Coronavirus, COVID-19 and the great mis-infodemic are centre stage in this episode 33 of the Small Data Forum podcast. The global pandemic provides Thomas Stoeckle, Sam Knowles and I with an array of topics to dissect and discuss as we take solace from the wisdom of the superforecasting capabilities of Asterix and his indomitable Gauls. “If men define situations as real, they are real in their consequence,” writes Thomas in the show notes. This little known sociological formula from the … [Read more...] about SDF 33: Convolvulus, Coronavirus & the Thomas theorem
Politics
SDF 32: When Henry VIII met Dr Strangelove
If historical analogies provide the measure of a man, then Downing Street henchman-in-chief, lead iconoclast and perpetual ideas recyclist “Classic Dom” Cummings is doing a spectacularly good job, writes Thomas Stoeckele introducing the show notes for episode 32 of our Small Data Forum podcast. In this episode that Thomas, Sam Knowles and I recorded just a week after Boris got Brexit done, we disagree with such a wild claim mostly in a reasonable way (although Thomas has a different view on … [Read more...] about SDF 32: When Henry VIII met Dr Strangelove
I am always European
And so, we've left. I didn't consider Brexit Day on Friday 31 January 2020 as a day to celebrate anything. I didn't watch the TV. I didn't contribute any comments, likes, retweets. In fact, nothing at all to say on any social network. I was mostly absent. The only thing I did on Friday was update my profile pic on Facebook. This morning, I caught up a bit on what's being said and who's saying it across the broad spectrum of the online landscape. I saw nothing to inspire me. Yes, … [Read more...] about I am always European
SDF 31: Opportunity and chaos from #GE2019
On December 17, five days after voting ended in the UK General Election, Thomas Stoeckle, Sam Knowles, and I got together for lunch in London followed by a good old chat over a few beers in a live conversation we recorded for episode 31 of the Small Data Forum podcast. We continued our conversation about the state of the UK we started earlier in the year, informed somewhat by the outcome of #GE2019 where we have moved onward from the hung Parliament territory of the 2017 General Election to … [Read more...] about SDF 31: Opportunity and chaos from #GE2019
FIR 190: Digital vs analogue behaviour in the UK general election
For the December edition of The Hobson & Holtz Report - aka episode 190 of the For Immediate Release podcast - Shel and I picked an eclectic list of topics to talk about. As a European and, specifically, a Brit, my hot one was about the result of the General Election that took place here in the UK on December 12 - the result was a landslide win for Boris Johnson and the Conservative party - and the role social media played in influencing voters. Did social media influence voters to … [Read more...] about FIR 190: Digital vs analogue behaviour in the UK general election