And another bottomless pit of failure being propped up by taxpayer money.
bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5y680âĶ
The Scunthorpe steelworks has been officially nationalised under new government powers passed this week.Harry Sekulich (BBC News)
So I've extensively played with #ChatGPT, #Copilot, and, most recently, everyone's wet dream, #Claude. I have to say, they're all pretty much the same. I think the reason everyone is cooing over Claude is that it shows you what it's doing as it cogitates, and it integrates well with SharePoint.
What I don't like is that, for freebie accounts, ChatGPT and Claude are very stingy about how much interaction you can have. Waiting one or two days to complete a task is pretty annoying. Copilot seems slightly more generous IMO.
#AI
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I don't believe weather forecasters, I honestly don't.
This morning I asked Google what the weather would be where I live, and it told me it would be cooler than yesterday, at 26 degrees. The radio said within two minutes that the weather would be hot in Birmingham and 29 degrees!
My computer says it is 26C for my current location, while Chrome says it's 27C
2026, and they still can't get it right.
#ukweather #MetOffice
Many of Wednesday's papers lead on the fallout from the Defence Investment Plan released yesterday.BBC News
Disorder erupted in Southampton on Tuesday near where 18-year-old Henry Nowak was fatally stabbed.BBC News
I think "I've been stabbed" takes precedence over anything. My original knee-jerk reaction to the video was "WTF!" After speaking with a number of people, I've changed my opinion to: "It certainly looks like arresting him for a race crime seemed to be the main objective." I mean, think about it. There's a bloke on the floor who's only crime at that stage was supposedly racially abusing someone, and the course of action is to cuff them? When you get stopped for speeding, etc., do they slap the bracelets on? No, they sit you in the back of the car and have a chat.
There are lots of questions, and we're not going to get the answers. Henry Nowak is going to have died for nothing, and nobody apart from his family cares because the world we live in is more worried about upsetting people's feelings than telling it like it is. ðĪ·ââïļ
The prime minister's position has hardened since Andy Burnham said he would seek to enter any potential Labour contest.Ben Wright (BBC News)
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British politics has stagnated. Nobody wants to do anything, stand out or rock the boat. Other than prices going up, which has nothing to do with the UK government or Brexit, for that matter, I've not seen this government achieve anything. The problem with that is there has been nothing as such where the electorate stands up and says, "This government must go!"
I think these local election wins for ReformUK will not translate to votes in a general election.
Serious clashes between Unite the Kingdom and pro-Palestinian protesters were avoided on Saturday.Daniel Sandford (BBC News)
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This demonstrates how ineffectual our so-called PM is. He's doing nothing while his party colleagues are literally setting in motion actions that could potentially lead to his downfall, in full view of everyone, including Starmer himself. He'll go down in history as the Prime Minister who did nothing!
#Politics #UselessLabour
politico.eu/article/uk-leadersâĶ
Follow along for the latest as Britainâs prime minister tries to ride out dire election results while his own Labour colleagues circle.POLITICO
Potentially, there's only Reeves, and she's not had the best of starts. I know I've been joking about Raynor and Abbott, but my worry is that factions may well think that Raynor is a viable option. Don't forget, there is still a powerful lobby within the Labour party who think it's still 1970.
Raynor would have been in her element during the 70s and mid 80s. She would drag us back to those times if she could.
I think Reeves would be a useless as Starmer.
At least Raynor actually stands for something and can communicate that.
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The PMâs battle with Whitehall is a delayed reckoningEthan Croft (New Statesman)
Guardian investigation uncovers decision by UK security officials to deny clearance before Mandelson took up role as US ambassadorPaul Lewis (The Guardian)
I did a bit of digging last night.
Canonical can get some idea of usage, just not in the way people seem to think.
Mirror & telemetry data (aggregate, not per-user)
They can see things like:
IPs hitting mirrors
Package download volumes
Which releases are being pulled
Useful for trends and capacity planning, but itâs not tied to individuals or licences.
Optional telemetry (since 18.04)
Thereâs a one-off system report:
Hardware profile
Installed packages (high level)
Basic system config
You can opt out, and plenty do.
Ubuntu Pro (formerly Advantage)
This is the only place it gets closer to âcountingâ:
Machines are attached to a subscription
So yes, they can see numbers there
But thatâs about support entitlement, not policing updates.
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Rachel Reeves is set to urge coordinated action to tackle the global economic shock caused by the war at a Washington summit.irishnews.com
Yeah, the futures market reacts on what it expects to happen. Makes it volatile.
Fuel coming out of the pumps today in the UK shouldn't be much affected for a month or more, but they are coz the forecourts use that futures price I guess.
And this is another reason I don't trust news outlets!
A news story about Corridoor Beds had a reporter who said: "We've just come out of the worst winter on record for the #NHS." Umm? Did you forget COVID?
Everything is always "On record", and yet when I cast my mind back, I'm like "Well, you must have been in a different country? Especially when it comes to the weather, "Warmest on record!" Aye? I had my heating on all day!
#BBC News
The prime minister says a "historic deal" is on offer from the government to resident doctors, and the decision to reject it will damage the NHS.Sky News
THE Peopleâs Postcode ÂLottery has sparked fury after raising the price of tickets yet again â with players branding it an âabsolute waste of moneyâ. Tickets have gone up to ÂĢ12.50 per month, a 25 âĶTara Evans (The Sun)
As of March 2026, the #Labour government is significantly off track to meet its manifesto target of building 1.5 million new homes in England by the end of this Parliament (estimated August 2029). To hit 1.5 million homes over five years, the government needs to deliver an average of 300,000 homes per year (approximately 811 per day).
Total Delivered: Approximately 309,600 net additional homes were delivered between the start of the Parliament (9 July 2024) and 11 January 2026.
Shortfall to Date: By early November 2025, the government should have built roughly 396,000 homes to stay on track, representing a deficit of over 120,000 homes just in the first 16 months.
Daily Rate: The current delivery rate is roughly 564 homes per day, well below the required 811. GOV.UK
#politics
It's like the General Belgrano all over again.
ððĶðĻðīðĶðĩðĐ ðĩð°ððĨ ðĒ ðŊðĶðļðī ðĪð°ðŊð§ðĶðģðĶðŊðĪðĶ ð°ðŊ ððĶðĨðŊðĶðīðĨðĒðš ðĩðĐðĒðĩ ðĒ ðð ðīðķðĢðŪðĒðģðŠðŊðĶ ðĐðĒðĨ ðīðķðŊðŽ ðĒðŊ ððģðĒðŊðŠðĒðŊ ðļðĒðģðīðĐðŠðą "ðĩðĐðĒðĩ ðĩðĐð°ðķðĻðĐðĩ ðŠðĩ ðļðĒðī ðīðĒð§ðĶ ðŠðŊ ðŠðŊðĩðĶðģðŊðĒðĩðŠð°ðŊðĒð ðļðĒðĩðĶðģðī".
bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0e55gâĶ
Sri Lanka's navy says around 140 people are feared missing after a military vessel went down off its southern coast.Yogita Limaye (BBC News)
HMS Dragon is being loaded with ammunition in Portsmouth having just recently come out of maintenance.Jonathan Beale (BBC News)
Hey, look, I'm a dumbass, what would I know? But I find it interesting that all the news outlets, and especially the BBC, are ramming it down our throats that while Donald Trump spoke for two hours, TWO HOURS! According to them, he said nothing of value? I even read a BBC fact-checker that debunked much of what he said about fuel prices, etc.
The thing is, I watched a lot of it LIVE, and I watched both sides of the Senate stand and applaud him and not just once either! So that tells this dumbass that a lot of what he said struck a chord with senators across the political spectrum and not just his party faithful.
We need to be careful what the press, TV and social media tell us. Remember, folks, they, too, have their own agenda, and we've seen numerous court cases where it turns out that maybe journalists and editors are not your guardians with your best interests at heart after all.
Right Reverend Stephen Conway has also been suspended by the Church of England.Aleem Maqbool (BBC News)
The report comes as police widen investigations into former prince, including questioning his close protection teams.David D. Lee (Al Jazeera)
Government sources tell BBC News they could slow down plans to make minimum wage equal across age groups.Joe Pike (BBC News)
Thirty councils across England now have to organise local polls after the government abandoned plans to delay.Damian Grammaticas (BBC News)
Ministers had planned to delay the polls until 2027 to help deliver a major reorganisation of local government.BBC News
Documents appear to show former prince shared confidential reports with Jeffery EpsteinAthena Stavrou (The Independent)
ððģ ðžðŧðđð ð ððēðŋðē ðŪðŧ ð ðĢ
Mr Speaker. The highest position in the land, before his majesty, the king, is Prime Minister. The holder of that position is entrusted by his majesty to not only serve the people but also to guide and ensure their well-being while shielding them from harm. The office of the Prime Minister carries significant responsibility and power. It is the Prime Minister's responsibility to ensure that the people are represented by honourable and competent individuals. The ultimate responsibility for prestigious appointments rests with the Prime Minister, who is accountable not only to this House but also to the British public. The buck stops here!
Mr Speaker, sadly, I call upon the House to censure the Prime Minister and call for a vote of "No Confidence" to be invoked.
That was jolly nice of Sweeney to take the bullet for Kier Starmer, wasn't it?
Ask yourself, who made the ultimate decision? I think it was the man that has "ð§ðĩðē ðŊðð°ðļ ðððžð―ð ðĩðēðŋðē!" on his desk.
politico.eu/article/top-starmeâĶ
The British prime minister has been under pressure since revelations about Mandelsonâs relationship with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.Mason Boycott-Owen (POLITICO)
Pressure grows on PM over ex-ministerâs Jeffrey Epstein links as Tories criticise move to withhold some recordsBen Quinn (The Guardian)
Police probe Mandelson's alleged government leaks to Epstein and AI bots "moan about humans" leads Tuesday's papers.BBC News
How on earth can ANY of Epstein's victims gain justice? What, money? Is that the answer? Give people a few quid, and that's justice? Justice is tracking down everyone who participated in or facilitated his activities, and I mean everyone, even those who offered up their friends or other girls to him and his fellow pedos, because that, in my opinion, is the worst betrayal.
It was a mistake to let him die because now he will never suffer, unlike his victims.
bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5y5dqâĶ
Lord Mandelson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor facing fresh accusations amid latest Epstein files release leads Monday's papers.BBC News
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And let's not forget Nadhim Zahawi
âðð§ ð ðĩðĐð°ðķðĻðĐðĩ ðĩðĐðŠðī ðŪðĒðŊ ðīðŠðĩðĩðŠðŊðĻ ðŊðĶðđðĩ ðĩð° ðŪðĶ ðŠðŊ ðĒðŊðš ðļðĒðš ðĐðĒðĨ ðĒðŊ ðŠðīðīðķðĶ ðļðŠðĩðĐ ðąðĶð°ðąððĶ ð°ð§ ðŪðš ðĪð°ðð°ðķðģ ð°ðģ ðŪðš ðĢðĒðĪðŽðĻðģð°ðķðŊðĨ âĶ ð ðļð°ðķððĨðŊâðĩ ðĢðĶ ðīðŠðĩðĩðŠðŊðĻ ðŊðĶðđðĩ ðĩð° ðĐðŠðŪ,â
Farage is scoring so many ****** points.
ð§ðĩðķð ðķð ððĩð ð ð―ðŋðēðģðēðŋ ðēðšðŪðķðđð ððž ð―ðĩðžðŧðē ð°ðŪðđðđð!
Customer sends me a requirement email and yet still phones "for a chat". Mulling over the request, he adds a monitor to his original request. I go ahead and order his stuff, including the monitor. This morning I opened his PO, and there's no monitor. I email him, and he rings:
ðððððžðšðēðŋ: "Ah, I wanted to try the monitor we have."
ð ðē: "I know, you said that, but you also said you still needed a monitor."
ðððððžðšðēðŋ: "Yeah, I was thinking I might need another PC, so I would need a monitor."
ð ðē: "You never mentioned a PC?"
ðððððžðšðēðŋ: "Yeah."
ð ðē: "I've ordered it now."
ðððððžðšðēðŋ: "Hmm? OK."
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Andy Wootton
in reply to dick_turpin • • •dick_turpin
in reply to dick_turpin • •I can't see large-scale conventional wars happening again. Troops will be used to guard and police occupied territory. There will always be small-scale actions, but the Russian experience should have taught us that massed tanks and infantry are a thing of the past.
The reason we need bombers is that if Europe is overrun, fighter-bombers can't reach Moscow. That is, if Moscow still exists, if we're brave enough to push the button?