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About 2.5 pedestrians a year are killed by cyclists, 400 by motorised vehicles. 80% of accidents between cars and cyclists are the drivers fault, and almost 100% of the time the cyclist comes off worst. But let's demonise the people with firm buttocks. But yeah, fuck scooter riders.

@Toth - I think you need tenure. Then you can get a therapist, and then you can be in a better place. You know what? It’s good on you that you are self aware and know that you aren’t in a good space, and you’re stepping back. I'm currently in a sleep deprived dissociative state which is absolutely FASCINATING and I also don’t recommend. Stone cold sober and in a state. A state that should not be experienced by anyone. I am thinking of selling everything and trying to go to law school, because YOLO? Also, our securities attorneys are charging big bucks for things like “a” vs “an” that I would have seen were I not sleep deprived. I have General Counsel, every Trout attorney with whom I have interacted (except for the second ex husband’s father, he is a Trout senior partner who has not opined, but….he’s retired?), Former GC-now-CEO at another company who would back me on character and fitness…and maybe others who would go to bat on character and fitness for me?? I am probably more terrified of character and fitness than I need to be? I’m like, “omg, I have done THINGS with people and god knows what my mother would have thought” as well as Traffic Incidents and the thing 30 years ago. we are moving from a dissociative state to “I really might need to fall asleep and where am I and am I really ok?” And we will see because there’s a lot of stuff going on, and I’m gonna go get last call right now and not wake up until I do. And The Doctor is….well, last call right now, and I’m walking so…

Oh, thank goodness, I thought it would have been annoying as I'd messed up two questions. I guess it's all good if you enjoyed. Pun? Dead tricky, tricky dead. Anyway. Take your time.

Bruh JonCon was in the friendzone. If Jace/Cregan is true, I’m not sure how I feel about it. It all depends on the execution, I suppose. They’re not really hyping up their relationship though. On a different note, someone on Reddit was able to figure out that the woman comforting Aemond in the trailer is the brothel Madame from last season based on a scar on her hand. Gotta love the internet.

I do not think it ever will. What is it now, 13 years since ADWD was released? I truly think the best way to approach ASOIAF is to just view the first three books as a trilogy, and pretend like AFFC, ADWD, and especially the tv series don't exist. I know people have said if you only view it as a trilogy, then it really isn't the story that George is trying to tell. But what alternative do we have? An incomplete story? I really wish George would tell the fandom he doesn't have it in him to finish the series, and then he can enjoy his life without constant pestering about whether he working on TWOW. I will always treasure the first three books, and those books sparked me into reading tons of other great fantasy series. I can live with that.

Indeed he does, how dare he hurt poor Myrcella? I never knew about the last two. Do you believe in any? I don't, although there must be something more to the Septa... Marry Mellario of Norvos Bang Ashara Dayne Kill Wenda the White Fawn Next: some more minor characters I like \ find interesting Addam Marbrand, Nimble Dick, Yoren

So are we going to get Dallas, Denver, NY and Boston as the final four? Seems that we’re likely going to have Boston vs Denver finals.

I don't think anyone here would claim that a 'snap' is artistic. Facebook pages are full of selfies and snaps of people's lunch that are utterly devoid of any artistic merit. But there's a world of difference between a soulless snap and an artistic photograph; in the same way there's a qualitative difference between a picture scribbled in crayon by a four-year-old and a Van Gogh masterpiece. My contention is that the gulf in talent required to evolve from the toddler's scribble to a masterpiece, or a rando's Instagram snap to an Ansel Adams photograph is hugely greater than the talent needed to write a 10-word prompt and a hundred-word prompt. A further analogy. I'm currently writing a novel. I've faffed around for months with AI to assist me, finally concluding the results are too poor to be useful. But even if/when the quality of AI for writing improves, the improvement in my ability to write detailed prompts does not in itself put me on a par with George RR Martin!

No I don't think so, but what we measure as skill and merit worthy changes by medium. It takes an artist years of training and practice to be able to paint a photo realistic image. Whereas anyone even a young child can create dozens in a few seconds by clicking a camera button. The talent in AI art often involves training your own model to get a unique result you want rather than as you said creating a ripoff mashup of artists styles, which anyone can do.

I think I mentioned above, when Bing Image Creator was released, I "created" some art that looks fantastic. I typed in a prompt such as 'Van Gogh's Starry Night in the style of Salvador Dali'. Each "creation" took me 10 seconds. Do I have a right to be mentioned alongside Hokkusai, Munch, Van Gogh or Dali? Same with photographers - the skill and experience required to get the perfect photograph is just not comparable with typing a few words and getting an uncredited rip-off of photographic artists' talent and labour.

I don't see the difference really, both AI art and Photography are using a machine to create art. If I told you photography can't be art because it's just a machine doing the work you'd find that ridiculous as you should. But I don't see why we should categorically declare AI creations not art.

They don't but it's just going to be too hard to pull off Trumps not gonna be allowed to be a candidate and that will be the that. The time to overthrow American democracy was 2020 if it didn't happen then it's not happening.

HOI - Its not exactly revelatory that someone who agrees with all the culture war shit would approve of them smashing the culture war button. To throw back to the King Charles portrait from last thread I actually really like it as a work of art, but its a bit of a weird choice as an official monarch portrait. Also I had no idea he was an Elden Ring fan, going with the Lake of Rot was a bold choice.

Enjoying The Veil (Hulu) quite a lot. Elizabeth Moss as Imogen Salter eating the scenery in her joy of no longer being a Handmaid, but a Real Badass. Her opposite, Adilah El Idrissi, played by the actress, Yumna Marwan, is equally capable of holding a screen and the viewer's attention. In the mode of international spy-secret agents-thriller tales, this is working very well. We get the Syrian-Iranian border, Turkey, Paris, London -- all works for me. And the CIA, as represented by Josh Charles, as Max Peterson, are idiots. This latter I'm not quite buying, of course, in the wake of 10/07/23. However, I can buy into the CIA runners as obnoxious as Peterson though.

Wake the Dragon has been a reliable leaker, but she’s now implying that Cregan and Jace were good friends the way that Jon Connington and Rhaegar were…good friends.

Then how did she get the sheep? How did she get the sheep? (sarcasm)

Dog walk of shame or the trip was a lie!

Very nice.

FYI, 97's season final, has a post credit scene.

Fantastic!

After much research and deliberation, I have decided to get my new set of chompers in the beautiful nation of Croatia. The clinic I have chosen is a quarter of the price of London dentists, and the facilities look world class. I shall be travelling in the next couple of weeks. Never been to Croatia before. Might go and have a look at Kings Landing.

Rhaegar was pretty good at combat but he would make a bad king. A guy who isn't interested in learning the job won't be good at it. Varys is looking at it from the eyes of the common folk. He wants somebody who will keep the order and give Westeros the rest it needs so people can live. Rhaegar is more interested in his music. Varys wasn't looking to start a revolution. He just wants the kingdom to keep on being stable. Aerys gave Westeros many years of stable governance. We have to assume Varys had enough time to observe Rhaegar and think he's not the one. The son being young can be trained and molded. And we don't know if Varys saved the boy with plans to put him on the throne. I don't think he did. Varys was loyal to the Targaryens and he would try to save all of them if he could. Prince Viserys became King Viserys on that day when Queen Rhaella gave him the crown.

Doesn't seem to matter. Thing is it should be a hot take if voters were sane.

It's the Clear and Obvious bullshit that allows them to do their mates a favour.

I recommend my own thread. https://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php?/topic/161709-daenerys-targaryen-is-a-better-leader-than-jon-snow/