Damn. There were a lot of really good links last month. March was a bit rubbish, but April has really made up for it.
( So many, I'm putting them behind a cut... )
( So many, I'm putting them behind a cut... )
In short, under FPTP, none of the options I will have are acceptable to me.
( Although I'd been aware of multiple voting methods for a while... )
My actual preference exists but is not given as an option. Out of the options I have, the one I'd rank highest has very little power/leverage, but the most "effective" use of my vote (highest ranking option with the most power/leverage) is a lie and gives unwanted legitimacy to someone I don't actually want to win.
When no acceptable option exists, vote None Of The Above. If None Of The Above does not exist, but you still care about the election, show up anyway and spoil your ballot.
Therefore, I shall be spoiling my ballot by filling it in as if it were an AV election, and ranking the candidates in my actual order of preference.
[0] whom?
( Although I'd been aware of multiple voting methods for a while... )
My actual preference exists but is not given as an option. Out of the options I have, the one I'd rank highest has very little power/leverage, but the most "effective" use of my vote (highest ranking option with the most power/leverage) is a lie and gives unwanted legitimacy to someone I don't actually want to win.
When no acceptable option exists, vote None Of The Above. If None Of The Above does not exist, but you still care about the election, show up anyway and spoil your ballot.
Therefore, I shall be spoiling my ballot by filling it in as if it were an AV election, and ranking the candidates in my actual order of preference.
[0] whom?
This is funny.
Seeing as there were no objections or better suggestions, "New Chinese on West Street where K Pasa used to be" wins it. There for 7:30, or The Bath Hotel for 7:00.
Normal vs. Effective Parenting for anyone with straight daughters.
Why Beer Duty Numbers Just Don't Add Up - "This middle tier [Greene King, Fullers, Wells & Young's and Marstons and so on, and the family brewers like Black Sheep, Batemans, Robinsons etc] is getting shafted the hardest by the relentless duty escalator. They are small to medium sized manufacturing businesses, a rarity in Britain these days, and yet they're the very businesses David Cameron believes will save the economy." Links to DirectGov e-petition Stop the beer duty escalator. (Via thegreatgonzo)
Nude Photo Revolutionary Calendar Is Here (NSFW). Following "secular, liberal, feminist, vegetarian, individualist Egyptian" Aliaa Magda Elmahdy's "screams against a society of violence, racism, sexism, sexual harassment and hypocrisy" in the form of posting a nude picture of herself online in October 2011, for which she has been the target of legal action and death threats, a collection of western secular activists have produced this calendar in solidarity. (Via Greta Christina). Amongst the reactions, this led to a group of Iranians to risk the death penalty in a similar act of rebellion against Islamic female discrimination. (Also via Greta)
GuiTARDIS win!
A Tale Of Two Encryption Cases - Two cases in the US where the defendant was asked to hand over their encryption passphrase, where in one case this was ruled to be testimony and the defendant is protected against self-incrimination ("taking the fifth") and in the other it was ruled to be the production of subpoenad evidence - like handing over documents in a safe - where they're not. It's not relevant over here where you have to provide your passphrase, but is still interesting.
Now That's A Bad Day - Cake Wrecks is always good, but this lot were particularly hilarious.
Court Declares Online Excerpt is Fair Use when linking back to the original article - which is good news for this sort of thing!
More parenting aides :-)
Hipster Misogyny - sexist/transphobic/racist remarks are never "post-modern", "ironic", or "meta".
The Numbers Behind The Copyright Math - it's the ringtones, stupid! (Via /. and morecake)
Heroin Treatment More Cost-Effective Than Methadone - mostly due to fewer people dropping out of the treatment programmes, apparently. Almost certainly more cost-effective than prosecution and incarceration... (via Natalie Reed)
New OpenStreetMap tiles from Stamen: water color, black and white, terrain - although you'll probably need to go to the US to see rendered terrain tiles :( (via HN)
Let's Pretend This Never Happened - The Dark and Disturbing Secrets HR Doesn’t Want You to Know. I have to get this book! (via thegreatgonzo)
Shark Pillow win! (via longrat)
TSA removes security expert Bruce Schneier from expert witness list of hearing about airline security initiatives.
Strong Showing for the Pirate Party in German Elections. Yarr! (via /.)
This is nuts! - the one that didn't get published.
The Psychology of Tackling Hard Problems - you're necessarily wrong 99% of the time. (Via, and some interesting discussion at, HN)
A Universal Anti-Cancer Drug? - Very interesting early research. Be interesting to see how it develops if they get to human trials.
The Best Birth Control In The World Is For Men - doesn't take long to administer, completely reversible, lasts up to 10 years! (via HN)
Eavesdropping on the Squid world - "What happens is that the sound wave actually moves the squid back and forth, and this dense object [in their ear] stays relatively still. It bends the hair cells and generates a nerve response to the brain." (Via Bruce Schneier)
"Girls Around Me" is symptomatic of a really major side-effect of our forced acculturation into Facebook's broken model of human social interaction. - The "Girls Around Me" app is not the problem; Facebook is. See also HN, and again, and all over the internet...
"Yes, Prime Minister" to return - Woohoo! (Via thegreatgonzo)
Bonus Sony Asshattery of the Month:
Sony To Delete Virtual Goods - you thought you owned those online CCG cards you paid money for? Think again...
Why Beer Duty Numbers Just Don't Add Up - "This middle tier [Greene King, Fullers, Wells & Young's and Marstons and so on, and the family brewers like Black Sheep, Batemans, Robinsons etc] is getting shafted the hardest by the relentless duty escalator. They are small to medium sized manufacturing businesses, a rarity in Britain these days, and yet they're the very businesses David Cameron believes will save the economy." Links to DirectGov e-petition Stop the beer duty escalator. (Via thegreatgonzo)
Nude Photo Revolutionary Calendar Is Here (NSFW). Following "secular, liberal, feminist, vegetarian, individualist Egyptian" Aliaa Magda Elmahdy's "screams against a society of violence, racism, sexism, sexual harassment and hypocrisy" in the form of posting a nude picture of herself online in October 2011, for which she has been the target of legal action and death threats, a collection of western secular activists have produced this calendar in solidarity. (Via Greta Christina). Amongst the reactions, this led to a group of Iranians to risk the death penalty in a similar act of rebellion against Islamic female discrimination. (Also via Greta)
GuiTARDIS win!
A Tale Of Two Encryption Cases - Two cases in the US where the defendant was asked to hand over their encryption passphrase, where in one case this was ruled to be testimony and the defendant is protected against self-incrimination ("taking the fifth") and in the other it was ruled to be the production of subpoenad evidence - like handing over documents in a safe - where they're not. It's not relevant over here where you have to provide your passphrase, but is still interesting.
Now That's A Bad Day - Cake Wrecks is always good, but this lot were particularly hilarious.
Court Declares Online Excerpt is Fair Use when linking back to the original article - which is good news for this sort of thing!
More parenting aides :-)
Hipster Misogyny - sexist/transphobic/racist remarks are never "post-modern", "ironic", or "meta".
The Numbers Behind The Copyright Math - it's the ringtones, stupid! (Via /. and morecake)
Heroin Treatment More Cost-Effective Than Methadone - mostly due to fewer people dropping out of the treatment programmes, apparently. Almost certainly more cost-effective than prosecution and incarceration... (via Natalie Reed)
New OpenStreetMap tiles from Stamen: water color, black and white, terrain - although you'll probably need to go to the US to see rendered terrain tiles :( (via HN)
Let's Pretend This Never Happened - The Dark and Disturbing Secrets HR Doesn’t Want You to Know. I have to get this book! (via thegreatgonzo)
Shark Pillow win! (via longrat)
TSA removes security expert Bruce Schneier from expert witness list of hearing about airline security initiatives.
Strong Showing for the Pirate Party in German Elections. Yarr! (via /.)
This is nuts! - the one that didn't get published.
The Psychology of Tackling Hard Problems - you're necessarily wrong 99% of the time. (Via, and some interesting discussion at, HN)
A Universal Anti-Cancer Drug? - Very interesting early research. Be interesting to see how it develops if they get to human trials.
The Best Birth Control In The World Is For Men - doesn't take long to administer, completely reversible, lasts up to 10 years! (via HN)
Eavesdropping on the Squid world - "What happens is that the sound wave actually moves the squid back and forth, and this dense object [in their ear] stays relatively still. It bends the hair cells and generates a nerve response to the brain." (Via Bruce Schneier)
"Girls Around Me" is symptomatic of a really major side-effect of our forced acculturation into Facebook's broken model of human social interaction. - The "Girls Around Me" app is not the problem; Facebook is. See also HN, and again, and all over the internet...
"Yes, Prime Minister" to return - Woohoo! (Via thegreatgonzo)
Bonus Sony Asshattery of the Month:
Sony To Delete Virtual Goods - you thought you owned those online CCG cards you paid money for? Think again...
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel tells the story of a loose gaggle of ageing Britons (Tom Wilkinson, Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Penelope Wilton, Maggie Smith, Celia Imrie and Ronald Pickup) who, for one reason or another, travel out to India to stay at The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel For The Elderly and Beautiful, a self-styled "outsourced old people's home" run by the unbowably enthusiasic Sonny (Dev Patel).
It's a feel-good story about standing up for yourself, trying new things, embracing change, facing your fears and chasing your dreams - no matter where you are in your life. And it works. The cast is first class, infusing real depth into all the characters, and making nothing seem contrived or schmaltzy. The drama, heartache and personal fear feels genuine, and the comedy is hilarious. (A suggestion for marking a 40th wedding anniversary is still making me smile now, thinking back on it.)
Tom Wilkinson stands out from the rest of the cast, tracking down an old friend and needing to know what happened to them in the years they've been apart, but scared about what he might find. But the rest are great, including Dev Patel who really holds his own amongst the heavyweights.
The only minor problem I have is with the script's treatment of one character. The film is set over less than two months in India, and Maggie Smith's character undergoes a transformation which breaks a lifetime of... well-travelled mental ruts, which seems improbable. We see all the necessary hooks her character needs to change, and Smith sells them, but I didn't buy it happening on that timescale.
I was having a "meh" week going into this film, and the issues the cinema added to the performance left me in a distinctly bad mood just as it started, but I walked out of the showing feeling happy and relaxed with the world. If you need a pick-me-up, this might be just the ticket.
It's a feel-good story about standing up for yourself, trying new things, embracing change, facing your fears and chasing your dreams - no matter where you are in your life. And it works. The cast is first class, infusing real depth into all the characters, and making nothing seem contrived or schmaltzy. The drama, heartache and personal fear feels genuine, and the comedy is hilarious. (A suggestion for marking a 40th wedding anniversary is still making me smile now, thinking back on it.)
Tom Wilkinson stands out from the rest of the cast, tracking down an old friend and needing to know what happened to them in the years they've been apart, but scared about what he might find. But the rest are great, including Dev Patel who really holds his own amongst the heavyweights.
The only minor problem I have is with the script's treatment of one character. The film is set over less than two months in India, and Maggie Smith's character undergoes a transformation which breaks a lifetime of... well-travelled mental ruts, which seems improbable. We see all the necessary hooks her character needs to change, and Smith sells them, but I didn't buy it happening on that timescale.
I was having a "meh" week going into this film, and the issues the cinema added to the performance left me in a distinctly bad mood just as it started, but I walked out of the showing feeling happy and relaxed with the world. If you need a pick-me-up, this might be just the ticket.
April is just around the corner, so, lard!
I've had a quick look through my old posts, and can't find most of the suggestions I know have been made. :-( I did find a reference to "New Chinese on West Street where K Pasa used to be", and I'm clearly not getting enough Oriental food these days (!), so that's my current thinking for April 4th.
Unless anyone has any better ideas? Or just any ideas at all; although we'll be going to Roberto's new place in May for![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=91.7)
rich_jacko's birthday, June will no doubt sneak up on me at some point. Being able to look back here for inspiration will make things easier then.
Thoughts, suggestions, objections, reservations?
Edit: Places to go:
Chinese on West Street that we've not been to.
Ego (Mediterranean place by winter gardens)
Dunn's River Caribbean restaurant, by Hunter's Bar (thankspharrap)
Tamarind - Indian on West Street (thanksedy_)
The Dam House
"Rice"(?) at Meadowhall
Mud Crab Diner, Eccleshall Road (thanksthegreatgonzo via Twitter)
I've had a quick look through my old posts, and can't find most of the suggestions I know have been made. :-( I did find a reference to "New Chinese on West Street where K Pasa used to be", and I'm clearly not getting enough Oriental food these days (!), so that's my current thinking for April 4th.
Unless anyone has any better ideas? Or just any ideas at all; although we'll be going to Roberto's new place in May for
rich_jacko's birthday, June will no doubt sneak up on me at some point. Being able to look back here for inspiration will make things easier then.Thoughts, suggestions, objections, reservations?
Edit: Places to go:
Chinese on West Street that we've not been to.
Ego (Mediterranean place by winter gardens)
Dunn's River Caribbean restaurant, by Hunter's Bar (thanks
pharrap)Tamarind - Indian on West Street (thanks
edy_)The Dam House
"Rice"(?) at Meadowhall
Mud Crab Diner, Eccleshall Road (thanks
thegreatgonzo via Twitter)
Rampart is a character study about a character you're not meant to like.
Set in L.A.P.D.'s Rampart Division, Officer Dave Brown (Woody Harrelson) is an arsehole. He's also smart, direct, impulsive and never second-guesses himself. He's charming up to a point; he's smart in that he can read people, respond to them, and compliment them in ways they appreciate, and his directness is disarming and makes people feel un-manipulated. His unusually complicated home life, living with his ex-wife, and his current-wife (who are sisters?), and his two kids - one by each of them, is a testament to this.
When a black driver T-bones Brown's police car, and the driver attempts to flee when Brown confronts him, Brown chases him down and brutally beats him while subduing and arresting him, which is caught on camera. This causes Brown to face disciplinerary action, and sets off a chain of even-worse-than-usual events in his life.
My impression was that Dave Brown is similar to a large area of low pressure moving through the lives of the people around him. He's like a force of nature which sucks people towards him, but which has the potential to, at a moment's notice, turn into a damned hurricane destroying anything it touches. I was fascinated by this. I was on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to set him off next, and whose life the resulting storm would affect. I got to know the people around him, and was genuinely worried for them. This kept me invested in the film even though Brown is in practically every scene and I didn't like him at all.
It's not fun, but I'm glad I saw it.
Set in L.A.P.D.'s Rampart Division, Officer Dave Brown (Woody Harrelson) is an arsehole. He's also smart, direct, impulsive and never second-guesses himself. He's charming up to a point; he's smart in that he can read people, respond to them, and compliment them in ways they appreciate, and his directness is disarming and makes people feel un-manipulated. His unusually complicated home life, living with his ex-wife, and his current-wife (who are sisters?), and his two kids - one by each of them, is a testament to this.
When a black driver T-bones Brown's police car, and the driver attempts to flee when Brown confronts him, Brown chases him down and brutally beats him while subduing and arresting him, which is caught on camera. This causes Brown to face disciplinerary action, and sets off a chain of even-worse-than-usual events in his life.
My impression was that Dave Brown is similar to a large area of low pressure moving through the lives of the people around him. He's like a force of nature which sucks people towards him, but which has the potential to, at a moment's notice, turn into a damned hurricane destroying anything it touches. I was fascinated by this. I was on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to set him off next, and whose life the resulting storm would affect. I got to know the people around him, and was genuinely worried for them. This kept me invested in the film even though Brown is in practically every scene and I didn't like him at all.
It's not fun, but I'm glad I saw it.
This has been bugging me for a few days.
( Given a list... )
HOW? How does the interpreter know when to not evaluate parameters passed into a function, if evaluation happens before we get to that function? Or, if evaluation happens inside of functions, why don't errors display the stack trace where they happened? Can functions "reach out" of their execution context, back up the stack, and jimmy around with what was passed in?
( Given a list... )
HOW? How does the interpreter know when to not evaluate parameters passed into a function, if evaluation happens before we get to that function? Or, if evaluation happens inside of functions, why don't errors display the stack trace where they happened? Can functions "reach out" of their execution context, back up the stack, and jimmy around with what was passed in?
I wasn't quite sure where this film was going. Thinking back, I can't really remember where it ended up.
Sabina Spielrein (Keira Knightley) is brought to the mental hospital of Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender), who proposes to treat her manifest psychosis with the recently-proposed "Talking Cure" of Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen). Jung enters into a correspondence with Freud over the progress of the case, and the two eventually meet and discuss the field of psych(o)analysis they, particularly Freud, are effectively inventing.
( The topics Freud, Jung and eventually Spielrein discuss are interesting enough... )
Lots of elements added up to a film that I quite liked the process of watching, not minding giving it some slack to see where it was going. It's just that it didn't seem to go anywhere special, leaving me a little underwhelmed.
Sabina Spielrein (Keira Knightley) is brought to the mental hospital of Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender), who proposes to treat her manifest psychosis with the recently-proposed "Talking Cure" of Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen). Jung enters into a correspondence with Freud over the progress of the case, and the two eventually meet and discuss the field of psych(o)analysis they, particularly Freud, are effectively inventing.
( The topics Freud, Jung and eventually Spielrein discuss are interesting enough... )
Lots of elements added up to a film that I quite liked the process of watching, not minding giving it some slack to see where it was going. It's just that it didn't seem to go anywhere special, leaving me a little underwhelmed.
