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lariati commented on The “misinformation problem” seems like misinformation   slowboring.com/p/misinfor... · Posted by u/dtjb
SpicyLemonZest · 4 years ago
It's interesting to consider, but the article references multiple political scientists who've studied conspiracy theories and concluded that they don't spread faster today. Is there a reason to believe they're wrong?
lariati · 4 years ago
I think this partially a myopic view from young people.

I remember being a little kid and watching a week long show about the JFK conspiracy on either one of the big 3 networks or PBS. Area 51 alien conspiracy is so ubiquitous I don't even know how you would track it 30 years ago.

Alex Jones that is banned from youtube for all these crazy conspiracy theories he puts out use to be on practically nationally on AM radio stations for hours a day. The Art Bell show was broadcast nightly for decades and was maybe even more insane than Alex Jones.

It is telling that the people who are weaponizing this concept of "misinformation" do not point it at all at Bigfoot researchers. What is more "misinformation" than the idea of giant apes running around the US forest? Of course, that doesn't count because there is no political gain to be had.

The whole process is so transparent.

We basically have epistemological certainty as long as their is political gain to be had from the certainty. JFK assassination is probably the best example. The theta/time decay has all evaporated on the political gain from the conspiracy so that no longer matters.

lariati commented on The “misinformation problem” seems like misinformation   slowboring.com/p/misinfor... · Posted by u/dtjb
lmm · 4 years ago
> The Earth is a flat disc.

> Is this misinformation, wrongthink, or both?

You missed the fourth option: it's neither. No-one would call it misinformation or wrongthink; rather it's false, or a lie if you're feeling judgemental. I think the person you replied to has made a good point.

lariati · 4 years ago
Noise?
lariati commented on The “misinformation problem” seems like misinformation   slowboring.com/p/misinfor... · Posted by u/dtjb
Tycho · 4 years ago
“Misinformation” appears to be a term used by people who don’t want to take on the burden of proof when accusing someone of lying.
lariati · 4 years ago
If we follow the science then what does "misinformation" mean in an information theory context?

It has no meaning at all. Since it basically has no meaning it does make it quite a good word in a propaganda context. We can make this word mean whatever we want.

It is a shame we don't use the concept of noise or a noisy channel in a wider context.

lariati commented on Why introverts excelled at working from home   bbc.com/worklife/article/... · Posted by u/gigglesupstairs
lariati · 4 years ago
I suspect in reality all these narratives are basically fiction.

We know we are really bad at tracking knowledge work productivity but we will make up narratives based off bad data.

I imagine the real story is that the productive people are just as but not more productive at home vs the office and the slackers are walking their dog more instead of walking around the office.

"Office slackers waste time in different ways working from home, everything else basically the same"

lariati commented on The Age of Anti-Ambition   nytimes.com/2022/02/15/ma... · Posted by u/artur_makly
lariati · 4 years ago
I feel like any nytimes article I read is practically written by an algorithm.

"Since the pandemic began, Americans’ happiness has cratered"

As if this isn't mostly because of the disruption to normal life caused by the pandemic?

To me, there is this small group of very loud social media addicts/writers that would be perfectly happy for this pandemic experience to go on forever since it always provides content to write/post about while basically everyone I know in person is utterly burnt out on the whole experience.

lariati commented on Mozilla Foundation places two-page advocacy ad in The New York Times (2004)   blog.mozilla.org/press/20... · Posted by u/samwillis
pjerem · 4 years ago
I use Firefox and Chrome on a daily basis (Firefox for browsing, Chrome because it's well integrated with a lot of IDEs) and I'd argue it's false to say, in 2022, that Firefox is a bloated slow mess. I would not say either that it's faster than Chrome but I honestly doesn't feel any difference.

If I had to choose between the two without the ideological side, I honestly don't know which one I would choose. Probably Firefox for tabs containerization.

lariati · 4 years ago
Totally agree. At least on KDE I really don't notice any difference in performance and always have both installed.

I use Firefox 99% of the time though. I think it is something about the tabs that I like better but it is a minor difference and purely based on personal taste.

lariati commented on How to make the internet small again   raptitude.com/2022/02/how... · Posted by u/walterbell
lariati · 4 years ago
So he is basically going to get bored and binge watch shows on Netflix for 3 days.

The irony to me is I would think curating a website like that is as big a problem as anything. That is going to take up way too much time and space in your brain.

Get rid of the blog, Netflix and social media then most the problems will go away.

No one is doomscrolling arXiv.

lariati commented on Trudeau Invokes Emergencies Act   ottawacitizen.com/news/lo... · Posted by u/friendlydog
ALittleLight · 4 years ago
Civil rights protests against segregation, for example, would see protesters filling up or blocking restaurants that would refuse to serve black customers. Basically - you won't serve black people, we will put you out of business. Sometimes the police would come and arrest people, and that would win sympathy for the protesters, because even people who thought "Maybe black people shouldn't eat be allowed to eat at restaurants" might feel pangs of sympathy at seeing people arrested for just sitting at a restaurant counter.

Now, you can say "The trucker protest isn't as important as civil rights" but that's just a "You shouldn't be protesting" argument. Racists thought civil rights protesters shouldn't be protesting too. If the protesters believe their cause is actually important then it makes sense to protest. But, it only makes sense to protest in ways that are likely to result in changes. Symbols are fine, but empty symbolism isn't enough for something you think is really important.

lariati · 4 years ago
Exactly and the vast majority of people were racists at the time who I am sure did not agree with the protests.

Something has gone wrong though with this trucker protest because people should have already been arrested. LBJ wasn't granting himself power to deal with civil rights protests.

IMO now it is going to turn into some kind of Canadian Reichstag fire.

Some headline like 2/3rds of Canadians want the government to make sure there is never another Reichstag fire is just a matter of time.

lariati commented on Trudeau Invokes Emergencies Act   ottawacitizen.com/news/lo... · Posted by u/friendlydog
fishidns · 4 years ago
You can't do that because 5000 people have blocked essential roads with big trucks. That's tyranny man.

Just because you support the end of restrictions doesn't mean you should support people getting what they want through illegal methods. This is supposed to be a democracy.

Canada just had an election, and the people pro-vaccine and pro-mandates were elected.

Yes, durect democracy and being allowed to all vote on all issues is a nice dream, but for now the system is a representative democracy. And it's not okay to force things through keeping people hostage.

Would you be similarly supportive if 5000 people blocked essential infrastructure with big trucks everytime they want something?

In my opinion, if we were to see a really large gathering, of the kind that BLM saw, then if say, ok, it does seem there's a lot of people who really care about this so maybe have a direct referendum, but this one hasn't met the threshold in my opinion.

lariati · 4 years ago
The irony is this is exactly why the US is a republic and not a democracy.

Direct democracy is 100% mob rule but no one really cares to read the Federalist Papers or the mountain of thought that was put into this at the start of the US.

lariati commented on Trudeau Invokes Emergencies Act   ottawacitizen.com/news/lo... · Posted by u/friendlydog
throwaway894345 · 4 years ago
Ah yes, the age-old liberal tradition of using the military to suppress peaceful protest.
lariati · 4 years ago
These truckers did nothing other than grease the wheels of authoritarianism anyway.

This is the last real protest in Canada. Next time, these "emergency" powers will either be immediate or these new powers are just new permanent government powers.

2/3rds the citizens will practically be demanding that this never happens again.

A lesson in why Ben Franklin said that democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch.

u/lariati

KarmaCake day89January 31, 2022View Original