As with all too many of the UK Government's policies, this was introduced with the express intention of dealing with suspected terrorists.
Unfortunately, we Brits are about to get repeatedly hit over the head with the Terrorism Act (2000) - used recently in the case of a man who downloaded the 'Manchester Manual' from the US Department of Justice's servers, and was then arrested - and the Civil Contingencies Act - which allows the Government to suspend democratic process in a 'state of emergency'.
At the present time, the Government are also trying to push through 42 days detention without charge, despite there being no evidence to justify such an increase from the current (and already excessive) 28 days.
I am, like many people I know, looking to leave the UK for a new life abroad.
And I can only agree with her findings. Since living in the same house as me, she's been playing WoW. In that time, she's not stabbed me once.
Proof positive there I think!
Seriously though, while there's plenty of comments already about this being obvious, it does contradict some of the findings of the much vaunted Byron Report in the UK. And as the UK Government seem to be planning an entire series of laws based on the Byron Report, we badly need research like this to avoid unnecessary regulations being placed on games.
"The viruses and bacteria that cause pneumonia are contagious and are usually found in fluid from the mouth or nose of an infected person. Illness can spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes on a person, by sharing drinking glasses and eating utensils, and when a person touches the used tissues or handkerchiefs of an infected person."
So essentially, try and avoid touching the mouse or keyboard if they're still wet with someone else's mucuus. Which is something I've been doing for years. Just in case it's not mucuus...
Well, I'm sure the game might be, but doing it on London streets probably isn't.
The British Police have managed to shoot & kill someone for carrying a table leg (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3974461.stm); an unarmed man who they suspected of being a terrorist (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4713753.stm); and a man who was "armed" with a lighter (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1444009.stm).
There is no way on Earth that I would carry something that looked even remotely like a gun - regardless of it being highly coloured and plastic - and chase after people.
I live in England. I don't have a bank account. I don't have a credit card. My mobile phone is pay-as-you-go and not registered at the address I live at. In fact, I'm not registered at the address I live at either.
Yet I'm probably on CCTV cameras about 300 times a day as I live and work in the Greater London area.
Oh, and if you're planning on paying in coins, remember you can't pay more than 20p in coppers to anyone in the UK because of the Coinage Act of 1971.
I shouldn't be, as this Government has been the bitch of Dubya since he hit office.
I tried getting the email address of the Home Secretary, John Reid, but all I can find is this:
public.enquiries@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
I'm mailing them to ask why they consider McKinnon suitable for extradition given that the US has a poor human rights record and there is no guarantee of a fair trial. Anyone else?
My phone bill would be hundreds of pounds a month - rather than the £15-£20 it normally is - if this happened in the UK. Over here, we get charged for making calls from our mobiles (cell phones), but the person calling my mobile is the one who gets charged for ringing me - I don't get charged for that unless I'm in a different country.
How come American consumers haven't risen up and complained about this? It seems a bit of a rip off to me.
I arrived there for the orientation class and asked what my five A levels from England meant for grading purposes in the US. The lady taking the orientation looked a little flustered and then told me there probably wasn't any point in me taking classes in anything I had an A level in as it would be a lot of the same material.
So I essentially did nothing for a year, passed a few classes that had no relation to my degree in the UK, and showed a lot of American jocks that British people can drink far too much.
There needs to be some clarification of just how many days holiday we get in the UK.
The "usual" amount for a new employee is 20 days. That can include public holidays, but often employers will give you those on top. We also have less public holidays than the US (8 versus 10).
You can also "go sick" from work without having to provide a medical certificate for durations of less than five working days. Which does give people the option of taking a day off when they just need a lie in.
The study itself though, is talking about reported illness, not people reporting that they're ill just to take the day off. Which is I think what you were inferring from it.
And, on your separate point about people not leaving the US, the reason people in the UK seem to travel more is that if we head in any direction for more than about 300miles we'd be in another country. Scotland, Ireland, Wales, France, Holland, Belgium, all just a short trip away. 300miles from where I used to live in California, I'd probably still be in California.
I was reading this report on the BBC website earlier today, and I thought then that there is always the possibility that there is a flaw in the study method itself. As the study looks at self-reported health issues, you could also draw the conclusion that people in the US are more aware of health problems than the British.
I'm British and I haven't been to the doctors in about five years. I know several people who aren't even registered with doctors. No-one I know of my age (36) has had tests for prostate cancer, checked themselves for testicular cancer or even has regular annual check-ups.
There's a possibility, IMHO, that relying on self-reporting of illness would produce this kind of result in the older generation of Brits, as they're still following the "just get on with life and don't bother the doctors" mentality of those who grew up in the aftermath of WWII.
My mother had a lot of pain in her lower back for years - when I eventually persuaded her to go to the doctors he got her to go to hospital. They did a scan of her lower back - nothing wrong with it - but noticed something wrong with one of her kidneys (it had never grown from when she was a child). So they took another scan higher up to have a better look at that. Then noticed something wrong with her liver. So they took another scan higher up and saw that she had severe cancer of the liver (despite her being a non-smoker and a very light drinker). She died about 6 weeks later.
She would never have thought of getting either her kidneys or her liver checked out. If she had then maybe she would still be alive. But, like so many people from her (and her parents) generation going to the doctor was only something you avoided as you didn't like to bother him/her.
I no longer have a bank account. I keep my cash in separate places and I'm getting a pre-pay credit card (https://www.3v.ie/)when I next go to Ireland.
Oh, and I disbelieve most things sent to me by people I don't know.
"If they wanted him down in Gitmo they would grab him in the middle of the night and fly him there"
Uh-huh. He lives in Wood Green. I wouldn't recommend letting anyone who isn't from there actually go into Wood Green in the middle of the night. They'd all die before they got to his front door.
Horrible place.
Sadly, going to Gitmo would probably be an improvement, but I can't support this extradition until he's guaranteed a fair trial in the US - which at the present time he hasn't.
Whilst I understand your unwillingness to accept this story as being an official announcement, it does seem that the Japanese newspaper that broke this have forced Sony into a "hastily organised press conference" (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4807858.stm) or so the BBC in the UK are reporting.
I think we can safely say that the PS3 has been officially delayed - at least until someone from Sony tells us differently.
"Remember, every little hurts" is a piss-take of the Tesco slogan "Every Little Helps" which grates me every time I hear it.
Tesco are also bad for the environment, as trucks delivering to Tesco in a year, which in 2002 stood at 1,150,000 deliveries, clock up a total mileage of 140 million miles (224 million km).
That is what the Kyoto Protocol is all about. Unfortunately, the US has yet to sign up to it.
And as they're one of the biggest polluters on the planet, that does have quite a significant effect on everyone: The US contains 4% of the world's population but produces about 25% of all carbon dioxide emissions (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/1820523 .stm).
Just replied to someone else's comments further up the chain, but I wholeheartedly agree that global climate change is a real and accelerating problem. The sooner everyone wises up to that fact, the more chance there is that we'll be able to do something about it, and not have the doomsday scenario Lovelock posits actually come to pass.
Slashdot Mirror
As with all too many of the UK Government's policies, this was introduced with the express intention of dealing with suspected terrorists.
Unfortunately, we Brits are about to get repeatedly hit over the head with the Terrorism Act (2000) - used recently in the case of a man who downloaded the 'Manchester Manual' from the US Department of Justice's servers, and was then arrested - and the Civil Contingencies Act - which allows the Government to suspend democratic process in a 'state of emergency'.
At the present time, the Government are also trying to push through 42 days detention without charge, despite there being no evidence to justify such an increase from the current (and already excessive) 28 days.
I am, like many people I know, looking to leave the UK for a new life abroad.
And I can only agree with her findings. Since living in the same house as me, she's been playing WoW. In that time, she's not stabbed me once.
Proof positive there I think!
Seriously though, while there's plenty of comments already about this being obvious, it does contradict some of the findings of the much vaunted Byron Report in the UK. And as the UK Government seem to be planning an entire series of laws based on the Byron Report, we badly need research like this to avoid unnecessary regulations being placed on games.
YMMV. You'd be wrong, but it may vary.
Is that a made up word?
--
silas
hobbit
From http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/infections/lung/p neumonia.html
"The viruses and bacteria that cause pneumonia are contagious and are usually found in fluid from the mouth or nose of an infected person. Illness can spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes on a person, by sharing drinking glasses and eating utensils, and when a person touches the used tissues or handkerchiefs of an infected person."
So essentially, try and avoid touching the mouse or keyboard if they're still wet with someone else's mucuus. Which is something I've been doing for years. Just in case it's not mucuus...
As the Inquirer article says, how long will it be before M$ release a "patch" which stops you turning the option off?
--
silas
Well, I'm sure the game might be, but doing it on London streets probably isn't.
The British Police have managed to shoot & kill someone for carrying a table leg (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3974461.stm); an unarmed man who they suspected of being a terrorist (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4713753.stm); and a man who was "armed" with a lighter (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1444009.stm).
There is no way on Earth that I would carry something that looked even remotely like a gun - regardless of it being highly coloured and plastic - and chase after people.
/wave
I live in England. I don't have a bank account. I don't have a credit card. My mobile phone is pay-as-you-go and not registered at the address I live at. In fact, I'm not registered at the address I live at either.
Yet I'm probably on CCTV cameras about 300 times a day as I live and work in the Greater London area.
Oh, and if you're planning on paying in coins, remember you can't pay more than 20p in coppers to anyone in the UK because of the Coinage Act of 1971.
I shouldn't be, as this Government has been the bitch of Dubya since he hit office.
I tried getting the email address of the Home Secretary, John Reid, but all I can find is this:
public.enquiries@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
I'm mailing them to ask why they consider McKinnon suitable for extradition given that the US has a poor human rights record and there is no guarantee of a fair trial. Anyone else?
Oh dear God!
My phone bill would be hundreds of pounds a month - rather than the £15-£20 it normally is - if this happened in the UK. Over here, we get charged for making calls from our mobiles (cell phones), but the person calling my mobile is the one who gets charged for ringing me - I don't get charged for that unless I'm in a different country.
How come American consumers haven't risen up and complained about this? It seems a bit of a rip off to me.
--
silas
I am SO disappointed. I was hoping it would be the real thing.
That would've been entertaining.
You might want to reinforce the footings for those racks before you.. *WHINE* *ROAR* *CRASH*
--
silas
Well, the UK has been doing this for a little while, in Newcastle anyway.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4563607.stm & http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn6272
So, I'm guessing it's not banned in the UK - under certain conditions at least.
--
silas
I'm a Brit and I did a year at UC Irvine.
I arrived there for the orientation class and asked what my five A levels from England meant for grading purposes in the US. The lady taking the orientation looked a little flustered and then told me there probably wasn't any point in me taking classes in anything I had an A level in as it would be a lot of the same material.
So I essentially did nothing for a year, passed a few classes that had no relation to my degree in the UK, and showed a lot of American jocks that British people can drink far too much.
--
silas
Yes, and they also have canned drinks machines that are heated, so the can comes out hot - and thus the contents are as well.
Which was very handy on a cold day in Nikko station. Hot coffee and a hand warmer in one!
--
silas
It's about bleeding time.
--
silas
There needs to be some clarification of just how many days holiday we get in the UK.
The "usual" amount for a new employee is 20 days. That can include public holidays, but often employers will give you those on top. We also have less public holidays than the US (8 versus 10).
You can also "go sick" from work without having to provide a medical certificate for durations of less than five working days. Which does give people the option of taking a day off when they just need a lie in.
The study itself though, is talking about reported illness, not people reporting that they're ill just to take the day off. Which is I think what you were inferring from it.
And, on your separate point about people not leaving the US, the reason people in the UK seem to travel more is that if we head in any direction for more than about 300miles we'd be in another country. Scotland, Ireland, Wales, France, Holland, Belgium, all just a short trip away. 300miles from where I used to live in California, I'd probably still be in California.
YMMV
--
silas
I was reading this report on the BBC website earlier today, and I thought then that there is always the possibility that there is a flaw in the study method itself. As the study looks at self-reported health issues, you could also draw the conclusion that people in the US are more aware of health problems than the British.
I'm British and I haven't been to the doctors in about five years. I know several people who aren't even registered with doctors. No-one I know of my age (36) has had tests for prostate cancer, checked themselves for testicular cancer or even has regular annual check-ups.
There's a possibility, IMHO, that relying on self-reporting of illness would produce this kind of result in the older generation of Brits, as they're still following the "just get on with life and don't bother the doctors" mentality of those who grew up in the aftermath of WWII.
My mother had a lot of pain in her lower back for years - when I eventually persuaded her to go to the doctors he got her to go to hospital. They did a scan of her lower back - nothing wrong with it - but noticed something wrong with one of her kidneys (it had never grown from when she was a child). So they took another scan higher up to have a better look at that. Then noticed something wrong with her liver. So they took another scan higher up and saw that she had severe cancer of the liver (despite her being a non-smoker and a very light drinker). She died about 6 weeks later.
She would never have thought of getting either her kidneys or her liver checked out. If she had then maybe she would still be alive. But, like so many people from her (and her parents) generation going to the doctor was only something you avoided as you didn't like to bother him/her.
As usual, your views may vary.
--
silas
I think my approach is safer.
I no longer have a bank account. I keep my cash in separate places and I'm getting a pre-pay credit card (https://www.3v.ie/)when I next go to Ireland.
Oh, and I disbelieve most things sent to me by people I don't know.
YMMV
"If they wanted him down in Gitmo they would grab him in the middle of the night and fly him there"
Uh-huh. He lives in Wood Green. I wouldn't recommend letting anyone who isn't from there actually go into Wood Green in the middle of the night. They'd all die before they got to his front door.
Horrible place.
Sadly, going to Gitmo would probably be an improvement, but I can't support this extradition until he's guaranteed a fair trial in the US - which at the present time he hasn't.
Whilst I understand your unwillingness to accept this story as being an official announcement, it does seem that the Japanese newspaper that broke this have forced Sony into a "hastily organised press conference" (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4807858.stm ) or so the BBC in the UK are reporting.
I think we can safely say that the PS3 has been officially delayed - at least until someone from Sony tells us differently.
--
silas
Damn my slow fingers. I was about to post the same link!
I only had it for the ZX Spectrum. I didn't actually know it was out on the ZX81 previously.
--
silas
That would be 3D Monster Maze. Although I recall it being on the 16K ZX Spectrum.
And yes, I did play it.
You could also stop the game by pressing Break or something. I forget - as it was like 1983/4 when this was out.
HTH
--
silas
Man, if I could mod you higher than a 5 I would.
That made me spit coffee all over my monitor.
Well done for making me laugh so hard.
--
silas
Trust me, there are a small but growing number of people in the UK who are horrified at the amount of money Tesco makes.
http://www.tescopoly.org/
"Remember, every little hurts" is a piss-take of the Tesco slogan "Every Little Helps" which grates me every time I hear it.
Tesco are also bad for the environment, as trucks delivering to Tesco in a year, which in 2002 stood at 1,150,000 deliveries, clock up a total mileage of 140 million miles (224 million km).
--
silas
hobbit
That is what the Kyoto Protocol is all about. Unfortunately, the US has yet to sign up to it.
3 .stm).
And as they're one of the biggest polluters on the planet, that does have quite a significant effect on everyone: The US contains 4% of the world's population but produces about 25% of all carbon dioxide emissions (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/182052
--
silas
hobbit
Could not agree more.
Just replied to someone else's comments further up the chain, but I wholeheartedly agree that global climate change is a real and accelerating problem. The sooner everyone wises up to that fact, the more chance there is that we'll be able to do something about it, and not have the doomsday scenario Lovelock posits actually come to pass.
--
silas
hobbit