I must admit I agree entirely. One of my best friends Cecile (a proud frenchie!) actually ran YouTube EMEA for a couple of years and we had some… spirited debates shall we say! I always felt, and she eventually kinda confirmed, that she was enticed by promise of a huge budget to create original content in the model of Netflix, Apple TV etc with YouTube Originals but then realised that Alphabet were in fact taking the platform in the opposite direction for monetisation, be that becoming a rebroadcaster for established shows or going the TikTok route with individual content creators, very similar to how Spotify destroyed the creative value in their platform just to maximise streaming hours. She lasted less than 3 years swimming against the tide of enshittification desired by Alphabet before she gave up and went to run Sky Studios. I don’t know why Comcast haven’t got her running all of Sky because she’s a phenomenal talent.
All of that said, i am working on a slate of Microdramas with Google at the moment so I probably shouldn’t slag them off too much, although thankfully they’ve agreed that YouTube won’t be the default platform for them…
Yes, you’re right Karen. They’ve aways been “information companies”. Just advertising was the first and easiest way they exploited and monetised it. Malignant as that is, there are even more malign possibilities.
They need to be regulated with a iron fist (to coin a phrase )
The EU needs to get its skates on.
No Chris, just some form of quality assurance. Trust me the number of plonker videos I’ve watched or started to watch has become dreadful.
Well John old bean you were the first to use the word “purge”.
And by whom I wonder? Quis custodiet ipsos custodies?, as our old mate the Roman poet Juvenal so wisely observed.
Anyway we can agree that there is dross but I for one find it easy to avoid, using the Cunning Method of clicking “don’t recommend channel” mentioned above.
Like Corona, I’ve hired a Polestar 2 in the past. It wasn’t a model that’s stupidly fast in accelerating (understandably for a hire car), but it was nonetheless very pleasant to drive, spacious and comfortable.
Are you thinking of buying one? Maybe hire one from Hertz for a day, if so.
I did look into that car - the reputation was for over-firm suspension and heavier handling, which was supposed to be why they were cheaper than other equivalent EVs. I’ve also known a couple of owners who liked them. Because of where we live I didn’t feel it would be a suitable car, so didn’t explore further, but if you live in a town without badly damaged roads it could be a good deal.
There is a nice stretch on the D750, near us, just been re surfaced. Good luck in the UK where we pay a lot very nearly Sweet F A. Starmer must go, he is weak and hopeless
Possibly - I like the look of the Renault 5 but as I am used to a fairly big car (Honda Accord Estate) I wondered if a Polestar might be less of a dramatic change!
From what I’ve seen in reviews I think that was more the “performance” version with big wheels?
But yes I would test drive before buying, whatever EV I end up with.
TBH I haven’t seen a version with small wheels and deep tyres. My Karoq had 17" rims and 225/55 section tyres and was ok, the X1 has (from memory) 17" 255/60. I don’t recall seeing a version with smaller than 18" rims.
Having just spent nearly 2 weeks driving around Cornwall, I can honestly say the roads are astonishingly good for the UK. We had to laugh when the sat nav reported there was a pot hole, it was a bit of erosion at the side of the road. We don’t have many pot holes in Cumbria, they’re more like craters!
This is why we bough my wife her C3 Aircross (16" rims) and my BM (17"). Sporty wheels just aren’t viable.
FWIW a number of main roads have been resurfaced recently round here, plus those leading to Soho Farmhouse and Kirtlington Polo Ground, but there are still many rim-breaking holes on the country lanes that lead to less influential places in Oxfordshire.
We didn’t make it to Bodmin Moor, way too many other places to visit. Thank Di for her suggestions and thank you to everyone else for their contributions, we had a great time and met some lovely people.
)
It’s not like an in depth conversation regarding charging has been derailed.