Don’t panic over milk prices. Inflation is bad for the 1 percent but helps out almost everyone else. It’s true, we’re talking about the cost of milk having gone up from say $10.00 last year to $10.62 this year, due mostly to supply constraints from the pandemic last year. But wages went … Continue reading Inflation Is Good for You

The extremes will hit hard. First off, it’s Celsius we’re talking about, so it’s 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, but we’re actually headed towards 3 degrees Celsius or 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit. But that’s a global average, parts of the world will exceed 115 degrees Fahrenheit, oceans will rise, and so much more. It will … Continue reading A world warmed by 2 degrees is way hotter than it sounds

But make no mistake: Facebook’s parent company, Meta, is not out of the facial recognition game. Big announcement that Facebook is ending Facial Recognition and deleting the data they have. That doesn’t mean they won’t be starting it right back up when they move to 3D worlds with Meta! Duh! Besides, TikTok … Continue reading Facebook makes big show of kinda ending facial recognition

The debt ceiling debate is genuinely absurd: Congress authorized the spending of new dollars, so the Treasury has to create them. For Congress to turn around and force the Treasury not to create the dollars it ordered the Treasury to create is an obvious political gimmick. Hence the trillion dollar coin… Now … Continue reading The true, Terry Pratchett-esque origins of the trillion-dollar coin – Cory Doctorow

Instead of issuing new debt and running afoul of the debt ceiling, the Treasury secretary could simply fund the government by minting platinum coins. In 2013, even former US Mint Director Philip … Continue reading The guy behind “Mint the Coin” to end the debt ceiling: The trillion-dollar scheme, explained by its inventor – Vox

[Facebook Whistleblower] Frances Haugen’s suggestion to switch feeds back to chronological order could change everything. Haugen suggested a few remedies, some of which we’ve heard before, such as reforming Section 230 protections against legal action. … Continue reading Here’s a Simple Way to Make Facebook Less Terrible – Bloomberg

And why it isn’t about us. …for a selection of high-stakes issues that could lead to real world harm, internet companies may need restrictive rules. We should be wary of happily silencing voices we don’t like in the public sphere, because we are conditioning ourselves to accept that silencing as the way … Continue reading YouTube’s Ban on Misinformation

Best video yet about climate change and what can be done. Very much worth watching! Source: Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell – Can YOU Fix Climate Change? Continue reading Can YOU Fix Climate Change?

China is cracking down on pessimistic financial blogs and social media accounts, as well as fraudulent ones; analysts worry independent voices will be silenced (Financial Times) Could it be that something similar … Continue reading China is cracking down on pessimistic financial blogs and social media accounts, as well as fraudulent ones; analysts worry independent voices will be silenced

Not all states shoulder the same share of the student debt crisis. This is preventing graduates from being able to do the things their parents did, like buy a home. The government could wipe this debt out with a keystroke if it wanted to. It’s time to take this option seriously. Source: … Continue reading America has $1.73 trillion in student debt—borrowers from these states owe the most

Livestock companies with large emissions receive billions of dollars in funding, campaigners say But people love their meat and dairy! Source: 20 meat and dairy firms emit more greenhouse gas than Germany, Britain or France | Meat industry | The Guardian Continue reading 20 meat and dairy firms emit more greenhouse gas than Germany, Britain or France | Meat industry | The Guardian

“Rather than bouncing back, places hit repeatedly by hurricanes, floods and wildfires are unraveling,” reports the New York Times. “Residents and employers leave, the tax base shrinks and it becomes even harder to fund basic services.”That downward spiral now threatens low-income communities in the path this week of Hurricane Ida and those … Continue reading Climate Change Is Bankrupting America’s Small Towns – Slashdot