Interesting Links for 23-09-2014

[andrewducker]

• On Upgrading One’s Wristwatch
  (tags: watch technology Apple obsolescence )
• 'F*ck it, I quit': TV reporter Charlo Greene quits live on air in spectacular fashion
  (tags: tv marijuana )
• English devolution - with maps
  (tags: devolution uk england politics )
• Fantasy Flight's employees are leaving it the _worst_ reviews
  (tags: review employment )
• snopes

Comments

[rhythmaning]

Regarding the updating the iWatch thing... That is one of the thing I really don't get about "wearables": updating.

I met someone a few weeks ago who worked as a consultant in "mobile", and she was going on (like half the tech world!) about wearables as the next big thing - driven largely by the high costs of American medical bills. (This actually made sense: it is cheaper to get initial diagnostic from a device than a doctor, and American medical insurance companies are likely to demand the insured use devices to keep costs down.)

A friend of hers has an RFID chip inserted in his arm, which he uses to open his front door, turn lights on and so on.

Personally, I've never had a problem opening a door or switching lights on.

But I couldn't help thinking: what happens when he needs an upgrade? Just stick another chip under the skin?

There is something rather unpleasant about the scene. Or maybe it is just the idea of Cybermen that Dr Who has imprinted on my crocodile-brain.

[andrewducker]

Yeah. I'm tempted by the NFC Ring, or similar. But not by putting things into my body. This week.

[alitheapipkin]

That is the kind of nonsense that makes me feel like a luddite. Technological advances should be about helping us achieve more and better not do tasks most people can achieve perfectly easily themselves for people who are obsessed and have more money than sense.

[naath]

Why is buying a new iWatch any different to buying a new iPhone? Loads of people buy the new iWhatever every time it comes out. Loads of other people don't - my last phone lasted several years before I decided it was too stupid and I needed a new one.

I have a contraceptive implant in my arm; it runs out every three years and requires removing and replacing if I want to continue to use it (or just removing if I don't). This procedure is not especially horrifying to me. I guess if I had an RFID chip implanted for some reason (and not needing to remember my keys sounds pretty useful, but not something I'd want to pay loads and loads for) then I could get it removed and replaced if I decided to upgrade, or it stopped working, or whatever.

[bart_calendar]

When Ridley Scott makes Blade Runner 2 in a couple of years and it ends up contradicting some of these theories I expect fan outrage that will make the Prometheus outrage look tiny in comparison.

[andrewducker]

I look forward to Deckard being an alien from the planet Zeist!

[bart_calendar]

Or a xenomorph.

[ckd]

A sled, that's really a woman, that's really the protagonist's father, who's been dead the whole time.

[rhythmaning]

The post on English devolution highlights some of the main problems for me: a lack of coherence and cohesion.

The counties don't have critical mass, I'd say - albeit that central government should devolve more to county councils and make them more accountable. (The ruse of limiting council tax rises - also pursued vigourously by the SNP government in Scotland - really limits accountability.)

And the larger regions don't seem coherent: for instance, Tynseide and Northumberland? They're contiguous, but I reckon they would have very different issues - and the rural areas would be swamped by the cities.

I think the really critical issue is around the south east: London, where many people work, will completely dominate the surrounding regions. Similarly Birmingham and the other Midlands regions.

There are lots of issues here. It will take ages to come up with a workable model.

Interesting times.

[danieldwilliam]

You’re right. Very complex and no obviously good immediate steps.

I favour a citizen led constitutional convention to look at the whole thing. If it’s going to be an unsatisfactory fudge let us have one that has been fudged by the people.

Or, I’d favour increased devolution to London.

Perhaps followed by splitting England in two, the North and the South ex London. The civil service used to be split into North and South Offices.

[camies]

Three. Who gets the Midlands? A Midlands region would inevitably be dominated by Birmingham but less so if it was not West and East Midlands but one region which contained Birmingham and the other WM population centres, and Leicester, Nottingham, Lincolnshire and Derby as well. The North would be anything north of the Midlands.

[danieldwilliam]

South England, North England, Midlands and London might work quite well.

[quirkytizzy]

I WANT A CAT CAFE!!! I truly believe there are few things in the world that cannot be improved with the addition of cats. <3

And that Danish work thing is pretty amazing. Yeah, from what I hear, we're insane about our work. And we are. If there were some kind of global rating system about bad places to work, I'd put money on the fact that America would be the worst first world country to work in.

When money is your god, all of your devotees are martyrs.

[andrewducker]

I want a dog cafe :->

(Although at least a couple of bars nearby are dog-friendly, which is nice)

Oh, and the USA is...not great:
http://www.ituc-csi.org/new-ituc-global-rights-index-the

[alitheapipkin]

I would love to have somewhere I could go and cuddle cats on a regular basis. The problem is I've known a lot of cats and I don't think a single one of them would be very impressed at being shut in a room and having a parade of strangers trying to cuddle them.

ETA: Also, I've fostered cats looking for homes and they are often the last cats who are going to be relaxed with a parade of strangers and other cats for company.

[philmophlegm]

Yup.

Things that _will_ happen:

1. A cat will get out and get run over by a car (or a tram).
2. A cat will get pissed off with some annoying brat trying to pull its tail and will scratch said brat.
3. Some cats will get stressed by being around so many other cats in a confined space.
4. A stressed cat will have an 'accident'. This will happen regularly.
5. One cat will bully some of the other cats.
6. Customers will feed unsuitable human food to the cats as a 'treat'.

Mad idea, and not in a good way. Cats Protection have opposed cafes like this before.

[octopoid_horror]

Re the cat cafe indigogo, to quote what I posted elsewhere

"Just as a cautionary note for anyone unfamilar with indiegogo - this is flexible funding, which means that the people running it can just keep however much they get - even if it's not enough to carry out their stated project. It's a bit different to the fixed funding option (that a lot of people are familiar with from kickstarter) where if the goal isn't met, backers don't pay anything."

[andrewducker]

Yeah. I'm not backing it myself, and I have the same concerns from above that rescue cats might not be the best idea. But I figured people would be interested.