Pluralistic: Flickr to copyleft trolls: drop dead (01 Apr 2023) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow
Society
Why Elon Musk Is Trying to Convince Everyone That A.I. Is Evil
The Tesla CEO called for a pause in chatbot development. But he’s pushing something much more dangerous.
‘Vulkan files’ leak reveals Putin’s global and domestic cyberwarfare tactics
Vulkan engineers have worked for Russian military and intelligence agencies to support hacking operations, prepare for attacks on infrastructure and spread disinformation
Where the PNW — and the rest of the U.S. — stands on crypto mining
Some state lawmakers see the bitcoin industry’s growth as a good thing. Others, not so much.
Pluralistic: We should ban TikTok(‘s surveillance) (30 Mar 2023) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow
At QCon: Why Generative AI Is Harmful to Earth and Society
Microsoft's Leslie Miley opens QCon London reflecting on rapid innovation and how biases baked into generative AI may be the most transformative yet.
Microsoft Chief People Officer: We are experiencing a global human energy crisis
Seven in 10 people globally are grappling with their mental health. Fortunately, there are steps managers can take to respond to this human energy crisis.
The age of average — Alex Murrell
In the early 1990s, two Russian artists named Vitaly Komar and Alexander Melamid hired a market research firm to survey the public on what they wanted in a work of art. Across 11 countries they then set about painting a piece that reflected the results. Each piece was intended to be a unique a colla
These Angry Dutch Farmers Really Hate Microsoft
Tech giants want to build massive, “hyperscale” data centers in the Netherlands. A popular political movement wants them stopped.
r/Futurology - What has changed in the past 10 years?
14 votes and 95 comments so far on Reddit
Ukraine Has Shifted Europe’s East-West Fault Line
Eastern Europe is in the driver’s seat. The West should buckle up.
The Double Standard for Keeping Capital and Labor Honest
Today on TAP: There is far more corporate crime than crimes by unions. But corrupt labor officials are prosecuted and jailed, while executive thugs walk.
The Panopticon Effect - 99% Invisible
In the Netherlands, about an hour and a half south of Amsterdam, there’s a city called Breda. Like many Dutch towns, it has cozy narrow streets, canals and plenty of bicycles. But there’s one historic building – right in the middle of town that really stands out from the rest. It’s a big, cylindrical structure,
Practice Makes Perfect: How New Tech Could Produce Better Athletes
Yeah, yeah, as Allen Iverson once put it, “We talking about practice!” But new tech can make athletes more valuable in the game. It could even impact your job.
How racism reshaped the Civilian Conservation Corps
The New Deal program that rebuilt Washington parks is remembered as boldly progressive. But early attempts to rid it of discrimination unraveled.
For Long-Term Influence, Pick A Side
You exist now, with some health, wealth, and connections, and you therefore have some influence. You might use this influence for immediate personal gain, or you might try to influence a wider universe, including a distant future. And to the extent that you influence a wider universe, your actions will tend to favor some types and groups over others, and will often be seen as so favoring. So, who should you favor?
I Would Love to Have Enough Time and Money to Go to an Office Every Day
Steven Rattner and the senior executives he's talked to want to see workers "go hard" again. Easy for them to say.
Pluralistic: What comes after neoliberalism? (28 Mar 2023) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow
AI Is Exposing Who Really Has Power in Silicon Valley
Your data helped build ChatGPT. Where's your payout?
America’s Zero-Sum Economics Doesn’t Add Up
Industrial policy and subsidies are nothing new and can be useful. But shutting off from the world will have consequences.
Rethinking the Sports-Industrial Complex
School sports can have some valuable outputs: Learning teamwork A lifetime habit of fitness Giving non-academically-focused kids a chance to shine Offering leadership opportunities Valuing persiste…
Cyberpunk Is Alive, Evolving, and More Relevant Than Ever
Sci-fi author Lavanya Lakshminarayan explains how cyberpunk continues to thrive in South East Asian literature.
Will Working from Home Kill the City?
The work-from-home revolution is hurting the downtown economy of many cities, lowering the tax revenues they collect.
The Last Word On Nothing | “I Want People to Know That They’re Not Alone”: A Solastalgic Conversation with Paul Bogard
I Would Love to Have Enough Time and Money to Go to an Office Every Day
Steven Rattner and the senior executives he's talked to want to see workers "go hard" again. Easy for them to say.
Pluralistic: Rural towns and poor urban neighborhoods are being devoured by dollar stores (27 Mar 2023) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow
Everything Is a Remix
Kirby Ferguson has released the final and "definitive" full-length version of his fantastic Everything is a Remix vide
The Money Cult » Melville House Books
A grand, brilliantly written work of American history. We think we know the story of American religion: the Puritans were cold, austere, and pious, and Christianity continued pure and uncorrupted until the industrial revolution got in the way. In The…
Why capitalism and consumerism play so well with Christianity in America | Boing Boing
The “protestant work ethic” is invoked for any number of political reasons – foreign policy and developmental aid, the spiritual justification for reducing one’s life to capitalist time, and as a w…
Universal Basic Income does not cause inflation - 360
The idea that a Universal Basic Income fuels inflation makes no economic sense. We live in an age of crisis. The Global Financial Crisis, austerity measures, climate change, Covid-19 and war have all reduced people’s standard of living, wellbeing and even predicted lifespan. It’s a dire outlook, made worse by a fast-evolving cost of living […]