villavelius

villavelius, 3 days ago to random

Herd of 170 bison could help store CO2 equivalent of almost 2m cars, researchers say https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/may/15/bison-romania-tarcu-2m-cars-carbon-dioxide-emissions-aoe?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

albertcardona, 10 days ago to Trains

In Europe, flying is cheaper than taking the train.

It's an embarrassment, and a major problem: we have to stop flying for silly short distances. Realise that the overheads of flying (reaching the airport, awaiting 2 hours, the flight, the unloading, reaching the destination) largely cancel out any time gains of flying. And the carbon costs are utterly untenable. Not to speak of the modern, dire conditions of the whole flying "experience".

Another embarrassment is that train connections can't be guaranteed when across countries or companies. They aren't even coordinated. As if those who commission and set the schedules didn't travel by train themselves, at least not internationally. In considering how tiny most European countries are, it's frankly bizarre.

There are so many destinations one could travel by train to, yet in practice, it's not sensible. A disgrace.

The upside is that it can be fixed.

#trains #EuroRail

ChrisMayLA6, 16 days ago to ai

Tom Gauld on the AI (investment) bubble

#AI #investment

jonny, 1 month ago to random

Every time I see any story about how fucked scholarly communication is my first reaction is a) yall know you can just make your own websites right, b) yall know you can just review each others work without a journal giving you permission right, and only then do I arrive at c) ok there are systemic problems but seriously have you considered (a) and (b) and how this is all entirely optional

jon, 1 month ago (edited 1 month ago) to random

OK, I have seen quite some vending machines in France (baguettes, pizzas (cooked), cheeses, milk) but this is next level. Concrete vending machine! 🙂
https://mastodon.infrageeks.social/@erik/112252445799170688

EDIT: there are LOADS of them! OMG 🤯 https://www.selfbeton.fr/nos-implantations

br00t4c, 1 month ago to random

Brexit has made the UK a lower-status nation, says David Miliband

#brexit #britain

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/apr/07/brexit-has-made-the-uk-a-lower-status-nation-says-david-miliband

J_aa_p, 1 month ago to twitter Dutch

"Populaire X-gebruikers: 'Shit, ze hebben me een vinkje gegeven'"

Sociaal netwerk X is begonnen met het uitdelen van gratis vinkjes aan populaire gebruikers, maar daar lijkt niet iedereen even blij mee.

https://nieuwsjunkies.nl/archief/algemeen/bright/2024/04/04/populaire-x-gebruikers-shit-ze-hebben-me-een-vinkje-gegeven/gkA

#Twitter #ElonMusk #Verified

villavelius, 1 month ago to random

A 'universal' basic income (UBI) just for farmers is hardly universal. Every adult should get a #UBI.

British farmers want basic income to cope with new struggles https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/apr/04/british-farmers-want-basic-income-to-cope-with-post-brexit-struggles?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

koen_hufkens, 1 month ago to LateStageCapitalism

"Monopolist publisher objects to free dissemination of science funded through a tax evasion scheme"

It doesn't get much wilder than this I fear.

@academicchatter

#OpenScience #LateStageCapitalism #AcademicChatter

https://www.science.org/content/article/bold-bid-avoid-open-access-fees-gates-foundation-says-grantees-must-post-preprints

glynmoody, 1 month ago to random

‘Feeble, desperate, mentally unfit’: #Biden changes tack to mock #Trump - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/30/biden-insults-trump-campaign "The Republican contender lowered the tone of electoral politics in 2016 – now the Democratic president has left the high road to take him on at his own game" damn right....

firefly, 1 month ago to politics

Elections are auctions where people sell their souls to the highest bidder.

@politics

jon, 1 month ago to random

Welcome to #CrossBorderRail 2024 Extra Day 20 March – Bruxelles – Essen – Rosendaal – Kapellen – Charleroi – Berzée

Today I’m crossing these borders
Essen 🇧🇪 - Rosendaal 🇳🇱
Former 1000mm tramway - Zandvliet 🇧🇪 - Bergen op Zoom 🇳🇱

Map of today’s route
https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-extra-days-2024_1030682#10/51.3791/4.4934

Today’s Live Blog
https://crossborderrail.trainsforeurope.eu/live-blog-2024-extra-day-20-march-bruxelles-essen-rosendaal-kapellen-charleroi-berzee/

villavelius, 1 month ago to random

Oh well, the DVLA. When I exchanged my Dutch driver's licence (B and BE - cars only) for a UK one some 35 years ago, I was issued with a full licence, including lorries, busses, the lot. Erroneously, evidently, and I never drove anything other than a passenger car, but it did dent my trust in the DVLA somewhat.

After 40 years driving, DVLA now says my mother never passed a test https://www.theguardian.com/money/2024/mar/19/after-40-years-driving-dvla-now-says-my-mother-never-passed-a-test

jonny, 2 months ago (edited 2 months ago) to random

Apparently #Clarivate's Web of Science, one of the major proprietary indexes that employers use to determine whether papers in a journal can be considered in tenure & promotion decisions, denied @joss 's request to be indexed without even telling us. This is not the first time JOSS has been rejected

I checked their "objective review criteria" and JOSS easily passes all the qualifications.

Speaking strictly as my own opinion, not in my role as a JOSS editor or reviewer, but as a matter of fact these indexers are a fucking racket.

https://github.com/openjournals/joss/issues/1283

Edit: here's the cause of rejection -

We received a desk rejection (based on an initial check) as we don't have :

Editor titles and affiliations listed.
A postal address for the publisher.

https://github.com/openjournals/joss/issues/1283#issuecomment-1971277233

But they are listed: https://joss.theoj.org/about

And the submission was in last may and we just got the response.

liaizon, 2 months ago to random

DEMOLISH ALL THE BORDERS.

thisismyglasgow, 3 months ago to glasgow

My favourite example of pareiodolia in Glasgow's architecture. For those who don't know, pareiodolia is the human tendency to see meaningful patterns where patterns don't exist, like seeing a face in the features of this tenement building on Dumbarton Road in Partick.

#glasgow #architecture #pareiodolia #glasgowbuildings #tenement #glasgowtenement #partick

GottaLaff, 3 months ago to Bulgaria

Via @emptywheel:

1 reason why #Trump's comments about abandoning #NATO matter are, 1st & foremost, bc he ordered GOP to abandon #Ukraine which virtually all near-Ukraine allies think makes them next

He is, in front of our faces, delivering Ukraine up to Putin as a gift.

But the other reason it matters is bc we SAW this call-and-response in '16 & '20, when Trump got help from Russian spies

This is more of same. Stop letting Trump play dumb. Stop playing dumb yourself. https://www.emptywheel.net/2024/02/12/call-and-response-putin-is-demanding-greater-russia/

fkamiah17, 3 months ago to UKpolitics

Don't get old, anyone.

GPLB: "New visa rule to stop care workers bringing dependants to UK coming into force on 11 March, Home Office says"

#UKPolitics

kdnyhan, 4 months ago to academicchatter

This is what an inclusive class looks like, bravo Mike Hoerger

Follow the bird makeup link and you can read a screenshot from the syllabus with more detail: https://bird.makeup/

#COVIDisAirborne
#COVIDisNotOver
@academicchatter

petersuber, 1 year ago to random

Another article made it through peer review (at #SpringerNature) with the false claim that all #OpenAccess journals charge #APCs.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00381-023-05969-2

Reminder: Only a minority (≈ 31%) of OA journals charge APCs, even if a majority of articles pub'd in OA journals are in the APC-based variety.
https://fediscience.org/@petersuber/109344076065105780

#DiamondOA #GoldOA