You joke, but have you forgotten that these days, virtually all satire presages reality? On the outside, a few years from now, the GoFlush(tm) app will wirelessly transmit your personal preference profile to the toilet in your stall...
Have you been to Japan, Christopher? They are light years ahead of us in the West. Their toilet technology is the envy of all modern civilization. And I am scarcely even kidding.
Unfortunately what they take for granted in Japan is not the sort of thing we may ever get to enjoy in our public facilities, because the Japanese population allows a radically smaller proportion of deviants than we endure. I don't know how they do it, but we have much to learn. Meanwhile we're importing barbarians. It's more likely we'll all soon be squatting and doing our business North African-style in a hole in the ground than enjoying the sumptuous luxury of the heated Japanese bidet in our water closets. It's a matter of geopolitics.
I plan to visit Japan this year, actually. My little enclave in London is known as Little Tokyo. I am in favour of importing the entire population of Japan, overnight if not sooner.
Caught a clip of Zuck fantasising over the future 'underwater cities.' Ask these hollow men why one would prefer to live in an underwater fish tank as opposed to say Islington, London, and they have no answer. They merely saw it in a sci-fi film. Deranged.
One thing even Orwell couldn't forsee (perhaps could not even comprehend it as part of human nature) was that a government doesn't need to surveille us; most people will voluntarily disclose even their most intimate details to total strangers, oblivious to that information being stored forever in some data storage facility to be retrieved at a later date for some nefarious purpose.
I, for one, never thought my fellow humans capable of such behavior. We literally allow surveillance devices in our homes (Alexa, anyone?) without even batting an eye! No need to have a spy pretend to be a repairman to bug your house; just send an Alexa and a free one-year subscription to the person you want to surveille and you're off to the races!
Yeah, I re-read Brave New World a few years back and was amazed at how prescient it was. Sure, in high school we joked about the “soma coma” which was even then becoming a reality, but what Huxley gets right is how people will gladly trade independence, initiative, and their soul for creature comforts and chemically-induced happiness!
I thought Fuckerberg had already done that with farcebook? Judging by much of the "content" flung my way on there....
Apps wind me up as well. Fuck off, no, I don't want yet another sodding app cluttering up my phone.
"Can I have your email for the receipt?" now gets a terse "No, I'd like a paper one thanks." Why would I want yet another fcking email cluttering up my inbox? Sod. Off.
I don't drink Guinness, I can't get past the smell, but hubs is a devotee. He's going to the brewery in Dublin in May, he's visiting his cousin (bit of a mercy mission) and her OH is taking him to the brewery. Apparently its amazing. He's welcome to it.
The weirdest brewery we've been to was Sulwath in Castle Douglas in Scotland. It was literally a converted garage. Gorgeous beer though.
Oh yes, we allow whatever we fancy. Although after our 15 yr old confessed to his older brother that he's had a sneaky gargle of the sloe gin after "a bad day at school" all the booze has been relocated to the shed out of harms way 😂 we haven't yet had The Conversation with him, but we will....we're positive him and his mate helped themselves to a can of Beavertown Satellite IPA from the understairs cupboard as well, but it's 2.8% so no real harm done. It did look suspiciously like fancy pop tbf. 😂
Well done Christopher. I mean, we’ve officially flushed common sense down the drain. Somewhere between “order your Guinness on an app” and “monetize your bowel movements,” we’ve gone from going to the bathroom to beta-testing our digestive tract.
GoFlush™ feels less like innovation and more like a real splash in the worst possible direction. Next thing you know, your toilet will send you a push notification: “Great movement! Would you like to share this with your network?”
Hard pass. Some things are better left unstreamed, unmonetized, and—dare I say—off the cloud.
Call me old-fashioned, but I prefer my data exactly where it belongs: securely wiped.
You joke, but have you forgotten that these days, virtually all satire presages reality? On the outside, a few years from now, the GoFlush(tm) app will wirelessly transmit your personal preference profile to the toilet in your stall...
Have you been to Japan, Christopher? They are light years ahead of us in the West. Their toilet technology is the envy of all modern civilization. And I am scarcely even kidding.
Unfortunately what they take for granted in Japan is not the sort of thing we may ever get to enjoy in our public facilities, because the Japanese population allows a radically smaller proportion of deviants than we endure. I don't know how they do it, but we have much to learn. Meanwhile we're importing barbarians. It's more likely we'll all soon be squatting and doing our business North African-style in a hole in the ground than enjoying the sumptuous luxury of the heated Japanese bidet in our water closets. It's a matter of geopolitics.
I plan to visit Japan this year, actually. My little enclave in London is known as Little Tokyo. I am in favour of importing the entire population of Japan, overnight if not sooner.
At some places in the United States, downloading the app is becoming mandatory. Ned Ludd, call your office. Or send a letter. I don't know.
Caught a clip of Zuck fantasising over the future 'underwater cities.' Ask these hollow men why one would prefer to live in an underwater fish tank as opposed to say Islington, London, and they have no answer. They merely saw it in a sci-fi film. Deranged.
Some would say it's the best place for these feckers then they might leave the rest of us alone.....
Seems a lot of money for a couple of pints - then again, I live under a stone.
Usually around £6. Five in Zone 3. London, eh?
One thing even Orwell couldn't forsee (perhaps could not even comprehend it as part of human nature) was that a government doesn't need to surveille us; most people will voluntarily disclose even their most intimate details to total strangers, oblivious to that information being stored forever in some data storage facility to be retrieved at a later date for some nefarious purpose.
I, for one, never thought my fellow humans capable of such behavior. We literally allow surveillance devices in our homes (Alexa, anyone?) without even batting an eye! No need to have a spy pretend to be a repairman to bug your house; just send an Alexa and a free one-year subscription to the person you want to surveille and you're off to the races!
Indeed. Huxley was closer than his former English student, Orwell.
Yeah, I re-read Brave New World a few years back and was amazed at how prescient it was. Sure, in high school we joked about the “soma coma” which was even then becoming a reality, but what Huxley gets right is how people will gladly trade independence, initiative, and their soul for creature comforts and chemically-induced happiness!
I thought Fuckerberg had already done that with farcebook? Judging by much of the "content" flung my way on there....
Apps wind me up as well. Fuck off, no, I don't want yet another sodding app cluttering up my phone.
"Can I have your email for the receipt?" now gets a terse "No, I'd like a paper one thanks." Why would I want yet another fcking email cluttering up my inbox? Sod. Off.
I don't drink Guinness, I can't get past the smell, but hubs is a devotee. He's going to the brewery in Dublin in May, he's visiting his cousin (bit of a mercy mission) and her OH is taking him to the brewery. Apparently its amazing. He's welcome to it.
The weirdest brewery we've been to was Sulwath in Castle Douglas in Scotland. It was literally a converted garage. Gorgeous beer though.
Yes. And the 'Metaverse'. I remember laughing at the very idea, to much tutting.
Tell the good man to grab some Guinness Foreign Special. (If you allow vandal-strength beverages in the house, of course!)
Oh yes, we allow whatever we fancy. Although after our 15 yr old confessed to his older brother that he's had a sneaky gargle of the sloe gin after "a bad day at school" all the booze has been relocated to the shed out of harms way 😂 we haven't yet had The Conversation with him, but we will....we're positive him and his mate helped themselves to a can of Beavertown Satellite IPA from the understairs cupboard as well, but it's 2.8% so no real harm done. It did look suspiciously like fancy pop tbf. 😂
Well done Christopher. I mean, we’ve officially flushed common sense down the drain. Somewhere between “order your Guinness on an app” and “monetize your bowel movements,” we’ve gone from going to the bathroom to beta-testing our digestive tract.
GoFlush™ feels less like innovation and more like a real splash in the worst possible direction. Next thing you know, your toilet will send you a push notification: “Great movement! Would you like to share this with your network?”
Hard pass. Some things are better left unstreamed, unmonetized, and—dare I say—off the cloud.
Call me old-fashioned, but I prefer my data exactly where it belongs: securely wiped.
That is an excellent... passage.