ML2 @mathlover@qoto.org

So I wrote this yesterday, and lots of people like it, but I'm kinda of frustrated at all the cynicism of people who IMMEDIATELY insist "no it'll get ruined" or "normal people won't do it" or "most people don't care" or whatever else.

Stop being so cynical. YOU have a chance to help make it a better future. Instead of whining about how it won't work why not try to help make it work? https://www.techdirt.com/2022/12/21/why-would-anyone-use-another-centralized-social-media-service-after-this/

Beautiful film about the life of the Wy-Kan-Ush-Pum, the Salmon People — a life Columbia River tribal people have lived for generations and have fought for decades to protect from treaties, dams, contamination and now climate change.
https://www.propublica.org/article/salmon-people-a-native-fishing-familys-fight-to-preserve-a-way-of-life
To read all of @ProPublica and Oregon Public Broadcasting’s team reporting on the threats facing salmon and the broken treaties that the government swore would protect tribes’ right to fish.
https://www.propublica.org/series/broken-promises

Man poor OpenAI has to figure out how to detect lies now. They're completely screwed.

There are those who look at President Zelensky and the Ukrainians as if the aid request is merely self-serving—as if they don’t grasp that the fight with Putin and Russia is not only for their sovereignty but for NATO and all those who believe in and are dedicated to democracy and justice.

@ChrisPirillo @jeffjarvis It's absolutely a broken system, built to reward the very worst parts of media, funded by those who don't actually care about the role of journalism in democracy. We've been independent since inception and it's misery to keep alive, but I'll keep my soul in tact vs trading it for access and money.

🖖🏽

My amazing ER doctor cousin is quoted in this infuriating NPR story on Sarasota Memorial Hospital, where “health freedom” activists helped elect three board members who question the effectiveness of vaccines. https://www.npr.org/2022/12/21/1144798353/in-florida-health-freedom-activists-exert-influence-over-a-major-hospital

Something I find a bit odd is the number of prominent anticapitalist tech critics (who I like and generally agree with) that seem weirdly unimpressed by a grassroots, community-funded, non-profit federated network that appears on the way to at least partially usurping a massively popular walled garden private enterprise bought by the (then) richest guy in the world.

Learning about “regality theory” as an explanation for authoritarian personalities and societies. “Regality theory contends that violent intergroup conflict has led to the evolution of a flexible psychology that allows human groups to adjust their social structures to violent or peaceful environments. In a non-modern society, the optimal social structure in a dangerous environment with frequent wars is a hierarchical structure with strict discipline and a strong leader who can reward brave warriors and punish cowards and defectors. This organized rewarding and punishment makes it possible to suppress free riding” (Fog). Basically, authoritarian people and societies are still deeply anxious and remain in this rigid and punitive paradigm—despite its obsolescence in the modern world.

Elon Musk is trying to walk back the banning of @.joinmastodon and likewise links to Mastodon instances.

He called it a "mistake".

In his words, "Yeah f***ing post Mastodon all goddamn day long, I don’t care."

I think he cares 🤣

What Elon Musk *actually* regrets is that the Mastodon ban helped grow the Fediverse.

https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/elon-musk-says-taking-down-071215977.html

Woke up to the horrible news that Taliban has suspended university education for women in Afghanistan. This is a heinous crime against women and is utterly un-Islamic.
Taliban suspends university education for women in Afghanistan. This is a heinous crime against women and is utterly un-Islamic.
Replugging my my twitter thread from 2021 about what Islam says about women’s education. #taliban #womeninAfghanistan

1/

NEW: Apparently another woman was kicked out of Madison Square Garden, at a #BrandiCarlile concert, because of #facialrecognition

I spoke with @RollingStone about why @team is calling for a ban on all use of #facialrecognition and #biometric #surveillance in places of public accommodation. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/madison-square-garden-face-scan-1234650989/

CERN's motto is "accelerating science" but sometimes they have to slow down to debunk Hollywood's pseudoscience bullshit. https://angelsanddemons.web.cern.ch/

incredible story of real rural american west from jose a del real. when you read, pay attention to the ancillary characters, the dozens of people who show solidarity and kindness in an area many folks would write off as deep red

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/12/21/masculinity-wyoming-lgbt-sissy-goodwin/

Six news websites across Alabama and Florida have been secretly taking payments from power companies to run stories attacking clean energy.

Bombshell investigation from NPR.

#energy #climate #climatechange
https://www.npr.org/2022/12/19/1143753129/power-companies-florida-alabama-media-investigation-consulting-firm

Firefox and Tumblr join rush to support Mastodon social network - Elon Musk admits banning links to Twitter rival was a mistakeElon Musk’s chaotic autumn at Twitter has produced one clear winner: Mastodon, the open-source social network, has now grown to 2.5m users – triggering a land-grab for space on it from groups including browser makers,... #Mastodon #twitter #theguardian

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/dec/21/firefox-and-tumblr-join-rush-to-support-mastodon-social-network

When human refuses to give any more treats and you collapse from starvation #cats #CatsOfMastodon

is mastadon a safe space to say i called it in 2016 ??? the fact that interviewers never fact-check elon musk. and other assorted observations about tech billionaires and tech press' increasing inability to keep their pronouncements in check https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/nitashatiku/ground-control-to-silicon-valley

A great reminder from the great Toni Morrison. #BlackExcellence #BlackMastodon

This says it all