context: these so-called professional protestors are people who observed ICE in Maine during “operation daily catch”—their lawsuit against ICE alleges their 1A rights were thoroughly trampled. (surprise, surprise)
Oh, and our favorite company, Palantir, might be involved.
https://www.wired.com/story/ice-has-been-dumping-protester-photos-into-a-palantir-database/
new reporting from WIRED is especially chilling
“Agent J.C” created [Investigative Case Management] ICM records on at least 6 observers; the govt puts the number of people at 8. He labeled 2 people he filmed at a Home Depot parking lot with “Threat to Law Enforcement, **Professional Protestor,” according to the filing, and sent photos of them and others to a US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer so he could run a facial recognition search on them using an app called Mobile Query.**
“We have these models that have consumed all human knowledge, and are so proud to have these multitrillion valuations—but are potentially destroying humanity,” Franklin says. “It is very scary. And **what is the purpose? Is the purpose to put people out of work?”**
https://www.wired.com/story/ai-agents-are-about-to-flood-the-workforce-no-ones-ready-for-it/
When I was a teenager I sewed most of my own clothes. Lately not so much. But this evening I put a new waistband and new elastic in my pajamas, and now I’m pretty sure the Royal Academy of Stitcher-Uppers is going to give me an award. /s
“Hey Siri, can you find a flight that lands at BWI or Dulles instead of National?“
—Mike Johnson, probably
#AI ##airtrafficcontrollers
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Ddo5C1jSZ-w/?stkn=MTF0c3Q5dGdmMDlhcw==
My favorite part:
“We asked people to come out, learn about this technology, ask hard questions and tell us what they thought. They did exactly that. **We cannot ask the public to participate in the process and then disregard what they tell us. **As elected officials, we work for the people of Dutchess County. Being responsive to them is not optional.”
Here’s the press release from the DAs office and the sheriff
I just signed up for next week’s Tour de Bronx, a FREE cycling event that takes riders all over the borough.
Breaking news: after several public hearings and hundreds of public comments, my county has decided to stop using Flock cameras. They are to be turned off today and probably dismantled within the next 30 days.
two days ago at the local hardware store, the woman working there told me the screw I was trying to remove to take down an old shelf needed a star bit (I knew it wasn’t a phillips head or a flathead screw).
Huh. Star bit
Now I keep finding other screws in my house to use it on.
Weird how that works!
a retirement community for people who ride bikes
it would have to be located somewhere that’s interesting and safe to ride around, with several possible destinations
does this exist in the US?
I just got back from a trip to Steamboat Springs, CO. I was super impressed with the effect of a plastics ban. My hotel room had zero plastic cups—there were ceramic cups for the coffee maker, and actual glasses for water.
I was never offered a bag of any sort—not even a paper bag!
A slice of fudge was wrapped in plastic, the creamer and plastic stirrer with the in-room coffee came in a plastic sleeve, but that was about it.
the burning question, asked by a school librarian in Austin, TX:
“**Do we say no to politicians making up rules as they go like a 4-year-old trying to win at cards?”**
https://www.texasobserver.org/dan-patrick-books-come-and-take-them/
If you want to know how crooked the GOP is in places like deep-red Missouri, read this excellent essay by Jess Piper, a Dem who ran for office a few years back (defeated) but never gave up.
tagging @benroyce because he argues on here with folks who think voting is pointless.
a guy with a truck
a woman willing to loan a tent and table
These aren’t big things, but they are signs of a strong community, and they’re major factors in why I like living in this town. 3/3
Side note: our bike community has folks who are activists in other areas as well. I’m not sure if that’s universal, but I suspect it is.
Anyhoo—we needed to borrow a tent, but who could we ask? On a hunch I contacted one of the women who runs an LGBTQ+ organization. Within an hour, she responded, “I’m in [another country] but if you go around the back of my deck, you’ll find two tents. Help yourself.”
A few minutes later she added: “And if you need a table, there’s one near the tents.” 2/3
Awhile ago, someone posted about needing
“a guy with a truck” and I replied with a story about a man in our town who is THE guy with a truck. Knowing about him kind of defines “community” for me.
Today I have another example, this time it’s a vendor’s tent, the kind that provides shade at a farm stand, etc.
Our #bikecoalition has 2 events this weekend, but the person who has the tent we always use will be at a 3rd event about electrifying everything. 1/3
