As the pandemic hit world economies, share prices plunged. But as the ‘fear’ lifted so too did the share prices.
Shares vs Covid19 stock chart
NASA ‘UFO’ or Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) report
Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP)
NASA has recently released a report on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP), which is another term for UFOs. The report is based on a yearlong study of hundreds of UAP sightings by scientists and data experts.
In brief
NASA found no evidence that aliens are behind the UAPs, but it also could not rule out the possibility. The report said that some of the objects must have travelled through our solar system to get here.
NASA said that the study of UAPs will require new scientific techniques, including advanced satellites and artificial intelligence. The agency also announced a new director of UAP research to establish a robust database and analysis process.
NASA said that UAPs are important for national security and air safety, as some of them pose potential threats to aircraft and military operations. The agency also said that it will share data and findings with more transparency and collaboration.
NASA said that many UAP sightings can be explained by natural phenomena, human-made objects, or sensor errors, but some remain unexplained and anomalous. The report estimated that only about 2% to 5% of the total database are thought to be truly anomalous.
‘Is it OK to use a doggy poo bag blackberry picking?’
The blackberry
Blackberries are a very healthy food, packed with antioxidants that can help prevent cancer and other diseases.
Blackberries can be picked from late summer through to mid-autumn. The earlier ones tend to be better raw, the later good for cooking.
A ripe blackberry is deep black with a plump, full feel. It should come away easily when pulled from the stem.
Blackberries can stain your hands and clothes.
Blackberry tea was used to cure dysentery.
There are two types of blackberries: thorny and thornless. Thorny blackberries have more flavour, but thornless ones are easier to pick.
Blackberries are also known as brambles in Britain.
Bramble is the plant that produces the blackberry.
Blackberries are related to raspberries, strawberries, and roses. They belong to the rose family, Rosaceae.
‘I told you that was a risky investment!’
‘Now, let me tell you the ‘truth’ about climate change!’
‘The economy is a mess – but we still got beer’. ‘What’s economy’?
This is funny!
I asked the ChatGPT drawing tool Dall-E, to help me come up with a suitable birthday image to celebrate 25 years of Google.
My request was, ‘draw a watercolour image of a birthday cake with Google written on it‘. This was refused as the word ‘Google’ was an infringement of copyright law. So, I then asked, ‘draw a watercolour image of a birthday cake with BIG tech written on it…’
This is what I got…
Competitors
Now, now, ChatGPT! – I know you are competitors but…
‘What’s the point of HS2 if there is no one to run it?’ ‘Beats me… guess we’re stuck with it!’
‘Is this the end of the line’?
Yet more strike action continues to create chaos for travellers
Much of the UK will have no train services on Friday 1st Septemebr 2023 as the latest major strike action takes place.
Members of Aslef, the train drivers’ union, who work at more than a dozen train companies, have walked out and have refused to work.
Up to 20,000 RMT union members at 14 operators will also strike on Saturday in a long-running dispute
Meanwhile, a consultation closing most ticket offices in England ends.
Ticket office closures
Unions and disability groups have also taken action against other proposed working practices in the industry, such as ticket office closures.
Currently, nearly 300 stations in England run by train companies with Department for Transport contracts have a full-time staffed ticket office – 708 are staffed part-time. Under the proposals, most would close.
Ongoing dispute
The UK train strikes are part of an ongoing dispute between the rail unions and the train operators over pay and conditions.
- ASLEF members at 16 rail operators will strike again on Friday, 1st September 2023 and Saturday, 2nd September 2023.
- RMT members at 14 train companies will strike again on 2nd September 2023. This will severely affect the timetables.
Pay dispute and working practices
The rail unions are demanding a pay rise that reflects the rising cost of living, as well as job security and improved working conditions. The train operators say they need to make changes to the ways of working in order to save money and improve efficiency, especially after the pandemic hit their finances hard.
The Rail Delivery Group, which represents the train operators, has offered a 5% pay rise for 2022, but the unions have rejected it as insufficient and conditional on reforms they oppose.
The train strikes have caused significant disruption and frustration for millions of passengers, especially during the peak summer holiday season. The government has urged both sides to resume talks and find a resolution
‘Take me to your leader. Err… we don’t really have one’!
STOP PRESS! Bank to pay failed boss 2.4 million. Why?
‘It’s good to talk’!
The former boss of NatWest is set to receive a £2.4m pay package this year, despite having quit in disgrace over her handling of the closure of Nigel Farage’s bank account.
A contractual obligation no doubt?
Whatever happened to confidentiality?
‘How difficult can it be to tick the right box on your tax return sir?’
‘Money can’t buy friends, but you can get a better class of enemy.’
Spike Milligan 1918 – 2002
Spike Milligan was a famous Irish comedian, writer, musician, poet, playwright and actor famously known for writing the hit radio programme, ‘The Goon Show’.
‘I told you I was ill’.
The inscription ‘I told you I was ill’ is the famous epitaph of Spike Milligan.
He died in 2002 at the age of 83. He had once joked that he wanted this phrase to be on his headstone, but the local diocese did not approve of it in English. So he had to write it in Gaelic, which is ‘Duirt me leat go raibh me breoite’.
‘How many more times must I tell you – I’m not a banker!’
‘Room 101’
Room 101 phrase origin
The phrase ‘Room 101’ comes from George Orwell’s dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, published in 1949.
In the novel, Room 101 is a torture chamber where prisoners are subjected to their worst fears and nightmares. The name of the room was supposedly inspired by a conference room at the BBC Broadcasting House, where Orwell used to work and attend ‘boring‘ meetings.
Cutural reference
Room 101 has become a popular cultural reference, especially in the UK, where it is used to describe something that is ‘undesirable’ and to be ‘locked away’.
There is also a BBC comedy television series called Room 101, where celebrities are invited to discuss their pet hates and persuade the host to consign them to oblivion in Room 101.
So, now you know.
‘Sorry Mr. ‘Fragile’, but I’m afraid your account is closed, as we simply just don’t like you!’
‘Everything is fine, nothing to see here!’
Dream or reality – did this really happen?
The party-gate scandal lead to SERVING members of the UK government being fined, including the then prime minster (since sacked by the party) – and the then chancellor of the exchequer (now our serving prime minister).
You really can’t make this stuff up.
‘What the hell just happened?’
‘One minute I’m in work and the next…?’ ‘Is this AI again?’
The day the blue bird flew away – Twitter rebrands as X – Taking Stock
‘Didn’t expect to see you here again, thought you’d retired’. ‘Yeah, me too!’
‘What lies ahead?’ – ‘Oh yes, I expect so!’
Google says people should use its search engine to check whether information provided by its Chatbot, Bard, is actually accurate
Accuracy
According to a recent news article, Google says people should use its search engine to check whether information provided by Bard is actually accurate, as it may display inaccurate or offensive information that doesn’t represent Google’s views. Just Google views I wonder…?
Google’s UK boss Debbie Weinstein said Bard was not really the place that you go to search for specific information, but rather an experiment best suited for collaboration around problem solving and creating new ideas.
Hallucinate
According to an Android Authority article, both Bard and ChatGPT can hallucinate or confidently lie when asked about obscure topics. Bard does offer a link to search results and will sometimes cite a source or two. However, Google states that Bard can even lie about its own inner workings so you cannot trust everything it says…?
Testing… 1… 2… 3…?
According to a report by Marie Haynes, Bard predicts it will generate accurate responses 85% of the time by September 2023, but in an experiment, it posted an accuracy score of 63%, meaning it had incorrect information in more than 1/3 of its responses
Early days, or habouring a problem for the future?
‘But Miss… If we have to learn ALL the subjects… why can’t you teach ALL the subjects too?’
Wind & Puff – The Hot Air Powering Britain
‘But Sir… If you have ipads, ibooks, ebooks, iplayers, and iphones… what is this?’ ‘Well… that’s a book!’
‘Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.’
Dr. Seuss
‘That’s inflation for you!’
‘Err – I meant CLOUD computing!’
