Interesting Links for 11-01-2012

[andrewducker]

• The Biggest Change in DNS Since Dot-Com
  (tags: internet names )
• Positive-Case-For-The-Union Watch
  (tags: scotland independence uk funny )
• Olivia’s Invention Workshop (one of those new girl-friendly Lego sets)
  (tags: women lego )
• The Myth of The 12-Year Old McDonald's Burger That Just Won't Rot (Now with Science!)
  (tags: science food mcdonalds )

Comments

[simont]

Looks like I'll be going to 60Mbps for free!

Ha, I'll believe that when I see it. I just attempted to get myself upgraded from 10Mbps to 30Mbps, and despite no end of faffing with a new modem, signing new pieces of paper, reacquiring a year of contract lockin and so on, I have yet to actually see an improved download rate from any site I've tested.

[andrewducker]

I doubt any individual site will give you a download speed about 2MBps - I've not encountered one, no matter what speed connection I'm on.

I have been able to have multiple downloads going that were each huge though.

[simont]

I tried that too, but no joy there either.

I'm hoping that they're still just shuffling paper around and will actually bump my speed in another week or so once my signed contract finds its way into the right pair of hands. If there turns out to be an actual technical difficulty, I'll be rather less hopeful that it'll ever be sorted out!

[andrewducker]

They don't actually have the faster speeds in my area yet. You can check yours here. If you look under "When will I get them?" then there's a PDF with the planned exchange upgrades.

[gonzo21]

Ah yeah, I was looking at that lego catalogue the other day, there's a whole range of girl friendly lego now, it's all very depressing.

[momentsmusicaux]

Are they all as bloody awful as that one?

[andrewducker]

I think that one's great. Lots of sciencey stuff in it, blackboards, jars in different colours, etc. The only thing that makes it any different from other lego kits is the figure.

[momentsmusicaux]

It's all pink and pastel colours for no good reason. The lego figure isn't one. And it's not real lego any more -- just lots of specialized pieces; nothing you can actually build for yourself with.

[bemused_leftist]

I bet the MacDonald's burger would dissolve in Pepsi, though.

[andrewducker]

Someone on Vice.com was doing a test of this, but their post vanished after a few days. I'd love to see how long it takes a mouse to dissolve in orange juice, for instance.

[lizzie_and_ari]

"I'd love to see how long it takes a mouse to dissolve in orange juice"

You're weird.

:)

[andrewducker]

Yup! :->

The main reason I want to know is so that when people say "Coke is eeeevil. If you put a mouse in it then it dissolved in 4 days!" I can say "Yes, and orange juice does the same in 3 days. So it's more eeeevil!"

[strangemeetings]

The 'lego for girls' thing has been around for ages -- I remember playing with scala/ belleville in the mid/late 90s, which both had larger figures and the same pastel-coloured bricks/controversially domestic themes as the new stuff.

To add to the debate up the thread, I liked and played with the 'girly' stuff (as well as all the standard lego), and appear to have turned out fine/feminist/career-minded despite it ;).

Even earlier (late eighties/early nineties) I had a duplo dolls' house, although that was in standard rather than pastel colours, and I've no idea whether it was marketed specifically at girls.

[andrewducker]

Yeah, I have a loathing for the idea that one can't be a feminist and like playing with traditionally girly things. The important thing is to have a choice, and not to try and push values onto people.

[strangemeetings]

Ditto. It's awful if girls are forbidden from playing with 'boy's toys' (or boys aren't allowed dolls), but honestly? Lots of girly stuff is awesome fun.

Maybe I've turned out ok cos my favourite lego theme was the Indiana Jones rip off one that they did before they got the Indiana Jones licence, though ;).

[naath]

Loads of "girl" stuff is awesome fun. And I'm pretty sure that denigrating "girl stuff" as crap is part of the way that sexism works. Reclaiming the fun-ness of feminine coded activities FTW!

(Lego are normally pretty good about gender in their adverts; I hope to see some ads with boys playing with these new "girl" sets)

[brixtonbrood]

Having defended Lego's decision to produce loads of "girl-friendly" kits and most of Andrew's wider points, I do have to point out that they have apparently followed it up with a massive sexism fail, as follows

[andrewducker]

Yeah, that's just wrong. I bumped into a similar thing out shopping yesterday, where the outdoors shop had "Sweaters" and "Women's Sweaters". Not nearly as bad in scale, but that kind of thing just bothers me.