Below are posts associated with the “link” type.

🔗 linkblog: Gab Founder Andrew Torba Wants to Build a Christian Nationalist Internet'


Good reporting on a scary but important subject. I’ve been collecting Gab blog posts to eventually study some of this Christian nationalism.

🔗 linkblog: How ‘Lord of the Rings’ Inspires Italy’s Giorgia Meloni - The New York Times'


Very interesting article on how Tolkien can inspire far right thinking.

🔗 linkblog: https://www.techdirt.com/2022/09/26/subreddit-discriminates-against-anyone-who-doesnt-call-texas-gov'


This is juvenile enough that I feel guilty finding it funny, but it’s a good demonstration of the problems with this backlash against content moderation.

🔗 linkblog: AI Is Probably Using Your Images and It's Not Easy to Opt Out'


Ooof. AI-generated art is fun, but it comes at a price, and we can’t afford to forget it.

🔗 linkblog: Not All Bots Are Bad, and Twitter Knows It | WIRED'


This is a good response to Musk’s complaining about bots.

🔗 linkblog: Transgender religious leaders use the Bible to make churches more inclusive : NPR'


Lots to love in this article, but I especially appreciate the point that God and Creation resist binaries.

🔗 linkblog: The Most Famous Blunder Of Content Moderation: Do NOT Quote The Princess Bride | Techdirt'


Great movie, great example of the difficulty of content moderation.

🔗 linkblog: The Ungodly Surveillance of Anti-Porn ‘Shameware’ Apps | WIRED'


I had heard about this kind of software at a conference last year, but reading about it just makes it scarier.

🔗 linkblog: Asian American council candidate fights Communist rumors | Lexington Herald Leader'


What a dumb allegation. Just makes me want to vote for Wu even more.

🔗 linkblog: The Sad Clown Joke That Became a Beloved Meme | WIRED'


My optimism about internet culture has been waning for several years, but I still appreciate a deep-dive into how rich and complex a given meme can be.

🔗 linkblog: Too much trust in machine translation could have deadly consequences.'


This article provides good examples of how the efficacy and efficiency of a given technology is often less important than deeper questions of reliance and roles.

🔗 linkblog: The Advanced Spellchecker in Chrome and Edge Saves Everything You Type—Even Passwords'


I knew my distrust of spellcheck would be validated one day! Seriously, though, this is bad news.

🔗 linkblog: ‘Ring Nation’ Is a Terrible Idea That’s Unstoppable Because Amazon Owns Everything'


I missed the vertical integration aspect of this in earlier reporting I’ve read. It makes this story even worse.

🔗 linkblog: Texas has teed up a Supreme Court fight for the future of the internet - The Verge'


We need to do more work to divorce free speech from content moderation. The world without content moderation would be a much worse world, and we don’t want to live in it. Sure, social media platforms are too powerful, but this is not the answer.

🔗 linkblog: Dozens of civil rights groups are calling on Amazon and MGM to cancel Ring Nation reality show - The Verge'


This is a gross idea for a TV show, and I’m glad people are pushing back against it.

🔗 linkblog: Games, Mysteries, and the Lure of QAnon | WIRED'


This isn’t the first article I’ve read comparing Q to an ARG, but I may still send it to my students next semester. I’m also interested in the book this comes from…

🔗 linkblog: Belonging: The Potions Master (Book 1, Chapter 8) | Harry Potter and the Sacred Text on Acast'


I am very much here for Matt Potts criticizing Hogwarts for not embracing the humanities and the importance of the humanities.

🔗 linkblog: Trump Rally Plays Music Resembling QAnon Song, and Crowds React - The New York Times'


Trump’s leaning into Q is not a good sign for the future.

🔗 linkblog: Social Network Parler Restructures, Focuses on ‘Uncancellable Economy’ - WSJ'


Look, Parler isn’t as bad as Gab, but this kind of softball, uncritical approach to the platform is not helpful. WSJ should know better.

🔗 linkblog: Right After Primary Win, Bolduc Reverses Support for Election Lies - The New York Times'


What a cheap, cynical about-face. The fact that candidates think this is something they can do to drum up voters and then change strategy is worrying.

🔗 linkblog: Why Race Is Still A Problem In Dungeons & Dragons'


Good article on an important subject. I may have to assign this to my students next semester!

🔗 linkblog: With 'What If? 2', Randall Munroe Is Back to Answer Your Impossible Questions | WIRED'


I loved the original book and hope to pick up the second. This was a good interview on how surprisingly many important things this kind of weird project overlaps with.

🔗 linkblog: Everyone should join the “cult of privacy.”'


Caring about privacy ought to be common sense. It’s difficult to push back, but that doesn’t mean those of us who do are crazy.

🔗 linkblog: A Smartphone That Lasts a Decade? Yes, It’s Possible. - The New York Times'


I hope the Fairphone will be sold in the U.S. one day. It’s an awesome project.

🔗 linkblog: The Tricky Ethics of Being a Teacher on TikTok | WIRED'


Maybe it’s because of my area of research, but I think the headline here is misleading. Being a teacher on TikTok is one thing, and I’m not opposed to that. Putting your students on TikTok is entirely different, and I struggle to see that being ethically justified. Josh’s research is absolutely the right reference point here.