@ianturton@fosstodon.org
@ianturton@fosstodon.org avatar

ianturton

@ianturton@fosstodon.org

I'm a Java programmer and geocomputationalist, after a period in industry I am again an academic being employed at the University of Glasgow as a research software engineer. I'm a member of the PSC of GeoTools and GeoServer open source mapping tools and am a founding member of the OSGEO. I live near Glasgow, Scotland,
(he/him/dr)

#glasgow #rse #academic #osgeo #geotools #geoserver

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. Browse more on the original instance.

ChrisMayLA6, to disability
@ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us avatar

Across the political Right, the narrative is that disability benefits (primarily Personal Independence Payments; PIPs) are too easy to get & are often paid to the 'undeserving'... however, in reality nearly half of applicants are rejected, rising to over two thirds for endometriosis (a gendered dimension I'll leave you to ponder), but with high rates of rejections over-turned on appeal (often with the same evidence).

More Tory lies, callousness & inhumanity

https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/may/12/claims-conditions-personal-independence-payments-disability-benefits-cancer-arthritis-amputees

ianturton,
@ianturton@fosstodon.org avatar

@Thebratdragon @purplepadma @ChrisMayLA6 @Research_FTW It was rumoured that in Brighton if you parked in the car park they recommended in the appointment letter and walked up the hill to the centre you automatically failed as it was 200m uphill. Fortunately we had a blue badge and parked on the double yellow lines outside.

We're pretty sure my wife would qualify for the mental confusion with following a route update but can't face going to another appeal.

mcc, to random
@mcc@mastodon.social avatar

Hard to imagine a signal that a website is a rugpull more intense than banning users for trying to delete their own posts

https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/artificial-intelligence/stack-overflow-bans-users-en-masse-for-rebelling-against-openai-partnership-users-banned-for-deleting-answers-to-prevent-them-being-used-to-train-chatgpt

Like just incredible "burning the future to power the present" energy here

ianturton,
@ianturton@fosstodon.org avatar

@mcc I suspect the problem is that your posts are under cc-by or similar and you can't modify the licence now.

snaptophobic, to random
@snaptophobic@mastodon.me.uk avatar

Social services have given us a seat for Best Beloved to use in the shower.

It’s great. But…

It’s too bloomin' big.
It can’t be collapsed.
There’s nowhere to store it except actually in the shower, which isn’t convenient for me.

I think it’ll have to go back. 😕

ianturton,
@ianturton@fosstodon.org avatar

@snaptophobic they do come in different sizes, I'm pretty sure the ot came and measured our shower before ordering.

Ps don't forget that any building works are vat free if they are disabled modifications.

cstross, to random
@cstross@wandering.shop avatar

WHERE THE WEB IS GOING: The convergence of LLMs and web advertising will lead to "ads" consisting of several hundred gigabytes of javascript containing a (weighted) neural network designed to generate unique per-user video advertisements—generated on your computer at your expense to ensure the imagery is unique and evades AI-based ad-blockers.

"AI spam" is an entire AI, squatting on your CPU and making it glow dull red as it works out how to capture your attention.

Welcome to the spamularity.

ianturton,
@ianturton@fosstodon.org avatar

@cstross I can vaguely remember a Fredrick Phol (?) story about a world where ads attacked you as you walked along the street and the coffee contained an addictive drug.

A quick search suggests it was Space Merchants, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Space_Merchants I think I need to go back and reread it.

fkamiah17, to UKpolitics
@fkamiah17@toot.wales avatar

Wearing a badge in school makes you a terrorist.

Independent "Pupils wearing pro-Palestinian badges referred to counter-terror scheme – union"

https://archive.is/cpY49

ianturton,
@ianturton@fosstodon.org avatar

@fkamiah17 we used to blow stuff up at school and no one worried about us in my day. Bloody snowflake governments. Of course they also made most of my year learn to march and shoot a rifle so a certain amount of radicalisation was expected.

ianturton, to random
@ianturton@fosstodon.org avatar

One of my tutorial students said "Oh so big data is lots of data, I thought it was a conspiracy like Big Pharma" and I'm now completely rethinking the last 20 years of my career.

MLE_online, to random
@MLE_online@social.afront.org avatar

I've been using LibreOffice instead of MS Word for like two months now and it mostly works really well.

Except for track changes, which is terrible to use. It should not be that hard to accept or reject a change.

ianturton,
@ianturton@fosstodon.org avatar

@MLE_online TBF all change tracking in word processors sucks. The only way to go is plain text and version control

snaptophobic, to random
@snaptophobic@mastodon.me.uk avatar

This is necessary, I think…

AAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!

Thank you.

ianturton,
@ianturton@fosstodon.org avatar

@snaptophobic I'm sorry madam this is mastodon the void is next door

glynmoody, to random
@glynmoody@mastodon.social avatar

Scotland expected to raise minimum price by 30% - https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/feb/05/scotland-expected-to-raise-minimum-alcohol-price-by-30 "Health campaigners will welcome new unit rate of 65p, which will push bottle of whisky to at least £18.20" excellent move

ianturton,
@ianturton@fosstodon.org avatar

@glynmoody shame that it's trivially avoided by using e-commerce sites

snaptophobic, to random
@snaptophobic@mastodon.me.uk avatar

now engaged, awaiting a phone call at 0900.

I hope I can begin to sort this pensions crap out.

ianturton,
@ianturton@fosstodon.org avatar

@snaptophobic because (like the rest of the financial industry) they've been caught lying and cheating too often so the FCA (or whatever initials they are using this year) make them document everything for you,

ianturton, to glasgow
@ianturton@fosstodon.org avatar

A great afternoon skill sharing at the yesterday. Lots of the team learned to solder, while others learned to not fear the sewing machine and how to darn.

ljs, to random
@ljs@social.kernel.org avatar

For me a lot of what is aggravating about UK trains is the total contempt they have for their customers, expressed often and casually.

For instance, running trains 4 cars short in the rush hour with only vague hand wavy excuses (translation it would cost money for them not to)

And this morning, train crews blocking 50%+ of the car park with zero warning or alternatives and taking up a bunch of spaces unnecessarily.

Contempt.

ianturton,
@ianturton@fosstodon.org avatar

@ljs - sounds like you need to move to - I pay £1.30 to park all day, £4.70 return for a 10 mile journey with trains every half hour (and 4 per hour peak).

They are currently running 4 car trains on all trips rather than the odd 6 car train at rush hour as they are spending £140 million on electricitifying my line so there are some short platforms. Plus there is nearly always a seat on my train even at peak.

RegisHaubourg, to random French
@RegisHaubourg@mastodon.social avatar

"Excel hates CSV

It clearly means CSV must be doing something right."

https://medialab.sciencespo.fr/actu/a-love-letter-to-the-csv-format/

ianturton,
@ianturton@fosstodon.org avatar

@RegisHaubourg I had a student complaining in our practical session that windows kept opening eXcel instead of QGis when she doubled clicked on a CSV file!

deshipu, to random
@deshipu@fosstodon.org avatar

deleted_by_author

    •
    ianturton,
    @ianturton@fosstodon.org avatar

    @deshipu I have stickers on my stainless steel water bottle as it seems everyone has one and I'd rather not share mine

    GregCocks, to Software
    @GregCocks@techhub.social avatar

    Current List Of All Open Source Software Used In ESRI Products

    https://www.esri.com/en-us/legal/requirements/open-source-acknowledgements <-- link to list at ESRI site

    This list shows an example of the power of open source across the GIS spectrum, into the largest spatial software commercial vendor, bringing value to us all
    For instance, when running a raster GP tool in ArcGIS Pro v3.2, the backend might be GDAL algorithm - with an ESRI wrapper - working hard; there are ~1,500 specific line item acknowledgements for this piece of software alone…

    screen shot - ArcGIS Pro directory bin showing GDAL DLL
    screen shot - list of ESRI Open Source Acknowledgements with links to get more details
    screen shot - GDAL examples of the ~1,500 specific line item acknowledgements for ArcGIS Pro 3.2 alone…

    ianturton,
    @ianturton@fosstodon.org avatar

    @geographicus @GregCocks students are always surprised when I tell them that QGis and ArcGis are built on the same open source libraries

    sue, to random
    @sue@glasgow.social avatar

    As someone who went from poverty to being in a high tax band I can assure folk you are never worse off by earning more money because of taxation, rich people claiming that are talking shite 👍🏻

    And as someone who mostly interacts with people in other countries for work I can assure you high earners have a fantastic quality of life in Scotland, so the claim that they'll be "forced" to leave is just sheer fucking greed, good riddance to anyone who feels that way 👍🏻

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-67759418

    ianturton,
    @ianturton@fosstodon.org avatar

    @sue @ianturton @petealexharris and we can bid up house prices 😁

    hobbitswife, to random
    @hobbitswife@mastodon.me.uk avatar

    On just now:

    “I’ve tested positive for , can I see my elderly parents for Christmas?”

    Their reply was more polite than mine!

    Yeah, if you want to be responsible for potentially giving them a virus that could kill them 🤷‍♀️

    Have people learned NOTHING??

    ianturton,
    @ianturton@fosstodon.org avatar

    @hobbitswife rang my mother to say I had COVID and would not be visiting over Xmas and her answer was that's good because I'm in hospital but wasn't going to tell you!

    ianturton,
    @ianturton@fosstodon.org avatar

    @hobbitswife now, I'm just conflicted over whether to tell my brother, since mum said not to but I expect he'd like to know

    deshipu, to random
    @deshipu@fosstodon.org avatar

    deleted_by_author

    •
    ianturton,
    @ianturton@fosstodon.org avatar

    @deshipu because they are an abomination invented by Microsoft.

    nyrath, to random
    @nyrath@spacey.space avatar

    I found these on the hellsite.
    I despise AI art, but I will grudgingly admit the concept is interesting.

    image/jpeg

    ianturton,
    @ianturton@fosstodon.org avatar

    @nyrath Proxima or Ulitima by Stephen Baxter has Romans in space, I think they are at war with the Aztec empire.

    pvonhellermannn, to random
    @pvonhellermannn@mastodon.green avatar

    Half thinking of starting an #AcademicVenting hashtag here, about the dire, dire state of UK (global?) higher education. Sharing nuggets of senior management decisions, neoliberal language, and overall slow collapse.

    Won’t work of course because most of us can’t risk honesty, but honestly: the everyday reality of what is happening deserves recording in all its depressing and damning detail. #Universities #AcademicChatter #neoliberalism

    ianturton,
    @ianturton@fosstodon.org avatar

    @pvonhellermannn we have a new virtual wellbeing app, I haven't checked but I suspect it is an ai chatbot

    sue, to random
    @sue@glasgow.social avatar

    I've moved to a place where there is a primary school on the corner which means the street in front of our house is gridlocked with cars at school drop off and pick up time. The bit the school has cordoned off to prevent cars parking right next to it starts a couple of metres past our gate. And oh my goodness has this multiplied my sense of despair for this eejit species.

    ianturton,
    @ianturton@fosstodon.org avatar

    @sue used to drive me to despair, when ever I asked why they thought that parking across my driveway was ok, the answer was always but I was only here for 15 min. Which was no help if I wanted to park or go out

    SusannaShore, to scifi
    @SusannaShore@wandering.shop avatar

    System Collapse by Martha Wells, the latest MurderBot book, is out today and it's great. Read my review: https://susannashore.blogspot.com/2023/11/system-collapse-by-martha-wells-review.html

    @bookstodon

    ianturton,
    @ianturton@fosstodon.org avatar

    @SusannaShore @bookstodon not out in the UK for another month ☹️

    dabeaz, to random
    @dabeaz@mastodon.social avatar

    After more than a decade of on-off numbness issues, decided to go ahead with carpal tunnel surgery. It was pretty freaky. From the time I was wheeled into the operating room to me driving away in my car--under 40 minutes! Yow!

    Anyways, I'll report back in a few months. For now, just riding out the pain with some over-the-counter meds. It hurts, but not like a broken rib or anything.

    ianturton,
    @ianturton@fosstodon.org avatar

    @dabeaz I found it so helpful I went back and did the other hand 3 years later. Never fully got the feeling back in my right hand as I waited too long but hardly any pain now

    ianturton, to glasgow
    @ianturton@fosstodon.org avatar

    Off to the which is visiting the university, and is in fact in the same building as my new office. If only there was somewhere to park nearby as I'm not sure I want to take all my tools on a Saturday subway train. 😞

    ianturton,
    @ianturton@fosstodon.org avatar

    Pretty good day, fixed a strimmed cable on a pond pump, diagnosed a dehumidifier with a worn blower fan motor, owner will source replacement part and might try to fix himself now I found the last 2 screws. Finally, took a look at a soviet radio that needs batteries (more than we had in stock) or a weird lead before we can see what the issue is, a lovely piece of engineering with a whole wheel of boards moving when you change wave bands.

    The back plate showing it was made in the USSR
    A look at the front of the radio, including a signal strength meter and 8 different bands to choose

  • All
  • Subscribed
  • Moderated
  • Favorites
  • •
  • JUstTest
  • mdbf
  • Durango
  • thenastyranch
  • ngwrru68w68
  • InstantRegret
  • DreamBathrooms
  • modclub
  • magazineikmin
  • Youngstown
  • everett
  • ethstaker
  • slotface
  • rosin
  • anitta
  • kavyap
  • osvaldo12
  • GTA5RPClips
  • cisconetworking
  • provamag3
  • khanakhh
  • tacticalgear
  • cubers
  • Leos
  • normalnudes
  • megavids
  • tester
  • lostlight
  • All magazines
    •