Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

This fight is for everything.

I can’t take this shit today. I just can’t.

I swear, each month of 2020 will have its own history degree.

This really is a full service blog.

There’s some extremely good trouble headed their way.

Wetsuit optional.

Where tasty lettuce and good mustard aren’t elitist.

Militantly superior in their own minds…

I personally stopped the public option…

What fresh hell is this?

An almost top 10,000 blog!

Han shot first.

Wow, I can’t imagine what it was like to comment in morse code.

I’d try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

How does anyone do Gilligan’s Island as trump world and not cast Jared as Gilligan?

… makes me wish i had hoarded more linguine

We need fewer warriors in public service and more gardeners.

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn – Nancy Pelosi

This is how realignments happen…

Something seems odd about that, but i have been drinking.

I’m going back to the respite thread.

Four legs? good! two legs? we’re not so sure…

You are either for trump or for democracy. Pick one.

Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.

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Major Major began writing at Balloon Juice in 2018.

The Web Is Broken, Everybody Knows It, And Donald Trump Has Proven It

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I’m sure we’ve all seen the news that Donald Trump has been banned from Twitter, Facebook, Twitch, Shopify, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok. Pinterest, Discord, and Reddit have similarly cracked down on Trumpy content. Parler, a social network for people that find Twitter insufficiently extreme, has been banned from the Google Play store, and Apple has fired a shot across Parler’s bow that will probably end with the app being banned from the App Store. (Thanks to commenter Wyatt Salamanca for the above link and the reminder to write this post.)

Is this good? That is a difficult question. It isn’t hard to whip up a slippery-slope argument. It also isn’t hard to say that Trump’s social media accounts present a truly unique problem at this time, which justifies a unique response. But is that special pleading? It’s easy to argue the importance of free speech, just as it’s easy to ask what the true goal of enlightenment principles were, and whether slavish adherence to them will get us where we want to go. But is ditching principles for two weeks going to weaken them? Should it? Reasonable people can disagree (not that all of the people disagreeing are reasonable).

I’m interested in a different question, though. How did we find ourselves grappling with this problem in the first place? Much as I’d like it to be Donald Trump’s fault, it really isn’t. This is an inevitable result of how the Web works 2021: walled gardens and closed protocols have concentrated informational power in the hands of a few companies, companies whose every action affects the structure of our press and our democracy. As a wise man once said, “Every system is perfectly designed to get the results it gets.”

So, what’s to be done? I don’t know, but I do know one way we could have done it better. So, if you’re interested, join me below the fold for a discussion of distributed social networks.

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Let’s Talk About Section 230 of the CDA (Or: Why You’re Allowed to Comment on This Post)

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Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act has been in the news a lot lately. Conservatives hate it!

Liberals hate it!

It is now broadly recognized that Joe Biden doesn’t like Section 230 and has repeatedly shown he doesn’t understand what it does. Multiple people keep insisting to me, however, that once he becomes president, his actual tech policy experts will understand the law better, and move Biden away from his nonsensical claim that he wishes to “repeal” the law.

In a move that is not very encouraging, Biden’s top tech policy advisor, Bruce Reed, along with Common Sense Media’s Jim Steyer, have published a bizarre and misleading “but think of the children!” attack on Section 230 that misunderstands the law, misunderstands how it impacts kids, and which suggests incredibly dangerous changes to Section 230. If this is the kind of policy recommendations we’re to expect over the next four years, the need to defend Section 230 is going to remain pretty much the same as it’s been over the last few years.

Well… not all liberals.

Jeez, this must be a really complicated law if nobody can even agree on what it says. What’s that? It’s not? This is the only part that isn’t basically statements of principles, a glossary, or footnotes?

(c) Protection for “Good Samaritan” blocking and screening of offensive material

(1) Treatment of publisher or speaker

No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider.

(2) Civil liability

No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be held liable on account of—

(A) any action voluntarily taken in good faith to restrict access to or availability of material that the provider or user considers to be obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, excessively violent, harassing, or otherwise objectionable, whether or not such material is constitutionally protected; or
(B) any action taken to enable or make available to information content providers or others the technical means to restrict access to material described in paragraph (1).[1]

(d) Obligations of interactive computer service

A provider of interactive computer service shall, at the time of entering an agreement with a customer for the provision of interactive computer service and in a manner deemed appropriate by the provider, notify such customer that parental control protections (such as computer hardware, software, or filtering services) are commercially available that may assist the customer in limiting access to material that is harmful to minors. Such notice shall identify, or provide the customer with access to information identifying, current providers of such protections.

People are wrong about this law in myriad ways. The most popular misconception seems to be that websites must act as “platforms, not publishers” if they want this protection; making editorial decisions, this argument goes, turns them into publishers. You will notice that this does not appear in the law.

It is very, very straightforward. A website–ANY website–which allows user-generated content is (broadly speaking) not liable for that content and can moderate it however the hell they want. In other words, Section 230 grants the people who run any website the right, under the first amendment, to control what happens on their own property, and shields them from liability should a user, without the site’s knowledge, post illegal content.

Many of the suggested “reforms”, such as those by butthurt conservatives, are offered in bad faith. But even legislators we like more, such as Brian Schatz (D-HI), are introducing bills that would compel censorship and lead to regulatory capture by the largest businesses, like Facebook and Twitter. (Do you want Facebook stamping on a human face forever? Because this is how you get it.)

What would a world without Section 230 look like? We actually have a great case study. In 2018, a package known as FOSTA-SESTA was signed into law, with the stated intent of cutting down on online sex trafficking. It removes Section 230 protections for user-posted content found to be promoting “sex trafficking”. This opened websites up to huge potential liabilities, mostly around advertisements for sex work. Rather than figure out how to proactively prevent this content from being posted, sites like Craigslist simply shut down their entire Personals section, and sites like Backpage simply shut down entirely. This probably does not decrease the amount of sex trafficking, but, as the DOJ argued at the time, probably does make it harder to detect and prosecute. This doubtless also contributed to Tumblr’s decision to ban all adult content (as well as “female-presenting nipples”), and Facebook’s decision to start shutting down communities that kinda sorta hint at porn or sex work, even in jest. Needless to say this has been to the detriment of online communities for sexual minorities.

So, keep an eye on this. If you like commenting on political blogs, it may soon be relevant to you.

(But don’t take my word for it. TechDirt has a wonderful post going over all this: Hello! You’ve Been Referred Here Because You’re Wrong About Section 230 Of The Communications Decency Act)

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Merry Christmas From Outer Space

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No, I’m not in outer space, or even the stratosphere**. I am in fact in NYC with Samwise* and my husband. But we don’t all have that luxury–poor Santa has to deliver presents around the whole galaxy, if not all of spacetime. I have photographic proof:

Merry Christmas From Outer Space

I found this in a nice collection of these old Galaxy covers. It looks like Santa’s managed to relax in at least one of them. Go check it out, if it suits you; regardless, a merry Christmas to all! I’ll be doing my traditional eating of leftovers and viewing of Futurama. I especially love The Futurama Holiday Spectacular, the anthology episode featuring X-Mas, Robanukah, and Kwanzaa.

What about you?

*Speaking of Samwise…

**thanks citizen_x for the correction

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Hogfather Reading Club: Talk Amongst Yourselves

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Hello and welcome to a special holiday edition of Recommended Reading! Today we’ll be talking about our Light Solstice Reading Club selection, Terry Pratchett’s Hogfather. I’m so happy we could share this reading experience together. I didn’t remember much from my prior read, so this was almost like reading it for the first time. And what can I say? Pratchett is almost always good, but when he’s transcendent, he’s transcendent.

A drawing of Death as the Hogfather
I even made a fanart! Click to embiggen–WordPress made the preview look all mushy.

Hogfather tells the story of the time Santa Cl the Hogfather is, for lack of a better term, killed. By the assassin Mr. Teatime, which is of course pronounced the-ah-tim-eh, though everybody mispronounces it immediately, even if they’ve never seen it spelled. Death must step in and deliver  the presents. Meanwhile a surplus of belief is sloshing around the Discworld, giving rise to the Oh God of Hangovers, the Eater of Socks, and more. We follow various heroes and villains as they navigate this new reality. In the end, balance is restored, reality’s humorless scolds defeated (for now).

Hogfather hits a real sweet spot for me: I’m a sucker for holiday specials, and like Neil Gaiman I think Death is Pratchett’s best character. This book is a pile of contradictions, a god-riddled argument for secular humanism, a rationalist’s paean to irrational belief, where Death is the only character who seems to understand the meaning of life. And it’s so well-engineered that it actually works. In the hands of a lesser author, so many things could go wrong. But they don’t, because this is Pratchett at the top of his very considerable game. Everything comes together in the end for a denouement that I’m not ashamed to admit made me cry a little. Especially Banjo’s fate.

When I read a paperback I dog-ear the bottom corners for favorite passages. I ended up with a lot for this one, sometimes on facing pages. So much to love in this book. As somebody who’s attended his share of Episcopal, Jewish, and Neo-Pagan solstice celebrations, I think Pratchett does a great job capturing the true meaning of Hogswatch–fire and blood, annoying relatives in paper hats, ancient rituals to chase away the smothering darkness with lights and pretty pictures. And big, stupid myths we tell our children. The tiniest worm in the ocean, a red flame in the crushing black depths, speaks volumes in this story. Its life is so irrational, striving against oblivion, and why?

Because otherwise, the universe is just a bunch of rocks moving in curves. Without our sometimes ridiculous applications of the anthropic principle–personified here as a professor–when the sun rises after the darkest day of the year, it’s just a ball of flaming gas. Without the Hogfather–or that silly, pointlessly red worm–we forget ourselves.

And that is why, at this time of the year, we light things on fire. Happy Hogswatch, everyone! What did you all think? Opening discussion question: what does Death sound like in your head?

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Guest Post: Sister Golden Bear’s Transition Anniversary!

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Sister Golden Bear mentioned in an earlier thread that she has something worth celebrating this week. She was kind enough to write up something for me to share. So, without further ado: happy anniversary, SGB!

So this week marks the fourth anniversary of me starting to live as a woman, as my true self.

Fortunately, my co-workers were more than supportive—in fact they asked me to come to work as me much earlier than I’d planned on doing. But I still remember that exhilarating and terrifying moment right before I sent the team-wide email announcing that I was transitioning.

For all its faults, one thing “Happiest Season” absolutely nails is how Dan Levy’s character describes coming out: “Everybody’s story is different. There’s your version [loved and supported] and my version [being kicked out of the house] and everything in between. But the one thing that all of those stories have in common is that moment right before you say those words when your heart is racing and you don’t know what’s coming next. That moment’s really terrifying.

And then once you say those words, you can’t unsay them. A chapter has ended and a new one’s begun, and you have to be ready for that.”

But my co-workers were so wonderfully supportive that they encouraged me to transition ahead of schedule.*

My thoughts from that morning four years ago today, which I wrote sitting in the car outside my office, not knowing what was going to happen next with the rest of my life:

About a dozen years ago, a girl-child finally set foot outside the house for the first time. Literally. After midnight on a black moonless night. Because NO ONE MUST KNOW. It was both exhilarating and terrifying.

Of course, she really wasn’t a girl, she’d been sharing the same body as her male protector for decades. Some of her sisters knew clearly from an early age, who they really were, and what they needed to become. Not this girl, growing up she just knew she was “different” but not exactly sure how — and in the pre-Internet days, assumed she was the only one in the world who felt this way.

Over the decades, she was able to come out every so often to express herself, but mostly sat, as if in a high tower, watching the world outside, waiting. Until that day came when the need to be out in the world became overwhelming.

Like many of her sisters, it began with tentative steps. The late-night drive en femme. Once she became a little braver, the late night walk. Venturing out to meet a similar group of peers who went out for dinners — safety in numbers. She connected with others like her online, she quickly gained the confidence to start going out in public alone.

I’m talking of course about myself. You’ve come a long way, baby. And now I’m facing that feeling that’s both exhilarating and terrifying, as I take the final step to living full-time as a woman this morning.

It’s a journey I couldn’t have made alone. There are so, so many people who’ve helped me on this journey, I can’t possibly thank them all. But there’s some I do want to highlight.

To my namesake, a fierce Femme who adopted me and other of my sisters, when I was just starting get out in the world. We’ve lost touch over the years, but wherever you are, thank you.

Thank you to all the other fierce Femmes who have supported and inspired me.

[Various other thanks to thank you to friends whose support had been invaluable.]

One again, thank you.

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Nice Things Open Thread

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I’ve decided we should have an open thread.

I went to Central Park on Sunday to enjoy the sun. (It was maybe forty degrees, but that’s what long underwear is for!) Clearly I wasn’t the only one who’d had this idea; the park was bustling. But that’s the benefit of being outdoors and masked: bustle isn’t too much trouble.

Still, I was surprised and delighted to find a choir of masked carolers performing at Bethesda Terrace. It’s a beautiful space with great acoustics that always has good musicians performing, so they fit right in. I took a short video, and thought you all might appreciate it. Life felt… normal. It was wonderful.

Addendum 1: The Hogfather reading club meeting will be Sunday, December 20 at 3:00pm EST.

Addendum 2: A small bleg, not for myself, pre-cleared with management.

I review submissions for a sci-fi & fantasy magazine called Metaphorosis. It’s up and coming, but it’s got some great stories. The editor would like to do more to emphasize authors from underrepresented groups, while still reading stories blind. The plan is to make special anthologies reprinting stories from said authors, one anthology per ‘group’ (e.g. LGBT, disabled). But paying for reprint rights, commissioning new art, etc. costs money!

So there’s a Kickstarter, and a $15 pledge will get you an ebook of every anthology they end up making.  (Your card isn’t charged unless the goal is met.) Looks like they could definitely use a bit of a boost. If you’d like to see what sort of stories we’re talking about, you can read them all for free at the magazine website.

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Cool Uncles Open Thread PLUS Hogfather Reading Club Date

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Let’s get the book club out of the way first. There was quite a bit of interest in reading Terry Pratchett’s Hogfather this holiday season, so, let’s meet to discuss it December 19th or 20th. I’ll put up a post here and maybe even experiment with an embedded chat feature. Does either of those dates work better for people?

Onwards!

My uncle Bill has led a very eclectic life. Born a poor Nebraska dirt farmer, he would try jobs like continuing to farm; bluffing his way into teaching Lotus to inmates; racehorse training; graduate studenting; and running a beef jerky business. But it seems he’s finally found his calling, as a math professor at UT Austin. He just won their Outstanding Teacher Award, which comes with a five-figure prize and a great article in UT News.

He’s not a natural math prodigy, but he is pretty damn persistent. When he started graduate school to defer his student loan payments, he wasn’t doing so well, until a professor pulled him aside and offered him an assistantship.

“That summer I went home and farmed like I usually did. In the fall, I retook the courses, but now everything was clear.” Wow, I get it, he recalls thinking. But something else happened. “Everything in my life changed: The way I worked on cars — I became a way better mechanic. The way I worked with my horses — I finally became smarter than my horses. The way I farmed — everything I did I was better at, not because I saw equations but because of the way my brain started thinking and solving problems. It wasn’t just math problems — it was everyday problems.

[…] Everything changed, and I credit it to mathematics. I could solve problems for the first time in my life. Sure, there’s great value in things mathematicians do, but the greater value of mathematics to society is how it changes the way people think about everyday problems, from raising children to working on cars to working with horses.

His humble background, and productive struggle, are probably part of why he’s such a good teacher–he’s a walking advertisement for the growth mindset, and he isn’t shy about it.

A history with farming has led him to focus on applied math in biological systems. He’s always gone where his interests led him–and it’s so wonderful that he’s found, and leveraged into a career, the synergy between them.

But his love of teaching is paralleled by robust research interests, and virtually all of his publications have been in math biology. “For 35 years of my life, I sat on my tractor. That gave me good insights into insects and spiders, because they’re a big part of agriculture.”

One example he gives of math biology involves climate change. Moose populations in New Hampshire are declining because ticks, which in great enough numbers can kill moose, are thriving due to shorter winters. One of his research groups has created models for how the date of a first snowfall can affect the moose population. The “stochastic” model introduces the element of randomness to simulate the variability of the first snowfall each year.

It feels a little weird to be proud of an older family member like this, but here we are. I think it’s because we’re so similar. We both bounced around life trying to find direction, and have had our share of struggles, but we eventually each figured out how to turn an interest in computer science into a fulfilling life, even if we aren’t the greatest at it. He’s even the family member I most look and sound like.

So, three cheers for uncle Bill!

Who are some family members you are proud of?

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