Author's archive
Geeking Out 0
Windows 8 in a VirtualBox virtual machine on Ubuntu MATE with the Plasma Desktop.
Afterthought:
Yes, I know the Windows taskbar is at the bottom of the screen by default. Did you know that you can reposition it? I find putting the taskbar (or, in Linux-speak, the panel) at the top fits my workflow.
Determined To Disenfranchise 0
Sue Carlton tells a story of Florida’s persistent practices to prevent public participation in the polity.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Distant politeness . . . .
The family was next to the lake on their property in southern Kenton County when the shot came whizzing by Thursday evening. They’re thankful no one was hurt, but now they’re left wondering if it was an accident or if someone was aiming for them.
I’m betting is was just one of those responsible gun owners being responsible.
Tales of the Trumpling: Snapshots of Trickle-Down Trumpery 0
At NorthJersey.com, Bruce Lowry describes how the trickle has become a flood in Sussex County, New Jersey. An excerpt:
Still another tweet, shared July 17, has a photo of the four and the words: “America is demanding the immediate and unconditional removal of these radical terrorists for traitorous and slanderous remarks and attacks against America and the president of the United States of America.”
From the Party of Lincoln to the Party of Stinkin’ 0
Nicholas Kristoff chronicles the GOP’s devolution into a personality cult.
The Climates They Are a-Changing 0
And not at a glacial rate . . . .
(Mike is so upset that he almost forgets to swear.)
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Be polite to your neighbors.
Just another responsible gun owner at play . . . .
Trapped in a Cell (Phone) 0
Glen Geher explores the dark side of living in a screen-based world. A snippet:
Intuitively, we can understand why. Someone who is posting anonymously to a blog probably will never meet the blogger in person. They probably have little investment in the blogger’s personal success. Further, unless the blogger is some kind of super computer hacker, the anonymous commenter is probably never going to “get caught.” So the possibility of retribution is unlikely.
Of course, evolved human conditions were not like this at all. However, the “anonymous blog comment” is, as we all know, just the tip of the iceberg. These days, people are regularly, across a broad array of platforms, communicating with others in anonymous, deindividuated* ways. This is a highly mismatched, unnatural way for humans to communicate with one another, and for a variety of reasons, it brings out the worst in us.
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*From Britannica.com (more at the link): “Deindividuation, phenomenon in which people engage in seemingly impulsive, deviant, and sometimes violent acts in situations in which they believe they cannot be personally identified (e.g., in groups and crowds and on the Internet).”
