Posts by PapaD

Apparently, no

I'd guess not, you'd probably still say 8

Why, well it seems that 'Planet' is a protected title within this solar system, and when Pluto was found to be using it incorrectly, the title was stripped and Pluto became a TNO.

So, the other TNO's unfortunately do not have whatever qualifications or experience are necessary to be allowed to use the protected title of 'Planet'

The big 8 have really got a corner on that part of the market.

Re: Borrowing

Booming, no - but it has headed off the mass foreclosures and vast numbers of people losing their homes

Like the last time we had a major recession and the BoE interest rate headed into the high teens. (70's i think, bit before my time, but i hear things)

Re: Again, and again, and again...

This shows a lack of understanding about international politics.

If (IF) another nation was influencing the UK to leave the EU, it may have had nothing to do with the UK, and everything to do with the EU - as in, remove one of the biggest members of the EU, reduce its bargaining power, weaken a trading block, improve your own situation.

It may not even be that, it could be targeting other nations that utilise the UK as an entryway into the EU, as a way to diminish their trade and political strength.

There could be lots of reasons why Russia, the USA, China, etc etc would want the UK to exit the EU without the impact on the UK (positive or negative) being even remotely relevant to the decision making. If you think such foreign entities would influence the UK democracy just to get the politicians they want in the UK, then you have a far too UK centric view of international relations.

I especially like the idea that

If it's not currently a crime, they aren't criminals, so by making it a criminal offence you are creating new criminals.

So, what should have been said is 'making perpetrators aware that this is a crime'

The thing is, it already is a crime - so they are already a criminal. However, in Maryland they can now prosecute the same individual for two crimes, not one, for each individual offence - which means more time in prison (assuming they were daft enough to commit their crime in the USA whilst they are actually in the USA), more profit made by the private prison services, and in theory more corporate taxes paid by them.

Everyone is happy (Except the criminal, who doesn't really care because chances are they aren't in the USA and have no intention of ever physically being there)

Convoluted - yes, pointless - probably.

Forget Foreign sounding, try not sounding British enough

I've been shouted at/questioned about where I came from.

I'm a big, bald white bloke with a very slight northern accent.

I'm from a little town in between Wigan and Bolton, i was born in Ormskirk.

But because i don't sound like whatever the people shouting at me thought a Brit should sound like, I got told to go back to where i came from (which, in all honesty, isn't a huge trek - its about an hour on the train).

Idiocy reigns supreme in the streets of the UK

Re: It Is With Such Baubles That Men Are Led.

I think i've read this book - its called Only Forward (Michael Marshall Smith)

Re: The huge, almost unanimous 417-3 vote

Whats the CON-GRAB thing about

(Asking as someone who genuinely doesn't understand what your trying to say)

EDIT: Though, in hindsight, i'm wondering if you are trying to call out congress for being money grubbing politicians, much like the rest of them - so i still don't really see what you are trying to say.

Re: Odd But

My employer regularly tells new employees that they aren't allowed to talk about their salary.

Then they meet me, and i tell them that our employer is not allowed to say that, as your salary is part of your data, and as such the decision to disclose it is entirely up to you, they have no say in the matter.

Re: Spanked?

I assume 'Spaffed' would also be acceptable?

Re: Handle Gmail handles with care

I have the exact same problem, except almost everything i receive in error is from the USA - I am on some form of Parents email list for a school, some sort of alumni mailing list for a US university - i've been signed up to receive potential real estate options for when I move to the relevant area (i managed to get this one stopped). I've been told of by a religious leaded because my child had the temerity to go and represent her school at some national sporting even, rather than turn up for yet another sunday school something or other - I almost responded to this one as the preacher had the gall to complain that my child (not my child) was setting a very bad example to the other children by not sticking to their commitments, despite the child in question sticking to the commitment they made to their school and school team by playing for them in a national final.

Sometimes i respond to get it shut off - sometimes i just delete them. I've been in touch with people directly to have them inform whoever they are emailing that they have used the wrong email address.

Sometimes its funny, sometimes not. Whoever isn't getting their emails is often missing out on really important information (when to pick up their car, what their children are supposed to be doing, etc etc)

Half tempted to buy one

Just so I can leave a review

Gotta love all the positive reviews - a lot of them are basically saying 'owning it made me feel better'

Placebo affect ftw - though, to be fair, Placebos are the best cure for psychosomatic ailments, ask any doctor.

Where is your mobile phone

"oh, i didn't bring one - it works out cheaper for me to just buy one when i get here, and use pay as you go rather than pay the excessive fees needed to use my own phone here!"

It's the excuse i'll use - same for my laptop, if/when i have to travel to the USA, i'll be taking very little electronic gear (maybe i'll buy a new kindle, put some books on it and read on the flight)

As for social media accounts - well, i do have them, but i'm not sharing the passwords - that's a breach of the Terms and conditions i signed up for.

I would, however, prefer never to travel there. Unfortunately, i have family in the USA and i do miss them.

Re: Not the LSE

I have the pleasure of both Air-conditioning and Solar panels in my house.

Fortunately, at the time i most need one, the other tends to be generating quite a bit more energy than the other needs.

It's a wonderful combination.

Re: Tell people *why* the slurp is bad for them

When i hear the 'i have nothing to hide' idiocy, i usually respond with one of the following

"Cool, can i have the access details for your bank account please"

or

"Cool, can i put a webcam in your bedroom then please"

Then i explain that 'nothing to hide doesn't mean nothing i want to keep private'

I usually follow that with "besides, if it was just the police and GCHQ accessing your data, i'd probably see your point, but its all of government, including the jobsworths in local council who want to spy on your bin usage. Do you think they've been properly vetted to make sure they are decent people who won't misuse their power to get one over on a neighbour they don't like?"

Re: a TERRORIST act of throwing a milkshake

Considering a lot of our elected officials are clearly showing signs of calcium deficiency (first symptom on the list is: Mental confusion, irritability, depression, and anxiety.) then it seems like the milkshake incident could be classed as performing our civil duty in ensuring the health and wellbeing of those who are supposed to steer this nation.

Clearly their inability to manage anything remotely resembling effective governance is a sign of their mental confusion from lack of calcium. Providing high calcium milk based refreshment should be considered the act of a Hero in these trying times. Rapid disbersement of such refreshment can only be lauded as a strong motivation to provide emergency medical assistance.

Re: Ah ...

Clearly he is doing it right.

Besides, one of the perks of being a parent is getting to embaress your teenage children (it doesn't quite make up for your child's teenage years, but it does help)

My understanding

From what I know, he will spend 3.25 years locked up, and then a further 3.25 years having to visit a parole officer and meet any other 'requirements' that they deem necessary. At any point, if they deem him to be in breach of those requirements they can send him back to prison to finish his sentence. He may also receive additional sentencing for whatever caused him to breach his parole. (think it's called 'being on license' in the UK)

Those requirements could include not using a PC outside of specific locations (his place of employment if he has one, etc), meeting a parole officer every day, every week or on some other schedule. It varies, and more restrictions can be applied if they feel he needs it.

Re: Just like buying a magazine.

There is no crime of 'statutory rape' in UK law - There is a whole bunch of other crimes that vary depending upon the age of the underage individual - however, in the UK a 16yr old having sex with a 15yr old, even if prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law is unlikely to spend a long time in jail, as they too are a minor.

Re: It'll never happen...

I have the exact same problem with some fellow in the USA somewhere - i'm regularly getting emails from the garage looking after his car, the school that his children go to, the various organisations that he is involved with.

If it's not an automated or mass mailing, i generally try to email back and let them know that I got the email, not the person they are trying to talk to. It's more than a bit annoying tbh, but there doesn't seem any way to fix it - we have the same email address before the @gmail.com, with the exception that one of us has a dot and the other doesn't

Fortunately, we are thousands of miles away, though tbh i've had an email from some bible camp complaining about one of his children considering some school based formal activity as more important than some random weekend event for the bible camp that made me very much want to slap the sender (self righteous religious person thinking that making the kid stand on the side of some event and clap was more important than something they had made actual commitments too. But i'm biased, being an atheist and all)

Pretty sure the other fellow is deep in bible belt USA somewhere, but can't remember exactly where.

Wish there was some way to fix it (if anyone knows how, let me know, will be a great help)

British Nanny State

Erm

If you think brexit is going to reduce nanny-state-ism in the UK, you really haven't been paying attention for the last 50+ years.

Westminster are notorious for trying to create a nanny state. Either by outlawing the viewing of things that you are legally allowed to do, or going all Mary Whitehouse on everything even remotely fun.

re: I'm terrified by how much "privacy" their governments have.

You got any credible sources for all of those claims?

Re: I actually like Virgin media...

Same here

I seem to be able to negotiate a price reduction each year, by accepting an upgrade to my service. I've rarely had problems, and when i do the really easy to remember helpline number* hasn't had long queues, and i've had an engineer out fairly quickly.

I can only assume based on the complaints against Virgin Media is that they have totally different service centres for different parts of the country. I've used them in 4 properties so far, and generally been happy with the service

*Its really easy to remember, just dial 150 of 151 from your Virgin landline

Almost, but not untirely unlike

Well, they have 316 seats our of 650 - 18 seats represent Northern Ireland, so if we knocked that down to GB only, they'd have 316 seats out of 632 - so they have exactly half, and are 1 seat away from a bare minimum majority.

So not quite a majority, but very close.

Re: @dan1980

This, however misses the issue

Its not saying 'tractors' have to pay more to use the road, its saying 'Brand X tractors' have to pay more to use the road, however, 'Brand Y tractors', who, btw the road owner owns, can't travel for free.

Or, to use a simpler analogy, if Ford owned the roads, they could say 'all cars travel free, all vehicles with more than 4 wheels have to pay extra, unless they are made by ford, then they travel for free'

Thats a better analogy for roat (net) neutrality.

The internet is already not equal for types of packets, some things take up more bandwidth, and get higher priority - but the ISPs don't currently differentiate between different flavours of X (where x is a specific type of internet traffic)

The loss of net neutrality means that they can now discriminate based on the source of X.

Re: Funny isn't it

Actually, i think a lot of them had a problem with Clinton rigging the democratic primary - and i suspect a lot of democrats that were complicit in that are deeply regretting doing so, as Sanders would likely have stood a much better chance of winning than Hillary.

Tbh, an election with two candidates unhappy with the status quo would have made for a much more interesting election.

Re: Time to face facts

No reason at all

Unless they are succeeding at the expense of the populace. If their success makes things worse for all of the people, then they need to not be allowed to succeed.

Re: There wouldn't be such a push to kill neutrality...?

The problem here is the near monopoly in regards to ISP provision in large parts of the US.

You don't need any form of net neutrality regulation if you have a healthy amount of competition, because then the various nasty things that not being neutral can be tested with real customers, to see if they walk to other ISPs or not.

However, if you only have 1-2 options for ISP, and they both decide to throttle your access to streaming TV if you don't pay extra, you are basically screwed.

So, if the plan is to fix the massive monopolies, then you can go without NN, however with the monopolies in place then you need to regulate how much they are allowed to screw their locked in customers.

Re: It works..

Of course they pay tax on it - of course, if all they are earning is the UBI, then they have a tax bill of zero (cos £4800 a year is less than the £12k or so a year that is the minimum for paying tax)

If, however, they are already earning £35k a year, then the extra £4800 will be taxed as any other income.