The Off Topic Topic

[Threviel]

My previous employer had bought two German companies. One of them was relaxed and modern, noone cared about titles and they were fun and nice. The other company was very hierarchical, titles were important and noone did anything unless a boss told them to.

At a company kickoff I introduced myself to the stuckup company boss and asked him what he does. I was very rude not knowing his face apparently. That was one awkward lunch.

[Josquius]

I bought my Nintendo DS fairly soon after launch I think. I remember playing it loads over the 2000s. 2004 or 2005 or so I bought.

However, at some point around 2011.... I sort of lost interest. I think it was about when I was able to afford a decent gaming PC and didn't have any public transport journeys to do so it just sort of... moved to the back of a shelf, never to be touched again.

Until today. I found my old Nintendo DS last time I was at my parents place and have just unpacked it.

Expecting nothing I flip the switch.... And it loads up. It doesn't detect the game that is inserted but otherwise it is showing FULL BATTERY.  (the game just needed to be removed and blown to work)
How the hell is this? After 10 years untouched its still got a full battery? Leave my PSP alone for a month and it forgets it had any charge.

Nintendo should really get into the electric car business as this is phenomenal.

[Duque de Bragança]

Interesting thing today to make people feel old.
It's now 38 years since the NES was released.
Japanese twitter has been blowing up over the fact when the NES was released it was 38 years since WW2.
People talking about the NES today are the same as old dudes from back then going on about the war.

NES was not so big in Europe for some pretty damning reasons :

- arrived several years later (1986-87 at the earliest)
- PAL-A and PAL-B intra-region locking nonsense to prevent imports from other European countries
- crappy 50 Hz conversions which made it look worse than it should vs 8-bit micro-computers such as the C 64 or Amstrad CPC (more MSX success would have been great though)
- lesser and worse offer than in Japan or in North America
- Master System put up quite a fight, unlike Japan or North America

By the time, I could afford a video game console, Super Nintendo and Megadrive were the relevant options to consider.
Pretty big now for retro video-game hipsters though, too young to really have memories of it. 

[mongers]

Just a heads up guys:

According to the Crown Prosecution Service, a hate crime is "criminal behaviour where the perpetrator is motivated by hostility or demonstrates hostility towards the victim's disability, race, religion, sexual orientation or transgender identity".

[Tamas]

What do we mean by demonstrate hostility? Actual threats of violence, or verbal criticism or somewhere in between? Do we know?

[Sheilbh]

What do we mean by demonstrate hostility? Actual threats of violence, or verbal criticism or somewhere in between? Do we know?

So looking at the CPS website there's this bit "There is no legal definition of hostility so we use the everyday understanding of the word which includes ill-will, spite, contempt, prejudice, unfriendliness, antagonism, resentment and dislike."

[Malthus]

What do we mean by demonstrate hostility? Actual threats of violence, or verbal criticism or somewhere in between? Do we know?

The impression I get is that this is only in reference to things that are already crimes. If you commit a crime against someone and it is motivated by (say) racism, it becomes a "hate crime" and, I presume, attracts additional punishment.

However, merely expressing racism is not itself a crime.

Though I don't know the UK system well enough to say for sure.

[Sheilbh]

The impression I get is that this is only in reference to things that are already crimes. If you commit a crime against someone and it is motivated by (say) racism, it becomes a "hate crime" and, I presume, attracts additional punishment.

Yeah - from what I understand it's an aggravating factor which can mean a tougher sentence. But you need to commit a crime and then it's either as the victim or another person would perceive whether it was motivated by hostility or shows hostility.

[Valmy]

Yeah so if you have an extensive public record of hating the Irish, you probably shouldn't commit any crimes against the Irish.

Though I don't see national origin or ethnicity up there so maybe you are cool when it comes to Irish-hating.

[Sheilbh]

Yeah so if you have an extensive public record of hating the Irish, you probably shouldn't commit any crimes against the Irish.

Though I don't see national origin or ethnicity up there so maybe you are cool when it comes to Irish-hating.

It is covered - it's a protected characteristic.

[Richard Hakluyt]

I think it is critical, for example, that if one is mugging an Irishman one should do it politely 

[Grey Fox]

For the first time in my life, I've hired contractors to do work on my house. I've had specialized workers do some installation before but it's the first time I hand the reigns & just say "fix this".

[HVC]

Tiger woods was in a bad car accident. Single vehicle, clear conditions so I'm guessing pills again, or booze.

[DGuller]

Tiger woods was in a bad car accident. Single vehicle, clear conditions so I'm guessing pills again, or booze.

Could've fallen asleep as well, that's another way to have a bad single car crash.

[Valmy]

Tiger woods was in a bad car accident. Single vehicle, clear conditions so I'm guessing pills again, or booze.

Damn. I hope he recovers fully.