theGman

  Unfortunately it's almost not that amazing. British politics is now so broken and the public so confused and angry that pretty much anything goes right now.

  I wasn't too far off I guess. But yea, bit of a let down. All just seemed rather pointless in the end. Bran became king for...well no reason really. John got banished to the wall...meh, pointless. Sansa decided to not unite the kingdoms...ok whatever. Aryia runs off. The dragon disappears. Bronn got a seat at the table for some reason and made some jokes. Actually all those final scenes were flat.   I dunno, the conclusions were OK but after 8 seasons I was expecting tears, joy, laughter etc. But in the end, was absolutely fine just to see it over.

All about podcasts for me these days.   I've blasted through true crime such as The Teachers Pet, Serial, S-Town, In the Dark. But have also tried many other random ones. My current personal favourite is The Infinite Monkey Cage.   I'm apparently old enough now to prefer talk radio instead of music. On the odd occasion that I listen to a radio station then it's normally BBC 5 Live.

Game of Thrones petition: 500,000 demand series eight remake   I have enjoyed watching each episode this season. But on reflection, always felt a bit disappointed. After this last episode though, I feel less conflicted. I assume that Aryia will now go on to kill Daenerys, leaving John on the throne with his sisters by his side. All said and done, this is satisfying to me. It means that the Starks have defeated the white walkers, defeated the Lanisters and then taken down Daenerys to leave them the last ones standing. Each take down has been maybe a bit weak, but the conclusion works for me.   The only question I have is Bran...until now, his journey has seemed pointless to me.   And what happens to Tyrion...

  In principle I agree. But the problem is that the chasm between the two groups is just too large to bridge. You can have a reasonable discussion about the nuances of a topic. But with Brexit, the two sides are miles apart. The disagreement is an absolutely fundamental one about life, society and culture. There is practically no middle ground. Both sides are simply fighting for what they believe to be true/right. I assume the same goes for the situation in the US right now.   I don't want to Godwin the discussion but history remembers those who resisted the regime at the time, even in the face of serious consequences. They stood up for what they believed was right.   I think the same applies here. A lot of people think that Brexit will be a complete unmitigated disaster for the country. A step backwards towards racist, xenophobic times. Undoing all the peace work since the end of WWII, They don't want their children to grow up in that society and will do all they can to fight against it. And if they believe racism really is a big part of it then it is their duty to call it out.

  Maybe it's not you I was thinking of. Sorry.

  I caught some of it last night. Same as EJ's comedy thread a few nights ago. Goes a bit mental round here at night eh.   But the whole thing does have me a bit flummoxed. RF, Kommentarloss, Smurf, thegreatdivide, ANother...I dunno, just all seems a bit weird. Like sosarx -> baliticus. I don't get it.

  I bailed on Palatin in the end. Sold at even. Not sure if I want you to let me know how it turns out 

What an awful week it's been so far...thanks oh orange one.   That being said...probably a good time to buy.

  When I was living in Australia I used to buy a copy of The International Express each week (don't judge me, it seemed like a good idea at the time to keep up with English news). Anyhow, she had a column in that paper. I'd never paid any attention to her until that point, but the drivel that came out of that womans mouth. She is detestable. I used to punish myself each week by reading it and she proved herself to be a complete cunt week in week out.

People with tattoos aren't stupid. Just as people without tattoos aren't clever. There may be a correlation with tattoos and "low IQ" but there is no causal relationship. And we shouldn't judge people before we know their story.   I have shit skin. I started tattooing over it and it gives me a great sense of, for lack of a better word, empowerment. It feels good to be able take something that I don't like and turn into something I do like. I'm not a creative or emotionally expressive person, but letting a tattoo artist create something cool...I dunno...I like it and haven't regretted it yet. Admittedly I have nothing visible but I could definitely imagine doing so in the future.

A great episode to watch but I'm still not convinced this season. Nevertheless, Tyrion said one of the best lines ever...   “Maybe Cersei will win and kill us all. That would solve our problems.”

There is a pretty decent rest stop right on the border.   Or there is also a shopping center if you are looking for a bit more action.

OK, I'll bite. I'm so weak.     A scientist can be wrong. But until you come up with a better way to understand the world around us then we should stick to the data and heed the results of what the scientific process has produced.

  I'm torn between writing a long reply in defence of the scientific process or just giving up because it's just falling on deaf ears. On one hand, I fear greatly for the next generation and feel the need to defend what I believe is right. On the other hand, I just can't be bothered, because there is such a fundamental disagreement that I barely know where to begin. I am hopeful though that current times are just a blip in history or that that actually things aren't as bad as I think and it is just modern media making me more aware of the anti-science movement. Greta Thunberg and the recent climate protests by school children leave me with hope though that once this generation dies out then the next one is ready to keep moving forward.   Just one thing. What do you both think that scientists actually do? They develop theories, they then test them, and when results reach 5 sigma significance they report them via the peer review process. That's basically it.   There's no preaching, propaganda, opinions or changing of minds. All that just comes from the media's reporting of science.