For $99, Gross and her staff listen to workers’ complaints about harassment, discrimination, or other job-related issues – stories those workers don’t feel comfortable sharing with their own employers’ HR representatives. Workers at Google, Netflix, Amazon, Uber and Meta have all used Caged Bird, according to Gross. She also says Caged Bird wrote the résumé for a candidate who ended up a state senator, and helped a woman who was about to quit her job negotiate a $30,000 severance.
The ProtonMail people are accusing Microsoft’s new Outlook for Windows app of conducting extensive surveillance on its users. It shares data with advertisers, a lot of data:
The window informs users that Microsoft and those 801 third parties use their data for a number of purposes, including to:
Store and/or access information on the user’s device
A personalized, wearable, and interactive Indigenous language revitalization robot that senses motion and speaks our languages. The students build the robots themselves. Built to take tech learning out of the classroom, the robots were made to supplement community language learning for free. It has been a success in enabling our youth to bring the robots home to learn with their families and in creating learning tools they resonate with.
“An antiracist future is a decolonized future, and this means addressing our power dynamics, we talked about representation, that’s awesome, but it’s very hard to gain footing when it’s representation in someone else’s system and they have power there. We need to lead our own solutions for our own communities, and this looks like different things for all of us.”
-Danielle Boyer for the MIT Solve Antiracist and Indigenous Futures Summit
Can everyone who reads this PLEASE reblog it?!?!? Libraries literally saved my life as a child!
Being abused at home, bullied at school and lost in the world, the library and all the books I could escape to the most amazing worlds, kept me alive!
I would walk to the library, and spend all day, from 10 am to 9 pm reading there!! I got special awards for how many books I read, I wrote little blurbs on why i loved the books (probably why I love to BETA and do ARCs)
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE Just hit the green arrows and the reblog!!!
As a 50 year old woman, the library offers me so much. Digital art pads to borrow, 3D printing, book clubs that are face to face (yeah, the introvert likes face to face because a moderator will stomp on anyone getting snarky)
New books in LARGE PRINT! I’m visually challenged and as much as I love my kindle, The feel of a real book in my hands will always be a beloved feeling!
Our library also has quarterly books sales of almost free books!! For 5$USD we get in a day early and can buy as many as we want. Anyone else has to wait and there is a limit for the first 2 days.
Also many, many libraries have inter library loan(it may be called something different). This means if they don’t have the item you want, they can get it for you. This may include photocopy/pdf of articles. This can also include along with books and DVDs, microfilm/fiche which is also a huge resource. Check around for libraries that are listed as depositories if you want to look at government documents.
Remember that many colleges and universities have open stacks for the public. You will likely have to pay a membership fee but you will get to stuff.
I love the library ☺
The library was one of my favorite places to go as a kid and I still live to go and just. Sit and read. Or do homework. The university I’m at has a massive 8-story one I love to just wonder around in~ Great places
Libraries are amazing places, we need to protect them to ensure their continued existence.
I used to wander about the fiction section in my local library, and choose books with the most interesting titles - I discovered two amazing authors that way
If you feel disconnected from your local community & want to find ways to get involved, seriously consider spending some time at the library. Go to some events! Organize a reading group!
Support your libraries!
Read banned books!
People who don’t learn can be more easily controlled and told what to think!
Þat hafði hon ok í sættargerð sinni, at æsir skyldu þat gera, er hon hugði, at þeir skyldu eigi mega, at hlægja hana. Þá gerði Loki þat, at hann batt um skegg geitar nökkurrar ok öðrum enda um hreðjar sér, ok létu þau ýmsi eftir ok skrækði hvárt tveggja hátt. Þá lét Loki fallast í kné Skaða, ok þá hló hon. Var þá ger sætt af ásanna hendi við hana.
Which translates as:
She had this article also in her bond of reconciliation: that the Æsir must do a thing she thought they would not be able to accomplish: to make her laugh. Then Loki did this: he tied a cord to the beard of a goat, the other end being about his own genitals, and each gave way in turn, and each of the two screeched loudly; then Loki let himself fall onto Skadi's knee, and she laughed. Thereupon reconciliation was made with her on the part of the Æsir.
I don't know whether it's "character development", although it tells you what Loki was willing to do to get a laugh. But it's part of the myth and part of the story, so I included it in Norse Mythology.
Through a 2010 FOIA request (yes, it took that long), we have copies of the NSA’s KRYPTOS Society Newsletter, “Tales of the Krypt,” from 1994 to 2003.
There are many interesting things in the 800 pages of newsletter. There are many redactions. And a 1994 review of Applied Cryptography by redacted:
Applied Cryptography, for those who don’t read the internet news, is a book written by Bruce Schneier last year. According to the jacket, Schneier is a data security expert with a master’s degree in computer science. According to his followers, he is a hero who has finally brought together the loose threads of cryptography for the general public to understand. Schneier has gathered academic research, internet gossip, and everything he could find on cryptography into one 600-page jumble.
The book is destined for commercial success because it is the only volume in which everything linked to cryptography is mentioned. It has sections on such-diverse topics as number theory, zero knowledge proofs, complexity, protocols, DES, patent law, and the Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility. Cryptography is a hot topic just now, and Schneier stands alone in having written a book on it which can be browsed: it is not too dry.
Schneier gives prominence to applications with large sections.on protocols and source code. Code is given for IDEA, FEAL, triple-DES, and other algorithms. At first glance, the book has the look of an encyclopedia of cryptography. Unlike an encyclopedia, however, it can’t be trusted for accuracy.
Playing loose with the facts is a serious problem with Schneier. For example in discussing a small-exponent attack on RSA, he says “an attack by Michael Wiener will recover e when e is up to one quarter the size of n.” Actually, Wiener’s attack recovers the secret exponent d when e has less than one quarter as many bits as n, which is a quite different statement. Or: “The quadratic sieve is the fastest known algorithm for factoring numbers less than 150 digits…. The number field sieve is the fastest known factoring algorithm, although the quadratric sieve is still faster for smaller numbers (the break even point is between 110 and 135 digits).” Throughout the book, Schneier leaves the impression of sloppiness, of a quick and dirty exposition. The reader is subjected to the grunge of equations, only to be confused or misled. The large number of errors compounds the problem. A recent version of the errata (Schneier publishes updates on the internet) is fifteen pages and growing, including errors in diagrams, errors in the code, and errors in the bibliography.
Many readers won’t notice that the details are askew. The importance of the book is that it is the first stab at.putting the whole subject in one spot. Schneier aimed to provide a “comprehensive reference work for modern cryptography.” Comprehensive it is. A trusted reference it is not.
Ouch. But I will not argue that some of my math was sloppy, especially in the first edition (with the blue cover, not the red cover).
A few other highlights:
1995 Kryptos Kristmas Kwiz, pages 299–306
1996 Kryptos Kristmas Kwiz, pages 414–420
1998 Kryptos Kristmas Kwiz, pages 659–665
1999 Kryptos Kristmas Kwiz, pages 734–738
Dundee Society Introductory Placement Test (from questions posed by Lambros Callimahos in his famous class), pages 771–773
R. Dale Shipp’s Principles of Cryptanalytic Diagnosis, pages 776–779
Obit of Jacqueline Jenkins-Nye (Bill Nye the Science Guy’s mother), pages 755–756
AMHERST, MA—Shedding new light on the identification of foodborne illnesses, a study published Wednesday by researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst found that the most effective food safety technique was just eating it and seeing what happens. “Whether you found a weird speck floating in your heavy…
Chess Grandmaster Anna Muzychuk refuses to play in Saudi Arabia and says: “In a few days, I will lose two world titles, back to back.” Because I decided not to go to Saudi Arabia. I refuse to play by special rules, to wear abaya, to be accompanied by a man so I can leave the hotel, so I don’t feel like a second class person. “I will follow my principles and not compete in the World Fast Chess and Blitz Championship where in just 5 days I could have won more money than dozens of other tournaments combined.” This is all very nasty but the sad part is no one seems to care. Bitter feelings but can’t go back. “ —Anna Muzychuk
Amazon is phasing out its checkout-less grocery stores with “Just Walk Out” technology, first reported by The Information Tuesday. The company’s senior vice president of grocery stores says they’re moving away from Just Walk Out, which relied on cameras and sensors to track what people were leaving the store with.
Just over half of Amazon Fresh stores are equipped with Just Walk Out. The technology allows customers to skip checkout altogether by scanning a QR code when they enter the store. Though it seemed completely automated, Just Walk Out relied on more than 1,000 people in India watching and labeling videos to ensure accurate checkouts. The cashiers were simply moved off-site, and they watched you as you shopped.
“young adult dystopian novels are so unrealistic lmao like they always have some random teenage girl rising up to inspire the world to make change.”
a hero emerges
And just like in the novels, grown men and women are going out of their way to destroy her. Support our hero.
And it’s not even like it doesn’t happen regularly.
Teenage girls are amazing.
Sometimes they’re not even teenagers
Reblog every time a girl is discredited/ignored
Who they are:
Emma Gonzalez
Malala Yousafzai
Ruby Bridges
Greta Thunberg
Mari Copeny
Autumn Peltier
Afreen Khan
Sophie Cruz
Charlottesville Black Students Union
Naomi Wadler
DAPL protestors (names not found)
Ahed Tamimi
This isn’t a coincidence. Revolutions almost always happen when the population of a country is at its youngest and that’s a lot more true nowadays with social media.
Claudette Colvin was actually the first one to refuse her seat in Montgomery, Alabama to a white passenger. The movement chose to promote Rosa Parks as the figure for that form of protest because Claudette was a pregnant 15-year-old girl.
Barbara Rose Johns was a 16-year-old who organized a student strike protesting segregated schools. This strike, after gaining support of the NAACP, became a lawsuit that turned into Brown vs. The Board of Education and resulted in the desegregation of U.S schools nationally.
7th-grader Mary Beth Tinker, disturbed by the Vietnam War, decided to wear an arm band with a peace sign on it in protest. Her school suspended her. Her family filed a suit, Tinker vs. Des Moines, which reached the Supreme Court and ruled in her favor, ensuring that students and teachers maintain their right to free speech while in school.
Freddie & Truus Oversteegen were sisters who joined a Dutch resistance movement in WWII in their teens. They lured, ambushed, and assassinated Nazis and Dutch collaborators. They also blew up a railway line, transported Jewish refugees to new hiding places, and worked in an emergency hospital.
Our history books may like to showcase male figures, but behind every movement is a young girl ready to make a change. It was true then, it’s true now, and future generations of teenage girls will go on to inspire progress, whether they’re credited or not.
It’s almost like sexism and racism are correlated, and have been intrinsic for centuries in humanity.
I’d also add a controversial one: ageism, but specifically against youth.
Hey guys. This is my new best friend. I’m making a cake.
I made my batter from scratch, and I made a strawberry yogurt frosting.
Cannot wait to see what this weird little guy looks like.
The lamb is done. The lamb is cooling.
the lamb did not come out of the pan very well. features have been lost. frosting may be needed to rescue the lamb.
Behold. My son.
hey op do you take criticism
i do not, and please don’t speak to me or my son ever again
Happy Easter to the post that haunts my notifications. To the four thousand people who have asked me: yes I buttered and floured the pan. No this is not for making butter. Idk if it’s actually for a cake but it’s too big to use to make butter. Stay safe kids.
Happy Easter to this post once again. Apparently the pan has lead in it. Please stop messaging me about the lead. I know.
In a belief that now seems utterly ridiculous, in the 1500s, some physicians believed that by simply smelling basil scorpions would grow in the brain. The scorpion theory can be traced to the writings of an English physician who, while in Italy, observed that if basil were placed under a stone in a moist place, a scorpion would be produced in two days’ time. There’s also at least one anecdotal reference by another “learned physician” to a patient having succumbed to scorpion infestation in his brain brought about by frequently smelling the herb.
“Use your gifts and your talents to greatest possible effect while you can. Spread joy wherever possible. Laugh at jokes. Tell jokes. Make puns and bugger the embuggerances. Read books. Read my books. You might like them. You might find something else you like even more than them. Look for these things in life.
Question authority. Champion good causes. Speak out against injustice. Do not tolerate bullies or bigots or racists or anti-intellectuals or the narrow-minded. Use your education to challenge them. Broaden their perspectives. Make the world you interface with a happier place.
These are your choices. Choices you have been fortunate to have been given, so don’t waste them while you have them. Don’t look back in years to come and wish you had grasped a fleeting opportunity. Grasp it now with both hands, Live. Strive. Love.”
from A Little Advice for Life taken from ‘Terry Pratchett: from birth to death, a writer.’
—Sir Terry Pratchett; April 28, 1948 – March 12, 2015
One of the greatest compliments I’ve ever received is that I resemble Sam Vimes.
When a straight man lashes out after dating or having sex with a trans woman, he is often afraid of the implication that his sexuality is joined to hers. When a gay man anxiously keeps trans women out of his activism or social circles, he is often fearful of their common stigma as feminine. And when a non-trans feminist claims she is erased by trans women’s access to a bathroom, she is often afraid that their shared vulnerability as feminized people will be magnified intolerably by trans women’s presence. In each case, trans misogyny displays a fear of interdependence and a refusal of solidarity. It is felt as a fear of proximity. Trans femininity is too sociable, too connected to everyone—too exuberant about stigmatized femininity—and many people fear the excess of trans femininity and sexuality getting too close. But sociability can never be confined or blamed on one person in a relationship; it’s impersonal, and it sticks to everyone.
The defensive fear and projection built into trans misogyny, whether genuine or performed, is an attempt to wish away what it nonetheless recognizes: that trans femininity is an integral part of the social fabric. There will be no emancipation for anyone until we embrace trans femininity’s centrality and value.
Jules Gill-Peterson, A Short History of Trans Misogyny
i cant tell which is my favorite part. the frantic pulling of the hose as its getting sucked into the sky like a spaghetti noodle, the random “OH YEAH BABY!”, or the guy just chuckin a rock into the fire tornado at the end as if that’s gonna show it who’s boss
This is like a D&D encounter that wasn’t supposed to be hard, just spray water at the fire, but nobody could roll above a 5.
I am, of course, giving our cat some side-eye right now.
The cat was looking over my shoulder and reading this as I posted it. Now she’s jumped on my lap, keeping me from my work and forcing me to type one-handed.
I’ve got to be more careful about letting her read the internet.
ALT
