#nablopomo — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #nablopomo, aggregated by home.social.
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New blog post: “Third Complete November”.
https://blog.kizu.dev/third-complete-november/
For the third time, third year in a row, I managed to write a post for every day of November.
I was tired at the end, and postponed writing many posts until the end of the day, but it felt easier than the last two previous years.
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New blog post: “Third Complete November”.
https://blog.kizu.dev/third-complete-november/
For the third time, third year in a row, I managed to write a post for every day of November.
I was tired at the end, and postponed writing many posts until the end of the day, but it felt easier than the last two previous years.
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New blog post: “November, Again”
https://blog.kizu.dev/november-again/
For the third time, I am attempting to write a blog post for every day of November. I managed to do it for 2023 and 2024. I won’t promise I’ll manage to post every day this time, but I’ll try.
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New blog post: “November, Again”
https://blog.kizu.dev/november-again/
For the third time, I am attempting to write a blog post for every day of November. I managed to do it for 2023 and 2024. I won’t promise I’ll manage to post every day this time, but I’ll try.
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AMA - Balancing Act - Finding comfort in the familiar things in life and having new adventures - which way do you lean? - https://louplummer.lol/balancing-act/
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AMA - Balancing Act - Finding comfort in the familiar things in life and having new adventures - which way do you lean? - https://louplummer.lol/balancing-act/
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The Fascinating History of Swearing in Movies - Swearing in movies has a rich history and goes back further than you may think. - https://linkage.lol/the-fascinating-history-of-swearing-in-movies/
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The Fascinating History of Swearing in Movies - Swearing in movies has a rich history and goes back further than you may think. - https://linkage.lol/the-fascinating-history-of-swearing-in-movies/
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Today on AppAddict - Clotski - A Clever Tool for Your Image Management Workflow - Clotski is a 99 cent menu bar app available in the Mac App Store. Its simple menu lets you designate watched folders where you keep images accessed as part of your workflow, for instance screenshots and downloads. You can view thumbnails of the images, the size is customizable and get... - https://apps.louplummer.lol/post/clotski-a-clever-tool-for-your-image-management-workflow - #Mac Apps
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Today on AppAddict - Clotski - A Clever Tool for Your Image Management Workflow - Clotski is a 99 cent menu bar app available in the Mac App Store. Its simple menu lets you designate watched folders where you keep images accessed as part of your workflow, for instance screenshots and downloads. You can view thumbnails of the images, the size is customizable and get... - https://apps.louplummer.lol/post/clotski-a-clever-tool-for-your-image-management-workflow - #Mac Apps
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Don't Burn Bridges - When it's time to leave, walk away from people and situations in your life with a smile on your face. - https://louplummer.lol/don-t-burn-bridges/
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Book Review: Seeing Like A State - James C. Scott
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2021/11/book-review-seeing-like-a-state-james-c-scott/
In this wide-ranging and original book, James C. Scott analyses failed cases of large-scale authoritarian plans in a variety of fields. Centrally managed social plans misfire, Scott argues, when they impose schematic visions that do violence to complex interdependencies that are not—and cannot—be fully understood. Further, the success of designs for social organization depends upon the recognition that local, practical knowledge is as important as formal, epistemic knowledge. The author builds a persuasive case against “development theory” and imperialistic state planning that disregards the values, desires, and objections of its subjects. He identifies and discusses four conditions common to all planning disasters: administrative ordering of nature and society by the state; a “high-modernist ideology” that places confidence in the ability of science to improve every aspect of human life; a willingness to use authoritarian state power to effect large- scale interventions; and a prostrate civil society that cannot effectively resist such plans.
I've lost count of the number of people who have recommended that I read this book. It dismantles some of the arguments for centralised authority and remaking the world to satisfy the administrative demands of the state.
Is this a call for anarchism? No. I think it's an early plea for more user centred design.
It's really easy for people to design a system that works for people like them. It's much harder to design something which works with "messy" reality.
The first few chapters were highly relevant to my work. It's hard to administer reality - but forcing people / land / systems to conform to something uniform rarely works in practice.
I found the chapters on High-Modernist stuff bit weird. I get the relevance of physical architecture and its parallels to computer architecture, but I felt it went a bit too deep into the weeds of Soviet agricultural plans for my liking. I ended up skim reading some of the chapters on farming. That said, it has a good discussion of colonialism and the perils of thinking you know better than people with local knowledge.
It does an excellent job of explaining the limits of technocracy. There's even some fome feminist critique of centralised design, which is good to see.
Ultimately, it sold me on the idea that standards only works when everyone gets a say in how they are developed. And that they need to be flexible enough to cope with the present and future reality. If we want people to embrace change, it can only be via radical participatory democracy.
A sobering and vitally important book. Highly recommended for anyone who is involved in policy design or standardisation.
Here are some of the choice excerpts I found interesting:
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Replying to @edent"There is, then, no single, all-purpose, correct answer to a question implying measurement unless we specify the relevant local concerns that give rise to the question." ❤️ 5💬 0🔁 117:57 - Mon 25 October 2021Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Replying to @edentRelevant to yesterday's discussion on storing names.
And also looking back to the Google / Facebook "real names" movement.
Names are socially flexible. Can they ever really be captured in a database? pic.x.com/NFEyvqXFKB ❤️ 3💬 1🔁 020:09 - Tue 26 October 2021Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Replying to @edentThis is so true it hurts.How many times have you been through a re-org which shuffled people around on PowerPoint decks with little regard for what they want, how they are incentivised, or how they work? pic.x.com/ez4dj6yQIm
❤️ 21💬 6🔁 020:47 - Mon 01 November 2021Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Replying to @edentThis book - Seeing Like A State - is doing its best to make me question my professional career! pic.x.com/G2mMaaIu2f ❤️ 3💬 0🔁 107:35 - Wed 03 November 2021Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Replying to @edent*nodding intensifies* pic.x.com/yy1if0M9Ih ❤️ 4💬 0🔁 008:08 - Thu 04 November 2021 -
Book Review: Seeing Like A State - James C. Scott
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2021/11/book-review-seeing-like-a-state-james-c-scott/
In this wide-ranging and original book, James C. Scott analyses failed cases of large-scale authoritarian plans in a variety of fields. Centrally managed social plans misfire, Scott argues, when they impose schematic visions that do violence to complex interdependencies that are not—and cannot—be fully understood. Further, the success of designs for social organization depends upon the recognition that local, practical knowledge is as important as formal, epistemic knowledge. The author builds a persuasive case against “development theory” and imperialistic state planning that disregards the values, desires, and objections of its subjects. He identifies and discusses four conditions common to all planning disasters: administrative ordering of nature and society by the state; a “high-modernist ideology” that places confidence in the ability of science to improve every aspect of human life; a willingness to use authoritarian state power to effect large- scale interventions; and a prostrate civil society that cannot effectively resist such plans.
I've lost count of the number of people who have recommended that I read this book. It dismantles some of the arguments for centralised authority and remaking the world to satisfy the administrative demands of the state.
Is this a call for anarchism? No. I think it's an early plea for more user centred design.
It's really easy for people to design a system that works for people like them. It's much harder to design something which works with "messy" reality.
The first few chapters were highly relevant to my work. It's hard to administer reality - but forcing people / land / systems to conform to something uniform rarely works in practice.
I found the chapters on High-Modernist stuff bit weird. I get the relevance of physical architecture and its parallels to computer architecture, but I felt it went a bit too deep into the weeds of Soviet agricultural plans for my liking. I ended up skim reading some of the chapters on farming. That said, it has a good discussion of colonialism and the perils of thinking you know better than people with local knowledge.
It does an excellent job of explaining the limits of technocracy. There's even some fome feminist critique of centralised design, which is good to see.
Ultimately, it sold me on the idea that standards only works when everyone gets a say in how they are developed. And that they need to be flexible enough to cope with the present and future reality. If we want people to embrace change, it can only be via radical participatory democracy.
A sobering and vitally important book. Highly recommended for anyone who is involved in policy design or standardisation.
Here are some of the choice excerpts I found interesting:
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Replying to @edent"There is, then, no single, all-purpose, correct answer to a question implying measurement unless we specify the relevant local concerns that give rise to the question." ❤️ 5💬 0🔁 117:57 - Mon 25 October 2021Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Replying to @edentRelevant to yesterday's discussion on storing names.
And also looking back to the Google / Facebook "real names" movement.
Names are socially flexible. Can they ever really be captured in a database? pic.x.com/NFEyvqXFKB ❤️ 3💬 1🔁 020:09 - Tue 26 October 2021Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Replying to @edentThis is so true it hurts.How many times have you been through a re-org which shuffled people around on PowerPoint decks with little regard for what they want, how they are incentivised, or how they work? pic.x.com/ez4dj6yQIm
❤️ 21💬 6🔁 020:47 - Mon 01 November 2021Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Replying to @edentThis book - Seeing Like A State - is doing its best to make me question my professional career! pic.x.com/G2mMaaIu2f ❤️ 3💬 0🔁 107:35 - Wed 03 November 2021Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Replying to @edent*nodding intensifies* pic.x.com/yy1if0M9Ih ❤️ 4💬 0🔁 008:08 - Thu 04 November 2021 -
The 360 Selfie
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2019/11/the-360-selfie/I'll admit it - I never really got the selfie. I was trapped in the mistake that they were a mere narcissistic folly. I couldn't have been more wrong. The more I travel the world, the more I see a change in people's behaviour around monuments. It used to be people jostling to get the one perfect shot of a thing. Even if they got the perfect shot, they never looked at the result. Why?
People want to take a photo like this:
But it often ends up coming out like this:
That's not intended to be snarky. Most of us don't have the time, skill, or equipment to take stunning photographs. But that's OK! The best photographs of mere objects have already been taken. The photo that no-one else has ever taken is of you standing there!
That's what I love about selfies! A photo of a monument is just that. It shows you were there, once, kinda. But a selfie proves that you were there! I think there's something delightful about saying "This is me! Here I am!"
So, here are a couple of 360 selfies from our recent trips. They're not the greatest photos in the world - they're not static shots of a thing - but they are of us and the memories we made.
Rome
Hong Kong
Australia
#360 #LG360 #meta #NaBloPoMo #photography #photos -
The 360 Selfie
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2019/11/the-360-selfie/I'll admit it - I never really got the selfie. I was trapped in the mistake that they were a mere narcissistic folly. I couldn't have been more wrong. The more I travel the world, the more I see a change in people's behaviour around monuments. It used to be people jostling to get the one perfect shot of a thing. Even if they got the perfect shot, they never looked at the result. Why?
People want to take a photo like this:
But it often ends up coming out like this:
That's not intended to be snarky. Most of us don't have the time, skill, or equipment to take stunning photographs. But that's OK! The best photographs of mere objects have already been taken. The photo that no-one else has ever taken is of you standing there!
That's what I love about selfies! A photo of a monument is just that. It shows you were there, once, kinda. But a selfie proves that you were there! I think there's something delightful about saying "This is me! Here I am!"
So, here are a couple of 360 selfies from our recent trips. They're not the greatest photos in the world - they're not static shots of a thing - but they are of us and the memories we made.
Rome
Hong Kong
Australia
#360 #LG360 #meta #NaBloPoMo #photography #photos -
New Push Notification: Suspicious Transactions
A concerning experience with fraudulent transactions on my Monzo account.https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.jvt.me/posts/2019/11/09/suspicious-transactions/
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New Push Notification: Suspicious Transactions
A concerning experience with fraudulent transactions on my Monzo account.https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.jvt.me/posts/2019/11/09/suspicious-transactions/
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Review: Kia Soul EV
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2018/11/review-kia-soul-ev/
I'm now on my third EV. You can read my thoughts on the BMW i3 and the Renault Zoe. This review is primarily focussed on the tech included with the car.
Bluetooth
Connects quickly, and no glitches with streaming audio. Call quality was clear, but didn't show caller's photo - which is a shame.
Doesn't show album artwork - so no AVRCP 1.6 support.
I couldn't get it to do a 30-second-skip using the steering wheel buttons. It is next/previous track or nothing.
Android Auto
Allows mirroring of a small number of apps onto the car's main display. Android Auto is basically fine. It shows your GPS on the screen, and some other approved apps. Honestly, it isn't much better than having your phone visible in a holder.
Because it needs a hardwired connection, you need to plug the phone into the car's USB port. Sadly, this is very slow at charging. Annoying, because you'll probably want a faster charger if you're using GPS, streaming podcasts, etc.
Voice Control
Pretty shitty. If you're using the car's voice services, you'll be continually frustrated. Slow and inaccurate.
GPS
Bargain basement GPS. It works, but you'll probably want to use Google maps. There's no live traffic in the Kia, updates to the maps are done yearly, and cost £25! WTF?
The one good thing is that it does show you the speed limit for the road you're on.
Missing mobile app
In a major oversight, there's no mobile services for the car. The Zoe's app was utterly crap - but at least it allowed me to pre-heat the car on demand.
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
@KiaUK when will Uvo be available on UK Kia Soul EVs?
Got the car expecting it to be included. ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 015:46 - Tue 25 September 2018Kia UK
@KiaUK
@edent Hi Terence, we have no plans at this time to add UVO compatibility but can pass your feedback on to our product team. ❤️ 0💬 1🔁 017:43 - Tue 25 September 2018That also means there's no API - which is a crying shame.
Missing Tech
There are a number of other curious omissions.
The reversing camera doesn't show the direction of travel. A minor nit, but seems standard in all other vehicles.
No way to default the speed limiter or cruise control. I make heavy use of the speed limiter and I have to activate the function ever time I start the car. Why can't it remember my preferences?
Windscreen wipers aren't automatic. The lights are, but the wipers really should be too.
Power
The car has two "cigar socket" chargers - with variable power outputs - in the front.
The rear has a single socket.
Charging
A mixed bag. The rapid charger is ChaDeMo - rather than the more modern CCS. A bit annoying, depending on which rapids you usually attend.
The slow charger is similarly outdated - it's type 1 rather than the type 2 found on every other car. You can buy adapters, but it's a shame that Kia haven't modernised their charging ports.
The car comes with a standard 3-pin 240V charger, and a type 1 to type 2 Mennekes cable - so you'll be able to charge it at most public charge points.
Verdict
This review may seem fairly negative - but I've deliberately focussed on what annoys me.
I pay £215 per month for this car - and I reckon that's a very fair price. This is obviously the last production run for this version of the Kia Soul EV. I expect future ones will have more modern charging options.
The in-car touchscreen is about as bad as any other modern car. Slow and janky. But car manufacturers just aren't interested in investing in better systems.
You're better off getting a decent Android phone and using that rather than the built-in services.
It's a good little car, the tech is basically adequate for a modern vehicle - but nothing too exciting.
-
Review: Kia Soul EV
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2018/11/review-kia-soul-ev/
I'm now on my third EV. You can read my thoughts on the BMW i3 and the Renault Zoe. This review is primarily focussed on the tech included with the car.
Bluetooth
Connects quickly, and no glitches with streaming audio. Call quality was clear, but didn't show caller's photo - which is a shame.
Doesn't show album artwork - so no AVRCP 1.6 support.
I couldn't get it to do a 30-second-skip using the steering wheel buttons. It is next/previous track or nothing.
Android Auto
Allows mirroring of a small number of apps onto the car's main display. Android Auto is basically fine. It shows your GPS on the screen, and some other approved apps. Honestly, it isn't much better than having your phone visible in a holder.
Because it needs a hardwired connection, you need to plug the phone into the car's USB port. Sadly, this is very slow at charging. Annoying, because you'll probably want a faster charger if you're using GPS, streaming podcasts, etc.
Voice Control
Pretty shitty. If you're using the car's voice services, you'll be continually frustrated. Slow and inaccurate.
GPS
Bargain basement GPS. It works, but you'll probably want to use Google maps. There's no live traffic in the Kia, updates to the maps are done yearly, and cost £25! WTF?
The one good thing is that it does show you the speed limit for the road you're on.
Missing mobile app
In a major oversight, there's no mobile services for the car. The Zoe's app was utterly crap - but at least it allowed me to pre-heat the car on demand.
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
@KiaUK when will Uvo be available on UK Kia Soul EVs?
Got the car expecting it to be included. ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 015:46 - Tue 25 September 2018Kia UK
@KiaUK
@edent Hi Terence, we have no plans at this time to add UVO compatibility but can pass your feedback on to our product team. ❤️ 0💬 1🔁 017:43 - Tue 25 September 2018That also means there's no API - which is a crying shame.
Missing Tech
There are a number of other curious omissions.
The reversing camera doesn't show the direction of travel. A minor nit, but seems standard in all other vehicles.
No way to default the speed limiter or cruise control. I make heavy use of the speed limiter and I have to activate the function ever time I start the car. Why can't it remember my preferences?
Windscreen wipers aren't automatic. The lights are, but the wipers really should be too.
Power
The car has two "cigar socket" chargers - with variable power outputs - in the front.
The rear has a single socket.
Charging
A mixed bag. The rapid charger is ChaDeMo - rather than the more modern CCS. A bit annoying, depending on which rapids you usually attend.
The slow charger is similarly outdated - it's type 1 rather than the type 2 found on every other car. You can buy adapters, but it's a shame that Kia haven't modernised their charging ports.
The car comes with a standard 3-pin 240V charger, and a type 1 to type 2 Mennekes cable - so you'll be able to charge it at most public charge points.
Verdict
This review may seem fairly negative - but I've deliberately focussed on what annoys me.
I pay £215 per month for this car - and I reckon that's a very fair price. This is obviously the last production run for this version of the Kia Soul EV. I expect future ones will have more modern charging options.
The in-car touchscreen is about as bad as any other modern car. Slow and janky. But car manufacturers just aren't interested in investing in better systems.
You're better off getting a decent Android phone and using that rather than the built-in services.
It's a good little car, the tech is basically adequate for a modern vehicle - but nothing too exciting.
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How to support this blog
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2018/11/how-to-support-this-blog/
I don't run adverts on this blog. The most I do is the occasional Amazon Affiliate link when I'm reviewing some tech.
I'm happy with that. The site doesn't cost me much to run, and I'm lucky enough that it increases my reputation and online goodwill.
But I've been thinking recently about ways to make a more material gain from my blogging, tweeting, StackOverflowing, and GitHubbing.
So, here are your options!
Giving To Charity
I've started a fundraising page with the Charities Trust to support the hodge-podge of good causes I regularly give to.
I'm not running a marathon, or doing a sponsored swim, or sitting in a bathtub of old beans. But if this blog has helped you - or you've found my code useful - I'd love it if you could make a donation.
If you're in the UK, you can use Gift Aid to increase the value of your donation. Yay for tax efficiency!
I'm raising money for:
- Oxford Food Bank - because I don't want people in my community to go hungry.
- Shelter - because everyone deserve a decent place to live, and help when things go wrong.
- CALM Campaign Against Living Miserably - having lost a mate to suicide, I want to ensure blokes know they can always find help.
- UK Citizens Online Democracy - mySociety runs a vital set of projects improving access to democracy.
- Refuge - to support women and children who are suffering the effects of domestic abuse.
But I love you!
Aww!
You can buy me a present from my Amazon wishlist. It's mostly Doctor Who DVDs, vegetarian nibbles, and weird bits of tech. There are ridiculous expensive things on there as well in case any crazy-rich people feel like perking me up.
I've also started experimenting with Ko-Fi https://ko-fi.com/edent - it's sort of like an UK version of Patreon. Not sure how I feel about it - but you can buy me a slice of cheese using it.
Share and enjoy
What I really love is when you leave a comment or share my blog posts on social media. So please do that if you can.
THANKS GANG!
-
How to support this blog
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2018/11/how-to-support-this-blog/
I don't run adverts on this blog. The most I do is the occasional Amazon Affiliate link when I'm reviewing some tech.
I'm happy with that. The site doesn't cost me much to run, and I'm lucky enough that it increases my reputation and online goodwill.
But I've been thinking recently about ways to make a more material gain from my blogging, tweeting, StackOverflowing, and GitHubbing.
So, here are your options!
Giving To Charity
I've started a fundraising page with the Charities Trust to support the hodge-podge of good causes I regularly give to.
I'm not running a marathon, or doing a sponsored swim, or sitting in a bathtub of old beans. But if this blog has helped you - or you've found my code useful - I'd love it if you could make a donation.
If you're in the UK, you can use Gift Aid to increase the value of your donation. Yay for tax efficiency!
I'm raising money for:
- Oxford Food Bank - because I don't want people in my community to go hungry.
- Shelter - because everyone deserve a decent place to live, and help when things go wrong.
- CALM Campaign Against Living Miserably - having lost a mate to suicide, I want to ensure blokes know they can always find help.
- UK Citizens Online Democracy - mySociety runs a vital set of projects improving access to democracy.
- Refuge - to support women and children who are suffering the effects of domestic abuse.
But I love you!
Aww!
You can buy me a present from my Amazon wishlist. It's mostly Doctor Who DVDs, vegetarian nibbles, and weird bits of tech. There are ridiculous expensive things on there as well in case any crazy-rich people feel like perking me up.
I've also started experimenting with Ko-Fi https://ko-fi.com/edent - it's sort of like an UK version of Patreon. Not sure how I feel about it - but you can buy me a slice of cheese using it.
Share and enjoy
What I really love is when you leave a comment or share my blog posts on social media. So please do that if you can.
THANKS GANG!
-
<input type="country" />
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2017/11/input-type-country/
Recently, Lea Verou asked an important question about whether HTML should have a standardised way of letting users select a country from a list.
Lea Verou
@LeaVerou
HTML Idea: <input type="country"> which would become a searchable dropdown with all countries and their flags.
Wouldn't that be awesome? ❤️ 1,863💬 113🔁 013:17 - Sat 21 October 2017You can read through the conversation and make your own mind up (while also marvelling at the witless mansplainers) - but I'd like to give you my considered take on it.
(Disclaimer - I'm an editor on the HTML 5.3 spec and I work for the UK Government. This is a personal blog post and doesn't represent the views of my employers, associates, or friends.)
Who Are You?
Let's start with the big one. What is a country? This is about as contentious as it gets! It involves national identities, international politics, and hereditary relationships.
Scotland, for example, is a country. That is a (fairly) uncontentious statement - and yet in drop-down lists, I rarely see it mentioned. Why? Because it is one of the four countries which make up the country of the United Kingdom - and so it is usually (but not always) subsumed into that.
Some countries don't recognise each other. Some believe that the other country is really part of their country. Some countries don't exist.
There are two main schemes to classify what is and isn't a country. The first is ISO 3166-1. It provides two- and three-letter codes for every country. Well... sort of.
ISO 3166 contains 249 different countries, territories, protectorates, principalities, duchies, and other bits-and-bobs. It contains the Falklands, but not Scotland.
The second is... whatever your country says is another country!
My friends in the Government Registers Team have published a canonical list of every country that the UK recognises. There are 199 entries. Which countries are not in there is left as an exercise for the reader.
The UK's register of countries should allow every Government website to have the same list in a drop down. When new countries are recognised, one list needs to be updated - and then all websites automagically update. In theory.
Incidentally, that list of 199 countries includes four entries for countries which no-longer exist. For example Yugoslavia.
Which brings us to the next question...
What's the use case?
The most obvious one is "I want to give a site my current address" - presumably for identification purposes or postal deliveries.
But what if the use case is "I want to say where I was born"?
Borders shift. Countries disappear, merge, split, change names, change flags, and do all manner of weird things which trip up your edge cases.
The user may want to find the name in their own script - for example would a Greek user be looking for "Greece" or "Ελλάδα"? If a Chinese speaker wants to visit the UK, do they look in the drop-down for "英国"?
International Dialling Codes - not every country is unique -
+1is used by USA, Canada, Anguilla, Dominican Republic, and dozens more. Are there countries where there is more than one international dialling code?OK, what if the user wants to select their language based on their country?
It is one of the classic conventions that first-year students of user interface design are taught - countries do not represent language!
Some countries have multiple official languages. Some users may not speak the language of their country. Some languages are only used for official purposes, and not by the general population.
Flags mostly represent countries. There are people in Wales who would rather see Y Ddraig Goch rather than the Union Jack. And vice-versa. Flags can make people angry.
The flag of the USA last changed in 1960 - but Mauritania changed theirs in August 2017. How quickly can a browser update their list of countries?
...and yet...
I instinctively like this idea! This isn't a new question, nothing ever is, but I think it is an idea which has merit.
One of the goals of HTML is to stop web developers having to re-invent the wheel. That's why we have lots of different
<input>types - to reduce complexity.Colour picker
Number inputs
Range selector
Some modern browsers support date input
The challenges of a country selector are...
- Keeping everyone happy and not causing major diplomatic incidents. Easy‽
- Usability. Making sure it's easy to search for the name of a country.
- Consistency. How do you indicate that this list contains historic countries?
None of these are insurmountable problems - but it's far from trivial.
And yet... I think there is a real possibility that this could work. Millions of websites already find ways to cope with the ambiguity - perhaps browsers can too?
-
<input type="country" />
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2017/11/input-type-country/
Recently, Lea Verou asked an important question about whether HTML should have a standardised way of letting users select a country from a list.
Lea Verou
@LeaVerou
HTML Idea: <input type="country"> which would become a searchable dropdown with all countries and their flags.
Wouldn't that be awesome? ❤️ 1,863💬 113🔁 013:17 - Sat 21 October 2017You can read through the conversation and make your own mind up (while also marvelling at the witless mansplainers) - but I'd like to give you my considered take on it.
(Disclaimer - I'm an editor on the HTML 5.3 spec and I work for the UK Government. This is a personal blog post and doesn't represent the views of my employers, associates, or friends.)
Who Are You?
Let's start with the big one. What is a country? This is about as contentious as it gets! It involves national identities, international politics, and hereditary relationships.
Scotland, for example, is a country. That is a (fairly) uncontentious statement - and yet in drop-down lists, I rarely see it mentioned. Why? Because it is one of the four countries which make up the country of the United Kingdom - and so it is usually (but not always) subsumed into that.
Some countries don't recognise each other. Some believe that the other country is really part of their country. Some countries don't exist.
There are two main schemes to classify what is and isn't a country. The first is ISO 3166-1. It provides two- and three-letter codes for every country. Well... sort of.
ISO 3166 contains 249 different countries, territories, protectorates, principalities, duchies, and other bits-and-bobs. It contains the Falklands, but not Scotland.
The second is... whatever your country says is another country!
My friends in the Government Registers Team have published a canonical list of every country that the UK recognises. There are 199 entries. Which countries are not in there is left as an exercise for the reader.
The UK's register of countries should allow every Government website to have the same list in a drop down. When new countries are recognised, one list needs to be updated - and then all websites automagically update. In theory.
Incidentally, that list of 199 countries includes four entries for countries which no-longer exist. For example Yugoslavia.
Which brings us to the next question...
What's the use case?
The most obvious one is "I want to give a site my current address" - presumably for identification purposes or postal deliveries.
But what if the use case is "I want to say where I was born"?
Borders shift. Countries disappear, merge, split, change names, change flags, and do all manner of weird things which trip up your edge cases.
The user may want to find the name in their own script - for example would a Greek user be looking for "Greece" or "Ελλάδα"? If a Chinese speaker wants to visit the UK, do they look in the drop-down for "英国"?
International Dialling Codes - not every country is unique -
+1is used by USA, Canada, Anguilla, Dominican Republic, and dozens more. Are there countries where there is more than one international dialling code?OK, what if the user wants to select their language based on their country?
It is one of the classic conventions that first-year students of user interface design are taught - countries do not represent language!
Some countries have multiple official languages. Some users may not speak the language of their country. Some languages are only used for official purposes, and not by the general population.
Flags mostly represent countries. There are people in Wales who would rather see Y Ddraig Goch rather than the Union Jack. And vice-versa. Flags can make people angry.
The flag of the USA last changed in 1960 - but Mauritania changed theirs in August 2017. How quickly can a browser update their list of countries?
...and yet...
I instinctively like this idea! This isn't a new question, nothing ever is, but I think it is an idea which has merit.
One of the goals of HTML is to stop web developers having to re-invent the wheel. That's why we have lots of different
<input>types - to reduce complexity.Colour picker
Number inputs
Range selector
Some modern browsers support date input
The challenges of a country selector are...
- Keeping everyone happy and not causing major diplomatic incidents. Easy‽
- Usability. Making sure it's easy to search for the name of a country.
- Consistency. How do you indicate that this list contains historic countries?
None of these are insurmountable problems - but it's far from trivial.
And yet... I think there is a real possibility that this could work. Millions of websites already find ways to cope with the ambiguity - perhaps browsers can too?
-
Death Etiquette For The Social Media Age
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2016/11/death-etiquette-for-the-social-media-age/
My friend died last month. When I was a lad, it seemed that I was always going to funerals for some ancient relative. Everyone looks old when you're a kid. But my friend wasn't old. He was about my age. He had a trendy, digital job.
The funeral is done, the grief lingers on. What should I do now?
Do I stop following his accounts?
I don't want to. In part, because I don't want to think he's gone. But on a practical level, if I don't then I know some well-meaning AI will suddenly say "Hey! You haven't talked to your mate in aaaaages! Why not give him a poke?! ?"
Of course, if I do unfollow him, I'll get a whole bunch of "people you know also follow..." with his face staring back at me.
Or, perhaps one of the apps he authorised will get hacked, and I'll be left facing post-mortem-spam.
Christian Payne
@Documentally
I just got a direct message from @craigmanganello ..nearly 4 years after he died. Feels like spam has defiled his grave. ❤️ 1💬 5🔁 006:40 - Sat 16 June 2012Should I delete his number from my phone?
Last year a different friend gave up on social media and deleted all her accounts. One day, an app in my pocket buzzed to tall me that she'd joined their service. I was flabbergasted and sent her a quick hello.
It wasn't her. She'd changed phone numbers and - as happens in the UK - the number was eventually assigned to someone else. It was that interloper who'd joined. But the social-network-graph doesn't really account for such changes to "unique" identifiers.
Deleting someone from your contacts has a grim feeling of finality to it. Perhaps I just need to get it over and done with.
How do you let people know?
People don't have little paper address books any more. The ones they do have are locked behind the unforgiving fortress of biometric security. So his family asked friends to reach out to more nth-degree-of-separation friends to let the know the dreadful news and details of the funeral.
I remember my parents making such phone calls when I was a kid. Always the same patter, "Are you sat down? I'm afraid I have some horrible news..."
But the enforced brevity of Twitter doesn't really allow for such niceties, does it?
Sending an email seems... I don't know... impersonal? But there's a whole bunch of mutual friends who exist, for me, only as text on a screen. Do I call them? Do I BCC them? What emoji conveys the right amount of reverence for the situation?
How, in a little screen, do you mentally prepare someone for a shock? Is the subject line "Some terrible news about our friend" too much? Too little?
The Funeral
I would live-tweet a funeral, take selfies with the deceased
I mean, that's crazy, right? But that's how a bunch of us knew him - through social media.
Yes, selfies at a funeral are a thing - they're a social object which has been the subject of much discussion. Some friends of mine advocate photographing the funeral in the same way you would any other significant occasion.
What's the right balance? Checking in on FourSquare seems a little disrespectful, but is it OK to live-stream the ceremony on Periscope to those who can't make it?
Preparing for the inevitable
Perhaps selfishly, my thoughts turned to my own mortality. I've got life assurance to take care of my family financially, and I have a Will to sort out any property issues - but what about my digital life?
Google has the euphemistically named "Inactive Account Manager". I've set it so my family has access to my account should I die.
Facebook has a "Legacy Contact setting".
A legacy contact is someone who you choose to manage your account after you pass away. They'll be able to do things like pin a post on your Timeline, respond to new friend requests and update your profile picture. They won't post as you or see your messages
My password manager has a sharing function which, if I set it correctly, should smooth access to some of my accounts.
And as for everything else...? Who knows. Do the half-a-dozen people who follow me on an obscure social network care that I'm gone? Will it be distressing for my relatives to receive reminder emails from them?
The aftermath
Every so often, someone - who hadn't realised he's gone - drops a note on his wall wishing him happy birthday. Or sends an @ message to a few of us. It's not their fault, but it is hard not to feel a little pang of anger and then sadness.
The real pain is looking through the list of friends streaming by and wondering if I'm being good enough to them.
Is "Liking" a Tweet a substitute for a pint of a beer and a natter? Is scrawling "Happy birthday" in a WhatsApp message as good as ringing up for a chat?
And now?
If you'd like to donate to my friend's memorial, there is a JustGiving campaign running (oh, look, another social network).
Suicide is the single biggest killer of men aged under 45 in the UK.
If you're in pain or distress, you're not alone. You can always find someone to talk to.
-
Death Etiquette For The Social Media Age
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2016/11/death-etiquette-for-the-social-media-age/
My friend died last month. When I was a lad, it seemed that I was always going to funerals for some ancient relative. Everyone looks old when you're a kid. But my friend wasn't old. He was about my age. He had a trendy, digital job.
The funeral is done, the grief lingers on. What should I do now?
Do I stop following his accounts?
I don't want to. In part, because I don't want to think he's gone. But on a practical level, if I don't then I know some well-meaning AI will suddenly say "Hey! You haven't talked to your mate in aaaaages! Why not give him a poke?! ?"
Of course, if I do unfollow him, I'll get a whole bunch of "people you know also follow..." with his face staring back at me.
Or, perhaps one of the apps he authorised will get hacked, and I'll be left facing post-mortem-spam.
Christian Payne
@Documentally
I just got a direct message from @craigmanganello ..nearly 4 years after he died. Feels like spam has defiled his grave. ❤️ 1💬 5🔁 006:40 - Sat 16 June 2012Should I delete his number from my phone?
Last year a different friend gave up on social media and deleted all her accounts. One day, an app in my pocket buzzed to tall me that she'd joined their service. I was flabbergasted and sent her a quick hello.
It wasn't her. She'd changed phone numbers and - as happens in the UK - the number was eventually assigned to someone else. It was that interloper who'd joined. But the social-network-graph doesn't really account for such changes to "unique" identifiers.
Deleting someone from your contacts has a grim feeling of finality to it. Perhaps I just need to get it over and done with.
How do you let people know?
People don't have little paper address books any more. The ones they do have are locked behind the unforgiving fortress of biometric security. So his family asked friends to reach out to more nth-degree-of-separation friends to let the know the dreadful news and details of the funeral.
I remember my parents making such phone calls when I was a kid. Always the same patter, "Are you sat down? I'm afraid I have some horrible news..."
But the enforced brevity of Twitter doesn't really allow for such niceties, does it?
Sending an email seems... I don't know... impersonal? But there's a whole bunch of mutual friends who exist, for me, only as text on a screen. Do I call them? Do I BCC them? What emoji conveys the right amount of reverence for the situation?
How, in a little screen, do you mentally prepare someone for a shock? Is the subject line "Some terrible news about our friend" too much? Too little?
The Funeral
I would live-tweet a funeral, take selfies with the deceased
I mean, that's crazy, right? But that's how a bunch of us knew him - through social media.
Yes, selfies at a funeral are a thing - they're a social object which has been the subject of much discussion. Some friends of mine advocate photographing the funeral in the same way you would any other significant occasion.
What's the right balance? Checking in on FourSquare seems a little disrespectful, but is it OK to live-stream the ceremony on Periscope to those who can't make it?
Preparing for the inevitable
Perhaps selfishly, my thoughts turned to my own mortality. I've got life assurance to take care of my family financially, and I have a Will to sort out any property issues - but what about my digital life?
Google has the euphemistically named "Inactive Account Manager". I've set it so my family has access to my account should I die.
Facebook has a "Legacy Contact setting".
A legacy contact is someone who you choose to manage your account after you pass away. They'll be able to do things like pin a post on your Timeline, respond to new friend requests and update your profile picture. They won't post as you or see your messages
My password manager has a sharing function which, if I set it correctly, should smooth access to some of my accounts.
And as for everything else...? Who knows. Do the half-a-dozen people who follow me on an obscure social network care that I'm gone? Will it be distressing for my relatives to receive reminder emails from them?
The aftermath
Every so often, someone - who hadn't realised he's gone - drops a note on his wall wishing him happy birthday. Or sends an @ message to a few of us. It's not their fault, but it is hard not to feel a little pang of anger and then sadness.
The real pain is looking through the list of friends streaming by and wondering if I'm being good enough to them.
Is "Liking" a Tweet a substitute for a pint of a beer and a natter? Is scrawling "Happy birthday" in a WhatsApp message as good as ringing up for a chat?
And now?
If you'd like to donate to my friend's memorial, there is a JustGiving campaign running (oh, look, another social network).
Suicide is the single biggest killer of men aged under 45 in the UK.
If you're in pain or distress, you're not alone. You can always find someone to talk to.
-
Promoting With 💩
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2016/11/promoting-with-%f0%9f%92%a9/
One of the hardest things about attending conferences with multiple tracks is deciding which talk to go to.
👩🏻💻Karina Pencarski
@kary_key
Replying to @hackferencebrum@hackferencebrum is breaking my heart, 2 amazing talks by @supersole with Servo and @etiene_d with my lovely Lua at the same time! #hf2016 ❤️ 2💬 1🔁 013:21 - Fri 21 October 2016If your friends are talking opposite each other, it is particularly hard.
As a speaker, though, it's even tougher to know you're up against a brilliant speaker. Speaking is hard - speaking to an empty room is... painful.
So, I thought I'd try a little experiment at the recent Hackference Brum. I was giving a talk about Unicode which - let's face it - isn't the most glamorous subject in the world. But, to most people, Unicode == Emoji.
And what's everyone's favourite Emoji?
Yup - I purchased a Big Plushie ?!
Touting your talk at a conference always runs the risk of looking desperate - or simply being awkward. So I decided to ask people if they'd like to take a selfie with my poo. Turns out, people really like that idea!
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
And @sammachin gets the first sweet at #hf2016! pic.x.com/bkl7bzvfpa ❤️ 3💬 0🔁 008:05 - Fri 21 October 2016Paul Cooper
@pgc
Don't be fooled - that's not an emoji it's @edent #HF2016 pic.x.com/4x3q0bbtlf ❤️ 1💬 0🔁 008:35 - Fri 21 October 2016Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Who loves 💩 selfies?
EVERYONE!
#HF2016 pic.x.com/be7gc78h98 ❤️ 4💬 0🔁 009:41 - Fri 21 October 2016Montpellier Integrated
@MontPRCreative
It looks like @guillou_gaelle and @martinthorne are having an excellent #FriYAY at #HF2016 pic.x.com/as8o1kbayy ❤️ 2💬 0🔁 010:01 - Fri 21 October 2016Samathy Barratt
@Samathy_Barratt
.@hackferencebrum @edent @lexicobob 💩 Emoji!!💩 pic.x.com/u03o7osyvd ❤️ 2💬 0🔁 009:39 - Fri 21 October 2016Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
All the ladies love...
#hf2016 pic.x.com/qgtsloaus2 ❤️ 4💬 0🔁 008:19 - Fri 21 October 2016Andrew Faraday
@MarmiteJunction
I selfied myself photobombing a poo, photobombing @edent's talk at #hf2016
#hackfurnace pic.x.com/5u6hedqqhf ❤️ 0💬 1🔁 015:18 - Fri 21 October 2016flaki
@slsoftworks
Me & @edent looking poo-tiful on our combo-selfie with Mr 💩
💁✨ #hf2016 pic.x.com/waka6jwxog ❤️ 1💬 0🔁 013:51 - Fri 21 October 2016Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Looks like @JakeLPrice has made a new friend at @hackferencebrum!
#hf2016 pic.x.com/zqt4rgjw0z ❤️ 1💬 0🔁 012:20 - Fri 21 October 2016And, with each selfie, I got a chance to talk to people and let them know about my talk. It was a fun way to chat and - thankfully - seemed to pay off!
Loads of people turned up, they asked brilliant questions at the end, and seemed to really dig my talk.
HackSoc Nottingham
@hacksocnotts
In the beginning there was nothing... Unicode lols with @edent @hackferencebrum #hf2016 pic.x.com/efdy2u9ns0 ❤️ 2💬 0🔁 015:26 - Fri 21 October 2016Hackference Brum
@hackferencebrum
🤣 @edent sharing how the hell to deal with Unicode and getting new characters in at #hf2016 pic.x.com/xmxnvt7uou ❤️ 1💬 0🔁 015:44 - Fri 21 October 2016be7.is
@bevishalperry
.@edent talking the pitfalls, history and future of Unicode and how everyone can improve it. @hackferencebrum #hf2016 pic.x.com/hfkap5hqzi ❤️ 1💬 0🔁 015:33 - Fri 21 October 2016So, there we go - a fun little experiment which seemed to pay off. I got to meet so many fun new people and made them take some highly questionable photos ?
It was so much fun, that I did it all again when I went to MozFest!
-
Promoting With 💩
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2016/11/promoting-with-%f0%9f%92%a9/
One of the hardest things about attending conferences with multiple tracks is deciding which talk to go to.
👩🏻💻Karina Pencarski
@kary_key
Replying to @hackferencebrum@hackferencebrum is breaking my heart, 2 amazing talks by @supersole with Servo and @etiene_d with my lovely Lua at the same time! #hf2016 ❤️ 2💬 1🔁 013:21 - Fri 21 October 2016If your friends are talking opposite each other, it is particularly hard.
As a speaker, though, it's even tougher to know you're up against a brilliant speaker. Speaking is hard - speaking to an empty room is... painful.
So, I thought I'd try a little experiment at the recent Hackference Brum. I was giving a talk about Unicode which - let's face it - isn't the most glamorous subject in the world. But, to most people, Unicode == Emoji.
And what's everyone's favourite Emoji?
Yup - I purchased a Big Plushie ?!
Touting your talk at a conference always runs the risk of looking desperate - or simply being awkward. So I decided to ask people if they'd like to take a selfie with my poo. Turns out, people really like that idea!
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
And @sammachin gets the first sweet at #hf2016! pic.x.com/bkl7bzvfpa ❤️ 3💬 0🔁 008:05 - Fri 21 October 2016Paul Cooper
@pgc
Don't be fooled - that's not an emoji it's @edent #HF2016 pic.x.com/4x3q0bbtlf ❤️ 1💬 0🔁 008:35 - Fri 21 October 2016Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Who loves 💩 selfies?
EVERYONE!
#HF2016 pic.x.com/be7gc78h98 ❤️ 4💬 0🔁 009:41 - Fri 21 October 2016Montpellier Integrated
@MontPRCreative
It looks like @guillou_gaelle and @martinthorne are having an excellent #FriYAY at #HF2016 pic.x.com/as8o1kbayy ❤️ 2💬 0🔁 010:01 - Fri 21 October 2016Samathy Barratt
@Samathy_Barratt
.@hackferencebrum @edent @lexicobob 💩 Emoji!!💩 pic.x.com/u03o7osyvd ❤️ 2💬 0🔁 009:39 - Fri 21 October 2016Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
All the ladies love...
#hf2016 pic.x.com/qgtsloaus2 ❤️ 4💬 0🔁 008:19 - Fri 21 October 2016Andrew Faraday
@MarmiteJunction
I selfied myself photobombing a poo, photobombing @edent's talk at #hf2016
#hackfurnace pic.x.com/5u6hedqqhf ❤️ 0💬 1🔁 015:18 - Fri 21 October 2016flaki
@slsoftworks
Me & @edent looking poo-tiful on our combo-selfie with Mr 💩
💁✨ #hf2016 pic.x.com/waka6jwxog ❤️ 1💬 0🔁 013:51 - Fri 21 October 2016Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Looks like @JakeLPrice has made a new friend at @hackferencebrum!
#hf2016 pic.x.com/zqt4rgjw0z ❤️ 1💬 0🔁 012:20 - Fri 21 October 2016And, with each selfie, I got a chance to talk to people and let them know about my talk. It was a fun way to chat and - thankfully - seemed to pay off!
Loads of people turned up, they asked brilliant questions at the end, and seemed to really dig my talk.
HackSoc Nottingham
@hacksocnotts
In the beginning there was nothing... Unicode lols with @edent @hackferencebrum #hf2016 pic.x.com/efdy2u9ns0 ❤️ 2💬 0🔁 015:26 - Fri 21 October 2016Hackference Brum
@hackferencebrum
🤣 @edent sharing how the hell to deal with Unicode and getting new characters in at #hf2016 pic.x.com/xmxnvt7uou ❤️ 1💬 0🔁 015:44 - Fri 21 October 2016be7.is
@bevishalperry
.@edent talking the pitfalls, history and future of Unicode and how everyone can improve it. @hackferencebrum #hf2016 pic.x.com/hfkap5hqzi ❤️ 1💬 0🔁 015:33 - Fri 21 October 2016So, there we go - a fun little experiment which seemed to pay off. I got to meet so many fun new people and made them take some highly questionable photos ?
It was so much fun, that I did it all again when I went to MozFest!
-
Donald Trump's Get-Out-Of-Jail-Free Card
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2016/11/donald-trumps-get-out-of-jail-free-card/
I don't often venture into American politics.
It is hard to know whether Trump is a master strategist - as Dilbert seems to think - or merely a chaos monkey. But, somehow, he seems to have stumbled on genius tactic.
Trump has repeatedly called for Clinton to be thrown in jail. This has provoked a howl of rage from the liberal media elite. In a civilised democracy the victor simply doesn't imprison their opponents.
John Nichols
@NicholsUprising
"Demagogues don't imprison just their political rivals... they shut down/imprison critics."
-- @JoyceCarolOates
thenation.com/article/donald… ❤️ 69💬 8🔁 023:00 - Mon 10 October 2016The New Yorker
@NewYorker
At their second debate, Donald Trump vowed to imprison Hillary Clinton if he becomes President. nyer.cm/d7Ui9ii ❤️ 207💬 46🔁 000:00 - Tue 11 October 2016Keith Olbermann
@KeithOlbermann
Trump's threat to imprison his political opponent is a threat to imprison ALL his opponents -and lethal to democracy x.com/gqmagazine/sta…
❤️ 688💬 74🔁 021:17 - Mon 10 October 2016GQ Magazine
@GQMagazine
Donald Trump took a page from Putin's playbook last night. pic.x.com/pssqgberrb ❤️ 3,346💬 0🔁 2,35515:07 - Mon 10 October 2016Yoni Appelbaum
@YAppelbaum
Replying to @YAppelbaum3. The apparatus of the executive branch—particularly DoJ—is not a tool for a president to relitigate cases whose outcomes he regrets. ❤️ 15💬 3🔁 018:10 - Mon 10 October 2016Trump is promising to direct the state to imprison his political opponents.I can’t overstate how scary this is.Max Fisher - 9 Oct 2016
This presents us with a quandary. It is no secret that Trump faces a trial in December, it is also possible that his admission of sexual assault may cause further legal problems. As his past is dug up and more malcontents come forward, he could become the first modern presidential candidate to face conviction and imprisonment.
And there's the problem. While US Presidents don't have immunity from prosecution, what happens if Trump loses?
After a such a fraught campaign, where he has squared up to special interests, the media, the government, and the President herself - any prosecution of Trump looks politically motivated!
With the great and the good screaming about the damage it would do to democracy to have President Trump prosecute Clinton, to have President Clinton prosecute Trump looks like rank hypocrisy.
I don't know what powers President Clinton would have to delay or dismiss any prosecution of Trump. But I do know that Presidents have the power to enact pardons.
As President, my primary concern must always be the greatest good of all the people of the United States whose servant I am. As a man, my first consideration is to be true to my own convictions and my own conscience.
My conscience tells me clearly and certainly that I cannot prolong the bad dreams that continue to reopen a chapter that is closed. My conscience tells me that only I, as President, have the constitutional power to firmly shut and seal this book. My conscience tells me it is my duty, not merely to proclaim domestic tranquillity but to use every means that I have to insure it.
Given the deep polarisation in American society, what better way to show grace than to pardon Trump? Clinton gets to show magnanimity and help heal her country - and Trump gets to waltz away.
Is that why he is running? Has he found a sure-fire way to ensure that his past can't catch up with him?
Perhaps Clinton does deserve to be in jail. Perhaps they both do. But the spectacle of either being thrown in jail cheapens the appearance of democracy.
-
Donald Trump's Get-Out-Of-Jail-Free Card
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2016/11/donald-trumps-get-out-of-jail-free-card/
I don't often venture into American politics.
It is hard to know whether Trump is a master strategist - as Dilbert seems to think - or merely a chaos monkey. But, somehow, he seems to have stumbled on genius tactic.
Trump has repeatedly called for Clinton to be thrown in jail. This has provoked a howl of rage from the liberal media elite. In a civilised democracy the victor simply doesn't imprison their opponents.
John Nichols
@NicholsUprising
"Demagogues don't imprison just their political rivals... they shut down/imprison critics."
-- @JoyceCarolOates
thenation.com/article/donald… ❤️ 69💬 8🔁 023:00 - Mon 10 October 2016The New Yorker
@NewYorker
At their second debate, Donald Trump vowed to imprison Hillary Clinton if he becomes President. nyer.cm/d7Ui9ii ❤️ 207💬 46🔁 000:00 - Tue 11 October 2016Keith Olbermann
@KeithOlbermann
Trump's threat to imprison his political opponent is a threat to imprison ALL his opponents -and lethal to democracy x.com/gqmagazine/sta…
❤️ 688💬 74🔁 021:17 - Mon 10 October 2016GQ Magazine
@GQMagazine
Donald Trump took a page from Putin's playbook last night. pic.x.com/pssqgberrb ❤️ 3,346💬 0🔁 2,35515:07 - Mon 10 October 2016Yoni Appelbaum
@YAppelbaum
Replying to @YAppelbaum3. The apparatus of the executive branch—particularly DoJ—is not a tool for a president to relitigate cases whose outcomes he regrets. ❤️ 15💬 3🔁 018:10 - Mon 10 October 2016Trump is promising to direct the state to imprison his political opponents.I can’t overstate how scary this is.Max Fisher - 9 Oct 2016
This presents us with a quandary. It is no secret that Trump faces a trial in December, it is also possible that his admission of sexual assault may cause further legal problems. As his past is dug up and more malcontents come forward, he could become the first modern presidential candidate to face conviction and imprisonment.
And there's the problem. While US Presidents don't have immunity from prosecution, what happens if Trump loses?
After a such a fraught campaign, where he has squared up to special interests, the media, the government, and the President herself - any prosecution of Trump looks politically motivated!
With the great and the good screaming about the damage it would do to democracy to have President Trump prosecute Clinton, to have President Clinton prosecute Trump looks like rank hypocrisy.
I don't know what powers President Clinton would have to delay or dismiss any prosecution of Trump. But I do know that Presidents have the power to enact pardons.
As President, my primary concern must always be the greatest good of all the people of the United States whose servant I am. As a man, my first consideration is to be true to my own convictions and my own conscience.
My conscience tells me clearly and certainly that I cannot prolong the bad dreams that continue to reopen a chapter that is closed. My conscience tells me that only I, as President, have the constitutional power to firmly shut and seal this book. My conscience tells me it is my duty, not merely to proclaim domestic tranquillity but to use every means that I have to insure it.
Given the deep polarisation in American society, what better way to show grace than to pardon Trump? Clinton gets to show magnanimity and help heal her country - and Trump gets to waltz away.
Is that why he is running? Has he found a sure-fire way to ensure that his past can't catch up with him?
Perhaps Clinton does deserve to be in jail. Perhaps they both do. But the spectacle of either being thrown in jail cheapens the appearance of democracy.
-
Would anyone be interested in a retro-tech conference?
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2016/11/would-anyone-be-interested-in-a-retro-tech-conference/
The best ideas occur while drunk, don't you agree? Having just attended the blisteringly brilliant Hackference Brum, a bunch of us were drinking in a pub and chatting about how focused on the future most conference are. There's rarely any time to reflect on the past.
That got me thinking...
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
GENIUS (drunk) idea. Retro conferences. Everyone turns up in 1970s clothes and we discuss Pascal, Dot Matrix printers, and ARPANET!
#hf2016 ❤️ 40💬 13🔁 019:18 - Fri 21 October 2016This... this idea seems to have some legs!
Interesting talks!
Ricardo Varela
@phobeo
Replying to @edent@edent i still think gopher protocol and SS7 would make amazing topics for talks ❤️ 1💬 0🔁 009:05 - Sat 22 October 2016David Makogon
@dmakogon
Replying to @edent@edent Ooh I wonder if I still have the dot-matrix "drum machine" code I wrote for my C.ito ProWriter in the 80's. That'd be the BEST talk. ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 019:26 - Fri 21 October 2016No PowerPoint!
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
I think we need a panel showdown with overhead projector slides! x.com/rcarmo/status/… ❤️ 2💬 1🔁 020:17 - Fri 21 October 2016Controversy!
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Please RSVP via telex. x.com/edent/status/7…
❤️ 1💬 0♻️ 019:46 - Fri 21 October 2016Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
GENIUS (drunk) idea. Retro conferences. Everyone turns up in 1970s clothes and we discuss Pascal, Dot Matrix printers, and ARPANET!
#hf2016 ❤️ 40💬 0♻️ 1519:18 - Fri 21 October 2016Mark O'Neill
@marxculture
Replying to @edent@edent I can talk about the move from 110bps to 300bps was pointless as humans could only type so fast ❤️ 1💬 0♻️ 019:54 - Fri 21 October 2016Ye are many...
@dug
Replying to @edent@edent Panel discussion: Pascal's missing output layer - an intentional design to promote educational benefits or simply a stupid oversight? ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 020:15 - Fri 21 October 2016Demonstrations
These social media posts were deleted by their authors.
What about catering?These social media posts were deleted by their authors.
And other cool things?
Neem Serra
@TeamNeem
Circuit board nails for the @ghc conference! I have all the nail polish if you want to do your own!! 💅🏽 #GHC16 pic.x.com/8G8r9WMsQw ❤️ 329💬 15🔁 020:49 - Tue 18 October 2016What about people who can't get there?
These social media posts were deleted by their authors.
Remember the dress code!
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Naturally smoking pipes will be encouraged during Retro-Conf.And mandatory corduroy. x.com/edent/status/7…
❤️ 3💬 0🔁 019:43 - Fri 21 October 2016Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
GENIUS (drunk) idea. Retro conferences. Everyone turns up in 1970s clothes and we discuss Pascal, Dot Matrix printers, and ARPANET!
#hf2016 ❤️ 40💬 0🔁 1519:18 - Fri 21 October 2016Chris Thorpe
@jaggeree
Replying to @edent@edent Open University lecturer style bushy beards? ❤️ 1💬 0🔁 019:46 - Fri 21 October 2016Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Anyone who wishes to grow a beard (or strap on a falsie) will be most welcome.
Refreshments will be Watney's Party Seven & cheese hedgehogs. x.com/jaggeree/statu…
❤️ 2💬 1🔁 019:56 - Fri 21 October 2016Chris Thorpe
@jaggeree
Replying to @edent@edent Open University lecturer style bushy beards? ❤️ 1💬 0🔁 019:46 - Fri 21 October 2016Wait a moment!
Now, there are some inherent problems with revisiting the past.
Rachel Clarke
@rachelclarke
Replying to @edent@edent and no women..or is that a presumption? were there plenty of women at 70s conferences? ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 019:45 - Fri 21 October 2016That reminds me of the American company who held a corporate party in a plantation house and asked attendees to dress in period costume. Their lone black employee decided to attend while dressed as a slave.
A salient reminder past isn't always a great place to visit.
I rather drunkenly made light of the situation.
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Women will be allowed if they cosplay
A) Grace Hopper
B) Ada Lovelace
C) Margaret Hamilton
D) Any other woman they choose
#RewriteHerstory x.com/rachelclarke/s…
❤️ 1💬 1🔁 019:50 - Fri 21 October 2016Rachel Clarke
@rachelclarke
Replying to @edent@edent and no women..or is that a presumption? were there plenty of women at 70s conferences? ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 019:45 - Fri 21 October 2016Which, on sober reflection, wasn't the right response.
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
This is a serious point which I trivialised last night.
Any historic reenactment has to face down issues of representation. x.com/rachelclarke/s…
❤️ 1💬 0🔁 006:55 - Sat 22 October 2016Rachel Clarke
@rachelclarke
Replying to @edent@edent and no women..or is that a presumption? were there plenty of women at 70s conferences? ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 019:45 - Fri 21 October 2016We can celebrate the past without glorifying it.
So, you want to attend?
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Send an SAE to the address on CEEFAX page 823. x.com/follow_Reece/s… ❤️ 2💬 0🔁 020:49 - Fri 21 October 2016Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Please RSVP via telex. x.com/edent/status/7…
❤️ 1💬 1🔁 019:46 - Fri 21 October 2016Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
GENIUS (drunk) idea. Retro conferences. Everyone turns up in 1970s clothes and we discuss Pascal, Dot Matrix printers, and ARPANET!
#hf2016 ❤️ 40💬 0🔁 1519:18 - Fri 21 October 2016Is this a good idea?
I've never organised a conference myself. The ones I've been involved in have been fiendishly complicated - corralling venues, sponsors, ticket sales, speakers, and catering is tough.
And yet... people seem to like this idea. Perhaps it would be worth holding it as a track at an existing conference to see if people really want to spend 45 minutes learning about COBOL.
If you've been to a similar event - or know of an upcoming one - please do let me know.
Finally, here's what I'd like you to do. Find a conference and pitch them a retro-tech session. Do a talk on "classic" computing. Bring along old equipment to demonstrate. If there's enough interest, let me know and perhaps we can run a full-day event.
-
Would anyone be interested in a retro-tech conference?
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2016/11/would-anyone-be-interested-in-a-retro-tech-conference/
The best ideas occur while drunk, don't you agree? Having just attended the blisteringly brilliant Hackference Brum, a bunch of us were drinking in a pub and chatting about how focused on the future most conference are. There's rarely any time to reflect on the past.
That got me thinking...
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
GENIUS (drunk) idea. Retro conferences. Everyone turns up in 1970s clothes and we discuss Pascal, Dot Matrix printers, and ARPANET!
#hf2016 ❤️ 40💬 13🔁 019:18 - Fri 21 October 2016This... this idea seems to have some legs!
Interesting talks!
Ricardo Varela
@phobeo
Replying to @edent@edent i still think gopher protocol and SS7 would make amazing topics for talks ❤️ 1💬 0🔁 009:05 - Sat 22 October 2016David Makogon
@dmakogon
Replying to @edent@edent Ooh I wonder if I still have the dot-matrix "drum machine" code I wrote for my C.ito ProWriter in the 80's. That'd be the BEST talk. ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 019:26 - Fri 21 October 2016No PowerPoint!
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
I think we need a panel showdown with overhead projector slides! x.com/rcarmo/status/… ❤️ 2💬 1🔁 020:17 - Fri 21 October 2016Controversy!
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Please RSVP via telex. x.com/edent/status/7…
❤️ 1💬 0♻️ 019:46 - Fri 21 October 2016Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
GENIUS (drunk) idea. Retro conferences. Everyone turns up in 1970s clothes and we discuss Pascal, Dot Matrix printers, and ARPANET!
#hf2016 ❤️ 40💬 0♻️ 1519:18 - Fri 21 October 2016Mark O'Neill
@marxculture
Replying to @edent@edent I can talk about the move from 110bps to 300bps was pointless as humans could only type so fast ❤️ 1💬 0♻️ 019:54 - Fri 21 October 2016Ye are many...
@dug
Replying to @edent@edent Panel discussion: Pascal's missing output layer - an intentional design to promote educational benefits or simply a stupid oversight? ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 020:15 - Fri 21 October 2016Demonstrations
These social media posts were deleted by their authors.
What about catering?These social media posts were deleted by their authors.
And other cool things?
Neem Serra
@TeamNeem
Circuit board nails for the @ghc conference! I have all the nail polish if you want to do your own!! 💅🏽 #GHC16 pic.x.com/8G8r9WMsQw ❤️ 329💬 15🔁 020:49 - Tue 18 October 2016What about people who can't get there?
These social media posts were deleted by their authors.
Remember the dress code!
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Naturally smoking pipes will be encouraged during Retro-Conf.And mandatory corduroy. x.com/edent/status/7…
❤️ 3💬 0🔁 019:43 - Fri 21 October 2016Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
GENIUS (drunk) idea. Retro conferences. Everyone turns up in 1970s clothes and we discuss Pascal, Dot Matrix printers, and ARPANET!
#hf2016 ❤️ 40💬 0🔁 1519:18 - Fri 21 October 2016Chris Thorpe
@jaggeree
Replying to @edent@edent Open University lecturer style bushy beards? ❤️ 1💬 0🔁 019:46 - Fri 21 October 2016Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Anyone who wishes to grow a beard (or strap on a falsie) will be most welcome.
Refreshments will be Watney's Party Seven & cheese hedgehogs. x.com/jaggeree/statu…
❤️ 2💬 1🔁 019:56 - Fri 21 October 2016Chris Thorpe
@jaggeree
Replying to @edent@edent Open University lecturer style bushy beards? ❤️ 1💬 0🔁 019:46 - Fri 21 October 2016Wait a moment!
Now, there are some inherent problems with revisiting the past.
Rachel Clarke
@rachelclarke
Replying to @edent@edent and no women..or is that a presumption? were there plenty of women at 70s conferences? ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 019:45 - Fri 21 October 2016That reminds me of the American company who held a corporate party in a plantation house and asked attendees to dress in period costume. Their lone black employee decided to attend while dressed as a slave.
A salient reminder past isn't always a great place to visit.
I rather drunkenly made light of the situation.
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Women will be allowed if they cosplay
A) Grace Hopper
B) Ada Lovelace
C) Margaret Hamilton
D) Any other woman they choose
#RewriteHerstory x.com/rachelclarke/s…
❤️ 1💬 1🔁 019:50 - Fri 21 October 2016Rachel Clarke
@rachelclarke
Replying to @edent@edent and no women..or is that a presumption? were there plenty of women at 70s conferences? ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 019:45 - Fri 21 October 2016Which, on sober reflection, wasn't the right response.
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
This is a serious point which I trivialised last night.
Any historic reenactment has to face down issues of representation. x.com/rachelclarke/s…
❤️ 1💬 0🔁 006:55 - Sat 22 October 2016Rachel Clarke
@rachelclarke
Replying to @edent@edent and no women..or is that a presumption? were there plenty of women at 70s conferences? ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 019:45 - Fri 21 October 2016We can celebrate the past without glorifying it.
So, you want to attend?
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Send an SAE to the address on CEEFAX page 823. x.com/follow_Reece/s… ❤️ 2💬 0🔁 020:49 - Fri 21 October 2016Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Please RSVP via telex. x.com/edent/status/7…
❤️ 1💬 1🔁 019:46 - Fri 21 October 2016Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
GENIUS (drunk) idea. Retro conferences. Everyone turns up in 1970s clothes and we discuss Pascal, Dot Matrix printers, and ARPANET!
#hf2016 ❤️ 40💬 0🔁 1519:18 - Fri 21 October 2016Is this a good idea?
I've never organised a conference myself. The ones I've been involved in have been fiendishly complicated - corralling venues, sponsors, ticket sales, speakers, and catering is tough.
And yet... people seem to like this idea. Perhaps it would be worth holding it as a track at an existing conference to see if people really want to spend 45 minutes learning about COBOL.
If you've been to a similar event - or know of an upcoming one - please do let me know.
Finally, here's what I'd like you to do. Find a conference and pitch them a retro-tech session. Do a talk on "classic" computing. Bring along old equipment to demonstrate. If there's enough interest, let me know and perhaps we can run a full-day event.
-
How bad is Scotland's Computer Science Exam?
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2016/11/how-bad-is-scotlands-computer-science-exam/
Oh noes! The computer science exams taken by 16 year olds may contain errors!
BBC News Technology
@BBCTech
Computer science exam had coding errors bbc.in/2eHHa0Cbbc.co.uk
SQA admits 'coding errors' in computer science exam
Scotland's exam body admits to a series of mistakes in one of this year's computer science tests.
❤️ 23💬 1🔁 007:14 - Mon 17 October 2016As a professional computerist, I was intrigued to see what our fine young minds are being tested on. My memories of "computing" at school was being taught MS Word Version 2 (yes, I am that old). So, let's take a look at the paper - and its criticisms.
The original paper is available to download as a PDF. As a small disclaimer, I've not studied for this exam, and haven't been taught in a school for many years. The answers are how I would answer - without reference to a search engine.
1 Convert the decimal value 227 into the equivalent 8-bit binary number.
Bit of a tough start! For only one point? Good to get the fundamentals in early though.
Do they have a calculator? Hmmm, my conversion is a little rusty.It'll be 128 + 64 + 32, that gets us to 224. So add 3.
00000011001000000100000010000000=111000112 Explain why it is important that program code is readable.
Frankly, anyone who can answer this question - and then apply it to real life - is doing better than most professionals. I'm answering "It makes it easier for others to understand what you are trying to accomplish."
3 Explain why a database should not be stored in ROM memory.
I'm assuming the answer is "ROM means Read Only Memory. This means your can't update your database." Not the last "trivia" style question.
4 Give one reason of using this type of selection.
You can argue whether UI elements are computer "science" - but it's a fair question for a single mark. Radio buttons allow you to select one - and only one - answer from a list.
5 State the function of a processor’s registers.
Whoa! OK! Bit of a departure from the last question. Off the top of my head I'd say something like "Extremely short term memory built into the processor where numbers are directly manipulated." Is that right? Damn...
6 Anti-virus software may be included in a security suite.
State two other types of software which should be included in a security suite.
Again, computer science vs ICT raises its head. Incidentally, "Firewall" is the first thing that jumped to my head. And then... Errr... Spam filter? That feels like a weak answer.
7 Criminals can steal your identity by using keylogger programs. State two other ways in which identity theft can be carried out.
Little bit of infosec here! I'm going to say "shoulder surfing" and "Man-in-the-middle attacks".
8 A novice is one type of user of an information system. State one other type of user.
Errr.... "Expert"? Bit bemused as to why this question is here. Seems out of place with the others.
9 This code design monitors the temperature of food as it is reheated.
Line 1 RECEIVE temperature FROM (REAL) Line 2 WHILE temperature < 82 DOLine 3 SEND “temperature too low: continue to reheat” TO DISPLAYLine 4 RECEIVE temperature FROM (REAL) Line 5 END WHILE
Explain what will happen in lines 2 to 5 if the sensor detects 63°.
OK, so this is pseudo-code. Probably a good idea - unless the entire syllabus has standardised on a specific language.
I suppose the answer is "Because the temperature is lower than the condition, the instructions on the inner loop will be carried out. If the temperature stays at 64, the loop is never ended.
10 Lucy is looking for a summer holiday on-line. She wishes to leave on 22nd July from her local airport, and early in the afternoon.
State which database operation is being carried out as she uses the website.
I'm not sure Lucy cares about the back-end system, but let's see. As there's only one line of space, and one point, I'd answer "A search". Although perhaps "An SQL SELECT ... WHERE search" is better?
11 Translators are used to convert high level languages into machine code. Identify each type of translator.
This translator program reports errors at the end of translation.
This translator needs to be present in memory each time the program is executed.
Compiler and Run Time. Useful to know, glad to see this is being taught.
12 A running group has 16 members. They are taking part in a marathon.
Using pseudocode or a programming language of your choice, write the code which will take in each runner’s time for the marathon.
Do I get bonus points if I write this in Assembler?
This is a slightly weird question. How are the times being entered? Should there be any error checking? Should the data be stored?
Anyway
for ($x == 0; $x <= 15; $x++){ $time = get_input("Please enter the runner's time"); insert_into_database($x, $time);}That'll take in 16 times and do something with them.
Writing pseudocode is a useful skill. I'd like to have seen a bit more of it in this paper. Or at least on a more challenging problem.
13 Before launching the website below, it is tested. The testers complain about the effectiveness of the website’s navigation.
Identify two examples of poor navigation, stating what could be done to improve the situation.
No worse than some of the production websites I've seen ;-) Also, no real way to know if
alttags have been used, ARIA etc.I count...
- Nav bar at top doesn't have understandable text. Should be in English.
- Login box doesn't say what should be entered in each field. Placeholder text should say what each field is for (username, password, pin, etc).
- Down arrow has no context. Should have text explaining where it will take the user.
- Radio buttons and check boxes have inconsistent designs. Make them recognisable.
- Radio buttons and check boxes are visually indistinct. Use a unified design.
A good exercise for anyone interested in web design. Keeping a critical eye is crucial.
14 State the type of network which has no centralised storage.
Eh? What? Bit of a curve ball... Ummm.... Dare I utter the words "Blockchain"? Wait, is that technically a network? Errr... I don't know what they're getting at here. I vaguely remember network topology from university. Token Ring? Surely they're not teaching that obscure piece of tech?
I'll go out on a limb and say "Star Network". It's good to teach about different network types - but this question really needs something more to test the student's knowledge.
15 FlightCrazy is a new company offering a flight booking service to business customers. They want to set up a database to store flight details. A researcher starts to gather information from airport timetables about available flight times.
Oooh! A good clutch of Database questions.
(a) If the full database is created as a flat file, explain why “RouteID” is not a suitable primary key for the table.
Primary keys should be unique.
(b) Describe two problems in creating this as a flat file database.
Hmmm... Are they asking for problems with flat files specifically or in the way this has been created?
I'll punt with "Flat files can't be optimised for searching". And inconsistencies in naming - for example "Monday" and "Mon".
(c) FlightCrazy decide that using a flat file database is not suitable. State a more suitable type of database.
Relational? I mean, I'm guessing they don't want NoSQL?
(d) State the field type that should be used for “Aircraft Code”.
Integer... No! Wait! There are some strings in there.
VARCHAR(3)? But what if later codes have more than 3 characters. Let's settle for String.And the questions keep on coming!
(e) During the development of this database the following input form is created.
(i) State one suitable type of validation for the Departure Airport field.
I'm stumped by what they're asking here. Is it as simple as "if exists"?
Type of test dataTest dataExceptionalExtreme(ii) Complete the table below to show suitable data values to test the Number of travellers field.
Say what now? I've never heard of exceptional and extreme data.
I assume "exceptional" means something like typing text into a numeric field.
I also assume that "extreme" means trying an SQL injection.
(f) During the testing of the completed database all the flights from Glasgow to all airports in London on the 8th June were found. The following output was produced.
Describe how the above results have been sorted.
Oooh! A good one. Naively you could say "by price" - but how are the duplicate prices sorted? It's not by airline. It's not by Journey time. It's not by Destination. It looks like it's "First by price, then by time."
Might have been a good idea to ask how the SQL query should have been formed.
And that's the end of the Database section. Some fairly good questions for a 16 year old audience there. Nothing too taxing, although I'm confused by some of the terminology (which may well be my outdated learning).
Now it gets tougher!
16 A Maths game is designed for primary school pupils to test number ordering. In the game the pupil is asked to enter two integer numbers. A third integer number is then randomly generated and shown to the user.
The user must then state if the random number is:
- lower (l) than the two entered numbers
- higher (h) than the two entered numbers
- in the middle (m) of the two entered numbers.
A design for the code is shown below.
SEND randNum TO DISPLAYGET guess FROM (CHARACTER) KEYBOARDIF guess = “l” AND randNum < numOne THEN SEND “Correct it is lower” TO DISPLAY SET score TO score + 1END IFIF guess = “m” AND randNum >= numOne AND randNum <= numTwo SEND “Correct it is in the middle” TO DISPLAY SET score TO score + 1END IFIF guess = “h” AND randNum > numTwo SEND “Correct it is higher” TO DISPLAY SET score TO score + 1END IF
Youch! That's a lot more info than any previous question. Here we go!
(a) When the two numbers are entered the program should ensure that numTwo is always a higher number than numOne.
Using pseudocode or a programming language of your choice, write several lines to represent this input validation for line 2.
Hmmm... Are we assuming an integer, or something else?
IF (numTwo.type == number AND numTwo > numOne) (continue)ELSE SEND "Second number is less than first number" TO DISPLAY
Is that enough?
(b) When the pupil enters their answer it is stored in a variable called “guess”. State the data type stored by the variable “guess”.
Again, tricky. I want to say take it in as a string, then turn into a float.
VariablesValuesnumOne7numTwo15randNum10guessm(c) The program is run with the following data. State the output from the program.
Correct. 10 is between both. Useful to see if people can step through program code.
(d) The program will have to make use of a pre-defined function.
State the pre-defined function used and describe its purpose.
The only thing I can think of is the random number generator. Am I missing something? Would we count comparison operators? Probably not.
(e) Using line numbers, describe how the code could be adapted, allowing the user to play the game 10 times using the same values for numOne and numTwo but a different random number each time.
Well, between line 2 and 3 we want to insert a
WHILEloop which counts up from0. And an incrementing counter at the end.17 John has been asked to design a website to promote an event being held to raise money for charity.
The organisers of the event provide this diagram showing the pages required and how they should be organised.
(a) What type of navigation structure is required for the website?
Tree. I think... I've never really had to think about it.
(b) State a design notation that John could use to design the layout of the pages.
I'd usually just use path-names. Is it that simple? Or do they mean a notation like UML?
(c) The homepage contains hyperlinks. Describe the function of a hyperlink.
A communist plot by TIMBL to enslave the western world!
To be fair, you could write a decent essay on all the uses of a link - semantics, usability, data structures. But as this is a one-point question, I think they just mean "to allow a user to easily navigate to another web destination."
(d) John begins to build the website and stores all the files and resources on his hard disk. Here is the file structure for the website.
(i) State the type of data you would expect to be stored in the dance.avi file.
Bah! I hate these style of question. Besides, .AVI is such an ancient format. It's a container for video and audio.
(ii) State the relative address John should enter on the display.htm page to link to dunk.gif.
resources/dunk.gif- note the lack of/at the start. I suppose an alternative might be/activities/resources/dunk.gif. Might have been a good idea to ask why/resources..wouldn't work.(e) John wants to include an external link to the charity and asks the event organisers to find out the URL.
(i) Explain what is meant by an external link.
A link which will navigate the user away from the domain they are currently on.
(ii) State what the letters URL stand for.
Poor question IMO, IDK when I last needed to know what it meant.
The words "Uniform Resource Locator" is a silly phrase.
(iii) The organisers give John a photograph file from the charity which measures 5 inches by 7 inches with a resolution of 600dpi and 24-bit colour depth. Calculate the storage required for the photograph.
State your answer using appropriate units. Show all your working.
MATHS! FINALLY! Bit of a cumbersome way of phrasing it, but let's give it a go.
Total number of pixels =
(5 * 600) * (7 * 600) = 12,600,000 pixels.Total number of bits =
12600000 * 24 = 302,400,000 bits.Bytes =
302400000 / 8 = 37,800,000BKB =
37800000 / 1024 = 36914KBMB =
36914 / 1024 = 36MBI'd expect to see something here about lossy vs lossless encoding. Or why this filesize is problematic for use on the web.
18 A software development company decide to review staff knowledge of computer related legislation.
Mikal is asked to create an app covering a range of legal issues.
(a) When Mikal records an introduction using audio software, he is prompted to select the sample rate.
Select sampling rate:
- 22050 Hz
- 44100 Hz
- 96000 Hz
(i) Describe the effect on the size of the sound file if the highest sample rate is selected.
I've no idea what this has to do with legal issues. The higher the sample rate the larger the file.
(ii) After recording, Mikal exports the file as a compressed file. State a suitable standard file format he may have used.
I'd write .MP3 on here - I'd be worried that they wouldn't know what FLAC, OGG, or any other esoteric codec was.
(b) Mikal develops an interactive quiz for the app to test the staff’s knowledge of legislation. The first question is about this recent article from a newspaper.
(i) State the offence that has been committed under the Computer Misuse Act in this article.
OK! Now this is a legal issue! But which specific offence? I've no idea. I'm guessing "Unlawful access" - which is a bit question begging. I hope they're not looking for the exact reference!
(ii) Describe another offence under the terms of this Act.
Proper little Wikileaks going on here. This is taxing my knowledge. My first thought is "changing data without permission" - but that's too similar to the above. I'll go with "intentionally disrupting the performance of a computer without permission" - for example sending a DDoS.
I love that kids are being taught about the law. Excellent idea.
(c) The next question that Mikal creates for the quiz is about another article.
"A man was arrested after he cloned his neighbour's phone."
Name the law which may have been broken in this case.
WTF? OK, learning the law is good - but this isn't computer science. I've zero idea which specific law is broken.
(d) In line with Health and Safety legislation, the company provides adjustable seating and guidelines on maintaining good posture.
Mikal finds graphics on a website that he can use to illustrate his next quiz question.
(i) Explain why he might need to seek permission to use the graphics legally.
Actually, talking about posture might be good on a CS exam. Physical issues are a real pain to deal with.
Anyway, let's go with "The copyright owner of the image may sue for misuse of their intellectual property." Incidentally, I hope my critique of this paper falls under fair use!
(ii) Mikal uses the graphics to create question 3 for the app.
Question: 3 Total Score: 2
Using pseudocode or a programming language of your choice, write the code to show how the total score is calculated when the user answers question 3 correctly.
Errrr.... This is one of those questions that people complained about. How many points is each correct answer worth?
$answer3 = get_input();if ($answer3 == "A") score++
(e) When the staff member takes the finished quiz, the app sends their details and their total score to a database file.
State two rights that the staff member has under the Data Protection Act with regard to their own data.
Another rapid switch! I mean, it is great that the DPA is being mentioned, but a bit weird to do it here.
I'm going with "Right to examine the data held about them" and "Right to correct any mistakes."
Blimey! Still not at the end of the paper. I'm not sure I'd have got this far in the allotted 90 minutes.
WARNING This is one of the questions which attracted a lot of complaints. See if you can work out why!
19 Gillian designs a program to calculate how much it costs to get her dog Penny groomed. The design is shown below.
SET total = 0DECLARE all costs INITIALLY [35.00, 36.00, 40.00,35.00,42.50]FOR EACH cost FROM all costs DUE SET total=total+costEND FOR EACHSEND “The total cost = £“&total TO DISPLAY
OK, that program is a bit weird - but it is pseudocode, we don't expect syntactic brilliance.
(a) Describe the data structure that has been used to store the individual costs.
It's an array.
(b) Gillian writes and tests her program. It works perfectly calculating a correct total of 188.50.
(i) With reference to line numbers, explain how the program calculates the final total.
Line 1 initialises a variable and sets it to zero.Line 3 loops through the array of costs and adds each to the variable.
There are three points available, so I think I've missed something.
(ii) Describe how the contents of the variable total would be stored in the computer’s memory.
WHAT? I don't care! I'll let the compiler take care of that. It is good to get some low-level stuff in the exam. For two points, I'm guessing... "A block of memory of a specific size is reserved for the variable."
(iii) Gillian edits the program with the following data:
[35.00,36.00,40.00,35.00,42.50,45.00]The output is still 188.50.
A Explain why the output is still 188.50.
B State how this error could be corrected.
Debugging is a vital skill - but I really can't see what's going wrong here. Perhaps
DUEshould beDO? I don't know.(c) Concatenation has been used in line 6. State the purpose of concatenation.
It... it sticks strings together...? Err... Let's try "It allows a variable to inserted into a string which can then be displayed."
20 Sue uses a website called “Check your Defences!” to learn more about keeping her computer and data safe.
aside I totally love the retro browser screenshot!
(a) Explain the purpose of a firewall.
Keep the Wildlings out of King's Landing? No! That's an ice wall.
A firewall detects whether a connection to or from the network is authorised.
(b) Explain how encryption can help keep data safe.
More Wikileaks! Encryption ensures that only people with the decryption key will be able to view the data. Modern encryption is resistant to brute-force attacks.
I'd have expected a bit more of a technical question - this seems rather basic.
When Sue tries to download the mobile app onto her tablet PC, she gets the following message:
"This app is incompatible with your device - Check your Defences!
System requirements Android 4∙4 or higher, 1∙6 Ghz, 2Gb RAM, 32Gb"
(Gb? Gigabits? A genuine mistake, or designed to trip us up.)
She checks the specification for her tablet PC.
- Size: 267 x 187 x 8 mm
- Weight: 65 kg
- 1∙83Ghz/2GB RAM/16GB
- Battery life: up to 8 hours
- Display: 8∙3” full HD, 10 point multi-touch
- Operating system: Android 4∙1
- USB 3, micro HDMI, microSD card slot 3∙5 MP camera
- Microphone
- Stereo speakers
- Headphone jack
- Wi-Fi
(WHOA! A 65KG tablet. Not exactly portable!)
(c) (i) Sue’s tablet has a range of input and output devices. Identify one of each of these items on Sue’s tablet.
Inputs could be the touch screen, the camera, the mic. Theoretically you could transmit some data back via HDMI, but I would class that as a "showing off" answer.Outputs are the display, the speakers, the headphone jack.
This is back to the basic ICT questions which I hoped we'd left behind. Not very encouraging.
(ii) Identify one interface type on Sue’s tablet.
Again, I'm left in confusion as to what's being asked here. The Universal Serial Bus is an interface - but so is the touch screen...
(iii) Describe one function of an interface.
What? This seems poorly worded. I think they want me to say "To allow data to be exchanged from one device to another."
(iv) Give two reasons why the app is incompatible with Sue’s tablet PC.
Her tablet has a lower version of the operating system.I assume that the
32Gbon the requirements means storage space - but her tablet has16GB. To my mind sixteen gigabytes is a lot more than 32 gigabits... But I think I'd take a punt and assume there's a mistake in the question.(d) Sue’s friend Jack views the website on his smart phone but the home screen looks different to the desktop version Sue had been using.
Describe one reason why the user interface on the smartphone version is designed differently to the version Sue had used on her desktop.
There's only one point on offer here. Pity, this would be an excellent chance to write about progressive enhancement, media queries, responsive design.
I'll stick with "Mobile users interact using a finger, this is a less precise interaction than using a mouse, so link targets should be bigger."
LAST QUESTION ALERT!
21 A software developer is creating an online booking system for a bowling alley. Customers can book a bowling lane for a maximum of 4 people playing a maximum of 3 games.
The developer has used a flow chart to produce the program design. Part of the design is shown below.
a) (i) State one benefit of using the design notation shown above instead of pseudocode.
Flowcharts! Yay! I might be going delirious at this point...
"Flowcharts allow people to easily visualise how a program works and, hopefully, spot any mistakes."
(ii) Name the algorithm illustrated in the bowling alley program design.
Grrr... More trivia! And, frankly, it is hardly an algorithm. Frankly, I've no idea what they want as an answer. Nor why it is relevant.
Using pseudocode or a programming language of your choice, complete the conditional statement at Line 3 below to implement this section of the design.
__________ numPlayers __________ and numGames _______SEND “Booking Accepted” TO DISPLAY
This is VERY CONFUSING!
Perhaps
IF numbPlayers <= 4 and numGames <= 3?
Test dataTest data typeExpected ResultnumPlayers = 3(c) The program is tested using a set of test data.
(i) Complete the table below to show three examples of test data types and the expected result for each type.
numGames = 2NormalBooking acceptednumPlayers = 4
numGames = 3____Booking acceptednumPlayers = 6
numGames = 3________ARGH! Back to testing. I mean, yay testing, but what are the test data types again? Extreme and Abnormal?
The last one has a result of Booking rejected. But I've no idea what the data types are. I'm guessing "normal" and "abnormal"?
(ii) The character “£” is entered as a test value for the number of players. This causes the program to crash. State the type of error that would cause this crash.
Depends on the language. I'd say "Type exception" maybe "Cast exception"?
(d) Error detection and correction in a program is easier if the code is readable. State one technique that can be used to ensure readability of code.
And we're back where we started! I'd go with "Clear variable names which don't use abbreviations." I wonder if they'd value an extended discourse on tabs vs spaces?
And Breathe!
That was a lot tougher than I expected. I wasn't doing it in exam conditions, but I felt the pressure.
The obvious mistakes didn't help my nerves but, guess what, the real world isn't perfect either. Computer Science is the art of trying to fit the messy analogue world into a pure state of binary bliss.
Conclusion
I think that's a pretty good computer science paper - especially for students who may only have studied it for a couple of years.
I think it leans slightly too far towards ICT but I'm pleased with the mentions of usability, good design, security, and the law.
There are a few "Trivia" questions. The "What is this thing called" style - I'm not a big fan of them. Far better to test the understanding of the design, not the name. Similarly, the legal questions veer into the obscure.
Some of the technology is a little out of date - but it's such a fast moving space, talking about file-formats which have only recently become popular might disadvantage people without the time to keep up.
So, are the mistakes "a disgrace"?
There should be spaces between array elements - but part of computer science is reading poorly written code.
Some of the pseudocode is typed incorrectly - but that's the nature of pseudocode.
The unit confusion is annoying, and could trip up someone with an eye for detail. That's a shame, but not a showstopper.
I'm not a teacher - and I have no idea what is on the syllabus. All that said, I've met Computer Science graduates who would struggle with some aspects of this paper.
I think us geeks often over-estimate how much we knew when we were kids. When I was 16, I thought I was 1337 (back when that meant something). I wasn't. I couldn't have passed a paper of similar complexity.
I think this represents an excellent foundation for anyone wanting to studying computing.
My Score
You can read the marking instructions online as a PDF
I scored... 59/90. Yikes!
Most of the dropped points were where I over-thought the question, and a few where I was missing basic knowledge (mantissa!). Perhaps I'd have picked up a few points if the marker knew the subject well.
Some, I just screwed up the answers. I wasn't specific enough in saying that the database results had been sorted in descending order.
Based on the published grade boundaries, I think I just about scraped an A.
How did you do?
-
How bad is Scotland's Computer Science Exam?
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2016/11/how-bad-is-scotlands-computer-science-exam/
Oh noes! The computer science exams taken by 16 year olds may contain errors!
BBC News Technology
@BBCTech
Computer science exam had coding errors bbc.in/2eHHa0Cbbc.co.uk
SQA admits 'coding errors' in computer science exam
Scotland's exam body admits to a series of mistakes in one of this year's computer science tests.
❤️ 23💬 1🔁 007:14 - Mon 17 October 2016As a professional computerist, I was intrigued to see what our fine young minds are being tested on. My memories of "computing" at school was being taught MS Word Version 2 (yes, I am that old). So, let's take a look at the paper - and its criticisms.
The original paper is available to download as a PDF. As a small disclaimer, I've not studied for this exam, and haven't been taught in a school for many years. The answers are how I would answer - without reference to a search engine.
1 Convert the decimal value 227 into the equivalent 8-bit binary number.
Bit of a tough start! For only one point? Good to get the fundamentals in early though.
Do they have a calculator? Hmmm, my conversion is a little rusty.It'll be 128 + 64 + 32, that gets us to 224. So add 3.
00000011001000000100000010000000=111000112 Explain why it is important that program code is readable.
Frankly, anyone who can answer this question - and then apply it to real life - is doing better than most professionals. I'm answering "It makes it easier for others to understand what you are trying to accomplish."
3 Explain why a database should not be stored in ROM memory.
I'm assuming the answer is "ROM means Read Only Memory. This means your can't update your database." Not the last "trivia" style question.
4 Give one reason of using this type of selection.
You can argue whether UI elements are computer "science" - but it's a fair question for a single mark. Radio buttons allow you to select one - and only one - answer from a list.
5 State the function of a processor’s registers.
Whoa! OK! Bit of a departure from the last question. Off the top of my head I'd say something like "Extremely short term memory built into the processor where numbers are directly manipulated." Is that right? Damn...
6 Anti-virus software may be included in a security suite.
State two other types of software which should be included in a security suite.
Again, computer science vs ICT raises its head. Incidentally, "Firewall" is the first thing that jumped to my head. And then... Errr... Spam filter? That feels like a weak answer.
7 Criminals can steal your identity by using keylogger programs. State two other ways in which identity theft can be carried out.
Little bit of infosec here! I'm going to say "shoulder surfing" and "Man-in-the-middle attacks".
8 A novice is one type of user of an information system. State one other type of user.
Errr.... "Expert"? Bit bemused as to why this question is here. Seems out of place with the others.
9 This code design monitors the temperature of food as it is reheated.
Line 1 RECEIVE temperature FROM (REAL) Line 2 WHILE temperature < 82 DOLine 3 SEND “temperature too low: continue to reheat” TO DISPLAYLine 4 RECEIVE temperature FROM (REAL) Line 5 END WHILE
Explain what will happen in lines 2 to 5 if the sensor detects 63°.
OK, so this is pseudo-code. Probably a good idea - unless the entire syllabus has standardised on a specific language.
I suppose the answer is "Because the temperature is lower than the condition, the instructions on the inner loop will be carried out. If the temperature stays at 64, the loop is never ended.
10 Lucy is looking for a summer holiday on-line. She wishes to leave on 22nd July from her local airport, and early in the afternoon.
State which database operation is being carried out as she uses the website.
I'm not sure Lucy cares about the back-end system, but let's see. As there's only one line of space, and one point, I'd answer "A search". Although perhaps "An SQL SELECT ... WHERE search" is better?
11 Translators are used to convert high level languages into machine code. Identify each type of translator.
This translator program reports errors at the end of translation.
This translator needs to be present in memory each time the program is executed.
Compiler and Run Time. Useful to know, glad to see this is being taught.
12 A running group has 16 members. They are taking part in a marathon.
Using pseudocode or a programming language of your choice, write the code which will take in each runner’s time for the marathon.
Do I get bonus points if I write this in Assembler?
This is a slightly weird question. How are the times being entered? Should there be any error checking? Should the data be stored?
Anyway
for ($x == 0; $x <= 15; $x++){ $time = get_input("Please enter the runner's time"); insert_into_database($x, $time);}That'll take in 16 times and do something with them.
Writing pseudocode is a useful skill. I'd like to have seen a bit more of it in this paper. Or at least on a more challenging problem.
13 Before launching the website below, it is tested. The testers complain about the effectiveness of the website’s navigation.
Identify two examples of poor navigation, stating what could be done to improve the situation.
No worse than some of the production websites I've seen ;-) Also, no real way to know if
alttags have been used, ARIA etc.I count...
- Nav bar at top doesn't have understandable text. Should be in English.
- Login box doesn't say what should be entered in each field. Placeholder text should say what each field is for (username, password, pin, etc).
- Down arrow has no context. Should have text explaining where it will take the user.
- Radio buttons and check boxes have inconsistent designs. Make them recognisable.
- Radio buttons and check boxes are visually indistinct. Use a unified design.
A good exercise for anyone interested in web design. Keeping a critical eye is crucial.
14 State the type of network which has no centralised storage.
Eh? What? Bit of a curve ball... Ummm.... Dare I utter the words "Blockchain"? Wait, is that technically a network? Errr... I don't know what they're getting at here. I vaguely remember network topology from university. Token Ring? Surely they're not teaching that obscure piece of tech?
I'll go out on a limb and say "Star Network". It's good to teach about different network types - but this question really needs something more to test the student's knowledge.
15 FlightCrazy is a new company offering a flight booking service to business customers. They want to set up a database to store flight details. A researcher starts to gather information from airport timetables about available flight times.
Oooh! A good clutch of Database questions.
(a) If the full database is created as a flat file, explain why “RouteID” is not a suitable primary key for the table.
Primary keys should be unique.
(b) Describe two problems in creating this as a flat file database.
Hmmm... Are they asking for problems with flat files specifically or in the way this has been created?
I'll punt with "Flat files can't be optimised for searching". And inconsistencies in naming - for example "Monday" and "Mon".
(c) FlightCrazy decide that using a flat file database is not suitable. State a more suitable type of database.
Relational? I mean, I'm guessing they don't want NoSQL?
(d) State the field type that should be used for “Aircraft Code”.
Integer... No! Wait! There are some strings in there.
VARCHAR(3)? But what if later codes have more than 3 characters. Let's settle for String.And the questions keep on coming!
(e) During the development of this database the following input form is created.
(i) State one suitable type of validation for the Departure Airport field.
I'm stumped by what they're asking here. Is it as simple as "if exists"?
Type of test dataTest dataExceptionalExtreme(ii) Complete the table below to show suitable data values to test the Number of travellers field.
Say what now? I've never heard of exceptional and extreme data.
I assume "exceptional" means something like typing text into a numeric field.
I also assume that "extreme" means trying an SQL injection.
(f) During the testing of the completed database all the flights from Glasgow to all airports in London on the 8th June were found. The following output was produced.
Describe how the above results have been sorted.
Oooh! A good one. Naively you could say "by price" - but how are the duplicate prices sorted? It's not by airline. It's not by Journey time. It's not by Destination. It looks like it's "First by price, then by time."
Might have been a good idea to ask how the SQL query should have been formed.
And that's the end of the Database section. Some fairly good questions for a 16 year old audience there. Nothing too taxing, although I'm confused by some of the terminology (which may well be my outdated learning).
Now it gets tougher!
16 A Maths game is designed for primary school pupils to test number ordering. In the game the pupil is asked to enter two integer numbers. A third integer number is then randomly generated and shown to the user.
The user must then state if the random number is:
- lower (l) than the two entered numbers
- higher (h) than the two entered numbers
- in the middle (m) of the two entered numbers.
A design for the code is shown below.
SEND randNum TO DISPLAYGET guess FROM (CHARACTER) KEYBOARDIF guess = “l” AND randNum < numOne THEN SEND “Correct it is lower” TO DISPLAY SET score TO score + 1END IFIF guess = “m” AND randNum >= numOne AND randNum <= numTwo SEND “Correct it is in the middle” TO DISPLAY SET score TO score + 1END IFIF guess = “h” AND randNum > numTwo SEND “Correct it is higher” TO DISPLAY SET score TO score + 1END IF
Youch! That's a lot more info than any previous question. Here we go!
(a) When the two numbers are entered the program should ensure that numTwo is always a higher number than numOne.
Using pseudocode or a programming language of your choice, write several lines to represent this input validation for line 2.
Hmmm... Are we assuming an integer, or something else?
IF (numTwo.type == number AND numTwo > numOne) (continue)ELSE SEND "Second number is less than first number" TO DISPLAY
Is that enough?
(b) When the pupil enters their answer it is stored in a variable called “guess”. State the data type stored by the variable “guess”.
Again, tricky. I want to say take it in as a string, then turn into a float.
VariablesValuesnumOne7numTwo15randNum10guessm(c) The program is run with the following data. State the output from the program.
Correct. 10 is between both. Useful to see if people can step through program code.
(d) The program will have to make use of a pre-defined function.
State the pre-defined function used and describe its purpose.
The only thing I can think of is the random number generator. Am I missing something? Would we count comparison operators? Probably not.
(e) Using line numbers, describe how the code could be adapted, allowing the user to play the game 10 times using the same values for numOne and numTwo but a different random number each time.
Well, between line 2 and 3 we want to insert a
WHILEloop which counts up from0. And an incrementing counter at the end.17 John has been asked to design a website to promote an event being held to raise money for charity.
The organisers of the event provide this diagram showing the pages required and how they should be organised.
(a) What type of navigation structure is required for the website?
Tree. I think... I've never really had to think about it.
(b) State a design notation that John could use to design the layout of the pages.
I'd usually just use path-names. Is it that simple? Or do they mean a notation like UML?
(c) The homepage contains hyperlinks. Describe the function of a hyperlink.
A communist plot by TIMBL to enslave the western world!
To be fair, you could write a decent essay on all the uses of a link - semantics, usability, data structures. But as this is a one-point question, I think they just mean "to allow a user to easily navigate to another web destination."
(d) John begins to build the website and stores all the files and resources on his hard disk. Here is the file structure for the website.
(i) State the type of data you would expect to be stored in the dance.avi file.
Bah! I hate these style of question. Besides, .AVI is such an ancient format. It's a container for video and audio.
(ii) State the relative address John should enter on the display.htm page to link to dunk.gif.
resources/dunk.gif- note the lack of/at the start. I suppose an alternative might be/activities/resources/dunk.gif. Might have been a good idea to ask why/resources..wouldn't work.(e) John wants to include an external link to the charity and asks the event organisers to find out the URL.
(i) Explain what is meant by an external link.
A link which will navigate the user away from the domain they are currently on.
(ii) State what the letters URL stand for.
Poor question IMO, IDK when I last needed to know what it meant.
The words "Uniform Resource Locator" is a silly phrase.
(iii) The organisers give John a photograph file from the charity which measures 5 inches by 7 inches with a resolution of 600dpi and 24-bit colour depth. Calculate the storage required for the photograph.
State your answer using appropriate units. Show all your working.
MATHS! FINALLY! Bit of a cumbersome way of phrasing it, but let's give it a go.
Total number of pixels =
(5 * 600) * (7 * 600) = 12,600,000 pixels.Total number of bits =
12600000 * 24 = 302,400,000 bits.Bytes =
302400000 / 8 = 37,800,000BKB =
37800000 / 1024 = 36914KBMB =
36914 / 1024 = 36MBI'd expect to see something here about lossy vs lossless encoding. Or why this filesize is problematic for use on the web.
18 A software development company decide to review staff knowledge of computer related legislation.
Mikal is asked to create an app covering a range of legal issues.
(a) When Mikal records an introduction using audio software, he is prompted to select the sample rate.
Select sampling rate:
- 22050 Hz
- 44100 Hz
- 96000 Hz
(i) Describe the effect on the size of the sound file if the highest sample rate is selected.
I've no idea what this has to do with legal issues. The higher the sample rate the larger the file.
(ii) After recording, Mikal exports the file as a compressed file. State a suitable standard file format he may have used.
I'd write .MP3 on here - I'd be worried that they wouldn't know what FLAC, OGG, or any other esoteric codec was.
(b) Mikal develops an interactive quiz for the app to test the staff’s knowledge of legislation. The first question is about this recent article from a newspaper.
(i) State the offence that has been committed under the Computer Misuse Act in this article.
OK! Now this is a legal issue! But which specific offence? I've no idea. I'm guessing "Unlawful access" - which is a bit question begging. I hope they're not looking for the exact reference!
(ii) Describe another offence under the terms of this Act.
Proper little Wikileaks going on here. This is taxing my knowledge. My first thought is "changing data without permission" - but that's too similar to the above. I'll go with "intentionally disrupting the performance of a computer without permission" - for example sending a DDoS.
I love that kids are being taught about the law. Excellent idea.
(c) The next question that Mikal creates for the quiz is about another article.
"A man was arrested after he cloned his neighbour's phone."
Name the law which may have been broken in this case.
WTF? OK, learning the law is good - but this isn't computer science. I've zero idea which specific law is broken.
(d) In line with Health and Safety legislation, the company provides adjustable seating and guidelines on maintaining good posture.
Mikal finds graphics on a website that he can use to illustrate his next quiz question.
(i) Explain why he might need to seek permission to use the graphics legally.
Actually, talking about posture might be good on a CS exam. Physical issues are a real pain to deal with.
Anyway, let's go with "The copyright owner of the image may sue for misuse of their intellectual property." Incidentally, I hope my critique of this paper falls under fair use!
(ii) Mikal uses the graphics to create question 3 for the app.
Question: 3 Total Score: 2
Using pseudocode or a programming language of your choice, write the code to show how the total score is calculated when the user answers question 3 correctly.
Errrr.... This is one of those questions that people complained about. How many points is each correct answer worth?
$answer3 = get_input();if ($answer3 == "A") score++
(e) When the staff member takes the finished quiz, the app sends their details and their total score to a database file.
State two rights that the staff member has under the Data Protection Act with regard to their own data.
Another rapid switch! I mean, it is great that the DPA is being mentioned, but a bit weird to do it here.
I'm going with "Right to examine the data held about them" and "Right to correct any mistakes."
Blimey! Still not at the end of the paper. I'm not sure I'd have got this far in the allotted 90 minutes.
WARNING This is one of the questions which attracted a lot of complaints. See if you can work out why!
19 Gillian designs a program to calculate how much it costs to get her dog Penny groomed. The design is shown below.
SET total = 0DECLARE all costs INITIALLY [35.00, 36.00, 40.00,35.00,42.50]FOR EACH cost FROM all costs DUE SET total=total+costEND FOR EACHSEND “The total cost = £“&total TO DISPLAY
OK, that program is a bit weird - but it is pseudocode, we don't expect syntactic brilliance.
(a) Describe the data structure that has been used to store the individual costs.
It's an array.
(b) Gillian writes and tests her program. It works perfectly calculating a correct total of 188.50.
(i) With reference to line numbers, explain how the program calculates the final total.
Line 1 initialises a variable and sets it to zero.Line 3 loops through the array of costs and adds each to the variable.
There are three points available, so I think I've missed something.
(ii) Describe how the contents of the variable total would be stored in the computer’s memory.
WHAT? I don't care! I'll let the compiler take care of that. It is good to get some low-level stuff in the exam. For two points, I'm guessing... "A block of memory of a specific size is reserved for the variable."
(iii) Gillian edits the program with the following data:
[35.00,36.00,40.00,35.00,42.50,45.00]The output is still 188.50.
A Explain why the output is still 188.50.
B State how this error could be corrected.
Debugging is a vital skill - but I really can't see what's going wrong here. Perhaps
DUEshould beDO? I don't know.(c) Concatenation has been used in line 6. State the purpose of concatenation.
It... it sticks strings together...? Err... Let's try "It allows a variable to inserted into a string which can then be displayed."
20 Sue uses a website called “Check your Defences!” to learn more about keeping her computer and data safe.
aside I totally love the retro browser screenshot!
(a) Explain the purpose of a firewall.
Keep the Wildlings out of King's Landing? No! That's an ice wall.
A firewall detects whether a connection to or from the network is authorised.
(b) Explain how encryption can help keep data safe.
More Wikileaks! Encryption ensures that only people with the decryption key will be able to view the data. Modern encryption is resistant to brute-force attacks.
I'd have expected a bit more of a technical question - this seems rather basic.
When Sue tries to download the mobile app onto her tablet PC, she gets the following message:
"This app is incompatible with your device - Check your Defences!
System requirements Android 4∙4 or higher, 1∙6 Ghz, 2Gb RAM, 32Gb"
(Gb? Gigabits? A genuine mistake, or designed to trip us up.)
She checks the specification for her tablet PC.
- Size: 267 x 187 x 8 mm
- Weight: 65 kg
- 1∙83Ghz/2GB RAM/16GB
- Battery life: up to 8 hours
- Display: 8∙3” full HD, 10 point multi-touch
- Operating system: Android 4∙1
- USB 3, micro HDMI, microSD card slot 3∙5 MP camera
- Microphone
- Stereo speakers
- Headphone jack
- Wi-Fi
(WHOA! A 65KG tablet. Not exactly portable!)
(c) (i) Sue’s tablet has a range of input and output devices. Identify one of each of these items on Sue’s tablet.
Inputs could be the touch screen, the camera, the mic. Theoretically you could transmit some data back via HDMI, but I would class that as a "showing off" answer.Outputs are the display, the speakers, the headphone jack.
This is back to the basic ICT questions which I hoped we'd left behind. Not very encouraging.
(ii) Identify one interface type on Sue’s tablet.
Again, I'm left in confusion as to what's being asked here. The Universal Serial Bus is an interface - but so is the touch screen...
(iii) Describe one function of an interface.
What? This seems poorly worded. I think they want me to say "To allow data to be exchanged from one device to another."
(iv) Give two reasons why the app is incompatible with Sue’s tablet PC.
Her tablet has a lower version of the operating system.I assume that the
32Gbon the requirements means storage space - but her tablet has16GB. To my mind sixteen gigabytes is a lot more than 32 gigabits... But I think I'd take a punt and assume there's a mistake in the question.(d) Sue’s friend Jack views the website on his smart phone but the home screen looks different to the desktop version Sue had been using.
Describe one reason why the user interface on the smartphone version is designed differently to the version Sue had used on her desktop.
There's only one point on offer here. Pity, this would be an excellent chance to write about progressive enhancement, media queries, responsive design.
I'll stick with "Mobile users interact using a finger, this is a less precise interaction than using a mouse, so link targets should be bigger."
LAST QUESTION ALERT!
21 A software developer is creating an online booking system for a bowling alley. Customers can book a bowling lane for a maximum of 4 people playing a maximum of 3 games.
The developer has used a flow chart to produce the program design. Part of the design is shown below.
a) (i) State one benefit of using the design notation shown above instead of pseudocode.
Flowcharts! Yay! I might be going delirious at this point...
"Flowcharts allow people to easily visualise how a program works and, hopefully, spot any mistakes."
(ii) Name the algorithm illustrated in the bowling alley program design.
Grrr... More trivia! And, frankly, it is hardly an algorithm. Frankly, I've no idea what they want as an answer. Nor why it is relevant.
Using pseudocode or a programming language of your choice, complete the conditional statement at Line 3 below to implement this section of the design.
__________ numPlayers __________ and numGames _______SEND “Booking Accepted” TO DISPLAY
This is VERY CONFUSING!
Perhaps
IF numbPlayers <= 4 and numGames <= 3?
Test dataTest data typeExpected ResultnumPlayers = 3(c) The program is tested using a set of test data.
(i) Complete the table below to show three examples of test data types and the expected result for each type.
numGames = 2NormalBooking acceptednumPlayers = 4
numGames = 3____Booking acceptednumPlayers = 6
numGames = 3________ARGH! Back to testing. I mean, yay testing, but what are the test data types again? Extreme and Abnormal?
The last one has a result of Booking rejected. But I've no idea what the data types are. I'm guessing "normal" and "abnormal"?
(ii) The character “£” is entered as a test value for the number of players. This causes the program to crash. State the type of error that would cause this crash.
Depends on the language. I'd say "Type exception" maybe "Cast exception"?
(d) Error detection and correction in a program is easier if the code is readable. State one technique that can be used to ensure readability of code.
And we're back where we started! I'd go with "Clear variable names which don't use abbreviations." I wonder if they'd value an extended discourse on tabs vs spaces?
And Breathe!
That was a lot tougher than I expected. I wasn't doing it in exam conditions, but I felt the pressure.
The obvious mistakes didn't help my nerves but, guess what, the real world isn't perfect either. Computer Science is the art of trying to fit the messy analogue world into a pure state of binary bliss.
Conclusion
I think that's a pretty good computer science paper - especially for students who may only have studied it for a couple of years.
I think it leans slightly too far towards ICT but I'm pleased with the mentions of usability, good design, security, and the law.
There are a few "Trivia" questions. The "What is this thing called" style - I'm not a big fan of them. Far better to test the understanding of the design, not the name. Similarly, the legal questions veer into the obscure.
Some of the technology is a little out of date - but it's such a fast moving space, talking about file-formats which have only recently become popular might disadvantage people without the time to keep up.
So, are the mistakes "a disgrace"?
There should be spaces between array elements - but part of computer science is reading poorly written code.
Some of the pseudocode is typed incorrectly - but that's the nature of pseudocode.
The unit confusion is annoying, and could trip up someone with an eye for detail. That's a shame, but not a showstopper.
I'm not a teacher - and I have no idea what is on the syllabus. All that said, I've met Computer Science graduates who would struggle with some aspects of this paper.
I think us geeks often over-estimate how much we knew when we were kids. When I was 16, I thought I was 1337 (back when that meant something). I wasn't. I couldn't have passed a paper of similar complexity.
I think this represents an excellent foundation for anyone wanting to studying computing.
My Score
You can read the marking instructions online as a PDF
I scored... 59/90. Yikes!
Most of the dropped points were where I over-thought the question, and a few where I was missing basic knowledge (mantissa!). Perhaps I'd have picked up a few points if the marker knew the subject well.
Some, I just screwed up the answers. I wasn't specific enough in saying that the database results had been sorted in descending order.
Based on the published grade boundaries, I think I just about scraped an A.
How did you do?
-
The "Women Are Broken" Industry
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2016/11/the-women-are-broken-industry/
I get to visit a fair few start-ups. Some are hopelessly idealistic (my favourites!) some are hopelessly cynical. Recently, I got to spend a few hours with a new "Quantified Self" start-up. For the sake of protecting the guilty - let's call them "Fronk."
Fronk have decided that women are under-served in the wearables market. Their (male) CEO, (male) chief designer, (male) head of strategy, and (male) CTO have the secret to getting women to wear fitness trackers - gold plate them, cover them in crystals, and sell them as though they were jewellery.
OK, fair enough, I'm sure their market research bears that out - but what are they really selling? That was the rather blunt question I asked them.
"Wellness!"
"I beg your pardon?"
"We sell wellness. We let a women know when she is feeling stressed, what times of the day her heart rate spikes, and we provide a support system to help women cope with the rigours of everyday life."
"Ah," I said, almost without thinking, "You mean 'Women are broken - let's fix them.'"
There was a sharp intake of breath. Then a little disagreement. Not all of it friendly.
"No!" They contended, "We believe that modern women face a multitude of challenges - and they are primarily concerned with their Wellness."
"OK, but what is Wellness?"
"Women feel that the stresses of modern life can have a negative impact on their Wellness. We want to help them feel better about themselves, and feel more confident that they understand their bodies."
"Women are sad - buy our tracker and feel happy?"
"It's more than a feeling - we want them to understand what their body is going through. Our new Fronk-Bracelet helps a woman understand her hormonal cycle. An essential part of Wellness."
"Oh! So it's a medical device?"
"No no no - it's a Wellness device."
"But surely measuring fertility and giving advice based on that would make it a medical service?"
"It's a Wellness service. We don't make any medical claims."
I looked around their open-plan co-working space. A space I'd wandered into without being challenged by security. Where several employees had gone to lunch and left their computers unlocked. Where passwords and server configs were written on whiteboards.
"Where do you store this medica... excuse me! Where do you store this Wellness data?"
"It's encrypted!"
"OK, so this encrypted data - which contains heart rate, stress details, sleep cycle, body temperature - and which is emphatically not medical data - what do you do with it? How does it promote Wellness?"
A pause, while they decided whether to reveal their top-secret plans to me.
"It will recommend Yoga studios in your area. We've partnered with several popular chains and arranged great discounts. Of course, we also take a percentage. And the app will recommend great equipment that you can buy!"
"Right... So this £15 wearable wrapped in £200 of gaudy jewellery is just a vector for you to sell yoga supplies?"
A polite chuckle.
"Not at all! If we detect that you are stressed, we can recommend NLP Podcasts which you can buy with in-app purchases. If your sleep cycle seems off, we can sell you a detox juice which is delivered through your letter-box. If your period is irregular, we'll send you some healing crystals which you can wear with your Fronk-Band."
"Does any of this work? Is there any evidence for it?"
"It makes them feel like their Wellness has improved!"
"So, to recap. After buying this overpriced piece of tat which makes no claims as to its accuracy, you'll tell women all the ways they are broken and then sell them irrelevant Wellness solutions?"
"We feel that Women want to improve their Wellness. And often, they don't even know that they have poor Wellness!"
Very little of this conversation was embellished. The product is genuinely under $25 from Alibaba, the company have set it in some fairly expensive jewellery, written an app, and set up a whole raft of deals. All very impressive - but somehow deeply depressing.
The underlying assumption of this, and many other start-ups is that Women Are Broken. That their feelings are fundamentally negative and that purchasing faux-solutions is a sensible way for them to manage their lives. And if the woman doesn't think she's broken, make up some flaws and constantly remind her of them.
It's little better than going to a "psychic" who tells you that you are cursed and - coincidentally - can be cured for a very reasonable fee.
There are two fairly serious points I'd like to make in this otherwise lighthearted piece.
- Start-ups can't be trusted with health data. Seriously, if Dropbox can't keep your passwords safe, do you want to trust the intimate details of your life to a loft in Shoreditch?
- Women aren't broken. Preying on people's fears, creating new neuroses, and selling a fix is a scuzzy way to make a living.
Or, as Mitchell and Webb put it:
-
Rare Star Wars props, blueprints, and images
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2015/11/rare-star-wars-props-blueprints-and-images/
A couple of months ago I noticed there was an auction of Sci-Fi related material in London. The catalogue was amazing! The original Leela costume from Doctor Who, costumes from Star Trek, gizmos from Blade Runner - and a whole bunch of Star Wars props!
Sadly, I couldn't afford the original pieces of the Death Star (expected price of £10k-20k) nor the Millennium Falcon blueprints (a more reasonable £1k). I made do with scraping the images out of the catalogue.
Here are all the gorgeous art works that I could find from A New Hope, "Chapter II", and "Blue Harvest".
Original Star Wars Blueprints, props, notes, and stuff on Imgur.
-
Rare Star Wars props, blueprints, and images
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2015/11/rare-star-wars-props-blueprints-and-images/
A couple of months ago I noticed there was an auction of Sci-Fi related material in London. The catalogue was amazing! The original Leela costume from Doctor Who, costumes from Star Trek, gizmos from Blade Runner - and a whole bunch of Star Wars props!
Sadly, I couldn't afford the original pieces of the Death Star (expected price of £10k-20k) nor the Millennium Falcon blueprints (a more reasonable £1k). I made do with scraping the images out of the catalogue.
Here are all the gorgeous art works that I could find from A New Hope, "Chapter II", and "Blue Harvest".
Original Star Wars Blueprints, props, notes, and stuff on Imgur.
-
A Complete List of Every UK Government Domain Name
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2015/11/a-complete-list-of-every-uk-government-domain-name/
Eight years after I published this blog post, I helped officially release all these domain names as open data! Funny how life works out, eh?
Would you like to know every domain name the UK Government had registered? Of course you would! There could be all sorts of interesting tit-bits hidden in there (ProtectAndSurvive.gov.uk? EbolaOutbreak2017.nhs.uk? MinistryOfTruth.police.uk?)
Rather than relying on Freedom of Information requests, or Open Data, we can go straight to the source of domain names - the DNS!
Shut Up And Give Me The Codez!
Download all UK Government host names.gov.uk 15,436 records.nhs.uk 4,877 records.police.uk 466 records.mod.uk 268 records.parliament.uk 91 records
That's... quite a lot! The majority are host names - only around 2,247 of the GOV.UK ones are domain names. Many of them are not currently live.
Still, I wonder how many are new?
Steph Gray
@lesteph
Not intended snarkily, but has web rationalisation/no new govt domains been formally abandoned as a policy now? ❤️ 0💬 1🔁 013:22 - Mon 09 November 2015Steph Gray
@lesteph
Replying to @charlottejee@charlottejee stuff like exportingisgreat.gov.uk, workplacepensions.gov.uk etc ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 013:23 - Mon 09 November 2015Charlotte Jee
@charlottejee
Replying to @lesteph@lesteph This seems to say new domains need approval rather than that they aren't allowed: gov.uk/government/pub… ❤️ 1💬 1🔁 013:26 - Mon 09 November 2015The Gov.UK file is a CSV which also show when the domain was first registered (if available).
Geeky Details
The Domain Name System (DNS) lists every single domain name (example.com). It tells your computer which IP Address is associated with a Domain Name. If your local DNS doesn't know where example.gov.uk lives, it goes to the ISP's DNS. If they don't know, they ask an upstream provider's DNS. And so on, until someone asks the .gov.uk nameserver for an authoritative response.
So, can you download every domain name in existence? No, not easily. It usually involves filling out lots of forms and giving some compelling reason why you want it.
However, Rapid7's sonar project provides a sort of "best guess" for all the domain names which it can see.
To download the entire file is 12GB. That's the zipped version.
Once unzipped, it's a whopping 67GB
A quick look at the file shows it contains 1,408,097,159 records. Youch! That's a lot of domain names!
This is what the file looks like
$ head 20150926_dnsrecords_allcshengmei.com.h310.6dns.net,a,103.225.196.101reseauocoz.cluster007.ovh.net,cname,cluster007.ovh.netcse-web-cl.comunique-se.com.br,a,200.166.77.69ext-cust.squarespace.com,a,198.185.159.176ext-cust.squarespace.com,a,198.185.159.177ext-cust.squarespace.com,a,198.49.23.176ext-cust.squarespace.com,a,198.49.23.177ghs.googlehosted.com,cname,googlehosted.l.googleusercontent.comisutility.web9.hubspot.com,cname,a1049.b.akamai.netsendv54sxu8f12g.ihance.net,a,54.241.8.193sites.smarsh.io,a,199.47.168.63www.triblocal.com.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com,cname,s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com*.01ete21.cn.cname.yunjiasu-cdn.net,a,162.159.210.34*.01ete21.cn.cname.yunjiasu-cdn.net,a,162.159.211.34
As a brief primer, a CNAME points to another domain name. An A Record points to an IP address. There are lots of different domain records.
Ok, so let's get all the *.gov.uk records out of there...
grep "gov\.uk" 20150926_dnsrecords_all0-19insalford.info,soa,ns0.ictservices.co.uk postmaster.salford.gov.uk 2010022204 28800 7200 604800 86400019186.gov.ukpfl.cn,a,122.9.230.117100days.local.gov.uk,a,198.154.241.231101.gov.uk,a,216.146.46.10101.gov.uk,a,216.146.46.11101.gov.uk,mx,20 sms2.101.gov.uk101.gov.uk,ns,ns1.p08.dynect.net
Ah! Ok, we're picking up some websites which are pointing to a gov.uk site (potentially useful) and some false positives like "019186.gov.ukpfl.cn". Let's just look at records where the first column ends with .gov.uk":
grep "\.gov\.uk," 20150926_dnsrecords_all100days.local.gov.uk,a,198.154.241.231101.gov.uk,a,216.146.46.10101.gov.uk,a,216.146.46.11101.gov.uk,mx,20 sms2.101.gov.uk101.gov.uk,ns,ns1.p08.dynect.net101.gov.uk,ns,ns2.p08.dynect.net101.gov.uk,ns,ns3.p08.dynect.net101.gov.uk,soa,ns1.p08.dynect.net hostmaster.cscdns.net 2014121100 3600 600 604800 18001901redirect.nationalarchives.gov.uk,a,193.132.104.1511sttouch.powys.gov.uk,a,212.219.229.791t6c3c0p2r0m934.forestry.gov.uk,a,212.38.180.452011.census.gov.uk,a,94.126.106.1322014.colneyheathparishcouncil.gov.uk,a,81.27.85.112050-calculator-tool-wiki.decc.gov.uk,cname,wiki.2050.org.uk
OK, so how do we de-duplicate these? The first thing to do is manipulate the data. We only want the first column. There are an number of ways to do this in Linux, I prefer to use the Python tool CSVfilter.
To install
sudo pip install csvfilter.To grab only the first (zeroth) column
cat 20150926_dnsrecords_all | csvfilter -f 0 > out.csvNow, this doesn't quite work. Why? Because some DNS records contain incredibly strange data! You can manually clean up the data, but that's a bit boring and utterly impossible to load into Excel or any other normal editor.
Here's what I did...
- Copy all the lines containing gov.uk into a new file
grep "\.gov\.uk," 20150926_dnsrecords_all > govuk.csv - Create a new file with only the first column
cat govuk.csv | csvfilter -f 0 > govuk0.csv - Sort the file and make sure each line in unique
sort govuk0.csv | uniq > govuk.txt
Hey presto! A more-or-less complete list of every .gov.uk website which is registered. The same can be performed for .NHS.uk, .police.uk, .MOD.uk etc.
Getting The Dates
Time to crack out the Ruby!
Using the WHOIS library, I wrote a simple script to parse the text records and query when the domain name was created.
#!/usr/bin/env rubyrequire 'whois'c = Whois::Client.newFile.open( "govuk.txt" ).each do |line| begin r = c.lookup(line.chomp) puts "#{line.chomp},#{r.created_on}" rescue Whois::Error => e rescue StandardError => e endendThis isn't perfect - there are only records for the third level of gov.uk - and no records at all for Parliament, MOD, Police, and NHS. It is also a bit slow to run through the thousands of records - but we can see a few interesting bits and bobs.
Created in 2015
I suspect some of these are merely renewals, rather than brand new domains.
seemis.gov.uk,2015-10-29 00:00:00 +0000yjb.gov.uk,2015-10-28 00:00:00 +0000crbonline.gov.uk,2015-10-23 00:00:00 +0100coi.gov.uk,2015-10-14 00:00:00 +0100gibraltar.gov.uk,2015-07-29 00:00:00 +0100dorsetforyou.gov.uk,2015-03-19 00:00:00 +0000ico.gov.uk,2015-03-19 00:00:00 +0000bridgnorthtowncouncil.gov.uk,2015-01-29 00:00:00 +0000
Oldest
wdc.gov.uk,2003-06-03 00:00:00 +0100west-dunbarton.gov.uk,2003-06-03 00:00:00 +0100clacks.gov.uk,2003-06-02 00:00:00 +0100bassetlaw.gov.uk,2003-04-29 00:00:00 +0100dti.gov.uk,2003-03-13 00:00:00 +0000
Sadly, clacks.gov.uk has very little to do with Terry Pratchett!
That's all folks!
Spotted anything unusual? Found a better way to do things? Stick a comment in the box!
If you've enjoyed this post, you can buy me something from my Amazon Wishlist.
- Copy all the lines containing gov.uk into a new file
-
A Complete List of Every UK Government Domain Name
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2015/11/a-complete-list-of-every-uk-government-domain-name/
Eight years after I published this blog post, I helped officially release all these domain names as open data! Funny how life works out, eh?
Would you like to know every domain name the UK Government had registered? Of course you would! There could be all sorts of interesting tit-bits hidden in there (ProtectAndSurvive.gov.uk? EbolaOutbreak2017.nhs.uk? MinistryOfTruth.police.uk?)
Rather than relying on Freedom of Information requests, or Open Data, we can go straight to the source of domain names - the DNS!
Shut Up And Give Me The Codez!
Download all UK Government host names.gov.uk 15,436 records.nhs.uk 4,877 records.police.uk 466 records.mod.uk 268 records.parliament.uk 91 records
That's... quite a lot! The majority are host names - only around 2,247 of the GOV.UK ones are domain names. Many of them are not currently live.
Still, I wonder how many are new?
Steph Gray
@lesteph
Not intended snarkily, but has web rationalisation/no new govt domains been formally abandoned as a policy now? ❤️ 0💬 1🔁 013:22 - Mon 09 November 2015Steph Gray
@lesteph
Replying to @charlottejee@charlottejee stuff like exportingisgreat.gov.uk, workplacepensions.gov.uk etc ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 013:23 - Mon 09 November 2015Charlotte Jee
@charlottejee
Replying to @lesteph@lesteph This seems to say new domains need approval rather than that they aren't allowed: gov.uk/government/pub… ❤️ 1💬 1🔁 013:26 - Mon 09 November 2015The Gov.UK file is a CSV which also show when the domain was first registered (if available).
Geeky Details
The Domain Name System (DNS) lists every single domain name (example.com). It tells your computer which IP Address is associated with a Domain Name. If your local DNS doesn't know where example.gov.uk lives, it goes to the ISP's DNS. If they don't know, they ask an upstream provider's DNS. And so on, until someone asks the .gov.uk nameserver for an authoritative response.
So, can you download every domain name in existence? No, not easily. It usually involves filling out lots of forms and giving some compelling reason why you want it.
However, Rapid7's sonar project provides a sort of "best guess" for all the domain names which it can see.
To download the entire file is 12GB. That's the zipped version.
Once unzipped, it's a whopping 67GB
A quick look at the file shows it contains 1,408,097,159 records. Youch! That's a lot of domain names!
This is what the file looks like
$ head 20150926_dnsrecords_allcshengmei.com.h310.6dns.net,a,103.225.196.101reseauocoz.cluster007.ovh.net,cname,cluster007.ovh.netcse-web-cl.comunique-se.com.br,a,200.166.77.69ext-cust.squarespace.com,a,198.185.159.176ext-cust.squarespace.com,a,198.185.159.177ext-cust.squarespace.com,a,198.49.23.176ext-cust.squarespace.com,a,198.49.23.177ghs.googlehosted.com,cname,googlehosted.l.googleusercontent.comisutility.web9.hubspot.com,cname,a1049.b.akamai.netsendv54sxu8f12g.ihance.net,a,54.241.8.193sites.smarsh.io,a,199.47.168.63www.triblocal.com.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com,cname,s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com*.01ete21.cn.cname.yunjiasu-cdn.net,a,162.159.210.34*.01ete21.cn.cname.yunjiasu-cdn.net,a,162.159.211.34
As a brief primer, a CNAME points to another domain name. An A Record points to an IP address. There are lots of different domain records.
Ok, so let's get all the *.gov.uk records out of there...
grep "gov\.uk" 20150926_dnsrecords_all0-19insalford.info,soa,ns0.ictservices.co.uk postmaster.salford.gov.uk 2010022204 28800 7200 604800 86400019186.gov.ukpfl.cn,a,122.9.230.117100days.local.gov.uk,a,198.154.241.231101.gov.uk,a,216.146.46.10101.gov.uk,a,216.146.46.11101.gov.uk,mx,20 sms2.101.gov.uk101.gov.uk,ns,ns1.p08.dynect.net
Ah! Ok, we're picking up some websites which are pointing to a gov.uk site (potentially useful) and some false positives like "019186.gov.ukpfl.cn". Let's just look at records where the first column ends with .gov.uk":
grep "\.gov\.uk," 20150926_dnsrecords_all100days.local.gov.uk,a,198.154.241.231101.gov.uk,a,216.146.46.10101.gov.uk,a,216.146.46.11101.gov.uk,mx,20 sms2.101.gov.uk101.gov.uk,ns,ns1.p08.dynect.net101.gov.uk,ns,ns2.p08.dynect.net101.gov.uk,ns,ns3.p08.dynect.net101.gov.uk,soa,ns1.p08.dynect.net hostmaster.cscdns.net 2014121100 3600 600 604800 18001901redirect.nationalarchives.gov.uk,a,193.132.104.1511sttouch.powys.gov.uk,a,212.219.229.791t6c3c0p2r0m934.forestry.gov.uk,a,212.38.180.452011.census.gov.uk,a,94.126.106.1322014.colneyheathparishcouncil.gov.uk,a,81.27.85.112050-calculator-tool-wiki.decc.gov.uk,cname,wiki.2050.org.uk
OK, so how do we de-duplicate these? The first thing to do is manipulate the data. We only want the first column. There are an number of ways to do this in Linux, I prefer to use the Python tool CSVfilter.
To install
sudo pip install csvfilter.To grab only the first (zeroth) column
cat 20150926_dnsrecords_all | csvfilter -f 0 > out.csvNow, this doesn't quite work. Why? Because some DNS records contain incredibly strange data! You can manually clean up the data, but that's a bit boring and utterly impossible to load into Excel or any other normal editor.
Here's what I did...
- Copy all the lines containing gov.uk into a new file
grep "\.gov\.uk," 20150926_dnsrecords_all > govuk.csv - Create a new file with only the first column
cat govuk.csv | csvfilter -f 0 > govuk0.csv - Sort the file and make sure each line in unique
sort govuk0.csv | uniq > govuk.txt
Hey presto! A more-or-less complete list of every .gov.uk website which is registered. The same can be performed for .NHS.uk, .police.uk, .MOD.uk etc.
Getting The Dates
Time to crack out the Ruby!
Using the WHOIS library, I wrote a simple script to parse the text records and query when the domain name was created.
#!/usr/bin/env rubyrequire 'whois'c = Whois::Client.newFile.open( "govuk.txt" ).each do |line| begin r = c.lookup(line.chomp) puts "#{line.chomp},#{r.created_on}" rescue Whois::Error => e rescue StandardError => e endendThis isn't perfect - there are only records for the third level of gov.uk - and no records at all for Parliament, MOD, Police, and NHS. It is also a bit slow to run through the thousands of records - but we can see a few interesting bits and bobs.
Created in 2015
I suspect some of these are merely renewals, rather than brand new domains.
seemis.gov.uk,2015-10-29 00:00:00 +0000yjb.gov.uk,2015-10-28 00:00:00 +0000crbonline.gov.uk,2015-10-23 00:00:00 +0100coi.gov.uk,2015-10-14 00:00:00 +0100gibraltar.gov.uk,2015-07-29 00:00:00 +0100dorsetforyou.gov.uk,2015-03-19 00:00:00 +0000ico.gov.uk,2015-03-19 00:00:00 +0000bridgnorthtowncouncil.gov.uk,2015-01-29 00:00:00 +0000
Oldest
wdc.gov.uk,2003-06-03 00:00:00 +0100west-dunbarton.gov.uk,2003-06-03 00:00:00 +0100clacks.gov.uk,2003-06-02 00:00:00 +0100bassetlaw.gov.uk,2003-04-29 00:00:00 +0100dti.gov.uk,2003-03-13 00:00:00 +0000
Sadly, clacks.gov.uk has very little to do with Terry Pratchett!
That's all folks!
Spotted anything unusual? Found a better way to do things? Stick a comment in the box!
If you've enjoyed this post, you can buy me something from my Amazon Wishlist.
- Copy all the lines containing gov.uk into a new file
-
Notes on Digital Surveillance
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2015/11/notes-on-digital-surveillance/
Earlier this year, I attended a lecture given by Alan Rusbridger - the outgoing editor of The Guardian - entitled "The World After Snowden." Held at Oxford University, and attended by journalists, technologists, and former spies - it was an exceptionally interesting talk and provoked a lively debate over dinner.
In light of the publication of the disastrous Investigatory Powers Bill, I've decided to write up my notes.
Except for the opinions expressed in public, I've deliberately avoiding attributing any of the comments to individuals. As per my posts on Communist Robots and iPhone Slavery the points I make here aren't necessarily my own.
This is a series of observations and questions.
The lecture theatre is filling with greying hair - almost exclusively male. Beside me a couple of chaps with RAF pins on their lapels mutter darkly about how it wouldn't have been allowed in their day. The journalists in front of me are either tapping furiously on iPads or scribbling indecipherable shorthand.
Alan Rusbridger cuts an impressive figure as he carefully maps out the story of Snowden. Not the tawdry details of how documents were liberated from the US Government - but how the response from the press and lawmakers has been curiously subdued.
In the USA, there have been numerous reports, debates between lawmakers and the public, a strong response from the Intelligence Services. In the UK... Nothing. Labour have been terrified of being seen to be weak on security. While the Libertarian wing of the Tory party would normally support personal freedoms - they've been overruled by their hatred of the liberal media. The LibDems - bless 'em - don't have the clout to do much of anything.
The odd questioning of spooks and their nominal overseers has been lacklustre at best.
Unspoken in the room is the problem of collusion. The Guardian journalists are Oxford educated. The GCHQ chaps are Oxford chaps. The politicians - you guessed it - PPE from Oxford. There's a cosy club of perfectly decent fellows - and most of them are men - all gently assuming that the other is acting in the best interests of... society, one supposes.
This trick is working. The state is simply ignoring the argument - at all levels. Don't mistake it for a head-in-the-sand attitude - it's the sure-fire knowledge that wholesale surveillance is just too big for anyone to understand. And that makes it hard for people to care about. So it can be pushed aside. After a few years of intense non-debate, the establishment can state with confidence that "it's time to move on from Snowden."
Perhaps industry will pick up the fight? In the USA, we see companies aggressively promoting Privacy as a competitive advantage - yay capitalism. And in the UK? It's hard to find a significant industry player who has kicked up a stink about the pillaging of their customers' data. Say, I wonder where their CEOs went to school...?
At least the tech community is having a passionate debate. We're the ones busy fixing bugs, getting tools to those in needs. We're the ones doing the damned work, fighting the good fight, and still being ignored, belittled, and infiltrated.
Sat a little way ahead of me is a former Director of GCHQ. He writes exclusively in green ink. His hands trembles as he talks. And, boy, does he talk! He's a terribly reasonable. That's the worst thing about him. As he's telling the audience that mass surveillance of all citizens by the state really isn't that big a deal - I find it hard to disagree with him. Such a kindly old man couldn't be malicious, could he?
But when you listen to his words, it becomes clear that he's a trained liar. There's no way an honest man can say with a straight face that it is in no way intrusive for the police to have a list of every websites you've visited. Lawyers don't really need confidentiality with their clients.
There's a philosophical debate to be had. If a computer system snaffles up all your emails - but they're not read by a human - have they really been intercepted?
Above all, he asks, can we please be a little more respectful in our tone. It strikes me that it's not possible to have a polite conversation with a burglar. Especially while a theft is in progress.
The conversation is schizophrenic. When Sony was hacked - they were castigated for having such weak security. In the aftermath of the massacre at Charlie Hebdo, companies were criticised for being too secure. How can we track the enemies of freedom if we can't read everyone's emails?
There are protections - of course. Journalists - especially the decent sort - ought to be protected. That's what American law says anyhow. We're often asked "is blogging journalism" - perhaps we need to ask "why do journalists get protection from state intrusion when ordinary citizens don't?" But that's not quite so snappy, is it?
And snappiness is a problem. As well as the philosophical debates - there's the technological debate. And it's too hard for most people to follow. Half the MPs can't turn on a computer without an advisor pointing out where the switch is. How many of them do you think understand the intricacies of public key cryptography?
No, it's more fundamental than that. It's a public perception problem.
In the UK, we never had the KGB or the Stasi. We didn't have the FBI undermining our civil rights leaders. We didn't have that sonofabitch Nixon screwing everything up. We had Alan Turning single-handedly defeating the Nazis and James Bond keeping the British end up. Our guys are the goodies!
Which, of course, leads one old journalist to huff and puff that The Guardian really ought to have been more responsible and let the government see the stories before publication.
One of the journalists around the table likes this struggle to the fight against slavery. Not in terms of human pain and misery, but there are parallels to be drawn. This is a fight against huge economic resources, entrenched culture, and men who crave the power of life and death over other humans. They are fighting to keep the status quo. The fight against slavery took hundreds of years. It is all but eliminated and yet we're still living with the repercussions of such evil. That's the time scales we have to work on. A minimum of 50 years to change public and private opinion.
It will take a catastrophe to shake up the public. The leaking of everyone's medical details? Perhaps Facebook inadvertently shows who other than your wife have you been looking at? The end of a million marriages in one weekend, what would that do to the public's perception of data security? (This was all months before Ashley Madison. Sadly, that event seems to have failed to shift the public's attitude.)
Geeks have failed to realise that we are engaged in massively asymmetrical warfare. International standards bodies are corrupted by the state, trillions of dollars are directed towards total domination, human lives are collateral. We have GitHub, Tumblr, and the sainted BlockChain.
Where's the tipping point where geeks can freely admit that we lost and it's time to kowtow?
Our government wants to protect the Internet. They see it as an engine of massive growth. But they fear the ease with which criminals and ne'er-do-wells and use it. The gives the security services contradictory requirements.
Perhaps the only question we need to ask is "How do we reach a least worse local minimum?"
At the moment, there is the technical capability to store... everything. They can hold an infinite file on everyone for an indiscriminate period of time - then all they need to do is wait for the law to change and run a dragnet through all the data.
Y
our guilt is a quantum needle simultaneously popping in and out of multiple haystacks.
Finally - and it's been a long evening - how do we prepare for the next leak? Snowden won't be the last. The next might come from within industry, or a nation state, or a hacker who blags her way into a cache of juicy data? What are technologists doing to tighten up systems? What are legislators doing to ensure proper procedures are in place?
Our spies ought to be protecting us. But they're conflicted. Every flaw they fix means one less access point for criminals - and one less access point for the themselves.
We melt off into the night. This isn't even the end of the beginning - this is a culture war which can never be resolved as long as men desire each others' secrets.
#gchq #guardian #ipbill #NaBloPoMo #politics #security #spies
-
Notes on Digital Surveillance
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2015/11/notes-on-digital-surveillance/
Earlier this year, I attended a lecture given by Alan Rusbridger - the outgoing editor of The Guardian - entitled "The World After Snowden." Held at Oxford University, and attended by journalists, technologists, and former spies - it was an exceptionally interesting talk and provoked a lively debate over dinner.
In light of the publication of the disastrous Investigatory Powers Bill, I've decided to write up my notes.
Except for the opinions expressed in public, I've deliberately avoiding attributing any of the comments to individuals. As per my posts on Communist Robots and iPhone Slavery the points I make here aren't necessarily my own.
This is a series of observations and questions.
The lecture theatre is filling with greying hair - almost exclusively male. Beside me a couple of chaps with RAF pins on their lapels mutter darkly about how it wouldn't have been allowed in their day. The journalists in front of me are either tapping furiously on iPads or scribbling indecipherable shorthand.
Alan Rusbridger cuts an impressive figure as he carefully maps out the story of Snowden. Not the tawdry details of how documents were liberated from the US Government - but how the response from the press and lawmakers has been curiously subdued.
In the USA, there have been numerous reports, debates between lawmakers and the public, a strong response from the Intelligence Services. In the UK... Nothing. Labour have been terrified of being seen to be weak on security. While the Libertarian wing of the Tory party would normally support personal freedoms - they've been overruled by their hatred of the liberal media. The LibDems - bless 'em - don't have the clout to do much of anything.
The odd questioning of spooks and their nominal overseers has been lacklustre at best.
Unspoken in the room is the problem of collusion. The Guardian journalists are Oxford educated. The GCHQ chaps are Oxford chaps. The politicians - you guessed it - PPE from Oxford. There's a cosy club of perfectly decent fellows - and most of them are men - all gently assuming that the other is acting in the best interests of... society, one supposes.
This trick is working. The state is simply ignoring the argument - at all levels. Don't mistake it for a head-in-the-sand attitude - it's the sure-fire knowledge that wholesale surveillance is just too big for anyone to understand. And that makes it hard for people to care about. So it can be pushed aside. After a few years of intense non-debate, the establishment can state with confidence that "it's time to move on from Snowden."
Perhaps industry will pick up the fight? In the USA, we see companies aggressively promoting Privacy as a competitive advantage - yay capitalism. And in the UK? It's hard to find a significant industry player who has kicked up a stink about the pillaging of their customers' data. Say, I wonder where their CEOs went to school...?
At least the tech community is having a passionate debate. We're the ones busy fixing bugs, getting tools to those in needs. We're the ones doing the damned work, fighting the good fight, and still being ignored, belittled, and infiltrated.
Sat a little way ahead of me is a former Director of GCHQ. He writes exclusively in green ink. His hands trembles as he talks. And, boy, does he talk! He's a terribly reasonable. That's the worst thing about him. As he's telling the audience that mass surveillance of all citizens by the state really isn't that big a deal - I find it hard to disagree with him. Such a kindly old man couldn't be malicious, could he?
But when you listen to his words, it becomes clear that he's a trained liar. There's no way an honest man can say with a straight face that it is in no way intrusive for the police to have a list of every websites you've visited. Lawyers don't really need confidentiality with their clients.
There's a philosophical debate to be had. If a computer system snaffles up all your emails - but they're not read by a human - have they really been intercepted?
Above all, he asks, can we please be a little more respectful in our tone. It strikes me that it's not possible to have a polite conversation with a burglar. Especially while a theft is in progress.
The conversation is schizophrenic. When Sony was hacked - they were castigated for having such weak security. In the aftermath of the massacre at Charlie Hebdo, companies were criticised for being too secure. How can we track the enemies of freedom if we can't read everyone's emails?
There are protections - of course. Journalists - especially the decent sort - ought to be protected. That's what American law says anyhow. We're often asked "is blogging journalism" - perhaps we need to ask "why do journalists get protection from state intrusion when ordinary citizens don't?" But that's not quite so snappy, is it?
And snappiness is a problem. As well as the philosophical debates - there's the technological debate. And it's too hard for most people to follow. Half the MPs can't turn on a computer without an advisor pointing out where the switch is. How many of them do you think understand the intricacies of public key cryptography?
No, it's more fundamental than that. It's a public perception problem.
In the UK, we never had the KGB or the Stasi. We didn't have the FBI undermining our civil rights leaders. We didn't have that sonofabitch Nixon screwing everything up. We had Alan Turning single-handedly defeating the Nazis and James Bond keeping the British end up. Our guys are the goodies!
Which, of course, leads one old journalist to huff and puff that The Guardian really ought to have been more responsible and let the government see the stories before publication.
One of the journalists around the table likes this struggle to the fight against slavery. Not in terms of human pain and misery, but there are parallels to be drawn. This is a fight against huge economic resources, entrenched culture, and men who crave the power of life and death over other humans. They are fighting to keep the status quo. The fight against slavery took hundreds of years. It is all but eliminated and yet we're still living with the repercussions of such evil. That's the time scales we have to work on. A minimum of 50 years to change public and private opinion.
It will take a catastrophe to shake up the public. The leaking of everyone's medical details? Perhaps Facebook inadvertently shows who other than your wife have you been looking at? The end of a million marriages in one weekend, what would that do to the public's perception of data security? (This was all months before Ashley Madison. Sadly, that event seems to have failed to shift the public's attitude.)
Geeks have failed to realise that we are engaged in massively asymmetrical warfare. International standards bodies are corrupted by the state, trillions of dollars are directed towards total domination, human lives are collateral. We have GitHub, Tumblr, and the sainted BlockChain.
Where's the tipping point where geeks can freely admit that we lost and it's time to kowtow?
Our government wants to protect the Internet. They see it as an engine of massive growth. But they fear the ease with which criminals and ne'er-do-wells and use it. The gives the security services contradictory requirements.
Perhaps the only question we need to ask is "How do we reach a least worse local minimum?"
At the moment, there is the technical capability to store... everything. They can hold an infinite file on everyone for an indiscriminate period of time - then all they need to do is wait for the law to change and run a dragnet through all the data.
Y
our guilt is a quantum needle simultaneously popping in and out of multiple haystacks.
Finally - and it's been a long evening - how do we prepare for the next leak? Snowden won't be the last. The next might come from within industry, or a nation state, or a hacker who blags her way into a cache of juicy data? What are technologists doing to tighten up systems? What are legislators doing to ensure proper procedures are in place?
Our spies ought to be protecting us. But they're conflicted. Every flaw they fix means one less access point for criminals - and one less access point for the themselves.
We melt off into the night. This isn't even the end of the beginning - this is a culture war which can never be resolved as long as men desire each others' secrets.
#gchq #guardian #ipbill #NaBloPoMo #politics #security #spies
-
Do Comrades Dream of Electric Proletariat?
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2014/11/do-comrades-dream-of-electric-proletariat/
For the benefit of those who are hard of thinking: I am not now, nor have I ever been a member of the Communist Party.
One of the delightful things about living in Oxford is that there are a wide range of events going on. Events run by people who I like, run by people I vehemently disagree with, events run by intellectuals and pseudo-intellectuals alike. I enjoy hearing from a variety of people who don't think the same things I do.
So, last week I went to "I for one welcome our new robot overlords" - a discussion run by the Communist Corresponding Society.
I live tweeted the events under Chatham House Rules - that is, these are the unattributed thoughts of the people in the room. They don't all represent my viewpoint, but I found them interesting enough to comment on.
The central thesis of the event was a little muddled. Let me try to distil it as best as I understood it.
- The notion that "the workers control the means of production" breaks down when the production is solely the preserve of robots owned by capitalists.
- Each member of society owning their own robot / 3D printer places production back in the hands of the masses.
- Increased automation leads to less work. Less work means less money. If the masses cannot afford to purchase - or have their own means of production - what drives the economy?
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Will capitalism abolish itself as works is reduced to the expenditure of capital. That us, who owns the robots who work?
#CommunistRobots ❤️ 1💬 0🔁 018:39 - Thu 23 October 2014Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Labour saving technology is the most profitable.
What does this do to The Theory of Labour #CommunistRobots ❤️ 0💬 1🔁 018:40 - Thu 23 October 2014Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
If the workers control the means of production, and the software is licensed, who owns the robots?
#CommunistRobots ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 019:04 - Thu 23 October 2014There are some interesting philosophical discussions to be had here.
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Can robots be exploited?
From a technical POV, they can be compromised - but is it the owner who is exploited?
#CommunistRobots ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 018:45 - Thu 23 October 2014Robots are, essentially, slaves. We haven't programmed them with emotions or desires (yet) - so they can't be exploited in quite the same way as human or animal can.
It is possible, however, to perform software exploits on them. A hacker could infiltrate a system and make it act contrary to its owners wishes. An extreme example of this is Stuxnet - a virus designed specifically to instruct Iran's robotic nuclear enrichment centrifuges to self-destruct.
We are already witnessing nation states engaged in cyber-warfare to diminish their rivals' technological superiority. Will multi-national companies also start attacking their rivals? Will the capitalists launch attacks on domestic robots to ensure we continue spending money?
Capitalism can never rest on its laurels. There is always a competitor snapping at their heels. This is compounded by Moore's Law.
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Capitalism rides the wave of Moore's Law. Every investment is obsoleted rapidly. Drives a maniacal growth.
#CommunistRobots ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 018:48 - Thu 23 October 2014Moore's Law states that the computing power doubles for the same cost every 18 months. The robot you buy today will be twice as powerful next year - or you can have the same one for half the price.
This relentless growth is problematic. Suppose you built a state-of-the-art factory this year. A couple of years later your rival can do the same at a reduced cost.
In a way, this hyper-capitalism is delightfully Socialist. They run around like madmen, with the side effect of making the world better for everyone.
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Reminds me of BitCoin. Capitalists invest in ridiculously quickly outdated miners. Brings benefits to entire community. #CommunistRobots ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 018:51 - Thu 23 October 2014As with all massive infrastructure projects, it is often only the State which can afford the long term investment needed.
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Are the needs of gigantic capital investment to maintain efficiency against Moore's Law driving towards State owned robots?
#CommunistRobots ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 019:39 - Thu 23 October 2014I wish I'd thought of this next point.
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
App developers are chasing gold mines. They benefit from the technological progress of the failures.
#CommunistRobots ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 018:53 - Thu 23 October 2014Most people in the "App Economy" are actually in the business of selling pick-axes to prospectors. The average miner / developer is chasing a big win that will probably never materialise. There are only a few million-dollar apps. The real money is in selling services to those developers chasing a dream.
The next few points relate to how we all survive when it's the robots performing all the labour.
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
If robots are the only ones building the cars - who can afford cars? Do new supporting industries inevitably spring up?
#CommunistRobots ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 018:56 - Thu 23 October 2014Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Driverless cars will de-skill professional drivers (taxi, bus, etc).
Any different from cars replacing horses?
#CommunistRobots ❤️ 1💬 0🔁 018:58 - Thu 23 October 2014Every new invention or labour-saving device puts someone out of work. The vacuum cleaner means we no longer need to employ maids to clean our houses.
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Is the Working Class Struggle over once low paid work is fully automated?
Do we all become middle class?
#CommunistRobots ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 019:34 - Thu 23 October 2014The robotic self-checkout means we no longer need semi-skilled people working in supermarkets. What happens to those people? Are they thrown on the scrapheap? Do we need to re-train them?
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
In 70s we were told that technology would mean the end of work. It didn't.
(Didn't it? How many people sweat for a living?)
#CommunistRobots ❤️ 0💬 1🔁 019:07 - Thu 23 October 2014Do we live in the glorious work-free future? Not quite. But we now have robots to assist with our heavy lifting. The number of people who physically exert themselves for a living has diminished.
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Can we restrict robots to only do the low value / low enjoyment / low utility work?
#CommunistRobots ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 019:09 - Thu 23 October 2014Would it be desirable for all the messy, disgusting, and degrading jobs to be done by robots? Perhaps. Are there people who can only do the jobs that robots do? What happens to them?
The conversation took a turn to the inevitability of the capitalist cause.
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Capitalism only needs to win once.
As soon as driverless tubes come in, those jobs never come back.
#CommunistRobots ❤️ 0💬 2🔁 018:59 - Thu 23 October 2014It's incredibly hard to renationalise infrastructure. The whole ratchet of capitalism is designed to be uni-directional. Once you've had an self-driving car, what would it take for you to go back?
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Do some people place value in talking to a human taxi driver?
(Will driverless cars come with genuine people personalities)
#CommunistRobots ❤️ 0💬 1🔁 019:27 - Thu 23 October 2014One of the problems with the discussion is that some people have a limited idea of what a robot is. They think it's C-3PO, or a vast car-building robot. That couldn't be further from the case.
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
People are confused between the word Robot and Android. A drinks machine replaces a waiter - but doesn't look like one.
#CommunistRobots ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 019:21 - Thu 23 October 2014When I started working in an office, there was a woman who came round with a trolley. On it was a tea urn and several packs of biscuits. That job has been replaced by a robot. Sure, the vending machine doesn't look like it came out of Star Wars - but it is a robot none-the-less. Ubiquity dulls our senses the the amazing future in which we live.
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Some people here haven't heard of self assembling robots. Or genetic algorithms. They think it is sci fi. It isn't.
#CommunistRobots ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 019:16 - Thu 23 October 2014One woman was insistent that there are some things that robots simply couldn't replace - like midwiffery. That is, in my opinion, an extremely naïve view. A foetal heartbeat monitor is a robot - as are all the various equipment surrounding the expectant mother.
At the moment, surgery is routinely carried out by robots - albeit non-autonomously. Before too long, a midwife in Beijing will control a robot in Tallahassee to assist with a birth. A few years later, the robot will be fully autonomous.
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Huge leaps in automation are coming - whether the socialist revolution likes it or not! #CommunistRobots ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 019:58 - Thu 23 October 2014On to some more political points. Capitalism, it is theorised, requires war to stay profitable and reduce the independence of the proletariat.
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Capitalists don't even need the workers to fight in their wars. They send robots to kill people. And other robots.
#CommunistRobots ❤️ 1💬 0🔁 019:55 - Thu 23 October 2014We're already seeing drones fighting drones, and computers attacking computers. Is the ultimate endgame fully robotic armies fighting each other?
As the work for the masses dries up, does the spirit of revolution increase?
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Robots are only used where Labour is more expensive. Will they drive down wages, or engender revolution?
#CommunistRobots ❤️ 0💬 1🔁 019:53 - Thu 23 October 2014What are the things that only humans can do?
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Women perform a lot of unpaid reproductive labour. Will capitalism make that more efficient? Or seek to profit from it?
#CommunistRobots ❤️ 1💬 0🔁 019:32 - Thu 23 October 2014Without getting to into The Matrix, if we can use robots to create efficiencies in reproduction then capitalists can extract more value per (female) worker.
We already entrust so much to robots. Whether it's automated call centres, or High Frequency Trading stock market algorithms. Can we fully understand what they are doing? Is it possible to understand and mitigate the risks involved?
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
HFT are robots trading with other robots in units of imaginary currency to produce things of very little social value.
#CommunistRobots ❤️ 2💬 0🔁 019:01 - Thu 23 October 2014Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
HFT algorithms - if they suffer from monoculture there is a risk of systemic failure. #CommunistRobots ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 019:54 - Thu 23 October 2014The Flash Crash has already shown us that unregulated robots can take actions which rapidly spiral out of control.
Automated decision making is a form of labour-saving. How much of our political infrastructure can we put into the hands of robots? At the moment we use Excel Macros to calculate tax rates - why not have robots get and set rates automatically?
Robots act as witnesses in court cases (CCTV, computer logs, etc) - how long before judge and jury can also be automated?
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Computers can be democratic. Aeroplanes already use multiple machines to make decisions. Can they make all state decisions?
#CommunistRobots ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 019:46 - Thu 23 October 2014These final two points are my favourites.
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Does capitalism foist technology on us?
If a robots can do the job, & a human *wants* to do it, what happens?
#CommunistRobots ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 019:25 - Thu 23 October 2014Some people like work. Even if you may think it is dull, even if they cannot do it as efficiently, even if it is dangerous - is it right to deprive someone of work they genuinely want to do?
Finally, in relation to Social Media
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
We sell our labour on social media to create data for advertising robots to fight with other algorithms over our cash.
#CommunistRobots ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 019:14 - Thu 23 October 2014A Conclusion of Sorts
The discussion was lively and interesting. There is a lot of misunderstanding about the nature of automation and how it relates to society - which is odd considering that the Spinning Jenny pre-dates The Communist Manifesto by around 80 years.
Unless we find ourselves reaching an unexpected technological bottleneck, it's clear that automation will only increase.
I don't necessarily believe that Communism is the solution to all of humanity's problems. As we continue to reduce the amount of unnecessary work, there will have to be a massive change in our economy.
There are two possibilities that those at the meeting foresaw.
- Robots which require constant care and attention.
- Total automation leading to permanent socialism.
In my opinion, we're rapidly reaching an inflection point. Low and medium skill jobs are in the process of being automated. Highly skilled jobs like accountancy can be replaced with digital tools. Computers can begin to program themselves.
Capitalism, then, faces a paradox. It need to be as efficient as possible to derive the maximum value from limited capital. But if every job is automated, the engine of consumerism stops - thus depriving it of profit.
We can't be certain that the robots are coming for all our jobs. Disemployment in administrative jobs could create new, and perhaps highly remunerative, work in sectors or occupations we can't yet anticipate. If we're lucky, that work will be engaging and meaningful. Yet there is a decent chance that "bullshit" administrative jobs are merely a halfway house between "bullshit" industrial jobs and no jobs at all. Not because of the conniving of rich interests, but because machines inevitably outmatch humans at handling bullshit without complaining.
-
Do Comrades Dream of Electric Proletariat?
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2014/11/do-comrades-dream-of-electric-proletariat/
For the benefit of those who are hard of thinking: I am not now, nor have I ever been a member of the Communist Party.
One of the delightful things about living in Oxford is that there are a wide range of events going on. Events run by people who I like, run by people I vehemently disagree with, events run by intellectuals and pseudo-intellectuals alike. I enjoy hearing from a variety of people who don't think the same things I do.
So, last week I went to "I for one welcome our new robot overlords" - a discussion run by the Communist Corresponding Society.
I live tweeted the events under Chatham House Rules - that is, these are the unattributed thoughts of the people in the room. They don't all represent my viewpoint, but I found them interesting enough to comment on.
The central thesis of the event was a little muddled. Let me try to distil it as best as I understood it.
- The notion that "the workers control the means of production" breaks down when the production is solely the preserve of robots owned by capitalists.
- Each member of society owning their own robot / 3D printer places production back in the hands of the masses.
- Increased automation leads to less work. Less work means less money. If the masses cannot afford to purchase - or have their own means of production - what drives the economy?
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Will capitalism abolish itself as works is reduced to the expenditure of capital. That us, who owns the robots who work?
#CommunistRobots ❤️ 1💬 0🔁 018:39 - Thu 23 October 2014Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Labour saving technology is the most profitable.
What does this do to The Theory of Labour #CommunistRobots ❤️ 0💬 1🔁 018:40 - Thu 23 October 2014Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
If the workers control the means of production, and the software is licensed, who owns the robots?
#CommunistRobots ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 019:04 - Thu 23 October 2014There are some interesting philosophical discussions to be had here.
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Can robots be exploited?
From a technical POV, they can be compromised - but is it the owner who is exploited?
#CommunistRobots ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 018:45 - Thu 23 October 2014Robots are, essentially, slaves. We haven't programmed them with emotions or desires (yet) - so they can't be exploited in quite the same way as human or animal can.
It is possible, however, to perform software exploits on them. A hacker could infiltrate a system and make it act contrary to its owners wishes. An extreme example of this is Stuxnet - a virus designed specifically to instruct Iran's robotic nuclear enrichment centrifuges to self-destruct.
We are already witnessing nation states engaged in cyber-warfare to diminish their rivals' technological superiority. Will multi-national companies also start attacking their rivals? Will the capitalists launch attacks on domestic robots to ensure we continue spending money?
Capitalism can never rest on its laurels. There is always a competitor snapping at their heels. This is compounded by Moore's Law.
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Capitalism rides the wave of Moore's Law. Every investment is obsoleted rapidly. Drives a maniacal growth.
#CommunistRobots ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 018:48 - Thu 23 October 2014Moore's Law states that the computing power doubles for the same cost every 18 months. The robot you buy today will be twice as powerful next year - or you can have the same one for half the price.
This relentless growth is problematic. Suppose you built a state-of-the-art factory this year. A couple of years later your rival can do the same at a reduced cost.
In a way, this hyper-capitalism is delightfully Socialist. They run around like madmen, with the side effect of making the world better for everyone.
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Reminds me of BitCoin. Capitalists invest in ridiculously quickly outdated miners. Brings benefits to entire community. #CommunistRobots ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 018:51 - Thu 23 October 2014As with all massive infrastructure projects, it is often only the State which can afford the long term investment needed.
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Are the needs of gigantic capital investment to maintain efficiency against Moore's Law driving towards State owned robots?
#CommunistRobots ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 019:39 - Thu 23 October 2014I wish I'd thought of this next point.
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
App developers are chasing gold mines. They benefit from the technological progress of the failures.
#CommunistRobots ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 018:53 - Thu 23 October 2014Most people in the "App Economy" are actually in the business of selling pick-axes to prospectors. The average miner / developer is chasing a big win that will probably never materialise. There are only a few million-dollar apps. The real money is in selling services to those developers chasing a dream.
The next few points relate to how we all survive when it's the robots performing all the labour.
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
If robots are the only ones building the cars - who can afford cars? Do new supporting industries inevitably spring up?
#CommunistRobots ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 018:56 - Thu 23 October 2014Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Driverless cars will de-skill professional drivers (taxi, bus, etc).
Any different from cars replacing horses?
#CommunistRobots ❤️ 1💬 0🔁 018:58 - Thu 23 October 2014Every new invention or labour-saving device puts someone out of work. The vacuum cleaner means we no longer need to employ maids to clean our houses.
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Is the Working Class Struggle over once low paid work is fully automated?
Do we all become middle class?
#CommunistRobots ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 019:34 - Thu 23 October 2014The robotic self-checkout means we no longer need semi-skilled people working in supermarkets. What happens to those people? Are they thrown on the scrapheap? Do we need to re-train them?
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
In 70s we were told that technology would mean the end of work. It didn't.
(Didn't it? How many people sweat for a living?)
#CommunistRobots ❤️ 0💬 1🔁 019:07 - Thu 23 October 2014Do we live in the glorious work-free future? Not quite. But we now have robots to assist with our heavy lifting. The number of people who physically exert themselves for a living has diminished.
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Can we restrict robots to only do the low value / low enjoyment / low utility work?
#CommunistRobots ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 019:09 - Thu 23 October 2014Would it be desirable for all the messy, disgusting, and degrading jobs to be done by robots? Perhaps. Are there people who can only do the jobs that robots do? What happens to them?
The conversation took a turn to the inevitability of the capitalist cause.
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Capitalism only needs to win once.
As soon as driverless tubes come in, those jobs never come back.
#CommunistRobots ❤️ 0💬 2🔁 018:59 - Thu 23 October 2014It's incredibly hard to renationalise infrastructure. The whole ratchet of capitalism is designed to be uni-directional. Once you've had an self-driving car, what would it take for you to go back?
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Do some people place value in talking to a human taxi driver?
(Will driverless cars come with genuine people personalities)
#CommunistRobots ❤️ 0💬 1🔁 019:27 - Thu 23 October 2014One of the problems with the discussion is that some people have a limited idea of what a robot is. They think it's C-3PO, or a vast car-building robot. That couldn't be further from the case.
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
People are confused between the word Robot and Android. A drinks machine replaces a waiter - but doesn't look like one.
#CommunistRobots ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 019:21 - Thu 23 October 2014When I started working in an office, there was a woman who came round with a trolley. On it was a tea urn and several packs of biscuits. That job has been replaced by a robot. Sure, the vending machine doesn't look like it came out of Star Wars - but it is a robot none-the-less. Ubiquity dulls our senses the the amazing future in which we live.
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Some people here haven't heard of self assembling robots. Or genetic algorithms. They think it is sci fi. It isn't.
#CommunistRobots ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 019:16 - Thu 23 October 2014One woman was insistent that there are some things that robots simply couldn't replace - like midwiffery. That is, in my opinion, an extremely naïve view. A foetal heartbeat monitor is a robot - as are all the various equipment surrounding the expectant mother.
At the moment, surgery is routinely carried out by robots - albeit non-autonomously. Before too long, a midwife in Beijing will control a robot in Tallahassee to assist with a birth. A few years later, the robot will be fully autonomous.
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Huge leaps in automation are coming - whether the socialist revolution likes it or not! #CommunistRobots ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 019:58 - Thu 23 October 2014On to some more political points. Capitalism, it is theorised, requires war to stay profitable and reduce the independence of the proletariat.
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Capitalists don't even need the workers to fight in their wars. They send robots to kill people. And other robots.
#CommunistRobots ❤️ 1💬 0🔁 019:55 - Thu 23 October 2014We're already seeing drones fighting drones, and computers attacking computers. Is the ultimate endgame fully robotic armies fighting each other?
As the work for the masses dries up, does the spirit of revolution increase?
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Robots are only used where Labour is more expensive. Will they drive down wages, or engender revolution?
#CommunistRobots ❤️ 0💬 1🔁 019:53 - Thu 23 October 2014What are the things that only humans can do?
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Women perform a lot of unpaid reproductive labour. Will capitalism make that more efficient? Or seek to profit from it?
#CommunistRobots ❤️ 1💬 0🔁 019:32 - Thu 23 October 2014Without getting to into The Matrix, if we can use robots to create efficiencies in reproduction then capitalists can extract more value per (female) worker.
We already entrust so much to robots. Whether it's automated call centres, or High Frequency Trading stock market algorithms. Can we fully understand what they are doing? Is it possible to understand and mitigate the risks involved?
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
HFT are robots trading with other robots in units of imaginary currency to produce things of very little social value.
#CommunistRobots ❤️ 2💬 0🔁 019:01 - Thu 23 October 2014Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
HFT algorithms - if they suffer from monoculture there is a risk of systemic failure. #CommunistRobots ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 019:54 - Thu 23 October 2014The Flash Crash has already shown us that unregulated robots can take actions which rapidly spiral out of control.
Automated decision making is a form of labour-saving. How much of our political infrastructure can we put into the hands of robots? At the moment we use Excel Macros to calculate tax rates - why not have robots get and set rates automatically?
Robots act as witnesses in court cases (CCTV, computer logs, etc) - how long before judge and jury can also be automated?
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Computers can be democratic. Aeroplanes already use multiple machines to make decisions. Can they make all state decisions?
#CommunistRobots ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 019:46 - Thu 23 October 2014These final two points are my favourites.
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Does capitalism foist technology on us?
If a robots can do the job, & a human *wants* to do it, what happens?
#CommunistRobots ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 019:25 - Thu 23 October 2014Some people like work. Even if you may think it is dull, even if they cannot do it as efficiently, even if it is dangerous - is it right to deprive someone of work they genuinely want to do?
Finally, in relation to Social Media
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
We sell our labour on social media to create data for advertising robots to fight with other algorithms over our cash.
#CommunistRobots ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 019:14 - Thu 23 October 2014A Conclusion of Sorts
The discussion was lively and interesting. There is a lot of misunderstanding about the nature of automation and how it relates to society - which is odd considering that the Spinning Jenny pre-dates The Communist Manifesto by around 80 years.
Unless we find ourselves reaching an unexpected technological bottleneck, it's clear that automation will only increase.
I don't necessarily believe that Communism is the solution to all of humanity's problems. As we continue to reduce the amount of unnecessary work, there will have to be a massive change in our economy.
There are two possibilities that those at the meeting foresaw.
- Robots which require constant care and attention.
- Total automation leading to permanent socialism.
In my opinion, we're rapidly reaching an inflection point. Low and medium skill jobs are in the process of being automated. Highly skilled jobs like accountancy can be replaced with digital tools. Computers can begin to program themselves.
Capitalism, then, faces a paradox. It need to be as efficient as possible to derive the maximum value from limited capital. But if every job is automated, the engine of consumerism stops - thus depriving it of profit.
We can't be certain that the robots are coming for all our jobs. Disemployment in administrative jobs could create new, and perhaps highly remunerative, work in sectors or occupations we can't yet anticipate. If we're lucky, that work will be engaging and meaningful. Yet there is a decent chance that "bullshit" administrative jobs are merely a halfway house between "bullshit" industrial jobs and no jobs at all. Not because of the conniving of rich interests, but because machines inevitably outmatch humans at handling bullshit without complaining.
-
Why do we continue to pay for open location data?
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2014/11/why-do-we-continue-to-pay-for-open-location-data/
I don't understand how our Government works. I understand that tough decisions often need to be made - but sometimes those decisions are so utterly without reason that you have to wonder if politicians spend most of their days "painting their noses".
The UK used to have a public sector postal service - the Royal Mail. Postmen need to know to where they were delivering mail. Postal Codes were created to help divide up the country into easily sortable destinations. And so, over time, a Postcode Address File was created. It listed every address in the UK and was the canonical source of data about UK locations.
Given that this was a public database, created with public money, for the public good - you would expect that this data would be available to benefit the public. It was not.
The Royal Mail kept their data behind lock and key - if you wanted access to it, you had to pay. Heavily.
Five years ago, the Earnest Marples project began in order to free our postcodes. They wanted the UK's nationally owned data to be available to the public at no cost. The project was swiftly killed by Royal Mail's lawyers.
Things dragged on, as they often do, until earlier this year when our Coalition Government decided to privatise the Royal Mail. I won't dwell on the fact that the sale cost the country billions of pounds. But I will point out that they also privatised the PAF. Now a private company controls our post codes and can charge pretty much what they like for access.
It's rare that I agree with a Tory MP, but Bernard Jenkin - the head of the Public Administration Select Committee was completely correct when he said:
The sale of the PAF with the Royal Mail was a mistake. Public access to public sector data must never be sold or given away again.
Sale of postcodes data was a 'mistake' say Committee - 17/03/2014
So, given that our Government professes to love Open Data - and knowing how decent location could generate billions of pounds of economic activity - what should be done?
I know! Let's pay the Open Data Institute £383,000 to recreate the data set!
Look, the ODI are properly awesome, but why are we paying them hundreds of thousands of pounds to recreate something we used to own? That's madness.
The Government is now paying a private company to create a service to deprive revenue from another private company which underpaid for a service which we sold them, even though we didn't have to, which makes a profit for the company which is still partially owned by the Government. Clear as mud.
Of course, the Government were warned in advance that privatising the PAF was a mistake. The people who warned them? The ODI!
No less a person than Sir Tim Berners-Lee criticised the sale and said:
Of course it is disappointing that the Address File has not been made public, a blow to the efficiency of UK businesses large and small. But we have hope.
The decision has been made to leave the file in the care of the Royal Mail. The Royal Mail may well decide to do the right thing and make it available as Open Data. This will allow the UK to participate in the explosion of location-based and mobile services happening around the world.
So the ODI made "very forceful" protests to the Government and warned of the economic folly. Now, in a self-fulfilling prophesy, the ODI are being paid by the Government to fix the mistakes the ODI warned against!
This raises a few questions.
How will the ODI's dataset be different from the recently privatised PAF?
We can't have paying customers of the Royal Mail and consumers of this new open dataset working to incompatible standards - that would be a nightmare.
And, if they are compatible, will the Royal Mail take steps to recoup their loss of revenue? Either by changing their data so it is no longer compatible or simply suing?
Finally, maintaining a dataset which is constantly changing incurs a significant cost - at least, that was always the justification for charging for PAF access - so how much will we have to pay the ODI each year to ensure their data is up to date?
This is such a messed up situation. Can someone please give me directions to the nearest pub?
-
Why do we continue to pay for open location data?
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2014/11/why-do-we-continue-to-pay-for-open-location-data/
I don't understand how our Government works. I understand that tough decisions often need to be made - but sometimes those decisions are so utterly without reason that you have to wonder if politicians spend most of their days "painting their noses".
The UK used to have a public sector postal service - the Royal Mail. Postmen need to know to where they were delivering mail. Postal Codes were created to help divide up the country into easily sortable destinations. And so, over time, a Postcode Address File was created. It listed every address in the UK and was the canonical source of data about UK locations.
Given that this was a public database, created with public money, for the public good - you would expect that this data would be available to benefit the public. It was not.
The Royal Mail kept their data behind lock and key - if you wanted access to it, you had to pay. Heavily.
Five years ago, the Earnest Marples project began in order to free our postcodes. They wanted the UK's nationally owned data to be available to the public at no cost. The project was swiftly killed by Royal Mail's lawyers.
Things dragged on, as they often do, until earlier this year when our Coalition Government decided to privatise the Royal Mail. I won't dwell on the fact that the sale cost the country billions of pounds. But I will point out that they also privatised the PAF. Now a private company controls our post codes and can charge pretty much what they like for access.
It's rare that I agree with a Tory MP, but Bernard Jenkin - the head of the Public Administration Select Committee was completely correct when he said:
The sale of the PAF with the Royal Mail was a mistake. Public access to public sector data must never be sold or given away again.
Sale of postcodes data was a 'mistake' say Committee - 17/03/2014
So, given that our Government professes to love Open Data - and knowing how decent location could generate billions of pounds of economic activity - what should be done?
I know! Let's pay the Open Data Institute £383,000 to recreate the data set!
Look, the ODI are properly awesome, but why are we paying them hundreds of thousands of pounds to recreate something we used to own? That's madness.
The Government is now paying a private company to create a service to deprive revenue from another private company which underpaid for a service which we sold them, even though we didn't have to, which makes a profit for the company which is still partially owned by the Government. Clear as mud.
Of course, the Government were warned in advance that privatising the PAF was a mistake. The people who warned them? The ODI!
No less a person than Sir Tim Berners-Lee criticised the sale and said:
Of course it is disappointing that the Address File has not been made public, a blow to the efficiency of UK businesses large and small. But we have hope.
The decision has been made to leave the file in the care of the Royal Mail. The Royal Mail may well decide to do the right thing and make it available as Open Data. This will allow the UK to participate in the explosion of location-based and mobile services happening around the world.
So the ODI made "very forceful" protests to the Government and warned of the economic folly. Now, in a self-fulfilling prophesy, the ODI are being paid by the Government to fix the mistakes the ODI warned against!
This raises a few questions.
How will the ODI's dataset be different from the recently privatised PAF?
We can't have paying customers of the Royal Mail and consumers of this new open dataset working to incompatible standards - that would be a nightmare.
And, if they are compatible, will the Royal Mail take steps to recoup their loss of revenue? Either by changing their data so it is no longer compatible or simply suing?
Finally, maintaining a dataset which is constantly changing incurs a significant cost - at least, that was always the justification for charging for PAF access - so how much will we have to pay the ODI each year to ensure their data is up to date?
This is such a messed up situation. Can someone please give me directions to the nearest pub?
-
Copyright Strikes Again!
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2011/11/copyright-strikes-again/
In my last post, I was talking about generating new cards for the fantastic game "Ex Libris".
I emailed the manufacturers to see if they had any objections - and to see if they were releasing any updates. With their kind permission, I'm posting their reply in full.
Dear Mr Eden,
We are delighted that you love our game 'Ex Libris' and understand your frustration about the limited number of cards in the pack, but I'm afraid that we would strongly object to you creating ' unofficial' new cards for Ex Libris that you either publish or post on your web site.
We have several reasons for objecting, but the primary reason is that you would be breaking all manner of copyright laws (UK and US) in publishing these cards without the permission of the author/publisher/agent of any work still within copyright. As I am sure you know, a book does not come out of copyright until at least 50 years after the death of its author. We would be exceedingly unhappy if you were to even suggest that your cards are 'New Cards for the Game of Ex Libris'. This would create the impression of an association between Oxford Games and yourself, which does not exist.
As you may imagine, it took a considerable effort to obtain the necessary permissions for cards in the original deck. And some authors' estates did not grant permission (Agatha Christie's for one) even though we produce Ex Libris in association with the Bodleian and British Libraries.
Finally, please be aware that we are currently working on a new set of cards for Ex Libris, which we may make available online in some form or another. We will keep you posted.
Meanwhile, I trust you understand that , well intentioned as they certainly are, we cannot endorse your efforts.
Kind regards
Leslie Scott
Oxford Games Ltd
So, the good news is new cards are coming! The bad news is that I cannot (legally) create my own to share (freely or not). To make it clear, I did not intend to create an impression of any association with Oxford Games.
I am particularly indebted to Emily Goodhand - aka "CopyrightGirl" - for providing a some advice.
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Replying to @copyrightgirl@copyrightgirl sorry, background at shkspr.mobi/blog/index.php…
Basically, if I sold / gave away cards with the opening lines of various novels. ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 014:44 - Tue 08 November 2011Emily
@copyrightgirl
Replying to @edent@edent mm interesting idea, looks like a fun game too! I wonder if the game is licensed itself? Well, given that Infopaq decided that 11.. ❤️ 0💬 1🔁 014:55 - Tue 08 November 2011Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Replying to @copyrightgirl@copyrightgirl sorry, background at shkspr.mobi/blog/index.php…
Basically, if I sold / gave away cards with the opening lines of various novels. ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 014:44 - Tue 08 November 2011Emily
@copyrightgirl
Replying to @edent@edent words constituted a substantial part, the chances are that the reproduction of a paragraph is going to infringe if you sell it.. ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 014:56 - Tue 08 November 2011Emily
@copyrightgirl
Replying to @edent@edent well, that's your answer in that case... to sell it as a game, it needs to be licensed, regardless of the medium it's on ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 014:58 - Tue 08 November 2011Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Replying to @copyrightgirl@copyrightgirl fair enough. To give the cards away for free would also need permission?
But, yes, great game. Worth buying :-)
Thanks! ❤️ 0💬 2🔁 014:59 - Tue 08 November 2011Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Replying to @copyrightgirl@copyrightgirl fair enough. To give the cards away for free would also need permission?
But, yes, great game. Worth buying :-)
Thanks! ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 014:59 - Tue 08 November 2011Emily
@copyrightgirl
Replying to @edent@edent it'd have to fall under a defence but I can't think of one that it would count as... :-s ❤️ 0💬 1🔁 015:13 - Tue 08 November 2011The "Infopaq" comment refers to a European Court of Justice decision which stated that even an 11 words excerpt was copyright infringing.
Which, is a bit annoying, but there we go. There is nothing to stop me creating cards for my own private use - or even creating cards from books in the public domain. But nothing from works still in copyright.
Many thanks to Leslie at Oxford Games for the swift and courteous response.
-
Copyright Strikes Again!
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2011/11/copyright-strikes-again/
In my last post, I was talking about generating new cards for the fantastic game "Ex Libris".
I emailed the manufacturers to see if they had any objections - and to see if they were releasing any updates. With their kind permission, I'm posting their reply in full.
Dear Mr Eden,
We are delighted that you love our game 'Ex Libris' and understand your frustration about the limited number of cards in the pack, but I'm afraid that we would strongly object to you creating ' unofficial' new cards for Ex Libris that you either publish or post on your web site.
We have several reasons for objecting, but the primary reason is that you would be breaking all manner of copyright laws (UK and US) in publishing these cards without the permission of the author/publisher/agent of any work still within copyright. As I am sure you know, a book does not come out of copyright until at least 50 years after the death of its author. We would be exceedingly unhappy if you were to even suggest that your cards are 'New Cards for the Game of Ex Libris'. This would create the impression of an association between Oxford Games and yourself, which does not exist.
As you may imagine, it took a considerable effort to obtain the necessary permissions for cards in the original deck. And some authors' estates did not grant permission (Agatha Christie's for one) even though we produce Ex Libris in association with the Bodleian and British Libraries.
Finally, please be aware that we are currently working on a new set of cards for Ex Libris, which we may make available online in some form or another. We will keep you posted.
Meanwhile, I trust you understand that , well intentioned as they certainly are, we cannot endorse your efforts.
Kind regards
Leslie Scott
Oxford Games Ltd
So, the good news is new cards are coming! The bad news is that I cannot (legally) create my own to share (freely or not). To make it clear, I did not intend to create an impression of any association with Oxford Games.
I am particularly indebted to Emily Goodhand - aka "CopyrightGirl" - for providing a some advice.
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Replying to @copyrightgirl@copyrightgirl sorry, background at shkspr.mobi/blog/index.php…
Basically, if I sold / gave away cards with the opening lines of various novels. ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 014:44 - Tue 08 November 2011Emily
@copyrightgirl
Replying to @edent@edent mm interesting idea, looks like a fun game too! I wonder if the game is licensed itself? Well, given that Infopaq decided that 11.. ❤️ 0💬 1🔁 014:55 - Tue 08 November 2011Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Replying to @copyrightgirl@copyrightgirl sorry, background at shkspr.mobi/blog/index.php…
Basically, if I sold / gave away cards with the opening lines of various novels. ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 014:44 - Tue 08 November 2011Emily
@copyrightgirl
Replying to @edent@edent words constituted a substantial part, the chances are that the reproduction of a paragraph is going to infringe if you sell it.. ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 014:56 - Tue 08 November 2011Emily
@copyrightgirl
Replying to @edent@edent well, that's your answer in that case... to sell it as a game, it needs to be licensed, regardless of the medium it's on ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 014:58 - Tue 08 November 2011Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Replying to @copyrightgirl@copyrightgirl fair enough. To give the cards away for free would also need permission?
But, yes, great game. Worth buying :-)
Thanks! ❤️ 0💬 2🔁 014:59 - Tue 08 November 2011Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Replying to @copyrightgirl@copyrightgirl fair enough. To give the cards away for free would also need permission?
But, yes, great game. Worth buying :-)
Thanks! ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 014:59 - Tue 08 November 2011Emily
@copyrightgirl
Replying to @edent@edent it'd have to fall under a defence but I can't think of one that it would count as... :-s ❤️ 0💬 1🔁 015:13 - Tue 08 November 2011The "Infopaq" comment refers to a European Court of Justice decision which stated that even an 11 words excerpt was copyright infringing.
Which, is a bit annoying, but there we go. There is nothing to stop me creating cards for my own private use - or even creating cards from books in the public domain. But nothing from works still in copyright.
Many thanks to Leslie at Oxford Games for the swift and courteous response.
-
New Cards for Ex Libris
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2011/11/new-cards-for-ex-libris/
Ex libris is a wonderful game. No - better than that - it's a beautiful game.
Here are the rules:
- Everyone has to write the opening line of a novel, based on the novel's summary.
- One player has the real opening line to copy down.
- One other player (the guesser) has to guess which of the opening lines is the real one.
- If you fool the guesser, you win the point. If the guesser is correct, she gets the point.
Simple and perfect. You don't need to be well read - you just need enough of an imagination to write what you think someone else will think the opening line of a novel is.
There's a minor problem - there are only a limited number of cards and none of them are very new. There's no Harry Potter, We Need To Talk About Kevin, or American Gods.
As with any game, it can get a little bit repetitive - once you've played it a dozen times it can become a bit obvious which are the real extracts from the books.
So, what's needed is a whole set of new cards.
The rules say:
Each card gives you the title, author and plot summary of a novel or short story.
The card also has the opening and closing sentence of the book.
So, for example, the new card for John le Carré's "Our Kind of Traitor" would say (SPOILER WARNING!)
Title: Our Kind Of Traitor
Author: John le Carré
Plot: A young Oxford academic and his girlfriend take a holiday to Antigua. By chance they bump into a Russian millionaire called Dima who owns a peninsula and a diamond-encrusted gold watch. Dima propels the young lovers on a journey to the murkiest cloisters of the City of London and its unholy alliance with Britain's Intelligence Establishment.
Opening Line: "At seven o'clock of a Caribbean morning, on the island of Antigua, one Peregrine Makepiece, otherwise known as Perry, an all-round amateur athlete of distinction and until recently tutor in English literature at a distinguished Oxford college, played three sets of tennis against a muscular, stiff-backed, bald, brown-eyed Russian man of dignified bearing in his middle fifties called Dima."
Closing Line: "Was it sex? Was it drugs? Was it arms? For want of a shred of evidence it was none of them. Terror, the great catch-all these days, has also been considered, but rejected out of hand. No group has claimed responsibility."
Making It Happen
I was planning on writing a Calibre Plugin to automate the generation of cards from my fulsome library.It would be fairly easy to extract the author, summary, and cover image.However, finding the first line from a book is a slightly tricky matter - not to mention how you determine where the last line is.
So I think I'll stick to manually for the time being.
I think this could be a great way to revatilise a wonderful game. Only a few - non-technical - problems.
Would I face a massive lawsuit from the good folk at Oxford Games? Would the insanity of the UK's copyright laws stop me?
More importantly, would anyone be interested in this? If you're an Ex Libris player and would be interested in some new cards - please leave a comment on this post!
-
New Cards for Ex Libris
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2011/11/new-cards-for-ex-libris/
Ex libris is a wonderful game. No - better than that - it's a beautiful game.
Here are the rules:
- Everyone has to write the opening line of a novel, based on the novel's summary.
- One player has the real opening line to copy down.
- One other player (the guesser) has to guess which of the opening lines is the real one.
- If you fool the guesser, you win the point. If the guesser is correct, she gets the point.
Simple and perfect. You don't need to be well read - you just need enough of an imagination to write what you think someone else will think the opening line of a novel is.
There's a minor problem - there are only a limited number of cards and none of them are very new. There's no Harry Potter, We Need To Talk About Kevin, or American Gods.
As with any game, it can get a little bit repetitive - once you've played it a dozen times it can become a bit obvious which are the real extracts from the books.
So, what's needed is a whole set of new cards.
The rules say:
Each card gives you the title, author and plot summary of a novel or short story.
The card also has the opening and closing sentence of the book.
So, for example, the new card for John le Carré's "Our Kind of Traitor" would say (SPOILER WARNING!)
Title: Our Kind Of Traitor
Author: John le Carré
Plot: A young Oxford academic and his girlfriend take a holiday to Antigua. By chance they bump into a Russian millionaire called Dima who owns a peninsula and a diamond-encrusted gold watch. Dima propels the young lovers on a journey to the murkiest cloisters of the City of London and its unholy alliance with Britain's Intelligence Establishment.
Opening Line: "At seven o'clock of a Caribbean morning, on the island of Antigua, one Peregrine Makepiece, otherwise known as Perry, an all-round amateur athlete of distinction and until recently tutor in English literature at a distinguished Oxford college, played three sets of tennis against a muscular, stiff-backed, bald, brown-eyed Russian man of dignified bearing in his middle fifties called Dima."
Closing Line: "Was it sex? Was it drugs? Was it arms? For want of a shred of evidence it was none of them. Terror, the great catch-all these days, has also been considered, but rejected out of hand. No group has claimed responsibility."
Making It Happen
I was planning on writing a Calibre Plugin to automate the generation of cards from my fulsome library.It would be fairly easy to extract the author, summary, and cover image.However, finding the first line from a book is a slightly tricky matter - not to mention how you determine where the last line is.
So I think I'll stick to manually for the time being.
I think this could be a great way to revatilise a wonderful game. Only a few - non-technical - problems.
Would I face a massive lawsuit from the good folk at Oxford Games? Would the insanity of the UK's copyright laws stop me?
More importantly, would anyone be interested in this? If you're an Ex Libris player and would be interested in some new cards - please leave a comment on this post!
-
HOWTO: Preserving BarCamps
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2010/11/howto-preserving-barcamps/
Oh! Woe is me! I can't make BarCampLondon 8. This will be the first BarCamp I've not been able to get to in ages.Following hashtags is fun, if a little disjointed. What I really need is some way I could attend virtually.....
BarCamp London
@barcamplondon
Replying to @edent@edent if you provide the cameras, the 20 person film / editing crew along with some budget sure ;) Its probably a bit much sorry! ❤️ 0💬 0♻️ 023:00 - Wed 10 November 2010Does It Need To Be So Hard?
We don't need expensive crews. We have each other! The very idea of BarCamps is that they should be self-organised. So, if you're going to BCL8 this year, here's what I would like you to do...
- Got a smartphone or a flip camcorder? Video the sessions you're in.
- Got a less-than-smart-phone or a dictaphone? Record the audio of the sessions you run or participate in.
- Got neither? Offer to hold someone else's tech while they present.
Before long, every single session will have coverage of some kind and us poor sods who can't make it will still be able to vicariously share in the pleasure of London's greatest Unconference.
Video
There are loads of places to stick video up on the web. But most services have time and size restrictions or want you to pay to store your video. YouTube is limited to 15 minutes (no good for 30 minute BarCamp sessions) and Vimeo is limited to 500MB per week (no good if you've filmed in HD).
Here are two free services which I think will suit the BarCamp Crowd.
Archive.org
Archive.org is
building a digital library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Like a paper library, we provide free access to researchers, historians, scholars, and the general public.
I believe this to be the best place to store the record of our culture.Here's a video of me running a session at BarCamp Brighton. The video is hosted by Archive.org and can be downloaded in several formats.
Videos can be any length and any format. They'll be transcoded to MP4 and Ogg Video. Best of all, video can be uploaded via FTP - which makes queuing large uploads very easy. You can, of course, upload via your browser.
One point to note, videos have to be CreativeCommons or Public Domain.
There are already around 40 BarCamp videos on Archive.org.
Qik
If you have the bandwidth, Qik is the ideal place to stream and store video. I've found the application can be a little hit-and-miss - especially if WiFi coverage gets congested.Here's my presentation from BarCamp Transparency.
(Qik videos autoplay - click on the screenshot to see the video)
Streaming Services
There are loads of sites which will let you stream video from your laptop's webcam. Please - whatever service you use - make sure that it is also recording the stream. It greatly saddens me that the presentations from awesome events like CharityHackDay are lost forever. They were streamed and then promptly vanished.
Audio
Video can be overkill. It takes a lot of effort to upload and just as much to download. It's often simpler just to record audio. Even the most basic phones tend to have a "voice record" function. Once you've got the audio, there are a number of places you can put it.
AudioBoo
Everyone loves AudioBoo. It's a great way of saving audio - although it's currently only available on iPhone. If you don't have an iPhone, you can upload any sound file you like to their website and they'll convert and host it.
Here is a recording of my session at BarCamp Brighton.
🔊 Location Based QR Codes - Introducing http://xmts.mobi/
🎤 edentI decided to separate the main body of the talk from the discussion which followed afterwards.
🔊 Discussion: Introducing http://xmts.mobi/
🎤 edentJust personal preference.
Archive.org
There's a whole bunch of BarCamp audio already up on Archive.org.
Audacity
If you want to edit your audio, I highly recommend Audacity. It's free, open source, and works on Linux, Mac and Windows.
Collating
Ok, so every session is now recorded and stored somewhere on the Internet. How do we go about organising this mass of video and audio?
Let's look at how some other conferences have done it.
OpenTech
One of the great things about OpenTech was the effort put in by the organisers to ensure every talk was preserved on wax cylinders mp3.The session page is really well laid out and has links to audio and, in some cases, slides.
But what if you can't be bothered or don't have the time to manage a web page?
Lanyrd
Currently the darling of the conference scene, Lanyrd easily allows you to add "coverage" to sessions. You can attach notes, handouts, audio, video, slides, photos or links.
Privacy
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Replying to @barcamplondon@barcamplondon @cbetta @tommorris doesn't need anything expensive. Just one person in each session recording on their phone / flip. ❤️ 1💬 0♻️ 023:25 - Wed 10 November 2010Richard Johnson
@chichard41
Replying to @edent@edent I recorded some videos of #bcl7 but they're massive to upload, some on my vimeo. Or some are "what's said in barcamp, stays in..." ❤️ 0💬 0♻️ 023:49 - Wed 10 November 2010- Some people won't want their sessions recorded. Please ask presenters to check that they're happy to be immortalised.
- Everyone hates the sound of their own voice - do let people in the audience know if you're going to be recording.
- When in doubt, edit it out.
A Plea
I really want to attend BarCamp London. And BarCamp Manchester. And all the other BarCamps which I can't get to.
Please - if you can - record your session and upload it somewhere. Even a poorly shot, noisy, unedited video is better than none.
This is our digital heritage. We should be proud of what we create and ensure that it is available for posterity.
-
HOWTO: Preserving BarCamps
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2010/11/howto-preserving-barcamps/
Oh! Woe is me! I can't make BarCampLondon 8. This will be the first BarCamp I've not been able to get to in ages.Following hashtags is fun, if a little disjointed. What I really need is some way I could attend virtually.....
BarCamp London
@barcamplondon
Replying to @edent@edent if you provide the cameras, the 20 person film / editing crew along with some budget sure ;) Its probably a bit much sorry! ❤️ 0💬 0♻️ 023:00 - Wed 10 November 2010Does It Need To Be So Hard?
We don't need expensive crews. We have each other! The very idea of BarCamps is that they should be self-organised. So, if you're going to BCL8 this year, here's what I would like you to do...
- Got a smartphone or a flip camcorder? Video the sessions you're in.
- Got a less-than-smart-phone or a dictaphone? Record the audio of the sessions you run or participate in.
- Got neither? Offer to hold someone else's tech while they present.
Before long, every single session will have coverage of some kind and us poor sods who can't make it will still be able to vicariously share in the pleasure of London's greatest Unconference.
Video
There are loads of places to stick video up on the web. But most services have time and size restrictions or want you to pay to store your video. YouTube is limited to 15 minutes (no good for 30 minute BarCamp sessions) and Vimeo is limited to 500MB per week (no good if you've filmed in HD).
Here are two free services which I think will suit the BarCamp Crowd.
Archive.org
Archive.org is
building a digital library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Like a paper library, we provide free access to researchers, historians, scholars, and the general public.
I believe this to be the best place to store the record of our culture.Here's a video of me running a session at BarCamp Brighton. The video is hosted by Archive.org and can be downloaded in several formats.
Videos can be any length and any format. They'll be transcoded to MP4 and Ogg Video. Best of all, video can be uploaded via FTP - which makes queuing large uploads very easy. You can, of course, upload via your browser.
One point to note, videos have to be CreativeCommons or Public Domain.
There are already around 40 BarCamp videos on Archive.org.
Qik
If you have the bandwidth, Qik is the ideal place to stream and store video. I've found the application can be a little hit-and-miss - especially if WiFi coverage gets congested.Here's my presentation from BarCamp Transparency.
(Qik videos autoplay - click on the screenshot to see the video)
Streaming Services
There are loads of sites which will let you stream video from your laptop's webcam. Please - whatever service you use - make sure that it is also recording the stream. It greatly saddens me that the presentations from awesome events like CharityHackDay are lost forever. They were streamed and then promptly vanished.
Audio
Video can be overkill. It takes a lot of effort to upload and just as much to download. It's often simpler just to record audio. Even the most basic phones tend to have a "voice record" function. Once you've got the audio, there are a number of places you can put it.
AudioBoo
Everyone loves AudioBoo. It's a great way of saving audio - although it's currently only available on iPhone. If you don't have an iPhone, you can upload any sound file you like to their website and they'll convert and host it.
Here is a recording of my session at BarCamp Brighton.
🔊 Location Based QR Codes - Introducing http://xmts.mobi/
🎤 edentI decided to separate the main body of the talk from the discussion which followed afterwards.
🔊 Discussion: Introducing http://xmts.mobi/
🎤 edentJust personal preference.
Archive.org
There's a whole bunch of BarCamp audio already up on Archive.org.
Audacity
If you want to edit your audio, I highly recommend Audacity. It's free, open source, and works on Linux, Mac and Windows.
Collating
Ok, so every session is now recorded and stored somewhere on the Internet. How do we go about organising this mass of video and audio?
Let's look at how some other conferences have done it.
OpenTech
One of the great things about OpenTech was the effort put in by the organisers to ensure every talk was preserved on wax cylinders mp3.The session page is really well laid out and has links to audio and, in some cases, slides.
But what if you can't be bothered or don't have the time to manage a web page?
Lanyrd
Currently the darling of the conference scene, Lanyrd easily allows you to add "coverage" to sessions. You can attach notes, handouts, audio, video, slides, photos or links.
Privacy
Terence Eden is on Mastodon
@edent
Replying to @barcamplondon@barcamplondon @cbetta @tommorris doesn't need anything expensive. Just one person in each session recording on their phone / flip. ❤️ 1💬 0♻️ 023:25 - Wed 10 November 2010Richard Johnson
@chichard41
Replying to @edent@edent I recorded some videos of #bcl7 but they're massive to upload, some on my vimeo. Or some are "what's said in barcamp, stays in..." ❤️ 0💬 0♻️ 023:49 - Wed 10 November 2010- Some people won't want their sessions recorded. Please ask presenters to check that they're happy to be immortalised.
- Everyone hates the sound of their own voice - do let people in the audience know if you're going to be recording.
- When in doubt, edit it out.
A Plea
I really want to attend BarCamp London. And BarCamp Manchester. And all the other BarCamps which I can't get to.
Please - if you can - record your session and upload it somewhere. Even a poorly shot, noisy, unedited video is better than none.
This is our digital heritage. We should be proud of what we create and ensure that it is available for posterity.
-
Video Sunglasses
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2010/11/video-sunglasses/
For a little while, I've been lusting after the Immortal Video Glasses. Sunglasses with a built in video camera - perfect for recording all my action/adventure exploits!But, at £300, I thought they were a bit out of my price range. Undoubtedly fun, yes, but not 100-pints-of-beer fun (or however you choose to measure your fun).
I wondered if anyone was selling them second-hand on eBay. They weren't. But there were a whole load of clones. "Spy Sunglasses DVR" and the like. Some were technically very impressive - bluetooth, mp3 players, fm radios - all built in.
I went for the cheapest pair I could find. 1280x960 video resolution (actually 640x480 - more on that later), no built in memory, and shipped from Hong Kong.
Total cost? £16.50. A damned site cheaper than the Immortal glasses - but would they be any good? After two weeks on a slow boat from the East, they finally arrived...
So, how well do they work?
Test Videos
Sunshine Test
Walking down Brick Lane in the dark
The video glasses I purchased said that they recorded at 1280x960 - in fact, they're only half that at 640x480. The seller has agreed a partial refund. I'm not convinced that the 1280 version would be any more than interpolated upwards.
Test Pictures
The resolution of the pics is 3264*2448. Click the pictures for full size.
The Specs (geddit?)
- Weight: 52g
- Battery:5V DC 450mAh
- Recharging Time: 3-6 hours
- Continuous working Time: 2-3 hours
- Picture Resolution: The rather odd 3264*2448.
- Video details (based on usage, not manufacturer's details)
- Video 640*480
- Audio is driven by a mono microphone on the left side.
- Mplayer says: VIDEO: [MJPG] 640x480 24bpp 29.710 fps 5479.8 kbps (668.9 kbyte/s)
- Mplayer says: AUDIO: 24000 Hz, 1 ch, u8, 192.0 kbit/100.00%
Once plugged in to USB, the camera just shows up as a USB mass storage drive. No software needed. Works perfectly on Linux.
lsusb produced
05e1:0b02 Syntek Semiconductor Co., Ltd
The Down Side
Look, it's a piece of sweatshop produced plastic. Don't expect the world, ok? That said, there are a few minor niggles.
- Mini USB rather than Micro USB. All of my gadgets use the new standard - I have plenty of mini cables, but it's a pain that this doesn't support the new standard.
- Limited to 8GB MicroSD card. To be fair, that's ~2 hours of recording time - which is what the battery is rated at.
- The lenses of the sunglasses seem to be smoked glass and don't offer any real UV protection.
- The lenses are meant to be removable (I've got a clear pair of lenses coming) but I can't find any way to remove them.
- Glasses are lightweight but feel quite fragile.
- Glasses are a little tight for my big head.
- The mono microphone picks up what the wearer is saying reasonably well - but other sounds can be quite muffled. I think this is because the mic is pointing downwards.
All that said, I'm reasonably impressed with them.
Setting The Time
One of the problems with buying cheap tat from China is that the instructions are... obtuse. As you can see in the above videos and pictures, I managed to screw up the time initially.
To set the time correctly, create a file called "time.txt" in the root directory. Open it up in your favourite text editor and type the time using this format.
2010.11.05 13.45.30 Y
That's "YYYY.MM.DD HH.MM.SS" The "Y" at the end tells the camera to place a timestamp on every video and picture. If you don't want a timestamp, write it as
2010.11.05 13.45.30 N
Once the file is saved and the camera turned on, the time will be set and the file automatically deleted.
Comparisons
Comparing the video to the hyper-expensive Looxcie
And the Immortal
I think this generic set holds up very well.
Conclusion
Under twenty quid? Bargain! It certainly falls in to the "good enough" category.
-
Video Sunglasses
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2010/11/video-sunglasses/
For a little while, I've been lusting after the Immortal Video Glasses. Sunglasses with a built in video camera - perfect for recording all my action/adventure exploits!But, at £300, I thought they were a bit out of my price range. Undoubtedly fun, yes, but not 100-pints-of-beer fun (or however you choose to measure your fun).
I wondered if anyone was selling them second-hand on eBay. They weren't. But there were a whole load of clones. "Spy Sunglasses DVR" and the like. Some were technically very impressive - bluetooth, mp3 players, fm radios - all built in.
I went for the cheapest pair I could find. 1280x960 video resolution (actually 640x480 - more on that later), no built in memory, and shipped from Hong Kong.
Total cost? £16.50. A damned site cheaper than the Immortal glasses - but would they be any good? After two weeks on a slow boat from the East, they finally arrived...
So, how well do they work?
Test Videos
Sunshine Test
Walking down Brick Lane in the dark
The video glasses I purchased said that they recorded at 1280x960 - in fact, they're only half that at 640x480. The seller has agreed a partial refund. I'm not convinced that the 1280 version would be any more than interpolated upwards.
Test Pictures
The resolution of the pics is 3264*2448. Click the pictures for full size.
The Specs (geddit?)
- Weight: 52g
- Battery:5V DC 450mAh
- Recharging Time: 3-6 hours
- Continuous working Time: 2-3 hours
- Picture Resolution: The rather odd 3264*2448.
- Video details (based on usage, not manufacturer's details)
- Video 640*480
- Audio is driven by a mono microphone on the left side.
- Mplayer says: VIDEO: [MJPG] 640x480 24bpp 29.710 fps 5479.8 kbps (668.9 kbyte/s)
- Mplayer says: AUDIO: 24000 Hz, 1 ch, u8, 192.0 kbit/100.00%
Once plugged in to USB, the camera just shows up as a USB mass storage drive. No software needed. Works perfectly on Linux.
lsusb produced
05e1:0b02 Syntek Semiconductor Co., Ltd
The Down Side
Look, it's a piece of sweatshop produced plastic. Don't expect the world, ok? That said, there are a few minor niggles.
- Mini USB rather than Micro USB. All of my gadgets use the new standard - I have plenty of mini cables, but it's a pain that this doesn't support the new standard.
- Limited to 8GB MicroSD card. To be fair, that's ~2 hours of recording time - which is what the battery is rated at.
- The lenses of the sunglasses seem to be smoked glass and don't offer any real UV protection.
- The lenses are meant to be removable (I've got a clear pair of lenses coming) but I can't find any way to remove them.
- Glasses are lightweight but feel quite fragile.
- Glasses are a little tight for my big head.
- The mono microphone picks up what the wearer is saying reasonably well - but other sounds can be quite muffled. I think this is because the mic is pointing downwards.
All that said, I'm reasonably impressed with them.
Setting The Time
One of the problems with buying cheap tat from China is that the instructions are... obtuse. As you can see in the above videos and pictures, I managed to screw up the time initially.
To set the time correctly, create a file called "time.txt" in the root directory. Open it up in your favourite text editor and type the time using this format.
2010.11.05 13.45.30 Y
That's "YYYY.MM.DD HH.MM.SS" The "Y" at the end tells the camera to place a timestamp on every video and picture. If you don't want a timestamp, write it as
2010.11.05 13.45.30 N
Once the file is saved and the camera turned on, the time will be set and the file automatically deleted.
Comparisons
Comparing the video to the hyper-expensive Looxcie
And the Immortal
I think this generic set holds up very well.
Conclusion
Under twenty quid? Bargain! It certainly falls in to the "good enough" category.
-
BarCamp Africa UK
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2009/11/barcamp-africa-uk/
I met Ethel Delali Cofie at BarCampBrighton. She was telling me that she wanted to run a BarCamp called #bcAfricaUK09. I pointed her towards the BarCampLondon 09 organisers and told her that I'd see if she could use the Vodafone Group HQ.
I woke up on Saturday morning after a long and difficult week at work. The last thing I felt like doing was making the trek into the office. I just couldn't face spending half of my precious weekend trapped within the same walls I look at every day.
I figured that I'd make the effort, show up for an hour or so and then slope off home.
How glad I am that I stayed for the whole day - it was one of the most unusual, inspiring, fun and education BarCamps I have ever attended.
Talks
The majority of the talks were streamed and recorded for posterity. You can view all the BarCamp Africa UK videos at TweetCam. This is definitely something that other BarCamps should do. Not only does it capture interesting talks, it also means that if there is a clash between two talks, you can go to one safe in the knowledge you can catch the other one later.
The sessions board
I tweeted some of the more interesting snippets of the talks and tagged the #bcAfricaUK09. Here are the highlights...
Africa's Development Priorities
A bunch of us sat around and created a paper Wiki while we discussed what we thought the leading social, technological and developmental priorities were for Africa.
Smart Buildings
You know when people say "that literally blew my mind" and that snide part of you thinks "stop abusing the word 'literally' or I'll literally give you a slap"?
After Rachel Armstrong's talk I was left with smoke coming out of my ears as I struggled to comprehend what I'd just seen. Inexpensive table-top chemistry showing how you could create self repairing buildings, carbon capturing bacteria, re-floating Venice.
The possibilities seem endless. I think everyone in the room was left reeling with the possibilities this technology opens up.
OLPC
This was a chance for Professor Cornelia Boldyreff to discuss the work she and her students are doing with the One Laptop Per Child project. Specifically talking about how you can download Sugar on a Stick and start developing for OLPC whether you're on Linux, PC or Mac.
Digital Language Preservation
Can we use technology to preserve language which are in danger of disappearing,Some very interesting ideas about how tools like AudioBoo can preserve indigenous languages, but also help teach the next generation the language of their ancestors.
Innovators and Entrepreneurs
What are the challenges facing the upcoming generation of talented business-people and inventors?
Logistics
Curiously, everyone was given a printed sheet with details of all the proposed talks. While somewhat against the spirit of the three word rule, it gave presenters a chance to expand on their themes which, in turn, helped participants work out which talks they wanted to attend.
Proposed Talks
There was a sign up sheet by every talk so organisers could assign rooms. This prevented the social awkwardness which ensues when a presenter books a cavernous room, only to have a few people turn up - it also prevents overcrowding at popular talks.
The organisers came round to let presenters know when they had 5 minutes left. They also turned up at the end of each session to let us know where the next talks were taking place. This really aided the smooth flow of the day.
Despite the meticulous planning, the day ended up running around 20-40 minutes late. I was reliably informed that this was because we were running on Kenyan time!
Nevertheless, the day went off without a hitch.
Lunch
Two words. Hummus Brothers.
Mmmmmm
This made such a delicious change from the normal BarCamp fare of sandwiches and pizza. There was a great mix of vegetarian, vegan and carnivore topped hummus as well as salads, falafel, and fresh vegetables. There was also a smattering of African snacks; plantain sweet potato chips and the like.
A great communal lunch lead to loads of interesting conversations - not all about how yummy the food was! - and produced a really fun atmosphere. I wish every day at work could be this enjoyable.
Spirit
This was one of the most fun BarCamps I have ever been to. There was a real sense of unity and purpose. It was an honour and a privilege to have played even a small role in its organisation. The mixture of people from all over the planet, the joy and exuberance, the stunning talks and awe inspiring participants made this a truly memorable BarCamp - I can't wait for next year!
Bonus!
I was given this shockingly yellow T-ShirtThis may be one of the few images of me where I'm not dressed entirely in black!
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BarCamp Africa UK
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2009/11/barcamp-africa-uk/
I met Ethel Delali Cofie at BarCampBrighton. She was telling me that she wanted to run a BarCamp called #bcAfricaUK09. I pointed her towards the BarCampLondon 09 organisers and told her that I'd see if she could use the Vodafone Group HQ.
I woke up on Saturday morning after a long and difficult week at work. The last thing I felt like doing was making the trek into the office. I just couldn't face spending half of my precious weekend trapped within the same walls I look at every day.
I figured that I'd make the effort, show up for an hour or so and then slope off home.
How glad I am that I stayed for the whole day - it was one of the most unusual, inspiring, fun and education BarCamps I have ever attended.
Talks
The majority of the talks were streamed and recorded for posterity. You can view all the BarCamp Africa UK videos at TweetCam. This is definitely something that other BarCamps should do. Not only does it capture interesting talks, it also means that if there is a clash between two talks, you can go to one safe in the knowledge you can catch the other one later.
The sessions board
I tweeted some of the more interesting snippets of the talks and tagged the #bcAfricaUK09. Here are the highlights...
Africa's Development Priorities
A bunch of us sat around and created a paper Wiki while we discussed what we thought the leading social, technological and developmental priorities were for Africa.
Smart Buildings
You know when people say "that literally blew my mind" and that snide part of you thinks "stop abusing the word 'literally' or I'll literally give you a slap"?
After Rachel Armstrong's talk I was left with smoke coming out of my ears as I struggled to comprehend what I'd just seen. Inexpensive table-top chemistry showing how you could create self repairing buildings, carbon capturing bacteria, re-floating Venice.
The possibilities seem endless. I think everyone in the room was left reeling with the possibilities this technology opens up.
OLPC
This was a chance for Professor Cornelia Boldyreff to discuss the work she and her students are doing with the One Laptop Per Child project. Specifically talking about how you can download Sugar on a Stick and start developing for OLPC whether you're on Linux, PC or Mac.
Digital Language Preservation
Can we use technology to preserve language which are in danger of disappearing,Some very interesting ideas about how tools like AudioBoo can preserve indigenous languages, but also help teach the next generation the language of their ancestors.
Innovators and Entrepreneurs
What are the challenges facing the upcoming generation of talented business-people and inventors?
Logistics
Curiously, everyone was given a printed sheet with details of all the proposed talks. While somewhat against the spirit of the three word rule, it gave presenters a chance to expand on their themes which, in turn, helped participants work out which talks they wanted to attend.
Proposed Talks
There was a sign up sheet by every talk so organisers could assign rooms. This prevented the social awkwardness which ensues when a presenter books a cavernous room, only to have a few people turn up - it also prevents overcrowding at popular talks.
The organisers came round to let presenters know when they had 5 minutes left. They also turned up at the end of each session to let us know where the next talks were taking place. This really aided the smooth flow of the day.
Despite the meticulous planning, the day ended up running around 20-40 minutes late. I was reliably informed that this was because we were running on Kenyan time!
Nevertheless, the day went off without a hitch.
Lunch
Two words. Hummus Brothers.
Mmmmmm
This made such a delicious change from the normal BarCamp fare of sandwiches and pizza. There was a great mix of vegetarian, vegan and carnivore topped hummus as well as salads, falafel, and fresh vegetables. There was also a smattering of African snacks; plantain sweet potato chips and the like.
A great communal lunch lead to loads of interesting conversations - not all about how yummy the food was! - and produced a really fun atmosphere. I wish every day at work could be this enjoyable.
Spirit
This was one of the most fun BarCamps I have ever been to. There was a real sense of unity and purpose. It was an honour and a privilege to have played even a small role in its organisation. The mixture of people from all over the planet, the joy and exuberance, the stunning talks and awe inspiring participants made this a truly memorable BarCamp - I can't wait for next year!
Bonus!
I was given this shockingly yellow T-ShirtThis may be one of the few images of me where I'm not dressed entirely in black!
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Boffoonery
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2009/11/boffoonery/
It's been a rollercoaster year for Bletchley Park. Studiously ignored by the Government for so long, the British home of cryptography and computing is finally getting the recognition it deserves. However, it is still badly short of funds. Looks like they need....
A Benefit Gig!
Thus was born Boffoonery! A comedy gig to raise money for Bletchley. Starring Robert Llewellyn, Robin Ince, Richard Herring and a host of other British comedians, the event quickly sold out.
Boffoonery
@boffoonery
OK, it's official. #boffoonery seats all gone. standing room only. (He says as he lights his big fat producer's cigar!) ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 011:42 - Tue 08 September 2009So, Was It Any Good?
Because interest in ancient computers tends to attract the geeky demographic, it didn't surprise me that so much of the humour revolved around science, technology and general geekery.
The show opened with the marvellous Simon Singh who demonstrated an original Enigma Machine. He also took some very welcome pot-shots at The Bible Code and other such flim-flamemry.
We saw sketches by Punt and Dennis, Laurence and Gus, and John Finnemore and Margaret Cabourn-Smith. There was also stand-up from Robin Ince, Dave Gorman and Richard Herring. And no doubt a few more people who have dropped out of my pretty little head.
The second half featured a bizarre gameshow hosted by Robert Llewellyn. For some reason Johnny Ball used a set of anal beads to demonstrate how to find the square root of any number.
The audience seemed to be comprised entirely of twitter users. It made for a very sympathetic audience who lapped up all the scientific humour.
Now What?
Go visit. I went to Bletchley earlier this year - it's a great day out. An amazing story in beautiful surroundings. I'm guessing you're reading this on a computer. You owe much of the technical advances which make that possible - not to mention your freedom - on the clandestine activities of Bletchley Park. Tickets are a tenner, so what are you waiting for?
-
Boffoonery
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2009/11/boffoonery/
It's been a rollercoaster year for Bletchley Park. Studiously ignored by the Government for so long, the British home of cryptography and computing is finally getting the recognition it deserves. However, it is still badly short of funds. Looks like they need....
A Benefit Gig!
Thus was born Boffoonery! A comedy gig to raise money for Bletchley. Starring Robert Llewellyn, Robin Ince, Richard Herring and a host of other British comedians, the event quickly sold out.
Boffoonery
@boffoonery
OK, it's official. #boffoonery seats all gone. standing room only. (He says as he lights his big fat producer's cigar!) ❤️ 0💬 0🔁 011:42 - Tue 08 September 2009So, Was It Any Good?
Because interest in ancient computers tends to attract the geeky demographic, it didn't surprise me that so much of the humour revolved around science, technology and general geekery.
The show opened with the marvellous Simon Singh who demonstrated an original Enigma Machine. He also took some very welcome pot-shots at The Bible Code and other such flim-flamemry.
We saw sketches by Punt and Dennis, Laurence and Gus, and John Finnemore and Margaret Cabourn-Smith. There was also stand-up from Robin Ince, Dave Gorman and Richard Herring. And no doubt a few more people who have dropped out of my pretty little head.
The second half featured a bizarre gameshow hosted by Robert Llewellyn. For some reason Johnny Ball used a set of anal beads to demonstrate how to find the square root of any number.
The audience seemed to be comprised entirely of twitter users. It made for a very sympathetic audience who lapped up all the scientific humour.
Now What?
Go visit. I went to Bletchley earlier this year - it's a great day out. An amazing story in beautiful surroundings. I'm guessing you're reading this on a computer. You owe much of the technical advances which make that possible - not to mention your freedom - on the clandestine activities of Bletchley Park. Tickets are a tenner, so what are you waiting for?