[nudephil (OP)]

Here's a question from listener Garry:

No one seems to be explaining why the UK needs a new app that is being trialled in the Isle of Wight? Since South Korea had one running for months, we just need an English version. The phones are the same (the most popular brand in the UK is South Korean Samsung), the networks are compatible if not the same, the virus is the same, the tasks that the app needs to do are the same....why wait for a trial?

Any thoughts?

[alancalverd]

Politics.

[Bored chemist]

I suspect that the interface between the app and S Korea's health service might be better than the interface beween the modern IT and our clockwork stuff.

However, even if it knitted perfectly, politics* would stop it

* from Poly, meaning any and Tics- which are parasites.

[set fair]

Because it would work.

[syhprum]

Everything has to be invented in the UK we would like to announce that we have developed an important APP the first in the world .

[evan_au]

SIngapore and Australia also have covid apps running.

The Australian app originally had problems with Bluetooth on Apple phones - they have now updated it so it stays active, and isn't shut down by the operating system.

The main barrier to effective use is how many people will download it. Australia has got to around 20% downloads.
It can only trace contacts if both people have it; 20% of 20% = 4%

Even after the app was being downloaded, it took weeks to work out the processes to make the information available to the local teams who will do the contact tracing.

[alancalverd]

And there is no need for it.

In the UK you can test your own fitness to drive by driving from one end of England to the other with your family in the car. Next week, the puppet "government" will announce that you can assess your infectivity by coughing over your neighbour.

[set fair]

Saw a chap from Malawi who'd had the virus, on John Cambell's youtube channel. The health authorites got him to list his contacts and where he'd been. They carried out 150 tests on the back of his case. Some countries elect competent leaders some don't.

[alancalverd]

I think the problem stems from the word "leader".  Time was that ministers consulted civil servants and uniformed officers who knew what they were talking about, and the prime minister was briefed as a spokesman for the resulting Cabinet policy. Since Thatcher, policy has flowed from whatever unelected eminence grise has control of the PM and experts are told what to think in the interests of the next general election.

The job of government (and oppositon) used to be to serve the people; now it is to serve the Party, though Starmer, having grudgingly accepted the result of the Brexit referendum, now seems to be reverting to his legitimate duty.   

[set fair]

Just got back from golf. Couldn't believe my opponent, hit a well long drive, ended up way out of bounds, claimed he could play the ball for no penalty, said it was a Dominic Cummings.

[alancalverd]

It's a great legal precedent.

I'm due to fly tomorrow - not sure if my eyesight is up to it, so I'll take the short cut over London which, according to the "rules", is prohibited for single-engine aircraft. The Minister of Transport has publicly supported Boris's puppeteer and also flies single-engine, so he won't mind (I have already written to him).

[set fair]

This is truly shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted. Early and rigerous seems to have worked in Vietnam. There, they did three level testing for every case, contacts, contacts of contacts and contacts of contacts of contacts. Hanoi carried out 275,000 tests from 114 cases. Seems more sensible than lets enter into the spirit of the pandemic and see how many people we can kill before a vaccine is available.

[GarryS]

Seems that no one can tell me this....

Agree with a lot of the replies I think it links back to a lack of understand of technology, and innovation  from Politician journalists, as I don't see the political front men / woman being challenged on this. Replies in the media from Politician remind me of the not the nine o clock news sketch about gramophones. I think this task of test track and trace shows a lot of the classic failures / traps of innovation which have been well documented over the years.

[GarryS]

seems  we have had the outcome today.....standard well know Innovation failure not invented here  syndrome