ISSUE 0.51

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Oh Shit

Welcome to the new America. Trump, social media, the games industry, and war.

Content warning for this box: American liberal political navelgazing.

Trump's "surprise" election, I think, has shown many of us that we don't understand America and its people. The fiscal vote, the anti-establishment (at any cost) vote, the disillusioned and underserved health care vote, the racist vote, the fuck-the-DNC-not-vote, the third party protest vote.

More than ever, I think that this is a wake up call for the left (and the interested, compassionate center and right) to pay attention. To the current political system; to the histories that can tell us about the future; to the people who know more than us, so we might learn; to the people who know less than us, so we might help in an uncondescending way; to the people who are genuinely hurting and why; to the people who genuinely want to hurt them; to the moves that are being made in the White House and the states; to the people that actually voted for Trump.

We need to pay attention because being wrong about how the world works is a threat to survival. For the first time in my life, I no longer feel inherently safe in America, and many of the people I know personally feel the same way. We need to keep learning, keep understanding, and be ready for whatever might come.

[nybooks.com]

Autocracy: Rules for Survival

"We are standing at the edge of the abyss. Our political system, our society, our country itself are in greater danger than at any time in the last century and a half. The president-elect has made his intentions clear, and it would be immoral to pretend otherwise. We must band together right now to defend the laws, the institutions, and the ideals on which our country is based." Rule #1: believe the autocrat.

[nautil.us]

To Understand Facebook, Study Capgras Syndrome

An interesting comparison between Capgras Syndrome (the belief that your loved ones have been replaced by identical imposters) and how we decode familiarity, and digital and social media's deleterious effects on it.

[medium.com/@davidwolinsky]

The Videogame Industry’s Invisible Workforce: How A Conspiracy Of Silence Erased A Medium’s Humanity

David Wolinsky is a writer, editor, and journalist who has been doing independent reporting and interviews on the state of the game development industry. This article explores the culture in the games industry, which treats almost every professional in it incredibly poorly.

[bloomberg.com]

Tesla’s Future in Trump’s World

"Elon Musk is up against a starkly different agenda, but the energy transition he invigorated can’t be stopped." Some good news, for once.

[theguardian.com]

Mexico's 'avengers' backed by public sick of crime and lack of punishment

A new wave of Mexican vigilantes who have shot, injured, and killed would-be robbers and assailants have been supported by the public, who are tired and skeptical of the government and police force's ability to enforce law.

[vocaroo.com]

Glitchet pronounced in every robot voice

A little bit of dumb fun - weirdly mesmerizing. Thanks to lett1 from the Cyberpunk Futurism chat group for making this!