h2g2bob @h2g2bob@mastodon.dbatley.com

Reasons to stay in touch: we are happier when we spend more time with others
https://ourworldindata.org/happiness-and-friends

Big changes planned with psycopg2 (or psycopg3), python's postgres database module. Adding async support, a nicer api for transactions and more efficient interaction with underlying c api. https://www.varrazzo.com/blog/2020/03/06/thinking-psycopg3/ #python

A new form of carbon: pentagraphene
https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2019/11/15/another-new-form-of-carbon-its-a-weird-one #chemistry

Book recommendation: Star Trek Chain of Attack. I'm pleased to report this book is just as terrible as The Original Series on TV, and just as enjoyable. Highly recommend! #book

Robotics over MIDI
https://www.roborooter.com/post/8-bit-firmata #hardware

Local Lib Dem leaflet for Eastwood, Southend. LD and Con both send leaflets here. #ukpol

Our World in Data looks at Coronavirus: what's the mortality rate in healthy people, and how do you know if you have normal flu? https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus

Science Friday: Slime Mold, The Most Charismatic Single Cell You’ll Meet Today
https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/curoious-creatures-slime-molds/ #podcast #nature

The strange power of the idea of “average”
http://timharford.com/2019/08/the-strange-power-of-the-idea-of-average/ #math

RESTful APIs - when is a POST not a POST?
https://zaitcev.livejournal.com/257298.html

Schrödinger's Cab Firm: Uber's Existential Crisis https://www.londonreconnections.com/2019/schrodingers-cab-firm-ubers-existential-crisis/ #london

Clocks go forward on 29 March 2020. They also change in 2021 and 2022, but do not change in 2023. https://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-end-of-summer-time.html

New research about old shoes
https://www.improbable.com/2019/05/13/shoe-concealments-of-yore-a-recent-study/

PyPy's new JSON parser
https://morepypy.blogspot.com/2019/10/pypys-new-json-parser.html #python

What happened to the computer geeks in Whitehall - the UK's Verify identity system.
https://ukcampaign4change.com/2019/03/07/is-154m-verify-identity-system-the-it-failure-it-seems-to-be/ #ukpol

Less meat is nearly always better than sustainable meat, to reduce your carbon footprint
https://ourworldindata.org/less-meat-or-sustainable-meat #climate

Don't be confused by the '70s name and flowery shirt - this is 100% electronic music. Mostly laid-back and relaxing, with occasional strongly emotional tubes mixed in. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0072l4x #music

Generator expressions in Perl
https://lwn.net/Articles/793441/ #perl

It's about time to plant Tomato seeds into propagators and on the windowsill. I recommend Midnight Snack, a cherry tomato with black fruit, which tasted great last year.