Jamie123 Posted March 22 Report Share Posted March 22 (edited) A while ago I posted about Elizabeth Holmes, the queen of unsuccessful "fake-it-till-you-make-it". The cautionary tale of Billy Coull is not dissimilar. It's probably funnier too - because nothing life-and-death (such as blood testing) was ever at stake - but also quite heart-rending when you think of the poor little kiddywinks expecting to see Wonka's factory in it's glory... ...and actually getting this... Wonka: The Scandal that Rocked Britain review – a whole hour of TV on the chocolate disaster that went viral | Television | The Guardian Coull was an idiot of course. He used AI to create a wonderful website, and a lot of people bought into it. (Just as they bought into Elizabeth Holmes' pretty face and Steve Jobs demeanour.) Could he create such a thing in real life? Well I believe he thought he could, and when real life caught up with him, he was the first to admit his own stupidity. He did blame some of it on being "let down by suppliers" (which could be true - who knows?) but at least he didn't skip off to the Bahamas. He was there in the thick of it, taking the flack from enraged parents who called him a "scammer". (And if you don't know what angry Scotsman - or Scotswoman - is like, think Groundskeeper Willie times a hundred!) A true scammer would have been long gone, leaving his hapless employees to pick up the pieces. It reminds me of this verse (don't know the author, but it's about bricklayers): Quote The line and plummet guide the tool And keep the trowel under rule The firm foundation lay with care Nor build thee castles in the air! Edited March 22 by Jamie123 NeuroTypical 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeuroTypical Posted March 22 Report Share Posted March 22 (edited) Yep, Abandoned Wonka Warehouse made it to my tiktok. Don't forget the Oompa Loompa! In other news, I really liked DUNE II: Edited March 22 by NeuroTypical Jamie123 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikbone Posted March 22 Report Share Posted March 22 https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/3fe9eedb-4583-44c4-8f31-361fbe816914#psHkgLaD.copy Jamie123 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LDSGator Posted March 23 Report Share Posted March 23 I feel sorry for the families, but that poor actress playing the Oompa Loompa will now have to deal with being a meme for her entire life. 😞 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeuroTypical Posted March 23 Report Share Posted March 23 1 hour ago, LDSGator said: I feel sorry for the families, but that poor actress playing the Oompa Loompa will now have to deal with being a meme for her entire life. 😞 I think she's not as shook up about it as one might think. She's been quite vocal about the experience, giving lots of interviews. LDSGator 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LDSGator Posted March 23 Report Share Posted March 23 1 hour ago, NeuroTypical said: I think she's not as shook up about it as one might think. She's been quite vocal about the experience, giving lots of interviews. Glad she’s taking it well. Better than I would. Is Coull someone who tried to rip people off or did he just bite off more then he could chew? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie123 Posted March 23 Author Report Share Posted March 23 (edited) 1 hour ago, LDSGator said: Glad she’s taking it well. Better than I would. Is Coull someone who tried to rip people off or did he just bite off more then he could chew? I suspect the latter. He's a bit of a fantasist. He's self-published about a dozen novels, which are largely believed to be AI-generated. If he was a cynical swindler he'd have run off with the money instead of stopping around to take the abuse, and giving refunds. I wonder how much out of pocket he is. Quite a lot I'm betting! P.S. I read somewhere the girl who played "The Unknown" has now been hired by London Dungeon to do a regular performance there! Edited March 23 by Jamie123 LDSGator 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LDSGator Posted March 23 Report Share Posted March 23 7 minutes ago, Jamie123 said: P.S. I read somewhere the girl who played "The Unknown" has now been hired by London Dungeon to do a regular performance there! That’s awesome. 7 minutes ago, Jamie123 said: I suspect the latter. He's a bit of a fantasist. He's self-published about a dozen novels, which are largely believed to be AI-generated. If he was a cynical swindler he'd have run off with the money instead of stopping around to take the abuse, and giving refunds. I wonder how much out of pocket he is. Quite a lot I'm betting Being on the ground there you are vastly more qualified than I am to tell us who is he is. Thanks bud. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie123 Posted March 23 Author Report Share Posted March 23 (edited) 1 hour ago, LDSGator said: Being on the ground there you are vastly more qualified than I am to tell us who is he is. Thanks bud. I don't know very much about him other than what I've read. And this happened in Glasgow, a long way from me! Perhaps I should be a bit more cautious in what I say... Edited March 23 by Jamie123 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeuroTypical Posted March 24 Report Share Posted March 24 8 hours ago, LDSGator said: Glad she’s taking it well. Better than I would. Apparently, she's a character actor (i.e. starving theater kid hungry for gigs), and seems to be having a wonderful time riding the publicity. I just saw her starring in an ad on tiktok. That picture and all the news might be the best thing that ever happened to her career. If she's got a bit of talent, she could ride the wave into greater and greater things. LDSGator 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Backroads Posted March 25 Report Share Posted March 25 On 3/23/2024 at 7:23 PM, NeuroTypical said: Apparently, she's a character actor (i.e. starving theater kid hungry for gigs), and seems to be having a wonderful time riding the publicity. I just saw her starring in an ad on tiktok. That picture and all the news might be the best thing that ever happened to her career. If she's got a bit of talent, she could ride the wave into greater and greater things. I already hear this has been a good career boost for her, and I'm happy for her. Jamie123, LDSGator and NeuroTypical 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mordorbund Posted March 25 Report Share Posted March 25 What do people* not understand about “a world of pure imagination”? *apply to as many different parties as you’d like NeuroTypical and Backroads 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emmanuel Goldstein Posted March 27 Report Share Posted March 27 On 3/22/2024 at 3:05 PM, NeuroTypical said: Yep, Abandoned Wonka Warehouse made it to my tiktok. Don't forget the Oompa Loompa! WIlly Wonka and the Meth lab LDSGator 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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