This New GIlded Age 0
At the Idaho State Journal, Kim Shinkoskey follows the money.
It’s All about the Algorithm 0
Thom discusses how “social” media algorithms are polluting dis coarse discourse.
One more time, “social” media isn’t.
Going Rogue State 0
“The U.S. has now murdered 57 civilians in attacks on 14 civilian boats,” said Saul in a post on social media on Wednesday. “A systematic attack on civilians is a crime against humanity under international law. When will other governments speak out?” A crime against humanity is considered one of the most serious violations of international human rights law.
Much more at the link.
Aside:
It appears that we no longer have a society,
We seem instead to have a sociopathy,
“History Does Not Repeat Itself, but It Often Rhymes”* 0
Via the Sacramento Bee, Stephen Mihm hears a rhyme from another time when America closed the golden door to huddled masses yearning to breathe free because they just weren’t white enough.
__________________
*Mark Twain.
Stray Question 0
Does this article remind you of anyone in the news?
Foxy Shady 0
Steve M. belies Fox News’s lies. Here’s a tiny bit from his article:
(snip)
Opinions can vary widely, but the news is the truth, or it’s supposed to be. What Maria Bartiromo says in this Fox Business clip isn’t opinion based on reality. What she says is based on lies. That’s worse than plain demagoguery. Viewers turn to Fox News and Fox Business to learn what’s happening in their world, and they’re told lies and implicit lies.
Follow the link for context.
Speaking of Threats . . . . 0
Sam discusses the Trump maladministration’s increasing use of the legal system to silence dissent (then move on to responding to viewer comments).
Learn more about Kat Abughazaleh’s indictment.
If the Truth Hurts, Try Threats 0
Afterthought:
In one way, I get the right-wing’s fascination with Hitler. After all, hate sells, and hate is what they sell.
Hate blinds people, for it’s easier to hate than to think.
But they don’t seem to remember that Hitler’s “thousand year Reich” latest less than a decade and a half and ended with his dying by his own hand while it collapsed around him.
The ICEmen Cometh 0
Thom predicts that worse is yet to come.
This New Gilded Age 0
In 1964, President Lyndon Johnson declared a war on poverty.
At the Colorado Sun, Mike Littwin makes a strong case that now, over six decades later, the Trump maladministration has decided to make poverty great again surrender.
Artificial? Yes. Intelligent? Not So Much. 0
Sociopathic? At Psychology Today Blogs, Matt Grawitch argues “(t)rusting AI too much can lead to real-world consequences, including emotional or psychological harm.”
A Tune for the Times 0
It’s short, but it’s sweet quite a propos.
Unguarded Rails 0
When I worked for the railroad, we were governed by the “Rules of Conduct” (I probably still have my copy tucked away somewhere). Of course, there were other rules and policies and procedures, but the Rules of Conduct guided them all.
The railroad can be a dangerous place. In the early days, one way that hiring managers would determine whether an applicant for an on-road job had experience was to count his fingers . . . .
Over that years, the culture changed, and one of the rules that was drummed into everyone’s head was this:
Safety is of the first importance in the discharge of duty.
Via The Japan Times, Gautam Mukunda makes a strong case that that rule seems to be unheard of at the Zuckerborg, or, methinks, among much of Big Tech, as they plunge into AI. A snippet:
Meta’s chatbot scandal demonstrates a culture that is willing to sacrifice the safety and well-being of users, even children, if it helps fuel its push into AI.
Suffer the Children 0
One more time, that’s not scripture. That’s Republican policy.