Some more observations on Canal Boat Diaries

[Derek R.]

From a discussion over 'Canal Boat Diaries' and the drift across to TV licencing/BBC content and subscription channels, some may be interested in 'alternative' news articles. There is a list as long as your arm and I will not take up space here with that, but take a look at 'Not On The BEEB'

https://www.notonthebeeb.co.uk/?page=4

 

- and yes, they sell stuff too. One item I would highly recommend is Celtic Sea salt. But you can read about that for yourselves.

[cuthound]

On 26/09/2024 at 09:37, haggis said:

Happy belated birthday!

 

No longer getting forum members birthday notices is one thing I miss from the updated forum software 

[IanD]

4 hours ago, Derek R. said:

From a discussion over 'Canal Boat Diaries' and the drift across to TV licencing/BBC content and subscription channels, some may be interested in 'alternative' news articles. There is a list as long as your arm and I will not take up space here with that, but take a look at 'Not On The BEEB'

https://www.notonthebeeb.co.uk/?page=4

 

- and yes, they sell stuff too. One item I would highly recommend is Celtic Sea salt. But you can read about that for yourselves.

 

Looking at what's on that site, they don't seem to have an unbiased -- or even rational -- opinion of the BBC. Or indeed, many other things including vaccination, mobile phone radiation, COVID, GMO, graphene (a particular bee in their bonnet!), flouride and myocraditis (yes, spelled like that), 5G -- in fact almost anything where unfounded opinions trump facts.

 

If you wanted a better example of conspiracy theorist craziness, it would be hard to find one... 😞 

Edited September 28, 2024 by IanD

[Tony Brooks]

50 minutes ago, IanD said:

 

Looking at what's on that site, they don't seem to have an unbiased -- or even rational -- opinion of the BBC. Or indeed, many other things including vaccination, mobile phone radiation, COVID, GMO, graphene (a particular bee in their bonnet!), flouride and myocraditis (yes, spelled like that), 5G -- in fact almost anything where unfounded opinions trump facts.

 

If you wanted a better example of conspiracy theorist craziness, it would be hard to find one... 😞 

 

Exactly my thoughts when I read the site.

[Paul C]

My thoughts were Derek R was able to base a decision/judgement on the BBC despite not watching any of their television (or paying a licence fee). Sounds like he has been "influenced" by something/someone else into that, rather than gathering facts and evaluating it himself.

[Ronaldo47]

23 hours ago, David Mack said:

When portable TVs with internal batteries became available in the 1960s, presumably as a concession to campers, caravaners (and boaters), you were allowed to use your portable set away from home, as long as the main licensed set was not in use at the same time. 

Dad always used to take me with him to the Radio Shows that used to be held every year at the Olympia exhibition hall in West London, where I used to collect the leaflets about the exhibitors' products for dad, and always used to read them myself when we got home. I well remember seeing a portable television in what I am pretty sure was the mid to late 1950's.  My recollection is that, according to its leaflet, it had  expensive rechargeable internal batteries that used a silver- based technology. They could  only provide enough power for a few hours on a single charge, and could  only be recharged a couple of dozen times, but the old ones could be traded in for replacements with an allowance of  90% of their cost, such was the amount of silver they contained. A decade or so ago they had a non-working  example on display  at what was then called the  Museum of the Moving Image at Bradford. 

 

Definitely a rich person's toy in the 1950's. 

Edited September 28, 2024 by Ronaldo47
typos

[Arthur Marshall]

2 hours ago, IanD said:

 

Looking at what's on that site, they don't seem to have an unbiased -- or even rational -- opinion of the BBC. Or indeed, many other things including vaccination, mobile phone radiation, COVID, GMO, graphene (a particular bee in their bonnet!), flouride and myocraditis (yes, spelled like that), 5G -- in fact almost anything where unfounded opinions trump facts.

 

If you wanted a better example of conspiracy theorist craziness, it would be hard to find one... 😞 

This is rather the problem with the antiBBC brigade. I think its TV news is pretty dreadful now, a mixture of plugs for BBC programs and cheap reporting, while their local news is mostly about football, but unfortunately everywhere else is worse - and, when it comes to the crunch and something really important happens, the BBC is almost certainly giving you facts rather than opinion.

While it continues to be accused of bias by both socialists and rightwingers, I'll support it.

Edited September 28, 2024 by Arthur Marshall
apostrophe removal.

[ditchcrawler]

2 hours ago, IanD said:

 

Looking at what's on that site, they don't seem to have an unbiased -- or even rational -- opinion of the BBC. Or indeed, many other things including vaccination, mobile phone radiation, COVID, GMO, graphene (a particular bee in their bonnet!), flouride and myocraditis (yes, spelled like that), 5G -- in fact almost anything where unfounded opinions trump facts. 

But how do you know that's the case, you are believing other sources telling you that

[IanD]

52 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

But how do you know that's the case, you are believing other sources telling you that

If those other sources include large numbers of scientists who actually know what they're talking about -- and facts that can be proved -- as opposed to ignorant conspiracy theorist BS and speculation, I'd rather believe them any day, because that's how science works, checking theories against actual factual evidence.

 

Do you think otherwise, like the above poster seems to?

[Stroudwater1]

The problem is that it’s nearly impossible to prove something is 100% safe which always leaves some who believe it’s not safe. It’s worse now as some of these very plausible nutters get a good income from YouTube and the like. Wakefield made a fortune from the measles and Autism apparent claptrap whilst children died and were maimed. He even managed to date Elle McPherson for a while. 

The number of children with ADHD and Autism has rocketed which adds fuel to conspiracy flames. 

 

[MrsM]

29 minutes ago, Stroudwater1 said:

The number of children with ADHD and Autism has rocketed which adds fuel to conspiracy flames. 

 

Has it? Or simply are more children being diagnosed. As a teacher with much experience of special needs pupils I absolutely know that my brother, applying current understanding, would  have been diagnosed with ADHD and I would very likely be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. 

[Paul C]

43 minutes ago, Stroudwater1 said:

The problem is that it’s nearly impossible to prove something is 100% safe which always leaves some who believe it’s not safe. It’s worse now as some of these very plausible nutters get a good income from YouTube and the like. Wakefield made a fortune from the measles and Autism apparent claptrap whilst children died and were maimed. He even managed to date Elle McPherson for a while. 

The number of children with ADHD and Autism has rocketed which adds fuel to conspiracy flames. 

 

 

Indeed. When they do double blind drug trials, I believe a proportion of the people who received the placebo report headaches, dizziness, vomiting, etc etc

[Derek R.]

I see 'judgement' has been declared - and I am the 'outcast'.  So be it.

[IanD]

6 minutes ago, Derek R. said:

I see 'judgement' has been declared - and I am the 'outcast'.  So be it.

What did you expect when you offered a nutjob conspiracy theorist website as an alternative to the BBC? 😉

[TheBiscuits]

17 hours ago, Paul C said:

was able to base a decision/judgement on the BBC despite not watching any of their television (or paying a licence fee). Sounds like he has been "influenced" by something/someone else into that, 

 

I don't have much of an opinion either way on the BBC.  Nor do I have a TV licence.

 

About ten years ago we realised that despite having a licence the only live broadcasts (on any channels at all) we'd actually watched in the previous two years were Eurovision and Last Night of the Proms, and we could live without either!

 

 

[Arthur Marshall]

23 minutes ago, IanD said:

What did you expect when you offered a nutjob conspiracy theorist website as an alternative to the BBC? 😉

Well, it's a damn sight easier than thinking, and explains a lot of recent (and probably future) political activity, you must admit.

[Derek R.]

There are many alternatives to the BBC if one wants to seek news from local areas or around the world, and there are many ways of discovering what is being reported (or not) by the BBC.

Conspiracy 'theories' as they are so often called, mostly turn out to become genuine conspiracies through the course of time, but in the interim, they are labelled theories and supplied by "nutjobs", so called usually by the less well enlightened and those who have 'chosen their cloth' regardless of the cut.

Window shop, change the tailor, broaden the mind.

 

Back on topic (remember the topic?), the young gentleman would do better to keep his boat, and his person in better fettle. He has an ability to films and edit, which is more than I can do, but the delivery and presentation should be more concentrated on the surroundings, their history, and general good boating practice. All too often do we get to see more of the camera wielder than 'where' he is. This is a common trait amongst amateur 'vloggers'. It's all well and good during interviews, but rabbiting on about something that irks, with a lens full of 'face' (and he's not alone in this) can put people off.

A classic piece of really good filming without any speech, is Mike Askin showing the starting procedure of his JP2 some time back, short and brilliant. Or Roger Barnes in his dinghy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbPgP6wIF44&t=107s

 

[LadyG]

Ive been watching Canal Boat Diaries for years, others have come and mostly gone. His style is successful. Camera work is perfectly satisfactory imho.

I m not sure how long one stays " young", he's over forty, hardly a child.

There is no evidence the boat is not maintaned,  in fact he is often seen doing bits and pieces.

I dont think any boaters wear white shirt, suit and tie, on their boat, and he seems to shave on a regular basis, so has not let himself go.... lol.

Edited September 29, 2024 by LadyG

[Derek R.]

Robbie comes over as affable and innocently charming. And a little naive, but I've had life knock me about a lot more than he has, being nearly twice his age.

White shirt suit and tie? Who suggested that? I wasn't expecting Cliff Michelmore or Fyfe Robertson. And I have yet to see an image of him without a beard, albeit somewhat 'light'.

His looking for the BBC building in Nottingham - Come on! It was there in the background! I spotted it straight away.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDZ66zOaAgw

He's alright, but the boat roof is over cluttered as are so many nowadays. We lived with nothing on the roof save pigeon box and chimneys - brass polished!

In the opening shots of this video, there can clearly be seen dishevelment in the far sleeping area. Yes, this is nit-picking, but as a child I had been taught to make my bed after getting up, and even today I will not leave any area of my home unkempt, the bed being the first place to be 'made' before leaving the bedroom. Same on the boat. Personally I would never have shown the inside of a cabin unless spic and span.

Boat maintenace? It failed its CoC at Staniland did it not?

 

His style may be 'successful' - but to whom? A generation born long after mine I think, and therein lay 'my' problem - I'm an old git, and fussy with it.

 

My school reports in the main stated for most subjects: "Must try harder". I did - once I left school.

 

Wigan 1983, around the time Robbie was born. Some timber on the roof behind the water tank, tidy.

 

Last boat - 'Old School'

 

Edited September 29, 2024 by Derek R.

[Arthur Marshall]

1 hour ago, Derek R. said:

Robbie comes over as affable and innocently charming. And a little naive, but I've had life knock me about a lot more than he has, being nearly twice his age.

White shirt suit and tie? Who suggested that? I wasn't expecting Cliff Michelmore or Fyfe Robertson. And I have yet to see an image of him without a beard, albeit somewhat 'light'.

His looking for the BBC building in Nottingham - Come on! It was there in the background! I spotted it straight away.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDZ66zOaAgw

He's alright, but the boat roof is over cluttered as are so many nowadays. We lived with nothing on the roof save pigeon box and chimneys - brass polished!

In the opening shots of this video, there can clearly be seen dishevelment in the far sleeping area. Yes, this is nit-picking, but as a child I had been taught to make my bed after getting up, and even today I will not leave any area of my home unkempt, the bed being the first place to be 'made' before leaving the bedroom. Same on the boat. Personally I would never have shown the inside of a cabin unless spic and span.

Boat maintenace? It failed its CoC at Staniland did it not?

 

His style may be 'successful' - but to whom? A generation born long after mine I think, and therein lay 'my' problem - I'm an old git, and fussy with it.

 

My school reports in the main stated for most subjects: "Must try harder". I did - once I left school.

 

Wigan 1983, around the time Robbie was born. Some timber on the roof behind the water tank, tidy.

 

Last boat - 'Old School'

 

Personally, I don't think I've ever made my bed (which generally comprises slightly straightening the duvet) until I need to get back into it. Unlike most other vloggers, Robbie tends to show what boating is actually like, including a bit of mess, some tidying up, the lack of storage space in a relatively short boat, engine and boat maintenance problems etc. Much more realistic than only showing a just tidied cabin. He even sometimes says it's cold...

It may be a shame we don't all live up to your standards, as well as collecting our knowledge from verifiable sources rather than YouTube, but there it is. I've had 30 happy scruffy years being scruffy on a scruffy boat. Each to their own, I suppose, or the world would be a duller (if sometimes a better informed) place.

[ditchcrawler]

I use to like watching Dixon of Dock Green, are all London coppers like that

[CourtAboveTheCut]

On 29/09/2024 at 12:30, Arthur Marshall said:

Personally, I don't think I've ever made my bed (which generally comprises slightly straightening the duvet) until I need to get back into it. Unlike most other vloggers, Robbie tends to show what boating is actually like, including a bit of mess, some tidying up, the lack of storage space in a relatively short boat, engine and boat maintenance problems etc. Much more realistic than only showing a just tidied cabin. He even sometimes says it's cold...

It may be a shame we don't all live up to your standards, as well as collecting our knowledge from verifiable sources rather than YouTube, but there it is. I've had 30 happy scruffy years being scruffy on a scruffy boat. Each to their own, I suppose, or the world would be a duller (if sometimes a better informed) place.

Yeah I agree, he is like almost every boater I know, it's an alternative life, It's not something you do if you want to live in a pure White House with no clutter! He's a lovely chap, has time to speak to everyone he meets. He is very obviously passionate about the canal network, something this world needs more of

[Derek R.]

A pure white house with minimalistic furniture and no pictures. (Not a quote, just a thought).

 

Sounds like some form of Hell. Our house has no more wall space for many pictures we own, and memorabilia to suit (dust collects).

But a cabin where everything is within arms reach is a very different beast. You have to be tidy, and possessions few. Having said that - it is surprising just how much 'stuff' does accumulate in a boat.

 

If one is "passionate" about canals, why should that not include working practices with boat handling and ropework? Because excluding such things allows them to be lost to future (and current) generations.

 

A tidy hearth equates to a tidy mind. Maybe I'm just too 'Old School'. My desk is cluttered. There are notes and documents along with books within reach, and within the drawers are a myriad of 'stuff'. But the bed is always 'made', and the washing up is always done, dried and shelved before 'settling down' for an evening. Untidiness can lead to depression. I'll wager Mr. Court's van has everything in its place? And Mr Marshall's bookshelf behind him looks suitably well ordered! 😉

Edited October 8, 2024 by Derek R.

[CourtAboveTheCut]

Yeah just don’t look in the cab 😂 my van is always a mess by Friday in the back but when you are jobbing you kind of grab stuff then it ends up in tubs and thrown in the back. It’s always tidy when I’m on large jobs 

[Ray T]

On 29/09/2024 at 09:14, LadyG said:

 

I don't think any boaters wear white shirt, suit and tie, on their boat, and he seems to shave on a regular basis, so has not let himself go.... lol.

Tom Sibley did. 😁

 

Photo credit JSH?
 

Edited October 8, 2024 by Ray T