aleph

joined 1 year ago
MODERATOR OF
[–] aleph@lemm.ee 7 points 5 days ago (1 children)

According to this YouGov poll of least <> most trusted news sources , CNN lands bang in the middle of the pack. So not as bad as FOX, but not as high as PBS or ABC.

As for my own 2¢, all the US cable news channels are varying degrees of bad. Best to avoid, generally speaking.

[–] aleph@lemm.ee 20 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Aesthetics, plus the seductive appeal that pre-modern, pre-liberal-democratic societies (when the governments were authoritarian, the women were submissive, and the men "were men") have for reactionaries, incels, and cryptofacists.

[–] aleph@lemm.ee 1 points 1 month ago

All true, but that doesn't disprove my point. The risk was non-zero, so it was still worth investigating.

[–] aleph@lemm.ee 0 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (5 children)

Yes but the difference is that there were reasonable grounds to suspect that prolonged exposure to RF waves might possibly cause some harmful effects. The WHO didn't categorize radio frequency radiation as a potential carcinogen based on no evidence at all:

https://www.iarc.who.int/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/pr208_E.pdf

The possibility of there being a link was not absurd, per se.

[–] aleph@lemm.ee 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (7 children)

To be fair, the evidence about a link between cell phone radiation and cancer has been inconclusive for quite some time. After all, a series of inconclusive or null results doesn't mean there is categorically no link -- it could equally mean that more research is needed.

That said, I do agree that if there were a casual link in this case then it would have made itself apparent by now, given the huge increase in cell phone usage over the past few decades.

[–] aleph@lemm.ee 12 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Ear buds or IEMs typically have a much higher sensitivity than full sized headphones. The higher the output power of your PC's headphone out, the louder your earbuds will be at any given volume %.

There isn't anyway around this except to manually change the volume whenever you use your earbuds.

[–] aleph@lemm.ee 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Actually, it's nothing more than lazy slander pepetuated by duopoly apologists.

There's zero proof Stein is "Putin backed". She once sat at the same table at an international conference and barely spoke to the man. That's it.

Meanwhile, AOC has been publicly performing as a genuine progressive for her voters and constituents all while voting and acting like a corporate Democrat behind the scenes.

[–] aleph@lemm.ee 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Sure, because our current economic system creates governments and laws that protect private capital and short-term exploitation at the expense of the natural world.

I do see hope in the book, though. Once you look beyond the human scale, it shows us that trees are always going to outlast us, no matter how hard we try to destroy our environment. The question is - can we learn from their patience and adaptability before we screw ourselves beyond the point of no return?

[–] aleph@lemm.ee 5 points 1 month ago (3 children)

I haven't finished it yet, but so far the fatalism seems to be balanced by the reminder that we are intrinsically linked to the natural world, and that it is never too late to seek solace in it.

[–] aleph@lemm.ee 6 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

They allowed the family of an Israeli hostage on stage. Why not afford Palestinian Americans the same courtesy to have one of their own represented? Hell, they could have stood alongside the hostage's family to show solidarity and hope for peace in the future.

The Uncommitted movement did everything the "right way" -- they went through the official channels and offered the DNC a list of speakers and gave them permission to vet the speech however they wanted. But apparently that was still too big of an ask.

[–] aleph@lemm.ee 8 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

It's a perfectly good source. Is there anything about their argument that you find unsound, or is it simply because it makes you uncomfortable?

[–] aleph@lemm.ee 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I'm not advocating either way, although the horrors I’ve seen committed in Gaza are on a whole other level than anything I’ve witnessed before.

I wouldn’t blame anyone who votes third party, or even sits this one out.

 

Short Summary

The article delves into the unsettling ideological influence of Curtis Yarvin, a software developer known for extreme views on societal restructuring. Yarvin advocates for dystopian solutions like converting unproductive people into biodiesel and virtualizing them into permanent solitary confinement, ideas that have attracted influential figures like Peter Thiel and J.D. Vance.

Peter Thiel, a tech billionaire, and Vance, a former Silicon Valley insider and now a Republican senator, are closely aligned with Yarvin's concepts. Thiel, particularly, has funded Vance's political career, elevating him into positions of influence within the GOP. Yarvin's philosophy, labeled neoreaction or NRx, promotes authoritarian governance and dismantling traditional governments in favor of corporate-controlled micro-states called "patchworks."

Vance, shaped by his time in San Francisco and mentored by Thiel, echoes Yarvin's radical ideas, advocating for extreme measures like political purges and the replacement of civil servants to consolidate power. His rise within Republican circles, backed by Thiel's financial and strategic support, underscores a growing convergence of tech wealth and political power aiming to reshape American governance along authoritarian lines.

 

As a new user, I'm enjoying Mastodon's vibe so far but the one thing that is a letdown is the trending hashtags. I've been checking them regularly over the past couple of weeks and it seems like they're pretty much always like this.

Even on days with big news stories, people on Mastodon are only talking about what day of the week it is like company employees on some internal message board?

Is there anything that can be done to liven them up a bit?

 

Hi, everyone. The author here claims a couple of things I'd like people to check out:

  1. That European countries are generally reluctant to endorse gender reassignment treatments due to insufficient evidence

  2. That there are no large scale studies / reviews that find good evidence in favor of gender reassignment treatments

Thanks in advance!

 

It appears UFOs are flavor of the month again.

view more: next ›