Ask a colleague why they refuse to use their extremely convenient car, and bike or walk to work instead. They say it's the pollution. You point out that pollution from commuting automobiles is far smaller than you'd think. Then it's car accidents. You mention bike accidents are more dangerous. Then, finally: The process is the point. The struggle. The muscle soreness. The breeze on your face, the smell of the spring air. How they're afraid that if we automate all forms of physical exertion, we'll end up with atrophied bodies and a blinkered appreciation of the world.
It's not reasoning. They're ra...well, hold on. Actually, they kind of have a point! What if there is a problem with automating every single form of physical exertion, including recreational activities? What if humans are too tempted by frictionless efficiency? What if we slowly lose unquantifiable goods?
Ah, forget it. That's probably me just rationalizing my gut instincts.
🎢Sad news from Margate, where Britain's oldest rollercoaster - the utterly brilliant Dreamland Scenic Railway - is now closed, permanently.
According to statements, up to 5 hours of daily new safety checks are needed to operate it safely, and that burden effectively makes operation unviable.
The park says that extensive consultation has been made on this - so I've no reason to doubt the professional opinions expressed in this.
But it is nonetheless a sad outcome for something which had previously been rescued a number of times - and was a proper highlight and for many like me, the reason for visiting Margate's Dreamland park. https://t.co/jiuhzqdvGS
@figureight It's a reality of the medium that is genuinely an incredible skill and craft, but does always detract from that magical initial vibe. Same goes for the style of comedy. First season Bob's Burgers had a great, realistic rapport between the family that hasn't been the same since.
@figureight First seasons of animated programmes usually conform closer to the style of the original artists/designers, which is always really refreshing to see. But keeping up that pace of production means streamlining the art style to be easier for teams to work with at speed.
An Israeli sniper from Chicago, after killing a 19-year-old and then shooting his brother for trying to retrieve the body: "What was so important about that corpse?”
Those were 2 of the 4 members of the same family killed by Israeli snipers on a single day in Gaza, Nov 2023.
If Jim Ratcliffe wore 10 real £40,000 Rolex's on each arm, and they all got stolen, and he went into London every single day.
It would take him 5,000 days, 13.7 years, and 100,000 Rolex's to pay back the £4bn he has dodged in taxes.
@figureight I gave this a stab in the late 2000s before I got distracted by other things, but I still get a giddy little joy when I see those beautiful letters.
@Nortuet The whole thing is paranoia inducing. I never got over the art hurdle of hating everything I made because it didn't match what was in my head, but I'd still say I was a 5. So what was I comparing it with?
Happy 100th birthday to Fidel Castro, who was so cool that when the CIA sent Marita Lorenz to poison him, he handed her a loaded gun and instead of shooting him they made love