Twitter / X is being flooded with clips from video games being passed off as footage from Gaza.

With the gutting of its trust and safety team, and payouts to accounts based on engagement, Twitter / X now rewarding trolls, clout-chasers and their clueless enablers -- with what looks like less oversight than ever from anyone inside the company.

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/arma-3-video-game-clips-israel-hamas-conflict-1234849405/


nostr:npub1vkqw96srn6cx88fu5wsmr7898tvqpxy2afl3r3ck3ngk667pq03spvkyej lol


nostr:npub13zyzdlnuhv9kg498mwujk7fwtzqkauq7zcq6kqnuuy0kjzk4ys6qh43zww love this


finally figured out what Mastodon's whole vibe is

"Local food co-op board meeting gets out of hand and people start shouting"


nostr:npub1ye6kenedjm4h3rhher5r98jlqfa7ayt59tpkmrqgy3002rzlcc0snfpwej it's all just graphomania, there's no intent here :)


honestly the rising price of coffee drinks has me skipping the coffee shop more and more often

used to love working in them, even if only for an hour

now... not so much

https://www.vox.com/money/23896266/latte-price-pumpkin-spice-starbucks-coffee-inflation


some good news: Supreme Court unlikely to strike down the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

"The Supreme Court’s uncharacteristic moment of sanity

Justices considering a case against the CFPB seem unlikely to trigger a second Great Depression."

https://www.vox.com/scotus/2023/10/3/23901502/supreme-court-cfpb-appropriations-clause-community-financial-kavanaugh-barrett


Tesla just missed yet another promised delivery date for the Cybertruck

https://www.wsj.com/business/autos/for-teslas-cybertruck-another-sales-launch-date-comes-and-goes-836cd4f5


nostr:npub1gt5az2jlsk7kc2fe0eztjqmaly83hjf5wyn7ju5pl7zl08y22c8sctg9em This is a very important and good way to add nuance to this discussion. Both that it depends on the type of work *and* that it can and does change over time...


I understand and sympathize with the Manhattan Borough president trying to get public agencies to invest in building a following in places other than X, but advocating for it to happen on Threads without even acknowledging that this just puts them at the whims of a *different* private company seems shortsighted at best.

Does he simply not know the fediverse exists, I wonder?

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/155/587/565/214/535/original/99b89a17f642a8eb.jpeg


nostr:npub1fdelyycvf0uek8zmxhd36etlvdzxt7mhxyzcapql4kxyvjyq7snqz3x980 I thought we didn’t. But you got me to check. We do! Game changer.

Here you go:

https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/why-you-soon-wont-be-able-to-avoid-aiat-work-or-at-home-65febec7?st=jbhq97brado3e97&reflink=mobilewebshare_permalink


nostr:npub1ps0wuzmv2zmt0nk5ke8f2fwrqp6k839qgmds8qu5efz00zkdfkzsssq7gu man, that kicker was chilling. Good thinking on this.


nostr:npub1t4wyajlaad4sx6ywpk2rsz7zct92xx3x2hzjfw86d7ln7dzv5kyqckzv9f honestly they’re rarely all that great. And then what if what you really need isn’t in there? What if you need a summary of the way a document addresses subject x, say, which is buried on page 65, 32, 87 and in half a dozen footnotes and 2 figures?


Nick Bloom of Stanford, probably the world authority on data-driven studies of the impact of remote work, delivers what is so far the definitive assessment of whether or not it’s a good idea.

Short answer: it can do wonders. Both hybrid and remote work, work.

But they require the right management and tools.

Managers who don’t know how to manage remote workers can ruin the experience for everyone.

https://thehill.com/opinion/technology/4228100-does-working-from-home-damage-productivity-just-look-at-the-data/

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/155/464/347/243/041/original/ea4c75a5d32bf41a.jpeg


"Those who don’t opt to use AI to help them summarize others’ reports (likely generated with the help of AI), respond to emails (ditto) or adapt to new business processes (also created with the help of AI) risk drowning in a fire hose of communications and increased complexity."

Now, honestly, I hope I am wrong. But I also think that in the not too distant future, opting not to use these tools will be like opting not to use email in 2023. Possible, but hard.

5/5

https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/why-you-soon-wont-be-able-to-avoid-aiat-work-or-at-home-65febec7


In just the past two weeks:

🖥  Microsoft announced deep integration of generative AI tools across Windows 11

🔍  Google rolled out changes to its Bard generative AI that allow it to use all your documents, emails and calendar items as fodder

🗨 Amazon showed off the next generation of generative AI capabilities for Alexa, which should make it chattier and more flexible

💬 Meta announced a chat-based assistant for Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook

🧵/4


A recent global survey of 10,000 people by tech and consulting firm Capgemini found that people who have used generative AI tools for basic tasks like searching for and summarizing information were on the whole highly satisfied with them.

For now, the generative AI tools that can boost people’s productivity require an early adopter’s mindset ... BUT:

3/🧵


Jacky Liang is living in the future.

An artificial-intelligence engineer in Philadelphia, he uses generative AI at work and in his personal life “as much as possible—to the point that even my girlfriend is like ‘Babe, please.’”

Now I realize Jacky (please be nice to him if you run into him on the internet!) isn't typical.

But he does embody the "interpersonal AI arms race" I think we'll all soon find ourselves in.

2/🧵


This week I wrote about what I think will be the unavoidability of using generative AI in both our work and, someday, personal lives.

For this simple reason: It really can make people more productive.

That creates a kind of communications arms race where the rest of us have to participate, or else risk drowning in the output of others.

Maybe I'm wrong. But here it is at length, and a brief thread on the subject.

🧵/1

https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/why-you-soon-wont-be-able-to-avoid-aiat-work-or-at-home-65febec7


nostr:npub14sudru5t09nytp9przq6zephh5ptvx7tplcuqm09e9unht97dlcqds2cky amazing!


starting to get the feeling that in the future only the rich will get customer service from actual humans


This morning I thought about how my colleague Evan has been detained in solitary in Russia, for nothing -- as a geopolitical pawn, it seems -- and I teared up.

It absolutely kills me.

He represents the best of us -- inquisitive, smart, empathetic -- and they grabbed him on made-up charges. (They accused him of spying, basically.)

It's so heartbreaking.

I don't pray but if I did, it would be for Evan to come home as soon as possible.

https://www.wsj.com/world/evan-gershkovich-a-letter-from-his-family-10db5ccd?st=fi9ouy4ovx9pa7y

#IStandWithEvan


my guess is *stylish* orb that peers into your eye and captures your biometric information

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/138/769/761/519/592/original/147f7a178cb73ec2.png


me rolling into the office

https://www.wsj.com/story/a-piece-of-work-the-bosss-new-look-c8d324c2

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/138/662/457/505/645/original/1996af90a20b13cd.png


Journalist request:

Do you use any kind of generative AI tool regularly, either to communicate with others, or to make plans, in your work or personal life? If so, I would like to talk to you.

Note: openAI’s various tools, or Bard, or Bing chat, or whatever other tool, even if it’s integrated into something else, all qualify.

Thanks in advance!

#journalistrequest


nostr:npub1cjau3cgpfuavp954a42zl84t47l8aal9m7unwenwjeu5mz36tdgstsrqkq mm, yes, even better


just hit me that 'elder millennial' is by far the most metal name for a generation

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/132/210/602/437/777/original/5f6deda044b35020.png


Fun Fact

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/127/497/438/751/781/original/8a9eb44302dcb3af.jpeg


This is bonkers:

Only 4 in 10 Americans know that "filling up" an EV is cheaper than filling up a gas-powered vehicle.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2023/09/15/ev-tipping-point-electric-poll/


10,000 steps a day is made-up b.s.

It turns out that ANY amount of additional walking per day is good.

And also that if you want to max out the benefits, 7,500 is where it actually tops out

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2019/05/10000-steps-rule/590785/


This August, a pet alligator named Fluffy was recovered in a creek outside Philadelphia

Fugitive pet alligators are "invading" Western Pennsylvania

After Pittsburgh had a rash of escaped alligators in 2019, the city passed an ordinance that banned residents from owning them

“In western Pennsylvania, none of us have specialized alligator training. This isn’t something they give you in the police academy.”

https://www.wsj.com/us-news/alligators-invade-western-pennsylvania-f28eae0c

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/083/058/518/396/018/original/768641eb075e9058.jpeg


nostr:npub18rv5u8xvlc3q5sxtsaq3drtkfm7ak7qe73wu8yq2gx5fq572w8rqw9x75t whoa. next level, ty


nostr:npub1j46f9va5qdrmamcwmncew7g8mwekgma386dhws6k04fsnlkqpcpsj23gm7 nostr:npub1rre2s2csu3xhqauqtanluwz2gwqm7cvhcgtgt90g73x76zgtpazqf3vl0r lol. luckily what I'm looking for is just a place to put a leeeetle bit of text and a playlist like... once  month :)


nostr:npub1c8l4ktytwfq9p74mp8yjqr3d8ec8q32ngj8qgwn2v9n2yd5n83tsxjsldj I appreciate it tho, this is great info! Thank you!


nostr:npub1zzvt06jlzxvr4sxfd744ten3lx4f3k2vpmmpfm87tt3mpccdk9wss2zs87 this is... quite the bet on Wordpress as a company :)


nostr:npub1x6n5l56g4qwtw9c8n0rh3v76s2ldrzlwcgf4gu4eln4v2lffczcsetg579 this is enticing but also Klingon to me


nostr:npub1rre2s2csu3xhqauqtanluwz2gwqm7cvhcgtgt90g73x76zgtpazqf3vl0r ok but would that mean I gotta install and update wordpress myself? because that just seems like a security nightmare


nostr:npub1c8l4ktytwfq9p74mp8yjqr3d8ec8q32ngj8qgwn2v9n2yd5n83tsxjsldj that was my first thought but also then I was like waaaiiit when's the last time I updated my knowledge of that company?


nostr:npub17ljz8r5hftfk8q9zj4mjy54l4chwqa4t5ddjj0znxtz95k4jnp7shjkekj yeah I had one of those... it was... not great :)

but now I'm typing this on one that is SHOCKINGLY capable and gets like, 12 hours battery life easy (and it's been heavily used for almost 2 years)


what's the best way to launch a personal blog in 2023 with the lowest odds that anyone who isn't me will ever have the power to take it down?

(i.e. not on substack or some similar platform controlled by others)


nostr:npub1k5k9l8wzvuzxz7rty8yr4ml89q4acyzatskdaud2qctflujxttwsmv53g4 huh!


nostr:npub17ljz8r5hftfk8q9zj4mjy54l4chwqa4t5ddjj0znxtz95k4jnp7shjkekj neither! I went Chrome OS a long time ago because it was just so fast & lightweight.

If I did it again today I might go with iPad-as-laptop


nostr:npub193tcg6vh07cz08thkpuandx9jz3k2ks45c8474y0rdcsej9rykmsaagd0r I mean let's not get TOO crazy


"Is it covid or is it modernity?" feels like the most popular game in America right now

https://mastodon.social/@lzg/111070943184472731

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/070/951/165/563/394/original/1bef6be598a17bdd.png


nostr:npub1hn5k6kkqvw008ay9xvmel92hd9k2cyrt7ayccfr2qgxz3e6zf8ysa8mzl8 "Is it covid or is it modernity?" feels like the most popular game in America right now


the way arm-based laptops can get two days' worth of life out of a single charge is low-key a game changer


"If the Sun was a basketball, then the Earth would be the size of a tiny bead, just over 2 mm wide. This bead would sit about 25 m away from the basketball. That's approximately half the width of a football field."

2/2

https://athensscienceobserver.com/2018/05/25/cosmic-proportions/


here's a fun game to play with your sense of cosmic scale:

How big would the Earth be, if the Sun were the size of a basketball, and how far apart would the two be?

answer in next post

1/2


nostr:npub1nlc3muuyxmn52nrsqe9rqlna8ep3te6a4jkngw427mezj7m33juqgsrv60 yeah I love this!


nostr:npub1dhzyzv69c9qurfg2703t885zt9aqguqr5a4klnsakncrz32uumpshx63df oh yeah, totally


What’s really driving ad revenue collapse at X?

📱new ad formats
📉crashing ad click through rates
🤪actions of a certain CEO

“Advertising experts told The Washington Post that the allegation that ADL is responsible for X’s falling revenue was laughable.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/09/14/musk-antisemitism-x-twitter-adl-netanyahu/

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/063/807/661/293/186/original/101d96e4a5d82a69.jpeg


#YOLO

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/059/407/385/002/337/original/1e2d85f6907e62bc.png


Today marks 24 weeks -- 6 months -- of my colleague, WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich being arbitrarily and unjustly detained in Russia.

“If this can happen to my brother, it can happen to any journalist trying to report the news,” Evan's sister, Danielle, said at a briefing at the UN in this morning.

#IStandWithEvan

https://www.wsj.com/news/evan-gershkovich

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/058/447/452/251/616/original/c6cfc935cdfd8002.jpeg


nostr:npub1c7svnqtej92j5faskycdp64mkqdrqxz9rfxdw06ejux38e9c2k4qwf7p0y one thing I didn’t get to: open standards like this could lead to privacy-protecting versions of this tech


Sometimes I come up with a headline that makes me giggle, and then I pray that it makes it all the way through edits.

Today, friends, is one of those glorious days.

https://www.wsj.com/tech/personal-tech/its-finally-time-to-add-some-smart-tech-to-your-dumb-home-192132ac


nostr:npub1gfdrrw9629qxwvwaa3vwnvzhtaqu2c5m9wf6vcwjnmdnhs7hl4jsux7gg6 so you're saying I need a treadmill


nostr:npub1x4ag2cygu9cfnk9fqrhh3krc4vlja88nvdr3fyuf43lhlpgf79wsylnf80 sign me the f up lol


nostr:npub1r6jny0gpmv02p775qyxjgt3wcjqk4cpucqelcqf9swxyc8uxrq2qq8vtc7 yep, news!


Christopher Mims

tech columnist @ wsj, here to make friends & chew bubblegum (& I'm all out of gum)


3/

Second, why it’s so hard to maintain the things we depend on for our very existence:

An aging workforce. The reluctance of young people to take on these jobs. (They pay well, but who wants to become a maintenance engineer just to work in the heat all day and get filthy? And who wants to work on old stuff?)

Enter automation.

What if the most tedious and dangerous parts of these jobs could be done by robots overseen by people?

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/110/916/934/002/472/523/original/b57304bf2cf35027.jpeg


nostr:npub1zucv38urmnt65psxw8an9v8t8jvlmnz3hlln73h6ulgzsrh0dx0qyrvn90 next flippin' level, this

what are you using?


nostr:npub12qwg0me9hdx75292nmnfa4hh032q8a0uywppytldnh7ddsdj0xcszal3xg tune in for this week's column :)