing $500/day in wages, plus his flights (from UK, biz class) hotels, car hire, food and drink etc. Please also write 500 words on how AI can very easily replace travel journalism, when it can quickly write an article that might cost in the five figures for a human to do.”
Happily that’s never going to happen. Because readers will insist - indeed are already insisting - that a human experiences these things so a human can say what it’s like for a human to do them
True story. This is already impacting travel pages - they’re commissioning MORE personal travel stories because it turns out these are in demand
Machines can churn out the facts and figures - and will do so. The bottom is falling out of the already tiny market for writers giving the boring info on flight delay compensation
But stories like “how I went to the Maldives and saw 300 sharks” are even more popular than ever
This is the way ahead. If your job involves some irreplaceable human element - and you are good at it - it is not only safe you could possibly flourish and make more money than ever. If your job is not irreplaceably human or you’re not especially skilled, eek
Luckily the LLMs are entirely factual and truthful and would never hallucinate having seen sharks.
Have a look at some travel pages. More and more, papers, mags and websites are insisting the writers take selfies when they do a piece, they then publish the selfie. This is because readers demand it, they want proof the writer went there and did all the stuff, and proof the piece isns't just made up
Luckily pictures are entirely truthful and can't be faked, created or edited.
The people who should be worried are, perhaps ironically, anyone that can Work From Home
If you can Work From Home, your job is deeply imperilled....
And now, I have to do some work. In my home
Errr
Whenever there is any step change in technology, out have always come the same simple-minded predictions. That led people to go smashing up textile machines in the 19th century; in the 20th, domestic appliances were supposed to eliminate housework, computers were going to kill off office work, the internet was supposed to deliver us a life of leisure - whereas the reality is that the tyranny of the email has now extended ‘work’ for many into nighttimes at home and holidays on the beach. Then robots were going to make us all unemployed. Now it is AI.
The reality is that AI will, like all the innovations before, most likely free up people to do other stuff and also generate shed loads of new work for people to do. It’s just that those only able to focus on the most obvious aspect of a change, rather than stand back and see the bigger picture, cannot see it.
Unless the computers successfully make us all their slaves, of course.
A genuine data problem, or that the government simply doesn’t believe how bad are the numbers?
Could be both - the numbers are so mad that they are getting an external review to check it's not an error. 90% of the time when I find something interesting it's because I've messed up somewhere.
» show previous quotes I was suggesting your obsession is with the LibDems, FWIW.
You are complaining about someone having an obsession with the Libdems on a site full of political anoraks talking about politics, betting, and mens shed TV topical issues because they happened to mention the only newsworthy thing that their party Leader Ed Davey has uttered all summer? Well its a view.
In fairness to @Nigelb it is an odd obsession. I have commented on it several times. It is regular and completely out of the blue and usually out of context and random.
I commented only the other day in a light hearted way by asking whether he was a member of the Institute of Bar Charts to be so obsessed and offended by the LDs.
PS Oh and they are not a supporter. The complete opposite. So obsessed even when there isn't any news.
Note my "FWIW".
I was having what I thought was a mild dig at Taz, in response to his saying of Davey: This moron supports them (Palestine Action) as it’s a cosy, middle class, obsession.
As the accusation was plain wrong, I thought a little pushback was merited. FWIW.
No, I was not saying he supports Palestine Action, I don’t think that at all, I was saying he supports people who say they support them.
A bit like politicians in the eighties on the left who clearly didn’t support the IRA but happy to support people who did.
He should have qualified what he said and say the proscription is wrong in his view, if it is his view, and he gets the supporters but it is not right to support a proscribed group.
I thought he did qualify what he said. I quote: "Palestine Action has committed criminal acts and need to be prosecuted for them. They are a very worrying organisation. What we and many others found troubling was that innocent people exercising their freedom of speech and right to protest in a peaceful way in Parliament Square were arrested en masse. [...] Anyone who believes in the traditional British values of freedom of speech and the right to peaceful protest should be very worried and I hope will get behind the Liberal Democrat call."
People are not being arrested for excercising their freedom of speech.
They’re being arrested for supporting, openly supporting, a proscribed terrorist group. That’s not wrong and as to their innocence or otherwise that’s for a court to decide.
The odd case where an innocent person has been arrested, like the Plasticene action guy, then clearly that’s fine.
We will have to disagree on this.
It's certainly the effect of the law - and the Home Secretary's proscription of the group - that there is a prima facie case for their arrest. What Davey was saying very clearly, and I agree with him, is that the Home Secretary simply hasn't made a convincing case for proscribing Palestine Action in this manner.
The law in question is an exceedingly blunt instrument, which effectively gives the HS the power to criminalise legitimate protest. Quite which side of legitimate/illegitimate this particular case falls is very much a matter of debate. But that, surely is the point ?
I find is amusing that the following position on Begum (another culture war case) upsets nearly everyone.
1) she should be bought back to this country 2) and prosecuted for the war crimes that she has stated, in multiple TV interviews she committed.
Why? She is our responsibility (so 1 is true) and 2 is equally true - as she seemingly has committed and admitted to those crimes
FLINT FLICKERS FORTNIGHTLY has commissioned me to do a road trip from San Francisco to Seattle. *which is nice*
However I don’t know this coast at all. Or indeed inland of this coast. I’ve been to Seattle and environs - I’ve done Mount Saint Helens - but that’s it. Any ideas what I should do? Any must-sees?
Stay home. Watch a couple of videos of that exact road trip. Phone in article to the Gazette copy-takers. What next? Route 66? Land's End to John o' Groats?
But the joke's on me. I've been suckered into thinking the Gazette is like National Geographic when in fact 99.4 per cent of all travel journalism is bought and paid for by tourist boards and hotel chains.
“Hi Grok, I am planning a trip from City A to City B. Please can you describe what are the attractions in these cities and close to the route between them. Please reply in around 2,000 words and following the style guide of The Gazette”.
“Hi Grok, after completing the above, please can you detail and compare how much it might cost for a human to do the same trip. Work on the human costing $500/day in wages, plus his flights (from UK, biz class) hotels, car hire, food and drink etc. Please also write 500 words on how AI can very easily replace travel journalism, when it can quickly write an article that might cost in the five figures for a human to do.”
Happily that’s never going to happen. Because readers will insist - indeed are already insisting - that a human experiences these things so a human can say what it’s like for a human to do them
True story. This is already impacting travel pages - they’re commissioning MORE personal travel stories because it turns out these are in demand
Machines can churn out the facts and figures - and will do so. The bottom is falling out of the already tiny market for writers giving the boring info on flight delay compensation
But stories like “how I went to the Maldives and saw 300 sharks” are even more popular than ever
This is the way ahead. If your job involves some irreplaceable human element - and you are good at it - it is not only safe you could possibly flourish and make more money than ever. If your job is not irreplaceably human or you’re not especially skilled, eek
Luckily the LLMs are entirely factual and truthful and would never hallucinate having seen sharks.
Have a look at some travel pages. More and more, papers, mags and websites are insisting the writers take selfies when they do a piece, they then publish the selfie. This is because readers demand it, they want proof the writer went there and did all the stuff, and proof the piece isns't just made up
Luckily pictures are entirely truthful and can't be faked, created or edited.
The people who should be worried are, perhaps ironically, anyone that can Work From Home
If you can Work From Home, your job is deeply imperilled....
And now, I have to do some work. In my home
Errr
It wasn’t long ago ‘learn to code’ was stock advice for people. Now it’s ’get a trade’
» show previous quotes I was suggesting your obsession is with the LibDems, FWIW.
You are complaining about someone having an obsession with the Libdems on a site full of political anoraks talking about politics, betting, and mens shed TV topical issues because they happened to mention the only newsworthy thing that their party Leader Ed Davey has uttered all summer? Well its a view.
In fairness to @Nigelb it is an odd obsession. I have commented on it several times. It is regular and completely out of the blue and usually out of context and random.
I commented only the other day in a light hearted way by asking whether he was a member of the Institute of Bar Charts to be so obsessed and offended by the LDs.
PS Oh and they are not a supporter. The complete opposite. So obsessed even when there isn't any news.
Note my "FWIW".
I was having what I thought was a mild dig at Taz, in response to his saying of Davey: This moron supports them (Palestine Action) as it’s a cosy, middle class, obsession.
As the accusation was plain wrong, I thought a little pushback was merited. FWIW.
No, I was not saying he supports Palestine Action, I don’t think that at all, I was saying he supports people who say they support them.
A bit like politicians in the eighties on the left who clearly didn’t support the IRA but happy to support people who did.
He should have qualified what he said and say the proscription is wrong in his view, if it is his view, and he gets the supporters but it is not right to support a proscribed group.
I thought he did qualify what he said. I quote: "Palestine Action has committed criminal acts and need to be prosecuted for them. They are a very worrying organisation. What we and many others found troubling was that innocent people exercising their freedom of speech and right to protest in a peaceful way in Parliament Square were arrested en masse. [...] Anyone who believes in the traditional British values of freedom of speech and the right to peaceful protest should be very worried and I hope will get behind the Liberal Democrat call."
People are not being arrested for excercising their freedom of speech.
They’re being arrested for supporting, openly supporting, a proscribed terrorist group. That’s not wrong and as to their innocence or otherwise that’s for a court to decide.
The odd case where an innocent person has been arrested, like the Plasticene action guy, then clearly that’s fine.
We will have to disagree on this.
It's certainly the effect of the law - and the Home Secretary's proscription of the group - that there is a prima facie case for their arrest. What Davey was saying very clearly, and I agree with him, is that the Home Secretary simply hasn't made a convincing case for proscribing Palestine Action in this manner.
The law in question is an exceedingly blunt instrument, which effectively gives the HS the power to criminalise legitimate protest. Quite which side of legitimate/illegitimate this particular case falls is very much a matter of debate. But that, surely is the point ?
I find is amusing that the following position on Begum (another culture war case) upsets nearly everyone.
1) she should be bought back to this country 2) and prosecuted for the war crimes that she has stated, in multiple TV interviews she committed.
Our prisons are already full enough. I think that answers it.
» show previous quotes I was suggesting your obsession is with the LibDems, FWIW.
You are complaining about someone having an obsession with the Libdems on a site full of political anoraks talking about politics, betting, and mens shed TV topical issues because they happened to mention the only newsworthy thing that their party Leader Ed Davey has uttered all summer? Well its a view.
In fairness to @Nigelb it is an odd obsession. I have commented on it several times. It is regular and completely out of the blue and usually out of context and random.
I commented only the other day in a light hearted way by asking whether he was a member of the Institute of Bar Charts to be so obsessed and offended by the LDs.
PS Oh and they are not a supporter. The complete opposite. So obsessed even when there isn't any news.
Note my "FWIW".
I was having what I thought was a mild dig at Taz, in response to his saying of Davey: This moron supports them (Palestine Action) as it’s a cosy, middle class, obsession.
As the accusation was plain wrong, I thought a little pushback was merited. FWIW.
No, I was not saying he supports Palestine Action, I don’t think that at all, I was saying he supports people who say they support them.
A bit like politicians in the eighties on the left who clearly didn’t support the IRA but happy to support people who did.
He should have qualified what he said and say the proscription is wrong in his view, if it is his view, and he gets the supporters but it is not right to support a proscribed group.
I thought he did qualify what he said. I quote: "Palestine Action has committed criminal acts and need to be prosecuted for them. They are a very worrying organisation. What we and many others found troubling was that innocent people exercising their freedom of speech and right to protest in a peaceful way in Parliament Square were arrested en masse. [...] Anyone who believes in the traditional British values of freedom of speech and the right to peaceful protest should be very worried and I hope will get behind the Liberal Democrat call."
People are not being arrested for excercising their freedom of speech.
They’re being arrested for supporting, openly supporting, a proscribed terrorist group. That’s not wrong and as to their innocence or otherwise that’s for a court to decide.
The odd case where an innocent person has been arrested, like the Plasticene action guy, then clearly that’s fine.
We will have to disagree on this.
It's certainly the effect of the law - and the Home Secretary's proscription of the group - that there is a prima facie case for their arrest. What Davey was saying very clearly, and I agree with him, is that the Home Secretary simply hasn't made a convincing case for proscribing Palestine Action in this manner.
The law in question is an exceedingly blunt instrument, which effectively gives the HS the power to criminalise legitimate protest. Quite which side of legitimate/illegitimate this particular case falls is very much a matter of debate. But that, surely is the point ?
I find is amusing that the following position on Begum (another culture war case) upsets nearly everyone.
1) she should be bought back to this country 2) and prosecuted for the war crimes that she has stated, in multiple TV interviews she committed.
Our prisons are already full enough. I think that answers it.
I thought it was now "Deport them all to somewhere, anywhere, and don't make them serve their sentences."
FLINT FLICKERS FORTNIGHTLY has commissioned me to do a road trip from San Francisco to Seattle. *which is nice*
However I don’t know this coast at all. Or indeed inland of this coast. I’ve been to Seattle and environs - I’ve done Mount Saint Helens - but that’s it. Any ideas what I should do? Any must-sees?
Stay home. Watch a couple of videos of that exact road trip. Phone in article to the Gazette copy-takers. What next? Route 66? Land's End to John o' Groats?
But the joke's on me. I've been suckered into thinking the Gazette is like National Geographic when in fact 99.4 per cent of all travel journalism is bought and paid for by tourist boards and hotel chains.
“Hi Grok, I am planning a trip from City A to City B. Please can you describe what are the attractions in these cities and close to the route between them. Please reply in around 2,000 words and following the style guide of The Gazette”.
“Hi Grok, after completing the above, please can you detail and compare how much it might cost for a human to do the same trip. Work on the human costing $500/day in wages, plus his flights (from UK, biz class) hotels, car hire, food and drink etc. Please also write 500 words on how AI can very easily replace travel journalism, when it can quickly write an article that might cost in the five figures for a human to do.”
Happily that’s never going to happen. Because readers will insist - indeed are already insisting - that a human experiences these things so a human can say what it’s like for a human to do them
True story. This is already impacting travel pages - they’re commissioning MORE personal travel stories because it turns out these are in demand
Machines can churn out the facts and figures - and will do so. The bottom is falling out of the already tiny market for writers giving the boring info on flight delay compensation
But stories like “how I went to the Maldives and saw 300 sharks” are even more popular than ever
This is the way ahead. If your job involves some irreplaceable human element - and you are good at it - it is not only safe you could possibly flourish and make more money than ever. If your job is not irreplaceably human or you’re not especially skilled, eek
Luckily the LLMs are entirely factual and truthful and would never hallucinate having seen sharks.
Have a look at some travel pages. More and more, papers, mags and websites are insisting the writers take selfies when they do a piece, they then publish the selfie. This is because readers demand it, they want proof the writer went there and did all the stuff, and proof the piece isns't just made up
Luckily pictures are entirely truthful and can't be faked, created or edited.
The people who should be worried are, perhaps ironically, anyone that can Work From Home
If you can Work From Home, your job is deeply imperilled....
And now, I have to do some work. In my home
Errr
It wasn’t long ago ‘learn to code’ was stock advice for people. Now it’s ’get a trade’
To some extent - find something you like doing and do that.
But of course 'that' might not pay the bills, or give you the lifestyle you aspire to.
» show previous quotes I was suggesting your obsession is with the LibDems, FWIW.
You are complaining about someone having an obsession with the Libdems on a site full of political anoraks talking about politics, betting, and mens shed TV topical issues because they happened to mention the only newsworthy thing that their party Leader Ed Davey has uttered all summer? Well its a view.
In fairness to @Nigelb it is an odd obsession. I have commented on it several times. It is regular and completely out of the blue and usually out of context and random.
I commented only the other day in a light hearted way by asking whether he was a member of the Institute of Bar Charts to be so obsessed and offended by the LDs.
PS Oh and they are not a supporter. The complete opposite. So obsessed even when there isn't any news.
Note my "FWIW".
I was having what I thought was a mild dig at Taz, in response to his saying of Davey: This moron supports them (Palestine Action) as it’s a cosy, middle class, obsession.
As the accusation was plain wrong, I thought a little pushback was merited. FWIW.
No, I was not saying he supports Palestine Action, I don’t think that at all, I was saying he supports people who say they support them.
A bit like politicians in the eighties on the left who clearly didn’t support the IRA but happy to support people who did.
He should have qualified what he said and say the proscription is wrong in his view, if it is his view, and he gets the supporters but it is not right to support a proscribed group.
I thought he did qualify what he said. I quote: "Palestine Action has committed criminal acts and need to be prosecuted for them. They are a very worrying organisation. What we and many others found troubling was that innocent people exercising their freedom of speech and right to protest in a peaceful way in Parliament Square were arrested en masse. [...] Anyone who believes in the traditional British values of freedom of speech and the right to peaceful protest should be very worried and I hope will get behind the Liberal Democrat call."
People are not being arrested for excercising their freedom of speech.
They’re being arrested for supporting, openly supporting, a proscribed terrorist group. That’s not wrong and as to their innocence or otherwise that’s for a court to decide.
The odd case where an innocent person has been arrested, like the Plasticene action guy, then clearly that’s fine.
We will have to disagree on this.
It's certainly the effect of the law - and the Home Secretary's proscription of the group - that there is a prima facie case for their arrest. What Davey was saying very clearly, and I agree with him, is that the Home Secretary simply hasn't made a convincing case for proscribing Palestine Action in this manner.
The law in question is an exceedingly blunt instrument, which effectively gives the HS the power to criminalise legitimate protest. Quite which side of legitimate/illegitimate this particular case falls is very much a matter of debate. But that, surely is the point ?
I find is amusing that the following position on Begum (another culture war case) upsets nearly everyone.
1) she should be bought back to this country 2) and prosecuted for the war crimes that she has stated, in multiple TV interviews she committed.
Why? She is our responsibility (so 1 is true) and 2 is equally true - as she seemingly has committed and admitted to those crimes
She falls into a weird category of absolutely vile (by her own admission of many, many things either did or agreed with) and at the same time clearly a grooming victim.
A genuine data problem, or that the government simply doesn’t believe how bad are the numbers?
Or the ONS is inept ?
Has that not been a possible issue for some time? Hence the monthly bunfight about economics growth figures which are usually corrected upwards - under both the previous and current governments.
» show previous quotes I was suggesting your obsession is with the LibDems, FWIW.
You are complaining about someone having an obsession with the Libdems on a site full of political anoraks talking about politics, betting, and mens shed TV topical issues because they happened to mention the only newsworthy thing that their party Leader Ed Davey has uttered all summer? Well its a view.
In fairness to @Nigelb it is an odd obsession. I have commented on it several times. It is regular and completely out of the blue and usually out of context and random.
I commented only the other day in a light hearted way by asking whether he was a member of the Institute of Bar Charts to be so obsessed and offended by the LDs.
PS Oh and they are not a supporter. The complete opposite. So obsessed even when there isn't any news.
Note my "FWIW".
I was having what I thought was a mild dig at Taz, in response to his saying of Davey: This moron supports them (Palestine Action) as it’s a cosy, middle class, obsession.
As the accusation was plain wrong, I thought a little pushback was merited. FWIW.
No, I was not saying he supports Palestine Action, I don’t think that at all, I was saying he supports people who say they support them.
A bit like politicians in the eighties on the left who clearly didn’t support the IRA but happy to support people who did.
He should have qualified what he said and say the proscription is wrong in his view, if it is his view, and he gets the supporters but it is not right to support a proscribed group.
I thought he did qualify what he said. I quote: "Palestine Action has committed criminal acts and need to be prosecuted for them. They are a very worrying organisation. What we and many others found troubling was that innocent people exercising their freedom of speech and right to protest in a peaceful way in Parliament Square were arrested en masse. [...] Anyone who believes in the traditional British values of freedom of speech and the right to peaceful protest should be very worried and I hope will get behind the Liberal Democrat call."
People are not being arrested for excercising their freedom of speech.
They’re being arrested for supporting, openly supporting, a proscribed terrorist group. That’s not wrong and as to their innocence or otherwise that’s for a court to decide.
The odd case where an innocent person has been arrested, like the Plasticene action guy, then clearly that’s fine.
We will have to disagree on this.
It's certainly the effect of the law - and the Home Secretary's proscription of the group - that there is a prima facie case for their arrest. What Davey was saying very clearly, and I agree with him, is that the Home Secretary simply hasn't made a convincing case for proscribing Palestine Action in this manner.
The law in question is an exceedingly blunt instrument, which effectively gives the HS the power to criminalise legitimate protest. Quite which side of legitimate/illegitimate this particular case falls is very much a matter of debate. But that, surely is the point ?
I find is amusing that the following position on Begum (another culture war case) upsets nearly everyone.
1) she should be bought back to this country 2) and prosecuted for the war crimes that she has stated, in multiple TV interviews she committed.
Why? She is our responsibility (so 1 is true) and 2 is equally true - as she seemingly has committed and admitted to those crimes
She falls into a weird category of absolutely vile (by her own admission of many, many things either did or agreed with) and at the same time clearly a grooming victim.
That's not unusual with grooming victims, whether with Epstein or in Northern towns. They very often are heavily implicated in crimes, particularly grooming others.
» show previous quotes I was suggesting your obsession is with the LibDems, FWIW.
You are complaining about someone having an obsession with the Libdems on a site full of political anoraks talking about politics, betting, and mens shed TV topical issues because they happened to mention the only newsworthy thing that their party Leader Ed Davey has uttered all summer? Well its a view.
In fairness to @Nigelb it is an odd obsession. I have commented on it several times. It is regular and completely out of the blue and usually out of context and random.
I commented only the other day in a light hearted way by asking whether he was a member of the Institute of Bar Charts to be so obsessed and offended by the LDs.
PS Oh and they are not a supporter. The complete opposite. So obsessed even when there isn't any news.
Note my "FWIW".
I was having what I thought was a mild dig at Taz, in response to his saying of Davey: This moron supports them (Palestine Action) as it’s a cosy, middle class, obsession.
As the accusation was plain wrong, I thought a little pushback was merited. FWIW.
No, I was not saying he supports Palestine Action, I don’t think that at all, I was saying he supports people who say they support them.
A bit like politicians in the eighties on the left who clearly didn’t support the IRA but happy to support people who did.
He should have qualified what he said and say the proscription is wrong in his view, if it is his view, and he gets the supporters but it is not right to support a proscribed group.
I thought he did qualify what he said. I quote: "Palestine Action has committed criminal acts and need to be prosecuted for them. They are a very worrying organisation. What we and many others found troubling was that innocent people exercising their freedom of speech and right to protest in a peaceful way in Parliament Square were arrested en masse. [...] Anyone who believes in the traditional British values of freedom of speech and the right to peaceful protest should be very worried and I hope will get behind the Liberal Democrat call."
People are not being arrested for excercising their freedom of speech.
They’re being arrested for supporting, openly supporting, a proscribed terrorist group. That’s not wrong and as to their innocence or otherwise that’s for a court to decide.
The odd case where an innocent person has been arrested, like the Plasticene action guy, then clearly that’s fine.
Yes, we know what the law is. People supporting Palestine Action are breaking the law. The people protesting are protesting the law, they think the law is wrong, that we should not use terrorism legislation in this manner.
People have been arrested for their speech. They were not arrested for sabotage or vandalism or violence. They were arrested for expressing an opinion.
Davey notes serious concerns with Palestine Action, but also feels that criminalising peaceful support for them is the wrong way to go and contrary to traditions around freedom of speech.
What would you say if they were supporting Al Quaida, or the IRA, or the Nazi party? All good for you? Because if it isn't then you are basically saying you don't think Palestine Action count as proper terrorists.
I was trying to explain Davey's position. I don't necessarily agree with it.
Al Qa’ida and the IRA are on the same list of proscribed organisations as Palestine Action. Expressing support for any of them is illegal. The Nazi Party is not on the list. It is legal in the UK, as I understand it, to express support for the Nazi Party.
I see both sides of the argument around Palestine Action. They don't seem to me to be in the same category as Al Qa’ida and the IRA. The other proscribed organisations generally seem to promote more violence towards individuals than Palestine Action do, but I don't have any detailed knowledge of Palestine Action. So, no, I don't think Palestine Action count as "proper terrorists", but happy to hear counter-arguments. Generally, I don't really see "terrorist" as being a useful term because it is always contested.
» show previous quotes I was suggesting your obsession is with the LibDems, FWIW.
You are complaining about someone having an obsession with the Libdems on a site full of political anoraks talking about politics, betting, and mens shed TV topical issues because they happened to mention the only newsworthy thing that their party Leader Ed Davey has uttered all summer? Well its a view.
In fairness to @Nigelb it is an odd obsession. I have commented on it several times. It is regular and completely out of the blue and usually out of context and random.
I commented only the other day in a light hearted way by asking whether he was a member of the Institute of Bar Charts to be so obsessed and offended by the LDs.
PS Oh and they are not a supporter. The complete opposite. So obsessed even when there isn't any news.
Note my "FWIW".
I was having what I thought was a mild dig at Taz, in response to his saying of Davey: This moron supports them (Palestine Action) as it’s a cosy, middle class, obsession.
As the accusation was plain wrong, I thought a little pushback was merited. FWIW.
No, I was not saying he supports Palestine Action, I don’t think that at all, I was saying he supports people who say they support them.
A bit like politicians in the eighties on the left who clearly didn’t support the IRA but happy to support people who did.
He should have qualified what he said and say the proscription is wrong in his view, if it is his view, and he gets the supporters but it is not right to support a proscribed group.
I thought he did qualify what he said. I quote: "Palestine Action has committed criminal acts and need to be prosecuted for them. They are a very worrying organisation. What we and many others found troubling was that innocent people exercising their freedom of speech and right to protest in a peaceful way in Parliament Square were arrested en masse. [...] Anyone who believes in the traditional British values of freedom of speech and the right to peaceful protest should be very worried and I hope will get behind the Liberal Democrat call."
People are not being arrested for excercising their freedom of speech.
They’re being arrested for supporting, openly supporting, a proscribed terrorist group. That’s not wrong and as to their innocence or otherwise that’s for a court to decide.
The odd case where an innocent person has been arrested, like the Plasticene action guy, then clearly that’s fine.
We will have to disagree on this.
It's certainly the effect of the law - and the Home Secretary's proscription of the group - that there is a prima facie case for their arrest. What Davey was saying very clearly, and I agree with him, is that the Home Secretary simply hasn't made a convincing case for proscribing Palestine Action in this manner.
The law in question is an exceedingly blunt instrument, which effectively gives the HS the power to criminalise legitimate protest. Quite which side of legitimate/illegitimate this particular case falls is very much a matter of debate. But that, surely is the point ?
Causing hundreds of thousands of pounds of damage to military equipment is not legitimate protest. Those supporting them are being stupid.
I am determined to smash the business model used by people smugglers, and I'm taking joint action with our allies to make it happen.
Building on our deal with France and renewed international cooperation, our strengthened partnership with Iraq will deter small boat arrivals and secure our borders.
Iraq, is this some new deal? How many boat arrivals are from there?
» show previous quotes I was suggesting your obsession is with the LibDems, FWIW.
You are complaining about someone having an obsession with the Libdems on a site full of political anoraks talking about politics, betting, and mens shed TV topical issues because they happened to mention the only newsworthy thing that their party Leader Ed Davey has uttered all summer? Well its a view.
In fairness to @Nigelb it is an odd obsession. I have commented on it several times. It is regular and completely out of the blue and usually out of context and random.
I commented only the other day in a light hearted way by asking whether he was a member of the Institute of Bar Charts to be so obsessed and offended by the LDs.
PS Oh and they are not a supporter. The complete opposite. So obsessed even when there isn't any news.
Note my "FWIW".
I was having what I thought was a mild dig at Taz, in response to his saying of Davey: This moron supports them (Palestine Action) as it’s a cosy, middle class, obsession.
As the accusation was plain wrong, I thought a little pushback was merited. FWIW.
No, I was not saying he supports Palestine Action, I don’t think that at all, I was saying he supports people who say they support them.
A bit like politicians in the eighties on the left who clearly didn’t support the IRA but happy to support people who did.
He should have qualified what he said and say the proscription is wrong in his view, if it is his view, and he gets the supporters but it is not right to support a proscribed group.
I thought he did qualify what he said. I quote: "Palestine Action has committed criminal acts and need to be prosecuted for them. They are a very worrying organisation. What we and many others found troubling was that innocent people exercising their freedom of speech and right to protest in a peaceful way in Parliament Square were arrested en masse. [...] Anyone who believes in the traditional British values of freedom of speech and the right to peaceful protest should be very worried and I hope will get behind the Liberal Democrat call."
People are not being arrested for excercising their freedom of speech.
They’re being arrested for supporting, openly supporting, a proscribed terrorist group. That’s not wrong and as to their innocence or otherwise that’s for a court to decide.
The odd case where an innocent person has been arrested, like the Plasticene action guy, then clearly that’s fine.
Yes, we know what the law is. People supporting Palestine Action are breaking the law. The people protesting are protesting the law, they think the law is wrong, that we should not use terrorism legislation in this manner.
People have been arrested for their speech. They were not arrested for sabotage or vandalism or violence. They were arrested for expressing an opinion.
Davey notes serious concerns with Palestine Action, but also feels that criminalising peaceful support for them is the wrong way to go and contrary to traditions around freedom of speech.
What would you say if they were supporting Al Quaida, or the IRA, or the Nazi party? All good for you? Because if it isn't then you are basically saying you don't think Palestine Action count as proper terrorists.
I was trying to explain Davey's position. I don't necessarily agree with it.
Al Qa’ida and the IRA are on the same list of proscribed organisations as Palestine Action. Expressing support for any of them is illegal. The Nazi Party is not on the list. It is legal in the UK, as I understand it, to express support for the Nazi Party.
I see both sides of the argument around Palestine Action. They don't seem to me to be in the same category as Al Qa’ida and the IRA. The other proscribed organisations generally seem to promote more violence towards individuals than Palestine Action do, but I don't have any detailed knowledge of Palestine Action. So, no, I don't think Palestine Action count as "proper terrorists", but happy to hear counter-arguments. Generally, I don't really see "terrorist" as being a useful term because it is always contested.
As they say one person's terrorist is another person's freedom fighter.
» show previous quotes I was suggesting your obsession is with the LibDems, FWIW.
You are complaining about someone having an obsession with the Libdems on a site full of political anoraks talking about politics, betting, and mens shed TV topical issues because they happened to mention the only newsworthy thing that their party Leader Ed Davey has uttered all summer? Well its a view.
In fairness to @Nigelb it is an odd obsession. I have commented on it several times. It is regular and completely out of the blue and usually out of context and random.
I commented only the other day in a light hearted way by asking whether he was a member of the Institute of Bar Charts to be so obsessed and offended by the LDs.
PS Oh and they are not a supporter. The complete opposite. So obsessed even when there isn't any news.
Note my "FWIW".
I was having what I thought was a mild dig at Taz, in response to his saying of Davey: This moron supports them (Palestine Action) as it’s a cosy, middle class, obsession.
As the accusation was plain wrong, I thought a little pushback was merited. FWIW.
No, I was not saying he supports Palestine Action, I don’t think that at all, I was saying he supports people who say they support them.
A bit like politicians in the eighties on the left who clearly didn’t support the IRA but happy to support people who did.
He should have qualified what he said and say the proscription is wrong in his view, if it is his view, and he gets the supporters but it is not right to support a proscribed group.
He was supporting the right to protest.
And yes, saying that criminalising a bunch of middle class protestors for doing not very much (and they certainly weren't supporting "terrorism"), by using the act in this manner, is pretty well exactly the qualification he expressed.
But, as per Bondezegou’s quote, he’s describing them as innocent implying they’ve just been arrested for protesting. That’s not the case. They can protest all they like but when they support a proscribed terror group that crosses a line.
Plenty of people turn out every week to protest about Gaza. We’ve had them on Elvet Bridge in Durham. They manage to do so without professing support for a group that violently attacks people and police officers, putting one in hospital, or damages defence assets.
Consequently they don’t get arrested.
If this was ISIS. The IRA or National Action being supported by the usual suspects no one would care.
But it’s Palestine Action being supported by middle class retired Home Counties types.
I think he is aware under what law they have been arrested. I take his use of the adjective "innocent" to be within his contention that the law is wrong. That is, they are morally innocent and, ergo, should be innocent in law too.
They are not morally innocent. Morally they've deliberately broken the law, therefore they're guilty.
The law is a bad law that should be repealed, but they're not innocent. It was a conscious choice to break the law on purpose.
Funny how 'rule of law' supporters get all bent out of shape when the law is an ass about an issue they care about.
We all agree that they are guilty under the letter of the law.
However, it can be moral to break a bad law, can't it? People who hid Jews from the Nazis broke the law in Germany at the time. But they acted morally.
Now, I don't think this matter rises to the same level of seriousness, but the point is that what is moral and what is legal are different.
Not sure how terminally nerdy @Leon is being, or whether he wants obscure walk-on curios that his readers may not want to visit.
There's the "Birthplace of Silicon Valley" in SF, which is the garage where Hewlett-Packard were founded in the 1950s. This is like many of the bizarre things to be found in London eg the original Samaritans' telephone - Mansion House 9000.
If you want to truly experience Silicon Valley, you need to drive from San Jose to San Francisco at 330pm on workday. You - along with hundreds of thousands of Googlers, Appleites, Facebookers, Netflixians and the like - will be stuck in traffic for one of the most miserable two hour drives of your life.
You will see the logos of every Silicon Valley firm pass, very slowly, as you inch down the freeway.
My last weird obscurity that came up on YT yesterday.
Lake Peigneur in Louisiana. Salt mine beneath a lake. Water leaked apparently via an oil exploration drill breaking through. The water dissolved the supporting salt pillars, and the lake vanished into the sinkhole, taking the oil rig with it, and flooding the mine. The canal to the sea reversed in flow, and it is now a brackish salt lake 10x as deep. No one died.
FLINT FLICKERS FORTNIGHTLY has commissioned me to do a road trip from San Francisco to Seattle. *which is nice*
However I don’t know this coast at all. Or indeed inland of this coast. I’ve been to Seattle and environs - I’ve done Mount Saint Helens - but that’s it. Any ideas what I should do? Any must-sees?
you would need to do the obvious , Golden Gate bridge, Alcatraz. Further up but a bit inland Yosemite , Lake Tahoe.
Trouble is I’ve done all those. Apart from Lake Tahoe
I’ve been to California a lot. I was hoping for something new and exciting north of Frisco but it sounds like there’s not that much
Tahoe is great, but you need to be in season, and unfortunately September is not season.
There is bugger all between Portland and San Francisco, other than the small town of Eureka, which is where Murder She Wrote was filmed.
It's actually quite astonishing that there is a thousand miles of US coastline, with - basically - nothing.
I am determined to smash the business model used by people smugglers, and I'm taking joint action with our allies to make it happen.
Building on our deal with France and renewed international cooperation, our strengthened partnership with Iraq will deter small boat arrivals and secure our borders.
Iraq, is this some new deal? How many boat arrivals are from there?
Communism when Jeremy Corbyn's Labour proposed the same thing. In America, it's investment.
They’ve got a point, when there’s tens of billions from various State and Federal schemes aimed at rural broadband, yet very few people appear to have been actually connected, the money mostly disappearing in the supply chain of politically-connected companies. Starlink delivers rural broadband for a fraction of the cost and the infrastructure is already in place.
Now there’s an argument to have about one company having a monopoly on satellite broadband, but they’ve built the network entirely with private funds.
It seems odd to talk about "politically-connected companies" without also describing Starlink as politically-connected. Indeed, it is one of the most politically-connected companies around.
The difference being that Starlink has already funded privately their network and has a working product they’re trying to sell, whereas the rural broadband money appears to have mostly disappeared without actually providing any rural broadband.
Yes but Elon Musk is not suggesting subsidies end, merely that they should flow to him instead.
On the wider point, a few years ago the then-boss of Verizon (the leading American phone company) told an EU committee that our rules requiring that comms companies share infrastructure) restrict investment compared to the American system where companies build their own monopolies (ironic since Verizon was born from the break up of Bell's monopoly).
It is a truth seldom acknowledged that capitalism advances not through competition but from de facto monopolies, which might at some point be broken up to further advance capitalism through competition.
I think Elon is pointing out that his company can achieve the same end goal (of getting rural America on high-speed internet) for a fraction of the cost of what they are currently spending without much success.
The other option would be to break the Starlink monopoly by allowing other providers to use the Starlink infrastructure via their own base stations, the more European approach you outlined.
The competitor to Starlink - the Amazon Kuiper constellation - is being launched at the moment.
Interestingly, some satellites are being launch by SpaceX. This is because Blue Origin (launch company owned by Bezos, *not* Amazon) was supposed to do all the launches.
But they were late (rocket is still in initial/acceptance testing and there are design changes ongoing) and Amazon responded by buying up all the spare launches on anything not Chinese or Russian to try and catch up.
Kuiper has a deadline for how many satellites need to be in orbit, to retain their frequency allocation. They will probably miss it, but have shown enough effort to get and extension, almost certainly.
Yes that could be competition when they get it up and running, but they’re half a decade behind Starlink at the moment.
They are: albeit they are lucky that they are launching with - effectively - modern Starlink rather than old Starlink. Still, it's hard not to conclude they are likely to be Lyft relative to Uber.
No takers on my question about what's the best place you've been but haven't been back to since the 1990s or thereabouts?
Syria. Haven't been back for obvious reasons.
World Trade Centre in April 2001, great view from the top, similarly haven't returned for obvious reasons.
A very good call! I went up in February 1986 and I won't be going up again. That said while Maga are in the driving seat, I don't suppose I will be welcome at Newark or JFK.
» show previous quotes I was suggesting your obsession is with the LibDems, FWIW.
You are complaining about someone having an obsession with the Libdems on a site full of political anoraks talking about politics, betting, and mens shed TV topical issues because they happened to mention the only newsworthy thing that their party Leader Ed Davey has uttered all summer? Well its a view.
In fairness to @Nigelb it is an odd obsession. I have commented on it several times. It is regular and completely out of the blue and usually out of context and random.
I commented only the other day in a light hearted way by asking whether he was a member of the Institute of Bar Charts to be so obsessed and offended by the LDs.
PS Oh and they are not a supporter. The complete opposite. So obsessed even when there isn't any news.
Note my "FWIW".
I was having what I thought was a mild dig at Taz, in response to his saying of Davey: This moron supports them (Palestine Action) as it’s a cosy, middle class, obsession.
As the accusation was plain wrong, I thought a little pushback was merited. FWIW.
No, I was not saying he supports Palestine Action, I don’t think that at all, I was saying he supports people who say they support them.
A bit like politicians in the eighties on the left who clearly didn’t support the IRA but happy to support people who did.
He should have qualified what he said and say the proscription is wrong in his view, if it is his view, and he gets the supporters but it is not right to support a proscribed group.
I thought he did qualify what he said. I quote: "Palestine Action has committed criminal acts and need to be prosecuted for them. They are a very worrying organisation. What we and many others found troubling was that innocent people exercising their freedom of speech and right to protest in a peaceful way in Parliament Square were arrested en masse. [...] Anyone who believes in the traditional British values of freedom of speech and the right to peaceful protest should be very worried and I hope will get behind the Liberal Democrat call."
Protesting about Palestine isn't banned. Nor is protesting about the application of terrorist laws to Palestine action isn't banned. Supporting Palestine action is currently illegal. All those arrested are either idiots or doing it deliberately to get arrested to make a point.
Yes, they're doing it to make a point. It's civil disobedience, as championed by Gandhi and Martin Luther King.
So they are not innocent then?
They plainly aren't guilty of terrorism or supporting terrorism. If they do get arrested then whose fault is that? There's? The police? or the proscribing act. The government could easily have thrown the book at the perpetrators of the damage, treason maybe, and the point would have hit home more effectively. Now we have 60/70/80 year olds dragged off by plod.
Ridiculous.
Yes they are. "I support Palestine Action" is an admission that they support terrorists. As defined by our government.
The obvious rejoinder to that is that "terrorism" as defined by the Home Secretary, in this particular case, really isn't "terrorism" as understood by a very large constituency among the British electorate.
This is fair and might be true. However, government action to ban organisations can be and will be challenged under the law, and can be lawfully campaigned about. When told to by the courts the government will obey the law.
Supporters of Palestine Action are people, let us assume, who support the rights of Palestinians and who believe that overlooking the rule of law by Israel is one of the many injustices they have suffered. It is a bad move to overlook the rule of law in the UK in your zeal for the rule of law elsewhere.
I think it's more complicated than that. There are laws and legal decisions in Israel that are discriminatory towards Palestinians and/or Arab Israelis. Supporters of Palestine Action are supporting what they believe to be moral. They make reference to international law. I don't think they are ever saying that national law is always correct.
No takers on my question about what's the best place you've been but haven't been back to since the 1990s or thereabouts?
Syria. Haven't been back for obvious reasons.
World Trade Centre in April 2001, great view from the top, similarly haven't returned for obvious reasons.
A very good call! I went up in February 1986 and I won't be going up again. That said while Maga are in the driving seat, I don't suppose I will be welcome at Newark or JFK.
Wait - you're not actually Mexican are you? I always assumed it was a nom de plume...
No takers on my question about what's the best place you've been but haven't been back to since the 1990s or thereabouts?
Syria. Haven't been back for obvious reasons.
World Trade Centre in April 2001, great view from the top, similarly haven't returned for obvious reasons.
A very good call! I went up in February 1986 and I won't be going up again. That said while Maga are in the driving seat, I don't suppose I will be welcome at Newark or JFK.
Wait - you're not actually Mexican are you? I always assumed it was a nom de plume...
I am persona non grata in so many ways I am afraid.
» show previous quotes I was suggesting your obsession is with the LibDems, FWIW.
You are complaining about someone having an obsession with the Libdems on a site full of political anoraks talking about politics, betting, and mens shed TV topical issues because they happened to mention the only newsworthy thing that their party Leader Ed Davey has uttered all summer? Well its a view.
In fairness to @Nigelb it is an odd obsession. I have commented on it several times. It is regular and completely out of the blue and usually out of context and random.
I commented only the other day in a light hearted way by asking whether he was a member of the Institute of Bar Charts to be so obsessed and offended by the LDs.
PS Oh and they are not a supporter. The complete opposite. So obsessed even when there isn't any news.
Note my "FWIW".
I was having what I thought was a mild dig at Taz, in response to his saying of Davey: This moron supports them (Palestine Action) as it’s a cosy, middle class, obsession.
As the accusation was plain wrong, I thought a little pushback was merited. FWIW.
No, I was not saying he supports Palestine Action, I don’t think that at all, I was saying he supports people who say they support them.
A bit like politicians in the eighties on the left who clearly didn’t support the IRA but happy to support people who did.
He should have qualified what he said and say the proscription is wrong in his view, if it is his view, and he gets the supporters but it is not right to support a proscribed group.
I thought he did qualify what he said. I quote: "Palestine Action has committed criminal acts and need to be prosecuted for them. They are a very worrying organisation. What we and many others found troubling was that innocent people exercising their freedom of speech and right to protest in a peaceful way in Parliament Square were arrested en masse. [...] Anyone who believes in the traditional British values of freedom of speech and the right to peaceful protest should be very worried and I hope will get behind the Liberal Democrat call."
People are not being arrested for excercising their freedom of speech.
They’re being arrested for supporting, openly supporting, a proscribed terrorist group. That’s not wrong and as to their innocence or otherwise that’s for a court to decide.
The odd case where an innocent person has been arrested, like the Plasticene action guy, then clearly that’s fine.
Yes, we know what the law is. People supporting Palestine Action are breaking the law. The people protesting are protesting the law, they think the law is wrong, that we should not use terrorism legislation in this manner.
People have been arrested for their speech. They were not arrested for sabotage or vandalism or violence. They were arrested for expressing an opinion.
Davey notes serious concerns with Palestine Action, but also feels that criminalising peaceful support for them is the wrong way to go and contrary to traditions around freedom of speech.
What would you say if they were supporting Al Quaida, or the IRA, or the Nazi party? All good for you? Because if it isn't then you are basically saying you don't think Palestine Action count as proper terrorists.
I was trying to explain Davey's position. I don't necessarily agree with it.
Al Qa’ida and the IRA are on the same list of proscribed organisations as Palestine Action. Expressing support for any of them is illegal. The Nazi Party is not on the list. It is legal in the UK, as I understand it, to express support for the Nazi Party.
I see both sides of the argument around Palestine Action. They don't seem to me to be in the same category as Al Qa’ida and the IRA. The other proscribed organisations generally seem to promote more violence towards individuals than Palestine Action do, but I don't have any detailed knowledge of Palestine Action. So, no, I don't think Palestine Action count as "proper terrorists", but happy to hear counter-arguments. Generally, I don't really see "terrorist" as being a useful term because it is always contested.
A genuine data problem, or that the government simply doesn’t believe how bad are the numbers?
Could be both - the numbers are so mad that they are getting an external review to check it's not an error. 90% of the time when I find something interesting it's because I've messed up somewhere.
I am determined to smash the business model used by people smugglers, and I'm taking joint action with our allies to make it happen.
Building on our deal with France and renewed international cooperation, our strengthened partnership with Iraq will deter small boat arrivals and secure our borders.
Iraq, is this some new deal? How many boat arrivals are from there?
Not sure how terminally nerdy @Leon is being, or whether he wants obscure walk-on curios that his readers may not want to visit.
There's the "Birthplace of Silicon Valley" in SF, which is the garage where Hewlett-Packard were founded in the 1950s. This is like many of the bizarre things to be found in London eg the original Samaritans' telephone - Mansion House 9000.
I actually do intend to go to Silicon Valley, just to see it. To get the vibe, I understand there is virtually nothing there to ACTUALLY see and do but that's fine. Also you've now given me a target, an obscure but fascinating location, so thanks!
See if you can find a way to go to the new Apple HQ, Norman Foster’s big donut and supposedly the world’s best office building.
Facebook's potemkin village is also worth a visit, if you can garner an invitation. Google is boring and entirely missable.
I understand Amazon's Seattle HQ is worth a visit; it might be a fun way to bookend the trip - two of the world's largest tech companies, from one HQ to another.
Not sure how terminally nerdy @Leon is being, or whether he wants obscure walk-on curios that his readers may not want to visit.
There's the "Birthplace of Silicon Valley" in SF, which is the garage where Hewlett-Packard were founded in the 1950s. This is like many of the bizarre things to be found in London eg the original Samaritans' telephone - Mansion House 9000.
I actually do intend to go to Silicon Valley, just to see it. To get the vibe, I understand there is virtually nothing there to ACTUALLY see and do but that's fine. Also you've now given me a target, an obscure but fascinating location, so thanks!
Yep. If you dig around there are things like venues where early people would go for working lunches. And the thing was known as "The Valley of Hearts Delight" before it was built up iirc.
And there are curios that might not be your thing - more LA-wards you have things such as Robert Shullers' Crystal Cathedral" (early 1950s-60s televangelist) now being a Roman Catholic Cathedral, and the remains of the Murphy Ranch, which was in urban legend an American Nazi site, left over swingers clubs, and the rest. It's all buried in obscure Youtube channels.
To be pedantic, Silicon Valley isn't between SF and Seatle.
Comments
But the joke's on me. I've been suckered into thinking the Gazette is like National Geographic when in fact 99.4 per cent of all travel journalism is bought and paid for by tourist boards and hotel chains.
Inland up the Cascades is probably more classically scenic (Crater Lake et al) but might not provide a vast amount of copy. Two National Parks isn't that bad, albeit rather less visited ones.
How long is it supposed to take?
Greens staying at home.
However. It soon gets old if you don't like the outdoor pursuits too much.
And it isn't really between SF and Seattle. It's more near Seattle.
It would be good to know it wasn't you as it seems very unlike you to do so. Cheers kjh.
Even then the pay is dismal. Last year I did a scuba diving piece in the Maldives. Took an entire week - scuba diving some of the best dive sites in the world - like shark alley - manta ray central - using those James Bond underwater dive propulsion machines. And we were forced to stay in two DIFFERENT five star hotels in the sun, with famous underwater restaurants, flying out by sea plane, etc
So that’s a whole week of me having to dive and see hammerhead sharks and eat Patagonian toothfish in over water bistros and what did I get at the end of it? £400. For a week!
I’m tempted to go on strike for better conditions, frankly
There are also several Frank-Lloyd Wright houses en route - eg the Hanna-Honeycomb House is great and an archetype of his design (1936) in Stanford (involves hexagons), but currently closed for renovations where it is normally open for visitors.
The Tracy House at the other end was occupied from 1956 to 2012 by the couple who had it built for them, but afaik is still a private house. Amusingly it was a "Usonian Automatic" home, designed to control construction costs - for FLW ! It didn't.
Both are Usonian Houses (FLW word), which would let you educate your readers with more vocabulary. There are others.
Not sure how I'd choose today between doing the first bit on the coastal road, or going inland on the 101 to Healdsburg (which is probably still worth a visit).
https://laststandonzombieisland.com/2020/06/25/the-f-4-phantoms-of-the-colonial-navy/
I don't recall reading about HMG wanting to prosecute but perhaps they weren't so keen then as they are today to prosecute overseas persons for overseas offences, Usonian flattops being strictly Usonian territory.
Trump called Orban to win his support for Ukraine joining EU
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5460805-trump-orban-ukraine-eu-call/
The town of Mendocino perches on coastal bluffs like a Victorian fever dream, its 19th-century architecture preserved with the sort of meticulous care typically reserved for museum pieces. This former logging town has reinvented itself as a destination for romantic weekends and artistic retreats, where bed-and-breakfasts occupy lovingly restored mansions and galleries showcase local craftsmanship.
The Mendocino Headlands State Park surrounds the town with dramatic coastal scenery, where walking trails traverse bluffs that offer panoramic ocean views. Sea arches and blow holes punctuate the coastline, creating natural spectacles that photographers pursue with religious devotion.
Happily that’s never going to happen. Because readers will insist - indeed are already insisting - that a human experiences these things so a human can say what it’s like for a human to do them
True story. This is already impacting travel pages - they’re commissioning MORE personal travel stories because it turns out these are in demand
Machines can churn out the facts and figures - and will do so. The bottom is falling out of the already tiny market for writers giving the boring info on flight delay compensation
But stories like “how I went to the Maldives and saw 300 sharks” are even more popular than ever
This is the way ahead. If your job involves some irreplaceable human element - and you are good at it - it is not only safe you could possibly flourish and make more money than ever. If your job is not irreplaceably human or you’re not especially skilled, eek
PB is excellent for travel advice
Up to the top of the Shasta Gulch
And to the bottom of the Tahoe Lake
Man-made deltas and concrete rivers
The south takes what the north delivers
https://robert-louis-stevenson.org/works/the-silverado-squatters-1884/
There's now a state park named after him.
Don't know what Calistoga is like today, but it was a great little hippy town forty years ago.
I remember thinking even back then, hiking through the woods to visit the Petrified Forest that if it ever caught fire, you'd be very lucky to get out.
(That's 2 Deputy CC Leaders in a week.)
The deputy leader of Worcestershire County Council has resigned, three months into the role.
David Taylor, from the county's ruling Reform UK party, will remain a member of the cabinet, with Rob Wharton filling in as deputy leader while the group decides on a permanent replacement.
Taylor was elected as a county councillor in Redditch East for the first time in May.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c23pz43m00yo
If hotels housing asylum seekers across the country start to empty out following Tuesday's High Court injunction, the Home Office will struggle to find alternative options."
https://news.sky.com/story/epping-asylum-hotel-court-ruling-poses-real-danger-for-government-but-they-also-smell-dirty-tricks-13414962
Don’t know about this particular council, but most are poorly paid for the amount of work involved.
world godpresident again, and plane crashes for the same period, are more councillors resigning than normal or are people just paying attention because its Reform?Meanwhile in unrelated news, Meta are laying off staff in their AI division.
Microsoft released AI copilot for excel, and warned customers not to use it for calculations.
And an interesting bit of history.
34 years ago today, Estonia restored its independence.
This is my diary entry (with some later additions) from August 20 1991..
https://x.com/EerikNKross/status/1958131737973739941
Note the neither the UK nor the US ever formally recognised the annexation of the Baltic states.
We should likewise not formally recognise any Russian occupation of Ukrainian territory.
https://x.com/tomhfh/status/1958107544762638352
The turning point on inflation was pretty much at the election.
It's a good and juicy question
For me its a bit difficult because I go everywhere all the time, so I tend to return. I would have said Japan up until last year, but last year I went to Japan for a whole month (and it was as great as ever)
I'd say Syria but, well, Jesus, that's too bleak
How about Namibia? I was last there in the noughties, it's stellar destination, in multiple ways
Man A: Guilty of murder as long as he has an intent to cause really serious bodily harm AND the man dies. If intent fall short of really serious, then manslaughter.
Man B: Guilty of GBH with intent if the injury is bad enough, lesser offence if not. Can't be done for attempted murder unless he has intent to kill. Which is why attempted murder is the hardest burden of proof there is on the prosecution. Murder doesn't require intent to kill, attempted murder does.
There is of course no difference in the acts or intentions of A and B. Luck plays a huge part in very serious offending, just as it does in speeding/parking/red lights.
The ones to avoid for us ordinary non criminal types are: causing death driving under alcohol; and death by careless driving. Especially the second, which can happen to anyone without any warning and without any effort. Maximum 5 years IIRC.
Congratulations to you @HYUFD and Mrs. Hyufd! I hope your wife is keeping well and am pleased she is able to sing in Ely Cathedral.
If you have a girl, will you be calling her Margaret? In deference to your wife, if you have a boy, will you be calling him Ed?
Not sure how terminally nerdy @Leon is being, or whether he wants obscure walk-on curios that his readers may not want to visit.
There's the "Birthplace of Silicon Valley" in SF, which is the garage where Hewlett-Packard were founded in the 1950s. This is like many of the bizarre things to be found in London eg the original Samaritans' telephone - Mansion House 9000.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HP_Garage
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Park
The pinnacle of the practice is considered to be the No.1(F) Harrier which had every single exposed surface painted pink by the French Air Force in a clandestine special forces operation in the middle of the night at Cazaux.
And now a brutal war zone.
If you can Work From Home, your job is deeply imperilled....
And now, I have to do some work. In my home
Errr
If it’s an impending visit, you might be there when they pick all the apples. I’m in the South Tyrol most autumns, and they produce a huge quantity of apples and other orchard fruit; in the Italian Alps the roads are full of the farmers’ little tractors towing a row of containers brimming with fruit - but only the Americans would make the fruit harvest into a tourist attraction.
You will be surprised that I don't disagree with you on much stuff, but obviously respond to stuff where I do, but tend to like where I agree rather than comment. You will see you have a few likes from me.
Re thinking I'm 'cool', well that has made my day. Truly chuffed. Never been called 'cool'. My wife will enjoy that. I might have to lift he off the floor as she falls off the chair laughing
https://x.com/merrynsw/status/1958102374754508919
A genuine data problem, or that the government simply doesn’t believe how bad are the numbers?
And there are curios that might not be your thing - more LA-wards you have things such as Robert Shullers' Crystal Cathedral" (early 1950s-60s televangelist) now being a Roman Catholic Cathedral, and the remains of the Murphy Ranch, which was in urban legend an American Nazi site, left over swingers clubs, and the rest. It's all buried in obscure Youtube channels.
A fan of the weird might stop by the Rosicrucian museum.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosicrucian_Egyptian_Museum
Along the way there's Moffett Field with the giant airship hangars, and aviation museum.
https://www.moffettfieldmuseum.org/exhibits.html
The reality is that AI will, like all the innovations before, most likely free up people to do other stuff and also generate shed loads of new work for people to do. It’s just that those only able to focus on the most obvious aspect of a change, rather than stand back and see the bigger picture, cannot see it.
Unless the computers successfully make us all their slaves, of course.
But of course 'that' might not pay the bills, or give you the lifestyle you aspire to.
Quite where agency resides is a minefield.
Al Qa’ida and the IRA are on the same list of proscribed organisations as Palestine Action. Expressing support for any of them is illegal. The Nazi Party is not on the list. It is legal in the UK, as I understand it, to express support for the Nazi Party.
I see both sides of the argument around Palestine Action. They don't seem to me to be in the same category as Al Qa’ida and the IRA. The other proscribed organisations generally seem to promote more violence towards individuals than Palestine Action do, but I don't have any detailed knowledge of Palestine Action. So, no, I don't think Palestine Action count as "proper terrorists", but happy to hear counter-arguments. Generally, I don't really see "terrorist" as being a useful term because it is always contested.
https://x.com/keir_starmer/status/1958088441490547091
I am determined to smash the business model used by people smugglers, and I'm taking joint action with our allies to make it happen.
Building on our deal with France and renewed international cooperation, our strengthened partnership with Iraq will deter small boat arrivals and secure our borders.
Iraq, is this some new deal? How many boat arrivals are from there?
Egypt, 2003 - Cairo, Giza, Luxor.
Honourable mentions for Paris (1999), Florence (2000), Berlin (2002), Vienna (2003)
However, it can be moral to break a bad law, can't it? People who hid Jews from the Nazis broke the law in Germany at the time. But they acted morally.
Now, I don't think this matter rises to the same level of seriousness, but the point is that what is moral and what is legal are different.
You will see the logos of every Silicon Valley firm pass, very slowly, as you inch down the freeway.
Lake Peigneur in Louisiana. Salt mine beneath a lake. Water leaked apparently via an oil exploration drill breaking through. The water dissolved the supporting salt pillars, and the lake vanished into the sinkhole, taking the oil rig with it, and flooding the mine. The canal to the sea reversed in flow, and it is now a brackish salt lake 10x as deep. No one died.
I'm sure at least one PBer will have visited.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QWwGoY0hjI&t=5s
There is bugger all between Portland and San Francisco, other than the small town of Eureka, which is where Murder She Wrote was filmed.
It's actually quite astonishing that there is a thousand miles of US coastline, with - basically - nothing.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3r413l5n57o
2018: 33
2019: 468
2020: 1644
2021: 6163
2022: 4567
2023: 2500
2024: 2092
I understand Amazon's Seattle HQ is worth a visit; it might be a fun way to bookend the trip - two of the world's largest tech companies, from one HQ to another.