@CurtAdams@urbanists.social avatar

CurtAdams

@CurtAdams@urbanists.social

Semi-retired biologist with interests in speciation models, urbanism, liberal/left politics, economics, quartertone music theory, boardgames, ambient music, house rabbits, and yoga.

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. Browse more on the original instance.

gemelliz, to internet
@gemelliz@mstdn.ca avatar

& business:
"These companies are drawing $10 BILLION a year in ad revenue out of --paying zero tax here on that income.
But they'll use mob tactics to skip out on a 3% tariff.
TorStar & Postmedia have, between them shed $600M annually in annual payroll since 2011. Taxpaying journalists gone.
Just think of the journalism We. Could. Have. Had.
Accurate & verified information is the lifeblood of democracy."


More @garossino here:
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1674860211444785152.html

CurtAdams,
@CurtAdams@urbanists.social avatar

@gemelliz @garossino Megacorps are going to fight tooth and nail against doing the right thing. It's like the scorpion and the frog; it's just what they are.

If we want responsible social media, we have to create it ourselves. Mastodon is good; I also think Canada would be wise to have a government-run social media platform that could, amongst other things, prioritize important news like the wildfire situation.

StillIRise1963, to random
@StillIRise1963@mastodon.world avatar

"The Great Lakes provide drinking water to over 40 million people in the US and Canada, hold about 90% of the US’s freshwater, and are home to 3,500 species of plants and animals."

90% of Great Lakes water samples have unsafe microplastic levels – report

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/aug/17/great-lakes-water-microplastic-pollution-contamination

CurtAdams,
@CurtAdams@urbanists.social avatar

@StillIRise1963 What a nightmare, and still very little is being done to even slow the increase. What's in the water will get into fish and livesick as well.

Jyoti, to streaming
@Jyoti@mas.to avatar

Amazon: Get Prime and watch GREAT TV when you want, no ads!

Me: Cool. How about this film?

Amazon: Naah, that's 13 quid!

Me: Ummm... I thought I'd already paid for it but.. okay, how about this one?

Amazon: Good choice, that's FREE... with ads.

Me: Hold on...

Amazon: CAN YOU BELIEVE HOW GOOD A DEAL WE'RE GIVING YOU?

+ +

CurtAdams,
@CurtAdams@urbanists.social avatar

@darkphotonstudio @Jyoti I don't see how anytging like current streaming could work financially. Viewers pay far less per hour than with DVDs, but the video costs the same to film. They have tried to cover this up by not paying actors and writers, but that gig is up.

br00t4c, to random
@br00t4c@mastodon.social avatar

Salt Lake City woman faces charges after alleged shooting 'over a parking spot': report

https://www.alternet.org/salt-lake-city-woman-parking/

CurtAdams,
@CurtAdams@urbanists.social avatar

@br00t4c

cazabon, to Rabbits

Way back when, I wrote a thread on house rabbits, and how they're different because they are prey animals, not predators like cats and dogs. That thread starts here:
https://mindly.social/@cazabon/109882459730036423

One thing I didn't mention is that, like many other prey animals, they are extremely good at hiding health problems. You've heard how the jackals will separate the weak or sick member from the herd; prey animals evolve to disguise being sick or weak.

1/x

CurtAdams,
@CurtAdams@urbanists.social avatar

@cazabon @Satori So sorry about Luna. I can see what a good life you gave her by how happy she looks in those pics.

garius, to history
@garius@mastodon.me.uk avatar

To understand Musk's renewed obsession with X and focus on financial services, you REALLY need to understand the X/Confinity merger that became PayPal.

And, particularly, the Peter Thiel-led coup that kicked Musk out as CEO/Chief Strategist.

Here's how that happened. 1/🧵 #history #technology

CurtAdams,
@CurtAdams@urbanists.social avatar

@garius What a missed opportunity. Musk almost destroyed Peter Thiel's fortune!

RollingStone, to random

Cole Wagner helped muscle into the Alabama Constitution an amendment declaring the state recognized “the sanctity of unborn life and the rights of unborn children.”

Now Wagner has been arrested for the sexual abuse of a child under the age of 12. https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/anti-abortion-leader-child-sex-abuse-1234794177/

CurtAdams,
@CurtAdams@urbanists.social avatar

@RollingStone Another Republican sicko.

timkmak, (edited ) to random
@timkmak@journa.host avatar

Are you finding Mastodon to be less vibrant/active?

I’m worried that we are not getting as much engagement on our Ukraine war reporting as we used to.

We’re trying to decide which social media platforms to continue posting on, given how much effort it takes to replicate across all of them.

If you want to send a signal to us that we should keep posting here, will you sign up for our newsletter? http://Counteroffensive.substack.com

I’m only asking Mastodon users today so we can gauge impact.

CurtAdams,
@CurtAdams@urbanists.social avatar

@timkmak Still seems pretty active to me. I'm already signed up.

Studio_Gal, to indonesia
@Studio_Gal@mastodon.social avatar

Saw the planet Mercury in the sunset-lit horizon for the first time in my life.

It’s the faint speck in the middle of this photo. His sister Venus is bright in the upper left hand corner.

Mercury became brighter as the sky darkened but this is only a photo with my simple cell phone and it will have to suffice.

Speechless.



CurtAdams,
@CurtAdams@urbanists.social avatar

@Studio_Gal Mercury is hard to spot, which makes it a delight when you can. I got hooked by a rare easy view 25 years ago with Saturn, Venus, and Mercury close in a line.

CurtAdams,
@CurtAdams@urbanists.social avatar

@matthewtoad43 @Atemu @Aatube There's an important political side effect to EV adoption. Carbon taxes have been a heavy political lift, mostly because people don't want to pay more for gas. Once 51% are driving EVs, tho, carbon taxes will be popular, and that will speed a host of useful adaptations.

CurtAdams, to random
@CurtAdams@urbanists.social avatar

Bankers are more honest when working at home. Is this why bank managers and CEOs want them back in the office?
https://fortune.com/2023/07/18/new-research-suggests-bankers-are-5-times-less-likely-engage-financial-misconduct-working-home-careers-finance-gleb-tsipursky/

ZachWeinersmith, to random
@ZachWeinersmith@mastodon.social avatar

http://smbc-comics.com/comic/garfield

CurtAdams,
@CurtAdams@urbanists.social avatar

@ZachWeinersmith Garfield the comic strip has been a zombie for a while now.

StillIRise1963, to random
@StillIRise1963@mastodon.world avatar

" There is an argument that it is ethnically targeted," Kennedy said of the virus, according to the Post. "COVID-19 attacks certain races disproportionately... COVID-19 is targeted to attack Caucasians and black people. The people who are most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese."

This man is a TOTAL FUCKING LUNATIC.

RFK Jr. suggests COVID-19 could have been 'ethnically targeted' to spare Jews

https://www.rawstory.com/rfk-jr-2662283859/

CurtAdams,
@CurtAdams@urbanists.social avatar

@StillIRise1963 Note he still uses weasel words: "An argument could be made". He KNOWS it's a lie and he KNOWS it's reprehensible.

But he says it anyway.

taylorlorenz, to random
@taylorlorenz@mastodon.social avatar

A single citizen in AL claimed that multiple ppl had died from a “boat jumping challenge” on TikTok & the national media ran dozens of stories and TV segments

But it was a lie. No such “challenge” existed, no deaths have been linked to TikTok https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/07/13/tiktok-boat-challenge-fake-misinformation/

CurtAdams,
@CurtAdams@urbanists.social avatar

@taylorlorenz Similar to the "Tide Pod Challenge" panic. People have died from eating laundry pods, but only very young children and elderly with dementia. Nobody died from the "challenge". But reporting often conflated it with the real but unrelated deaths, and pods are still locked up in some stores.

StillIRise1963, (edited ) to random
@StillIRise1963@mastodon.world avatar

I'm 59. When I was born, segregation existed, interracial marriage was illegal and women were not allowed to have credit cards in their own names until I was 11 years old. CIVIL RIGHTS ARE A NEW THING.

CurtAdams,
@CurtAdams@urbanists.social avatar

@StillIRise1963 I'm 58. There was a clique of KKK supporters at my high school.- I don't just mean racist, I mean literally, knew who the current Grand Wizard was, etc. I spent a lot of time arguing with them. Yeah, civil rights are new and the opposition has been continuous.

CurtAdams,
@CurtAdams@urbanists.social avatar

@StillIRise1963 @servelan @StandUp2Fascism @LizDylan @SharonGibson3 @TenPenny When I was a kid Darren seemed perfectly reasonable. Now if I try to watch it he seems - insane? Sociopathic? Certainly really messed up.
That probably says something about me and growing up.

CurtAdams,
@CurtAdams@urbanists.social avatar

@servelan @StillIRise1963 @SharonGibson3 @StandUp2Fascism @LizDylan @TenPenny Do you mean "would get humiliated on national TV"?

mekkaokereke, to random
@mekkaokereke@hachyderm.io avatar

🤔 Do bicycles create empathy? Or do people that care about other people, tend to care about bikes?

Why is there such a big overlap between "bike infrastructure radicalized people," and "people that care about people that are different than themselves?"

Why is there such a low overlap between "people with trash hateful takes" and "people that want more bike infrastructure?"

CurtAdams,
@CurtAdams@urbanists.social avatar

@amaditalks @mekkaokereke Good bike infrastructure is a great boon for disabled people. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSGx3HSjKDo And this is useful not only for those with mobility disabilities, but also for many people with vision and neurological disabilities who can't drive anything, not even those insanely expensive wheelchair-adapted vans.

breadandcircuses, (edited ) to environment

<sigh> Here we go again...

"For the fourth day in a row, Earth has broken or equalled its hottest average temperature record"

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-07-07/climate-change-average-temperature-record-thursday/102577828

I'm worried that people will become inured to this if it keeps happening again and again, as it probably will.

Of course, ignorance, apathy, and/or resignation already are the prevailing responses to the existential threat we face. So why should this change anything? 🙁

CurtAdams,
@CurtAdams@urbanists.social avatar

@breadandcircuses This is beyond nuts, to have Thursday break the all-time world record set Tuesday by breaking the all-time world record set Monday.

I can't think of a clearer call for action. Things are worsening even faster than the pessimists expected.

StillIRise1963, to random
@StillIRise1963@mastodon.world avatar

The U.S. government needs to leave Twitter and state that privately owned social media is unreliable, prone to corruption and full of misinformation. It should open its own instance in the Fediverse and tell citizens they can find reliable information there.

CurtAdams,
@CurtAdams@urbanists.social avatar

@StillIRise1963 Absolutely. In general the post office should provide connectivity services. The world is moving from paper to electrons and they should be allowed to also.

Teri_Kanefield, to random

deleted_by_author

    •
    CurtAdams,
    @CurtAdams@urbanists.social avatar

    @Teri_Kanefield As the old saying goes "Don't get mad, get even." Emotions exist to motivate you. If being mad makes you actually do something, great. Otherwise it's counterproductive and find some way to be less angry.

    ncrav, (edited ) to random
    @ncrav@mas.to avatar

    Lua: "I'm on the Hooman bed while daddy is trying to read with one hand"

    CurtAdams,
    @CurtAdams@urbanists.social avatar

    @ncrav I am also trying to figure out how to do a lot of things one-handed these days., for the same reason.

    stevesilberman, to random
    @stevesilberman@newsie.social avatar

    Never forget that the thing that made it possible for to kill affirmative action was racist Republican voters electing the most dangerous traitor in US history who appointed paid-off justices that perjured themselves in confirmation hearings.

    CurtAdams,
    @CurtAdams@urbanists.social avatar

    @stevesilberman Another important part of Republicans being able to destroy affirmative action is all the people saying there's no difference between the parties or that Democrats aren't good enough to deserve support. There is a big, big difference. We saw it with Dobbs and we saw it again today.

    GottaLaff, to random
    @GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

    Was there ever a doubt? #Theocracy on line one:

    #SupremeCourt rules for #Christian postal worker who refused to work on Sundays

    https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/supreme-court-rules-christian-postal-worker-refused-work-sundays-rcna84868

    CurtAdams,
    @CurtAdams@urbanists.social avatar

    @cowvin @GottaLaff How about a religion which requires new parents to take 6 months off for a new baby? Gotta protect them from malign spiritual influences, you know.

    CurtAdams,
    @CurtAdams@urbanists.social avatar

    @corm @1993_toyota_camry Sort of? All cars ruin our lives. But gas cars also ruin the planet, where electric are substially better now and will be almost carbon free in 30 years or so. Getting rid of cars in general is very desirable, but getting rid of gas cars is an existential necessity.

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