Ok. This is genius. Got a couple of hours?

"Paperclip Maximiser"

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[from: Google+ Posts]

Whoosh! Another tool for exploring Music Genre space. It's based on Spotify's Genre tags.
http://everynoise.com/engenremap.html

Click on things to hear samples of typical artists, or dig down into lists to get Spotify playlists.
http://everynoise.com/everynoise1d.cgi?root=deep%20house&scope=all

LoFi house seems to be buried in the Deep House section.

A companion to this exploration tool.
http://www.musicroamer.com/#/search?similar_artist_limit=6&artist=mall%20grab

As far as I can tell Spotify's genre tags are curated by Spotify or one of their suppliers. And not generated by their users like last.fm So your idea of what's in uk funky or such like may not agree with their's. I've just had a quick look at Google Music again. And their Genre tagging is all over the place as well.
[from: Google+ Posts]

Admin@Mastodon.cloud said he was moving servers and updating to 1.6.1 so maybe it all went horribly wrong. Admin@Mastodon.social is the main mastodon developer which suggests the problem might be the new 1.6.1 release.

This makes me sad. Even though the Mastodon community doesn't really feel like it's really taken off just yet. We've become used to systems that just work so having two of the major instances just go off line is not good.
[from: Google+ Posts]

People of the UK, your attention please. I don't know why you're complaining that the government did a terrible job of making their plans for Brexit known. They were freely available in our offices. I know you had to go all the way to the cellar (even though the lights and the stairs were not working), and find the plans in the locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused bathroom with a sign on the door saying 'Beware of the Leopard' but it's not like we didn't tell you they were available. So just to make it really quite completely clear what we're doing and our position on leaving the European Union, here's a statement of clarity that should help you understand that we have only your interests at heart as we make the UK a stronger, more stable and above all fairer, society for all.

-

Dear Citizen,

The Government has responded to the petition you signed – “Hold a referendum on the final Brexit deal”.

Government responded:

On 23 June 2016 the British people voted to leave the European Union. The UK Government is clear that it is now its duty to implement the will of the people and so there will be no second referendum.

The decision to hold the referendum was supported by a clear majority in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords. On 23 June 2016 the British people voted to leave the European Union. The referendum was the largest democratic mandate in UK political history. In the 2017 General Election more than 85% of people voted for parties committed to respecting that result.

There must be no attempts to remain inside the European Union, no attempts to rejoin it through the back door, and no second referendum. The country voted to leave the European Union, and it is the duty of the Government to make sure we do just that. Rather than second guess the British people’s decision to leave the European Union, the challenge now is to make a success of it - not just for those who voted leave but for every citizen of the United Kingdom, bringing together everyone in a balanced approach which respects the decision to leave the political structure of the EU but builds a strong relationship between Britain and the EU as neighbours, allies and partners.

Parliament passed an Act of Parliament with a clear majority giving the Prime Minister the power to trigger Article 50, which she did on 29 March in a letter to the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk. As a matter of firm policy, our notification will not be withdrawn - for the simple reason that people voted to leave, and the Government is determined to see through that instruction.

Both Houses of Parliament will have the opportunity to vote on the final agreement reached with the EU before it is concluded. This will be a meaningful vote which will give MPs the choice to either accept the final agreement or leave the EU with no agreement.

The people of the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union, but we are not leaving Europe. We want a deep and special partnership with the EU. We aim to get the right deal abroad and the right deal for people here at home. We will deliver a country that is stronger, fairer, more united and more outward-looking than ever before.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Click this link to view the response online:

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/200004?reveal_response=yes

This petition has over 100,000 signatures. The Petitions Committee will consider it for a debate. They can also gather further evidence and press the government for action.

The Committee is made up of 11 MPs, from political parties in government and in opposition. It is entirely independent of the Government. Find out more about the Committee: https://petition.parliament.uk/help#petitions-committee

Thanks,
The Petitions team
UK Government and Parliament

ps. Highlights are mine.

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[from: Google+ Posts]

Signal Boost. And also because of the recent high profile examples of people having their YT and main Google accounts nuked due to automated systems within Google. Who are then unable to contact a real person to get it fixed. Because there is no real person.

I know the excuses and I know the scaling concerns but it’s shameful nonetheless. If I can do this much myself from the outside, surely Google has the resources to get somebody to do as much from the inside, who is actually getting paid for their efforts at public outreach and assisting these dedicated Google users?

I’m sure it’s not a matter of money for Google. They just need to truly care about their users who depend on Google just like the rest of us, but who are being rapidly left behind under the status quo.

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[from: Google+ Posts]

[from: Librarything]

Lest we forget, it's 40 years since Lewisham and the National Front March and riots. It was one of the biggest in the late 70s that inspired the Anti-Racism movement.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/aug/13/battle-of-lewisham-national-front-1977-far-right-london-police

Mosley, NF, BNP, EDL, UKIP, Brexit. The UK's xenophobic far right takes many names but it's the same thing over and over again. It keeps re-appearing and each generation has to fight it and knock it back again.

In solidarity with Charlottesville.

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[from: Google+ Posts]

https://twitter.com/MitchBenn/status/891565226688229377

#UK #Politics.

Copypasta

1. Brexiteers: your BEST prediction now is that the UK will recover economically from Brexit within 30 years. In other words…
2. … I have to suck up living in a shit country for the rest of my life just because you don't like Belgium
3. I trust you'll forgive me when I tell you to go fuck yourselves, and to KEEP fucking yourselves for the foreseeable future.
4. And re. The Will Of The People: when is someone in public life gonna have the guts to admit that The People Got It Wrong on this one?
5. Why is that such a toxic concept JUST with regard to the referendum? Surely after every election about half the country thinks that.
6. The democratic principle holds that wherever practicable the majority should prevail. NOT that the majority IS RIGHT.
7. And in this instance, I'm sorry, but it ISN'T practicable. The people were offered the impossible, they (VERY narrowly) voted for it…
8. … and now they're demanding (some of them) that they be GIVEN the impossible thing they voted for, because democracy.
9. Exiting the EU and being happier, richer and more secure as a consequence is IMPOSSIBLE. But that's what people were sold.
10. Exiting the EU and bankrupting the economy and splintering society is inevitable, but that wasn't on the ballot.
11. And no, I'm not advocating "endless referendums until you get a result you like"; I'm advocating people having an INFORMED choice.
12. The people were NOT given an informed choice last year. They were offered a fantasy, and trying to DELIVER that fantasy will doom us all

[from: Google+ Posts]

Night"?

So here's "England Lost"
https://youtu.be/98gj0z0RkXE

Pull yourself together, mate. Get a grip.

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[from: Google+ Posts]

If you're pro-EU, want or wanted Remain, but are also pro-Labour and Pro-Corbyn you need to read this.

https://musealoudblog.wordpress.com/2017/07/27/the-corbynremain-supporter-dilemma/

Especially if you're one of the majority of new Labour members, supporters and voters who voted Remain.

Ooh, Jeremy Corbyn!

"The best and most honest judgement at this point is that Corbyn is a barrier for pro-Europeans. It is perfectly reasonable to choose Corbyn over Europe, and many have, but this should also be problematic for former remainers as they will know his hard Brexit will damage the economy and make his vision undeliverable without huge borrowing and risk. Without the promise of the vision, and without the integrity & honesty, what do you really have?

Therefore, in all conscience you cannot be simultaneously a “remainer” & a Corbyn supporter. The 2 are incompatible."

Of course that leaves you with a huge problem. Because the LibDems have imploded which leaves no viable opposition to the Tory-Brexit debacle. The best you can hope for is that the Tories will implode as well.

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[from: Google+ Posts]

br />
"And round we go again. The vast majority of Labour members, supporters and voters want Remain. Especially the new and young ones. So how bad does Brexit have to get and how bad does the Tory chaos have to get before Labour's stance and policies reflect that?"

So they said,

"If this is true, why did pretty much every Labour constituency outside London vote Leave?"

So compare the maps. Election vs Referendum
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/ng-interactive/2017/jun/08/live-uk-election-results-in-full-2017

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/ng-interactive/2016/jun/23/eu-referendum-live-results-and-analysis

There's a kind of truth there, particularly in the North. But there's also clearly a lot of nuance. There's quite a number of constituencies outside London that were Labour-Remain. And that's true even in areas that might be thought of as "Traditional Labour Heartland".

The Labour problem that 60% (or whatever) voters want remain, but 60% of Labour seats wanted Leave is still around. But that was then. What's important now is whether that dynamic is changing. The perception is that the proportion wanting Remain is rising. And the proportion in the marginal and balanced seats is also rising. So even though there are seats that were Labour-Leave then, on balance now they're Labour-Remain. But that's a guess. What is there to back it up?
[from: Google+ Posts]

It'll be 800 years old this year.
https://www.opendemocracy.net/neweconomics/celebrating-800th-anniversary-charter-forest/

Among other things, it enshrines the rights of commoners to common land for basic subsistence.

It was only fully superseded in 1971.

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[from: Google+ Posts]

[from: Librarything]

[from: Librarything]

[from: Librarything]

[from: Librarything]

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Dear Partner,

I am looking for a buyer for 83.000 containers, which consists of half
of the container 40ft and the other half of the container 20ft
container. All are in Kuwait (see attached photos)!

The containers were used by the Americans to transport their war
machines / material to distribute the Iraqi occupants from Kuwait about
1991.

An acquaintance has bought these containers from the US Department of
Defense. In addition, he had founded a company in Jordan, which is the
owner. In the purchase contract the containers are defined as scrap to
reduce the price. In reality, they are well-functioning as containers,
as you can easily see in the photos.

The buyer can buy a part of the containers, or if he wants he could buy
all of them or buy the company and take over the entire 83,000
containers. This can significantly reduce the price.

If you have a buyer, we can talk about it, see attached info too.

Best Regards

Radhi

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[from: Google+ Posts]

Original provides links and screenshots to back up each point. Here's the copy-pasta because Twitter is a terrible way to read long form text.

https://twitter.com/EmporersNewC/status/884474494512975872

1. Hello, United Kingdom, it’s the United States of America here, and we need to talk.
2. We understand that you chose to split up with the EU, and we’re cool with it, but we thought we’d tell you how we see it.
3. When you entered the Common Market you negotiated the creation of Regional Funds.
4. In 1979 you began pushing a policy involving further coordination of Foreign Policy in Europe.
5. In 1983 you renegotiated the Common Fisheries Policy.
6. In 1987 you were leading the way in Cap Reform.
7. Remembering 1983, the year that you were so proud that you had played your part cementing peace within the European Community.
8. In 1988 you were excited when you launched the Single Market.
9. In 1991 you secured an agreement that would see community members fined if they did not live up to their responsibilities.
10. In 1992 you set the EU on the route to further expansion.
11. It was 1992 when you also began to push for the ex-Soviet states’ entrance to the community.
12. In 1997 you pushed for a reform of voting involving the use of QMV in areas that were unanimous before.
13. In 1998 you were instrumental in bringing WEU defence programme into the EU, and led greater defence collaboration.
14. By 2001 the budget was starting to come down year on year, and it wasn’t the first time.
15. In 2005 you voted to speed up Turkey accession, and by 2010 you were the only country fighting for that.
16. In 2006 you began convinced the EU to adopt energy efficient lightbulbs.
17. By 2010 you had secured some new opt outs.
18. The open voting reform you sought was in place.
19. We were all delighted when you seemed to be taking the mature step of taking control of your destiny.
20. Then one day you said you needed to chat and you met up with the EU to discuss your issues
21. I was under the impression the EU gave you almost everything you asked for, including additional security measures.
22. Then you went away and announced that you were leaving, which is totally cool, we respected that.
23. But then you said the EU gave you nothing, and you couldn’t protect your borders.
25. The irony that you only knew that because of the reform you got did not escape us in the USA.
26. Largely because that 76 number included votes you didn’t take part in because they were in the area of your opt outs.
27. We thought you were just having a funny 5 minutes, until you said you didn’t have control of the direction the EU was taking.
28. That you don’t like the EU forcing those energy saving lightbulbs on you.
29. That you want to leave the EU because it is pushing for Turkey to join.
30. That the EU budget only ever went up.
31. That you had no idea why the EU needed a military, and why it was pushing for further defence collaboration.
32. That the EU had forced you to replace unanimity with QMV.
33. That all the ex-Soviet citizens that are now in your community is all the fault of the EU.
34. That too many countries have joined and are joining the EU
35. That you don’t like being held accountable and fined by the ECJ.
36. That all this regulation coming out of the EU is strangling you, and the scope keeps increasing.
37. That the European Community had nothing to do with peace and it was all NATO.
38. That CAP has always been bad for you.
39. That the CFP deal the EEC forced on you damaged the fishing industry in the 1980s
40. That it is a disgrace that you have to collaborate in certain areas of foreign policy.
41. And… That regional funds are stupid and you should be allowed to spend your money how you like.
42. Now, I hate to cast aspersions, but are you absolutely sure the EU is to blame?
43. To be honest, some think you are pandering to a part of you that blames anybody but themselves when things go wrong.
44. So, I am asking you to do some soul searching and rethink this whole thing.
45. Just to be clear, we’ll still be friends, and it doesn’t matter if you decide to leave the EU, or not
46. But if you leave for the reasons you have stated, you will not be respected in the global community for many years to come.
47. Oh, and I heard you were talking about WTO reform. Seriously? After this?!?

And at the end in the comments there's a lot of wittering about the populace not understanding immigration. And US-Neolib corporate interests pushing Brexit through their pet media. Whatever. It's still a piece of work.
[from: Google+ Posts]

Bruce Sterling has noticed LoFi House. Or rather he's noticed Google and Youtube's recommendation algorithm.

"From heads who have been around since house’s beginnings, to a younger generation now thoroughly burned out on the vaporwave zeitgeist—both of which lie at the heart of the style’s burgeoning audience"

O, RLY?

https://www.wired.com/beyond-the-beyond/2017/07/music-globalista-lo-fi-house-recommendations-machines-really-like/


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[from: Google+ Posts]

Mixmag on OOUKFUNKYOO, Moskalus and Hurfyd and their role in breaking new (LoFi House) music on Youtube.
http://mixmag.net/feature/diy-videos

How to "Lofi house"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8LKGgW-7ZM


[from: Google+ Posts]