Pluralistic: Private equity ghouls have a new way to steal from their investors (20 July 2023) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow
Society
An unusual way to figure out if humanity is toast
A group of experts and "superforecasters" try to estimate the probability humans will go extinct by 2100.
Pluralistic: Denazification, truth and reconciliation, and the story of Germany’s story (19 July 2023) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow
Tips, Tricks & Takeaways from a 15th Century Arabic Sex Manual
Tips, Tricks & Takeaways from a 15th Century Arabic Sex Manual - Life is Messy - Messy Nessy Chic
The Inescapable Logic of Ad Fraud
Named one the world's most influential advertising and marketing blogs by Business Insider
Staff (military) - Wikipedia
No Labels Gives Itself an Out
It seems unlikely No Labels will meet its own conditions for running a presidential candidate.
Could an Industrial Civilization Have Predated Humans on Earth?
A thought experiment plumbs archaeology and geology to ask whether our own species will leave a trace.
The Businessmen Broke Hollywood
And now they don’t want to pay their employees.
The Secret Culprit Turning American Moms Into Default Parents
New research proves something women have long suspected.
Hollywood’s Future Belongs to People—Not Machines
Artificial intelligence is poised to transform entertainment as we know it, from blockbusters to pornography. But the power is still in the hands of humans.
Pluralistic: Podcasting “Let the Platforms Burn” (18 July 2023) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow
July 17, 2023
A story in the New York Times today by Jonathan Swan, Charlie Savage, and Maggie Haberman outlined how former president Donald Trump and his allies are planning to create a dictatorship if voters return him to power in 2024. The article talks about how Trump and his loyalists plan to “centralize more power in the Oval Office” by “increasing the president’s authority over every part of the federal government that now operates, by either law or tradition, with any measure of independence from political interference by the White House.”
Hitler’s Limited Intellect Helped Allies Dodge Atomic Bullet, Say Researchers
Could Nazi Germany have really beaten the Allies to a nuclear weapon? The question is still a matter of debate.
New Yorkers Never Came ‘Flooding Back.’ Why Did Rents Go Up So Much?
Getting to the bottom of a COVID-era real estate mystery.
Inflation: Everywhere and Always Differential – Economics from the Top Down
Here’s an update to my post ‘The Truth About Inflation’. As expected, inflation is still differential. And no, it’s not caused by government spending.
First International Hacktivist ‘Cyberwar’? Online Conflict & the Kosovo War
The Kosovo War lasted from February 1998 through to June 1999. In parallel with the brutal physical conflict was an online battle between hackers from Russia, the US, China, Holland and parts of th…
Opinion | A Federal Judge Asks: Does the Supreme Court Realize How Bad It Smells?
The reported behavior of some justices is not a matter of politics or judicial philosophy. It’s about ethics.
What AT&T and Verizon Knew About Toxic Lead Cables
For decades, telecom companies have known that lead in their networks posed risks to workers and could leach into the environment.
Young People Have No Idea What We Used to Do After Work. Let Me Regale You.
Before cellphones and the internet, our after-work lives were so rich and productive that you'd barely believe it.
When Work Didn't Follow You Home - Cal Newport
In a recent article written for Slate, journalist Dan Kois recounts the shock his younger coworkers expressed when they discovered that he had, earlier in ... Read more
It started as a dark in-joke. It could also be one of the most important questions facing humanity
Why some AI experts are beginning to worry about the apocalypse.
Biden Thumps Nose At Supreme Court, Still Plans to Forgive Student Debt— In a Big Way
This announcement comes after the Supreme Court dismissed the President's student loan plan.
‘Toxic masculinity’ is toxic terminology — The Centre for Male Psychology
Imagine being a boy today . The average boy is behind girls at every level of education. Boys are more likely to have their schoolwork impacted by ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorders. They are 16 times more likely than girls to find school difficult due to being colour blind. Boys are more likely
Pluralistic: Linkty Dumpty (15 July 2023) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow
Pluralistic: A “secure” system can be the most dangerous of all (13 July 2023) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow
The Midterms Weren’t as Abnormal as We’d Thought
Today on TAP: Republicans’ (and old folks’) turnout eclipsed the Democrats’ (and young’uns’)—one reason why McCarthy is Speaker.
Buying Campaign Contributions as a Hack - Schneier on Security
Jersey Devil Origin Story: How A Cryptid Came To Life
The tale of the Jersey Devil, a cryptid whose background moved from feudal byproduct to museum hoax to sports-team mascot in the span of about 250 years.
Europe’s man problem – POLITICO