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#whatif

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@Old_IT_geek [preface: will not subvert paywalls, and do not read SMH except for DA's cryptic on Friday]

The exemption of people and organisations is such a tricky thing.
See the profoundly fabulissimo Anne Twomey here: youtu.be/Dt6p9c0vrt8?t=455

If we say that many Bretheren volunteered (as people) to the Liberal Party of Australia (a political party, excluded from the Privacy Act) then we are firmly in "Nothing to see here people" territory.

[oh well]

I wonder though:
#whatIf the data were handed to the Bretheren (an organisation) WITHOUT A CONTRACT with the Liberal Party of Australia?

Maybe then we are in interesting territory?

The Bretheren would not be 'subcontractors', nor 'volunteers' for the purposes of the Privacy Act, but just plain-old members of an organisation, on the face of it, subject to the Privacy Act as a section 6C 'organisation'.

I wonder if a Senator (sickem Rex) might ask to see that contract next time the Senate sits?

If I was in 1000 AD, how could I treat an infection with modern knowledge?

I got into a really long conversation with some people about this on Reddit so I figured I'd do a full write up.

There were a lot of suggestions in the thread like honey, garlic, wine, onions and so on but that's using knowledge of the time.

Plus honey was really expensive and a very seasonal item.

You can way more easily turn wood ash into lye/strong base, use that as a bleach to disinfect cloths, make soaps, and clean working surfaces and it'll be way more effective than the poultices and home remedies you're thinking of in your head currently.

The general process would be, burn hardwoods to create ashes, sift the ashes so it's all an even texture, wash the ashes in copious amounts of charcoal filtered, boiled, and settled water (use more water than ashes as to not give yourself lye burns) then filter through a cloth to get the non dissolved particulates out.

You can then boil off the water to get a powder and mix it in measured proportions to get a highly diluted bleach analog and use it in whatever soap making or cleaning processes you want.

Find tree nuts like acorns to press into usable oil, or barter for grain oils and animal fats to make soaps. Buy some vinegar to use as a direct antiseptic (better than nothing), wax to impregnate cloths for water resistant bandages/wound sealant, and some copper plates or pans so that you avoid having your gauzes, packings, and bandages touching dirty porous surfaces and you're practically off to the races.

I can go into more depth about actually how to make the soap, make rudimentary pH testing strips, and all that but this post is already getting long.

If you have some input I'd love to read it!

Reddit thread if anyone wants to read the original discussion: https://www.reddit.com/r/HistoryWhatIf/comments/1kil0hs/if_i_was_in_1000_ad_how_could_i_treat_an/


#alt-history #thought-experiment #alternate-history #what-if
www.reddit.comReddit - The heart of the internet

What if you literally had all the money in the world?

It's a rhetorical question, but, to stop you wondering, XKCD's "What if" has the answer!

Hint: There are a lot of coins - at least to have all in one place...

I wonder, is it just current circulating coins? I wonder how many de-monetised coins & notes still exist vs current legal tender? More research is needed!

youtube.com/watch?v=saj7b5C6TC

#WhatIf #Coins #Money #Numismatics #PhysicalMoney @numismatics

This Earth Day, let’s start from where we are—by recognizing the knowledge already around us.

Free Collaborative Discussion Toolkit Activity 5.5, Identifying Knowledge in the Community, invites us to explore the expertise and lived experiences within our own communities. Why not use it to consider how we care for the planet?

🔗 Get the free activity: iftalks.org/CDP55

#WhatIF #EarthDay #CollaborativeDiscussion #CommunityKnowledge #Sustainability

Is Jupiter a "failed star"? Did we almost end up with two Suns?

As a kid I was charmed by this what-if scenario, so when someone asked about it, I answered.

(Spoiler: Jupiter is a failed star about the way that I am a failed elephant.)

quora.com/I-ve-read-where-Jupi #space #science #history #whatif

What If...? S03 (2025)

Más de lo mismo. Historias alternativas que muestran héroes diferentes para luego juntarlos en los dos episodios finales donde el multiverso está en juego.

Ha perdido la novedad y las ideas ya no me parecen tan originales, pero se deja ver sin aburrir mucho.