Thursday, 23 September 2021
It's the coercion which is the thing
Dropping support long before use by date
Device makers are apt to drop support for old gadgets faster than the gadgets themselves wear out. Consumers have relied on the good graces of device makers to keep our gadget firmware and software secure and up-to-date. Doing so costs the manufacturer some of its profits. As a result, many of them are apt to drop support for old gadgets faster than the gadgets themselves wear out. This corporate stinginess consigns far too many of our devices to the trash heap before they have exhausted their usability. That's bad for consumers and bad for the planet. It needs to stop.We have seen a global right-to-repair movement emerge from maker communities and start to influence public policy around such things as the availability of spare parts. I'd argue that there should be a parallel right-to-maintain movement. We should mandate that device manufacturers set aside a portion of the purchase price of a gadget to support ongoing software maintenance, forcing them to budget for a future they'd rather ignore. Or maybe they aren't ignoring the future so much as trying to manage it by speeding up product obsolescence, because it typically sparks another purchase.Does this mean Sony and others should still be supporting products nearly two decades old, like my PSP? If that keeps them out of the landfill, I'd say yes: The benefits easily outweigh the costs. The devilish details come in decisions about who should bear those costs. But even if they fell wholly on the purchaser, consumers would, I suspect, be willing to pay a few dollars more for a gadget if that meant reliable access to software for it -- indefinitely. Yes, we all want shiny new toys -- and we'll have plenty of them -- but we shouldn't build that future atop the prematurely discarded remains of our electronic past.
Sadly, it all comes down to money/profits over the excitement of new tech which arguably helps humanity. Looking at the big players dropping support for perfectly workable tech a decade down the track means a jaundiced view on our part towards such big players and choices WILL be made by us wherever possible. Yesterday I completed a survey for Avast and part of it was making the points above.
Wednesday, 22 September 2021
'This Private Company Is Failing...'
Criminal checks on home-to-school transport drivers will be independently checked, it has been announced - following claims it should not be "for the contractor to self-police".
Birmingham City Council cabinet member Cllr Sharon Thompson has said an external company will support the council in verifying disclosure and barring service (DBS) checks on all drivers.
Presumably their own staff haven't proved up to the task?
A report published by Birmingham City Council noted that 59 out of 110 employees at North Birmingham Travel involved in the contract did not appear to have a documented DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check in place.
Sixteen staff had 'positive disclosures' - meaning they included cautions, convictions or other criminal disclosures, which are not an automatic bar but are subject to further scrutiny - but "officers could only assure themselves about two".
A further allegation said a document relating to DBS checks appeared to have been tampered with.
At least the private companies' services can be dispensed with by cancelling the contract. We're stuck with the local authority staff.
Tuesday, 21 September 2021
The gutlessness is the most dispiriting part
It's a risk running this, so let's do it and see:
As they point out in the footage, it's not just the gutlessness of the corrupt union bosses but also the gutlessness of Plod who are happy attacking old ladies and pepper spraying them, now let's see Plod charge at the construction workers.
Pretty obvious that one of the goals is to have people despising and fearing police who display the same lack of humanity as Them themselves, because once Plod are no longer effective, it's a lawless land, innit?
And thus they can send in troops from their bunkers and there's a Kent State or Tiananmen Square.
Monday, 20 September 2021
The Proven Virus Killer Which You Have Never Heard Of
So when, some eighteen months ago, this Government rammed though Parliament some highly restrictive Laws which literally took our freedoms away, brought our economy crashing down, made millions nearly destitute because they were unable to work, held millions more hostage because they were elderly, and living in care homes: all because of a virus which is proven to be deadly only to the vulnerable, the very old, and the truly stupid: I became more than concerned.
This Government then spent billions (borrowed, because we don’t have money ourselves) on masks and gowns and other paraphernalia which simply weren’t up to spec; all in a frantic attempt to show that they were doing something.
Fair enough, some extremely clever scientists, in GB&NI, Europe and America produced vaccines which, although very costly, were tested and found to be efficacious in the production of antibodies, which is, presumably, the gold standard for this type of process. In GB&NI, in Europe, in America and in China (the source of the virus), the race was on to convince whole populations to accept the jabs; but problems arose when a sizeable proportion of those same populations decided that they did not trust the politicians or the scientists when they declared that those vaccines were safe. The arguments raged on, with politicians suddenly over-fond of the sweeping powers which they had granted themselves, and virtually overturning Democracy in the process.
An American President was treated with a revolutionary drug combination which worked, and which saved his life; but the treatment wasn’t pushed for inclusion into the general population, possibly because that President was Donald Trump, and what he favoured was anathema to his Opposition in both political and scientific worlds. The time wore on, many thousands died during the time before the vaccines became readily available, but, certainly in the West-oriented world, no other solutions were tried or adopted.
But hang about, over in Uttar Pradesh, an Indian State, the use of Ivermectin has proven so successful that the authorities are reporting that COVID cases are plummeting in India thanks to new rules that promote Ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine to its massive population. The 33 districts in Uttar Pradesh, India have now become free from COVID-19 government informed on Friday. The recovery rate has increased up to 98.7% proving the effectiveness of IVERMECTIN as part of the “Uttar Pradesh Covid Control Model.”
Despite this overwhelming success, no Mainstream Media, no TV or major newspaper carries this news, except to disdain and vilify the very idea that Ivermectin is of any use other than as a Horse DeWormer.
Here's Who You Were Clapping For, NHS Worshippers...
James Peter Farthing, 28, spoke to the 'teenager' on messaging service Kik - under the username 'olderc**k' - as well as on Snapchat.
The junior doctor, who worked for the NHS in Stockport, asked to see photographs of her body and shared an image of penis.
The account was actually being run by an undercover police officer and Farthing was later arrested for attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.
Well, you know what they say about the Internet...
However, today he walked free from Minshull Street Crown Court after being handed a suspended sentence.
Errr, OK, even for Minshull Street, that's excessively lenient. Are we that short iof doctors?
Lawyers mitigating for Farthing, said he had been juggling working long hours during the pandemic, his wife's health condition and his training.
They said he had 'emotional struggles', had been watching pornography and smoking cannabis at the time - but that he was working to address his issues.
So a doctor thinks that the best way to cope with stress is smoke illegal drugs and watch obscene material? Boy, if this creature ever finishes its training, I hope someone oversees what prescriptions it writes!
His supervisor - a consultant - and training programme director provided statements to the court.
Staff and patients 'all expressed shock' after Farthing was arrested, the court heard, as people thought he had a good 'moral compass'.
Mr Gurney said they 'stand by him' because they acknowledge his remorse.
People thought the world of Harold Shipman too...
Sunday, 19 September 2021
Liberty versus democracy
In a world where a majority of people under thirty can't even see (let alone explain) the difference between liberty and democracy, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to work out how the populism of fake democracy can be used to dilute liberty - 'for the good of the majority' - and restrictions on liberty can be introduced....to stop cyber attacks threatening our voting democracy.
"The U.S. Constitution never explicitly mentions God or the divine ..."
"... the same cannot be said of the nation’s state constitutions. In fact, God or the divine is mentioned at least once in each of the 50 state constitutions and nearly 200 times overall, according to a Pew Research Center analysis."
Saturday, 18 September 2021
Any signs the tide is turning?
What do you think of this then?
https://arstechnica.com/tech-pFriday, 17 September 2021
It Would Be Funny If It Wasn't Such A Disaster...
Eco-friendly light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs used in streetlamps produce more light pollution and are killing off insects, a new study shows.
Maybe they should have made the study before rolling them out everywhere...?
They're often energy-efficient, cheap to run and brighter with more blue wavelengths, but this means they're also likely making insects more exposed to predators. The insects could also be getting killed from coming into contact with hot lights, which may also deter them from laying eggs.
Moths are important because they're pollinators, hosts for parasitoids and prey for vertebrates like birds and bats and invertebrates like spiders, the experts say.
*sighs* Once again, just as with diesel vehicles, the 'sage experts' have proven to be not worth their hire.
But since 'science' got us into this, maybe it can get us out?
Boyes told MailOnline that minor tweaks that could be made to LEDs that could minimise their negative impacts on insects without comprising on energy efficiency, such as reducing emission of blue wavelengths.
I wonder how much that'll cost? And who'll pay..?
Wednesday, 15 September 2021
Compare And Contrast, Pt 783245896512
A teenage car thief who killed a father-of-three when he rolled over his head after stealing his vehicle has been jailed for less than five years.
The boy, who was 14 at the time of the crime and is now 15 so cannot be named because of his age, sped off in restaurant-owner Mohammed Islam's silver Mercedes, as the owner shouted 'No! No! No!' and held on to the car.
He went 'flying' as the teenager — who has an IQ of 66 — 'floored' the vehicle, Manchester Crown Court heard.
A car thief and killer at 14. What was the victim doing at the same age, I wonder?
Mr Islam, 53, who came to the UK alone from Bangladesh as a 14-year-old, had worked 'tirelessly' all his life, first to bring his family over to Britain and then to build up a successful restaurant business.
Ah.
Simon Csoka QC, mitigating, said the teenager has significant learning difficulties and an attention deficit disorder, but was now making progress.
In what..?
He added: 'He does have comprehension of the enormity of the loss he has caused.'
Does he? That's nice.
With an IQ of 66 I was expecting this to be another case of the products of cousin marriage within the victim's own 'community', but looking at the co-defendant names, I'm not so sure...
Co-defendant Connor Read, 18, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal, was given 13 months detention suspended for two years and ordered to do 120 hours unpaid work.
A second teenager, aged 15, is yet to be sentenced for conspiracy to steal. Two others, both aged 18, are due in court on the same charge on Tuesday.
Hmmm...