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  • Sunday Morning Reading

    Time for some Sunday Morning Reading as we continue treading water until the election on November 5th and prepare for the aftermath here in the U.S. There’s more tech and culture in this week’s edition than politics, but that’s here too. Hard to avoid it.

    Speaking of politics, this article from Leah Feiger, Meet the Far-Right Constitutional Sheriffs Ready to Assert Control if Trump Loses, should remind us that this election isn’t just about one fascist. It’s about quite a few of them, already in power.

    Take a look at We Are Willing Lord, But What, If Anything, Is Needed?, by David Todd McCarty. It’s a fascinating, very human discourse on attempting to find a way through the madness we’re mired in. And it’s not just about politics.

    There was a big kerfuffle when the LA Times owner chose not to make an endorsement in this year’s election. There was a much larger one when Amazon mogul Jeff Bezos did the same with the Washington Post. Cowardly moves by both men who got where they are by not being cowards. Funny how money can change a guy. Many of those working for the papers are upset, some have quit, some are making their views known, including Alexandra Petri, the humor columnist for the Post. Check out It’s Fallen To Me, The Humor Columnist, To Endorse Harris For President. 

    On the AI beat this week, there’s more discussion about just how much, and what type of energy will be needed to power all of these Artificial Intelligence moves. Adele Peters takes a look in Google and Amazon Are Betting On ‘Advanced’ Nuclear. This Critic Warns It’s Not Ready.

    Speaking of AI, Adobe seems to have put their foot in their mouth. Again. Jess Weatherbed reports that Adobe Execs Say Artists Need To Embrace AI Or Get Left Behind. Sadly, I think there’s truth in what Adobe is saying.

    This week news broke about location surveillance issues and how our easily our smartphones can be tracked via ad tracking data. Yes, we’ve heard that for awhile, but if you check out this article from Brian Krebs called The Global Surveillance Free-for-All In Mobile Ad Data and this from Dan Goodin called Location Tracking Of Phones Is Out of Control. Here’s How To Fight Back, you’ll be thinking about this anew.

    Iceland Embraced A Shorter Work Week. Olesya Dmitracova lets us know how it turned out. Spoiler alert: Better than predicted.

    I keep talking about treading water, waiting for the election, Natasha MH talks about The Waiting Game in a broader context.

    McNeal is a new play, by Ayad Ahktar on Broadway that tackles AI and creativity. Alexander Alter takes a look at How ‘McNeal,’ a Play About A.I., Lured Robert Downey Jr.to Broadway. There’s some fascinating semiotics with Ironman in this role of a writer embracing AI.

    If you’re interested in just what the heck Sunday Morning Reading is all about you can read more about the origins of Sunday Morning Reading here.  You can also find more of my writings on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. You can also find me on social networks under my own name.

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  • Nick Offerman: You Better Vote

    My old buddy Nick Offerman is at it again with another great political message in song in only the way Nick Offerman can do. This time around it’s called simply, You Better Vote. 

    This follows his previous offering Proud To Be A Kamala Man. 

    Nick and I tackled Robert Schenkkan’s theatrical opus The Kentucky Cycle years ago before his career took off like lighting in a bottle as Ron Swanson in Parks and Recreation. One late night (there were many) over a pool table, Nick described the two-part 6 and 1/2 hour production as not a play, but a way of life. There are stories. 

    You Better Vote will make you laugh. And make you look at your grandkids a bit differently. Enjoy it. And Vote Damnit!

    (The video may not show up thanks to YouTube shenanigans. If so, click the black hole above and check it out.)

    You can find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above. 

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  • Living on a Knife’s Edge: Post Election Fears

    While we’re treading water waiting for the election I have to admit my anxiety is split about evenly between what actually happens with the vote before and on November 5th, and what happens after that. To be honest, I’m more worried about the latter.

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    I’ll break it down into my four biggest fears.

    Violence

    Do I think there will be violence? I do. To what degree I don’t know. From what quarter I don’t know. I wouldn’t be surprised if the MAGAts and insurrectionists don’t have some sort of Maskirovka in the works to try and force the Department of Justice (which they don’t control) to take some action. Which brings me to my second fear:

    Merrick Garland

    I have no faith that Merrick Garland will do the right thing in any event, violent or no. He’s proven that he doesn’t understand that not taking action is as political as taking action. Frankly, this could easily be my number one fear.

    SCOTUS

    If whatever happens ends up in front of the Supreme Court, we’re screwed. I don’t see any other possible outcome.

    The Body Politic

    I have no way of knowing what’s going to happen with the vote or its aftermath. Consequently I have no way of knowing how our body politic is going to react to whatever that will be. I just fear that we’re sitting on a knife’s edge that has been honed for far too long. Does this mean going back to Fear #1 above? Not necessarily. I fear we could also end up in a situation when disillusionment settles in one way or the other that could be just as dangerous in the long run as violence would be in the short term.

    Someone, somewhere on the Internet described our anxious waiting as akin to a national waiting for the results of a biopsy. I think they were spot on.

    You can find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above. 

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  • Two Weeks of Treading Water

    We’re in the final two weeks before Election Day on November 5, 2024. Early voting has kicked in and reports are many are taking advantage. Certainly two weeks can be a lifetime in an election campaign, and as of yet we haven’t really seen anything that qualifies as an October surprise. The “take them with a grain of salt” polls say everything is tied. And it feels like we’re treading water.

    Treading water lake_h.

    The myth of the undecided voter is only eclipsed by the myths that we used to believe were the foundations of American democracy. If there are any undecided voters out there, I doubt they are persuadable one way or the other, unless Elon Musk buys their vote, harkening back to the good old days in Chicago when you could get a sandwich and a beer at the precinct office after voting. Yeah, the precinct chieftains also had pockets full of walking around money when extra inducement was needed. Somehow that seems more honest than the games we’re playing now.

    Everything has been dissected. Repeatedly. Ad Infinitum. We know what we know. Unless we choose not to know. Too many have, and that’s our problem.

    So, for two more weeks we’ll pretend when one candidate says one thing and the other says a stupid, offensive, nauseating thing, that this is how we prefer to choose our leaders. We’re not picking a president on November 5th. We’re looking for a life preserver.

    Try to keep your head up.

    You can find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above. 

  • Sunday Morning Reading

    We’re getting closer to Halloween, Dia De Los Muertos, and perhaps the more frightening of the days ahead, Election Day in the U.S. With just three editions of Sunday Morning Reading to go before whatever tricks, treats, and horrors might befall us on or after the votes are tallied, enjoy the somewhat frightening reading ahead.

    Aimee Ortiz takes a look at how Halloween has turned into a retail bonanza in Halloween’s Mutation: From Humble Holiday to Retail Monstrosity. 

    For some every day is fraught with peril. Philip Ogley wonders Why Do We Find It So Hard To Get Through the Day?

    Approaching Dia De Los Muertos, David Todd McCarty remarks on turning his father’s passing into a celebration in We Called Him Papa.

    Artificial Intelligence continues to be the dominant ghost story in tech with ups, downs, and promises everywhere. So far, most tech promises make good hype, but not necessarily good products. Matteo Wong thinks delivering on promised deadlines for superintelligence might be the truly scary part in The AI Boom Has an Expiration Date.

    Could copyright law be a part of the solution to the horror story that is gun violence? Robin Buller takes a look in Mass Shooting Survivors Turn To An Unlikely Pace for Justice—Copyright Law.

    Perhaps the scariest story linked in this week’s edition is Franklin Foer’s What Elon Musk Really Wants. There’s no trick, and there’s certainly no treat in what this madman aims to do.

    Equally, if not more frightening is this piece from back in July from George Michael called An Anti-Democratic Philosophy Called ‘Neoreaction’ Is Creeping Into GOP Politics. I would say it’s moved from a creep by creeps into a gallop by goblins.

    Be afraid. Be very afraid. Paul Rosenberg examines Fighting Demons: The New Apostolic Reformation Is Waging A Holy War Against Democracy.

    Paolo Bacigalupi takes us on a little science-fiction journey into what a future shaped by climate change might look like in Azalea: A Science-Fiction Story. A great piece. I’m just not so sure we can call what we’re living through science-fiction anymore.

    If you’re interested in just what the heck Sunday Morning Reading is all about you can read more about the origins of Sunday Morning Reading here.  You can also find more of my writings on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. You can also find me on social networks under my own name.

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  • Chicago Bar Association Judicial Voters Guide 2024

    If you live in Chicago you know one of the almost overwhelming burdens of voting is the large number of judges that are always on the ballot. Some (very few) races are contested and many (too many) races you just get to decide to retain the judge or not. 

    Shutterstock 1731787453.Each election the Chicago Bar Association puts out the CBA Judicial Voter’s Guide which offers voters some guidance in the form of what the CBA is recommending in each race. The recommendations are based on independent screenings from CBA membership.

    Ratings are listed as Highly Qualified, Qualified, or Not Recommended for some races, and just Qualified or Not Recommended for retentions. If you’re from Chicago you know that many of the contested races are not really contested at all. 

    You can visit the website at this link, and if you’re voting in person you can print out a Pocket Guide of the recommendations at the same link. 

    You can find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above. 

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  • Anne Applebaum’s Advice “These are not normal times. Be Prepared.”

    Scary times. Halloween is approaching and so is the election. The scary energy heading into November 5 is more palpable and nerve wracking than whatever might come our way on the traditional fright night.

    Contrary to the “undecided voter” narrative the media loves so well, it sure seems like the battle lines are well drawn. Early voting is kicking in, along with the final push to the polls and the legal and extra-legal moves to disrupt the vote.

    At some point there will be a result, but that’s the catch in most throats. As decided as most voters are, they also seem to be resolved that what happens in the days, weeks, and months after the election is going to be when things become the most scary and frightful, keeping us awake at night.

    Anne Applebaum has put together a guide of sorts for those who feel like spectators in this high stakes drama, offering advice for ways you can get off the sidelines and into the game.

    Appropriately titled The Danger Is Greater Than in 2020. Be Prepared, it’s not only worth reading it’s worth noting how you can choose to get involved, because like it or not, we all will be.

    Yes, the article might further exacerbate some anxiety, but frankly we all need to be on point and as Ms. Applebaum says “be prepared.”

    You can find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above. 

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  • emptywheel Creates the Perfect MAGAt Metaphor: Cotton Swabs

    Marcy Wheeler is a terrific resource when it comes to explaining a lot of the seemingly inexplainable issues surrounding national security and civil liberties. Her blog, emptywheel, is a go to source for those in the know and should be for those who’d like to be so.

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    In a recent post, JD Vance Asserts That He and Trump Cannot Win Legitimately, she coined the perfect metaphor, or perhaps analogy, to describe how the MAGAt blabbermouths twist, turn, and deflect any conversation away from anything of resembling the point. To wit:

    There’s a fetish in the traditional media for asking Republicans to disavow crazy things Trump has said or done. This involves Tom Cotton so frequently I’m thinking of naming the phenomenon “Cotton swabs.” Marco Rubio and — since he became Speaker — Mike Johnson are other frequent participants in “Cotton swabbing.”

    Cotton swabs describe these tools perfectly. Their knee-jerk reactions are like a toddler putting their hands over their ears and screaming to avoid listening. Toddlers eventually come around. These folks can’t or won’t. Here’s hoping they end up tossed in the wastebasket like a cotton swab coated in ear wax. But that would be one helluva pile of ear wax.

    I may never use a Q-Tip again.

    You can find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above. 

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  • Sunday Morning Reading

    Time for some Sunday Morning Reading, with more than a dash of politics, culture, and tech mixed together and served up for your pleasure.

    Why Do Politicians Lie? My $.02 is because they can and not enough of us seem to care. Bill Adair takes a look at What I Didn’t Understand About Political Lying.

    Michael Moore thinks Joe Biden should use the immunity and powers granted the office of the presidency by the Supreme Court in his final days to take care of some business. I may not agree with everything on Moore’s list, but check out what he thinks in Bucket List Joe. I do agree with the principle though.

    The election is just around the corner and having served previously as an election judge I know first hand the anxiety election workers up and down the chain are feeling. The New York Times Editorial Board takes a good look at the stakes for those folks, paid and volunteer, in The Election Will Need More Heroes.

    The Atlantic, famous for not endorsing a presidential candidate each and every election, has endorsed Kamala Harris. The endorsement is no surprise. Endorsements are choices and Trump has increased their pace of doing so. Check out The Case for Kamala Harris. 

    Life is a gamble and sometimes you need to go all in. Natasha MH pushes her chips forward with Into the Battlefield Armed with a Toothbrush.

    A bit or two on tech and AI that I found interesting this week. Apparently we’re running out of data to train these AI engines on, and we’re also running out of space in data centers to do that environment crushing work. Check out Microsoft Azure CTO: US Data Centers Will Soon Hit Size Limits from Reed Albergotti.

    And on a frightening note, apparently Silicon Valley Is Debating If AI Weapons Should Be Allowed To Decide To Kill. Margus MacColl explores this tricky issue, which really shouldn’t be a tricky issue.

    There’s also apparently slippage in the great gold rush to Artificial Intelligence as everyone chases a less than Holy Grail of turning these data crunching engines to machines that can reason. Gary Marcus says that LLMs Don’t Do Formal Reasoning-And That Is A HUGE Problem. For the investors, shareholders, and suckers perhaps. I’m guessing the rest of us are just fine with that.

    The two hurricanes that hit the U.S have caused so much damage and for those suffering that has been multiplied by the political BS that has followed. Who would have thought that on the ground Neo-Nazi’s showed up to “help” but. more to the point, use the disasters and their aftermath as recruiting tools? Tawnell D. Hobbs, Jennifer Levitz and Joe Barrett explore When The Hurricane-Relief Worker Turns Out To Be a Neo-Nazi. Who would have thought it? Anyone who has read a history book.

    If you’re interested in just what the heck Sunday Morning Reading is all about you can read more about the origins of Sunday Morning Reading here.  You can also find more of my writings on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. You can also find me on social networks under my own name.

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  • Daisy. The Political Ad You Should Share With Everyone

    The Lincoln Project deserves its reputation for hard-hitting political advertising. It’s latest, Daisy, doesn’t just hit hard, it’s gut wrenching. Watch.

     Now share it.

    With anyone who has ever had a daughter, is a daughter, knows a daughter. And then share it with the men in their lives. 

    You can find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above. 

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