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In the 1980s, the BBC funded The Computer Literacy Project. They commissioned a home computer (the BBC Micro) and software, and broadcast many features. These (267 of them) are online. See Chris Serles, Gill Nevill, Ian McNaught Davis, Bernard Falk, Lesley Judd, Fred Harris and others and grapple with topics such as programming in BASIC, the Sinclair ZX80, how crap much educational software is, simulating the British economy, robots making harpsichords using Pascal, the ridiculous idea of connecting computers around the world, and what should happen if machines can do things better than people. There's also a project history, a timeline and 166 BBC Micro Software programs. Some materials also on archive.org, and the continuing need for IT education in the UK.
posted by Wordshore at 10:21 PM PST - 38 comments

The Norwegian Consumer Council (Forbrukerrådet), a government agency that promotes and protects the rights of consumers, has published a report in English [pdf link] on how Facebook, Google and Windows 10 use dark patterns to manipulate users.
posted by Vesihiisi at 9:09 PM PST - 17 comments

And now the news: The wonderful Mash Report gives us another vital story. (slyt, swearing)
posted by Mogur at 7:12 PM PST - 9 comments

Amsterdam drained a canal and put everything they found online, piece by piece, chronologically, and you can see it all, from guns to [more inside]
posted by mygothlaundry at 6:45 PM PST - 69 comments

100 years ago last week, the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus Train Wreck occurred near Hammond Indiana. Let the History Guy tell you the story. Wikipedia.
posted by pjern at 6:19 PM PST - 5 comments

20 minutes of HD slow-motion footage of a common nighthawk (SLYT)
posted by rebent at 6:13 PM PST - 5 comments

What is so evocative about industrial robots in colorful clothes? Feast your eyes on Robosuits. Robo-Gear. Robot Covers. [more inside]
posted by drdanger at 5:23 PM PST - 16 comments

The fact that they never did suggests that the group’s members—400 prominent, influential figures in academia, media, and publishing—would rather keep trans people at a safe, anthropological remove where they can talk about trans people without speaking to trans people directly.

Harron Walker: Private Messages Reveal the Cis Journalist Groupthink Behind Trans Media Narratives [more inside]
posted by MartinWisse at 4:41 PM PST - 77 comments

The Neuroscience of Pain: Brain imaging is illuminating the neural patterns behind pain’s infinite variety.
posted by homunculus at 3:20 PM PST - 13 comments

Titanic's Distress Calls as Text The increasing desperation of the SOS and CQD messages after Titanic hit the iceberg on April 15, 1912, mixed with a certain banality of "old man" exchanges, is reproduced as text messages with the SOS sounding in the background. Amazing how much time is spent repeating the same thing while the Titanic operator remains calm yet is clearly begging for help. On Youtube. Some history on CQD/SOS distress calls
posted by etaoin at 3:07 PM PST - 45 comments

Fortnite Is Bad But Sony's Refusal to Play Nice Is Worse [Gizmodo] “Earlier this week, Nintendo delighted Fortnite fans by announcing that the game, which might just be the most popular game being played right now, was coming to the Switch immediately. Even better, Switch players would be able to compete with PC and Xbox players, too—instant digital distribution and multiplayer open to all! Nintendo’s announcement felt like a dream come true after years of console makers refusing to play nice. But it isn’t a dream, because Sony continues to flip the bird to its competitors and Fortnite players on the PS4 are being left out in the cold, unable to play with Xbox or Switch gamers.” [more inside]
posted by Fizz at 12:28 PM PST - 34 comments

RIP Joseph Jackson, 89. His website. Patriarch of the Jackson family, he beat his children and was not named in his famous son's will. He was memorably portrayed by Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs in the 1992 miniseries The Jacksons: An American Dream. Variety obit. TMZ "exclusive".
posted by Melismata at 11:53 AM PST - 21 comments

“The substance of the show wasn’t that different from “Riverdale”: it offered the usual roundelay of broken hearts, bruised feelings, and hookups. Teens kissed. They zoned out in class. They shared earbuds. But “skam Austin” had many hidden layers, and the producers wanted viewers to uncover them all. The characters, some of them played by local teen-agers, all had Instagram accounts, and, like real people’s, the posts offered insights into the characters’ pasts and their hopes for the future. Collectively, the video clips, photographs, and comments imbued the characters with a depth that not even flashbacks provide in conventional TV.”

“SKAM,” the Radical Teen Drama That Unfolds One Post at a Time: Is a narrative built from Facebook comments, texts, and Instagram Stories the future of TV?
posted by Grandysaur at 10:40 AM PST - 15 comments

Introducing Windows 95 Mobile [slyt]
posted by porn in the woods at 10:37 AM PST - 16 comments

8:42 AM— Stayed out pretty late killing teenagers last night, so I let myself take the morning off and just laze around in bed.
posted by josher71 at 10:12 AM PST - 18 comments

In a 5-4 decision, the United States Supreme Court has overturned a 40-year-old precedent, ruling that public-sector unions cannot require union dues from non-members who do not wish to pay them. The decision was split along party lines, with the Court's five conservative members finding that this requirement was a violation of the right to free speech as guaranteed by the First Amendment. [more inside]
posted by tonycpsu at 9:35 AM PST - 103 comments

Earlier this year, the owner's of the NFL approved ejection standards to go along with the new helmet contact rule, intended to decrease the risk of injury during tackles. How The NFL's New Helmet Rule Could Change Football As We Know It
posted by the man of twists and turns at 8:15 AM PST - 17 comments

Fear of a Brown Planet is an album of psychedelic Latin funk...covers? interpretations? celebrations! of classic Public Enemy joints by Austin's Brownout, previously noted for their Black Sabbath covers. It goes hard. [more inside]
posted by 2or3whiskeysodas at 8:07 AM PST - 10 comments

Meet a professional Dungeon Master
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 7:23 AM PST - 36 comments

Damien Hirst works will go up for sale this fall Sotheby’s London will be offering Frank Dunphy’s personal collection of Damien Hirst works (as well as other artists’ items) this coming September.
posted by Yellow at 7:11 AM PST - 11 comments

The 10th edition of ESPN's The Body Issue featuring: Sue Bird & Megan Rapinoe (featured together as a couple), Lauren Chamberlain, Adam Rippon, Breanna Stewart, Greg Norman, Yasiel Puig, and more.
posted by like_neon at 6:36 AM PST - 17 comments

Is America Ready to Love Cottage Cheese Again? (slNYT)
posted by box at 5:33 AM PST - 126 comments

Minecrafting YouTuber and documentary maker Mumbo Jumbo presents a serious documentary about Minecrafting Youtuber Grian and his cats, Maui and Pearl. (SLYT).
posted by carter at 4:27 AM PST - 1 comments

Record Label Logos curated by designer and illustrator Reagan Ray. [more inside]
posted by chavenet at 2:32 AM PST - 15 comments

Paul McCartney on Carpool Karaoke is television at its best. Not only does it have all the happiness and goofiness you expect Corden to deliver, but this McCartney karaoke is also unexpectedly tender, touching and meaningful. [more inside]
posted by Too-Ticky at 2:27 AM PST - 38 comments