Metaviews

The consequence of believing in the myth that data (or AI) is neutral, is that it discourages people from asking what agenda that data serves, or what biases it may have. This kind of critical thinking is essential in a world of automated decision making in which that data is used to judge us and govern our working lives.

My brain is definitely starting to short wire. I’m packing knowledge into my head at a pace and quantity that is unprecedented. Although such volume is necessary if I am to keep my pandemic related rage at bay.

Facebook has a meta problem. They lack the critical distance and proper governance to understand their power or their problems. The problem with their problems is not just that they fail to appreciate them, but that they are arguably not in a position to understand them at all.

One of the benefits of writing a daily newsletter for over a year and a half is that we begin to return to stories and cycles that are worth revisiting. The phrase we’ve adopted is APT or active persistent threads, and trust is certainly one of them.

I got an email last week from a long time fellow traveler, Andrew Clement, pointing me to a new paper that he had participated in producing.

Pablo Hasel is a Catalan rapper and political activist who was imprisoned last week in Spain for promoting terrorism. In an unsuccessful effort to avoid arrest (he had already been convicted), Pablo barricaded himself inside of a University. After his apprehension, protests and riots occurred throughout Catalunya for the rest of the week.