Continue reading “Matt Taibbi: If You’re Not With Us, You’re MAGA”
Month: June 2023
Twitter Deals With a Censorious Twit
A couple day ago we wrote about the Federal Government’s new, insidious plan to legislate on “misinformation and disinformation”. That distracted us from our writing about insidious legislation already in place, and the insidious nature of its recent application. Here we go.
Last week, Twitter was hit with a “demand” from Julie Inman Grant, Australia’s eSafety Commissioner. Fanfared with an eSafety media release, a “Twitter must come clean” sermon from Inman Grant herself, and a predictably gullible SMH puff piece from champion stenographer, Jordan Baker, the demand was in form of a legal notice, “seeking information about what the social media giant is doing to tackle online hate on the platform”. Continue reading “Twitter Deals With a Censorious Twit”
Dissing Information
We were preparing a post on some Australian Orwellian nonsense when news came out of even worse Australian Orwellian nonsense. So, first B, here, and then we’ll get back to work on A. Continue reading “Dissing Information”
A Quick Word on Recording Teachers
If you record a teacher in their classroom without their knowledge, you are an asshole.
If you are a parent or a Principal relying upon such a recording to criticise a teacher, you are an asshole.
If you upload such a recording to social media, you are the worst kind of asshole.
If you are a public commentator or media company relying up such a recording for cheap laughs and/or cheap sanctimony, you are the worst kind of asshole and the worst kind of leech.
If you consume such media or social media and regard the teacher to be the fundamental problem, you have got things way, way wrong.
Short of a demonstrable crime, none of the above is countered by arguing, even correctly, how bad was the teacher’s conduct.
Are we clear? Continue reading “A Quick Word on Recording Teachers”
The Devolution of Games
I’m not sure if this is really a thing, but I’ve run into it a number of times and it feels like a thing. In recent years I’ve come across again long-familiar games only to find that there has been instituted some change, a serious simplification of some rule or the introduction of some perverting element. Readers can make of it what they will, but here are four games from my childhood and their subsequent alterations. Continue reading “The Devolution of Games”
Musical Interlude 2: Robert Webb’s Voronoi Thought Bubble
Last year, I posted on Robert Webb and his wild music videos: you can watch Robert’s videos here, and you can listen to, and purchase, his music here. Robert has just released a new music video, Thought Bubble. The video, which received a “special mention laurel” at the United Kingdom Music Video Festival, is based on Voronoi diagrams, and is cool and weird.
Robert’s Thought Bubble video is below, and the various forms of buying/streaming can be found here. Please support Robert: he’s a great guy and an amazing artist.
Continue reading “Musical Interlude 2: Robert Webb’s Voronoi Thought Bubble”
WitCH 104: They Cantor Won’t Get it Right
Yesterday, after posting our GAT WitCH, we were contacted by Mysterious Chris. He flagged another set of questions from the same exam:
Continue reading “WitCH 104: They Cantor Won’t Get it Right”
WitCH 103: You’re Blocked
The following is a set-up and associated questions on last week’s GAT. Continue reading “WitCH 103: You’re Blocked”
Crikey, That’s Bad
On Friday, Crikey published an opinion piece by Guy Rundle. Within hours, after wide and strong criticism, Crikey “unpublished” Rundle’s piece and apologised to readers and to the subject of the piece. Crikey gave reasons for this, and it seems the overwhelming majority of people who have read the piece agree with Crikey. I don’t. I believe Crikey’s unpublishing Rundle’s piece was a mistake. Continue reading “Crikey, That’s Bad”
WitCH 102: A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Map
Some years back, I enrolled in the teaching Masters at the University of Melbourne. I lasted three days.
I can’t remember much specific of the nonsense I was presented, but I do remember clearly a tutorial-workshop in which we students were asked to construct a mind map of something or other. My fellow students went happily to work but I had never heard of such a thing. So I asked, and the kindly tutors explained what a mind map was. My reaction, possibly vocalised, was “What’s the point?” Continue reading “WitCH 102: A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Map”