Friday, April 28, 2023

I’ve been doing this online thing a long time, going all the way back to BBSes in the 1980s, and every time people are allowed to interact with each other online it turns toxic. Maybe we got it right with Web1.0 and should have just left it there? I think I want to develop a Mastodon client now that only allows you to compose original toots and read others (but no comments!). Or perhaps just a “mindful” client that reminds you that the people you are replying to are actual people with feelings, and then maybe puts your post in jail for 15-30 minutes before allowing you to actually post it. It also should pop up a dialog reminding you “Do not read the comments” before allowing you to read the comments.

Any country that allows legislators to pick their voters is not a functioning democracy.

And speaking of non-functioning democracies:

“And life was indeed good for the Robertses, at least for the years 2007 to 2014. During that eight-year stretch, according to internal records from her employer, Jane Roberts generated a whopping $10.3 million in commissions, paid out by corporations and law firms for placing high-dollar lawyers with them.”