rlamacraft @rlamacraft@qoto.org

Just learning about the resurgence of companies pursuing super-sonic commercial flights, which to me just sounds like an absolutely awful idea. The last thing we need is the world’s super rich polluting more, both for climate change and for not ruining the otherwise quiet rural spaces between cities.

Pretty funny SMBC comic on cryptocurrencies https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/nanacoin

https://youtube.com/watch?v=U4D0wJNYtWs Always love the random things this guy does with lasers

Grolar bears is objectively a better portmanteau than Pizzly bears https://nypost.com/2021/04/14/polar-bears-are-mating-with-grizzlies-to-become-pizzly-bears/

If currencies were divisible by 12, like say if there were 240 pennies in a pound, everybody’s salary would divide perfectly into 12 equal paycheques. #£sd

You know what’s strange: despite spending something like 11 years taking near daily English classes throughout my childhood I don’t remember anyone mentioning that English does in fact have words that have accents. It’s like some form of collective amnesia, some quirk of the language we all use everyday that nobody talks about. What are the rules for the vowels? Why are they there? Why some words and not others?

I don’t smoke, and do not understand why anyone would want to, but this seems like huge government over-reach in New Zealand. If an adult wants to spend their money damaging their lungs why shouldn’t they be able to? If it causes a high burden on socialised healthcare then tax the hell out of it, but there’s no need for the government to tell people what they can or can’t do
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/16/new-zealand-aims-to-create-smoke-free-generation-cigarettes

> The FBI Is Now Securing Networks Without Their Owners’ Permission
You know what, I’m not against this. For systems of national importance governments probably should be able to compel companies to fix their broken systems and failing that take the necessary action themselves.

https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2021/04/the-fbi-is-now-securing-networks-without-their-owners-permission.html

TIL The TV channel Dave is owned by UKTV, itself owned by BBC Studios; a commercial subsidy of the BBC.

The BBC really needs to be reigned in, irregardless of how it’s funded. There’s no excuse for a state sanctioned monopoly over broadcast entertainment.

Am really not convinced by all this talk of react being performant: just doing some performance testing and found it took 3 seconds to set a Boolean variable…

I know people wouldn’t like it but I still think passengers should be weighed before flying

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/09/tui-plane-serious-incident-every-miss-on-board-child-weight-birmingham-majorca