Interesting Links for 01-11-2019

[andrewducker]

German farmers sue government over climate change failures

(tags:globalwarming Germany farming )

Piper Announces First GA Aircraft with Autoland Capability.

(tags:airplanes ai automation )

Women MPs say abuse forcing them from politics

(tags:abuse women politics uk OhForFucksSake )

Election 2019: Region-by-region guide to the most volatile election in memory

(tags:elections UK politics )

No, you didn't identify as a dinosaur

(tags:LGBT transgender )

Johnson accused of withholding key report on Russia from voters

(tags:Russia UK elections BorisJohnson )

No, Best for Britain are not a Lib Dem front

(tags:statistics polls advice elections )

Putting Christmas decorations up early makes you happier

(tags:Christmas viaSwampers happiness psychology )

New York City to 'break car culture' and build more than 250 new bike lanes and 1m square feet of pedestrian space

(tags:bicycles transport newyork usa )

Liberalism and Corbyn (needs more detail on Corbyn, but is interesting as it stands)

(tags:politics liberal uk labour )

Acetaminophen exposure in pregnancy linked to higher risk of ADHD, autism

(tags:adhd autism drugs )

Some more details about the AI that can play at StarCraft 2 Grandmaster level

(tags:ai games )

Surviving Software Dependencies

(tags:software design softwareengineering )

Farage just screwed Johnson. Now he either has to switch to No Deal, or fight an election with the Brexit Party fighting against him.

(tags:politics uk europe hope Conservatives )

Comments

[nancylebov]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSAgHvETNSg

Discussion of dropping birth rates.

Relevant because as populations ages, fewer people are able to use bicycles and bikes lanes don't make sense.

Personally, I'm not sure whether bike/scooter lanes might make sense.

[andrewducker]

https://www.statista.com/statistics/457822/share-of-old-age-population-in-the-total-us-population/ indicates that the expected share of the population that will be over 65 is 22% in 2050. That still leaves a huge percentage who can cycle short distances around cities.

We'll also need public transport, obviously. But bikes could play a massively bigger role than they currently do.

[naath]

So
a)biking is easier than walking; I have MS, can barely walk half a mile, bike everywhere. Yes I bike slower than many people run, but I don't care.
b)'old' and 'disabled' are not the same think; at 36 I can barely walk, at 80 some people run marathons.
c)even in a population that has a lot of old people it still has some young people.

But yes, we need accessible transport too; but getting fit healthy people out of their cars might decrease traffic enough that the busses run on time and pedestrians can breathe, which would be nice for just about everyone. (also busses should... suck less)

(I'm not in NYC, I'm in Cambridge UK)

[franklanguage]

This is great to know, and I agree; if NYC traffic weren't so insane, I'd be cycling—especially now that there has been a bike-share program in place for a few years. (Otherwise, if you "own" a bike, you have to accept that it will be stolen at some point, no matter how good the lock; bike thieves usually take a bike, then lock the lock right back on the pole or post it was chained to.)

[naath]

Cambridge is also bad for bike theft, I have insurance, which is costly, and a pricey lock (which the insurance demanded). And keep my bike inside at home, which is me being privileged to own enough space to do so.

Cambridge (UK) is a geed cycling city; less because it has infastructure though, more that so MANY people cycle that we have good cyclin lobby groups (it's nothing like as good as in the Netherlands). It is also small and flat.

[movingfinger]

Ebikes are getting very popular in my local aging-in-place population. Scooters, no. Too erratic overall to share space with anyone, really. Sure, it's an operator problem, but the operators are proving persistently terrible.

[hilarita]

Also, in the Netherlands, where there are extensive bike lanes, they're often used by powerchairs, or fast manual wheelchairs as well as bikes and scooters.

[gummitch]

Oh shit. Acetaminophen is Paracetamol.

[rmc28]

Yes I have two autistic children. Yes I took paracetamol in pregnancy. We get told it's the only 'safe' thing we *can* take.

"The U.S. Food and Drug Administration urges careful consideration before using any pain-relieving medication during pregnancy." is one of the more infuriating things I have read. You think I am taking pain relief for *fun*? I am taking it to *function*.

At one point I remember looking up through a migraine haze the likely effect of codeine on a developing brain, and concluding that the program for the day was to be in pain. That isn't sustainable over 9 months.

[andrewducker]

I completely agree. There are limits to what parents can cope with. And the NHS advice is not useful, telling you to talk to your GP before you even take paracetamol, but also telling you it's generally safe.

On a positive note:

[dewline]

The prospect of Johnson and Farage's respective teams mutually annihilating each other, electorally speaking, may be a relief for the rest of the UK if it can be brought off properly.

Re: On a positive note:

[andrewducker]

Certainly is!