Stuff that occurs to me

Tuesday, 30 June 2020

POST notes in reverse chronological order - Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology

POST has updated its website (in 2019) meaning that it's list of the lovely little POST-notes (short briefing documents written for Ministers) is no longer visible on a single page. Each note now has its own blurb, a picture and there are about 10 of them on a page. That looks very nice but sometimes I just want a list, so I've attempted to recreate it.

The new page is here
https://post.parliament.uk/briefing-type/postnote/
also here
https://post.parliament.uk/research-briefings/

and the old link http://www.parliament.uk/postnotes now points to the first one. I put the old link into the Wayback Machine and grabbed the info below from archive copy which was last saved in 2018.
https://web.archive.org/web/20180216225929/http://www.parliament.uk/postnotes

I'll add to it occasionally to bring it up to the near-present day.

All the POST note links (except 571) start with web.archive.org because they inherit the archival link information, but they all point to the correct place. However they take longer to load so my advice is to note the name / number of the one you're after and search for it on the live page: https://post.parliament.uk/briefing-type/postnote/

2020

Not added these ones yet

2019

Not added these ones yet

Combining Careers - the interdisciplinary game / activity

tl;dr summary - pick two school or university subjects, think of careers or projects in which you could combine both. Eg English and Chemistry = science writer (among many other options).

On Saturday morning I tweeted the following Tweets...

''I've thought of a new game. The Interdisciplinary Game is for young people (but played with adults) who've possibly not even considered yet what they might do in future in terms of projects or paid work etc." [link]

"One player thinks of two curriculum subjects and the other players can think of jobs or projects that might combine the two. Eg Biology and French, Chemistry and Drama. I admit I've never tested this notion. Might be a terribly dull game..." [link]

"It's more of a game you'd play in a car or have a discussion in a classroom I think. Or one I might just blog about :) Not intending a literal actual game. I remember being baffled at 17 to learn people might study Law and Chemistry, simultaneously." [link]

The idea for the game occurred to me when I remembered my puzzlement on filling in university applications to discover such a thing as a Law and Chemistry BSc course and having no idea how or why the two might be combined. Either my parents or a teacher explained and obviously I can now think of several ways in which they might be related. I knew about forensics but would have assumed a legal team would just draft in someone knowledge about analysing samples, it would never have occurred to me that the sample analyser would also know anything about the law.

The 'game' involves picking two school (or university) subjects and thinking up careers or projects where you might use both. I imagined it as the sort of thing that parents might play in a car though I'm not sure how well it would work as presumably only the parents would be much good at it! It's perhaps better as an activity in school: it might involve two piles of cards, each with a subject on them. One person turns over one card, another turns over one from the other pile and the group or whole class gets to investigate or think up (brainstorming) ways in which they could be combined. It probably involves using search engines and career websites. Sometimes two subjects will go together easily and suggestions will be obvious, others might involve a bit more lateral thinking (as law and chemistry did for me before someone explained it to me).

Perhaps this could be useful in careers discussion settings, perhaps to expand young people's experiences of what types of careers are available while acknowledging that some of the roles they'll do in future haven't even been invented yet. But I think it's an interesting way of exploring interdisciplinarity, and highlighting that although topics are divided up in education, the dividing lines become a bit blurrier in the working world.

Possibly I've invented something that everyone's already doing but if not it's an idea that I hope others will use, and tell me how they've used it.

Here are some suggestions of how two topics might be combined, and expanded. The aim isn't so much to come up with defined careers or projects that use the two, but to consider the ways in which both subjects could be combined in the hope of uncovering lots more options. These aren't exhaustive just what pinged from my brain. May your brains ping further :-)

Law and Chemistry
- forensics, pharmaceutical patents and registering a new medicine, ethics, lawsuits when it goes wrong, environmental law, and of course writing technical documents or documents for the public. Writing about a topic is something that can be applied to any topic, as can - of course - teaching!

Biology and French
- translating biology textbooks into French, producing a simple French-language podcast about biology in the news for English listeners who might learn a bit about both topics, helping a UK company break into a French-speaking market (being able to read regulations in French), working as a biologist in France or teaching biology there. Science correspondent in French magazines / newspapers etc.

Drama and Chemistry
- showing actors how to pipette properly, creating safe explosions and special effects in film and theatre, an actor taking on the role of a famous chemist, writing plays or screenplays (for films) that feature chemistry or being a script editor on one. See 'Chemistry in Theatre'.

Computing and art
- designing or using art software including CAD, visualisations and infographics, visual effects in films, designing a database for an arts supply store, ensuring screens render colours correctly, designing nicer support tools for older people, wearable technology, robotics design... where I work (QMUL) we have a Media & Arts Technology department (MAT).

This page has other suggestions on careers that involve computing and art, including architects.
See also careers with biology and art including photographers and illustrators.

Physics and music (or maths and music)
- designing concert halls (acoustics), designing musical instruments or studying how their sound is made, improving the quality of recorded music (music studios), neuroscience (sonifying brain waves, or working in the area of auditory implants).

Perhaps students could find examples of people who are working in both areas, or find out information about career progression / salaries, also focus on projects and jobs which support a particular group of people etc. It doesn't have to be solely career-focused though, someone with a familiarity with English and Computing might write excellent emails to their MP about a topic of concern, or develop a campaigning website, as well as more obvious things like becoming a tech writer... or someone who compiles online English-language dictionaries, or writes good software documentation (or user manuals).

Later additions
Archaeology and hairdressing - two of my friends posted something jocular on Facebook about an odd-looking device (apparently read by male historians as having some religious or astronomical significance, and by 'internet grandmas' as a device to knit glove fingers). One of the comments referenced the need for diversity on teams; eg to have women and not just men, or people familiar with crafts (any gender) involved in making sense of historical objects and highlighted that a hairdresser had managed to work out how the complex hairstyles worn by Vestal Virgins could be created using the women's own hair and no need for wigs or hairpieces. Janet Stephens is a hairdressing archaologist, here's her video showing how it's done.

Cow historian - I remember watching Coast with my dad and someone's name and job description flashed up on screen which introduced them this way. My memory of what they actually did isn't as good though, presumably they might study breeds of cow that have been farmed throughout history, or perhaps their representation in art (think of the MERL and its Absolute Units).

I like this Tweet from Nathan Pyle which demonstrates the same concept of taking two disparate things and finding a link:)

emoji friends

🐯- cool stripes - 🐝
🥥 - nice shell -🐢
🕷 - neat web - 💻
✈️ - pretty wings - 🦋
📯 - lovely horn - 🐏
⛄️- excellent form - 8️⃣
🌊- I like ur trough - 🐖
🌯 - sweet foil - 🤺
🍩 - cute sprinkles - 🌧
💀- nice spine - 📖
🍞 - solid crust - 🌏
— Nathan W. Pyle (@nathanwpyle) July 12, 2021

https://x.com/nathanwpyle/status/1414575519396507648?s=20
https://x.com/nathanwpyle/status/1414575519396507648?s=20

Sunday, 31 May 2020

It's probably easier in London - appearance of delivery slots on supermarkets' websites

I wrote a blog post last week (you're welcome to republish it, or strip it for parts) for people who preferred to stay at home but who didn't fall into the Priority List on supermarkets. Basically people who want deliveries but will struggle to get them.

Deliveroo and UberEats don't just deliver cooked takeaway meals, they will also bring groceries from convenience stores and Deliveroo in particular will bring a range of groceries from Co-op and M&S. There are also lots of local shops offering home deliveries, plenty of food box schemes from local or national suppliers and even the supermarkets themselves are now offering additional food boxes over and above their regular 'pick your own trolley contents' deliveries. With these boxes you don't get to choose the contents but you can more easily get hold of one as they're not subject to the same delivery slot restrictions.

Supermarket slots and Deliveroo type things are even rarer in rural areas and the solutions there have included pubs opening up their spaces to sell groceries (some do deliveries), and other local delivery options.

In all cases the very vulnerable can register with the Government to get a free food box delivered, and local Covid Mutual Aid groups are offering additional support in terms of fetching shopping (and prescriptions). All info in this post.

I've been keeping an eye though on supermarket delivery slots and their appearance / disappearance from the point of view of someone living in London (SE3, Blackheath). Since I've been testing them I've never experienced a point where I wouldn't have been able to get a slot with at least one supermarket. Below is the date and time I tested them and what was available for each supermarket.

Friday 22 May - Midday
Asda - no
Iceland - slots available early evening and late evening on Sat 23rd
Morrisons - no
Ocado - can't get on website
Sainsbury's - no
Waitrose - no
Tesco - several evening slots on Fri and Sat, afternoon and evening slots on Sun

Friday 22 May - 7.30pm
Asda - no
Iceland - several slots for Sun 24th and Mon 25th
Morrisons - no
Ocado - can't get on website
Sainsbury's - several on Mon 25th May
Tesco - evening slots on Sat 30th and Sun 31st
Waitrose - no

Saturday 23 May - 9.30pm
Asda - no
Iceland - several slots for Sunday
Morrisons - no
Ocado - can't get on website
Sainsbury's - no
Tesco - no
Waitrose - no

Sunday 24 May - 11.30am
Asda - no
Co-op - several available (M, T, W, Th)
Iceland - several on Monday 25th and Tuesday 26th available
Morrisons - no
Ocado - can't get on website
Sainsbury's - Tuesdays and Wednesdays, limited time in morning / evening
Tesco - Friday morning, Sun 31st
Waitrose - no

Sunday 24 May - 3pm
Asda - no
Co-op - several available (M, T, W, Th)
Iceland - several on Mon 25th and Tue 26th
Morrisons - no
Ocado - can't get on website
Sainsbury's - one on Tuesday
Tesco - no
Waitrose - no

Monday 25 May - 3pm
Asda - no
Co-op - Mon evening and all day Tue - Friday
Iceland - plenty Tues and Wed, none rest of week
Morrisons - no
Ocado - can't get on website
Sainsbury's - several for Tuesday, couple for Wednesday
Tesco - several for 11, 12, 13 and 14 June
Waitrose - no

Thu 28 May - 1am
Asda - Thu 11 Jun
Co-op - Thu - Mon
Iceland - Thu
Morrisons - no
Ocado - can't get on website
Sainsbury's - Fri morn and Sun afternoon
Tesco - no
Waitrose - Tue 2nd June 10-11am

Sat 30 May - 1am
Asda - Sat 13 June afternoon
Co-op - plenty until Wed 3 June
Iceland - Sunday 31 May - several
Morrisons - no
Ocado - can't get on website
Sainsbury's - 31 May and 2 June
Tesco - no
Waitrose - no

Sunday 31 May - 13:30
Asda - lots on Sun 14th June
Co-op - plenty of slots until Thur 4 June
Iceland - Monday 1st June - several, all day 2nd June
Morrisons - no
Ocado - can't get on website
Sainsbury's - a few on Mon 1st June and Wed 3 June
Tesco - no
Waitrose - no

Saturday, 30 May 2020

Some thoughts on not moving on - Dominic Cummings

I'm adding my annoyance about Dominic Cummings' recent actions to the expanding pile of irritation.

Whether or not he may have broken the law feels secondary to the glib nonsense being emitted from him and the Government about journeys, eyesight tests, spurious contributions to The Spectator and the retconning of his blogpost about coronaviruses.

Ordinarily we might chalk this up to those in power seemingly being able to get away with stuff - under more cheering circumstances parts of this might even have been amusing.

Obeying laws and regulations don't generally come at much of a personal cost but following the Government's coronavirus guidelines has hurt people as well as protected them and people have had to make distressing sacrifices. It's meant people staying away from vulnerable loved ones, people dying alone in hospital or in care homes and sparse funerals being shared online.

Mr Cummings' reading of the guidelines has resulted in lengthy car drives to see his family, visits to scenic spots and tortured explanations after the fact. Agasint the backdrop of everyone else following the necessary guidelines his actions seem perverse.

Had Mr Cummings apologised for the breach and offered his resignation Mr Johnson could still have rejected it, taking the opportunity to clarify that the rules are in place for everyone and saying that no further action would be taken in this instance. I think that would have been imperfect but satisfactory and would have 'drawn a line under it'. The current response tells us, against the evidence of our own senses, that the rules were followed correctly and that reasonable people can make their own judgement on them (a recipe for disaster). What a confusing mess.

This has felt like a slap in the face. We don't like being laughed at and it's troubling that we seem to be being gaslit by official Government responses.

Of course other events will gradually overtake this and everyone will move on whether or not they want to. If people wonder if the UK Government is handling the coronavirus crisis well they might be tempted to view this saga in a different light. Let's hope the poor decision-making and crisis-handling of the Dominic Cummings' situation isn't a proxy marker for how the Government handles other crises.

Stuff that occurs to me