The Off Topic Topic

[Maladict]

Austrians are awesome. I just managed to jump onto the last train to Italy without a proper ticket and they put me in first class without any charge.

[Sheilbh]

I hear this a lot about German railways these days but I refuse to accept it.
They may not be champions league like the Japanese, Swiss, and dutch, but compared to Britain the German railways remain fantastic.

I know someone who moved to Germany recently and was shocked how bad they are. Their experience was British trains were better. I struggle to believe that, or that German trains are bad but apparently it's so. Lots of cancellations and delays etc.

[Zanza]

It has deteriorated significantly the last few years.

[Josquius]

I hear this a lot about German railways these days but I refuse to accept it.
They may not be champions league like the Japanese, Swiss, and dutch, but compared to Britain the German railways remain fantastic.

I know someone who moved to Germany recently and was shocked how bad they are. Their experience was British trains were better. I struggle to believe that, or that German trains are bad but apparently it's so. Lots of cancellations and delays etc.

.
Moved from where in the UK to where in Germany?

My only recent experience with German trains was around Berlin. Where... They're fine.
There's issues. Terrible accessibility, rubbish station design, trains that don't march platform height and so on. But in terms of delays I never noticed much.
I imagine someone moving from london would also have quite a different impression of British trains than someone from the north. The trans penine route is just a joke. Every other train is cancelled then everyone crams into a rickety pacer.

[Iormlund]

My entirely anecdotal experience in Germany was that about half the trains would be significantly delayed. In Spain it would be below 1%.

Deutsche Bahn was so bad I always opted for a rental car if I could.

[crazy canuck]

I am pretty sure German trains not running on time was one of the signs of the apocalypse.

[Maladict]

My only recent experience with German trains was around Berlin. Where... They're fine.

I think the Rhineland is particularly bad, especially around Cologne.

[Duque de Bragança]

My only recent experience with German trains was around Berlin. Where... They're fine.

I think the Rhineland is particularly bad, especially around Cologne.

Very densely populated, hence saturated lines region, after years of underinvestment.
Another very, if not most, saturated line is Mannheim-Frankfurt, with talks about a new high-speed line going on for years, if not decades.

[Josquius]

I've been basically knocked out for 2 days with something (the days before not being great either) . Not fun.
Part of me saying covid, part of me saying just a perfect storm of other issues piling up, I've had a dodgy cough for a while then made the mistake of eating spicy food (I can no longer have this it seems) , or maybe burnout.
Last time I had this was Christmas. Did the labour victory bring the same "now you can shut down and relax" messages to my body?
If so it's doing it wrong. Staying in bed all day dozing away with fever dreams is not good.

[Syt]

https://tuscaloosathread.com/ammunition-vending-machine-tuscaloosa/

AI-POWERED AMMO VENDING MACHINE SELLING BULLETS AT TUSCALOOSA GROCERY STORE

City officials said Tuesday that an ammunition vending machine powered by artificial intelligence selling bullets in a Tuscaloosa grocery store is both real and legal.

During a briefing of the Tuscaloosa City Council before their regular slate of meetings, city council president Kip Tyner asked police chief Brent Blankley and other municipal leaders to explain a vending machine selling people ammunition at the Fresh Value store on at the corner of Skyland and McFarland Boulevards.

"I got some calls about ammunition being sold in grocery store vending machines," Tyner said. "I thought it was a joke, but it's not."

He's right - the automated dispenser is no joke, it's one of the very first unmanned vending machines installed by American Rounds, a company looking to revolutionize how ammunition for handguns, rifles and shotguns is sold.

The company now has machines in six locations - the Tuscaloosa Fresh Value, plus another location in Pell City, Alabama, and in four grocery stores across Oklahoma.

In a video introducing the concept, CEO Grant Magers said it was the stores who were looking for a way to bring ammo sales to their property, and the vending machines were an innovative answer.

"We're super excited to offer what we think is the first ammo kiosk," said Terry Stanley, COO of Fresh Value. "We're always looking for ways to give our customers another reason to come visit our stores. Anything we can do to help them make their shopping trips easier, based on the feedback we've gotten from customers today, they are so excited about us having this ammo kiosk."

Magers said despite being a new way of distributing bullets and shotgun shells, he considers their AI-fueled facial recognition software safer and more secure than the status quo.

"Traditionally, ammunition is sold at outdoor-type stores, your sporting goods stores, and it just sits on a shelf and it's very accessible and because of that, there's a high rate of theft," Magers said. "With our machines, we have a very secure automated retail machine able to age-verify. We scan a driver's license and take 360 facial recognition for the purchase and match it to the ID."

The council said they were surprised by the American Rounds machine and questioned its legality, but Chief Blankley and other city staff reported that the machines are legal and have been vetted by the ATF. The Fresh Value store where the machine was installed is also appropriately zoned for the sale of ammunition.

It appears the ammo vending machine is here to stay and time will tell how the concept performs financially for the store and American Rounds.

"It's what the founding fathers intended!" Mayor Walt Maddox joked.

https://americanrounds.com/

[Josquius]

Years out of date now but last I checked with Japanese vending machines, pre covid, this technology was still shit when it came to different races.

Though I guess with the context they can just program in a colour barrier and Asians will generally be misjudged as being younger so hey ho.

[Syt]

Stephansplatz in Vienna was locked down yesterday for:

[Tamas]

Meh, wake me up when the Erdogan's bodyguards are allowed to beat up a protester, or when Chinese "volunteers" are allowed to brawl with the locals to remove Tibet and EU flags from the view of the Emperor, like in Budapest.

[Syt]

Interestingly, the last Indian PM to visit Austria was Indira Gandhi in 1983. Modi is staying two nights - seems most meetings will be with business representatives trying to curry ( ) investments and cooperations.

[crazy canuck]

Meh, wake me up when the Erdogan's bodyguards are allowed to beat up a protester, or when Chinese "volunteers" are allowed to brawl with the locals to remove Tibet and EU flags from the view of the Emperor, like in Budapest.

Arresting, abusing and even killing protesters is unfortunately not unknown in North America. But I understand your point that clearing a square is not that.  However consider how indifferent you have become to the state removing any chance of protest.