Interesting Links for 19-11-2015

[andrewducker]

• Founder Of 'Close UK Borders' Petition, Tina Reeves, Currently Lives In...Spain
  • UKIP immigration Europe asylum OhForFucksSake
• Business groups back taking Edinburgh trams to Newhaven
  • business trams transport
• Europe's most successful Kickstarter collapses as its mini-drones fail to take off.
  • kickstarter epicfail business drone
• Princess Pricklepants

Comments

[danieldwilliam]

The interesting thing for me about the Trams article is that it doesn't say why those two groups are in favour of the extension.

[andrewducker]

I assume that they've seen an uptick in business in the areas with trams, and found that it makes it easier for businesses to set up in the cheaper areas that now have decent transport links.

[danieldwilliam]

I'm sure there are bags of reasons - chief amongst them the two you suggest - just curious about the presentation. Given that you've managed to sum up the two most likely reasons the business group is supporting the scheme in one handy sentence I wonder why the article doesn't. It's as if I'm supposed to accept as persuasive the mere fact that a body think a thing is a good thing.

Body X (likely to know about these things) supports Scheme Y because Scheme Y will have beneficial effects A and B

is a different thing than

Body X supports Scheme Y so you should too.

[andrewducker]

Oh, yes, I agree.

I went and found the briefing note, which gives all sorts of reasons:
http://transformscotland.org.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/2015-11-02-Briefing-on-Edinburgh-tram-scheme-SCDI-Transform-Scotland.pdf

Be nice if the article had had a link!

[danieldwilliam]

The Tories forming the official opposition to the SNP in Scotland would be hilarious.

I'm still trying to get my head round the Both Votes SNP over topping mechanics.

[andrewducker]

Yeah, one of the things which is now actually putting me off of AMS is that it's more easily gameable than STV. There are now people out there actively trying to work out how to vote tactically in order to maximise the number of reprentatives they approve of, and that feels wrong to me.

I'm now feeling more positive about something like AV+ - with AV for your local representative and your first choice there also counting as your AMS vote.

[danieldwilliam]

If it's any comfort I think the ability to game AMS is small and only occurs in rare situations, such as the one we currently enjoy in Scotland.

The arguments I've seen about gaming the system (or more meritriously, understanding the impact of certain voting patterns) have been viscious - when geeks fall out with patriots fur flies.

AV+ would be my preference over AMS but I fear we're stuck with AMS for the time being.

[andrewducker]

True. It's only an issue when one party is getting 50% of the vote, which happens very rarely in most situations!

[momentsmusicaux]

When did drones become a thing? It seems like suddenly you can buy them in gadget shops for not that much. It doesn't seem to me that there's any of the technology involved that's that new or revolutionary. Is it just that things have got gradually smaller and light enough?

[andrewducker]

I'm fairly sure that it's because of mobile phones. Suddenly we have a large supply of tiny cameras, tiny processors with WiFi, Bluetooth, etc. which can be easily slapped together. And what would have been an expensive build of a few thousand pounds is £50 of cheap mobile tech.

[ext_208701]

Lithium batteries having a good enough energy density.

[andrewducker]

Good point!

[kalimac]

That is really the best explanation of general relativity (in particular) that I've ever read. Astonishing.

[andrewducker]

Yeah, I was really impressed. I hadn't thought of it as making light curve by slowing down time before. And that suddenly makes more sense to me than previous explanations I'd heard.

[don_fitch]

I think the most impressive part of the "What are you doing about ISIS/" article is the expression on the guy's face. But for copyright stupidity, that photo should go Viral as a "WTF?" icon. (So what are you doing about the Anglican Bishops in central Africa who are proposing that homosexuals should be killed, or the Israeli bulldozing of Palestinians' homes in areas that have not been granted to Israel, or about the horrible stupidity of the Republican Party candidates in the U.S.?)

Although.... his need to explain to the media that his daughters' internet infuence ("5SOS") is an Australian Boy Band comes in a close second.

And all I can do is sputter about his disagreement, posted in comments to an ISIS UTube site, having drawn down disapproval/investigation from H15 and the CIA.