@KimSJ@mastodon.social avatar

KimSJ

@KimSJ@mastodon.social

Escapee from Twitter, and now from home.social too. 🫤 Tofu-loving woke ex EU citizen. Retired hi-tech entrepreneur, once focused on future cities/buildings, climate & UBI, now keen on saving the planet and democracy. I dream of the day when I can return my focus to my first loves.

If you don’t like #politics, you probably shouldn’t follow me. 😁 Though I do also have a #creative side, and I'm a #maker too.

he/him

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KimSJ, to random
@KimSJ@mastodon.social avatar

Time and again, I find myself asking whether politicians are deliberately trying to destroy everything that used to make me proud to be British, or whether they are just too dumb to see what they are doing.
More interestingly to explore, perhaps our political system is so desperately in need of reform that it is impossible for MPs to do the right thing, even if they want to?

jmeosbn, to random
@jmeosbn@mas.to avatar

A great article on the GOP’s Phoney War on antisemitism, and its enlistment in a very real and wider campaign against democracy.

— ‘Foer and Bash are right that American democracy is imperiled. But as the draconian crackdown on non-violent student protests makes clear, accusations of antisemitism are not themselves evidence of liberal decline, but rather the tip of the spear in a frightening illiberal project serving the agenda of an emboldened, autocratic right wing.’

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/may/11/us-university-protests-antisemitism-free-speech

KimSJ,
@KimSJ@mastodon.social avatar

@jmeosbn It’s bullshit to equate every scintilla of criticism of Israel as ‘antisemitic’. To the extent that Israel is criticised more than other countries with similar human rights records, it is more to do with pro than anti. As many Jews and indeed many Israelis feel, we expect better of civilised people. And, rightly or wrongly, the morality of the Gaza conflict feels clearer than with other current conflicts.

axbom, to random
@axbom@axbom.me avatar

Does anyone know of an email service, add-on or tutorial that allows for mimicing the one feature that intrigues me about HEY e-mail: opt-in for receiving emails from someone.

i.e. the default would be that someone who is not yet an approved sender ends up in a separate inbox where I have to confirm if I want to keep receiving email from them or not. I think HEY calls this ’the screener’.

Or if you’ve tried this fature and don’t like it, that would be cool to hear about as well.

KimSJ,
@KimSJ@mastodon.social avatar

@axbom I think you could set this up on most platforms, albeit with a little faffing about… regard your inbox as the pending tray. Create a folder for approved addresses, and set up a rule to move incoming mail from approved addresses to that folder. Then just add new approved addresses to that rule. Certainly possible to do that on thunderbird, for example.

dangillmor, (edited ) to random
@dangillmor@mastodon.social avatar

Boeing's incompetence strikes again, with yet another delay in launching a crewed spaceship. (Boeing co-owns ULA, which makes the rocket.)

The other co-owner is Lockheed Martin.

https://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/boeing-scrubs-starliner-crewed-launch-rcna150843

Note: Getting a lot of pushback, and the comments are reasonable.

KimSJ,
@KimSJ@mastodon.social avatar

@dangillmor To be fair, I regard detecting an issue and reacting correctly to it as competence, not incompetence.

br00t4c, to ukteachers
@br00t4c@mastodon.social avatar

UK university courses on race and colonialism facing axe due to cuts

https://www.theguardian.com/education/article/2024/may/05/uk-university-courses-on-race-and-colonialism-facing-axe-due-to-cuts

KimSJ,
@KimSJ@mastodon.social avatar

@br00t4c “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” — George Santayana
In this case, that’s probably what the defunders are hoping will happen.

ChrisMayLA6, to journalism
@ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us avatar

Something to ponder on Saturday afternoon.

here's the ever interesting David Allen Green on why regulating the press/media may be easy to demand but is (now) much more difficult to achieve.

For this of us who see the control of the media & what its owners do with that control as a key problem for the UK's democracy, this is what one can call a 'sobering read'!

#media #regulation #democracy

@davidallengreen

https://emptycity.substack.com/p/on-how-regulating-the-media-is-hard

KimSJ,
@KimSJ@mastodon.social avatar

@davidallengreen @ChrisMayLA6
Content is hard to regulate, but making media platforms responsible for content they promote may be a credible option, especially in conjunction with a law making it a crime to deliberately or recklessly mislead the public.
A lot of the problems with social media are related to the widespread dissemination of outright lies. A legal approach that made platforms cautious about what their algorithms promote would go a long way towards detoxifying social media.

ChrisMayLA6, to random
@ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us avatar

UK universities continue to be best by crisis, with more rounds of redundancies, courses being closed & financial crisis gripping more & more universities.

Russel Group data suggests universities lose around £2500 for each UK student registered, a loss which until the recent drop off, was made good my a cross subsidy from international students.

We used to have (in some cases still have) world class universities, but like so many other things, the Tories have poisoned the well.

KimSJ,
@KimSJ@mastodon.social avatar

@ChrisMayLA6 The knock-on effects of defunding universities are widespread and serious. Shortages of teachers, good researchers, administrators, medical staff and so on, damage to our foreign-currency earning entertainment industry, not to mention the erosion of our soft power as foreign students decide to go elsewhere — including Russia in some cases.

QasimRashid, to random
@QasimRashid@mastodon.social avatar

BREAKING: House passes bill to criminalize criticism of Israel — a bill opposed by numerous Jewish groups, numerous Jewish members of Congress, and the ACLU.

My latest: https://qasimrashid.substack.com/p/breaking-house-passes-bill-to-criminalize

KimSJ,
@KimSJ@mastodon.social avatar

@QasimRashid Unbelievable that 133 Democrats voted for this ridiculous nonsense. Congress is populated by morons, on both side of the political divide.

KimSJ, to internet
@KimSJ@mastodon.social avatar

There is a very simple way to ‘fix’ social media, and that is to make platforms legally responsible for all the content posted on their systems. Yes, it would break the business model of such providers, but isn’t that what’s needed, given that they have consistently shown that they are using their power irresponsibly?

Edit: it has been suggested that legal responsibility should only apply to content “promoted” by platforms. That seems to be an excellent improvement.

mhoye, to random
@mhoye@mastodon.social avatar

Just a staggering engineering feat. Absolutely incredible.

https://blogs.nasa.gov/voyager/2024/04/22/nasas-voyager-1-resumes-sending-engineering-updates-to-earth/

KimSJ,
@KimSJ@mastodon.social avatar

@mhoye I can think of no better argument for Right to Repair!

ChrisMayLA6, to feminism
@ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us avatar

We are still failing across the world to get more women into leadership roles in politics which itself stems for a failure to get more women into political careers.

Whether you believe women do politics differently, or whether you see this as an issue of gender representation, to be two decades into the new millennia & for this to still be the case tells us that patriarchy & male domination remain issues that has yet to be disposed of


https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/22/global-elections-2024-women-female-candidates

KimSJ,
@KimSJ@mastodon.social avatar

@ChrisMayLA6 I think the fact that women shy away from politics is a symptom, not the disease. The reasons women are put off also put off many men who would be excellent politicians, and are the same reasons that we have such a dreadful crop of politicians at the moment.
I myself was approached to stand as a candidate for Westminster, but there was no way I would put myself and my family through the kind of shit that MPs (or even unsuccessful candidates) have to endure.

KimSJ,
@KimSJ@mastodon.social avatar

@lewiscowles1986 @ChrisMayLA6 So you don’t think constant death threats is a problem? Or continually being misquoted by a hostile media that doesn't care what lies it tells as long as it sells copy and/or clickbait? Being asked to deal with tens of thousands of constituents’ problems in addition to your responsibilities in Westminster? Having to commute long distances, or maintain two residences, and cope with anti-social hours. Overcrowded office space, no childcare, no proper HR… etc.

GottaLaff, to random
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

Via Angry Staffer:

She thinks you should be forced to have your rapist’s baby.

Republicans in a nutshell, folks.
👇🏼Quote

Bash: You think there should be exceptions for rape and incest?

: I don’t think a tragedy should perpetuate another tragedy

Tommy Vietor:

Kristi Noem is considered a leading contender to be Trump VP pick. Here she says that women who are victims of rape or incest should be denied access to abortion services.

KimSJ,
@KimSJ@mastodon.social avatar

@GottaLaff Rape is a crime. Turning it into an unwanted child is creating a huge and unnecessary tragedy.

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

I was critical of the Cass Report earlier, talking about how discounting studies that weren't double blinded RCTs was bad form. Apparently Dr Cass has responded, saying that '"obviously" young people could not be blinded as to whether or not they were on puberty blockers or hormones because "it rapidly becomes obvious to them [...] But that of itself is not an issue because there are many other areas where that would apply"' https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-68863594

KimSJ,
@KimSJ@mastodon.social avatar

@CatherineFlick @glyph The parts of the final report that I have skim-read seem rather muddled and rambling. Either she is not a good communicator, or she is not on top of the brief, or she has been confronted with evidence which does not accord with her preconceptions and she’s struggled to make sense of that cognitive dissonance. Plenty of people think it’s the last option, and that she’s pretty much a TERF.

GottaLaff, to random
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

Via Kyle Cheney:

JUST IN: Rep. Bennie Thompson (former chair of the Jan. 6 committee) has introduced legislation that would terminate Secret Service protection for, uh, anyone sentenced to a year or more in jail.

KimSJ,
@KimSJ@mastodon.social avatar

@GottaLaff FAFO!

GottaLaff, to random
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

Trump lawyer asks prospective juror, sexual assault survivor, if she would hold Trump's background against him
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/live-blog/trump-hush-money-trial-day-4-live-updates-rcna145937

KimSJ,
@KimSJ@mastodon.social avatar

@GottaLaff NFL I note Trump’s lawyer carefully said ‘accused’ of sexual misconduct, not ‘convicted’. The whole trial is a minefield for Trump’s lawyers.

WhyNotZoidberg, to random
@WhyNotZoidberg@topspicy.social avatar

Cybertrucks work as well as they look.

Like they're designed by a 6 year old that has never seen a car before.

KimSJ,
@KimSJ@mastodon.social avatar

@WhyNotZoidberg I have a theory that the cybertruck is the result of some totally pissed off and highly qualified automotive engineers finally cracking: “OK, guys, let’s give the idiot exactly what he’s asked for.”

GottaLaff, to random
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

😳”1 woman miscarried in lobby restroom of TX emerg rm as front desk staff refused to admit her. Another learned her fetus had no heartbeat at Fla hospital, day after security guard turned her away from the facility. No Carolina, woman gave birth in car after emerg room couldn’t offer an ultrasound. The baby later died.

Complaints that pregnant women were turned away from U.S. emergency rooms spiked in 2022 after the SCOTUS overturned Roe v Wade”
https://apnews.com/article/9ce6c87c8fc653c840654de1ae5f7a1c

KimSJ,
@KimSJ@mastodon.social avatar

@GottaLaff This is not ‘pro life’, it is pro-violence. It’s no accident that there is such an overlap with the gun lobby.

sundogplanets, to random
@sundogplanets@mastodon.social avatar

I'm talking to a journalist in a bit about NASA's new "space sustainability strategy" and this one sentence from the abstract seems to sum it up:

"Given the substantial upfront expenditures required to develop and deploy remediation capabilities and the potential delay in receiving benefits, these motivations do not appear to be sufficient to incentivize immediate action"

I'm going to have to read this more carefully, but did NASA just say they don't care about orbit?!

https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/otps-cost-and-benefit-analysis-of-orbital-debris-remediation-final-tagged.pdf?emrc=661fe22b468ed

KimSJ,
@KimSJ@mastodon.social avatar

@Andreas @sundogplanets Sadly, I doubt it. Compare the cross-sectional area of say 100k satellites to the size of the earth, even assuming such satellites re-radiate all energy away from the earth, which in fact they won’t do.

KimSJ,
@KimSJ@mastodon.social avatar

@sundogplanets Tl;dr. We just have our fingers crossed that satellites will never collide, regardless of how many are in LEO.
🤦

pvonhellermannn, to random
@pvonhellermannn@mastodon.green avatar

It seems, IS, utterly crazy, that amidst everything else the UK government is ruthlessly continuing its clampdown on climate protesters. But it is.

Excellent article by Natasha Walter here on how Dr Sarah Benn got 30 days in prison for holding up a placard saying “Stop New Oil” and overall recent developments:

“the direction of travel is fast and frightening and its repercussions are growing.”

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/apr/13/climate-crisis-protest-activism-repression

KimSJ,
@KimSJ@mastodon.social avatar

@pvonhellermannn This is ridiculous.

fkamiah17, (edited ) to UKpolitics
@fkamiah17@toot.wales avatar

We've waited so very long for the imminent electoral oblivion of the Tories, but I think if Leila Mohammed* unseats Wes Streeting, that'll be my "were you awake for ... " result of the night.

EDIT: She's called LEANNE Mohammed. Thanks to @anarchic_teapot for flagging my mistake!

KimSJ,
@KimSJ@mastodon.social avatar

@fkamiah17 @anarchic_teapot where do i donate to Leanne’s campaign? 🙂

DrALJONES, to random
@DrALJONES@mastodon.social avatar

deleted_by_author

    •
    KimSJ,
    @KimSJ@mastodon.social avatar

    @Eka_FOOF_A @DrALJONES That’s the mistake that Rumsfeld made with Ba’ath employees in Iraq, and it didn’t end well there either. People who just want to put food on their table are not automatically in any way supporters of a regime, let alone ‘combatants’.

    KimSJ,
    @KimSJ@mastodon.social avatar

    @DrALJONES You are of course correct, and I should have put “mistakes” in quotes.

    spocko, to random
    @spocko@mastodon.online avatar

    Good Liar: If Vladimir were running against Joe Biden for President, who would you vote for?

    Woman: For our country? That's a hard question. Probably Putin.

    GL: It is?

    MW: Yeah, I don't think Putin is as bad as people want to believe

    GL: You would vote for Vladimir Putin?

    MW: I would. Over Biden? Hell yeah.

    GL: You would vote for Vladimir Putin for President of United States.

    MW: Putin wants to go back to good morality. He doesn't allow all this crap.
    https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-supporters-say-theyd-vote-vladimir-putin-1887721

    If Vladimir Putin were running against Joe Biden for President, who would you vote for? For our country? That's a hard question. I probably Putin. It is? Yeah, I don't think Putin is as bad as people want to believe You would vote for Vladimir Putin? I would. Over Biden? Hell yeah. You would vote for Vladimir Putin for President of United States. Putin wants to go back to good morality. He doesn't allow all this crap about about genders and pronouns and crap. The Good Liars on TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@thegoodliars/video/7349632440362634526?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7338846562971944478 Newsweek article on it. https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-supporters-say-theyd-vote-vladimir-putin-1887721

    KimSJ,
    @KimSJ@mastodon.social avatar

    @spocko Whatever it is these people are drinking/smoking/taking, I never want to go near it!

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