Despite my best efforts.
"Pond Scum"
A reasonably accurate way to describe the human race.
We learn nothing. Despite knowing it for years. Example? Oh I don't know, take the recent UK paedophile revelations. Looks on shelf. Yeah. Lets take the Leveson report and Murdoch as well.
What's going on here then? Well. A bunch of people did illegal, immoral and wrong things. Raping children, hacking a dead girl's voice messages, bribing the police and so on and so on.
This happens because as a species we already know that if 49 people in the room say "Ah just do it. Press the button, give the guy a 240v electric shock and then we can all go home". The chances are the guy on the button, whether he wants to or not, will fry the victim. Peer pressure. We all suffer from it.
Where we excel at being pond scum however is:
We naively assumed that our governments and officials in places of power were somehow better than that. Wrong. Actually, if you give people power and opportunity to cover things up, they'll tend to go with that. Stop wagging your finger at the government. I'll bet you're just as bad. I am. It's just my lies and cover ups tend to extend to covering up for forgotten appointments, instead of forgetting to mention to anyone about this guy raping small children or taking a bribe as a police officer.
Thing is. The government and the police get the chance to cover up *really big things!* for years and years and years. Better yet, they can get fairly wealthy at the same time. It's win win.
The other factor in our pond scum skill is:
We have no culture at all for dealing with it. There is no incentive for anyone to break rank and reveal wrong that they've been a part of. First, they'll get victimised by everyone else that's still in on the cover up. But being a brilliant bunch, the general public, despite being better off for the knowledge will lynch them as well. Maybe 2% of the population will be smart enough to go "Hey thanks! You're a bit of an asshole for all that, but at least you did the right thing in the end".
Leveson is pond scum gold. Corruption upon corruption, with only the corrupt investigating the corrupt, to find that they don't need to change anything because that would annoy the corrupt people that started the need for Leveson in the first place.
Paedophile cover up. Same deal. Huge public swell in demand for enquiries, some credible queries and evidence of very notable public figures being involved. And what do we get? Lord McFuckingAlpine. Sorry. Lord McAlpine (fucking), in my opinion deliberately trying to stifle public debate about allegations. To my knowledge, not one single case of libel has been heard or proved. Not one. NOTHING. McAlpine is 100% bluff and bullshit and the only reason that I can see for that is HE IS PROTECTING KNOWN PAEDOPHILES. They might be live, they might be dead, I don't know. But that appears to be his aim as determined from his own actions. Not one thought of "Maybe we should do the right thing here". Just pure denial, concealment and cover up.
Pond scum.
We excel at it.
30 Nov 2012
12 Nov 2012
Remembrance Day
Reality check time.
To me. Remembrance Day is remembering the almost unbelievable numbers of souls who died in two world wars. The clue is in the "Remembrance" part. From that. My heart and mind is reminded every year of the duty to never allow such global insanity and death to happen again. That is "In their honour". I Honour them by remembering, learning and preventing.
What spooks me a little. Is the subtle twist on that to make it "Thank you to everyone serving in the forces" day. Just stop right there.
In the UK it's "Remembrance" day. It's Remembrance of the deaths in the two world wars. Nothing else. Not "And thanks guys that we might send to another pointless deaths counted in millions upon millions".
I guess growing numbers of people are unaware of the death toll of the two world wars. It becomes abstract over time. This is why we have a Remembrance day. So it doesn't become an abstract. We remember and learn.
Here are the simple facts:
Dead, wounded and missing. First World War: 31,500,000
Civilian and Military deaths. Second World War: 52,200,000
Total from both:
83.7 million
Pause.
Look at that number.
Remember that every single year and why we can't let it happen again.
This year it's bugged me enough to write this little post. Remembrance day (to me) is about remembering the past and learning from it. Nothing else. It doesn't begin to creep in to a celebration of the Military. It's honouring the deaths of unimaginable millions who came before us.
There is nothing wrong with respecting those who put themselves in the military, but that is a totally different issue.
To me. Remembrance Day is remembering the almost unbelievable numbers of souls who died in two world wars. The clue is in the "Remembrance" part. From that. My heart and mind is reminded every year of the duty to never allow such global insanity and death to happen again. That is "In their honour". I Honour them by remembering, learning and preventing.
What spooks me a little. Is the subtle twist on that to make it "Thank you to everyone serving in the forces" day. Just stop right there.
In the UK it's "Remembrance" day. It's Remembrance of the deaths in the two world wars. Nothing else. Not "And thanks guys that we might send to another pointless deaths counted in millions upon millions".
I guess growing numbers of people are unaware of the death toll of the two world wars. It becomes abstract over time. This is why we have a Remembrance day. So it doesn't become an abstract. We remember and learn.
Here are the simple facts:
Dead, wounded and missing. First World War: 31,500,000
Civilian and Military deaths. Second World War: 52,200,000
Total from both:
83.7 million
Pause.
Look at that number.
Remember that every single year and why we can't let it happen again.
This year it's bugged me enough to write this little post. Remembrance day (to me) is about remembering the past and learning from it. Nothing else. It doesn't begin to creep in to a celebration of the Military. It's honouring the deaths of unimaginable millions who came before us.
There is nothing wrong with respecting those who put themselves in the military, but that is a totally different issue.
6 Nov 2012
E-cigs (what you may not know)
Hey it's my blog.
I'm allowed to ramble.
Electronic cigarettes. One way to stop inhaling a vast wad of lung blackening gack. On the surface of it, not a bad idea at all! But here's some insight from a relatively recent tester...
It works.
I went from my regular intake of roll ups down to 1, maybe 2 a day. I didn't buy the first ecig with an intent to stop either. I was intrigued and thought I'd give one a try. How fast it replaced smoking is pretty impressive.
Little side note here. This could be because it's a healthier way to pump nicotine in me at potentially massive doses. That "Oh E-Cigs!" urge could just be "Oh! Pure nicotine!". Which when you think about it, might not be such a brilliant plan.
Put that aside though. Potentially, it's a much healthier and far cheaper way of improving on a tobacco habit. So what's the blog post about?
Initial smoker looks at e-cigs and wants something roughly cigarette like. Something roughly the same size and not that weird please. I did. First kit I got was just a tiny bit larger than a standard superking cigarette. So what's wrong with that?
A couple of things. At that size you're limited by the power of the battery which seems to peak around 300mAh, many being much lower rated. That's the power that heats the coil that gives you the vapour. At this kind of level it's something that will last a few hours with a low power "atomiser". That's the bit that heats the fluid in to the vapour you inhale.
Trouble is, low power, small sized atomisers aren't all that great. You don't get a big fluid reservoir so you have to keep topping things up. You don't get a big surface area of heat because your battery won't take it, so topping it up is even more important for a consistent vape (smoke) experience.
Enter the world of "shiny".
Shiny is what E-Cig forums call all the bits and pieces you then buy to improve on your initial vape. A word of advice here. Keep track of every penny or cent you pay out on e-cig land. Match it up against what smoking was costing you. I reckon it'll take you at the very least 2 or 3 months to begin to break even given the savings on tobacco in the UK.
You get tied to the initial battery format you bought, trying to find the best atomiser / fluid combination for the batteries you spent money on. You also start sampling the range of flavours to find you really don't like quite a lot of them. If you're lucky, you've found a site that only sells top quality items. But a majority of this stuff is mass produced from China, and in my limited experience, sometimes barely meets the test of "suitable for purpose".
Why mention that? Because some of the shiny you'll end up buying sooner than you thought will be replacements for parts you thought might last a few months, but now it's failed on you after two weeks, it feels too late to return it, but it's still useless.
Still. You're determined to stay off the evil tobacco toxins, you stick with it. (Like me). And about £250 later ... hopefully. Still behind breakeven on the fluids and different combinations of systems I've tried. I might have something that will work.
It's nothing like that initial "I want it to look like a ciggie" perception. It's four times the battery power. Manual switched not automatic. More like a cigar than a cigarette, and I have no idea if it'll finally be "the solution" or not.
I've got a worrying theory this straight hit of nicotine habit is enabling some hefty spending in search of an optimal method that doesn't actually exist in E-Cig format. That... Or maybe I'll strike lucky this time and end up with something that will last a few months and make the breakeven worthwhile.
Oh and something else they don't tell you. E-Cig fluids are VG or PG based, or a mix of the two. Some cartridges and tanks will work fine with pure PG, some work far better with a stronger VG ratio in the mix. Basically, expect leaks, burnt atomisers and disappointing taste while you figure all of that out on the way.
Point is? Unless you were a casual smoker anyway, you have to expect figuring out a reliable E-Cig alternative to smoking will cost you a LOT more than that initial kit you may be looking at. Still. How much value do you put on zero tar and 99% less carcinogens while you figure it out? A fair bit apparently. So I'll keep trying...
I'm allowed to ramble.
Electronic cigarettes. One way to stop inhaling a vast wad of lung blackening gack. On the surface of it, not a bad idea at all! But here's some insight from a relatively recent tester...
It works.
I went from my regular intake of roll ups down to 1, maybe 2 a day. I didn't buy the first ecig with an intent to stop either. I was intrigued and thought I'd give one a try. How fast it replaced smoking is pretty impressive.
Little side note here. This could be because it's a healthier way to pump nicotine in me at potentially massive doses. That "Oh E-Cigs!" urge could just be "Oh! Pure nicotine!". Which when you think about it, might not be such a brilliant plan.
Put that aside though. Potentially, it's a much healthier and far cheaper way of improving on a tobacco habit. So what's the blog post about?
Initial smoker looks at e-cigs and wants something roughly cigarette like. Something roughly the same size and not that weird please. I did. First kit I got was just a tiny bit larger than a standard superking cigarette. So what's wrong with that?
A couple of things. At that size you're limited by the power of the battery which seems to peak around 300mAh, many being much lower rated. That's the power that heats the coil that gives you the vapour. At this kind of level it's something that will last a few hours with a low power "atomiser". That's the bit that heats the fluid in to the vapour you inhale.
Trouble is, low power, small sized atomisers aren't all that great. You don't get a big fluid reservoir so you have to keep topping things up. You don't get a big surface area of heat because your battery won't take it, so topping it up is even more important for a consistent vape (smoke) experience.
Enter the world of "shiny".
Shiny is what E-Cig forums call all the bits and pieces you then buy to improve on your initial vape. A word of advice here. Keep track of every penny or cent you pay out on e-cig land. Match it up against what smoking was costing you. I reckon it'll take you at the very least 2 or 3 months to begin to break even given the savings on tobacco in the UK.
You get tied to the initial battery format you bought, trying to find the best atomiser / fluid combination for the batteries you spent money on. You also start sampling the range of flavours to find you really don't like quite a lot of them. If you're lucky, you've found a site that only sells top quality items. But a majority of this stuff is mass produced from China, and in my limited experience, sometimes barely meets the test of "suitable for purpose".
Why mention that? Because some of the shiny you'll end up buying sooner than you thought will be replacements for parts you thought might last a few months, but now it's failed on you after two weeks, it feels too late to return it, but it's still useless.
Still. You're determined to stay off the evil tobacco toxins, you stick with it. (Like me). And about £250 later ... hopefully. Still behind breakeven on the fluids and different combinations of systems I've tried. I might have something that will work.
It's nothing like that initial "I want it to look like a ciggie" perception. It's four times the battery power. Manual switched not automatic. More like a cigar than a cigarette, and I have no idea if it'll finally be "the solution" or not.
I've got a worrying theory this straight hit of nicotine habit is enabling some hefty spending in search of an optimal method that doesn't actually exist in E-Cig format. That... Or maybe I'll strike lucky this time and end up with something that will last a few months and make the breakeven worthwhile.
Oh and something else they don't tell you. E-Cig fluids are VG or PG based, or a mix of the two. Some cartridges and tanks will work fine with pure PG, some work far better with a stronger VG ratio in the mix. Basically, expect leaks, burnt atomisers and disappointing taste while you figure all of that out on the way.
Point is? Unless you were a casual smoker anyway, you have to expect figuring out a reliable E-Cig alternative to smoking will cost you a LOT more than that initial kit you may be looking at. Still. How much value do you put on zero tar and 99% less carcinogens while you figure it out? A fair bit apparently. So I'll keep trying...
2 Nov 2012
Dad thoughts...
This one's about the UK attitude to kids.
It's because I have my kids to entertain and it's revealing. You'd think in this day and age, a playground for kids would be fairly easy to find. Councils provide them, moan about how much they cost, teenagers get drunk and smoke there when the sun goes down (because there's no where else to go). It's a playground. A fairly central social hub.
Well not really. If you're new to an area, try finding a playground. It's not on Google Maps or more local searches. I can't speak for all councils, but they often aren't listed on council websites, not at all around here. They don't get listed in "Local attractions" either. Somehow the playgrounds of the UK have managed to slide past the internet world entirely unnoticed.
The only way I've discovered to find them is to ask people who have kids and have lived in the area for long enough to know a couple. It's bizarre. Even amongst that sample, you'll find people who know of one place, but not another, or 'think there still is one there but not sure'. It's just very odd. Never seem to be signposted. Not marked on maps. Not listed in yellow pages ...
Still. Not to be utterly defeated. Lets search for indoor play areas instead...
Now an odd thing happens here as well. For those of you who have kids, will know by the time 8-9-10 kicks in, kids generally are no longer interested in indoor play areas. Not only that? They are positively unwelcome even before that age. Most complaints I hear in indoor play hellzones are about older children mixing with the younger kids in play areas and tears resulting. Generally a parent gets glowered at. It's all good fun. Point is. What the hell is the 7yr+ kid supposed to do? A few tired arcade machines seems to be the answer. Neat. Just what I wanted to do, pay to go to a large noisy building and then pay even more to let them play computer games instead of stay at home and do it for free.
What bugs this Dad anyway is this void around youth, I'd say worst from 7 to around 14. By the time 14 is kicking around, they can blend in with the skate park crew and things like 10 pin bowling, lasertag, all that kind of stuff opens up. Below 7 the indoor play area exists. I'm struggling to figure out how the British cope with 7 to 14. It's almost like they are just inconvenient, not wanted in adult places, get in the way in toddler places, not big enough to mix at the skate park
Sighs.
It just feels to me that somehow in other countries I've visited that isn't the attitude. In countries where I can't even speak the language, I've usually been able to find playgrounds either from road signs or just because they sensibly put them smack bang in the middle of the shopping arcade. What could be simpler? Kids hate being dragged to the shops, coffee houses / restaurants are happy to serve near enough so you can watch the kids. Kids happier, parents happier, less pissed off kids around, shop owners happier, everyone happier!
I guess in the UK there would be complaints about the noise, or that teenagers hang around it at night and make a mess, or it costs too much ... I'm not sure what it is. But it doesn't seem to happen in the UK.
And a heads up. Yes teenage kids do need to hang around places with other teenage kids doing stupid things like learning to cough up smoke, discovering hangovers and grope the wrong people. That's part of growing up.
Pointless rant. I just wish the British were a bit more inclusive when it came to children, provided more and moaned a hell of a lot less. Maybe even valued them? Seems a bit strange not to consider children as little people who get darn bored unless us provider adult types actually provide some form of entertainment or inclusion. The other side of the rant is perhaps stirred by all the recent pedo allegations flying around. It's saddening and sickening. How can it be so easy for things on this scale to be brushed under a carpet for years with countless victims? Reminds me it's not just some people that ignore or consider kids a liability in Britain. It seems to be the prevalent attitude. No wonder it seems so easy to ignore them.
It's because I have my kids to entertain and it's revealing. You'd think in this day and age, a playground for kids would be fairly easy to find. Councils provide them, moan about how much they cost, teenagers get drunk and smoke there when the sun goes down (because there's no where else to go). It's a playground. A fairly central social hub.
Well not really. If you're new to an area, try finding a playground. It's not on Google Maps or more local searches. I can't speak for all councils, but they often aren't listed on council websites, not at all around here. They don't get listed in "Local attractions" either. Somehow the playgrounds of the UK have managed to slide past the internet world entirely unnoticed.
The only way I've discovered to find them is to ask people who have kids and have lived in the area for long enough to know a couple. It's bizarre. Even amongst that sample, you'll find people who know of one place, but not another, or 'think there still is one there but not sure'. It's just very odd. Never seem to be signposted. Not marked on maps. Not listed in yellow pages ...
Still. Not to be utterly defeated. Lets search for indoor play areas instead...
Now an odd thing happens here as well. For those of you who have kids, will know by the time 8-9-10 kicks in, kids generally are no longer interested in indoor play areas. Not only that? They are positively unwelcome even before that age. Most complaints I hear in indoor play hellzones are about older children mixing with the younger kids in play areas and tears resulting. Generally a parent gets glowered at. It's all good fun. Point is. What the hell is the 7yr+ kid supposed to do? A few tired arcade machines seems to be the answer. Neat. Just what I wanted to do, pay to go to a large noisy building and then pay even more to let them play computer games instead of stay at home and do it for free.
What bugs this Dad anyway is this void around youth, I'd say worst from 7 to around 14. By the time 14 is kicking around, they can blend in with the skate park crew and things like 10 pin bowling, lasertag, all that kind of stuff opens up. Below 7 the indoor play area exists. I'm struggling to figure out how the British cope with 7 to 14. It's almost like they are just inconvenient, not wanted in adult places, get in the way in toddler places, not big enough to mix at the skate park
Sighs.
It just feels to me that somehow in other countries I've visited that isn't the attitude. In countries where I can't even speak the language, I've usually been able to find playgrounds either from road signs or just because they sensibly put them smack bang in the middle of the shopping arcade. What could be simpler? Kids hate being dragged to the shops, coffee houses / restaurants are happy to serve near enough so you can watch the kids. Kids happier, parents happier, less pissed off kids around, shop owners happier, everyone happier!
I guess in the UK there would be complaints about the noise, or that teenagers hang around it at night and make a mess, or it costs too much ... I'm not sure what it is. But it doesn't seem to happen in the UK.
And a heads up. Yes teenage kids do need to hang around places with other teenage kids doing stupid things like learning to cough up smoke, discovering hangovers and grope the wrong people. That's part of growing up.
Pointless rant. I just wish the British were a bit more inclusive when it came to children, provided more and moaned a hell of a lot less. Maybe even valued them? Seems a bit strange not to consider children as little people who get darn bored unless us provider adult types actually provide some form of entertainment or inclusion. The other side of the rant is perhaps stirred by all the recent pedo allegations flying around. It's saddening and sickening. How can it be so easy for things on this scale to be brushed under a carpet for years with countless victims? Reminds me it's not just some people that ignore or consider kids a liability in Britain. It seems to be the prevalent attitude. No wonder it seems so easy to ignore them.
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