annaleen

annaleen, 5 months ago to random

What the actual fuck. One of my favorite political commentators, Mehdi Hasan, has been speaking out very eloquently, with his usual evidence-based arguments, in favor of Palestinian rights. And as a result, MSNBC canceled his popular show. This is a terrifying sign that so-called free speech in this country is anything but free. https://presswatchers.org/2023/11/msnbc-cancels-mehdi-hasan-a-truth-teller-in-a-time-of-crisis/

annaleen, 1 year ago to fediverse

Here is my article about #Mastodon, the #Fediverse, and federalism for The Atlantic. I did NOT write the headline, which suggests the article is about Ben Franklin (never mentioned in the article) and Bluesky (mentioned a couple of times). LOL but I'm still really excited for you to read this!!! https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2023/05/social-media-centralism-fediverse/674041/

annaleen, 2 months ago to random

Would you like to install our new feature 'help me write' in your browser? It's a text-generating spell made from the ground-up bones and wrung-out hearts of underpaid writers, sprinkled with algorithms torn from the livers of overpaid AI engineers whose ethics team colleagues were all fired for revealing how the spell was cast. DO YOU WANT TO INSTALL

annaleen, 11 months ago to random

My latest for New Scientist, on Bluesky's approach to building community. Reader, it is not good. https://archive.is/BCauW

annaleen, 2 months ago to random

I feel very strongly about calling Elon Musk's social media platform "X" because I want to remind people that Twitter is gone -- it's dead. And we know who killed it. We need to acknowledge the power that one edgelord billionaire has over our public sphere, and remind ourselves that we cannot reclaim that space. We can't make it "ours" again by calling it Twitter. I'd rather build up new spaces online than chase after the memory of one that is lost.

annaleen, 1 month ago to random

A science fiction obsession led me to psychological war. I spent the past three years researching and writing a book about the history of psychological warfare in the United States, and it's coming out in early June. Not all the gems I discovered could be crammed into the final manuscript, and I've been dying to share what I found in the archives ... check out my latest newsletter to see some amazing treasures from a history that's rarely told.
https://buttondown.email/thehypothesis/archive/how-a-science-fiction-obsession-led-me-to/

annaleen, 3 months ago to random

Last month I wrote about how Silicon Valley investors secretly bought thousands of acres of California farmland. Their plan is to turn it into an instant city called California Forever. Jan Sramek, who helms the California Forever project, has continued to present his ideas to community groups, but with no concrete clarifications about how it will be sustainable, nor where its water will come from. Read more on @newscientist (open access with a free NS account).
https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26034712-800-the-weird-tale-of-california-forever-a-tech-billionaire-instant-city/

A screenshot of the headline from my article, which is "The weird tale of California Forever, a tech billionaire instant city." The subhead reads, "A group of Silicon Valley investors wants to see a brand new community for 50,000 people rise out of the dirt north of San Francisco. It's really not a good idea." Below is a picture of the land bought by California Forever -- rolling hills with a small highway running through it, flanked by power lines.

annaleen, 8 months ago to mastodon

#Mastodon is #calm media, part eleventy billion: I clicked on a post that completely enraged me, and returned to my timeline full of inchoate plans to write something pointlessly scathing. Immediately I saw like ten people having a nice, helpful conversation about software configurations. Lost the urge to yell and continued on with my day.

annaleen, 11 months ago to random

History shows that patriarchy is not natural, nor does it begin with fathers in families. According to Angela Saini, author of the new book THE PATRIARCHS, patriarchy begins with state power, and slowly works its way into families. In addition, men did not gain power over women by being "stronger." They did it by setting up networks of political support -- and by systematically dismantling support for women. This recent LSE lecture from Saini is a fascinating listen. https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/patriarchy-where-did-it-all-begin/id279428154?i=1000614580804

annaleen, 3 months ago (edited 3 months ago) to random

The advance reader copies of my forthcoming book have arrived and they are beauties! Thanks to @wwnortonlibrary for supporting this investigation into how we can stop culture wars in the U.S. -- by understanding their history, and recognizing psychological weapons before they harm us and our communities. #StoriesAreWeapons drops in early June but you should pre-order now! Imagine how pleasing it will be to have an antidote to culture war this hot presidential race summer. #bookstodon #books

annaleen, 5 months ago to random

In my latest column for New Scientist, I talk about the emerging field of trust and safety, and why it's crucial to the future of our digital public sphere ... and yet is consistently overlooked or undervalued. You can read the article for free -- you just need to sign up for a free account. https://www.newscientist.com/article/2403999-trust-and-safety-the-most-important-tech-job-youve-never-heard-of/

annaleen, 1 year ago to random

Support the WGA strike! This is one of the first strikes (that I know of) to focus on preventing companies from replacing writers with algorithms. Seems like something that newspaper guilds will grapple with soon too. https://www.wgacontract2023.org/strike-hub

annaleen, 9 months ago to random

I'm re-reading 1984 for the first time in ... decades, maybe? I had forgotten how much it's focused on the Newspeak conlang and the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis that language structures consciousness (or unconsciousness, in this case). In the edition I'm reading, there's an afterword by the social psychologist Erich Fromm, who wrote in 1961 that the novel is "a mood." I think Orwell wanted to emphasize that fascism is a mood as well as a system. A feeling of hopeless loneliness.

annaleen, 3 months ago to random

My novel #TheTerraformers is on sale as an ebook across all platforms for $1.99 in the U.S. this week!!! Check it out here: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250228062/theterraformers

annaleen, 11 months ago to random

I do not like it when scientists and technologists mine science fiction for ideas and then say "I'm turning science fiction into science!" Science fiction offers stories about discoveries in a social context. The context is the point. Without it, saying an innovation was inspired by science fiction is basically branding. It's flashy and misleading, and probably motivated by a desire for profit.

annaleen, 8 months ago (edited 8 months ago) to random

I was initially denied paxlovid for my COVID infection, but I could catch a ride in an unsafe, self-driving taxi prone to random behavior at intersections. Seems normal. My latest column for New Scientist is about how our priorities are wrong when it comes to new tech. https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg25934540-100-our-priorities-are-all-wrong-when-it-comes-to-new-technologies/ (Note: You'll need to create a free account to read the article.)

annaleen, 4 months ago to books

It's award nomination season! For your consideration, the best two things I published this year: The Terraformers, a novel, and "Unhearable Music," a short story which appeared in Rolling Stone's "future of music" issue. Thanks to all the kind people who supported me by publishing these strange stories about future ecologies, and mega-gratitude to my readers, who made The Terraformers a success.

You can read "Unhearable Music" here: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/unhearable-music-science-fiction-1234770203/ #books #sciencefiction #bookstodon

annaleen, 10 months ago to random

What if we replaced executives and marketing departments with AI instead of replacing journalists and editors?

annaleen, 9 months ago to random

It's #caturday and two black kittens named Infrared and Ultraviolet have fused together into a Power Ranger-esque configuration by snuggling so closely that their bodies are indistinguishable from one another.

annaleen, 1 year ago to random

Based on two unscientific polls I conducted here, people's biggest fears about the future of the Fediverse are: 1) volunteer moderator burnout; 2) too much defederation causes fragmentation; 3) people are driven away by racism; and 4) Mastodon.social gets too big.

Here are the polls:
https://wandering.shop/@annaleen/110318754714238485
https://wandering.shop/@annaleen/110318806416458197

annaleen, 9 months ago to random

On strike against AI! In my latest for @newscientist I talked to a member of the WGA negotiating team about why writers are striking to stop AI from writing TV and movies. https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg25934500-700-unions-strike-to-save-the-world-from-bad-tv-and-movies/

annaleen, 9 months ago to random

Somebody asked me recently if I feel like I'm pouring out a million thoughts in a rush when I'm writing. No, I said, it's more like when you're squeezing really thick frosting out of a piping bag and you're slooooooowly pushing it out and trying to make designs that look half-decent on your cake but the frosting keeps getting stuck and you have to constantly squash it while also attempting to be artful.

annaleen, 8 months ago (edited 8 months ago) to random

Bay Area humans! Tonight, 9/20, I'll be in conversation with the inimitable Naomi Klein, to discuss her new book DOPPLEGANGER. The event is in Oakland, 7pm, at the First Presbyterian Church. Tickets are still available, starting at $12. https://app.gopassage.com/events/naomi-klein

annaleen, 7 months ago to random

FACTS. CHECK THEM. WHEN YOU SEE A FACT, CHECK IT.

annaleen, 10 months ago to random

I am a tech nerd and commentator who jumps on every new social media thing but I have absolutely no interest in the non-organic, autotuned community McMansion that is Threads. Seriously, do we really need another product from the "we didn't invent fascism, we just give the people what they want" company?