We speak to Anthony Romero, the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, about the group’s major shift in strategy following the election of President Trump.
Reads, Listens
Reading list of books, magazines, newspaper articles, other physical documents, or online posts
Playlist of posts listened to, or scrobbled
Playlist of posts listened to, or scrobbled
🎧 The Daily: Which to Believe: Trump’s Words, or His Acts? | New York Times
Is the United States’ policy toward Russia what the president says, or what the government does?
👓 Weekend Reading – Rediscovering Blogging Edition | ProfHacker – The Chronicle of Higher Education
Blogs are back! At least, they seem to be making a resurgence as we try to disentangle ourselves from the predatory social media platforms that took all the words many of us used to write on blogs. I’ll admit, I started my own tinyletter in part because I wanted to find an audience again that was a little more personal that what gets lost in the algorithmic facebook feed and the firehose that is Twitter. My blog (which is my domain) is kind of an experiment in long-form writing now. I’m working at another Domains school, so we are thinking about how students are using their domains, owning their own data, and writing publicly.
👓 Texas Voting Machines Have Been ‘a Known Problem’ for a Decade | Motherboard
The voting machines and their software—not voters—are to blame for votes switching from Beto O'Rourke to Ted Cruz (and vice versa), an expert told Motherboard.
🎧 The Daily: The Battle for Missouri, Part 1: The Anti-Abortion Democrat | New York Times
As the Democratic Party struggles to establish its identity in Missouri, the issue of abortion has taken center stage.
👓 Man arrested after bomb scare in Pasadena | ABC 7 News
A man has been arrested in connection with a bomb scare that prompted an evacuation in Pasadena.
🎧 Episode 34: Daniel Jalkut aka @danielpunkass | Micro Monday
On this week’s episode, Jean chats with Daniel Jalkut, the developer of MarsEdit, the blogging editor for Mac. As co-host with Manton on the Core Intuition podcast for 10 years, Daniel has had a front-row seat at Micro.blog’s inception and evolution. We examine the multifaceted nature of Micro.blog, its dual nature as a business and a mission, and how we are still figuring where to put our social media energies.
🎧 Lecture 12: “Resist Japan!” 1937–1945 | The Fall and Rise of China by Richard Baum
In the fireball of World War II, witness the brutal Japanese offensives in China and their grim consequences for the Nationalists, while paradoxically sparing the Communists from annihilation. Learn also about growing U.S. ambivalence toward Chiang K'ai-shek and how Japanese brutality actually aided the Communists' seizure of power.
🎧 Lecture 11: The Republican Experiment, 1927–1937 | The Fall and Rise of China by Richard Baum
Over the following decade, escalating Japanese encroachments on China coincide with mounting violence between China's revolutionary factions. Examine the rise of Japanese militarism and the 1931 invasion of Manchuria. Later, follow Chiang K'ai-shek's attempts to liquidate the Maoist Communists and his dramatic kidnapping.
👓 Gab, Site Where Synagogue Shooting Suspect Posted, Is Suspended | NPR
The alternative social media network that was reportedly used by the suspect in the deadly shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue is now down. Gab.com is a social network that touts itself as an alternative to Twitter and Facebook to give conservatives a platform for free speech. But it also has been criticized for providing a platform for anti-Semitism and white nationalism. The site has come in for increased scrutiny since the shooting.
👓 Twitter to remove ‘like’ tool in a bid to improve the quality of debate | Telegraph
Twitter is planning to remove the ability to "like" tweets in a radical move that aims to improve the quality of debate on the social network.
👓 Bringing blogging to the fediverse | Matt Baer
Matt Baer (Matt)After much trial and error, I've finished basic #ActivityPub support on Write.as! (Though it's not live yet. Create a federated blog here, or enable federation by going to your blog's settings > Enable federation.) I'm very, very excited about reaching this point so I can try out some new ideas. So ...
🎧 Gab CEO interview with NPR
Gab.com from TwitterHere is our full interview with @npr since they cut out 98% of what was said it would be a shame if this went viral. https://t.co/kdVHV6rICr
— Gab.com (@getongab) October 29, 2018
👓 who is this? | Matt Baer
Matt Baer (Matt)I'm Matt Baer, and I built Write.as.
why?
In late 2014 I was getting more concerned for my privacy both online and on my smartphone. I felt stifled, because I knew social media sites were analyzing my status updates and search engines were cataloging my searches. So I wanted to create an antidote for that feeling, and came up with Write.as.
When I left school and entered the working world several years ago, I started to care less about becoming a millionaire and think more about problems in our world — especially when it comes to technology. I see companies like Facebook exploit our basic desire to communicate, and think there should be better options. I see Apple and Google encourage everyone to fondle glass slabs and think maybe we're losing something, even as we've gained “connectivity.”
👓 Fark Banned Misogyny to Facilitate Free Speech | Motherboard
"Now that we've done it I feel like a complete ass for waiting so long. So will everyone else who makes the same call."