Extra, Extra
Don’t Stop Believing: “Excessive concern about deepfakes could become a problem of its own. If the first-order worry is that people will get duped, the second-order worry is that the fear of deepfakes will lead people to distrust everything. Researchers call this effect ‘the liar’s dividend,’ and politicians have already tried to cast off unfavorable clips as AI-generated.” The Atlantic (Gift Article): AI in Politics Is So Much Bigger Than Deepfakes. (The big risk of all the faking and lies is that people don’t know what to believe so they throw their hands up and stop believing anything.)
+ Zuck Everlasting: In the same week Mark Zuckerberg got hammered by a Senate committee, his shareholders are getting hammered to celebrate the company’s earnings. Meta’s $200 Billion Surge Is Biggest in Stock-Market History. “It was only a couple of years back the Facebook owner suffered the single biggest market value destruction in stock-market history.” If you missed my take on the Senate hearings on Wednesday, it was met with a lot of heading nodding around the internet. Bad v Worse.
+ Race Back in Time: “Wood stared at her class. She tried to make eye contact with every teenager. Anyone, she reminded herself, might be secretly recording her — or planning to report her.” WaPo (Gift Article): Students reported her for a lesson on race. Then she taught it again. (It’s insane that it takes this much effort to let a kid read a good book.)
+ This Fight is Real: “Though McMahon denied the accusations in last week’s suit, he resigned one day later as executive chairman of the board of TKO Group, WWE’s parent company. He also stepped down from the TKO board of directors and no longer has a role with WWE.” WWE founder Vince McMahon is under federal investigation surrounding sex trafficking allegations.
+ Taint That a Shame: “Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis admitted she had a personal relationship with an outside prosecutor she appointed to manage the election interference case against former president Donald Trump and his allies but denied claims that the relationship had tainted the proceedings.” If it didn’t taint the proceedings, it allows others to more easily taint it. WaPo: Fani Willis admits relationship with prosecutor on Trump Georgia case.
+ Mama’s Got a Squeezebox: “Adele, born Adele Zerilli in 1925, was constantly listening to Top 40 radio [he] was growing up, getting her son on his feet to dance with her. She scrimped to buy him his first electric guitar and she encouraged him to be a musician.” So we have a hell of a lot to thank her for. NYT (Gift Article): The Mother Who Gave Springsteen His Rock ‘n’ Roll Spirit died at 98.
+ Not Being Even Steven: Even though his whole political pitch is that he’s a role model and great family man with great values, “the reality of Steve Garvey’s life is more complex. The 75-year-old has struggled with debt, been repeatedly sued, faced a bitter divorce, and got two women pregnant before quickly marrying a third woman, his current wife, in a scandal that briefly made him a national punchline in 1989. He pledged in interviews at the time to take ‘moral and financial responsibility’ for the children. Speaking publicly for the first time, the two children involved in the paternity imbroglio, now adults, told The Times that their mothers repeatedly tried to arrange meetings and phone calls for the children with Garvey, but he declined to communicate.” Steve Garvey touts ‘family values’ in his Senate bid. Some of his kids tell another story. (I’m partly linking to this story because I can’t stand unqualified clowns who want to start their political careers at the top but can’t be bothered to come up with any policy positions. I’m mostly linking to it because I hate the Dodgers.)
+ Free Bird: “The pigeon’s ordeal began in May when it was captured near a port in Mumbai with two rings tied to its legs, carrying words that looked like Chinese. Police suspected it was involved in espionage.” Indian police clear a suspected Chinese spy pigeon after 8 months in bird lockup.
