Your browser may have trouble rendering this page. See supported browsers for more information.

Contents

73 Articles
2 Comments

Search

1 month Ago

Savoir faire vs. Wisdom in Technology

Published by marco on

The Tumbler repost The modern digital divide (Reddit) is about how well younger students really understand their digital devices and apps. This is an interesting story told by a high-school tutor about digital-tool abilities in the current generation of kids. It’s a bit long, but I thought the following conclusions were interesting.

The Internet vs. Apps

It contrasts using the Internet with using apps, which are not at all the same thing.

The Internet is an open place with links and content, accessed... [More]

2 months Ago

“Liberal” PhDs are just as deluded as QAnon’ers

Published by marco on

I really liked a recent interview with Samuel Moyn by Doug Henwood in 04.01.2024 (Behind the News), so when I saw his name again, I figured It’d check out the video below. It was reasonably interesting, but not really worth noting, except that I noticed that it exhibited some core fallacies evident in the so-called liberal project.

'What Happened to Liberalism?' Samuel Moyn in conversation with Becca Rothfeld by The Philosopher (YouTube)

At 34:00, Becca Rothfeld says “Biden is pretty leftist in some ways.” In which ways? I’m honestly interested to know because I can’t think of anything that wasn’t just something he said once or twice, or things... [More]

Who determines what you are?

Published by marco on

In the podcast Episode 345: Naughty List (Patreon), Brace and Liz called Kevin Spacey a “child rapist”, then an “alleged child rapist” and finally settled on “ex-alleged child rapist”. Just using the epithet “child rapist” suggests that Spacey preyed on very young children, when the only accusations that actually went to trial were from someone who claimed that they’d been assaulted when they were 14 years old.

That would have been awful (had it happened), but it’s somehow less awful than if they’d been 5... [More]

Redesigning the rules around restrooms

Published by marco on

The article I Think You Should Be Kind by Freddie deBoer (Substack) is the first of two about genders and biology and stuff. I read with interest and took some notes. The follow-up is linked in the second half.

Almost all vertebrate animals exhibit some sort of sexual dimorphism, and saying so does not in any way undermine the case for trans rights. The whole argument is that physiology does not dictate gender, and acknowledging that most people with penises go through life uncomplicatedly accepting a masculine gender... [More]”

Finkelstein and Joy on Plagiarism and Slogans

Published by marco on

To think I almost shrunk away from the 150-minute runtime of this video! It was well-worth my time, felt like it went more quickly than the runtime, and was an all-around excellent conversation. I’ve included a partial transcription of the parts I found interesting and my own notes below.

Billionaire's Anti-Palestine ATTACK on Academic Freedom (w/ Norm Finkelstein) by Bad Faith (YouTube)

You can buy literally anything

At 27:00 they are talking about the recent ousting of president of Harvard Claudine Gay, largely through billionaire Bill Ackman’s efforts.

Norman: I don’t recall a single... [More]”

3 months Ago

Agreeing, then disagreeing with Žižek, then agreeing in the end

Published by marco on

I’d never heard of Peter Sloterdijk and, if I’m honest, I won’t jump on the next video starring him. He has a great voice, but I wasn’t too overwhelmed by his philosophical elan. Žižek, on the other hand, was his typical self, full of fire and tangents and interest connections.

He also told a few jokes: one was about about being in a gulag, where the food is terrible, but on Sundays, you get a special treat: a second plate! It’s kind of a riff on the old saw of “I have two complaints: the... [More]

How important is human expertise?

Published by marco on

I have a lot of questions about the rush to replacing human expertise with machine-based expertise.

The Expertise Pipeline

 Do we still need expertise? If so, how do obtain it? What do we do when we saw off the branch we’re sitting on by getting rid of the first half of the pipeline that leads to the second half containing expertise?

The pipeline looks roughly like this right now:

  1. Prime the pump with self-starters/geniuses
  2. Add people who learn from those pioneers/initial experts
  3. Those... [More]

A secular view of religious adoption

Published by marco on

The article Brickbat: Ideological Impurity by Charles Oliver (Reason) writes,

“According to a social worker’s report, the two were asked how they would feel if a child in their care was LGBT. The two responded that they would still love the child, wouldn’t kick the child out, and wouldn’t subject the child to conversion therapy. But both opposed sex change treatments for those under 18 and expressed a reluctance to use pronouns that don’t reflect someone’s biological sex, and Catherine said it would be important for the... [More]

Censorship for thee, but not for me

Published by marco on

 It’s pretty tedious to watch so many people trying as hard as they can to censor expression of which they don’t approve, all the while screaming at the top of their lungs that they are being censored by others. They see censorship of their own speech as beyond the pale because their opinions are correct whereas those they are trying to censor should of course not be able to speak out because they are promulgating hate speech.

It’s all so very tiresome. Good people end up fooling... [More]

The context of expression

Published by marco on

The article The forbidden topics by Drew DeVault writes,

“Critics of radical free speech, victims of hate speech, and marginalized people of all kinds began to appear in hacker communities. The things they had to say were not comfortable.

“The free speech absolutists among the old guard, faced with this discomfort, developed a tendency to defend hate speech and demean speech that challenged them. They were not the target of the hate, so it did not make them personally uncomfortable, and defending it would... [More]”

What is your responsibility to the feelings of others?

Published by marco on

 The other night, some older guys walked by me in a train station. They were talking about drinking beer. They looked like they’d been doing just that. One of them joked to the other that he was also “looking at pretty girls“.[1] His friend replied “there are none along that way“.

Lots of laughs. Super funny.

There were young ladies in that mass of people walking away from the train. What did they think? Were they amused? I doubt it.

It’s not really funny. It’s actually kind of stupid.... [More]

The walls are closing in for freedom of opinion

Published by marco on

I find myself increasingly at odds with this ever-more-popular notion that there are certain things you cannot say. Restricting freedom of expression is just a way of restricting freedom of thought. If you can’t express an idea, you can’t share it. If you can’t share it, you can’t inspire other people to think it.

When I moved to Switzerland decades ago, I remember being quite surprised to hear that it was technically illegal to deny the Jewish Holocaust in WWII. The discussions were not... [More]

An anecdote about the blithely arrogant destructive force of people

Published by marco on

I read this in a consumer magazine a while ago.

 Kann ich verlangen, dass mein Nachbar seine Tanne fällt_

“ich habe in einer Zürcher Gemeinde ein Eigenheim gekauft. Im Garten meines Nachbarn steht eine mächtige Tanne, die viel Schatten auf mein Grundstück wirft. Der im Kanton Zürich für einzelne Tannen geltende minimale Grenzabstand von acht Metern ist bei weitem nicht eingehalten. Kann ich somit verlangen, dass mein Nachbar die Tanne fällt?

Translation into English:

“I bought my own home in a municipality in Zürich. A giant pine tree stands... [More]”

Wisdom and challenging God

Published by marco on

I was chatting with a friend[1] the other day and he told me of two interesting quotes by Emperor Izaro from the game Path of Exile[2].

I.

The first was,

“Wisdom is the offspring of suffering and time.”

This sounds pretty deep and is doubtless true in some cases, but I don’t think it’s true that only suffering can bring wisdom. Sometimes it’s perspicacity and time that leads to wisdom. I guess suffering helps to drive the message home, to make sure you don’t forget it—in remembering the pain and... [More]

4 months Ago

A peek into the mind of America’s next president

Published by marco on

I though I’d already heard everything that Cornel West had to say, but this interview was chock-full of many interesting clarifications. Norman Finkelstein doesn’t say much in this one.

DR. CORNEL WEST — The Marathon Interview, Part One: Race by Norman Finkelstein (YouTube)

At 26:00, they discuss the difference between racism, generalization, and recognition of cultural difference.

Norman: I’m wondering, is what you’re saying, in your opinion, is it a stereotype, a generalization, is it even valid? I’m curious where you stand on that. I felt it was a form of—it was just... [More]”

Slavoj Žižek: Freedom is not relaxation; freedom is duty

Published by marco on

Most of this discussion was stuff I’d heard before—even in more recent videos—but I almost always enjoy listening to him.[1]

Slavoj Zizek − Israel, Palestine & the Future by How To Academy Mindset (YouTube)

He said something at the end that I found to be, if not new, at last well-formulated. I’ve transcribed it below. At 01:24:20, he says,

“What’s the problem today? I will point to this paradox. You know that, on the one hand, we perceive our situation as powerless, totally manipulated—you don’t control anything. But, at the same time, the hegemonic ideology today is... [More]”

Wasting resources on the rich

Published by marco on

Kath and I rode home from Fehraltorf to Kempten at 12:30 at night. We boarded in the car that is ¾ first-class. Instead of walking to the second-class cabin, I just sat down in the first-class cabin, which was otherwise completely empty of passengers. I sat down alone. We hadn’t purchased first-class tickets, so Kath was not going to sit there.[1]

But why not sit there? The car was otherwise empty. We weren’t taking seats from anyone with a first-class ticket. There was no physical reason... [More]

If the elites like it, it’s a scam and a distraction

Published by marco on

This interview is from September 28th, a little over a week before Norman Finkelstein burst onto the scene for his commentary on October 7th and the aftermath. The interview is on a completely different topic. It is excellent.

Is Ibram X Kendi's 'Anti-Racism' a SCAM? (w/ Norm Finkelstein) by Bad Faith (YouTube)

I’ve included a partial transcript with the parts I found particularly interesting below.

At 00:02:00, he discusses the drift in capability of students over the last few decades.

Norm: If you go back as far as I do, the fact of the matter is, that what they teach now... [More]”

5 months Ago

On Žižek’s Ukraine position

Published by marco on

In the following interview, Žižek seems to have recovered somewhat from the baleful hole wherein he found himself in 2022. I still think he’s incapable of reasoning clearly about Ukraine, but at least he seems to have realized that he needs to formulate his arguments better—because they’re not as obvious and logical as he seems to think they are. A year ago, he was just yelling incoherently.

Our World Is Coming To An End | Aaron Bastani Meets Slavoj Žižek | Downstream by Novara Media (YouTube)

At 00:02:35. he explains why he’s never gotten drunk,

“You know why? Because I’m really a... [More]”

An office parable

Published by marco on

Suppose you have a problem with a person at work. Your office is right next to theirs. Your own office is nice, but theirs is also nice.


You both have grievances and you’ve kind of tried to get along, but it’s not working, and you’ve managed to win people to your side. The other person has grievances against you, but no-one really believes or acknowledges them. You insist that they’re made-up. People agree not to think too much about it because they like you so much.


Just recently there... [More]

Performative condemnation

Published by marco on

What is it with performative condemnation? The push for it? Is it a control thing? I think very much that it’s a psychological trick to get the upper hand in an interaction.

If I don’t officially and performatively condemn acts of murder or war crimes, is the assumption that I condone them? Are you kidding me? I have to defend myself against people thinking I’m a monster, by default? And a performative declaration of “I am not a monster” would fix that?

Or would it just put me in a cycle of... [More]

7 months Ago

Art is not Content

Published by marco on

 The always-entertaining Patrick [H] Willem made two excellent videos about the state of filmmaking and art, in general. The first one discusses what people are calling AI films, focusing on the recent spate of so-called Wes Anderson AI remakes.

There’s not a lot of my own, original writing in this article. Instead, I’ve done the service of transcribing what I found to be the pithiest, hardest-hitting parts of Willem’s two rather long videos, which total more than 90 minutes.

A.I. Filmmaking Is Not The Future. It's a Grift. by Patrick (H) Willems (YouTube)

At 27:00,... [More]

Promoting a language monoculture

Published by marco on

The article Are translation apps making the learning of foreign languages obsolete? by John McWhorter (NY Times) discusses the idea of a language monoculture, playing with the idea that, if a language can be translated to any other language, what is the need for learning the target language?

“In Europe, nine out of 10 students study a foreign language. In the United States, only one in five do. Between 1997 and 2008, the number of American middle schools offering foreign languages dropped from 75 percent to 58 percent.... [More]”

8 months Ago

The lament of the hyper-online

Published by marco on

The article Is It Time To Embrace “Opinion Fatigue”? by Kate Lindsay (Bustle) writes,

“In April 2022, creator Paulomi Dholakia had some thoughts about Disney. Specifically, she was upset the company didn’t seem to be promoting the Ms. Marvel series, which features the franchise’s first Muslim superhero, as much as it had promoted its other series, like Hawkeye. She first posted this opinion on TikTok, and after people agreed with her, she brought the same video to Instagram.

““It went viral in a very bad... [More]”

Elite Morons

Published by marco on

The post Nostalgia curdles by Ryan Broderick (Garbage Day) writes,

“I can’t think of anything more ugly and insane than combining American media’s desperate obsession with Trump and the era of politics he created in 2010s with American media’s toxic obsession with high-profile court cases. In fact, right-wing media is already pushing for Trump’s trial to be televised. So if you ever wondered what the Johnny Depp/Amber Heard trial would have been like if Depp became president at the end, well, now you might have a... [More]

When is it quixotic nostalgia?

Published by marco on

The article The Age of Average by Alex Murrell writes,

“[…] while yet another places subjects in front of faux scenic backdrops reminiscent of a low-budget Sears photo studio. Each of these distinct setups is utilized broadly and across industries, with the same composition and concept seen on the Instagram feeds of a major beverage syndicate and an indie skincare brand alike.””

 Oh, man, I am of a generation that got its pictures taken at Sears. Those were the family photos for years. We had one shot at a... [More]

1 year Ago

Antiwork != Mooching, is it?

Published by marco on

I just saw the following meme, What the hell even is a dream job? by PrecisionAcc (Reddit), which highlighted the picture shown below.

 What even is a dream job?

Wait. I know that this was picture was just to snark about the term “dream job”, but it also highlights an interesting divergence of opinion about what work is.

I thought antiwork was about being against the drone-job work culture, not against being useful at all.

I understand that it’s hard to even conceive of a world where jobs don’t suck when you have a shitty job. But isn’t... [More]

Now, now girls, you’re both ugly.

Published by marco on

 I just saw another article about Why the right is always wrong … and how both-sidesists help to ensure this by John Q (Crooked Timber) arguing against saying that both sides are just as bad because we have to look at the policies. Fair enough, fair enough.

“Biden’s infrastructure package included provisions for multi-family housing to be erected in traditionally residential zone. These provisions were vigorously resisted by Republicans, following the lead of Donald Trump, who used racist scaremongering to mobilise... [More]”

Metrology beats Dataism and Post-Truth

Published by marco on

 The article Measurement, Dataism and Post-Truth Ideology: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly by Luca Mari; Dario Petri (IEEE) is quite an interesting description of the state of philosophy vis à vis data science.[1] You can find the original, in Italian, at Tutto_Misure n.4 − 2021 (Issuu) on pages 103 and 104. Or you can just download a PDF of that article here.

“Dataism, at least in its most radical position, sees the universe as a gigantic computation system, whose state transitions are in fact “embedded” computations, so that empirical... [More]”

At heart, everyone’s a reactionary

Published by marco on

From Roaming Charges: Railroaded, Again by Jeffrey St. Clair (CounterPunch),

“Americans want nostalgia. They want to go back as far as they can, even if it turns out to be only last week. Not to face now or the future, but to face backwards.”
Gil Scott-Heron

 Whitey on the Moon: Gil Scott-HeronI don’t know when Gil-Scott Heron wrote this, but it was probably around the time he wrote Whitey on the Moon, The Revolution will not be Televised, or Home Is Where the Hatred Is. Whereas he wrote and spoke about his home country, I can’t help but think that what he said resonates for... [More]