The Off Topic Topic

[Jacob]

Remember the false alarm at Ubisoft Montreal last November? Police and Ubisoft had received news of a bomb placed at Ubisoft Studios in Montreal. The source seems to have been a player, banned for cheating at Rainbow Six. Declarations of one of the principal suspects, interviewed by local newspaper:

"I didn't do anything. I only cheated in their video game. The only time I called Ubisoft, it was to insult them for banning me from the game. Normally, I would have said I was the one who sent the police to Ubisoft - only for the buzz. But, yeah, now, the buzz that's lame. If my name came up, it's only because I am known at Ubisoft. Oh, and by the way, could you tell them to unban me, please. I put more than 1500 € on cosmetics in my profile."

https://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/justice-et-faits-divers/2021-04-30/evacuation-chez-ubisoft-en-2020/fausse-prise-d-otages-vraie-vengeance.php

Were I the person at Ubisoft responsible for unbanning people from Rainbow Six I don't think this would persuade me to unban this person.

[The Brain]

What does him being a player have to do with anything?

[Admiral Yi]

This is old news, but the Amazon worker unionzation vote in Alabama failed 70/30.

[Malthus]

Disagree.  Move to open kitchens just reflects changes in society.  Back when cooking was women's work and women were homemakers, the kitchen was to be hidden away.  Now with 2 working partners much more entertaining either happens in the kitchen, or the person cooking does not want to be walled away from everyone else in the family.  I mean this is a trend that probably goes back at lest 30 years and is still going strong.

Maybe but I think kitchen as the centre of the home/people always hanging out in the kitchen at parties etc has been a bigger trend for that and happens regardless of whether it's open plan or has an island.

I personally have a conspiracy theory that open-plan actually became a thing via 1990s home redecoration shows - possibly to attract more men to the audience because sledgehammers knocking through walls. Relatedly I think feature walls is because those shows only had a limited budget so couldn't afford the strong high quality paint for the entire room and we got decking because they couldn't afford the costs of installing a patio.

Basically I think the budget constraints on Ground Force and Changing Rooms have shaped UK decor for decades

Edit: And I think as we generally move to far more WFH there'll be a shift back to defining and creating internal divisions between work and private spaces, by walls in some cases.

I don't see it Sheilbh.  Maybe COVID will change how we live but pre COVID it became very common for the hosts to finish cooking the meal while the guests arrived.  This is part of the shift BB was talking about.  One of the spouses was not hidden behind a wall while they toiled away, rather preparing the meal has become part of the experience for everyone.  An island is the perfect place to have pre meal drinks while complimenting the hosts on their meal prep - also a good ice breaker when introducing new folks to eachother.  I can't see going back to having the activities of entertaining/eating walled off from the kitchen.

This makes me nostalgic for a time when entertaining others in one's home was not only a thing, but so important a thing that people designed their homes around doing it. 

This pandemic isolation has gone on seemingly forever.

[HisMajestyBOB]

I heard a weird noise outside my back door tonight so I turned on the light. Something was trying to climb the wood fence so I grabbed my camera and cracked the door open, but it ran towards the door,which I closed just in time. Looks like a baby fox.

[Tonitrus]

Well this sucks.

https://www.pcmag.com/news/chia-cryptocurrency-expected-to-cause-hard-drive-and-ssd-shortages

New crypto currency based on using spare hard drive space.
Chinese miners pushing up HD prices to mine it.

This whole crypto mining thing is such a colossal waste of resources.  I think the governments should crack down on it before Bitcoin itself raises the sea levels by a foot.

I've been saying it for a while...governments should have shut down this whole cryptocurrency idea in its infancy, and that they let it continue to run amok is a disgrace.

How?

With the Law, of course.

(Yes, I know this answer is bit late  )

[Josquius]

Gibbon!

[Admiral Yi]

Riots in Seattle.  One rioter grabs a rifle out of a burned out cop car, disarmed by news station security.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2TwXfG5Ypw

The girl smashing the window then skipping around is my favorite part.

[Tamas]

Riots in Seattle.  One rioter grabs a rifle out of a burned out cop car, disarmed by news station security.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2TwXfG5Ypw

The girl smashing the window then skipping around is my favorite part.

Hah, quick thinking by the security guy, impressive. But, seems like besides his pistol he had an automatic rifle of his own? I get that they wen to film a riot but is it normal that news crews go around with rifle-armed security?

[Admiral Yi]

Beets me.  First time I've seen it.

[Tonitrus]

The slung rifle was the first one he seized (both were originally looted from police vehicles, and the first one had been fired by the person who had stolen it).  The only firearm that was his is the pistol.

Security guy was also a former Marine and also teaches/trains firearms safety.

[Syt]

[The Brain]

Is that a Victorian bathing suit?

[Josephus]

If I were on the guardian design team, I don't think I'd want to take credit for this work:

People pay millions for that ... I can get it for free; just have to find a birth certificate

[Syt]

I've been at the yacht harbor in the picture, stayed at a nice little 5* hotel next to it.