It would appear that “former Tory MP Antoinette Sandbach has threatened the University of Cambridge with legal action after a historian named her as a descendant of merchants who enslaved his ancestors.”
Hey everyone. Just a heads up. Please spread the word that descendant of a slave merchant Antoinette Sandbach doesn't like when it is pointed out. We shouldn't mention her slave merchant heritage.
@dcjohnson The UK was only a wealthy country because of how much wealth it stole from its colonies. I agree with your message that conservatives suck, but let's not glorify the old days.
Folks in the #UK, my old colleague Dr. Adrian Bowyer is running a petition:
"New rules for manufacturers of medical device implants
We believe it should be made illegal for manufacturers of medical devices implanted into patients to regularly charge the patient for upgrades or maintenance."
It also calls for "IP" to be released if a manufacturer fails. I feel this subject is important enough to ask you to disseminate the link. Thank you.
@miki Either that company is still going to be running, in which case the code is licenceable, or the company is defunct, in which case the medically approved IP is now available. No doubt there will be buggering around, but I would expect that buggering around to be taken into account when a licence for the next medical device comes up for approval, and that may prejudice its chances.
In the early 2000s I saw a picture of a Perros "NO" sign in some park in Mexico, which had been placed at dog height (presumably some of the dogs there can read) 😁 🐶
@Edent it looks interesting but I fear that I’m not a ‘recognised authority’ - although I have experience with cloud architectures handling hundreds/thousands of requests per second and customer privacy/gdpr for >100 million people so maybe??
If you’re a British taxpayer, you can at least rest assured that some of your money was going to compensate the victims of British slavery as recently as 2015.
Sorry, did I say compensate the victims? I meant compensate the slave holders.
@aral The other way to frame this is that Braitain did in fact pay for slaves to be freed. They got their freedom. It was paid for, up until 2015.
Should they also have compensation? Of course! But takes like this always miss the absolutely massive cost that Britons have paid to end Slavery. And the fact we enforced it, physically, with the navy.
We were all taken advantage of by the rich. As always. And one sided narratives keep wedges in the wrong places.
I ordered a device called a BT Speak about a week ago. It is a PDA-like device, with an 8-dot Perkins style Braille keyboard and speech output for the visually impaired.
When I got the device, it did not boot, and I contacted the company about it.
I was able to get the device working again by myself rather quickly, however here in lies the reason for my post.
The company were so quick to respond that a replacement unit is already on the way.
After some discussion, what has been decided is that I will be donating the replacement device, brand new, to a visually impaired child who may not be able to procure assistive technology via other means.
1/
I do not actually know many parents of visually impaired children in the UK. So, I would be very appreciative if one of you kind souls would point me in the right direction to find someone who could make use of it.
The device usually retails for £1400, not including VAT and import fees, all of which shall be paid for.
If you do not know anyone, then boosts for reach would also be appreciated.
Thank you all for your assistance with keeping our young visually impaired children learning Braille. #blind#fedi#mastodon#UK#disabled#donation#AT
2/
In London I know a Burkinabe student that may be able to bring it to the ABPAM in Ouagadougou (Association Burkinabé des Personnes Aveugles et Malvoyantes).
I don't know how soon he could get it there, though.
The Act could give the UK government the power to access, collect, and read anyone’s private conversations at any time. The UK Government has previously admitted that the proposals are "technically unfeasible," and we hope @Ofcom
keeps this front of mind during the implementation process. (1/3)
European lawmakers also need to acknowledge this when considering similar legislation in the EU. It's not too late to stop #chatcontrol, and we encourage all of our EU-based users to contact their MEPs about this. (2/3)
Proton will not comply with any measures to weaken encryption for our UK users. While no one objects to increased online safety, we believe that it shouldn't come at the expense of the fundamental right to privacy. We don't believe that the majority of Proton's services will fall under the scope of the OSA; however, should we receive any requests under the Act to alter our encryption, we will be prepared to fight through legal means. (3/3)
British people, I cannot explain adequately what absolute hell the American healthcare system is. You know how people say: "at least in the US, you can get fast treatment. At least in the US, you can choose your doctor. At least in the US, you can get the most innovative treatment"?
Lies. All of it.
The US healthcare system excels at one thing only, and that's bankrupting people.
@KFuentesGeorge It's absolutely a lie that you don't have to wait for healthcare in the US. I had to wait months for physical therapy. Waiting times for MRI's are also months long.
My former mother-in-law had to go to Thailand to get her cataracts removed on her own dime because her insurance company said she'd have to wait until she went completely blind before they would pay for it. And her insurance was through the university she was employed by — meaning it was GOOD insurance.
@KFuentesGeorge
I was in Greece earlier this year. I felt an abdominal pain followed by chills. It went away, yet I was able to see a doctor within 4 hours, and it cost me about $50. He recommended some imaging, so when I got where there was a hospital nearby, I went in and with no current symptoms got a physical, xrays, blood tests, and ultrasound all within a few hours of walking in without prior arrangements. Cost me about $80.
Try that in the US "on demand" health care system.
“I have no fear nor shrinking. I have seen death so often that it is not strange or fearful to me ... But this I would say, standing as I do in view of God and eternity, I realize that #patriotism is not enough. I must have #NoHatred or bitterness towards anyone.”
#EdithCavell, on the night before her execution, as recounted by Reverend Stirling Gahan, Oct. 11, 1915.
I am trying to organise a group of people working in academia (any career level, academic careers or technical) any that are working on #openhardware and affiliated with #uk institutions. If you are one, or if you know one, could you send me a message (or ask them to send me a message?)
The reason for the group is finding ways to work together and advocate for #openscience#hardware!
@amchagas
I only know groups outside of the UK, but will still plug them here:
OpenUC2 in Jena, Germany, make open-source microscopes and components: https://openuc2.com/
3DNeuro in Nijmegen, NL, making open hardware in vivo electrophysiology accessories: https://www.3dneuro.com/
Thomas Bourgeron's group in Paris has an open-hardware mouse behaviour setup that is quite nice (with ikea-style build instructions, really setting the standard for documentation): https://livemousetracker.org/
The U.K. Government Is Very Close To Eroding Encryption Worldwide
"The U.K. Parliament is pushing ahead with a sprawling internet regulation bill that will, among other things, undermine the privacy of people around the world. The Online Safety Bill, now at the final stage before passage in the House of Lords, gives the British government the ability to force backdoors into messaging services, which will destroy end-to-end encryption. No amendments have been accepted that would mitigate the bill’s most dangerous elements. "