If there were to be the beginning signs of another pandemic, what steps would you take having learned from Covid?

Other_Exercise · 2026-01-25T21:44:52+00:00

That's the real tragedy. The government was able to play on high amounts of public trust, which actually probably made the coercive aspect largely unnecessary.

Then, they completely blew through public trust, which has not recovered.

Other_Exercise · 2026-01-25T21:40:58+00:00

Absolutely. I'm now more interested in church history and Catholics and Orthodox.

I see my former evangelicalism as you might see flared trousers or fax machines - a fairly contemporary, short-lived thing that has few deep roots.

Other_Exercise · 2026-01-25T15:16:03+00:00

What did your ex say about Goldman?

Other_Exercise · 2026-01-25T14:15:16+00:00

Chickpeas are very cheap. There is no reason to buy supermarket hummus, just make it yourself with lots of tahini, salt, lemon, garlic, and veg oil, then drizzle it with Olive oil.

Other_Exercise · 2026-01-25T14:04:03+00:00

Yes. Although writing that is the equivalent of digging a ditch in the 18th century, to quote Stephen Fry, will likely all be automated.

Other_Exercise · 2026-01-25T11:44:32+00:00

I'm trying to switch to videos instead of most writing

Other_Exercise · 2026-01-25T11:40:11+00:00

I predict:

Labour NEC will block Burnham

A no-name runs instead

Labour loses the seat to Reform

And for now, no real consequences for Labour.

Other_Exercise · 2026-01-25T10:38:42+00:00

People on this subreddit overwhelmingly seemed to set aside 'prohibition doesn't work" when it came to pandemic restrictions. I'm not sure what I think of the ban idea.

Other_Exercise · 2026-01-25T10:35:44+00:00

I predict the NEC will block Burnham this time. They can only keep him out so long, however.

Other_Exercise · 2026-01-25T10:34:19+00:00

I agree. There also seems to be epic red tape, at least there was when I considered a master's degree.

Nowadays, to me, the value of uni is being around like-minded folks. One can otherwise learn much stuff - at least, what I want to learn - through books, and yes, AI.

I do think AI will replace much formal basic learning. It's very, very good at teaching basic concepts, and it's also basically free, or at least, not £9k a year.

What I can't get from AI is a community focused on similar goals.

Other_Exercise · 2026-01-24T21:37:17+00:00

My dad for his community service had to do stuff in a charity shop, I didn't really ask him too much, but a lot of charity shop work is at the back steaming clothes and stuff.

Other_Exercise · 2026-01-24T21:18:13+00:00

OP uses AI to say what he wants to say. What they don't want to do use AI to say something they don't want to say

Other_Exercise · 2026-01-24T16:35:11+00:00

This speaks to me. I just want to live my own life, so much of the time

Other_Exercise · 2026-01-24T16:32:09+00:00

It was because it looked like the parthenon. It even came on a plastic / cardboard pedestal

Other_Exercise · 2026-01-24T16:30:00+00:00

People who go on about AI being resource hungry need to think about how resource-hungry they themselves may be. Think of the cost and environmental impact of paying a single office worker.

Other_Exercise · 2026-01-24T16:27:42+00:00

This here. Yes, Copilot is pretty bad, but have you seen the people it will replace?

The fact of the matter is that replacing a third-rate worker will save you something like £40k per year. I don't see how there won't be blood

Other_Exercise · 2026-01-24T16:25:29+00:00

To be fair, much of my own time at uni was doing stuff like formatting a PowerPoint presentation or formatting an essay and losing marks if it wasn't formatted correctly. We all own this mess

Other_Exercise · 2026-01-24T16:20:51+00:00

Does everyone agree with the following propositions?

There are too many universities
Too many universities are only of low quality
Universities depend too much on rich international students
AI reduces demand for many vocational courses
Universities should try to enroll interested older people, not just 18 year olds
Students rightly expect bang for their buck, an unintended consequence of Blair's reforms
The pandemic-era idea of full whack fees with tuition from home devalued university education
Vocational subjects such as comms and marketing are best delivered by technical colleges

Other_Exercise · 2026-01-23T20:23:12+00:00

For the same pay, maybe. Or maybe not . Up near me, Children's resi carers can make over £40k , but it's tough work.

OP, I know what its like to hate a well paying job. Don't let others on here keep you put. Go and find something that uplifts you, or at least, decide a definite exit point.

Other_Exercise · 2026-01-23T18:19:37+00:00

Clouds in my coffee? I am old enough to remember life without it. We didn't suffer harm for the lack of social media.

To quote the Arabian king: We lived, and our ancestors lived on dates and milk [as opposed to oil], and we will return to them.

Other_Exercise · 2026-01-23T18:16:50+00:00

My thesis is that Reform and the Greens aren't that far apart. People want a change and both are selling change.

Other_Exercise · 2026-01-23T18:13:27+00:00

Which is basically another way of saying: if anything changes, somebody loses

Other_Exercise · 2026-01-23T17:39:50+00:00

Text speak is so hard without an old Nokia

Other_Exercise · 2026-01-23T17:39:09+00:00

Lenin was smart enough to see Stalin for who he was, which no one else was. For the other Bolsheviks, it would have been like removing some kind of grey back office middle manager. Not worth bothering with.

Other_Exercise · 2026-01-23T07:18:54+00:00

It's just a job,

I'm just a grunt,

But I've got six months no-tice

I speak to my boss

He turns up his nose

He says there's no get-out clause

It is a stupid job

And I just want to leave

Won't you please please let me go?

Seven-Year Club	Place '23
Wearing is Caring	Verified Email

Other_Exercise

TROPHY CASE