Off Topic Thread 4.0

thomond2006

Stheno wrote: »

I've worked with Americans in the past who have scripture quotes in their email signs

Usually of the "repent or you will die a miserable death" variety

It had an incredible affect on my view of them

They're the most non-secular secular state out there.

Panda Killa

Panda Killa wrote: »

His popularity amongst the people..esp southern states is at an all-time high...even questioning anything he does gets you called a commie liberal

I don't know if as a country they will be able to pull together through this and if they don't the very concept of a 'United' States could legitimately come under threat.

Regardless their international reputation is in absolute tatters and much of the population are hopelessly bent on supporting destructive and nonsensical politics. I don't see any fix from here and if anything, the aftermath of this is going to make things much much worse.

It's telling that the two developed countries with the worst track record managing this virus have both recently been taken over by right wing populists. And I don't think the idiot voting bases will ever ask hard questions of their own decision making - you can already see the same distortion of information that happened prior to Brexit and the recent UK general election on social media.

People who are very good at manipulating the electorate are, in an astonishing twist, terrible at actually running a country.

Yeah_Right

sydthebeat wrote: »

panic pornmunchers

I love it. So accurately describes some my wife's family. I've can't count how many times I've thought about leaving the family WhatsApp group due to some of the ****e they forward.

Panda Killa

Yeah_Right wrote: »

I love it. So accurately describes some my wife's family. I've can't count how many times I've thought about leaving the family WhatsApp group due to some of the ****e they forward.

It's the Coronavirus /5g link that is driving me loopy at the moment...5g caused Coronavirus ..and they can offer proof!!... *Delete & block*

Neil3030

All jokes aside this raises an important question for me.

What is the cognitive/neural/evolutionary mechanism that prohibits us from:

"Well look at that, this person is just plain wrong. Anyway, on I go with my day. <whistles cheerfully>"

Neil3030

Neil3030 wrote: »

All jokes aside this raises an important question for me.

What is the cognitive/neural/evolutionary mechanism that prohibits us from:

"Well look at that, this person is just plain wrong. Anyway, on I go with my day. <whistles cheerfully>"

I think part of the problem is that people who have interesting and informed things to say don't bother to say them on social media as it's a negative and willful audience for the most part so why bother. There are plenty of people I know who I would consider intelligent, informed and excellent communicators but do I ever see them debating on facebook? No.

Neil3030

Deleted User wrote: »

I think part of the problem is that people who have interesting and informed things to say don't bother to say them on social media as it's a negative and willful audience for the most part so why bother. There are plenty of people I know who I would consider intelligent, informed and excellent communicators but do I ever see them debating on facebook? No.

So why so much frustration when these views conflict with either our opinions or outright fact? We know these are not the people we should be listening to anyway, yet still we're compelled to engage...

Stheno

Panda Killa wrote: »

It's the Coronavirus /5g link that is driving me loopy at the moment...5g caused Coronavirus ..and they can offer proof!!... *Delete & block*

Is that really a thing?

My social media footprint is small enough si I usually avoid such craziness

Neil3030

Neil3030 wrote: »

So why so much frustration when these views conflict with either our opinions or outright fact? We know these are not the people we should be listening to anyway, yet still we're compelled to engage...

It's a combination of a lot of things. The most obvious factor is that when something is wrong or we perceive it as incorrect we naturally try and correct it and hence reply to a post.

In the current climate given how weaponized misinformation has become, and the damage it can do (Trump / Brexit) there is also an almost civic sense motivating the replies in the hope that the rot can be slowed or stopped.

There is an information war being waged and decency and common sense are losing badly.

swiwi_

Sunny clear skies, not too far from 20 degrees, jazz playing, leffe beer, OH cooking roasted asparagus with walnuts and haloumi which will be combined with a white wine (dôle Blanche) from one of the village winemakers, lawn mowed, winter tires replaced with summer tires, gonna watch “safety last” with the kids (speaking of silent movies nothing beats Metropolis, it’s an awesome film), can’t let the virus get us down!

sydthebeat

Yeah_Right wrote: »

I love it. So accurately describes some my wife's family. I've can't count how many times I've thought about leaving the family WhatsApp group due to some of the ****e they forward.

The mute button on WhatsApp is the best invention ever. I've the in laws family group on mute... Every so often I'll open it, 100+ posts.... Straight scroll to the end....

I've a brother in law in the middle east who comes out with the most stupid conspiracy stuff... And another who smokes more green than snoop who's just as bad.
Of course, everything they say it's "fact" and we're all blind

Stheno

sydthebeat wrote: »

The mute button on WhatsApp is the best invention ever. I've the in laws family group on mute... Every so often I'll open it, 100+ posts.... Straight scroll to the end....

I've a brother in law in the middle east who comes out with the most stupid conspiracy stuff... And another who smokes more green than snoop who's just as bad.
Of course, everything they say it's "fact" and we're all blind

Can you mute individuals in a group?

sydthebeat

Stheno wrote: »

Can you mute individuals in a group?

Never done it, but according to whatsapp

Mute notifications
Select an individual or group chat.
Press Options > Mute.
Select the length of time you'd like to mute notifications for.
Press OK.
Alternatively, open the individual or group chat. Press Options > View contact or Group info > Mute notifications. Select the length of time you'd like to mute notifications, then press OK.

Bazzo

Stheno wrote: »

Is that really a thing?

My social media footprint is small enough si I usually avoid such craziness

Some morons have actually been setting fire to phone masts here. These are the sort of ****ing cretins you're dealing with...

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/apr/04/uk-phone-masts-attacked-amid-5g-coronavirus-conspiracy-theory

Panda Killa

Stheno wrote: »

Is that really a thing?

My social media footprint is small enough si I usually avoid such craziness

Not an isolated post...esp in the last 10 days

sydthebeat

sydthebeat wrote: »

Never done it, but according to whatsapp

Mute notifications
Select an individual or group chat.
Press Options > Mute.
Select the length of time you'd like to mute notifications for.
Press OK.
Alternatively, open the individual or group chat. Press Options > View contact or Group info > Mute notifications. Select the length of time you'd like to mute notifications, then press OK.

I have every group set to mute like that. You can always catch up when you open the app. No need for all the notifications.

Stheno

Stheno wrote: »

Is that really a thing?

My social media footprint is small enough si I usually avoid such craziness

Google Jim Corr if you want a laugh. He's fully lost it.

Stheno

Stheno wrote: »

Is that really a thing?

My social media footprint is small enough si I usually avoid such craziness

Google Jim Corr if you want a laugh. He's fully lost it.

Stheno

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Google Jim Corr if you want a laugh. He's fully lost it.

I've seen some of his tweets alright on the covid thread, comes across mad as a box of frogs

For any of you who find the covid thread bad for your mental health, please dont go into it. On top of the usual "my girlfriends aunts brother in law heard from aliens that this is punishment for climate change" bolloxology, the posters* in there appear to have lost basic skills such as reading comprehension, maths and the ability to google, leading to vast swathes of hysteria, scaremongering and misinformation, which when corrected leads to even more of the same

*not all, but a sizeable minority

Stheno

Stheno wrote: »

I've seen some of his tweets alright on the covid thread, comes across mad as a box of frogs

For any of you who find the covid thread bad for your mental health, please dont go into it. On top of the usual "my girlfriends aunts brother in law heard from aliens that this is punishment for climate change" bolloxology, the posters* in there appear to have lost basic skills such as reading comprehension, maths and the ability to google, leading to vast swathes of hysteria, scaremongering and misinformation, which when corrected leads to even more of the same

*not all, but a sizeable minority

It's an interesting thread. If you removed the 10% of posters who are either trolling or have an agenda it would be quite informative.

Clegg

*sigh*

My mental health has been getting better over the last week. So went for a run this evening and nearly ran into someone coming the other way from around the corner. Still managed to dodge and give about 5 feet before rejoining the path. But if he has teh virus I just breathed in his exhalation.

Another week of anxiety beckons. Think I'll just not go outside until this is over.

sydthebeat

Clegg wrote: »

*sigh*

My mental health has been getting better over the last week. So went for a run this evening and nearly ran into someone coming the other way from around the corner. Still managed to dodge and give about 5 feet before rejoining the path. But if he has teh virus I just breathed in his exhalation.

Another week of anxiety beckons. Think I'll just not go outside until this is over.

To be honest, we're a week into a hard lockdown, and three weeks into social isolation...
If the other person was out running its very very unlikely they would have been carrying the virus.

Put on top of that the briefness of the interaction.. And the fact there was no contact.

And put on top of that again the fact that there is no concrete evidence that the disease is air borne through respiration. Some experiments have shown that it can be, under some circumstances of heat and humidity, in an indoor situation.

In brief, youre grand

Clegg

sydthebeat wrote: »

To be honest, we're a week into a hard lockdown, and three weeks into social isolation...
If the other person was out running its very very unlikely they would have been carrying the virus.

Put on top of that the briefness of the interaction.. And the fact there was no contact.

And put on top of that again the fact that there is no concrete evidence that the disease is air borne through respiration. Some experiments have shown that it can be, under some circumstances of heat and humidity, in an indoor situation.

In brief, youre grand

Thanks. I was thinking the very same thing. But when my anxiety ratchets up I can't process properly. And I know I'll still be worrying about this for a while regardless. When these restrictions are relaxed I'm going to have to speak to someone about all this.

sydthebeat

Clegg wrote: »

Thanks. I was thinking the very same thing. But when my anxiety ratchets up I can't process properly. And I know I'll still be worrying about this for a while regardless. When these restrictions are relaxed I'm going to have to speak to someone about all this.

Dr Eddie Murphy does a face book session every so often, and they are available there on play back.... Might be worth a watch just for some peace of mind.

Stheno

[Deleted User] wrote: »

It's an interesting thread. If you removed the 10% of posters who are either trolling or have an agenda it would be quite informative.

True, it's the ratio of noise that's a pain

Stheno

Clegg wrote: »

Thanks. I was thinking the very same thing. But when my anxiety ratchets up I can't process properly. And I know I'll still be worrying about this for a while regardless. When these restrictions are relaxed I'm going to have to speak to someone about all this.

Clegg do you have private health insurance if you dont mind me asking?

Clegg

Stheno wrote: »

Clegg do you have private health insurance if you dont mind me asking?

Yep

Stheno

Clegg wrote: »

Yep

If you dont mind me suggesting it check your providers website. I'm with Irish Life and they always had the video/phone doctor service, but they now have mental health professionals you can book appointments with by phone specifically around anxiety related to this crappy virus

And as others have said before dont be afraid to post on here. I was out grocery shopping last Monday and a teenage kid with his mother accidentally bumped into me (I think he may have had a disability of some sort) I literally jumped back and spent a few minutes being a bit panicked, it's natural at the moment

Try not to let it overwhelm you

Take care:)

Neil3030

Clegg, want to do an experiment?

The autonomic stress system works like a ying and yang - sympathetics amp you up, parasympathetics chill you out.

According to this study, acclimatising to cold temperature, 2 hours a day for 2 weeks, led to prolonged increased in parasympathetic activity (i.e., the result you want if your anxious).

In this study the "cold" condition was 10C, so maybe a shorter, colder daily exposure might do the trick?

What do you say - cold shower every day for 10 mins, and report back how it affects your anxiety levels?

More here on other ways to increase parasympathetic activity (mediated via the vagus nerve); not surprisingly, deep slow breathing is another way.

Panda Killa

You were asking earlier Stheno

https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-celebrities-criticised-for-fanning-the-flames-of-5g-conspiracies-11968570?fbclid=IwAR3O8h0ziLmXB0OLVop-81hdwQhjGRSthq8izUff7qlJENbsPxWkEncTLkw

Squidgy Black

Panda Killa wrote: »

You were asking earlier Stheno

https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-celebrities-criticised-for-fanning-the-flames-of-5g-conspiracies-11968570?fbclid=IwAR3O8h0ziLmXB0OLVop-81hdwQhjGRSthq8izUff7qlJENbsPxWkEncTLkw

The amount of this stuff going around is hilarious. There was one circulating that the clap for the nurses and front liners at 8pm most nights was to allow the new 5g masts they were putting up to 'emit a loud signal as part of their setup' and that the government was pushing the clap thing to cover the sound up.

stephen_n

Clegg wrote: »

I've come to the conclusion that there is a minority of ppl in the Covid thread who are deliberately trying to spread fear and worry in others.

We know the testing numbers aren't high enough which is a problem. The number of ppl with the virus is higher than the reported figure. But they're completely ignoring the effects of this social distancing/quarantine in mitigating the spread.

There are some people who manage their anxiety by projecting it on to others. The internet is full of them at the moment, best to be put on ignore.

Bazzo

sydthebeat wrote: »

Dr Eddie Murphy does a face book session every so often, and they are available there on play back.... Might be worth a watch just for some peace of mind.

I'm sorry but... Dr Eddie Murphy?

Podge_irl

Neil3030 wrote: »

Clegg, want to do an experiment?

The autonomic stress system works like a ying and yang - sympathetics amp you up, parasympathetics chill you out.

According to this study, acclimatising to cold temperature, 2 hours a day for 2 weeks, led to prolonged increased in parasympathetic activity (i.e., the result you want if your anxious).

In this study the "cold" condition was 10C, so maybe a shorter, colder daily exposure might do the trick?

What do you say - cold shower every day for 10 mins, and report back how it affects your anxiety levels?

More here on other ways to increase parasympathetic activity (mediated via the vagus nerve); not surprisingly, deep slow breathing is another way.

Trust the Finns to suggest cold as the solution to everything.

mfceiling

mfceiling wrote: »

Did any of you watch The Line of Duty?

Just started season 3 last night and i have to say it's very good.

Aaaaaand Netflix have taken it down. Brilliant.
16 quid to watch the last 2 episodes on the sky store, plus 16 quid for series 4 and 16 quid for series 5.
Thanks Netflix. Thanks a fùcking bunch.

Dave_The_Sheep

mfceiling wrote: »

Aaaaaand Netflix have taken it down. Brilliant.
16 quid to watch the last 2 episodes on the sky store, plus 16 quid for series 4 and 16 quid for series 5.
Thanks Netflix. Thanks a fùcking bunch.

Just go searching on the high seas, won't be hard to find at all. If you've any trouble, drop me a PM.

Neil3030

Deleted User wrote: »

It's a combination of a lot of things. The most obvious factor is that when something is wrong or we perceive it as incorrect we naturally try and correct it and hence reply to a post.

That's exactly it - but the question is why? Why does it matter?

In the current climate given how weaponized misinformation has become, and the damage it can do (Trump / Brexit) there is also an almost civic sense motivating the replies in the hope that the rot can be slowed or stopped.

True, but this impulse long preceded the misinformation age of the last few years. Know Your Meme dates that "SOMEONE ON THE INTERNET IS WRONG" to 2012, for example.

There is an information war being waged and decency and common sense are losing badly.

Sure, nowadays, many might be considering the harm of misinformation when they see outright lies being spread, but the bulk of people jump in to all kinds of debates. Public consensus on the Kearney brothers probably won't impact too strongly on Western democracy as we know it, but damn it's hard to ignore the trolls.

CatFromHue

You make a good point there Neil.

Covid 19 spreads through droplets in the air and our greatest ever player for catching things in the air is no longer getting game time.

Larmour has his fancy footwork to evade it but as a society we need the reassuring aerial ability of Kearney.

Zzippy

Neil3030 wrote: »

Sure, nowadays, many might be considering the harm of misinformation when they see outright lies being spread, but the bulk of people jump in to all kinds of debates. Public consensus on the Kearney brothers probably won't impact too strongly on Western democracy as we know it, but damn it's hard to ignore the trolls.

I heard Rob Kearney is not practising social distancing. The cad...

The Kearney's have to stay at home and clean constantly. They've quite literally never been happier.

Clegg

Hi lads. Thanks for your kind words yesterday. They helped set my mind at ease. I'll also take on board the suggestions give re: helping with anxiety.

Clegg

Stheno wrote: »

If you dont mind me suggesting it check your providers website. I'm with Irish Life and they always had the video/phone doctor service, but they now have mental health professionals you can book appointments with by phone specifically around anxiety related to this crappy virus

And as others have said before dont be afraid to post on here. I was out grocery shopping last Monday and a teenage kid with his mother accidentally bumped into me (I think he may have had a disability of some sort) I literally jumped back and spent a few minutes being a bit panicked, it's natural at the moment

Try not to let it overwhelm you

Take care:)

The above is an excellent suggestion and I'll look into it. I think my job also provides an out of hours helpline service run by a charity or health org. What you wrote brought that back to my mind.

Richie_Rich89

Queen's speech on now. RTE don't seem to be covering it.

connemara man

Richie_Rich89 wrote: »

Queen's speech on now. RTE don't seem to be covering it.

swiwi_

Bazzo

Richie_Rich89 wrote: »

Queen's speech on now. RTE don't seem to be covering it.

Why would they be??

Squidgy Black

Bojo been brought into hospital 10 days after testing positive as apparently his symptoms have gotten worse.

I feel like this would be the perfect scenario for one of those curb your enthusiasm memes with all of his statements leading up to this

Stheno

Squidgy Black wrote: »

Bojo been brought into hospital 10 days after testing positive as apparently his symptoms have gotten worse.

I feel like this would be the perfect scenario for one of those curb your enthusiasm memes with all of his statements leading up to this

I'd worry it would spark mass panic in the UK if he dies

stephen_n

Squidgy Black wrote: »

Bojo been brought into hospital 10 days after testing positive as apparently his symptoms have gotten worse.

I feel like this would be the perfect scenario for one of those curb your enthusiasm memes with all of his statements leading up to this

On a human level I really hope he is alright and also his pregnant partner is reportedly sick too.

Stheno

stephen_n wrote: »

On a human level I really hope he is alright and also his pregnant partner is reportedly sick too.

Same here