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As an engineer that deals with high maintenance infrastructure (rail), this week was a wonderful wonderful thing.
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Mar 2, 2015 13:06
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| # ? May 14, 2024 19:52 |
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A few years ago when that report from the civil engineering society about how our bridges were all going to fall down was all over the news, I actually looked into the report and tracked down the bridges in my area that were dangerous. The report said that they were all the important bridges on highways (or what passes for highways around here)... except, the numbers didn't add up. The bridges were the wrong size or had the wrong traffic or other details were wrong. So I dug a bit further and it turned out that all the bridges in my area that they identified as having problems were tiny, rural things that had less than twenty vehicles per day, but they listed their location as more important, heavily trafficked bridges. Essentially, the ones with problems were the exact type of bridge that you'd expect to be at the bottom of the list of getting repairs. I can't say for certain that they made over a dozen intentional errors just in my area as part of intentional deception so their report would be scarier, but it really smells fishy. Of course, maintenance is always the toughest thing to get people to spend money on effectively. Do it right and the people holding the purse strings start going, "Well, why the gently caress do we need you? Everything is fine!"
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Mar 2, 2015 17:08
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Cats are assholes. Although she was totally egging it on to knock that glass over.
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Mar 2, 2015 17:24
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Random Stranger posted:Of course, maintenance is always the toughest thing to get people to spend money on effectively. Do it right and the people holding the purse strings start going, "Well, why the gently caress do we need you? Everything is fine!" It gets extra problematic because of the differing degrees to which one considers 'sufficient' in terms of repairs. Ie, do you want it to last twenty years, ten, or just fill in the hole ASAP? My brother works at one of the rail companies here in Britain, and whilst he's only been employed for half a year now, he's quickly discovered the very precarious balance between getting the most for their money whilst staying under budget and not inciting anger due to delays.
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Mar 2, 2015 17:33
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That was a super relevant thing to my job and I want to see if I can buy some clips from HBO.
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Mar 2, 2015 19:13
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The infrastructure bit was important but ironically landed really poorly because John did the "and if you know anything about x then (pop culture reference)" joke like five times too many
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Mar 2, 2015 20:58
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Toxxupation posted:The infrastructure bit was important but ironically landed really poorly because John did the "and if you know anything about x then (pop culture reference)" joke like five times too many Agreed. Also the "[absurd statement], that's a fact, that's a fact" joke is wearing thin.
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Mar 4, 2015 04:38
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I never thought Jon Stewart was a hilarious comedian, but its remarkable how his bits are still amusing and feel fresher after so many shows whereas Oliver's are already drying up for me. Honestly, as much as I love 'Denzel Washington is the Greatest Actor of All Time' I think all of the show's joke writers need to be let go after this season. The stories are still strong and the structure is good, but the jokes are consistently disappointing, doubly so anytime they cut to one of those narrated videos which spend ninety seconds repeating the exact joke Oliver told when introducing it. I like having the humour there to leven the load of the heavy stories, but the jokes just aren't strong enough to stand for any longer than a second or two.
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Mar 4, 2015 05:30
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The journalism aspects are great, but I agree that it's starting to feel Family Guy-esque, along the lines of "remember that time..." I really don't think they have to try so hard to make a joke, as the absurdity of a lot of the stories speaks for itself.
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Mar 4, 2015 06:20
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It's me. I'm the schmuck who will laugh at the same joke show after show.
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Mar 4, 2015 06:28
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You're wrong, it's still really funny, jon stewart has been making the same "fox news is crazy and lies and is dumb" joke for 15 years
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Mar 4, 2015 12:31
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The only thing bugging me is how he keeps saying "Moving on, moving on" at the end of every segment. Otherwise Ioving this show as a compliment to the Bugle.
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Mar 4, 2015 12:39
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They could totally get rid of the skits and just run another news story and I'd be happy.
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Mar 4, 2015 14:09
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If they don't do the stupid jokes they will be held to the same standards as journalists and the two john's want to avoid that at all costs.
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Mar 4, 2015 14:20
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It's as if John Oliver has a "comedy" background and likes telling these "jokes".
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Mar 4, 2015 15:04
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Yeah it's like this is a comedy program
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Mar 4, 2015 15:06
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If you'd rather have hard hitting investigative journalism without the jokes there are other outlets. There is Frontline on PBS and Panorama on the BBC for starters.
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Mar 4, 2015 16:03
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Journalism without jokes is boring.
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Mar 4, 2015 16:46
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Fans posted:The only thing bugging me is how he keeps saying "Moving on, moving on" at the end of every segment. Otherwise Ioving this show as a compliment to the Bugle. Yeah, anyone who dislikes running jokes should avoid the Bugle. As for me, I say embrace it and bring across Andy for five minutes of puns on the subject of the week.
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Mar 5, 2015 03:35
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Eh, I'm still greatly enjoying Last Week Tonight. Really want to see the "Our Friend Israel" episode though. Going after the scourges of doctor bribery, infrastructure, and tobacco hasn't really done it for me.
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Mar 5, 2015 03:45
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I'm sure he'll do something on that loving stupid presentation that Netanyahu made this week.
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Mar 5, 2015 03:53
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muscles like this? posted:I'm sure he'll do something on that loving stupid presentation that Netanyahu made this week. Stewart knocked it out of the park last night.
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Mar 5, 2015 04:24
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Senor Tron posted:Yeah, anyone who dislikes running jokes should avoid the Bugle. Reviving hotties from history would be a great addition too.
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Mar 5, 2015 04:57
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^^^ I've only listened to a few early episodes of The Bugle but the Hotties from History was my favorite bit. I would not mind having that on this show. I thought the episode was laugh out loud funny especially the Infrastructure film trailer. I can't believe someone actually wants to remove these skits from the show.
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Mar 5, 2015 08:41
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The American was always funny on the Bugle, but that wouldn't probably work on an American-based TV-show.
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Mar 5, 2015 08:46
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Solice Kirsk posted:They could totally get rid of the skits and just run another news story and I'd be happy. Infrastructure is probably the best thing Ed Norton has ever done. What is wrong with you?
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Mar 5, 2015 08:49
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I don't think anyone is proposing that they remove humour from the show - when i said they should fire the joke writers I meant that they should then hire a fresh crew - just the segments in which they try to force the funny. When they weave the jokes into the stories it's great, but the jokes don't stand alone too well these days and so for every Infrastructure there's a Gerbil apology which adds nothing to the story and isn't funny since hearing the V.O. guy say crazy, obscene things is a gag they've gone too multiple times every episode. It seems like they have a skit quota they feel compelled to hit and force these things in; if they don't actually have a great idea for a joke then I'd rather they don't bother.
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Mar 5, 2015 09:37
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Show is still hilarious, infrastructure was fantastic. I don't think they should change anything at all. Even my girl was laughing, that's the ultimate test. If she laughs it's funny guaranteed.
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Mar 5, 2015 19:00
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Viginti posted:I don't think anyone is proposing that they remove humour from the show - when i said they should fire the joke writers I meant that they should then hire a fresh crew - just the segments in which they try to force the funny. When they weave the jokes into the stories it's great, but the jokes don't stand alone too well these days and so for every Infrastructure there's a Gerbil apology which adds nothing to the story and isn't funny since hearing the V.O. guy say crazy, obscene things is a gag they've gone too multiple times every episode. It seems like they have a skit quota they feel compelled to hit and force these things in; if they don't actually have a great idea for a joke then I'd rather they don't bother. On the other hand, I found all these things funny so I say keep the writers. Keep the skits. Keep the voice over guy. I love him.
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Mar 6, 2015 02:14
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Well i'm jealous Aga, I wish I was in your camp and was all of last season. I found the jokes funny enough the first twenty-four times but it seems that was the limit. There are no more new episodes of the Weekly Wipe now, so maybe without that inevitably unflattering comparison Last Week will start to win me back. I don't know that it will return to my yearly Top Ten at this rate though.
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Mar 6, 2015 03:17
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Viginti posted:I don't know that it will return to my yearly Top Ten at this rate though.
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Mar 6, 2015 04:12
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You were likely being facetious so I won't list them all but there are already a decent number of shows this year that I'm liking/have liked more, a number of them airing before and after LWT on HBO Sunday nights (Why there is no Jinx thread I'll never know. One day i'll make one). In it's favor though LWT has thirty-five episodes this year, which is huge, unless you compare it to say The Daily Show. Still, that gives it plenty of time to rebound the humour and continue the great reporting, it's also enough time for me to have the stick surgically removed from my arse and stop being such a grump.
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Mar 6, 2015 07:12
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Or maybe the more one watches LWT, the easier it becomes to see through the thin veneer of humor hiding what is, in fact, a poorly researched show designed to do nothing more than stir up seven days worth of moral outrage every week. Honestly, how many times can people be told "this is the worst thing ever" before they stop believing it?
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Mar 6, 2015 11:51
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Viginti posted:There are no more new episodes of the Weekly Wipe now. drat it Britain, TV shows can have more then 6 episodes a series you know.
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Mar 6, 2015 12:39
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The Weekly Wipe is this weeks 'worst thing ever' because it only has five new episode's and a clip show each year. Then again Brooker does also have the annual ninety seconds of A Touch of Cloth and Black Mirror to produce. He's only one man, asking him to create more than five or six hours of content a year for the five or six programs he gets paid to write is clearly unreasonable. When will John Oliver finally dedicate a monologue to this outrage?
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Mar 6, 2015 12:51
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They can't allow weekly wipe to go on too long or we'd have effective satire on british tv and not just panel shows where old men are confused by pictures of miley cyrus
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Mar 6, 2015 13:02
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Irish Joe posted:Or maybe the more one watches LWT, the easier it becomes to see through the thin veneer of humor hiding what is, in fact, a poorly researched show designed to do nothing more than stir up seven days worth of moral outrage every week. Honestly, how many times can people be told "this is the worst thing ever" before they stop believing it? Was going to comment on the shittiness of this post, then read your avatar, now I can save a shitload of time.
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Mar 6, 2015 22:22
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TurboFlamingChicken posted:Was going to comment on the shittiness of this post, then read your avatar, now I can save a shitload of time. That guy must have a really depressing life. I don't think Irish Joe is capable of having positive or good oppinions.
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Mar 6, 2015 22:42
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I thought the sausage sandwich joke was good
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Mar 6, 2015 23:59
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TurboFlamingChicken posted:Was going to comment on the shittiness of this post, then read your avatar, now I can save a shitload of time. It's really weird to see posts like this because I have ignored Irish Joe ages ago and the android app doesn't show ignored posts at all.
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Mar 8, 2015 14:10
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