Easy Like Sunday Morning 3.3.24 - Twirling Towards Freedom

Last train home! A gift from the heavens, or just one more of these before it goes paid. This time next week, only the paid subscribers will be getting these extra reads, which will be fortified with what I’m reading, playing, and watching. That’s right, FD is going to have Movie, Book, and Game lists, to meet popular demand. So if you were on the fence, get off of it! You might only regret it a smidge.

Spirals of Delusion (Foreign Affairs) AI can’t make novel decisions, it can only summarize or cross-reference existing info. Because of that, the decisions it makes usually cleaves to the orthodox or existing power structures. This is how the autocrat clings to power, while also getting worse and worse intel about the outside world. Worth the email if this is your jam.

Recycling Doesn’t Work—and the Plastics Industry Knew It (New Republic) Expected and depressing at the same time. We recycle because it makes us feel better, not because it actually helps the planet.

Data will not tell you what to do (Inside Data) Related to the first piece, data isn’t like oil. It’s not a resource that’s inherently valuable, it’s valuable depending on how you use it. Sand can be put into sandbags to keep a home dry, or it can be turned into glass. It’s up to you, but it’s not going to do the work for you.

China Takes a Backseat (Foreign Exchanges) The Taiwan election didn’t orbit China, for once, and the world’s narrative about the region is probably better for it.

The Staggering Ecological Impacts of Computation and the Cloud (MIT Press Reader) I used to think the power consumption of crypto was the biggest threat to the planet tech was responsible for. I was wrong, in a big way.

Teen Subcultures Are Fading. Pity the Poor Kids (New York Times) I wish someone actually talked to teens or college kids about this. The idea certainly tracks and will earn many a head nod from the elite parents in the NW & NE of the USA, but I wonder. Who knows, maybe her kids just aren’t cool/don’t belong to the crowds that have “scenes” now? Like, the kids at Book Club parties seem cool enough?

Walmart's Under-the-Radar Data Coup: VIZIO (Ad Lingo) Connected TVs are becoming the new billboards. Why spend money and hope distracted drivers see your sign, when you can just buy ad space on the home screen of their “smart TV” that is in their living room?

 The Political Effects of Neoliberalism (LPE Project) It’s not just NAFTA and econometrics folks! Econ Prof at Princeton, and a Prof & PhD Candidate evaluate how center-left parties have moved away from policies that keep wealth from accumulating, to “market-friendly” or business-friendly approaches, that can best be summarized as “compensate the losers.” This is a striking lens that help us understand how the party of the people became the party of Pelosi. Well-funded DNC/Corporate Democrat priorities will always be different than pro-union, pro-worker priorities.

How US Adults Use TikTok (Pew Research) The top 25% of adults on TikTok, post 98% of the videos posted by adults in the USA. Only 52% have ever even posted a video, and most accounts still don’t bios, profile info, or links. So, don’t think you’re the only one out there who isn’t posting dance challenges, perfect cakes, or clean homes. You’re doing alright.

And finally, Sesame Street bloopers.

Try and rest if you can, life gets hard.tn