Dave T-W @davoloid@qoto.org

Is lead really to blame for crime in the '90s and the gullibility of present day Boomers? I dug into the science https://skepchick.org/2023/10/is-lead-to-blame-for-crime-boomer-stupidity/

Something I’ve been thinking on: the obstacles to divestment for pro-Palestine activists are staggering. It’s legally prohibited in a majority of states in the US. And divestment was a strategy anti-apartheid activists landed on after trying a bunch of other things that didn’t work.

All that’s to say that maybe new tactics have to be brainstormed. Divestment’s power was that it mobilized people — that’s the key.

Last few tickets for the AI and Society Forum available from 10am today - an urgent convening of civil society in London, ahead of the AI Safety Summit. It's going to be an extraordinary day with many brilliant contributors https://www.aisocietyforum.net/

I’m researching Mastodon accounts with huge follower numbers and looking for help.

In the US George Takei has over 400000 followers, in Germany Eugen Rochko has over 300000 and Jan Böhmermann nearly 200000, in the UK Stephen Fry has over 100000.

Know any other big accounts? Any over 500K? Any in #Asia? Who's big in #France, or #Spain, or #Italy, or #Argentina? Who is the most followed woman? Did most of them take their followers from Twitter?

#Mastodon #Fediverse #Twitter #Followers #Research

Rishi Sunak uses Israel visit to gives speech on best non-violent ways to destroy a hospital https://newsthump.com/2023/10/19/rishi-sunak-uses-israel-visit-to-gives-speech-on-best-non-violent-ways-to-destroy-a-hospital/

The Theory That Men Evolved to Hunt and Women Evolved to Gather Is Wrong

Man the Hunter has dominated the study of human evolution for nearly half a century and pervaded popular culture. It is represented in museum dioramas and textbook figures, Saturday morning cartoons and feature films. The thing is, it's wrong.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-theory-that-men-evolved-to-hunt-and-women-evolved-to-gather-is-wrong/

"Recently, competition for control of the avocado, and of the resources needed to produce it, has grown increasingly violent, often at the hands of cartels."

Alexander Sammon reports from a self-governing Indigenous community in Michoacán that has outlawed avocado growing: https://harpers.org/archive/2023/11/forbidden-fruit-avocado-militias-michoacan-mexico/

#Longreads #Mexico #Avocado

Popped by UCL Anthropology on my way in with kiddo. She was pleased to see the solar system projector in the artefacts, same as she has.
A great little exhibit, just in the entrance at 14 Taviton Street WC1H 0BW.

Here we have:
* a notebook from a fan of Ms. Tree, the #SpaceX catcher ship.
* a smashed camera lens from a photographer who set up for the Starship flight test.
* flight suit and other artefacts from a Hi-SEAS Mars analog mission.

We are conducting a study where we need to keep audio recordings of participant evaluations. Can anyone suggest how the voices in this recordings could be distorted so they could be anonymised. I thought it is an easy problem, but similar questions on several platforms remain unanswered? #privacy #anonymity @security

#VoiceToParliament #Abstain #TruthTreatyBeforeVoice

"I will not focus on my fears and concerns around what white moderates will do with a yes or what white conservatives will do with a no.

This isn’t about them, it’s about us.

When I think about what mob will do with either outcome I honestly feel much less stress about the long term impacts of either outcome because I believe in Blak power, Blak perseverance, Blak joy, and Blak love. I believe in Indigenous excellence.

As Meriki Onus wrote in her last piece for IndigenousX:

“The knowledge we hold of kinship, country and protocol has existed from the first sunrise, this knowledge of identity and country has been protected and maintained despite the ongoing genocide of our people, and will continue to survive until the last sunset.”

If there is a yes, I will fight for it to build a suitable and sustainable infrastructure to ensure that this body can be a truly representative decision making body. I will fight for it to establish itself in a way where it can have economic independence so even if a future government tries to legislate it into the dust or defund it into irrelevance it can still stand anyway, as a Voice in exile, still agitating and advocating the will of the people.

If there is a no win or if we end up with a Voice that does not adequately represent our interests, then I will fight for activists and advocates to push for greater heights of community building. The disillusionment in the lack of progress following the 1967 referendum spurred on an emerging generation of more radical Aboriginal activists in the 1970s to create the Tent Embassy, Black Theatre, the Aboriginal Medical Service, the Aboriginal Legal Service and many other Aboriginal led actions and initiatives.

So, regardless of the outcome of this referendum, I am on the side of Blakfullas.

I am on the side of anyone who believes in justice over charity, land rights over reconciliation, and Indigenous rights over Closing The Gap they put there in the first place..

Always was, always will be."

- Luke Pearson is a Gamilaroi man living in NSW. He is the founder and CEO of IndigenousX.

https://indigenousx.com.au/voice-debate-that-forgot-indigenous-rights/

The Israeli army has issued an order for the immediate relocation of 1.1M Palestinians from northern Gaza to the south in 24 hours. The UN has categorically condemned this order.

Forcing 1.1M people, including 550K kids, to evacuate in 24 hours or be bombed to death is even more cruel considering THERE’S NOWHERE TO EVACUATE TO.

We need a ceasefire.

The response to war crimes against civilians cannot be more war crimes against more civilians. I’m horrified that this is a controversial take.

The Activision thing finally landed. Which means MS owns Infocom, via an impressive 40-year chain of buyouts, takeovers, and shakeups.

Now I formally put forth the plea:

Microsoft should put all of Infocom’s IP under a Creative Commons license. Or donate the rights to a nonprofit which can do the same. Let’s bring all these legally-shaky fan sites and collections into the light.

https://blog.zarfhome.com/2023/10/microsoft-consumes-activision

(Yes, I’m part of a nonprofit that could do that.)

Pass it along.

#InteractiveFiction

"X has become the homeland of anti-scientific humbug. Science does not win on its own; it requires ethical dedication and institutional backing, as well as some form of a belief in truth. As X becomes a plaything of the highest bidder, science loses to entrenched interests."

Timothy Snyder makes a great point here: Elon Musk, supposed advocate for making life multi-planetary, is actively reducing that likelihood.

https://snyder.substack.com/p/how-can-we-be-alone-in-the-universe

The past few days were a stark reminder of how unbelievably more toxic Twitter/X has become and how it’s lost most of its utility as a political communications platform. I wrote this a while ago - I think it’s still relevant:
 
On the sabotage of Twitter, and what democracy is losing
 
(Thread: 1/)
 
https://thomaszimmer.substack.com/p/the-sabotage-of-twitter-is-a-disaster