Interesting Links for 29-06-2017

[andrewducker]

1 year ago: What you will wake up to if we vote to Leave... (Turned out to be entirely accurate)

(tags: europe uk epicfail predictions )

Why do England's high-rises keep failing fire tests?

(tags: health safety fire fail )

Turkish Government Seizes Fifty Churches, Monasteries

(tags: turkey religion OhForFucksSake )

Man travels between Newcastle and London via Minorca because it's cheaper than a direct train

(tags: viaDrJon trains uk travel )

The Postal Service is losing millions a year to help you buy cheap stuff from China

(tags: postoffices usa china wtf )

An easter egg for one user: Luke Skywalker

(tags: games programming StarWars funny )

Under-screen fingerprint sensor unveiled

(tags: phones fingerprints )

If you're asking 'What real poor person could be at Glastonbury?' you've never been poor

(tags: poverty society )

"Is it unethical for me to not tell my employer I've automated my job?"

(tags: automation work questions )

Why Are Transgender People Immune To (Some) Optical Illusions?

(tags: optical_illusion transgender lgbt brain psychology )

The Detransitioners: What life is like for people who come out as transgender, and then change their mind.

A tiny percentage, but fascinating to see their viewpoint.
(tags: lgbt transgender )

Edinburgh trams make a profit two years ahead of schedule

(tags: edinburgh trams GoodNews business )

Massive HIV Treatment Study Found Zero Transmissions Between Couples

(tags: hiv medicine GoodNews relationships sex )

You'd think that if someone circumcised your child without your consent the police would take an interest. But no...

(tags: circumcision uk OhForFucksSake )

German power company wants to use giant salt caverns as batteries

(tags: germany batteries power )

Abortion reform matter for Stormont, court rules

(tags: abortion law NorthernIreland uk )

Comments

[cmcmck]

Heigh ho- someone's psychoanalysing and medicalising me again! :o/

Detransition is intriguing- I've known a couple of people who've done it. A tiny percentage of a tiny percentage, but used all too often by the phobes and some so called 'experts' to 'prove' that it isn't a real condition in the first place'cos 'look, they got better'...........

[andrewducker]

You have a fascinating brain - who *wouldn't* be interested in it?

(And I was very glad the article talked about the way that right wing sites and TERFs take advantage of things. Probably wouldn't have posted the article without that kind of thing in it)

[cmcmck]

The intriguing thing about the research that's been done is that I have a 'female' brain- larger hypothalamus etc. I'm also left handed- left sided in my case, foot and eye too (therefore right brain dominant) and that's way more common in trans folk too.

Whether it means anything or nothing at all remains to be seen, however! :o)

I trust you to post the sane stuff- you know that!

[andrewducker]

I'm hoping they eventually get a decent understanding. But it's not like it should be necessary in order to treat people with respect.

(And I rely on you, and others, to tell me when I've fallen for something rotten)

[naath]

I rather expect that as (hopefully) being open about one's own struggles with one's gender identity gets socially easier that more people who are less certain will be open about that, and thus more people will be seen to change their mind in the course of exploring the question. Rather than only very very sure people reaching the point that facing horrid transphobia is less bad than living a lie.

[cmcmck]

And that was the decision I took at fifteen years of age and have never regretted even in the face of everything it cost me (I hit sixty last month! :o)

[armiphlage]

My boyfriend-soon-to-be-my-wife is going to retransition in August. Except he will identify as genderqueer rather than female. Our province allows people to use an "X" rather than "M" or "F" for identification, which will make things easier.

https://news.ontario.ca/mto/en/2017/03/new-x-gender-option-now-available-on-ontario-drivers-licences.html

It makes more sense (in my opinion) to consider it REtransitioning rather than detransitioning. It's not that someone "made a mistake" when originally transitioning. They successfully transitioned to who they knew they were, and are now moving forward to who they now know they are.

[wildeabandon]

It's not clear whether your final paragraph is meant to be just about your partner or a generalisation to everyone who transitions twice. If the latter then obviously it makes more sense to defer to the opinion of the person making the transition as to whether they consider it detransition/the correction of a mistake or not.

[danieldwilliam]

Profit is an interesting word with regard to the Edinburgh trams. There are questions about organisational boundaries and positive externalities and how the Tory ideological slight of hand of treating the economy of a major polity is like a purdently run household is a bloody stupid way of looking at it.

Having poked around in what is included in the P&L of the tram operations and also Lothian Buses they don't seem to be picking up the interest costs of most of the construction costs. Which isn't crazy from an organisational boundary point of view. The Edinburgh Trams Ltd and Lothian Buses Ltd don't own the tram lines.


It's also not clear how much questions of network effect are dealt with. The tram adds capability to the public transport network. If someone catches a tram in to town from the airport and then catches a bus from St Andrews Square onwards instead of a taxi all the way to their destination who owns the profit? Is that even a meaningful question in the context of a municipal service provider where the city is affected by congestion and the ability to move people around more efficiently is probably a significant limit on economic growth?

If the City of Edinburgh is paying a few million in interest payments on the borrowing used to fund the existing tram infrastructure is correct to allocate that interest payment to the tram operation? Should some of the cost go to the local NHS service who has to deal with fewer air quality related health issues? How do you allocate the improved profitability of local businesses who will benefit from increased mobility of labour? Should I be paying some as I enjoy walking around Edinburgh's less congested streets breathing slightly cleaner air? Taxation seems to be the answer. Socialised provision of benefits paid out of general taxation.

I think it vital that the actual operation of the tram network sells more tickets than it costs to run. I'm glad that it's making a cash contribution to the commonweal above and beyond the cost of running it. It would be superb if it kicked in several millions. I do think that just answering those requirements is perhaps too limited a few on public expenditure.

You'd think that if someone circumcised your child without your consent the police would take an int

[jack]

So on the one hand, WTF? You would indeed think this would be taken a bit more fucking seriously. If someone babysits a child and without the parents' consent takes its appendix out or even pierces its ear... wouldn't people understand that to be GBH? But apparently because SOME people want to get circumcised, this is ok?

OTOH, I feel like something was missing in the article. The baby was staying with his paternal grandparents. The father isn't mentioned. The mother's objections focus not on "no consent" but on "mutilation". I can't help but wonder if there was some doubt that the father might have been involved and DID consent (or at least didn't want to tell his parents he didn't). That's also really tragic, and I'm glad it seems to finally be investigated. But it's more understandable how they got into that situation, and maybe needs a more specific policy than "no assaulting babies" (eg. some things need BOTH parents' consent).

[calimac]

Even with the "so, so speculative" tiny fine print underneath, the "transgender people immune to optical illusions" headline was really off. (And probably also off(ensive).)

Not just for the reason you noted when transcribing it: that it's only demonstrated in the two optical illusions tested.

But more importantly that it was only a slight percentage tendency. Some people were, some weren't. The transgenders tested were slightly more likely to fall on one side. Still plenty were on the other, closer to everyone else . Even if this is replicated, in which case it'd be plenty interesting scientifically, it'd be inaccurate as a generalization about what "transgender people" do.

That kind of misrepresentation comes up a lot in psychological testing. E.g. the tests that show that people will follow the instructions of authority even if it means (apparently) torturing someone. No, people won't. Some people will. IIRC the results are somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2. That's a real phenomenon, and plenty to be concerned about. But it's just as interesting that just as many resist successfully.

[cyprinella]

The automated job article responses are really interesting to me. I've done that in a lot of ways with my job, but I am also in a position where I could ask for additional work and have. In a position like the LW where jobs aren't available, there's not more work from the company, I'm getting the work done, and I'm working at home? I'd have a BEAUTIFUL garden and bake all the time.

re: cheap stuff from China

[darkoshi]

When buying things on Amazon, it's often not even apparent that it will be shipped from China (because who would expect a packet to be sent all the way from China at such a low price?)

I ordered some household battery testers recently, and was surprised when the packet came, showing it was sent from China. The packet even said Air Mail on it, so it didn't come over on a boat.

The packet also says "Gift" and "Total Value: 0.01". That bothers me. I don't know if it would make any difference if it was listed as merchandise worth $5. But if they're going to take advantage of the system, they should at least do so honestly, not with lies.

Amazon's "Buying Choices" page sometimes says where the item will be shipped from. But for this particular seller and item, it doesn't show that.