Tag: uk

Bookmarks for July 25, 2011

  • Atos case study: Larry Newman | Society | The Guardian
    A man who *was dying* of a degenerative condition was refused incapacity benefit. His last words: "It's a good thing I'm fit to work". I don't mind the idea that we assess people to determine if they're fit to work when working out who to give benefit to – it is not, in itself, an unconscionable idea, that a neutral 3rd party make some kind of informed judgement, before we start giving people free money, however well deserved and much need that money may be. I mind that that we do in in such a a shockingly inhumane and incompetent manner, without apparent reference to people's actual medical conditions.
    Tags: politics, health, uk, disabilities

Links for Tuesday July 12th 2011 through Wednesday July 13th 2011

  • Computer reads manual, wins Civ – Edge Magazine
    Yes is pretty much exactly what you might think. Scientists at MIT have built a computer that is capable of teaching itself to play (and win) a moderately complex computer game. I know plenty of people who can't do that.
    Tags: ai, games
  • An Eye-Opening Adventure in Socialized Medicine | NeuroTribes
    I don't imagine there's anyone I know reading this who doesn't think that socialised medicine is a basic human right, but just in case I do know anyone who is actually daft enough to believe that the American "system" of health care is better than a British (at least at the moment, before the current pack of jackals have finished chopping it's legs off), then I invite you to read this cheering little narrative. The rest of you should read it just because it'll make you feel good.
    Tags: uk, nhs, healthcare

Bookmarks for July 1, 2011

  • BBC News – Ed Miliband: 'These strikes are wrong'
    Look just go and watch this, if you haven't seen it by now. And please bear in mind that this is, allegedly, someone who would quite like to run the country. Because I don't know about you, but this reminds me of nothing so much as a lightly concussed goldfish.
    Tags: politics, uk
  • Justice: RIP? | Beneath The Wig
    An absolutely sterling article of the recent trail of Levi Bellfield, in defiance of the recent round of Tabloid mentalism over the fact that Bellfield was, in essence, entitled to as full a defence as the next person. Was it sad, and painful for the parents? Yes, and of course they deserve compassion. Was it also in the best interests of justice? Yes. We should not let shoddy tabloid journalism encourage us to think otherwise.
    Tags: uk, law

Bookmarks for May 31, 2011

Bookmarks for April 4, 2011

  • Why #StartUpBritain is nothing more than a government backed link farm
    I have some interesting in start-ups – I've worked at a couple, and I hope to work at more later in my career. I am dismayed to see that this government, with claims to value entrepreneurship so highly, is essentially devaluing the hard work and enterprise that goes into them by offering a package of "help" that amounts to nothing more that a series of money-off vouchers roughly akin to the usual supermarket "£5 off when you spend £20", and links to sites that frankly, encourage deeply unethical business practices.
    Tags: politics, business, uk
  • Rogue on the Sofa
    One that'll appeal to the old school computer gaming nerds. And probably provide you with a few new games to play.
    Tags: history, games, rogue

Links for Sunday February 27th 2011 through Monday February 28th 2011

  • Pattern | CLiPS
    Python module for datamining and data visualisation. Just in case/
    Tags: analysis, datamining, python
  • Tory council to make homelessness illegal « Labour Uncut
    While Dangerous Dave Cameron talks about the Big Society, and tells us that we must all hel[ one another, because the government would just as soon see us die in the gutter, another group of his friends are attempting to make it illegal for us to help one another, presumably because the Tories have nothing but contempt for anyone who wasn't born into wealth, and wish to see us all die in a gutter.
    Tags: politics, uk, big_society, cunts

Bookmarks for February 8, 2011

Bookmarks for January 18, 2011

Bookmarks for January 13, 2011

  • A List Apart: Articles: A Simpler Page
    Discussion of laying out text for ipads (or similar) on the web, and a library to to the rendering. Particularly like the three modes – bed, knee and breakfast pretty neatly describe all the ways I use my device.
    Tags: design, books, ipad
  • Come out of your comfort zone, disability living allowance cuts are relevant to all | Society | guardian.co.uk
    An excellent article on the cuts to DLA. Cannot quite believe that even this government of utter shits would essentially say "one in five people who have previously been assessed as needing help now won't get it". And yet they are. There's no suggestion that the previous tests were flawed. There's no (credible) suggestion that fully one in five of disabled people are OK, really, and just scrounging. They're hiding behind "we can't afford it". Which makes my blood boil. Surely, even in a time of national austerity, the one thing we should bend over backwards to afford, the one thing we should scrap all manner of other things to pay for, is caring for the most vulnerable members of our society.
    Tags: uk, cuts, dla