Posts by a cynic writes...

I knew an old lawyer many years ago who worked in just that way. His practice had been to deal with paperwork in batches morning and afternoon writing on the letter/memo for his secretary to reply.

When email came in he just had them printed and added to the batch. The only real difference was that we didn't have to add his signature to the replies at the end of the day.

Unless you run out of swans..

Let's face it there's no much dignity running up and down a lake with you trousers round your ankles trying to catch one of those a feathered vicious bastards.

Re: So he's that incensed about the bastardization of his beloved language ?

I'm afraid Bede wrote in Latin rather than Old English.

Re: It would take a heart of stone not to laugh...

Because the UK can't be seen to let him go any more than Ecuador can be seen to kick him out the door to the waiting coppers.

I suspect in the next year or two there will be a deliberately botched attempt to smuggle him out, he'll do his six weeks for jumping bail and will then be allowed to leave unhindered as an irrelevance.

Re: Simple solution

How about the gun nuts just pony up some cash and launch their own web site, on their own servers?

er...I think that would be Full30 mentioned in the linked FB post. It was news to me too.

You mean like the Russians do?

I believe the usual form is for one of ours to shadow their's at a safe distance whilst politicians and journalists spout nonsense. I expect China will do the same. The upshot being everyone gets to make their point and the world continues to turn.

That said building your own islands to claim is...a novel approach. It makes the whole Graham Island thing look almost normal. PTerry would be proud.

Re: How many will now leave anyway.... and miss out on redundancy?

Most of the ones who'd lined up other jobs I'd have thought.

I'm not sure whether that indicates malice or incompetence on the part of IBM management.

Re: I just love these people whose minds were already made up 5 years ago

ahem....I linked above to the court records. I hadn't made up my mind until I read them. To give you a flavour:

The Court rejected Mr Assange’s contention that under the law of England and Wales consent to sexual intercourse on condition a condom was used was remained consent to sexual intercourse even if a condom was not used or removed. (paras 86-91)

But hey, don't take my word for it. Read the documents then make up your own mind.

I might be biased as I've a daughter in her 20s. Personally I'd convict the bastard.

Re: Uncle Rupert gets his Reward

It's the next sentence. "We will repeal s.40 of the Crime and Courts Act...etc" p.80

So yeah they've gone out of their way to keep the press onside.

Re: Meanwhile in the UK...

er...yes, exactly.

Sorry, I obviously wasn't clear. What I meant was "If things were different and she was interested in tech then would I..."

Re: Where was this, pray tell?

It wasn't in West Lane next to the war memorial?

I used to live near there mumble years ago...

20Mb! Luxury!

The first machine I ever owned had a 16k ram pack...

According to an old family story there was a coal man that had that arrangement in East Ham.

It worked well until one Christmas the lads down the pub decided it was unfair on the horse and clubbed together to it a bucket or two of beer. The following day the bloke found himself in the dock on a charge of "drunk in charge of a drunken horse".

Re: We all know what happened

Three months ago I said:

There are positive arguments for staying as part of the EU but I've yet to hear anyone make them. "No Tracy, don't leave. Stay and make a go of it or he'll cut up rough." isn't the winning argument you all seem to think it is. In fact from what I've seen it's flat out counter-productive.

After watching the campaign and the aftermath I think I can add: If you want to convince people of your ideas don't talk about them as though they are the shit on your shoe.

"...North Korea of Europe..."

Like Switzerland that well known third world country?

This is getting silly.

From the top - if we vote out we've 2 years to negotiate all this stuff. I expect some of it to pass on the nod (because it's in no ones interest to fuck it up completely) and some of it will turn into a right pigs ear (because the people involved have previous). Neither the rose tinted wish fulfillment of the 'leavers' not the dire predictions of the 'remainers' will come to pass.

Yes there may be some countries that want to cut up rough - I expect that the self defeating nature of doing so will be pointed out to them by wiser heads. In the event of a close vote (and given the EU's behaviour to previous referendums) I would not be surprised for there to be an attempt to move the goal posts. I realise that would be against its own rules but that has never been an obstacle in the past and doubt it would be in this case.

Re: We make our own prisons

As I understand it he's a fugitive for having sex with a consenting adult who later changed her mind. Which counts as rape in Sweden.

er...no. He's a fugitive for going to bed with someone who said she'd only have sex with him if he wore a condom, waiting until she was asleep and then carrying on without one. Sounds a bit rapey...

In one of his many appeals he didn't argue it didn't happen just that it didn't count. The High Court didn't agree:

http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20131202164909/http://judiciary.gov.uk/media/judgments/2011/assange-judgment-0211201

Bloody hell...The gin and the orange juice were a new one on me. The version I used to drink 20-odd years ago was just a snake bite and Blue Curacao.

One abiding memory is when I introduced a mate to them. A few hours later he was praying at the porcelain alter and I heard the plaintive wail "...you fucking bastard - IT'S GREEN" .

Re: James is a dick...

Given the company in question has shops in most large UK towns and had a turnover of £123M (~$185M) last year I think 'continuing to eat' wasn't an issue.

Unless there's another well known Nottingham based games company...

Re: Was I the only one...

No, you weren't. It confused the hell out of SWMBO.

Re: Science happens to other people

...in a Faraday Cage ?

I thought that for a second then I realised that a Faraday cage wouldn't block sound. Sonic Sunglasses - the hint's in the name.

The science is still bollocks of course but then it always has been. Unless you know a way to "reverse the polarity in the neutron flow"?

Re: However...

On the plus side over the centuries as we've becoming better at wholesale slaughter we've become less interested in it. Which is nice...

Re: Bad luck Estonia

"...Suffolk, Norfolk and Kent..."

I can't help feeling there's something missing from that list...

Re: Driverless cars do not need to be owned

Perhaps because you want to use a car for the same two hours as everyone else...

In other news automatic gearboxes have been available for decades and most people in Britain drive manuals. I doubt that most people will want to give up the illusion of control and "driverless" mode will end up like cruise control - widely available but rarely engaged.

In London it's a bit different with two types of taxi - black cabs that are heavily regulated* and minicabs (aka private hire vehicles) which are lightly regulated. Uber ignores both.

Don't under any circumstances ask a black cab driver (like my brother in law) about Uber. He will tell you...

Anyway there are two logical answers - either enforce the existing regulations or relax them. What's the betting neither happens until the first horror story hits the front page?

*Heavily regulated as in you need to pass an exam as to routes (takes 1-2 years), use one of the 3 vehicles which conform to spec (about £40k) and your fare rates are set by government. By contrast minicabs just need to be roadworthy, be pre-booked and with a pre-agreed fare.

Re: Canuck Post Pub Nosh

Will this do?