Vicky Allan’s article rightly opens the door on tomorrow’s flexi-house (welcome to the home of the future, Technology, July 2). Slowing our rate of adaptation for the moment is commercial inertia coupled to vested interest. However, forward-thinking multi-nationals are gearing up, be it in solar radiation management, genetic engineering or mass forms of food production. As a retired farmer, I see today’s cattle 30 years hence being conservation tools, not beef producers, and so on. Rapid change raises the question: an an opiate addicted world of virtual reality, how will our present species face the prospect of control by robotic intelligence, a hybrid robo-human?
Iain R Thomson
Cannich
John F Robbins, Secretary Save Our Seals Fund, writes that Government ministers have gone overboard on the use of the word “sustainable” to describe salmon farming (Salmon farming is not sustainable, Letters, July 9).
He writes about the use of fishmeal to feed farmed salmon. In fact, use of fishmeal, which emulates the salmon’s natural food, has been slashed in order to appease environmentalists. There is no definitive proof that sea lice from salmon farms kills wild salmon and sea trout.
Dr MR Jaffa
Callander McDowell, Manchester
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel