Below are posts associated with the “link” type.
🔗 linkblog: The 'Mormon Moment' 10 years later: Why Joanna Brooks and Mitch Mayne left the public eye'
A great column from Jana. It’s hard to believe that it’s been ten years—or that I’ve changed so much in my own Mormonism over that time.
🔗 linkblog: Moderator Mayhem: A Mobile Game To See How Well YOU Can Handle Content Moderation | Techdirt'
This is a neat game that shows how difficult content moderation is. Excited to have my content management students play it in the Fall.
🔗 linkblog: Neighborhood Watch Out: Cops Are Incorporating Private Cameras Into Their Real-Time Surveillance Networks | Electronic Frontier Foundation'
This sounds worrying to me. Surveillance can and will be abused, and we should be wary about embracing it on this scale.
🔗 linkblog: Kelly Craft escalates anti-trans rhetoric, calls for excluding ‘transgenders’ from Ky. schools'
This is indefensible, and no amount of spin from a comms director can change how harmful this is.
🔗 linkblog: Spotify ejects thousands of AI-made songs in purge of fake streams | Ars Technica'
Content moderation is hard, and it’s especially hard at scale. Because AI makes doing things at scale easier, it necessarily makes content moderation harder.
🔗 linkblog: People are arguing in court that real images are deepfakes : NPR'
Very interesting look at some of the less obvious implications of generative AI.
🔗 linkblog: All Hail Charles, the Unmemeable King | WIRED'
I haven’t read much on the coronation and don’t plan to read much more, but even if I were, I think this would still take first place. A surprisingly deep dive into internet culture.
🔗 linkblog: Elon Musk threatens to re-assign @NPR on Twitter to 'another company' : NPR'
I feel like I say this whenever I post a link to a Twitter story, but I honestly can’t believe how dumb this stuff gets sometimes. Also, is Musk going to give someone else control of @ldschurch?
🔗 linkblog: Texas agriculture department's new dress code based on 'biological gender' : NPR'
There’s no such thing as dressing according to one’s biological sex. Gender-based dress expectations are perhaps the best possible example of the social construction of gender. What inanity.
🔗 linkblog: Twitter Suspends Reporter For Reporting On Twitter Hack, Using Same Policy Old Twitter Used To Block NY Post Hunter Biden Story | Techdirt'
I’m tired of reading Twitter news, but I’m professionally obligated to do so, no matter how dumb it gets.
🔗 linkblog: Bing has a testimony of the Book of Mormon! And other adventures with AI chatbots.'
This is one of the most amazing things I’ve read on generative AI.
🔗 linkblog: Calls for action on gun violence meet silence from Kentucky's Republican legislative leaders - Kentucky Lantern'
Local shame in response to local tragedy.
🔗 linkblog: Elon Musk tweets, then deletes DMs from Matt Taibbi over his Substack snit - The Verge'
To paraphrase Mike Masnick, the defining motto of the Musk era seems to be ‘it can always get more stupid.’
🔗 linkblog: Substack writers say Twitter’s newsletter ban is bad for business — and worse for Twitter - The Verge'
How does this acquisition continue to get dumber and dumber?
🔗 linkblog: Twitter’s Open Source Algorithm Is a Red Herring | WIRED'
Some good commentary here. Musk loves certain buzzwords and flashy stunts, but they’re often in tension with the other decisions he makes.
🔗 linkblog: Tesla employees reportedly passed around personal videos from owners’ cars - The Verge'
I had never thought of a car as a creepy surveillance device, but this is horrifying.
🔗 linkblog: The poop emoji: a legal history - The Verge'
Fascinating read—and one that reminds me that academic journal software doesn’t always render emoji either, which is a problem for social media research.
🔗 linkblog: Your Used Car May Soon Come With Subscription Fees | WIRED'
A dumb future that no one is asking for.
🔗 linkblog: NPR Was Twitter’s Example Of What Should NOT Be Labeled ‘State-Affiliated Media.’ Then Musk Added The Label And Retconned The Policy | Techdirt'
This is another dumb move by Musk. Masnick is excellent at calling him out on hypocrisy.
🔗 linkblog: Some political movements among us deserving of being opposed and rendered powerless'
In my journey with Community of Christ, I’ve spent a fair amount of time thinking about what it means to pursue peace. I appreciate Pyle’s thoughts (and Star Trek references) here as he warns against allowing “peace and understanding” to neuter our opposition to evil. To be clear, that’s not what Community of Christ—or even maybe Nelson—is calling for, and I know my own opposition efforts risk denying the humanity and dignity of those I oppose. It’s a tricky balance, and I think Pyle’s argument is one of many to consider.
🔗 linkblog: Podcast Episode: So You Think You’re A Critical Thinker | Electronic Frontier Foundation'
I’ve enjoyed reading Alice Marwick’s work in the past, and I really enjoyed her appearance on the EFF’s podcast here.
🔗 linkblog: Settlers of Catan Creator, Klaus Teuber, Has Passed Away'
Sad news! Catan hasn’t been my favorite for a while, but it helped introduce me to designer games, and I owe Teuber a lot for that.
🔗 linkblog: Sen. Rand Paul becomes latest lawmaker opposing TikTok ban - The Verge'
Rand Paul is very often wrong, but I always appreciate when he comes through.
🔗 linkblog: In Sudden Alarm, Tech Doyens Call for a Pause on ChatGPT | WIRED'
I am not an AI expert, and my concerns aren’t on the existential scale. However, I do think it’s important to avoid moving fast and breaking things with these powerful technologies. That isn’t necessarily to say that more powerful AI shouldn’t be released (though I’m already disinterested by the current stuff), just that racing to improve them for commercial benefit and as technological flourish doesn’t strike me as socially responsible.