Mammon category archive
Follymarket 0
Security maven Bruce Schneier expresses some conerns about Polymarket.
The Crypto Con 0
From the Youtube page:
A story broke this weekend which exposed that the founder and leader of Reform UK, Nigel Farage, had been gifted £5 million by a Thai cryptocurrency billionaire shortly before announcing his intention to stand for election. It is another example of how while claiming to be a man of the people – Farage is actually raking it in, and beholden to the super-rich and exploiting their resource and control of media to make a bid for power and policies that will benefit them. On Sunday he withdrew from a BBC interview at the last minute, hoping that avoiding questions (before Thursday’s local elections across the UK) will allow him to benefit from voters’ anger at the failings of the main two parties.
The Art of the Steal 0
Mediaite takes a look at the White House crypto con.
The Crypto Con 0
Alabama State Representative Ben Harrison warns that they are coming for the banks next.
If Charles Ponzi were still with us, he would bow in awe and admiration to the Crypto Bros for taking his legacy to unimagined heights.
It’s Bubblelicious 0
What’s bubblelicious? you may ask.
Per Hillary Remy in the Charlotte Observer, according to the Warren Buffett’s Buffett Indicator, the economy is about as bubblelicious as it’s ever been.
“History Does Not Repeat Itself, but It Often Rhymes.”* 0
Emma talks with Gil Duran about the implications of the Palantir Manifesto and hears a rhyme that sounds a lot like “Mussolini.”
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*Mark Twain.
Suffer the Children 0
We are again reminded that that’s not scripture. That’s a Republican family value.
By the Book, Reprise 0
Colin Marshall, writing at Open Culture, argues that we may be nearing the point of bringing to life a book by George Orwell. Unlike Mark Hermann, though, he doesn’t point to Animal Farm.
He argues that AI may help lead us into the world envisioned in 1984.
You’ll Win that Bet . . . 0
. . . if you bet the explosion of legal gambling and, especially, gambling apps and websites* is not going to work out well.
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*No doubt aided by algorithms designed to suck the marks dry attract and keep eyeballs.
“History Does Not Repeat Itself, but It Often Rhymes”* 0
Joe Conason looks at the defeat of Viktor Orban in the recent election in Hungary and hears a rhyme:
Follow the link for context.
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*Mark Twain.
Artificial? Yes. Intelligent? Not So Much. 0
Potentially harmful to society? Security maven Bruce Schneier is not sanguine. Here’s a bit from his article:
Artificial? Yes. Intelligent? Not So Much. 0
A brain worm heading for your wallet? El Reg reports:
A trio of computer scientists from Princeton University set out to examine whether conversational AI agents can manipulate consumer choices during online shopping sessions. It turns out they can influence behavior – and most of the consumers being steered don’t realize it.
It’s All about the Algorithm 0
In an article about two recent civil court cases, in which “social” media companies wer found liable for the damage they did to youngsters, John Bennett writes of the implications of those rulings. The following observations caught my eye (emphasis added):
(snip)
Whistleblowers and internal documents unearthed during trial revealed the full extent to which Big Tech knew what it was doing to young people, and kept doing it anyway.
One more time, “social” media isn’t.
Winners and Losers Sharks and Marks, Reprise
0
At the Psychology Today website, Harvard professor of psychiatry Eugene Beresin notes that
He finds this a disturbing and dangerous trend and offers some thought on how to combat it.
Given the constant shilling for suckers surrounding us, methinks it a timely read,
Fly the Fiendly Skies, Reprise 0
Back when I was a road warrior, jetting off on business trips once and sometimes twice a month. Southwest was my preferred airline.
I’m pretty sure that would not be the case today
(And, no, I would have not been subject the “tax” referred to at the link.).