2024 archive
All the News that Fits 0
Dick Polman deciphers the duplicity. Here’s how he states the problem:
But last week she did something historically bold that checked all three boxes…and guess what: Barely anyone paid attention.
You gotta wonder why. But read on, because I know why.
Follow the link for the whys.
Artificial? Yes. Intelligent? Not So Much. 0
Responsible for its actions? You must be joking.
Here’s a bit from the report by El Reg (emphasis added):
LinkedIn thus takes after its parent, which recently revised its Service Agreement to make clear that its Assistive AI should not be relied upon.
LinkedIn, however, has taken its denial of responsibility a step further: it will hold users responsible for sharing any policy-violating misinformation created by its own AI tools.
H/T Le Show for its coverage of AI (and many other items that don’t get the attention that they deserve).
Republican Thought Police 0
In an article from the the Washington Monthly, Smith College professor Carrie N. Baker takes a deep dive into right-wing plans, as detailed in Project 2025, to turn the nation’s colleges and universities into engines of wingnut indoctrination.
No summary or excerpt will do her article justice. Just go read it.
The Crypto Con 0
I am not as charitable as Mike and Farron. They seem to concede that there might be somewhere somehow some legitimacy to crypto.
I think they are, as my old boss used to day, “in error.”
As far as I can tell, crypto is the most fiat of fiat currencies. It’s backed by nothing and no one and has value only because persons think it has value. It is the tulip of the computer age.
It persists only because persons will believe stuff that they see on computer screens when they would not believe the same stuff if it happened in real life before their eyes.
The Appeal 0
Grung_e_Gene offers a theory as to Trump’s appeal.
Methinks he’s onto something. Follow the link for his reasoning.
Establishmentarians 0
Truthout reports that the states of doctrinal indoctrination may soon have some days in court.
Image via Job’s Anger.
Afterthought:
Suppose I spec a product for purchase. Then suppose that said spec can be only satisfied by one supplier, though the basic product is available from many sources at much lower prices.
Is it conceivable that my specifications might be viewed with suspici–oh, never mind.
Word of the Day 0
“Broligarchs.”
Methinks it’s spot on.
H/T Kimberley Johnson on last week’s Bob Cesca Show After Party.
Down at the Farm 0
I woke up this morning to the dreaded “Error making database connection” error. (Oddly, the front end of the site seemed to be working okay, but the back end was inaccessible, so maybe my two or three regular readers did not encounter any difficulties.)
Quick like a bunny, I logged into my most excellent hosting provider, opened phpMyAdmin, and did a check, repair, and optimize on the database–procedures that I perform regularly as database maintenance ever since I suffered a database crash in 2008. Ironically, I usually do them on a Sunday.
The site seems to have worked okay all day, so I’m crossing my fingers and holding my breath.
A Tune for the Times 0
From the Youtube page:
Way back in 2018 Trump made his once famous, now forgotten comments about “Shithole Countries” which inspired this parody. Based on comments that have accumulated on the original posting since that time, it bears mentioning that those “three guys” are not Norwegian and the video wasn’t shot in Norway. Just more Parody Project visual trickery for your entertainment.
Still Rising Again after All These Years 0
PoliticalProf finds himself somewhat taken aback.
The Longer Game 0
In the course of discussing Squeaker of the House Mike Johnson’s refusal to admit that Donald Trump lost the 2020 election, David suggests that the past is prologue. He notes that
This is the trap of preparing people to go along with yet another attempt to overturn or invalidate an election.
I think David makes a valid point. Watch the video and decide for yourself.
It’s All about Baiting the Clicks 0
The Charlotte Observer reports that the whirlwind of lies about the whirlwind appearing on “social” media are seriously interfering with attempts to help victims of the storm. A snippet:
“Those are not true,” Govus said, replying to a question from The Charlotte Observer and The (Raleigh) News & Observer during her county’s daily Helene disaster-response news conference on Zoom.
“And those hurt, because … we have to redivert resources and make sure that our emergency personnel check that off the list. And it may be the fourth time that we’ve done that.
One more time, “social” media isn’t.
“Sanewashing” 0
PoliticalProf offers an example.