#FreeSoftware, #OpenAccess, and #LinkedOpenData are (some of) my jam.
Dad to four kids (two human, two #BeardedDragons).
#Librarian at Laurentian University (Canada). Systems, health, education, #ScholComms, #ResearchDataManagement, statistics, and other stuff.
Unions rock.
| Web | https://dscott.ca/ |
| Pronouns | he/him |
My response to a service provider's post-chat session survey:
It's very annoying that you have chosen to use a "dark pattern" (forcing them to interact with an agent either on the phone or through chat) to try to prevent people from cancelling your service. Respect your customers, and let them cancel the service themselves rather than forcing them to jump through hoops--it will increase the chance that they return to you later, rather than leaving a bitter taste in their mouths.
For the record, our President denies having any prior knowledge of the province's intended action.
It only took our union a year of requests, a Labour Board hearing, 2.5 weeks of striking, and a mediator to get the employer to confess that, actually, they *are* under provincially-imposed limits for what they could offer.
With such a great track record of openness and transparency, why would anyone question their most recent claims?
It's hard to see this news release coming out literally days after our strike ended without suspecting more collusion between the province and our employer.
Sure, it could be pure coincidence that our employer pressed their final offer and warned that they would escalate their measures (impose terms and conditions of employment, cancel the term entirely). But the simplest explanation is that they knew the 8-year tuition freeze was going to be lifted.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-college-university-funding-osap-9.7086776
Edit: better link
The province announced billions in new funding for Ontario's colleges and universities Thursday, along with the end of a years-long tuition freeze and changes to the Ontario Student Assistance Program grant structure.
My union is heading back to work.
We voted on the employer's final offer today. Our bargaining team told us they got as much out of the employer as they could. Sounds great eh?
They couldn't get more because the province has colluded with our employer to put artificial constraints on bargaining parameters.
So we'll continue to be near the bottom of 21 universities in terms of average faculty salary. There's so much more fuckery. I don't have the energy.
Just filled out the Mozilla Foundation 2026 supporter survey. I identified as a long-time supporter, contributor, donor, etc.
On this question, I might have blurred lines between the Foundation and the Corporation, but the brands are heavily intertwined so I have no regrets.
For an upcoming LARP "Arts & Science" competition I'm planning on performing a song I transcribed from Alternate Reality: The City, a Datasoft game from 1986 that I played on the Amiga.
Most of my audience would not have achieved sentence or even existed when I was playing that game. Sigh.
The game kind of sucked overall, but the songs were a highlight!
https://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-st-alternate-reality-the-city_s9876.html
A good day:
My daughter had a friend come over for the first time in well over a month. They're high schoolers with a spare period this semester, so I'm hoping it happens more often.
I had a therapy session.
Later, I had some of my own friends / co-workers over to kick around the latest strike news and support each other.
Then I spent a couple of hours with some other friends playing games online.
I could get used to this!
It's -25⁰C on the picket line (-37⁰C windchill) but our hearts are warmed by colleagues who flew in from across the country to stand with us.
Oh, and the anger at the employer burns fiery hot!
Thanks to Orvie from UManitoba (on the left in the photo) who joined us today, along with a number of other representatives from across Canada.
The Laurentian University Faculty Association is on strike: https://www.lufappul.ca/?page_id=6355
They could have rebuilt the trust that was badly broken. Instead, by refusing to right the wrongs of the past, they have sent the message that want our faculty to have the second lowest average pay in the province, with the highest workloads in the province. That's not good for students, and the students know it.
We have a 98% strike approval vote. We are tired, and angry, and their obvious lack of respect will fuel a strike for as long as it takes to get what we deserve.
Fuck them.