General News Thread

[leicsmac]

5 minutes ago, st albans fox said:

Can’t see the spectator having enough dosh tbh ….

Perhaps he got some dough from ITV for the use of his name and likeness in that rather ridiculous "what-if-war-with-Russia?" piece of dramatics they recently did?

[Vacamion]

 

The Russian plague thing is pretty much what plays out in Annie Jacobsen's recent book - "Biological War -  A Scenario"  (an excellent and well-researched follow-up to her previous spellbinding work "Nuclear War - A Scenario").

 

It suffices to say that the escape of an engineered Yersina Pestis sample in her scenario pretty much means Civilisation has thrown a seven.

 

I was shocked to read that one of the engineered Plague variants induces *euphoria* before it makes you very ill and kills you.

 

That way, people infected will go out and socialise while they are infectious but before they feel ill, really bumping up the kill stats.

 

Engineering of The Plague for a weapon in this way is completely illegal under international law, but they are all doing it anyway, according to testimony from defectors.

 

Anyway, sleep well, everyone.  

 

 

[Wymsey]

10 hours ago, Lionator said:

Burnham is ‘philosophically’ the best prime minister we’ve had in my life time. The only one that actually presents a vision rather than managing the existing neoliberal system. I hope he carries it through. 

Think he's the country's best chance of changing many of its issues around, particularly immigration and employment.

[Trav Le Bleu]

This is terrible!

 

US book bans in public schools reach record annual high of 12,000 | US book bans | The Guardian

 

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/05/book-bans-schools-record-high

 

They should be burning them instead!

[leicsmac]

1 minute ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

This is terrible!

 

US book bans in public schools reach record annual high of 12,000 | US book bans | The Guardian

 

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/05/book-bans-schools-record-high

 

They should be burning them instead!

And yet, the book that most of these "moral guardians" view as the best (and possibly only) one to read has more instances of violence, incest, enslavement, and all round nastiness than practically all of the books they're looking to ban. 

 

The hypocrisy is, as always, palpable. 

[FoyleFox]

14 hours ago, kenny said:

I think the official line is that it was spread from a chap eating a pangolin purchased at a wet market that is located next to a sophisticated biolab that specialises in studying this type of pathogen.

 

Nothing to see here.

I initially read this as penguin.... having another coffee before I read more. 

[Trav Le Bleu]

1 hour ago, leicsmac said:

And yet, the book that most of these "moral guardians" view as the best (and possibly only) one to read has more instances of violence, incest, enslavement, and all round nastiness than practically all of the books they're looking to ban. 

 

The hypocrisy is, as always, palpable. 

Nor do they particularly apply the principles of the main protagonist, despite doing a lot of stuff in his name.

[leicsmac]

2 minutes ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

Nor do they particularly apply the principles of the main protagonist, despite doing a lot of stuff in his name.

Right. Funny, that. 

[Jattdogg]

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/06/trump-suggests-let-iran-take-out-los-angeles-san-diego

 

 

What a serious treasonous t w a t

[leicsmac]

10 minutes ago, Jattdogg said:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/06/trump-suggests-let-iran-take-out-los-angeles-san-diego

 

 

What a serious treasonous t w a t

Oh, look, he's said something else that is as ridiculous as it is maliciously sociopathic. 

 

Must be a day ending in "y".

[leicsmac]

On the topic of above, another apposite paragraph from Pratchett:

 

 

[spacemunky]

3 hours ago, Jattdogg said:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/06/trump-suggests-let-iran-take-out-los-angeles-san-diego

 

 

What a serious treasonous t w a t

How does he manage to do this every single f**king day? Day after day after day.

 

His own military should take him out.

[Trav Le Bleu]

3 hours ago, leicsmac said:

On the topic of above, another apposite paragraph from Pratchett:

 

 

I'm assuming this is referring to Lord Havelock Vetinari?

[ClaphamFox]

45 minutes ago, spacemunky said:

How does he manage to do this every single f**king day? Day after day after day.

 

His own military should take him out.

With so much drama in Washington DC

It's kind of hard life bein' Donald T

But he somehow, some way,

Keeps comin' up fresh new shit, like, every single day...

Edited Tuesday at 14:43 by ClaphamFox

[spacemunky]

13 minutes ago, ClaphamFox said:

With so much drama in Washington DC

It's kind of hard life bein' Donald T

But he somehow, some way,

Keeps comin' up fresh new shit, like, every single day...

Props then? 

[leicsmac]

1 hour ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

I'm assuming this is referring to Lord Havelock Vetinari?

Close. It's referring to Lupine Wonse, Vetinaris former secretary who tries to overthrow him and rabble-rouses the disaffected, playing upon their spite and nastiness and incompetent self interest, as mentioned in that paragraph,  in an attempt to do so. 

 

Now, who exactly does that sound like today?

[davieG]

Culture Collective ·

Follow

 

 

We're using staggering amounts of energy to generate content that disappears in seconds. MIT Technology Review found that creating a high-quality five-second AI video consumes about 3.4 million joules—over 700 times the energy needed for a generated image, equivalent to running a microwave for more than an hour.

Here's where it gets heavier: data centers powering this technology still rely substantially on fossil-fuel electricity. The International Energy Agency's research shows these energy demands are only growing as AI becomes more embedded in creative industries.

It's worth asking ourselves what we're really trading here. Are we so committed to convenience and novelty that we're willing to burn resources at this scale for content that's often forgotten by tomorrow? There's got to be a more thoughtful way forward

[Trav Le Bleu]

1 hour ago, leicsmac said:

Close. It's referring to Lupine Wonse, Vetinaris former secretary who tries to overthrow him and rabble-rouses the disaffected, playing upon their spite and nastiness and incompetent self interest, as mentioned in that paragraph,  in an attempt to do so. 

 

Now, who exactly does that sound like today?

Too many people, though I know who you mean.

[Trav Le Bleu]

52 minutes ago, davieG said:

Culture Collective ·

Follow

 

 

We're using staggering amounts of energy to generate content that disappears in seconds. MIT Technology Review found that creating a high-quality five-second AI video consumes about 3.4 million joules—over 700 times the energy needed for a generated image, equivalent to running a microwave for more than an hour.

Here's where it gets heavier: data centers powering this technology still rely substantially on fossil-fuel electricity. The International Energy Agency's research shows these energy demands are only growing as AI becomes more embedded in creative industries.

It's worth asking ourselves what we're really trading here. Are we so committed to convenience and novelty that we're willing to burn resources at this scale for content that's often forgotten by tomorrow? There's got to be a more thoughtful way forward

In a way I'm glad AI is powered by fossil fuels. Gives us a chance to starve it if necessary.

[Lionator]

19 hours ago, Vacamion said:

 

The Russian plague thing is pretty much what plays out in Annie Jacobsen's recent book - "Biological War -  A Scenario"  (an excellent and well-researched follow-up to her previous spellbinding work "Nuclear War - A Scenario").

 

It suffices to say that the escape of an engineered Yersina Pestis sample in her scenario pretty much means Civilisation has thrown a seven.

 

I was shocked to read that one of the engineered Plague variants induces *euphoria* before it makes you very ill and kills you.

 

That way, people infected will go out and socialise while they are infectious but before they feel ill, really bumping up the kill stats.

 

Engineering of The Plague for a weapon in this way is completely illegal under international law, but they are all doing it anyway, according to testimony from defectors.

 

Anyway, sleep well, everyone.  

 

 

Annie Jacobson is a complete grifter and fraud and pretty much every nuclear expert has debunked her. 

[Parafox]

4 hours ago, spacemunky said:

How does he manage to do this every single f**king day? Day after day after day.

 

His own military should take him out.

Don't get me wrong, I despise the man and his policies but, in what I've read, Trump never invited Iran to target LA or Sandiego.

 

His words "let them" have been completely misconstrued and was clearly stupid but IMO targeted at those who support him unconditionally as "I dare you, see what you get in return" knowing that event would never happen. 

And his sycophantic supporters and his own cabinet have gone "yeah, bring it on".

[kenny]

1 hour ago, Parafox said:

Don't get me wrong, I despise the man and his policies but, in what I've read, Trump never invited Iran to target LA or Sandiego.

 

His words "let them" have been completely misconstrued and was clearly stupid but IMO targeted at those who support him unconditionally as "I dare you, see what you get in return" knowing that event would never happen. 

And his sycophantic supporters and his own cabinet have gone "yeah, bring it on".

I heard the quote and he was joking that they would be the first places to target if they were going to. They are Democrat voting cities.

[leicsmac]

1 hour ago, Parafox said:

Don't get me wrong, I despise the man and his policies but, in what I've read, Trump never invited Iran to target LA or Sandiego.

 

His words "let them" have been completely misconstrued and was clearly stupid but IMO targeted at those who support him unconditionally as "I dare you, see what you get in return" knowing that event would never happen. 

And his sycophantic supporters and his own cabinet have gone "yeah, bring it on".

 

3 minutes ago, kenny said:

I heard the quote and he was joking that they would be the first places to target if they were going to. They are Democrat voting cities.

AFAIC both any misinterpretation and it being in jest are immaterial anyway. 

 

It's both ridiculous and maliciously sociopathic (as to appeal to that same sociopathic element of his voter base) no matter which way it's sliced. 

[Parafox]

2 minutes ago, leicsmac said:

 

AFAIC both any misinterpretation and it being in jest are immaterial anyway. 

 

It's both ridiculous and maliciously sociopathic (as to appeal to that same sociopathic element of his voter base) no matter which way it's sliced. 

Totally agree with this as you suggest, his voter base, if analysed would be generally sociopathic and we've seen this in various political coverage of his supporters.

As is the same with all political parties and their most loyal and sometimes deranged ideological supporters.

It makes the world an even more dangerous place than it was during WW2 and subsequent crises such as Suez and Cuba.

So many regimes that were never really a threat 50 years ago, have developed their own regimes that are now able to seriously threaten Western liberal countries that thought this could never happen. 

And now we're where we are. Under constant threat from those that want to do us harm in pursuit of imposing their ideologies. 

[leicsmac]

5 minutes ago, Parafox said:

Totally agree with this as you suggest, his voter base, if analysed would be generally sociopathic and we've seen this in various political coverage of his supporters.

As is the same with all political parties and their most loyal and sometimes deranged ideological supporters.

It makes the world an even more dangerous place than it was during WW2 and subsequent crises such as Suez and Cuba.

So many regimes that were never really a threat 50 years ago, have developed their own regimes that are now able to seriously threaten Western liberal countries that thought this could never happen. 

And now we're where we are. Under constant threat from those that want to do us harm in pursuit of imposing their ideologies. 

And all the time there are encroaching, building natural threats that can and will deny humans access to the most vital resources in a massive way. Those issues require global cooperation, not conflict, to solve. Failing to do so will render all the petty struggles of those regimes utterly meaningless.

 

Fun times.