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parismarx

@parismarx@mastodon.online

critic of tech futures | host of tech won’t save us | writer of disconnect | my book “road to nowhere” is out now! | he/they

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parismarx , to random
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As the rivalry between the United States and China escalates, can Europe chart its own course on tech?

This week @tante joins @parismarx to discuss Europe’s tech struggles and why we need to rethink what we mean by innovation. I was thrilled to finally have him on the show!

https://techwontsave.us/episode/225_can_europe_chart_its_own_path_on_tech_w_tante

tante , to random
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Today is a personal highlight because I was a guest in one of my favourite podcasts @techwontsaveus talking about tech in Europe and the topic of innovation.

It's been such a treat to get to speak to @parismarx, hope you enjoy it as well.

https://techwontsave.us/episode/225_can_europe_chart_its_own_path_on_tech_w_tante

parismarx ,
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@tante i was thrilled to finally have you on the show! :D

parismarx , to random
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Another example of Tesla not being the green company it once pretended to be: shareholders voted down a proposal not to use minerals retrieved through deep-sea mining.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-06-14/tesla-shareholders-vote-no-on-deep-sea-mining-moratorium

parismarx , to random
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Kia’s EV3 could cost as little as $22,500 to $27,500 after US EV tax credits because it will be built in Mexico.

This is how you convince more people to buy EVs, not betting your company on bullshit robotaxis.

https://electrek.co/2024/06/17/kia-build-30000-ev3-mexico-us-ev-tax-credit/

parismarx , to random
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Elon Musk got shareholder backing to loot Tesla of more than $50 billion. It’s a scary signal about his power and fan adoration.

More on that, plus labor updates and other news in this week’s Disconnect Roundup.

https://disconnect.blog/roundup-elon-gets-the-green-light-to-loot-tesla/

parismarx , to random
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This is cool: Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand are building out a distributed storage network with eight sites built on Māori land to give “iwi and hapū the power to control and make decisions over their own data.”

https://waateanews.com/2024/06/04/world-first-data-storage-infrastructure-solution-built-by-iwi-maori-for-iwi-maori/

parismarx , to random
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Donald Trump knows exactly how to play a fellow narcissist like Elon Musk: just tell him the Cybertruck is great.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-06-13/musk-says-ev-skeptic-trump-calls-him-and-is-a-cybertruck-fan

parismarx , to random
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If the US wants the world to think it’s the good guy, maybe it shouldn’t be running anti-vax campaigns in the middle of global pandemic that put its geopolitical standing above people’s lives. This is evil behavior.

https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-covid-propaganda/

parismarx , to random
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In the 2000s, anti-copyright activists were punching up by taking on the record and film industries.

But now they’ve thrown their lot in with major tech companies (and the MPA) to try to stop artists from using copyright law to rein in generative AI.

https://disconnect.blog/silicon-valleys-unlikely-ally-to-defend-generative-ai/

parismarx , to random
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After Saudi Arabia dismembered a journalist in 2018 with help from the United Arab Emirates, Silicon Valley distanced itself from them.

On , I spoke to @nitashatiku about how tech CEOs are now courting brutal Gulf dictatorships to fund their AI ambitions.

https://techwontsave.us/episode/224_silicon_valley_is_courting_gulf_monarchies_to_fund_ai_w_nitasha_tiku

parismarx , (edited ) to random
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Farmers in Bastrop, TX were hopeful when Elon Musk bought land nearby, but now he’s turning the area into “an environmentally hazardous industrial park.” Authorities won’t do anything because they’re understaffed and “intimidated by their powerful new neighbor.”

https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/elon-musk-vs-organic-farmers-bastrop/

parismarx , to random
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After months of media anticipation, Apple finally showed off its generative AI features yesterday.

The mundane additions showed AI hype is waning, so Apple is hoping to use it to engineer an upgrade supercycle when it releases new iPhones in the fall. It’s far from a groundbreaking new era for the company.

https://disconnect.blog/apple-hopes-ai-will-make-you-buy-a-new-iphone/

parismarx , to random
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The photo of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang signing a woman’s chest in Taiwan will be the image of peak AI hype. More on that in the Disconnect Roundup, along with recommended reads, labor updates, and other news you might have missed!

https://disconnect.blog/roundup-is-this-peak-ai-hype/

parismarx , to random
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Germany’s AfD is so extreme it was kicked out of the far-right grouping in the European Parliament last month, but Elon Musk thinks their policies “don’t sound extremist.” That’s because he’s also a fascist.

parismarx , to random
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Criminals often use highly encrypted phones to coordinate their crimes. Or at least they did until the FBI made its own.

On , I spoke to @josephcox to discuss the story of Anom and the largest international sting operation.

Full ep: https://techwontsave.us/episode/223_how_the_fbi_tapped_the_encrypted_chats_of_criminals_around_the_world_w_joseph_cox

parismarx , to random
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dreading the media cycle that will accompany a bill gates memoir, but fascinated to see how he twists his history

https://www.gatesnotes.com/Source-Code

parismarx , to random
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you’d almost say meta wants to kill instagram

https://www.theverge.com/2024/6/3/24170682/instagram-unskippable-ads-test

parismarx , to random
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UFO enthusiasts are getting scammed by fake book listings on Amazon making it seem like they can buy a highly anticipated book before its release date, but the pages are really just filled with AI-generated slop.

https://www.404media.co/amazon-sold-fake-copies-of-hotly-anticipated-ufo-book/

parismarx , to random
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In this week’s Disconnect Roundup, Elon Musk has a grand (techno)fix for water shortages that includes desalination plants powered by solar with battery storage. But he forgot poor countries can’t afford it.

Plus, recommended reads, labor updates, and more!

https://disconnect.blog/roundup-elon-musks-naive-plan-to-end-global-water-shortages/

parismarx , to random
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In 1922, Thomas Edison predicted motion pictures would “revolutionize our educational system.”

I can’t get over how Muskian he sounds (particularly on “efficiency” claims) and how — a hundred years later — we still haven’t learned not to fall for this kind of tech boosterism.

https://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/04/books/chapters/the-flickering-mind.html

#tech #education #film

"I believe that the motion picture is destined to revolutionize our educational system," Thomas Edison said in 1922, "and that in a few years it will supplant largely, if not entirely, the use of textbooks. I should say that on the average we get only about two percent efficiency out of textbooks as they are written today." A decade earlier, Edison had been even more pedagogically expansive, saying that film makes it "possible to touch every branch of human knowledge." Now he added: "The education of the future, as I see it, will be conducted through the medium of the motion picture, a visualized education, where it should be possible to obtain one hundred percent efficiency." Three years later, Edison's vision was undiluted: "In ten years textbooks as the principal medium of teaching will be as obsolete as the horse and carriage are now.... There is no limitation to the camera."
ALT
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    • parismarx , to random
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    never thought i’d find so much agreement with the wsj editorial board

    #climate #media #environment

    parismarx OP ,
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    @Trsdppy wait, you mean to tell me wsj wasn’t really calling for some CEOs’ heads? i’m shocked!

    parismarx , to random
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    “When I say ‘I am hungry’, I am reporting on my sensed physiological states. When an LLM generates the sequence ‘I am hungry’, it is simply generating the most probable completion of the sequence of words in its current prompt.”

    https://time.com/collection/time100-voices/6980134/ai-llm-not-sentient/

    parismarx OP ,
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    @hjoest “I will ignore the reality in front of my eyes because it’s much more exciting to tell myself I’m living in the early part of a scifi movie.”

    parismarx , to random
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    When Sam Altman was ousted as CEO, Kara Swisher pushed a story that framed him as the victim of a board captured by AI doomers.

    But as more detail has emerged about Altman’s lies and “toxic” conduct, it’s become clear she was a conduit for his narrative.

    https://disconnect.blog/kara-swishers-story-about-sam-altman-is-falling-apart/

    parismarx , to random
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    GoFundMe is increasingly becoming an integral part of how people access healthcare. But what are the tradeoffs of crowdfunding for health?

    On , I spoke to @Kenworthy about how GoFundMe profits from people’s pain.

    https://techwontsave.us/episode/222_gofundme_profits_from_peoples_pain_w_nora_kenworthy

    parismarx , to random
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    My presentation about data centers at @republica in Berlin was included in this piece from @dwnews. I have an interview coming with DW too.

    https://www.dw.com/en/the-dark-side-of-the-ai-revolution/a-69215220

    parismarx , to random
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    I was happy to speak about AI and European regulation with Astrid Berg for Deadline on Denmark’s public broadcaster when I was in Copenhagen last week!

    https://www.dr.dk/drtv/episode/deadline_-politikernes-armlaegning-med-den-kunstige-intelligens_456113

    parismarx , to random
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    I gave a talk at @republica in Berlin earlier today on the growing backlash to data centers.

    As tech companies build more hyperscale data centers around the world, they demand even more energy and water — and some communities are fed up.

    Check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5xbjhYpklo

    #tech #ai #datacenter #google #microsoft #openai #amazon

    parismarx , to random
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    “The thing that really upset Dorsey: Bluesky users demanded moderation and Bluesky put it into place. Yeah, that was the whole issue.”

    Good reflection on “decentralized” social media and what Dorsey really wants from it by @davidgerard:

    https://davidgerard.co.uk/blockchain/2024/05/10/jack-dorsey-bluesky-decentralised-social-networks-and-the-very-common-crowd/

    parismarx , to random
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    In this week’s roundup, the couple who’ve made themselves the face of pronatalism keep their kids in a freezing home (they say by choice) and slap them to teach them right from wrong because they saw tigers paw their cubs in the wild.

    Plus, Google’s AI fail, Kenyan workers write letter to Joe Biden, and more!

    https://disconnect.blog/roundup-pronatalists-who-defend-hitting-kids/

    parismarx , to random
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    Final reminder I’m doing a discussion with @tante and Sarah Grant in Berlin this evening!

    https://ownw.de/event/otherwise-network-salon-v-resist-but-how/

    parismarx , to random
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    Great to speak with On the Media about AI hype and Sam Altman!

    https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/otm/articles/how-tired-tropes-drive-ai-coverage-plus-is-the-vibecession-back-or-not

    parismarx , to random
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    African AI workers, mostly from Kenya, released an open letter to Joe Biden this week asking him stop US tech companies from “systemically abusing and exploiting African workers” and to end the “modern day slavery” they’re subjected to.

    https://www.wired.com/story/low-paid-humans-ai-biden-modern-day-slavery/

    parismarx , to random
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    They missed the most important part: And neither of them should be believed because AGI is just another tech fantasy.

    parismarx , to random
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    Balaji Srinivasan is leading a growing tech movement to take over San Francisco and “ethnically cleanse” it of Silicon Valley’s critics.

    On , I spoke to @gilduran about network states and tech billionaires’ turn against democracy.

    Listen to the full episode: https://techwontsave.us/episode/221_techs_plan_to_ethnically_cleanse_san_francisco_w_gil_duran

    parismarx , to random
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    Scarlett Johansson has dealt with deepfakes, robots in her likeness, and now OpenAI mimicking her voice because she wouldn’t license it.

    She’s used to fighting these battles. The spotlight she casts on generative AI may finally prompt regulatory action.

    https://disconnect.blog/scarlett-johansson-cant-escape-tech-exploitation/

    tante , to random
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    Another quick round of advertising: Saturday May, 25th, @parismarx and Sarah Grant are going to join me for a conversation on resistance: Is resistance against current tech even possible and how? The Berlin event is pay as much as you can and you can sign up here: https://ownw.de/event/otherwise-network-salon-v-resist-but-how/

    parismarx ,
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    @fasterandworse Not for the moment!

    parismarx , to random
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    I’m doing a series of events in Copenhagen and Berlin over the next week. If you’re around, make sure to come to one!

    Links for more info on my website: https://parismarx.com/

    parismarx , to random
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    “I have seen the extremely restrictive off-boarding agreement that contains nondisclosure and non-disparagement provisions former OpenAI employees are subject to. It forbids them, for the rest of their lives, from criticizing their former employer.”

    https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2024/5/17/24158478/openai-departures-sam-altman-employees-chatgpt-release

    parismarx , to random
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    In this week’s Disconnect Roundup: Apple’s new products are flops, so it’s going back to what Tim Cook knows best: raising prices to get more out of existing customers.

    Plus, recommended reads, labor updates, and other news you might have missed.

    https://disconnect.blog/roundup-apples-wants-to-hike-iphone-prices-again/

    #tech #apple #iphone

    parismarx , to random
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    “The certain knowledge that Kevin Roose is a credulous dumbass who makes a jingle-bell sound if he nods his head real fast only does so much to moderate the obscenity and offensiveness of his ascribing ‘playful intelligence’ and ‘emotional intuition’ to a predictive text generator.”

    https://defector.com/if-kevin-roose-was-chatgpt-with-a-spray-on-beard-could-anyone-tell

    parismarx , to random
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    Kevin Roose so desperately wants to live in the futures tech companies are selling that he’ll eagerly do their PR for them and buy into whatever illusions of intelligence they put in front of him so he can trick himself into believing they’ll actually be realized this time.

    https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/14/technology/ai-chatgpt-her-movie.html

    But the real killer feature was the way ChatGPT’s voice itself changed. One moment, it was a sing-songy soprano. The next, it shifted into a lilting contralto. It paused for effect, giggled at its own jokes and added filler phrases like “hmm” and “let’s see” for extra realism. It sounded more humanlike than some humans I know. It also seemed to have a sense of humor. At one point during a demo, an OpenAI employee breathed in a heavy, exaggerated pant. ChatGPT heard him and responded, “Mark, you’re not a vacuum cleaner.”
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    • parismarx , to random
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    Chinese carmakers’ global growth “comes as major U.S. carmakers … have withdrawn from promising markets such as India, Indonesia & Thailand to focus on their North American base.”

    Market share of Chinese automakers “has jumped in many markets over the last 5 years, growing from 3% to 10% in Thailand, from 1% to 9% in Australia and from nothing to 13% in Mexico … Gains in Russia have been even starker, jumping from almost nothing to more than a third.”

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/05/18/china-us-ev-cars/

    parismarx , to random
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    lmao yes, the webbies really did get maggie haberman to present an award to kara swisher

    parismarx , to random
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    Remember when tech CEOs whipped us into a frenzy about generative AI changing everything? Those days are long gone.

    Google and OpenAI’s latest demos show the bubble is deflating, but they’re still going to seize as much power as they can before the crash.

    https://disconnect.blog/ai-hype-is-over-ai-exhaustion-is-setting-in/

    parismarx OP ,
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    @jbiserkov fixed!

    parismarx , to random
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    Chinese EV maker BYD is challenging Tesla to become the top EV seller in the world. But how did it get there and what does its future hold?

    On , I spoke to @paologerbaudo to discuss BYD’s success and why the US feels threatened by it.

    Full ep: https://techwontsave.us/episode/220_how_byd_is_upending_the_ev_market_w_paolo_gerbaudo

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