Google on C-18
It’s a bill, not a virus. The gist of it is that it requires American tech companies to pay Canadian news organizations for content that appears on their platforms. The…
social media
On Debating Science
Dr. Peter Hotez is a medical doctor in Texas who did his undergrad at Yale and his medical degree at Cornell. He has been successful at creating Covid vaccine technology…
Turns out Facebook didn’t censor or ban Alberta’s premier, but Danielle Smith’s complaint raises a legitimate policy question
It should be well known to everyone now that the claim Alberta Premier Danielle Smith was censored or banned by Facebook is nothing more than a tall tale. Premier’s Office…
The boss is going crazy! She’s practically giving her restaurant away! Plus, big tech is censoring her!
Premier Smith in a flattering photo published by Postmedia along with its flattering story about her restaurant in High River (Photo: Source not identified, via National Post). Yesterday morning, Internet…
The Challenge of Citizen Engagement
I recently read a good opinion piece in The Meaford Independent, titled, The Challenge of Remaining Informed & Engaged in Municipal Governance in Our Busy Modern World, In it, editor…
Why Mastodon
So why did I open a Mastodon account and why do I think Mastodon can replace Twitter. I started looking for alternatives to Twitter soon after Elon Musk purchased it…
Saturday Afternoon Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Kat Eschner interviews John Peters about the growing inequality in wealth, income and influence. And Scott Martin offers a reminder not to conflate…
Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Kelsey Piper writes about the U.S.’ memory-holing of the successes of a vaccine program which resulted in exceptionally quick development and distribution…
Unmasked People, Unmasked in Their Own Way
I think masks separate us like the families in Tolstoy’s famous opening line of Anna Karenina. You know the one: “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy…
Monday Afternoon Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. – Erin Durkin writes about the failure of the U.S.’ government to deal with the growing impact of long COVID – and the likelihood…
Saturday Afternoon Links
Assorted content for your year-end reading. – Allison Maher et al. study how COVID-19 causes fundamental changes to a person’s immune system, resulting in far greater vulnerability to other infections.…
Viral about that Virus
I posted a mini thread yesterday that exploded: It’s nearing a million impressions and it’s still going strong. I’m so glad I turned off comments early on after I got…
A Letter to UCP MLAs
Dear UCP MLAs: I’m a constituent without an MLA because your new leader decided I don’t need one. Apparently urban issues (unlike rural issues) are the same all across the…
A Tale of Two Twitters
It is the best of the Internet, it is the worst of the Internet, it is the purveyor of wisdom, it is the purveyor of disinformation, it is the home…
Kenney’s Legacy: Lessons from Alice
Alice laughed. ‘One can’t believe impossible things.’ ‘I dare say you haven’t had much practice,’ said the Queen…’Why, sometimes I’ve believed in as many as six impossible things before breakfast.’—Lewis…
Sunday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Tom Brodbeck writes about the need to treat the victims of the COVID-19 pandemic as human beings, rather than mere statistics to…
Pandemic Amnesia
Someone told me that we need to adapt to Covid faster, and get used to masks and checking air quality much faster for our own survival. They think our problem…
Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Andre Picard highlights how the response to COVID-19 has been complicated – if rendered all the more important – by the recognition that…
The Dumpster Fire that Is Twitter
Stephen Fry just left Twitter, moments before I started writing this. As recently as a few weeks ago, I would have thought this would be… The post The Dumpster Fire…