I’m a citizen of Lexington, Kentucky, the United States, the world, and the digital sphere. Politically, I care about equality (and changing structures to support it), elections (that is, making them more fair and representative), and electronics (or, rather, their impact on society). I am a believing agnostic in Community of Christ with a (mostly) cherished past as a literalist Mormon.
Communities
linkblog: my thoughts on 'The Long Crusade of Clarence and Ginni Thomas - The New York Times'
A long but important read.
link to ‘The Long Crusade of Clarence and Ginni Thomas - The New York Times’
Communities
linkblog: my thoughts on 'Russia's ‘Idiotic’ Disinformation Campaign Could Still Lead to War in Ukraine'
This is terrifying on so many levels. Besides the possibility of war, the thing I’m most spooked by is the sheer cynicism of Russian efforts here. It doesn’t matter how bad the disinformation is if you can count on enough people to believe it. Trumpian, but turned up to 14.
link to ‘Russia’s ‘Idiotic’ Disinformation Campaign Could Still Lead to War in Ukraine’
Communities
linkblog: my thoughts on 'Please Delete Your Recordings: Inside a Police Conference'
Lexington just installed plate readers on a trial basis, so this hits particularly hard right now. It’s scary and it needs to stop.
link to ‘Please Delete Your Recordings: Inside a Police Conference’
Communities
linkblog: my thoughts on 'This journalist’s Otter.ai scare is a reminder that cloud transcription isn’t completely private - The Verge'
Doing transcription yourself sucks. It’s long and tedious, and the final product never feels worth all the effort you put into it. For all that, though, this is exactly why services like Otter have never sat well with me.
link to ‘This journalist’s Otter.ai scare is a reminder that cloud transcription isn’t completely private - The Verge’
Communities
linkblog: my thoughts on 'Talking to Art Spiegelman As the Latest ‘Maus’ Fight Erupts'
Quite enjoyed this read. Appreciated Spiegelman’s take that Maus got pushback because there’s not a satisfying ending. It’s true of Maus, but maybe that’s a feature, not a bug. Hat tip to Boing Boing for pointing me to this.
link to ‘Talking to Art Spiegelman As the Latest ‘Maus’ Fight Erupts’
Communities
linkblog: just finished 'Their Bionic Eyes Are Now Obsolete and Unsupported - IEEE Spectrum'
This story is so, so much to take in. I saw it from the Massachusetts Pirate Party with a comment about implants needing to be open sourced. I agree, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
link to ‘Their Bionic Eyes Are Now Obsolete and Unsupported - IEEE Spectrum’
Communities
linkblog: just finished 'Ky. Republicans advance another bill banning trans girls from girls sports – 89.3 WFPL News Louisville'
Disappointed to see more legislation like this under consideration.
link to ‘Ky. Republicans advance another bill banning trans girls from girls sports – 89.3 WFPL News Louisville’
Communities
linkblog: just finished 'Proposed tax break for private airplanes stalls in KY House | Lexington Herald Leader'
Glad to hear this—and glad my state rep seems to me a voice of reason here.
link to ‘Proposed tax break for private airplanes stalls in KY House | Lexington Herald Leader’
Communities
linkblog: just finished 'What does it cost Lexington KY drivers to wait in traffic? | Lexington Herald Leader'
Yes for more transportation funding, but not if it’s all going to cars.
link to ‘What does it cost Lexington KY drivers to wait in traffic? | Lexington Herald Leader’
Communities
linkblog: just finished 'Missouri's Governor Still Insists Reporter Is A Hacker, Even As Prosecutors Decline To Press Charges | Techdirt'
This continues to be a dumb and worrying story.
link to ‘Missouri’s Governor Still Insists Reporter Is A Hacker, Even As Prosecutors Decline To Press Charges | Techdirt’
Communities
linkblog: just finished 'Parents say daughters humiliated over Scott school dress code | Lexington Herald Leader'
Why are dress codes so often so gross?
link to ‘Parents say daughters humiliated over Scott school dress code | Lexington Herald Leader’
Communities
linkblog: just finished 'Declassified Documents Shows The CIA Is Using A 1981 Executive Order To Engage In Domestic Surveillance | Techdirt'
Surveillance is a bigger problem than we think.
link to ‘Declassified Documents Shows The CIA Is Using A 1981 Executive Order To Engage In Domestic Surveillance | Techdirt’
Communities
linkblog: just finished 'We Need Answers About the CIA’s Mass Surveillance | Electronic Frontier Foundation'
This is unjustifiable.
link to ‘We Need Answers About the CIA’s Mass Surveillance | Electronic Frontier Foundation’
Communities
linkblog: just finished 'Cop Trainer Encouraging Cops To Run Facial Recognition Searches On People During Traffic Stops | Techdirt'
Ugh ugh ugh.
link to ‘Cop Trainer Encouraging Cops To Run Facial Recognition Searches On People During Traffic Stops | Techdirt’
Communities
linkblog: just finished 'Penguin Random House Demands Removal Of Maus From Digital Library Because The Book Is Popular Again | Techdirt'
The first line is a powerful one. Libraries ought to be a constant reference point (and beneficiary) when liberalizing IP.
link to ‘Penguin Random House Demands Removal Of Maus From Digital Library Because The Book Is Popular Again | Techdirt’
Communities
linkblog: just finished 'Tech Leaders Justify Project To Create Army Of AI-Controlled Bulletproof Grizzly Bears As Inevitable Part Of Progress'
But is it ed tech?
link to ‘Tech Leaders Justify Project To Create Army Of AI-Controlled Bulletproof Grizzly Bears As Inevitable Part Of Progress’
Communities
linkblog: just finished 'How the Open App Markets Act wants to remake app stores - The Verge'
This would really change things up!
link to ‘How the Open App Markets Act wants to remake app stores - The Verge’
Communities
linkblog: just finished 'Why Grammarly’s suggestions around writing about slavery miss the mark.'
I am just now learning about this and am glad for the article, but I’m not sure it hits all the deeper issues here.
link to ‘Why Grammarly’s suggestions around writing about slavery miss the mark.’
Communities
linkblog: just finished 'All Options Are Not on the Table as Biden Moves Troops Closer to Ukraine - The New York Times'
This whole situation sucks.
link to ‘All Options Are Not on the Table as Biden Moves Troops Closer to Ukraine - The New York Times’
Communities
linkblog: just finished 'Ukraine Gave Up Nuclear Weapons 30 Years Ago. Today There Are Regrets. - The New York Times'
I strongly believe in nuclear disarmament, but it’s still hard not to have some sympathy for this point of view.
link to ‘Ukraine Gave Up Nuclear Weapons 30 Years Ago. Today There Are Regrets. - The New York Times’
Communities
linkblog: just finished 'House Votes For COMPETES Act, Even With Its Problems, Almost Entirely On Party Lines | Techdirt'
This is why I want a U.S. Pirate Party
link to ‘House Votes For COMPETES Act, Even With Its Problems, Almost Entirely On Party Lines | Techdirt’
Communities
linkblog: just finished 'G.O.P. Declares Jan. 6 Attack ‘Legitimate Political Discourse’ - The New York Times'
Some of the scariest news I’ve read this week.
link to ‘G.O.P. Declares Jan. 6 Attack ‘Legitimate Political Discourse’ - The New York Times’
Communities
linkblog: just finished 'Air Force Taps Clearview AI to Research Face-Identifying A.R. Glasses - The New York Times'
Who thought this was a good idea???
link to ‘Air Force Taps Clearview AI to Research Face-Identifying A.R. Glasses - The New York Times’
Communities
linkblog: just finished 'SHOP SAFE Will Stomp Out Online Sales of Used and Homemade Goods | Electronic Frontier Foundation'
Intellectual property is important, but overreach is a real problem. We should be liberalizing IP, not cracking down on it.
link to ‘SHOP SAFE Will Stomp Out Online Sales of Used and Homemade Goods | Electronic Frontier Foundation’
Communities
linkblog: just finished 'Senator Wyden: EARN IT Will Make Children Less Safe | Techdirt'
Surveillance is not going to help kids.
link to ‘Senator Wyden: EARN IT Will Make Children Less Safe | Techdirt’
Communities
linkblog: just finished 'Spotify CEO Daniel Ek defends Joe Rogan deal in tense company town hall - The Verge'
Even if Spotify could demonstrate it isn’t a publisher here, platforms don’t get a free pass on content. Also, podcast platforms run counter to podcasting, so Spotify’s trying to be successful there is just as troublesome as the costs it’s willing to pay to do so.
link to ‘Spotify CEO Daniel Ek defends Joe Rogan deal in tense company town hall - The Verge’
Communities
linkblog: just finished 'The Tennessee School Board-Approved Maus | Boing Boing'
Dark but funny, and a great imitation of the original art.
[link to ‘The Tennessee School Board-Approved Maus | Boing Boing’](https://boingboing.net/2022/02/01/the-tennessee-school-board-approved-maus.html?utm_source=rss
Communities
linkblog: just finished 'Lexington KY police test license plate cameras to solve crime | Lexington Herald Leader'
We should all be concerned about this. Describing this as “high tech” in the first line of the story fetishizes surveillance. It’s gross.
link to ‘Lexington KY police test license plate cameras to solve crime | Lexington Herald Leader’
Communities
linkblog: just finished 'Tennessee school board bans Pulitzer prize-winning Holocaust novel, Maus | Holocaust | The Guardian'
Maus is one of the most important graphic novels that has ever existed—on one of the most important subjects for our students to learn about. This is a mind-bogglingly dumb decision.
link to ‘Tennessee school board bans Pulitzer prize-winning Holocaust novel, Maus | Holocaust | The Guardian’
Communities
linkblog: just finished 'Devin Nunes, CEO Of Trump's TRUTH Social, Confirms That 'Free Speech' Social Media Will Be HEAVILY Moderated | Techdirt'
This inconsistency is mind boggling.
link to ‘Devin Nunes, CEO Of Trump’s TRUTH Social, Confirms That ‘Free Speech’ Social Media Will Be HEAVILY Moderated | Techdirt’
Communities
linkblog: just finished 'Ky. lawmakers resurrect bill to make it illegal to insult police, boost penalties for 'rioting' – 89.3 WFPL News Louisville'
Nope nope nope.
link to ‘Ky. lawmakers resurrect bill to make it illegal to insult police, boost penalties for ‘rioting’ – 89.3 WFPL News Louisville’
Communities
linkblog: just finished 'The EU Wants Its Own DNS Resolver that Can Block 'Unlawful' Traffic * TorrentFreak'
Do not like the sound of this. Will likely bring it up when teaching DNS this semester. I’ve been reading up on it for research, and it’s hard to overstate how important DNS is.
link to ‘The EU Wants Its Own DNS Resolver that Can Block ‘Unlawful’ Traffic * TorrentFreak’
Communities
linkblog: just finished 'German Police Caught Using COVID-Tracing Data To Search For Crime Witnesses | Techdirt'
Contract tracing is good, but apps for it are scary. Ugh.
link to ‘German Police Caught Using COVID-Tracing Data To Search For Crime Witnesses | Techdirt’
Communities
linkblog: just finished 'New Bill Claims To Ban 'Surveillance Advertising,' But Doesn't Actually Do It | Techdirt'
Helpful if worrying read.
link to ‘New Bill Claims To Ban ‘Surveillance Advertising,’ But Doesn’t Actually Do It | Techdirt’
Communities
linkblog: just finished 'Fact-Checking McConnell’s Comparison of Black Turnout Rates - The New York Times'
Fact checking is always important, but especially so here.
link to ‘Fact-Checking McConnell’s Comparison of Black Turnout Rates - The New York Times’