The Intercept – Facebook Tells Moderators to Allow Graphic Images of Russian Air Strikes, But Censors Israeli Attacks

Aug 272022
 

After a series of Israeli airstrikes against the densely populated Gaza Strip earlier this month, Palestinian Facebook and Instagram users protested the abrupt deletion of posts documenting the resulting death and destruction. It wasn’t the first time Palestinian users of the two giant social media platforms, which are both owned by parent company Meta, had complained about their posts being unduly removed. It’s become a pattern: Palestinians post sometimes graphic videos and images of Israeli attacks, and Meta swiftly removes the content, providing only an oblique reference to a violation of the company’s “Community Standards” or in many cases no explanation at all.
Not all the billions of users on Meta’s platforms, however, run into these issues when documenting the…

External feed Read More at the Source: https://theintercept.com/2022/08/27/facebook-instagram-meta-russia-ukraine-war/

 2022-08-27  Comments Off on The Intercept – Facebook Tells Moderators to Allow Graphic Images of Russian Air Strikes, But Censors Israeli Attacks

jwz – Dali Clock 2.45 released

Aug 262022
 

I basically hadn’t touched the X11 version since the Twentieth Century, so it was looking pretty threadbare compared to other platforms. I replaced the 1991-vintage Xlib version with a backport of the macOS OpenGL version to GTK 3. Let me know how it works on your incomprehensibly powerful hundred dollar supercomputer.Source only release. I didn’t bother re-spinning the various other platform builds just to bump the version number.

Previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously.

External feed Read More at the Source: https://www.jwz.org/blog/2022/08/dali-clock-2-45-released/

 2022-08-26  Comments Off on jwz – Dali Clock 2.45 released

Deeplinks – Federal Judge: Invasive Online Proctoring “Room Scans” Are Unconstitutional

Aug 262022
 

Online proctoring companies employ a lengthy list of dangerous monitoring and tracking techniques in an attempt to determine whether or not students are potentially cheating, many of which are biased and ineffective. This week, one of the more invasive techniques—the “room scan”—was correctly deemed unconstitutional by a federal judge. “Room scans” are a common requirement in proctored exams where students are forced to use their device’s camera to give a 360-degree view of everything around the area in which they’re taking a test. Often, this is a personal residence, and frequently a private space, like a bedroom. (A demonstration of a room scan by Proctorio can be seen here.) 
We have criticized room scans as well as…

External feed Read More at the Source: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/08/federal-judge-invasive-online-proctoring-room-scans-are-also-unconstitutional

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Phoronix – Intel Arc Graphics Running On Fully Open-Source Linux Driver

Aug 262022
 

Intel GPUs from the consumer desktop Arc Graphics hardware to the Intel Data Center Flex GPU Series “Arctic Sound M” and forthcoming Xe HPC Ponte Vecchio are built around fully open-source drivers. A common misconception or confusion I’ve heard many times over the past number of months has been questioning whether Intel’s discrete GPU driver support on Linux is open-source or is closed-source, etc. Well, it’s fully open-source aside from the usual firmware caveat and running on Linux. Here is some initial commentary with running the Intel Arc Graphics A380 on Linux!

External feed Read More at the Source: https://www.phoronix.com/review/intel-arc-graphics-linux

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Richard Stallman’s Political Notes – Ben & Jerry’s lose bid to block sale of ice-cream in Israeli West Bank settlements

Aug 262022
 

A court ruled that the Ben & Jerry’s founders can’t legally make Unilever
stop selling ice cream under that name in Israel’s colonies in Palestine.

External feed Read More at the Source: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-may-aug.html#25_August_2022_(ben_jerrys_lose_israeli_settlements_palestinian)

 2022-08-26  Comments Off on Richard Stallman’s Political Notes – Ben & Jerry’s lose bid to block sale of ice-cream in Israeli West Bank settlements

The Intercept – The Origin of Student Debt: Reagan Adviser Warned Free College Would Create a Dangerous “Educated Proletariat”

Aug 262022
 

With the vociferous debate over President Joe Biden’s announcement that the federal government will cancel a portion of outstanding student debt, it’s important to understand how Americans came to owe the current cumulative total of more than $1.6 trillion for higher education.
In 1970, Ronald Reagan was running for reelection as governor of California. He had first won in 1966 with confrontational rhetoric toward the University of California public college system and executed confrontational policies when in office. In May 1970, Reagan had shut down all 28 UC and Cal State campuses in the midst of student protests against the Vietnam War and the U.S. bombing of Cambodia. On October 29, less than a week before the…

External feed Read More at the Source: https://theintercept.com/2022/08/25/student-loans-debt-reagan/

 2022-08-26  Comments Off on The Intercept – The Origin of Student Debt: Reagan Adviser Warned Free College Would Create a Dangerous “Educated Proletariat”

Techdirt. – Fucking TTAB Says FUCT Owner Can’t Trademark ‘Fuck’ Because That Word Fucking Belongs To All Of Us

Aug 252022
 

I love this story so much I want it to find other similar vulgar stories so that those stories can have little baby vulgar stories for me to read. You may recall the saga of Erik Brunetti, founder of FUCT, a fashion brand with a name supposedly standing for Friends U Can’t Trust. We wrote about FUCT at first being denied a trademark on the brand over vulgarity concerns, a decision overturned on appeal on First Amendment grounds. It was a good ruling on the merits, as the government shouldn’t be in the business of saving our ears from naughty words based on its judgement of naughtiness.
Well, Brunetti is back at it again. He applied for…

External feed Read More at the Source: https://www.techdirt.com/2022/08/24/fucking-ttab-says-fuct-owner-cant-trademark-fuck-because-that-word-fucking-belongs-to-all-of-us/

 2022-08-25  Comments Off on Techdirt. – Fucking TTAB Says FUCT Owner Can’t Trademark ‘Fuck’ Because That Word Fucking Belongs To All Of Us

World Socialist Web Site (en) – Roger Waters named on far-right Ukrainian hit list

Aug 252022
 

A website linked to the Ukrainian state calls for “law enforcement agencies” to intervene against the outspoken rock musician for alleged “acts against Ukraine’s national security … and international law and order.”

External feed Read More at the Source: https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2022/08/25/wwmt-a25.html

 2022-08-25  Comments Off on World Socialist Web Site (en) – Roger Waters named on far-right Ukrainian hit list

Hackaday – Coffee with Kernighan

Aug 252022
 

There was an interesting tidbit buried in a Computerphile video released last week (below the break), featuring professors [David Brailsford] and [Brian Kernighan] having a chat over coffee. Among other topics, they discuss the history and current state of various text processing tools. We learn that [Kernighan] has taken on a summer project of updating the AWK text processing language to handle UTF-8 text, an omission he admits is embarrassing in this day and age. He is also working on a second edition of The AWK Programming Language book, which hasn’t been updated since being first released in 1988.

[Brian Kernighan] is a legend in the world of Unix and computing, working at Bell Labs during the 70s where…

External feed Read More at the Source: https://hackaday.com/2022/08/24/coffee-with-kernighan/

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Motherboard – Economists Say Life Is Going to Be More Expensive Forever, Sorry

Aug 222022
 

These days, it seems like everyone has a few important questions on their mind: Is the economy still in the gutter? Or are things getting better? Does inflation mean prices will stay high forever, or will these prices eventually come back down?  There’s been some developments that suggest good news is around the corner. A version of the Build Back Better agenda was passed—significantly pared down but still, passed. Hundreds of thousands of jobs continue to be created each quarter, and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was passed. Finally, inflation in key sectors has begun to cool off. That last point is key, especially if your wallet has been feeling pinched as prices have skyrocketed over…

External feed Read More at the Source: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/k7b7qe/economists-say-life-is-going-to-be-more-expensive-forever-sorry

 2022-08-22  Comments Off on Motherboard – Economists Say Life Is Going to Be More Expensive Forever, Sorry

The Onion – City’s Primary Investment In Community Comes Through Police Department’s Wrongful Death Settlements

Aug 162022
 

ST. LOUIS—Touting their continued support of citizens in the city’s economically disadvantaged neighborhoods, officials in St. Louis told reporters Monday that their primary investment in the community came through the police department’s wrongful death settlements. “Millions of dollars have been pumped into our most…

Read more…

External feed Read More at the Source: https://www.theonion.com/city-s-primary-investment-in-community-comes-through-po-1849413099

 2022-08-16  Comments Off on The Onion – City’s Primary Investment In Community Comes Through Police Department’s Wrongful Death Settlements

Planet Lisp – Kaveh Kardan: 41. World Building And Alternate Reality Common Lisp

Aug 162022
 

Time for another Interlude, wherein I take a break from my career journey and reflect on what we’re doing. I say we, not because I have been taken by delusions of royalty, but because there is more than just me involved now, as you will find out below, in the second half of this post.It occurred to me the other day that I am developing alternate reality software. And what, I hear you cry, do I mean by that?I have been a science fiction fan ever since I can remember. I was a nerdy kid who watched “Star Trek (TOS)”, “Lost in Space”, and “Land of the Giants” on TV. I read all the science fiction I could…

External feed Read More at the Source: https://kaveh808.medium.com/41-world-building-and-alternate-reality-common-lisp-ca9fbc619a8c?source=rss-a1ddb30a4a53——2

 2022-08-16  Comments Off on Planet Lisp – Kaveh Kardan: 41. World Building And Alternate Reality Common Lisp

PopularResistance.Org – The Chris Hedges Report: John Kiriakou, We Don’t Need The CIA

Aug 132022
 

The CIA, from its inception, carried out assassinations, coups, torture, and illegal spying and abuse, including of US citizens, many of which were exposed in 1975 by the Church Committee in the Senate and the Pike Committee in the House. Congress attempted to enact laws to curb the widespread criminal activity by the CIA. Senate and House intelligence oversight committees were created, and after the Iran-Contra scandal a statutory Inspector General at the CIA was appointed. But this oversight has largely collapsed following the attacks of 9/11 and the so-called war on terror. The activities of the CIA have once again reverted to the shadows. The CIA, at the same time, has transformed itself into a…

External feed Read More at the Source: https://popularresistance.org/the-chris-hedges-report-we-dont-need-the-cia/

 2022-08-13  Comments Off on PopularResistance.Org – The Chris Hedges Report: John Kiriakou, We Don’t Need The CIA

PopularResistance.Org – The Chris Hedges Report: We don’t need the CIA

Aug 132022
 

The CIA, from its inception, carried out assassinations, coups, torture, and illegal spying and abuse, including of US citizens, many of which were exposed in 1975 by the Church Committee in the Senate and the Pike Committee in the House. Congress attempted to enact laws to curb the widespread criminal activity by the CIA. Senate and House intelligence oversight committees were created, and after the Iran-Contra scandal a statutory Inspector General at the CIA was appointed. But this oversight has largely collapsed following the attacks of 9/11 and the so-called war on terror. The activities of the CIA have once again reverted to the shadows. The CIA, at the same time, has transformed itself into a…

External feed Read More at the Source: https://popularresistance.org/the-chris-hedges-report-we-dont-need-the-cia/

 2022-08-13  Comments Off on PopularResistance.Org – The Chris Hedges Report: We don’t need the CIA

TechCrunch – Amazon-owned MGM makes a viral video show with surveillance footage from Amazon-owned Ring

Aug 112022
 

MGM (which is owned by Amazon) is making a viral video show based on footage from Ring security cameras (also owned by Amazon). The syndicated television show, “Ring Nation,” is poised to be a modern-day, surveillance-tinged spin on “America’s Funniest Home Videos” with Wanda Sykes as host.
According to a report in Deadline, the show will feature Ring footage of “neighbors saving neighbors, marriage proposals, military reunions and silly animals.” Ring is also known for activities like accidentally leaking people’s home addresses and handing over footage to the government without users’ permission.
Between January and July of this year, Amazon shared ring doorbell footage with U.S. authorities 11 times without the device owner’s consent. Ring has been critiqued for…

External feed Read More at the Source: https://techcrunch.com/2022/08/11/ring-video-show-amazon-surveillance-wanda-sykes/

 2022-08-11  Comments Off on TechCrunch – Amazon-owned MGM makes a viral video show with surveillance footage from Amazon-owned Ring

Ballot Access News – U.S. District Court Rejects Democratic Party Request to Stay the Court’s Earlier Decision Putting the Green Party on the Ballot

Aug 102022
 

On August 10, the U.S. District Court in North Carolina that put the Green Party candidates on the ballot last week refused to stay its own decision. See that ruling here. … Continue reading →

External feed Read More at the Source: https://ballot-access.org/2022/08/10/u-s-district-court-refuses-democratic-party-to-stay-its-own-decision-putting-the-green-party-on-the-ballot/

 2022-08-10  Comments Off on Ballot Access News – U.S. District Court Rejects Democratic Party Request to Stay the Court’s Earlier Decision Putting the Green Party on the Ballot

jwz – CRT Flux Phaser

Aug 022022
 

James H. Connolly:

Four hand-wound electromagnets receive low-frequency audio waveforms that are 25% out of phase with one another, using harmonics of 60 Hz (the refresh rate of CRTs in the US) to provoke the most potent electromagnetic fluctuation. […]

Inspired by Nam June Paik’s Wobbulator, the CRT Flux Phaser can subvert any CRT monitor into a powerful synesthetic video synthesizer. The project was developed as part of my ongoing examination of the cathode ray tube as an open system and critical alternative to restrictive contemporary consumer electronics that favor proprietary production tools, restrictive interfaces, and data-mining surveilling algorithms over user control and freedom.

Previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously.

External feed Read More at the Source: https://www.jwz.org/blog/2022/08/crt-flux-phaser/

 2022-08-02  Comments Off on jwz – CRT Flux Phaser

World Socialist Web Site (en) – The closing of the San Francisco Art Institute: “The artists can go hang themselves”

Jul 312022
 

The announcement in mid-July that the San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) would cease operations, no longer offering courses or degrees, is a significant and telling event.

External feed Read More at the Source: https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2022/08/01/pdqc-a01.html

 2022-07-31  Comments Off on World Socialist Web Site (en) – The closing of the San Francisco Art Institute: “The artists can go hang themselves”

Techdirt. – You Don’t Own What You’ve Bought: Sony Removes 100s Of Movies Bought Through PS Store

Jul 112022
 

We have done many, many posts explaining how, unfortunately, it seems the idea of a person owning the things they’ve bought has become rather passe. While in the age of antiquity, which existed entire tens of years ago, you used to be able to own things, these days you merely license them under Ts and Cs that are either largely ignored and clicked through or that are indecipherable, written in the otherwise lost language known as “Lawyer-ese”. The end result is a public that buys things, thinks they retain ownership over them, only to find out that the provider of the things alters them, limits their use, or simply erases them from being.
Take anyone who bought…

External feed Read More at the Source: https://www.techdirt.com/2022/07/11/you-dont-own-what-youve-bought-sony-removes-100s-of-movies-bought-through-ps-store/

 2022-07-11  Comments Off on Techdirt. – You Don’t Own What You’ve Bought: Sony Removes 100s Of Movies Bought Through PS Store
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