NKBTN
@NKBTN@feddit.uk
- Comment on What Germany can teach Britain about China’s spy threat: Berlin had a tendency to overlook the ‘dark side’ of closer economic ties to Beijing, but prosecutors have begun to crack down -- [Opinion] 1 day ago:
I’m not clear what the actual threat to people in the west is? They’re costing us jobs and some wealth, presumably… is that it?
- Comment on I hate it when a show gets a different actor for a main character. 3 days ago:
I suppose I vaguely care about film adaptations of videogames in general. Interesting that there’s so few good ones
- Comment on I hate it when a show gets a different actor for a main character. 3 days ago:
Yeah the new guy who played Greg in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend wasn’t nearly as good. At least they made some knowing jokes about it
- Comment on I hate it when a show gets a different actor for a main character. 3 days ago:
I thought it was alright. I wouldn’t say good, but I wouldn’t say dogshit either. I’ve no urge to watch it, but I’d watch it without complaint if someone else put it on
- Comment on 1 week ago:
Hands are AMAZING like that. At my last office I was the guy who had to call the external network admin whenever there was a problem. Used a desk phone to do it. I bet I could still dial his number faster than recite it
- Comment on ... huh... 1 week ago:
Balloon knot
- Comment on CAPTCHAs make me lowkey mad 1 week ago:
I’m impressed by Facebook’s new method. AI generated images of 4 stacks of rocks are generated, and you have to choose the image containing a stack with the specified number of rocks. Much better than deciding whether the section of image containing a couple mm of handlebar counts as a square with a motorcycle
- Comment on 'Buy one, get one free' deals for unhealthy food banned in supermarkets 2 weeks ago:
Good point, there.
- Comment on 'Buy one, get one free' deals for unhealthy food banned in supermarkets 3 weeks ago:
You would be stupid to pick up two if you knew you were going to throw one away. Food waste is not a good thing.
But - as odd as this might seem - you could offer the second lettuce to someone else. Either someone else leaving the store, a friend/neighbor or work colleague. Yes I know it’s unusual to stand up in the office and say “does anyone want a frew lettuce?” but it’s not only harmless, its positive!
- Comment on 'Buy one, get one free' deals for unhealthy food banned in supermarkets 3 weeks ago:
They do put restrictions on smoking and drinking - they outlawed deals on those years ago. Tobacco is about 50x the price it costs to manufacture because of taxes, and guess what? There’s millions fewer smokers now than there were in the 1900’s! People who don’t drink, or who drink much more rarely, are a much higher number than they used to be too.
Personally though, I do think tobacco should be completely illegal. Maybe nicotine products too, though they do help people with ADD self-regulate
- Comment on 'Buy one, get one free' deals for unhealthy food banned in supermarkets 3 weeks ago:
It’s a good change. What would be even better is promoting 2 for 1 deals on fruit, veg, nuts, seeds, pulses and grains. Arguably meat too, though with the environmental impact of the industry that’s harder to justify
- Comment on 'Buy one, get one free' deals for unhealthy food banned in supermarkets 3 weeks ago:
10% of the NHS’s budget goes towards treating diabetes. That’s a huge amount of money. It’s not just a problem for sufferers - its everyone elses problem too.
In my view*, government has two main jobs: promoting our happiness, and curbing our excesses. This is firmly within those remits, albeit trading short term for long term happiness.
You probably wouldn’t say firearms/crack cocaine/embezzling shouldn’t be illegal just because some people can’t control themselves, I hope? This is much like that - it just seems harmless because you’re used to it being there.
People can still buy crisps and pizza. They just won’t get a discount on over-indulging anymore
*actually, Bertrand Russell’s view.
- Comment on Who owns Britain? The effects of privatisation on the costs of living in the UK 4 weeks ago:
I suspect water could be nationalised. You just make a compulsory purchase order, based on the value of the companies, and it would be very easy to say that the value of the companies is effectively nil. They’ve got debts and obligations that outstrip their income.
We could also raise the billions needed to put in the infrastructure fairly easily with a rejig of tax structure and by upping HMRCs budget
- Comment on How Comedy Was Destroyed by an Anti-Reality Doomsday Cult - The Elephant Graveyard 4 weeks ago:
It’s so well produced, you’ll enjoy the watch. But a summary is that Rogan has formed a deluded cult around him, making the world an incrementally worse place
- Comment on MI5 concedes it ‘unlawfully’ obtained data from former BBC journalist 5 weeks ago:
Article doesn’t say what the consequences will be. Possibly a small payout?
- Comment on The Stop Trump coalition published this video 5 weeks ago:
Fucking hell
- Comment on 9 arrests for violent fascists attacking police - 900 for grannies and disabled people holding placards 5 weeks ago:
As someone who is friends with a handful of cops, plenty of them are ok. The sort of people youd want to help in an emergency. They do have thugs and bullies, not suited to a fair bit of police work, but the police need the numbers, and so assign people like that to units who specialise in crowd control, riot control etc. so it frees up the more level-headed ones can be e.g. 999 responders, desk sergeants, interviewers etc.
“Nobody really likes them, but they do come in handy sometimes” one of my friends said.
- Comment on If the UK government proposed to increase tax by 1% and make trains free would you be in favour? 5 weeks ago:
By not having a car you don’t pay road tax, fuel tax, or have to pay for an MOT each year.
I think bureaucracy for small tax exemptions is a good thing, like the rebate you can apply for if you have to wear a uniform.
- Comment on If the UK government proposed to increase tax by 1% and make trains free would you be in favour? 5 weeks ago:
Yes, definitely. I think it would do wonders for the economy by making jobs more accessible.
BUT there could be a claimable annual tax refund if your sole residence is more than X miles from a train station, or if you can show you’ve not used a train that year. Something like that.
- Comment on If the UK government proposed to increase tax by 1% and make trains free would you be in favour? 5 weeks ago:
If they raised CGT to be the same rate as Income Tax, that would achieve it.
- Comment on You're Welcome, Grandma! 5 weeks ago:
Egghead? Back in my day they called them “boffins”
- Comment on Vape ban isn't working, says waste firm boss 1 month ago:
Most of the corner shops I’ve been to don’t even sell the refills, just the devices.
They need to jack up prices on the latter, and maybe enforce a rule requiring nicotine refills to be sold separately from devices
- Comment on New Banksy mural appears at Royal Courts of Justice 1 month ago:
Maybe rethink that statement
- Comment on Since we're doing magic eyes now... 2 months ago:
yeah that’s much easier
- Comment on Since we're doing magic eyes now... 2 months ago:
So weird. I can do this with my finger in the way but for some reason cannot hold my eyes in that position - as soon as I take the finger away my eyes unfocus. Maybe because it’s do uncomfortable to hold that eye pose?
- Comment on What is this shit? I have to be signed in to watch any video now? 2 months ago:
Same
- Comment on Over £1 million for towns and cities to clean up chewing gum stains 3 months ago:
It’s nothing. 1.2m divided by 50 councils is 24000 each, i.e. will buy one high pressure hose and 1 near minimum-wage job per council. Comparably, I think the NHS costs £25m per day or something
- Comment on HS2 to be delayed again as costs spiral by £37bn after 'litany of failure' 3 months ago:
I swear, the amount of government swindles over the last decade are at a level we haven’t seen since the 18th century. So many billions lost to dodgy covid kit, nhs contracts, school and prison services…
- Comment on Why is someone always cheating?!? 4 months ago:
I don’t mind vagina talk, but I do always feel like I’m hearing something I’m not meant to hear, becoming automatically shameful like I’m some kind of eavesdropping creepy perv.
It’s been educational though.
- Comment on Russia is at war with Britain and US is no longer a reliable ally, UK adviser says 4 months ago:
Ok that is really useful context, thank you