Wednesday Wondering 10.11.23 - Premium Basic

This seems totally fine and not at all problematic. But, that’s not what you’re here for, so instead, an assortment of foreign & domestic for your perusal and/or distraction.

How Trump’s MAGA movement helped a 29-year-old activist become a millionaire (Associated Press) Charlie Kirk has 3 properties? Non-profit laws really are loose, huh?

Trump Connections Visualized (Kim Albrecht) Mind-boggling connection graph of the Trump Maelstrom. It’s no map of QAnon, but what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.

US ad revenue at Musk's X declined each month since takeover (Reuters) & Twitter/X now lets you restrict replies to X Premium subscribers (Mashable) & X is Looking To Launch New Tiered Premium Pricing Packages (Social Media Today) X/Twitter continues its slow-moving car crash, as predicted in FD #59, with the best NewSpeak names for tiers of service I’ve ever heard. Premium Plus, Premium Standard, and Premium Basic. The last two sound like combo meals I can get in 1984, “I’ll have the DoublePlusGood Cheeseburger, make it a Premium Basic Meal.”

Meta’s H-1B Hiring Spurs Ninth Circuit Look at Citizenship Bias (Bloomberg Law) If Big Tech is following Musk’s lead, prioritizing the hiring of H1-B visa holding engineers, this should make Americans very, very mad. H1-B holders can’t quit without losing their visa, so they’re forced to swallow terrible conditions and pay.

A Mideast Deal Signed in Blood (The Nation) While the situation deteriorates in Gaza, this piece illustrates why now and not next month, year, or generation. Saudi Arabia & Israel were very close to mutual recognition, which would put the final nail in the coffin of the two state solution, as the strongest supporter of it in the region, would prioritize other things. This is not an excuse, but a reminder of one of the motivations, that’s all. (Editor’s Note: To be crystal clear, we condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the attacks on civilians and the kidnappings done in the name of Palestinian liberation by Hamas. All Middle East Lives Matter.) 

The Nones, Atheism & Non-affiliated Worldwide (Associated Press) A fascinating look at the growing population of people not affiliated with any religious group, or declaring themselves atheist. Both are seriously risky in many parts of the world, as the AP does a wonderful job illustrating.

Unity CEO John Riccitiello Steps Down After Pricing Blowup (Wired) Our pick for “Fuck Around and Find Out” award of the week, game over for that guy.

TikTok users are chasing easy money by reposting viral videos from China (Rest of World) The thing covered in FD #60 comes up! It’s a job to repost videos from Chinese TikTok to American TikTok. I gotta say, that’s better than being a Wal-Mart greeter.

The strange, secretive world of North Korean science fiction (Ars Technica) The more stories we imbibe, from as many places as we can, the deeper we can empathize and dream.

Overchoice and How to Avoid it (The Prism) Positive decision-making hacks! It’s not just Sith and slot machine mechanics, these are legit easy to understand and helpful. Also, MAXIMUM OVERCHOICE.

We’ve Hit Peak Beverage (Taste Cooking) “Permissible Indulgence” sounds like a thing you get from the Pope, but there is a startling variety in “not crap beverage for 5-10 bucks” out there. Are any of them actually good?

Quote of the week

Perfection is the enemy of progress. Don’t worry about being perfect, it’s impossible anyway.

Poem of the week

Vibe of the weekSometimes, you just need some obscure trance in your life.

Keep your head up,T