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Stephen Bush in the FT arguing for increased technical literacy:
Even in the UK, a country that is fairly maths-resistant, there is a general belief that everyone ought to leave school able to do basic arithmetic. But we think nothing of the fact that the average politician is simply not equipped to act either as a commissioner of technological services or as a regulator. Nor do we seem especially exercised by the fact that the average voter leaves school without the ability or the knowhow to really understand debates about the basic fundamentals of computer code.
I think that people often assume a learned helplessness or a prideful ignorance when it comes to code and technology. We are missing opportunities because of this.
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🍿 Watched All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)
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An excellent article on accessibility and inclusion:
Why is it about their including or not including us? Why is it never about us and whether or not we include them?
Here, the Protactile interpreter operated as my friend’s partner, making subjective yet vital contributions. When he found her dismissal of COVID-19 odd, he pressed her on the topic. An ASL interpreter would never have done that, unless they allowed their instincts to overrule their training.
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Started reading: Ideology by Michael Freeden for my Open University course on political institutions 📚
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Apparently the “36 questions that lead to love” were different to those reported in the NYT - originally 40, with more romance and role playing twitter.com/ivanvendr…
Fun fact: I did some of these on one of my first dates with Harriet.
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On the limits of first principle reasoning, using the example of cash flow: commoncog.com/cash-flow… 🔗
Ultimately, we hold beliefs that are good enough for our goals. We only re-examine them when we discover that they no longer serve us in the pursuit of our ambitions.
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I’m starting to promote the January EdinburghJS Meetup - a talk on WebXR development and socialising.
I’m keen to keep building a consistent community this year - last year we had (thanks to Covid restrictions!) just one January attendee!
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Resolutions and aspirations for 2023
Running:
- 1000km
- No zero weeks
Reading
- Min 1 fiction per month
- Rise and Fall of Civilisations Reader Course
Cooking
- 1 new dish per month
Projects
- EdinburghJS Improvement
- Open University - Political Institutions course
I also have some private resolutions for family and friends.
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Went up to Threipmuir Reservoir this afternoon. As part of a new year’s resolution to go open water swimming, @hazzacol figured we should get in some water once a month. In January we did the Northumberland sea. Today, this reservoir for a twenty second cold splash. Helps with defeating the flinch, and makes it more likely that we’ll go for a proper swim when we get the chance in the summer. Also, it’s just nice to be out on such a beautiful day. ☀️