- Cop randomly and repeatedly face-punches a 12-year-old girl playing with a puppy. (At least this one got arrested.) (H/T DB)
- The ultimate bail reform: murder your client.
- In Japan, lonely seniors (especially women) are committing petty crimes to earn the security and stability of prison.
- Robert Tracinski asks, “Was social media a mistake?” and begins an experiment to find out.
- On F*c*b**k, Cambridge Analytica, and absurdly sloppy rules for accessing user data. And want to know three simple ways you’re giving data away to FB? And we’re talkin’ really, really simple here.
- Still using Windows 10? Also use Microsoft’s native email client? Be prepared to be forced to use their favored browser to open links, no matter what your default settings. (H/T MJR)
- Cop mistakes man’s daughter’s cremains for illegal drugs.
- Bruce Krebs on his acquaintance with Adrian Lamo the “homeless hacker” who betrayed Chelsea Manning.
- Nope, that’s not creepy at all.
As a part of my job in IT, I use Windows 10 as well as Outlook 2016. When accessing Microsoft apps such as Sharepoint or the Office 365 admin functions, their Edge browser is mandatory.
The old cliche is for people to leave their work in the office and not bring it home with you. Well unfortunately a policeman’s job is not a 9 to 5 job where the day’s events and stimuli can be turned off. Add to that the fact that policemen are immersed in the dark side of life and are forever trying to thwart criminal intentions and behavior. Drugs, slave rings, forced prostitution, gangs, family disputes that turn violent, and all that the police have to contend with on a day to day basis. It must have an affect on the brain and psyche where you see the garbage of society and not always the good. I have been promoting a one year paid sabbatical for all police officers after each 10 years of service. A period in which the policeman can unwind, smell the flowers, and get their head back on straight. Go th their kids ball games, go fishing, hiking, and anything to clear the mind.This may also help to reduce the heavy drinking among the ranks.
Just something to ponder!
Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody apologized on Twitter for the deputy’s actions shortly after the incident, saying it was a “a tough choice but the right call” for police during the arrest and that “WillCo demands professionalism.”
The sheriff wasn’t upset that Danford beat up a little girl for no apparent reason. He was upset that anyone would ‘reflect badly on the department.’
Could be worse, I suppose. Had the cop set the girl on fire with a flash-bang, it probably would have been in accordance with department policy. Or maybe policy demanded that the girl be shot instead.
I’m just surprised the guy who curb-stomped the cop lived to tell the tale.
Wow, MetLife totally redefines the term “mood rings” don’t they? This is REALLY creepy. As pointed out, AI has limited success with language itself, so interpretation can’t possibly be ‘good’ yet.
Creepier yet is the idea that it should be used as background surveillance (regardless of purpose) at work, or that Alexa et al are going to be using it in our homes. (MIne is safe because I distrust such tech as a default approach to where I’d turn my home into a faraday cage if I could just to thwart outside uninvited listening or ‘back-scatter X-ray’ snooping Before it happens.) But think of the glorious possibilities Comrade. If Alexa, or Echo can tell you’re distraught, or talking to yourself, or saying anti-government things, it can tell your local party authorities who can come confiscate all your weapons in order to protect you from yourself. Wouldn’t THAT be glorious progress! Oh yessss.
A buddy of mine put it so well: “F*c*b**k sucks away your soul, one mouse click at a time”….
The story of the Japanese elder ladies is so sad, but also confusing. They are evidently not all stealing just to get into jail… a truly terrible idea as far as I’m concerned. Better than suicide? I don’t know. Not much, I think. But maybe the jails in Japan are not as bad as they are in America.
The 3 ways Facebook slurps your data:
1. You use your browser to go to their site (this is really bad as they slurp up browser history and stuff like that).
2. You use your phone app. This is crazy bad, because they get your location, even if you disable that in Settings.
3. You don’t use Facebook at all, but your family and friends do. They connect the dots and get a surprising amount of info on you.
So basically you’re screwed and there’s nothing you can do about it.
The point is not that this is censorship and they should be regulated. The only thing worse than social media controlled by petty tyrants in Silicon Valley is social media controlled by petty tyrants in Washington DC. In any case, regulation is unnecessary. These platforms have power and influence because we gave them power and influence. The moment enough of us stop doing it, they turn into MySpace.
Bring that on.
I’ve occasionally wondered whether I’ve missed anything by avoiding Facebook all these years. Most of my neighbors and what little family I have apparently go on and on there, and I frequently miss interactions and info I’d have enjoyed being in on. But I didn’t, and I won’t, and it’s beginning to look like the right long-term choice.
But maybe the jails in Japan are not as bad as they are in America.
The sentences for petty theft certainly seem longer than in the U.S., even for repeat offenders. I almost wonder if the phenomenon has anything to do with how regimented Japanese life is supposed to be?
Even in the U.S. a lot of shoplifting has nothing to do with needing the items stolen, or even having any use for them.
Social media broke a communications stranglehold, which was a great thing. Then some of it was co-opted by Silicon Valley, who are now censoring those they don’t approve of, which was not-so-good. But so far SV doesn’t, and can’t, control the internet. Alternatives will arise for those censored, which is a good thing. The alternatives will then want to censor those who censored them, which is not-so-good. Again, alternatives will arise.
The pendulum swings.
Meanwhile the cream of the crops, like Living Blog, will rise to the surface. 🙂
Back when I worked domestic violence/rape crisis/suicide hotlines we learned “Active Listening,” which taught us to evaluate what callers were saying and how they were saying it for emotional content. Now it’s being automated. [shrug] For good listeners it’s going to be like the sensor in my car that starts blinking right after I feel the tires lose traciton.
Not to say the technology can’t be misused.
Edge sucks. Explorer features i depend on were eliminated, and a bunch of useless new “features” were added.
larryarnold posted: Edge sucks. Explorer features i depend on were eliminated, and a bunch of useless new “features” were added.
Yeah, it does, but when you’re using a Microsoft web product, anything else will be buggy.
I’m also curious about this idea of forcing links to open in their custom browser. Didn’t MS get in big legal trouble for doing similar things with IE years back? Weren’t they ordered to stop forcing users into their custom browser?
I realize legal issues have all manner of subtleties, but this certainly seems to push that boundary.
Claire, all I’m relating to is that in the working world when dealing with Microsoft web products such as Sharepoint and the Office 365 admin console, I use Edge as that’s what works. BTW, I’m retiring from this world at the end of this year…
For those of you who know about Barbara4u2c, she has an interesting video about freedom of speech and Europe vs. U.S.