#IT #computing #programming #obituary
Tony Brooker obituary
Inventor of the first practical computer programming language
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/dec/05/tony-brooker-obituary
#politics #MSM #socialmedia #facebook #twitter #smartphones #democracy
Uncovered: reality of how smartphones turned election news into chaos
#politics #brexit #eu #uk #democracy
Brexit will ultimately destabilise Europe, historians fear
#politics #news #ethics #facebook #Islamophobia #global #usa #democracy
Inside the hate factory: how Facebook fuels far-right profit
#politics #brexit #eu #germany #uk #democracy #xenophobia #racism
BREXIT BRITAIN
I feel deeply ashamed about this!
Reposting some old comments on UEFI, since I got riled up about it again:
UEFI is perhaps the single most egregious pile of garbage ever concieved by humans. I don't think it's possible to overstate how awful it truly is.
Here's how BIOS works: basically, the computer loads the first 512 bytes of disk into memory and jumps to it. The OS takes over from there and does whatever it needs to, like bootstrapping stage 2 and loading the kernel from the filesystem. The spec[0] is 46 pages long and you are granted the rights to reproduce, distribute, and implement it free of charge.
Want to know how UEFI works? The spec[1] is a 2,899 page PDF which you have to pay to use in any way, including writing an implementation.
Every copy of this specification should be found and burned. The ashes should be buried deep in a dark place and the earth above salted.
[0] https://web.archive.org/web/20110715081320/http://www.phoenix.com/resources/specs-bbs101.pdf
Evidently almost no educated middle class person understands the concept of "presumption of innocence". Or that an arrest is not proof of guilt. Or that bail is given pre-trial. Or the prosecution has to prove the case. Or that punishment is pronounced after the verdict. Or that innocent people often get accused. Or that killing a random person because you are upset on behalf of the victim makes you no different from a rioter. Or that mob vigilante justice is no justice at all.
@design_RG I couldn't agree more. And my judgements aren't formed by newspaper articles or social media comments, but by people who personally know the man. The stakes at this General Election just couldn't be higher. Ultimately it's not so much about Brexit or the UK, but about the future of democracy and the future of the planet.
It is hard enough to remember my opinions, without also remembering my reasons for them!
– Friedrich Nietzsche
@design_RG Here is mention in the history books of one of my ancestors from 1442, a direct male ancestor.
#phidoc #music #books #literature #symi
PHIDOC
Please note that November’s Book of the Month is Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Remains of the Day and the Track of the Month is 'Closer to Fine' by Indigo Girls.
Director of the Centre for Information Ethics and Public Policy
Personal website:
My interests include:
#cyberethics #privacy #censorship #encryption #steganography #decentralised_internet #AI #philosophy #ethics #politics #psychedelic_research #music #film #symi #mycology