Random Political Thoughts

[K_Dubb]

However you people managed to get a rocket into space is the real mystery. You mean you didn't know what Grimes's persistent habit of getting 'in the soup' meant? Or his relationship with the 'splendid little athlete' Clutterbuck?

Oh I saw it, all right, and how he was handing out cigars and candy.  I wasn't sure you intended to be that coarse, but I should have known better.

[SredniVashtar]

Oh I saw it, all right, and how he was handing out cigars and candy.  I wasn't sure you intended to be that coarse, but I should have known better.

Always think the worst where I'm concerned. It saves time and spares you any disappointment.

[Yorkshire pud]

However you people managed to get a rocket into space is the real mystery. You mean you didn't know what Grimes's persistent habit of getting 'in the soup' meant? Or his relationship with the 'splendid little athlete' Clutterbuck?

The hardware? Nazi rocket scientists exported to America after WW2.

[K_Dubb]

Always think the worst where I'm concerned. It saves time and spares you any disappointment.

That was base and vile.  And as the only target (with all that implies) of my affections here, a moment's reflection should persuade you that my inclinations do not lie in that direction.  Daddy.

[SredniVashtar]

That was base and vile.  And as the only target (with all that implies) of my affections here, a moment's reflection should persuade you that my inclinations do not lie in that direction.  Daddy.

Don't expect me to be your vile consort!

You must admit, that was pretty awesome, and you're probably the only one who would appreciate it.

[K_Dubb]

Don't expect me to be your vile consort!

You must admit, that was pretty awesome, and you're probably the only one who would appreciate it.

I will take the rare sop to my ego as a small consolation, but I suppose this means punting on the Cam to the strains of Gibbons and Byrd is out of the question this year, hélas!.

[albrecht]

Random political thoughts.  Despite some of his policies you have to admire Tito in a way of holding the region/nations together and getting away with threatening Stalin.
"Stop sending people to kill me!  We've already captured five of them, one of them with a bomb and another with a rifle...  If you don't stop sending killers, I'll send a very fast working one to Moscow and I certainly won't have to send another." (to Stalin, found in Stalin's correspondence.)

https://www.iwp.edu/papers-studies/2009/05/01/genocide-prevention-by-one-condottiere/   Most only know of him due to the epic quote about killing commies: In
1967, a Polish mercenary Rafal Ganowicz was asked what it felt like to take a human life, "I wouldn't know, I've only ever killed communists" but he also had successes against NAZIs, commies, and even Democrat hero Che. 

[SredniVashtar]

I will take the rare sop to my ego as a small consolation, but I suppose this means punting on the Cam to the strains of Gibbons and Byrd is out of the question this year, hélas!.

Get a hankie and stop snivelling!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=y3REIVlo2Ss

[Walks_At_Night]

What on earth are they teaching you over there? I'd expect that ignorance from an unlettered oaf like Walks but I thought you were a slightly better-read sort of oaf.

Hey now.   The main educational goal for us Detroit Public School products, was to ensure that we could get the black cab door
hung on the black Ford F-150.  Ramblings from some foreign dude named Evelyn were not a priority.

[K_Dubb]

Get a hankie and stop snivelling!

Why, when the tears are so exquisite?  Brother, if you knew the armada of sonnets headed your way you'd make like King Alfred and head for the nearest swamp!

<--- That is me reclining in splendor on the punt.

[Walks_At_Night]

<--- That is me reclining in splendor on the punt.

Appears to be a beautiful, Sunny day out too.

Ruthless.  Absolutely ruthless.......................

[SredniVashtar]

Why, when the tears are so exquisite?  Brother, if you knew the armada of sonnets headed your way you'd make like King Alfred and head for the nearest swamp!

<--- That is me reclining in splendor on the punt.

I've seen more muscle tone on concentration camp survivors. We've had experience of Armadas over here before, matey! It won't end any more happily for you than it did for them. You'll be plundered of all you possess and forced to paddle home to scrape a slender living hawking your verses on the cobblestones.

[albrecht]

Hey now.   The main educational goal for us Detroit Public School products, was to ensure that we could get the black cab door
hung on the black Ford F-150.  Ramblings from some foreign dude named Evelyn were not a priority.

Likely a graduate degree needed to put on those new GMC tailgates. I'm still torn on them. The MultiPro tailgate looks awesome and a neat idea but, somehow, I fear the complexity failing over long-term or rough use. Already a known issue that you need to be careful if you have a trailer hitch because the little door step will hit it.

[Walks_At_Night]

Likely a graduate degree needed to put on those new GMC tailgates. I'm still torn on them. The MultiPro tailgate looks awesome and a neat idea but, somehow, I fear the complexity failing over long-term or rough use. Already a known issue that you need to be careful if you have a trailer hitch because the little door step will hit it.

No shit.  I'd hate to think what a replacement would cost as well.  The fact that you can manipulate it via the key fob just means that you may face the prospect of taking your
rig to the dealer in order to get your tail gate firmware updated.   

[albrecht]

No shit.  I'd hate to think what a replacement would cost as well.  The fact that you can manipulate it via the key fob just means that you may face the prospect of taking your
rig to the dealer in order to get your tail gate firmware updated.   

It would appear the engineers are a bit like politicians. Not satisfied with just sitting there but always trying something new when what we have is working fine and a proven technology that works. I admit to some Ludditism and certainly not a "first user" but "if it aint broke, don't fix it." And putting the internet and electronics in everything is just more potential for breaking, being hacked, being held by ransomwhere, or being tracked.  Complexity for complexity-sake is not necessarily good.

[Walks_At_Night]

It would appear the engineers are a bit like politicians. Not satisfied with just sitting there but always trying something new when what we have is working fine and a proven technology that works. I admit to some Ludditism and certainly not a "first user" but "if it aint broke, don't fix it." And putting the internet and electronics in everything is just more potential for breaking, being hacked, being held by ransomwhere, or being tracked.  Complexity for complexity-sake is not necessarily good.

Absolutely.  I don't need a "Family Hub" in my refrigerator - I just need it to keep my Hamm's frosty cold 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VV5MVQgya94

[Yorkshire pud]

It would appear the engineers are a bit like politicians. Not satisfied with just sitting there but always trying something new when what we have is working fine and a proven technology that works. I admit to some Ludditism and certainly not a "first user" but "if it aint broke, don't fix it." And putting the internet and electronics in everything is just more potential for breaking, being hacked, being held by ransomwhere, or being tracked.  Complexity for complexity-sake is not necessarily good.

I agree, but the engineers are employed to do just that. My younger brother worked at Sony in the UK and the standing joke among the engineers was "Lets invent a new telly". Last week's is already out of date.

[albrecht]

Absolutely.  I don't need a "Family Hub" in my refrigerator - I just need it to keep my Hamm's frosty cold 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VV5MVQgya94

Not to mention that the new internet-of-things connecting all of our devices make it easy for Mrs.WAN, your employer, the government, your insurance companies, etc all know how much Hamm's has been consumed and when!

[albrecht]

I agree, but the engineers are employed to do just that. My younger brother worked at Sony in the UK and the standing joke among the engineers was "Lets invent a new telly". Last week's is already out of date.

Ha, yeah.  Sony is a good example of a company that makes solid products but also frequently gets over their skis and whose technology ends up not being adopted because they come out too early.  I recall some egg-type remote control decades ago that interfaced with your stereo, vhs, could even, with gadget do your lights and move curtains. And their mini-disc was good tech and recordable, not just listen, but went nowhere because folks would'n't adopt it. 

Don't get me wrong I support engineers, certainly better than politicians, and technology but it should also, like with everything, come with some common sense and appreciation for potential problems- not simply "because we can" or "I got to change something to justify my job."

[Yorkshire pud]

Ha, yeah.  Sony is a good example of a company that makes solid products but also frequently gets over their skis and whose technology ends up not being adopted because they come out too early.  I recall some egg-type remote control decades ago that interfaced with your stereo, vhs, could even, with gadget do your lights and move curtains. And their mini-disc was good tech and recordable, not just listen, but went nowhere because folks would'n't adopt it. 

Don't get me wrong I support engineers, certainly better than politicians, and technology but it should also, like with everything, come with some common sense and appreciation for potential problems- not simply "because we can" or "I got to change something to justify my job."

Sony  brought out the Betamax video system; Their big undoing was not licensing it for other manufacturers to make the machines to play the tapes. It was technically superior to VHS but because of the arrogance it lost out and disappeared..They didn't make that mistake with Blue ray.  However they did make a big mistake with not telling Hitachi (who were commissioned with the chip to run the player/recorder) fully what was required.. At a cost of several $million, Hitachi gave them the chip that would record or play, but not both simultaneously which is what Sony wanted. Hitachi reminded Sony that their spec didn't specify that was what they wanted. Back to the drawing board.. 

[albrecht]

Sony  brought out the Betamax video system; Their big undoing was not licensing it for other manufacturers to make the machines to play the tapes. It was technically superior to VHS but because of the arrogance it lost out and disappeared..They didn't make that mistake with Blue ray.  However they did make a big mistake with not telling Hitachi (who were commissioned with the chip to run the player/recorder) fully what was required.. At a cost of several $million, Hitachi gave them the chip that would record or play, but not both simultaneously which is what Sony wanted. Hitachi reminded Sony that their spec didn't specify that was what they wanted. Back to the drawing board..

Yeah. Better tech doesn't necessarily mean it will prevail. Sony has a history of making some questionable business moves but it is always a problem for any company with a new idea or new tech to parse the necessity of production and popular adoption with protecting its claims/designs.

Here is another random political thought image for the day.  Unclear meaning but apparently a protestor upset at the no free speech in the UK trial of "Tommy Robinson," nee' Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, but sufficiently bizarre for a post on BG. 

[SredniVashtar]

Much of late -stage capitalism is based on marketing, convincing people they need a product they really don't. This washing powder washes whiter than that one (it doesn't), or this product makes you more attractive (no, you're still an ugly son of a bitch). Pre-war can openers work better than anything made since and don't break. I haven't found a cleaning product yet that works better than simple white vinegar. The old straight razor shaves better than anything else. Even washing machines are a bit of a scam because there's a simple method that does the job even better. For many products, after a certain point, any improvements are minimal.

[SredniVashtar]

Yeah. Better tech doesn't necessarily mean it will prevail. Sony has a history of making some questionable business moves but it is always a problem for any company with a new idea or new tech to parse the necessity of production and popular adoption with protecting its claims/designs.

Here is another random political thought image for the day.  Unclear meaning but apparently a protestor upset at the no free speech in the UK trial of "Tommy Robinson," nee' Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, but sufficiently bizarre for a post on BG. 

To give him his maiden name.

[Dr. MD MD]

This thread has descended into pure faggotry, plain and simple.

[albrecht]

Much of late -stage capitalism is based on marketing, convincing people they need a product they really don't. This washing powder washes whiter than that one (it doesn't), or this product makes you more attractive (no, you're still an ugly son of a bitch). Pre-war can openers work better than anything made since and don't break. I haven't found a cleaning product yet that works better than simple white vinegar. The old straight razor shaves better than anything else. Even washing machines are a bit of a scam because there's a simple method that does the job even better. For many products, after a certain point, any improvements are minimal.

Real kind or safety? In other words- the kind some swarthy Italian might have in his boot and infamously honed by a leather strop or simply a replaceable razor in a safety razor (I think invented by Wilkinson Sword? Or Gillette?) 

But yeah. Much is puffery and marketing. Though obviously there are improvements over time many products or uses.  I find bleach, ammonia, "oxy" powder (hydrogen peroxide blend) (for blood especially,) acetone, mineral spirits, and muriatic acid are better cleaners, depending on situation. And don't mix them.     Some of these might be currently be banned in your country due to the Muslim phenomena of attacks using volatile liquids.  I reserve vinegar for 'chips,' as you call them.

[albrecht]

To give him his maiden name.

What is strange/weird is that it would appear there is more concern about him and the desire to curtail speech than against the friendly Muslims immigrants accused of sex trafficking, rape, etc! It is a weird world in which actual crimes, even against children and women, are less important that someone filming a public location or making some "provocative" statements.

[K_Dubb]

This thread has descended into pure faggotry, plain and simple.

See, that is the problem when you overuse a word:  when you encounter actual faggotry, there really is nowhere else to go.

[Yorkshire pud]

What is strange/weird is that it would appear there is more concern about him and the desire to curtail speech than against the friendly Muslims immigrants accused of sex trafficking, rape, etc! It is a weird world in which actual crimes, even against children and women, are less important that someone filming a public location or making some "provocative" statements.

Nothing to do with him and his free speech. His idiotic actions are actually counter productive (But he's too stupid to realise that).

When anyone is taken to court in England, Wales and NI (Scottish law has differences so not sure about their protocols, though I suspect it will be the same) and there is/are a further court case(s) whereby the defendants will be either a defendant OR witness to other defendants, the prosecution and defence are keen that their names are not revealed to the press until all the cases are completed. That could take months or years, and between each one, the defendant will either be remanded in custody or bailed.

If such as Yaxley-Lennon (who ironically tried to get a visa to get into the USA on a fake passport and was convicted for it) decide to take it on themselves to name the defendants, the defence brief has a very high possibility of appealing to the case judge and calling a mistrial due to their (as yet innocent) client being named. The judge in this case was quite lenient on Lennon by having him only for contempt of court and not fining him costs of the court cases.

I know it the USA it's a national sport to name any and all in a court case irrelevant of the case or consequences, but in the UK they still behave mostly like grown ups in court cases, especially serious ones.

[albrecht]

Nothing to do with him and his free speech. His idiotic actions are actually counter productive (But he's too stupid to realise that).

When anyone is taken to court in England, Wales and NI (Scottish law has differences so not sure about their protocols, though I suspect it will be the same) and there is/are a further court case(s) whereby the defendants will be either a defendant OR witness to other defendants, the prosecution and defence are keen that their names are not revealed to the press until all the cases are completed. That could take months or years, and between each one, the defendant will either be remanded in custody or bailed.

If such as Yaxley-Lennon (who ironically tried to get a visa to get into the USA on a fake passport and was convicted for it) decide to take it on themselves to name the defendants, the defence brief has a very high possibility of appealing to the case judge and calling a mistrial due to their (as yet innocent) client being named. The judge in this case was quite lenient on Lennon by having him only for contempt of court and not fining him costs of the court cases.

I know it the USA it's a national sport to name any and all in a court case irrelevant of the case or consequences, but in the UK they still behave mostly like grown ups in court cases, especially serious ones.

Powdered wigs and black capes? Grown ups?     It is an interesting system and in some ways the differences (going away somewhat) with regard to solicitors and barristers and an interesting attempt, that has some merits, at least in theory. Here, we are way too much reliance on profit motives and, in criminal sides, on plea bargaining and asset forfeiture.  But even on civil side now lots of extra-judicial things going on (private mediation, etc.) And the infernal problem, which I think is really an inflationary phenomena, of insurance (I think you folks call it assurance) so that everyone "settles" or is "covered" but the social costs are bad.   

I say if the tax-payers are paying for it than we should have the right to know and those accused should be allowed to confront their accuser in open court. Though I agree that it can get a bit too much, trying a case by publicity and so on. But in a sane society people would be rioting over letting Asian sex gangs steal and defile their daughters and not as much controversy and hand-wringing about some blowhard to makes a "provocative statement" or films an accused, and likely actual, criminal. Especially considering there are CCTVs about everywhere and there is no, real, presumption of privacy when in public.

[SredniVashtar]

Real kind or safety? In other words- the kind some swarthy Italian might have in his boot and infamously honed by a leather strop or simply a replaceable razor in a safety razor (I think invented by Wilkinson Sword? Or Gillette?) 

But yeah. Much is puffery and marketing. Though obviously there are improvements over time many products or uses.  I find bleach, ammonia, "oxy" powder (hydrogen peroxide blend) (for blood especially,) acetone, mineral spirits, and muriatic acid are better cleaners, depending on situation. And don't mix them.     Some of these might be currently be banned in your country due to the Muslim phenomena of attacks using volatile liquids.  I reserve vinegar for 'chips,' as you call them.

Actually, I meant a replacable razor in a straight razor. I haven't canvassed the views of any Lazzaroni about the merits of this as an instrument of punition but it certainly gives a decent shave. You can use vinegar for lots of things, including as a kettle descaler, deodorant, air freshener, window cleaner and all-purpose kitchen surface cleaner. And it isn't as harsh as the ones you mentioned.