Making the news today....

[Johnsond]

24 minutes ago, Welshfred said:

I always fancied swapping out the R for a W on one of those, tyre extinguishers style, just for kicks. It works with two others as well, Thunder (C for T) and Warrior (a for o, sort of). Anyone got any more? 

Buy one and do it then if it’s what you want. You only live once. 

[Welshfred]

10 hours ago, sime42 said:

Well, there's the obvious Investment Banker, (W for B). If I've understood the game correctly.

 

 

 

I'm referring to 4x4s with macho names that have comedy value were one to change a single letter

[Oldfeller]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1lz2rg0923o

 

no way for honest surgeons, and engineers to carry on is it?

 

 

Edited January 28 by Oldfeller

[Mick Dempsey]

18 hours ago, Welshfred said:

I always fancied swapping out the R for a W on one of those, tyre extinguishers style, just for kicks. It works with two others as well, Thunder (C for T) and Warrior (o for a, sort of). Anyone got any more? 

Craptor.

Anorak.

 

Edited January 28 by Mick Dempsey

[Mark J]

21 hours ago, Welshfred said:

I always fancied swapping out the R for a W on one of those, tyre extinguishers style, just for kicks. It works with two others as well, Thunder (C for T) and Warrior (o for a, sort of). Anyone got any more? 

Mildtrak.

Edited January 28 by Mark J
.

[Doug Tait]

Childtrak if it's on the school run.

[Mark J]

.

Edited January 28 by Mark J
.

[Squaredy]

On 27/01/2026 at 19:39, sime42 said:

It’s naïve to consider him to be even slightly altruistic. He does very well, at the expense of everyone else.

I have not suggested Mr Musk or any other entrepreneur is altruistic.  What I said is that he has made his billions by providing something people want.  If you have a minute look at the vacancies page on the SpaceX website.  There are hundreds of current vacancies.  He employs about 120,000 people and most are on six figure salaries.

 

My view is that commerce is what ultimately creates wealth.  Governments do not.  The greatest achievement in history of taking people out of poverty is 800,000 in a quarter of a century.  This happened in China this century and it was all down to commerce.  Aided and abetted by government of course, but actually brought about by thousands of entrepreneurs.

 

Whether you like Musk’s politics or not he has made a huge contribution to wealth, not just his own.

 

I can’t comment on Grok as I don’t use it.  I see a place for AI; though I also see challenges as with all the major developments of the last couple of hundred years.

 

I do agree political divisions are getting deeper.  And for some reason most people seem unable to discuss and debate these matters in a civil manner which I think is a loss to everyone.  I suspect you and I would not agree what is driving all this though!

[Mark J]

15 minutes ago, Squaredy said:

I have not suggested Mr Musk or any other entrepreneur is altruistic.  What I said is that he has made his billions by providing something people want.  If you have a minute look at the vacancies page on the SpaceX website.  There are hundreds of current vacancies.  He employs about 120,000 people and most are on six figure salaries.

 

My view is that commerce is what ultimately creates wealth.  Governments do not.  The greatest achievement in history of taking people out of poverty is 800,000 in a quarter of a century.  This happened in China this century and it was all down to commerce.  Aided and abetted by government of course, but actually brought about by thousands of entrepreneurs.

 

Whether you like Musk’s politics or not he has made a huge contribution to wealth, not just his own.

 

I can’t comment on Grok as I don’t use it.  I see a place for AI; though I also see challenges as with all the major developments of the last couple of hundred years.

 

I do agree political divisions are getting deeper.  And for some reason most people seem unable to discuss and debate these matters in a civil manner which I think is a loss to everyone.  I suspect you and I would not agree what is driving all this though!

Aye,

My perspective is that the axis has shifted such that those who have wealth will accumulate more and more in an exponential fashion, while everyone else pays for the other side of that coin.

That isn't going to end well.

I agree, the whole left/right thing is tiring. They're (politicians) either tossers or not, tie colour matters not. 

I also think approaching someone's view from the basis they are right or left helps nobody. We all mostly have common ground. 

[Steven P]

I am kind of with what Mark has been saying, once you have enough in the bank that you will never spend it in your life, why keep accumulating the wealth? Why not do some good with it? Gates is planning to give most of his away (probably paying for the microchips in free vaccines so that the lizard people can control us). He could be dong a lot to ease poverty.

 

Governments have no incentive to ease poverty of course, it is a perpetual election promise to eradicate it, and yet, all these years later, it will be on the next manifesto to "lift 1,200,00,000 children out of poverty" (partly the way they measure poverty by relative poverty - being a percent of the average wage, and not absolute poverty - like do you live somewhere safe and have food and heating (which just embarrasses them because in the UK there are still families in absolute poverty taking a choice of who should get dinner tonight, or put the heating on).. so am with you there, up to companies to employ... and the minimum wage should mean those who work full time do not live in absolute poverty (but still in relative poverty)

 

Anyway, was going for a short post and got side tracked, am going to disagree with your last sentance here:

53 minutes ago, Squaredy said:

I do agree political divisions are getting deeper.  And for some reason most people seem unable to discuss and debate these matters in a civil manner which I think is a loss to everyone.  I suspect you and I would not agree what is driving all this though!

 

I reckon most of us would have some agreement that the political divisions are deepened by the massive increase in 'news' channels out there that have multiplied in the last few years. GB news being one... but at least they have OffCom watching over them to keep them from being too mental - it is the online ones like Linkedin and Twatter who sell themselves as opinions but people take them as news of the state of the world - I reckon most of us would go with them being a part of cause of political divisions.