VILLAMARV

2 minutes ago, mjmooney said:

17 is the ideal age. I think we did it earlier than that at school. 

weirdly, my dad was one of the family members and I'm pretty sure he was about the same age when he read it.

30 minutes ago, sidcow said:

bUT ThEy tRAcK yOu WiTh vAcCiNaTiOnS

I appreciate (maybe I mean hope ) it's an attempt at humour, and the mocking around the table wasn't that stupid obviously, but it was interesting to me that the people that use that app around the table thought they would school an individual who literally deals with this stuff on a daily basis, and in an area actually covered by some existing ethics laws, on the insignificance of their own personal data. Because, you know, I want to chat with my mates and I don't want to download an app that does the same thing as whatsapp used to do when it was cool. 

It's hardly tin foil hat stuff when the owners of whatsapp literally sold data to cambrige analytica and were hauled in front of a US version of a government enquiry as a result.

Weird to me that people seem concerned with the Russians or the Chinese or the Trumps or the Farages of this world using targetted algorythms to literally attempt to sway elections in leagues with global corportions, or create social credit systems to dictate who 'earns' access to goods and services, but not so concerned if it means clicking on a different icon in their own lives. Baffles me.

In fairness, the Associate Professor of philosophy and ethics at the University of Oxford (Institute for Ethics in AI, Faculty of Philosophy), specialising in ethics of artificial intelligence (AI Ethics), applied philosophy, ethics, moral philosophy, political philosophy and practical ethics interviewed in the podcast doesn't mention vaccinations once. The Economist chose to put her book 'Priacy is Power' in their list of books of the year in 2020 fwiw.

But yeah, down with experts innit.

On 03/03/2024 at 17:51, Rds1983 said:

²

1 minute ago, mjmooney said:

Really? What did they think? Too sophisticated? Or too childish? 

yeah, they thought it would be a bit much. I was surprised when I read it. It's really accessible.

Interesting chat on holiday with people mocking a data scientist I know who refuses to use whatsapp after facebook bought it in favour of signal.

If you're one of those who thinks it's unimportant that companies, governments and organisations are collecting fairly innocuous data on your internet use, like those on holiday, then this is a great little chat with Carissa Veliz. I'll be sending links to my friends

I'm sure it's available on your podcast supplier of choice, here's a spotify link.

I quite like the philosophy bites podcast.

1 hour ago, MakemineVanilla said:

I've read a few books by Chomsky but I have always been disappointed that after he's laid out the problem, he always seems to conclude that there's no solution because the system is built to make that impossible.

I've never been that keen on Orwell's tales and fables and much prefer The Road To Wigan Pier, which lays out the conditions of the working-class in the north, including the lousy food/diet and the vermin-infested housing.

Re: Orwell binge Wigan Pier and Notes from Catalonia are next on the list. He's incredibly easy to read as I think @Marka Ragnos said a while ago. Animal farm took one morning. I~'ve never read a book so quickly. I was surprised when I'd finished that a few family members were discussing whether it was appropriate reading for my 17 year old neice. I'm not surprised it was dismissed as a kids book by publishers originally. I'll be recommending it to her regardless.

As for Noam, it's the first book of his I've had. The 3rd chapter which I'm trudging through right now is a bit heavy going but it makes me realise I know little of the Spanish Civil War on which this whole chapter discusses. The previous chapter though is kinda similar to what you describe but not so much that there's no solution as such, but that by attempting things we may well find one, but he offers no easy answers. I like that he swerves any zealatory backlash when asked the inevitable question of "what would you do?" when criticising parts of the staus quo.

On my Orwell binge I also finally got round to reading Animal Farm.

Currently wading through On Anarchism by Noam Chomsky. bit of light holiday reading

15 hours ago, Xela said:

I'd say...all of us are mobile phone users?

will use/have used them. Don't own one.

On 03/03/2024 at 20:54, Genie said:

We also used to have a cassette of a group I have never heard of since, but my little brother (who was a little shit) liked so we had it on a lot… London Boys, has anyone else heard of them?

For shame, there's more than a small chance that I owned a cassette of this album 30 odd years ago

On 27/02/2024 at 12:43, Stevo985 said:

This kind of behaviour is far more prevalent in adults (boomers) than kids in my experience.

Not the use of tiktok, but the watching of videos and the likes in public with the volume up.

Younger people don't do that. Ok some dickheads do, but that's usually music. The kind of people who think everyone will be impressed by the music they listen to.
But listening to videos etc out loud, that's a boomer thing

Anecdotally calling nah Stevo. Just back from a weekend away had to ask a young adult to turn her volume off on the train back last night listening to some K-pop really loud (at least she apologised and turned it off.......until she put it back on really quiet presuming no one would notice and having fished around in her bag seemingly for headphones she didn't have - and on the plane a kid was watching some film or other with loads of explosions and machine guns etc and it was hilariously loud. He kept being asked by various people around him to turn it down/off or wear headphones. I have a funny feeling that kids wireless headphones had run out of battery, so F**k everyone else or something. The really annoying thing was his parents sat over the aisle from him (with headphones on) were aware of all this and could see people getting wound up by him and turning round time after time to ask his kid to stop with the selfish noise pollution and predictably did absolutely nothing. Like my 9 year old nephew though the addiction is strong innit so he would turn it down for a few minutes and then was seemingly unable to not just turn it back up a few moments later. I'd guess about 15/16 year old or something near that. Wires might be annoying but cables don't crash.

Very self motivated people or something. Also addicted to their phones I'd wager.

On 04/03/2024 at 09:30, rodders0223 said:

I guess it's about time I grew up and become a fat middle aged depressed alcoholic like everyone else.

Jokes on you, I'm not middle aged

What an amazing city. Really enjoyed a long weekend there.

If anyone is visiting and in the centre and wondering which of the millionty Vietnamese places are decent I'd definitely recommend this Vietnamese Restaurant called Pho Co on Rosa Luxembourg Strasse. Not overly pricey and really tasty.

If you're really into gin and fancy a cozy bar where they look at you funny if you ask them if they have anything other than gin but really welcoming if you want gin (and they're not full) then Gin Chilla down by Warschauerstrasse station was also a winner.

Techno baby.

Watched that one in Berlin, Found a bar with the most screens in I've ever seen and I kept it together pretty much until the Digne header. Got a few glances cast my way Even though the second half was a tough watch I just thought we'd nick it for some reason. However much we dropped off in the second half the subs combined for the winner. Ergo I'm giving the gaffer much props. You can count my number in the ref was absolutely terrible column. Respect to Luton, they're not easy to beat at home by any means as others have already pointed out. Great start to my saturday night. Watkins was brilliant again. I especially liked the control from the out balls from the left back area and the flat-ish kicks from Emi. He's a joy to watch at the moment.

simple advice against identity theft seems to render her entire dept superfluous

The heraldry bit, the kings and queens is the bit I have little interest in to be fair but I remember working in Abergavenny a few years ago at the castle. It was at that point I realised there was an abergavenny castle. something about revenge killings over the banquet table and sacking your own castle to spite the english and so on and realising there must be many tales from these marches type areas. Prince Llewellyn being slain in mid wales and all that.

3 hours ago, chrisp65 said:

 

We could have had The Beatles.

were they all from Birkenhead?

It'd be all the Wirrall and all that Mordor-y bit by Ellesmere Port I think. Or Westside to Snoop Bicky Bicks or BicksLion or whatever he calls himself these days.

Anyway maps n that.

I find that whole era fascinating tbh. The battle of Shrewsbury the Glyndwr uprising Henry's 4 through 7 or whatever it is

1 minute ago, PieFacE said:

Did Ollie get an assist for Bailey's goal on the weekend? I've watched the clip back a few times and I can't quite figure out if he tried to dink the keeper and it rebounded to Bailey. Or if he deliberately cut it back to Bailey. 

On the replay i'm thinking he played for that expecting the touch from the keeper. assist for me all day long

32 minutes ago, chrisp65 said:

A proposal from 1405

Wales, Northumberland, Mortimer.

spoilers:

  Reveal hidden contents

Didn’t happen

 

from by where the river starts to the gates of Worcester and then to by where them ashtrees are by kinver up to by where the mersey starts n that.

Got a phone call from someone claiming to be Welsh Water on the phone wanting to speak to me and wanting me to give my name, full address and date of birth over the phone. I pointed out I had no way of prooving who she was so I won't be divulging any personal details over an unsecure phone line and asked what the reason for the call was. She said they couldn't say until they've confirmed I'm me.

It's like I'm living in a Monty Python sketch

waited in all afternoon yesterday for a call from my doctor. Phone rings about 20 past 6. 3 rings, pick up the receiver, dialing tone.

Phone surgery back immediately. We're closed now we can't take your call.

I know when I phone them back first thing I'll be told "well, we did phone you."

It's a chance to practice my patience I suupose

Anyway, I do this and when the telly packed in I said HA! to MrsVM and all the naysayers. even have the polystyrene inserts and everything so found a guy who would pick it up to fix it and packed it all up neat. When he arrived it wouldn't go in the back of his car in the box and he had all duvets and such to keep it all safe so I had to unbox it again and send it off all naked like. Well worth the effort

Dosn't everyone have a whole shed just to store their empty electrical item boxes in?

Wasn't Milner young player of the year the year before he left or am I misremembering?

1 minute ago, Mic09 said:

As I was explaining to a Liverpool fan mate of mine recently, he's both the obvious weakest link in our current first team - and at the same time probably our best right back since the early eighties or before.