Celestial M Weasel

I think it's a mixture/ conflation of both

bsky.app/profile/jim....

To the tune of the old Thames TV fanfare: "Sir Keir Starmer's dimming the sun"

Manipulating the Weather? Starmer Commits to Sun-Blocking Tech Funding — But What’s the Science Behind ‘Frankenweather’? In a move that has sparked both intrigue and alarm, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has...

climate-news.co.uk/2025/07/22/m...

I can understand those who went full spectrum batshit during the pandemic but now you'll have someone who is entirely level just come out of the blue with "they're controlling the weather"

I don't think anyone can say what will happen until it comes in. The obvious failure modes are
A) there are so many exemptions it will make no difference
B) it really fouls up the ring road
Hopefully not

going on about 15 Minute Neighborhoods, Soros, Bill Gates, the New World Order etc
(I was going to use the term "cowardly" but frankly the possibility of mentally ill and/or extremely angry people egged on by social media, The Oxford Mail etc actually committing acts of violence is not zero I fear)

I assume this is because of one of the two following reasons (or maybe both)
1. Those involved are complete idiots
2. Those involved have decided they don't want to suggest there are zones within which you can drive for free but have to pay to move between for fear that deranged people will start

Accidentally clicked on "Discover" and thought "why has my feed suddenly become deranged?"

There were actually non white people on the buses who weren't singled out for special treatment in this instance to my surprise. The Croatian guy next to us did get more questioning than we did

I am a fan. It is low stress. But as I said don't assume there will be breaks.

Both I think.

since we're talking about The Other Place, one now pointless gripe I still have is that actually it could have remained a fair bit more pleasant and usable and useful if more people just used the non-algorithmic timeline and I'll never understand why they didn't just do it

A lot has gone to YouTube. You can do a lot now with the tech + drones but some things need more money and it is as with everything the midlist that has collapsed

I love Jazz Record Requests but fuck me folks you make it hard to at times.

buildings
11. It is hard to avoid the feeling that a lot of the difference between the UK and other European counties is the long shadow of 1536-41, Henry's nationalisation of the wealth, moving it from the abbeys to his mates, where it got stuck in the castles for evermore

have to press a button, then it takes at least 30 seconds to boot up, connect to the network, get the bus times then update. I feel Oxfordshire should look into this.
10. German cities are definitely built on a bigger scale than British, more on the scale of American - wider streets, bigger

in supermarkets are much superior in Britain
8. As are motorway services , vs the two the coaches did stop at
9. At some stop locations Flixbus have eInk displays - this is superior to the new ones installed in Oxfordshire for buses at some stops where there is a battery and solar panel but you

buy is actually valid, though other countries tend to overcorrect, wanting you to specify a train for every trip
7. Similarly the apps for local transport are all quite hostile compared to this country or just tapping cards (though you can do this on Antwerp trams)
8. Pre made sandwiches and salads

and traffickee.
5. The public realm in Britain does not actually seem any worse than what we saw in FR/BE/NL/DEU
6. French and German train ticket machines are even worse than the British ones, this is obviously in part as the British ones abdicate responsibility for telling you if the ticket you

out to go through all his luggage.
On the way back we were pulled over into NL by the police for a passport check, there was then a lot of faff whilst they attempted to convince themselves, which they ultimately did, that a Ukrainian mother and daughter were mother and daughter and not trafficker

3. There are toilets but they should be viewed as a last resort
4. The "Schengen does not apply to public transport rule applies" - we were stopped for customs checks in Germany (not even at our first stop). They checked our passports, a few people's hand luggage and got one bloke (white, bearded)

bus (each bus) and collect it when you get off. Obviously I would not put anything valuable in the case, but that applies to trains too. I feel it is less hassle than trains but slower obviously.
2. The buses don't stop for breaks really , apart before the ferrys so you need to buy snacks.

Weasel thoughts having gone to Germany (Esslingen) by Flixbus (no overnight buses obviously, stayed in Lille, Eindhoven and Heidelberg on the way there, Essen and Antwerp on the way back).
Usual "anecdote is not data" caveats apply.
1. The process is quite painless, you just shove your case in the

"The secret of success is sincerity. Once you can fake that you've got it made."
(Ascribed to multiple people)

It is a somewhat unfortunate coincidence that Jonn posted that piece on a day when a new batch of the Roswell aliens were hatched and started Bluesky accounts with no understanding of how headlines or news media or social media work

Quite.

"lifestyle" is a plague