guidovs - Network

Interesting Times #3 – Convulsions of a Capitalist SystemThe second issue of interest, that of the suicidal convulsions of a capitalist...

Interesting Times #3 – Convulsions of a Capitalist System

The second issue of interest, that of the suicidal convulsions of a capitalist system, is easier to explain. Or at least quicker? I hope 😉 ... It intersects with our previous topic in interesting ways, but we'll get to that. Rent-seeking is as old as the hills, but because of human nature it keeps getting reinvented in interesting new ways. And one of these new ways is turning everything into a service.

https://van-seeters.nl/blog/interesting-times-3-convulsions-of-a-capitalist-system/

Interesting Times #2 – A Major Media RealignmentThis (beginning of the) post is me putting into words, and thus leaving out some bits and...

Interesting Times #2 – A Major Media Realignment

This (beginning of the) post is me putting into words, and thus leaving out some bits and emphasizing others, "Populism, Media Revolutions, and Our Terrible Moment" video by Hank Green. Highly recommended, including its bibliography. It's great. Hank starts the video by explaining how radio was the first time that one persons’ voice could reach millions at once, and what a major shift this meant in how society received…

https://van-seeters.nl/blog/interesting-times-2-a-major-media-realignment/

Interesting TimesAccording to the great Terry Pratchett the saying "may you live in interesting times" was part of a trilogy. Now...

Interesting Times

According to the great Terry Pratchett the saying "may you live in interesting times" was part of a trilogy. Now I don't know about that, but I do recognize a narrative hook when I see one. Because I think our current interesting times present themselves in a trinity. First there's the man-made climate catastrophe, second is our being in the middle of a major media realignment and third are the suicidal convulsions of a capitalist system that…

https://van-seeters.nl/blog/interesting-times/

So apparently Terry Pratchett was also an Oblivion modder in his spare time? Who knew!...

So apparently Terry Pratchett was also an Oblivion modder in his spare time? Who knew! https://www.eurogamer.net/the-story-behind-the-oblivion-mod-terry-pratchett-worked-on

An apple a day …Somewhat lighter fare today. So if an apple a day keeps the doctor away ... you can imagine what an orange a day does!...

An apple a day …

Somewhat lighter fare today. So if an apple a day keeps the doctor away ... you can imagine what an orange a day does! That's right, it lowers your risk of getting depression. I wonder if orange juice carries the same benefits ...

https://van-seeters.nl/blog/an-apple-a-day/

Surf99 is getting more popularHey look, The Verge agrees with me that "surfing like it's 1999" sounds kinda fun!The future of...

Surf99 is getting more popular

Hey look, The Verge agrees with me that "surfing like it's 1999" sounds kinda fun!The future of the internet is likely smaller communities, with a focus on curated experiences But in all seriousness, of course this idea has been bouncing around the internet for a while. Today I read a great post having to do with the 'other side' of surfing like it's 1999: not having Big Tech around yet: it's an overview of tools that can help you…

https://van-seeters.nl/blog/surf99-is-getting-more-popular/

It’s not misinformation that’s the problem, it’s our fractured ‘democratic publics’On Henry Farrell's Programmable Mutter...

It’s not misinformation that’s the problem, it’s our fractured ‘democratic publics’

On Henry Farrell's Programmable Mutter newsletter he posted something that ties into what I've been thinking about a lot lately. He states that the main (social) media problem, is not that misinformation runs rampant, but rather that it fractured our 'democratic publics' i.e. our common view or understanding of society and the world at large. I hope I'm getting that right, his full…

https://van-seeters.nl/blog/its-not-misinformation-thats-the-problem-its-our-fractured-democratic-publics/

A picture to liven up our documentation at work ... I'm posting it here to remind myself ;)

A picture to liven up our documentation at work ... I'm posting it here to remind myself ;)

What if you don’t recognize healthcare reform as leftists politics?Every election cycle I wonder what leads people to vote a certain way....

What if you don’t recognize healthcare reform as leftists politics?

Every election cycle I wonder what leads people to vote a certain way. I think it was after the first time that I voted myself that I started to think: "Wait, why do people vote for certain parties?" I know why I vote, but I'm not sure everyone votes for the same reasons. Later during my sociology classes I learned the history of thought about these behaviors: from the idea of the rational actor all…

https://van-seeters.nl/blog/what-if-you-dont-recognize-healthcare-reform-as-leftists-politics/

Social media eternal septembered QAnon into the mainstreamSorry for the clickbait title, I couldn't resist 😉 . What do I mean by it...

Social media eternal septembered QAnon into the mainstream

Sorry for the clickbait title, I couldn't resist 😉 . What do I mean by it though? On the January 29 episode of "Panic World", Ryan Broderick of the Garbage Day newsletter had a discussion with Alex Goldman (former co-host of the Reply All and current host of the Hyperfixed podcast ). In this discussion Broderick mentioned an idea he had, which lodged the following question in my head:

https://van-seeters.nl/blog/social-media-eternal-septembered-qanon-into-the-mainstream/

Beleid in een Duivelse DriehoekDe "duivelsdriehoek", gecodificeerd in de literatuur van projectmanagement maar herkenbaar ver...

Beleid in een Duivelse Driehoek

De "duivelsdriehoek", gecodificeerd in de literatuur van projectmanagement maar herkenbaar ver daarbuiten, die in het Engels overigens niet onder die naam bekend is, volgens mij is de vertaling die er het meest op lijkt de "iron triangle". Kort samengevat stelt de duivelsdriehoek: "Goed, snel, goedkoop. Kies er twee." Onlangs moest ik denken aan deze driehoek, toen ik een 'De kamer van Klok', een podcast van de Volkskrant aan het…

https://van-seeters.nl/blog/beleid-in-een-duivelse-driehoek/

Out with the old(((fash)))ioned, in with the new…With Zuckerberg giving people a new impetus to leave his Meta-spawn, I've noticed a...

Out with the old(((fash)))ioned, in with the new…

With Zuckerberg giving people a new impetus to leave his Meta-spawn, I've noticed a resurgence in interest for the Fediverse the last couple of days. So I thought it would be prudent to paste some links here so I can point back to this post if any colleagues or friends want some more information. Want to explore some fresh options quick?

https://van-seeters.nl/blog/out-with-the-oldfashioned-in-with-the-new/

"Being a person with deadly, incurable cancer who is nonetheless still alive for an indefinite timeframe gives me an interesting...

"Being a person with deadly, incurable cancer who is nonetheless still alive for an indefinite timeframe gives me an interesting metaphor that helps me deal with things like large-scale corruption in government or commerce."

- een prachtige intense les van Mishell Baker op bksy:
https://bsky.app/profile/mishellbaker.bsky.social/post/3lg7sh3sehs2f

Like jealous gods, these apps demand constant sacrifices: of our time, our attention, even our relationships. We are told we are saving time...

Like jealous gods, these apps demand constant sacrifices: of our time, our attention, even our relationships. We are told we are saving time through the products of the appistocracy and yet we have no time. They’ve hollowed out the malls, stores and other public spaces — even ourselves, as we spend more time alone. 

- journalist Ken Klippenstein in zijn laatste nieuwsbrief over wat "modern day robber barons" achter Trump op het podium bij diens inauguratie nu echt bijdragen aan de wereld.

Causes of Problems: A DiagramOn SLRPNK, a solarpunk Lemmy instance (Lemmy being the Fediverse alternative to Reddit) I found this cool...

Causes of Problems: A Diagram

On SLRPNK, a solarpunk Lemmy instance (Lemmy being the Fediverse alternative to Reddit) I found this cool diagram. I'm thinking a lot about this lately and seeing it put so clearly in a picture was pretty nice so I couldn't _not_ share it. It's one of Dave Walker's 'diagrams'.

https://van-seeters.nl/blog/causes-of-problems-a-diagram/

BIBOIn IT as in many other fields, we have the phrase "bullshit in, bullshit out". You can (practically) never get useful data out...

BIBO

In IT as in many other fields, we have the phrase "bullshit in, bullshit out". You can (practically) never get useful data out of your system if you don't put useful data in. So articles like this make me really wary of all the hype surrounding LLM based GenAI: AI trained on AI garbage spits out AI garbage…

https://van-seeters.nl/blog/bibo/

Equity vs. EqualityThere's this pretty famous picture about equity and equality and fairness that sums up the concepts pretty well. In...

Equity vs. Equality

There's this pretty famous picture about equity and equality and fairness that sums up the concepts pretty well. In the version below it's highlighted that one of the people is effectively shorter because of a disability so there's even a little ramp added in the second picture. Now a new version or 'remix' did the rounds on Lemmy this week and it was on of those moments where you already had an idea floating around in your head, but a piece of…

https://van-seeters.nl/blog/equity-vs-equality/

Facts vs framingSo I think I had framing on the brain, my last post being about false dichotomies and all. It keeps popping up, of course...

Facts vs framing

So I think I had framing on the brain, my last post being about false dichotomies and all. It keeps popping up, of course ramped up to eleven in election cycles. These examples are just two stories I encountered yesterday, but they provide a perfect example. "Europeans fear migration more than climate change" and "The economy is thriving under Biden. So why don’t Americans believe it?"

https://van-seeters.nl/blog/facts-vs-framing/

Very poignant quote about the current state of AI I think - from Ryan Broderick in yesterdays https://www.garbageday.email/...

Very poignant quote about the current state of AI I think - from Ryan Broderick in yesterdays https://www.garbageday.email/ newsletter.

"[...] the biggest issue with the AI industry — beyond, you know, the ethics — is that it has to massively over-hype what is actually extremely boring technology because it’s exorbitantly expensive to run."

False dichotomiesI was listening to the latest episode of If Books Could Kill, a podcast criticizing popular non-fiction books, about...

False dichotomies

I was listening to the latest episode of If Books Could Kill, a podcast criticizing popular non-fiction books, about Michael Lewis's Going Infinite. According to the podcast, in this book about the rise and fall of Sam Bankman-Fried and his company FTX, Lewis at one point apparently paints the case of crypto vs the traditional economic system as a choice between the two: a choice in which there is seemingly no grey area.

https://van-seeters.nl/blog/false-dichotomies/