You could book a smoking or non-smoking seat. Air France (for a while in the 90s at least) had alternating smoking and non-smoking rows, so non-smokers were completely fucked.

“We had it all” is the message some people get from “you could never get away from the bloody cigarette smoke”?

Service guarantees citizenship, buddy. Suck it up and do your bit for the orcs.

Well other technologies like accounting software are “at least 40%” and self checkout is at 36%, according to the article, so I don’t think this is as devastating as one might think at first glance:

Of 340 retail operators surveyed in 2026’s Voice of the Retail Industry Survey, only 36% say they plan to invest in self-checkout, down seven percentage points from last year. Self-checkout was the least popular technology and the only one to see lower interest YoY. Other investments, such as automated invoices, electronic shelf labels, and accounting software, attracted at least 40% of surveyed retailers.

And of course less retailers are investing in the tech than in previous years: they’ve all already got it.

*bear

The original article wasn’t talking about IQ at all - Reader’s Digest was oversimplifying the research.

Cognitive tests included prospective memory (baseline only: n = 171,585), visual-spatial memory (round 1: n = 483,832; round 2: n = 482,762), fluid intelligence (n = 165,492), and short-term numeric memory (n = 50,370).

Oh, that famous Journal called Reader’s Digest.

Here’s the original article: https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwx273

Abstract:

We investigated the cross-sectional and prospective associations between different sedentary behaviors and cognitive function in a large sample of adults with data stored in the UK Biobank. Baseline data were available for 502,643 participants (2006–2010, United Kingdom). Cognitive tests included prospective memory (baseline only: n = 171,585), visual-spatial memory (round 1: n = 483,832; round 2: n = 482,762), fluid intelligence (n = 165,492), and short-term numeric memory (n = 50,370). After a mean period of 5.3 years, participants (numbering from 12,091 to 114,373, depending on the test) also provided follow-up cognitive data. Sedentary behaviors (television viewing, driving, and nonoccupational computer-use time) were measured at baseline. At baseline, both television viewing and driving time were inversely associated with cognitive function across all outcomes (e.g., for each additional hour spent watching television, the total number of correct answers in the fluid intelligence test was 0.15 (99% confidence interval: 0.14, 0.16) lower. Computer-use time was positively associated with cognitive function across all outcomes. Both television viewing and driving time at baseline were positively associated with the odds of having cognitive decline at follow-up across most outcomes. Conversely, computer-use time at baseline was inversely associated with the odds of having cognitive decline at follow-up across most outcomes. This study supports health policies designed to reduce television viewing and driving in adults.

Capri Denim!

You don’t really have to say “alleged” if they’ve gotten a judgement against them in a court.

Well, you’re allowed to own a car even if you aren’t allowed to drive it. Maybe for guns there should also be separate rules for ownership and operation?

I mean, ideally, I’d be for no private ownership of firearms at all - that just makes for a safer society.

“An 82-year-old female said she had been driving a 2013 Ford Edge SUV going west on Country Club Road. She stated that she thought she hit something, turned around to check the area, but didn’t see anything, so she continued her journey home.”

Well at least she was nice and safe in her rolling fortress.

Rule of thumb

I see what you did there…

* I'm  
* it's  
* you're  
* imposingly  
* too

I primarily zoom in incscape in two ways:

1. Using the mouse - it zooms to mouse position, so control-scroll is brilliant - even for navigating: scroll out until you see where you want to go, put the mouse there and scroll in.

2. Using the keyboard (this is incredibly powerful):

• 3: Fit selected object in the window
• 4: Fit all objects in the window
• 5: Fit the page in the window
• 6: Fit page width.
• 1 and 2: I seldom use these, but they’re for 50% zoom and 100% zoom.
• • and -: They zoom in and out.

So often, I’ll click on an object, then press 3 to fit in in the window, and then hit - a few times to see the context better. Perfect.

does anyone also use Affinity?

Nope, only you.

I know a lot of people who have danced along to “Beds are burning” and have no idea what the song is about, even though it’s not exactly subtle.

Or the Dixie Chicks.

Or my favourite band, Die Ärzte - they realised that being subtle wasn’t good enough, so they had to directly tell a good portion of their audience that they didn’t want Neo-Nazi fans, which they did in an awesome song called “Schrei nach Liebe”, which starts with “Du bist wirklich saudumm” - “You’re really fucking stupid”, and has the lyrics “Deine Gewalt ist nur ein stummer Schrei nach Liebe” - “your violence is just a mute cry for love” and “Weil du Schiss vorm Schmusen hast, bist du ein Faschist” - “Because you’re scared of cuddling, you became a Fascist”.

Agreed about They don’t really care about us, but Man in the Mirror is more personal. Black or White has a certain political slant, and Earth Song has a very direct message.

Let’s look at some other musicians who might have a claim to “most famous ever”: Elvis was not really political - if anything he was pro-establishment.

Mozart and Beethoven however were very political. Beethoven scratched out the dedication to Napoleon in the Eroica when Napoleon made himself an emperor. Previously Beethoven had been a major supporter of Napoleon because he was pushing enlightenment ideals. Mozart was less directly political, but The Marriage of Figaro was very subversive at the time (which I know from the movie Amadeus, but apparently that checks out).

The Beatles didn’t start out political, but they became more so over time.

Imagine going into a shop and cutting one out to pay for something.

A very reasonable concern.