Mammon category archive
Unguarded Rails 0
When I worked for the railroad, we were governed by the “Rules of Conduct” (I probably still have my copy tucked away somewhere). Of course, there were other rules and policies and procedures, but the Rules of Conduct guided them all.
The railroad can be a dangerous place. In the early days, one way that hiring managers would determine whether an applicant for an on-road job had experience was to count his fingers . . . .
Over that years, the culture changed, and one of the rules that was drummed into everyone’s head was this:
Safety is of the first importance in the discharge of duty.
Via The Japan Times, Gautam Mukunda makes a strong case that that rule seems to be unheard of at the Zuckerborg, or, methinks, among much of Big Tech, as they plunge into AI. A snippet:
Meta’s chatbot scandal demonstrates a culture that is willing to sacrifice the safety and well-being of users, even children, if it helps fuel its push into AI.
This New Gilded Age 0
In a longer article about the Trump maladministration’s attempts to destroy the Digital Equity Act, a Techdirt reporter makes what methinks a trenchant observation (emphasis added):
I commend the entire piece to your attention.
Emoluments . . . 0
. . . meet the Crypto Con.
This New Gilded Age 0
Sam talks with Megan Greenwell, author of Bad Company: Private Equity and the Death of the American Dream, about how private equity firms are gutting the American dream for personal gain.
Afterthought:
They go into detail about what happened to Toys ‘R Us.
Trickle On Economics Rides Again (or Is That “Still”?) 0
Sam and the crew destroy discuss the rationale for not taxing billionaires offered by the Republican candidate for New Jersey Lieutenant Governor.
The Algorithm Abyss 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, Tara Well explores how “VR and social media create blurred realities that negatively affect well-being.”
I commend her article to your attention and remind you that Big Tech’s algorithms are not for our benefit; they’re for theirs.
The Bagmen 0
Sam and the crew follow the money and decode de code.
Aside:
This is what can happen when you think the government should be run like a business.
The Waste Land 0
No, not the poem by T. S. Elliot, though it is indeed an excellent poem.
Our environment, once Donald Trump finishes ravaging and ravishing it.
Electric Bugaboo 0
Apparently, Tesla reckons that what you don’t know can’t hurt them.
The Greased Palm, a Notion of Immigrants Dept. 0
Trump decrees that they can pay to play.
The Art of the Con 0
Methinks my old Philly DL friend Noz makes an excellent point.
The Crypto Con Artists 0
Emma talks with Molly White, crypto and tech industry researcher, about the Trump family’s participation in the crypto con and about the larger con that is crypto.
You can visit Molly White’s website.
Aside:
Emma uses the phrase “cryto industry.” I guess, if an industry can be based on thin air and maintained by wishful thinking, that might be a valid phras–oh, never mind.
Suffer the Children 0
As we know, that’s not scripture. That’s a Republican family value. To illustrate:
Former USAID staffer Karen Van Roekel, writing at the Des Moines Register, is dismayed at the mean for the sake of mean in the Trump maladministration’s decision to shut down that agency. A snippet (emphasis added):
The Key to the Club 0
In the course of a longer article about Donald Trump’s plan fever dream to evict Palestinians from Gaza so at to turn it into a Trump resort–and the cruelty, avarice, and cold-heartedness inherent in said play–Tom Moran mentions, almost in passing, the lesson that Trump’s dupes, symps, and fellow travelers have learned. It’s quite simple, really.
Flatter Trump, and you’re in the club. Challenge him, and you’re dead meat.
This New Gilded Age 0
Via Truthout, Sarah Anderson runs the numbers. Here’s just one number:
The gap between CEO compensation and median worker pay at Starbucks hit 6,666 to 1 last year.
In other words, to make as much money as their CEO made in 2024, typical baristas would’ve had to start brewing macchiatos around the time humans first invented the wheel.
More numbers at the link.
The Reverse Robin Hood Party, Reprise 0
David notes that Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” seems to be somewhat unpopular with the populace.