Selling Out

 " ... we do need to revive our desire for seriousness among our cultural elite. If we’re going to let these people into our lives, they ought to stand for something more than themselves. They should to be willing to put their art ahead of their pocketbook and their follower count. And, ideally, they should not also be the CEO of Goldman Sachs. I have seen the future that awaits us if we fail to bring punk back, and it looks like this: "

Stop eating Lady Gaga's Oreos

I remember a friend of mine being mad as hell that The Who, THE WHO!! the one band that would never sell out !!, sold out by letting a few songs be used in car commercials.  

from Gemini ...

 

 

 

 

 

Police State

Flock cameras scare me. 

One county I go through a lot has them at all the main entrance roads. You can't get in or out of the county on a main road without being tracked. 

Cops like to use stuff like this and like to throw their "cop" weight around. How long before they can just put your plate in a list an be notified when you are in the area so they can harass you?  Or just check out of state cars? Out of county cars? or high dollar cars they might want to plant some drugs in so the can confiscate the car? Or harass bloggers who post shit like this?

The abuse possibilities are endless

Cops Keep Getting Arrested for Using Flock to Stalk People

Related: 

Man sues Florida cops over arrest spurred by “93% match” in facial recognition 

 

AI

I mostly support AI and use it everyday but there are some issues. The video below touches on a few but the most pressing near term issues to me are deep fakes, fake news and general misinformation. 

Social media and the internet in general have already wrecked our shared facts and values. 

AI is going to take it off the rails.

The 2026-2028 US election cycle is going to be crazy with AI generated fake news and scandals hitting every candidate constantly. 

Know one will know who to believe.

I'm not sure democracy can survive it.

tnb   

A few related posts:

An entire industry is being propped up by math that is insane. 

How Fake News Became the Most Dangerous Force in Energy Markets 

 

Trump Corruption

An Indian Billionaire Was Targeted by Trump. Then He Poured Money Into a Startup Secretly Backed by Donald Trump Jr. 

Crapitalism

We forget where capitalism goes if we allow it to run unregulated.

When a Photographer Turned His Focus on Social Injustice, It Helped Usher in the First Child Labor Laws 

 

 

Israel

It's like they're hunting children in Gaza.

What the wounds are telling us 

Change in the Wind?

On the front page at CNN this morning.

A normal CNN / US media headline would be something like "One Killed as Ceasefire Holds"

US - Israel

Vote them all out. 

House Dems Join GOP to Help Advance Deeper US-Israeli Military Integration 

AIPAC

Still working them.

Aipac affiliate has funded lavish trips to Israel for dozens of Congress members since 7 October, filings reveal 

Trump's Economy

In my area, people who bitch the most about the price of gas and farmers were among the loudest Trump supporters. (by counting Trump signs and Biden "I did That" stickers on gas pumps.)

Both are now finding out. 

How Long Can Demand Destruction Keep a Lid on Oil Prices?  

U.S. consumers have paid an extra $40 billion for gasoline since the Iran war began March 1, with the SPR now days away from its lowest level since 1983.

US Farmers

Farmer sentiment dropped again in May as the Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer (AEB) Index declined from 121 points in April to 119 (see Figure 1). The Current Conditions Index fell by 8 points, while the Future Expectations Index increased by 1 point (see Figure 2). This month’s Current Conditions Index was 21 points below last year’s December index, reaching its lowest level since December 2024.