Tell Me Something............Anything!

[Barry]

Today's Metro paper published one of the best April Fool joke ever. The article, purporting to be from the retail outlet Asda, notified their intended introduction of adult-sized trolly seats, obviously based on the observation that small children like to ride in supermarket trollies. The new design features a comfy armchair, a cup holder and a built-in phone holder for hands-free scrolling.

[Pigmy Pony]

On TV earlier this week, a news item about a shitload of teenagers storming an M&S store for a bit of flash mob antisocial behaviour, apparently organised via social media. Then yesterday a report about the increased number of attacks on teachers by pupils.

As usual we had lots of hand wringing, with no real solutions suggested. I think that to arrive at a solution, we must first ask ourselves what has changed in the last 50 years or so:

Back then, did we have social media? No.

Did we have the option of corporal punishment available to the police and educators? Yes.

Did the ingredients of our everyday food originate in the ground rather than a laboratory? Yes.

Did the kids get to play outside in the sunshine and fresh air while learning about the laws of physics, (falling out of a tree is gonna hurt), as opposed to killing aliens with a joystick-operated lethal weapon in the comfort of their bedroom? Yes.

There will be other changes. And I don't believe any of them are for the better.

When I was a kid, adults were in charge. Now I'm grown up it's kids that seem to be in charge. We never got a turn

Oh and we need to stop calling them students. They're pupils.

[Barry]

Social media has a lot to answer for.
Since the advent of the smartphone it seems that everyone is glued to it all the time. When outdoors you see them walking along looking at the screen without watching where they are going, whether it is on the pavement, or even crossing the road. When I drive in London having to be extra vigilant and aware of these jaywalkers is quite stressful. When travelling on the Underground, I often look around to see if there is anyone who is not using their phone: if there are they are a very small minority.

But to return to the increasing antisocial behaviour of adolescents, you are right, it is exacerbated by social media. If you browse the Web, the AI used in the search engine remembers your search history, and remembers the specific sites you have visited. Repeated visits to the same site will cause the AI to suggest and recommend similar sites, which, depending on the site can be more troubling and potentially dangerous to vulnerable teenagers.

The owners of the search engines really do need to take responsibility, police these sites, and if need be ban the undesirable ones. But they won't because it would cost them money, and so they come up with flimsy excuse of it being an infringement of free speech!

[Macca]

Spent the morning metal detecting. Found the handle of a spoon. Old, possibly Georgian.




4 mile walk home afterwards, but it was fun.

[Alex_UK]

I've always quite fancied having a go at that, apart from the digging. And looks like the weather wasn't too bad. We quite regularly get decent hordes of coins and stuff found around these parts, so definitely worth a go!

[Macca]

I've always quite fancied having a go at that, apart from the digging. And looks like the weather wasn't too bad. We quite regularly get decent hordes of coins and stuff found around these parts, so definitely worth a go!

It was cold and windy but it didn't rain and the sun came out for about the last half hour we were there.

One of the blokes who was there found a half-sovereign a while back, not at the location we were at today though.

My other find was a flattened Carling Black Label can. I had high hopes for that too as the detector was going ballistic.

[hifi_dave]

I've found 5 old horseshoes and 3 bells tied together as a some sort of 'warning' for cattle, in the garden, all without the aid of a metal detector. I will buy myself a detector sometime as the house is mid 15th century, backing onto fields. Must be something out there.

[Macca]

I've found 5 old horseshoes and 3 bells tied together as a some sort of 'warning' for cattle, in the garden, all without the aid of a metal detector. I will buy myself a detector sometime as the house is mid 15th century, backing onto fields. Must be something out there.

Got to be, might at least find some coins assuming it hasn't ever been swept before.

Where we were today we know no-one's ever been on it. They're doing a Roman road tomorrow, I could have stayed overnight and gone on that but typically tomorrow is the only day this year where I have something I have to do.

[Pigmy Pony]

Do you need a licence, or prior permission from the landowner, or can anyone have a go? And I'm assuming you can't automatically keep anything you find.

[Macca]

Do you need a licence, or prior permission from the landowner, or can anyone have a go? And I'm assuming you can't automatically keep anything you find.

You don't need a licence, you should have permission. In this case one of the bloke's family owned the place. Up for sale which is why he's covering it while he still can.

For what you can keep you have to look up the Treasure Act 1996. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treasure_Act_1996