Adam Jacobs 🇺🇦

Medical statistician. Foodie. Gardener. Cebollista. Political views: reality-based. Often tooting about #Brexit and #Covid19, among other things. I think both those things are bad, but at least there's a vaccine against covid.

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npub1lkqp9663dhyz4az6dqtz6rsr894ukj6864f24hzc7yddwk2whqgsg2d6vu

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statsguy_at_mas.to@mostr.pub

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nprofile1qqs0mqqjadgkmjp273dxs93dpcpnj67tfdra2542m3v0zxkht98tsygprpmhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumn0wdmksetjv5hxxmmdjj7xrw

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npub1lkqp9663dhyz4az6dqtz6rsr894ukj6864f24hzc7yddwk2whqgsg2d6vu

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Last Notes

2024-08-07 11:20:13

Can someone explain to me why you get less jail time for racially aggravated violent disorder than you get for protesting peacefully?
#FarRightRiots #FarageRiots #ViolentDisorder #ClimateProtests #JustStopOil #FullForceOfTheLawMyArse
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cy8497l7dx8t
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/jul/18/five-just-stop-oil-supporters-jailed-over-protest-that-blocked-m25

2024-08-05 15:39:17

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@npub1mmf…eknq "Buy the dip" is definitely advice I can get behind
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/112/910/160/326/406/857/original/e1d5a86b58bc1651.png

2024-08-01 11:27:35

The NHS GP system is broken, and it looks like GPs are finally saying they've had enough.
A big test for #WesStreeting is what he's going to do about it.
#NHSCrisis
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c72vp774rp3o

2024-07-31 10:18:45

I know people talk a lot about enshittification and everything getting worse, but one thing I've noticed has actually got better recently is supermarket sausages.
Have you noticed how a lot of them are now more or less square in cross section? Makes it so much easier to fry them evenly, just give them a quarter turn every now and again.
So let's celebrate the small wins.
#Sausages #Cooking

2024-07-26 21:11:31

Didn't see a single person wearing a mask in that opening ceremony
#Olympics #CovidIsNotOver #SuperSpreaderEvent

2024-07-13 14:59:04

So I did a charity thing last weekend. A 26 mile walk, much of it in rather inclement weather.
And mud.
So much mud.
Anyway, if you have a few quid to spare and would like to contribute to Alzheimer's Society, that would be awesome.
#Alzheimers
https://www.justgiving.com/page/adams-epic-trek-2024
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/112/779/763/478/259/417/original/9a04ed4f1b88f657.jpg
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/112/779/765/143/492/677/original/2ecea9a239d2d3fc.jpg

2024-07-10 09:11:40

I'll tell you something that I'd like to see #Starmer's new government do, and which would go some way to convincing me that they are actually working for our benefit:
taking #covid19 seriously again.
Can we please bring back proper data collection? Free test kits? Encouraging people to stay at home if they test positive? Proper ventilation for schools and other public enclosed spaces? Mask mandates in healthcare facilities?
These things would collectively make a huge difference.

2024-07-05 10:31:38

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@npub1fvt…83fu Just so many it's hard to keep up.
And I don't think nearly enough people are talking about the fact that Maria "I apologise that I got caught fiddling my expenses" Miller lost her seat as well

2024-07-05 05:45:59

Fantastic news that the #Greens won all 4 of their target seats!
Same number of seats as Reform UK, but only one of those parties achieved that through good old-fashioned grass-roots campaigning, while being largely ignored by the media instead of being bigged up by them at every turn, and without dirty Russian money backing them.
I know which I find more impressive.
#GE2024 #ToryDeathParty #UKElection

2024-07-04 11:43:23

It's election day today in the UK!
You will doubtless have seen that all the opinion polls predict that the Tories are going to do badly and lose many, if not most of, their MPs.
I'm guessing you welcome this.
But remember: it won't just magically happen. You have to vote for it! If you haven't voted yet, get out there and vote.
#GE2024 #UKElection #UKPolitics #UKPol #GTTO

2024-07-04 06:25:23

People of the UK!
Don't forget to vote today. Your vote *can* make a difference (especially if you vote tactically), but only if you actually use it.
You'd like to wake up tomorrow morning to find that the Tories have been annihilated, wouldn't you? Make it happen!
https://tactical.vote/
#GTTO #GE2024 #UKElection #UKPolitics #UKPol #TacticalVoting
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/112/726/775/983/506/202/original/f1c43238c9b2e0e2.jpg

2024-07-03 09:33:34

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@npub1psd…9sr7 Definitely. Especially as I'm upstairs right now so I'd be safe anyway.

2024-06-28 09:53:17

A little reminder that this year's #BugsMatter survey is now live.
If you have a car and a smartphone, it's dead easy to take part, and you can make an important contribution to insect conservation.
https://www.buglife.org.uk/get-involved/surveys/bugs-matter/
#CitizenScience #Bugs #Insects #Conservation

2024-06-27 07:39:25

I had a reply from the BBC to my complaint about giving so much more airtime to Reform UK than to the Greens.
They responded to say "Farage is an absolute hero" (OK, I'm paraphrasing, but only a bit), and pointed to a whole 3 occasions when they featured the Greens in their coverage.
They said "We don’t agree that the Green Party has received unfair representation during our election coverage", but they give zero data to back that up.
I've escalated to the next level
#GE2024 #BBCBias

2024-06-25 07:26:54

I listened to a piece on the radio this morning about Nvidia stocks being over-valued and whether there might generally be a stock market bubble for anything relating to AI.
Well, duh.
AI is 5% useful progress, 35% hype, 60% grift, and 0% sustainable.
OF COURSE IT'S A FRICKIN BUBBLE.
#AI #DotComCrashTwoPointZero

2024-06-24 09:20:34

Voters of England!
I know it can be a bit confusing figuring out who to vote for in next week's election, so I made this handy flow chart to help you.
You're welcome.
#GE2024 #UKElection #UKPolitics #UKPol
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/112/670/851/072/834/905/original/20568c599cdc2991.png

2024-06-14 08:51:56

I do find it utterly mind-blowing that the people who seem most concerned about #immigration generally don't seem to care at all about #ClimateChange.
If they think we have too many immigrants now, what do they think is going to happen when half of Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East is uninhabitable by humans?

2024-06-12 09:49:10

There was I thinking that Sunak was so rich he was completely out of touch and had no idea of the kind of hardships that normal people face.
But it turns out he actually had to go without Sky TV as a kid so I guess he knows exactly what deprivation really means.
Well now I fell really silly.
https://metro.co.uk/2024/06/12/rishi-says-understands-struggle-didnt-sky-a-kid-21013980/?ico=top-stories_home_top
#Sunak #UKPolitics #GE2024

2024-06-12 08:25:57

Trust in politicians in the UK is at a record low.
I wonder why that could be?
Could it have anything to do with the government being a bunch of crooks who are never held accountable for anything? Or the leader of the opposition having broken all the promises he made when standing for party leadership? Or the only other party that the media talk about being a bunch of grifters working for Russia?
Could that have anything to do with it, maybe?
#UKPolitics #Corruption
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cv223kzq6r9o

2024-06-11 13:29:34

"Objects thrown at Nigel Farage on open-top bus"
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cmjj1n030djo
#GE2024
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/112/598/229/177/979/608/original/307eea07e81d0383.mp4

2024-05-31 09:13:50

It sometimes happens that medicines regulators such as the MHRA may decide to change what the acceptable indications for drugs are, after careful review of the evidence.
But for politicians to change the indications for drugs based on purely political reasons? That crosses a massive red line IMHO.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-restrictions-on-puberty-blockers
#PubertyBlockers

2024-05-28 13:06:29

Watched the election coverage on the BBC lunchtime news today. Plenty of airtime given to the Tories, Labour, Lib Dems, and Reform.
I assume it's BBC policy never to mention the Green Party?
#VoteGreen #GE2024 #BBCBias

2024-05-25 07:35:00

Whoever designed this notepad seriously missed a trick. Those first 2 composers should have been Chopin and Liszt
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/112/500/559/268/907/055/original/3d2e95899a9ac684.jpeg

2024-05-04 13:31:00

Happy Star Wars Day to all who celebrate
#StarWarsDay
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/112/383/056/172/185/579/original/1d7d19266112cce9.png

2024-04-29 11:46:47

I feel sure there is some historical precedent somewhere for government forces rounding up innocent people of a different ethnicity, and that it didn't end well
#Rwanda #Fascism
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/apr/28/home-office-to-detain-asylum-seekers-across-uk-in-shock-rwanda-operation

2024-04-24 06:32:13

Now that the #Rwanda Bill has passed, can the media please stop avoiding the words "far right" to describe the UK government?
If the Rwanda bill hasn't convinced the media that #Sunak's Tories are far right, then WTF are they waiting for? Gas chambers?
#UKPolitics #FarRight #Fascism

2024-04-17 09:05:09

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@npub1hvk…9qam I think that's a little unfair. Sure, their UK politics coverage is badly biased, but their foreign affairs coverage is usually pretty reliable as far as I can tell

2024-04-17 07:20:54

Sobering analysis, and a reminder that Putin's victims are not just Ukrainian, he has absolutely no problem with slaughtering his own people too.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-68819853
#UkraineWar #Putin

2024-04-12 12:32:44

We're often told that the reason bosses of big companies get multimillion pound salaries and bonuses is because they have very rare and valuable talent.
I'm not convinced that not having the first clue WTF is going on in your own organisation is all that rare a talent. I have come across plenty of people who can do that.
Unless of course he's lying through his teeth. That probably can't be entirely ruled out.
#PostOfficeScandal #Horizon #Corruption
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68792632

2024-04-02 06:59:24

I went walking in Wales over the weekend. There was some quite impressive moss on some of the walls.
#Mosstodon
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/112/200/327/553/709/689/original/65cc889a82dc6d5a.jpeg
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/112/200/327/556/033/510/original/e8e4d2a5684c4eef.jpeg

2024-03-20 15:07:35

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@npub18lj…80hq True. I am convinced that 99% of the Christian Right have never read the Bible.

2024-03-15 13:48:30

As #Putin is about to be elected president for another 6 years, can I just gently point out what the date is today to any of his generals who may be in the privileged position of being able to get close to him.
#IdesOfMarch

2024-02-27 10:48:07

I made a Venn diagram, just for fun.
#Covid19 #GunControl #DeathPenalty #ProLife
https://media.mas.to/masto-public/media_attachments/files/112/003/041/297/329/889/original/85fa0d2aa4ec9dc2.png

2024-01-19 16:19:15

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@npub132h…f594 Can we all chip in to send him a few extra doughnuts?

2024-01-16 18:03:58

I see #30pLee has resigned.
Apparently because the government isn't fascist enough for him.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-politics-67998491?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=65a6c3bda860e05c542a331f%26Lee%20Anderson%20and%20Brendan%20Clarke-Smith%20resign%262024-01-16T18%3A00%3A03.613Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:998193e2-5928-4c32-b6a9-836aca9aa736&pinned_post_asset_id=65a6c3bda860e05c542a331f&pinned_post_type=share

2024-01-12 11:02:05

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@npub1jc0…sldg What an excellent idea. I can certainly remember my first salary (reasonably closely, if not to the nearest pound). It was as a post-doctoral researcher in 1992, on about £12 and a half K.
Doesn't sound like much now, though to be fair, I was hardly rolling in it then, either.

2024-01-08 08:10:14

So have I got this right?
We've known for about a decade (and had reasonable suspicions for about 2 decades) that the Post Office #Horizon system was well dodgy and people were being wrongly convicted, but the government are finally acting now because someone made a telly programme about it?
Could someone maybe make a telly programme about #ClimateChange?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-67908791

2023-12-21 14:20:05

Wishing all my American followers a very happy winter solstice.
Europeans and Asians, sorry, you have to wait until tomorrow.
#Solstice

2023-12-12 09:36:51

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@npub18hm…5d7e True, but wait until you find out what inorganic chemists are made of

2023-12-01 13:00:19

$400 million might be a lot of money to you or me, but in the context of a global fund to mitigate the effects of climate change, it's vanishingly small.
For context, we spent £20 billion a few years ago on hosting the Olympics: a party for a couple of weeks.
I'm not sure this is the "win" that people want us to believe it is.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-67581277
#COP28 #BlahBlahBlah #ClimateChange

2023-11-24 12:11:07

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@npub1yxz…6s8m @npub1huu…vyxe I don't think 0.54 lb is a thing in my world. That would be about 9 oz to me.

2023-11-24 11:50:31

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@npub1huu…vyxe @npub1yxz…6s8m I always think of my height in feet and inches (yes, I am over 35), but I tend to think of my weight more in kg than in stones (though I often convert to stones as well).
And if I'm hiking, I think of distance covered in miles, but elevation in metres.
I'm sure I have other ways in which I'm inconsistent.

2023-11-23 08:06:56

Bloody Hell, the Dutch have voted for the Nazis. I'd always thought of the Dutch as a sensible lot. Guess I was wrong.
Let's hope the non-Nazi politicians are sensible enough not to go into coalition with the Nazis so the Nazis don't actually get to govern the country.
#DutchElection #Wilders #Nazis
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-67504272

2023-11-22 21:50:30

Interesting paper on cognitive ability and voting in the #Brexit referendum: they found people with higher cognitive ability were less likely to vote for Brexit.
The authors hypothesise that people with lower cognitive ability may have been easier to fool with all the misinformation coming from the Brexit campaign.
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0289312

2023-11-20 09:17:01

Note to journalists: please don't describe Milei as a "libertarian".
He wants to ban abortion.
Libertarians don't use the power of the state to compel women to give birth against their will.
The word you're looking for is "authoritarian misogynist nutjob".
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/20/argentina-presidential-election-far-right-libertarian-javier-milei-wins-after-rival-concedes
#Argentina #Milei

2023-11-15 11:05:17

"Rwanda asylum plan unlawful, UK Supreme Court rules"
So pleased to see common sense has prevailed.
#Rwanda
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-67418363

2023-11-08 09:40:25

If you are outraged by a bit of graffiti but totally cool with the slaughter of 4000+ children, I suggest you need to re-evaluate your priorities.
https://www.independent.co.uk/tv/news/rochdale-cenotaph-free-palestine-graffiti-steve-barclay-b2443625.html
#IsraelGazaWar #SteveBarclay

2023-10-27 07:49:28

If the US is worried about the conflict in Gaza turning into a wider regional conflict, perhaps they shouldn't be joining in the bombing in a wider regional way?
If the US military is getting bored and feeling the need to blow shit up, why don't they send the Marines into Ukraine to help kick the Russians out? I'm sure the Ukrainians would be grateful for some extra support.
#IsraelGazaWar #WiderMiddleEastWar #UkraineWar #SlavaUkraini
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-67236438

2023-10-26 09:00:19

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@npub1yxz…6s8m Another Brexit benefit, I assume?

2023-10-17 14:21:03

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@npub1yxz…6s8m I hope you have the patience of a saint then :(
We *may* get rid of the Tories at the next election, but if we do, it will be because they have managed to make themselves so hideously unpopular that they will have lost all by themselves. The opposition parties aren't doing anything about actually winning.

2023-10-17 13:30:54

I'm old enough to remember when peaceful protest was legal in the UK.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/oct/17/greta-thunberg-arrested-at-london-oil-summit-protest

2023-10-06 09:54:19

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@npub1yxz…6s8m Now I'm starting to wonder whether all the programs you could make about hats would even fit into a single TV channel

2023-10-06 09:45:04

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@npub1yxz…6s8m I'm sure you could define all sorts as classic depending on the period of history you're looking at.
Obviously the Trilby would be in there, maybe going back a bit further you'd have to put the top hat in, further still maybe a 3-cornered hat, and the baseball cap is definitely a classic of the modern age.
As of course is the Tilley.
I'm sure there's definitely enough material for plenty of programming!

2023-10-06 09:37:32

Scrolling quickly down the list of TV stations on Freeview, I thought I saw one called "Classic Hats", and thought that definitely has to be worth a watch.
On closer inspection it turned out to be "Classic Hits", which I'm not sure sounds nearly as appealing.

2023-10-03 13:05:37

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@npub1psd…9sr7 @npub1nu9…l6r5 Yes, there's no doubt that HS2 will have huge benefits.
But it also has huge costs. I must admit I haven't read the cost effectiveness analysis closely enough to form a judgement on whether the benefits outweigh the costs. You may well be right that they do, but I'm afraid I remain on the fence.

2023-10-03 09:50:35

I'm not completely unsympathetic to the idea that #HS2 is so expensive that the money would be better spent on alternative transport improvements instead.
However:
1. Deciding to build it, spending lots of money on it, and then changing your mind is a really crappy way to run a country.
2. You absolutely know that they won't spend the money they save from scrapping it on other transport improvements. They'll just find a way to give it to their mates.
https://news.sky.com/story/tory-conference-latest-sunak-under-fire-after-hs2-decision-leak-braverman-to-draw-major-dividing-lines-in-speech-12593360

2023-09-22 09:36:04

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@npub1cfp…94fe The chances of my voting Green at the next GE (if they put up a candidate in my constituency) seem to be increasing week by week

2023-09-19 06:47:46

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@npub1g0t…tvm4 It's like the industry learned absolutely nothing from what happened with Jimmy Savile.
Probably another case of "lessons must be learned, it must never happen again"
http://www.statsguy.co.uk/lessons-must-be-learned-it-must-never-happen-again/

2023-09-18 08:35:14

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@npub1cfp…94fe "Real slash and burn economics has never been tried"

2023-09-15 16:51:26

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@npub1yxz…6s8m Sante, salud, and up your bottom

2023-09-13 08:30:41

Yeah, definitely strikes and wet weather. Obviously nothing to do with Brexit, the Tories trashing the economy, or a policy of mass disabling of the population.
#UKPolitics #Economy #Brexit #Tories #Trussterfuck #Covid19
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66785572

2023-08-31 16:33:22

"Blood clots in the brain or lungs"
AKA "just a cold" episode #56932
Be careful out there folks! You really don't want to keep playing the #LongCovid lottery with repeated infections.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-66658257
#Covid19 #CovidIsNotOver

2023-08-18 16:09:55

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@npub1yxz…6s8m Na zdrowie, Prost, santé, salud, egészségére, and up your bottom

2023-08-18 10:39:31

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@npub1yxz…6s8m Yes.
I don't think it's at all guaranteed that we'll get a change of government at the next election: the Tories are massively unpopular, but the combination of widespread voter apathy and FPTP means they could easily get a majority government with about 20% of the vote.
And if we do, who knows what then? I think the only thing I'm prepared to say about Starmer is that he'll probably be better than Sunak. A frighteningly low bar.

2023-08-18 10:34:07

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@npub1yxz…6s8m I reckon you pay all the attention you need if you've figured out that it's one big dumpster fire. That's an absolutely perfect characterisation.

2023-08-18 10:26:18

Science vs politics
Science: this is what we need to do to prevent catastrophic #ClimateChange
Politics: bollocks to that, we need to keep our donors in the fossil fuel industry happy
Science: #Covid19, you say? Why, here's a vaccine that we developed in absolutely record time.
Politics: You can't have the vaccine, because it costs money and we don't give a shit about your health

2023-08-16 13:57:48

Just had a quick look at the birdsite.
Christ, there are an awful lot of anti-vaxxers there.

2023-08-09 11:50:18

The apparently crazy decision to restrict this year's autumn #covid19 vaccine booster programme to the over 65s or those with specific risk factors is allegedly based on cost effectiveness.
I find it hard to believe that wider rollout wouldn't be cost effective, when you consider all the time off work that covid causes.
I also see that the details of the cost-effectiveness evaluation have not been made public.
This stinks to high heaven.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-autumn-2023-vaccination-programme-jcvi-advice-26-may-2023/jcvi-statement-on-the-covid-19-vaccination-programme-for-autumn-2023-26-may-2023

2023-07-14 16:04:24

I'm thinking I might have tofu for dinner this evening.
I would hate to let my membership of the Tofu-Eating Wokerati lapse.

2023-07-13 05:53:33

OK journalists, now we all know that it was Huw Edwards, he didn't do anything illegal, and that all the relentless stories you've been writing about him for the last week have put him in hospital with a severe mental health crisis (jolly well done, guys, you must be so proud of yourselves), can you all get back to reporting proper news?
Like, for example, what happens now that the government and Johnson have failed to comply with the order to hand over the WhatsApp messages?
#CovidInquiry

2023-05-05 10:32:51

I've only just noticed that the ONS covid infection survey has stopped running.
That is massively crazy and irresponsible. It was by far the best measure we had of how extensively covid is spreading.
Simply pretending covid doesn't exist doesn't mean it can't make you very ill.
#Covid19 #CovidIsNotOver
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/conditionsanddiseases/bulletins/coronaviruscovid19infectionsurveypilot/24march2023

2023-04-17 15:42:03

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#[0] #[1]
Traffic cop: "Excuse me sir, do you know how fast you were driving?"
Heisenberg: "Sorry, no, no idea. But I know exactly where I am."