@kritischelezer@mastodon.social
@kritischelezer@mastodon.social avatar

kritischelezer

@kritischelezer@mastodon.social

I filter out any post that links to Twitter / X because every time you click on it and visit X, you support it. If you want to share something you saw over there, post the content, don't link to it.

Treehugger. Born@324.01ppm. ❤️ Studied philosophy & management for the arts, former computer programmer, love running, science & fiction, coffee, art, dreaming of a better world. Work in education.

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pvonhellermannn, to random
@pvonhellermannn@mastodon.green avatar

There is a thunderstorm here in Eastbourne just now unlike any I have ever experienced. The lightning is so bright it fills the whole room, with blinds down! The whole sky lit up again and again and again. It’s scary and i am scared of what is yet to come (climate change wise).

kritischelezer,
@kritischelezer@mastodon.social avatar

@pvonhellermannn Yeah we have thunderstorms like these in The Netherlands as well, on occasion. There is definitely a shift to more 'autumn' like weather during spring, in my experience, with stronger downpours instead of the gentle spring rains. The seasons are now like autumn-summer-autumn, autumn-like winter. I actually love thunderstorms, but yeah, make sure your electric equipment is safe (don't forget the fridge and your built-in kitchen equipment.)

jensorensen, to ukteachers
@jensorensen@mastodon.social avatar

A bill in Louisiana, HB 777, would make it a crime for librarians to use public funds to join the American Librarian Association or attend an ALA conference, punishable with prison time and hard labor for up to two years.

kritischelezer,
@kritischelezer@mastodon.social avatar

@jensorensen The article doesn't seem to support the headline. It also says "librarians would be sentenced to hard labor for daring to join their largest professional organization". The HB777 text they quote, however, 'only' bans the 'use of public funds' to do so. Still bad, of course, but let's stick to facts. So I'd love to know if librarians doing all this with their own money, are also 'criminalized'.

gwensnyder, to random
@gwensnyder@mstdn.party avatar

Excuse me, but in what WORLD does this disinformatic crank's harmful opinion merit a top-of-page banner headline?

Journalistic malpractice by CNN

kritischelezer,
@kritischelezer@mastodon.social avatar

@summedrobin @GhostOnTheHalfShell @gwensnyder I think this about covers it. Not wanting someone on your platform has nothing to do with free speech.

vicgrinberg, to random
@vicgrinberg@mastodon.social avatar

I love passing by wind turbines. They are such an essential solarpunk element to me. Seeing one feels like a sign of hope: a different future is possible.

kritischelezer,
@kritischelezer@mastodon.social avatar

@vicgrinberg Exactly this. And it makes me proud to 'own' part of one, which provides 80-90% of all electricity I use. I'd love to go visit it, but it's in the middle of nowhere and I don't drive. I just don't get people who consider them ugly. They're the future made real.

vicgrinberg, to random
@vicgrinberg@mastodon.social avatar

Oh ... So I am now officially permanent-permanent with . I guess congratulations to me? If I understood the HR email correctly 😅

kritischelezer,
@kritischelezer@mastodon.social avatar

@vicgrinberg Congrats! Something to be celebrated :)

futurebird, to random
@futurebird@sauropods.win avatar

Are there therapists who specialize in helping children who are stressed out giving tech support to their parents?

My mom is a mathematician. She can program w/ punch cards. But, she & Dad just don't keep up with tech anymore. Drives me nuts.

Gave my dad an iPhone for Christmas. They HATE it. Probably would hate any phone. Now they say it's recording their conversations.🙄

Dad holds down the buttons on the side when he picks it up. Activates the voice assistant... they think it's a hacker.

kritischelezer,
@kritischelezer@mastodon.social avatar

@futurebird I think operating systems need some kind of 'parent(al) controls' - to actually lock out your parents from dangerous functionality.

shoq, (edited ) to random
@shoq@mastodon.social avatar

Please be honest. No one is watching or judging, so there’s no need to puff-up the numbers in this anonymous poll.

How many news outlets, newsletters, or podcasts do you actually pay for?

kritischelezer,
@kritischelezer@mastodon.social avatar

@shoq 3 newspapers (digital), 1 online weekly magazine, 1 YouTube channel (not news) plus tv charges. That is more than I have time for (or money, really) so I should cut back, but I cannot decide which one, plus I think independent news outlets, esp. those without advertising and those who do investigative journalism, deserve support.

sidereal, to random
@sidereal@kolektiva.social avatar

Got tired of having this conversation over and over again so I just spent way too long making this:

kritischelezer,
@kritischelezer@mastodon.social avatar

@sidereal I don't know why we are still discussing this. A kid can solve the problem.

pvonhellermannn, (edited ) to climate
@pvonhellermannn@mastodon.green avatar

Tackling inequality and its causes is the single most important action to address .

We need to be better at recognising and showing everyone that all our interests are aligned - it shouldn’t be farmers against or whatever; we should all be fighting and billionaires together.

https://www.theguardian.com/inequality/2024/jan/15/worlds-five-richest-men-double-their-money-as-poorest-get-poorer?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

kritischelezer,
@kritischelezer@mastodon.social avatar

@pvonhellermannn This seems like an excellent moment to promote prof. dr. Ingrid Robeyns' upcoming book 'Limitarianism'. She used to be my ethics professor in Rotterdam until the Utrecht University offered her the Chair in Ethics of Institutions at the Ethics Institute of Utrecht University. The American book launch was yesterday; on Jan 31st. there will be a book launch in London you can attend. I am currently reading the Dutch version.
https://crookedtimber.org/2024/01/16/ready-for-american-readers/#more-52283

ElleSabine, to books
@ElleSabine@romancelandia.club avatar

I as The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien (prelude to Lord of the Rings). I prefer the narration I have by Rob Inglis, but it doesn't appear to be available to buy anymore. Obv this is a repeat for me (abt once/year). It's a core memory for me as a parent, so someday I want to read the aloud again with a curious & fantasy-loving youngling - that's probably a pipe dream unless the wee one is a dog or cat. @bookstodon
https://amzn.to/3NUJRe7

kritischelezer,
@kritischelezer@mastodon.social avatar

@ElleSabine @bookstodon Check libraries, for those who still want it, and it is also available on archive.org although I do not know if that is legal. But, there is a great alternative: Andy Serkis (Gollum in Peter Jackson's LOTR) has a somewhat similar, deep voice, which is very pleasant to listen to. He's also narrated LOTR and The Silmarillion.

MissingThePt, to random
@MissingThePt@mastodon.social avatar

Weird that in Australia it’s already 2024.

kritischelezer,
@kritischelezer@mastodon.social avatar

@MissingThePt This post will age well.

pseudonymsupreme, to books
@pseudonymsupreme@pnw.zone avatar

Huh. It just occurred to me that not everyone reads all the time. Like, there’s a bunch of people without books they’re reading right now. That concept is so bizarre to me. I’ve always got several books going. Ebooks, audiobooks and physical copies of books. If you don’t read anymore, when and why did you stop? No judgement. I’m genuinely curious. @bookstodon

kritischelezer,
@kritischelezer@mastodon.social avatar

@whatzaname @pseudonymsupreme @bookstodon That description hit home. It's been depression for me, for a long time, and when I finally managed to pull myself up by the hair, as they say here, and started reading and studying again, I lost a dear friend and was hammered with grief. Days are spent behind a computer, first working, then just browsing, netflix, games. Anything but actual thinking. To read is to think, for me, so it feels like I've been in hiding. Still am. Hope to get where you are.

Private
kritischelezer,
@kritischelezer@mastodon.social avatar

@The_BookishWolf @bookstodon 'Whoever we are, we are human. And as humans, we have the power to connect (...) across many of the broad, deep lines scored across our societies & psyches. We can't do this by bombarding people with more data, facts & science showing they're wrong, or heaping on the judgment and guilt. Instead, we have to start with respect & with something we both agree on:bonding over a value we truly share & then making the connection (with) a changing climate.' Hayhoe, Saving us

ItsTrainingCatsAndDogs, to random
@ItsTrainingCatsAndDogs@kolektiva.social avatar

deleted_by_author

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    kritischelezer,
    @kritischelezer@mastodon.social avatar

    @ItsTrainingCatsAndDogs I think a single good study can completely overturn scientific consensus. And that is, I think, because scientific consensus is not the same as 100% proof. Usually it is just 'the best proof we have so far, based on what we know now.' Suppose we discover some new property of something we thought we understood- but that new property is not explained by the old consensus? A new study could then blow that out of the water.

    georgetakei, to random

    Propriety is still a thing. https://www.comicsands.com/kevin-brennan-matthew-perry-death-2666100144.html?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=infeed&utm_campaign=linkprogram

    kritischelezer,
    @kritischelezer@mastodon.social avatar

    @georgetakei If he still has a job anywhere, it's time to fire him. THAT would be funny.

    Private
    kritischelezer,
    @kritischelezer@mastodon.social avatar

    @AutisticAdam @actuallyautistic On the positive side: imagine a world where everyone felt like you and acted on it - so much useless crap would not be bought or even produced. The environment would be far better off with less stuff. And yes, like @Dr_Obvious says - consumables are so much better..

    futurebird, to random
    @futurebird@sauropods.win avatar

    How do people go through life not knowing what weevils are? I was talking about ants to a teacher the other day and mentioned something about weevils & they were like "what are weevils?"

    "Like beetles but with the long snoot to drill acorns and trees."

    "drill acorns!?"

    "That's how they end up hollow"

    "oh."

    "That's how acorn ants have a place to live!"

    "oh. I didn't know so much was going on in acorns."

    "That's not even the tip of the iceberg!"

    I'm astonished.

    kritischelezer,
    @kritischelezer@mastodon.social avatar

    @futurebird Thanks, now I know! And I promise to tell at least one other person. But I am curious about your weevil too, now. Can you tell us when you find out? Otherwise... weevil never know!

    BBC_News_Labs, to journalism
    @BBC_News_Labs@social.bbc avatar

    Our latest guest post by Media Cymru fellow Shirish Kulkarni explores the cultural changes needed in journalism, and how we can give audiences more value by finding ways to tell different stories, in different ways

    https://bbcnewslabs.co.uk/news/2023/2023-10-news-for-all/

    kritischelezer,
    @kritischelezer@mastodon.social avatar

    @BBC_News_Labs Interesting article! Regarding the climate crisis, I would suggest taking communication suggestions from Dr. Katherine Hayhoe's book Saving Us. ( @kathhayhoe ) It is a very interesting and educational read and helps you learn how to talk about the crisis without adding to the doomism- which media still often do- and without pushing people in the wrong direction (which happens e.g. if they feel their identity is under attack).

    futurebird, to random
    @futurebird@sauropods.win avatar

    It's really interesting that there is a perceived dichotomy separating intelligence from emotion when we consider the cognitive processes of humans and other animals.

    There are no examples of animals we'd call "intelligent" that aren't also "emotional" -- emotions are probably the foundation of everything we describe as intelligence.

    But, there is still a tendency to portray emotion and intelligence as distinct or even as opposite and opposed.

    kritischelezer,
    @kritischelezer@mastodon.social avatar

    @futurebird Suggested reading: Martha Nussbaum's 'Upheavals of Thought - The Intelligence of Emotions'. It's what got me interested in philosophy.

    tayfonay, to random
    @tayfonay@beige.party avatar

    Our friends with whom we're embroiled in an ongoing battle of obnoxious gifts that we send to each other since they moved to KC are visiting tonight. Got the guest room all set up for them.

    kritischelezer,
    @kritischelezer@mastodon.social avatar

    @ned Nonsense, I'm sure they'll wake up peeling fresh and fruity, tomorrow!

    kissane, to random
    @kissane@mas.to avatar

    The full-on genocide of the Rohingya kicked off when Rohingya insurgents targeted Burmese security posts and murdered a bunch of civilians, after which Myanmar's military murdered tens of thousands of Rohingya civilians as part of an ethnic-cleansing operation that left 700K+ Rohingya people traumatized and displaced. About half of them children.

    I'm finding it impossible to process the news and work and try to be a human online at the same time, so I'm going to tap out for a bit.

    kritischelezer,
    @kritischelezer@mastodon.social avatar

    @kissane You've done a lot of work on this story... now is a good time to put yourself first for a bit- take care of yourself, and experience some love and caring among people. That still exists, too.

    Private
    kritischelezer,
    @kritischelezer@mastodon.social avatar

    @me @actuallyautistic @AutisticAdam @halfbit_ And that.... sounds like the Socratic method. It helps you not make bold statements that polarize the room, and you get to have the joy of leading others to see the (possible) contradictions or faults in their reasoning. With the side benefit of you getting to understand where they get their ideas from.

    breadandcircuses, to politics

    Want to hear some crazy radical ideas?

    Check this out...

    ❝ Capitalist society as it exists today is, in my opinion, the real source of evil. Private capital tends to become concentrated in few hands, partly because of competition among the capitalists, and partly because technological development and the increasing division of labor encourage the formation of larger units of production at the expense of smaller ones.

    The result of these developments is an oligarchy of private capital, the enormous power of which cannot be effectively checked even by a democratically organized political society. This is true since the members of legislative bodies are selected by political parties, largely financed or otherwise influenced by private capitalists who, for all practical purposes, separate the electorate from the legislature. The consequence is that the representatives of the people do not in fact sufficiently protect the interests of the underprivileged sections of the population.

    Moreover, under existing conditions, private capitalists inevitably control, directly or indirectly, the main sources of information (press, radio, education). It is thus extremely difficult, and indeed in most cases quite impossible, for the individual citizen to come to objective conclusions and to make intelligent use of his political rights. ❞

    That's from 1949 (!) and it was written by...... wait for it...... Albert Einstein.

    LEARN MORE -- https://archive.ph/jvlFD

    ALTERNATE LINK -- https://glenhendrix50.medium.com/einstein-in-1949-predicted-how-and-why-society-would-go-sideways-d9ab65ed4882

    kritischelezer,
    @kritischelezer@mastodon.social avatar

    @breadandcircuses The article itself is even better. Love his ideal of a socialist society, and the insight that that was (and is, in the US) a powerful taboo.

    blinry, to random
    @blinry@chaos.social avatar

    Germany currently has a ticket that allows you to use all regional trains in the whole country!

    Today, I wanna play a game of random travel with it!

    And I need your help: During my trip, I'll post a couple of short-running polls, and you can vote for which train I should take, or where to get off. 😆

    My hope is to see new places and get lost! I'll make up the rules as I go.

    I will start at Hamburg Central Station. First poll soon!

    kritischelezer,
    @kritischelezer@mastodon.social avatar

    @blinry you should do this with a friend from a different city and try to meet in time for lunch!

    kissane, to random
    @kissane@mas.to avatar

    Just posted part one of my series on Meta in Myanmar:

    https://erinkissane.com/meta-in-myanmar-part-i-the-setup

    …and a little meta-post with notes about names and sourcing and all that stuff:

    https://erinkissane.com/meta-meta

    This series is what I've spent a good chunk of the last few months—and all my available hours in the past month—researching and writing.

    I'll probably do a real thread tomorrow, but I am very grateful to have the thing up there.

    Three more parts to go over the next few weeks. 😬

    kritischelezer,
    @kritischelezer@mastodon.social avatar

    @kissane Thanks for this. It is also a great Long Read for those interested in the tension between advocates for free speech and those fighting hate speech. Musk should read this and be warned what his Twitter/X policies encourage and can lead to, and policy makers need to read this and think hard on what is needed to (re)balance the right to free speech with the right to be protected against discrimination. Hate speech should be banned by law - that would force (social) media to act.

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