2023
Amazon Basics dog-poop bags come with documentation. Do people really need documentation to figure out how to work dog-poop bags?
The documentation is titled “Quick Start Guide,” suggesting that there is an in-depth manual available.
I just completed a major project that I’ve been working on for weeks, and now I have to do it again for another project, also due today. And yet my brain is all used up from finishing the first project.
I’m not complaining. This is the definition of a privileged person’s problem. My work is in demand. But—
Oh, who am I kidding? I am absolutely complaining.
Are you making changes to stay successful in your career as AI transforms workplaces?
Getting new training?
Sharpening some skills while letting others fall away?
Changing careers entirely?
How do you see AI changing your job?
This is for an article I’m writing.
Existential threats from AI aren’t on my list of things to worry about. That the super-rich and powerful are concerned is an indication that they’ve lost touch with reality.
That’s not what happened with Twitter. The Twitter acquisition was unique. I’ve never seen or heard of a situation where somebody was forced to acquire a company against his will.
As a business/technology journalist, I’ve covered many M&A deals. Often, they start hostile, then both parties reach a deal and it ends quietly.
Russia was just like that, but with tanks.
Ian Welsh predicts that the US will be a big loser of the Ukraine war, ending the US global hegemony. The war demonstrates that countries can successfully defy the US. China will support defiant nations against US sanctions.
Welsh makes a credible case. I’m insufficiently informed to have my own opinion.
Welsh’s article went up yesterday, before the latest shenanigans.
Yes, the war is going badly for Russia, and was even when Welsh posted. That does not undercut Welsh’s arguments.
“It is a truth universally acknowledged that an American billionaire, in possession of sufficient fortune, must be in want of a Supreme Court justice.” (Alexandra Petri / The Washington Post)
Lemmy and Kbin potentially change the face of at least part of the Fediverse, making it more Reddit-like, focused on topics and content, rather than individual people.
“Stunning”—Midjourney update wows AI artists with camera-like feature (Ars Technica / Benj Edwards) You can zoom images out to show more background. Sweet!
I’ve surprised myself how much I enjoy playing with Midjourney. I’m not generally a visual-arts person.
Logseq vs Obsidian: find the best note app for productivity needs. I am occasionally tempted by Logseq. Stop me before I change note-taking apps again!
A viral search helped a radio host track down a man she spontaneously kissed at a music festival. (KTLA / Taylor Delandro) Aww.
Why Some Americans Buy Guns (NY Times / Roni Caryn Rabin) Confirming yet again that if you own a gun, it’s more likely to be used against you than against anybody else.
A Titanic Disparity in How the World Responds to Maritime Disasters “All travelers, whether migrants or millionaires, deserve rescue. The global response to the Titan’s disappearance should be the model for how we respond to migrant vessels in distress.” (Democracy Now!)
Hearbreaking details on the recent tragedy in which 700 people died when the refugee ship Adriana sank off the coast of Greece, under the watch of the Greek Coast Guard.
Still thinking about last night’s episode of “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.” It was about assimilation and passing, subjects close to me. I’m a Jewish American who mostly doesn’t act Jewish, sound Jewish, or even have a Jewish name. Passing is my default mode.
"…. Reddit is blindly following Digg’s failed path." (Steven Vaughan-Nichols / ZDNet)
Gearlinx taps the cloud for ‘Network Resilience as a Service’. Gearlinx provides network resilience and network operations as a service, using cloud software and a hardware device it calls a Duckfone. I talked 1:1 with company president Todd Rychecky, who newly joins Gearlinx after 14 years at competitor Opengear. Read about it at Silverlinings. Thanks to Diana Goovaerts, who contributed to this story.
That was one of the best Star Trek episodes I’ve ever seen. Moving and inspirational.
We often get caught up condemning America’s failures, when what we should be doing is inspiring America to live up to its highest self. Why did so many Japanese-Americans who were interned wrongly during World War II go on to live as patriots?