Non-theist Christian and elder in Community of Christ. I have Mormon roots and aspirations to do better with justice and peacemaking—especially in the digital sphere but also in Lexington, Kentucky, the U.S., and the world more broadly.
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🔗 linkblog: Trump says he won’t leave Truth Social, despite Musk’s Twitter takeover - The Verge'
The quotes in here underline how often ‘free speech’ is used to mean ‘problematic right-wing talking points.’
🔗 linkblog: Twitter Has a New Owner. Here’s What He Should Do. | Electronic Frontier Foundation'
EFF cares about and actually understands free speech and content moderation, so their voice is especially important today.
🔗 linkblog: Twitter accepts buyout, giving Elon Musk total control of the company - The Verge'
Not excited about this, but the good news is that I’ve already been thinking about revamping my web presence, and this is a push to do something about it.
🔗 linkblog: Twitter in talks with Musk over bid to buy platform, according to reports : NPR'
Yet another reason to revisit my social media presence.
🔗 linkblog: Kentucky's voter guide for the 2022 primary elections – 89.3 WFPL News Louisville'
Primaries are coming up! Time to do your homework!
📚 bookblog: La présidente, Tome 2 (❤️❤️❤️🖤🖤)
I read this volume of the series much faster than the last one—perhaps because it was new to me and perhaps because the second round of the election motivated me to finish it—though I clearly won’t finish the series before today’s results were announced.
Thematically, I thought the book was stranger. It put more emphasis on how laws and politics established under mainstream parties could become terrifying in the hands of far right extremists.
🔗 linkblog: Best bookstore in Lexington, KY bracket: Elite Eight | Lexington Herald Leader'
I have long supported Joseph-Beth, but this is giving me ideas for other bookstores to try!
🔗 linkblog: McConnell and McCarthy’s Jan. 6 Fury at Trump Faded by February - The New York Times'
Disappointing that G.O.P. leaders so quickly did an about face. January 6th was a terrible event, and it’s cynical and irresponsible to pretend anything otherwise.
📚 bookblog: La présidente, Tome 1 (❤️❤️❤️🖤🖤)
I think this is the third time I’ve read this BD, but given the ongoing French presidential election and the possibility that Le Pen will pull off a win on the 24th, I wanted to revisit it—and read the other volumes in the trilogy, which I’ve never done.
The BD isn’t the best—it’s overly didactic at times and the art aims for a photorealism that sometimes verges on the uncanny valley.
🔗 linkblog: Gorton unveils $460 million Lexington budget | Lexington Herald Leader'
Most of this budget sounds great, but why are we budgeting for 75 more ALPRs when we haven’t even finished the trial of the current ones yet? Not to mention that the trial is unlikely to evaluate ethics, only “effectiveness.”
🔗 linkblog: Gab CEO Ironically Pines For Net Neutrality | Techdirt'
Never thought to connect Gab back to net neutrality; interesting reflection here.
🔗 linkblog: New Flock security cameras being installed in Lexington by end of May | Lexington Herald Leader'
There are a few yellow flags in this article for me. Quick and efficient sounds good, but are those the most important values in policing? What values do they stand in tension with? It’s great that there are policies against using a ALPR database for personal reasons, but these policies regularly get violated. No, these aren’t videosurveillance cameras, but that doesn’t make them harmless.
🔗 linkblog: Lexington gets $2.9 million for two shared use trails | Lexington Herald Leader'
Hooray for additional bike infrastructure!
🔗 linkblog: KY lawmakers reverse vote, give politicians control of libraries | Lexington Herald Leader'
Grumpy about this this morning.
🔗 linkblog: Trump as a Modern-Day Party Boss: Hoarding Cash and Doling Out Favors - The New York Times'
Very interesting read. I have never been a Republican, but I frequently voted GOP prior to 2016. Because my personal political views have shifted since then, it’s hard to say whether I would vote for a GOP that throws off the Trump baggage, but I do hope such a party one day re-emerges. I may not agree with it, but we certainly need it.
🔗 linkblog: Twitter’s upcoming edit feature may keep track of tweet history - The Verge'
Bad faith edits were the main reason why I’ve never jumped on the “edit button” train, so I think this is a good way to handle this.
🔗 linkblog: Marine Le Pen Victory Would Threaten European Alliances'
Interesting read on potential stakes of France’s presidential election.
🔗 linkblog: When Vladimir Putin joined George W. Bush in Crawford, Texas : NPR'
Good article on our past optimism for Putin.
🔗 linkblog: Of ‘Algospeak’ and the Crudeness of Automated Moderation | by Clive Thompson | Apr, 2022 | OneZero'
Fascinated by this article for so many reasons. First, it’s a great example of meaningful practices in online spaces; second, it brings it back to the need for more, smaller platforms.
🔗 linkblog: Elon Musk Demonstrates How Little He Understands About Content Moderation | Techdirt'
I have only been reading Techdirt for a short amount of time, but I increasingly appreciate Masnick’s perspectives on issues like this.
🔗 linkblog: Texts Show Mike Lee Released ‘the Kraken’ and Tried to Give Trump a Smarter Coup Plan'
Worrying stuff out of Utah.
🔗 linkblog: Elon Musk, After Toying With Twitter, Now Wants It All - The New York Times'
Content moderation is a necessity, and Musk’s take here is wildly irresponsible.
🔗 linkblog: It’s Still Stupidly, Ridiculously Difficult To Buy A ‘Dumb’ TV | Techdirt'
Losing dumb TVs is not an acceptable option.
🔗 linkblog: Brittney Griner's detention in Russia: What it says about basketball's pay gap : NPR'
Seems to me that folks truly concerned about the integrity of women’s sports would have more to say about this.
🔗 linkblog: The Far-Right Is Doxxing School Officials They Think Are “Groomers”'
This matches rhetoric I’m reading while doing research on Gab. We need respectable conservative movements in the U.S., but our contemporary mainstream right is flirting with these ideas instead of denouncing them. It’s troubling
🔗 linkblog: Présidentielle 2022 : le ralliement d'Eric Zemmour gêne la stratégie de camouflage de Marine Le Pen'
Faut pas oublier ces liens quand-même.
🔗 linkblog: House G.O.P. Kills Bid to Honor Pioneering Black Judge - The New York Times'
Litmus tests like this are making me even more worried about the future.
🔗 linkblog: KY libraries worried by bill giving politicians control over them | Lexington Herald Leader'
Wish that I’d been paying better attention to this legislation. Libraries are pillars of our communities and ought to retain partisan independence.
🔗 linkblog: Des crimes de guerre auraient aussi été commis par des soldats ukrainiens - rts.ch - Monde'
Faut pas transformer l’Ukraine un héros irréprochable.
🔗 linkblog: GOP Social Media Experiments Fail (In Part) Because They Break The Troll/Amplification Cycle | Techdirt'
Insightful piece on trolling and feeding trolls.
🔗 linkblog: Roger Stone Claims He’s Being ‘Censored’ on Trump’s Truth Social'
All platforms moderate content, most content moderation isn’t censorship.
🔗 linkblog: Why You Should Buy the Dumbest TV You Can Find'
If I can help it, I will never buy a smart TV. I appreciate the suggestion to consider a monitor as a dumb TV.