Earlier quoted context omitted.
Because many new accounts are dead. Some are so dead, you can't even vouch for them.
You can vouch for alexi23's comment (just click on the timestamp beside the comment to find the vouch link).
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Why the Shipping Forecast Is So Beloved in the UK
21–30 of 32 posts
Re: Why the Shipping Forecast Is So Beloved in the UK
#22I'm not sure why alexi23's comment is dead, but it's very poetic. " The Shipping Forecast turns our landscape into a slightly ethereal world, inhabited by communities we are connected to but know nothing about “I feel chastened on nights like this when I see storm force 11, and think there are people out there contending with that weather, putting their lives at risk in pursuit of their livelihood – be it in the navy…
I banned the account last night because it's probably a spammer trying to build up account karma by pasting quotes from other articles. Here's another one you can Google: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16013540.
Spammers adopted this technique in the last couple years. A favorite method is to find a Reddit thread on the same topic and paste comments from there into HN.
A side benefit of this method is that when we ban accounts that do it, it looks like we're suppressing perfectly innocent commenters. Can you believe the abusive mods! HN is rife with censorship!
Re: Why the Shipping Forecast Is So Beloved in the UK
#23I'm not sure why alexi23's comment is dead, but it's very poetic. " The Shipping Forecast turns our landscape into a slightly ethereal world, inhabited by communities we are connected to but know nothing about “I feel chastened on nights like this when I see storm force 11, and think there are people out there contending with that weather, putting their lives at risk in pursuit of their livelihood – be it in the navy…
Because many new accounts are dead. Some are so dead, you can't even vouch for them.
There's no such thing as an account whose comments can't be vouched for. Nor is it true that there are many dead new accounts, if by 'dead' you mean 'banned'. But it is true that software filters sometimes kill comments by new accounts. That's not software that we want to have to run, or write, but it's necessary because of past abuses by trolls.
Re: Why the Shipping Forecast Is So Beloved in the UK
#24One song that samples the shipping forecast (that isn't mentioned in this article) is this Tears For Fears track from the 1980s: http://youtu.be/FDUk11Z0bkQ Gives you a good idea of the cadences in the shipping forecast itself. It can be strangely relaxing listening to the shipping forecast on BBC Radio 4.
For completeness I've uploaded last night's shipping forecast here: http://oirase.annexia.org/tmp/Shipping_Forecast_-_2017-12-27... [Out of date - Don't rely on it if you're sailing a boat!] Of course it's not quite the same unless you put on Sailing By beforehand and listen to it in the dead of night.
I was curious what it sounded like but couldn't find any source.
Thanks, from a fellow Islander (PEI, Canada).
And Biscay is in for a rough night force 11!
Re: Why the Shipping Forecast Is So Beloved in the UK
#25The shipping forecast is the best resource for surfers in Britain. Especially those on the north east, or north coast. /me <3s the shipping forecast, and I ain't lived in Britain for nearly 2 decades.
Re: Why the Shipping Forecast Is So Beloved in the UK
#26I'm not sure why alexi23's comment is dead, but it's very poetic. " The Shipping Forecast turns our landscape into a slightly ethereal world, inhabited by communities we are connected to but know nothing about “I feel chastened on nights like this when I see storm force 11, and think there are people out there contending with that weather, putting their lives at risk in pursuit of their livelihood – be it in the navy…
I banned the account last night because it's probably a spammer trying to build up account karma by pasting quotes from other articles. Here's another one you can Google: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16013540 . Spammers adopted this technique in the last couple years. A favorite method is to find a Reddit thread on the same topic and paste comments from there into HN. A side benefit of this method is that whe…
Maybe HN needs something like the old slashdot comment adjectives (e.g. -1, Redundant).
Re: Why the Shipping Forecast Is So Beloved in the UK
#27I think the title is stretching it a bit. Almost no-one actually listens to it and as time goes on, I suspect fewer people have even heard of it. I brought it up in conversation in my office recently and had to explain what it was as it wasn't even on the modern cultural radar.
For a good part of my life it's been something I've fallen asleep to after the "Late Book". I suspect it's the same for many people who have a radio in their bedroom permenantly tuned to Radio 4. (A habit I picked up from my parents, and one I was pleased to discover that my wife shared). Given the popularity of Radio 4, I suspect that this is more common than you might think.
But I also suspect that you're correct in your assertion that few people (outside of those for whom it is actually relevant) actually listen to what is said.
Re: Why the Shipping Forecast Is So Beloved in the UK
#28Earlier quoted context omitted.
Because many new accounts are dead. Some are so dead, you can't even vouch for them.
There's no such thing as an account whose comments can't be vouched for. Nor is it true that there are many dead new accounts, if by 'dead' you mean 'banned'. But it is true that software filters sometimes kill comments by new accounts. That's not software that we want to have to run, or write, but it's necessary because of past abuses by trolls.
What I meant is vouching not reviving it, even when (apparently) multiple people vouch. I didn't mean to attack the HN mods, you guys do a good job here!
Re: Why the Shipping Forecast Is So Beloved in the UK
#29There used to be a similar weather forecast in France, called "Météo marine". It was broadcasted until 2016 on one of the national radio station (France Inter) and had a cult-like following, even (especially?) among people that had no relationship to sailing (or to the sea in general). It's funny to see that both countries had a similar weather report that was beloved for the same reasons. Even funnier is that some o…
The sea area names were mostly harmonised across the North Sea a while ago.
See the section on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shipping_Forecast
Re: Why the Shipping Forecast Is So Beloved in the UK
#30It can be a surreal experience when driving late at night on an inland road and the shipping forecast comes on. If you are on a coastal road, it becomes rather more real. It is a much loved institution for all Brits who are old enough to listen to Radio 4 8)
"Old enough" being about two days old, no?
My mum appears to have had Radio 4 playing almost non stop since well before I was born.