tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post9190423515774579683..comments2024-03-27T23:12:08.917-07:00Comments on CONTRARY BRIN: Fruits of the "Biden Tree"David Brinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comBlogger104125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-72104974358703927192022-11-12T16:36:05.854-08:002022-11-12T16:36:05.854-08:00"If you want Billionaire conspiracy theories ..."If you want Billionaire conspiracy theories don't think about what Asimov's R. Giskard does to the earth to force humanity to the stars"<br /><br />Ironically I am writing a story set just before that, as we speak.<br /><br />onward<br /><br />onwardDavid Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-23064607283805937792022-11-12T16:33:50.399-08:002022-11-12T16:33:50.399-08:00I tend to agree with Locum regarding Musk's Tw...I tend to agree with Locum regarding Musk's Twitter plans/motives. Twitter was purchased as tear down. Although Matthew's point about him using his disposable income to be a "shitposter-in chief" seems plausible, too in a sort of ABC after school special kind of way. <br /><br />If you want Billionaire conspiracy theories don't think about what Asimov's R. Giskard does to the earth to force humanity to the stars<br /><br /> <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> Slim Moldiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04804029818709230857noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-57198632140825487962022-11-12T15:29:20.168-08:002022-11-12T15:29:20.168-08:00I suppose that thinking Musk is intentionally dest...I suppose that thinking Musk is intentionally destroying Twitter is similar to thinking that Donald Trump is intentionally destroying the Republican Party. Knowing the man (in both cases), it doesn't seem likely, but no other theory quite explains the facts so well.Larry Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058877428309776731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-87697932884239879392022-11-12T15:01:11.502-08:002022-11-12T15:01:11.502-08:00The entire overvalued Tech Bubble
Facebook, Twitt...The entire overvalued Tech Bubble<br /><br />Facebook, Twitter, Cryptocurrency and other such ARE "overvalued<br /><br />Tesla and SpaceX are making loads of money and expanding to make more<br /><br />Not sure about Amazon - a competitor "could" eat its lunch but so sign so farduncan cairncrosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14153725128216947145noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-34864065409645746682022-11-12T14:45:38.320-08:002022-11-12T14:45:38.320-08:00Ha! As if Musk is a big fan of having his property...Ha! As if Musk is a big fan of having his property’s fate decided by a judge. 😏Alfred Differhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01170159981105973192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-3642629282766571872022-11-12T14:20:06.418-08:002022-11-12T14:20:06.418-08:00You’re quite the positive thinker.
BestYou’re quite the positive thinker.<br /><br />BestAlan Brookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17996922923136240709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-84110777694181849922022-11-12T12:21:02.776-08:002022-11-12T12:21:02.776-08:00Musk is deliberately driving Twitter towards bankr...Musk is deliberately driving Twitter towards bankruptcy, not because he wants it to fail, but because he wants to reorganize & free it from its current service agreements and a pre-existing FTC Settlement which severely limits Twitter's ability to do business:<br /><br />https://www.npr.org/2022/05/25/1101275323/twitter-privacy-settlement-doj-ftc<br /><br />https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/22038327-ftc-settlement-<br /><br /><i>Once a bankruptcy is filed, the court has broad authority over a debtor’s (the bankrupt company or person) property. As such, the Bankruptcy Code supersedes contracted ipso facto clauses, rendering them generally unenforceable based on two code provisions.<br /><br />First, Sections 541(a) and (c) of the Bankruptcy Code provide that an interest of the debtor in property becomes property of the bankruptcy estate. This means that the court controls all property and contracts of the debtor and only the court can decide whether a contract can be assumed, rejected, or otherwise terminated despite what is stated in the contract.<br /><br />Second, Section 365(e)(1) addresses ipso facto clauses in executory contracts, which are contracts that have not yet been fully performed or fully executed. Section 365(e)(1) specifically states that notwithstanding a provision in an executory contract, a debtor’s executory contract cannot be terminated or modified after the bankruptcy case has been filed solely because a term of the contract is conditioned on insolvency or financial condition of the debtor prior to the filing of bankruptcy. This provision of the Bankruptcy Code generally makes ipso facto clauses for executory contracts unenforceable.</i><br /><br />Once freed from all preexisting contractual obligations & outdated service agreements, Musk plans to transform Twitter into what he recently described as an 'everything app' by expanding it to include retail sales, reservations, streaming, banking & finance options in an apparent attempt to challenge Amazon.<br /><br />https://www.npr.org/2022/10/27/1131736191/elon-musk-twitter-tesla-spacex<br /><br />Of course, this whole Twitter thing could blow up in Musk's face, but he really has everything to gain & nothing much to lose as his Tesla Ponzi scheme is due (long overdue) to collapse any day now.<br /><br />Odds are that Musk will take out the entire overvalued Tech Bubble when he goes down, including Gates, Page, Brin, Zuckerberg & Bezos, assuming that the total collapse of the cryptocurrency market doesn't beat Musk to it.<br /><br /><br />Bestlocumranchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06812045410916208141noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-20154141709921148142022-11-12T10:01:52.294-08:002022-11-12T10:01:52.294-08:00Off topic,
I've been reading about the "...Off topic,<br /><br />I've been reading about the "Law of the Splintered Paddle" since Mrs. Pappenheimer (Mammenheimer?) began indexing a book on Hawaiian culture. The basis is that noncombatants should be safe from war - "Let every elderly person, woman and child lie by the roadside in safety" - and takes its name from an incident in which King Kamehameha nearly got his skull cracked by a panicked fisherman who was protecting ohana (family).<br /><br />Even in days of nuclear threats and aerial bombardment, it's something to push for.<br /><br />Pappenheimer<br /><br />Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08628667566485965800noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-13622261161313151082022-11-12T09:45:21.332-08:002022-11-12T09:45:21.332-08:00One of the many, many things that worried me durin...One of the many, many things that worried me during TFG's presidency* was the talk of US military leaders simply refusing to follow his orders. This seems to have been more in the vein of saying "Yes, Sir, we'll get right on that!" and doing nothing in the hope that TFG would leap on a new hobby-horse the next day and wouldn't notice, but it's not great precedent. On the other hand, during the 1/6 debacle the VP was actually issuing orders (which were obeyed) that should have come from the President. Also not great.<br /><br />On the gripping hand, I'm rather glad that Tom Cotton, actual neofascist, is no longer running, because that's the kind to force resignations and /or fire generals till he found someone willing to drive tanks over protestors. Would DeSantis do the same? Hope we never get to find out.<br /><br />Pappenheimer<br /><br />*it still worries me that I'm surrounded by people who would prefer he still be in office, and a few of them apparently believe he secretly is.<br /><br />Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08628667566485965800noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-36336389014926674632022-11-12T09:41:16.003-08:002022-11-12T09:41:16.003-08:00Alan Brooks:
I want DeSantis to fail; he’s alread...Alan Brooks:<br /><i><br />I want DeSantis to fail; he’s already practically measuring the drapes in the White House. He hears ‘Hail To The Chief’ in his mind.<br /></i><br /><br />That didn't work out so well for Hillary.Larry Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058877428309776731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-48462205739170275102022-11-12T09:11:35.105-08:002022-11-12T09:11:35.105-08:00Elon banning Kathy Griffin for "impersonating...Elon banning Kathy Griffin for "impersonating" him? It is important to know two things: <br />1) Hundreds of celebrity "blue checkmark" accounts *also* changed their screen name to his at the same time and did not get banned.<br />2) Kathy Griffin is utterly hated by the Right. Fox ran hit-piece after hit-piece on her. <br /><br />Her being banned is a message to his allies on the Right that Elon will target their enemies. It is a sales pitch to them and a warning to others.<br />matthewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17757867868731829206noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-1045141144534380182022-11-12T09:01:45.557-08:002022-11-12T09:01:45.557-08:00I'm not certain that Elon wants Twitter to fai...I'm not certain that Elon wants Twitter to fail. I just raised that as a possibility to think about. I think it is more likely that Elon is addicted to Twitter and wanted to be the shitposter-in-chief. Promote his own posts, ban anyone that makes fun of him, etc. He has (had) enough money that he could afford it as a toy for his vanity. <br /><br />I do think it is likely that the Saudis want Twitter to fail. I know the Chinese government and Russian government want Twitter to fail. I suspect that certain GOP oligarch backers would like Twitter to be gone. We know some of the funding that was used to buy Twitter came from these sources. It was not all Elon's money and we do not know what strings the money came with. POTUS was correct to say that the sale has national security implications. <br /><br />And there is still an FTC consent decree. Elon's personal lawyer (not corporate lawyer, mind you) wrote a letter to Twitter employees urging them to not worry about the FTC and criminal liability for their actions. The correct action for a Twitter employee is to ask "Is Alex Spiro *my* lawyer?" and "Are you giving me legal advice?"<br /><br />https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-11-11/musk-lawyer-calms-twitter-staff-fearing-jail-risk-for-ftc-lapses?leadSource=uverify%20wall<br /><br />or if you're not able to get through the paywall at Bloomburg:<br />https://www.theverge.com/2022/11/11/23453553/elon-musk-twitter-alex-spiro-ftc-consent-decreematthewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17757867868731829206noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-59775641671807149642022-11-12T07:54:34.726-08:002022-11-12T07:54:34.726-08:00I want DeSantis to fail; he’s already practically ...I want DeSantis to fail; he’s already practically measuring the drapes in the White House. He hears ‘Hail To The Chief’ in his mind.Alan Brookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17996922923136240709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-62161590083752972132022-11-12T07:32:50.530-08:002022-11-12T07:32:50.530-08:00Alfred Differ:
"That may be what he wants, b...Alfred Differ:<br /><i><br />"That may be what he wants, but it may be impossible for the same reason it would be impossible if he wanted to build a perpetual motion machine, or lift a rock so big that even he can't lift it."<br /><br />Perhaps, but consider what the world might look like if he proves the rock CAN be moved.<br /></i><br /><br />I'd be happy if he proved that you <b>can</b> know both the location and the velocity of a subatomic particle.<br /><br />And if he can somehow reconcile unadulterated free speech with a decent signal-to-noise ratio, I'll admit I was wrong.<br /><br />(But I'm not)<br /><br /><i><br />"In my case, it's more "daydream" than imagine."<br /><br />Think carefully about your motivation here.<br />Do you REALLY want him to fail? At what?<br /></i><br /><br />It's not personal about Musk with me. I don't want <b>him</b> to fail. I want <b>Twitter</b> to fail. And Facebook after that, but one thing at a time.Larry Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058877428309776731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-71902828882209085472022-11-12T01:45:18.221-08:002022-11-12T01:45:18.221-08:00Your President appears to harbour the same conspir...Your President appears to harbour the same <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/nov/10/biden-says-elon-musks-connections-to-other-countries-worthy-of-being-looked-at" rel="nofollow">conspiratorial suspicions</a> about Elon (or his backers) that I do.Tony Fiskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14578160528746657971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-10052332686391131882022-11-11T23:03:34.211-08:002022-11-11T23:03:34.211-08:00Larry,
(working backwards through your posts)
Ah...Larry,<br /><br />(working backwards through your posts)<br /><br />Ah. Kathy Griffin. Mz D List.<br />Well… he probably did her career a favor.<br /><br />Fair point. It demonstrates he's thin skinned. However, once Kathy Griffin sets her sites on someone, they have to be VERY thick skinned to cope. She's quite something.<br /><br />———<br /><br />There is no such thing as a 'universal app' no single person will control.<br /><br />What IS possible is a single protocol no single person dominates. I would recommend caution, though, because singletons that can't mutate come under threats that likely do. Sexual reproduction isn't efficient, but it sure as hell beats being eaten alive by hostile bacteria and reprogrammed by indifferent viruses.<br /><br />———<br /><br /><i>That may be what he wants, but it may be impossible for the same reason it would be impossible if he wanted to build a perpetual motion machine, or lift a rock so big that even he can't lift it.</i><br /><br />Perhaps, but consider what the world might look like if he proves the rock CAN be moved.<br /><br />We are both old enough to remember when electric cars were a possibility that Detroit would not consider because they'd create competition for their own disposable IC tech. If even one of them had tried, others in the industry would have eaten them alive. Musk & Friends at Tesla moved that rock.<br /><br />———<br /><br /><i>In my case, it's more "daydream" than imagine.</i><br /><br />Think carefully about your motivation here.<br />Do you REALLY want him to fail? At what?<br />What if he isn't trying to do that? Is that a possibility you can consider?Alfred Differhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01170159981105973192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-7653520992545341992022-11-11T20:44:37.205-08:002022-11-11T20:44:37.205-08:00https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/10/us/politics/abo...https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/10/us/politics/abortion-midterm-elections-democrats-republicans.html<br /><i><br />...<br />In Michigan, abortion rights pushed the party to victories in both chambers of the Legislature and re-elected Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, giving Democrats a trifecta of power in the state for the first time in 40 years. In Pennsylvania, the party won a Senate race and the governor’s mansion.<br /><br />Exit polls conducted by the television networks and Edison Research showed that in Pennsylvania abortion overtook the economy as the top issue on voters’ minds, and in Michigan, nearly half of all voters said abortion was their top issue.<br />...<br /></i><br /><br />Is it maybe time to stop treating James Carville's admonition that "It's the economy, stupid!" as the last word on politics no matter what else is going on? It might have been a truism in 1993. That doesn't always make it so.<br />Larry Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058877428309776731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-4827959077793319842022-11-11T20:34:31.222-08:002022-11-11T20:34:31.222-08:00The link above is the article. The video is in th...The link above is the article. The video is in there.Larry Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058877428309776731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-71451216203606668242022-11-11T20:33:14.891-08:002022-11-11T20:33:14.891-08:00Sorry, but Alfred Differ again:
making fun of him...Sorry, but Alfred Differ again:<br /><i><br />making fun of him<br /><br />His employees?<br /></i><br /><br />I think you're snarking, but just in case not, I believe Cari Burstein was referring to Kathy Griffin.<br /><br /><i><br />One of Musk’s first acts on his supposedly free speech-oriented take on Twitter ― one where he declared comedy would be “legal” ― was to boot her for making fun of him.<br /><br />So, the comedian turned up somewhere Musk couldn’t control: “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” And she did what Musk appears to hate most.<br /><br />She impersonated him<br /></i><br /><br />Video link from the linked article:<br />https://www.huffpost.com/entry/kathy-griffin-elon-musk-impression_n_636de36fe4b09c4db174c08b<br /><br />Interestingly enough, the whole point of wanting a "universal app" might be to insure that there <b>isn't</b> a "somewhere Musk couldn’t control".Larry Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058877428309776731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-25421435474728960392022-11-11T20:20:15.994-08:002022-11-11T20:20:15.994-08:00Tim H:
It would seem Twitter may not be soluble b...Tim H:<br /><i><br />It would seem Twitter may not be soluble by a small, but brilliant engineering team.<br /></i><br /><br />Imagine a technology which allows anyone at any time to make his/her voice heard by everybody no matter where they are. Imagine what that would be like when everyone is broadcasting over each other in real time. To me, that is the inevitable end result of what the Elon Musks of the world think Twitter should be. Not that the ensuing noise level is their goal, but that there's no way to avoid it.<br /><br />For those who have read <i>Existence</i>, recall the VR levels on which anyone can scribble any graffiti on the same wall and it stays there forever. Remember how that turned out. That's what Elon Musk's Twitter inevitably becomes. Again, I don't think he wants it to be that, but what else could it be?Larry Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058877428309776731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-70545177744807950262022-11-11T20:12:28.395-08:002022-11-11T20:12:28.395-08:00Alfred Differ continues:
The simplest theory for ...Alfred Differ continues:<br /><i><br />The simplest theory for his purpose at Twitter is to make it a universal platform where no political grouping of us can prevent another from speaking and doing. <br /></i><br /><br />That may be what he wants, but it may be impossible for the same reason it would be impossible if he wanted to build a perpetual motion machine, or lift a rock so big that even he can't lift it.<br /><br />At least one political grouping of us has preventing another from speaking and doing as a core goal.Larry Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058877428309776731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-54307339905555218092022-11-11T20:00:11.124-08:002022-11-11T20:00:11.124-08:00Alfred Differ:
Y'all who imagine Musk trying ...Alfred Differ:<br /><i><br />Y'all who imagine Musk trying to tank Twitter are trying to[o] hard to find conspiracy ...<br /></i><br /><br />In my case, it's more "daydream" than imagine.Larry Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058877428309776731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-16595749398067155002022-11-11T19:59:24.887-08:002022-11-11T19:59:24.887-08:00making fun of him
His employees?<i>making fun of him</i><br /><br />His employees?Alfred Differhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01170159981105973192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-3004977695916792342022-11-11T19:58:31.149-08:002022-11-11T19:58:31.149-08:00https://nowthisnews.com/news/watch-desantis-florid...<br />https://nowthisnews.com/news/watch-desantis-florida-is-where-woke-goes-to-die<br /><i><br />“Florida is where woke goes to die”— FL Gov. Ron DeSantis said<br /></i><br /><br />With climate change and all, that slogan might take on a different meaning from how DeSanctimonius meant it.<br /><br />Heh. Bill Maher said, "Well, Florida is where <b>everybody</b> goes to die."<br />Larry Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058877428309776731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-9698746129633654822022-11-11T19:18:23.453-08:002022-11-11T19:18:23.453-08:00Tim H. wrote:
It would seem Twitter may not be sol...Tim H. wrote:<br /><i>It would seem Twitter may not be soluble by a small, but brilliant engineering team.</i><br /><br />Not sure how many brilliant engineers they're going to have left at this rate even if it was. Most sane ones are running for the exits.<br /><br />Alfred wrote:<br /><i>One thing to ponder about a universal platform run by a minarchist is that he's unlikely to tolerate anyone being barred short of extremely damn good reasons of which there aren't many.</i><br /><br />He seems to have no problem barring people for making fun of him.<br /><br /><br /><br />Cari Bursteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05812444306433659243noreply@blogger.com