Interesting Links for 28-08-2023

[andrewducker]

1. The EU's Digital Services Act is now in effect: here's what that means

(tags:internet Europe regulation )

2. Prigozhin, going, gone - what, if anything, will the reaction be in Russia?

(tags:Russia assassination )

3. Women working in Antarctica say they were left to fend for themselves against sexual harassers

(tags:abuse USA antarctic OhForFucksSake women )

4. Ukraine uses Australian drones... made of cardboard! (These were reportedly used in an attack on a Russian airfield in Kursk)

(tags:Ukraine Australia drone paper )

5. Using economic theory to find lost cites of the Bronze Age

(tags:viaDanielDWilliam trade prehistory economics cities )

6. Seven-fold increase in adult ADHD prescriptions in Scotland over 10 years, as people finally get the help they need

(tags:scotland adhd )

7. Donald Trump says civil war can't be ruled out as racial and political violence rises in the US

(tags:usa civilwar )

8. Israel to have partial laser defenses by next year

(tags:israel lasers )

Comments

Re 7

[danieldwilliam]

If the Troubles in Northern Ireland passed the threshold for a civil war I wonder if the current levels of stochastic terrorism in the United States also pass that threshold?

Re: Re 7

[andrewducker]

It's certainly leaning that way.

Something may Have To Be Done.

[ninetydegrees]

#1 Excellent news! Thanks!
#3 Sadly not surprising nor is "Buckingham never faced any legal action or consequences for what Monahon said happened in Antarctica. He is now living back in New Zealand." Rape culture and all its consequences are also part of my country's culture.
#7 Donald Trump "subtly" encouraging people to be violent and take matters into their own hands? What a surprise.

[andrewducker]

(3) - It's not surprising, but it is appalling.

[ninetydegrees]

Very true. I just read an article about sexual assault and abuse in my country the other day and it was very depressing and infuriating because it never gets better.

[conuly]

7. Donald Trump says civil war can't be ruled out as racial and political violence rises in the US

Okay, but if that happens we can just forget about the law and guillotine him, right?

7

[channelpenguin]

Why are people LIKE this? I mean why the hell?

Fuck. Iain Banks was probably right. We probably would need to be a different animal to have a society I would find reasonable. (And also would need to be different to create the Minds to run it!)

Re: 7

[andrewducker]

Our main problem appears to be our gullibility when dealing with bad actors.

Re: 7

[channelpenguin]

I feel it's more that about 1/3 of humans are proud to be assholes. Whether or not they have a figurehead mega-asshole to encourage them.

And that exploitation Vs co-operations as a strategy for humans is a wash in terms of "success".

[anna_wing]

Archaeologists in Cambodia have used LIDAR to find a lot of their old cities, including the entire region around Angkor Wat. Hopefully it can be used in Mesopotamia too.

[andrewducker]

Yeah, hopefully this will be useful to give us a vague location, and then they can scan with LIDAR to see what they can find there!

Re: 7

[andrewducker]

Possibly as low as 2% for utter bastards: https://www.hugthemonkey.com/2007/03/paul_zak_oxytoc.html

But a lot of people are willing to go along without thinking about it, and can be led into bastardry without thinking "Hey, do these people really deserve to be treated badly?"

Re: 7

[channelpenguin]

Yeah, that's the other 1/3, and you are right - def. problem!

(The remaining 1/3 is obviously "us" - what we here would broadly recognise as "reasonable nice cooperative humans)

[danieldwilliam]

IIRC someone used satellite imagery to find lots of North African Roman forts and farmhouses in what is now the Sahara.

It's a different situation but some of these cities might be observable in existing imagery.

Re: 7

[mountainkiss]

Need to be a bit careful with Paul Zak.

Re: 7

[andrewducker]

Thank you, that's very useful to know!

Re: 7

[mountainkiss]

To my earlier point.