Interesting Links for 01-02-2023

[andrewducker]

1. What attracts marginalised people to Lovecraft?

(tags:hplovecraft society LGBT race writing horror )

2. Intel Cuts Pay For Employees To Keep Their Quarterly Dividend (I can't think of a better way of getting rid of competent staff)

(tags:Intel pay Doom )

3. Replacing workers with AI? Don't forget the retraining fees

(tags:ai money )

4. New Edinburgh and Glasgow street layouts are still unsafe

(tags:design roads edinburgh glasgow disability blindness )

5. Octopus Energy's Our approach to prepayment meters

(tags:electricity support money uk )

Comments

[nancylebov]

1. I suppose it's evidence that I didn't grow up marginalized or was differently marginalized or something. The thing Lovecraft pinged for me was not fear of myself or my ancestry, it was fear of the universe being wrong. I didn't notice the overt racism and wasn't attracted to it.

I'm fascinated that Lovecraftian themes have been picked up so well in non-racist and anti-racist fiction. He was right that the oldest human emotion is fear.

As for if Lovecraft had lived longer, I think he was loosening up with time. In that story about becoming a brain in a cylinder travelling the universe, as I recall, he both leans on the horror and also presents it as a great adventure. There's line (in "At the Mountains of Madness, perhaps) which was something like "They were star-headed abominations, but they were *men*!". Of course, at the time "men" meant intrinsically worthy of respect, but that's another issue.

I've long wanted to use a time machine to show Cthulhu bedroom slippers to him, but showing him the text at the link might have snapped him over. It at least would have been interesting.

[andrewducker]

It would definitely be interesting!

[cmcmck]

Funny then that as a member of a marginalised group, I've never been attracted to Lovecraft's work.

#4

[lsanderson]

What have the Dutch done? My understanding is that their latest bestest is to raise the roadway up to the sidewalk level rather than leave curbs -- it automagically slows cars at the intersection and provides a level surface for wheelchairs and the like.

Re: #4

[andrewducker]

In Amsterdam the cycle-ways are segregated from both pedestrians and cars by concrete. This is the kind of thing I've neen on:
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uwvkCKlgrS4/U0UfLK5Cj2I/AAAAAAAARrg/Lm8fOcnzGqo/s1600/100_1795.JPG
No pedestrian is going to wander into this by accident.

Re: #4

[bens_dad]

I think the problem is then that, if you cannot see, you walk into the road - unless there are tactile markings.

[channelpenguin]

There is NO postpay for utilities in Germany, for anyone (as far as I know). At the end of the year, they look at your usage over the past year and give you a new monthly fixed payment. The also at that point bill you for any extra usage in that year over what you paid in your regular payments, or refund you if you underused.

[andrewducker]

What do they do with people who keep failing to make payments?

[channelpenguin]

Well, when I moved here there was a mix up so I didn't get any bills for 2 years. Then they cut it off. I think they'd sent the previous guys loads of reminders but they had moved to Italy. I had to pay the full sum in (cash in person!) to get it reconnected ASAP (bank transfers can be really slow here).

[andrewducker]

Gotcha. So in Germany if you don't pay they cut you off. In the UK they aren't allowed to cut you off, but they are allowed to make it so that you don't get any more gas/electricity unless you pay for it in advance.

[bens_dad]

2. I wonder how much ordinary Intel employees make through dividends from the company share scheme.

If it is deeply embedded, not paying a dividend could cost the most desired staff more than the pay cut. If the US is like the UK there will be more tax on earnings than on investments :-(