Re: Today’s headlines .........
But strangely, unlike in the 2000s, hardly anyone seems to care about ASB anymore, even though it's still a thing to certain extents.
Back then it was a major moral panic highly symbolic of 'Broken Britain'.
Re: Today’s headlines .........
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Pain
Confused By Sex?...
Agenda not really necessary to identify what you are, but the Conservatives believe this should legally be borne out by your birth certificate, apparently.
‘
The Conservatives have promised to rewrite the Equality Act so that protections it enshrines on the basis of a person’s sex apply only to their biological sex.’
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0kkvkkejgno
This might not be a policy to appeal to those voters who are undecided about their inclinations.... They could swing one way or the other.
Seems to me like the Tories are just getting more desperate by the day and basically jumping on any old bandwagon in order to chase votes in the upcoming GE.
Another particular example of note was during last week's hoo-ha over Diane Abbott where the Tories, Reform UK, etc, were basically 'pretending' to be down with Abbott and her issues but would no doubt otherwise be slagging her off big time and calling for the book to be thrown at her if a GE wasn't currently in the offing.
Just proves how ambivalent, fickle and over-reliant on 'gimmicks' they are, no doubt to deflect from their own failings as a party/govt.
Re: Today’s headlines .........
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Pain
AI Reveals Its Crystal Balls...
and starts telling us the outcome of stuff that hasn’t even happened yet! This is almost unbelievable (although I wouldn’t bet on it).
‘
ChatGPT tells users Labour has already won the election’...
https://news.sky.com/story/chatgpt-t...ction-13148330
There you go then; not much point in hot-footing it down to your local polling station in a month’s time; the General Election’s already been decided.... Wait a moment! This all sounds very sinister, doesn’t it? I mean, when Labour wins with that whacking great majority, how are we going to know it wasn’t... y’know... rigged, eh? Hey, you don’t think this is all a great big conspiracy thing, do you?... AI spreads disinformation and casts doubt over votes cast?
‘
"Obviously that's damaging to democracy [...] because if there isn't that bedrock of trust that the information you consume has some basis of truth to it, then people are going to start to disbelieve everything politicians say as well."’
No! Really? I thought that ship slid down the slipway when the very first politician stood up and began “Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to say....”.
PS: Of course, when that very first politician stood up he would only have addressed his audience "Gentlemen..." because there would have been no ladies present.
But they're still only forecasts at this stage. I can't believe that even AI at this stage can predict events in 4 weeks time with any great accuracy.
And dare I say it, it still might not quite be 'game over' for the Tories as anything can happen between now and 4th July that could turn them around once again, for instance one or more Labour MPs suddenly embroiled in some kind of 'scandal(s)', e.g, getting done for historical child/sexual abuse, siding with terrorists or certain criminals, fiddling expenses, some mega anti-Semitic and/or Islamophobic faux-pas, 'shy Tory factor', etc, though I seriously hope to God that none of those 'hypothetical' events actually reveal themselves.
Plus people can still be extremely fickle when it comes to politics in general.
Re: Today’s headlines .........
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Pain
Lencoboy, I respectfully suggest you read that article again. "The UK general election of 2024, held on July 4, resulted in a significant victory for the Labour Party." was no forecast or prediction made by ChatGPT, but a statement of fact in answer to the question "Who won the UK general election 2024?". In fact, if that article had been merely an AI prediction (which it’s supposedly programmed to be forbidden to do), it probably wouldn’t even have made the news.
Yes, it was another load of AI tosh, but so many folks believe AI tosh these days that that's what makes it a menace and potentially subversive.
Well in that case then I might just as well enter Number 10 unlawfully by the back door and take over as PM against Sunak's will.
The Lenco Party Rules OK!
(I'm only joking BTW).
Re: Today’s headlines .........
hi
i see the problem of this Agency staff mean increased costs but also Agency fees meaning money not going on care but on Agency fees ?!?
for this you can check out The purpose of the physical activity Pyramid is to:
Re: Today’s headlines .........
Pyramid Selling Back In The News....
Anyone bought any pyramids lately?
Re: Today’s headlines .........
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Pain
NOW HEAR THIS!...
Living your life hooked up to a machine via stuff stuffed in your ears might be the new normal, but it certainly isn’t natural.
“
I’d never thought before about how our incessant use of headphones, or reluctance to hear the outside world, shields us from reality.”
https://www.theguardian.com/technolo...with-the-world
‘
While headphone users often describe themselves as being freer, he says, “They are dependent on the machine for that to be true; they’re locked into the economic dynamic of the world and the medium they’re using. That’s a big contradiction: you’re being manipulated, but the manipulation creates a sense of freedom.”’
What, with mobile phones, smartphones, iphones, headphones.... maybe folks have all become a bit less human; a bit phoney?...
While I'm not necessarily trivialising the things mentioned in your latest post, surely there were very similar concerns about youngsters having their own record players and portable radio sets in the 60s-70s, their own Walkman cassette players in the 80s, their own TV sets with VHS machines and video game consoles in their own bedrooms in the 90s, etc, almost all of which were feared to corrupt and addle their minds.
And while all of those things mentioned above might seem relatively tame by today's general technological standards, they certainly were much derided by the older generations of the time, especially the more 'conservative' (in the broader sense starting with a small 'C', not necessarily those supporting the political party of the same title starting with a capital 'C') elements.
Re: Today’s headlines .........
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Pain
Some would argue that’s exactly what they did do. Maybe we’re on a spiralling descent which ends in total personal isolation from reality? I mean, in all areas of nowadays life, folks can be seen swaddling themselves in tech to protect against their perceived awfulness of the tangible world... The real world.
I agree with you 100%.
For several years now I've suspected many in society would much rather choose the easiest option; that is brush many issues under the carpet rather than attempt to deal with them (if, when and where possible, of course).
Especially certain folks who seem to incessantly revel in Britain-bashing but at the same time are still refusing point blank to visit their local polling station on 4th July.
Re: Today’s headlines .........
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Pain
You’ve wandered away from the gist again, Lencoboy, but seeing as you’ve mentioned the upcoming election....
Folks are fed up with self-serving politicians who canvass their vote but, once elected, never represent them. So those folks have become disillusioned by the whole deception and no longer bother to vote.
Here’s a rather radical suggestion as an antidote; it’s not new, having been used in ancient Greece. ‘Sortition’ was how the Athenians chose their government by, roughly speaking, putting all the names of the eligible electorate into a hat and then randomly drawing out the required number of names to form the government. No politicking. No canvassing. No election malarkey! If it were to be adopted, it would have to be a similar legal obligation to Jury service, with similar exceptions, but the chosen names would be: signed up for five years, expected to put in a specified number of hours attendance, well-paid, only have to do it once in their lifetime.
Yes I realise that (BIB). I seem to have a rather bad habit of it of late.
It's not just politics that many people seem to have a habit of burying their heads in the sand over these days; they often seem unwilling to deal with many issues in general; e.g, not bothering to get things fixed or complete certain tasks, such as replacing non-working light bulbs, filling in holes in walls, etc, even when and where they do have sufficient time and/or funds to do so.
Re: Today’s headlines .........
I’m Sorry, I’ve Forgotten Your Name....
Only kidding!
‘Elephants call out to each other using individual names that they invent for their fellow pachyderms, according to a new study.’
https://www.theguardian.com/science/...names-study-ai
Yes, it’s absolutely true. It’s a well-known fact (well, it’s well-known to me) that the large male in that picture is called Donald Tusk....
‘Names were not always used in the elephant calls. But when names were called out, it was often over a long distance ...’ Obviously trunk calls....
Actually, you can call an elephant anything you like and they won’t take offence... they’re very thick-skinned.