Ordinary World 13 Dec 2018

Ordinary World
13 Dec 2018

“What Google’s CEO Couldn’t Explain to Congress” by Alexis C. Madrigal: “It was the kind of borderline-surreal, mostly useless exchange that typified the hearing. Serious issues with Google’s practices around the world got very short shrift. Democrats and Republicans alike tried to ask questions about Google’s prospective plans to build a censored version of its search engine that could be deployed in China. But none of them made use of the reported details about what’s known as Project Dragonfly, and Pichai answered their general queries simply: “We have no plans to launch in China,” he said.”

“A New Moment for North Carolina Politics” by Eric Medlin: “More than likely, North Carolina will hold its congressional election again. Harris will be forced by state law to stay on the ballot, and his opponent, Dan McCready, has a good chance of winning. While the corruption inherent in this election seems exceptional, winning through underhanded tactics is an established political strategy in North Carolina politics. The more exceptional aspect of this episode is not that fraud occurred in a North Carolina election, but that someone may actually be punished for it.”

“‘Zombie’ Theresa May staggers on towards her eventual downfall” by Dominic Waghorn: “Like a zombie, Theresa May staggers on. Whatever is thrown at her, nothing can bring her down. But neither can she regain her strength. As she stumbles towards her eventual destruction, is she taking the country with her? She has overcome and survived the latest challenge but the prime minister immediately now faces an even bigger one.”

“Would David Hume Give BlacKkKlansman a Golden Globe?” by Elizabeth Picciuto: “I’m disinclined to go along with his first criterion, that people with typical or greater sensory abilities are the better judges. What he’s trying to get at is an explanation for the surprising uniformity of opinion. However, as he notes, a sharper-than-typical sensory ability can sometimes hinder one from enjoying what others enjoy. Also, people with atypical sensory systems can sometimes fulfill the second criterion better: they can pick up on nuance and subtlety that others miss. The others, though, seem pretty compelling to me, particularly sensitivity to nuance, lots of experience, and freedom from prejudice.”

Side Hustles & Freelancing in a Gig Economy by Jessica Elliot: “The majority of us side hustle to cover some monthly expenses, like the orthodontist payment or insurance on a teenage driver. Others tuck it away for a special vacation. However, millions of people are increasingly turning to the idea of multiple income streams and becoming less dependent on one employer for the entirety of their income. There’s a driving factor that pushes people into full-time freelancing or long hours to a side hustle. I like to call it—desperation.”

“The State of Democratic Data” by Tom Bonier: “To that end, the 2016 presidential campaign saw the emergence of a new conventional wisdom: Democrats, who were widely believed to possess a significant advantage over Republicans in the area of data and analytics, had suddenly fallen far behind, leading to Hillary Clinton’s defeat. Of course, when a candidate who was such a strong favorite to win falls short, it’s natural to look for excuses and cast blame. This particular narrative came without much evidence. In the end, Democrats failed to see Donald Trump’s path to victory, even though it was in plain sight all along, obscured only by the margin of error in the polls the campaign used to predict state-level outcomes.”

“#ThotAudit: The Incel Troll Campaign Reporting Online Sex Workers to the IRS” by Baily Steen: “The term “thot,” for those unfamiliar with such internet slang, stands for “that hoe over there” and can easily apply to popular online harlots who trade nude content of themselves for lustful attention. For those with the right ego, body and branding, the online sex industry yields plenty of rewards, and apparently inspires a lot of sexual frustration. Enter the “manosphere,” the dark hive of online forums often frequented by male members of the far-right, where irritation for women’s sexual liberties abound. On Sunday, such dissatisfied “involuntary celibates” and “meninist” activists took attention away from their complaining about the opposite sex to snitch on the sexual promiscuity of social media’s most eligible “thots,” to the point it even caught the attention of the IRS themselves.”