onfocus

How am I supposed to use the internet now? The experience of asking that question and getting a series of good answers, to me, it felt like the conversation you have with a friend that finally convinces you to make a break-up stick. A break-up with someone who maybe has always sucked, or at least, sucked for awhile.

This episode of Search Engine is a great conversation with Ezra Klein about being aware of where your attention is going.

Full-time office workers are spending roughly $1,020 every month to report to the workplace, while hybrid workers spend an average of $408 per month on attendance.

But in return you get the life affirming joys of navigating traffic. (sarcasm)

In a just world, publishing such confidently incorrect pieces in an actual newspaper would result in the author’s career in opinion journalism coming to an end soon after. This is not a just world. The Post, a real newspaper that people read to learn about the important issues of the day, doesn’t seem to care if their columnists know what they’re talking about.

Trolling the libs for clicks is one way the media makes money. Making money is a higher priority than accuracy.

These strategies move publishers further away from seeing social media as a source of clicks. This could be a risky pivot away from traffic sources, given that NPR and many member stations have laid off staff or made other cuts due to declining revenues. But the social media clickthrough audience has never been guaranteed; a Facebook algorithm change this year also tanked traffic to news sites. Instead, recognizing that social media is not a key to clicks seems like a correction to years of chasing traffic through outside platforms.

Nice confirmation that the social media effort wasn't and isn't worth the return for news orgs. You're building someone else's platform—and they're platforms that can rug-pull at any moment because their profits aren't directly tied to that organization-generated content.

When, for instance, he accuses public officials and the media of treason punishable by death, reporters should categorically state that what he is doing is classically authoritarian behavior. Then they should ask Republican leaders and Trump supporters to say whether or not they agree with him and why. And reporters should do that every time Trump says something alarming.

If the media is going to do horse race coverage only anyway, at least they could provide some context and report on the consequences of all this base baiting.

The law says that if there is “reasonable cause” to believe a judge “willfully” failed to disclose information they were required to, the conference should refer the matter to the U.S. attorney general, who can pursue penalties. But that would be unprecedented.

You know what else is unprecedented? A Supreme Court that is this corrupt and this dishonorable. It’s time for some unprecedented remedies like holding people accountable to existing rules.

It’s very important that people understand this: We reside in a media environment that promotes—whether it intends to or not—right-wing authoritarian spectacle.

Current media coverage relies on the idea that both parties want a functioning democratic government. That has changed and this premise is giving cover to Republicans.

In an analysis of various work scenarios, people’s behaviors and sources of emissions, researchers found that switching from working onsite to working from home full-time may reduce a person’s carbon footprint by more than 50 percent.

A potentially hidden benefit of large numbers of people working from home.

“Our algorithm tries to optimize time spent on X, so links don’t get as much attention, because there is less time spent if people click away,” he wrote. “Best thing is to post content in long form on this platform.”

LOL. Twitter is absolutely the brand I think of when I think long form content. (sarcasm)

But really the baseline of web design is so low because there’s a lack of tenderness, care, and empathy. It’s because we don’t see the making of a website as a worthy profession. It’s because we hope to squeeze the last bit of juice from the orange by mulching people in between modals and pop ups and cookie banners.

Harsh but fair. I don’t think this will improve as people expect automation to handle web design in the near future. Web development is a human process.

The disintegration of the Pac-12 has been an entirely avoidable tragedy brought on by the craven machinations of people who, it can only be assumed, do not love college sports very much at all.

This. A few TV execs maximizing ad revenue and a handful of administrators who must be under pressure to maximize football profits are making terrible decisions.

Update (9/8): OSU and WSU sue to stop schools who chose to leave from voting on the future of the conference.

“It would be almost like if someone was doing a speech to kindergartners and they talked about the Holocaust and the horrors of the Holocaust,” she said, adding that the district had used the episode to remind its principals that all instructional resources, including guest speakers, must be “thoroughly vetted.”

Ridiculous levels of hatred. Like this author, none of us should change reasonable behavior to appease bigotry. As always, please register to vote and then vote for people who care about making life better for other people.