| Time |
Event |
| 10:37a |
|
| 10:37a |
|
| 10:37a |
"Consultants" in Democratic party defeat
Arguing that "consultants" who control (or represent) funding sources
directed the Democratic Party down to defeat.
My mother belonged to a local Democratic Party club when I was young
and lived in NYC with her. It was quite active.
</li> |
| 10:37a |
Cop29 rules for carbon offsets
Cop29 has agreed on new rules for carbon offsets.
The rules are meant to assure that a carbon offset really will
result in a reduction in net greenhouse gas emissions. But will these
rules really achieve that goal?
Given that some experts already have doubts, I would expect they have
valid grounds for those doubts.
One specific reason to doubt is that whether any particular offset
plan really does reduce emissions depends on future developments of
global heating, which we can't reliably anticipate. For instance, if
we plant many square miles of trees, even supposing we have chosen
good trees for the local climate and situation, we cannot be sure
whether global heating will kill them all.
</li> |
| 10:37a |
Algorithms deciding who to deport
The UK government is using algorithms in deciding who to deport.
The deportation department says that a human makes the final decision,
but if that is true it does not imply that an algorithm takes most of
the decision.
Algorithms should never play a significant role in decisions about how
a person will be treated by the law. Inevitably that leads to gross
injustices that a robot does not understand. Even when a human gets
involved, perse may ape the rigidity of s robot. When there is a mistake
or omission in the data, robots typically are hard to convince of this.
It is ironic that the article insists that a bullshit generator
is "artificial intelligence" but a system that represents knowledge
and makes deductions is not.
</li> |
| 10:37a |
Destruction of Israel's left-wing newspaper
The Israeli government is trying to destroy Israel's left-wing
newspaper, Haaretz, by boycotting it for being left-wing.
No alleged crimes or wrongs are needed as justification — merely
not supporting the dictator is enough.
Ironically, I have boycotted Haaretz for years for a different kind of
reason — for having a paywall.
Haaretz had a substantial importance for the world even after Israel
became mostly right-wing. I used to make links to Haaretz articles
recommended by Israeli peace activists.
But then it set up a solid paywall, so I had to stop. By my principles
it is wrong to make a link to anything that requires readers to (1)
identify themselves or (2) run a nonfree program. The paywall
requires both, so I could no longer post links to Haaretz articles (or
read them myself, usually).
Haaretz still has a potential value to the world, if only it would let
down the paywall at least for some important articles.
</li> |
| 10:37a |
|
| 10:37a |
|
| 10:37a |
|
| 4:37p |
Bolsonaro military coup plot
About the military coup plot which Bolsonaro is accused of helping to
organize.
Reportedly the coup did not occur because some of the high commanders
refused to join it.
</li> |
| 4:37p |
Terminal for cloudy Microsoft Server
If Microsoft gets its way, your next computer will be nothing but
a terminal for a cloudy Microsoft server.
As we know, there is no cloud — only other entities' computers.
In this case, it would be Microsoft's computers, that would
do your computing in whatever way Microsoft wants.
With Microsoft, the future of computing is controlled totally by
Microsoft. All local software is remotely changed by Microsoft, so
there is nothing you can choose.
Microsoft claims it is completely secure because it can't do anything
locally — it can only be a terminal. File storage, account
management, and even configuration are possible only in Microsoft's
servers. Whatever this may mean for security against Cap'n Cracker,
it implies total insecurity if you are attacked by Microsoft,
or by any entity Microsoft chooses to aid.
You might even be compelled, some day, to converse with a piece of
"artificial intelligence" (properly known as a bullshit generator)
to ask Microsoft for whatever it might be.
|
| 4:37p |
Treaty to limit plastic pollution
In the negotiations for a treaty to limit plastic pollution, the
biggest contingent of participants are the plastic lobbyists.
How did this happen, I wonder? What determines how many lobbyists ca
n participate in the conference? Are the companies allowed register
however many they can afford to pay fees for?
What enables these lobbyists to get in the way of a good treaty?
Are the governments which want unlimited plastic production
using their votes to support the lobbyists? If so, if the
real opposition is from those governments, are the lobbyists
a red herring?
but if that is not the case, why don't the governments
and other parties that want the talks to succeed
quash the activities of those lobbyists, or limit how
many are allowed?
</li> |
| 4:37p |
Malcolm X's family sues FBI, CIA and NYPD
*Malcolm X's family sues FBI, CIA and NYPD for $100m,* accusing them
of knowing in advance about the plan to murder him and allowing it to
happen.
It would be good to expose this, but I have a feeling that a decades-delayed
fine against governments will not in itself do much to deter future
crimes of this sort.
</li> |
| 4:37p |
|
| 4:37p |
|
| 4:37p |
|
| 4:37p |
|
| 4:37p |
Turkish woman convicted for sharing Guardian article
*Turkish woman convicted under anti-terror laws for sharing Guardian article*
about a British volunteer fighting in Kurdish forces in Syria.
(For Rojava, I suppose.)
One person's terrorist is another person's freedom fighter. The
Guardian may well have glorified the volunteers who went to Rojava to
fight for human rights, but surely that article did not promote
terrorism. However, to Erdoğan any army that opposes Turkey might be
called "terrorist".
</li> |
| 4:37p |
We must defend elective abortions
*We must defend elective abortions, not just the most politically
palatable cases* (in which a woman might die because doctors obeyed
anti-abortion laws).
</li> |
| 4:37p |
|
| 4:37p |
PFAS and microplastics more toxic when combined
*PFAS and microplastics become more toxic when combined* — for water
fleas, at least.
To measure how they affect humans is a very difficult study, since it
would take many years and there is no way to create a control group
of humans who have not been exposed.
</li> |
| 4:37p |
US military invited to us LLAMA
Meta invited the US military to use LLAMA to choose places to bomb.
(So far, only for exercises.) Marketing materials show it gives a
nonsensical answer to a foolish question that it ought to have rejected.
I conjecture that those marketing materials were written to convince
politicians to spend billions on the system, rather that the
commanders who might in theory someday actually use it. But that
doesn't necessarily imply it would work better in real life.
</li> |
| 4:37p |
Investigation against corrupter ended
The special counsel who was investigating the corrupter's 2020 crimes
decided to end the investigation because it is impossible to indict
the president.
Robert Reich says he should have put the charges on hold instead.
It may not matter. Maybe the corrupter will pardon himself. Maybe he
will corrupt the US government so thoroughly that no trial of him or
his friends could ever convict. Those are possibilities, and if they
occur, it could have become futile to keep the indictment alive.
But they are not inevitable. They might not have happened.
</li> |
| 4:37p |
Megachurch founder suffers health incident
*Megachurch founder TD Jakes suffers health incident during sermon in Texas.*
Does he ever claim that material harm is a punishment "sent by god"?
If so, that can be used against him now.
</li> |