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Rose @rosewasnthere.bsky.social · 9h

As for Steam itself, welll they got their first and they made a platform that just works, and don’t try to fuck over their users. Sure Valve have had missteps (anyone remember their console) but they’ve largely kept a product going that does what people want it to do without issue

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Rose @rosewasnthere.bsky.social · 9h

The *only* was you can convincingly challenge someone with that degree of market dominance is either by massively undercutting them, or offering something they can’t get elsewhere (see Halo on XBOX)

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Rose @rosewasnthere.bsky.social · 9h

Have an adequate PC, and with concerns over “what if the wifi is unreliable” or “what if it shuts down” they were never gonna switch for that.

The closest steam has come to a competitor is Epic, and they’ve managed that by offering heavy discounts/deals, as well as platform exclusives

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Rose @rosewasnthere.bsky.social · 9h

I feel like I could have told them that the average person wouldn’t switch from something they were already using that simply works, without them getting it expensively wrong first

Also ofc the streaming pc model wouldn’t have worked. Existing users (I.e the biggest spenders really, would already

Melo @letitmelo.bsky.social · 22h

I legitimately didn't know they were competing with Steam and it's crazy to me that they burnt so much money on what sounds like something with very little (or wildly misguided) market research.

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Rose @rosewasnthere.bsky.social · 9h

Heresy

Andrew Learmonth @andrewlearmonth.bsky.social · 9h

Massive change for next year's Holyrood election: there'll be no overnight count. Votes to be counted on the Friday instead.

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Rose @rosewasnthere.bsky.social · 9h

Oh and also when he says the hobbits are supposed to represent “English of the shores unaware of the horrors far away”
…
The hobbit was written in 1937, and LOTR was written post ww2 - I’m pretty sure the average Englishmen was aware or had personal experience you utter moron

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Rose @rosewasnthere.bsky.social · 9h

Also not the point but Tolkien was avidly anti-racist and would be appalled that people were using his work to encourage racial violence

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Rose @rosewasnthere.bsky.social · 9h

Ban twitter. It’s being intentionally used by its owner to incite widespread violence ffs

Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 11h

Elon Musk: "It is time for the English to ally with the hard men, like Tommy Robinson, and fight for their survival or they shall surely all die" 29th October 2025. 2 million views in its first hour.

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Rose @rosewasnthere.bsky.social · 22h

This is, of course, all a completely meaningless hypothetical I made up so it doesn’t rly matter

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Rose @rosewasnthere.bsky.social · 22h

I mean that would realistically be completely ungovernable. You need ~320 for a majority (once you excl SF and the speaker). Tory-form is on 296, and the left bloc (excl independents) is on 321.

But a SNP-PC-Green-LibDem-Labour coalition with a wafer thin majority (if it has one) would not last

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Rose @rosewasnthere.bsky.social · 22h

Fun fact, if reform inexplicably dropped 8 points and gave 2 to each (just to create a true 5 party system)… well fptp would break, but EC comes out with:
Reform - 165
Lab - 144
Tory - 131
Green - 45
LDem - 80

Try forming a government outta that lmao
Oh and 45 from the SNP, 7 from PC, and 15 ind

Election Maps UK @electionmaps.uk · 1d

Westminster Voting Intention:

RFM: 27% (+1)
LAB: 17% (-3)
CON: 17% (=)
GRN: 16% (+1)
LDM: 15% (=)
SNP: 3% (-1)

Via @yougov.co.uk, 26-27 Oct.
Changes w/ 19-20 Oct.

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Rose @rosewasnthere.bsky.social · 23h

(Link for anyone interested)
www.heraldscotland.com/news/1202728...

27th letter of Scots alphabet

I AM amused at the restoration of the SNP logo after its benightment of the last couple of years (Few mourn at symbolic execution, August 28).

www.heraldscotland.com

Rose @rosewasnthere.bsky.social · 1d

Apparently the (extraordinarily) simplistic design was so that it would be possible for anyone to just knock one out on a wall in about 5 seconds with a paintbrush

Rose @rosewasnthere.bsky.social · 1d

Oh I found a better source, the writing Cusak refers to is an article the designer wrote for the herald back in the late 90s

www.heraldscotland.com/news/1202728...

27th letter of Scots alphabet

I AM amused at the restoration of the SNP logo after its benightment of the last couple of years (Few mourn at symbolic execution, August 28).

www.heraldscotland.com

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Rose @rosewasnthere.bsky.social · 1d

The top half of the ribbon is apparently supposed to invoke the flag, whilst as a whole it’s supposed to (apparently) simultaneously look like a clootie dumpling and a thistle

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Rose @rosewasnthere.bsky.social · 1d

So there’s not a great amount of hard evidence for much of this. But according to Andrew Cusak (who himself I can’t find much about), the designer (Julian Gibb) wrote “Forbye imagined allusions to saltire, thistle, and clootie dumpling”.

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Rose @rosewasnthere.bsky.social · 1d

Speaking of election posters, this was a joke one mocked up by the guardian but it honestly goes so hard

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Rose @rosewasnthere.bsky.social · 1d

With all the controversy over ads:

In 2010 the conservatives intentionally had a young BAME woman on their election posters to try and show they’d become more progressive and diverse.
… impossible to imagine them doing that today

Rose @rosewasnthere.bsky.social · 1d

Wait the ribbon the SNPs logo is supposed to be a saltire mixed with a thistle
…
lol
Who was ever going to guess that??

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Rose @rosewasnthere.bsky.social · 1d

Yeah they’ve surprisingly popped back up (along with the CDA for some reason)

Meanwhile, oof, the new social contract; poor guys

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Rose @rosewasnthere.bsky.social · 1d

Wilders in Tatters lol. Their polling has kinda nosedived from its high early last year where they were expected to hold 50 seats alone

Europe Elects @europeelects.bsky.social · 1d

Netherlands, Peil poll:

Seat projection national parliament

PVV-PfE: 23 (-6)
GL/PvdA-G/EFA|S&D: 23 (-1)
VVD-RE: 22 (+2)
D66-RE: 22 (+5)
CDA-EPP: 20 (-2)
JA21~ECR: 9
FvD-ESN: 7 (+1)
BBB-EPP: 4
SP-LEFT: 4
...

+/- vs. 24 October 2025

Fieldwork: 28 October 2025

➤ europeelects.eu/netherlands

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Rose @rosewasnthere.bsky.social · 1d

The Wikipedia page for the current uk parliament is rly weird because they’ve updated the HoC with the new libdem colours but not the HoL so now it just looks slightlyyyyy off

Reposted by Rose

Will Cooling @willcooling.bsky.social · 1d

"Good day Christopher Eccleston, could we persuade you to reprise your role in Doctor Who? RTD? Who is RTD? My name is Guy Incognito!"

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Rose @rosewasnthere.bsky.social · 1d

Oh and now the leadership is threatening to suspend that mp, who is threatening to sue the party in response lmao

Rose @rosewasnthere.bsky.social · 1d

The leadership then leaked details about the MP who went over budget, as well as a complaint levelled at her son for abuse on the parliamentary estate, to their entire membership… then refused to discuss it with the press

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