Thanks for the tip about that amazing QVC appliance. I'm really on the fence about which color to choose. Puce? Greige? I'm leaning toward yellow-ish. I was relieved to hear they're all in stock.
And Joanie: amazing song. Proof that music can save our lives. It's playing in my head now and I'm happy about that.
Re: National Anthem. There is that condescending word again - "cling". I am not a sports fan or a religious person, and I agree that some people, including the guv, are blowing this issue WAY out of proportion. However, I believe standing at a ceremony, such as the national anthem, or at Christian weddings when the bride proceeds down the aisle, are a sincere way to be part of a group activity, or at the very least, to show respect for the group.
Calling out people for their overreaction is fine, and will appeal fairly broadly, though not universally, to sports fans. But denigrating a practice of signaling group identity will unnecessarily alienate many.
A valid argument for outlawing simulated child pornography is those who are charged with producing real child porn sometimes argue that the prosecution must prove that the content is not simulated imagery. I have a cousin who is an expert in photography. Years ago he would sometimes be an expert witness in cases against alleged child pornographers. This pre-dates digital images. Based on his expertise, he could analyze photographs and determine if they were composite photographs.
Shameful, deeply disappointing cuts at WBEZ/SunTimes. Thanks for your reporting on this. And thanks to current and former staff for courageously speaking out, at great professional risk.
I was very surprised to learn today that the "AI" magic of shopping at Amazon Fresh groceries stores isn't really AI at all - it's thousands of Indian workers watching you on the gazillion cameras to keep track of what you put in your cart so you can "check out" by just leaving the store. Guess AI alone wasn't cutting it. Now they are reportedly going to carts that scan what you put in them and you'll have to check out with a human cashier instead of just walking out with your acquisitions. As much as I thought the supposed-AI watching me shop was creepy, I'm a little disappointed it was really humans in India watching me shop.
The idea of AI created child porn was a repeated topic of Socratic discussion more than 40 years ago. Well obviously not called AI but the idea was either based on realistic animation or using some sort of “movie magic” that was theoretical. It was obviously a purely intellectual exercise back then and involved discussions of the First Amendment and issues of use of the sort of stats and studies discussed in your post. I guess it’s all too real now.
One problem with the news media is seeing everything through the lens of a political competition. Seeing the endangering of women’s rights in Florida as a “gift” to Biden is the kind of cynicism that adds to the cratering of regular folks’ ability to discuss issues in good faith. The “NYT Pitchbot” Twitter/X account skewers the practice: “Inflation Back Down to Pre-Pandemic Lows; Here’s Why that’s Trouble for Biden.” Old news habits die hard, but let’s keep our focus on what these laws will mean to women, not to the perceived odds of a politician’s success in the next election.
About losing the reporters at the Sun Times. People complain about the mainstream media but the alternative world isn't any better. For example, I couldn't take Matt Taibbi's Covid-19 "reporting" because he refused to contact virologist Vincent Racaniello to find out the reality behind the bullshit conspiracy theories he was "reporting" and the Useful Idiots keep using saying "Russiagate" as if Trump didn't lie about his ties to Russians, his Russian deals and his contacts with those he believed to be Russian officials and thus brought Mueller's attention on himself, it wasn't a Democratic Party conspiracy.
So, what do we have here, Eric? What do you think will happen to Chicagoland news? Will it devolve into alternative conspiracistland?
I tend to think that the people who complain the most about a lack of patriotism in others are actually the least patriotic. To quote Shakespeare, they “doth protest too much.” When I pass a home that grandly displays the American flag, I tend to think whoever is living there would gladly turn this country into a dictatorship in order to “make American great again.”
Depictions of heinous crimes on video games has been allowed for decades, so has pornography, except that involving children. The only restrictions, if any, involve age of the viewer. I think the legality of AI produced child porn will end up in court at some point.
I’m a monthly NPR donator and a Sun-Times subscriber. Part of NPR’s problem is, I’d be willing to bet, the drift to identity programming. Any time I turn on the station, I think I have a very high probability of hitting a segment about <insert identity group here> as part of the programming.
I don’t mind talking or hearing about marginalized groups, but if you are going to take that slant with every segment, many people are going to tune out because “this isn’t relevant to me”. And people who tune out aren’t going to be donors so you better make sure the ones who stay are enough to support your station. Sometimes I’d like to hear a restaurant review that did not lead with the owner’s orientation, immigration status, or marginalization statistics. Sometimes I’d just like to hear the answer to the question, “how’s the food?”
Thank you for the Fix the News link. We should be more aware of the many good things going on. Oddly, we don't seem to want to hear it. The next step in such an initiative, however, might be to attempt to weave such stories into larger narratives that, while not sanguine, are not so downbeat on the big picture. As it stands, many concerned about climate change, for example, could shrug off all the good news under the "Planet" tab as "meh, not enough."
"How popular is women’s college basketball right now? At this writing (early Thursday morning) the cheapest ticket for this weekend’s Women’s Final Four in Cleveland is $707. For the Men’s Final Four in Glendale, Arizona, the cheapest ticket is $518."
Well... the women's games will be in a 19,000-seat arena. The men are playing in a stadium with 60,000-plus seats.
Thanks for the tip about that amazing QVC appliance. I'm really on the fence about which color to choose. Puce? Greige? I'm leaning toward yellow-ish. I was relieved to hear they're all in stock.
And Joanie: amazing song. Proof that music can save our lives. It's playing in my head now and I'm happy about that.
Re: National Anthem. There is that condescending word again - "cling". I am not a sports fan or a religious person, and I agree that some people, including the guv, are blowing this issue WAY out of proportion. However, I believe standing at a ceremony, such as the national anthem, or at Christian weddings when the bride proceeds down the aisle, are a sincere way to be part of a group activity, or at the very least, to show respect for the group.
Calling out people for their overreaction is fine, and will appeal fairly broadly, though not universally, to sports fans. But denigrating a practice of signaling group identity will unnecessarily alienate many.
A valid argument for outlawing simulated child pornography is those who are charged with producing real child porn sometimes argue that the prosecution must prove that the content is not simulated imagery. I have a cousin who is an expert in photography. Years ago he would sometimes be an expert witness in cases against alleged child pornographers. This pre-dates digital images. Based on his expertise, he could analyze photographs and determine if they were composite photographs.
Nooooo - not NERDETTE? I love Nerdette, have Nerdette swag even. My niece and my non-binary child love their Nerdette swag too.
Shameful, deeply disappointing cuts at WBEZ/SunTimes. Thanks for your reporting on this. And thanks to current and former staff for courageously speaking out, at great professional risk.
I was very surprised to learn today that the "AI" magic of shopping at Amazon Fresh groceries stores isn't really AI at all - it's thousands of Indian workers watching you on the gazillion cameras to keep track of what you put in your cart so you can "check out" by just leaving the store. Guess AI alone wasn't cutting it. Now they are reportedly going to carts that scan what you put in them and you'll have to check out with a human cashier instead of just walking out with your acquisitions. As much as I thought the supposed-AI watching me shop was creepy, I'm a little disappointed it was really humans in India watching me shop.
Chicago baseball certainly does reflect national identity, what with the whole North versus South thing.
The idea of AI created child porn was a repeated topic of Socratic discussion more than 40 years ago. Well obviously not called AI but the idea was either based on realistic animation or using some sort of “movie magic” that was theoretical. It was obviously a purely intellectual exercise back then and involved discussions of the First Amendment and issues of use of the sort of stats and studies discussed in your post. I guess it’s all too real now.
One problem with the news media is seeing everything through the lens of a political competition. Seeing the endangering of women’s rights in Florida as a “gift” to Biden is the kind of cynicism that adds to the cratering of regular folks’ ability to discuss issues in good faith. The “NYT Pitchbot” Twitter/X account skewers the practice: “Inflation Back Down to Pre-Pandemic Lows; Here’s Why that’s Trouble for Biden.” Old news habits die hard, but let’s keep our focus on what these laws will mean to women, not to the perceived odds of a politician’s success in the next election.
About losing the reporters at the Sun Times. People complain about the mainstream media but the alternative world isn't any better. For example, I couldn't take Matt Taibbi's Covid-19 "reporting" because he refused to contact virologist Vincent Racaniello to find out the reality behind the bullshit conspiracy theories he was "reporting" and the Useful Idiots keep using saying "Russiagate" as if Trump didn't lie about his ties to Russians, his Russian deals and his contacts with those he believed to be Russian officials and thus brought Mueller's attention on himself, it wasn't a Democratic Party conspiracy.
So, what do we have here, Eric? What do you think will happen to Chicagoland news? Will it devolve into alternative conspiracistland?
I tend to think that the people who complain the most about a lack of patriotism in others are actually the least patriotic. To quote Shakespeare, they “doth protest too much.” When I pass a home that grandly displays the American flag, I tend to think whoever is living there would gladly turn this country into a dictatorship in order to “make American great again.”
Oh my God can QVC win an Emmy for the bologna folder? Can the actress win an Emmy? They must be elevated somehow for this master work.
Depictions of heinous crimes on video games has been allowed for decades, so has pornography, except that involving children. The only restrictions, if any, involve age of the viewer. I think the legality of AI produced child porn will end up in court at some point.
I’m a monthly NPR donator and a Sun-Times subscriber. Part of NPR’s problem is, I’d be willing to bet, the drift to identity programming. Any time I turn on the station, I think I have a very high probability of hitting a segment about <insert identity group here> as part of the programming.
I don’t mind talking or hearing about marginalized groups, but if you are going to take that slant with every segment, many people are going to tune out because “this isn’t relevant to me”. And people who tune out aren’t going to be donors so you better make sure the ones who stay are enough to support your station. Sometimes I’d like to hear a restaurant review that did not lead with the owner’s orientation, immigration status, or marginalization statistics. Sometimes I’d just like to hear the answer to the question, “how’s the food?”
Thank you for the Fix the News link. We should be more aware of the many good things going on. Oddly, we don't seem to want to hear it. The next step in such an initiative, however, might be to attempt to weave such stories into larger narratives that, while not sanguine, are not so downbeat on the big picture. As it stands, many concerned about climate change, for example, could shrug off all the good news under the "Planet" tab as "meh, not enough."
"How popular is women’s college basketball right now? At this writing (early Thursday morning) the cheapest ticket for this weekend’s Women’s Final Four in Cleveland is $707. For the Men’s Final Four in Glendale, Arizona, the cheapest ticket is $518."
Well... the women's games will be in a 19,000-seat arena. The men are playing in a stadium with 60,000-plus seats.