Interesting Links for 21-04-2024

[andrewducker]

1. Elon Musk drove 60% of Democrats away from Tesla

(tags:ElonMusk cars politics Tesla electricity )

2. A fascinating Q&A with Dr Cass about the report she led, which seems to walk things back a lot. I'm now quite confused

(tags:LGBT transgender healthcare UK wtf )

3. The frog and the scorpion. Variations on a theme. (I loved this very much)

(tags:stories morals )

4. Some interesting thoughts on fan fiction

(tags:fanfic writing )

5. Artisanship is always great to watch (pottery edition)

(tags:craftwork impressive video )

6. Mercedes becomes the first automaker to sell autonomous cars in the U.S. that don't come with a requirement that drivers watch the road

(tags:automation driving USA )

Comments

[rhythmaning]

Thanks for sharing the Cass Q&A. I've not read the report, but whilst some of the reporting of it I read seemed balanced, a lot didn't. I think the fact that many of those affected by the report feel it got it wrong makes me think that it must be wide of the mark, if only by not involving or effectively communicating with those communities. But the topic seems so incendiary at the moment - so completely divisive - that I feel it is hard to discuss!

[bens_dad]

BBC Radio4's "More or Less"
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0hry4wj
considered the evidence. Essentially the science has not been done to *show* that puberty blockers work, mostly because the follow-ups were not long enough. From what Cass said on this I think she feels that interventions should have started *earlier*.

I heard another BBC interview with her earlier last week. I came away from that unsure why the evidence was so poor, but thinking that Cass believes that puberty-blockers are good things for some children, but that in recent years as the number of children referred has shot up, some of those children may not benefit, and they don't know how to tell. Hence the need for more research.

The one English clinic for children with gid was essentially shut down because it was overloaded. It was sued over a case where they used these treatments on someone who with hindsight should not gave had them.

Also, a gid-referral currently seems to mean no Autism-spectrum or metal health assesment*.
If they start all three in parallel and where possible before puberty, the child should be better off during and after treatment.

*I've seen a statement that the majority of those given SRS at the Portland have Autism Spectrum conditions. There have also been stories of mental health care services failing to treat those on the spectrum. It is not very surprising that when an increase in demand occurs people who need three types of help don't get all if it in a joined up way.

[andrewducker]

I totally agree that we need things to be joined up better.

It is interesting to note that other countries (like Germany) have recently done a similar set of research into puberty blockers and come out in favour of using them.

It is only the UK, which set up an investigation under a government which is decidedly anti-trans, that seems to have decided that all of the positive evidence isn't worth looking at.

3)

[calimac]

My favorite version is the same as the original, except that the scorpion's final line as it drowns is, "Because this is the Middle East."

[agoodwinsmith]

Thank you for the pottery. You can tell from that person's apron they've been in the mud all day. Very skilled.

[ninetydegrees]

4) Seems to me they didn't read fanfiction that catered to their tastes. I can't say if it's easy to find on FF as I've never read fanfiction there -it had a bad rep 20 years ago as not being a place where you'd find good stories. Maybe that has changed. But yeah fanfic is sometimes all about stretching your writing muscles, getting an idea out there and moving on, writing a specific scene you had in mind rather that writing something that is a full-fledged, well though-out, well edited story. This is amateur fiction where lots of authors learn how to write, can't always have someone who will give them advice and can't or don't have the time and energy to spend time just going over the story a second time. Comparing it to published literature doesn't make a lot of sense. Add to that the fact that your target audience generally knows the setting, the characters so sometimes there is little need for exposition for example. That being said I've read many fanfics which were amazingly well-written.