Interesting Links for 11-2-2011

[andrewducker]

• Protection of Freedoms bill announced. All sorts of authoritarian nonsense to be rolled back.
  (tags: liberal rights government uk)
• GMail announces 2-factor authentication
  (tags: google security authentication)
• Vatican Bans iOS Confessional App
  (tags: catholicism apple)
• Nokia switches to being a microsoft phone provider. What the fucking fuck?
  (tags: nokia phones mobile_phones wtf)
• Even the elite of society can engage in flamewars
  (tags: feminism women usa uk)
• Possibly the ugliest commercial website in existence
  (tags: shopping uk usability awful webdesign EpicFail)
• Some People (a graphic short story)
  (tags: art comic writing society)
• How to drink heavily (without it ruining your night/life).
  (tags: drinking alcohol advice)
• Why you aren't seeing updates from all of your FB friends (a new Facebook setting)
  (tags: facebook)
• The Cthulhu Mythos, As Imagined By Kids
  (tags: art lovecraft cthulhu children)
• Why HP’s take on WebOS could be a very big deal
  (tags: technology hp tablet webos)
• The Reindeer of St Matthew Island. A story that brings a lesson for all of us.
  (tags: environment science earth population reindeer comic)
• Interim Apple Chief Under Fire After Unveiling Grotesque New MacBook
  (tags: computer funny apple)
• Marvel in talks with Shane Black to helm Iron Man 3. Awesome choice.
  (tags: marvel comics IronMan movies)
• Dispelling the myth that because AV isn't most people's idea of the best system it isn't worth voting for.
  (tags: av voting)
• Nourishing a Culture of Failure
  (tags: innovation creativity business people)

Comments

[matgb]

Nokia decide to kill Symbian despite the UX on the N8 actually being good. FFS, 30%+ growth is not a problem if the market is expanding massively to include budget crap. IT's something that needs watching but.

In the meantime, HP announce the TouchPad we were expecting when they bought Palm, and let us know it'll have full interop with their Palm phones and laptops.

I am wondering whether I'll be able to get a Palm phone at some point on contract. Just as I was getting attached to and looking forward to an N8 they decide to kill it.

FFS, the biggest problem is lack of apps and not brillaint UI. The UI problem is mostly fixed, the phone is very good, but they've deicded to chase all the developers away by announcing they'll switch to bloody Windows.

While HP are moving away from Windows in what appears to be an interesting direction.

[cairmen.livejournal.com]

Oh, dear. Mr Markham had a good point, and if he hadn't chosen to demonstrate his extremely flawed understanding of world politics, it'd have worked well.

[andrewducker]

Yup. Sadly, put that in and people leap on it.

I actually think that providing the support makes it easier for people to fail. Because you can say "Fuck it, this is never going to work." and move onto the next thing, without worrying that you'll starve to death in the meanwhile.

[cairmen.livejournal.com]

Completely agreed. There's some argument that it means people won't try as hard, but on balance, I think it's a better system.

Of course, you also need to encourage a culture of failure, which is where Norway and the UK both do very badly.

[0olong.livejournal.com]

Because even though we jeer at people when they succeed, we point and laugh when they fail?

[cairmen.livejournal.com]

Failing in the UK is seen as Very Bad Indeed. Obviously we like underdogs, but if you've failed at something once, the general national feeling is that you shouldn't try it again because you clearly suck.

[zz]

just like failing in business shouldn't mean losing your job, or in politics mean a public crucifixion, as long as people have learned from the failure.

[cairmen.livejournal.com]

Hmm. I wonder how, say, Edinburgh would fare over three years if they instituted a New Deal equivalent scheme where anyone who could prove they were working on a startup would a) get paid a bit more than the dole, b) not have to do the "looking for work" crap, and c) not be penalised for failure?

(Oh, and let's have a few useful compulsory classes in there on How To Do It Better).

Sure, lots of the startups wouldn't be serious, would fail, or would suck badly. But a 1% success rate over 3 years would look pretty remarkable...

[andrewducker]

This is one of the reasons I support a Citizen's Income. Give people enough to scrape by on, and support them to succeed.

[0olong.livejournal.com]

It heartens me that you had already got in there with this by the time I read the comment above.

[andrewducker]

Thanks :->

[communicator.livejournal.com]

'Ban schools from fingerprinting children without their parents' consent'. This is bullshit. Finger-touch cashless lunch systems do not take fingerprints, as Nick Clegg well knows, and head teachers are already required to get parental consent before installing them. This is the only bit of the bill I know anything about, but I know it's bullshit.

[andrewducker]

That one I don't know anything about, and will take your word for.

The DNA retention, convictions for homosexuality, removal of RIPA abuse from councils, rules for CCTV and extension of FOIA bits I heartily approve of.

[zz]

systems that tie individuals to their purchases are creepy. more so if they're done by the state. in this case, it's entirely conceivable for a council having a fit of "won't someone think of the children" and start threatening parents if their kids happen to buy chips every day, for example.

[communicator.livejournal.com]

'systems that tie individuals to their purchases are creepy' so I assume you only pay cash for everything?

[zz]

perhaps ideally.
a middle ground might be a requirment for anonymisation of data as a minimum, not that that's entirely possible given people can be identified by their habits.

to address the logical fallacy in your question (assuming you're not just a dick, I don't know you), one can find something creepy while still going along with it. people do it every day. doesn't mean one might not want to change (sorry, reform) the system.
personally, i don't have loyalty cards, while knowing that my debit/credit card numbers are likely still leaking information about me.

biometrics have a special creepiness, as they're part of your body rather than a bit of plastic that isn't really you, and are problematic in that you can't easily fix data theft/loss/corruption/etc.

[communicator.livejournal.com]

The bill in no way limits the use of biometric systems in schools, it increases the power of the state by legally imposing what was previously a voluntary code of practice, and data corruption or loss are unrelated to the use of biometric systems.

I think it's telling that the horror you imagine (councils writing to parents about chips) has never occurred, and has nothing to do with biometrics anyway, while tracking of purchases by private companies really happens but falls into the category of things you 'go along with'.

So - in short - there's an illogical fantasy here about local councils having massive power, and global companies being innocuous. And this urban myth is having serious consequences in our society. So this isn't just me being a dick. Though I am proud to be one.

[zz]

my point was "systems that tie individuals to their purchases are creepy", not "this bill is a panacea". in fact, I wasn't even commenting on the bill.

the chips example was imo a similar-severity abuse of power scenario to councils' well publicised abuse of RIPA.

power isn't one dimensional. a global supermarket chain has vast power over the environment, workforces, suppliers, local economies, yes, but very little power over individuals. councils run schools and collect rubbish reasonably well, but seem to be experts at shafting individuals.