Paul Sutton

Paul Sutton – personal blog

Google removing fediverse apps

Google is apparently taking down all/most fediverse apps from google play on the grounds that that some servers in the fediverse engage in hate speech. At least three apps I know of anyway and I'd imagine the others will follow soon under the exact same reasoning.} Seems to be the case with Husky, Fedilab, and “subway” tooter.

this is a scary precedent if google play is going to ban any apps that can in any way be used to access content with hate speech. So what about a forum client, do they take that down just because there is a forum somewhere on the internet posting hate speech?

You can read more in the original post here along with comments here

I have permission to copy the post content here to help spread the word. So I have copied part of this and linked to the full post on qoto.

-My comment-

This is really not good, the fediverse is decentralised and does not work in the same way as centralised services.

Users have the power to block individual fediverse servers and or users, if they object to any content being served.

Exeter Chiefs vs Bristol Bears

Exeter Chiefs are currently top of the Premiership, tonight they take on second place Bristol Bears.

19:45 away to Bristol, so a short trip up the M5 :)

Details here

I will update this post with the score after the game.

Game preview

Final score was Bristol 22-25 Exeter with a ½ time score Bristol 3 – Exeter 15.

#rugby,#Union,#premiership,#Exeter,#Bristol,#result.

Royal Astronomical Society talks Aug 2020

I attended a really interesting talk on Searching for Earth 2.0 with the RAS last week.

A recording is up on their Youtube Channel.

Searching for Earth 2.0

They have a few other talks coming up that may be of interest:-

  • Tomorrow 26/8: Lockdown Learning: online preschool level space session

  • Thurdsay 27/8: RAS Quilt Project – Online Stitching Session

Further details can be found here

Related but not connected with the RAS

#RAS,#astrononmy,#public,#lectures,#virtual,#scienceforums, #discourse.

Virtual Code Club August 2020

The Paignton Library virtual code club is still running, please feel free to share what you are working on in Scratch with our Scratch studio

cc-by logo

This is a newly created studio for these completed projects.

To keep people safe this studio is also invite only you will therefore need to contact the library, provide your scratch user name and I can invite you in.

Please contact [Paignton Library and information centre](https://www.torbaylibraries.org.uk/web/arena/paigntonlibrary

Related profiles :-

Both Repl.it and FreeCodeCamp have excellent features, to share code, ask for help and help others.

I have been looking in to the Repl.it teams feature at the moment, early days as I think I will wait till the forum feature is up as this seems integral to the teams feature.

Stay safe on the forums.

For advice on e-safety please see ThinkUKnow

#scratch,#studio, #education, #school, #home, #activities, #virtual, #codeclub,

Paignton library summer virtual Code Club-5: JavaScript

Further to previous post.

So last week we looked at Python and how we can make games. This week, lets move on to JavaScript.

By now you will probably have an account with both Repl.it and FreeCodeCamp, so jump straight in and start reading, watching and of course coding.

Both websites have excellent forums, you should be able to ask for help with custom projects on Repl.it.

You have a lot of choice here, you can learn to develop games, learn data analyses, machine learning or how to use JavaScript with webpages and much more.

If you would like any help please get in touch with me on twitter @zleap2018 or via the library @paigntonlibrary

LEARN

DEVELOP

#PLAIC_codeclub,#codeclub,#replit,#codeclub,#javascript

Astatine as an anti cancer treatment

I found an interesting article entitled Astatine is a chemistry puzzle that shows anticancer promise so decided to try and build the molecule cited in the article from Molymods.

I am not too sure if I have done this correctly so am asking putting all the information here in the hope someone can perhaps help and advise further.

My main concern here is between the C6H4At – and N2 part, I have had to put in a carbon as I would assume the angle between the two indicates a carbon atom. This has left 2 Bonds free so not sure if I am meant to attach Hydrogen here.

So hopefully the above illustrates what I have built, so question is simply is this correct.

There is a thread on Science forums to discuss further here

#science,#model,#anti,#cancer,#drugs,#Astatine

Building Black Holes in a Lab

This is a really interesting video from PBS Space Time.

So if Black holes leak away mass via Hawking Radiation, does this mean that as white holes also exist, and expel matter rather than suck matter in. then are they also contributing to a mass reduction. This probably assumes the theory that there is a white hole at the other end of the Black hole, otherwise it raises questions as to where does all that matter go?

Further Study

Coursera offer several Physics Courses

References

Further discussion

A thread asking about black hole mass loss via white holes can be found on Science Forums here if anyone would like to contribute to the conversation.

#space,#physics,#blackhole,#astrophysics,#astronomy

Paignton library summer virtual Code Club-4

Further to previous post

Carrying on with a Python theme. If you have been following this Virtual Code Club since March, then you will have completed the modules, so I don't think it is fair to keep repeating this.

It look like Repl.it now supports Turtle graphics, which is great for the Code Club modules.

Repl.it supports the following:-

Pgzero – This is a simpler framework for teaching using creation of games.

So feel free to check out these and the websites and see if you can get coding games in Python, as Repl.it is collaborative then it makes it easier to work as part of small teams on this.

I am on Repl.it as @zleap

#PLAIC_codeclub,#codeclub,#replit,#codeclub,#python,#games, #pygame,#pgzero,#pyxel

Upcoming Overleaf Webinars Aug / Sept 2020

Details of upcoming Overleaf Webinars. This are all well worth attending.

AUGUST

Intro To Overleaf Part I: Beginner Features Tuesday 18 August – 1:00pm ET/5:00pm UTC/10:00am PT

Effective Collaboration with Overleaf Tuesday 25 August – 1:00pm ET/5:00pm UTC/10:00am PT

SEPTEMBER

Intro To Overleaf Part II: Intermediate Features Tuesday 1 September – 1:00pm ET/5:00pm UTC/10:00am PT

Teaching with Overleaf Wednesday 2 September – 3:00pm ET/7:00pm UTC/12:00pm PT

Intro to Overleaf Part III – Advanced Features Wednesday 16 September – 1:00pm ET/5:00pm UTC/10:00am PT

#webinar,#learning,#LaTeX,#Overleaf

Organic Chemistry 7: Functional groups

If you are following this series, then you will probably have built molecules with these groups in, this article is designed for later study, and suggests to prepare items in advance for building larger, more complex molecules.

One thing I have noticed is that there are a set of core blocks of molecules that are useful, and if using molymods you find yourself building over and over again.

Another reason to 'read ahead' with course materials so you can make notes as you go.

So for example $CH_2$ on its own isn't really anything significant, until you put lots together to from an alkane for example.

Where as $CH_3$ is a Methyl group.

Video shows the functional group chemicals that are listed below. I have used 'post it notes' to illustrate the chemical formula of each.

Name Formulae Example
Methyl $CH_3$ Toulene
Alcohol $OH$ Ethanol
Carboxylic Acid $COOH$ Ethanoic Acid
Amine $NH_3$ Nitrobenzene

So sometimes it is a good idea to have these pre-built so that when you are building larger molecules you have them to hand, during a specific study topic.

As we saw with the Benzene derivatives these functional groups crop up in quite a few places. If you look at long chain molecules such as Pentane, you have a $CH_3$ at both ends with $CH_2$ between them.

Useful when completing assignments, sometimes preparation pays off.

The article here on functional groups may be useful for further reading.

As Hydrocarbon chains also form the basis for many Proteins, amino acids etc, then it is useful, if studying biochemistry to also understand the related functional groups.

This article on Amino Acids may also be useful.

If you need help, then Science Forms has an area for both Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry. You may want to find alternative sources to cite than WikiPedia.