They're after me... @frickinLasers@qoto.org

Pollsters, pundits and politicians all get it wrong when it comes to independent voters, who they assume mainly are partisans of one party or another.

New data shows these swing voters really do swing, depending on the candidates on the ballot and the issues they care most about at that election https://theconversation.com/independent-voters-can-be-decisive-in-elections-but-theyre-pretty-unpredictable-not-shadow-partisans-196618 #News #uspolitics

View from the inside of a cello (photographer unknown).

Apparently, advertisers do not try to sell to Gen X, because Gen X will automatically refuse to buy anything that is targeted to them.

I sort of want to be offended by it ... but not really.

Huh.

Consumer Reports (CR) has released a mobile app (iOS, Android on the way) that shows what data companies collect about you, then allows you to have CR get the data deleted:

https://www.permissionslipcr.com

Essentially, CR will act as the data ombudsman for anyone who asks them to. I love it.

CR is a non-profit that accepts no advertising or corporate sponsorship, and they have a great reputation. It's a superb choice to take on the data capitalists.

#privacy

Be nice. Maybe don’t lick his butt
- me coaching one of my cats on how to get along with the other one

Am I good at social media? No. But am I good at making lasting, meaningful relationships with people in real life? Also, no

Who needs a chip clip when you can just eat the whole fucking bag.

Honoring Tyre Nichols as he lived, enjoying the things he loved, before the world watches a video of his murder. 💔❤️🛹 #TyreNichols #skate #BadBrains

A word— It’s not lost on me how quickly the attempt to bring these Black officers to justice is occurring. Isn’t it interesting that the police union isn’t shielding them for once? There’s no let’s wait & get all the facts. This needs to happen, but there’s a profound difference.

Today I woke up an optimist.

He thanked me.

I’m so glad that the Fediverse has become a thing.

Because I’m convinced that Big Social will soon be primarily for chat bots talking to relevancy algorithms.

Pretty much, it will be ChatGPT optimizing “content” for Twitter’s home feed.

The traffic will likewise be artificial.

Just “impressions” made to convince bots that their tweets are “optimized”.

Have we tried exploding other foods to see if they are drastically improved by the process, or did we just stop with corn?

I watched the Tyre murder videos, against my better judgement. I expected to be surprised and shocked at a particularly unusual or egregious example of police violence.

What I saw on those videos was not unusual or surprising in any way. We should not allow ourselves to become desensitized, but neither should we buy into the copaganda that Tyre's murder somehow represents an unusual incident of pigs being violence against Black men.

Cops behave like this on a daily or weekly basis all across America.

I decided earlier today that I would not watch the video. Even just reading this now— I’m sobbing, heartbroken. How could they do this? How could this happen? AGAIN. He died crying for his mother— it’s devastating.

The federal government— Congress, DOJ, Biden— needs to do something REAL to address this epidemic of police brutality.

Cops Kept Beating Tyre Nichols as He Screamed for His Mother

https://www.thedailybeast.com/tyre-nichols-brutal-beating-by-memphis-police-revealed-in-video?via=ios

Time to text my teenage daughter and pretend that being home by 11 is a critically important thing.

This algorithmic bias to select for and promote furry-like content is called "furry inflation" if you want to learn more just search for it.

NASA Announces Successful Test Of Its Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine.

#science #news #space #NASA #Rocket

https://www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/feature/nasa-validates-revolutionary-propulsion-design-for-deep-space-missions

It wouldn't be heaven if they made you hang out with all the dead evangelicals.

Some people believe there's no purpose to "liking" something on Mastodon since it doesn't affect any algorithm.

Not the case.

It does something incredibly valuable: it acknowledges people.

Which is incredibly powerful, and is all the more important *because* it's not connected to gaming any algorithm.

By liking something on Mastodon, you are doing it honestly -- without any agenda at play other than that you like it.

So go ahead. Click that like button for its own sake.