Stay sane even though the news is trying to make us crazy
We should hire an intern at some J-school to keep track of all of my tweets, write them down, then translate each into a rule for what a news organization should do instead of not do. Flip the sense of the rule in other words.
Then we feed those rules to an AI.
Then we flow in the news stories of the day from various sites through the same AI for translation. Yes I know they'd complain vociferously, but which ones you use don't matter because the AI algorithm will translate whatever they are to Dave Winer tense.
Then of course publish them to another site called The News That Helps Us All Stay Sane.
In today's Kitty Komix episode: "The very cute but also very courageous Wordle Kitty is learning how to be a surgeon. They brought a mysterious leader into the operating room and asked the Kitty to please operate on the leader and save his life so Wordle Kitty got out the textbook and read up on brain surgery, even though the patient only had a nick on his ear, which was admittedly very bloody, she operated on the patient’s brain and unfortunately the patient died. So we are looking at the scene where the dead body of the patient is on the operating table and Wordle Kitty is smoking a cigarette, relaxing and reflecting on what she learned. She’s still very cute of course."
On this blog 20 years ago: "Our mission when covering the DNC is to figure out what goes on at a DNC. On the other hand, some portion of the 15,000 reporters at the DNC will be trying to figure out what we, the bloggers, are doing at the DNC. I suspect most of them will conclude that we don't belong there, in the same way most of the early articles about weblogs concluded we are not going to kill professional journalism." This turned out to be true.
The Daily
• The New York Times
The Attempted Assassination of Donald Trump
Trump Assassination Horror: “America Is Not Ready For What Comes Next”
At the time of this recording, we know little about the attempt to assassinate Donald Trump. He was hit in the ear, but thankfully doesn’t appear seriously injured. The 20-year-old gunman has been identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks. He was registered as a Republican but donated $15 to a progressive group in January 2021, and we know nothing of his motive. Political violence is absolutely unacceptable no matter who is targeted. So for now we will focus on the bigger picture: We talked to Zack Beauchamp, author of a new book called The Reactionary Spirit and a piece for Vox called: “America is not ready for what comes next,” about whether this horror will lead to an escalation and what it says that American society is again at this point.
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My blog has probably shifted way too much to the political, but that’s how it goes in an election year. Personal blog, personal opinions. But I’ve got some new Micro.blog improvements to talk about this week! Starting tomorrow.
I wish we could have a day or two each month where we all collectively agreed to post about things we enjoy, love, appreciate, or celebrate. No rage farming, click baiting, or rants allowed. Just for one day.
That would be nice! I might fail at this test, but it’s a good goal.
Just watched Biden’s statement on the shooting. Very good. He is the President and our Democratic nominee. To me, the debate about replacing him is over. The campaign is chaotic enough already. I still think he can win, but it’s going to be close, and it’s going to be work. 🇺🇸
This blog 20 years ago today.
Morning coffee notes
The Daily
• The New York Times
The Sunday Read: ‘A Republican Election Clerk vs. Trump Die-Hards in a World of Lies’
Post Reports
• The Washington Post
The attempted assassination of Donald Trump
Saying that Trump is a threat to democracy is not a call for violence. He caused January 6th. He refuses to accept the last election or the next one. He is chaos. Even after being shot, he’s shouting “fight” to the crowd. Everything he touches becomes more dangerous. Vote. 🇺🇸
A Smart Bear
• Jason Cohen
How annual pre-pay creates an infinite marketing budget
Dozens of founders have used this technique to transform the cash-flow of their businesses. Now it's your turn.
A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
• Andrew Hickey
PLEDGE WEEK: “Dark End of the Street” by James Carr
This episode is part of Pledge Week 2024. From Tuesday through Saturday this week I’m posting some of my old Patreon bonuses to the main feed, as a taste of what Patreon backers get. If you enjoy them, why not subscribe for a dollar a month at patreon.com/andrewhickey ?