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 (Leído en El Mundo el 15 de octubre de 2013, ¡hace más de diez años, sí!)

Etiquetas: Cosas veredes

(Un texto de P. Martin leído el 4 de julio de 2022 en El Confidencial)

En 'Yo robot', la película de 2004 dirigida por Alex Proyas e inspirada en los relatos sobre robots del escritor Isaac Asimov, el agente de policía Del Spooner, al que da vida Will Smith, es atacado por los nuevos robots humanoides NS-5 mientras conduce por un túnel su futurista Audi, en una recordada escena en la que varios vehículos autónomos de transporte maniobran para arrinconar y tratar de destruir el coche del protagonista de la cinta, un momento trepidante que muchos han vuelto a rememorar días atrás en California, tan marcada por la industria del cine, tras el extraño caso ocurrido el pasado martes en pleno centro de San Francisco, y que estuvo protagonizado por numerosos taxis sin conductor (según las fuentes, entre 10 y 20) de la compañía Cruise, que hace unos meses también saltaba a la actualidad después de que una patrulla policial diera el alto a uno de sus robotaxis por circular sin luces, y el vehículo 'escapara' en un momento inicial para detenerse poco después decenas de metros adelante.

Que algunos en esa ciudad hayan recordado 'Yo, robot', 'La rebelión de las máquinas' o la saga 'Transformers' tiene todo el sentido, porque muchos de los taxis sin conductor de Cruise empezaron a dirigirse al cruce de las avenidas Gough y Fulton, que acabaron bloqueando por completo debido a que los robotaxis, que al parecer viajaban sin clientes en ese momento, se detuvieron en la intersección ocupando diversos carriles, lo que no tardó en ocasionar el caos en el tráfico de la zona, situada a medio camino entre el puente Golden Gate y el de Oakland, dos de las principales arterias circulatorias de la urbe.  

Los viandantes y los conductores afectados llegaron a pensar inicialmente en algún tipo de protesta o concentración del personal de la empresa, hasta que se comprobó que todos los taxis que colapsaban el cruce y sus aledaños estaban vacíos, y que sin motivo aparente habían elegido aquel punto para detenerse, una situación que se prolongó por espacio de dos horas hasta que Cruise puedo retirar algunos de los vehículos de forma remota, mientras que en otros casos tuvieron que ser conductores enviados por la empresa los encargados de mover los vehículos, que tienen mecánica 100% eléctrica y son fabricados por el principal accionista de la compañía, General Motors.

Cruise, que tiene su sede en San Francisco y cuenta en su accionariado con gigantes como Microsoft, Honda, Walmart y la citada GM, emitió días después un comunicado oficial en el que reconocía la situación y pedía disculpas, pero sin entrar en detalles sobre las causas del extraño suceso: "Tuvimos un problema a principios de esta semana que causó que algunos de nuestros vehículos se agruparan. Si bien se resolvió y ningún pasajero se vio afectado, nos disculpamos con cualquiera que haya sufrido inconvenientes". El percance, no obstante, sucede solo una semana después de que el servicio de taxis autónomos sin conductor entrara en su etapa comercial, tras una larga fase de pruebas por las calles de San Francisco. 

Durante el tiempo que duró el sorprendente bloqueo en el cruce de Gough y Fulton, varios vehículos de servicio municipales que trabajan por la zona resultaron obstaculizados en sus tareas de limpieza, lo que podría ocasionar fuertes sanciones económicas para Cruise, aunque las autoridades de la ciudad no se habrían pronunciado todavía al respecto, a la espera de una investigación. No obstante, los protocolos de actuación de la compañía de robotaxis vuelven a ser puestos en tela de juicio, y en este caso con un incidente que ha sembrado dudas y ha echado a volar la imaginación de los sanfranciscanos sobre la seguridad real y la confiabilidad de estos vehículos, que en una primera etapa operan de 10 de la noche a 6 de la mañana, los horarios con menos densidad de tráfico en la ciudad californiana.

Etiquetas: Surrealismo cotidiano

(An article by Lucy Clarke-Billings read on Daily Telegraph on 22nd January, 2016)

If the man, from York, plans to start a sexual relationship or have one-off sexual activity with any woman, he has to contact North Yorkshire Police.

A man has been banned from having any form of sexual activity with a woman unless he tells police 24 hours in advance. He is also subject to controls on his use of the internet and must tell the police about every phone and device that he has that he could use for accessing the internet or calling or texting people.

The restrictions are part of an interim sexual risk order and will continue until May 19, when York magistrates will decide whether to make a full order and if so, for how long. Under the interim order, if the York man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, plans to start a sexual relationship of any kind with a woman or to have one-off sexual activity with any woman, he has to contact North Yorkshire Police - or if he moves to a different county, the local force - and tell them who the woman is.

He must do this at least 24 hours before any sexual act occurs.

Full sexual risk orders last for a minimum of two years and breaching an order can lead to a prison sentence of up to five years. They are used when someone has not been convicted of a sexual offence, but the police convince a court it is necessary for one to be made against the person to protect the public from him or her.

North Yorkshire Police successfully applied for the interim order against the man, and will apply for the full order on May 19. Sexual risk orders are a civil order and can be made when the person concerned has not been convicted of a sexual offence.

Etiquetas: Cosas veredes

(An article read on Daily Telegrah, on 18th July 2016. Some people take the game too seriously, it seems.) 

Pokemon Go player called 999 to tell police that someone had "stolen their Pokemon".

The gaming fan decided to contact Gloucestershire Police as an emergency while using the hugely popular app on the day after its UK launch. Police gave the player "words of advice" on when it is appropriate to call 999.

The craze, which has reached fever pitch in the US, has sparked a string of incidents in the UK in share the past week.

A security alert was triggered at Leicestershire Police headquarters on July 15 when players gathered at the site - and Nottinghamshire Police pleaded with users to consider others after two teenage boys accidentally spread fear among villagers in Normanton-on-Soar as they searched for Pokemon by torchlight in the early hours of July 12.

The app was only officially launched for all users on July 14, but some players had managed to get early access by working around country restrictions.

Three students had their phones stolen in a park Hulme, Manchester, on Saturday while they were using the app, after forces including Greater Manchester and Nottinghamshire Police warned users that criminals could use the app to draw in victims.

The game allows players to buy a "lure module" to attract Pokemon - which as a result will also lure in other players.Concerns have also been expressed about the safety of children playing Pokemon Go. GMP warned that the lure modules may alert predators to where youngsters are planning to be, and the NSPCC claimed that "basic safety standards appear to have been overlooked" in the creation of the app.

Maker Niantic said: "We take player safety seriously and want everybody to have a fantastic time exploring while safely playing Pokemon Go. "We encourage all people to be aware of their surroundings and to play with friends or family, especially when you're exploring unfamiliar places.

"Please remember to be safe and alert at all times, don't drive and play, abide by local laws, and respect the locations you visit and people you meet during your exploration."

However, the app has also been used in the fight against crime. South Yorkshire Police praised a group of players who came across a burglary at an industrial estate in Doncaster on Sunday and alerted the force. An entry on the SYP Operational Support Facebook page said: "Our control room took a call from a group of friends. These friends had been in the Wheatley area of Doncaster playing £PokemonGo, looking for those pesky little creatures on their app. They travelled down a side road into an industrial [estate] and saw something suspicious in a builders yard. Dilemma... search for Pokemon or call the cops?"Thankfully these budding search heroes called 999 to report what they had seen."

And a crime scene investigator for Surrey and Sussex Police, Chris Gee, appealed to players who may have witnessed a burglary at a Tesco garage in Durrington, West Sussex just before 1am on July 16. He made a plea on Twitter after noticing that several cars had driven past the petrol station at the time of the break-in, and realised that a community centre opposite is a Poke Stop, where players can receive useful items within the game.

Etiquetas: Cosas veredes

(And no, it seems not to be one of the excuses the British tourists plead to get reimbursements after the holidays in Spain. I read it in an article read on daily telegraph, on 18th May 2015)

Grandmother diagnosed with rare syndrome for which there is no known still suffers from seasickness after voyage in 2012.

A woman who went on her first cruise to celebrate her 62nd birthday is still feeling seasick - three years later.

Grandmother Diane Morley and her husband Dennis were caught in a bad storm on the second night of their eight-day voyage to Norway in 2012. She said it was so rough she felt as if they were in a washing machine and has still not recovered.

Mrs Morley struggles with her balance and says her feet feel like they are on sponges and, at one point, things were so bad she contemplated suicide.

She has been diagnosed with the rare Mal de Debarquement syndrome for which there is no known treatment. She takes valium to control it, but says she feels as if she is "still in the ocean waiting to be
rescued".

Mrs Morley, a retired auxiliary nurse, and retired lorry driver Dennis went on the Black Watch cruise with firm Fred Olsen to see if they would like being on a boat enough to try a Caribbean
cruise.

The 64-year-old said: "Over the last three years it's just got worse. Last year, I had some surgery and
had to go under anaesthetic and that made it worse.

"It's 24 hours, it doesn't come and go it's always there. It's just awful, I still feel like I'm out in the ocean waiting to be rescued. The only way I can describe it is when you're in a car and you can feel the engine revving up, I feel like that all the time.

"When I sit in the bath and or when I'm near any sort of water it just really wrecks my head, everything just spins and it really affects my eyes."

Mother of one Mrs Morley, from Herne Bay, Kent, has to wear sunglasses when she goes outside to block out bright sunlight and lighting.

People often think she is drunk as she falls down and finds herself barging into customers at the charity shop where she volunteers. She struggles with basic household chores and has given up alcohol and coffee, which seem to aggravate the condition. Even when she tries to sleep, Mrs Morley finds herself wobbling and swaying, as if sleeping on a waterbed.

The only time she feels "normal" is in a car or on a bus, but as soon as they stop and she gets out the seasickness begins again, and often is even more severe. She added: "I just got so down about it I was thinking about suicide, I could never have gone through with it but I just felt like I had lost my life. It's sort of a grieving process you go through, I wasn't the same person who got on that boat. That person is still out in the ocean somewhere.

"My husband couldn't understand why I was struggling to begin with. I would say I felt sick and he just thought I was making an excuse for not doing something. But once I was finally diagnosed he started to understand the condition and he's really supportive now."

Mrs Morley said two days after the cruise she could barely walk and felt as though she was on a bouncy castle. She said her GP dismissed her as a "funny lady" - and told her to go and sail round the world on a boat.

She said: "I couldn't believe it when he said that, I was just in shock. I think he meant it as a joke, thinking that would solve all my problems. He just said to me, 'I knew you were the funny lady. I suggest you get on a boat and sail round the world for the rest of your life, that will solve all your problems'."

She had previously been diagnosed with vertigo after losing her father, retiring and moving house all in the space of two weeks in 2010. In 2013, she was diagnosed with Benign Paroxysmal Vertigo and was treated with regular Epley manoeuvres where her head was moved in a bid to balance out her ears. But one appointment left her so ill she was in bed for two days - and it became apparent that she was suffering from something else.

A specialist at Kent and Canterbury Hospital eventually diagnosed her with Mal de Debarquement syndrome, which affects fewer than 1,000 people in the UK. Mrs Morley is part of a group called the MdDS Balance Disorder Foundation which tries to educate people about the little-known condition.

Etiquetas: Cosas veredes

(Un texto de Marita Alonso en la revista Mujer de Hoy del 31 de julio de 2021)

Si no tienes amigos, alquílalos: nuevas formas de enfrentarte a la soledad. Descubre hasta dónde estamos dispuestos a llegar para huir de la soledad y si el dinero es (realmente) capaz de vencerla.

«En el siglo XXI, la soledad se ha transformado en una epidemia», comenta Billy Baker en We need to hang out (Simon & Schuster), una novela en la que el autor intenta hacer amigos y luchar contra la soledad mediante la actividad más solitaria del universo: la escritura. «La pandemia del coronavirus ha puesto imagen y voz a otra enfermedad más silenciosa que nos acompaña desde hace años y que no deja de crecer: la soledad. En la era de las redes sociales y de la hiperconectividad, son cada vez más los que se sienten solos», asegura Agustín Blanco, coordinador del Informe España 2020, que señala que tras la crisis del coronavirus, el 11 % de los encuestados asegura sentir una soledad grave. Antes de la pandemia, tan solo el 5,2% lo admitía. «La soledad y las conexiones sociales débiles se asocian con un descenso de la esperanza de vida similar al que causa fumar 15 cigarrillos diarios», advierte Vivek H. Murthy, ex cirujano y autor del libro Juntos: el poder curativo de la conexión humana en un mundo a veces solitario (Crítica).

Y ese hambre voraz de compañía ha generado una tendencia insospechada: los amigos de alquiler. Muchas personas han trasladado los mecanismos aprendidos en webs y aplicaciones como Idealista, Tinder o Glovo al negocio de la amistad, algo que hasta ahora pensábamos era un oxímoron. «Si buscas a alguien que te enseñe tu nueva ciudad o a un amigo que te acompañe a un evento social, Rent A Friend es perfecto para ti», explica Scott Rosenbaum, creador de una web con más de 300.000 amigos en alquiler. Aseguran que una de las preguntas más habituales es si se puede «alquilar a alguien» para hacerse fotos. Al parecer, la presión desencadenada por las redes sociales empuja a muchas personas a sentir la necesidad de alquilar amigos atractivos para subir contenidos. Pero, ¿de dónde viene este desesperado interés por encontrar a gente con la que fingir en Instagram una amistad (y felicidad) inexistente? «Cuando ya nos sentimos solos y vemos que otros se divierten en compañía y disfrutan del trato con los demás, hay una tendencia natural a retirarse, en vez de aproximarse al grupo. Tememos que nos etiqueten y juzguen como marginados sociales. Es decir, ocultamos nuestros verdaderos sentimientos incluso a aquellos que quizá intentarían conectar con nosotros».

«De este modo, la vergüenza y el temor conspiran para convertir la soledad en una condición que se perpetúa a sí misma, favorece las vacilaciones, reduce la autoestima y nos disuade de solicitar ayuda», explica el doctor Murthy en su libro. Alquifriend (por si el nombre no había desvelado ya la incógnita) sigue la mecánica de Rent a Friend. «Alquile un amigo para ir a un evento o fiesta, aprender una nueva habilidad o pasatiempo, conocer gente nueva o mostrar la ciudad», indican. A partir de 5 euros la hora (aclaran que los precios son negociables), puedes disfrutar de un amigo. Ambas webs se esfuerzan por señalar que únicamente ofrecen amistad para que los usuarios tengan muy en cuenta que no se trata de una dating app. Dentro de este campo, Bumble BFF sí cuenta con una función específica para hacer amigos. «Se creó al ver que muchas personas no buscaban romances, sino amistad. La gente añadía en sus perfiles frases como «No estoy aquí para tener una cita» o «Busco a alguien para salir de fiesta» en sus biografías. El año pasado, nos dimos cuenta de que muchas personas se sumaron a Bumble BFF para crear conexiones durante la pandemia. La gente busca compañía para entrenar al aire libre, sacar al perro o, simplemente, para quedar y conversar», explican. «Hemos visto un incremento de interés a lo largo del año pasado. Durante los tres primeros meses de 2021, el tiempo que las mujeres pasan en Bumble BFF ha aumentado un 44%, mientras que el de los hombres ha aumentado un 83%. Esto indica que a medida que las ciudades se reabren, estamos preparados para conocer gente nueva y reactivar nuestra vida social. Sabemos que hacer amigos a cierta edad es un reto, y los usuarios dicen que la app facilita el proceso», comenta Tariq Shaukat, presidente de Bumble BFF.

Etiquetas: Cosas veredes

(A text read on Daily Telegraph on 30th May, 2015)

This bizarre new craze was sweeping the internet [in 2015]. But what is this Ouija-board inspired game
about?

A strange new game is taking over Twitter, fuelled by speculation that its players can connect with a
dead Mexican spirit known as Charlie.

The Charlie Charlie Challenge has been played by thousands of young people after a number of
videos purported to show supernatural goings-on. 

The game entails placing two pencils on a piece of paper in the shape of the cross with the words
'yes' and 'no'. Participants then repeat the phrase "Charlie, Charlie can we play?" in order to connect
with the demon. If Charlie is there the pencils will move to indicate his answer.

One reddit user believes he has uncovered a full explanation of the game: "The best explanation I have found is here.

You’ve probably heard of using a Ouija board to contact spirits, but I bet you haven’t heard of using
pencils to have your questions answered by supernatural beings! The Pencil Game, also called “Charlie, Charlie,” is a traditional Mexican ritual wherein players (usually children) are said to contact the spirit of a child named Charlie.

To play The Pencil Game, you will need six pencils and a partner. Facing each other, each person must hold three pencils and arrange them as three sides of a box, with the open end facing the other person. It is best to use unsharpened pencils, or to hold the tips so that the eraser ends are pointed toward your partner. The ends of your pencils will need to touch your partner’s to form a complete rectangle.

To begin the game, both players must chant: “Charlie, Charlie, can we play?” If the pencils move inward or up, the answer is yes. If they move outward or down, the answer is no. If one side goes one way and the other side goes a different way, it means maybe or the question can’t be answered at this time. You can then ask the spirit of Charlie yes or no questions, and he will respond by moving the pencils. Charlie is kind of like the spirit world version of a Magic 8 ball. To end the game, both players must chant: “Charlie, Charlie, can we stop?” After the pencils move, both players drop all of the pencils on the floor to break contact with Charlie."

Needless to say the reaction to the craze has been mixed.

Etiquetas: Cosas veredes

Even though the Rozina Sabur's article is quite old (I read it on Daily Telegraph on 23rd May, 2015), It's still funny. What I don't know is whether it's still valid :-)

The DVLA has revealed its entire catalogue of forbidden car number plates - including some amusing selections as well as surprising omissions. 

It seems motorists can drive a PEN15, but not a VA61ANA, and while BL03 JOB is forbidden ORG45M is fine.

The list of personalised plates the DVLA believes to be in poor taste runs to 46 pages and includes religious or homophobic words. It has barred drivers from taking to Britain's roads in a vehicle carrying personalised plates spelling out rude words or potentially offensive messages.

When it comes to religious number plates, JE55US and AL14LAH are banned, but last week KR15HNA – referringto the Hindu god Krishna - was sold for £233,000.

For the 2015 registration year, the DVLA's censors have already refused a large number of plates, including P15 OFF, PR15 SON, UP15 BUM and WA15 TED as well as more explicit combinations.
Swathes of offensive plates are banned every six months as the new plates appear. Some combinations of letters are banned regardless of what numbers are put in between, with any variation of AB** USE, AL** ALH, CO** CKS and BA** STD among the forbidden five letter combinations.

But the 46-page list also includes some surprise entries, from GU11 LTY to AL60 POP, and any variation of AN** GER, BL** OOD, BO** MBS or BU** LLY.

Yet dealer RegTransfers anticipates the PEN 15 plate will draw in bids over £100,000.

The driving licensing agency's list emerged after a man from the Midlands with the surname Islam applied for the ‘15LAM’ plate but was told it was “inappropriate”. The man, who did not want to give his first name, told the Guardian: “I’m not particularly religious, but I am proud of my name. I was thinking of buying the plate as a gift for my brother. To be told that my name is offensive is really upsetting.”

Yet despite the ban on 15LAM, the registration of M014MED is expected to fetch significantly more than £100,000 at auction. MR51 NGH (Mr Singh) sold for £101,050 in 2006.

Angela Banh of RegTransfer said: “Some rude plates do occasionally slip through the DVLA net. PEN 15 was released many years ago. BO11 LUX was also released in 2011, then withdrawn, but the owner took on the DVLA and it is now back on the roads.”

Potentially offensive number plates are taken seriously at the DVLA after the release of H8 GAY in 2006 prompted a storm of protest. It was later withdrawn after an MP and members of the public complained that it could be understood to say ‘Hate gay’.

Several other combinations which could be construed as homophobic slurs were also withdrawn from auction following complaints from gay rights charity Stonewall.

The DVLA said it removed the plates if it believes it is “likely to cause general offence or embarrassment”. "The DVLA has a propriety steering group which meet at least twice a year to review the appropriateness of registration numbers,” said a DVLA spokesman. "This is made up of a diverse group of individuals who consider new releases and revisit registration marks already held on the suppression list. "Registration numbers are withheld in instances where if displayed on a number plate they are likely to cause general offence or embarrassment. The reasons can be on the grounds of political, racial and religious sensitivities or simply that they are regarded as being in poor taste."

If a plate is released that later provokes complaints, the DVLA has the power to force the driver to hand the number back to the agency. In the last financial year, the DVLA raised more than £105million fpr the Treasury from the sale and auction of personalised registrations. The most ever paid for a registration from DVLA was for ’25 O’, which alone raised more than £518,000.

Etiquetas: Surrealismo cotidiano

Como se podía leer en La Vanguardia (el 5 de mayo de 2021, para ser precisos), no hace falta una guerra para cambiar una frontera :-)

Ya fuera de bromas, parece ser que "un agricultor belga de la localidad de Erquelinnes, que movió una piedra de 150 kilos para agrandar su terreno y pasar con su tractor, ha desplazado accidentalmente la frontera entre Bélgica y Francia en 2,29 metros.

El labriego de ese municipio del sur de Bélgica que toca con el norte de Francia ha modificado así una frontera delimitada por el Tratado de Courtrai de 1820 y ha ampliado el territorio belga, en beneficio de su pueblo y en detrimento del francés Bousignies-sur-Roc.

La alteración en la cartografía fue descubierta por un grupo de aficionados a la Historia, Jean-Pierre Chopin, Philippe Fayt y Jean-Paul Maieu, cuando recorrían el lugar con mapas de la época.

La piedra en cuestión, grabada con la fecha de 1819, establece cómo quedó registrada esa frontera tras la derrota de Napoleón en 1815 en la localidad belga de Waterloo, antes de la formación de Bélgica como estado en 1830.

Según el relato de algunos vecinos a medios franceses, el agricultor en cuestión habría desplazado la piedra para agrandar ligeramente su terreno, mientras que otros medios indican que el granjero movió la roca para poder maniobrar mejor con su tractor.

"Se ha movido el límite de 1819, se amplía Bélgica y nuestro municipio. Los franceses obviamente no están de acuerdo, tendremos que volver a poner la cosas en su sitio", ha escrito en Facebook el alcalde del municipio belga de Erquelinnes, David Lavaux, que se ha desplazado hasta el punto en discordia con un equipo de la televisión francesa TF1.

Las autoridades belgas han contactado con el granjero para pedirle que vuelva a poner la piedra en su sitio y evitar que Bruselas incurra en un conflicto fronterizo con el país vecino y que el agricultor tenga que responder ante un tribunal penal.

"Pero si muestra buenas intenciones no tendrá ningún problema, solucionaremos esto de manera amistosa", ha declarado el alcalde al diario local Sudinfo.

Lavaux ha explicado a la agencia Efe que cree que el propietario movió la roca para ganar algo de terreno y ha añadido que los responsables municipales han mantenido este miércoles una reunión con él para solicitarle que devuelva el poste a su lugar original, porque "no es sólo un hito entre dos vecinos, sino que delimita dos países", aunque los vecinos trasfronterizos se lo han tomado "con humor".

"No hemos reducido demasiado Francia", agregó Lavaux, quien espera que para el fin de semana Bélgica y Francia hayan recuperado sus dimensiones originales."

Etiquetas: Surrealismo cotidiano

 https://resourcewatch.org

Etiquetas: Enlaces