#vs the north finding a way to break the “one bird” rule

[juryokunojikan]

Not these two wearing the clothes of the dearly departed whom they will eventually surpass.

[tinytourist]

Great Barrier Oasis

On Thursday morning we woke up early and rushed to Wynyard Quarter to catch our ferry to Great Barrier Island. We chose the ferry instead of flights so we could bring our camping gear and food for the whole trip. The ferry was nothing like we envisioned. The majority of the open space was taken up by the carpark, with a single row of seats lining the port and starboard decks. We put on our sweaters and sat on the deck where we were able to enjoy the fresh air and get a tour of the Hauraki Gulf.

We arrived on Great Barrier Island just before 1 PM and picked up our rental car right from the port. From there, we went into the town of Tryphena to rent an additional fishing rod. The mulleted shopkeeper gave us a few tips of things to see on island and we quickly followed his advice. We went straight to the mermaid pools to check them out, but the tides weren’t right so we decided to drive the rest of the way to our campground. 

For the first two nights of our adventure we were staying towards the North end of the Island, near Port Fitzroy, at a place called Orama Oasis. The word oasis is often used as hyperbole, but this was the most accurate depiction of the word that I’ve ever experienced. Our campground was located on a patch of grass overlooking Karaka Bay. The grounds were filled with little villas, a rec center, a big shared kitchen, and private bathrooms with flushable toilets and hot showers. I could’ve stayed there for weeks.

After we toured the grounds, it started pouring. Greg and I unpacked the chilly bin and food in the kitchen while Aidan and David went rock fishing. There were several “work-ups” which is a swarm of birds eating small fish on the surface of the water. This is usually a good sign for fishing, as it means that there are likely a bunch of larger fish feeding below. We saw one of the locals urgently pull his tinney into the water and catch a fish within 4 minutes of getting into the water, on his first cast. 

Aidan and David had similar luck. They came back with three snappers that were big enough to keep! We watched them show off their filleting skills and then quickly set up the tents while there was a break in the rain. Greg fired up the grill and made us some fresh fish burgers for dinner.

We came back to the campsite to find a puddle in my tent! After about twenty minutes of sopping up water, wringing out the towel, and wiping stuff down, the tent was finally habitable again. We were all tired from the long day and passed out pretty early.

On Friday we slept in a bit and went for a hunt along the grounds for kayaks we could rent. There were plenty of kayaks but, to our frustration, none of them were for hire. We decided to go into Port Fitzroy to explore, where we found a lonely port and a burger shop that sold coffee. Up the hill was a general store where the entertainment for the cashier and guests was a brand new Roomba. If the main islands of NZ are a decade behind the US, then GBI is at least 3 decades in the past.

From the store we spotted a sign for a trek with a waterfall and decided to have a go at it. Warrens Loop Track consisted of a path through the bush, canopied by kānuka trees filled in with silver ferns. We made it to a waterfall that was bigger than anticipated, followed the path down to a road, and then to a campground by Rarohara Bay. Greg ran into one of his frisbee friends from Auckland who we continued to encounter throughout the trip. We ate our lunches at the campsite and explored the coast and then went to Whangapoua Beach. The guys embraced their inner child and had a blast bodysurfing in the waves. We walked the length of the quiet beach and found a pool of mini hermit crabs and snails to observe.

Back at camp, the guys went rock fishing while I stayed back to read and relax. I watched a surreal picturesque sunset over the bay and then started to get nervous that the guys weren’t back yet. They had to climb over oyster-lined rocks to get back and the tide was rising. I donned my headlamp and went out to search for them. I didn’t have to go too far before I found them. Luckily they were all fine, but so much for my relaxation! At least they got a few keepers. We were able to make fish tacos with the fresh snapper that were delightful enough to change my mood.

David made us all G&Ts with his fancy new gin and we played too many rounds of President to count. There was much debate over the Kiwi vs. American rules of the game with some negotiation and a little compromise.

[dorjepadmeursidae]

a leap of faith fifty years ago today: an astrological interpretation of the stonewall uprising.

In honor of Pride month further amplified with the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, I cast the astrological chart of the recorded time police approached the entry doors of the Stonewall Inn at 1:20am on June 28th, 1969 in New York City.

I claim to be no authority on this subject, but acknowledge with deep respect the impact on equality this event impressed upon the collective. This event and the subsequent protests and marches, birthed a shift in the norm, midwifed by those brave individuals who would not tolerate the discrimination, and for the individuals and collective that moved gay rights into existence.

Evolution takes effort, and from an astrological perspective, the energy was ripe for just that.

Imagine the heat that summer night. The humidity of city end of June.

Dark street corners, dark brick buildings lining the village pathways, a cityscape known for it’s winding streets, hard angled corners and thin alleyways. The Stonewall Inn on Christopher Street in Greenwich. Downtown New York City. A building with boarded windows, a safe haven— refuge to people who were obliged to reserve their affections, their identities to these sanctioned spaces, shadowed from everyday society. To be out was literally dangerous. Shame, ridicule, arrests, judgment, condemnation are words that come to mind. The interviews and photographs of this period document camaraderie and community that gathered there as a space of comfort, relaxation. A place to be one’s authentic self. The 1960’s were considered the dark ages for homosexuals and anyone identifying on the queer spectrum.

We generally think of the 1960’s as this time of reform—shifts in consciousness. The end of a war, the death of great political leaders, civil rights, the summer of love, free love, sex, open minds and new designer drugs used to increase awareness. This was supposed to be the Aquarian Age, the entry point for concepts of oneness, casting away US vs THEM and affirming WE. Spaceship Earth, man. Mankind united— and yet the gays were left to the dark meeting points of shipping containers in the meat packing districts, and the only place to express affection, express self as is was in the bricked up, windowless gay bars. They could be listed, outed, lose their jobs, fall between the cracks and the upsetting reality of that dark phrase dead in a gutter.

Try to set your mind into that space… one of fear, perhaps paranoia. An imposed understanding that being your natural self was offensive, ungodly or unnatural. Imagine the lack of safety, a stomach of secrets.

Change comes from within. Change doesn’t happen with all of us waking up and suddenly - POOF - the sky is a different tone of blue— or that we collectively break out into a universal kumbaya - it is about our individual actions. It’s by using our little human wills, using our voices, and uniting in something together that will swing the pendulum hard enough the other direction it will find a new center.

The energy of that moment, of the police entering, was an ushering in of new energies fired by the pain of the past, by the wounds of not being enough or being acknowledged.

The sun, the core vitalizing piece of this occurrence, was in Cancer. Cancer, a cardinal (initiatory) water (emotionally attuned) zodiac sign, ruled by the moon. Cancer the nurturer, the mother bird who knows when to be kind, and when to be firm. The sun, a masculine, vitalizing force infused with the sacred feminine of Cancer is the perfect duality to set the stage. It’s center placement in the 3rd house ruling communication and that of brothers and sisters and those we identify with, plays out that key sense of community that was dialed in at the moment of response.

The ascendant (rising sign) is the mask worn at this moment. In Aries, the masculine driving force is fueled by a good battle, a pioneering energy ready to move forward and climb the mountain — act first on impulse and ask questions later.

The moon sign is in Sagittarius— (the emotional tone/stuck energy preventing this karmic bypass to move forward) one of high spiritual energy, feeling there is a special purpose or a life’s calling. This combo of the moon in the 8th house of transformation, of soul calling is about leaps of faith— taking risks to go beyond our basic instincts. It is an intuitive combination, driven by following it’s ideals— or, getting involved in controversies. In this incident, it feels like both.

The Sagittarius moon is in perfect opposition (tension) to Mercury (the mind or messenger) in Gemini- the dual thinker, asking for spontaneity, urging to connect and to speak up! This is an inflamed tension of inner conflict between thought and feeling.

Looking towards the wound of this chart, indicated by the Asteroid Chiron, the wounded healer, it lies in Aries energy — veiled in the 12th house of the unseen. The wound of not being good enough, not being worthy, of being seen. Undeserving of a place at life’s table of nourishment, not being good enough, I am a secret, I cannot want what I want in public spaces, so I must remain hidden. This wound is in a wide conjunction (12 degrees) of the charts North Node ruler - the direction of the chart, where it aims to proceed. It, too, is in the 12th house, in the sign of Pisces, the natural ruler of the 12th house of things unseen, of the subconscious. This Piscean energy can fuel the martyrdom, or rise to become the vehicle for true service. Through right sacrifice, we can belong. We can accept ourselves completely. This conjunction of the North Node (selfless service of Pisces) and the Chiron wound (pioneering Aries) is indicative of the healer, the spiritual teacher and the INITIATOR to integrate and to unlock the potential of that moment.

The first house of ideal self, shares Aries and Taurus energy with Saturn and Venus both in Taurus (ruled by Venus). This creates an heir of Self Worth, valuing self and having the self discipline to move into action in creating that ideal self. This is about inner changes and seeking out what you want most in life… to be seen! To be a part of the group! To be equals! THIS is what this chart of the moment implies. With Venus in Taurus opposite of Neptune in Scorpio, this creates a vision of service to others, the vision of self worth, of the future, a vision of integrity of self and soul clan. This same combination gives a natural heir of eccentricity, and with Neptune in Scorpio in it’s placement conjunct Mars in Sagittarius - the word Masquerade comes to mind. Neptune is the ruler of lipstick, glamour, movie stars and anything shiny - and in Scorpio there is an intensity in bringing this to surface. Masquerade- the technical legal term in that era for those individuals posing in the clothing of the opposite sex. We think of drag queens when we envision this uprising, those with a sense of humor to battle the injustices of societal judgment. Humor was no longer cutting through the barriers— action needed to be taken to reach a new level of communication.

The piece in this chart that gave me chills was that Uranus, planet of influence, the ruler of chaos, of expecting the unexpected, of enlightening energy, of new clarity and insight, had moved into Libra energy by less than a degree. 45 seconds into Libra, and Uranus, this chaos factor, lit a fire.

For those of us not perceptive in 1969, to illustrate Uranus’ chaos factor, think of March 2010. The week that Uranus entered the fiery arena of Aries, a tsunami occurred. Eruptive is the word I think of with Uranus. Pushing everything to the surface to be looked at under a deep microscopic gaze.

In Libra, the sign of justice, harmony, of all inclusive love and connection, a “we’re not going to take it!” energy occurred. Uranus in Libra in a running stellum (planets/astrological entities in a running conjunction or close connection) of Virgo’s integrity with Jupiter (expansion, good fortune, blessings in disguise) conjunct the South Node (past pain, history) and conjunct Pluto (deep, soulful transformation). This stack of intensity, of past patterns of “am i good enough?” and of expansion and uncertainty was all there in the sign of betterment, Virgo in it’s home of the sixth house - day to day life, or ultimately- the house of service, the house of the masters. This energy of change of justice of love of all inclusiveness is fired up!

So you look at a chart as it’s whole, not only as it’s individual components as illustrated here. I see cardinal, initiating energy all around. The desire to be seen (Aries) to do it with integrity and organization (Capricorn at the top of the chart) pressured and fueled by a sense of justice and unity as the inspiring force. We see the wounds of the past, of not being good enough, not being worthy of being seen (Chiron in Aries, North Node Pisces in the twelfth house). We have the fuel of integration, masculine and feminine energies being welcomes together (sun in Cancer) the self discipline, the self worthiness (Saturn and Venus in the first house in Taurus) all in rubber band like tension with “what’s for the good of the whole?” EQUALITY! The passion and drive, the emotional fuel of the Moon tied closely to Mars both in Sagittarius — this is about leaps of faith! Fuel for risk taking and for change. The Stellum of the great gas giants - the far out planets of Uranus, Jupiter and Pluto asking for integrity, integration and unity. Justice and harmony playing out in a scheduled and meaningful way.

The results of that night were passionate, followed by empowered organization and the meaningful gathering of folx asking to be accepted into the fold, and celebrating their PRIDE in being who and what they are without shame. The march. To be seen, heard and out of the dark. This energy of change, this shift in consciousness, this moment of execution, to be heard, to be seen, to be part of society— has completely transformed the way we view gender, transformed the way we view people in this day and age.

Having grown up in the 80’s and 90’s with a mother that was into astrology, she started to see people through their charts as souls. She said if we could all see one another as soul, we wouldn’t care about their bodies, we wouldn’t care about what gender assignment they are— we would see them as spiritual beings, as energy itself in the physical. As my friend Lucy reminds— “Hearts not Parts.”

If not for the brave beings, those souls who chose to be there for the uprising at Stonewall Inn and for the challenge of seizing that opportunity to be seen, heard and viewed as a part of — there’d be no Pride month, there’d be no celebration of diversity in this sense. There would be the disenfranchised scattered to the edges of heteronormative culture. Hold dear to our hearts the heroes who have brought inclusion in all the forms and varieties of human expression through this event and through all the efforts that stemmed from this night, fifty years ago today.

[stupidtwinkmac]

you asked for my full psychology notes so here they are

i rewatched the entire series and wrote down all the things i thought were relevant to the characters’ psychology, theres probably some stuff missing so message me if you think i should add anything

S1e1- “The Gang Gets Racist”

Dennis wants paddys to stay a gay bar bc he likes getting validation from gay boys

“They’re really more of a blue-green”

S1e3- “Underage Drinking: A National Concern”

Dennis talks about how popular he was in high school and cries a bit when mac and charlie tell him that tim murphy slept with his prom date which is like pretty normal but it foreshadows the high school reunion episode

-

Dee goes out with a high schooler just for the validation and to live out shit she couldn't do in high school

“Wait but ive never statutory raped anyone before”

-

Mac and charlie give high schoolers a keg bc they said that mac and charlie were cool

-

Mac gets jealous that everyone got asked to a high school prom except for him

S1e7- “Charlie Gets Molested”

Mac gets jealous that he didn't get molested

“If the McPoyles got blown, and Charlie got blown, then why didn't I get blown?”

-

charlie got molested by his uncle

S2e4- “Mac Bangs Dennis’ Mom”

Dennis gets pissed that people's moms wont fuck him

“Is everyone getting laid but me?”

S2e7- “The Gang Exploits A Miracle”

Dennis starves himself for three days because Dee said his face looked fat

S3e1- “The Gang Finds A Dumpster Baby”

Dennis pretends to be a hippie just to fuck some guys girlfriend because he insulted his quaff and called him a narc

S3e2- “The Gang Gets Invincible”

Dee pretends to be a guy to try out for the eagles just to prove that she can

s3e5 - “The Aluminium Monster Vs. Fatty Magoo”

Dennis goes on a Whole Thing to prove that he’s a winner and that he hasn't peaked

“I haven't even begun to peak”,  “make it work dennis… make it work”

S3e6- “The Gang Solves the North Korea Situation”

Dee does the talent show every year to validate herself

S3e11- “Dennis Looks Like A Registered Sex Offender”

Dennis obsesses over his jawline and his weight when people tell him he looks like wendell

-

Mac’s dad gets out of jail and we can see how neglectful his parents are

S4e3- “America’s Next Top Paddy’s Billboard Model Contest”

Dennis desperately tries to prove that he’s still hot enough to be on the billboard

“I was sculpted to the proportions of Michelangelo's David”

“I realized that i don’t need validation anymore”- proves that he was just doing the billboard stuff bc of a bpd need for validation.

S4e4- “Mac’s Banging the Waitress”

Dennis gets unreasonably upset when he finds out that Charlie doesn't think he’s his best friend

-

Mac bangs the waitress to get back at Charlie for smashing his project badass tapes

S4e5- “Mac and Charlie Die Pt 1”

Dennis gets more upset that Mac and Charlie didn't include him in their suicide pact than he is about them being “dead”

S5e2- “The Gang Hits The Road”

Charlie doesn't want to go on the road trip because he’s never left philly before, he asks dennis to comfort him about his fears of bad things happening and people being assholes, he eventually freaks out and asks the hitchhiker to drop him back off at the bar

S5e10- “The D.E.N.N.I.S System”

Dennis believes that his manipulation actually makes girls fall in love with him

S6e2- “Dennis Gets Divorced”

Charlie gets real uncomfy when uncle jack tries to hug him

S6e5- “Mac and Charlie: White Trash”

Dennis tries desperately to prove that he’s high class

S6e6- “Mac’s Mom Burns Her House Down”

Charlie’s mom has OCD and Charlie also starts to pick it up

“Why are you doing everything in threes?” “Oh. So Charlie doesn't die.”

“...just playing it safe. She's been doing it. I'm still alive. Can't be crazy” “ It does feel good to do stuff in threes.”

S6e8- “The Gang Gets a New Member”

Dee gets incredibly insecure when she opens the time capsule and hasn't done what she wanted to do when she was a kid

-

Charlie gets super insecure when he thinks smitty is replacing him

S6e10- “Charlie Kelly: King of the Rats”

Charlie doesn't like leaving the bar and going out into the world

“Dee, I go to a movie or a spaghetti place with you, and out there, I'm the rat.”

Charlie has a panic attack in a sauna

“I'm trapped like a rat, aren't I?” “No, you're not, Charlie.” “ I'm a rat in here! I'm a rat! I'm trapped like a - I gotta get out of here.” “I'm tired of being in weird places, Frank, 'cause I'm trapped like a rat.” Just bash me like a rat! Bash me like a rat and get it over with!”

S6e11- “The Gang Gets Stranded in the Woods”

Charlie has to be knocked out with a sack over his head to be able to go to Atlantic City

“This is why i don’t leave philly alright cause when you leave philly, bad shit happens”

-

Mac starves himself for chase utley

-

“If animals have taught me anything it's that you can die at any time very quickly by the side of the road”

S6e12- “Dee Gives Birth”

Dennis yells at a nurse about Dee’s stories like he’s a god

“I will come down on this hospital like the hammer of Thor. The thunder of my vengeance will echo through these corridors like the gust of a thousand winds!”

-

Dee berates guys until they have sex with her

S7e1- “Frank’s Pretty Woman”

Mac gains a ton of weight and calls it packing on mass

“I went from tiny twink to the muscle bound freak you see before you”

-

Dennis admits to starving himself and literally constantly working out

“I may look relaxed but im incredibly tense at all times”

S7e2- “The Gang Goes to the Jersey Shore”

Mac knocks carlie out with chloroform to get him to the jersey shore

S7e6- “The Storm of the Century”

Dennis writes a contract for the girls he plans to invite to his rape bunker

S7e7- “Chardee Macdennis: The Game of Games

Mac says that Dee tried to kill herself

S7e10- “How Mac Got Fat”

Charlie gets overwhelmed and goes in the crevice

-

Mac blames everyone else for making him fat

-

Dennis does dumb shit because he’s self conscious about getting old and looking bad

“I was just trying to live up to all of your expectations of me” “what expectations?” “physical perfection”

The entire chemical peel scene is a good representation of his mental disorders

S7e12- “The High School Reunion”

Dee tries to be friends with the popular people from school to validate herself

-

Mac got bullied and dealt drugs in high school

-

Charlie got bullied in school and huffed glue in the bathroom

“Everyone wants dirtgrub i'll give them dirtgrub okay i'll get high i'll get sad people can laugh at me i hate highschool man”

S7e13- “The High School Reunion Part 2: The Gang’s Revenge”

The entire golden god meltdown

“Its fetish shit i like to bind i like to be bound”

“You would just come around saying shit about being a golden god or some other insane crap and referring to all of us as your minions” “You always acted like you were better than everyone else but then you would just go and hang out with ronnie the rat or dirtgrub under the bleachers”

S8e5- “The Gang Gets Analyzed”

Dennis tries to analyze the therapist

-

Mac has some real severe mood swings

The therapist talks to him about body dysmorphia

-

Dennis giving mac “size pills”

Dennis keeps psychology profiles on everyone in the gang, he started dee’s in the 2nd grade

-

Dee’s entire “tell me i’m good” scene

S8e6- “Charlie’s Mom Has Cancer”

Dennis having trouble feeling throughout the entire episode until the “my mommy’s a skeleton” “i feel to much” scene

-

Charlie being incredibly overwhelmed the entire episode, (rubbing his head at Dr. Jinx’s, Getting real upset at church)

S8e7- “Frank’s Back in Business”

Dennis pretending to be brian lefevre

“I want you to get off with me” “This is about crawling into another man’s skin”

S8e8- “Charlie Rules the World”

The entire “I Am God” sensory deprivation tank scene

Dennis blowing himself could also be symbolic but it could also just be a bit

S9e3- “The Gang Tries Desperately to Win an Award”

Mac getting really defensive about slight banter “i've had tons of orgasms i've had one with your mom”

S9e5- “Mac Day”

Mac is not okay with being upstaged by country mac when he jumps off the bridge and offers people weed

“there's nothing badass about breaking the law”

S9e6- “The Gang Saves the Day”

Macs fantasy is about everyone admiring his badass karate skills and dennis crying over his dead body saying that he loves him

-

Dee’s fantasy is about killing every man in the room and finally being appreciated for her acting skills and marrying someone who doesn't call her a bird

-

Dennis’ fantasy is about surviving a bullet to the head at point blank range and killing his idea of the perfect woman

S9e7- “The Gang Gets Quarantined”

Charlie’s mom got him vaccinated way too often and made him wear bubble boy suits during flu season, Charlie also still has the suits for some reason

-

“I am in perfect control of my body, if i felt myself getting sick i would simply say SICKNESS BE GONE”

*sustains a perfect G5* “does that sound like a man who needs to be in the hospital”

S10e2- “The Gang Group Dates”

Dennis obsesses over his star rating on a dating app

“I AM A FIVE STAR MAN”

-

Dee has one night stands with a whole lot of guys that she’s not really into just to give them one star ratings

S10e3- “Psycho Pete Returns”

Dennis does a whole psychopath monologue about skin luggage

“You haven't thought of the smell you bitch”

He gets diagnosed with BPD and gets medication

S10e6- “The Gang Misses the Boat”

Dennis’ whole range rover speech

S10e8- “The Gang Goes On Family Fight”

Dennis breaks down crying because of the buzzer

-

Dee starves herself to look good for the camera

S10e10- “Ass Kickers United; Mac and Charlie Join a Cult”

Dennis tries to prove that he’s the best at manipulating people

S11e3- “The Gang Hits the Slopes”

Charlie brings up his agoraphobia shit again

“See, this is why I don't like leaving Philly, man. This is nuts.”

S11e4- “Dee Made a Smut Film”

Dennis got raped by a librarian in high school when he was 14

“I was in an older woman that’s cool right?”

S11e9- “The Gang Goes to Hell”

Dee manipulates guys into having sex with her

“So ill insinuate that it would be a shame if my account of what happened was different from his and he got a call from the sheriff”

S11e10- “The Gang Goes to Hell: Part Two”

Charlie has a panic attack about the boat sinking and dennis calms him down

“I knew I shouldn't have come on this cruise. I knew it! I mean, it used to be I would never even leave Philly! And then, you know, you guys drag me to this, you drag me to that, and next thing I know, I-I'm stuck in a box on a sinking ship!”

-

Dennis keeps onions in his pocket so that he can cry when he needs to

S12e3- “Old Lady House: A Situation Comedy”

Bonnie doing everything in threes so that charlie doesn't die

-

“I just can't enjoy it when the people being filmed, know they're being filmed”

S12e7- “PTSDee”

Charlie and dennis bonding over their trauma

-

Dee tries to ruin a guys life bc he said she was his rock bottom

S12e8- “The Gang Tends Bar”

“I have big feelings, and it hurts”

[coopdigitalnewsletter]

1 Jul 2019: 1-click neighbourhood watch. Robogrocers failing in China. Is everyone breaking personal data law?

Hello, this is the Co-op Digital newsletter - it looks at what's happening in the internet/digital world and how it's relevant to the Co-op, to retail businesses, and most importantly to people, communities and society. Thank you for reading - send ideas and feedback to @rod on Twitter. Please tell a friend about it!

[Image: Andy Warhol in Gristedes, 1965? Bob Adelman.]

1-click neighbourhood watch

Amazon has a patent for using delivery drones as a neighbourhood watch scheme, keeping watch on your home from the air. You can imagine that the line of thinking might have been: “Well, we’re going to have these drones absolutely everywhere, so what *else* could we do with a ubiquitous cloud of drones that have cameras?” (To be clear, having a patent for something doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll turn up in a product. The line of thinking in bigcos patenting things might simply be “Oh! Here’s a non-obvious new thing, guess we might as well try patent it just in case.”)

Here’s a more tangled case. US police departments are now offering home owners discounted Amazon Ring home video systems, if the homeowners share footage with law enforcement. (Ring is an Amazon’s “smart home” brand - door locks, video entry systems, etc.) If it’s *your* Ring video, you may think about this in terms of property and safety and not privacy: “It helps keep my castle safe, so that’s fine”. On the other hand, maybe you won’t feel quite the same way if it’s your neighbour opposite’s camera peering into your front garden, and streaming the video to you’re not sure who. There are some obvious privacy concerns: Where does the footage end up, and to what automated uses is it put? Is it shared with other agencies? And what oversight and regulation covers individuals providing video to law enforcement via third parties?

Retail infrastructure: Shopify’s fufillment network

Shopify wants to give merchants an alternative to Fulfillment by Amazon (and press release). Shopify has about 800,000 customers and its service would let them ship products directly from Shopify’s distribution centres. It’s a bold move because distribution infrastructure is expensive, but the idea is probably that there’s some margin to win because Amazon charges higher fees for fulfillment that didn’t originate on the Amazon.com website.

Unstaffed stores failing in China 

Many unstaffed convenience stores opened in China in the last few years, and many of these robostores are now closing. China has a well-developed mobile payment infrastructure which should have helped on the payment side but it sounds as if there are several related challenges:

It’s hard to stand out vs a well-developed vending machine landscape in China

It’s harder to sell higher-margin fresh food and fast food without staff because AI/robots aren’t quite there yet

Companies used tech to remove staff but not to gather and understand useful shopper data.

Capital for retail deployment tightened.

Alibaba’s Freshippo sells fresh food and has been slower to deploy than rivals - its more careful approach and retention of staff alongside automation may mean Freshippo is better positioned to do well in China. It’s hard to say what this means for grocer automation pilots outside of China like Amazon Go or Sainsbury’s, other than: human staff can do jobs that automation and AI cannot (yet?).

Is *everyone* breaking personal data law?

The Information Commissioner’s Office reckons that the entire adtech industry is failing to comply with data laws (pdf).

“We outline that one visit to a website, prompting one auction among advertisers, can result in a person’s personal data being seen by hundreds of organisations, in ways that suggest data protection rules have not been sufficiently considered”

The ICO acknowledges that it’s a complex industry, and says they’ll take a “measured and iterative approach” to making the industry comply with regulation. That’s probably the right approach, because it’s not always easy to get personal data right, as, erm, the ICO themselves recently discovered: ICO admits its own cookie policy is non-compliant with GDPR.

Other news

Can tech be matched with co-op values to save the planet? - examples of technology reducing travel. But also (eg) co-operative/mutually-owned renewable energy generation seem to be getting lots of attention too.

“Fundamentally disagree that we need a massive donation to #ai #ethics there are too many in this field already including @CDEIUK which is independent body advising government Surely money better used for climate crisis work?” - @Marthalanefox

“Make things open: it makes things better. The Australian government forked GOV.UK Notify and now have a national notifications platform of their own... http://notify.gov.au” - @yahoopete

Boots is to ban plastic bags at the checkout in favour of purchasable paper bags. Recall that Boots annoyed shoppers a few weeks ago when they switched pharmacy prescription bags from paper to plastic.

Alexa, I’m having a heart attack - home speakers such as the Amazon Echo could detect if you are having a heart attack and raise the alarm.

PowerPoint uses AI to save public speaking - someone sucked Russell Davies into an AI and now the Master Control Program has him tuning decks on the game grid. 

Art sneaks into to Google Maps imagery, via Google’s third-party contractors.

Co-op Digital news

Communicating effectively through storytelling - lots of good stuff in here. The newsletter’s opinion is that being able to both show-don’t-tell and tell-don’t-show is useful.

Home of Co-op Digital The Federation has friendly, affordable and flexible co-working space available at the moment.

Co-op opened its first London “On the Go” concept store (this is what the Manchester one’s like, with free water taps).

Most opened newsletter in the last month: the struggle for collection and delivery. Most clicked story: new IT jobs at Co-op bank.

Events

Public events:

The Human Hiring Hack - how to improve workforce diversity and inclusion - Mon 1 Jul 6pm at Northcoders, Federation Street, M4 2AH.

RSA Manchester: Making our places work for us - voice, collaborate, act - Wed 3 Jul 6.15pm at Federation House.

Healthy Disruption: Platform Co-ops - A discussion from a UK Co-operative Movement Perspective - Thu 4 Jul 11.30am at Federation House.

Co-operatives and Co-operation in the UK - The state we're in - Thu 4 Jul 12.30pm and 13.15pm at Federation House.

UK Data Service and methods@manchester: Open data dive on plastic use reduction - Sat 6 Jul 10am at Federation House.

Messy Data and Reluctant Users - The Trouble with Healthcare Data - Mon 8 Jul 6.30pm at Federation House.

Mind the Product - MTP Engage - Fri 7 Feb 2020 - you can get early bird tickets now. 

Internal events:

Funeralcare show & tell - Tue 2 Jul 1pm at Angel Square 12th floor breakout.

Co-operate show & tell - Wed 3 Jul 3pm at Angel Square 8th floor Red core breakout space.

Data management show & tell - Thu 4 Jul 3pm at Angel Square 13th floor breakout area.

Membership show & tell - Fri 5 Jul 3pm at Fed House 6th floor kitchen.

More events at Federation House - and you can contact the events team at  federation.events@coopdigital.co.uk. And TechNW has a useful calendar of events happening in the North West. 

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If you want to find out more about Co-op Digital, follow us @CoopDigital on Twitter and read the Co-op Digital Blog. Previous newsletters.

[junker-town]

What if every mascot from recent champion teams fought to the death?

It’s time to find out who the ultimate champion is.

America has six winners when it comes to major sports, but we don’t handle ties well. There can only be one, and now we need to settle it. There’s only one fair way to decide which team is the ultimate champion out of New England, Golden State, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Clemson and North Carolina — their mascots need to fight to the death.

The contestants:

A minuteman (representing the Patriots)

A generic warrior (representing the Warriors)

A penguin (for Pittsburgh)

A bear cub (repping Chicago)

A tiger (Clemson’s own)

A ram (We’re going with this instead of a Tar Heel)

In order to break this up a series of one-on-one bouts need to be drawn up. In the interest of fairness a committee made up of only me has settled on the only fair way for this to happen.

Round 1

Human division: Minuteman vs. Warrior

This is a classic match up of raw power vs. technology. We’re taking “warrior” to mean the classic sense here — “within the context of a tribal or clan-based warrior culture society” (according to Wikipedia).

If the fight was unarmed the warrior would win, no double — but instead the minuteman is going to square up and shoot right through their armor.

Minuteman wins!

Small animal division: Bear cub vs. Penguin

This is a curious one because it’s really about the here and now. A cub is a bear-in-training, and has yet to fully realize its power or ability. But the other is a penguin. There’s nothing scary about a penguin except the inside of their mouths which are a friggin’ horror show.

Still scary. http://pic.twitter.com/csf7NadfcO

— James Dator (@James_Dator) June 13, 2017

This would be a long, long, long fight. The cub would be confused. The penguin would be waddling around like a trapped flightless bird because it’s a trapped flightless bird. Ultimately the bear cub would get hungry and eat the penguin.

Bear cub wins!

Regular animal division: Tiger vs. Ram.

The tiger tears this ram apart in less than 20 seconds and we don’t need to talk about this any more.

Tiger wins!

Round 2

Now we’re in a quandary. We have three fighters left. It’s here we need to go with experience. Which has the ability to change the game in the middle of the contest? The minuteman. Years of repping the Patriots has taught it how to bend the rules, so for no conceivable reason it gets a bye -- which leaves us with.

Animal final: Bear cub vs. Tiger.

I can’t even think about this without getting sad. It speaks for itself.

Tiger wins!

Round 3

GRAND FINAL: Minuteman vs. Tiger

The minuteman, gun and all, has one shot to win this fight — literally. A single stray musket shot and it’s over. The reload time is too long, the threat too great, and both parties are trapped inside a circle.

Let’s give the minuteman a sporting chance and say it was shot by the musket. A story from India earlier this year shows that a tiger was shot with a vintage musket as recently as May. It took 13 days to die.

The minuteman gets his shot off and then gets absolutely torn to shreds by the angry tiger. There’s no reasoning with the tiger. All hope is lost. Please see “Tipu’s Tiger” for more information on this fight.

Victoria and Albert Museum, via Wikipedia

Tipu’s Tiger, an 18th century mechanical toy

Tiger wins!

CONGRATULATIONS CLEMSON FOR MURDERING EVERY OTHER TEAM IN SPORTS!