Interesting Links for 18-04-2023

[andrewducker]

1. Crossness Pumping Station: London's Beautiful Sewage Station

(tags:waste beauty london )

2. The Horrific Stages of a Tyranid Invasion - narrated by David Attenborough

(tags:warhammer WH40K DavidAttenborough funny video )

3. An interesting question about vampires

(tags:vampires questions )

4. Labour will use any excuse to shift to the right

(tags:labour politics UK doom )

5. Sony World Photography Award 2023: Winner refuses award after revealing AI creation

(tags:photography competition ai viaSwampers )

6. Is beauty skin deep?

(tags:beauty mathematics topology funny comic )

7. The Fediverse crosses one billion posts per month

(tags:mastodon socialnetworking )

8. I see that transphobes are now unsuccessfully trying to co-opt Judy Blume

(tags:LGBT bigotry transgender )

9. Now, you can embed Mastodon posts in Medium stories

(tags:socialnetworking )

10. DOOM maps to SVG to laser cutter

(tags:doom games 3dprinting )

11. Why don't you see more fat people in sport?

(tags:weight sports )

Comments

[cmcmck]

4 Doesn't mention that Labour have also decided to try to outbigot the Tories on trans issues.

Starmer has had my vote. He can go and fuck himself! There was a time that me and a vote for Labour would have been an absolute certainty. What with being miner's granddaughter and a squaddy's daughter an' all.

They've both convinced themselves that being rabidly transphobic is a surefire vote winner and they're both wrong.

Not sure where my votes will now go in the local elections next month (it's a Labour council here) or in the next national but both the major parties can take a walk.

[andrewducker]

I think that the local elections are a perfect time to vote Lib Dem or Green - both are good on trans issues, and it will send a message that we won't take their shit.

We don't have council elections here this year, not that I'd have voted Labour in any case!

[dewline]

4. Annoying habit of "centrists" across the planet.

7. I'll be interested to see how the stats break down further.

9. Seems like something adaptable for Dreamwidth purposes, maybe?

[andrewducker]

(9) That would be kinda cool, although I wouldn't want the place to be swamped with replicated Mastodon posts.

[ninetydegrees]

#5 Very interesting article. I think what Eldagsen did was smart. Let's see if the organizers of the competition change the way they do things now.

Judy Blume

[adrian_turtle]

I am delighted to see Judy Blume is not transphobic. I am less delighted to see her making a (disturbingly common) error of judgement about how it doesn't matter WHY something is objectionable when you're talking about the morality of banning an objectionable book or the morality of screaming at someone because they said something objectionable. It's not new, and I'm starting to see it as part of a set of "Liberal Social Fallacies."
Alongside
Someone who behaved admirably in the past is a good person and thus deserves support.
and
Someone from a vulnerable group should be defended from attack.

[movingfinger]

5. I assume that Boris Eldagsen's first language is not English and that therefore he is not aware that the translation of "cheeky monkey" is "Arschloch."

[firecat]

Anyone who thinks fat people can't be athletes should be required to watch a few hours of sumo.

[drswirly]

I often wondered about the vampires thing while watching Buffy. Suppose Bob The Vampire wants to enter Jeff's house. I wonder what happens if...

1. Jeff invites Bob in a language Bob doesn't understand.
2. Jeff invites Bob in an obviously sarcastic way, clearly not wanting him in.
3. Jeff thinks it's Dave The Vampire and says "come in!", but it's really Bob.
4. Jeff tells Susan (who doesn't live there) to invite Bob in.
5. Jeff tells Susan that Bob isn't welcome, but Susan invites him in anyway.
6. Jeff invites Bob in, then while Bob is relaxing in a chair Jeff sells the house to Susan who doesn't want Bob there.
7. Jeff tells Bob he can enter if the Riemann Hypothesis is true.
8. Jeff tells Bob he can enter if the Continuum Hypothesis is true.
9. Gareth doesn't have enough caffeine.

[andrewducker]

The last of those is clearly the most serious.