We really enjoyed the guided tour from Amusing Planet of the model villages (company towns) of the UK planned and constructed in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in the trailing years of the Industrial Revolution to house workers and their families.
Corporate barons in all trades from locomotion to mining, soap and chocolate created accom- modations and amenities that was far superior to the relative squalor of crowded working class neighbourhoods in urban centres. Although these pursuits weren’t entirely altruistic with landowners wanting to rid themselves of the eye-sores of cottages of the poor interrupting their views and some arguing the whole scheme was just the latest incarnation of feudalism with workers rather trapped and indentured (or indoctrinated) and with no choice other than patronising the company store, these settlements nonetheless pioneered retirement, medical benefits and union representation and helped enshrine and solidify the notion of labour rights. These purpose built villages were eventually integrated as regular towns and many contain listed-structures of historical significance.
Tuesday 11 July 2017
port sunlight
catagories: ๐ฌ๐ง, architecture, labour
standing order sixty-six
With the Trumpian effects of time distortion already punching holes in the fabric of reality, it’s scarcely possible to believe that this week marks a year since Theresa May ascended to the post of Prime Minister and leader of the UK’s Conservative Party after the passage of the Brexit referendum.
May’s professed political world view is rooted in the paternal and pragmatic philosophy of Benjamin Disraeli whose leadership informed what’s called One-Nation conservatism that while retaining the class system strongly advocated noblesse oblige and social justice for the disadvantaged and that indifference and apathy for inequities would result in violent revolution. Nonetheless, Disraeli’s agenda was oriented towards expanding the Empire and inspired fierce ideological battles from fellow populist William Ewart Gladstone who coined the term “Little England” to refer to the metropolitan Britain without its colonies beyond the seas. We’ll see what the future brings for incumbent and country.
Monday 10 July 2017
6x6
sidebar conversation: company releases custom cellular phone to commemorate the meeting of US-Russo leadership on the sidelines of the G-20 summit
bucket-list: holding more than ten billion photographs, a hosting website is extorting uploaders by changing exorbitant fees to link to old images, effectively erasing great, historic swaths of the internet, via Super Punch
your daily donald: Iranian website sponsors a Dear Leader caricature contest, via Everlasting Blรถrt
acme corporation: Chicago graffiti artist creates a Wile E Coyote and Road-Runner storyboard
sacrรฉ dรฉpanneur: Nag on the Lake shares an appreciation of the Quรฉbรฉcois neighbourhood corner shop—which comes from the verb “to troubleshoot”
better with the broom complicate: a neural network (previously here, here, here and here) tries to write titles and synopsises for Harry Potter fan fiction
Sunday 9 July 2017
around the horn
We’ve known for some time that the fall of the Byzantine Empire—precipitated by the Ottomans’ taking of Constantinople—in May of the year 1453 was an event chronically adjacent to the dawn of the age of exploration with Christopher Columbus’ voyages in 1492 and Vasco da Gama’s five years later (preceding both and inspiring the success of his fellow countryman subsequently was Bartlolomew Diaz). We, however, failed to recognise the collapse of the Eastern Roman Empire and the blockade of overland routes to Asia directly, like the series of Crusades to recapture the Holy Land of Middle Ages and safeguard caravans of pilgrims, was aimed to re-establish trade-routes severed by Muslim occupation.
resting rich face
A rather wide-spread study has revealed that our default, neutral facial posture can reflect a lot about our socio-economic well-being.
So far results are only slightly better than random but as discerning glances become more sophisticated (and ethnographers do think that there is some subtly in expression that human intuit) this will become another factor for algorithms to exploit as a gauge for credit-worthiness or even if it’s worth the return on investment for you to be in this or that particular store or be allowed to take a holiday as planned as an under-contributor. What do you think? If we are to trust technology to help us improve our lot and be willing to work collaboratively with it, the process should be a transparent one—even if we’re growing too dumb to have it explained in terms we can understand. If our expressions do carry artefacts of our past and class upbringing, those shouldn’t be leveraged against us.