June 29, 2021
Digital Distortions
The Six Degrees of Ryu
Six Degrees of Ryu is a Twitter account that, in the manner of Erdos numbers and the old Kevin Bacon game long discussed on the internet (and automated through the still-functioning Oracle of Bacon), counts the number of video game connections it takes to get from various characters to Ryu from Street Fighter. Pepsiman, Slenderman, and EVA Unit 01 all have Ryu numbers of 3. Jesus Christ, Joe Biden, and Snoop Dogg have Ryu Numbers of 2. Because of Scribblenauts, many historical figures, including George Washington Carver and Thomas Edison, have Ryu Numbers of 4. Deadmau5 has a Ryu Number of 7. (Previously, in 2001 and 2012) [more inside]
Democratizing Data Ownership
Not the year of the MOOC but the week of cashing out
Three leading ed tech companies, three major moves for money. To start with, major online program manager (OPM) 2U purchased much of online class provider edX for $800 million. As part of the deal Harvard and MIT will launch a new and so far unnamed education nonprofit. [more inside]
Gun-Surrendering Criminal Mark McCloskey's Very Sad St. Louis Rally
"Noted local criminal Mark McCloskey played host to a barbecue/political rally on Sunday afternoon, drawing tens of admirers to the sweltering parking lot of a closed outlet mall in St. Louis County to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the time he pulled a gun on a crowd of people who otherwise would never have noticed or cared he existed." Riverfront Times writer Daniel Hill covers Mark McCloskey's cringeworthy rally as it should be covered.
The Devil Made Me Do It
Chaos and despair are regular guests in the Christian church: often cast out, but rarely interrogated. Demons, Panic and Memory: writer and podcaster Sam Thielman on the Satanic Panic and the compulsion to avoid horrific truths.
A path to plurinationality in Chile
Last fall, Chileans voted to replace their Pinochet-era constitution (previously). The Constituent Assembly which will do the rewriting was recently elected, and it opens the path to plurinationality and recognition of Indigenous rights. It will be the first constitution ever to be written by equal numbers of women and men. Some Indigenous groups hope their voices will aid in protecting the environment – and their communities’ rights to protest – in the new constitution. The ruling conservative coalition was dismayed to fail to achieve the one-third of seats they'd need to veto constitutional changes.
A kind pessimist
Some readers of this site may also be readers of Lauren Berlant, whose diagnosis of American life (but not just American) was deep, sympathetic, and challenging. You can get to know Lauren's work better through the summary of Cruel Optimism (Duke University Press), the book that to my mind is the best place to start, and a selection of their articles in Critical Inquiry.
Inside Cara Delevingne's Fantastical L.A. Home
Architectural Digest takes a tour of her exuberant and fantastically decorated Los Angeles home. After Stephen Colbert joked about it in his "Meanwhile" segment, I had to go check it out. Possibly NSFW, but they did show it on TV.
Divorced? Ghosted? Friendzoned? We've got you. For a limited time only.
The visionaries behind Amazon Dating (previously) bring you PostDates, a new gig economy solution to handling the details of a breakup. [SL: parody]
From a small town, Catholic, and gay
How a podcast is helping this Catholic and gay Latino man break the stigma [National Catholic Reporter] The podcast is De Pueblo, Católico y Gay Really great interview with creator Eder Díaz Santillan on KERA's Think: Is There Room For Queer People In The Catholic Church? [31m]
Why and how we are going to be flying electric
Cheddar explains why he believes Electric Planes are Inevitably Coming - with particular reference to the economics of short distance, commercial flights. Electric Future announces"Electric Planes have arrived" - a review of current and models and those in the immediate pipeline. Real Engineering summarises the the technical challenges and limits. [more inside]
Bullshit Science
“We find that those more skilled in producing satisfying and seemingly accurate bullshit score higher on measures of cognitive ability and are perceived by others as more intelligent ... Overall, the ability to produce satisfying bullshit may serve to assist individuals in navigating social systems, both as an energetically efficient strategy for impressing others and as an honest signal of one’s intelligence.” from Bullshitting Is Actually a Sign of Intelligence, Study Finds [more inside]
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