#access control Los Angeles

[novakdoorsandgates]

Novak Doors And Gates

Address: 18430 Ventura Blvd #101. Tarzana, CA 91356

Phone: (323) 955-2251

Website: https://novakdoorsandgates.com/

Business email: admin@novakdoorsandgates.com

Hours: Sun - Thu: 7:30AM - 9PM | Fri : 7:30AM - 04:30PM | Sat - CLOSED

Payment: Cash, Checks, Credit Cards, Financing

Social: https://www.facebook.com/Novakdoorsandgates https://twitter.com/NovakDoorsGates https://www.yelp.com/biz/novak-doors-and-gates-tarzana-3 https://www.pinterest.com/Novakdoorsandgates/ https://www.instagram.com/novak.doors.and.gates/

[dandssecurity]

How Access Control Systems in Los Angeles and Anaheim, CA Improve Residential Security

In the sprawling urban landscape of Los Angeles, where diverse neighborhoods coexist, and safety concerns vary widely, the importance of robust security measures for residential properties cannot be overstated. Access control systems have emerged as vital in enhancing residential security, providing homeowners peace of mind and a secure living environment.     The Importance of Access Control Systems in Residential Settings   Enhanced Security   Access control systems in Los Angeles and Anaheim, CA, are designed to regulate who can enter or exit a property, ensuring that only authorized individuals have access. For residential properties, this means increased protection against intruders and unwanted visitors. By controlling entry points such as gates, doors, and garages, homeowners can prevent unauthorized access, reducing the risk of burglary, vandalism, and other criminal activities.   Convenience and Control   Modern access control systems offer homeowners a high level of convenience. With various options, residents can easily manage who has access to their property. This is particularly useful for households with multiple occupants, domestic staff, or regular visitors. Remote access features allow homeowners to grant or revoke access from anywhere, providing greater control over their security.   Integration with Other Security Systems   Access control systems can be integrated with other security measures such as surveillance cameras, alarm systems, and smart home devices. This creates a comprehensive security network that enhances the overall protection of the property. For instance, when integrated with cameras, access control systems can provide real-time video verification of individuals entering the property, adding an extra layer of security.   Increased Property Value   Investing in advanced security systems can also increase a property's value. Potential buyers often consider robust security measures a significant advantage, especially in a bustling city like Los Angeles. A well-secured home can attract more buyers, potentially leading to higher resale values.     Impact on Security for Homeowners in Los Angeles   Crime Deterrence   A visible and robust access control system can deter potential intruders. Knowing that a property has advanced security measures can discourage criminal activity, making neighborhoods safer overall.   Peace of Mind   Access control systems provide peace of mind for homeowners in Los Angeles, where security concerns can be significant. Knowing that state-of-the-art security measures protect their homes allows residents to feel safe and secure in their environment.   Community Security   Access control systems contribute to the overall security of residential communities or apartment complexes. Shared access points such as gates and entry doors can be monitored and controlled, ensuring that only residents and authorized individuals can enter the premises.   Access control and alarm systems in Glendale and Los Angeles, CA, are essential components of residential security in Los Angeles. They provide enhanced protection, convenience, and peace of mind for homeowners. By investing in these advanced security measures, residents can create a safer living environment and contribute to the overall security of their communities. 

[security-cameras-installation-la]

CCTV Security Cameras Installation Los Angeles DSMLA allows you to concentrate on the important things. We manage your security system in Los Angeles and safeguard lives and property by continuously checking for fires, carbon monoxide leaks, and security threats. By integrating services like security, video, access control, and automation into a single solution, we simplify life. Best-in-class products with a focus on customers Focus - Our commitment to safeguarding Los Angeles citizens and business owners enables us to provide the services that our clients demand and deserve. For more Details Contact Us Today! 3109014972 or Email: cctvdsmla@gmail.com

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Apple fucked us on right to repair (again)

Today (September 22), I'm (virtually) presenting at the DIG Festival in Modena, Italy. Tonight, I'll be in person at LA's Book Soup for the launch of Justin C Key's "The World Wasn’t Ready for You." On September 27, I'll be at Chevalier's Books in Los Angeles with Brian Merchant for a joint launch for my new book The Internet Con and his new book, Blood in the Machine.

Right to repair has no cannier, more dedicated adversary than Apple, a company whose most innovative work is dreaming up new ways to sneakily sabotage electronics repair while claiming to be a caring environmental steward, a lie that covers up the mountains of e-waste that Apple dooms our descendants to wade through.

Why does Apple hate repair so much? It's not that they want to poison our water and bodies with microplastics; it's not that they want to hasten the day our coastal cities drown; it's not that they relish the human misery that accompanies every gram of conflict mineral. They aren't sadists. They're merely sociopathically greedy.

Tim Cook laid it out for his investors: when people can repair their devices, they don't buy new ones. When people don't buy new devices, Apple doesn't sell them new devices. It's that's simple:

https://www.inverse.com/article/52189-tim-cook-says-apple-faces-2-key-problems-in-surprising-shareholder-letter

So Apple does everything it can to monopolize repair. Not just because this lets the company gouge you on routine service, but because it lets them decide when your phone is beyond repair, so they can offer you a trade-in, ensuring both that you buy a new device and that the device you buy is another Apple.

There are so many tactics Apple gets to use to sabotage repair. For example, Apple engraves microscopic Apple logos on the subassemblies in its devices. This allows the company to enlist US Customs to seize and destroy refurbished parts that are harvested from dead phones by workers in the Pacific Rim:

https://repair.eu/news/apple-uses-trademark-law-to-strengthen-its-monopoly-on-repair/

Of course, the easiest way to prevent harvested components from entering the parts stream is to destroy as many old devices as possible. That's why Apple's so-called "recycling" program shreds any devices you turn over to them. When you trade in your old iPhone at an Apple Store, it is converted into immortal e-waste (no other major recycling program does this). The logic is straightforward: no parts, no repairs:

https://www.vice.com/en/article/yp73jw/apple-recycling-iphones-macbooks

Shredding parts and cooking up bogus trademark claims is just for starters, though. For Apple, the true anti-repair innovation comes from the most pernicious US tech law: Section 1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

DMCA 1201 is an "anti-circumvention" law. It bans the distribution of any tool that bypasses "an effective means of access control." That's all very abstract, but here's what it means: if a manufacturer sticks some Digital Rights Management (DRM) in its device, then anything you want to do that involves removing that DRM is now illegal – even if the thing itself is perfectly legal.

When Congress passed this stupid law in 1998, it had a very limited blast radius. Computers were still pretty expensive and DRM use was limited to a few narrow categories. In 1998, DMCA 1201 was mostly used to prevent you from de-regionalizing your DVD player to watch discs that had been released overseas but not in your own country.

But as we warned back then, computers were only going to get smaller and cheaper, and eventually, it would only cost manufacturers pennies to wrap their products – or even subassemblies in their products – in DRM. Congress was putting a gun on the mantelpiece in Act I, and it was bound to go off in Act III.

Welcome to Act III.

Today, it costs about a quarter to add a system-on-a-chip to even the tiniest parts. These SOCs can run DRM. Here's how that DRM works: when you put a new part in a device, the SOC and the device's main controller communicate with one another. They perform a cryptographic protocol: the part says, "Here's my serial number," and then the main controller prompts the user to enter a manufacturer-supplied secret code, and the master controller sends a signed version of this to the part, and the part and the system then recognize each other.

This process has many names, but because it was first used in the automotive sector, it's widely known as VIN-Locking (VIN stands for "vehicle identification number," the unique number given to every car by its manufacturer). VIN-locking is used by automakers to block independent mechanics from repairing your car; even if they use the manufacturer's own parts, the parts and the engine will refuse to work together until the manufacturer's rep keys in the unlock code:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/07/24/rent-to-pwn/#kitt-is-a-demon

VIN locking is everywhere. It's how John Deere stops farmers from fixing their own tractors – something farmers have done literally since tractors were invented:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/05/08/about-those-kill-switched-ukrainian-tractors/

It's in ventilators. Like mobile phones, ventilators are a grotesquely monopolized sector, controlled by a single company Medtronic, whose biggest claim to fame is effecting the world's largest tax inversion in order to manufacture the appearance that it is an Irish company and therefore largely untaxable. Medtronic used the resulting windfall to gobble up most of its competitors.

During lockdown, as hospitals scrambled to keep their desperately needed supply of ventilators running, Medtronic's VIN-locking became a lethal impediment. Med-techs who used donor parts from one ventilator to keep another running – say, transplanting a screen – couldn't get the device to recognize the part because all the world's civilian aircraft were grounded, meaning Medtronic's technicians couldn't swan into their hospitals to type in the unlock code and charge them hundreds of dollars.

The saving grace was an anonymous, former Medtronic repair tech, who built pirate boxes to generate unlock codes, using any housing they could lay hands on to use as a case: guitar pedals, clock radios, etc. This tech shipped these gadgets around the world, observing strict anonymity, because Article 6 of the EUCD also bans circumvention:

https://pluralistic.net/2020/07/10/flintstone-delano-roosevelt/#medtronic-again

Of course, Apple is a huge fan of VIN-locking. In phones, VIN-locking is usually called "serializing" or "parts-pairing," but it's the same thing: a tiny subassembly gets its own microcontroller whose sole purpose is to prevent independent repair technicians from fixing your gadget. Parts-pairing lets Apple block repairs even when the technician uses new, Apple parts – but it also lets Apple block refurb parts and third party parts.

For many years, Apple was the senior partner and leading voice in blocking state Right to Repair bills, which it killed by the dozen, leading a coalition of monopolists, from Wahl (who boobytrap their hair-clippers with springs that cause their heads irreversibly decompose if you try to sharpen them at home) to John Deere (who reinvented tenant farming by making farmers tenants of their tractors, rather than their land).

But Apple's opposition to repair eventually became a problem for the company. It's bad optics, and both Apple customers and Apple employees are volubly displeased with the company's ecocidal conduct. But of course, Apple's management and shareholders hate repair and want to block it as much as possible.

But Apple knows how to Think Differently. It came up with a way to eat its cake and have it, too. The company embarked on a program of visibly support right to repair, while working behind the scenes to sabotage it.

Last year, Apple announced a repair program. It was hilarious. If you wanted to swap your phone's battery, all you had to do was let Apple put a $1200 hold on your credit card, and then wait while the company shipped you 80 pounds' worth of specialized tools, packed in two special Pelican cases:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/05/22/apples-cement-overshoes/

Then, you swapped your battery, but you weren't done! After your battery was installed, you had to conference in an authorized Apple tech who would tell you what code to type into a laptop you tethered to the phone in order to pair it with your phone. Then all you had to do was lug those two 40-pound Pelican cases to a shipping depot and wait for Apple to take the hold off your card (less the $120 in parts and fees).

By contrast, independent repair outfits like iFixit will sell you all the tools you need to do your own battery swap – including the battery! for $32. The whole kit fits in a padded envelope:

https://www.ifixit.com/products/iphone-x-replacement-battery

But while Apple was able to make a showy announcement of its repair program and then hide the malicious compliance inside those giant Pelican cases, sabotaging right to repair legislation is a lot harder.

Not that they didn't try. When New York State passed the first general electronics right-to-repair bill in the country, someone convinced New York Governor Kathy Hochul to neuter it with last-minute modifications:

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/12/weakened-right-to-repair-bill-is-signed-into-law-by-new-yorks-governor/

But that kind of trick only works once. When California's right to repair bill was introduced, it was clear that it was gonna pass. Rather than get run over by that train, Apple got on board, supporting the legislation, which passed unanimously:

https://www.ifixit.com/News/79902/apples-u-turn-tech-giant-finally-backs-repair-in-california

But Apple got the last laugh. Because while California's bill contains many useful clauses for the independent repair shops that keep your gadgets out of a landfill, it's a state law, and DMCA 1201 is federal. A state law can't simply legalize the conduct federal law prohibits. California's right to repair bill is a banger, but it has a weak spot: parts-pairing, the scourge of repair techs:

https://www.ifixit.com/News/69320/how-parts-pairing-kills-independent-repair

Every generation of Apple devices does more parts-pairing than the previous one, and the current models are so infested with paired parts as to be effectively unrepairable, except by Apple. It's so bad that iFixit has dropped its repairability score for the iPhone 14 from a 7 ("recommend") to a 4 (do not recommend):

https://www.ifixit.com/News/82493/we-are-retroactively-dropping-the-iphones-repairability-score-en

Parts-pairing is bullshit, and Apple are scum for using it, but they're hardly unique. Parts-pairing is at the core of the fuckery of inkjet printer companies, who use it to fence out third-party ink, so they can charge $9,600/gallon for ink that pennies to make:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/11/ink-stained-wretches-battle-soul-digital-freedom-taking-place-inside-your-printer

Parts-pairing is also rampant in powered wheelchairs, a heavily monopolized sector whose predatory conduct is jaw-droppingly depraved:

https://uspirgedfund.org/reports/usp/stranded

But if turning phones into e-waste to eke out another billion-dollar stock buyback is indefensible, stranding people with disabilities for months at a time while they await repairs is so obviously wicked that the conscience recoils. That's why it was so great when Colorado passed the nation's first wheelchair right to repair bill last year:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/06/when-drm-comes-your-wheelchair

California actually just passed two right to repair bills; the other one was SB-271, which mirrors Colorado's HB22-1031:

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB271

This is big! It's momentum! It's a start!

But it can't be the end. When Bill Clinton signed DMCA 1201 into law 25 years ago, he loaded a gun and put it on the nation's mantlepiece and now it's Act III and we're all getting sprayed with bullets. Everything from ovens to insulin pumps, thermostats to lightbulbs, has used DMCA 1201 to limit repair, modification and improvement.

Congress needs to rid us of this scourge, to let us bring back all the benefits of interoperability. I explain how this all came to be – and what we should do about it – in my new Verso Books title, The Internet Con: How to Seize the Means of Computation.

https://www.versobooks.com/products/3035-the-internet-con

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/22/vin-locking/#thought-differently

Image: Mitch Barrie (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Daytona_Skeleton_AR-15_completed_rifle_%2817551907724%29.jpg

CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en

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kambanji (modified) https://www.flickr.com/photos/kambanji/4135216486/

CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

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Rawpixel (modified) https://www.rawpixel.com/image/12438797/png-white-background

[felassan]

Game Informer:

"Cover Reveal – Dragon Age: The Veilguard by Wesley LeBlanc on Jun 09, 2024 at 02:00 PM This month, Dragon Age: The Veilguard (you read that right – Dreadwolf is no more) graces the cover of Game Informer. After years developing Baldur's Gate and its sequel early in its history, BioWare struck out to create its own fantasy RPG. That series began with Dragon Age: Origins in 2009. It was followed up with Dragon Age II in 2011, and then Dragon Age: Inquisition in 2014. While the Dragon Age series' history has its ups and downs, fans have been patiently waiting for BioWare to return to the franchise, and 2024 is finally the year.  We visited BioWare's Edmonton, Canada, office for an exclusive look at Dragon Age: The Veilguard, including a look at its character creator, its prologue and opening missions, and more. We also spoke to many of the game's leads about the name change, the series' shift to real-time action combat, the various companions (and the relationships you can forge with them), and The Veilguard's hub location. You can learn about the titular Veilguard, Solas' role in the game, and so much more in our 12-page cover story for Dragon Age: The Veilguard."

"But there are plenty of other excellent reads within this issue of Game Informer! Some of us flew to Los Angeles, California, to attend Summer Game Fest and the not-E3 weekend's various other events to check out new games, interview developers, and more. Our previews section is jam-packed with new details about upcoming releases we can't wait for.  Brian Shea flew to Warsaw, Poland, to check out two upcoming releases – Frostpunk 2 and The Alters – and he came away excited about both. Jon Woodey went hands-on with Final Fantasy XIV's upcoming Dawntrail expansion (and spoke to director Naoki Yoshida, too), and as someone with 8,000 hours in the game, his words are the ones you'll want to read.  On the freelance front, Charlie Wacholz writes about how last year's Dave The Diver is one of the best game representations of the rewards and struggles of working in the food and beverage industry, and Grant Stoner spoke with Sony and Microsoft about the development of process and history of the companies' Adaptive and Access controllers. And for a lil' terror this summer, Ashley Bardhan spoke to several horror game developers about why the alluring town known as Silent Hill is a crucial location to Konami's horror masterpiece.  As always, you'll find an editor's note from editor-in-chief Matt Miller, reviews from various freelancers and staff editors, a Top 5 list (hint hint: dragons), and more. Here's a closer look at the cover:"

"Not a print subscriber yet but want this issue? Well, you're in luck! Subscribing today – or within the next few days – will net you a print copy of this issue! You can join the ranks of the Game Informer print subscribers through our new standalone print subscription! Just head here to sign up for either one or two years at a fraction of the cost of buying the issues individually! You can even gift a print subscription to your favorite gamer! SUBSCRIBE TO THE PRINT MAGAZINE You can also try to nab a Game Informer Gold version of the issue. Limited to a numbered print run per issue, this premium version of Game Informer isn't available for sale. To learn about places where you might be able to get a copy, check out our official Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, BlueSky, and Threads accounts and stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks. Click here to read more about Game Informer Gold. Print subscribers can expect their issues to arrive in the coming weeks. The digital edition launches June 18 for PC/Mac, iOS, and Google Play. Individual print copies will be available for purchase in the coming weeks at GameStop."

[source] <- they explain at the link how to read this issue.

aaah they have had a look at the character creator!!! I can't wait for this coverage.

[hometoursandotherstuff]

If only homes weren't so expensive today. This 1928, (reno'd in 1940), beauty couldn't even sell in Los Angeles, CA with a price reduction of $215K - it's out of control. 3bds, 3ba, $2.499M. This has happened before- if you buy when the market is high, when it goes back down and stabilizes again, you're stuck with a home that isn't worth what you paid.

The home has been upgraded, but still retains the 30s look.

Nice large living room. Even though beige is my least favorite color, I do like that it's not stark white.

Here's a nice feature- there's a little diagonal room off the living room, w/a book nook and bar.

Plus, this sun room for guests to wander into and gather.

There's a nice dining room that opens to the patio.

Love the pale green cabinets.

The primary bedroom is pretty large for an older home.

The en-suite has been remodeled, but what is this small high tub thing? A whirlpool bath, maybe?

The other 2 bds. are good sizes. One has access to the garden.

This bath has vintage fixtures and period style tile.

Two nice patios and a garden on a 5,223 sq ft lot.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2250-Bronson-Hill-Dr-Los-Angeles-CA-90068/20808206_zpid/

[lgihtspeed]

SONG OF THE SUMMER — THE DEBUT EP

SONG OF THE SUMMER is the debut EP of fictional pop group LIGHTSPEED. It was released physically and digitally on JUNE 20, 2024 by C ENTERTAINMENT. The group promoted title track LEFT RIGHT for four weeks: two weeks on Korean music shows and two weeks on American television. Their American promotions were followed by live shows in a few of the cities the members are from, including Los Angeles, New York City, and Calgary.

The album covers were designed by ASH. The physical release comes in three versions: SUN, MOON, and STAR. 

They also released six member versions of CD-only jewel cases. Shortly after the album’s initial print, they released a limited-edition vinyl, all of which were signed by one or more members.

TRACKLIST

TRACK 001. LEFT RIGHT Written by Ash Jang, Constance Im, Ev Sharpe, LABYRYNTH Composed by LABYRYNTH Arranged by LABYRYNTH

TRACK 002. GOT IT LIKE THAT Written by Ash Jang, Seo Sejun, LABYRYNTH Composed by LABYRYNTH Arranged by LABYRYNTH

TRACK 003. HAMSTERBOY Written by Constance Im, RHYTHMAGIC Composed by RHYTHMAGIC Arranged by RHYTHMAGIC

TRACK 004. BUZZING MELODIES Written by Seo Sejun, Constance Im, Ash Jang Composed by RHYTHMAGIC Arranged by RHYTHMAGIC

With lyrics entirely in English, most of the songwriting is done by the group members rather than their Korean producers. CONSTANCE and ASH quickly emerged as the group's most prolific songwriters. Production was done by C Entertainment’s new in-house producer duo RHYTHMAGIC and by elusive producer LABYRYNTH, best known for his work with Lightspeed’s label mate, SEJUN. To fans’ surprise, Sejun also made a few appearances as a lyricist, keeping with his tendencies to write songs for everyone except himself.

STATS

13:01 — TOTAL RUNTIME

20M — MV VIEWS IN 24 HOURS

90 — BILLBOARD HOT 100 PEAK

8 — THEMED DANCE PRACTICES

LOOK BOOK

The era’s styling was entirely in shades of black and white and gray. The outfits were inspired by TECHWEAR—coincidentally one of the many themed dance practices—as well as the CYBERCORE and Y2K FUTURISM aesthetics.

HIGHLIGHTS

They were clowned to hell and back for the album title. They also made a disgusting number of “Did I just write the song of the summer?” TikToks, which did not help their case. The only one that went viral was the one of Ev deadpanning the script alongside his signature stiff peace sign ending fairy pose.

The music was well-received and that made the title slightly less egregious. Then Tyler and Mia went on the record and said they didn’t like it and everyone went back to clowning it.

The division between the people with more media training (Violet and Mia) and the people with less media training (everyone else) became obvious very early on.

There were three not-quite-but-almost-there PR disasters. The first happened not long after their debut: Tyler finally deactivated his controversial Twitter account. He probably should have stopped tweeting after he passed the first IGNITE! audition but he didn’t. The fan response was split between those who supported this decision, because idols shouldn’t be tweeting shit about their peers, and those who thought maybe it’s time an idol got to talk his shit. Three days after his account was deactivated, it was reactivated again, causing, in the nicest way possible, a shitstorm on Luminosity Twitter. C Entertainment finally did a bit of damage control by releasing a statement saying that multiple people had access to the account, which no one believed.

The second one occurred during a DIY karaoke livestream where Constance was taking song suggestions from the audience and someone asked for a boy group song. She singled out the commenter, and took a leaf out of Violet’s book by responding she “couldn’t care less about boy groups” and anyway, the people in her stream should just “listen to Lightspeed instead of men.” Never mind that there are men in Lightspeed. 

The third and final close call happened in an off-handed comment Ash made. While they were discussing their favorite and least favorite moments from IGNITE!, he remarked about how poor of a representation their profile pictures were. Having recently re-edited and posted his pictures to Instagram, he had to keep going and mention that ever since he graduated from college, he doesn’t have access to legal Adobe products. Everyone else sat in silence after he revealed that until Violet forced the conversation to move along.

They filmed a dorm tour that went viral because their dorm is a house. With six bedrooms and two kitchens and a second floor. In Seoul.

Between the two centers, Mia was clearly the favored one. She was the center of every chorus and the center of every OT6 photo and styled slightly differently from the rest of the group. 

Ev’s songwriting credit on “Left Right” came from a competition the group members minus Ash and Constance held to write the second verse of the song. To almost everyone’s surprise, Ev won. He was the only person unsurprised, revealing that his university major prior to IGNITE! was English Literature.

The “Left Right” line distribution was surprisingly bad. Constance, Mia, and Tyler sang most of the song, and the rest of them were left with crumbs. #LetEvSing trended on Twitter after their album release, especially because he wrote part of the song.

SHIP RANKINGS

ASH X TYLER (ASHLER) — One of the most popular ships from IGNITE! for their past friendship. Every single publicly available pre-IGNITE! interaction—all five of them—are also subject to intense scrutinization. Haters will say they can't possibly be dating because they dap each other up too much.

MIA X TYLER (MYLER) — The two centers! They were paired together for everything. Their shared dance break in a “Left Right” special performance had a ridiculous amount of chemistry, and then they covered Trouble Maker’s “Trouble Maker.” Absolutely no moving on from that.

CONSTANCE X MIA (CONIA) — According to their shippers, Constance doesn’t look at the Mia in the same way she looks at everyone else. The evidence is in clips of the two of them making eye contact slowed down to 0.5x speed. Also, they were roommates for the entire last half of IGNITE! (Oh my god, they were roommates.)

ASH X CONSTANCE (ASHSTANCE) — They wrote almost every song together, but more importantly, in vlogs showing off the time they spent in New York, the two of them sat next to each other in every restaurant they ate at. Their alternate ship name is Cash.

TYLER X VIOLET (TYLET) — Similar to the above pairing, Tyler acts in a noticeably different way with Violet than everyone else. He’s usually easygoing and quick to laugh with everyone else—especially Mia—but he froze up in all of the one solo conversation he had on camera with Violet. Which is clearly enough to make a ship.

[bekolxeram]

Thank you for that super interesting meta about the airfields and the hangar! Now my question is...if they were able to use Helinet for 1.5 episodes' worth of scenes, if they wanted a different location for Air Harbor, they'd have to want it for a lot MORE than 1.5 episodes (unless Helinet wasn't available at ALL so they had to start over). But then you run into the "wait no helicopters" issue you mention. But I'd think that they could rent a few helicopters for one day to get the exteriors? I'm talking myself in circles.

Oh, you and I both. I've been thinking myself in circles since looking at the hangar scouting photo and the A320 mock-up. To be frank, currently I'm not really buying the new Air Ops theory yet.

So, only the 7x03 Tommy stealing helicopter and the 7x04 Eddie stealing Tommy Air Ops tour scenes were filmed at Helinet. The entire rescue mission inside of the helicopter was filmed in a replica back at the studio. It doesn't fly but it can be easily disassembled. You can take the doors away for camera access or you can take the tail and rotors away, stick the fuselage part on a kind of shaking device for special effects.

This is how they filmed the helicopter ride.

This is the actual helicopter that flies. Look at the window next to Oliver's head, it's bigger and more rounded on the edges.

Now, the 2 scenes they filmed at Helinet are pretty short and not that complicated, just some characters talking with some extras walking around in the background. They just had to shuffle some helicopters around, maybe move a few desks down from the office. If they shot the 7x04 tour scene late afternoon, I can totally see them waiting for the sun to go down, then knock out the 7x03 scene, all in a couple of hours.

As for the helicopters, I don't think any one of them that we saw on screen even left the airport.

Here in 7x03, look closely at the window again, we only see the helicopter flying in the sky without other visual reference in the shot. Next thing we see, it's landed and it's the replica on the helipad.

Or here in 7x04, we see Tommy's helicopter flying off, then cut to Buck's jealous face, and that's it, end of scene.

It would be way more expensive renting actual aircrafts, fly them to another airport then just put them there for looks. While Helinet does own 2 aircrafts specifically contracted by ABC for electronic news gathering, like N29HD here:

The other one, N71HD, has a major problem:

I still maintain that there's no need for Air Ops to be shown on the show. I mean, we never see Karen's lab other than that time it exploded. If somehow 118 requires air support on a call, then you only need the helicopter, not the base. Or if someone goes to Air Ops to talk to Tommy, just shove him in a regular office and call it a control room or something. Although if for some reason we're going back to Air Ops this season, I can see why a new hangar would be needed.

Helinet and the city of Los Angeles have been involved in a tug of war over the proposed expansion and modernization of the Helinet base since February. Helinet says its current facilities are too old and too small, it would need bigger hangars (so that the maintenance crew doesn't have to work outside) and better office space (for regular workplace wellness). Residents in surrounding neighborhoods, on the other hand, are strongly against this proposal, as they believe this is just a trojan horse for Helinet to house bigger jet aircrafts in the future, bringing in more noise and air pollution. (You can read about this here, under Development Chilling Effect) The city council rejected the expansion proposal in February, and Helinet is actually suing the city of LA to force the project through.

I'm not taking side here, I don't basically nothing about this case, but if you're interested, you can read letters from Helinet employees addressed to the city council here. There are photos of the hangars and office space on the last page, and... honestly it's not looking good. Frequent sewer drain backups, poor ventilation, and when it rains, it leaks everywhere.

Oh, and when I watched 7x03 and I saw this little kitchenette set up in the background, I thought: cool, they make it feel like a real fire station. Turns out, it's the Helinet office's actual kitchen. Yes, that's all there is, this make shift set up, for the entire company.

Again, I have absolutely zero idea what that hangar at ONT is for or anything about S8 for that matter. But I totally understand why they wouldn't want to go back to the Helinet office.

[catdotjpeg]

About a thousand protesters converged on Hollywood on Sunday ahead of the Academy Awards ceremony to call for an immediate cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war. Their presence frustrated Oscars organizers and traffic control. Shortly before the ceremony was set to begin at 4 p.m., dozens of black vans carrying attendees stood at a standstill on Highland Avenue. “Go, go, go!” one organizer yelled as he frantically waved at cars to move through the intersection at Sunset Boulevard and Highland near the Dolby Theatre, where the ceremony was set to start. Some Oscar-goers ditched their cars and walked toward the venue. By the time the ceremony began, police had cleared access routes. Three hours earlier, demonstrators began gathering by the hundreds at the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Ivar Avenue, about a mile east of the theater on Hollywood Boulevard.

The demonstrators then spilled out to Sunset Boulevard, waving Palestinian flags and occupying the eastbound side of the street. “Let’s shut it down!” protesters chanted as they swarmed Sunset. The crowd began moving westward on the boulevard, led by a white van with half a dozen people on top chanting into a microphone and megaphone. About 40 police officers in riot gear stood vigilant at the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Las Palmas Avenue, one block west of the approaching crowd. “Free free Palestine!” the crowd chanted to a drumbeat — waving posters showing a movie slate painted in black, white, green and red, the colors of the Palestinian flag — with a message addressed to the Oscar audience: “While you’re watching, bombs are dropping.” Demonstrators also gathered earlier around the Hollywood Boulevard exit off the 101 Freeway and at the intersection of Sunset and Vine. Still others rallied on La Brea and Franklin avenues, near the Dolby Theatre, waving signs saying “Cease-fire now.”

[...]

Miguel Camnitzer, a member of Jewish Voice for Peace of Los Angeles, said he recently joined the pro-Palestinian cause. The grandson of Jews who fled Germany during the Holocaust, the 44-year-old said he could not stand by while Palestinians are killed. “I just can’t sit home today watching an awards show when a genocide is going on in the name of my people and with a previous genocide having happened to my people,” he said. “I was raised believing it’s a collective responsibility from preventing that from anyone else.” For Sarah Jacobus, a mentor for young writers, protesting the Israel-Hamas war is more about getting food, water and other necessities to her mentees, some of whom are in Rafah in southern Gaza. “They’re hanging on for dear life,” Jacobus, 72, said. “Two are in Rafah, one in a tent with his family and another in a room with about 50 people.” She said one of her mentees needs diapers for his 2-month-old, but “what they need more than anything is freedom.” Joining the demonstration on Sunset, several members of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television Radio Artists showed their support for Palestinians and a cease-fire, holding a large SAG-AFTRA poster at the front of the crowd. One of the protesters was a 35-year-old actress whose aunt and uncle are sheltering in a church in Gaza, she said. She requested anonymity for fear of retaliation against her family in Gaza and herself in the entertainment industry. “Hollywood is complicit,” she said, as she marched west toward the Dolby Theatre with the crowd. “There is this racist ideology running rampant inside [SAG], and there is no punishment for it.”

-- From "1,000 Gaza protesters rally in Hollywood ahead of Oscars, blocking traffic" by Ashley Ahn for Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar 2024

[leelee120000]

Looking Back On: Fall Out Boy, “Folie à Deux”

April 12, 2020

“Folie à Deux” came out when I was eight years old. Fall Out Boy (FOB) was a band I enjoyed but it wasn’t my favorite yet. That didn’t occur until 2010 when I got my first laptop and suddenly had access to play any music I wanted. After countless times listening, I came to think of it as one of the most musically intricate and well-developed albums FOB has ever produced. However, “Folie à Deux” didn’t sell well and ultimately contributed to FOB’s hiatus.

There is a plot in “Folie à Deux,” however, it is very hidden and not really understood without the additional “Fall Out Toy Works” comics, which was published in ‘09 and continued into ‘13. The comics are mostly unknown by many which makes talking about them all the more fun. 

“Fall Out Toy Works” was created by Pete Wentz of FOB, Darren Romanelli and Nathan Cabrera. It is written by Brett Lewis and illustrated by members of Imaginary Friends Studios. The story is a cyberpunk tale set in futuristic LA centered around a gynoid (female android) named Tiffany, the Toymaker’s perfect creation. Think “Pinocchio” meets “Pygmalion.” 

Baron is the main antagonist and his company controls the production of pretty much everything in Los Angeles, even the weather but he has no control over his relationships. He asks the Toymaker to create a robot wife for him, named Tiffany. Talking about the story any farther without spoiling the ending is hard.

The trade paperback and webcomic version both had the final page of issue 5 removed, which changed the entire tone of the ending. (It is relatively easy to find online, though.) There are so many things that the comics explain, even the meaning of the album’s cover art: the bear is a boy robot named Crybaby.

To promote “Folie à Deux,” the whole label of Decaydance Records artists did a mixtape of demos and custom songs called “Welcome to the New Administration.” The promotional campaign began on Aug. 18, 2008, when Decaydance’s website was supposedly hacked by a shady group called “Citizens For Our Betterment.”

The link led to the group’s website which was red, white and blue. Links on the page were blocked needing specific IP addresses to work. The Decaydance site was normal the following day. 

The Citizens for Our Betterment web page was updated every day, many posts referring to Nov. 4, the same day as the 2008 U.S. presidential election. The locked links were gradually opened and by Aug. 24, one link led to a page saying “FOB – The Return – November Four” in large big bold letters.

This caused some fans to believe that Fall Out Boy would release their new album on Nov. 4. Others theorized that this was another one of Pete’s attempts to raise political awareness as he previously held a rally for then U.S. Democratic Party presidential candidate Barack Obama. Members of FOB members are publicly democrats. 

Many bands from the Fueled by Ramen label posted on MySpace that same day with the title “Welcome to the New Administration.” Every post contained the word ten. On Aug. 25, the Citizens for Our Betterment website was redirected to the band’s Friends or Enemies page. On which was an image of a voting booth and ballots with the names of several Decaydance artists. 

By clicking on each individual ballot, there was an audio clip from the band reading past posts on the Citizens for Our Betterment website. A mixtape was then made available for download. Listen to it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUZKSsP8Sdo

As for the album itself, the album “Folie à Deux” itself is perfectly gapless as every song fades into the next. It starts with a hidden track called “Lullabye.” It’s a charming track featuring just acoustic guitar and Patrick singing. “Disloyal Order Of Water Buffaloes” is the first official song. The hook goes: “I’m a loose bolt of a complete machine. What a match, I’m half doomed and you’re semi-sweet.” These lines set the tone of the album with industrial elements and dark storytelling. The world of the Toymaker and how it intertwines with the music. 

“I Don’t Care” kicks off with a classic rock tone, and the accompanying music video is zany and weird. Gilby Clarke from Guns N’ Roses starts the video by saying, “what the hell happened to rock and roll? Eyeliner? Energy drinks? And no guitar solos? I’ve taken sh*ts with bigger rock stars than them!”

The video is filled with miscellaneous sights. There’s the infamous spaghetti cat clip, band members dressed as nuns, Joe flashing people – and it ends with everyone removing a mask and being a different rock star. Clarke himself reveals himself being Sarah Palin in the end, winks.

It’s an all-round weird video. A reminder that ‘08 was a different time, but all and all it fit into the political climate.

Next on the album is “She’s My Winona,” named after actress Winona Ryder. It is a true bop and a slower-paced song with the chorus of “hell or glory, I don’t want anything in between. Then came a baby boy with long eyelashes. And daddy said ‘you gotta show the world the thunder’.”  

This is followed by “America’s Suitehearts” with its nightmare carnival aesthetic that really adds to the story of the album and causes a lot of the nonsense to make sense. 

“Headfirst Slide Into Cooperstown On A Bad Bet,” in which the beat goes hard but the lyrics go harder, follows. It’s a song blatantly about infidelity within a relationship. Considering Pete Wentz’s divorce, it’s safe to assume that this was somewhat based in reality. 

The music video is labeled as “A Weekend At Pete Rose’s,” and is on the old FriendsOrEnemies YouTube channel. In it, Panic! At The Disco’s Brendon Urie and Spencer Smith carry Pete’s dead body around the city. 

“The (Shipped) Gold Standard” is a sad masterpiece about fearing loving another person. This was written before gay marriage was legalized and at a time where the LGBT+ community found safety within emo music and the Fall Out Boy fan base because FOB supported them. 

“(Coffee’s For Closers)” is a song about lost faith, and it hits hard especially with its placement behind “The (Shipped) Gold Standard”. 

“What A Catch, Donnie” has a music video and it’s an odd, nostalgic chronicle of the band’s (at the time of the video’s creation) seven-year history. Filled with memorabilia for other music videos, the video shows Patrick saving his fellow bandmates, as well as Brendon Urie and Spencer Smith. The end of the song includes lines from Fall Out Boy’s most iconic songs at the time. 

“27” jumps the pace back up to fast rock and fades into (all songs fade, but this is the best fade on the record) my favorite song on the album, “Tiffany Blews.” The song makes almost no sense at all lyrically but musically it slaps. The best explanation I can give is that it’s about a hot girl. Lil Wayne has a spoken section that is my favorite part. “Not the boy I was, the boy I am is just venting – venting. Dear gravity, you held me down in this starless city.” It’s such a perfect moment of breath in a nonstop album.

Next is “w.a.m.s.,” which is an acronym that has never had a confirmed meaning. But, the bass in it is so good, and the ending’s stripped vocals are as well! 

“20 Dollar Nose Bleed” is about drug abuse. It includes vocals from Brendon Urie and ends with a creepy poem by Pete Wentz. “It’s not me, it’s you, actually, it’s the taxidermy of you and me / Untie the balloons from around my neck and ground me / I’m just a racehorse on the track, send me back to the glue factory…”

“West Coast Smoker” has the futuristic synth sound that ties the whole album together and that sound is on full display. The vocals pulsing with the music is almost spiritual. I’m skipping the remixes and acoustic versions off of the deluxe version. Instead, I’m hopping over to the bonus tracks. 

“Pavlove” is criminally underrated, and such a good song. The heavy rock cover of Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” is also wonderful.

I love this album because every song in it is amazing – it goes without saying, “Folie à Deux” is my favorite album by my favorite band. 

LeAnne McPherson

[dandssecurity]

D&S Security provides comprehensive commercial security solutions, from burglar alarms to CCTV security systems for commercial applications. We collaborate with you to deliver superior protection within your budget.

[tocitynews]

A Widespread Microsoft Outage Disrupted Flights, Banks, Media Outlets And Companies Around The World On Friday And Highlighted Dependence On Software From A Handful Of Providers – New York City reporting

The issue affected Microsoft 365 apps and services, and escalating disruptions continued hours after the technology company said it was gradually fixing it.

Microsoft 365 posted on X that the company was “working on rerouting the impacted traffic to alternate systems to alleviate impact in a more expedient fashion” and that they were “observing a positive trend in service availability.”

Major disruptions reported by airlines and airports grew. Flight tracking website Flightaware reports more nearly 1,000 flights canceled and over 12,000 more are delayed. Chicago O'Hare, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta, Newark , La Guardia and Boston Logan International Airport lead Flightaware's "misery map" with the most delays and cancellations.

In the U.S., the FAA said the airlines United, Delta and Allegiant had all been grounded. American Airlines lifted its ground stop just after 5 a.m ET, saying they were able to "safely re-establish operations."

An earlier ground stop for Frontier Airlines was lifted just after midnight, and the carrier said they had resumed normal operations, for now.

Travelers at Los Angeles International Airport slept on a jetway floor, using backpacks and other luggage for pillows, due to a delayed United flight to Dulles International Airport early on Friday.

Across the pond, Edinburgh Airport said the system outage meant waiting times were longer than usual. London’s Stansted Airport said some airline check-in services were being completed manually, but flights were still operating.

The budget airline Ryanair said they are "experiencing disruption across the network due to a global third party IT outage which is out of our control. We advise all passengers to arrive at the airport at least three hours before their scheduled departure time.”

Widespread problems were reported at Australian airports, where lines grew and some passengers were stranded as online check-in services and self-service booths were disabled. Passengers in Melbourne queued for more than an hour to check in, although flights were still operating. Airlines Virgin Australia and Qantas were severely affected by the outage.

News outlets in Australia — including the ABC and Sky News — were unable to broadcast on their TV and radio channels, and reported sudden shutdowns of Windows-based computers. Some news anchors broadcast live online from dark offices, in front of computers showing “blue screens of death.” Telecommunications providers, banks and media broadcasters were also disrupted as they lost access to computer systems. Outages reported on the site DownDetector included the banks NAB, Commonwealth and Bendigo, as well as internet and phone providers such as Telstra. The New Zealand banks ASB and Kiwibank said their services were down.

Television stations in the United Kingdom were being disrupted by the computer issues.

Hospitals in Britain and Germany also reported problems.

Israel’s Cyber Directorate said that it was among the places affected by the global outages, attributing them to a problem with the cybersecurity platform Crowdstrike. The outage also hit the country’s post offices and hospitals, according to the ministries of communication and health.

In South Africa, at least one major bank said it was experiencing “nationwide service disruptions” as customers reported they were unable to make payments using their bank cards at grocery stores and gas stations.

Numerous European airlines are using manual check-in.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

How to design a tech regulation

TONIGHT (June 20) I'm live onstage in LOS ANGELES for a recording of the GO FACT YOURSELF podcast. TOMORROW (June 21) I'm doing an ONLINE READING for the LOCUS AWARDS at 16hPT. On SATURDAY (June 22) I'll be in OAKLAND, CA for a panel (13hPT) and a keynote (18hPT) at the LOCUS AWARDS.

It's not your imagination: tech really is underregulated. There are plenty of avoidable harms that tech visits upon the world, and while some of these harms are mere negligence, others are self-serving, creating shareholder value and widespread public destruction.

Making good tech policy is hard, but not because "tech moves too fast for regulation to keep up with," nor because "lawmakers are clueless about tech." There are plenty of fast-moving areas that lawmakers manage to stay abreast of (think of the rapid, global adoption of masking and social distancing rules in mid-2020). Likewise we generally manage to make good policy in areas that require highly specific technical knowledge (that's why it's noteworthy and awful when, say, people sicken from badly treated tapwater, even though water safety, toxicology and microbiology are highly technical areas outside the background of most elected officials).

That doesn't mean that technical rigor is irrelevant to making good policy. Well-run "expert agencies" include skilled practitioners on their payrolls – think here of large technical staff at the FTC, or the UK Competition and Markets Authority's best-in-the-world Digital Markets Unit:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/12/13/kitbashed/#app-store-tax

The job of government experts isn't just to research the correct answers. Even more important is experts' role in evaluating conflicting claims from interested parties. When administrative agencies make new rules, they have to collect public comments and counter-comments. The best agencies also hold hearings, and the very best go on "listening tours" where they invite the broad public to weigh in (the FTC has done an awful lot of these during Lina Khan's tenure, to its benefit, and it shows):

https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/events/2022/04/ftc-justice-department-listening-forum-firsthand-effects-mergers-acquisitions-health-care

But when an industry dwindles to a handful of companies, the resulting cartel finds it easy to converge on a single talking point and to maintain strict message discipline. This means that the evidentiary record is starved for disconfirming evidence that would give the agencies contrasting perspectives and context for making good policy.

Tech industry shills have a favorite tactic: whenever there's any proposal that would erode the industry's profits, self-serving experts shout that the rule is technically impossible and deride the proposer as "clueless."

This tactic works so well because the proposers sometimes are clueless. Take Europe's on-again/off-again "chat control" proposal to mandate spyware on every digital device that will screen everything you upload for child sex abuse material (CSAM, better known as "child pornography"). This proposal is profoundly dangerous, as it will weaken end-to-end encryption, the key to all secure and private digital communication:

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/article/2024/jun/18/encryption-is-deeply-threatening-to-power-meredith-whittaker-of-messaging-app-signal

It's also an impossible-to-administer mess that incorrectly assumes that killing working encryption in the two mobile app stores run by the mobile duopoly will actually prevent bad actors from accessing private tools:

https://memex.craphound.com/2018/09/04/oh-for-fucks-sake-not-this-fucking-bullshit-again-cryptography-edition/

When technologists correctly point out the lack of rigor and catastrophic spillover effects from this kind of crackpot proposal, lawmakers stick their fingers in their ears and shout "NERD HARDER!"

https://memex.craphound.com/2018/01/12/nerd-harder-fbi-director-reiterates-faith-based-belief-in-working-crypto-that-he-can-break/

But this is only half the story. The other half is what happens when tech industry shills want to kill good policy proposals, which is the exact same thing that advocates say about bad ones. When lawmakers demand that tech companies respect our privacy rights – for example, by splitting social media or search off from commercial surveillance, the same people shout that this, too, is technologically impossible.

That's a lie, though. Facebook started out as the anti-surveillance alternative to Myspace. We know it's possible to operate Facebook without surveillance, because Facebook used to operate without surveillance:

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3247362

Likewise, Brin and Page's original Pagerank paper, which described Google's architecture, insisted that search was incompatible with surveillance advertising, and Google established itself as a non-spying search tool:

http://infolab.stanford.edu/pub/papers/google.pdf

Even weirder is what happens when there's a proposal to limit a tech company's power to invoke the government's powers to shut down competitors. Take Ethan Zuckerman's lawsuit to strip Facebook of the legal power to sue people who automate their browsers to uncheck the millions of boxes that Facebook requires you to click by hand in order to unfollow everyone:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/05/02/kaiju-v-kaiju/#cda-230-c-2-b

Facebook's apologists have lost their minds over this, insisting that no one can possibly understand the potential harms of taking away Facebook's legal right to decide how your browser works. They take the position that only Facebook can understand when it's safe and proportional to use Facebook in ways the company didn't explicitly design for, and that they should be able to ask the government to fine or even imprison people who fail to defer to Facebook's decisions about how its users configure their computers.

This is an incredibly convenient position, since it arrogates to Facebook the right to order the rest of us to use our computers in the ways that are most beneficial to its shareholders. But Facebook's apologists insist that they are not motivated by parochial concerns over the value of their stock portfolios; rather, they have objective, technical concerns, that no one except them is qualified to understand or comment on.

There's a great name for this: "scalesplaining." As in "well, actually the platforms are doing an amazing job, but you can't possibly understand that because you don't work for them." It's weird enough when scalesplaining is used to condemn sensible regulation of the platforms; it's even weirder when it's weaponized to defend a system of regulatory protection for the platforms against would-be competitors.

Just as there are no atheists in foxholes, there are no libertarians in government-protected monopolies. Somehow, scalesplaining can be used to condemn governments as incapable of making any tech regulations and to insist that regulations that protect tech monopolies are just perfect and shouldn't ever be weakened. Truly, it's impossible to get someone to understand something when the value of their employee stock options depends on them not understanding it.

None of this is to say that every tech regulation is a good one. Governments often propose bad tech regulations (like chat control), or ones that are technologically impossible (like Article 17 of the EU's 2019 Digital Single Markets Directive, which requires tech companies to detect and block copyright infringements in their users' uploads).

But the fact that scalesplainers use the same argument to criticize both good and bad regulations makes the waters very muddy indeed. Policymakers are rightfully suspicious when they hear "that's not technically possible" because they hear that both for technically impossible proposals and for proposals that scalesplainers just don't like.

After decades of regulations aimed at making platforms behave better, we're finally moving into a new era, where we just make the platforms less important. That is, rather than simply ordering Facebook to block harassment and other bad conduct by its users, laws like the EU's Digital Markets Act will order Facebook and other VLOPs (Very Large Online Platforms, my favorite EU-ism ever) to operate gateways so that users can move to rival services and still communicate with the people who stay behind.

Think of this like number portability, but for digital platforms. Just as you can switch phone companies and keep your number and hear from all the people you spoke to on your old plan, the DMA will make it possible for you to change online services but still exchange messages and data with all the people you're already in touch with.

I love this idea, because it finally grapples with the question we should have been asking all along: why do people stay on platforms where they face harassment and bullying? The answer is simple: because the people – customers, family members, communities – we connect with on the platform are so important to us that we'll tolerate almost anything to avoid losing contact with them:

https://locusmag.com/2023/01/commentary-cory-doctorow-social-quitting/

Platforms deliberately rig the game so that we take each other hostage, locking each other into their badly moderated cesspits by using the love we have for one another as a weapon against us. Interoperability – making platforms connect to each other – shatters those locks and frees the hostages:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/08/facebooks-secret-war-switching-costs

But there's another reason to love interoperability (making moderation less important) over rules that require platforms to stamp out bad behavior (making moderation better). Interop rules are much easier to administer than content moderation rules, and when it comes to regulation, administratability is everything.

The DMA isn't the EU's only new rule. They've also passed the Digital Services Act, which is a decidedly mixed bag. Among its provisions are a suite of rules requiring companies to monitor their users for harmful behavior and to intervene to block it. Whether or not you think platforms should do this, there's a much more important question: how can we enforce this rule?

Enforcing a rule requiring platforms to prevent harassment is very "fact intensive." First, we have to agree on a definition of "harassment." Then we have to figure out whether something one user did to another satisfies that definition. Finally, we have to determine whether the platform took reasonable steps to detect and prevent the harassment.

Each step of this is a huge lift, especially that last one, since to a first approximation, everyone who understands a given VLOP's server infrastructure is a partisan, scalesplaining engineer on the VLOP's payroll. By the time we find out whether the company broke the rule, years will have gone by, and millions more users will be in line to get justice for themselves.

So allowing users to leave is a much more practical step than making it so that they've got no reason to want to leave. Figuring out whether a platform will continue to forward your messages to and from the people you left there is a much simpler technical matter than agreeing on what harassment is, whether something is harassment by that definition, and whether the company was negligent in permitting harassment.

But as much as I like the DMA's interop rule, I think it is badly incomplete. Given that the tech industry is so concentrated, it's going to be very hard for us to define standard interop interfaces that don't end up advantaging the tech companies. Standards bodies are extremely easy for big industry players to capture:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/30/weak-institutions/

If tech giants refuse to offer access to their gateways to certain rivals because they seem "suspicious," it will be hard to tell whether the companies are just engaged in self-serving smears against a credible rival, or legitimately trying to protect their users from a predator trying to plug into their infrastructure. These fact-intensive questions are the enemy of speedy, responsive, effective policy administration.

But there's more than one way to attain interoperability. Interop doesn't have to come from mandates, interfaces designed and overseen by government agencies. There's a whole other form of interop that's far nimbler than mandates: adversarial interoperability:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/10/adversarial-interoperability

"Adversarial interoperability" is a catch-all term for all the guerrilla warfare tactics deployed in service to unilaterally changing a technology: reverse engineering, bots, scraping and so on. These tactics have a long and honorable history, but they have been slowly choked out of existence with a thicket of IP rights, like the IP rights that allow Facebook to shut down browser automation tools, which Ethan Zuckerman is suing to nullify:

https://locusmag.com/2020/09/cory-doctorow-ip/

Adversarial interop is very flexible. No matter what technological moves a company makes to interfere with interop, there's always a countermove the guerrilla fighter can make – tweak the scraper, decompile the new binary, change the bot's behavior. That's why tech companies use IP rights and courts, not firewall rules, to block adversarial interoperators.

At the same time, adversarial interop is unreliable. The solution that works today can break tomorrow if the company changes its back-end, and it will stay broken until the adversarial interoperator can respond.

But when companies are faced with the prospect of extended asymmetrical war against adversarial interop in the technological trenches, they often surrender. If companies can't sue adversarial interoperators out of existence, they often sue for peace instead. That's because high-tech guerrilla warfare presents unquantifiable risks and resource demands, and, as the scalesplainers never tire of telling us, this can create real operational problems for tech giants.

In other words, if Facebook can't shut down Ethan Zuckerman's browser automation tool in the courts, and if they're sincerely worried that a browser automation tool will uncheck its user interface buttons so quickly that it crashes the server, all it has to do is offer an official "unsubscribe all" button and no one will use Zuckerman's browser automation tool.

We don't have to choose between adversarial interop and interop mandates. The two are better together than they are apart. If companies building and operating DMA-compliant, mandatory gateways know that a failure to make them useful to rivals seeking to help users escape their authority is getting mired in endless hand-to-hand combat with trench-fighting adversarial interoperators, they'll have good reason to cooperate.

And if lawmakers charged with administering the DMA notice that companies are engaging in adversarial interop rather than using the official, reliable gateway they're overseeing, that's a good indicator that the official gateways aren't suitable.

It would be very on-brand for the EU to create the DMA and tell tech companies how they must operate, and for the USA to simply withdraw the state's protection from the Big Tech companies and let smaller companies try their luck at hacking new features into the big companies' servers without the government getting involved.

Indeed, we're seeing some of that today. Oregon just passed the first ever Right to Repair law banning "parts pairing" – basically a way of using IP law to make it illegal to reverse-engineer a device so you can fix it.

https://www.opb.org/article/2024/03/28/oregon-governor-kotek-signs-strong-tech-right-to-repair-bill/

Taken together, the two approaches – mandates and reverse engineering – are stronger than either on their own. Mandates are sturdy and reliable, but slow-moving. Adversarial interop is flexible and nimble, but unreliable. Put 'em together and you get a two-part epoxy, strong and flexible.

Governments can regulate well, with well-funded expert agencies and smart, adminstratable remedies. It's for that reason that the administrative state is under such sustained attack from the GOP and right-wing Dems. The illegitimate Supreme Court is on the verge of gutting expert agencies' power:

https://www.hklaw.com/en/insights/publications/2024/05/us-supreme-court-may-soon-discard-or-modify-chevron-deference

It's never been more important to craft regulations that go beyond mere good intentions and take account of adminsitratability. The easier we can make our rules to enforce, the less our beleaguered agencies will need to do to protect us from corporate predators.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/06/20/scalesplaining/#administratability

Image: Noah Wulf (modified) https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thunderbirds_at_Attention_Next_to_Thunderbird_1_-_Aviation_Nation_2019.jpg

CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en

[justgracehere]

Blog Post 9/6

Why is it important to understand critical theory when examining the impact of social media on society?

Critical theory examines the complex relationships between different aspects of society in order to reveal the power dynamics that exist there. It is important to understand critical theory when exploring social media’s impact because social media did not develop independently of society. There are many structures, inequalities, and biases that exist in society which informed the ways social media was designed to appeal to consumers and to maintain oppressive systems. For example, Fuchs explains how the international growth of IBM was a direct result of the business it received from the Nazis, who used its technologies to commit mass murder during the Holocaust (Fuchs 2014).

Do social media companies dominate society?

Social media companies are a dominant force in society. Fuchs uses Facebook as an example to describe how the collection of data on social media sites is a form of exploitation. Fuchs explains that because social media users generate the data that platforms sell to advertisers, they are being exploited. Users see none of the profit that their data creates. Additionally, Fuchs states that domination occurs when one group “has the means of violence” which it may use to maintain power over another group. In one example provided in the reading, the Occupy movement, Fuchs discusses how Facebook expressed willingness to provide information about protestors’ activities to the police. He quotes one user from the movement who states that they prefer using a livestream feature for activities because it prevents members from “getting hurt” or arrested during run-ins with law enforcement. This suggests that social media companies may cooperate with law enforcement to subdue movements, representing an ability to utilize force to maintain power (Fuchs 2014).

Considering the concept of dialectical reasoning, what is one contradiction that exists within the impact of social media?

Social media is a creative force, because it allows users to share information, ideas, and artistic works with others. However, as Fuchs described, it is also an exploitative force, because whatever information is shared on a social media platform can be collected by the company as data and sold to advertisers. The subject which makes social media a marvel of modern communication also highlights its worst feature. This is an example of the dialectical reasoning concept of contradiction because it demonstrates how one aspect of a system which largely benefits society may also damage society’s progress, because it reinforces a power dynamic which holds one group above another (Fuchs 2014).

What power dynamics exist within social media’s political economy?

Political economy describes the relationship between production, laborers, and a governing body. In the context of social media, political economy can refer to the information shared on a platform, its reception, and the dynamics which determine what information most users have access to. For example, data obtained from users may determine the information which advertisers want viewers to see. According to Fuchs, large, influential companies and news services have more power to spread their information to viewers than individual journalists, advertisers, or bloggers. In this way, social media companies control the information consumed on their platforms, revealing a large power dynamic between social media companies, news services, major advertisers, and everyday users (Fuchs 2014).

Fuchs, Christian. 2014. Social Media: A Critical Introduction. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.

[viadescioism]

Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics):

Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics): Ujamaa, the fourth principle of Kwanzaa, pronounced oo-JAH-mah, emphasizes the concept of Cooperative Economics. Celebrated on the fourth day of Kwanzaa, this principle is centered around building and maintaining communal stores, shops, and businesses to profit together. It embodies the value of using collective energy to economically benefit the community, focusing on the sharing of wealth and work, beginning within the family. Involves building, strengthening, and controlling the economics of the community. This concept does not imply isolation or exclusion of others but rather focuses on maintaining control over the community's economic future while working cooperatively with others.

Ujamaa is more than just an economic principle; it's about creating a self-sufficient and supportive community. It encourages investing in and supporting Black-owned businesses and community projects, thus fostering a sustainable economic environment within the community.

It goes beyond simple acts of kindness, aiming to end poverty and vulnerability by sharing resources and wealth. This practice of generosity is not only about helping the disadvantaged but also about ultimately improving the overall well-being and quality of life for all community members.

"Kwanzaa," Encyclopaedia Britannica, last modified December 23, 2023, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Kwanzaa.

"Kwanzaa - Meaning, Candles & Principles," HISTORY, accessed December 25, 2023, https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/kwanzaa-history.

"Kwanzaa," Wikipedia, last modified December 25, 2023, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwanzaa.

"Kwanzaa," National Museum of African American History and Culture, accessed December 25, 2023, https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/kwanzaa.

"The First Kwanzaa," HISTORY.com, accessed December 25, 2023, https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-first-kwanzaa.

My Daily Kwanzaa, blog, accessed December 25, 2023, https://mydailykwanzaa.wordpress.com.

Maulana Karenga, Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community and Culture (Los Angeles, CA: University of Sankore Press, 1998), ISBN 0-943412-21-8.

"Kente Cloth," African Journey, Project Exploration, accessed December 25, 2023, https://projectexploration.org.

Expert Village, "Kwanzaa Traditions & Customs: Kwanzaa Symbols," YouTube video, accessed December 25, 2023, [Link to the specific YouTube video]. (Note: The exact URL for the YouTube video is needed for a complete citation).

"Official Kwanzaa Website," accessed December 25, 2023, https://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org/index.html.

Michelle, Lavanda. "Let's Talk Kwanzaa: Unwrapping the Good Vibes." Lavanda Michelle, December 13, 2023. https://lavandamichelle.com/2023/12/13/lets-talk-kwanzaa-unwrapping-the-good-vibes/.

[disabilityhorizons]

#RightsOnFlights : New Campaign for Airlines to take better care of Disabled Passengers and their Mobility Equipment

Disability Rights UK, a disabled TV presenter named Sophie Morgan, disabled entrepreneur Josh Wintersgill and MP Marion Fellows have started a new campaign for better care of disabled people and their essential equipment taken onboard by aircraft staff. They want the UK government to give the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) the power to fine airlines and other groups if they don’t take good care of disabled passengers and their mobility equipment during flights.

Sophie, who uses a wheelchair and travels internationally for her work on TV, began the campaign after her wheelchair and special front-wheel BATEC system were destroyed on a flight from Los Angeles to London. The campaign is called “Rights on Flights” and it wants airlines and others to be responsible for any damage to wheelchairs or essential mobility devices. It also asks them to help disabled passengers without delay and provide the support they need.

Watch Sophie Morgan on Loose Women Launch the Rights On Flights Campaign

https://youtu.be/Cg8OBnRQslk

In the video, Sophie discusses a new campaign called the “Rights on Flights” campaign that aims to address the issues faced by disabled travelers when flying. The long-term goal is to redesign aircraft so that wheelchair users can travel in their chair, similar to how train travel is made accessible. However, the short-term goal is to ask the government to give the civil aviation authority the power to impose fines when any of the parties involved in air travel, such as airlines or handlers, fail disabled people. This is to ensure that there are consequences for any damage to equipment or failure to provide appropriate assistance, which will hopefully discourage this behavior in the future. Disabled travelers share their horror stories in the video, such as being left on board for too long or having their equipment damaged, and the campaign aims to put a stop to these abuses.

Key Goals Of #RightsOnFlights

The campaign’s goals:

Hold airlines and other actors accountable for damage to wheelchairs or essential mobility devices.

Ensure that disabled passengers are not left on flights for a prolonged period once the flight has landed.

Ensure that disabled passengers receive adequate assistance despite prior knowledge of their needs.

The campaign will highlight the challenges that disabled travelers face when flying and the need for change in the aviation industry.

The CAA’s rules for accessible air travel are not enough to make sure that airlines and others take responsibility when things go wrong. Sophie thinks that this campaign is a short-term solution to a long-standing problem. She wants a big change in the airline industry, so disabled people can feel as confident as non-disabled people when they travel by air.

MP Marion Fellows has asked the Prime Minister and other lawmakers to support the campaign. Everyone can join in by going to the Disability Rights UK Rights On Flights campaign page and writing to their MP. The campaign is using the hashtag #RightsOnFlights on social media.

My Experience of Airplane Wheelchair Damage

We were very lucky that the damage happened on our RETURN journey or it could have ruined our holiday

During our recent holiday trip to Port De Soller, Majorca, my wife Clare’s Electric Invacare wheelchair got damaged on our return flight with Jet 2. The motherboard to the controller was hit and misaligned. We had to wait for almost an hour to get an “insurance number” from a Jet 2 representative. We were already exhausted and wanted to get home and this caused problems for the wheelchair taxi we booked to pick us up. We had a huge amount of anxiety that the chair would not work or suddenly malfunction. I’ve seen a friend’s wheelchair controller fail and start to drive her into a wall before!

The next day, I took the wheelchair to our local dealer, Bromakin, to be repaired. Luckily there was no electrical damage and they only charged £40 to repair it. Given the circumstances, we chose not to file an insurance claim, since there are only so many battles you can tackle at once and like most people, we have a lot going on in our lives!

We were also fortunate that the damage happened on our way back home, if it had happened on the way there it would have ruined our holiday. We were upset and couldn’t understand why people could be so careless with someone’s wheelchair. It shows a lack of knowledge and respect by the baggage handling staff who clearly need more training about how vital disability equipment is to people’s lives.

How to take part in the Rights on Flights Campaign

People are being urged to write a letter to their MP to help the campaign. I have created a template here:

[Your Name] [Your Address] [City, Postcode] [Date] [Member of Parliament’s Name] [House of Commons] [London, SW1A 0AA]

Dear [MP’s Name],

I am writing to you to express my concern about the challenges faced by disabled passengers when traveling by air. As you may be aware, the Rights on Flights campaign has been launched to ensure that disabled passengers have equal access to air travel.

I believe that it is important that the UK government takes action to address the challenges faced by disabled passengers when traveling by air. Some of the challenges include the lack of adequate facilities at airports, poor treatment of disabled passengers by some airline staff, lack of clear policies by some airlines on the treatment of disabled passengers and their equipment, and extra charges for the assistance required by disabled passengers when traveling by air.

I urge you to take action to address these challenges and support the Rights on Flights campaign. Specifically, I ask that you consider:

Encouraging the UK government to introduce regulations that require airlines to have clear policies on the treatment of disabled passengers and their equipment.

Encouraging the UK government to provide funding for airports to improve their facilities for disabled passengers.

Encouraging the UK government to introduce regulations that prevent airlines from charging extra for the assistance required by disabled passengers when traveling by air.

Supporting the monitoring of the treatment of disabled passengers by airlines and airports by the UK Civil Aviation Authority.

I believe that by taking action on these issues, the UK government can help to create a more inclusive environment for all passengers, including those with disabilities.

Thank you for taking the time to read my letter. I look forward to hearing from you on this important issue.

Yours sincerely,

[Your Name]

Add a paragraph about your own experiences if you are able.

Longer post here