👓 Examining Decentralized Social Networks | The Stream Blog

Read Examining Decentralized Social Networks by Ian Douglas (The Stream Blog)
Most companies who create a social network do so with the end goal of collecting information, interests and habits of their users in order to monetize that data (usually through advertising). They guard this data heavily and many of the largest social networks are trusted enough to be Identity Provi...

🔖 Statistical Mechanics, Spring 2016 (Caltech, Physics 12c with videos) by John Preskill

Bookmarked Statistical Mechanics, Spring 2016 (Physics 12c) by John Preskill (Caltech)
An introductory course in statistical mechanics.
Recommended textbook Thermal Physics by Charles Kittel and Herbert Kroemer

There’s also a corresponding video lecture series available on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0ojjrEqIyPzgJUUW76koGcSCy6OGtDRI

👓 Trump used to be more articulate. What could explain the change? | STAT

Read Trump used to be more articulate. What could explain the change? by Sharon Begley (STAT)

STAT asked experts to compare Trump's speech from decades ago to that in 2017. All noticed deterioration, which may signal changes in Trump's brain health.

STAT reviewed decades of Trump’s on-air interviews and compared them to Q&A sessions since his inauguration. The differences are striking and unmistakable.

Research has shown that changes in speaking style can result from cognitive decline. STAT therefore asked experts in neurolinguistics and cognitive assessment, as well as psychologists and psychiatrists, to compare Trump’s speech from decades ago to that in 2017; they all agreed there had been a deterioration, and some said it could reflect changes in the health of Trump’s brain.

📺 Charlie Rose May 19, 2017

Watched Charlie Rose: Trump's first foreign trip; John Carlin, Remembering Roger Ailes, Adam Lindemann by Charlie Rose from PBS
Ian Bremmer, the president of the Eurasia Group, and Michael Hanna, a senior fellow at the Century Foundation, on Donald Trump's first foreign trip of his presidency. A discussion of Robert Mueller's special counsel appointment with John Carlin, the former assistant Attorney General for national security and Chief of Staff to Robert Mueller. Gabe Sherman and Jim Rutenberg reflect on the legacy of the late media titan Roger Ailes, known for launching Fox News in 1996. Adam Lindemann, an art collector and gallery owner who held the previous auction record for a Jean Michel Basquiat painting with his sale of Untitled (Devil) for $57.3 million last year.

I haven’t been following the deeper analysis of Trump’s Middle East trip, but Ian Bremmer’s pre-analysis here which I’ll synopsize as Trump is taking a cheese-puff trip to areas where he’s likely to be loved, adored, and appreciated (surprise!!) and which the US won’t really benefit from in the coming decades seems sadly correct. I suppose it’s better for him to focus on his vanity rather than destroying value.

I could have appreciated another 20 minutes on Ailes and analysis on his ongoing influence, but then again, it’s just as well to relegate him to the dustbin of history.

📺 PBS NewsHour full episode May 22, 2017

Watched NewsHour May 22, 2017 from PBS
Monday on the NewsHour, President Trump visits Israel, insisting that peace in the Middle East requires resolving the long-standing conflict with the Palestinians. Also: What's on Trump's budget chopping block, how Medicaid cuts would affect special ed, a political storm at home while the president is overseas, Tunisians revive a treasured city center and finding a sweet way to make a difference.
https://youtu.be/eLjA80g4IZk

👓 Facebook blocks Pulitzer-winning reporter over Malta government exposé | The Guardian

Read Facebook blocks Pulitzer-winning reporter over Malta government exposé by Julia Carrie Wong (The Guardian)
Temporary censorship of Matthew Caruana Galizia – who worked on the Panama Papers – raises concern over Facebook’s power to shape the news
I agree wholly with Ben Werdmuller.  Here’s yet another example why journalists should be posting their material to their own websites first before syndicating it to Facebook. Sure Facebook may help you get more eyeballs, but it doesn’t help if you’re locked out of your account or the content disappears altogether.

I’d written about some ideas related to this in the recent past: The Indieweb and Journalism.

I’m happy to help any journalist who is interested in creating their own easily maintainable website that uses Indieweb principles.

📺 Ivanka & Jared: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) | YouTube

Watched Ivanka & Jared: Last Week Tonight from HBO
Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner hold an incredible amount of political power. That's troubling considering their incredibly small amount of political experience.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wD8AwgO0AQI

📺 French Elections: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) | YouTube

Watched French Elections: Last Week Tonight from HBO
The presidential election in France could determine the political future of Europe. John Oliver visits an excessively French bistro to deliver an urgent message to voters.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkZir1L7fSY

📺 Gerrymandering: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) | YouTube

Watched Gerrymandering: Last Week Tonight from HBO
Lawmakers often reshape voting districts to shift the balance of political power. That's unfair to voters, even those of us with questionable judgment.

Gerrymandering has become a very precise science, and interestingly it’s one of the few remaining types of science in which the republican party currently believes.

–John Oliver

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-4dIImaodQ

📺 Dialysis: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

Watched Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Dialysis by John Oliver from HBO/YouTube

For-profit dialysis companies often maximize their profits at the expense of their patients. John Oliver explores why a medical clinic is nothing like a Taco Bell.

The lack of humanity showed by these corporations is simply horrific. Certainly a market failure which is causing some painful externalities. We need something more significant to fix the inequities that are happening here.

Also, what a terrifically hilarious episode!