Linky links
Dec. 6th, 2016 09:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
purplecatA long time since I posted one of these, some old links...
Do not turn Brexit into Britain's version of Bush v Gore
Interesting comparison noting that attempts to involve the courts in the decision about whether or not parliament must vote on the triggering of Article 50 inevitable force the courts to make a political decision.
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Determine Which Shakespeare Play You Should See First With This Flowchart
Fun infographic/flowchart.
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My Dartmoor Walks: Friday 14th October - Fernworthy Reservoir Uncovered
Lovely photographs of two bridges, three stone circles and misc other stone things revealed by unusually low water levels at Fernworthy Reservoir on Dartmoor.
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The cult of Wetherspoons: why does the pub chain inspire such devotion?
It must be said I generally consider Wetherspoons' to be samey but reliable, so it is interesting to read this discussion highlighting aspects such as the lack of territorial locals and to learn about the carpets!
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Robotics team program new Tate Liverpool art installation - University of Liverpool News - University of Liverpool
Several people I work with were involved with this, including the boss! By some bizarre piece of circular acquaintance I'll also ran a Lego Rover workshop associated with it last weekend, though because the Tate asked the Girl Geeks who asked our Outreach Team and not because I work with the people involved!
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Donald Trump and the rise of white identity in politics
Interesting article that attempts (not entirely successfully) to disentangle the concept of a sense of white identity from racial prejudice (in, for instance, the form of ideas about white supremacy). One is left with the feeling that there is a whole lot more going on here than is touched upon in the article, but its clearly an area that is likely to become more important.
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Dad Spends $1500 On 3-Year-Old’s Halloween Costume; Recreates Scenes From New Wonder Woman Movie | fulltimephotographer
This is actually pretty cool and the finished results look great. While $1500 seems like a lot to spend on a three year-old's halloween costume I don't suppose the resulting Internet coverage has done her Dad's career any harm!
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Fact-checking Clinton and Trump is not enough
Interesting, if only for the analysis of how framing and delivery can influence our perception of the truth of a politician's statements.
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Facebook's problem is more complicated than fake news
Interesting counter to the idea that social media filter bubbles are responsible to the diametric assumptions and worldviews people seen to have.
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The surprising origins of 'post-truth' – and how it was spawned by the liberal left
Interesting article that seeks to (briefly and therefore somewhat superficially) trace the lineage of "post-truth" from the advent of post-modernism, through the dot-com boom and the rise of the spin doctor to our current reality.
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Why Trump is right, and wrong, about killing off the TPP
This article argues that recent "free trade" agreements have in fact not been free trade agreements. I'm not qualified to judge, but would be interested in![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
philmophlegm's input.
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New study indicates Moon's formation was more energetic than previously thought.
I'm vaguely interested in the puzzle that is why the Moon is the way it is, not for any specific reason just that something that feels like it ought to be well-understood by now, really isn't.
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Deep in the Amazon jungle, Brazil's 'hidden cities' are in crisis
"The “deep” Amazon is now surprisingly urbanised yet its cities are largely invisible in academic and political debates. In the 21st century, it is generally taken for granted that towns and cities are connected by roads. However, in the Brazilian state of Amazonas almost a million people live in dozens of roadless cities of 3,000 to 70,000 residents. These settlements are wholly reliant on rivers."
I just had no idea. The rest of the article is fairly obvious once you grasp that fact, though.
Do not turn Brexit into Britain's version of Bush v Gore
Interesting comparison noting that attempts to involve the courts in the decision about whether or not parliament must vote on the triggering of Article 50 inevitable force the courts to make a political decision.
- - - - -
Determine Which Shakespeare Play You Should See First With This Flowchart
Fun infographic/flowchart.
- - - - -
My Dartmoor Walks: Friday 14th October - Fernworthy Reservoir Uncovered
Lovely photographs of two bridges, three stone circles and misc other stone things revealed by unusually low water levels at Fernworthy Reservoir on Dartmoor.
- - - - -
The cult of Wetherspoons: why does the pub chain inspire such devotion?
It must be said I generally consider Wetherspoons' to be samey but reliable, so it is interesting to read this discussion highlighting aspects such as the lack of territorial locals and to learn about the carpets!
- - - - -
Robotics team program new Tate Liverpool art installation - University of Liverpool News - University of Liverpool
Several people I work with were involved with this, including the boss! By some bizarre piece of circular acquaintance I'll also ran a Lego Rover workshop associated with it last weekend, though because the Tate asked the Girl Geeks who asked our Outreach Team and not because I work with the people involved!
- - - - -
Donald Trump and the rise of white identity in politics
Interesting article that attempts (not entirely successfully) to disentangle the concept of a sense of white identity from racial prejudice (in, for instance, the form of ideas about white supremacy). One is left with the feeling that there is a whole lot more going on here than is touched upon in the article, but its clearly an area that is likely to become more important.
- - - - -
Dad Spends $1500 On 3-Year-Old’s Halloween Costume; Recreates Scenes From New Wonder Woman Movie | fulltimephotographer
This is actually pretty cool and the finished results look great. While $1500 seems like a lot to spend on a three year-old's halloween costume I don't suppose the resulting Internet coverage has done her Dad's career any harm!
- - - - -
Fact-checking Clinton and Trump is not enough
Interesting, if only for the analysis of how framing and delivery can influence our perception of the truth of a politician's statements.
- - - - -
Facebook's problem is more complicated than fake news
Interesting counter to the idea that social media filter bubbles are responsible to the diametric assumptions and worldviews people seen to have.
- - - - -
The surprising origins of 'post-truth' – and how it was spawned by the liberal left
Interesting article that seeks to (briefly and therefore somewhat superficially) trace the lineage of "post-truth" from the advent of post-modernism, through the dot-com boom and the rise of the spin doctor to our current reality.
- - - - -
Why Trump is right, and wrong, about killing off the TPP
This article argues that recent "free trade" agreements have in fact not been free trade agreements. I'm not qualified to judge, but would be interested in
philmophlegm's input.- - - - -
New study indicates Moon's formation was more energetic than previously thought.
I'm vaguely interested in the puzzle that is why the Moon is the way it is, not for any specific reason just that something that feels like it ought to be well-understood by now, really isn't.
- - - - -
Deep in the Amazon jungle, Brazil's 'hidden cities' are in crisis
"The “deep” Amazon is now surprisingly urbanised yet its cities are largely invisible in academic and political debates. In the 21st century, it is generally taken for granted that towns and cities are connected by roads. However, in the Brazilian state of Amazonas almost a million people live in dozens of roadless cities of 3,000 to 70,000 residents. These settlements are wholly reliant on rivers."
I just had no idea. The rest of the article is fairly obvious once you grasp that fact, though.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2016-12-06 10:01 pm (UTC)I can't find much to disagree with in that article on the TPP and trade agreements in general. Free trade = good; corporatist, crony-capitalist, monopoly-reinforcing trade agreements = ...
...well, not bad exactly, and in the overall sense, better than nothing. The problem is that politicians who attack such trade agreements (like Trump and Sanders) tend to attack them because they don't like free trade (or like to pretend they don't), not because they aren't free enough.
Because if you want to win an election, and you need the votes of disaffected ex-factory workers in the rust belt to do it, then a policy that makes those people better off in the short term wins you more votes than a policy that makes everyone better off in the medium and long term. In a Trump presidency, the alternative to TPP isn't a proper free trade deal, it's tariffs and quotas and 'Buy American' campaigns...and if that happens, then I fear world recession.
(no subject)
Date: 2016-12-06 10:53 pm (UTC)And, once again, I'm glad that I'm not on Facebook any more.
(no subject)
Date: 2016-12-07 11:31 am (UTC)And also happens to be where my sister got married (though that really only proves that Dartmoor is a small place - at least in terms of population).
(no subject)
Date: 2016-12-07 11:35 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2016-12-07 01:02 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2016-12-07 04:32 pm (UTC)Their histories bingo is good too.
(no subject)
Date: 2016-12-08 09:27 am (UTC)