Reading

In Memoriam: Gervase Markham

http://ebb.org/bkuhn/blog/2018/07/29/gerv.html
Created
Mon, 30/07/2018 - 07:30

Yesterday, we lost an important member of the FLOSS community. Gervase Markham finally succumbed to his battle with cancer (specifically, metastatic adenoid cystic carcinoma).

I met Gerv in the early 2000s, after he'd already been diagnosed. He has always been very public about his illness. He was frank with all who knew him that his life expectancy was sadly well below average due to that illness. So, this outcome isn't a surprise nor a shock, but it is nevertheless sad and unfortunate for all who knew him.

Politics: A View from the Stalls

https://failedestate.com/politics-a-view-from-the-stalls/
Created
Sun, 29/07/2018 - 13:31
In the aftermath of the ‘Super Saturday’ by-elections, the professional media types squeezed into their box seats on the ABC’s ‘flagship political discussion program ‘Insiders’ to discuss how the political commentariat (not looking at anyone) had got it so wrong, again. Despite the media spending a month telling people that the story […]

When Meat Salespeople Call Vegans “fundamentalists”

http://ebb.org/bkuhn/blog/2018/07/23/butchers-and-vegans.html
Created
Tue, 24/07/2018 - 06:21

Someone linked me to this blog by a boutique proprietary software company complaining about porting to GNU/Linux systems, in which David Power, co-founder of Hiri, says:

Unfortunately, the fundamentalist FOSS mentality we encountered on Reddit is still alive and well. Some Linux blogs and Podcasts simply won’t give us the time of day.

I just want to quickly share a few analogous quotes that show why that statement is an unwarranted and unfair statement about people's reasonably held beliefs. First, imagine if Hiri were not a proprietary software company, but a butcher. Here's how the quote would sound:

Unfortunately, the fundamentalist vegan mentality we encountered on Reddit is still alive and well. Some vegetarian blogs and Podcasts simply won’t give us the time of day.

Hatfitz and Cara hit the UK

http://www.hatfitzandcara.com/hatfitz-and-cara-hit-the-uk/
Created
Mon, 23/07/2018 - 22:17
UK July 22 West End Centre Aldershot July 23  ~recording London ~ July 24 Norden Farm Maidenhead July 25 Exeter Phoenix July 26 Emsworth Sports & Social Club, Emsworth July 27 Port Eliot Festival, St Germans, Cornwall July 28 Port Eliot Festival, St Germans, Cornwall July 29 Fishery Wharf Cafe Boxmoor Hemel Hempstead EUROPE August [...]

Motorbike Ride

https://tregeagle.com/motorbike-ride.html
Created
Mon, 16/07/2018 - 18:15

I took the motorbike (which I tend to think of as on loan from John Lee) up the road today. It flew like a Mongolian pony on the steppes. It was great. Winter days here are just perfect. The air is chilled and the sun flashing between the trees is …

On Avoiding Conflation of Political Speech and Hate Speech

http://ebb.org/bkuhn/blog/2018/07/12/oscon-no-politics-allowed.html
Created
Thu, 12/07/2018 - 19:40

If you're one of the people in the software freedom community who is attending O'Reilly's Open Source Software Convention (OSCON) next week here in Portland, you may have seen debate about O'Reilly and Associates (ORA)'s surreptitious Code of Conduct change (and quick revocation thereof) to name “political affiliation” as a protected class. If you're going to OSCON or plan to go to an OSCON or ORA event in the future, I suggest that you familiarize yourself with this issue and the political historical context in which these events of the last few days take place.

Toasted Sandwich

https://tregeagle.com/toasted-sandwich.html
Created
Mon, 09/07/2018 - 05:02

Feeling hungry at the end of a long day my colleague and I found ourselves remembering Breville sandwich toasters with mouthwateringly fond memories.

The Fantastical Breville Sandwich Toaster
Do you remember the Breville Sandwich Toaster?

Toast is banned at work due to the smoke alarms that call the fire brigade everytime toast is burnt which …

The Everyday Sexism That I See In My Work

http://ebb.org/bkuhn/blog/2018/06/21/everyday-sexism.html
Created
Fri, 22/06/2018 - 04:40

My friend, colleague, and boss, Karen Sandler, yesterday tweeted about one of the unfortunately sexist incidents that she's faced in her life. This incident is a culmination of sexist incidents that Karen and I have seen since we started working together. I describe below how these events entice me to be complicit in sexist incidents, which I do my best to actively resist.

Ultimately, this isn't about me, Karen, or about a single situation, but this is a great example of how sexist behaviors manipulate a situation and put successful women leaders in no-win situations. If you read this tweet (and additionally already knew about Software Freedom Conservancy where I work)…

I Say, I Say

https://tregeagle.com/i-say-i-say.html
Created
Mon, 18/06/2018 - 13:03

“Toby, Toby! Here boy!” called my dog, Alfie. It was time for our walk. I ran in from the backyard where I had been digging up weeds. Alfie and I walked to the park. Peeing amongst some weeds along the way Alfie commented on the weather. I was distracted as …

Canada & Europe Tour

http://www.hatfitzandcara.com/canada-europe-tour/
Created
Fri, 15/06/2018 - 18:50
CANADA July 7 -8  Mariposa Festival Orillia, Ontario July 11  RBC Ottawa Bluesfest Ottawa, Ontario July 12  RBC Ottawa Bluesfest Barney Danson Theatre Ottawa, Ontario July 13 Stewart Park Festival, Perth Ontario July 14 Stewart Park Festival, Perth Ontario July 14 The Heartwood Restaurant, Combermere, Ontario July 18 Lula Lounge, Toronto Ontario July 19 Ellena's Cafe, Napanee [...]

Does Fintech Change Everything?

https://modernmoneynetwork.org/symposia/does-fintech-change-everything
Created
Mon, 04/06/2018 - 04:06
The Role of the State in the Future of Money
Series: 
MMx Seminars

6:00pm, Wednesday, June 13th

Room H713, The New School

72 5th Ave (corner of 5th and 13th), New York City

This friendly roundtable debate explores the rise of cryptocurrency, blockchain, and related digital financial technologies, and their relationship to legal authority and state power.

Co-sponsored by the New School Public and Urban Policy Doctoral Student Association.

Kabuki Economics

https://failedestate.com/kabuki-economics/
Created
Thu, 10/05/2018 - 10:45
One of the first budgets I covered as a journalist spelt the end of the career of the man who delivered it. John Dawkins, who had been finance minister in the formidable first Hawke cabinet of 1983, had finally achieved his ambition of taking the treasury portfolio after Paul Keating […]

Little Dawn

https://tregeagle.com/little-dawn.html
Created
Sat, 28/04/2018 - 12:22

I recieved a call from my boss yesterday. Who my mother rudely described as, “mouthy”. I asked what she meant by that and she said they, “sounded like they would not use one word where many would suffice”. Indeed.

I might use the expression, “Wordy” but probably not. My mother …

A novel way of defending against mass uses of our data

https://jz.cyber.harvard.edu/2018/04/06/a-novel-way-of-defending-against-mass-u…
Created
Sat, 07/04/2018 - 01:57
Permalink to this post AI is getting better at performing mass categorization of photos and text. A developer can scrape a bunch of photos from, say, Facebook — either directly, likely violating the terms of service, or through offering an app by which people consent to the access — and then use a well-trained categorizer […]

A novel way of defending against mass uses of our data

https://blogs.harvard.edu/jzwrites/2018/04/06/a-novel-way-of-defending-against-…
Created
Sat, 07/04/2018 - 01:57
Permalink to this post AI is getting better at performing mass categorization of photos and text. A developer can scrape a bunch of photos from, say, Facebook — either directly, likely violating the terms of service, or through offering an app by which people consent to the access — and then use a well-trained categorizer […]

Fleets/WestConnex – Ashfield, NSW

https://pastlivesofthenearfuture.com/2018/02/28/fleets-westconnex-ashfield-nsw/
Created
Wed, 28/02/2018 - 21:59
Remember when Michael Jordan went from dominating basketball to embarrassing baseball? Today’s subject is a little bit like that, only without the Bugs Bunny team-up to make it palatable (I asked, he’s a busy rabbit). Still sports-related, mind you. https://youtu.be/iWURvRHDlJU?t=3m59s WHOA! Are you into top gear yet? Back in 1994, the clamorous Tony D’Allura was […]