Off all topics, is there a more satisfying single thing than a freshly dropped conker?
I saw a sixty-something couple collecting conkers earlier. I stopped to chat and she claimed they keep away spiders.
She seemed non-plussed when I said I like spiders*.
Who is the weirdo here?
* last year I had a spider colony in my car, with cobwebs around mirror and windscreen. I had loaded the car one night with shrub cuttings for the tip, and they colonised it. Passengers would occasionally be surprised by spiders dropping down while driving.
At least you now know not to collect conkers.
I wasn't, much as I think them an item of beauty. I think it a folk belief without grounding in reality.
Actually I think she puts it quite succinctly and readably, though a video would of course have worked better. I'm not sure I agree with her 100%, but it isn't terrible as text.
Would a video be better? I don't want to spend time watching a video, I want to read a written argument. Easier to skip the guff, and re-read bits you didn't understand. Don't want it to take 5 minutes out of my life.
But I believe this is an age-related thing, young people do indeed want to watch a video rather than read something
I learned the other day that today's young people are appalled at the idea of using the phone. Calling to make an appointment? What? They'd rather go in to the place & make it face-to-face., apparently, although the ideal method is to use text messages.
Is this feeding into youth mental health issues? The lack of personal interaction is becoming a real problem.
I was asked by a friend to go into their company and do a deep dive on various things, one thing she said was that they have a problem with the younger - as it turned out the people in early 30s and below - where they wouldn’t make phone calls to clients and would stick to emails.
I assumed this was a bit of hyperbole but it really wasn’t. They would do anything not to take a call, make a call, go for lunch with the client/drinks/even coffee. There was so much resistance to getting out there in person to engage on a human basis with their clients which, in their industry was bonkers as they needed strong client relationships to keep the relationships and therefore the money flowing.
There was a weird inability to socialise over drinks and meals, as much of an arse I am it wasn’t just because of me with them, they couldn’t have broad conversations and visibly recoiled over conversations and ribald humour that didn’t fit with their worldview - however uptight you might be in certain industries the money is with people who you might not be in step with and sometimes you have to suck it up. Obviously this is only an anecdote but I can’t believe I’m the only person who has experienced this behaviour.
I've noticed that amongst the younger team members I have that random ad-hoc phone calls or chat are looked on as 'a bit weird'. Arranged ones, less so. Everyone just assumes asynchronous texts or platform-of-your-choice messages are the way things are done.
I think I sort of get it as a child growing up at the cusp of answering machines. I do find myself more frequently annoyed by phone calls who want my attention Right Now about something that could have been dealt with when I had some time later in the day.
Off all topics, is there a more satisfying single thing than a freshly dropped conker?
I saw a sixty-something couple collecting conkers earlier. I stopped to chat and she claimed they keep away spiders.
She seemed non-plussed when I said I like spiders*.
Who is the weirdo here?
* last year I had a spider colony in my car, with cobwebs around mirror and windscreen. I had loaded the car one night with shrub cuttings for the tip, and they colonised it. Passengers would occasionally be surprised by spiders dropping down while driving.
My wife heard of the notion that conkers keep away spiders, so put numbers of them in the hall.
No spiders. But I was woken at 3 in the morning by something making a din downstairs. I went down with some trepidation - only to find a mouse rolling away the now rock-hard conker...
You either have very good hearing, or very noisy floors.
Actually I think she puts it quite succinctly and readably, though a video would of course have worked better. I'm not sure I agree with her 100%, but it isn't terrible as text.
Would a video be better? I don't want to spend time watching a video, I want to read a written argument. Easier to skip the guff, and re-read bits you didn't understand. Don't want it to take 5 minutes out of my life.
But I believe this is an age-related thing, young people do indeed want to watch a video rather than read something
I learned the other day that today's young people are appalled at the idea of using the phone. Calling to make an appointment? What? They'd rather go in to the place & make it face-to-face., apparently, although the ideal method is to use text messages.
Is this feeding into youth mental health issues? The lack of personal interaction is becoming a real problem.
I was asked by a friend to go into their company and do a deep dive on various things, one thing she said was that they have a problem with the younger - as it turned out the people in early 30s and below - where they wouldn’t make phone calls to clients and would stick to emails.
I assumed this was a bit of hyperbole but it really wasn’t. They would do anything not to take a call, make a call, go for lunch with the client/drinks/even coffee. There was so much resistance to getting out there in person to engage on a human basis with their clients which, in their industry was bonkers as they needed strong client relationships to keep the relationships and therefore the money flowing.
There was a weird inability to socialise over drinks and meals, as much of an arse I am it wasn’t just because of me with them, they couldn’t have broad conversations and visibly recoiled over conversations and ribald humour that didn’t fit with their worldview - however uptight you might be in certain industries the money is with people who you might not be in step with and sometimes you have to suck it up. Obviously this is only an anecdote but I can’t believe I’m the only person who has experienced this behaviour.
This is me exactly on the avoiding taking a phone call at any cost front, but not the rest of it. I like face-to-face, general 'networking', being taken out to lunch at nice places and all the other workplace stuff that hasn't properly returned, and may never.
I do worry that UK governments of all types over the last 20 years have simply been clueless as to how to help the UK cement its strengths in financial, digital, and professional services, and life sciences, which dominate our economy.
Rishi sort of tried a bit with AI and tech, but we've failed to reform our stock market and make it attractive - although Hunt tried - we're losing our place in advanced manufacturing. And we've become too dogmatic about energy. Don't get me started on the process state.
The only area I'd say is still definitively strong is creative industries and probably professional services too - just as well given its my sector.
Well the policy has mostly been to tax success and subsidise worthlessness.
In my view governments should almost never be involved in investment.
I have to say, there is a certain logic to taxing the people who have money rather than people who don't.
Illogic yes, logic no.
It's the stockmarket thing of selling your winners and running your losers, but this is far worse. You are punishing success and rewarding failure.
So what you're saying is, we should only tax people who don't have any money?
I would point out this was the policy of the ancien regime in France and the Tsars of Russia.
I would further point out this didn't end terribly well for them.
The government spends about £44000 per household annually (TME). This has to be raised from taxes, borrowing and other charges. Since knight service, heriot and frankalmoign have regrettably been abolished the only thing left to tax is money. In truth success is the only thing you can possibly tax.
(Apropos of this, I wonder what the reaction would be if most people knew that the government spends, and therfore raises, £44000 per household. It is a fairly closely guarded secret, and an enduring miracle that it can be done without riots and bloodshed.)
Off all topics, is there a more satisfying single thing than a freshly dropped conker?
I saw a sixty-something couple collecting conkers earlier. I stopped to chat and she claimed they keep away spiders.
She seemed non-plussed when I said I like spiders*.
Who is the weirdo here?
* last year I had a spider colony in my car, with cobwebs around mirror and windscreen. I had loaded the car one night with shrub cuttings for the tip, and they colonised it. Passengers would occasionally be surprised by spiders dropping down while driving.
My wife heard of the notion that conkers keep away spiders, so put numbers of them in the hall.
No spiders. But I was woken at 3 in the morning by something making a din downstairs. I went down with some trepidation - only to find a mouse rolling away the now rock-hard conker...
You either have very good hearing, or very noisy floors.
Hard conkers on a wooden floor make quit a din.
My wife wakes if a mouse farts. And with all that strain of rolling a conker...
Off all topics, is there a more satisfying single thing than a freshly dropped conker?
I saw a sixty-something couple collecting conkers earlier. I stopped to chat and she claimed they keep away spiders.
She seemed non-plussed when I said I like spiders*.
Who is the weirdo here?
* last year I had a spider colony in my car, with cobwebs around mirror and windscreen. I had loaded the car one night with shrub cuttings for the tip, and they colonised it. Passengers would occasionally be surprised by spiders dropping down while driving.
My wife heard of the notion that conkers keep away spiders, so put numbers of them in the hall.
No spiders. But I was woken at 3 in the morning by something making a din downstairs. I went down with some trepidation - only to find a mouse rolling away the now rock-hard conker...
You either have very good hearing, or very noisy floors.
Hard conkers on a wooden floor make quit a din.
My wife wakes if a mouse farts. And with all that strain of rolling a conker...
So... anyone want to join my political party. It's the:
We don't care about Trans, get out of people's way, remove absurd cliff edges in the tax and benefits system, fund criminal justice properly, ensure better vocational education, replace stamp duty with a property tax, stop obsessing about the EU (but be friendly with them), invest in defence Party.
Or -as I prefer to call it- D'oh Party.
Where does it stand on planning.
Folds arms across chest, waiting.
Simple standards, properly applied, with a presumption of "yes". The abolition of the green belt.
Basically: if you are prepared to put the infrastructure in (and to pay for externalities), then the answer should be 'yes'. We should not have a system where there is a ridiculous mark up associated with a political system. That way lies corruption.
Actually I think she puts it quite succinctly and readably, though a video would of course have worked better. I'm not sure I agree with her 100%, but it isn't terrible as text.
Would a video be better? I don't want to spend time watching a video, I want to read a written argument. Easier to skip the guff, and re-read bits you didn't understand. Don't want it to take 5 minutes out of my life.
But I believe this is an age-related thing, young people do indeed want to watch a video rather than read something
I learned the other day that today's young people are appalled at the idea of using the phone. Calling to make an appointment? What? They'd rather go in to the place & make it face-to-face., apparently, although the ideal method is to use text messages.
Is this feeding into youth mental health issues? The lack of personal interaction is becoming a real problem.
I was asked by a friend to go into their company and do a deep dive on various things, one thing she said was that they have a problem with the younger - as it turned out the people in early 30s and below - where they wouldn’t make phone calls to clients and would stick to emails.
I assumed this was a bit of hyperbole but it really wasn’t. They would do anything not to take a call, make a call, go for lunch with the client/drinks/even coffee. There was so much resistance to getting out there in person to engage on a human basis with their clients which, in their industry was bonkers as they needed strong client relationships to keep the relationships and therefore the money flowing.
There was a weird inability to socialise over drinks and meals, as much of an arse I am it wasn’t just because of me with them, they couldn’t have broad conversations and visibly recoiled over conversations and ribald humour that didn’t fit with their worldview - however uptight you might be in certain industries the money is with people who you might not be in step with and sometimes you have to suck it up. Obviously this is only an anecdote but I can’t believe I’m the only person who has experienced this behaviour.
I've noticed that amongst the younger team members I have that random ad-hoc phone calls or chat are looked on as 'a bit weird'. Arranged ones, less so. Everyone just assumes asynchronous texts or platform-of-your-choice messages are the way things are done.
I think I sort of get it as a child growing up at the cusp of answering machines. I do find myself more frequently annoyed by phone calls who want my attention Right Now about something that could have been dealt with when I had some time later in the day.
I completely get that. Phone calls are nearly all to mobiles now, even my elderly folks having given up on land-lines. The presumption of a caller is that they have a right to interrupt whatever you are up to at the time. Emails, texts, WhatsApp etc can wait for a reply to whenever is convenient. It's more polite to text etc.
I do worry that UK governments of all types over the last 20 years have simply been clueless as to how to help the UK cement its strengths in financial, digital, and professional services, and life sciences, which dominate our economy.
Rishi sort of tried a bit with AI and tech, but we've failed to reform our stock market and make it attractive - although Hunt tried - we're losing our place in advanced manufacturing. And we've become too dogmatic about energy. Don't get me started on the process state.
The only area I'd say is still definitively strong is creative industries and probably professional services too - just as well given its my sector.
Well the policy has mostly been to tax success and subsidise worthlessness.
In my view governments should almost never be involved in investment.
I have to say, there is a certain logic to taxing the people who have money rather than people who don't.
Illogic yes, logic no.
It's the stockmarket thing of selling your winners and running your losers, but this is far worse. You are punishing success and rewarding failure.
So what you're saying is, we should only tax people who don't have any money?
I would point out this was the policy of the ancien regime in France and the Tsars of Russia.
I would further point out this didn't end terribly well for them.
The government spends about £44000 per household annually (TME). This has to be raised from taxes, borrowing and other charges. Since knight service, heriot and frankalmoign have regrettably been abolished the only thing left to tax is money. In truth success is the only thing you can possibly tax.
(Apropos of this, I wonder what the reaction would be if most people knew that the government spends, and therfore raises, £44000 per household. It is a fairly closely guarded secret, and an enduring miracle that it can be done without riots and bloodshed.)
Actually, if it spends 44k per husehold, it must raise around 42k per household, given our budget deficit.
Off all topics, is there a more satisfying single thing than a freshly dropped conker?
I saw a sixty-something couple collecting conkers earlier. I stopped to chat and she claimed they keep away spiders.
She seemed non-plussed when I said I like spiders*.
Who is the weirdo here?
* last year I had a spider colony in my car, with cobwebs around mirror and windscreen. I had loaded the car one night with shrub cuttings for the tip, and they colonised it. Passengers would occasionally be surprised by spiders dropping down while driving.
My wife heard of the notion that conkers keep away spiders, so put numbers of them in the hall.
No spiders. But I was woken at 3 in the morning by something making a din downstairs. I went down with some trepidation - only to find a mouse rolling away the now rock-hard conker...
You either have very good hearing, or very noisy floors.
Hard conkers on a wooden floor make quit a din.
My wife wakes if a mouse farts. And with all that strain of rolling a conker...
I just loved conker season as a kid. There was a park near us with a ton of conker trees.
Then there was the conker fighting with dried conkers on strings. Some soaked in vinegar for weeks.
Actually I think she puts it quite succinctly and readably, though a video would of course have worked better. I'm not sure I agree with her 100%, but it isn't terrible as text.
Would a video be better? I don't want to spend time watching a video, I want to read a written argument. Easier to skip the guff, and re-read bits you didn't understand. Don't want it to take 5 minutes out of my life.
But I believe this is an age-related thing, young people do indeed want to watch a video rather than read something
I learned the other day that today's young people are appalled at the idea of using the phone. Calling to make an appointment? What? They'd rather go in to the place & make it face-to-face., apparently, although the ideal method is to use text messages.
Indeed, and the idea you answer the phone to a stranger is anathema. Try to explain to young people that when I was a kid you had no idea who was ringing...
What's the problem with answering the phone to a stranger?
You only answer the phone when the person's name comes up and you know who they are. Obviously. Not sure what's wrong with it, maybe it causes "anxiety" maybe a misguided attempt at privacy. I have heard both excuses. While trying to explain to jobseekers that you answer the f***ing phone because someone might be trying to offer you a f***ing job
My GP calls on "Unknown number", if it's the actual GP not reception, sadly.
Off all topics, is there a more satisfying single thing than a freshly dropped conker?
I saw a sixty-something couple collecting conkers earlier. I stopped to chat and she claimed they keep away spiders.
She seemed non-plussed when I said I like spiders*.
Who is the weirdo here?
* last year I had a spider colony in my car, with cobwebs around mirror and windscreen. I had loaded the car one night with shrub cuttings for the tip, and they colonised it. Passengers would occasionally be surprised by spiders dropping down while driving.
At least you now know not to collect conkers.
I wasn't, much as I think them an item of beauty. I think it a folk belief without grounding in reality.
It's a web of deceit.
You may think I am spinning a yarn, but it is true.
The spiders lived and nested in my car most of the winter, until a bitter frost did them in. It was like a mobile spider sanctuary for a few months.
Off all topics, is there a more satisfying single thing than a freshly dropped conker?
I saw a sixty-something couple collecting conkers earlier. I stopped to chat and she claimed they keep away spiders.
She seemed non-plussed when I said I like spiders*.
Who is the weirdo here?
* last year I had a spider colony in my car, with cobwebs around mirror and windscreen. I had loaded the car one night with shrub cuttings for the tip, and they colonised it. Passengers would occasionally be surprised by spiders dropping down while driving.
My wife heard of the notion that conkers keep away spiders, so put numbers of them in the hall.
No spiders. But I was woken at 3 in the morning by something making a din downstairs. I went down with some trepidation - only to find a mouse rolling away the now rock-hard conker...
You either have very good hearing, or very noisy floors.
Hard conkers on a wooden floor make quit a din.
My wife wakes if a mouse farts. And with all that strain of rolling a conker...
You need to change their diets; I would suggest fewer beans.
Off all topics, is there a more satisfying single thing than a freshly dropped conker?
I saw a sixty-something couple collecting conkers earlier. I stopped to chat and she claimed they keep away spiders.
She seemed non-plussed when I said I like spiders*.
Who is the weirdo here?
* last year I had a spider colony in my car, with cobwebs around mirror and windscreen. I had loaded the car one night with shrub cuttings for the tip, and they colonised it. Passengers would occasionally be surprised by spiders dropping down while driving.
My wife heard of the notion that conkers keep away spiders, so put numbers of them in the hall.
No spiders. But I was woken at 3 in the morning by something making a din downstairs. I went down with some trepidation - only to find a mouse rolling away the now rock-hard conker...
You either have very good hearing, or very noisy floors.
For every policy, we published expectations for the impact of that policy. We then track and publish -on a monthly basis- whether the policy is working. If it is failing to achieve it's goal, or if it is costing much more than expected, or if it is leading to unexpected levels of uptake, or whatever, then it is rapidly and publicly reevaluated.
Off all topics, is there a more satisfying single thing than a freshly dropped conker?
I saw a sixty-something couple collecting conkers earlier. I stopped to chat and she claimed they keep away spiders.
She seemed non-plussed when I said I like spiders*.
Who is the weirdo here?
* last year I had a spider colony in my car, with cobwebs around mirror and windscreen. I had loaded the car one night with shrub cuttings for the tip, and they colonised it. Passengers would occasionally be surprised by spiders dropping down while driving.
My wife heard of the notion that conkers keep away spiders, so put numbers of them in the hall.
No spiders. But I was woken at 3 in the morning by something making a din downstairs. I went down with some trepidation - only to find a mouse rolling away the now rock-hard conker...
You either have very good hearing, or very noisy floors.
Hard conkers on a wooden floor make quit a din.
My wife wakes if a mouse farts. And with all that strain of rolling a conker...
I just loved conker season as a kid. There was a park near us with a ton of conker trees.
Then there was the conker fighting with dried conkers on strings. Some soaked in vinegar for weeks.
Probably not allowed now...
It is still legal to soak things in vinegar, as long as you don't send hurty tweets whilst soaking them.
I love SNP scandals, camper vans, seagulls, and now swingers (but I am not a fan of kink shaming.)
Sturgeon ally pulls out of Holyrood race after ‘swingers’ allegations
Math Campbell-Sturgess withdraws candidacy for Dumbarton citing ‘right to a private life’
An SNP activist allied to Nicola Sturgeon has pulled out of the Holyrood election race following allegations that he ran an online “swingers” profile.
Math Campbell-Sturgess, 42, was due to contest the Dumbarton seat at next May’s Scottish Parliament election but withdrew his candidacy this weekend amid claims that he was behind an account on a website used to organise sex meetups.
The Mail on Sunday, which made the allegations, said Mr Campbell-Sturgess was challenged over an online profile set up by an individual who goes by the name of “M (42)”.
The profile was looking for “threesome” partners for a man and a woman under the pseudonym “Scotsbicouple” and said it contained only limited images due to “work sensitivities”.
When approached by the newspaper about the online account, Mr Campbell-Sturgess – who lives in Greenock with his partner and daughter – denied it was his profile and suggested it might have been an impersonator account.
The Mail on Sunday claimed that after he was presented with more evidence linking him to the account, Mr Campbell-Sturgess responded that “everyone is entitled to a private life” and insisted he had “done nothing wrong”.
“This experience has placed huge stress on myself and my family, and I have therefore chosen to step back from candidacy at this time,” he reportedly added.
I vaguely knew this bloke during IndyRef. I'm not surprised, as he was an absolute arse (and we were on the same side). Very puffed up with his own 'importance' i.e. mainly social media based.
He also spends some of his time virtually shouting at women online about Gender Self ID, which he of course supports because he's such a feminist.
Off all topics, is there a more satisfying single thing than a freshly dropped conker?
I saw a sixty-something couple collecting conkers earlier. I stopped to chat and she claimed they keep away spiders.
She seemed non-plussed when I said I like spiders*.
Who is the weirdo here?
* last year I had a spider colony in my car, with cobwebs around mirror and windscreen. I had loaded the car one night with shrub cuttings for the tip, and they colonised it. Passengers would occasionally be surprised by spiders dropping down while driving.
My wife heard of the notion that conkers keep away spiders, so put numbers of them in the hall.
No spiders. But I was woken at 3 in the morning by something making a din downstairs. I went down with some trepidation - only to find a mouse rolling away the now rock-hard conker...
You either have very good hearing, or very noisy floors.
Hard conkers on a wooden floor make quit a din.
My wife wakes if a mouse farts. And with all that strain of rolling a conker...
Mice can be surprisingly noisy. My cat has a fundamental misunderstanding of the role of house cat, and often catches them in the garden, brings them in via the catflap and loses them. Cat and dog then spend a few happy hours at night catching them again. I have become rather adept at catching them myself and chucking them back into the garden.
In Leicestershire we have to make our own entertainments.
If you mean the recognition of a Palestinian state then I couldn't disagree more. What are its borders, who are its people, which side do we think we're on?
It's performative, for the benefit of his internal party opposition
Quite an achievement to get Canada and Australia on board for an internal UK Labour party matter.
Has it it's good and bad points but, on balance, probably better than the alternatives?
For every policy, we published expectations for the impact of that policy. We then track and publish -on a monthly basis- whether the policy is working. If it is failing to achieve it's goal, or if it is costing much more than expected, or if it is leading to unexpected levels of uptake, or whatever, then it is rapidly and publicly reevaluated.
Fail fast.
Government doesn't enough policy experiments. Doing comparative policy trials across the country might pay enormous dividends, if they had the courage.
They could (eg) start with "how do we revitalise provincial town centres", funding dependent on taking part.
So Donald Trump, on his way to the Charlie Kirk memorial event, says he's looking at this as "a time for healing". Exactly the sentiment a president ought to be putting out.
Let's see what he does with his speech, shall we. Let's see if that is the tone of it. If it is I'll be surprised and happy to be so.
Fresh from telling everyone that they shouldn’t feel sorry for Biden with his advanced cancer cos he’s a SOB. Trump really has no redeeming feature, I would actually enjoy giving him a really hard kick in the baws.
That's what's always struck me. Not that he's so awful in so many different ways - you get people like that - but that there are zero redeeming qualities. Not a single one. That is extremely rare in a human being.
I really feel that without the restraints of a ragged constitution and him being pretty fcking stupid, Trump would be right up there with the top evil bad boys of history. The rsole of would even get some smirking satisfaction from being in the premier league of ‘strong’ men.
Actually I think she puts it quite succinctly and readably, though a video would of course have worked better. I'm not sure I agree with her 100%, but it isn't terrible as text.
Would a video be better? I don't want to spend time watching a video, I want to read a written argument. Easier to skip the guff, and re-read bits you didn't understand. Don't want it to take 5 minutes out of my life.
But I believe this is an age-related thing, young people do indeed want to watch a video rather than read something
I learned the other day that today's young people are appalled at the idea of using the phone. Calling to make an appointment? What? They'd rather go in to the place & make it face-to-face., apparently, although the ideal method is to use text messages.
Is this feeding into youth mental health issues? The lack of personal interaction is becoming a real problem.
I was asked by a friend to go into their company and do a deep dive on various things, one thing she said was that they have a problem with the younger - as it turned out the people in early 30s and below - where they wouldn’t make phone calls to clients and would stick to emails.
I assumed this was a bit of hyperbole but it really wasn’t. They would do anything not to take a call, make a call, go for lunch with the client/drinks/even coffee. There was so much resistance to getting out there in person to engage on a human basis with their clients which, in their industry was bonkers as they needed strong client relationships to keep the relationships and therefore the money flowing.
There was a weird inability to socialise over drinks and meals, as much of an arse I am it wasn’t just because of me with them, they couldn’t have broad conversations and visibly recoiled over conversations and ribald humour that didn’t fit with their worldview - however uptight you might be in certain industries the money is with people who you might not be in step with and sometimes you have to suck it up. Obviously this is only an anecdote but I can’t believe I’m the only person who has experienced this behaviour.
It is absolutely true
My v bright older daughter is shy and socially averse, to an extent, but I've now realised that compared to many of her peers she is Oscar Wilde on Ket
The fucking smartphone and social media are literally killing Homo sapiens off
Somewhat ironic from Johnson in so much as the majority of Johnson's most vexing moments came about as a result of him having too much sex with people it was probably unwise to have too much sex with at the time he had too much sex with them.
Edit. P.S. if Johnson didn't drink and enjoy a party he might still be Prime Minister.
Off all topics, is there a more satisfying single thing than a freshly dropped conker?
You’ve obviously not seen season three of Picard.
Of course I have! Not a single thing though.
(My wife has bumped into Picard twice in the same London restaurant recently. Write a nice thread header about Kemi and I might tell you which restaurant...)
I've met Sir Patrick twice, first time I fangirled so much it was a miracle that he didn't apply for a restraining order.
For every policy, we published expectations for the impact of that policy. We then track and publish -on a monthly basis- whether the policy is working. If it is failing to achieve it's goal, or if it is costing much more than expected, or if it is leading to unexpected levels of uptake, or whatever, then it is rapidly and publicly reevaluated.
Fail fast.
Government doesn't enough policy experiments. Doing comparative policy trials across the country might pay enormous dividends, if they had the courage.
They could (eg) start with "how do we revitalise provincial town centres", funding dependent on taking part.
I would use vacant shops for pop up medical clinics. Better parking, bus and train links than the hospital, and before or after the appointment patients are likely to go shopping, or a meal or even just a coffee. The added footfall would mean that the town centre would get benefit even without charging the patient. A win all round.
Formula 1 is a strength too. Sports cars should be more widely.
Not sure why we've shat the bed with electric cars recently.
The fundamental problem was that the UK's electric car ambitions were centered on the Jaguar iPace, and it simply wasn't good enough. It should have been the electric Porsche Macan killer in 2019.
Unfortunately, the trim in it felt very cheap for what was supposed to be a premium vehicle. The in car entertainment system was slow and laggy. And it wasn't fun to drive.
I wanted to buy one. But after test driving it, I just couldn't.
Off all topics, is there a more satisfying single thing than a freshly dropped conker?
Yes.
It's certain posters admitting their fallibility.
I grant you, unlike a freshly dropped conker, this is more a theoretical than an actual thing.
Which one of LadyG, Eadric, Byronic, Fitz and SeanT were you thinking of?
What is this fecking bollocks idea that I don't admit fallibility??
When I am clearly wrong I admit it immediately. Doing anything else is RIDIC
The other day I was wrong about People only wearing monster outfits at Halloween. I admitted it within the hour
Before that I was wrong about 99% of people being directly descended from William the Conqueror - I diPouted it, I was wrong, I admitted I was wrong
I have so many opinions I am probably wrong three times a day. Just point it out, give me evidence, I will happily yield, and with grace, I hope
I suspect the issue here is more: I am often right about really big things, the big calls, and I MAKE SURE EVERYONE KNOWS BY GOING ON AND ON ABOUT IT, ANNOYINGLY, AND IN CAPITALS
Off all topics, is there a more satisfying single thing than a freshly dropped conker?
Yes.
It's certain posters admitting their fallibility.
I grant you, unlike a freshly dropped conker, this is more a theoretical than an actual thing.
I'll take this opportunity to say something a bit contrary to my deeply-held prejudices, then.
I've started regularly listening to the 1am shipping forecast from the BBC shipping forecast podcast. At first I just listened to the latest available shipping forecast, but they're quite slow about uploading them, so they're never current enough to be useful. But I've settled on the 1am forecast.
At first I thought I was listening to this to experience the reassuring sound of home, via BBC Radio 4, without any irritating opinion from the newsreaders, but I've found that it's the playing of GSTK at the end of the forecast, as radio 4 programming comes to an end for the night, which is most affecting to me.
I still do think that hereditary monarchy is a silly idea, and there were lots of things that were annoying about living in Britain, and many things that I enjoy about living in Ireland, but I do miss being in Britain, at least a tiny little bit, and the national anthem is oddly comforting.
Now that's not something I would have thought would be the case a few years ago.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin: "Absolutely I believe in free speech...There's a thin line between free speech and when it crosses a line and causes violence. When you start calling someone 'fascist'...there is a problem." https://x.com/BulwarkOnline/status/1969761610731225293
The crybully phase of MAGA is predictably insipid. These are the people who said "fuck your feelings" but now they want to criminalize the use of ideological categories either as historically accurate diagnoses or as thought-cliches. Why? Because it's scary and dangerous. Also, everyone they don't like is a Commie. https://x.com/michaeldweiss/status/1969800625010413831
Off all topics, is there a more satisfying single thing than a freshly dropped conker?
Yes.
It's certain posters admitting their fallibility.
I grant you, unlike a freshly dropped conker, this is more a theoretical than an actual thing.
Which one of LadyG, Eadric, Byronic, Fitz and SeanT were you thinking of?
What is this fecking bollocks idea that I don't admit fallibility??
When I am clearly wrong I admit it immediately. Doing anything else is RIDIC
The other day I was wrong about People only wearing monster outfits at Halloween. I admitted it within the hour
Before that I was wrong about 99% of people being directly descended from William the Conqueror - I diPouted it, I was wrong, I admitted I was wrong
I have so many opinions I am probably wrong three times a day. Just point it out, give me evidence, I will happily yield, and with grace, I hope
I suspect the issue here is more: I am often right about really big things, the big calls, and I MAKE SURE EVERYONE KNOWS BY GOING ON AND ON ABOUT IT, ANNOYINGLY, AND IN CAPITALS
Now that is very interesting indeed.
Because at no point did I add Leon to my list.
Which means, if you are those people, you have been wrong. Without admitting it...
For every policy, we published expectations for the impact of that policy. We then track and publish -on a monthly basis- whether the policy is working. If it is failing to achieve it's goal, or if it is costing much more than expected, or if it is leading to unexpected levels of uptake, or whatever, then it is rapidly and publicly reevaluated.
Fail fast.
I am pretty much on board with your manifesto so far.
I would add (and this is not an original by me - it may have even Truss) that the OBR should be made to create a model that predicts the past. When they have a model that can predict the past (from the past longer ago) with success, we will listen to their predictions about the future. Until then, they can piss off controlling the Government's fiscal policy on the basis of 5 year predictions which are less accurate than reading tea leaves.
Off all topics, is there a more satisfying single thing than a freshly dropped conker?
You’ve obviously not seen season three of Picard.
Of course I have! Not a single thing though.
(My wife has bumped into Picard twice in the same London restaurant recently. Write a nice thread header about Kemi and I might tell you which restaurant...)
I've met Sir Patrick twice, first time I fangirled so much it was a miracle that he didn't apply for a restraining order.
I remember years ago sitting on the next table at the Lygon Arms in Broadway and I was thinking, “that’s nice, he’s taken his daughter out for dinner”. A few days later he was in the papers with his new partner who I had thought was his daughter. Thought he had batted well.
I can hear the 20 year old people upstairs having joyous and vigorous sex
I was about to type "Is there any more depressing sound in the world than listening to people four decades younger having great sex"
Then I realised, actually there is a more depressing sound, and I've heard it
About ten years ago I went through a dry spell, with the laydeez, and I went down to the Family Towers in Cornwall and at about 2pm I was alone in the kitchen - and I heard my Dad having eager sex upstairs. At that time he was about 79
For every policy, we published expectations for the impact of that policy. We then track and publish -on a monthly basis- whether the policy is working. If it is failing to achieve it's goal, or if it is costing much more than expected, or if it is leading to unexpected levels of uptake, or whatever, then it is rapidly and publicly reevaluated.
Fail fast.
Government doesn't enough policy experiments. Doing comparative policy trials across the country might pay enormous dividends, if they had the courage.
They could (eg) start with "how do we revitalise provincial town centres", funding dependent on taking part.
I would use vacant shops for pop up medical clinics. Better parking, bus and train links than the hospital, and before or after the appointment patients are likely to go shopping, or a meal or even just a coffee. The added footfall would mean that the town centre would get benefit even without charging the patient. A win all round.
My own idea (FWIW) is that we should be repurposing redundant retail as residential.
But my point was that we ought to be funding a couple of dozen or more different ideas simultaneously, in a couple of dozen different places. And see what works.
For every policy, we published expectations for the impact of that policy. We then track and publish -on a monthly basis- whether the policy is working. If it is failing to achieve it's goal, or if it is costing much more than expected, or if it is leading to unexpected levels of uptake, or whatever, then it is rapidly and publicly reevaluated.
Fail fast.
Government doesn't enough policy experiments. Doing comparative policy trials across the country might pay enormous dividends, if they had the courage.
They could (eg) start with "how do we revitalise provincial town centres", funding dependent on taking part.
I would use vacant shops for pop up medical clinics. Better parking, bus and train links than the hospital, and before or after the appointment patients are likely to go shopping, or a meal or even just a coffee. The added footfall would mean that the town centre would get benefit even without charging the patient. A win all round.
Actually I think she puts it quite succinctly and readably, though a video would of course have worked better. I'm not sure I agree with her 100%, but it isn't terrible as text.
Would a video be better? I don't want to spend time watching a video, I want to read a written argument. Easier to skip the guff, and re-read bits you didn't understand. Don't want it to take 5 minutes out of my life.
But I believe this is an age-related thing, young people do indeed want to watch a video rather than read something
I learned the other day that today's young people are appalled at the idea of using the phone. Calling to make an appointment? What? They'd rather go in to the place & make it face-to-face., apparently, although the ideal method is to use text messages.
Is this feeding into youth mental health issues? The lack of personal interaction is becoming a real problem.
I was asked by a friend to go into their company and do a deep dive on various things, one thing she said was that they have a problem with the younger - as it turned out the people in early 30s and below - where they wouldn’t make phone calls to clients and would stick to emails.
I assumed this was a bit of hyperbole but it really wasn’t. They would do anything not to take a call, make a call, go for lunch with the client/drinks/even coffee. There was so much resistance to getting out there in person to engage on a human basis with their clients which, in their industry was bonkers as they needed strong client relationships to keep the relationships and therefore the money flowing.
There was a weird inability to socialise over drinks and meals, as much of an arse I am it wasn’t just because of me with them, they couldn’t have broad conversations and visibly recoiled over conversations and ribald humour that didn’t fit with their worldview - however uptight you might be in certain industries the money is with people who you might not be in step with and sometimes you have to suck it up. Obviously this is only an anecdote but I can’t believe I’m the only person who has experienced this behaviour.
I've noticed that amongst the younger team members I have that random ad-hoc phone calls or chat are looked on as 'a bit weird'. Arranged ones, less so. Everyone just assumes asynchronous texts or platform-of-your-choice messages are the way things are done.
I think I sort of get it as a child growing up at the cusp of answering machines. I do find myself more frequently annoyed by phone calls who want my attention Right Now about something that could have been dealt with when I had some time later in the day.
I completely get that. Phone calls are nearly all to mobiles now, even my elderly folks having given up on land-lines. The presumption of a caller is that they have a right to interrupt whatever you are up to at the time. Emails, texts, WhatsApp etc can wait for a reply to whenever is convenient. It's more polite to text etc.
I never answer my phone at work. This is because every phone call I get is someone trying to sell me something. I don't like to be rude to people but I don't want to listen to their sales patter either so the simplest thing is simply to ignore it. To be honest I hate talking on the phone anyway. Since I'm almost 50 I guess I must have been an early adopter of this tendency.
For every policy, we published expectations for the impact of that policy. We then track and publish -on a monthly basis- whether the policy is working. If it is failing to achieve it's goal, or if it is costing much more than expected, or if it is leading to unexpected levels of uptake, or whatever, then it is rapidly and publicly reevaluated.
Fail fast.
Government doesn't enough policy experiments. Doing comparative policy trials across the country might pay enormous dividends, if they had the courage.
They could (eg) start with "how do we revitalise provincial town centres", funding dependent on taking part.
I would use vacant shops for pop up medical clinics. Better parking, bus and train links than the hospital, and before or after the appointment patients are likely to go shopping, or a meal or even just a coffee. The added footfall would mean that the town centre would get benefit even without charging the patient. A win all round.
My own idea (FWIW) is that we should be repurposing redundant retail as residential.
But my point was that we ought to be funding a couple of dozen or more different ideas simultaneously, in a couple of dozen different places. And see what works.
Local town, Trowbridge, I'd in a shocking state. Twenty years ago you could have a decent shopping session there but now it's hollowed out and decaying. If the bulk of the shops became housing with some entertainment around it could save it So I think you are right.
Actually I think she puts it quite succinctly and readably, though a video would of course have worked better. I'm not sure I agree with her 100%, but it isn't terrible as text.
Would a video be better? I don't want to spend time watching a video, I want to read a written argument. Easier to skip the guff, and re-read bits you didn't understand. Don't want it to take 5 minutes out of my life.
But I believe this is an age-related thing, young people do indeed want to watch a video rather than read something
I learned the other day that today's young people are appalled at the idea of using the phone. Calling to make an appointment? What? They'd rather go in to the place & make it face-to-face., apparently, although the ideal method is to use text messages.
Is this feeding into youth mental health issues? The lack of personal interaction is becoming a real problem.
I was asked by a friend to go into their company and do a deep dive on various things, one thing she said was that they have a problem with the younger - as it turned out the people in early 30s and below - where they wouldn’t make phone calls to clients and would stick to emails.
I assumed this was a bit of hyperbole but it really wasn’t. They would do anything not to take a call, make a call, go for lunch with the client/drinks/even coffee. There was so much resistance to getting out there in person to engage on a human basis with their clients which, in their industry was bonkers as they needed strong client relationships to keep the relationships and therefore the money flowing.
There was a weird inability to socialise over drinks and meals, as much of an arse I am it wasn’t just because of me with them, they couldn’t have broad conversations and visibly recoiled over conversations and ribald humour that didn’t fit with their worldview - however uptight you might be in certain industries the money is with people who you might not be in step with and sometimes you have to suck it up. Obviously this is only an anecdote but I can’t believe I’m the only person who has experienced this behaviour.
I've noticed that amongst the younger team members I have that random ad-hoc phone calls or chat are looked on as 'a bit weird'. Arranged ones, less so. Everyone just assumes asynchronous texts or platform-of-your-choice messages are the way things are done.
I think I sort of get it as a child growing up at the cusp of answering machines. I do find myself more frequently annoyed by phone calls who want my attention Right Now about something that could have been dealt with when I had some time later in the day.
I completely get that. Phone calls are nearly all to mobiles now, even my elderly folks having given up on land-lines. The presumption of a caller is that they have a right to interrupt whatever you are up to at the time. Emails, texts, WhatsApp etc can wait for a reply to whenever is convenient. It's more polite to text etc.
I never answer my phone at work. This is because every phone call I get is someone trying to sell me something. I don't like to be rude to people but I don't want to listen to their sales patter either so the simplest thing is simply to ignore it. To be honest I hate talking on the phone anyway. Since I'm almost 50 I guess I must have been an early adopter of this tendency.
Yes, I'm about your age and also not a fan of phone conversations. I tend to take the view that if it's important they'll leave a message. (My landline number in fact can only go to voice message at the moment: it's a voip setup and it's broken and I've been procrastinating on the network admin I need to do to fix it...)
Isn't the problem with re-purposing retail for residential that it is actually rather expensive to convert them because a) how they are built don't make it simple to just whack in a kitchen / bathroom etc and also the regs are miles apart so again loads of extra building has to go on to meet them.
Thus its often cheaper and easier just to knock them down and build from scratch.
Actually I think she puts it quite succinctly and readably, though a video would of course have worked better. I'm not sure I agree with her 100%, but it isn't terrible as text.
Would a video be better? I don't want to spend time watching a video, I want to read a written argument. Easier to skip the guff, and re-read bits you didn't understand. Don't want it to take 5 minutes out of my life.
But I believe this is an age-related thing, young people do indeed want to watch a video rather than read something
I learned the other day that today's young people are appalled at the idea of using the phone. Calling to make an appointment? What? They'd rather go in to the place & make it face-to-face., apparently, although the ideal method is to use text messages.
Is this feeding into youth mental health issues? The lack of personal interaction is becoming a real problem.
I was asked by a friend to go into their company and do a deep dive on various things, one thing she said was that they have a problem with the younger - as it turned out the people in early 30s and below - where they wouldn’t make phone calls to clients and would stick to emails.
I assumed this was a bit of hyperbole but it really wasn’t. They would do anything not to take a call, make a call, go for lunch with the client/drinks/even coffee. There was so much resistance to getting out there in person to engage on a human basis with their clients which, in their industry was bonkers as they needed strong client relationships to keep the relationships and therefore the money flowing.
There was a weird inability to socialise over drinks and meals, as much of an arse I am it wasn’t just because of me with them, they couldn’t have broad conversations and visibly recoiled over conversations and ribald humour that didn’t fit with their worldview - however uptight you might be in certain industries the money is with people who you might not be in step with and sometimes you have to suck it up. Obviously this is only an anecdote but I can’t believe I’m the only person who has experienced this behaviour.
I've noticed that amongst the younger team members I have that random ad-hoc phone calls or chat are looked on as 'a bit weird'. Arranged ones, less so. Everyone just assumes asynchronous texts or platform-of-your-choice messages are the way things are done.
I think I sort of get it as a child growing up at the cusp of answering machines. I do find myself more frequently annoyed by phone calls who want my attention Right Now about something that could have been dealt with when I had some time later in the day.
I completely get that. Phone calls are nearly all to mobiles now, even my elderly folks having given up on land-lines. The presumption of a caller is that they have a right to interrupt whatever you are up to at the time. Emails, texts, WhatsApp etc can wait for a reply to whenever is convenient. It's more polite to text etc.
I never answer my phone at work. This is because every phone call I get is someone trying to sell me something. I don't like to be rude to people but I don't want to listen to their sales patter either so the simplest thing is simply to ignore it. To be honest I hate talking on the phone anyway. Since I'm almost 50 I guess I must have been an early adopter of this tendency.
Yes, I'm about your age and also not a fan of phone conversations. I tend to take the view that if it's important they'll leave a message. (My landline number in fact can only go to voice message at the moment: it's a voip setup and it's broken and I've been procrastinating on the network admin I need to do to fix it...)
... last year I had a spider colony in my car, with cobwebs around mirror and windscreen. I had loaded the car one night with shrub cuttings for the tip, and they colonised it. Passengers would occasionally be surprised by spiders dropping down while driving...
Yes thank you Rachael, that was the last question. Can you step out for a moment whilst we discuss your Voight-Kampff results with the detective?
Actually I think she puts it quite succinctly and readably, though a video would of course have worked better. I'm not sure I agree with her 100%, but it isn't terrible as text.
Would a video be better? I don't want to spend time watching a video, I want to read a written argument. Easier to skip the guff, and re-read bits you didn't understand. Don't want it to take 5 minutes out of my life.
But I believe this is an age-related thing, young people do indeed want to watch a video rather than read something
I learned the other day that today's young people are appalled at the idea of using the phone. Calling to make an appointment? What? They'd rather go in to the place & make it face-to-face., apparently, although the ideal method is to use text messages.
Is this feeding into youth mental health issues? The lack of personal interaction is becoming a real problem.
I was asked by a friend to go into their company and do a deep dive on various things, one thing she said was that they have a problem with the younger - as it turned out the people in early 30s and below - where they wouldn’t make phone calls to clients and would stick to emails.
I assumed this was a bit of hyperbole but it really wasn’t. They would do anything not to take a call, make a call, go for lunch with the client/drinks/even coffee. There was so much resistance to getting out there in person to engage on a human basis with their clients which, in their industry was bonkers as they needed strong client relationships to keep the relationships and therefore the money flowing.
There was a weird inability to socialise over drinks and meals, as much of an arse I am it wasn’t just because of me with them, they couldn’t have broad conversations and visibly recoiled over conversations and ribald humour that didn’t fit with their worldview - however uptight you might be in certain industries the money is with people who you might not be in step with and sometimes you have to suck it up. Obviously this is only an anecdote but I can’t believe I’m the only person who has experienced this behaviour.
I've noticed that amongst the younger team members I have that random ad-hoc phone calls or chat are looked on as 'a bit weird'. Arranged ones, less so. Everyone just assumes asynchronous texts or platform-of-your-choice messages are the way things are done.
I think I sort of get it as a child growing up at the cusp of answering machines. I do find myself more frequently annoyed by phone calls who want my attention Right Now about something that could have been dealt with when I had some time later in the day.
I completely get that. Phone calls are nearly all to mobiles now, even my elderly folks having given up on land-lines. The presumption of a caller is that they have a right to interrupt whatever you are up to at the time. Emails, texts, WhatsApp etc can wait for a reply to whenever is convenient. It's more polite to text etc.
I never answer my phone at work. This is because every phone call I get is someone trying to sell me something. I don't like to be rude to people but I don't want to listen to their sales patter either so the simplest thing is simply to ignore it. To be honest I hate talking on the phone anyway. Since I'm almost 50 I guess I must have been an early adopter of this tendency.
Yes, I'm about your age and also not a fan of phone conversations. I tend to take the view that if it's important they'll leave a message. (My landline number in fact can only go to voice message at the moment: it's a voip setup and it's broken and I've been procrastinating on the network admin I need to do to fix it...)
You still have a landline?
What's a landline? Isn't that what you tie your boat to the moaring?
I can hear the 20 year old people upstairs having joyous and vigorous sex
I was about to type "Is there any more depressing sound in the world than listening to people four decades younger having great sex"
Then I realised, actually there is a more depressing sound, and I've heard it
About ten years ago I went through a dry spell, with the laydeez, and I went down to the Family Towers in Cornwall and at about 2pm I was alone in the kitchen - and I heard my Dad having eager sex upstairs. At that time he was about 79
Pretty sure hearing a parent* having sex at any time isn’t good.
*A fine distinction between the awfulness of the sound of your parents at it and one or the other engaged with the succeeding bidie in.
Actually I think she puts it quite succinctly and readably, though a video would of course have worked better. I'm not sure I agree with her 100%, but it isn't terrible as text.
Would a video be better? I don't want to spend time watching a video, I want to read a written argument. Easier to skip the guff, and re-read bits you didn't understand. Don't want it to take 5 minutes out of my life.
But I believe this is an age-related thing, young people do indeed want to watch a video rather than read something
I learned the other day that today's young people are appalled at the idea of using the phone. Calling to make an appointment? What? They'd rather go in to the place & make it face-to-face., apparently, although the ideal method is to use text messages.
Is this feeding into youth mental health issues? The lack of personal interaction is becoming a real problem.
I was asked by a friend to go into their company and do a deep dive on various things, one thing she said was that they have a problem with the younger - as it turned out the people in early 30s and below - where they wouldn’t make phone calls to clients and would stick to emails.
I assumed this was a bit of hyperbole but it really wasn’t. They would do anything not to take a call, make a call, go for lunch with the client/drinks/even coffee. There was so much resistance to getting out there in person to engage on a human basis with their clients which, in their industry was bonkers as they needed strong client relationships to keep the relationships and therefore the money flowing.
There was a weird inability to socialise over drinks and meals, as much of an arse I am it wasn’t just because of me with them, they couldn’t have broad conversations and visibly recoiled over conversations and ribald humour that didn’t fit with their worldview - however uptight you might be in certain industries the money is with people who you might not be in step with and sometimes you have to suck it up. Obviously this is only an anecdote but I can’t believe I’m the only person who has experienced this behaviour.
I've noticed that amongst the younger team members I have that random ad-hoc phone calls or chat are looked on as 'a bit weird'. Arranged ones, less so. Everyone just assumes asynchronous texts or platform-of-your-choice messages are the way things are done.
I think I sort of get it as a child growing up at the cusp of answering machines. I do find myself more frequently annoyed by phone calls who want my attention Right Now about something that could have been dealt with when I had some time later in the day.
I completely get that. Phone calls are nearly all to mobiles now, even my elderly folks having given up on land-lines. The presumption of a caller is that they have a right to interrupt whatever you are up to at the time. Emails, texts, WhatsApp etc can wait for a reply to whenever is convenient. It's more polite to text etc.
I never answer my phone at work. This is because every phone call I get is someone trying to sell me something. I don't like to be rude to people but I don't want to listen to their sales patter either so the simplest thing is simply to ignore it. To be honest I hate talking on the phone anyway. Since I'm almost 50 I guess I must have been an early adopter of this tendency.
Yes, I'm about your age and also not a fan of phone conversations. I tend to take the view that if it's important they'll leave a message. (My landline number in fact can only go to voice message at the moment: it's a voip setup and it's broken and I've been procrastinating on the network admin I need to do to fix it...)
It’s slightly problematic when you are managing clients’ money and, hopefully more of their money, if when they want to discuss their hard earned they’ve put in your care and trust, you can’t be fucked or are too timid to speak to them.
Recognising a Palestinian state - talk about virtue signalling.
But it could be worse than that. Netanyahu now saying Israel will fully annexe the West Bank in response. And could the war have actually been over last month if we hadn't engaged in this performative nonsense? Having told the Israelis we would do this without a ceasefire what was the motivation for Hamas to agree to one?
Also spare a thought for all those other people around the world (the Kurds?) who are fighting for their own state but aren't likely to get special treatment of the Palestinians.
Isn't the problem with re-purposing retail for residential that it is actually rather expensive to convert them because a) how they are built don't make it simple to just whack in a kitchen / bathroom etc and also the regs are miles apart so again loads of extra building has to go on to meet them.
Thus its often cheaper and easier just to knock them down and build from scratch.
Just build everywhere like Primrose Hill. High Georgian terrraces that end with pubs or cafes or other 3rd spaces. Every fifth street have a parade of shops. Every tenth street a park. THIS STUFF ISN'T HARD
Also, with this "gentle density" you can actually house a LOT of people in a small area. It's been proven
It is madness we don't do this. King Chas was right about Poundbury. Put the architects in their box and build Primrose Hill everywhere
Off all topics, is there a more satisfying single thing than a freshly dropped conker?
Yes.
It's certain posters admitting their fallibility.
I grant you, unlike a freshly dropped conker, this is more a theoretical than an actual thing.
Which one of LadyG, Eadric, Byronic, Fitz and SeanT were you thinking of?
What is this fecking bollocks idea that I don't admit fallibility??
When I am clearly wrong I admit it immediately. Doing anything else is RIDIC
The other day I was wrong about People only wearing monster outfits at Halloween. I admitted it within the hour
Before that I was wrong about 99% of people being directly descended from William the Conqueror - I diPouted it, I was wrong, I admitted I was wrong
I have so many opinions I am probably wrong three times a day. Just point it out, give me evidence, I will happily yield, and with grace, I hope
I suspect the issue here is more: I am often right about really big things, the big calls, and I MAKE SURE EVERYONE KNOWS BY GOING ON AND ON ABOUT IT, ANNOYINGLY, AND IN CAPITALS
Re the descendents thing you dished out a ton of abuse beforehand, rather than discussing rationally. I mean a spectacular amount to quite a few of us.
I can hear the 20 year old people upstairs having joyous and vigorous sex
I was about to type "Is there any more depressing sound in the world than listening to people four decades younger having great sex"
Then I realised, actually there is a more depressing sound, and I've heard it
About ten years ago I went through a dry spell, with the laydeez, and I went down to the Family Towers in Cornwall and at about 2pm I was alone in the kitchen - and I heard my Dad having eager sex upstairs. At that time he was about 79
Pretty sure hearing a parent* having sex at any time isn’t good.
*A fine distinction between the awfulness of the sound your parents at it and one or the other engaged with the succeeding bidie in.
Indeed. But the fact I was in a bit of a Love Drought made it far worse, plus Dad was 79
I went down to Cornwall for some familial solace, and ended up in existential despair. At 2pm. Staring at my mug of mediocre coffee
Off all topics, is there a more satisfying single thing than a freshly dropped conker?
Yes.
It's certain posters admitting their fallibility.
I grant you, unlike a freshly dropped conker, this is more a theoretical than an actual thing.
Which one of LadyG, Eadric, Byronic, Fitz and SeanT were you thinking of?
What is this fecking bollocks idea that I don't admit fallibility??
When I am clearly wrong I admit it immediately. Doing anything else is RIDIC
The other day I was wrong about People only wearing monster outfits at Halloween. I admitted it within the hour
Before that I was wrong about 99% of people being directly descended from William the Conqueror - I diPouted it, I was wrong, I admitted I was wrong
I have so many opinions I am probably wrong three times a day. Just point it out, give me evidence, I will happily yield, and with grace, I hope
I suspect the issue here is more: I am often right about really big things, the big calls, and I MAKE SURE EVERYONE KNOWS BY GOING ON AND ON ABOUT IT, ANNOYINGLY, AND IN CAPITALS
Re the descendents thing you dished out a ton of abuse beforehand, rather than discussing rationally. I mean a spectacular amount to quite a few of us.
Did I? I doubt it was that bad, by my standards. But if you were truly offended, then I am truly sorry. Shalom
Actually I think she puts it quite succinctly and readably, though a video would of course have worked better. I'm not sure I agree with her 100%, but it isn't terrible as text.
Would a video be better? I don't want to spend time watching a video, I want to read a written argument. Easier to skip the guff, and re-read bits you didn't understand. Don't want it to take 5 minutes out of my life.
But I believe this is an age-related thing, young people do indeed want to watch a video rather than read something
I learned the other day that today's young people are appalled at the idea of using the phone. Calling to make an appointment? What? They'd rather go in to the place & make it face-to-face., apparently, although the ideal method is to use text messages.
Is this feeding into youth mental health issues? The lack of personal interaction is becoming a real problem.
I was asked by a friend to go into their company and do a deep dive on various things, one thing she said was that they have a problem with the younger - as it turned out the people in early 30s and below - where they wouldn’t make phone calls to clients and would stick to emails.
I assumed this was a bit of hyperbole but it really wasn’t. They would do anything not to take a call, make a call, go for lunch with the client/drinks/even coffee. There was so much resistance to getting out there in person to engage on a human basis with their clients which, in their industry was bonkers as they needed strong client relationships to keep the relationships and therefore the money flowing.
There was a weird inability to socialise over drinks and meals, as much of an arse I am it wasn’t just because of me with them, they couldn’t have broad conversations and visibly recoiled over conversations and ribald humour that didn’t fit with their worldview - however uptight you might be in certain industries the money is with people who you might not be in step with and sometimes you have to suck it up. Obviously this is only an anecdote but I can’t believe I’m the only person who has experienced this behaviour.
I've noticed that amongst the younger team members I have that random ad-hoc phone calls or chat are looked on as 'a bit weird'. Arranged ones, less so. Everyone just assumes asynchronous texts or platform-of-your-choice messages are the way things are done.
I think I sort of get it as a child growing up at the cusp of answering machines. I do find myself more frequently annoyed by phone calls who want my attention Right Now about something that could have been dealt with when I had some time later in the day.
I completely get that. Phone calls are nearly all to mobiles now, even my elderly folks having given up on land-lines. The presumption of a caller is that they have a right to interrupt whatever you are up to at the time. Emails, texts, WhatsApp etc can wait for a reply to whenever is convenient. It's more polite to text etc.
I never answer my phone at work. This is because every phone call I get is someone trying to sell me something. I don't like to be rude to people but I don't want to listen to their sales patter either so the simplest thing is simply to ignore it. To be honest I hate talking on the phone anyway. Since I'm almost 50 I guess I must have been an early adopter of this tendency.
"Hi! I'm just calling to check if you got my email?"....
For every policy, we published expectations for the impact of that policy. We then track and publish -on a monthly basis- whether the policy is working. If it is failing to achieve it's goal, or if it is costing much more than expected, or if it is leading to unexpected levels of uptake, or whatever, then it is rapidly and publicly reevaluated.
Fail fast.
Government doesn't enough policy experiments. Doing comparative policy trials across the country might pay enormous dividends, if they had the courage.
They could (eg) start with "how do we revitalise provincial town centres", funding dependent on taking part.
I would use vacant shops for pop up medical clinics. Better parking, bus and train links than the hospital, and before or after the appointment patients are likely to go shopping, or a meal or even just a coffee. The added footfall would mean that the town centre would get benefit even without charging the patient. A win all round.
My own idea (FWIW) is that we should be repurposing redundant retail as residential.
But my point was that we ought to be funding a couple of dozen or more different ideas simultaneously, in a couple of dozen different places. And see what works.
Local town, Trowbridge, I'd in a shocking state. Twenty years ago you could have a decent shopping session there but now it's hollowed out and decaying. If the bulk of the shops became housing with some entertainment around it could save it So I think you are right.
I think I disagree. Yes, we need more dwellings, and yes, former shops would provide a roof over your head, but it would not be within the character of many High Streets. I've seen it done on a small scale and it's just a bit sad.
I would prefer to see an army of small shop owners taking on and living above these stores. The main blocker I see to this is the fact that commercial property is massively overvalued and pension funds are sitting on it not wanting to admit that their portfolios are worth a fraction of what they say they are worth. At the same time, that money would be better put invested in something other than decaying shops with no rent coming in.
Just saw the riff that got Jimmy Kimmell sacked. They were right to sack him
Nonsensically irresponsible
Technically they haven't sacked him and mutterings about trying to find a way to get him back on the air. But, Bob Iger gave him out an out, to apologise for the any offense caused, but he told them to go f##k themselves and was preparing a monologue that was even "hotter".
I can hear the 20 year old people upstairs having joyous and vigorous sex
I was about to type "Is there any more depressing sound in the world than listening to people four decades younger having great sex"
Then I realised, actually there is a more depressing sound, and I've heard it
About ten years ago I went through a dry spell, with the laydeez, and I went down to the Family Towers in Cornwall and at about 2pm I was alone in the kitchen - and I heard my Dad having eager sex upstairs. At that time he was about 79
Pretty sure hearing a parent* having sex at any time isn’t good.
*A fine distinction between the awfulness of the sound of your parents at it and one or the other engaged with the succeeding bidie in.
I can hear the 20 year old people upstairs having joyous and vigorous sex
I was about to type "Is there any more depressing sound in the world than listening to people four decades younger having great sex"
Then I realised, actually there is a more depressing sound, and I've heard it
About ten years ago I went through a dry spell, with the laydeez, and I went down to the Family Towers in Cornwall and at about 2pm I was alone in the kitchen - and I heard my Dad having eager sex upstairs. At that time he was about 79
Pretty sure hearing a parent* having sex at any time isn’t good.
*A fine distinction between the awfulness of the sound your parents at it and one or the other engaged with the succeeding bidie in.
Indeed. But the fact I was in a bit of a Love Drought made it far worse, plus Dad was 79
I went down to Cornwall for some familial solace, and ended up in existential despair. At 2pm. Staring at my mug of mediocre coffee
Ok, that’s bad. However your genetic inheritance means you have years of haughmagandy ahead of you.
Isn't the problem with re-purposing retail for residential that it is actually rather expensive to convert them because a) how they are built don't make it simple to just whack in a kitchen / bathroom etc and also the regs are miles apart so again loads of extra building has to go on to meet them.
Thus its often cheaper and easier just to knock them down and build from scratch.
If so, why not try that ?
I don't pretend to have the answers, but we could be doing a LOT more to discover them.
The other thing needed would be to fast track any planning.
“The fruits of October 7 are what caused the entire world to open its eyes to the Palestinian issue” said Hamas in response to Keir Starmer’s & Labour’s recognition of Palestinian statehood.
That is all you need to know. Labour has just rewarded Islamist terror. 6:51 PM · Sep 21, 2025 18.1K Views"
Isn't the problem with re-purposing retail for residential that it is actually rather expensive to convert them because a) how they are built don't make it simple to just whack in a kitchen / bathroom etc and also the regs are miles apart so again loads of extra building has to go on to meet them.
Thus its often cheaper and easier just to knock them down and build from scratch.
If so, why not try that ?
I don't pretend to have the answers, but we could be doing a LOT more to discover them.
The other thing needed would be to fast track any planning.
And don't take fiver years to discuss the idea.
Well yes, that the at the heart of all these issues. No sign yet the government have grasped that nettle with house building numbers going in the wrong direction.
Just saw the riff that got Jimmy Kimmell sacked. They were right to sack him
Nonsensically irresponsible
#pbfreespeech
To think of all the PB pixels that poster has used up over the years puffing himself as the godfather of free speech - all comes to nothing when he receives his instructions from MAGA on the line to take. At least we know to reject any future pieties from him as so much wind.
Off all topics, is there a more satisfying single thing than a freshly dropped conker?
I saw a sixty-something couple collecting conkers earlier. I stopped to chat and she claimed they keep away spiders.
She seemed non-plussed when I said I like spiders*.
Who is the weirdo here?
* last year I had a spider colony in my car, with cobwebs around mirror and windscreen. I had loaded the car one night with shrub cuttings for the tip, and they colonised it. Passengers would occasionally be surprised by spiders dropping down while driving.
At least you now know not to collect conkers.
I wasn't, much as I think them an item of beauty. I think it a folk belief without grounding in reality.
I recall if you had a 23er and beat a 25er it'd become a 48er. They were the rules.
I can hear the 20 year old people upstairs having joyous and vigorous sex
I was about to type "Is there any more depressing sound in the world than listening to people four decades younger having great sex"
Then I realised, actually there is a more depressing sound, and I've heard it
About ten years ago I went through a dry spell, with the laydeez, and I went down to the Family Towers in Cornwall and at about 2pm I was alone in the kitchen - and I heard my Dad having eager sex upstairs. At that time he was about 79
Pretty sure hearing a parent* having sex at any time isn’t good.
*A fine distinction between the awfulness of the sound your parents at it and one or the other engaged with the succeeding bidie in.
Indeed. But the fact I was in a bit of a Love Drought made it far worse, plus Dad was 79
I went down to Cornwall for some familial solace, and ended up in existential despair. At 2pm. Staring at my mug of mediocre coffee
Ok, that’s bad. However your genetic inheritance means you have years of haughmagandy ahead of you.
Haughmagandy????
*googles word*
Now this really IS why some of us come to PB. Superb. Wonderful word. Gratitude
Actually I think she puts it quite succinctly and readably, though a video would of course have worked better. I'm not sure I agree with her 100%, but it isn't terrible as text.
Would a video be better? I don't want to spend time watching a video, I want to read a written argument. Easier to skip the guff, and re-read bits you didn't understand. Don't want it to take 5 minutes out of my life.
But I believe this is an age-related thing, young people do indeed want to watch a video rather than read something
I learned the other day that today's young people are appalled at the idea of using the phone. Calling to make an appointment? What? They'd rather go in to the place & make it face-to-face., apparently, although the ideal method is to use text messages.
Is this feeding into youth mental health issues? The lack of personal interaction is becoming a real problem.
I was asked by a friend to go into their company and do a deep dive on various things, one thing she said was that they have a problem with the younger - as it turned out the people in early 30s and below - where they wouldn’t make phone calls to clients and would stick to emails.
I assumed this was a bit of hyperbole but it really wasn’t. They would do anything not to take a call, make a call, go for lunch with the client/drinks/even coffee. There was so much resistance to getting out there in person to engage on a human basis with their clients which, in their industry was bonkers as they needed strong client relationships to keep the relationships and therefore the money flowing.
There was a weird inability to socialise over drinks and meals, as much of an arse I am it wasn’t just because of me with them, they couldn’t have broad conversations and visibly recoiled over conversations and ribald humour that didn’t fit with their worldview - however uptight you might be in certain industries the money is with people who you might not be in step with and sometimes you have to suck it up. Obviously this is only an anecdote but I can’t believe I’m the only person who has experienced this behaviour.
I've noticed that amongst the younger team members I have that random ad-hoc phone calls or chat are looked on as 'a bit weird'. Arranged ones, less so. Everyone just assumes asynchronous texts or platform-of-your-choice messages are the way things are done.
I think I sort of get it as a child growing up at the cusp of answering machines. I do find myself more frequently annoyed by phone calls who want my attention Right Now about something that could have been dealt with when I had some time later in the day.
I completely get that. Phone calls are nearly all to mobiles now, even my elderly folks having given up on land-lines. The presumption of a caller is that they have a right to interrupt whatever you are up to at the time. Emails, texts, WhatsApp etc can wait for a reply to whenever is convenient. It's more polite to text etc.
I never answer my phone at work. This is because every phone call I get is someone trying to sell me something. I don't like to be rude to people but I don't want to listen to their sales patter either so the simplest thing is simply to ignore it. To be honest I hate talking on the phone anyway. Since I'm almost 50 I guess I must have been an early adopter of this tendency.
Yes, I'm about your age and also not a fan of phone conversations. I tend to take the view that if it's important they'll leave a message. (My landline number in fact can only go to voice message at the moment: it's a voip setup and it's broken and I've been procrastinating on the network admin I need to do to fix it...)
You still have a landline?
Let's face it, life was better when most people used landlines instead of mobiles.
OMFG I am now going to say "haughmagandy" in every single email, text, voice message and "serious article in the Gazette about repurposing retail premises"
Off all topics, is there a more satisfying single thing than a freshly dropped conker?
Yes.
It's certain posters admitting their fallibility.
I grant you, unlike a freshly dropped conker, this is more a theoretical than an actual thing.
Which one of LadyG, Eadric, Byronic, Fitz and SeanT were you thinking of?
What is this fecking bollocks idea that I don't admit fallibility??
When I am clearly wrong I admit it immediately. Doing anything else is RIDIC
The other day I was wrong about People only wearing monster outfits at Halloween. I admitted it within the hour
Before that I was wrong about 99% of people being directly descended from William the Conqueror - I diPouted it, I was wrong, I admitted I was wrong
I have so many opinions I am probably wrong three times a day. Just point it out, give me evidence, I will happily yield, and with grace, I hope
I suspect the issue here is more: I am often right about really big things, the big calls, and I MAKE SURE EVERYONE KNOWS BY GOING ON AND ON ABOUT IT, ANNOYINGLY, AND IN CAPITALS
Re the descendents thing you dished out a ton of abuse beforehand, rather than discussing rationally. I mean a spectacular amount to quite a few of us.
Did I? I doubt it was that bad, by my standards. But if you were truly offended, then I am truly sorry. Shalom
Apology to me not necessary. I am never offended by yourself. You are ok.
Isn't the problem with re-purposing retail for residential that it is actually rather expensive to convert them because a) how they are built don't make it simple to just whack in a kitchen / bathroom etc and also the regs are miles apart so again loads of extra building has to go on to meet them.
Thus its often cheaper and easier just to knock them down and build from scratch.
Just build everywhere like Primrose Hill. High Georgian terrraces that end with pubs or cafes or other 3rd spaces. Every fifth street have a parade of shops. Every tenth street a park. THIS STUFF ISN'T HARD
It's hard in that you'd have to rewrite the post-Grenfell planning regulations. Which would be a massive battle.
And which we should do. They are absurdly onerous for non-high rise development.
I can hear the 20 year old people upstairs having joyous and vigorous sex
I was about to type "Is there any more depressing sound in the world than listening to people four decades younger having great sex"
Then I realised, actually there is a more depressing sound, and I've heard it
About ten years ago I went through a dry spell, with the laydeez, and I went down to the Family Towers in Cornwall and at about 2pm I was alone in the kitchen - and I heard my Dad having eager sex upstairs. At that time he was about 79
Pretty sure hearing a parent* having sex at any time isn’t good.
*A fine distinction between the awfulness of the sound of your parents at it and one or the other engaged with the succeeding bidie in.
'Bidie in' is a deliciously cutting term. I think Ian Blackford's wife used it about Carrie before Boris made an honest woman of her. I didn't approve but it was funny.
Off all topics, is there a more satisfying single thing than a freshly dropped conker?
Yes.
It's certain posters admitting their fallibility.
I grant you, unlike a freshly dropped conker, this is more a theoretical than an actual thing.
Which one of LadyG, Eadric, Byronic, Fitz and SeanT were you thinking of?
What is this fecking bollocks idea that I don't admit fallibility??
When I am clearly wrong I admit it immediately. Doing anything else is RIDIC
The other day I was wrong about People only wearing monster outfits at Halloween. I admitted it within the hour
Before that I was wrong about 99% of people being directly descended from William the Conqueror - I diPouted it, I was wrong, I admitted I was wrong
I have so many opinions I am probably wrong three times a day. Just point it out, give me evidence, I will happily yield, and with grace, I hope
I suspect the issue here is more: I am often right about really big things, the big calls, and I MAKE SURE EVERYONE KNOWS BY GOING ON AND ON ABOUT IT, ANNOYINGLY, AND IN CAPITALS
Re the descendents thing you dished out a ton of abuse beforehand, rather than discussing rationally. I mean a spectacular amount to quite a few of us.
Did I? I doubt it was that bad, by my standards. But if you were truly offended, then I am truly sorry. Shalom
Apology to me not necessary. I am never offended by yourself. You are ok.
Cool cool
I respect the fact you don't bear a grudge, and you move on. It makes for more agreeable discourse
OMFG I am now going to say "haughmagandy" in every single email, text, voice message and "serious article in the Gazette about repurposing retail premises"
My work is done here.
I’m prepared to be proved wrong but I think well known Scotch shagger Robert Burns used it.
Actually I think she puts it quite succinctly and readably, though a video would of course have worked better. I'm not sure I agree with her 100%, but it isn't terrible as text.
Would a video be better? I don't want to spend time watching a video, I want to read a written argument. Easier to skip the guff, and re-read bits you didn't understand. Don't want it to take 5 minutes out of my life.
But I believe this is an age-related thing, young people do indeed want to watch a video rather than read something
I learned the other day that today's young people are appalled at the idea of using the phone. Calling to make an appointment? What? They'd rather go in to the place & make it face-to-face., apparently, although the ideal method is to use text messages.
Is this feeding into youth mental health issues? The lack of personal interaction is becoming a real problem.
I was asked by a friend to go into their company and do a deep dive on various things, one thing she said was that they have a problem with the younger - as it turned out the people in early 30s and below - where they wouldn’t make phone calls to clients and would stick to emails.
I assumed this was a bit of hyperbole but it really wasn’t. They would do anything not to take a call, make a call, go for lunch with the client/drinks/even coffee. There was so much resistance to getting out there in person to engage on a human basis with their clients which, in their industry was bonkers as they needed strong client relationships to keep the relationships and therefore the money flowing.
There was a weird inability to socialise over drinks and meals, as much of an arse I am it wasn’t just because of me with them, they couldn’t have broad conversations and visibly recoiled over conversations and ribald humour that didn’t fit with their worldview - however uptight you might be in certain industries the money is with people who you might not be in step with and sometimes you have to suck it up. Obviously this is only an anecdote but I can’t believe I’m the only person who has experienced this behaviour.
I've noticed that amongst the younger team members I have that random ad-hoc phone calls or chat are looked on as 'a bit weird'. Arranged ones, less so. Everyone just assumes asynchronous texts or platform-of-your-choice messages are the way things are done.
I think I sort of get it as a child growing up at the cusp of answering machines. I do find myself more frequently annoyed by phone calls who want my attention Right Now about something that could have been dealt with when I had some time later in the day.
I completely get that. Phone calls are nearly all to mobiles now, even my elderly folks having given up on land-lines. The presumption of a caller is that they have a right to interrupt whatever you are up to at the time. Emails, texts, WhatsApp etc can wait for a reply to whenever is convenient. It's more polite to text etc.
I never answer my phone at work. This is because every phone call I get is someone trying to sell me something. I don't like to be rude to people but I don't want to listen to their sales patter either so the simplest thing is simply to ignore it. To be honest I hate talking on the phone anyway. Since I'm almost 50 I guess I must have been an early adopter of this tendency.
Yes, I'm about your age and also not a fan of phone conversations. I tend to take the view that if it's important they'll leave a message. (My landline number in fact can only go to voice message at the moment: it's a voip setup and it's broken and I've been procrastinating on the network admin I need to do to fix it...)
You still have a landline?
Mostly because it costs me about three quid a year now it's a voip number rather than an actual bit of copper from BT, so I figured it was worth that just to avoid having to go around updating all the places which had that in their records.
Just saw the riff that got Jimmy Kimmell sacked. They were right to sack him
Nonsensically irresponsible
Technically they haven't sacked him and mutterings about trying to find a way to get him back on the air. But, Bob Iger gave him out an out, to apologise for the any offense caused, but he told them to go f##k themselves and was preparing a monologue that was even "hotter".
technically he hasn't said anything that isn't true.
Just saw the riff that got Jimmy Kimmell sacked. They were right to sack him
Nonsensically irresponsible
Technically they haven't sacked him and mutterings about trying to find a way to get him back on the air. But, Bob Iger gave him out an out, to apologise for the any offense caused, but he told them to go f##k themselves and was preparing a monologue that was even "hotter".
technically he hasn't said anything that isn't true.
My position is he did or at the very least he certainly gave a false impression. Its appears Disney, the advertisers and local affiliates also think so too. He could have done the classic political apology, sorry for any offense caused at this time of heightened tension, now here is Trump being a twat.....
We did this the other day for hours, I am not really interested in going back over the arguments or my position.
Actually I think she puts it quite succinctly and readably, though a video would of course have worked better. I'm not sure I agree with her 100%, but it isn't terrible as text.
Would a video be better? I don't want to spend time watching a video, I want to read a written argument. Easier to skip the guff, and re-read bits you didn't understand. Don't want it to take 5 minutes out of my life.
But I believe this is an age-related thing, young people do indeed want to watch a video rather than read something
I learned the other day that today's young people are appalled at the idea of using the phone. Calling to make an appointment? What? They'd rather go in to the place & make it face-to-face., apparently, although the ideal method is to use text messages.
Is this feeding into youth mental health issues? The lack of personal interaction is becoming a real problem.
I was asked by a friend to go into their company and do a deep dive on various things, one thing she said was that they have a problem with the younger - as it turned out the people in early 30s and below - where they wouldn’t make phone calls to clients and would stick to emails.
I assumed this was a bit of hyperbole but it really wasn’t. They would do anything not to take a call, make a call, go for lunch with the client/drinks/even coffee. There was so much resistance to getting out there in person to engage on a human basis with their clients which, in their industry was bonkers as they needed strong client relationships to keep the relationships and therefore the money flowing.
There was a weird inability to socialise over drinks and meals, as much of an arse I am it wasn’t just because of me with them, they couldn’t have broad conversations and visibly recoiled over conversations and ribald humour that didn’t fit with their worldview - however uptight you might be in certain industries the money is with people who you might not be in step with and sometimes you have to suck it up. Obviously this is only an anecdote but I can’t believe I’m the only person who has experienced this behaviour.
I've noticed that amongst the younger team members I have that random ad-hoc phone calls or chat are looked on as 'a bit weird'. Arranged ones, less so. Everyone just assumes asynchronous texts or platform-of-your-choice messages are the way things are done.
I think I sort of get it as a child growing up at the cusp of answering machines. I do find myself more frequently annoyed by phone calls who want my attention Right Now about something that could have been dealt with when I had some time later in the day.
I completely get that. Phone calls are nearly all to mobiles now, even my elderly folks having given up on land-lines. The presumption of a caller is that they have a right to interrupt whatever you are up to at the time. Emails, texts, WhatsApp etc can wait for a reply to whenever is convenient. It's more polite to text etc.
I never answer my phone at work. This is because every phone call I get is someone trying to sell me something. I don't like to be rude to people but I don't want to listen to their sales patter either so the simplest thing is simply to ignore it. To be honest I hate talking on the phone anyway. Since I'm almost 50 I guess I must have been an early adopter of this tendency.
Yes, I'm about your age and also not a fan of phone conversations. I tend to take the view that if it's important they'll leave a message. (My landline number in fact can only go to voice message at the moment: it's a voip setup and it's broken and I've been procrastinating on the network admin I need to do to fix it...)
You still have a landline?
Let's face it, life was better when most people used landlines instead of mobiles.
OMFG I am now going to say "haughmagandy" in every single email, text, voice message and "serious article in the Gazette about repurposing retail premises"
My work is done here.
I’m prepared to be proved wrong but I think well known Scotch shagger Robert Burns used it.
There is a peculiar and distinct genius in Scots English
I say this sincerely. This is not to provoke
It's a kind of flamboyance. All your words for a fight, "stooshy", "rammy", "stramash", etc, they are all vivid and poetic. Maybe it's the Gaelic inheritance fiercely mixed with the Norse, but whatever it is, English is better for it, just as - I believe - England and Scotland are bigger than the sum of their parts. I accept you will disagree, and perhaps want a small stramash
OMFG I am now going to say "haughmagandy" in every single email, text, voice message and "serious article in the Gazette about repurposing retail premises"
Isn't that the thing Jools Holland does every new year's eve?
OMFG I am now going to say "haughmagandy" in every single email, text, voice message and "serious article in the Gazette about repurposing retail premises"
My work is done here.
I’m prepared to be proved wrong but I think well known Scotch shagger Robert Burns used it.
I used to get driven to work in a taxi (thanks tax-payers! your contribution to my idiot managers ill-fated regional office reorganisation plans were appreciated!) who always referred to Burns dismissively as "that whore-waster". Though in a proper guttural that sounded more like 'hoer-wiester'. Which sounded, ironically, all the more Burns-like.
Just saw the riff that got Jimmy Kimmell sacked. They were right to sack him
Nonsensically irresponsible
Technically they haven't sacked him and mutterings about trying to find a way to get him back on the air. But, Bob Iger gave him out an out, to apologise for the any offense caused, but he told them to go f##k themselves and was preparing a monologue that was even "hotter".
technically he hasn't said anything that isn't true.
My position is he did or at the very least he certainly gave a false impression. Its appears Disney, the advertisers and local affiliates also think so too. He could have done the classic political apology, sorry for any offense caused at this time of heightened tension, now here is Trump being a twat.....
Comments
I think I sort of get it as a child growing up at the cusp of answering machines. I do find myself more frequently annoyed by phone calls who want my attention Right Now about something that could have been dealt with when I had some time later in the day.
This is me exactly on the avoiding taking a phone call at any cost front, but not the rest of it. I like face-to-face, general 'networking', being taken out to lunch at nice places and all the other workplace stuff that hasn't properly returned, and may never.
(Apropos of this, I wonder what the reaction would be if most people knew that the government spends, and therfore raises, £44000 per household. It is a fairly closely guarded secret, and an enduring miracle that it can be done without riots and bloodshed.)
My wife wakes if a mouse farts. And with all that strain of rolling a conker...
Basically: if you are prepared to put the infrastructure in (and to pay for externalities), then the answer should be 'yes'. We should not have a system where there is a ridiculous mark up associated with a political system. That way lies corruption.
Then there was the conker fighting with dried conkers on strings. Some soaked in vinegar for weeks.
Probably not allowed now...
The spiders lived and nested in my car most of the winter, until a bitter frost did them in. It was like a mobile spider sanctuary for a few months.
For every policy, we published expectations for the impact of that policy. We then track and publish -on a monthly basis- whether the policy is working. If it is failing to achieve it's goal, or if it is costing much more than expected, or if it is leading to unexpected levels of uptake, or whatever, then it is rapidly and publicly reevaluated.
Fail fast.
He also spends some of his time virtually shouting at women online about Gender Self ID, which he of course supports because he's such a feminist.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/columnists/article-15115179/BORIS-JOHNSON-wettest-generation-Flood-Todays-youth-scared-drive-drink-sex-sensitive-man-shot-say-offensive.html
In Leicestershire we have to make our own entertainments.
Hmmm
Doing comparative policy trials across the country might pay enormous dividends, if they had the courage.
They could (eg) start with "how do we revitalise provincial town centres", funding dependent on taking part.
Nonsensically irresponsible
My v bright older daughter is shy and socially averse, to an extent, but I've now realised that compared to many of her peers she is Oscar Wilde on Ket
The fucking smartphone and social media are literally killing Homo sapiens off
Edit. P.S. if Johnson didn't drink and enjoy a party he might still be Prime Minister.
Unfortunately, the trim in it felt very cheap for what was supposed to be a premium vehicle. The in car entertainment system was slow and laggy. And it wasn't fun to drive.
I wanted to buy one. But after test driving it, I just couldn't.
With your schtick, you wouldn't last five minutes before being cancelled in Trumpistan.
When I am clearly wrong I admit it immediately. Doing anything else is RIDIC
The other day I was wrong about People only wearing monster outfits at Halloween. I admitted it within the hour
Before that I was wrong about 99% of people being directly descended from William the Conqueror - I diPouted it, I was wrong, I admitted I was wrong
I have so many opinions I am probably wrong three times a day. Just point it out, give me evidence, I will happily yield, and with grace, I hope
I suspect the issue here is more: I am often right about really big things, the big calls, and I MAKE SURE EVERYONE KNOWS BY GOING ON AND ON ABOUT IT, ANNOYINGLY, AND IN CAPITALS
Reporting is they stumbled on him, the target was much bigger. What is that bigger target??
https://x.com/ryangrim/status/1969797074935017764
I've started regularly listening to the 1am shipping forecast from the BBC shipping forecast podcast. At first I just listened to the latest available shipping forecast, but they're quite slow about uploading them, so they're never current enough to be useful. But I've settled on the 1am forecast.
At first I thought I was listening to this to experience the reassuring sound of home, via BBC Radio 4, without any irritating opinion from the newsreaders, but I've found that it's the playing of GSTK at the end of the forecast, as radio 4 programming comes to an end for the night, which is most affecting to me.
I still do think that hereditary monarchy is a silly idea, and there were lots of things that were annoying about living in Britain, and many things that I enjoy about living in Ireland, but I do miss being in Britain, at least a tiny little bit, and the national anthem is oddly comforting.
Now that's not something I would have thought would be the case a few years ago.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin: "Absolutely I believe in free speech...There's a thin line between free speech and when it crosses a line and causes violence. When you start calling someone 'fascist'...there is a problem."
https://x.com/BulwarkOnline/status/1969761610731225293
The crybully phase of MAGA is predictably insipid. These are the people who said "fuck your feelings" but now they want to criminalize the use of ideological categories either as historically accurate diagnoses or as thought-cliches. Why? Because it's scary and dangerous. Also, everyone they don't like is a Commie.
https://x.com/michaeldweiss/status/1969800625010413831
Because at no point did I add Leon to my list.
Which means, if you are those people, you have been wrong. Without admitting it...
I would add (and this is not an original by me - it may have even Truss) that the OBR should be made to create a model that predicts the past. When they have a model that can predict the past (from the past longer ago) with success, we will listen to their predictions about the future. Until then, they can piss off controlling the Government's fiscal policy on the basis of 5 year predictions which are less accurate than reading tea leaves.
I was about to type "Is there any more depressing sound in the world than listening to people four decades younger having great sex"
Then I realised, actually there is a more depressing sound, and I've heard it
About ten years ago I went through a dry spell, with the laydeez, and I went down to the Family Towers in Cornwall and at about 2pm I was alone in the kitchen - and I heard my Dad having eager sex upstairs. At that time he was about 79
This has happened through time, in many cultures.
They are almost often wrong; as their elders were when they were young.
Ed Miliband will look like he is sucking a wasp.
But my point was that we ought to be funding a couple of dozen or more different ideas simultaneously, in a couple of dozen different places.
And see what works.
It's this kind of fresh, startling insight that brings us all back to PB, time and again
So I think you are right.
Thus its often cheaper and easier just to knock them down and build from scratch.
(hums "tears in the rain")
Zarah Sultana says she is no longer pursuing legal action and is "engaged in ongoing discussions" with Jeremy Corbyn
https://x.com/zarahsultana/status/1969845526700106143
*A fine distinction between the awfulness of the sound of your parents at it and one or the other engaged with the succeeding bidie in.
But it could be worse than that. Netanyahu now saying Israel will fully annexe the West Bank in response. And could the war have actually been over last month if we hadn't engaged in this performative nonsense? Having told the Israelis we would do this without a ceasefire what was the motivation for Hamas to agree to one?
Also spare a thought for all those other people around the world (the Kurds?) who are fighting for their own state but aren't likely to get special treatment of the Palestinians.
Also, with this "gentle density" you can actually house a LOT of people in a small area. It's been proven
It is madness we don't do this. King Chas was right about Poundbury. Put the architects in their box and build Primrose Hill everywhere
I went down to Cornwall for some familial solace, and ended up in existential despair. At 2pm. Staring at my mug of mediocre coffee
I would prefer to see an army of small shop owners taking on and living above these stores. The main blocker I see to this is the fact that commercial property is massively overvalued and pension funds are sitting on it not wanting to admit that their portfolios are worth a fraction of what they say they are worth. At the same time, that money would be better put invested in something other than decaying shops with no rent coming in.
I don't pretend to have the answers, but we could be doing a LOT more to discover them.
The other thing needed would be to fast track any planning.
And don't take five years to discuss the idea.
@GoodwinMJ
“The fruits of October 7 are what caused the entire world to open its eyes to the Palestinian issue” said Hamas in response to Keir Starmer’s & Labour’s recognition of Palestinian statehood.
That is all you need to know. Labour has just rewarded Islamist terror.
6:51 PM · Sep 21, 2025
18.1K Views"
https://x.com/GoodwinMJ/status/1969821680961798318
*googles word*
Now this really IS why some of us come to PB. Superb. Wonderful word. Gratitude
That's bloody fabulous
And which we should do.
They are absurdly onerous for non-high rise development.
I respect the fact you don't bear a grudge, and you move on. It makes for more agreeable discourse
I’m prepared to be proved wrong but I think well known Scotch shagger Robert Burns used it.
We did this the other day for hours, I am not really interested in going back over the arguments or my position.
No shit.
I say this sincerely. This is not to provoke
It's a kind of flamboyance. All your words for a fight, "stooshy", "rammy", "stramash", etc, they are all vivid and poetic. Maybe it's the Gaelic inheritance fiercely mixed with the Norse, but whatever it is, English is better for it, just as - I believe - England and Scotland are bigger than the sum of their parts. I accept you will disagree, and perhaps want a small stramash