Amazing news stories that don't quite deserve a thread

[motorsport]

I agree with you! I also have the same feeling. He is full of amazing ideas but he is only one person and the thing that he is trying to do- tear himself in so many projects, might have a negative impact on all of them. I can only imagine how busy he is, his brain must be working at full capacity.

[Zephro]

This is a great write up on how most of the current “culture wars” are basically hypocritical bullshit from its instigators.

The free speech panic: how the right concocted a crisis

[somini]

More “amazing” stories from the States.

Ohio police investigate after officer used Taser on 11-year-old girl

According to the department’s policy, Tasers can be used on people who are at least seven years old.

To be honest, the police hierarchy is responding swiftly, but seriously.

[Fumarole]

At least they didn’t shoot her. Progress?

[somini]

The local paper has developments.

11-year-old girl shocked with police Taser will not face charges

The girl’s mother, Donna Gowdy, said her daughter was with her 9-year-old sister and a friend at the store and admitted to taking snacks from the store, but that police should have handled the situation differently.

There’s also a tirade by some cop about how the tasing was justified, since otherwise Krogan would close the store and the police would be blamed.

[Zephro]

Which also with the picture gives the extra bit of information that the girl is black. I am shocked. Shocked. Utterly surprised, I would never have imagined that at all.

[EPICTHEFAIL]

At least they didn’t shoot her. Progress?

They did shoot her, if we’re being technical here. They just gave her a massive shock instead of a bullet.

[Lukasz]

Mum detained in Dubai over glass of wine on Emirates flight

Another proof that Dubai is a shit hole covered with gold

[Zephro]

I have no idea why people go there on fucking holiday, from a taste point of view. Or even think it’s OK to do so ethically.

Definitely morally OK to dump more cash into that economy and sleep in a hotel built with virtual slave labour. Definitely all fine.

[EPICTHEFAIL]

I have no idea why people go there on fucking holiday, from a taste point of view. Or even think it’s OK to do so ethically.

I can think of very few places that I could visit with a clean conscience, but Dubai is more barbaric than most, even if it does pretend to be civilised for the benefit of the rich foreigners.

[BillButNotBen]

While I agree that it seems like a dumb reason to detain her, it also seems to be somewhat of a case of a brit thinking that the sort of kicking up a fuss that works at home is going to work overseas.

Unfortunately, as a foreigner in a strange land, you’re in a much more vulnerable position and sometimes you just have to suck it up and say “I’m very sorry sir. I didn’t know there was a problem with my visa. What should I do?”

I regularly have situations where if I was back int he UK I’d kick up a massive fuss and not accept it, but doing so in another country, where you aren’t a national, is a much bigger risk. It sucks, but that’s life.

On another topic:

Friends is the UK's top streaming show

Smelly cat, smelly cat…

[somini]

I though that was implied in the Guardian story, that’s how I read it originally. Re-reading it, I notice that is not mentioned to anywhere.

The stereotype was correct, in this case.

[somini]

France's 25-year treasure hunt for a golden owl

Eat your heart out, Ernest Cline.

[Shadoko]

I have no idea why people go there on fucking holiday, from a taste point of view. Or even think it’s OK to do so ethically.

I think for the average person there’s kind of a cathartic fascination for a city that represents both the bright cyberpunk future of tomorrow (at least that’s how it has been advertised since years) and the worst of the worst of our modern civilization, i;e a goddamn metropolis built in the middle of pretty much fucking nowhere, financed by a planet-warming machine (because that’s essentially what the oil extraction industry is) and built by underpaid workers because neoliberalism fuck yeah.

[Zephro]

I can’t for the life of me work out what’s cyberpunk about it… really.

[Shadoko]

I can’t for the life of me work out what’s cyberpunk about it… really.

Well, incredibly wealthy enclave born out of financial thin air, built in a hostile environment it’s totally isolated from, with an entirely urban landscape where the 1% richest go to live their dreams of incredible luxury, that’s been built by underpaid workers who never got to even approach the marvels of the city sounds kinda cyberpunk to me.

Send it in space and Dubai is essentially the luxury space station at the end of Neuromancer.

[Zephro]

I’ll grant you the luxury space station bit. But it is more just horrid dystopia than cyberpunk. There’s nothing particularly cyber about it, like no hackers or multi-national tech companies and the like. Just resource extracting oligarchs. Then the punk bit is missing as well.

Also this may be personal preference but Cyber Punk is rainy.

[Shadoko]

Cyber Punk is rainy.

Neons and cold rain, indeed.

Then the punk bit is missing as well.

Probably, coming to think of it.
But then our entire modern neoliberal world is kinda lacking in the punk department, in the end.

[Zephro]

Maybe it lacks punk punk. But most cities have underground parties, artists, alternative scenes of some kind. I suspect Dubai is massively lacking in that regard, or at least it’s not visibly obvious. Where as walking around London or Manchester* you at least get a big variety of aesthetics in clothing and hair.

Which kind of makes up a lot of the aesthetic of cyberpunk, suits rubbing shoulders with neon mohicans.

• Basically the places I’m most familiar with. It probably also explains my insistence upon rain.

[LexW]

But it is more just horrid dystopia than cyberpunk.

I don’t really see that there is a distinction.

Then the punk bit is missing as well.

Which in fact makes it identical to 50% of things labelled “Cyberpunk”. (Not as bad as Steampunk, though - if you actually have any punk at all in something called Steampunk you’re the very rare exception).

Maybe it lacks punk punk. But most cities have underground parties, artists, alternative scenes of some kind. I suspect Dubai is massively lacking in that regard, or at least it’s not visibly obvious. Where as walking around London or Manchester* you at least get a big variety of aesthetics in clothing and hair.

This is true but that just makes it like one of the really shit places cyberpunks dare not tread in a cyberpunk setting. A true corporate enclave. Except here it’s something rarely (though not never) seen in cyberpunk - the unholy fusion of huge money and extremist religion, with the religion being willing to be the silent partner - most of the time.