idk what it is about kids these days that makes them so funny but in any case my friend just told us about how her younger sister babysits for a 7 and 9 yr old and one day they said they wanted to play “bus drivers” and they made wheels and everything but then the game was just being bus drivers at a union meeting discussing their problems
uh so i never do this but maui is quite literally on fire and there isn't nearly enough care or consideration for. you know. Native Hawaiians who live here being displaced and the land (and cultural relevance) that's being eaten up by the fire. so if ya'll wanna help, here's some links:
maui food bank: https://mauifoodbank.org/
maui humane society: https://www.mauihumanesociety.org/
center for native hawaiian advancement: https://www.memberplanet.com/campaign/cnhamembers/kakoomaui
hawai'i red cross: https://www.redcross.org/local/hawaii/ways-to-donate.html
please reblog and spread the word if you can't donate.
^They're currently taking donations for Maui mutual aid
My next book is The Internet Con: How to Seize the Means of Computation: it’s a Big Tech disassembly manual that explains how to disenshittify the web and bring back the old good internet. The hardcover comes from Verso on Sept 5, but the audiobook comes from me — because Amazon refuses to sell my audio:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/doctorow/the-internet-con-how-to-seize-the-means-of-computation
Amazon owns Audible, the monopoly audiobook platform that controls >90% of the audio market. They require mandatory DRM for every book sold, locking those books forever to Amazon’s monopoly platform. If you break up with Amazon, you have to throw away your entire audiobook library.
That’s a hell of a lot of leverage to hand to any company, let alone a rapacious monopoly that ran a program targeting small publishers called “Project Gazelle,” where execs were ordered to attack indie publishers “the way a cheetah would pursue a sickly gazelle”:
DRM ON FUCKING BOOKS???
The publishing industry 100% loves DRM on books. Like the publishers themselves will often insist upon it because they think it stops piracy.
FUCK DRM!
Also, fantastic to hear Cory Doctorow’s got another book out! 😁
FYI, the Kickstarter includes your choice of audiobook, ebook, and/or hardcover copy of the new book!
You can buy DRM-free ebooks from ebooks.com. I don’t know anything about their ethics or how big a cut they take (feel free to milkshake duck them for me), but I have bought books from them just to avoid supporting Amazon and ebook DRM.
And audiobooks purchased through Libro.fm are also DRM free and a portion of the sale supports indie bookstores.
Wisconsin Republicans: “Hey, let’s allow 14 year olds to work in bars, what can possibly go wrong?”
They're just trying to protect the kids!
“I am against child trafficking pizza basements by Hillary and all the woke people who insist being gay is cool, but a tiny 14 year old girl in a bar surrounded by a bunch of angry drunk guys is fine.”
I'm reminded of this:
PragerU’s cartoon videos for children downplay our country’s history of slavery, racism, colonialism and police brutality. Other states are following.
The Florida Board of Education recently approved the classroom use of materials from PragerU, an unaccredited right-wing advocacy group. The organization's "edutainment" materials can be used as "supplemental curriculum" in Florida classrooms because it aligns with the state's revised civics and government standards for the upcoming school year.
PragerU CEO Marissa Streit confirmed that the nonprofit organization had been approved as a vendor and that its educational entertainment content could be incorporated into the curriculum by teachers without fear of being fired.
“We have seen that our schools have been hijacked by the left. They have been politicized, they have been used by union bosses, they have been doing everything under the sun not for our children,” Streit said when announcing the vendor status. "And so we have launched PragerU Kids and we started providing great 'edutainment,' educational entertainment for children across America."
PragerU has drawn criticism from economy, history and culture experts on some of the topics, who argue they misrepresent history and contain inaccuracies.
The following videos each teach about a separate aspect of society and may provide a preview of what's to come in Florida schools.
Los Angeles: Mateo Backs the Blue
In PragerU Kids' 2023 video "Los Angeles: Mateo Backs the Blue," viewers follow Mateo, an animated 13-year old student and son of Mexican immigrants to Los Angeles, as he attempts to understand the issues surrounding U.S. police and Black Lives Matter protestors.
According to PragerU, the video will "teach middle and high school kids how the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement and anti-police sentiment affected crime, families, and small businesses in American cities," through Mateo's journey to "learn from a local law enforcement officer what he can do to help and make a difference in his community," because he is worried for his family's safety.
Throughout the video, the opinions of Mateo and his school's Resource Officer, Officer Suarez, are often framed as historical or statistical fact while also containing broad generalizations. In the video, Mateo compares Los Angeles' protestors to Mexican cartel members over what he perceives to be a safety threat to his family.
I was so disappointed to boot up the character creation for Baldur's Gate 3's full release, only to see they added tattoo designs that are very clearly copying from sacred tattooing practices of the Inuit and the Māori.
^ This is clearly copying Tunniit.
^ This is clearly copying Tā moko.
Please do not use these tattoos. Larian should never have included these designs. I personally plan on modding them out of the game at the first opportunity.
“Retired conservative Judge J. Michael Luttig, who advised Mike Pence on the eve of Jan. 6 that he had no power to play functionary in Trump’s coup, declared this week that the GOP is no longer a political party able to function in a democracy. Trump took and maintains control of the GOP for precisely this reason. He embodies the one principle left in the GOP: Power is only legitimate when it’s wielded by Republicans.”
🫶🏾🖤
Dropout is back in production. 🫡 Details below. 👇 As I mentioned, Dropout is not associated with the AMPTP, who negotiates on behalf of the majority of studios and streamers. But truthfully, there’s no such thing as a “struck company.” There are instead “struck contracts” and “not-struck contracts.” We assumed Dropout’s contract - the New Media Agreement for Non-Dramatic Programming - was struck because it wasn’t specifically on a list of non-struck contracts. After speaking at length with our lawyers and with SAG, turns out that is not the case. So, Dropout can return to business as usual. And because our shows were never struck, talent can go back to promoting their Dropout appearances. 🎉 SAG’s decisions are in part strategic. Small streamers like us continuing to work while the major streamers cannot gives us a competitive advantage and puts more pressure on them to make a deal. 😎 But make no mistake about it: We continue to support our striking performers and their cause. - Between Dropout and me personally, we have donated $20,000 to the Entertainment Community Fund. - If anyone doesn’t feel comfortable working with us or promoting their work during the strike for whatever reason, we respect that position. - While we already pay above minimums, we will continue to go above and beyond to reward and protect our performers *and* crew members, and plan to put even more of our money where our mouth is before the end of the year. Dropout fans, thank you for your support and solidarity during this uncertain time. Keep supporting the Entertainment Community Fund - - as well as the pet projects of your favorite creators. And with that, it’s back to work. ⛏️
