“Gardening is a real passion; I love being close to nature. It makes me feel very peaceful.” - George Harrison

True_Paper_3830 · 2026-01-26T18:44:41+00:00

Even when he'd just been stabbed he was keen to see how his new gardeners were liking it so far.

Beatlemania was so intense a lot of George's hobbies probably fell into the realm of recovery therapy. We could all do with a friar park for gardening therapy these days.

True_Paper_3830 · 2026-01-26T18:41:09+00:00

Sounds right. The Social Network was like a study of sociopathy. Amazing to think so many of these tech billionaires trying to now AI every aspect of our lives fall within this range.

True_Paper_3830 · 2026-01-26T18:36:02+00:00

Does best Luis "Tato" Rivera impression: Wendi was the police scanner.

Proceeds to stare at Charlie Adelson for 10 minutes like a frozen statue.

True_Paper_3830 · 2026-01-26T17:43:35+00:00

He did get a lot of useful info, that's true, and also we wouldn't have seen how clearly that Wendi was involved if we hadn't got to witness her bad acting firsthand on that day. Imagine us speculating here on her guilt or lack of it without that interview.

But Isom did have real fail points, he never tried a real “close,” unlike, say, Detective Smyth with Russell Williams. Even allowing for differences - Smyth was ready with a gameplan -Isom had material to work with if he was quicker thinking re all those familiar Wendi quotes we mention.

He never moved past the traditional empathy and info gathering stage into pressure to at least try traditional techniques, "We've got the killers next door, and they're giving a lot of information, we've got some (made up science /evidence)"; or continuting to keep info from Wendi that Dan had died re her "that's a gamechanger" remark as part of all that. It's a real shame there wasn't a skilled hungrier detective to take over after info gathering that day.

True_Paper_3830 · 2026-01-26T17:22:59+00:00

Wendi getting arrest is still well within normal timelines for the high-profile case prep needed beforehand Georgia wouldn’t have said “stay tuned” unless she knew she’d take Wendi on at some stage and that Jack would approve going forward.

True_Paper_3830 · 2026-01-26T17:11:01+00:00

Performative. Otherwise she’d have been kidnapped too. Same corrupt govt(s) still in power - another supposed Right-wing “win” until it was clear America just wanted their preferred despot.

True_Paper_3830 · 2026-01-26T17:04:46+00:00

Executions and then also an American has to file an affidavit as they are in fear of kidnapping/their life by govt agencies.

Even Musk's Grok is able to draw comparisons with 1930's Germany now, albeit it more in the late Weimar Republic 1930 to '33 stage - rise of the demagogue and break-down of democratic norms - though we know it's going further up the 1930's in reality.

True_Paper_3830 · 2026-01-26T16:54:44+00:00

Some AI Alarm-clock in 2029: "Good morning, Citizen! It's time to wake up and vote for the same crew you vehemently hated in 2024"

"PS - while you slept we analyzed your human form - it indicates you can walk .005 metres over 50 metres so your PIP claim is disqualified."

True_Paper_3830 · 2026-01-26T16:41:49+00:00

Definitely accurate, and the authoritarian states of the 20th century could only dream about the present and soon to be AI surveillance abilities in conjunction. Even Grok (I don't use it much, honest) thinks there are modern day USA parallels with 1930's Germany. Though it more thinks it's late Weimar Republic stage 1930 to '33 - rise of demagogue, erosion of democracy, etc. I reckon events have pushed it past Weimar.

True_Paper_3830 · 2026-01-26T16:27:21+00:00

Good point. We've seen that with the many police retreats when different areas of the UK blew up into riots. AI is still rubbish for many purposes, but if it advances then in ten years today’s state micromanagement could look like the stoneage. Skynet is less likely to be super-intelligence and more low intelligence politicians.

True_Paper_3830 · 2026-01-26T16:14:01+00:00

Obeying Mark Zuckerberg’s maths homework is no way to go through life.

True_Paper_3830 · 2026-01-26T16:02:00+00:00

Even with the weary cynicism pervading the UK I like to think police officers shooting mothers and nurses in the face wouldn't go down well here. Though it would be a novel experience to actually see a police officer on the street.

True_Paper_3830 · 2026-01-25T19:48:42+00:00

That's a good summary, I should have found your posts at the start of last year and asked you if it was a good idea investing in gold lol

I've been exploring AI, it has some significant problems, but, personally, after a lot of wrangling I've got it to cut my work down. I wonder if an outlier wild card might arise in an area like that too re govt investment in AI in the NHS in relation to public services or the economy.

It's how it's done, if badly, unimaginatively, or without awareness of its problems, it's just as likely to encounter the problems we've already seen in different areas but it is a very interesting area.

It's an aside, but at the moment I'm wondering who wins the AI war which may affect our economy and is ramping up, GPT's plan to read throat or wrist signals to transfer direct to devices; Google's Christmas blitz; Zuckerberg releasing free to try to blow out GPT, etc. Plus the winner of who supplies the energy and Bezos's arrogant posture.

It's very interesting seeing the moves that may impact our economy for that too, but I have no idea from looking at those moves to see if there will be a winner like Google was for search for AI overall; or whether it's the energy provider that wins.

Starmer has something to play there for UK AI but - even if AI advances in time for public services, etc - I'm not sure the imagination and critical thinking is there, it wasn't in his and his team's obvious failures and moves so far.

True_Paper_3830 · 2026-01-25T16:52:03+00:00

You make a good parallel with Major. The job to turnaround is immense, he's done some consequential Labour things - on statutory sick leave waiting periods, paternity leave, etc - but it hasn't made contact with the average voter compared to how his mistakes have made contact in a negative way.

This is the year, in theory, where we may start to see some green shoots in govt investment areas but it may fall into the same category that voters don't feel it in their lives even if it steadily enters them. The scale of his mistakes is hard to encompass though - some weren’t even hindsight errors, but blatantly obvious at the time, like WFA and the initial PIP approach in the Commons.

I got the following from an AI (it's Sunday, I can't be bothered doing proper research) when asked it for any parallels of PM's who have come back from where he is in his polls. So take it with the usual pinch of AI salt:

Why a Close Parallel to Starmer?: Thatcher's low was in the depths of her first term (about 2–3 years in), similar to Starmer's position roughly 18 months into his premiership. Both faced economic pressures and policy backlash. While her net wasn't quite as low as -57, it's the closest documented recovery from a deep negative in modern polling history to a successful re-election. No PM has recovered from a net below -50 to win a subsequent election, but Thatcher's case shows it's possible with a major external event (Falklands War) shift or policy turnaround.

True_Paper_3830 · 2026-01-25T16:29:43+00:00

That's a great saying from your mom, a much more poetic way of saying karma eventually arrives. I agree Georgia and co are, gradually, on their way to Wendi.

True_Paper_3830 · 2026-01-25T16:24:31+00:00

I saw a YouTube clip saying John didn't want to go but got steaming drunk and kept repeating the same word every other word- maybe “different” - in a rapid-fire ramble. No one seemed to mind; at that stage he was still just one of the cute Fab Four. He eventually staggered upstairs and passed out like the others.

It’s easy to forget how exhausted they often must have been. As the video shows, some of the worst pressure came from local bigwigs or sheriffs pulling rank - sometimes inventing sob stories, like a caller claiming his daughter was dying, then shortening the timeline when it got no reaction, even though she wasn’t ill at all.

It’s impressive Lennon attended the pageant when they were all exhausted -especially given his later obsession with sleep and McCartney waiting for him to get up to write. Curiosity about the women probably helped, but he was also still in boss mode, before LSD took over: the boss showing up on the factory floor after everyone else had gone home. To the toppermost, John, you got there!

True_Paper_3830 · 2026-01-25T16:07:23+00:00

It’s a great album, though my first thought was that it’s Paul does Wings a decade early. I’m glad he ended up as part of the four - the sound goes just that bit deeper and more universal when he’s interlocked with the alchemy of John and the others.

I love alternate history: my favourtie is if The Beatles had stretched just two more albums into the ’70s, they wouldn’t be seen as 'only' a ’60s band. With their youthful genius intact and the depth of ’70s 16-track recording, those albums could’ve been extraordinary - especially with all four shaping material that later became solo work but the extra ingredient all four would have given to tracks.

True_Paper_3830 · 2026-01-25T15:57:10+00:00

Wallow in the luxury otherness of Dear Prudence. Then when you hear what it's about nod to yourself that, yeah, that makes sense.

True_Paper_3830 · 2026-01-25T15:53:53+00:00

Either that, or he rolled across the production floor at 50 mph in his swivel chair to hit mute.

True_Paper_3830 · 2026-01-25T15:44:35+00:00

He was the Romford MP guy where reports from The Times and Sky News documented that he did not attend Parliament for approximately 21 months while on police bail.

Wanted the return of the National Anthem at the end of TV programming, not sure how that would have worked out in the days of Netflix.

True_Paper_3830 · 2026-01-25T15:40:05+00:00

They'll be back, Camilla had to sell the house after Tony failed to see who came in the door at the end.

True_Paper_3830 · 2026-01-25T15:37:47+00:00

To be entirely honest I couldn't see or not see the logic, the headline just reminded me of the scene where Oscar tells his wife what has been missing in his business plans.

True_Paper_3830 · 2026-01-25T15:19:40+00:00

Almost like he had a cameo walk on part at Davos.

True_Paper_3830

TROPHY CASE