2024 archive
The Crypto Con 0
The FBI followed the money. From El Reg (emphasis in the original):
The FBI investigation tracked payments to at least three deputies and their associates from Zort funds, and also probed how Iza was making his money. This led to the criminal charges.
Follow the link to see where it led them.
QOTD 0
Boris Karloff, in the voice of Colonel March Of Scotland Yard, and John Arnatt, the voice of Professor Wesley:
Professor Wesley: The black arts, the black sciences.
Colonel March: Well, all art, all science is black, as you very well know, until it’s understood.
The Undecided 0
In a longer article in which he wonders why Kamala Harris does not have a wider lead in the polls, Robert Reich asks a question which I find well-warranted.
Follow the link for context.
Facebook Frolics 0
How dare you attempt to get out the vote in a non-partisan manner frolics.
One more time, “social” media isn’t.
Indeed, it seems increasingly anti-social, if not actually sociopathic.
Twits Own Twitter X Offenders
0
Self-proclaimed “free speech absolutist” Elon Musk bans (again) speech he doesn’t like.
One more time, “social” media isn’t.
“Facts Are What People Think” 0
Daniel Graham, writing at Psychology Today Blogs, looks at why persons cling to beliefs even when they are demonstrably false. In this disinformation age, it is a valuable read. Here’s a bit:
The investigations that launched this line of inquiry found that people reported a larger crowd size at Donald Trump’s inauguration than at Obama’s, even when presented with unambiguous photographic evidence to the contrary. Studies of the inauguration photos both immediately after Trump’s inauguration by Schaffner and Luks (2018) and in a recent replication by Ross and Levy (2023) found that upwards of one of every nine “strong” Trump supporters reported a larger crowd size in Trump’s inauguration photo when presented his and Obama’s side by side.
Follow the link for the rest.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Once again, politeness become child’s play.
Once again, we are reminded that “responsible gun owner” is a oxymoron.
Know Them by the Company They Keep 0
So suggests the editorial board of the Newark Star-Ledger:
Follow the link for more.
A Tune for the Times 0
Warning: Short commercial between minute one and minute two.
Artificial? Yes. Intelligent? Not So Much. Inimical? Most Definitely. 0
Security maven Bruce Schneier takes a deep look at the hazard posed to elections by AI and those who would manipulate it.
No excerpt or summary would do his article justice. Just go read it.