The Off Topic Topic

[Sheilbh]

Incredible waste clearance company in Sussex:

[HVC]

Tolkiens estate will be suing any moment now

OR


Better writing then the tv show.

[Syt]

It seems there's a manga series about King Ludwig II of Bavaria. Based on this cover art it seems more accurate to his character than the 1955 German movie at least.

[Josquius]

Boys love?
I mean.
It's gotta be.


A unrelated theory.
The key marker of when one has become a full independent adult is when you have to start buying your own underpants - those you've had since your teens no longer holding their integrity.
Interestingly this time never comes with socks assuming a standard stable family situation.

[Sheilbh]

I'm not a massive rugby fan but always absolutely love the Pacific island war dances - doing the rounds today was Samoan Siva Tau and Tongan Sipi Tau meeting at the quarter finals of the Rugby League World Cup. Feel like this would be worth the ticket price on its own:
https://twitter.com/RLWC2021/status/1589267930247749633?s=20&t=ZuwFUmmd0VWNB0UBJAEKug

Sort of related but interesting how in New Zealand the haka and other parts of Maori culture like the korowai have become part of all New Zealand culture, I assume because of the Maori and not against their wishes. Seems different from, say, Australia, Canada or the US. For example Jacinda Arden and the defence chiefs wearing the korowai at ceremonial occasions - but also I remember a really moving video of school kids doing a tribute haka at the funeral of a teacher who'd died and obviously the All Blacks.

[The Brain]

So I just finished watching The Dropout. I have a question: the high-profile Theranos board members (Henry Kissinger, George Shultz, etc), were they involved in the fraud or were they completely incompetent?

[Tonitrus]

Well, they can (and often were) be both of those things independent of each other...

[The Larch]

Polish politician blames low birthrate on young women drinking

One would think that young women drinking would actually help birth rates? 

[grumbler]

Here's a video that some of you might be interested in:

Not because it features the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry (though that's why I originally watched it), but because it has some really interesting information about the concept of rivalry itself.  Less than half the show is about UM-OSU; that rivalry is just used to illustrate the larger points being made by sociologists and neuropsychologists about why humans love rivalries so much, and what rivalries really are.

The examples will probably mean a lot less to anyone not familiar with American football (especially American college football), but you could actually skip the "examples" part (though you'd miss the greatest sports rivalry of all time) and still learn a lot.  None of the scientists shown in the show even refer to the rivalry the producers use as an example.

An important bonus is that the show is narrated by J.K. Simmons (who is, unfortunately, an OSU fan).  He could read the phone book and I'd listen.

[Zanza]

Today is the German "Day of Fate":

- 1849 Liberal revolution ends
- 1919 Republic is declared
- 1923 Hitler Coup Attempt
- 1938 Reichskristallnacht
- 1989 Berlin Wall falls

[PDH]

Leopard 2s to Ukraine?

[Josquius]

Today is the German "Day of Fate":

- 1849 Liberal revolution ends
- 1919 Republic is declared
- 1923 Hitler Coup Attempt
- 1938 Reichskristallnacht
- 1989 Berlin Wall falls

I cannot but wonder if the Berlin Wall at least was planned for this.
That's what I'd do for anything significant in future.

[Zanza]

Today is the German "Day of Fate":

- 1849 Liberal revolution ends
- 1919 Republic is declared
- 1923 Hitler Coup Attempt
- 1938 Reichskristallnacht
- 1989 Berlin Wall falls

I cannot but wonder if the Berlin Wall at least was planned for this.
That's what I'd do for anything significant in future.

No, that was random. The Hitler Putsch and the Reichskristallnacht were not random, but deliberately staged on those days by the Nazis.

[Syt]

The Berlin Wall coming down was a bit of an accident, really. The SED functionary who got in front of press to announce that the GDR would open its borders was asked if this was effective immediately. He apparently had no real instructions on that, so he said something along the lines, "As far as I understand - yes."

[Sheilbh]

Oh no. Looking at potentially having to furnish a flat and I've just discovered provincial auction houses selling furniture.

There is a worrying chance that I'll end up with a surprisingly flammable flat filled with tat