There is a big difference between thinking something is likely and actually saying it in politics. I think it's a mistake to believe our leaders are actually much less informed than seems possible. "Nobody could see this coming" is just political deflection, not an admission they had no prior idea.

I got a t shirt too (I'm in the UK).

I mean, the whole point of the 3 laws of robotics stories is how despite seeming extremely reasonable and bullet proof, they are constantly subverted.

Does the equivalent Windows test measure how long a regular person can interact with the OS before being forced to interact with regedit?

I watched it to be a completist, and I honestly cannot remember much about it except non stop action sequences and characters I didn't care about. Relieved when it ended. My son didn't bother and walked out early.

Ah well, not a reduced price on the UK store... Still bought it though!

While I would love more Culture novels I'm not actually sure anyone could do it. No matter how good they were, I'd always be looking over their shoulder and comparing to Iain M Banks.

Obviously if someone wrote one I would have to read it though!

Also looking forward to that... When it's published!

Point 2 likewise, dark matter has serious problems here too (and so do modified gravity theories). Anyway, I am no cosmologist, but I have read enough to see that the evidence is often very messy.

I would not call its conclusions incontrovertible evidence for dark matter. Take point 1: that we know how much baryonic matter exists and it can't account for what we observe. While true, this does not imply that the observations are caused by dark matter. Modified gravity still works here.

I read the original on SCP.

scp-wiki.wikidot.com/antimemetics...

Honestly one of the best and most original stories out there. Haven't read the published version yet, it's on my list.

Definitely looking at the Greens in the next election. Although it would be good for Labour to start shouting about all the good things they have done... Because I'm not aware of any at all, locking up grannies for protesting about Gaza, and cutting benefits. Did they do something good?

We stopped using Amazon years ago. Partly for ethical reasons but also they weren't the cheapest, delivery wasn't actually better, search was awful, and I no longer trusted I was getting genuine items.

I can almost always find what I want elsewhere with no hassle and more confidence.

But luckily I more than doubled my pay in my next role and they didn't care if I sat at my desk all day. So I thank them!

Strangely, my role did get made redundant...

I got slammed by a boss once for not being at my desk enough. I used to go and walk to think (lots of evidence walking helps thinking). I asked him if he paid me to type, or to type something useful.

I love that you point out weaknesses in all the competing theories, including MOND. This is what makes science so interesting at the cutting edge.

Ah, Take Back Plenty. Nice one.

You are forgiven! I do occasionally allow some fantasy to creep in. It just has to be really good! Whereas I will put up with all kinds of sci fi rubbish 😂

It wasn't even that relevant in the 80s. I never really liked it at the time and it wasn't that culturally significant.

Ah, mexican wrestling!

1997.

I just imagined a line of 999 additions of 999, then subtracting 998 from it 998 times. So you have one left over for each of the 998 subtractions and a 999 left over. Which is 998 + 999.

One of my all time favourites. Completely reality bending.

Yum. I make a similar slow cook stew, but I add cubes of swede as well. Crusty bread is of course required 🙂

I mean, The Martian is excellent but not surprising I guess. Red/Green/Blue Mars by Kim S Robinson maybe also obvious but good. Will have to think if there's some unusual ones lurking on my shelf.

Lord Valentine's Castle still stands out for me even though it's been decades since I last read it.

You have to pay attention to which government department is doing it. The last time it was the Home Office, and it was clear the intent was to make surveillance and policing easier, not to make people's lives easier in a digital world.

It would not allow "linkability". In other words different services (or even the same service) cannot tell that you are the same user they saw the last time. This is stronger than anonymity, in that you can be anonymous but still linkable.

The cryptographer Jan Camenisch did some great work on anonymous credentials, e.g. for ages verification. That was years ago.

Awesome, did not know about this!