Posts by Captain Boing

"... turn everyone into petty little Stasi."

"... dobbed them in to the police. "

It was always there. Human nature seeks to have power over others and authority, no matter how tenuous, gives people a buzz... Only intelligence and conscientiousness can beat it in yourself and that requires honest objectivity - a rare bird indeed! You mention stasi - never a better example of how neighbours were cheerfully stirring sh*t on each other for no reward other than the dopamine hit and maybe thinking that somehow it may immunize them from suspicion.

"Traffic Warden syndrome" is apparent in far "softer" times - the whole little englander thing, Karens, members of the public who think they can demand ID from street workers and others or who call the cops on 8yr old kids playing in the street. Hateful. What is important is to not forget or forgive these people and at least avoid them - they are a danger always.

LOL, that was never gonna go down well in a place like the Reg forum... a place crawling with neo-commies who think the independent is a source of truth.

Re: One question

Right.

Our school didn't have any computer (not counting the big thing like a vcr unde a telly on wheels they used to wheel out to demo brownian motion in physics)

We had to put punched cards in a grey holder with loads of rubber strips and poke out the bits of paper with half a clothes peg with a tack in the end.

Then when we had done that, they all used to get sent off to Brunel Uni to run and we would get the results back a week later. I remember one kid (Robert Church - where did that come from?) did a complete calendar for any year!!! I breathlessy waitied for mine...

SYNTAX ERROR IN 10 "PRIVT"

f**k it!.

Elephant in the cab

perhaps stop fiddling with your sodding phone when you are supposed to be doing something else?

A few years back I got heavily down-voted for pointing out that you should be ready & able to take control of an autonomous vehicle for exactly this reason and it's not an excuse to become a passenger. I stand ready to receive apologies... yeah I won't hold my breath

Re: No smoke without a burning mast

"British Telecom 'engineers' broke into my home"

although a "statutory right of entry" existed back then, It wouldn't be executed without the owner being present (and/or police) - the legal implications are mind-boggling... Having been an "engineer" (thanks for belittling my trade with quotes btw. tosser) for many years, I never even heard of it being done, ever. I suspect this is embellishment to make a story.

"stole the phone" the phone wasn't yours. End user equipment was rented back then

who leaves guinea pigs running around the house?... dirty man.

Re: these terms are "divisive and humiliating,"

"Depends who's talking..."

That isn't how freedom works. People condemn themselves from their own mouths, they don't need a sainted few to do it for them and take offence on behalf of some other. No-one should be free to shut down discussion because they consider the message unpalatable. You debate idiots and prove to them (and everyone else) that they are crazy. Maybe you learn something yourself?

"With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably."

Salman Rushdie is quoted as saying "If freedom is to have any limits, it must be to deny it to those who would destroy it" - quite so.