Tag: Elections

Wednesday, August 14th 2024

Blog

The New Rules

Look at this post from Dave Winer of Scripting News. Yes, I know, it’s from this.how, it’s his index. I really like these ideas. It’s a damn shame we won’t get that from cable news, but that’s not really the job of cable news. This is what I meant yesterday when I said we deserve better. We deserve journalists who call bullshit when they see it. We need folks who understand that there cannot possibly be two sides to some things. And we need folks who aren’t afraid of losing ‘access’, whatever that means.

I think we also need to get back to separating news from comment. Again, this is where cable news has changed the norm and blurred the lines between the two. They also turn up the sensationalism to attract the most eyeballs to watch through the ad breaks. In practical terms that matter right now, they’ve turned the Election into a a reality show. Why not, considering the candidate they can’t bear to fact check or stop covering altogether.

We’re not an electorate, we’re a demographic. We should demand better.

Journal, April 24th, 2024

Journal
  • There are days when I wish I had more than one choice for internet in my neighborhood. Cox is the de facto monopoly here, and I have to play their game since I work from home. Lately, my connection keeps dropping several times a day. While it is a nuisance for me, it is a real problem for She Who Must Be Obeyed. She takes calls in her position, and dropping calls on the regular is Not Optimal™. Calling Cox Tech Support is a totally different level of fuckery. I have to admit that because I have worked for over 10 years at call centers that are all US based, I have to reign in my inner Chad when it comes to offshore support. Because I’ve taken calls, I try to treat people with the respect I would appreciate if I were on the phones, but when it becomes obvious that they are less interested in helping me fix my problem, and more interested in upselling me, I check out. I ended up calling my local Cox Retail store and turns out my router was the problem. OK, I drive down there and get a new router, and while I’m there, the rep says he can cut my bill by 50 bucks. He took care of that, I got the new router hooked up and updated all the devices with the new network, and we haven’t dropped since 11am this morning. It occurs to me that this happens every three years or so, and it doesn’t matter if I use their router or I use another one. Looks like it’s fixed for now.
  • There’s a new app called Bless Every Home, and according to this article from The New Republic, it maps neighborhoods and collects data on who needs a visit from your local Happy Young Christians ™. Remember, it’s the Chinese we’re supposed to be worried about with the data thing.
  • Lara the Pop Idol would like you to know that they don’t just have poll watchers, but they have folks that can physically handle the ballots. She also would like you to know that they have lawsuits in 81 states right now. Lara the Pop Idol is full of shit.
  • Can’t remember who said it, but I read someone today they said if they announced an iPad Mini Pro, it would take them less than 45 seconds to order it. That reminds me, I would LOVE an iPad Mini. Just to use as a consumption device, like books, the crossword, social scrolling, what few games I play (poker, and poker.) A new Mini is like 600 right now. I saw Mini 5’s 64 GB for 250 somewhere, and lost it. Later. Much later. I’m in create mode now, and not just the stories. I’m working on the house little by little, and that’s where the money is going right now. How much money? All of it. ALL OF IT.

That’s it for today. Your regular (daily? Maybe not) Oreo.