davidallengreen

davidallengreen, 10 months ago to random

Here is a list of favourite fiction writers and story tellers:

Jane Austen (the Master); James Joyce; Virginia Woolf; Stella Gibbons; Muriel Spark; Italo Calvino; Franz Kafka; Kazuo Ishiguro; Joseph Conrad; Angela Carter.

And in the comics medium: Alan Moore; Neil Gaiman; Posy Simmonds.

If you are also a fan of any of these, I would be delighted to chat with you about them in the comments.

I would also like to hear of any writers similar to the ones I list who I should try.

davidallengreen, 9 months ago to random

MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE

Many are critical of Phase Four.

My view as a geek is that there were many great TV productions: Moon Knight, Werewolf By Night, Loki, Wandavision, GotG holiday special, even most of Hawkeye.

Of the films: Shang-Chi was not bad, and Spider-man No Way Home an illustration of how to do fan service.

But.

The construction of this wider multiverse arc is now close to an absolute mess.

And if it is losing a geek like me then normal people must be mystified or bored.

davidallengreen, 10 months ago to random

Threads

I know it will irk some of you that some of us have Threads accounts.

My heart is with open protocols and Mastodon.

But.

The reason I do legal commentary is that I think promoting the public understanding of law is a good thing.

As such the wider reach the better - a public good.

I am also a writer, and the wider I can cast links to my Substack which provides financial means for me to justify using time for commentary, the better for me, as a private good.

I am sorry to irk.

davidallengreen, 10 months ago (edited 10 months ago) to random

I am sorry to those who came over here with me in November in the hope and expectation that a good chunk of UK legal Twitter would also come.

Sadly most of the accounts I recommended as they came over then are now fairly quiet on here - many not having posted since December/January.

Am looking out for other legal accounts to recommend - and if you know of any, do let me know.

Any area of law, any jurisdiction.

davidallengreen, 7 months ago to random

How will this progressive banning of smoking actually work?

Will retailers have to challenge someone who does not look 26, then 31, then 39?

"Excuse me, but can you prove you are over 40?"

May be a good idea in theory, but difficult to see how it can work in practice.

davidallengreen, 10 months ago to random

Hello Mastodon followers, help please.

If you are a follower, could you kindly "like" this post when you see it so I can gauge how many are seeing/reading my Mastodon posts?

Nominally I have 41k followers on here, but I think that figure is artificially inflated because of how many came over last November and then went away again.

Many thanks.

davidallengreen, 10 months ago to random

Yesterday I asked followers to to "like" a post so that could gauge how many are seeing/reading my Mastodon posts.

This was because, although nominally I have 41k followers on here, I thought the figure artificially inflated because of how many came over last November and then went away again.

The result was 1.2k likes (and 83 boosts).

The boosts may have led to likes from non-followers.

So: in a 20-hour period, a post had an engagement rate of about 3%.

A data point, if not an anecdote.

davidallengreen, 6 months ago to random

Recommendations please, for the best ginger biscuits.

Assume I am aware of McVities ginger nuts, and main supermarket own brands.

This is an important question.

davidallengreen, 4 months ago to random

Unpopular opinion: Sherlock Holmes is not a detective. More a cold-reading mystic. More Shaman than Sherlock.

Almost none of the original stories stand up. They are great atmospheric, charismatic, characterful literature. But they are not usually rational.

In that way, Cumberbatch does a faithful portrayal.

davidallengreen, 8 months ago to random

This is a briefing note on the legal rule that computers are presumed to be operating
correctly

Happy to hear from anyone with an informed view on this issue

https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10151259/1/briefing-presumption-that-computers-are-reliable.pdf

davidallengreen, 8 months ago to random

A post of absolute geeky beauty.

Bravo.

https://tylervigen.com/the-mystery-of-the-bloomfield-bridge

davidallengreen, 7 months ago to random

HS2 is not (really) about speed but about capacity - and, yes, there is a need for more rail capacity between south/midlands/north.

But there is also an equal and opposite need to be environmentally mindful, and there is also an absolute need for competent project management and critical political overview.

From any view, HS2 is a horrible mess.

davidallengreen, 8 months ago to random

I find it difficult to write about the post office scandal. In part, this because of the complexity and my want to read and master all the relevant texts before doing commentary.

But it is also because the makes me so livid I suspect I would lose all objectivity and my posts would become long rants. So so bad, in so many ways, and because of so many avoidable failures.

davidallengreen, 9 months ago to random

Once again.

It is an express part of the Good Friday Agreement that the ECHR is enforceable in Northern Ireland

The UK cannot quit the ECHR without either breaching or renegotiating the Good Friday Agreement. And Ireland will never agree to removing the Convention rights of the nationalist community in Northern Ireland.

davidallengreen, 7 months ago to random

"Good morning"

Replies:

Bluesky - "Yay, this is just like Twitter in old days when we just happily said good morning to each other whatever time it was"

Threads - "Please leave that passive aggressive stuff at the bird site, thank you"

Mastodon - "Depends what you mean by good, and which time zone you're in"

davidallengreen, 10 months ago to random

Am thinking about writing about the Orkney council’s possible consideration of alternative governance models. Any information or insights welcome.

#Orkney

davidallengreen, 8 months ago to random

But...

But...

...Net Zero is enshrined in law?!

How could a UK government possibly renege cynically on a target that is enshrined in law?

Oh.

davidallengreen, 10 months ago to random

I have put a marker down at Threads too

https://www.threads.net/@d_a_t_green

davidallengreen, 10 months ago to random

NEW AT SUBSTACK

A close reading of Twitter's legal letter to Meta

A guided tour of a weak litigation letter, by me

https://emptycity.substack.com/p/a-close-reading-of-twitters-legal

davidallengreen, 10 months ago to random

Half-expecting the government to nominally reduce the number of those taking university degrees by re-naming half of the universities as "polytechnics".

davidallengreen, 7 months ago to random

Oh happy happy day

Birmingham council votes to demolish brutalist landmark https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/sep/28/birmingham-council-votes-to-demolish-brutalist-landmark-ringway-centre

davidallengreen, 9 months ago to random

In my local public library I noticed on the reservations shelf that someone had ordered volumes by Ayn Rand.

Perhaps the borrower was some general researcher, but I did enjoy the thought it was an earnest libertarian missing the irony of using the municipal library system to state-subsidise their access to Atlas Shrugged and other works.

davidallengreen, 10 months ago to random

I can see the value in proprietary apps and platforms that make it easy for users. I can also see the value in a well-kept turnpike or toll bridge.

But.

There is even greater value in open source, non-proprietary networks and protocols, just there is greater value in the public highway being open to all.

But law and policy, like politics, is the art of the possible.

Rather than building another bridge or road, removing the toll-booths on the current ones may be a good approach.

davidallengreen, 4 months ago to random

The golden rules of tweeting links to posts:

1. A person will type - a lot - in response to the link without clicking that link to see if their point is either anticipated or redundant.

2. A person will say that you missed a point - even if your post is comprehensive. Or that you have missed the point.

3. A person will complain that you do not share their point of view.

4. A person will complain of your point of view, even though what they describe is not actually your point of view.

davidallengreen, 5 months ago to random

Less than a year now to the end of this 2019 Parliament, by automatic operation of law.

This means that the government has less than a year to get any new primary legislation through parliament, and with no scope for using Parliament Acts to defy the Lords.

The end is in sight.