I just had to update my numbers for a lecture, so here's your periodic reminder: Starlink is now 55% of ALL active satellites in orbit.
And given the recent news about that awful billionaire unilaterally deciding to cut of internet access to parts of the world whenever he decides to, this is extra important to share. Why did our governments effectively gift Low Earth Orbit to one awful dude? This is so bad.
Elon Musk secretly used control of his Starlink network to cripple a Ukrainian military operation while it was under way, in defiance of American foreign policy.
He is an oligarch working against U.S. interests, benefitting his fellow oligarchs in Russia. His biographer seems to think this is just Musk being Musk, quirky and idiosyncratic.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/07/politics/elon-musk-biography-walter-isaacson-ukraine-starlink
I'm looking to buy d6s from Star Trek: Ascendancy by Gale Force 9.
Definitely Federation and Romulan, maybe others depending on the cost.
Anyone got any to sell? Boosting welcome.
This weekend we will be tabling at and participating in the Bash Back convergence in Chicago.
As bigots renew their assault on queer and trans people and anarchists fight back, there is an urgent need for renewed coordination and innovation.
In this interview, the organizers speak about the convergence, the legacy of Bash Back, and how the battlefield has changed:
https://crimethinc.com/bashback2023
🏴
I saw somebody here the other day write that if you see somebody shooting themselves in the foot, look at whose neck is under their foot. This is a fine illustration of that concept. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/07/us/florida-immigration-hurricane-cleanup.html?unlocked_article_code=UkAGXknGtRS-2Dvu-UmMjtUCKmsGr3uWQoBLQveH9zjYmM6Q2XQIMHDikGjne1PPTdaqfKL8_we8RF7EjvBcQNzw3KMcimBd2iso8vHPq0NREZTBSuFnzLBQ93ELAY2vuKBc5nv5f8hmoEcYu1qne4klQLjmOnUIn6yQ9HdKMcPeanuRKpuTSCYfBkabdqoStuF53YXg4iNOQiwaKnX7T35L2jC62Fs24738U853wkZod-hCWnebTmAXJ2F04hr5uQYskExWd2SQxrDzLpkF_iYEBUA_5xkDsjIbWsfUs-umlti4EOb04K0Ewl8ppoppxbVA1a0f63CZpbPEAUkaPbLytJU034yS7g&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
Has ChatGPT changed how I’m teaching this fall? Nah, not really. https://danieldrezner.substack.com/p/how-chatgpt-has-not-changed-my-plans
'It is not well understood, which molecular and biochemical pathways are utilized by such cryptobiotic organisms, and how long they might suspend life. Here, we show that a soil nematode Panagrolaimus kolymaensis, suspended life for 46,000 years in the Siberian permafrost.'
https://journals.plos.org/plosgenetics/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgen.1010798
'On Tuesday, a judge in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia will begin considering their arguments at a trial that cuts to the heart of a long-simmering question: Did today’s tech giants become dominant by breaking the law?'
'A longstanding debate persists regarding whether language and action share the same neural basis, with 2 opposing views. One view proposes that language emerged from action expressed in communicative gestures, and thus they share a common basis [5–7]. The other view sees language as a cognitive ability independent of action'
https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3002266
'Accumulating evidence indicates that gut microbiota dysbiosis is associated with increased blood–brain barrier (BBB) permeability and contributes to Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis. In contrast, the influence of gut microbiota on the blood-cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) barrier has not yet been studied.'
Xie et al @embojournal
A consciousness somehow associated with matter.
Posting about culture, philosophy, politics, AI Art Tools, NaNoWriMo, Software Development occasionally, the relationship of consciousness to matter.
Degrees in Philosophy and Computer Science, once had a US TS/SCI(redacted) clearance, radical-for-the-US politics, ex-Libertarian, zen-buddhist-pantheist-atheist.
Google employee, but I do not speak for Google in any way.
If your profile tells me nothing about you, it's less likely I'll follow you (back).
Header: abstract smoky patterns
pfp: Adorable weird piglet / delirium cultist... thing. In a hoodie.