Nick @internic@social.cleverlibre.org

The @verge's Nilay Patel writes eloquently about how journalism erred in relying on "platform daddies" like Twitter. He says, rightly, that they shouldn't make the same mistake now.

But he doesn't mention federated systems like Mastodon, offering only the briefest nod to Bluesky, and that comes in a passing quote from a journo is is making the same mistakes.

https://www.theverge.com/c/features/23993135/twitter-breaking-news-history

CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens hand out medical records to cops without warrants

Lawmakers want HHS to revise health privacy law to require warrants.

https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/12/cvs-rite-aid-walgreens-hand-out-medical-records-to-cops-without-warrants/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

Even CNN is picking up the "hey, uh, Netanyahu actually helped fund Hamas to destabilize the peace process" story:

https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/11/middleeast/qatar-hamas-funds-israel-backing-intl/index.html

NOT NEWS: Stanford epidemiologist who wrote 324 papers from 2020-2022 expresses grave concern about the proliferation of "extremely productive authors" who wrote a mere 180 or more papers during the same period, suspects fraud is at play, blames global South.

NEWS: Nature sees fit to cover it.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-03865-y

At least 347 species known to have been killed by house cats are threatened, endangered or extinct. Please keep cats indoors https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/cats-kill-a-staggering-number-of-species-across-the-world/

US FCC reaffirms decision to reject the long-form application of Elon Musk's Starlink internet satellite system to receive public support through the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund program, based on the applicant’s failure to meet the program requirements.

The numbers are in: X made $2.5 billion in revenue this year, compared to roughly $5 billion in 2021 and $4.4 billion in 2022. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-12-12/musk-s-x-2023-ad-sales-projected-to-slump-to-about-2-5-billion?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTcwMjQxNjQ0NywiZXhwIjoxNzAzMDIxMjQ3LCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJTNTdSS0dEV1gyUFMwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiJDRTY1NERDODFGN0E0RTA4QjUyOTBEQTRFMjhFOTQ0RiJ9.v7liD0ZngdncaYFPf3w35Mf0NiE0VEHzfWMbUiHhmlk

Broadcom ends VMware perpetual license sales, testing customers and partners

Already-purchased licenses can still be used but will eventually lose support.

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2023/12/broadcom-ends-vmware-perpetual-license-sales-testing-customers-and-partners/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

Tesla again threatens to sue Cybertruck buyers who try to resell the cars

Clause deleted from public version of terms is in the contract sent to buyers.

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/12/tesla-again-threatens-to-sue-cybertruck-buyers-who-try-to-resell-the-cars/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

Elon Musk reverses Twitter ban of Sandy Hook shooting-denier Alex Jones

Musk asked Jones to address "the whole Sandy Hook thing" in interview on X.

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/12/elon-musk-reverses-twitter-ban-of-sandy-hook-shooting-denier-alex-jones/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

Apple’s biggest open source projects, Swift and WebKit, continue to regularly post on Twitter, and have no active presence on Mastodon.

it took a really long time to get here but I finally have a proper Atari 2600 Myst cartridge...

Why are so many American pedestrians being killed by car-drivers at night?

Fascinating piece in the New York Times (free link here: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/12/11/upshot/nighttime-deaths.html?unlocked_article_code=1.FE0.uEMf.FuV3jZhYzZHu&hpgrp=k-abar&smid=url-share) on this question

After years of decline, the number of pedestrians killed by drivers began to rise in 2008

No-one's quite sure why

Embiggified vehicles don't seem to be the cause ..

Thouhg distracted driving does seem to be part of it

Also: more people living alongside massive highway-eseque suburban roads

Super multi-factorial

SCOTUS refuses to take up a case about whether state and local governments can enforce laws banning conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ children. https://apnews.com/article/af3539f21f8618218b5029236182395d

‘Tis the season to remember that all of Santa’s reindeer are female.

You see, males drop their antlers after the Autumn mating season, so since the world’s most celebrated reindeer are always depicted with spectacular antlers, we must assume that Ol’ Saint Nick’s entire intrepid team - including Rudolph - are female. #science #Christmas

If you're up before the sun tomorrow you can catch Venus and the Moon in the East. The bright star Arcturus is actually the 4th brightest in the whole sky.

On the locked Polish trains story:

'CERT Poland confirmed to The Register that the team had disclosed their findings and that the cyber security agency had alerted relevant authorities. That was more than a year ago, and The Register understands that the ongoing lack of action is partly what motivated the researchers to go public with their findings.

'Janusz Cieszyński, Poland’s former minister of digital affairs, has since explained on social media that the president of Newag contacted him to say that the firm had been victimized by cyber criminals. Cieszyński added that the analysis he saw suggested otherwise'.
https://www.theregister.com/2023/12/08/polish_trains_geofenced_allegation/

The need for meaningful inheritance taxes -- steep ones above some heirs-are-still-absurdly-rich threshold -- has never been more clear.

Banker-for-the-rich UBS data shows that family dynasties are becoming the primary system by which the ultra-rich come about their money.

It is completely unearned income but they pay minuscule relative taxes.

https://www.ubs.com/global/en/media/display-page-ndp/en-20231130-the-great-wealth-transfer.html

Security expert Bruce Schneier looks at "AI and Trust" and digs into the nuances. You should read this. https://www.belfercenter.org/publication/ai-and-trust

Super mad at Apple again tonight as I realize that you cannot have the Music app without Radio, the TV app without trailers for TV+, the or the Podcasts app without an un-hideable screen full of hideous murder-related content or the app store without exploitative IAP gambling-for-kids garbage. I can lock down a device so that a child can't listen to songs with the F-word in them but there is *no* way to say DO NOT SHOW THEM ENCOURAGEMENTS TO GAMBLING ADDICTION.