United Kingdom VII: Taking Pride in Your Success

[Soundwave]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...ues-in-england
Irreversible!
After just one day of Freedom the Government has u-turned on crowded venues saying that COVID certificates will now be compulsory

I find it ridiculous that this will only come in to place in September, surely this should be from now

I'm hoping to go back to the football in a few weeks & personally I'd feel happier if there was a certificate in place before then

Neil

[Neon Ignition]

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/jul/20/lockdowns-do-not-harm-health-more-than-covid-say-researchers

A new research report has concluded that there is little evidence that lockdowns cause more death or ill health harm than COVID

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/jul/20/hmv-at-100-i-worry-it-will-go-bust-for-good-its-not-going-to-get-easier

And HMV miraculously turns 100 years old

[Asura]

And HMV miraculously turns 100 years old

As always, the individual staff have my sympathy, but the senior management (if any of them are still around) actively deserve it in this instance.

There's an article floating around about the history of Play.com, and about how its founders were formerly the IT/website team for HMV, who tried to push their management to take more of their business online in the early 90s, and not only were the management not receptive, they actively insulted them, calling them nerds, telling them only uncool nerdy people would ever want to buy music using a computer and HMV was for cool people (presumably between two lines of coke off a stripper's backside).

They left and formed Play.com, started making millions, and every year, they apparently used to hold their employee AGM, and would remind their employees that they were running on borrowed time, and sooner or later HMV would spot their mistake and turn their business around. Apparently they said this on year 1, year 2, year 3, year 4... And it was only on the 5th year that they said they'd realised HMV were never going to do this, and even if they did, it was too late for them.

[QualityChimp]

Nice story, Asura!

I recently read this article about early internet e-tailers and it brought back some memories.
Just chuck in Lik-Sang and you're golden!

https://www.filmstories.co.uk/features/whatever-happened-to-the-uk-dvd-etailers-of-the-1990s-and-2000s/

First think I ever bought off Play.com was the Orange Goblin album "Healing Through Fire" which came with a live DVD, which I watched again the other week and the album is currently in my car being listened to, so I'm still getting my money's worth.

What's the first thing you lot remember buying online of sites like Play or Blackstar?

[Asura]

Nice story, Asura!

I recently read this article about early internet e-tailers and it brought back some memories.
Just chuck in Lik-Sang and you're golden!

https://www.filmstories.co.uk/features/whatever-happened-to-the-uk-dvd-etailers-of-the-1990s-and-2000s/

First think I ever bought off Play.com was the Orange Goblin album "Healing Through Fire" which came with a live DVD, which I watched again the other week and the album is currently in my car being listened to, so I'm still getting my money's worth.

What's the first thing you lot remember buying online of sites like Play or Blackstar?

Oh man, I remember Jungle.com. I also remember a similar retailer called @Jakarta. I seem to remember buying Game Boy Advance games off both.

I think they were all the same kinda thing, right? Located in Jersey and something of a massive tax dodge? I thought Play sold out to Rakuten because they could see the gov't would sew up that loophole and thought it was the right time to get out.

[Golgo]

HMV's 100? Awesome. Good for them. Me and the lad been going there quite a lot recently - he's got the bug of going to real record shops and ogling the cool chicks that hang out there. My fave HMV moment was Swansea in early 90s, attending an album signing by the Brummie rockers Magnum before they tried to 'conquer' America and failed utterly. I got in line and got them to sign a copy of Frank Zappa's Joe's Garage that I'd just bought. Tony 'The Hat' Clarkin was well pissed, but the rest were cool.

[cutmymilk]

I find it ridiculous that this will only come in to place in September, surely this should be from now

I'm hoping to go back to the football in a few weeks & personally I'd feel happier if there was a certificate in place before then

Neil

You would think everyone would have at least been offered a vaccine before opening clubs.

[Dogg Thang]

Yep. Thing is, if I was young and had spent a year and a half of my late teens or early twenties in lockdown, time I'd never get back, and they open the clubs and say you can go? Of course I'd go. Of course I'd be one of those kids filling up the space with no social distancing and likely getting covid. It feels wrong to expect any different. This is why putting actual rules in place and being clear on messaging was so important.

[Lebowski]

What happened to Play then? Their are a lot of decent retailers that seem to have gone or are part of some stupid conglomerate which is a real shame. Everything UK based seems to be owned by mike Ashley or the bloody Hutt group, I'm kind of not cheering on any of them on. I used to use Tesco direct a lot for films and games was a real shame they closed themselves down they often had the best price for new stuff regular discount codes and you go clubcard points too.

[QualityChimp]

This is why putting actual rules in place and being clear on messaging was so important.

Best comparison I've seen are seatbelt laws and a speed limit.
The laws are in place to protect the drivers and other people, rather than leaving it to their own discretion.

Embedded Tweet

[QualityChimp]

What happened to Play then?

I talks about it in here, but basically Amazon. Plus Rakuten diluted the experience to a strange marketplace.

https://www.filmstories.co.uk/features/whatever-happened-to-the-uk-dvd-etailers-of-the-1990s-and-2000s/

[Asura]

What happened to Play then? Their are a lot of decent retailers that seem to have gone or are part of some stupid conglomerate which is a real shame. Everything UK based seems to be owned by mike Ashley or the bloody Hutt group, I'm kind of not cheering on any of them on. I used to use Tesco direct a lot for films and games was a real shame they closed themselves down they often had the best price for new stuff regular discount codes and you go clubcard points too.

Tesco are another which I know for certain exploited the loophole; they were big because they set up a warehouse in Jersey (the sub-business was even called Tesco-Jersey). I suspect that this is now resolved, so like all law-abiding businesses, they've probably moved to Ireland

[Cassius_Smoke]

The good old Dutch-Ireland sandwich

[wakka]

Yep. Thing is, if I was young and had spent a year and a half of my late teens or early twenties in lockdown, time I'd never get back, and they open the clubs and say you can go? Of course I'd go. Of course I'd be one of those kids filling up the space with no social distancing and likely getting covid. It feels wrong to expect any different. This is why putting actual rules in place and being clear on messaging was so important.

Yep, totally agree. If I was 19 or 20 I'd be doing the same. They're your prime clubbing years, and you don't get them again.

[Neon Ignition]

Especially if you end up with respiratory failure! lol
To be honest, a bit like many pubs, I'm almost surprised they've lasted long enough to reopen now, another dying industry fighting the march of time.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/jul/20/raise-child-benefit-by-10-a-week-urge-governments-social-mobility-advisers

Social Mobility Committee calls on the government to help pandemic era families by raising child benefit by £10 a week and abandoning the two child limit for benefits.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2021/jul/20/uk-covid-live-latest-updates-ping-nhs-app-self-isolate-boris-johnson-dominic-cummings?page=with:block-60f69b2a8f085dcd6b593577#block-60f69b2a8f085dcd6b593577

Tax experts say proposals to raise national insurance tax to fund social care is a bust idea

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2021/jul/20/uk-covid-live-latest-updates-ping-nhs-app-self-isolate-boris-johnson-dominic-cummings?page=with:block-60f697b78f0814e7a316cf29#block-60f697b78f0814e7a316cf29

No.10 says its crucial that those pinged by Test and Trace do isolate