BRFR Cake Stop 'breaking news' miscellany

[C R]

I put in qualifiers there for that reason. I'm not making out that the entire industrial revolution was lacy doilies and glee clubs.
But look at Bourneville, Fry's etc, and then show me the modern day equivalents. Sure, they weren't doing it for completely altruistic reasons, rather to keep the workers productive (and sober), but show me a modern-day equivalent of those sorts of efforts (obviously an immediate cost to the shareholders), and maybe I'll be less harsh on today's capitalism.

Bournville and Fry's were the exceptions, it took a very long time for the riches to trickle down to the masses.

 

[Ian H]

I really have no sympathy for any investors losing money on this. Anyone paying attention would know that space x is vapourware.

Oh, I've got none at all either. But the broader point remains that this kind of gross distortion isn't a good advert for capitalism as it's working in 2026. In contrast, the Industrial Revolution often managed it far better, with the rich businesses investing in schemes that not only made their businesses more profitable, but (in the better examples) did that by improving the lot of the workers, with social housing, libraries, brass bands and choral societies etc. 'Late stage capitalism' seems to be predicated on utterly screwing everyone else for every $ (e.g. Amazon workers having to claim all sorts of benefits just to survive).

You've got the rose -tints on today.

 

[Pinno718]

Musk has based his entire projects on future innovation but let's break that down:

1. We were supposed to be on Mars this year.

2. There has been no new Tesla model for... I forget (including the MK2 sportscar that was after the 1st one which was 4 years late and this one is about the same). Other manufacturers have caught up and superseded the Tesla in whatever form representing far better range and VFM. Tesla profits are so sh*t he's propping up the company by merging Tesla into the more profitable ventures.

3. The self drive software that was supposed to be spinning us around in utopia has failed and no one wants it as yet. Even a republican backed judiciary refuse to sign it off.

4. The Cyber truck was so bad, the US army still refused to purchase hundred of thousands of them despite huge backhanders and incentives to do so. In terms of car production, it is by far the biggest flop of the 21st century and if you take R&D cand marketing costs, probably the biggest flop ever.
Even more than the entire sum of heaps that BL pushed out (pun intended) in the 70's.
Tesla is facing multiple law suits from families who died in fires when driving a Cyber truck. That alone would normally wreck a car companies reputation but in typical Trumpian USA, the main stream media turn a blind eye and the law courts deliberately drag their feet as the (inevitable negative) outcomes are bad for PR.

5. Neuralink and The Boring Company: Both ventures have faced consistent technical delays, regulatory hurdles, and disagreements among founding members, frequently pushing back targeted release dates.

 

[briantrumpet]

You've got the rose -tints on today.

Probably, though brass bands, choral societies and public libraries are a passable cultural legacy of the Industrial Revolution, which I don't think will be matched by the current crop of oligarchs.

 

[Pinno718]

Bournville and Fry's were the exceptions, it took a very long time for the riches to trickle down to the masses.

Yes (Brian is a poor example of a radical leftie), it took so long in fact that the NHS and the welfare state did not materialise until 1947 and '48 respectively. You knew that.
The Beverage Report 1942 stated amongst other things: a vision to battle against what he called the five giants; idleness, ignorance, disease, squalor and want such was the poor health and nutrition, lving standards of millions in the UK.

 

[briantrumpet]

Yes (Brian is a poor example of a radical leftie), it took so long in fact that the NHS and the welfare state did not materialise until 1947 and '48 respectively. You knew that.
The Beverage Report 1942 stated amongst other things: a vision to battle against what he called the five giants; idleness, ignorance, disease, squalor and want such was the poor health and nutrition, lving standards of millions in the UK.

Yes, all fair points.

 

[Pinno718]

If you take the beginning of the industrial revolution in England as 1760, Bourneville built houses for workers in 1895 and the formation of the NHS was 1947, so it took only 187 years to start comprehensively improving living standards by state policy.

 

[Pross]

Bournville and Fry's were the exceptions, it took a very long time for the riches to trickle down to the masses.

Clarke's, Jacobs, Lever Brothers etc. - not really industrial revolution, it was more Victorian and heavily skewed to Quakerism

 

[Pross]

Musk has based his entire projects on future innovation but let's break that down:

1. We were supposed to be on Mars this year.

2. There has been no new Tesla model for... I forget (including the MK2 sportscar that was after the 1st one which was 4 years late and this one is about the same). Other manufacturers have caught up and superseded the Tesla in whatever form representing far better range and VFM. Tesla profits are so sh*t he's propping up the company by merging Tesla into the more profitable ventures.

3. The self drive software that was supposed to be spinning us around in utopia has failed and no one wants it as yet. Even a republican backed judiciary refuse to sign it off.

4. The Cyber truck was so bad, the US army still refused to purchase hundred of thousands of them despite huge backhanders and incentives to do so. In terms of car production, it is by far the biggest flop of the 21st century and if you take R&D cand marketing costs, probably the biggest flop ever.
Even more than the entire sum of heaps that BL pushed out (pun intended) in the 70's.
Tesla is facing multiple law suits from families who died in fires when driving a Cyber truck. That alone would normally wreck a car companies reputation but in typical Trumpian USA, the main stream media turn a blind eye and the law courts deliberately drag their feet as the (inevitable negative) outcomes are bad for PR.

5. Neuralink and The Boring Company: Both ventures have faced consistent technical delays, regulatory hurdles, and disagreements among founding members, frequently pushing back targeted release dates.

You're not seriously suggesting there was R&D involved in the Cybertruck? I'm sure the accounts claim there was but the product says otherwise!

 

[Beebo]

FFS. I'd not normally advocate prosecuting grieving parents, but that is just obscenely ignorant.

The report I saw said the children had entered the car without the parent’s knowledge. And then couldn’t get out because of child lock.
Either way it’s tragic.

 

[briantrumpet]

Clarke's, Jacobs, Lever Brothers etc. - not really industrial revolution, it was more Victorian and heavily skewed to Quakerism

OK, obviously my History O-level didn't go back prior to WW1. Actually, that's true, it didn't.

But dates aside (like 100 years out), I'll stand by my assertion that the current crop of ultra-capitalists won't leave any cultural legacy, other than very bad AI graphics.

 

[briantrumpet]

The report I saw said the children had entered the car without the parent’s knowledge. And then couldn’t get out because of child lock.
Either way it’s tragic.

OK, thanks, that sounds more likely. And yes, as tragic as can be.

 

[briantrumpet]

I seem to have proved Cunningham's Law again. 🤣

 

[PurplePenguin]

OK, obviously my History O-level didn't go back prior to WW1. Actually, that's true, it didn't.

But dates aside (like 100 years out), I'll stand by my assertion that the current crop of ultra-capitalists won't leave any cultural legacy, other than very bad AI graphics.

You could compare the Gates' war on malaria with Victorian workhouses.

 

[briantrumpet]

You could compare the Gates' war on malaria with Victorian workhouses.

Ah, Gates is a good counter example, thanks.