Stive Pesley

1 hour ago, Tamworthram said:

I don’t think anyone is suggesting that the Post Office management shouldn’t take the overwhelming (by some considerable margin) share of the blame. Just that Fujitsu “may” have been complicit. If Fujitsu are guilty in any way then I would say it almost (but not quite) fades into insignificance compared to the PO’s role. Whatever Fujitsu we’re doing, I’m confident in my mind that it was at least with the blessing of the PO.

Again - with my experiences of large IT outsourcing firms contracting to provide IT solutions to customers, I can pretty much guarantee that the individuals in Fujitsu who will/may have been complicit will be long gone from Fujitsu. Managers in these places tend to last 2 years max before they merrily jog on to a new employer with a large pay rise, so demonising Fujitsu as an entity is somewhat pointless. Find those people, wherever they are now and have them explain themselves, and who ordered them to do what they did. Eventually the buck with stop with an insanely well paid "director" who didn't care at the time, just wanted his bonus. Get that guy in prison

1 hour ago, Tamworthram said:

In the TV series I seem to recall he said they had a whole team in the basement at Fujitsu changing figures pretty much 24/7. Maybe that was for dramatic effect (seems too massive an allegation to be made up) or maybe the whistle blower got it wrong. Both scenario seems unlikely to me.

If it happened then, even if it was sanctioned by the Post Office, it strikes me that Fujitsu were complicit and contributed towards the scandal.

I've not seen it, but I don't have to suspend my disbelief to imagine that could have happened, but it would be almost unthinkable to believe an IT supplier would be changing financial data in a customer's system without being pressured to do so by the customer, or that the customer would be oblivious. 

I suppose my point was that demonising fujitsu as the "bad guys" seems to be the latest angle being pushed but I'd be willing to bet that the Post Office management were equally if not more to blame 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-67921298

"Calls grow for Fujitsu to pay for Post Office injustice"

This doesn't sit right with me - and I feel weird sticking up for Fujitsu

I do not and have never worked for them, but I have worked on large IT projects for government departments whilst at other large IT Service Providers

If this was allowed to go live with these massive errors and bugs in it, then that's not Fujitsu's fault. Did Fujitsu do the user acceptance testing? Of course not - the clue is in the word "user". The Post Office would have been responsible for user testing and the sign-off to live

The failure here is simply - "IT Outsourcing" - it doesn't work because the power dynamics are all skewed on both sides. The Post Office project managers responsible for delivering the system are being measured against and rewarded for delivering the system on time. As are Fujitsu. No one has any incentive to say "this doesn't work - we need to delay by 6 months". That way lies severe bollockings, reputational damage, missed bonuses etc etc

This happens ALL the time, on pretty much every project I've ever worked on. Just that this time there were real and severe consequences on people's lives 

47 minutes ago, Alty_Ram said:

I think what is slightly disturbing is the sheer intensity of the reaction that you get from a very small minority of men. If I hear a male pundit whose assessment I strongly disagree with, I just roll my eyes and say "Nah, b***ocks" and if its so annoying that I really can't listen to any more then I might switch over until they've gone away and think "What a c***womble". What I don't do is stalk and repeatedly harass them on social media with the most disgusting and distressing threats. These guys seem to reserve that sort of fanatical vitriolic abuse for women and frankly it must be terrifying to be on the receiving end of because you are never completely sure whether it is just some saddo shooting their mouth off from behind the anonymity of their PC, or some absolute fruitloop who is going to turn up at your workplace with a shovel in the boot of their car 😞... all because you are a woman and you thought a goal should have stood.

That's certainly the extreme end of it, but more common is the casual sexism at play. As many on here have pointed out - there are good pundits and bad pundits. If you bring their gender into it - that is sexism, whether intentional or not. Even if you try and defend it with a typical line of "I can't be sexist against women - some of my wives have been women" etc

17 hours ago, ariotofmyown said:

Was pretty tragic listening to Lucy Ward a couple of weeks ago talking about the death threats and extreme abuse she gets from being a...let me check...woman pundit on men's football.

This is certainly a good point to reflect on

Of those people who clearly have a problem with female pundits based on their gender - how many of you have had actual death threats for simply doing your job? 

1 hour ago, one_chop said:

I shouted obscenities out of a moving train window at some Leicester fans back in the 80's if that counts ?

A drive-by shouting?

https://www.theregister.com/2024/01/08/apple_iphone_16000_drop

😲

Quote

Apple has become the first smartphone manufacturer to pass the three-mile drop test after one of its iPhones was found on the side of a road by volunteers helping to recover debris from Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 over the weekend.

The device, which was reportedly found by X user Sean Bates on Sunday, was undamaged despite a 16,000 foot drop

2 hours ago, G STAR RAM said:

Agreed re Hansen and Lawrenson, both awful.

Hansen was only ever hired as a box-ticking exercise to ensure representation of Scottish pundits

Ditto Lawrenson for Irish pundits

Makes you sick eh?

Just now, G STAR RAM said:

Do you have any hard evidence that they are there on merit and not just for filling quotas?

No - obviously not, but I can look at the situation and have a guess. The women's game has had a lot more success than the men's game in the past few years, and unprecedented numbers of girls are taking up the game at grass roots level as a result. I think we can all agree that as a good thing,

Therefore broadcasters would have to be pretty daft to not want to show a bit more representation in their coverage. Does that make it "box-ticking". Of course not. It is however a bit of a red rag to a bull*

*sexist/misogynist

37 minutes ago, Ram-Alf said:

The ruling class...that's who, Yes they're still among us, Take that turd who runs the Nat West Bank "Sir" Howard Davies saying it's easier to get your foot on the housing ladder today...yep sure is when you earn 100s of 1000s of £s a year.

Take a look at the cesspit which is called the house of Lords, Full of leeches laughing all the way to the bank just for signing in, A Government that sits in Westminster then hands out monies like confetti in the wind on vanity projects, Gives out loot to friends and families who have just started a new business venture, Dines out on an expense account...all this when the growth industry in food banks has never been so high for those who put these in places of wealth...you couldn't make it up could ya 😡

 

It's sickening to see the ruling classes suddenly take an interest in the victims of the Post Office Scandal

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-67905194

After all these years, now there is a TV show about it - which shows us dumb plebs what actually went on

Perhaps someone should make a dramatisation about Grenfell, and see how quick they hold people to account for that one too

11 hours ago, G STAR RAM said:

Yes, its an assertion I'm more than happy to stand by, unless there is any evidence to the contrary?

So you have hard evidence that it IS true? Hence your 100% insistence that you will happily stand by the assertation?

I hope so - otherwise you just look a bit like a reactionary old bloke who holds intransigent opinions based on no evidence whatsover

50 minutes ago, nottingram said:

I think it depends if his underlying point is that incompetent people shouldn’t be pundits, or women shouldn’t be pundits.

Obviously there’s no issue with the first one, but it seems to be more the latter or at least that’s the way he’s gone with it. There’s bad female pundits but some really good ones, same with male. Is it “box ticking” if a female pundit is chosen to be on TV and they turn out to be really good at it? 

There are good pundits and bad pundits - anyone bringing the gender of the pundit into the equation when identifying them as a bad pundit is unwittingly telling you exactly what kind of person they are

5 hours ago, Bob The Badger said:

Loved seasons 1,2 and 3, but never saw 4 as it came out just as we were moving back.

Is 5 as good?

Nobody will ever beat Billy Bob for sheer evilness.

I don't think you missed much - we gave up on Season 4 as it just didn't seem in the same league as 1,2 & 3

Fingers crossed for Season 5 - the reviews are certainly better

2 minutes ago, one_chop said:

Didn't see that coming.

Get off the internet Vickers and concentrate on the game

Loving this dim Radio Lancashire pundit - so far he has said "I don't see Derby as a possession based team" (cue the stat being flashed up that we have had 71% possession) and "I don't think NML is a natural finisher" (cue a beautifully taken goal for the wangmeister)

😂

13 minutes ago, BucksRam said:

Couldn't agree more. Hate reality TV. Manufactured tripe by producers psychologically profiling people to ensure you get a group of self-centred, opinionated people who never get passed the storming phase of storming, forming, norming, performing then chucking it out in the name of entertainment. Think Big Brother, Love Island, TOWIE or any of the reality dross MTV produces. Give me Sopranos, Peaky Blinders, Gangs of London, Taboo etc any day of the week.

Thing is - that very first series of Big Brother was astonishing, ground-breaking stuff - we'd never seen anything like it and it was captivating. But from that moment on, reality TV became self-aware and the magic was gone. All just scripted/guided performative crap by people craving careers in showbiz.

The Traitors is not much more than a party game, and as my youngest lad pointed out - there has been an online video game called Among Us since 2018 that is pretty much the same but you can actually play it in real life with strangers if you're into that sort of thing

5 hours ago, Comrade 86 said:

or on flixtor £0.00

Started watching Money Heist: Berlin last night, as we kind of really got into the original Money Heist series (in Spanish with subtitles - NEVER the dubbed voices). As a prequel it was a bit disconcerting as it kind of felt very familiar but wrong at the same time. Like putting your shoes on the wrong feet or something. Took me a while to get used to it but by the end of the first episode I was quite enjoying it. Will stick with it

I'll also give my second recommendation for a 30 minute comedy to Fisk. Finished that at the weekend and loved it to bits. Some absolutely great characters 

I'm all for equality, but if it means that men no longer get 100% of the jobs, then I'm out

Dunno - I only ever paid for Prime so I could get free next day delivery on stuff (and crucially - the painless returns process). To me the TV stuff is an extra. Haven't watched much on there, but do watch stuff occasionally.

They claim that the ads will be minimal, so I guess I'll see how annoying it is when I next end up bingeing something on Amazon Prime. My guess is that it will have to be REALLY annoying to make be pay an extra £3 a month

You'd think by now that the advertising industry would have realised that ads on streaming services are pointless. When watching something on All4 or ITVX with ads, the second they come on - people just pick up their phones and look at those until the ads are over

You have to feel for young master Luke

On the one hand - he's suddenly found himself thrust into the spotlight and will doubtless end up very rich

On the other hand - he can no longer get served in all those pubs he's been getting served in 

3 minutes ago, Srg said:

Find the posts I’ve made an arse of myself please? 

Can't you just search for "my activity"?

4 hours ago, JuanFloEvraTheCocu'sNesta said:

If you could bottle up the feeling you get when you first hold your baby and sell it you'd have more money then you can count.

I've never felt anything like it. Every emotion dialed up to 11 and injected straight in to your brain at the same time.

Yep - spot on.

Quickly replaced with an absolutely pummelling routine that will almost certainly drive you both to the edge of despair at times, but hold tight, it only lasts about a year, then it starts to get easier, and a lot more rewarding once the little bugger starts smiling at you and interacting. All those hours of hard slog you put in to looking after this helpless pink wrinkly pooing machine will start to pay off!

8 hours ago, maydrakin said:

A guy phoned his boss and says “I can’t come in to work today, because I’m sick”.

His boss says “OK, how sick are you?”

The guys responds “Well, I’m currently spooning my Nan”

That's not sick - totally normal in Nottingham