simon

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Commented on Aftermath
Those numbers are fascinating but probably not very accurate: There is a huge incentive to vote strategically. I suspect that the smaller parties (Green, LD) would gain some seats simply because that wouldn't be necessary in a proportional system....
Commented on Aftermath
2) That seems highly unlikely. The Conservatives have a lot to lose by going proportional. Same as last time, basically. And the people who have been f'd over the most through FPTP aren't in the majority without Scotland, which has...
Commented on Aftermath
As a recent immigrant (just in time to vote on independence, but not in the GE), I have learned so much about UK politics in the last 24 hours. Much of it is quite alarming (proportion of seats seems unrelated...

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Dirk Bruere commented on Aftermath
"That doesn't bode well for them. The next 10 years could be "interesting" over there." People have been saying that for decades, at least since Tienanmen Square. The real strength of the Chinese system is the dumping of the "glorious leader" and putting in place an efficient technocracy at the top end. I don't have any doubts that they will "go with the evidence" and do what is necessary. And the other strength of the system is that "do what is necessary" knows few limits....
paws4thot commented on Aftermath
I find good lager in 500ml units in measure glasses to be quite acceptable....
1000kindsofrain commented on Aftermath
laughs I think we all read the same Wikipedia pages yesterday! But how does that justify your argument? Aesop's recommending unity as a virtue not proposing it will lead to a totalitarian state. (And, in case people missed it, I see Title IV of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union is entitled "Solidarity", although us plucky Brits and the nation liberated by Solidarity have opted out of it.)...
1000kindsofrain commented on Aftermath
"I think solidarity is a way better word." :) My excavations into the Englightement are only just beginning. A little bit of Spinoza, Locke and Leibniz. I was rubbing up against Hume yesterday. And I do think I get what you were aiming at with empathy; it's viewing fraternity as unconditional love that's been restricted to the in group. But if you're capable of extending unconditional love to Greg (he's 3 inches tall, has a glossy, David-Dickinson tan and 5 inch long purple hair so it's not hard) could you extend it to Hitler, Mussolini or Nick Clegg? #EquivalenceClass...
PrivateIron commented on Aftermath
//(joke) I was completely serious. (joke)\ In the future we will be mandated to include these descriptors in the meta-data, not just online, but in everyday speech. (Assuming we are not mandated to only communicate through state-issued brain implanted phones, which will do the formatting and correct any "mistakes" for us. On the bright side, it would save a lot of awkwardness at family gatherings and make it a lot harder to screw up an interview.)...

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Common Misconceptions About Publishing—a series of essays about the industry I work in.
How I Got Here In The End —my non-writing autobiography, or what I did before becoming a full-time writer.
Unwirer—an experiment in weblog mediated collaborative fiction.
Shaping the Future—a talk I gave on the social implications of Moore's Law.
Japan: first impressions — or, what I did on my holidays
Inside the MIT Media Lab—what it’s like to spend a day wandering around the Media Lab.
The High Frontier, Redux — space colonization: feasible or futile?
“Nothing like this will be built again”—inside a nuclear reactor complex.
Old blog—2003-2006 (RIP)

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