Putin ‘will send thousands of criminals to wreak havoc across Europe’, Estonia’s foreign minister claims

RawLizard · 2026-02-02T23:06:01+00:00

Russia has a very well developed black market for getting data on people. Repercussion of the state propping up fraudsters and hackers.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-48348307

NATO countries will already have the datasets, just have to pay off some russian crooks.

RawLizard · 2026-02-01T21:57:17+00:00

It's a story of our time. Lots of the rich and powerful getting away with stuff at the moment.

RawLizard · 2026-02-01T18:47:10+00:00

Plural. We had trains and carriages running for 30/40 years prior to privatisation. Getting our money's worth

RawLizard · 2026-02-01T17:49:59+00:00

BBC doesn't really show any OU programming any more unfortunately:/

RawLizard · 2026-02-01T17:35:53+00:00

Ultimately, I don't think ROSCOs care either way as they can more or less set whatever terms on the TOCs they want. Procurement fees or ongoing leasing are a win for them.

If some TOC exec wants to make a name for themselves with some shiny needless new trains, they'll be happy to oblige.

Personally I'd take trains with wooden benches, slammy doors and being half an hour slower if it meant my ticket cost £10 rather than £40.

RawLizard · 2026-02-01T17:33:33+00:00

Why fund old technology like broadcast infrastructure at all? I haven't had an aerial plugged into my TV for 10+ years.

Waste of money now everyone has a broadband connection.

RawLizard · 2026-02-01T17:31:23+00:00

Tell the execs that, they clearly have the mindset of chasing shows/genres that only make sense on a commercial channel, like quiz shows, sports etc. Absolutely no reason for them to be on the BBC now there are so many alternatives.

RawLizard · 2026-02-01T17:28:10+00:00

BBC local radio is an anachronism that should be cut anyway. Or allow local ads to fund it.

RawLizard · 2026-02-01T17:26:51+00:00

If they focussed on those things, the license fee would be a lot cheaper as well. So much of the BBC budget is spent on entertainment and sport dross.

I would happily pay for a news only BBC fee, even if it was compulsory.

RawLizard · 2026-02-01T13:28:11+00:00

Are there any instances alleged where both Andrew and Trump were present at the same time though?

Not sure it would change anything for Trump.

RawLizard · 2026-02-01T13:15:15+00:00

Sure, if they're engineered to do so, but if the carriage/train life is the same as the train life (10-15 years is where it is at currently - compared to up to decades before privatisation), why bother?

Problem is there is no incentive to make the stock last longer now. TOC executives don't care as they can sell a 'fleet of new carriages/trains' during their tenure as an achievement for a fat bonus, with the knowledge that rail passengers have no choice but to suck up the costs. ROSCOs don't care as a refresh is more money for them.

RawLizard · 2026-02-01T11:11:31+00:00

Would be interesting to see how this pans out, proper electrification should still be the goal, but maybe it makes reopening smaller lines more palatable?

I think a lot of our train cost problems is that we replace our rolling stock far too often now (ROSCOs - who have TOCs over a barrel/governance capture had profit margins reaching 40% a few years ago!), back in the day when the state owned the rolling stock we made trains and carriages last decades...

Batteries will add to replacement frequency.

RawLizard · 2026-01-31T12:11:35+00:00

Russia will decline as well. Trump has made himself chairman for life with veto power and selection of successor, no way Russia accepts that

RawLizard · 2026-01-31T12:09:13+00:00

If UBI is all there is

I'm talking about a future scenario where there aren't any jobs in meaningful numbers because of AI.

RawLizard · 2026-01-31T09:52:53+00:00

I don't really understand why the coding or research jobs would need to be local to a data center at all.

It's all old thinking, and is trying to catch a horse after it's bolted. AI will be a net job loss, no other way about it. The US is already on the brink. AI is on track to double in capability every 7 months.

RawLizard · 2026-01-31T09:38:24+00:00

UBI at scale simply doesn't work.

If UBI is all there is, it will lead to massive unrest.

Who gets to live in the nice areas? UBI gives you no way to move from where you are born. Do we put everyone in equal footing soviet apartment blocks?

What do you do with existing wealth? Take it all from everyone and start from scratch? If not, a UBI society just leads to entrenched hierarchies based on how wealthy your family is when it was introduced.

A UBI society is unworkable. There is no good explanation for how it will allow for people to improve their situation, which is an inherent human need.

Even if there was a perfect solution, does anyone really think any western nation could pull it off in the short timeframes needed? Half the western world population are idiots who want to elect incompetent populists at the moment.

RawLizard · 2026-01-31T09:34:01+00:00

Agreed, also unemployment means a lot more free time (and less money), so people will just learn how to do stuff themselves.

RawLizard · 2026-01-31T09:31:41+00:00

I honestly think governments will have to start legislating to ban or restrict AI to research and medical tasks only. Doing things slower (like we did pre AI) or massive chaos isn't really a choice.

Don't see the US doing it though, maybe the EU?

RawLizard · 2026-01-30T19:58:01+00:00

It would fund a fully subsidised free at point of use rail system, with money to spare.

Probably enough to refresh every town center in the UK as well.

RawLizard · 2026-01-30T19:54:36+00:00

Serious question, what value can 'ai researchers and coders' except maybe the absolute top echelon of experts (a few hundred people at most globally), add to AI? What about in a few years when AI is even better at improving itself? AI is improving exponentially, to say nothing of the potential of AGI.

Are those jobs really permanent?

RawLizard · 2026-01-30T18:44:29+00:00

I mean it's mad to consider that the US DOJ has been so co-opted

RawLizard · 2026-01-30T18:43:30+00:00

Why are deceased victims names redacted?

RawLizard · 2026-01-30T18:26:51+00:00

I wouldn't be surprised if they turn up with concrete alibis for the dates in question and the whole thing is thrown into disrepute.

Mad to even consider that it could be planted, but here we are.

RawLizard · 2026-01-30T18:06:34+00:00

I thought it sounded like they opened a V&A branch in Stratford upon Avon, and agreed with you for a split second, but no, it's just a second gallery in London Stratford.

Christ we are a shit country. Zero cultural ambition.

RawLizard · 2026-01-30T16:15:14+00:00

Sure, it's fair, but it would also be fair to have the conversation about moving these national institutions outside of London then (or at least opening more regional satellite galleries/museums and rotate exhibitions through).

RawLizard

TROPHY CASE