What’s on your mind?

[Flowstates]

The acting in general is so horrid. It’s really sad that such an interesting topic like the periodic table is utterly destroyed with such a film.

From the little of the documentary that I could inflict on myself, I take a deeper offense to the general direction behind the edit, utterly confusing to say the least.

But I'll have to grant them points for effort, nowadays we would most likely be presented with a stillframe cutout animated with random noise motion in front of a nondescript weathered vellum material and a fade unveiling some historical text or placeholder image.

 

[VisceralRealist]

Amazon is so trash now.

Any product you search for is going to turn up pages and pages of generic junk with brand names like QXLOO and JBRAQ; you have to go several pages in to see anything recognizable. As if that's not bad enough, today I received a book I ordered from them that was supposed to be brand new. Instead I get a worn, used copy wrapped in plastic packaging that said "New" on it.

I haven't been using Amazon much lately, but this was a good price for a new copy of this book. After this I'm reminded why I stopped giving them money...

 

[rm5]

Amazon is so trash now.

Any product you search for is going to turn up pages and pages of generic junk with brand names like QXLOO and JBRAQ; you have to go several pages in to see anything recognizable. As if that's not bad enough, today I received a book I ordered from them that was supposed to be brand new. Instead I get a worn, used copy wrapped in plastic packaging that said "New" on it.

I haven't been using Amazon much lately, but this was a good price for a new copy of this book. After this I'm reminded why I stopped giving them money...

You should watch Amazon Empire: The Rise and Reign of Jeff Bezos if you haven't already, it's on PBS I think. As soon as I watched it, I immediately stopped buying ANYTHING on Amazon. What a horrible company.

Plus, the last time I bought something off Amazon, I also got a cheap piece of crap. Though I will admit, I didn't properly research the product, so it's partially my fault.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Amazon is so trash now.

Any product you search for is going to turn up pages and pages of generic junk with brand names like QXLOO and JBRAQ; you have to go several pages in to see anything recognizable. As if that's not bad enough, today I received a book I ordered from them that was supposed to be brand new. Instead I get a worn, used copy wrapped in plastic packaging that said "New" on it.

I haven't been using Amazon much lately, but this was a good price for a new copy of this book. After this I'm reminded why I stopped giving them money...

You should watch Amazon Empire: The Rise and Reign of Jeff Bezos if you haven't already, it's on PBS I think. As soon as I watched it, I immediately stopped buying ANYTHING on Amazon. What a horrible company.

Plus, the last time I bought something off Amazon, I also got a cheap piece of crap. Though I will admit, I didn't properly research the product, so it's partially my fault.

I appreciate the convenience of Amazon, and I also recognise the variety of goods that they have on offer, and also accept that sometimes, it is Amazon or nothing for people who cannot get to a store which stocks what they may need, or where such a store may be many miles (or km) away from where they live. Each to their own.

However, for my part, I deeply deplore their appalling treatment of their workers, and far prefer, if at all possible, to shop locally in bricks'n'mortar outlets.

Thus, a few years ago, I took the decision not to shop any longer with Amazon, and therefore, I haven't bought anything from them since before the pandemic.

 

[bousozoku]

I'd recommend, as I've already recommended somewhere else, the documentary "Generation Wealth". I can only be thankful that this is not my reality.

I'll do my best to take a look. Thanks!

 

[bousozoku]

Amazon is so trash now.

Any product you search for is going to turn up pages and pages of generic junk with brand names like QXLOO and JBRAQ; you have to go several pages in to see anything recognizable. As if that's not bad enough, today I received a book I ordered from them that was supposed to be brand new. Instead I get a worn, used copy wrapped in plastic packaging that said "New" on it.

I haven't been using Amazon much lately, but this was a good price for a new copy of this book. After this I'm reminded why I stopped giving them money...

You might seen some of the same Chinese brands elsewhere, perhaps on Temu. Newegg is similar with a lot of Chinese products, including their store brand.

I've been able to find more Japanese and Korean products and occasionally something that is a typical Asian kitchen product at a decent price.

Still, you have to weed out the scammers and make sure the product is sufficient. I'm sure that electronics still have a lot of fakes for Sennheiser and Apple just because Amazon doesn't care. If they're making money and they're not in legal trouble, it's all okay with them.

 

[scubachap]

Thank you.

The other thing - quite apart from atrocious (British) accents - is that I am extraordinarily intolerant of historical nonsense.
...
Nevertheless, bad history offends me at a very fundamental level.

In that case I dare you to take a crack at the new ITV Winter King series, I loved the original books (actually preferred them to his Saxon series - good though they are) as they felt really sympathetic to what's actually known but he also embroidered in Arthur, Merlin and all that 'non historical' fun stuff in a really enjoyable and credible way...

I managed two and half episodes... It's sort of like they went into a London pub - chucked some mad max leather costumes at the clientele (and few reasonably decent blunt swords), a couple of gallons of fake blood and got them to have a go at making a historical epic... I do wonder if younger TV people, who probably weren't exposed to Alan Garner, TH White, CS Lewis, Rosemary Sutcliffe etc etc as they grew up simply just can't make this sort of thing anymore ... Perhaps they simply shouldn't try?

It's on ITVX by the way..

 

[Scepticalscribe]

In that case I dare you to take a crack at the new ITV Winter King series, I loved the original books (actually preferred them to his Saxon series - good though they are) as they felt really sympathetic to what's actually known but he also embroidered in Arthur, Merlin and all that 'non historical' fun stuff in a really enjoyable and credible way...

I managed two and half episodes... It's sort of like they went into a London pub - chucked some mad max leather costumes at the clientele (and few reasonably decent blunt swords), a couple of gallons of fake blood and got them to have a go at making a historical epic... I do wonder if younger TV people, who probably weren't exposed to Alan Garner, TH White, CS Lewis, Rosemary Sutcliffe etc etc as they grew up simply just can't make this sort of thing anymore ... Perhaps they simply shouldn't try?

It's on ITVX by the way..

No, no, no, thank you.

However, what really irks me is the fact that it is perfectly possible to make credible - yet excellent - historical drama; one doesn't even need buckets of (fake) blood and lots of expensive CGI in order to be able to do so.

Solid historical research, very good (better still, excellent) writing, and some first rate actors: Look at Colditz, Secret Army, I, Claudius, Danger UXB, Foyle's War, for examples of superb - and utterly gripping - historical drama (superlative actors, for the most part, excellent scripts, solid history, or, history that didn't fly in the face of known facts), on relatively small (indeed, sometimes, tiny) budgets.

 

[Flowstates]

I'm just about fed up fiddling with my Windows Server initially built for ML research, I'll bite the bullet and pony up the money for cloud deployment. And buy a Synology to free my photographs off iPhoto

 

[jedimasterkyle]

In another life, where I didn't have a wife or dog or any immediate family near me, I'd like to think I'd be fine with disappearing to Thailand and becoming a full Buddhist monk.

Existence in this greedy, corporate propaganda fueled, oligarchy is starting to get boring...

 

[Flowstates]

In another life, where I didn't have a wife or dog or any immediate family near me, I'd like to think I'd be fine with disappearing to Thailand and becoming a full Buddhist monk.

Existence in this greedy, corporate propaganda fueled, oligarchy is starting to get boring...

This too shall pass ...

 

[Scepticalscribe]

In another life, where I didn't have a wife or dog or any immediate family near me, I'd like to think I'd be fine with disappearing to Thailand and becoming a full Buddhist monk.

Existence in this greedy, corporate propaganda fueled, oligarchy is starting to get boring...

Thailand?

Are there no monasteries closer to home - such as some of the European Trappist monasteries, for example, (they also brew terrific beer) - that will offer such an escape, even if it is only a fleeting exercise in the mind?

 

[Flowstates]

Are there no monasteries closer to home - such as some of the European Trappist monasteries, for example, (they also brew terrific beer) - that will offer such an escape, even if it is only a fleeting exercise in the mind?

Echoing the sentiment, I had the please of participating to a "retreat in silence" in a Cictercian abbey not far from home. Felt deeply rejuvenated for weeks.

 

[DaveFromCampbelltown]

In that case I dare you to take a crack at the new ITV Winter King series, I loved the original books (actually preferred them to his Saxon series - good though they are) as they felt really sympathetic to what's actually known but he also embroidered in Arthur, Merlin and all that 'non historical' fun stuff in a really enjoyable and credible way...

I managed two and half episodes... It's sort of like they went into a London pub - chucked some mad max leather costumes at the clientele (and few reasonably decent blunt swords), a couple of gallons of fake blood and got them to have a go at making a historical epic... I do wonder if younger TV people, who probably weren't exposed to Alan Garner, TH White, CS Lewis, Rosemary Sutcliffe etc etc as they grew up simply just can't make this sort of thing anymore ... Perhaps they simply shouldn't try?

It's on ITVX by the way..

We did try it, hoping that it might be as good as The Last Kingdom. Sadly, it wasn't.
There does seem to be an awful lot of video dross out at the moment. But then, perhaps there always was...
One could retreat to paper books, but there are literally hundreds of those being written by AI.
One can see this spreading to TV scripts written by AI, acted by AI generated actors, and watched by an AI audience.

While the rest of us migrate to Mars...

 

[winxmac]

Facebook and meta sucks... Real name and real identification...

You cannot delete a disabled account without going through the appeal process... And worse you cannot delete the account to re-use/re-assign the email address...

 

[Apple fanboy]

Facebook and meta sucks... Real name and real identification...

You cannot delete a disabled account without going through the appeal process... And worse you cannot delete the account to re-use/re-assign the email address...

Glad I never joined either of them.

 

[rm5]

Facebook and meta sucks... Real name and real identification...

You cannot delete a disabled account without going through the appeal process... And worse you cannot delete the account to re-use/re-assign the email address...

I only joined Facebook for professional purposes. People like it when I post stuff on instagram, and they successfully convinced me (it took a LOT of convincing from a lot of different people).

But the account deletion thing is highly disturbing to me.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Glad I never joined either of them.

Likewise.

The very concept fills me with a sort of suppressed horror.

 

[decafjava]

Hello everyone, been awhile, between starting the semester (with a terrific bunch of students), dealing with some health issues and having my iPhone 13 PM stolen at the Geneva train station. Some may be surprised but it happened here but no, pickpockets are everywhere. I was rushing to catch the train, stamped my ticket with my left hand - had just put on some music but didn't zip my left jacket pocket. I have Beats Flex bluetooth and suddenly the music stopped and checked my pocket which was empty. Exited the train and thought it had fallen out but no, there were some youths I recall milling around but what could I do? Went to a branch shop of my provider and had the sim blocked and got a new card, filed a police report and got in touch with my colleagues and friends from the provider shop. Went home and set my phone to erase when connected to the net (it had FaceID with erase after ten failed tries).

A good friend lent me his old iPhone 12 mini for a week until my household insurance and a helpful team at my providers branch in the town where I work redid my contract and I got a new iPhone 15 PM which is a very nice upgrade though I was planning to keep my good old 13 PM for at least a couple of years more. Knock on wood no issues with any data theft or charges on the credit card I have on the Apple ID. Amateur scumbags.

TLDR; don't get distracted and keep your phone in a secure place (inner pocket).

Also, "ittershai" (see you later) Eren, using an image of Thorfinn Karlsefni the main character from the Vinland Saga anime who was a historical figure though finctinalized here. At some point may go to a Doctor Who or Star Trek avatar. Yea I know y'all care a lot. Oh and bit below the link are some lyrics from the song by Peter Gabriel about anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Hello everyone, been awhile, between starting the semester (with a terrific bunch of students), dealing with some health issues and having my iPhone 13 PM stolen at the Geneva train station. Some may be surprised but it happened here but no, pickpockets are everywhere. I was rushing to catch the train, stamped my ticket with my left hand - had just put on some music but didn't zip my left jacket pocket. I have Beats Flex bluetooth and suddenly the music stopped and checked my pocket which was empty. Exited the train and thought it had fallen out but no, there were some youths I recall milling around but what could I do? Went to a branch shop of my provider and had the sim blocked and got a new card, filed a police report and got in touch with my colleagues and friends from the provider shop. Went home and set my phone to erase when connected to the net (it had FaceID with erase after ten failed tries).

A good friend lent me his old iPhone 12 mini for a week until my household insurance and a helpful team at my providers branch in the town where I work redid my contract and I got a new iPhone 15 PM which is a very nice upgrade though I was planning to keep my good old 13 PM for at least a couple of years more. Knock on wood no issues with any data theft or charges on the credit card I have on the Apple ID. Amateur scumbags.

TLDR; don't get distracted and keep your phone in a secure place (inner pocket).

Also, "ittershai" (see you later) Eren, using an image of Thorfinn Karlsefni the main character from the Vinland Saga anime who was a historical figure though finctinalized here. At some point may go to a Doctor Who or Star Trek avatar. Yea I know y'all care a lot. Oh and bit below the link are some lyrics from the song by Peter Gabriel about anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko.,

Thank you for the update, good to see you back here, safe and sound and posting, and commiserations on the theft of your iPhone.

Such acts of larceny are not just an ugly expression of petty theft, and an inconvenience, they are also experienced as a profound personal violation.

Stay safe and sane.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Blood oranges are on my mind; I must purchase some tomorrow.

As is milk (also on my mind).

For the third consecutive week, my local shop did not receive a delivery of organic milk.

I had been mulling over phoning the company, (to give them a piece of my mind), but, tonight, the shop (store) owner informed me that the explanation that she had been given is that the cows are calving, hence, there is a marked shortage of (organic) milk available (especially, milk which is produced naturally).

Okay: Tomorrow shall involve a trip to the city, to visit M&S for (among other things) some of their Jersey milk.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Blood oranges are on my mind; I must purchase some tomorrow.

As is milk (also on my mind).

For the third consecutive week, my local shop did not receive a delivery of organic milk.

I had been mulling over phoning the company, (to give them a piece of my mind), but, tonight, the shop (store) owner informed me that the explanation that she had been given is that the cows are calving, hence, there is a marked shortage of (organic) milk available (especially, milk which is produced naturally).

Okay: Tomorrow shall involve a trip to the city, to visit M&S for (among other things) some of their Jersey milk.

Isn’t it a bit early for calving? We don’t have cows around here. Just sheep. I always enjoy when the lambs start appearing.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Isn’t it a bit early for calving? We don’t have cows around here. Just sheep. I always enjoy when the lambs start appearing.

That is what I had wondered, as well, but it is the explanation that I was given today when I raised the subject.

Perhaps, the annual timetable for calving has been affected - i.e. brought forward - by global warming.

Nevertheless, I shall investigate further.

 

[DaveFromCampbelltown]

Facebook and meta sucks... Real name and real identification...

You cannot delete a disabled account without going through the appeal process... And worse you cannot delete the account to re-use/re-assign the email address...

Similarly you cannot 'unbecome' a Catholic, not if you convert to a different religion, certainly not if you convert to no religion, not even if you are excommunicated. You are still on their books, and always will be until the Last Trump(et).

As a "recovering Catholic" who learnt a lot about his religion when in a good Catholic boarding school, this was something about being a Catholic that I only learnt recently.

 

[DaveFromCampbelltown]

And anyway, on a different note ---

Don't mess with little Aussie girls...

For clarity

Maxibon style guinea pig

Maxibon style ice cream.

You can clearly see the resemblance...