Monday, September 19, 2016
Journalists Against Journalism
Whatever one thinks of Snowden's actions, the people who really made it public - and made determinations of what was or wasn't in the public interest to reveal - were the journalists. It's quite impressive that the WaPo editorial board has come out with both barrels against their own journalists.
There isn't necessarily a contradiction between arguing that Snowden should be prosecuted for his handling of the information and saying that nonetheless it was in the public interest to publish the information. You can argue that whistleblowers perform an important function, but that nonetheless the law is the law so they'll just have to fall on their swords to do so. But it's hilarious to argue that he should be prosecuted because their own colleagues over in the newsroom had news judgment they didn't agree with.
There isn't necessarily a contradiction between arguing that Snowden should be prosecuted for his handling of the information and saying that nonetheless it was in the public interest to publish the information. You can argue that whistleblowers perform an important function, but that nonetheless the law is the law so they'll just have to fall on their swords to do so. But it's hilarious to argue that he should be prosecuted because their own colleagues over in the newsroom had news judgment they didn't agree with.
Everybody Panic
A major explosion in a major city or anywhere a lot of people gather would be a big deal (big cities aren't special, it's the potential density of people that make it easier to kill a lot of people with a bomb). What happened in NYC last night was not that. Right now it sounds like it was terrorism, but it wasn't very damaging terrorism.
Things blow up in Philly sometimes. Gas leak, transformer, etc. If they happen in a central location there's some concern, because central locations can have lots of people in them, but I've never thought, "small explosion 3/4 of a mile away! I'd better stay in my house!" An explosion "over there" doesn't mean the rest of the city is about to fall to North Korean invaders or whatever. I saw a couple conservative idiots on the twitter last night writing things like "New York is under attack!" Well, no, it really wasn't.
Things blow up in Philly sometimes. Gas leak, transformer, etc. If they happen in a central location there's some concern, because central locations can have lots of people in them, but I've never thought, "small explosion 3/4 of a mile away! I'd better stay in my house!" An explosion "over there" doesn't mean the rest of the city is about to fall to North Korean invaders or whatever. I saw a couple conservative idiots on the twitter last night writing things like "New York is under attack!" Well, no, it really wasn't.
The Ad Cycle
I thought it would've reset by now, but the internet just keeps getting worse and worse. Trying to read a website is like playing a game of whack-a-mole with the ads, and that's before we start complaining about the auto-on video and audio ads. Usually these things do follow a cycle, with the ad arms race heating up until everybody realizes it isn't sustainable and it resets a bit, but it seems like endless cover-the-text popover ads are here to stay this time. A mystery to everyone who has ever used the internet is why anybody (meaning the people who pay lots of money for these ads) think that they'll sell anything by rendering their potential customers' browsers temporarily unusable, but for some reason they do.
Anyway, no popover or auto-on audio ads here (I think some have slipped through occasionally, but they aren't supposed to). I turn down (meaning: I ignore) ad company pitches all the time because they generally promise some Exciting New Ad Unit which I interpret to mean even more creative ways to annoy you. Also, people who pitch anything through email on the internet seem to be uniquely bad at their jobs.
As always, if you want to support this site the best way to do it is to click on one of the Amazon links before you make purchases you were going to purchase anyway. Costs you nothing. I'll try to keep the ads below a certain nuisance threshold...
Anyway, no popover or auto-on audio ads here (I think some have slipped through occasionally, but they aren't supposed to). I turn down (meaning: I ignore) ad company pitches all the time because they generally promise some Exciting New Ad Unit which I interpret to mean even more creative ways to annoy you. Also, people who pitch anything through email on the internet seem to be uniquely bad at their jobs.
As always, if you want to support this site the best way to do it is to click on one of the Amazon links before you make purchases you were going to purchase anyway. Costs you nothing. I'll try to keep the ads below a certain nuisance threshold...
Morning Thread
There is absolutely nothing happening in the world outside of the latest outrageous statement made by one candidate and/or HIS surrogates. Nothing.
Sunday, September 18, 2016
Another Glorious Victory For Humanitarian Intervention
I try not to hold grudges generally, but there are people who are just off my list permanently over the whole "Libyan intervention" issue. People who I thought knew better - not eventheliberals, but actual liberals - got on their moral high horses and condescended to the hippies. Why don't you care about the Libyan people? Why don't you care about genocide? As was obvious at the time, and as should always be obvious, if we take a humanitarian interest in a country only when it involves dropping bombs on it, it probably isn't a genuine humanitarian interest. I'll (potentially) support bombing to help the people if ever even 5 days earlier anyone supporting the bombing was out there supporting other non-bombing humanitarian help. Yah David Cameron is a selfless dogooder. Hoocoodanode?
And, no, I don't mean everyone who thought Libya was a grand idea, I mean the people who were assholes about it. It was "fun" seeing rhetoric used on them during the whole Iraq debacle being deployed by them against hippies like me. Heckuva job, assholes, how come none of you talk about Libya now?
And, no, I don't mean everyone who thought Libya was a grand idea, I mean the people who were assholes about it. It was "fun" seeing rhetoric used on them during the whole Iraq debacle being deployed by them against hippies like me. Heckuva job, assholes, how come none of you talk about Libya now?
Choices
One common assertion over the past several decades is that the suburbs grew because the suburbs are popular and who are you to interfere with THE MARKET stupid hippie. I'm not one of those urbanists who denies that this is true to some extent. Some people would prefer basic suburban living even over an idealized urban existence. It is what some people want.
But that's only part of the story. The other part is the policies that haven't exactly made good urban living an option in most of the US, even for the people who would want it. Some of those policy choices are big and obvious, some less so.
But that's only part of the story. The other part is the policies that haven't exactly made good urban living an option in most of the US, even for the people who would want it. Some of those policy choices are big and obvious, some less so.
In other cities, the motorist might have noticed a pedestrian walking along a busy, high-speed street such as Georgetown Road because it likely would have been illuminated by the most basic of city services — a streetlight.
But not in Indianapolis.
Here, city officials stopped adding streetlights more than 35 years ago to save money on the city’s $2.9 million annual electric bill. Compounding the problem, they also failed to build any new sidewalks for 20 years during that time.
Saturday, September 17, 2016
The Wall
In generational all the fretting about "demographic time bombs" that I've been reading about for 30 years have just been one more piece of ammunition in the "we need to gut retirement benefits" movements, even if there was no logic to this. And nationally there is no logic to this. But locally, it can be a bit of a problem, especially given our federal system, if you have an ageing problem not being replaced by younger ones, especially if your crackpot governor isn't exactly lowering the drawbridge.
Friday, September 16, 2016
Only Spongebob Can Save Us Now
What's more likely, real self-driving cars in my lifetime or the American Dream actually opening?
A giant empty husk will serve as a great metaphor. Future archeologists will think it's a massive piece of art.
A giant empty husk will serve as a great metaphor. Future archeologists will think it's a massive piece of art.
Have You Not Been Paying Attention?
There's nothing wrong with Apple products until they quietly put out a fix for what wasn't really a problem unless the fix is too expensive in which case you are out of luck.
Also they make iTunes.
“The thing I’m really surprised at is that as much as Apple has worked on its brand image with customers, that it would allow this significant, widespread problem to be going on and not say a word.”
Also they make iTunes.
Is Voting For A Third Party Stupider Than Voting For Trump?
Contra Drum, the point of this wasn't that there's generational warfare and people are mean to the Kids which is nothing new so stop bringing it up and besides both sides do it, the point is that by the stated (implied at least) measure of judgment, The Kids Today are far superior to every other generation including the generation of the person making the comment. Do polls show The Kids Today will vote for Hillary Clinton? Yes. Damn kids today are voting for third parties and if Clinton loses it'll be all their fault!!!
I get that the olds always hate on the young. There is nothing new under the sun, as us old people are prone to say. But this kind of comment would be like saying "young people need to get more STEM degrees like my generation did!" after looking at data showing young people are actually getting record numbers/proportions of STEM degrees (made up example, also the STEM degree shortage has always been a myth so shut up about that too). It isn't just blasting the youngs for being youngs, it's blasting them for not living up to the arbitrary standards you set for them despite the fact that they actually lived up to them as is shown in the thing you just linked to.
In general in this election season there's been a lot of "the young people suck, why won't those idiots vote for us???" First, they will vote for you. Second, I'm not sure your campaign outreach is going to help that very much. But you'll be smug on the internet, which is almost as important as being right on the internet.
Nothing to See Here
Move along, folks.
A grim new study led by a UCLA geography professor revealed that the current 5-year drought in California could last indefinitely, with the resulting arid conditions becoming "the new normal" for the state.
Morning Thread
Echidne is back from vacation and she has something to say about the recent polls. Good and bad news.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)