Below are posts associated with the โlinkโ type.
๐ linkblog: Uber lobbied and used 'stealth' tech to block scrutiny, according to new report : NPR'
This seems pretty gross so far. I wonder how much more will come out of these leaks.
๐ linkblog: Muskโs Attempt To Get Out Of The Twitter Deal Proceeding Exactly As Predicted; What Happens Next? | Techdirt'
I always appreciate Masnick’s going into the legal details that are above my head. Techdirt has proven to be one of the most helpful sources for understanding this fiasco.
๐ linkblog: Elon Musk officially tries to bail on buying Twitter - The Verge'
Best line: “Musk seemed to relish the ability to make wishful product plans about free speech and corporate independence more than he wanted to develop a coherent business plan for Twitter.”
๐ linkblog: New York gun applicants will have to submit their social accounts for review : NPR'
Gun control is good, but surveillance isn’t. I don’t think this is the answer.
๐ linkblog: Twitter Is Ready for a Potential Legal Battle With Elon Musk - The New York Times'
What an enormous mess this is turning into.
๐ linkblog: Marco Rubio Pretends To Be A TikTok Privacy Champion, Despite Years Of Undermining U.S. Consumer Privacy | Techdirt'
Concern about privacy is good, but not when it’s Sinophobic posturing. Yes, what TikTok is doing is worrying and problematic, but Bode makes an important point here: If they aren’t willing to fix the broader infrastructure, stances like Rubio’s just come down to trying to score cheap political points.
๐ linkblog: After Dobbs, Advocates Fear School Surveillance Tools Could Put Teens at Risk โ The Markup'
I’ve seen a number of headlines about how a post-Dobbs world changes the game for online privacy, but this is the first one that I sat down to read. School surveillance software is scary enough without this possibility, so let’s not make it worse. I can’t believe that this software gives schools any benefits that outweigh the heavy cost to students’ privacy.
๐ linkblog: Kentucky school district bans backpacks for older students | Lexington Herald Leader'
I went to high school post Columbine, so we could only use mesh or clear backpacks and were required to wear IDs at all times. Even at the time, that felt like security theater. Schools can’t solve this problem with decisions like theseโwe need to decide as a society to rethink our relationship with guns.
๐ linkblog: A (Wheatstone) bridge to the past โ Punya Mishra's Web'
I’ve also been thinking recently about small but important influences on my career, so it was a real treat to read Punya’s thoughts here.
๐ linkblog: US carriers want to bring โscreen zeroโ lock screen ads to smartphones | Ars Technica'
I’m glad I got out of the Kindle game before they did on-screen ads. This feels dystopian.
๐ linkblog: Learn English: The Anglicization of the Church | Times & Seasons'
Very interesting look at Anglocentrism in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
๐ linkblog: Coverage in EdWeek of a recent article on uncertainty in science | Joshua M. Rosenberg, Ph.D.'
Really enjoyed this coverage of Josh’s work! I haven’t ever done Bayesian work, so it surprised me how closely the ideas in the article resembled thoughts I’ve been having about positivism and other research paradigms.
๐ linkblog: U.S. Supreme Court takes on the independent state legislature theory : NPR'
Worrying ideas hereโAmerican democracy feels more and more tenuous.
๐ linkblog: Facebook Bans People For Simply Saying Abortion Pills Exist | Techdirt'
A terrifying teminder that content moderation can easily overreach.
๐ linkblog: Amtrak Spent 11 Years and $450 Million to Save Acela Riders 100 Seconds'
Fitting that I’m reading this the day after booking Acela tickets. Fits with what I’ve said in the past: Northeast Corridor is great, but lets bring trains elsewhere too.
๐ linkblog: How 'Peanuts' creator Charles Schulz pushed for Title IX in the 1970s : NPR'
I had no idea about this history, and I think it’s fun!
๐ linkblog: Schools Are Spending Billions on High-Tech Defense for Mass Shootings - The New York Times'
Gun violence can’t be solved with educational technologyโand make no mistake, all of this is edtech.
๐ linkblog: The Myopic Focus On TikTok Privacy Issues Remains Kind Of Weird | Techdirt'
Good writing here. Vague Sinophobia drives a lot of media and political concerns, and I appreciate Bode’s challenging of that here.
๐ linkblog: Trump team didn't have the evidence and 4 other takeaways from Jan. 6 hearing : NPR'
‘I just know in my heart’ is terrible and terrifying reasoning for posing this level of a threat to democracy.
๐ linkblog: Impossibility Theorem Strikes Again: YouTube Deletes January 6th Committee Video | Techdirt'
Good example here of how content moderation can absolutely overreach. Arguments that platforms shouldn’t moderate are nonsense, but I appreciate Masnick’s emphasis on the need to be very careful about how we moderate.
๐ linkblog: Researcher Hacks Into Backend for Network of Smart Jacuzzis'
Yet another example of why I’m wary of smart devices.
๐ linkblog: Texas GOP's new platform says Biden didn't really win the 2020 election : NPR'
I get that some of this is bluster and posturing, but that doesn’t make it any less worrying. This is the same state GOP that leaned into Gab a year or two ago.
๐ linkblog: There's a legal battle over burkinis in France : NPR'
I have never understood the panic about burkinis. It’s one of many examples where French laรฏcitรฉ goes further than appropriate and desirable secularism.
๐ linkblog: Kentucky court delves into use of cell phones for tracking | AP News'
Good for the court, though the narrow majority is disappointing.
๐ linkblog: Amid Jan. 6 Revelations, Election Lies Still Dominate the G.O.P. - The New York Times'
This is more worrying to meโand more damning for the GOPโthan anything that happened on January 6th.