Interesting Links for 12-12-2012

[andrewducker]

• Six scientists tell us about the most accurate science fiction in their fields
  (tags: science scifi writing )
• Church of England to be banned from carrying out same sex marriages.
  (tags: uk ChurchOfEngland religion lgbt marriage law )
• Swedish football team sacks its entire first squad for homophobic abuse
  (tags: lgbt homophobia sweden )

Comments

[danieldwilliam]

The legislative bar on the Church of England etc performing same-sex marriages does make for an interesting focal point for a sustained campaign of protest.

[andrewducker]

Well, that would be one for the church itself. I can understand why they've done it (see nice writeup here: http://www.andrewrilstone.com/2012/12/that-would-be-ecumenical-matter.html ) - but it's a mess!

[danieldwilliam]

That is a good write up.

I think this moves us closer to sexuality equality and closer to dis-establisment, closer to Lords Reform and closer to republicanism.

I’m all in favour.

[marrog]

I think it's pretty hilarious, and is actually bordering on deliberately passive-aggressive and patronising on the part of the government - and I think the Church deserves it.

[danieldwilliam]

I’d be willing to bet that Briggs has counted every penny of the Snowman income.

When we were in Australia watching the Snowman on Christmas day was a favourite Chistmas tradition.

[andrewducker]

I've seen it once, I think. Was horribly put off by the Aled Jones singing.

[momentsmusicaux]

It's a bit schmaltzy as a piece of music but what do you find objectionable about his actual singing?

(I had to accompany my school choir on the piano for this when I was 11. Or possibly I volunteered, I don't remember.)

[andrewducker]

Oh, nothing against his voice (although it's not my thing)- it was the schmaltziness. By the time it was a big hit I was entering my grumpy teen phase :->

[danieldwilliam]

*singing loudly and very, very, very out of tune*

We’re walking in the air. We’re floating in the moonlight sky.

I’m looking forward to the Captain seeing it this year. He’ll love it, or hate in a comic way.

[andrewducker]

Needs. More. Hulk.

[danieldwilliam]

Hulk just makes him angry and you wouldn't like him when he's angry.

Current obsessions include being a mummy bird, superman and a programme about two puppets who are part of the chiming mechanism of a clock.

[nancylebov]

Now that people know about the hum, it may be possible to correct the hum in edited audio.

[andrewducker]

Might be. But now your cunning plan needs a decent sound engineer...

[simont]

Perhaps the first time. But surely the moment one competent sound engineer converts their expertise into a convenient piece of software and it becomes available on the Internet, any old random will be able to run it over their plot-critical recordings? The script kiddie phenomenon all over again - it only takes one person to publish a sufficiently foolproof implementation of an exploit and then suddenly everyone's doing it.

Does defending against this need anything more than a notch filter or high-pass filter?

[alextfish]

I was thinking it was perhaps unwise of them to do the interviews about that hum if it is indeed so vital.

Alteratively, if we hypothesise slightly more competence then there may be in fact several such background interferences, only one of which will be easily corrected by the means described in the article.

[snarlish]

I was thinking this whole dead people liking things from beyond the grave and anarchists liking corporations/vegetarians like spam/cats liking dogs was the result of the like cookie. even if signed out of Facebook, ticking an ad that goes back to advertisers Facebook page could trigger the like for the original Facebook person. (Disclosure: not on Facebook nor an expert on this cookie code)

[andrewducker]

Oh yes,it could be odd things like that going on. I suspect it's the kindof thing that Facebook can't be arsed fixing,because it's not to their advantage.