2023 archive
Misdirection Play, Base Desires Dept. 0
The Progressive Populist sees a strategy in the Republican Party’s sudden concern in the sex lives and sexual orientation of private citizens.
Follow the link for their reasoning.
Artificial, Yes. Intelligent, No. 0
Rebecca Watson cautions us not to believe the hype about “artificial intelligence.” An excerpt:
. . . it’s unfortunate that “AI” caught on years ago to describe these chatbots because at this point we just have to use it so people know what we’re talking about, but this kind of “AI” has absolutely nothing to do with anything that could be called “intelligence.”
Or you can read the transcript.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Once again, youngsters made the mistake of playing with a portable phallus.
And Now for a Change of Pace 0
Gene Kelly is reputed to have once said that the difference between him and Fred Astaire is that he made everything look hard, while Astaire made it look easy.
The Actual Cancel Culture 0
At the Des Moines Register, Shoshana Salowitz discusses the recent and escalating right-wing campaigns to ban books. A nugget:
They are about denying the humanity of Queer folks, Black folks, Brown folks.
Methinks she is onto something.
Aside:
Facing consequences for one’s own actions is not “cancel culture.”
It’s consequences. Consequences that one brings on oneself.
Decoding de Code 0
At the Idaho State Journal, Leonard Hitchcock explores Republicans’ mystickal magickal incantation to legitimize any form of government overreach:
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“EXCEPT THAT.”
Follow the link to understand the secret of the spell.
The New Gilded Age 0
Sam and Cory Doctorow discuss the stranglehold of digital monopolies.
Word Prey 0
The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Angry Grammarian thinks he may have identified the word in the right-wing’s crosshairs:
Now it’s intersectionality’s turn.
Follow the link for his reasoning.
Digital Quicksand 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, Phil Reed discusses several recent studies that indicate that “social” media isn’t. He makes three main points.
- Several recent studies have shown that high levels of social media use can negatively impact physical health.
- Evidence suggests that social media can damage psychological welfare and physical functioning if its use is taken too far.
- In one study, the group asked to reduce their social media use had an average 15 percent improvement in immune function.
Follow the link for a detailed discussion of each.
Macho, Macho Men 0
Michael in Norfolk has a theory as to why some on the American right seem so enamored with Vladimir Putin. A snippet:
