Unsurprising: a recent study of 32M tweets from politicians from 27 countries shows that “far-right populists [are] much more likely than the left to spread fake news” and “amplifying misinformation is now part of radical right strategy”.
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Is Social Media Doing You Dirty? Apply the CUE Test.
In a recent episode of the Uncanny Valley podcast about quitting social media, Lauren Goode talked about a framework she applies to see if the time she’s spending on social media is serving her well. From the transcript:
I have been toying with this idea of a framework for ...
Democracy is Crumbling. Is Anybody Doing Anything? Sherrilyn Ifill has a list...
Democracy is Crumbling. Is Anybody Doing Anything? Sherrilyn Ifill has a list of what people are doing to counter the coup and more importantly, what you can do. I’m working on this one: “Make sure you have and can share good information”.
Five Former Treasury Secretaries: Our Democracy Is Under Siege. “[We’re writing] this...
Five Former Treasury Secretaries: Our Democracy Is Under Siege. “[We’re writing] this piece because we are alarmed about the risks of arbitrary & capricious political control of federal payments, which would be unlawful & corrosive to our democracy.”
Voting for the Mayor Who Promised to Blow Up the City Doesn’t...
Voting for the Mayor Who Promised to Blow Up the City Doesn’t Mean I Approve of the Mayor Blowing Up the City. “I just wanted him to fix the old bowling alley like he promised in passing once.”
How People & Institutions in Budding Autocracies Obey in Advance
In a piece called The Chilling Consequences of Going Along With Trump, Russian exile M. Gessen outlines the five different types of arguments used by people & institutions when they engage in “anticipatory obedience” (aka, obeying in advance). For example:
The second a...
One of the attributes of the modern condition is an inability to...
One of the attributes of the modern condition is an inability to be bored. “In one study, nearly half of participants left alone for 15 minutes with no stimulation chose to have an electric shock.” !!!
From Greg Storey, a list of “ways to take in information without...
From Greg Storey, a list of “ways to take in information without getting pulled under”. Including the Control Test: “Is this within my control? If yes, what’s my next step? If no, how do I adjust to move forward anyway?”
“The private companies in control of social-media networks possess an unprecedented ability...
“The private companies in control of social-media networks possess an unprecedented ability to manipulate and control the populace, to keep them in a kind of algorithmic cage divorced from reality.”
It’s a Coup, But It’s Not Just Musk’s Coup
This piece at The Verge from Elizabeth Lopatto is a great recap of Elon Musk’s coordinated attack on the infrastructure of the US federal government. I particularly appreciate the dozens of links throughout the piece that provide context for the text, a demonstration of the ...
This is a great thread on how an ordinary person stepped up...
This is a great thread on how an ordinary person stepped up to help her community during a crisis (her kids’ school burned down in the recent LA fires).
The Power of Chaos
The events of the last few weeks reminded me of this succinct summary of Timothy Ryback’s book, Takeover: Hitler’s Final Rise to Power fron Adam Gopnik in the New Yorker:
Ryback details, week by week, day by day, and sometimes hour by hour, how a country with a functional, ...
Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Halftime Show. Kendrick said, “The revolution ‘bout to...
Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Halftime Show. Kendrick said, “The revolution ‘bout to be televised. You picked the right time but the wrong guy.” — with the wrong guy sitting in the audience.
Judith Butler: “Once you decide that a single vulnerable minority can be...
Judith Butler: “Once you decide that a single vulnerable minority can be sacrificed, you’re operating within a fascist logic, because that means there might be a second one you’re willing to sacrifice, and a third, a fourth, and then what happens?”
Some Wild Ice Skating
When Fairlee, Vermont’s Lake Morey freezes over in the winter, a 4-5 mile loop is cleared by a local resort for wild ice skating. I was able to get out on the ice with my family for a couple hours on Friday; it was great fun, and I’m looking forward to going again soon.
I hope you got out this weekend and did something outside or active or new or comforting…we’re going to need to replenish our reserves in the coming weeks and months.
Tags: Jason Kottke · skating · sports
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Extinction Burst Explains MAGA Voters’ Racist Anger
This fantastic two-minute video, from a guy named Rich, neatly explains why the anger and frustration of Trump’s supporters has been growing over time — why the pushback on things like diversity, equity, inclusion, trans rights, and LGBTQ+ issues seems to be increasing and...
According to Wired’s reporting, a US Treasury Threat Intelligence Analysis has called...
According to Wired’s reporting, a US Treasury Threat Intelligence Analysis has called the incursion by “DOGE” staff “the single greatest insider threat risk the Bureau of the Fiscal Service has ever faced”. And it recommends suspending their access.
Doechii’s Tiny Desk Concert
Hi, friends. It’s Friday and I don’t know about you, but I think we need to unwind a little bit with this Tiny Desk Concert from Doechii. Aaron posted this back in December but it’s popped up in my feed and inbox a few times in the past few days — must be that shiny new be...
Some Actions That Are Not Protesting or Voting, including donating to a...
Some Actions That Are Not Protesting or Voting, including donating to a food program, volunteering your skills to local groups, joining or starting a union, and helping with disaster relief.
David Kurtz argues that we should refer to Trump’s mass removal of...
David Kurtz argues that we should refer to Trump’s mass removal of federal employees as purges, not as “firings” or “layoffs”. “Business terms provide a totally wrong conceptual framework for the purges underway.”
“The Government’s Computing Experts Say They Are Terrified”
Charlie Warzel and Ian Bogost from The Atlantic talked to four experienced federal-government IT professionals who have all “built, modified, or maintained the kind of technological infrastructure” that Elon Musk’s team of young hackers are attacking. They are beyond concern...
Trump tried to illegally fire US Federal Election Commission Chair Ellen Weintraub....
Trump tried to illegally fire US Federal Election Commission Chair Ellen Weintraub. She refused to leave: “There’s a legal way to replace FEC commissioners — this isn’t it.” She pledges to continue to “stir up some good trouble”.
A kid named Big Balls (with some shady stuff in his past)...
A kid named Big Balls (with some shady stuff in his past) hacked into gov’t computer systems for Elon Musk, but “there’s little chance that he could have passed a background check for privileged access to government systems” (that he now has access to).
Wired is reporting that the Treasury Secretary and the White House press...
Wired is reporting that the Treasury Secretary and the White House press secretary lied about “DOGE” staffer Marko Elez (who recently resigned, for being a racist (after being hired for same)) having write-access to the Treasury’s payment system code.
Outrage Fatigue Is Real. These Tips May Help. “Repeated exposure to outrage-inducing...
Outrage Fatigue Is Real. These Tips May Help. “Repeated exposure to outrage-inducing news or events can lead to emotional exhaustion. An expert who studies online outrage says there are ways to cope.”
You Can’t Post Your Way Out of Fascism. “When it comes to...
You Can’t Post Your Way Out of Fascism. “When it comes to addressing the problems we face, no amount of posting or passive info consumption is going to substitute the hard, unsexy work of organizing.”
“In 2022, one of Peter Thiel’s favorite thinkers envisioned a second Trump...
“In 2022, one of Peter Thiel’s favorite thinkers envisioned a second Trump Administration in which the federal government would be run by a “CEO” who was not Trump and laid out a playbook for how it might work. Elon Musk is following it.”
The world has probably passed ‘peak air pollution’. “Global air pollution is...
The world has probably passed ‘peak air pollution’. “Global air pollution is now falling, and we can save many lives by accelerating this decline.”
State Attorneys General to Sue Over Musk’s Access to Government Systems. “The...
State Attorneys General to Sue Over Musk’s Access to Government Systems. “The president does not have the power to give away our private information to anyone he chooses, and he cannot cut federal payments approved by Congress.”
Mister Rogers on How to Talk to Kids About Distressing News Events
In 2002, Fred Rogers wrote a parenting book as a resource for caregivers of children aged two to six. One of the topics he covered was how to talk to children about tragic events in the news. Rogers begins by noting that even young children can pick up on when adults are f...