UncleArthur
@UncleArthur@lemmy.world
- Comment on Thames Water has given a 14% pay rise to its CEO and a 26% rise to its finance director 2 weeks ago:
Such shares would be a relatively small proportion of a pension company’s investment portfolio. This is the water companies’ argument and it, ahem, doesn’t hold water.
- Comment on Britons urged to take ‘small steps’ to prepare for potential national crises 2 weeks ago:
Time to increase my stock of beer and cheese then!
- Comment on How does death with a mechanical/artificial heart work? 2 weeks ago:
My mother died, aged 92 and with a pacemaker. I’ll tell the story with dark humour because that’s what she enjoyed, and I know she’d appreciate it.
So, mum was in hospital: she could no longer swallow and was obviously on her way out. I refused to get her intubated to keep her alive; she hated the idea and I wanted to let her go with some dignity. I sat with her all day and watched as she slipped away because, unlike with our pets who can be “put to sleep” with a simple injection, one is forced to watch a loved one die slowly and painfully over hours or even days. But I digress.
Eventually, at around 10:30 p.m. her breathing began to slow down. Then it stopped. I waited a while and called to the nurse on duty: “I think it’s over.” Immediately after these words, mum took another shuddering breath. “Oops, my mistake, she’s back again!” I said.
Now, I don’t know whether or not that was her pacemaker kicking in, but another nurse did tell me that people with pacemakers don’t tend to die easily because it keeps bringing them back. No idea if it’s true or not.
Cheers, mum! Now you’re a minor internet celebrity!
- Comment on The Ol' Switcheroo 2 weeks ago:
It feels a bit like winning £25 on the lottery: not what I’d hoped for, but I’ll certainty take it.
- Comment on She was churning plastic 2 weeks ago:
My car requires a service plus oil change every year or 10k miles, whichever comes first.
- Comment on She was churning plastic 2 weeks ago:
I don’t understand how anyone can do this. If you’ve spent thousands on an asset that (in the USA) one relies on, surely you’d at least get it serviced once a year. I wonder what her house is like.
- Comment on Former Tory minister Ann Widdecombe dies at 78 2 weeks ago:
I thought she was a dreadful woman with appalling views but no-one, not even Ann Widdecombe, deserves to be murdered.
Well, almost no-one.
- Comment on Not Over Yet ☝️🤓 1 month ago:
We had someone like this in our team; we called him Colin The Cuntopillar.
- Comment on Music just isn't good anymore 1 month ago:
Absolutely! I’ve discovered some amazing modern artists, mostly via film and TV (streaming series) soundtracks, especially the latter.
- Comment on If she had lived into the Botox era. 2 months ago:
I’ll do this with my hands!
- Comment on Why do movies and tv shows show beheading or allude to it in one fell swipe? Unless it is comic book sharp there is no way you can do that in one swipe with out at least a little bit of more cutting. 2 months ago:
Anne Boleyn was decapitated in one stroke by a sword according to eyewitnesses.
- Comment on Is there an optimal angle when using a urinal? 2 months ago:
I haven’t used a urinal since the '90s. Take the weight off your feet, avoid splash-back and fully drain your bladder to mitigate post-wee leakage by using a cubicle. And as a bonus, you’ll never have to worry about shy bladder syndrome.
- Comment on Over-the-counter pet flea treatments could be banned under new UK rules 3 months ago:
I’d have thought agricultural pollution from pesticides, etc. was more of an issue than pet flea treatments.
- Comment on Katie Price banned from driving for seventh time 3 months ago:
She’s only 47.
- Comment on Lib Dem mayor forced to resign for sharing Israeli 'false flag' ambulance attack posts 3 months ago:
I wonder if he’ll get his job back when it’s proved to have been a false flag operation?
- Comment on Government confirms broadcast‑style regulation for Netflix, Disney+ and more 5 months ago:
Because the rules should apply to everyone, obviously.
- Comment on Government confirms broadcast‑style regulation for Netflix, Disney+ and more 5 months ago:
Let’s see the Government apply those existing rules to GB News first, eh?
- Comment on The bad behavior of the richest: what I learned from wealth managers 5 months ago:
Bring on the global revolution: it can’t happen soon enough.
- Comment on Lemmings, please give us your info dump. 5 months ago:
None that come to mind, although I am more of a rivet-counter than a people person. Researchers such as Jim Kalafus or Randy Bigham may have a few such stories. As well as those who never made it to New York, quite a few survivors also decided to return home to Europe rather than settle in the US as planned.
Talking of which, [gofundme.com/…/short-term-help-needed-for-long-te…](Jim Kalafus) is going through a really tough time medically at the moment. If anyone here has a couple of dollars to spare, it would make a huge difference to him.
- Comment on Banned Mullvad VPN TV ad criticizing United Kingdom escalating censorship and mass surveillance “And Then?” 5 months ago:
I do, but almost no-one else I’d want to follow does, which makes it feel pointless at the moment. Quite a few ‘celebrities’ (for want of a better word) seem to have dormant accounts. One of the few people I know who is posting regularly is Bernie Sanders.
- Comment on Lemmings, please give us your info dump. 5 months ago:
The Engineers were exceptionally heroic that night working to keep the power on, allowing the pumps, lights and radio to function. Their counter-flooding kept the ship on a fairly even keel, allowing the lifeboats to be launched from both sides of the ship. Joseph Bell was the Chief Engineer Officer on the ship, along with 24 engineers, 6 electrical engineers, two boilermakers, a plumber and a clerk. None survived. They have a memorial in Southampton.
- Comment on Lemmings, please give us your info dump. 5 months ago:
In all senses, yes. The water temperature was -2°C or 28°F and she was a triumph of design of aesthetics.
- Comment on Lemmings, please give us your info dump. 5 months ago:
That’s an interesting question! I think it’s a combination of things. Firstly, the ship sank in an even keel, and took 2 hours 40 minutes to sink. Most shipwrecks of the time listed badly and sank quickly: for example, the Empress of Ireland, which sank in 1914 with a greater loss of passenger life, went down in 18 minutes. The Titanic’s stability and longevity allowed many dramas to play out, and the (relatively) large number of survivors allowed the stories to be told.
Then there’s the Greek tragedy element. If only they had have seen the 'berg 30 seconds sooner or 30 seconds later. If only one less watertight compartment had been breached. If only the ‘Mystery Ship’ (likely the SS Californian) had come to their aid - although in all fairness, it may not have made a huge difference. If only the ice field hadn’t have stretched so far south that year. If only the radio messages warning of ice had been heeded. If only the Californian’s radio operator hadn’t switched off his set and gone to bed, just before the collision. If only Captain Smith had turned ‘the Corner’ half an hour later, to put the ship on a more southerly track. If only … you get the idea.
Then there’s the conspiracy theories and the associated mysteries. Was the Mystery Ship really the Californian? Was the Titanic swapped for RMS Olympic and sank in an insurance scam? (No.) Was a cursed Egyptian Mummy in the hold? (No.) Did she hit the ice along the side of the hull or the keel? Or both? What about the book ‘Futility’ published years earlier that seemed to predict the disaster? Did an Officer really shoot a passenger? (Very doubtful.) Why did Lightoller insist on women and children ONLY in the lifeboats rather than woman and children FIRST? Is the the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám on the wreck and can it be retrieved?
Then there’s the historical elements. The Marconi radio set is the only one left in the world - why can’t we be allowed to salvage it? Few photographs were taken of Titanic: most extant photos are of the RMS Olympic, one of her sisters. How many blades are on the central turbine propeller? How does the ship differ in design from her sisters? Why did so few Third Class passengers attempt escape before the lifeboats were launched? What songs did the band actually play? (It probably wasn’t Nearery God To Thee.) Is the swimming pool still full of water? etc. etc.
Then there’s the people: the last of the Gilded Age billionaires and socialites, thrown together with the Second Class ‘ordinary’ folk and the Third Class immigrants from all of Europe. How did they act amd react? Who accepted their fate with dignity and tried to help their fellow passengers? Why did J. Bruce Ismay get into a lifeboat knowing full well how he’d be treated if he survived? Were the crew of Boat #1 actually bribed by the Duff-Gordons not to fish out survivors? And so on.
I’ll stop here before I get carried away.
- Comment on Lemmings, please give us your info dump. 5 months ago:
Retired moderator on Encyclopedia Titanica here. Whaddaya wanna know?
- Comment on “Glide Ratio Optimization in the Olympic Ski Jump via Cosmetic Penis Enlargement” 5 months ago:
From the “Journal of Astrological Big Data Ecology” - the premium source for made-up science!
- Comment on New study: No-alcohol and low-alcohol beers, and dry pubs, are on the rise 5 months ago:
Alcohol-free beer used to taste awful. These days, the lager at least is pretty good (Heineken is my favourite) so that may well be one factor.
- Comment on What it feels like shopping in 2026 5 months ago:
In the UK, most independent shops prefer cash to avoid paying EFTPOS fees. In fact, it’s common to see “Cash is King” signs by the tills. In fact, some businesses (e.g. fish and chip shops and barbers) retain cash-only policies.
- Comment on I've got a fever... 6 months ago:
Is more cowbell required?
- Comment on The Titanic, Sinclair C5 and Brexit: the Museum of Failure is coming to the UK 7 months ago:
The SOLAS regulations that came into effect were mainly around lifeboat provision.
One cannot build a liner with full compartmentalisation, and nothing in the two Enquiries said otherwise. Titanic wasn’t a warship. No other civilian ship - even today - has fully watertight compartments.
It didn’t sink because of its design. It sank because it was driven at 22.5 knots into an iceberg. If you want to know more, read the book I linked in my original reply to OP or visit Encyclopedia Titanica.
- Comment on The Titanic, Sinclair C5 and Brexit: the Museum of Failure is coming to the UK 7 months ago:
Possibly. It was never said to be unsinkable, that was a myth. Certainly any ship can be sunk by poor seamanship or adverse circumstances.
