March, 2018 archive
Facebook Frolics, Biometric Boog-a-Loo Dept. 0
Mike Papantonio talks with Brigida Santos about why a judge is ordering Facebook to face trial over its collection of data from personal images.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Politeness builds strong families.
Julian Anderson-Randle killed 63-year-old Rhonda Randle in his home and reported himself to police.
According to the story, this is just another “horrible accident.”
Lies and Lying Liars 0
Farron explains why truth and trust matter in international relationships–something Donald Trump does not understand.
It’s All about the Algorithm 0
Zeynep Tufekci noticed that, when she started watching political videos, whether left- or right-leaning, YouTube’s recommendations for additional videos skewed more and more radical. She wonders why. Here’s a bit of her article:
What keeps people glued to YouTube? Its algorithm seems to have concluded that people are drawn to content that is more extreme than what they started with — or to incendiary content in general.
Follow the link for the rest, then stop following YouTube recommendations.
Defending Discrimination 0
Mike discusses a Republican bill to legalize discrimination by pretending that it is somehow “freedom of speech.” (Warning: Language. If you have trouble loading the video, here’s the direct link.))
“Whatever You Say, Boss” 0
Paul Krugman notes a disturbing trend (one among many) at Donald Trump’s White House: The devolution of “advisers” into “yes-men.” The article focuses on Trump’s economic adviser, Peter Navarro.
Here’s a bit (emphasis added):
Twits on Twitter 0
Sinan Aral reports on investigating why falsities outpace truths on “social” media. A snippet:
(snip)
And despite concerns about the role of web robots in spreading false stories, we found that human behavior contributed more to the differential spread of truth and falsity than bots did.
Follow the link for more of their results and for information about their methodology.
Tales of the Trumpling: Snapshots of Trickle-Down Trumpery 0
. . . because nothing says “America” like desecrating someone else’s house of worship.
More Trumpling at the link.
“It’s Imagination, I Know . . . .” 0
Tony Norman plays what-if.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Arming teachers is the bees’ knees.
A 17-year-old student was injured by a bullet fragment or by debris that fell from the ceiling, Pridgen said.
Basking Cat 0
Of course, if there were a basking robin in the yard, he’d be bob-bob-bobbin’.
Mourning in America 0
Steven M. suggests that it will never again be “morning in America,” to borrow Ronald Reagan’s slogan, for America’s right wing; he places the blame for that the right-wing’s own messaging. A snippet:
The Fascination with Firearms 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, Molly S. Castelloe strives to understand gunnuttery by reviewing some of the research and analyses thereof. A snippet:
I would take exception to this statement, “it is also very young compared to most countries,” to this extent. The United States is very young compared to European and Asian countries. It’s valid to the extent that the U. S. considers itself their offspring, but it is not young compared to other countries in the Americas and much of southern Africa. Nevertheless, most of those countries, excepting those in political turmoil, do not have the level of one-on-one violence that the United States endures.
Follow the link for the full piece.
The Voter Fraud Fraud 0
What’s in a name? Inquiring minds want to know.
