[[Knowledge Management]], [[Reproducible [[Social [[Science]]]]]], and [[Academic Workflow]]s – 100 Tweets for @threadapalooza 2020, let's go
#roamcult #𐃏
1/100

Pandoc is a magical piece of software, and if you're not using it for your academic writing you're missing out. Compile (basically) any document format to (basically) any other document format.
2/100

While Pandoc is fantastic, it's a bit like ffmpeg: extremely powerful, but without GUI apps too few people will use it. ffmpeg has a ton of GUI apps that basically just wrap the CLI, Pandoc doesn't have enough of them.
3/100

Citekeys + CSL files + Pandoc can easily cut ~10+ hours from your writing workflow. Citekeys come from LaTeX-Land, you can use them through Pandoc with anything. And CSL files make it super easy to switch citation styles.
4/100

Since many journals have their own version of popular formats, every journal should be required to publish a CSL file, LaTeX and Word Pandoc template ready for submission. I don't want to think about the collective hours wasted formatting stuff for submission.
5/100

NEW: European Commission president @vonderleyen: As things stand I cannot tell you whether there will be a deal or not, but I can tell you there is a path to an agreement now. The path may be very narrow but it is there.

2/ VDL - it is therefore our responsibility to continue trying.

3/ Commission president says the "good news" is we have found a way forward on most issues, but this is now a case of being "so close and yet being so far away from each other."

4/ VDL - level playing field: our aim is simply fair competition on our own market.

Says the "architecture" of a level playing field provision rests on two pillars: state aid and standards

5/ On state aid we have made progress based on common princples, guarantees of domestic enforcement, the possibility to autonomously remedy the situation where needed [ie, either side can take action if distortions of trade etc]

Thread of most memorable moments in TV shows.

1. The Vampire Diaries: When Klaus killed Jenna in order to break the hybrid curse.

2. Prison Break: Death of Brad Bellick when he had to sacrifice himself.

3. How to Get Away with Murder: When Annalise asked Sam why a picture of his pen!s was on Lila's phone.

4. Game of Thrones: When we found out Hodor was saying "Hold the door! Hold the door! Hold the door!" the entire time.

5. Orange is the new black: When Poussey shockingly died during the prison protest.

THREAD:

1/ Why UBI is #Kuwait’s best hope to survive the next 20 years.

2/ Kuwait's economy is dominated by the state which in turn generates almost all its revenues from oil. Furthermore, private sector activity today is in effect completely dependent the public sector.

3/ I posit that excessive public sector employment is the root cause of many, if not the majority of Kuwait's problems that, left unchecked, will ensure standards of living only decline from here on.

4/ The obstacle to change is Kuwait's 1961 constitution obliging the state to provide every citizen with employment. Kuwait’s high population growth has brought it to a tipping point where:

5/

— Public payroll increasingly crowds-out all other types of state spending, meaning state dominated/controlled sectors are starved of capital and the private sector isn't allowed to fill the gap.

So, on the subject of bonkers hyperbolic pretzeling over the Bell judgement, Grace 'destroy books I don't like & make inappropriate jokes about sterilising teenage girls' Lavery has some thoughts.

Tell me why my feminism is wrong Grace.

Oh

Well, if anyone thought the Bell judgment was going to make TRAs reconsider making massively overblown claims with no evidence backed up with nothing but a thick wadge of emotional blackmail.... HAHAHA, no one thought that.

A high court in the UK made a delimited judgment about teenager's ability to consent to puberty blockers. This puts all trans people everywhere in the world at risk.

Because if any human anywhere has any thoughts that deviate in any way from the rote line dictated by

the trans rights movement, this puts all trans people everywhere in mortal danger.

Let's be honest Grace. It doesn't put trans people at risk. It puts trans ideology at risk. Because trans ideology depends on the idea of innate gender identity, and the trans child is the

necessary material evidence of the ontology of gender identity.

That is, children are being medicalised to provide evidence to underwrite adults identities.

Nothing to see here.

TATA v MISTRY [Day 6]

Hearing to resume before Supreme Court in a short while from now.

@tatatrusts
@TataCompanies

#SupremeCourt

TATA v MISTRY

Senior counsel Shyam Divan begins arguments on behalf of Shapoorji Pallonji group.

@tatatrusts @TataCompanies

TATA v MISTRY

This case is about corporate governance. We have moved from corporate democracy to a much richer corporate governance under the amended Companies Act: Divan

@tatatrusts

TATA v MISTRY

The management of company is the board. The most crucial obligation imposed on Director now is that the director is a fiduciary. A fiduciary's allegiance is to the company alone: Divan

#SupremeCourt #tatasons

TATA v MISTRY

Lack of probity is much broader than financial irregularities.

The long relationship between the two groups developed over decades. It developed in the context of a statutory framework which restricted the role of private trust: Divan.

THREAD: Joy

1. Joy is the experience of pleasure. Joy is contentment and adoration for the experience of being alive.

Clearly, 2020 has been a tough year to sustain a sense of joy.

However, joy is a powerful weapon we can deploy at this time.

Let me unpack this idea.

2. Humanity finds itself in the middle of a grand shift into maturity. It will be bumpy, but it is happening.

This shift began years ago when we chose love and peace, over destruction. We hated war and we rejected the idea that our enemies were people from another country.

3. We understood that no one is above another. We understood the value of life. We began to love the earth.

Fast forward to today…

We find ourselves facing powerful fears and emotions that were always going to be exposed during this shift.

4. Every day, we hear of a new crisis, civil unrest and community sadness. All this stuff had come into the light.

We are learning that authority figures and people of influence have ignored some very serious crimes.

It even 'appears' that election robbery could go unpunished.

5. During such a time, all historic beliefs are challenged, removing us from our comfort zone. Such a significant challenge will always activate fear and uncertainty.

At times like this, finding our inner joy can become a tad illusive. Sometimes it is impossible.

It's now looking quite likely that Brexit will coincide with both a third lockdown and - if the longterm forecasts are correct - severe flooding.
Any one of these events would be a national crisis.
Together they could amount to a national catastrophe.
God help us.

Our government has a track record of:
- ignoring warnings
- leaving the necessary action to the last possible minute
- then bungling it
- using a crisis to enrich its friends and advance its political agenda
- leaving the poorest and most vulnerable to sink or swim

These tendencies, in combination with a possible concatenation of crises, present a severe threat to our wellbeing. We are not in good hands.

So once again we will have to rely on each other. It's going to be a hard grind in early 2021, perhaps the hardest many people in the UK will ever have experienced.
To the greatest extent possible, we'll have to support each other - materially and psychologically.

Of course, there's no complete substitute for good governance. The ideal combination is a strong society and a responsible government. But as we don't have the latter, we'll need to be as strong together as we can.

https://t.co/RtEExo5n4z game information

There have been many video video games which have been tailored to films. Although Android video games characteristic a retro feel, as they’re relatively easier to develop.

-THREADE-
#Germany #China #5G #Huawei

In contrast to countries like Great Britain, Germany does not exclude the Chinese with 5G across the board. But now the cabinet has agreed on stricter rules for foreign network equipment suppliers.

The federal government has been arguing for two years, now there is a draft law, the cabinet is supposed to get it underway on Wednesday. In contrast to countries like Great Britain and Sweden, Germany does not exclude Chinese companies across the board.

But Berlin, too, subjects the use of companies to strict rules. This is a problem for the German network operators: they have made themselves heavily dependent on #Huawei over the past few years. In the radio network of Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone and Telefónica,

around half of all components usually come from Huawei. With the new 5G cellular standard, data can be transmitted in real time. This opens up new opportunities for industry, but also increases the risk of cyber attacks. The focus on security is correspondingly large.

The draft of a “Second Law to Increase the Security of Information Technology Systems” therefore now uses a two-stage test procedure. In addition to an examination of the technology, there should also be a political assessment of the trustworthiness of manufacturers.

#BombayHighCourt begins hearing the plea filed by Arnab Goswami challenging his illegal arrest and detention by the Raigad Police in the first week of November 2020.

Bench of Justice SS Shinde and MS Karnik are hearing the matter.

Senior Advocate Aabad Ponda apprises the court of the development in the case after the passing of the Supreme Court judgment of November

Ponda submits that the chargesheet was hastily filed after the Supreme Court order so that the present plea will become infructuous.

Ponda: Justice Chandrachud’s judgment is my best argument.

Ponda submits that Supreme Court observed in the order offence under Section 306 of IPC was not prima facie attracted.

Court: But that also means that the case is still open.

The observations of the SC are prima facie.

Justice Shinde asks Ponda to read the relevant portion of the order where the Supreme Court discussed on the facts of the case.

Ponda begins reading paragraph 66 of the judgment.

@TheCanaryUK, journalism and free speech:

Like all news outlets, The Canary produces good and bad journalism. The same can be said of the Guardian, BBC and even the Daily Mail...

I don't agree with some of its editorial positions and at times I find some of the reporting over simplistic. But it also does extremely rigorous, well-sourced and informative analysis that addresses issues often overlooked by mainstream press (cf its reporting on Venezuela)...

What is relatively unique is the degree to which The Canary has been attacked by the left, centre and right. This is partly because of a perception that it has challenged the reach of mainstream media, especially on social media...

Though it's short history is a relative success story among news start ups, the notion that it competes on any level with either the audience reach or agenda influence of mainstream media is a constructed myth...

a myth that serves to obscure the enduring grip of national press and broadcasters over the public consciousness, and absolve policymakers of the need to address this...

For anyone in search of true philanthropy, this statement from MacKenzie Scott announcing $4 billion of donations is really worth paying attention to

First, few billionaire make highlight structural injustices. Scott does: 'Economic losses and health outcomes alike have been worse for women, for people of color, and for people living in poverty. Meanwhile, it has substantially increased the wealth of billionaires.'

This makes her a champion of an approach to philanthropy rooted in social, economic and racial justice. She's not alone in that of course but it's still quite unusual in philanthropy circles.

Scott's statement is also striking for its commitment to good funding practice (not what you fund but how you fund). Here she says: 'non-profits...are chronically diverted from their work by fundraising, and by burdensome reporting requirements that donors often place on them'

Her solution: to give $ up front without strings. We 'welcomed them to spend the funding on whatever they believe best serves their efforts. They were told that the entire commitment would be paid upfront and left unrestricted in order to provide them with maximum flexibility.'

Thread: what's the air cargo capacity of the UK air force?

Multiple data points now show that road imports into the UK are significantly disrupted. Others say many EU hauliers will refuse to come to the UK come Jan. But what about the RAF? They can save us right?

No. /1

First you need to understand the carrying capacity of a HGV. The maximum permitted weight of a normal HGV is 44 tonnes (ignoring the exceptions when they move huge mining or electrical loads around with escorts). /2

Unladen HGV weights vary by several tonnes. Variables include the fuel tank size (some carry as much as 1000 litres), the fittings in the cab, the model of the truck and most importantly the type of trailer (refrigerated, curtain sider, box, etc). Let's assume 15.5 tonnes. /3

44 minus 15.5 leaves 28.5.

That means our HGV can haul 28.5 tonnes. So far so good. /4

Onto the RAF. What cargo planes does it own? /5

Before I try to solve the GoodReserve vs. GoodStaking problem, which involves math and time and interest, let me solve something easier, which is all of modern politics.

Here's an example. When the pandemic was in the first wave here in Brazil, you could see lots of cultural noise about the fact that rich people were not dying because they got hospital care, whereas poor maids etc. were getting infected by rich people e.g. coming back from Italy.

Then, after a while, this story died. We "know" this now, but nothing happened.

When this sort of thing happens -- lots of noise, followed by normalization -- we are trained to think that that's *OUR* fault as cultural noisemakers.

IF ONLY WE MADE MORE NOISE, we think.

Why do we think that?

We think that because of all the times making noise worked.

Or did it? Did it actually work? Was it actually the noise that "changed" things?

Nope. The noise doesn't change anything.

EVER.

Here's how this works.

It's been about 5 years since I u-turned my opinion on the then emerging gender orthodoxy. At the time It was swirling around in online circles, something hadn't been sitting right with me, and noting was making sense to me.

I had a few worries. The first was that actually there was no consistency within the arguments. I came from a pretty non-religious household, although I was technically brought up Catholic (went to church schools, baptised etc..). This is because in the UK church schools

have a better educational standard than state schools do. With grammar schools you need hours of tuition to pass tests that my parents couldn't afford, and of course there was no way they could send me to a private school - being working class. So it was very much

a case of "on your knees, avoid the fees".

So, essentially we had to go to church and pretend to be religious to get a good education. I could recite all the mantras, knew all the arguments, but I never actually believed any of it....

So 10 years after finishing my stint at the convent school, faced with this new group of "online friends" I started to have a weird case of de-ja-vu. Again, people were recanting unbelievable catechism and mantras that I didn't really believe. It was like being back at school.