The Off Topic Topic

[garbon]

Worky business. Do any of our Brits know folk around London with some time to spare and who are currently stuck in the "rental trap? ". Basically decent income folk but who are spending so much on rent they can't save to buy.
I'm doing some research for work on our current swing at tackling the housing crisis and need to try to speak to some southroners. £20 love2shop or amazon voucher for 45 mins or so.

I can save plenty but still can't afford to buy anything half decent.

I'm now saving a lot and same. I'm not really sure how it is doable unless you adjust your perceptions of what is 'decent' or move far from the city.

Just saw this on twitter:

Buying a house is like
- "we have no way of knowing you'll pay back this mortgage of £500 a month"
-"I've been paying my landlord £1000 a month"
-"Why can't you save up £25000 to reassure us you can afford £500"
-"Because I've been paying my landlord £1000 a month"

[Sheilbh]

Worky business. Do any of our Brits know folk around London with some time to spare and who are currently stuck in the "rental trap? ". Basically decent income folk but who are spending so much on rent they can't save to buy.
I'm doing some research for work on our current swing at tackling the housing crisis and need to try to speak to some southroners. £20 love2shop or amazon voucher for 45 mins or so.

I can save plenty but still can't afford to buy anything half decent.

If I developed the single smallest amount of self-restraint/discipline and stopped titting about with my life I could probably save money. It would still not be a deposit I don't think

[Sheilbh]

Wow, that seems like quite a misstep by Lukeshenko to set up a scene like this.  This is the kind of moment that suddenly makes all your enforcers consider the future after you, and making sure they don't get put on Nuremberg trial.

Footage of him leaving the plant (to his helicopter) with his guards and someone shouting "shoot yourself officer".

Interesting comment from an academic about this - Yanukovych fell because he thought everyone could be bought and didn't know how to handle it. Lukashenko's weakness seems to maybe be that he genuinely thought he was popular with ordinary Belarussians and is very taken aback.

For what it's worth he said he thought Putin's weakness was paranoia and the scenario where he faces a situation like this is probably that he over-reacts to some protest in a slightly distant/unimportant province and is then inflexible.

Edit: And state television is on strike as well with some prosecutors joining. Even the Minsk Philharmonic have walked out.

[Valmy]

Damn Belarussians. I didn't know you had it in you.

[Tamas]

Worky business. Do any of our Brits know folk around London with some time to spare and who are currently stuck in the "rental trap? ". Basically decent income folk but who are spending so much on rent they can't save to buy.
I'm doing some research for work on our current swing at tackling the housing crisis and need to try to speak to some southroners. £20 love2shop or amazon voucher for 45 mins or so.

I can save plenty but still can't afford to buy anything half decent.

If I developed the single smallest amount of self-restraint/discipline and stopped titting about with my life I could probably save money. It would still not be a deposit I don't think

I read from two sources one government and one private analyst (although both in the Guardian) that property prices may fall as much as 20% before this time next year. I sure bloody hope so. That would still not be a game changer but could mean a big difference.

[Tamas]

Allegedly a convoy of unmarked military trucks is on its way in Russia towards the Belorussian border. 

People claim they look exactly like the ones internal security forces use, but to be fair I am sure everyone uses these models:

[Sheilbh]

I read from two sources one government and one private analyst (although both in the Guardian) that property prices may fall as much as 20% before this time next year. I sure bloody hope so. That would still not be a game changer but could mean a big difference.

I mean it wouldn't help my unless a hitherto unknown wealthy maiden aunt dies leaving me enough for a deposit

Also I know one person who's having their tenancy terminated because their landlord (20-something woman, family wealth - multi-million house in central London plus a flat for some extra income) is going to sell their main house now (they think the market's going down), then move into their flat (where my friend lives) before buying again when the market's down

I wish I lived in a country where the main economic ambition of literally everyone was something other than become a landlord

[Monoriu]

Wow, that seems like quite a misstep by Lukeshenko to set up a scene like this.  This is the kind of moment that suddenly makes all your enforcers consider the future after you, and making sure they don't get put on Nuremberg trial.

Footage of him leaving the plant (to his helicopter) with his guards and someone shouting "shoot yourself officer".

Interesting comment from an academic about this - Yanukovych fell because he thought everyone could be bought and didn't know how to handle it. Lukashenko's weakness seems to maybe be that he genuinely thought he was popular with ordinary Belarussians and is very taken aback.

For what it's worth he said he thought Putin's weakness was paranoia and the scenario where he faces a situation like this is probably that he over-reacts to some protest in a slightly distant/unimportant province and is then inflexible.

Edit: And state television is on strike as well with some prosecutors joining. Even the Minsk Philharmonic have walked out.

Thank goodness HK's Chief Executive knew very well the extent of her popularity, and basically holed up in her official residence for a year.  So there were no moments like these. 

I am sure someone will eventually do an analysis on why places like Hong Kong and Belarus took different paths.  There was no meaningful strike in HK, and virtually nobody from the government's side defected. 

[Valmy]

I wish I lived in a country where the main economic ambition of literally everyone was something other than become a landlord

I see that, at least, has not changed in England in the past thousand years.

[Valmy]

Thank goodness HK's Chief Executive knew very well the extent of her popularity, and basically holed up in her official residence for a year.  So there were no moments like these. 

I am sure someone will eventually do an analysis on why places like Hong Kong and Belarus took different paths.  There was no meaningful strike in HK, and virtually nobody from the government's side defected. 

Well this is after 26 years of one guy running a dictatorship and fucking up and not being held accountable for it. Also Belarus is much poorer and shittier than Hong Kong (though still better than many of their neighbors).

Whereas this shit has been going on in Hong Kong for a short time and the economy is still strong.

After a few decades and many failures the people of Hong Kong may feel differently. Back in 1998 things were different in Belarus as well.

[Sheilbh]

I wish I lived in a country where the main economic ambition of literally everyone was something other than become a landlord

I see that, at least, has not changed in England in the past thousand years.

Right?

I mean, I too yearn for rentier income but I feel like it's bad if the entire country is focused on it

[Duque de Bragança]

I wish I lived in a country where the main economic ambition of literally everyone was something other than become a landlord

Consider yourself happy for not living in Spain or France, then. 

[katmai]

Anyone had much experience using gopros and the like?

I've had a tomtom bandit for a while. Finally got a shoulder strap for it and tested it out just walking to the shop.... Its so damn shaky. Don't think I could sit and watch that. And that's just walking along a normal flat path, not the hiking escapades I want to record.

extensive experience with GoPro for work, never used the tomtom, heck never heard of them before this post. GoPro have built in motion stabilization to fight what you describe. Not sure about the bandit, but dwm suggestion for head mount seems decent if the tomtom doesn't have built in stabilizer.

[merithyn]

I think I know that guy on the left.

It's right out of the fridge!

They all say that. 

[merithyn]

Worky business. Do any of our Brits know folk around London with some time to spare and who are currently stuck in the "rental trap? ". Basically decent income folk but who are spending so much on rent they can't save to buy.
I'm doing some research for work on our current swing at tackling the housing crisis and need to try to speak to some southroners. £20 love2shop or amazon voucher for 45 mins or so.

I can save plenty but still can't afford to buy anything half decent.

If I developed the single smallest amount of self-restraint/discipline and stopped titting about with my life I could probably save money. It would still not be a deposit I don't think

I read from two sources one government and one private analyst (although both in the Guardian) that property prices may fall as much as 20% before this time next year. I sure bloody hope so. That would still not be a game changer but could mean a big difference.

They are not predicting that for Portland.