@HighlandLawyer@mastodon.social
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HighlandLawyer

@HighlandLawyer@mastodon.social

Law, IT, & other stuff.
North Scotland

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cstross, to random
@cstross@wandering.shop avatar

Welp, I knew Microsoft's CoPilot+ Recall was going to be a privacy disaster but I didn't expect it to turn into an enterprise computing catastrophe for Microsoft quite this fast!

But this can't be a one-off. Any large enterprise that has to comply with a regulated privacy environment—HIPAA in the USA, GDPR in the EU, banking/insurance/finance globally—must be considering a ban on Microsoft installations on laptop/desktop computers right now or be breaking the law.

https://infosec.exchange/@SecurityWriter/112558224281615019

HighlandLawyer,
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@jik @jt_rebelo @WhyNotZoidberg @cstross
I suspect that the whole database could be sought under s1. Administration of Justice (Scotland) Act 1972 in a whole range of possible actions.

ZachWeinersmith, to random
@ZachWeinersmith@mastodon.social avatar

There are a lot of old songs that refer to women sitting on mens knees. Was this just because they couldn't describe anything sexier, or were the women of the past frequently lap-sitting?

HighlandLawyer,
@HighlandLawyer@mastodon.social avatar

@ZachWeinersmith It was frequent. Also old songs did describe a lot more; where you get "fal la la" or such like, that's often a censoring of what they originally said.

danjac, to random
@danjac@masto.ai avatar

Guys I figured out how to find 78 Tory candidates in a hurry

Conservatives plan to bring back mandatory National Service
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpddxy9r4mdo

HighlandLawyer,
@HighlandLawyer@mastodon.social avatar

@BackFromTheDud @danjac
If National Service is brought back, they should start with the ones who missed out in the 1960s and work forward from there. Would slow the impact on the economy too, since they're all retired now, so not taking people out of the workforce.

simonvarwell, to random Esperanto
@simonvarwell@mastodon.scot avatar

I have a soft spot for Stroma (not stoma - that’s something else). We have friends round and… nobody else wanted any. Is it wrong that I made this imprint by myself?

A bottle of Stroma liqueur next to a glass. The bottle is half-full.

HighlandLawyer,
@HighlandLawyer@mastodon.social avatar

@simonvarwell
Not unless you intend driving.
Used to be called Pulteney Liqueur, though I think when they changed the name they might have started adding some non Old Pulteney into the mix.

simonvarwell, to random Esperanto
@simonvarwell@mastodon.scot avatar

It’s been a busy week, ending thankfully with an afternoon off enabling a wee wander round the city centre to get a few things. We moved house a month ago to the edge of town so it was nice to be in the centre for the first time since then. In a way I suspect I’ll enjoy the city centre more because I’ll plan ahead and make the most of it: visiting the spice shop, off-licence etc.

Now sitting in the garden listening to music, enjoying a beer (Aldi, sadly) and mulling over the General Election.

HighlandLawyer,
@HighlandLawyer@mastodon.social avatar

@simonvarwell @peterbrown
Tactical vote suggests SNP because Tories were in second place last time. OTOH quite a bit behind in 2nd place, & if you want to vote for what you support rather than tactically that's your choice.
https://tactical.vote/inverness-skye-and-west-ross-shire/

masukomi, to esperanto
@masukomi@connectified.com avatar

I'm seriously thinking about quitting Duolingo, because the more advanced the conjugations get the less clue i have what the fuck is going on because they literally Never explain Anything.

Ex. In #Esperanto "el" means "from" & "de" means "of"

I came FROM the United States
Mi venis EL Usono.

The House OF Usher
La domo DE Usher.

and yet, it's insisting that when you go FROM France to Germany it's

...DE Francio al Germanio

and that EL Franco is definitely wrong.

WHY?!

HighlandLawyer,
@HighlandLawyer@mastodon.social avatar

@jrdnzr @masukomi
Also once you've got the basics of grammar from Lernu and are actually at the stage of being able to read Esperanto, there is PMEG
https://bertilow.com/pmeg/

Pineywoozle, to random
@Pineywoozle@masto.ai avatar

I just had pizza and ice cream for breakfast and I’m not sure wether to be happy or appalled.

🤣 🤣 🤣

HighlandLawyer,
@HighlandLawyer@mastodon.social avatar

@Pineywoozle If it pleases you to imagine that image on a video link with a court, with me saying "I am not a heilan coo m'lord", then enjoy the thought.

On the internet no-one knows that you're a dog, though these days it's certainly full enough of bull.

HighlandLawyer,
@HighlandLawyer@mastodon.social avatar

@Pineywoozle Bread, vegetable, possibly meat, dairy, & a little sugar for a morning energy boost. Seems a perfectly reasonable morning meal.

foone, to random
@foone@digipres.club avatar

Terrible idea: Christian programmer who comments their code with references to Bible verses which are applicable to the code's situation

HighlandLawyer,
@HighlandLawyer@mastodon.social avatar

@foone
// Matt 20:16
void reverseArray(int arr[], int start, int end)
{
while (start < end) {
int temp = arr[start];
arr[start] = arr[end];
arr[end] = temp;
start++;
end--;
}
}

cstross, to random
@cstross@wandering.shop avatar

UK government adviser on disruptive protest accused of conflict of interest:

John Woodcock, whose review proposes bans for protest groups, has lobbying links to firms in arms and fossil fuel sectors (and is recommending bans on protests against both those industries)
https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/may/17/government-adviser-on-disruptive-protest-accused-of-conflict-of-interest

HighlandLawyer,
@HighlandLawyer@mastodon.social avatar

@simon_brooke @BashStKid @glitzersachen @cstross
Like some modern democracies. But certainly, with a written constitution & a constitutional court that is an option; especially if you have a federal structure.

HighlandLawyer,
@HighlandLawyer@mastodon.social avatar

@simon_brooke @BashStKid @glitzersachen @cstross
The last part has been a feature of English/British government for a millennium, albeit with "king" prior to creation of office of Prime Minister.
Of course if you have a democratically elected first chamber, you could have a second chamber filled by sortition: random selection of voters, required to do a term in office. Call it the National Lottery.

cstross, to random
@cstross@wandering.shop avatar

UK government planning nuclear site in Scotland

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9eze1dzy5no

This is pointless: Scotland is already self-sufficient on renewables. What we need is a new grid interconnect between Scotland and England so we can export our surplus energy to the south!

It's all about the lobbyists, of course:

"Its ambitions for up to a quarter of all electricity to come from nuclear power by 2050 are being led by government-backed body Great British Nuclear." (Who?)

HighlandLawyer,
@HighlandLawyer@mastodon.social avatar

@cstross
Arguably we don't need a new grid interconnect, we need the pricing regime changed so that we can benefit from all this renewable energy ourselves rather than being charged higher prices than the south of England are.
But yes, with a rational set-up, new interconnects from Scotland to England & Norway would be for the greater good.

peterbrown, to random
@peterbrown@mastodon.scot avatar

“Remarkably, food production doubled under the agrivoltaic system. And because water evaporation from the plants cooled the panels, the solar system itself generated 3% more electricity during the summer, showing how both food and solar production can perform better when done in collaboration”.

https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2021/12/solar-and-crop-production-research-shows-multi-solving-climate-benefits/

HighlandLawyer,
@HighlandLawyer@mastodon.social avatar

@peterbrown The UK govt currently operates on an evidence led basis: they see what the science says would be best for everyone, then do the exact opposite.

dgar, to random
@dgar@aus.social avatar

The harpsichord.

The affordable piano alternative for the baroque musician.

HighlandLawyer,
@HighlandLawyer@mastodon.social avatar

@dgar
Put wheels on your harpsichord: excellent for baroque and roll.

ZachWeinersmith, to random
@ZachWeinersmith@mastodon.social avatar

So, after putting it down for many years, I'm back to trying to read HG Wells' corpus. Interesting thing: all of his famous, lasting, books were published between 1895-1899, when he was aged 29 to 33. There are other novels, lots of philosophical and political thought, but so far I would say none of it comes close to that first few years.

Having read lots of it my feeling is that he was very smart but used up his original ideas quickly and his political thought verged on silly.

HighlandLawyer,
@HighlandLawyer@mastodon.social avatar

@ZachWeinersmith Part of the zeitgeist at the time; at least he was imposing restrictions on his technocratic leader class.
On a related topic, the 1936 film adaptation of The Shape of Things to Come... stylish AF but politically <ouch/>

foone, to random
@foone@digipres.club avatar

Having one of those fun days at work where I have to ask "hey, is the edison cylinder phonograph supposed to be on?"

HighlandLawyer,
@HighlandLawyer@mastodon.social avatar

@foone Thought you would have a hand-crank punched tape music box.

RichardJMurphy, to random
@RichardJMurphy@mas.to avatar

The Greens were the biggest winners in the local elections, so why aren’t they getting fair air time? https://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2024/05/07/the-greens-were-the-biggest-winners-in-the-local-elections-so-why-arent-they-getting-fair-air-time/
Proportionately, the Greens won most seats at the recent local elections, but they are denied airtime, and we get Reform instead. Why?

HighlandLawyer,
@HighlandLawyer@mastodon.social avatar

@fitheach @steviesyerda @OliverNoble @simon_brooke @Kellys
Yes, it's not a particularly wise decision on the part of UK/E&W, but it's what they're determined on. Having two successor states with no continuing state would probably be a much better outcome for E&W, but hey if they want sole responsibility for the national debt & all treaty obligations, while giving Scotland a completely clean slate, that's their choice. Don't blame us if English voters subsequently crucify them for it.

ZachWeinersmith, to random
@ZachWeinersmith@mastodon.social avatar

Every Chinese Food Recipe:

Heat wok to 4 billion degrees.
Add one atom of oil, any kind.
Add garlic and onions.
Add black sauce of doom 1.
Black sauce of doom 2.
Chilies.
Black sauce of doom 3.
Protein.
Raise heat to 6 billion degrees.
Plate.
Garnish with scallions.

HighlandLawyer,
@HighlandLawyer@mastodon.social avatar

@ZachWeinersmith You missed the ginger

dgar, to random
@dgar@aus.social avatar

My local bank manager wears a cowboy hat and calls himself the Loan Arranger.

HighlandLawyer,
@HighlandLawyer@mastodon.social avatar

@dgar But the repayment department wants you to call them Pronto

cstross, to random
@cstross@wandering.shop avatar

New blog entry: On mistaking a transient state for a permanent one: https://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2024/05/on-mistaking-a-transient-state.html

HighlandLawyer,
@HighlandLawyer@mastodon.social avatar

@cstross In terms of long term infrastructure, that gives a use case for "space manufacture" in the form of a permanent structure for receiving, recycling, & processing satellites. Pull old satellites out of orbit, open them up for a refurbish with updated tech & refuel, pop them back into orbit; no need to go in & out of the gravity well per satellite, simply send & recieve bulk materials to the station.

Finally a plausible excuse for an L5 O'Neill cylinder!

simonvarwell, to random Esperanto
@simonvarwell@mastodon.scot avatar

Overheard from a passer-by just now:

“There’s one in Dornoch. There was one in Tain, but it got vandalised.”

You can now join me in wondering what they were talking about.

HighlandLawyer,
@HighlandLawyer@mastodon.social avatar

@simonvarwell
Public toilets? The ones in Tain were vandalised last year. Total guess though, could be many things.

kaia, to random
@kaia@brotka.st avatar

weekly reminder what they took from us: sealable USB sticks :sadcat:

HighlandLawyer,
@HighlandLawyer@mastodon.social avatar

@fzer0 @kaia @cstross But it needs a little well or indentations to hold the wax; on a smooth USB stick the whole seal can slide off cleanly.
Now you can put a USB stick in a paper envelope & apply the seal to the envelope, but that's using extra resources & isn't so elegant.

simon_brooke, to random
@simon_brooke@mastodon.scot avatar

"this is why any government in Holyrood is destined not to deliver. It can't, because London created a system that was bound to fail as a way of securing continuous control whilst ensuring that blame would be directed inward in Scotland itself, as might well happen now" -- @RichardJMurphy

https://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2024/04/26/scotlands-political-problem/

HighlandLawyer,
@HighlandLawyer@mastodon.social avatar

@iaruffell @Shivviness @MadeyeTheCarnaptious @simon_brooke @ferryoons @RichardJMurphy
All of that is true. As is (& Catalonia is another example) that to obtain independence against opposition from central govt, at least 60% of the population must support it first.

HighlandLawyer,
@HighlandLawyer@mastodon.social avatar

@simon_brooke @ferryoons @MadeyeTheCarnaptious @iaruffell @RichardJMurphy
We currently have the SNP & the Greens as indy parties, giving voters a choice of politics. Would splitting the SNP into a left & a right wing party really give better options AND progress to independence, or would it mean more factionalism & make it easier for the authoritarian and B&S types to infiltrate & come to dominate a "mainstream" indy party? I don't know.

HighlandLawyer,
@HighlandLawyer@mastodon.social avatar

@Shivviness @iaruffell @MadeyeTheCarnaptious @simon_brooke @ferryoons @RichardJMurphy
Or to eg knock down the Anglo-Scottish electricity interconnector. Note this is purely an illustrative example of disruptive non-violent but illegal steps which could be used against a Westminster govt which refuses to accept the democratically expressed will of the Scottish people, and not a call to go do this next weekend.

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