The Lemon Fool

Tedx wrote:Y
. In fact quite a chunk of the world has [ experienced invasion](with the notable exceptions on the UK and the Americas I think).
.

I seem to remember a QI fact that of the 205 nations represented (at the time) in the United Nations 193 had at some time been invaded by the UK.

The representative of the Grenadines added that the US had invaded the others.

SimonS wrote:

Tedx wrote:Y
. In fact quite a chunk of the world has [ experienced invasion](with the notable exceptions on the UK and the Americas I think).
.

I seem to remember a QI fact that of the 205 nations represented (at the time) in the United Nations 193 had at some time been invaded by the UK.

The representative of the Grenadines added that the US had invaded the others.

How do you count nations that didn't exist as such at the time the UK invaded? For example, counting modern nations, the India we invaded was (like the holy trinity) three in one. Or more, depending on what and how you count.

And many of those invasions took place when the UK itself encompassed more lands and (effects of immigration aside) peoples than it does today.

UncleEbenezer wrote:

SimonS wrote:

Tedx wrote:In fact quite a chunk of the world has [ experienced invasion](with the notable exceptions on the UK and the Americas I think). .

I seem to remember a QI fact that of the 205 nations represented (at the time) in the United Nations 193 had at some time been invaded by the UK.

The representative of the Grenadines added that the US had invaded the others.

How do you count nations that didn't exist as such at the time the UK invaded? For example, counting modern nations, the India we invaded was (like the holy trinity) three in one. Or more, depending on what and how you count.

And many of those invasions took place when the UK itself encompassed more lands and (effects of immigration aside) peoples than it does today.

Not to mention that the presumption that all invasions are somehow "bad" seems well wide of the mark.

Six technological dead-ends you were conned into buying

The Amstrad E-M@iler, 2000 - Anyone? Come on now, own up.

Six-CD changers, 1990s I never bought a CD multi changer - either for the home or the car. I did however buy a 6 DVD multichanger along with a Widescreen CRT TVs, late 1990s (see below - as part of a package from Currys. I think there are still 2 DVD's stuck in its bowels somewhere. The ability to multi change a DVD had zero practical use. Saved zero time (because it was quicker to get up off your seat). The mechanical clunking noises involved in changing a DVD (from the machine, not me), was alarming.

CDTV, 1991 - Nope.

Smartphones with keyboards, early 2010s - Nope.

Widescreen CRT TVs, late 1990s. Oh yes. 28 inch flatscreen bought with the DVD multichanger. It weighed a ton (I know because me and the missus carried it up to my Mum's flat when we got a new LED telly some years later). There was much wailing and cries of 'I can't hold on' from her and 'ok, put it down gently' from me as we carted it up those steps. The legs were shakey after that one, I can tell you. I used to see these things piled up in the recycling centre and used to think 'what a waste'. But I was wrong. They are rubbish. Our cat used to like it though - it used to lie on the vast bulk behind the TV because it was warm.

Rabbit phones, 1992 - Never heard of them. Must be a city thing.

Any other tech junk cluttering ones loft (or still in use!)? I have an Atari STE Micro computer with a plug in harddrive, thousands of floppy disks and a dot matrix printer somewhere. I also have a video recorder with 'VideoPlus' (TM). Where you could enter a code from the newspaper and it would (sometimes) record Eastenders for you. I don't think theres any tech junk in use in my house - possibly the Blu Ray player, but I only use that for the 5.1 sound. Also in the loft I have an ancient pre digital Sky box. One of the ones where you only had to point the dish vaguely to the souther skies to get a picture. You could also take your card around to your mates house and watch the boxing there. Or in pre Premiership times, Scottish fitba (wow!). And you could also watch and listen to the encrypted Adult Channels (albeit with a rather fuzzy picture) - or so I'm told.....and there are millions of cables. God knows what they were for.


https://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/sci ... 0213231577

Tedx wrote:Rabbit phones, 1992 - Never heard of them. Must be a city thing.

ISTR these in south london around 1993 ... places like newsagents would have a small sign outside indicating "rabbit" phonming which _I THINK_ was a sort of early bluetooth/wireless calling... i perceived if you had a rabbit phone you could stand in the immediate vicinity of the premises advertising this provision, and "connect" to the rabbit "network" ... as opposed to eg normal airtime cellular provision.

heres the wiki page which may, or may not (!) explain better than I

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit_%2 ... cations%29

Tedx wrote:Six technological dead-ends you were conned into buying

The Amstrad E-M@iler, 2000 - Anyone? Come on now, own up.

Six-CD changers, 1990s I never bought a CD multi changer - either for the home or the car. I did however buy a 6 DVD multichanger along with a Widescreen CRT TVs, late 1990s (see below - as part of a package from Currys. I think there are still 2 DVD's stuck in its bowels somewhere. The ability to multi change a DVD had zero practical use. Saved zero time (because it was quicker to get up off your seat). The mechanical clunking noises involved in changing a DVD (from the machine, not me), was alarming.

CDTV, 1991 - Nope.

Smartphones with keyboards, early 2010s - Nope.

Widescreen CRT TVs, late 1990s. Oh yes. 28 inch flatscreen bought with the DVD multichanger. It weighed a ton (I know because me and the missus carried it up to my Mum's flat when we got a new LED telly some years later). There was much wailing and cries of 'I can't hold on' from her and 'ok, put it down gently' from me as we carted it up those steps. The legs were shakey after that one, I can tell you. I used to see these things piled up in the recycling centre and used to think 'what a waste'. But I was wrong. They are rubbish. Our cat used to like it though - it used to lie on the vast bulk behind the TV because it was warm.

Rabbit phones, 1992 - Never heard of them. Must be a city thing.

Any other tech junk cluttering ones loft (or still in use!)? I have an Atari STE Micro computer with a plug in harddrive, thousands of floppy disks and a dot matrix printer somewhere. I also have a video recorder with 'VideoPlus' (TM). Where you could enter a code from the newspaper and it would (sometimes) record Eastenders for you. I don't think theres any tech junk in use in my house - possibly the Blu Ray player, but I only use that for the 5.1 sound. Also in the loft I have an ancient pre digital Sky box. One of the ones where you only had to point the dish vaguely to the souther skies to get a picture. You could also take your card around to your mates house and watch the boxing there. Or in pre Premiership times, Scottish fitba (wow!). And you could also watch and listen to the encrypted Adult Channels (albeit with a rather fuzzy picture) - or so I'm told.....and there are millions of cables. God knows what they were for.


https://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/sci ... 0213231577

Crikey! I do remember that awful Amstrad thingy being advertised but I think that its reputation was so bad that it didn't last long. It seemed that the UK was trying to catch up with France where Minitel (a brilliant pre-internet phone setup) was so successful. Poor Alan Sugar may have been over confident after his success with the Amstrad computers. I had one and they were brilliant. The things you could do with 64K!

I still have a Nokia phone with keyboard, no longer used but in perfect condition. I always disliked it, not so much for the keyboard as for the Nokia operating system that I never really understood. The day when I finally got an android touchscreen was like going to Heaven!

As for TVs, a HiFi & TV expert friend of my dad told me about 25 years ago that plasma TVs were the future and far superior to LCD TVs. But by the time we needed to buy a new TV, plasma had disappeared!


Steve

Plasmas seemed to be the Betamax of the telly world no? I think only Panasonic Made them? Expensive to run v LED, but they did warm the room up in the winter.

OLED is the boy. Very nice picture indeed. Pity that Netflix garbage with Ryan Reynolds I watched the other day didnt have the same quality.

Tedx wrote:Smartphones with keyboards, early 2010s - Nope.

I am responding to your post using my Blackberry Keyone. If I upgraded, it would probably be to a Key2 off eBay.


Julian F. G. W.

jfgw wrote:

Tedx wrote:Smartphones with keyboards, early 2010s - Nope.

I am responding to your post using my Blackberry Keyone. If I upgraded, it would probably be to a Key2 off eBay.

Early 2010s? Blackberries, and the superb Nokia E71 (which I still miss since mine was drowned) were a little earlier than that.

The early 2010s would be the era when Nokia spectacularly committed suicide in the smartphone space, by orphaning maemo - thus losing the goodwill of developers (including me) who were the core of a nascent ecosystem and handing the space essentially uncontested to Android - and betting on meego instead. None of us wanted to be dumped a second time, so that never gained momentum, and the rest is history.

I had a Nokia N900. Although the maemo operating system was way ahead of anything else at the time, the machine itself was a huge disappointment compared to the E71. Whereas the E71 was comfortable in the pocket and in the hand, and its keyboard was a pleasure to use, the N900 was too bulky for pocket or hand and its keyboard was horrible.

Data point. FOSDEM is a huge developer conference that takes place annually around the beginning of February. Maemo was a big theme of FOSDEM 2010. A year later in 2011, Nokia had abandoned us, maemo was right off the agenda, and meego attracted no interest (I was at both).

Early 2010s would also be when blackberry-maker RIM fell victim to pirates, paying billions in ransom money and becoming too lawyered-up to be capable of innovation to compete with Apple or Google.

According to BBC breaking news, Nicola Sturgeon is to resign.

Tedx wrote:According to BBC breaking news, Nicola Sturgeon is to resign.

the thread is called oooh, Not yippee

Calm herself. The replacement will either be A: A fervent nutcase or B: King Alex of Salmond.

Tedx wrote:Calm herself. The replacement will either be A: A fervent nutcase or B: King Alex of Salmond.

Could you explain the difference please.

Markab01 wrote:

Tedx wrote:Calm herself. The replacement will either be A: A fervent nutcase or B: King Alex of Salmond.

Could you explain the difference please.

Good point, well made

Markab01 wrote:

Tedx wrote:Calm herself. The replacement will either be A: A fervent nutcase or B: King Alex of Salmond.

Could you explain the difference please.

King Alex is a fervent nutcase, but not all fervent nutcases are King Alex
doolally

Birds singing, Nicola resigns and the FTSE @ 8000.

Today is a very pretty day.

UncleEbenezer wrote:Early 2010s? Blackberries, and the superb Nokia E71 (which I still miss since mine was drowned) were a little earlier than that.

I had an E72 which I liked. I still have my old Blackberry Q10 which seems extremely slow now and is kept just in case I need a spare. I upgraded to the (Android) Keyone when the Q10 stopped running Whatsapp.


Julian F. G. W.

doolally wrote:

Markab01 wrote:

Tedx wrote:Calm herself. The replacement will either be A: A fervent nutcase or B: King Alex of Salmond.

Could you explain the difference please.

King Alex is a fervent nutcase, but not all fervent nutcases are King Alex
doolally

Fervent is a very polite word for it.

What's this going to do for this year's Krankies' panto' ?

Power cuts and schools closed as Storm Otto hits

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-64662300

Scottish TLFs please take care

I cant find my plastic stone effect bird bath.

And something made a hell of a clatter at around 4.20am, but I have no idea what. Probably just a trampoline passing through.