General News Thread

[CornwallFox]

Just now, danny. said:

That's quite interesting. I did find it quite specific as it was "case participants that had been shot in an assault" in Philadelphia, no doubt many of those gang shootings etc. and how well those findings translate to different areas (i.e. not deprived inner city areas, areas with less gang activity) and also different use cases (i.e. home intrusion) I guess are going to vary.

 

As mentioned before, I'm very much against gun ownership personally, but I do empathise why some people might feel safer to own a gun at home for self defence. Obviously that is also going to increase the use for things like domestic violence and suicide. Taking broad stats will hide genuinely useful cases or cases where it's of benefit, so I think it's quite a sweeping claim to say that they don't help defend people. 

Tbh I think it's fairly obvious that more guns isn't creating safety in America without needing a study. 

[danny.]

Just now, CornwallFox said:

Tbh I think it's fairly obvious that more guns isn't creating safety in America without needing a study. 

I totally agree with you, but I don't think it's that black and white, especially between states. The USA massively varies in culture across each state. I can see why people argue for it is all I'm saying, and also in that environment see why people have a case for using guns for self defence. If someone could press a button and take away all guns instantly, then that would be a no-brainer.

[Trav Le Bleu]

48 minutes ago, danny. said:

source for those studies?

Carrying a gun increases risk of getting shot and killed | New Scientist

 

https://share.google/pVqP2aVbx1wuDk4Ju

 

One of the drivers of this is that gun owners are sometimes shot by their own guns.

[AKCJ]

6 minutes ago, danny. said:

I think it's pretty common now, the amount of banal emails I get at work people have clearly used chat for is crazy.

 

In conclusion, you can always – tell, because – they have loads of em – dashes, for no – reason.

I think there's a big difference between people using ChatGPT to draft emails and POTUS using it to generate his own announcements  

[danny.]

1 minute ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

Carrying a gun increases risk of getting shot and killed | New Scientist

 

https://share.google/pVqP2aVbx1wuDk4Ju

 

One of the drivers of this is that gun owners are sometimes shot by their own guns.

Yea, that is the same Branas study @CornwallFox linked. It looked at assaults in Philadelphia over a 3 year period.

[danny.]

Just now, AKCJ said:

I think there's a big difference between people using ChatGPT to draft emails and POTUS using it to generate his own announcements  

Probably a good thing though, the amount he drones on. He waffles so much nonsense he loses himself and probably forgets what he even meant to say half the time. 

[AKCJ]

1 minute ago, danny. said:

Probably a good thing though, the amount he drones on. He waffles so much nonsense he loses himself and probably forgets what he even meant to say half the time. 

It muddies the line between fake and real news.

 

When the POTUS uses AI to generate his messages, what is to stop the average person using a senior politician's likeliness to generate their own message?

 

We saw what happened when Trump used his own voice to call his supporters to march on the Capitol Building. What's to stop a similarly generated AI message from Trump telling people to start violence? It's a slippery slope.

[CornwallFox]

What's this news about the trump AI announcement come from? Is that real?

 

I see mandelson has gone on the back of gossip. I really hate the fake moralisation of politics. He knew a bloke who turned out to be a wrong'un but isn't accused of doing anything wrong himself. Seems bizarre to me.

[RoboFox]

13 minutes ago, AKCJ said:

It seems as though Trump's announcement of Charlie Kirk's death was AI generated, which is frightening for so many reasons.

I've seen the video and I'm not convinced it is AI generated fully. I think it's a "smooth cut" in DaVinci resolve which is an AI-assisted editing technique. Like most AI, it doesn't deal with hands very well which is the telltale sign.

 

Most likely several takes spliced as he's unable to string two sentences together coherently. 

 

Source: me, a video editor.

[AKCJ]

Just now, RoboFox said:

I've seen the video and I'm not convinced it is AI generated fully. I think it's a "smooth cut" in DaVinci resolve which is an AI-assisted editing technique. Like most AI, it doesn't deal with hands very well which is the telltale sign.

 

Most likely several takes spliced as he's unable to string two sentences together coherently. 

 

Source: me, a video editor.

It doesn't have to be to muddy the water though.

[StanSP]

26 minutes ago, Sol thewall Bamba said:

Farage in a stamp duty controversy, here we go again!

Anyone who wanted Rayner gone, or accepted the fact she got sacked, should have the same attitude and approach towards what should happen for Farage. In the name of consistency and all that... 

[RoboFox]

1 minute ago, AKCJ said:

It doesn't have to be to muddy the water though.

He's aging, potentially ill, he's losing what little mental faculties he had, and he's a terrible orator. I'm not surprised they use these techniques to try and make it look like he can make a coherent address. 

 

I do agree though - when everything is examined on social media, this just fuels conspiracy theories.

[Muzzy_no7]

Did the BBC investigate Raynor?

 

Genuine question. 

[hackneyfox]

2 hours ago, danny. said:

I think it creates an arms race, but I do understand why people would feel safer. Look how often you see people in the UK walking around with large knives and machetes now, if one of them decided to attack you you'd have no chance without something like a pistol.

The better solution would obviously be to stop people walking around with machetes, but doesn't seem like the UK is down for that rn.

I live in Hackney and was here when it was known as murder mile, in all that time I have never seen anyone walking around with a machete.

Yes I have seen vids of it happening but I’m also game certain that had plod been around they would have attempted to stop it.

A slightly melodramatic take on things on your part?

[Tommy G]

8 minutes ago, StanSP said:

Anyone who wanted Rayner gone, or accepted the fact she got sacked, should have the same attitude and approach towards what should happen for Farage. In the name of consistency and all that... 

Absolutely agree 100% 

[RoboFox]

27 minutes ago, danny. said:

I think it's pretty common now, the amount of banal emails I get at work people have clearly used chat for is crazy.

 

In conclusion, you can always – tell, because – they have loads of em – dashes, for no – reason.

As a prolific lifelong user of em dashes, this ****s me off no end. 

[danny.]

1 minute ago, RoboFox said:

As a prolific lifelong user of em dashes, this ****s me off no end. 

Well, you're a robot, checks out!

[leicsmac]

7 minutes ago, RoboFox said:

He's aging, potentially ill, he's losing what little mental faculties he had, and he's a terrible orator. I'm not surprised they use these techniques to try and make it look like he can make a coherent address. 

 

I do agree though - when everything is examined on social media, this just fuels conspiracy theories.

And given how the tech is advancing, all of this will only become more of an issue. 

[danny.]

4 minutes ago, hackneyfox said:

I live in Hackney and was here when it was known as murder mile, in all that time I have never seen anyone walking around with a machete.

Yes I have seen vids of it happening but I’m also game certain that had plod been around they would have attempted to stop it.

A slightly melodramatic take on things on your part?

Not sure whether you've seen something or not in Hackney applies to the whole of the UK? I saw two people walking around openly carrying a weapon in Leicester the other week on a 20 minute car journey. There are definitely people walking around with knives, machetes, hammers, bats etc.

You have a point that social media amplifies things, agreed, but it's still an issue for some areas of society. 

[danny.]

6 minutes ago, leicsmac said:

And given how the tech is advancing, all of this will only become more of an issue. 

We can't be too far off full videos, speeches, appearances etc. just being AI generations. And we will have absolutely no idea what's real or not anymore.

We pretty much have this tech already just from e.g. Snapchat filters - 
 

 

Edited 11 September 2025 by danny.

[kenny]

15 minutes ago, StanSP said:

Anyone who wanted Rayner gone, or accepted the fact she got sacked, should have the same attitude and approach towards what should happen for Farage. In the name of consistency and all that... 

If he has done something wrong then yes. At present, that hasn't been proved, he has been open about the arrangements.

 

He also hasnt villified the wealthy, tax avoidance and second home ownership. He would probably claim that he wants to scrap the tax altogether.

[leicsmac]

4 minutes ago, danny. said:

We can't be too far off full videos, speeches, appearances etc. just being AI generations. And we will have absolutely no idea what's real or not anymore.

We pretty much have this tech already just from e.g. Snapchat filters - 
 

 

Yep. 

 

Everyone ready for the brave new world we're stepping into?

 

2 minutes ago, kenny said:

If he has done something wrong then yes. At present, that hasn't been proved, he has been open about the arrangements.

 

He also hasnt villified the wealthy, tax avoidance and second home ownership. He would probably claim that he wants to scrap the tax altogether.

Just to clarify, why is this part relevant? If he's violated the law he's violated the law, whatever he might think about the legitimacy of that law. 

[CosbehFox]

18 minutes ago, Muzzy_no7 said:

Did the BBC investigate Raynor?

 

Genuine question. 

No cos the Telegraph beat them to it. 

[danny.]

4 minutes ago, leicsmac said:

Yep. 

 

Everyone ready for the brave new world we're stepping into?

I think most people are blissfully unaware of how AI is going to completely ruin society. Just the mass unemployment alone will be devastating.  =

[leicsmac]

5 minutes ago, danny. said:

I think most people are blissfully unaware of how AI is going to completely ruin society. Just the mass unemployment alone will be devastating.  =

Darwin. 

 

Society will have to adapt, or it will fall.