Anxiety behind the rising popularity of the SUV

I am consistently mystified with the huge rise in popularity of these huge SUV vehicles. Many of them are electric vehicles but not all of them. The common denominator is their abnormally huge size. This must make them very hard to manoeuvre in tight places. I'd hate to drive one where I live. A nightmare.

On British roads they can become a handful. They will be nearly impossible to park in some parking facilities. They are simply unsuitable for many British urban road network environments. And yet the British consistently make them a very popular vehicle. 

I've been scratching my head as to why. I can only come to the conclusion that many British people are anxious about the deep-rooted problems that currently exist in British society with many public services broken or failing. Many people are anxious about world problems as well such as the possibility of a worldwide conflict.

Sitting in a big, powerful vehicle helps to assuage that anxiety giving the impression that they have control things. That they can dominate other road users. This I think is a psychological problem. There is no logical, practical reason why people should prefer large SUV vehicles. It has to be an emotional problem which these purchasers have yet to realise. Ironically the difficulty in driving these cars might make the driver anxious! 😢

Most car purchases are made on emotional issues. Many people don't buy a car because they are practical. They buy a car because they like the look of it but then of course when they have to drive it down a tight road in London or in the suburbs of London with cars parked either side and a bus coming in the other direction, they realise that they might have made the wrong choice.

There must be many instances of conflict between wives and husbands when deciding to purchase a new vehicle. Is it that the men want a super-large SUV and the wife wants a small more practical vehicle because they are more manoeuvrable? Without wishing to be in any way sexist, I suspect that many women find it very hard to drive these large vehicles. 

I was at a dealership the other day when I bumped into a middle-aged married couple. They came to the dealership in a large SUV and I got talking to the wife and she said that the family car was too wide for her. She wanted a smaller car but her husband had convinced her to buy it. She longingly looked at a small compact new car for sale in the showroom. I think this little encounter tells a story which is unfolding across the country.

And, you won't be able to park one of the huge SUV vehicles in a John Lewis car park with all that concrete. If you park in the Kingston upon Thames John Lewis car park you will notice a huge number of scratches on the concrete pillars and walls. Every one of those scratches represents thousands of pounds of body repair work! 

And I suspect that all of them are caused by drivers being unable to navigate their huge SUVs around a very tight space. These vehicles are impractical and it's time people put aside their emotional issues and became far more logical and sensible in their choices.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins. Also, sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified. And, I rely on scientific studies but they are not 100% reliable. Finally, (!) I often express an OPINION on the news. Please share yours in a comment.

Dubai expats and residents abandoning & killing pets due to Iran war

Op-ed - comment on the latest Middle East news: Quick note because I have had a long day! LBC radio told me today that there is an exodus of British (?) expats and other residents in Dubai who are leaving the country due to the Iran war and in the process abandoning their cats and dogs or worse: tying up a cat to a lamp post so tightly a nasty injury was caused or in one case a pair of dogs were shot dead in the desert. The rescue centres are overflowing and are at a loss as to what to do.

This is a terrible form of animal abuse. To think of it is hard to bear. I understand the panic as drones are falling on Dubai as Iran retaliates but there cannot be any kind of true relationship between these caregivers and their companion animals.

It is humans hitting a new low in animal welfare. It shows how humans behaviour when under pressure towards animals. 

Here is another short video on this:

P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins. Also, sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified. And, I rely on scientific studies but they are not 100% reliable. Finally, (!) I often express an OPINION on the news. Please share yours in a comment.

When Humans Need Help, Dogs Step Up and Cats Step Back

If you’ve ever dropped the remote beneath the sofa and watched your dog eagerly dive under to investigate while your cat gazes on with elegant disinterest, you’re not imagining things. New research published in the journal Animal Behaviour suggests that in situations where a human needs help — even when no help was requested — dogs are strikingly more likely than cats to offer assistance, and in some ways they behave much like young children. (doi.org)

The study, titled “Dogs’ behaviour is more similar to that of children than to that of cats in a prosocial problem situation”, was conducted by researchers at Eötvös Loránd University in Hungary and involved a straightforward yet revealing experiment. (doi.org)

In the core setup, the scientists brought together three very different groups of familiar companions: pet dogs, pet cats, and toddlers aged 16 to 24 months. In each household, an adult hid a neutral object — such as a dishwashing sponge — in plain view of the child or animal, then began searching for it without asking for help. Researchers watched to see how each subject responded. (The Times)

What emerged was a clear pattern. While all three groups paid attention to both the hidden object and the searching adult, only the dogs and toddlers typically took action. More than three-quarters of the dogs and toddlers either looked back and forth from the object to the adult in a way that signalled they understood the adult’s difficulty, or physically approached and retrieved the object for them. (doi.org)

By contrast, the cats rarely engaged in such “helping behaviour.” Despite observing the same scenario and showing interest, most felines simply watched their human’s puzzlement unfold. They did not approach or attempt to indicate where the object was. Only when the hidden item had personal relevance for the cat — a treat or favourite toy — did their level of engagement climb to match that of the dogs and toddlers. (The Times)

The researchers interpret these findings in the context of evolutionary history and domestication. Dogs evolved as highly social animals whose ancestors cooperated in hunting and guarding within packs, and over thousands of years of living with humans they’ve been selected for responsiveness to human cues and challenges. That deep social wiring may make them naturally inclined to notice a human’s struggle and respond proactively — even without explicit training or reward. (doi.org)

Cats, on the other hand, trace their lineage to largely solitary hunters and appear to have “domesticated themselves” by settling around human settlements in pursuit of food sources like rodents. This form of domestication, while it led to close bonds with humans, didn’t select for cooperative or prosocial problem-solving in quite the same way. As a result, cats may be perfectly capable of understanding a human’s goal but less motivated to intervene unless there’s something in it for them. (The Times)

Importantly, this research does not imply that cats are uncaring or incapable of forming bonds with their people. Rather, it highlights a difference in when and why these species choose to act. Dogs may instinctively weave humans’ needs into their own behavioural repertoire, while cats — ever the independent spirits — may reserve their involvement for matters directly relevant to their own interests. (doi.org)

In a world full of affectionate anecdotes about both species, the study provides a fascinating scientific lens on a common experience: when help really counts, you might find more four-legged assistance from a wagging tail than a flicking one. (The Times)

My observation: the result is unsurprising as the dog is a pack animal looking to their leader (alpha) for guidance and the cat is a solitary animal albeit socialised and adapted to living with humans resulting in close bonds often.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins. Also, sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified. And, I rely on scientific studies but they are not 100% reliable. Finally, (!) I often express an OPINION on the news. Please share yours in a comment.

Captive Siberian tigers in China overfed by tourists

This is another example of animal cruelty in China, albeit of a relatively mild kind compared to the brutal cat meat markets in the south. There are around 1000 Siberian tigers in the Harbin Siberian Tiger Park and the park keepers unusually allow the tourist visitors to feed them in addition to their usual diet provided by the keepers. Very strange I'd say. Very careless and indulgent.

Siberian tiger in the wild in China.

The tigers can become obese. No surprise. The end result: intermittent fasting. The enclosures will be subject to a program of rotating fasting. Messy cat caregiving I would say and obesity causes health problems of all kinds as humans know. Fasting may also cause some health problems. 

This is what AI says about intermittent fasting for humans:

"Intermittent fasting has been linked to several potential health concerns. Some large observational studies suggest that eating within very short daily windows—particularly under eight hours—may be associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular death, especially in people who already have heart disease or cancer. These findings do not prove causation but highlight possible long‑term risks that are still being investigated.

Evidence for weight loss is mixed. Reviews of clinical trials show that intermittent fasting often performs no better than standard calorie‑restricted diets, and in many cases offers only modest or uncertain benefits. Long‑term effectiveness remains unclear, and some people may compensate by overeating during eating periods.

Short‑term side effects are common. These can include hunger, irritability, low energy, difficulty concentrating, and disrupted sleep. Some individuals experience patterns of overeating or find the regimen difficult to sustain. Intermittent fasting may also be unsuitable for people with diabetes, those taking glucose‑lowering medications, individuals with a history of eating disorders, and some older adults.

Overall, while intermittent fasting can be tolerated by many, research indicates meaningful uncertainties and potential risks, particularly with very restrictive eating windows."

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins. Also, sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified. And, I rely on scientific studies but they are not 100% reliable. Finally, (!) I often express an OPINION on the news. Please share yours in a comment.

AI writing is perfect but characterless and noticeably so

AI is a language master. It writes perfectly. Perfect grammar. It is faultless in terms of pure writing skills. And it can summarise complex texts rapidly and perfectly. It is hugely impressive and reassuring. One can be in awe of AI. Some people ask it to write long articles and even whole books or edit books. It also has a mastery of poetry. Instant poetry.

AI writing is perfect in all ways but tends to be characterless and hollow. This image was created by AI.

 

And there lies the problem. It's instant perfection is like an instant pot noodle meal: characterless. Almost bland. Vanilla, beige. Magnolia. Perfect magnolia. And people are beginning to recognise AI stories and articles.

After one has lost that awe you start to miss the imperfect writing of humans because it has a genuine voice born of emotions. AI does not have emotions. If it seems to express emotions it is entirely artificial. Fake.

These are my personal views but they are matched by others including book agents who report that they are receiving far too many books written by AI. The managing director of Greene & Heaton said that their business had seen a "change in the nature of many of our submissions" during the past year.

He mentioned that "AI editing tools can really flatten your writing." This must be a reference to authors writing the text and asking AI to check it for typos and grammar.

What AI then likes to do is to 'polish' the text as it sees fit (it does this in a patronising way incidentally). The result: AI-style text. A tendency towards bland perfection as mentioned. The author loses her voice thanks to convenience.

Agents can recognise it. Nicky Lander an executive at the Bright Agency agrees that AI can be useful for illustrators but it "can suppress an author's voice." The same problem. The character of the author does not shine through the written word when created by AI.

Authors need their voice. It is the only way they can stand out and be different. AI is homogenised. 

Book agents are beginning to reject copy that they believe is AI written. The language in noticeable. It is the same with AI videos on YouTube. The same machine-gun perfection. It becomes tiresome and I for one am returning to my own writing.

Because content websites have been smashed by AI it becomes unfeasible to take too long in preparing articles. One turns to AI for speed. But this is not the true answer I am afraid.

Although AI is great at writing legal text. And understanding how to prepare legal documents. But these are meant to be bland and perfect! A perfect match up for AI.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins. Also, sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified. And, I rely on scientific studies but they are not 100% reliable. Finally, (!) I often express an OPINION on the news. Please share yours in a comment.