Month: May 2024

“Fueled by an obsession with the architecture of his own fame, Donaldson’s process now seems him engineer videos that, while potentially entertaining to humans, do not get uploaded unless they clear a bar set by the YouTube algorithm. In a different context, this calculated approach to videos might raise questions about the value and meaning of his art. Except MrBeast’s brand of hustle culture has become a de facto part of YouTube’s dominant aesthetic”

https://www.polygon.com/24093399/end-of-mrbeast-youtube-era

“The government contends that Burke broke the law by using “compromised credentials”—credentials the streaming service did not issue to him, and that Fox News would not have wanted him to have. This is roughly analogous to saying that he used keys that weren’t his to unlock a door he wasn’t supposed to open. Burke argues that he can’t be expected to divine who is and isn’t “supposed” to open a door, especially when, as here, someone with a legitimate set of keys left them hanging from the doorknob, and invited any and all curious passers-by to let themselves inside and have a look around. A jury of 12 Floridians will get the privilege of deciding who has the better argument”

https://defector.com/tim-burkes-indictment-is-a-political-choice-disguised-as-a-legal-act

“These days, corporate empires have rebranded as “everything companies,” and everything companies tend to proselytize about the efficiencies they achieve. By operating pharmacies, health clinics, and financial services, among many other businesses, a retailer can better accommodate consumers as a one-stop shop. There’s an intuitive logic here. The more Loblaw can harmonize and cross-subsidize across its various business lines, the better it can serve you, right? Loblaw’s ecosystem does indeed aim at harmony, but its interest is in harmonizing market control, which comes at a cost for consumers, who have little choice but to operate within its boundaries, watch their data be harvested and leveraged, and pay more for less. Any economist will tell you that a lack of competition makes it easier for companies to raise prices”

https://thewalrus.ca/loblaw-has-become-an-everything-company/

“Grace sometimes works from Constellation, a space in downtown Berkeley intended to “build the capacities that the world needs in order to be ready” for A.I. transformation. A related nonprofit apparently spent millions of dollars to buy an old hotel in Berkeley and turn it into another A.I.-alignment event space (and party house, and retreat center), featuring “cozy nooks with firepits, discussion rooms with endless whiteboards,” and “math and science decorations.” Grace now lives alone, but many of her friends still live in group houses, where they share resources, and sometimes polyamorous entanglements. A few of them have voluntarily infected themselves with a genetically engineered bacteria designed to prevent tooth decay”

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/03/18/among-the-ai-doomsayers