Wednesday, November 13, 2024 →
I hope Trump supporters get everything they voted for.
Outstanding post from Cory Doctorow calling for a general strike in 2028
Tuesday, November 12, 2024
Trump is a scab, the Dems need unions, and the Dems are not faithful friends to unions. Harris campaign advisor – her brother-in-law Tony West – is Uber’s chief legal officer and the architect of Prop 22, California’s scab law that formalized “gig work” labor violations. The fact that when the eminently guillotineable union-buster Howard Schultz tries to win a presidential nomination he does so in the Democratic party speaks volumes. If your political party has room for Michael Bloomberg, it doesn’t have room for workers. Seriously, fuck that guy.
Something I saw while walking the dog: This artful cluster of birdhouses
Are you, personally, doing anything to prepare for Trump's second term?
Monday, November 11, 2024
A friend is lining up all his vaccinations for the next four years to prepare for anti-vaxxers taking charge of the US healthcare system.
Another friend is stocking up on electronics purchases now, anticipating price increases because of tariffs.
Another friend is diversifying his investment portfolio and moving investments overseas.
And, of course, some people are stocking up on survival gear or leaving the US.
How about you?
We’re not doing anything different, at least not now. If the US is going fascist, I can think of nowhere I’d rather be than California. Certainly not outside the US — no place in the world will be free of US foreign policy.
A family built a 50,000-pound full-size replica Stargate in their Ohio backyard. The ring has become a social media sensation — but tourists are not welcome.
How It Went. John Gruber shares a moving story about his mother’s death, father’s wedding ring and the election.
How Trump 2.0 could transform American cloud, AI, broadband and more. President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House and his “America First” policies will reshape the American and international tech landscapes. My latest on Fierce Network.
I started using a standing desk in late November 2010 and quickly found it more comfortable and stayed with it. I walk or stand for 12-13 hours or more on most days.
Here’s something I saw while walking the dog.
The Washington Post ordered its employees to return to the office five days a week. Huh?
Good journalists don’t work in the office. They go out in the community and find and report on news.
“News isn’t happening at your desk,” according to a great journalist (ChatGPT says it was Christopher Hitchens but I’m skeptical).
What a Trump win means for the FCC and telecom policy.Look for a Repubilcan-led FCC, eliminating Section 230 protections, potential revisions to the Universal Service Fund, good news for Elon Musk’s Starlink, and more.
This is an amazing, fast, in-depth analysis by my colleagues Diana Goovaerts and Masha Abarinova on Fierce Network
After using it once, I switched off Live Activity election results on my iPhone. Too much agita.
Apple users can use Live Activity to track election results from their home screens. I switched this on but will switch it off if it generates too much agita.
Britain’s remaining hereditary members of the House of Lords are fighting against a movement to abolish their seats. They say that eliminating the hereditary seats would be undemocratic — and their argument sort of makes sense.
Researchers from Kyoto University launched a satellite with wood paneling into space. This is not an exercise in 70s-inspired retro-futurism — they’re testing whether wood is a reasonable space construction medium.
How has the Electoral College survived, despite being perennially unpopular? A brief history of a disliked institution.
I’m sure it is great for my mental health and productivity to spend a lot of time on news and social media today. I see nothing wrong with this plan.
jk this actually seems like a good time to do minimal amounts of both news and social media.
Instead of dialing for Kamala, I did an hour or so of door-to-door canvassing yesterday for Democrats up and down the ballot
Monday, November 4, 2024
I’ve gone door-to-door several years. Every year, I get awful stagefright — I dread it for months. Which is odd, because I do not get stagefright in real life. I love public speaking.
Once I get out there going door-to-door it’s fine. The unpleasant interactions are not particularly unpleasant and are rare. Far more interactions are pleasant. One or two are great. I need to remember that the next time I’m called.
This is a numbers game. Cover ground. You’ll get no response at 90% of the doors you knock on. They’re either not home or not answering the door.
Last week, a woman in the neighborhood caught me when I was out walking the dog and said she was afraid she’d missed her chance to send in a mail-in or drop-off ballot. I reassured her that she had until Election Day. She recognized me from my going door-to-door. That helps me feel good about the process.
There is a complicated script that we’re suppposed to follow but I believe it may have been written by people who have never gone door-to-door, and certainly not in their own neighborhoods. It makes you sound like a broken robot. I have been advised by a veteran at this sort of thing to wing it. Remember to state my name, state that I’m a neighbor and volunteer for the local Democrats. We have door-hangers — offer one of those. Other than that: Improvise. Get in an actual conversation like a normal person. We only go to houses with Democrats in them, so most of the people are glad to see us.
My own rule: Resist the urge to be persistent. Do not knock on doors with “no soliciting” signs. If someone seems to be rushed, just thank them, offer a door hanger, and be on my way in less than a minute.
Also, one house in my neighborhoood, which I have passed hundreds of times, has a wall around the front yard. When I went through the gate, the house had kind of a Texas Chainsaw Masssacre vibe. I left a hanger and skedaddled.
I think I’m done with the election. I may do some more dialing for Kamala today or tomorrow, but probably not. It’s in the hands of the American people now (God help us).
Today I learned that adults drinking milk are stigmatized
Monday, November 4, 2024
On Reddit: Why do so many people think drinking milk is weird?
Adults Who Still Drink Milk: Are You Okay? — “I’m not saying that everyone who drinks milk is a murderous psychopath – but it is unhinged behaviour.”