A lot this week, and I am not sure why. I hope you enjoy them
YOU'RE ALL JUST JEALOUS OF MY JETPACK | a cartoon for the guardian (tumblr.com): Attack libraries are the best libraries.
Literacy crisis in college students: Essay from a professor on students who don’t read. (slate.com): I have seen people think that this article plays down screens and plays up testing, but anecdotally, my youngest was an avid reader until the read to the test material ramped up in Middle School, and he has only now, as a college student, rediscovered his love of books.
A crowd destroyed a driverless Waymo car in San Francisco - The Verge: I think people underestimate the intensity of feeling of the techlash.
Non-profit behind He Gets Us ads is main funder for anti-LGBTIQ hate group | openDemocracy: This strikes me as weird. The ads highlight the inclusive nature of Jesus’ teachings, but are run by an exclusionary group dedicated to bigotry. How do they think that’s going to work?
Tesla employee in fiery crash may be first ‘Full Self-Driving’ death - Washington Post: Two takeaways form this excellent article: one, Tesla is a terrible company run by horrible people. Two, Tesla is selling a lie and its getting people killed.
Statistics versus Understanding: The Essence of What Ails Generative AI (substack.com): Nice overview of why imitative AI is, well, imitative rather than creative. You should subscribe to Marcus’ newsletter if you are interested in AI.
Mayor Johnson to end ShotSpotter deal after summer, making good on key campaign promise - Chicago Sun-Times (suntimes.com): The bottom line is that ShotSpotter was either useless or actively harmful.
'I've Never Seen It This Bad:' Game Developers Explain the Huge Layoffs Hitting Riot, Epic, and More - IGN: Companies that do huge layoffs without firing their C-suite should be punished in some fashion.
US patent office confirms AI can’t hold patents - The Verge: Unsurprisingly, the patent office does not see imitative AI as a creator.
A Tale of Two (Aging) Heroes: LOGAN and INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY (substack.com): Excellent look at the themes of two movies and how the applicability of those themes raises the genre movies above their plot. If you are interested in the creative process at all, you should follow Cole’s newsletter.
Opinion | The Messenger and why American media companies need better owners - The Washington Post: It is astonishing how the rich people who run this country feel entitled to love and adoration now matter how bad they screw things up.
She Was Denied an Abortion After Roe Fell. This Is a Year in Her Family’s Life. — ProPublica: “No states that banned abortion offer paid parental leave.” And it just gets worse.
AI in the workplace, and a defense of busywork - The Verge: A genuinely interesting perspective I had not considered before.
Paul Graham, proto-techbro. - by Dave Karpf (substack.com): Devastating critique of the BS Y-combinator mentality. Welp, there goes my chance at getting “Uber for birds” funded.
How much electricity do AI generators consume? - The Verge: Good dive into both how much energy is used, and how hard AI companies make finding those numbers out.
Let's not do this again, please - by Brian Merchant (bloodinthemachine.com): Imitative AI is about replacing creative workers, not about creation. Another excellent newsletter worth subscribing to. And I really need to get cracking on that Blood in the Machine meets Johnathn Strange and Mr. Norell idea.
Whew, like I said, a lot. Starting to feel as if this needs more organization. What do you think?