Cameron’s low estimation of the public can be seen in his decision to hold the referendum before people fleeing war and drought begin their attempts to cross the Mediterranean this summer. He imagines that dead bodies on beaches, and news reports from refugee camps would make us vote against the EU, as our primary concern would be keeping those people out. I think it’s more likely that this refugee crisis will create an outpouring of compassion. We can register our disgust at being spoken to as racists in this referendum by how we behave towards these refugees. People are drowning in the Mediterranean while we have a navy that could save them. We can press our government to act, and I refuse to be told that’s fanciful by people who think it would be easier to reform the EU. And we can act ourselves. People already are. Donating money, driving to Calais with supplies, trying to create political pressure, and let’s join them, each in our own little way, in a sort of Dunkirk of the spirit. We should do this because these are desperate human beings who need our help. As an added bonus, remember that whatever you do, no matter how small, will appal both sides of this intellectually enfeebled and poisonous campaign, and that the most radical message we can send them is that we still feel love.

Source: The Brexiteers look like villains cornered by Batman in a hall of mirrors | Frankie Boyle | Opinion | The Guardian

Happy birthday, Apple! I spent 8 of my formative years working there – represented in this video from 0:10 to 0:23.  It was a hell of a ride and I sincerely hope there’s at least another 40 years for me as a customer.

Short article detailing the steps involved in making an emoticon. Who knew?

Face With One Eyebrow Raised sailed through the subcommittee. In January, it was presented at the quarterly meeting of the Unicode Technical Committee, a more powerful body which gets to vote on the recommendations presented by the Emoji Subcommittee. There, it was approved to be a candidate for inclusion in the Unicode Standard.

The grueling process to get it made

Source: The Inside Story of the ‘Colbert Emoji”

The Sunday Edition can usually be relied upon for intelligent, interesting and engaging discussions, but it surpassed itself today. Michael Enright leads coverage of the Easter Rising centenary, and talks about its legacy on modern Irish history. Excellent, excellent programming.

Few crushed rebellions have spawned as much poetry, song, legend and heated argument, as the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin. The Rising was doomed as a military operation. But it set in motion the final bloody struggle for Irish independence after 800 years of English rule. And it continues to shape the consciousness and politics of modern Ireland. As the country marks the 100th anniversary of the Rising, Michael Enright goes to Dublin to visit the iconic locations of the Rising: the General Post Office on O’Connell Street’ where it all began; Kilmainham Gaol, where the leaders were executed by the British; and Glasnevin Cemetery, where the dead of Ireland’s independence struggles lie.

Source: The Triumph of Failure: Ireland 1916

Microsoft introduced an AI “teen girl” on Twitter, and the next morning took it to Anchorhead and had its memory erased. I have no idea how the bot worked, but it’s simultaneously hilarious and sobering to think that “learned this behavior through the conversations she has had with real humans online”.

She also said: “Bush did 9/11 and Hitler would have done a better job than the monkey we have got now. donald trump is the only hope we’ve got”, “Repeat after me, Hitler did nothing wrong” and “Ted Cruz is the Cuban Hitler…that’s what I’ve heard so many others say”.

Source: Microsoft s AI teen girl deleted after it becomes Hitler-loving , sex crazy robot – Yahoo7

I applaud the local media – Joe Warmington aside – who have covered the Rob Ford news without obsequious obsequies. What punches obit writers have pulled were followed up with Ford quotes that allow him to have damned his own memoriae. This Torontoist piece is the best I’ve read so far, because it does give him credit for being a thoughtful advocate for his ward’s constituents, but also rightfully accuses him of disappointing the entire city. Goodbye, Rob “Peter Principle” Ford. You will not be missed.

If there is a first tragedy in Rob Ford’s life, it is that he would have made a fine landlord or service worker. But he was ultimately a poor public servant, choosing to do what he loved instead of learning to do what was needed.

Rob Ford’s legacy includes a harmful impact on some of the city’s more marginalized residents, and a worsened political discourse. We shouldn’t forget this.

Source: An Honest Assessment of Rob Ford’s Legacy | politics | Torontoist

The Jian Ghomeshi trial ended the way we thought it would, but not how we hoped it would. There are times I wish we had adopted the “third option” Scottish verdict. My people are both judgmental and pragmatic.

The result is the modern perception that the “not proven” verdict is an acquittal used when the judge or jury does not have enough evidence to convict but is not sufficiently convinced of the accused person’s innocence to bring in a “not guilty” verdict. Essentially, the judge or jury is unconvinced that the suspect is innocent, but has insufficient evidence to the contrary. In popular parlance, this verdict is sometimes jokingly referred to as “not guilty and don’t do it again”.

Source: Not proven – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Leicester City squad just keeps chugging along, astounding everyone with its success. Who can blame their supporters for having an overlong sing-song after yet another win?

The Foxes supporters sang “we’re going to win the league” solidly for 15 minutes after the final whistle, and it took repeated announcements from the stadium announcer to persuade them to leave.

Source: Leicester City: Claudio Ranieri says leaders are on ‘home straight’ – BBC Sport

Was going to buy myself a ukulele but this looks infinitely more practical.

Swedish musician Martin Molin has long had experience with esoteric instruments like the glockenspiel, traktofon, or Theremin, but he may have topped his musical prowess with the invention of his own new instrument: the Wintergatan Marble Machine, a hand-cranked music box loaded with instruments

Source: This Ludicrous New Instrument Makes Music with 2,000 Marbles | Colossal

As a travel photographer and as someone who has crossed Canada by train, these shots baffled me. Then I read the article. What a witty and inventive idea, and what glorious results!

“My own cross-country exploration is done by train, but not in the usual sense. I carry the train rather than it carrying me. It fits into a shopping bag from Mountain Equipment Co-op.”

“It rolls on tiny steel rails that are about two centimetres apart. Nothing larger than an ant can fit into the elegant passenger cars, but traveling with the miniature Canadian gives a fresh view of the country nonetheless,” says Friesen on his site.

Source: Notable.ca | A Photographer Took a Vintage Train Across Canada in a Really Clever Way –