#digital currency explained

[compozingart]

One ✨flashy✨ fanart for the Buggy simps from one simp to another

DON'T STEAL MY ART! Credit me wherever you may use it.

[animals22]

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[icnews]

How to pass on your crypto when you die?

[goodbreezeyeah]

Fedcoin Meaning and Explained

[deadpresidents]

I'm always a fan of Caity Weaver's work, but this piece from the New York Times Magazine (these links are gift links from me past the NYT paywall to access the full article) about how the penny is not only a ridiculous zombie currency, but also a reflection of American dysfunction is one of the best articles I've read in a long time. It's really interesting, especially the parts about production, circulation, and the ultimate paralysis of throwing them in a coin jar for months or years before eventually taking them to a Coinstar machine.

Not only is the penny useless and more expensive to make than it is actually worth, but it's also relatively easy to eliminate. But it's not an imperative and eliminating it also wouldn't necessarily be something that the government or the citizens would actively profit from. And people don't like change -- and I don't mean "change" as in currency, but the act of doing something different or unusual from our accepted routines. So we just ignore them or discard them or hoard them needlessly, and the government keeps making billions of tons (literally) of them because they drop out of circulation. Nobody cares and nobody wants to have to do anything about it because America.

Here's a little excerpt of the piece from the New York Times Magazine, and again, just follow the links for a free gift pass behind the paywall for Caity's full article:

Americans accumulate pennies not because we desire them but because we are entitled to them. If we pay for something in cash with more than exact change, we expect to receive back the difference; if the difference ends in any number other than 0 or 5, we will receive at least one penny. We are entitled to pennies because they exist. But imagine a world where they didn't. Imagine a world where it was Canada. Many Americans will be surprised to learn that Canada eliminated its 1-cent coin more than a decade ago...Canada got rid of its penny in 2013 because it cost 1.6 cents to produce and had, like its American cousin, become essentially worthless. Here is the most important detail to understand: Canada eliminated only its physical coin, not the mathematical concept of 1 cent. Payment by credit card, debit card, mobile phone or check -- any kind of noncash transaction -- is calculated exactly as it was before the penny was abolished. If, after tax, a bill comes to, say, $20.11, a Canadian paying by credit card will be charged $20.11. A Canadian paying by cash can expect to pay $20.10. The final digit of Canadian cash transactions is rounded to the nearest nickel: 1 and 2, nearest to 0 nickels, round down to 0; 3 and 4 round up to a nickel -- 5; 6 and 7, also nearest to one nickel, round down -- 5 again; 8 and 9, nearest to 10 cents, round up. I admit that the thought I might be asked to pay, say $3.80 (cash) for something that, according to the laws of God and man, has been calculated to cost $3.79 (cash) is not only reflexively infuriating to me but a potential source of permanent confusion. The Canadian government mitigated one of those problems (no hope for the other) with an information campaign that included signs with simple charts dividing potential prices into two columns: "Round down" and "Round up." I asked Karl Littler from the Retail Council of Canada if there were still signs at cash registers explaining the rounding. "It's 10 years now, so even the most obtuse people have pretty much figured it out," he said, and laughed.

-- Caity Weaver: "America Must Free Itself from the Tyranny of the Penny", the New York Times Magazine

[darkeagleruins]

"It is literally a prison planet."

Ed Dowd, former Blackrock portfolio manager, explains why every last vestige of human freedom depends on widespread rejection of CBDCs.

"Once the central bank digital currency is linked to all your credit cards and bank accounts, then social controls can be implemented.

If you're a dissenter like me, talking about truth, they shut you down."

[mawinswag]

Inanimate Insanity 16 Spoilers

SPOILERSSSS

.

.

.

OKAY I GOT SOME THOUGHTSSSSS

Yeah, that was amazing; better than I could've imagined, but also deeply horrifying and depressing, let me explain why.

So, an underlying thing I've had about Inanimate Insanity is a lot of questions about how this world...works? Like there's a justice system and currency and a 'hollywoo' composite entertainment industry.

And yet none of the characters seem to talk about their life before 'the game.' And that wasn't a problem for me because especially in the latter half of season 2 and invitational the character drama and writing made me forget about all that. Even when Cabby tried to remember her parents I only considered that to be a character specific thing and didn't have wider implications. I never needed to know WHY these little doodads were doing their thing.

WELL NOW I FUCKING KNOW WHY

And OH GOD there isn't enough time in the DAY to go over all the implications Cobs' reveals has on the whole series, so here's a collage by https://tinyurl.com/An0MaHous3 on Twitter that covers some of the big ones.

Like WOW what a writing masterstroke because I don't think there could've been a better explanation than the meta narrative one they gave.

So Mephone4 created AT LEAST all the contestants, and given the glitches at the end of the episode probably created this entire world. Not to mention how cobs mentions Mephones 'growth' as a creator effects the art style changes of the space they're in.

But what I'm interested in is this; what does that make cobs? If he's occupying a world created by Mephone, how can he be his creator at the same time?

Well, I'd posit that Cobs ISN'T Mephones creator, whoever MADE HIM is. As in, Cobs is a digital stand-in for the creator of whatever Mephone is. But of course Mephone doesn't even REALIZE he's created a world, given the ending of the episode. His perception of reality and history are LIMITED to this space he occupies. So he imagines Cobs as this brilliant inventor guy who built him and inspired him to create more. But all of this is an analogue to things that happen in the 'real-world' of this show.

And Cobs' attempts to steal the egg and remove the contestants from the equation are representations of abstract concepts that can't be understood from that level; because they're in a MACHINE, they're INSIDE of the 'mephone program' or whatever that's supposed to be in the real-world of the show.

Spitballing head cannoning, but if we see the 'human' version of cobs in the next acts of the finale, I'm gonna FREAK

[blazehedgehog]

Do you agree with Gaming Journalists and what do you think of gaming journalism in general?

What does this even mean, dude.

"Do you agree with gaming journalists"? On what?

Do I agree with Shacknews that Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a 10/10, and with Digital Spy that it's also a 7/10? Do I agree with Let's Clear Up Those Halo Battle Royale Rumors?

Like, I've gotten some bait on this blog before, but this is 2/10 stuff, man. This is some hot 2014 garbage. Like no matter what I say, you're gonna go all

"Very interesting. Then do you care to explain why..." No thanks.

My real answer: Something I learned during my time at TSSZ and being around a few people who were deeper into "the biz" than I is that everybody needs journalism more than they realize. Corporations are pushing for consumers to become their personal cheerleaders more than ever before, which makes criticism and the journalistic exposing of information seem villainous.

After all: Xbox is my friend now, so how dare you attack the Xbox. Behavior that used to be reserved for the most dedicated fanboys is now the expected room temperature. I've talked about "The Cult of Naughty Dog" before, and that's the same thing. If a corporation can get you to be parasocial with them, then they have won, and being parasocial with a corporation means shunning real investigative journalism that would otherwise undo them. Journalists and critics used to be marketing tools, but by undoing the press pipeline and talking directly to fans, journalists and critics are painted as untrustworthy for being wildcards that don't always toe the company line.

And there has been more than a decade of people with a "I choose to be stupid and ignorant on purpose" outlook, which just makes that more frustrating. We've all seen screencaps where some brainless rando tries to explain something to a person who is an expert in that field. The rando thinks they're flexing their brain, but in some cases they are arguing with the person who literally wrote the book on their topic of conversation. Some people don't want to know anything but still pretend like they know everything, when there are real people out there doing real work to uncover real truths.

Misinformation is the real problem. It should not surprise anyone that there are people out there deliberately eroding the foundation of journalistic integrity, because the less people trust journalism, the easier it is to get away with lying. The easier it is to lie, the easier it is to control the mainstream, the easier it is to scam people out of their money, so on and so forth.

And misinformation is more than just "this one news article is fake." There are long running campaigns to install people into news organizations themselves to publish false information for all manner of different goals, but it's all the same: nobody trusts anyone and it's making everyone dumber.

That's when we get crypto currency. And NFTs. And now people claiming that generative AI will save humanity. Grift after grift after grift where the people at the top of the snake oil food chain make off with billions of dollars while the rest of the world is left scratching their heads.

The law isn't going to catch them. If they do, it'll take years. Look at how long it took for Sam Bankman-Fried to get caught -- he operated for almost half an entire decade. The amount of damage somebody can get away with in five years is significant.

We need journalism. Real journalism. Good journalism. Watchdogs that keep an eye on things and blow the whistle when it goes bad. Somebody to enforce accountability that isn't a cop.

Where do you find that? That's the hardest question. I'm lucky enough that I know people I trust because they are long time friends, or friends of friends, and thus they've been properly vetted in my circle as The Real Deal. But there are a lot of outlets out there who claim to champion "truth" and "intelligence" in a way to prey upon insecurity. I mean, c'mon, Trump's social media platform is called "Truth Social" and is basically the furthest thing from the truth you will ever get from anyone, ever.

The more obsessively they try to convince you they're telling the truth, the less likely it is they actually are. Which in itself could be an attack meant to undo the foundations of trust in people who actually know what they're talking about. By casting doubt on the very concept of truth itself, they can lie with increasingly greater efficiency.

Any advice I give feels like it is incredibly circumstantial. Which is the point, and is why we're in the state we're in.

Here's a good pdf by The News Literacy Project that's probably a good place to start. The general gist is "you'll have to do a lot of fact checking for yourself" but that's unfortunately where we're at these days.

But by and large I would say life is a lot harder for real journalists right now than I think some of their critics have ever thought about. There are people out there trying to do actual good work and being a bubble-brained moron about it just makes everything harder for everyone.

[dandymaximilian]

If The Lamp's theory about the DHMIS world being a sort of purgatory is true, then this is what I think life might've been like for Duck and Red Guy before joining Yellow Guy/David.

(TW: mentions of suicide)

Duck:

Was a Sergeant and an Air Pilot in the British Mililary during WW2, hence why he is so fixated on it. As shown in DHMIS 2, Jobs, and Death.

Forged medical/enlistment documents, which lead to many deaths, a fact he tried to suppress in his mind, as referenced in "Worm in Our Brain" song.

Developed PTSD after the war, filled with regret over his actions during it. Wanted to establish a "digital currency based on respect" to make up for his actions.

Had constant fighting within his biological family, though he was in denial about this, as shown in Family.

Always wanted to be a father figure, but he never had the chance, hence why insists on being "the father" in Family.

Had a fascination with space, conspiracy theories, and the rapid expansion of technology, as referenced in Jobs, DHMIS 2 and possibly Death.

He had a blackbelt in Karate, as shown in Death.

Was a fan of James Bond, as shown on his poster in his "customized area" in Transport.

Secretly performed drag at underground bars for money, as shown in Family in his infamous crossdressing scene.

Won a tournament at some point, as referenced in Death.

Had bouts of rage due to PTSD, often resorting to biting others. (Yellow Guy would compare this behaviour to a dog whenever he visited his father, hence why Duck appears as one in the flashback in Transport.)

Witnessed Yellow Guy/David's death in a nearby (retirement?) home next to Roy. (Next to another full house/orphanage? Possibly the origins of the teachers?) As shown in the flashback in Transport.

Developed diabetes at some point, and died from kidney failure (a lack of water). Both are referenced during Death and Electricity.

Red Guy:

Worked a 9 to 5 office job that he hated and felt pressured into working, as shown in DHMIS 6. Eventually he climbed up the cooperate latter, becoming the boss, but he was still miserable, as referenced in Jobs.

Lived in a small community in England in the 40's by himself. As referenced in Transport, where Red Guy subconsciously wants and tries to return to "Clayhill."

Mostly lived an uneventful life.

Enjoyed puppet shows, junveille songs, and child-like hobbies, but he was rejected for this interest. He ended up developing a sense of apathy as an attempt to fit in, as referenced in DHMIS 6.

Enjoyed cooking as a hobby, as referenced in Death.

Often attended bars, where he would try to express his creatvity through dancing and singing. Unfortunately, he was frequently booed off stage, as referenced in DHMIS 6.

Was another witness to Yellow Guy/David's death.

Died as a result of suicide because of repeated rejection by his peers/family, drowning himself in a nearby lake, as referenced in Death and Family.

On a final note, I think Lesley might've worked at the Vaccum Cleaner Shop before she died? I think it would explain her fixation on inanimate objects. The figurine even looks like her.

[trendamonium]

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[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

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* * * *

VP Harris campaigns from a position of strength, Trump campaigns from a position of desperation

September 23, 2024

Robert B. Hubbell

Over the last few weeks, emails from readers have shifted in their description of reader activities. More readers are saying they are engaged in door-to-door canvassing on behalf of Kamala Harris and Democratic candidates down-ballot. The most recent communication was a note I received Sunday afternoon, which included, “I will be knocking on doors in Pennsylvania the next six weeks.” Talk about dedication!

I considered noting the trend toward on-the-ground canvassing as the lead for this newsletter but reconsidered, wondering if it was worth highlighting. As I was about to move on to a different subject to open this newsletter, I saw the following article: HuffPo, Republicans In Swing States Say They See Scant Signs Of Groups Door-Knocking For Trump.

According to the HuffPo article, Trump has outsourced his “on the ground organizing” by hiring political action committees to perform work traditionally conducted by volunteers. Among the PACs Trump has hired to perform volunteer work is America PAC, whose major investor is Elon Musk. But in key swing states, political observers are saying that Trump paid canvassers are “missing in action.”

The PACs hired by Trump are running into difficulties. Musk’s America PAC hired subcontractors to perform door-to-door work in Arizona and Nevada. But with seven weeks to go, Musk’s PAC fired the sub-contractor and is now scrambling to build a canvassing organization from scratch. See The Guardian, Trump-allied Pac fires canvassing vendor in crucial states weeks before election.

All campaigns face organizing difficulties. But Trump compounded those difficulties by outsourcing volunteer activities at a time when it has also closed field offices. The point of Trump's abandonment of the ground game is to allow him to focus on advertising. But there, too, he is being outspent by the Harris-Walz campaign. See NYTimes (9/20/2024), Kamala Harris Outspends Donald Trump by Tens of Millions Online. (Behind a paywall.)

Per the NYT,

Ever since Ms. Harris entered the race, her campaign has overwhelmed the Trump operation with an avalanche of digital advertising, outspending his by tens of millions of dollars and setting off alarm among some Republicans.

None of the above is meant to suggest that it will be easy to defeat Trump. But the Harris-Walz campaign has two resources in abundance: volunteers and enthusiasm. Trump’s newly hired paid contractors will be no match for motivated true believers urging neighbors and community members to show up to vote.

Enthusiasm and genuine dedication are not being measured by horse-race polls—which explains why it feels like there is a disconnect between the reported closeness of the race and what we are seeing and experiencing.

We should not delude ourselves or fabricate “just so” stories to deny reality. But here, the reality is that we have a comparative advantage and a strategic opening. Trump has offloaded the most important part of the “get out the vote” effort and is being out-raised by the Harris-Walz campaign.

The lesson to be taken from Trump's error is not that we can ease up but that we should double-down on volunteering on the hard work of getting out the vote—in every way possible. During the next seven weeks, there is no substitute for personal involvement in getting out the vote—in whatever form that takes!

Given Trump's dual disadvantages in ground game and cash, he has pivoted to the real currency of the MAGA movement: outrage and grievance. Read on!

Trump stokes racial tensions and anti-immigrant animus to motivate his base

Faced with a fundraising deficit and an anemic ground organization, Trump has turned to outrage to motivate his followers. Even the Trump apologists at the New York Times recognize that the last two weeks have been exceptional—even by the outrage-driven heights of Trump's past campaigns. See NYTimes, Controversies Erupt as Trump and G.O.P. Make Critical Push to Voters.

Per the NYTimes,

Even by the standards of a head-spinning presidential campaign, Donald J. Trump’s campaign over the past two weeks has been tumultuous. A period that began when Mr. Trump pushed baseless claims from the debate stage that immigrants in Ohio were stealing and eating household pets ended with him facing attacks over his support of the Republican candidate for governor in North Carolina, who referred to himself as a “black Nazi” on the message board of a pornographic website. Mr. Trump has returned to the kind of attention-seeking habits honed by a career spent shaping his image in New York tabloids.

He pledged to visit Springfield, Ohio, even as local Republican officials pleaded with him to stay away, as the town continues to reel from a political firestorm ignited by his false claims. [¶¶]

The pledge to visit Springfield can only be viewed as an effort to increase racial tension and provoke anti-immigrant animus across America—with an attendant increase in the potential for violence.

In short, Trump is hoping to erase Kamala Harris’s advantages by appealing to hate and division. As the media continue to report the gaining strength of the Harris-Walz campaign, we should expect that Trump will ratchet up his incitement. While that will be hard to watch and dangerous for America, we should recognize it as a sign of increasing desperation by Trump. Do not let it deter or distract us! Instead, concentrate on getting out the vote in every way possible!!

Staff members of the Mark Robinson NC campaign for governor resign

Despite overwhelming evidence that the North Carolina GOP candidate for governor, Mark Robinson, had an active presence on porn sites where he posted pro-Nazi, racist comments, the response of the NC Republican establishment has been to deny the allegations. That tactic is designed to undermine the confidence of voters in the truth. In the GOP playbook, if nothing is true, then the truth about Trump's criminality, corruption, and anti-democratic plans is easier to deny.

But at some point, it is impossible to deny the truth. On Sunday, reports emerged that key staff members of Mark Robinson’s gubernatorial campaign have resigned. See Axios, Top Mark Robinson aides resign from North Carolina governor's campaign.

Per Axios, the top six aides in Robinson’s campaign have resigned, including the campaign manager, finance director, political director, and director of operations—all of the senior staff on the campaign.

It is difficult to imagine how the campaign can continue. Indeed, per Axios, one Republican adviser said, “the staffing overhaul "doesn't matter because the campaign was already over."

As above, the challenges faced by Republicans in North Carolina are not an excuse to relent but a strategic opening for Democrats to win up and the down the ballot—including by defeating Trump. If Republicans are going to nominate the worst of the worst MAGA extremist candidates in their effort to please the Trump base, then we should convert that tendency into our strategic advantage.

Speaker Mike Johnson proposes “clean” spending bill despite Trump's objection

Donald Trump has been pressuring Speaker Mike Johnson to force a government shutdown if Democrats did not agree to a the SAVE Act—which would impose unnecessary proof of citizenship documentation requirements on new voters. (The US has managed to hold federal elections for 235 years without requiring the onerous documentary proof imposed by the SAVE Act.) See The Hill, Mike Johnson proposes three-month funding bill to avert government shutdown.

As with other continuing resolutions, Mike Johnson will need help from Democrats to pass the bill. Johnson sent a letter to House Republicans explaining why they needed to support the proposed continuing resolution:

While this is not the solution any of us prefer, it is the most prudent path forward under the present circumstances. As history has taught and current polling affirms, shutting the government down less than 40 days from a fateful election would be an act of political malpractice.

Trump was willing to commit “political malpractice” by shutting down the government—because he believed it would help him win, even though it would have hurt congressional Republicans. As always with Trump, it about Trump—and no one else.

700+ national security leaders endorse Kamala Harris

A reader who is a member of a group of national security leaders who endorsed Kamala Harris sent me a note about the letter released by the group. See Endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris for President of the United States — National Security Leaders for America (nsl4a.org).

The list of signatories is truly impressive. Their letter reads, in part:

We are former public servants who swore an oath to the Constitution. Many of us risked our lives for it. We are retired generals, admirals, senior noncommissioned officers, ambassadors, and senior civilian national security leaders. We are Republicans, Democrats, and Independents. We are loyal to the ideals of our nation—like freedom, democracy, and the rule of law—not to any one individual or party. We do not agree on everything, but we all adhere to two fundamental principles. First, we believe America’s national security requires a serious and capable Commander-in-Chief. Second, we believe American democracy is invaluable. Each generation has a responsibility to defend it. That is why we, the undersigned, proudly endorse Kamala Harris to be the next President of the United States. This election is a choice between serious leadership and vengeful impulsiveness. It is a choice between democracy and authoritarianism. Vice President Harris defends America’s democratic ideals, while former President Donald Trump endangers them.

The cast of Hamilton sings “The Election of 2024”

For fans of the musical Hamilton, you must watch the current cast sing The Election of 2024. It is creative, fun, and important. And it mentions one of my favorite organizations, VoteRiders!

[Robert B. Hubbell Newsletter]

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[icnews]

Massive 230% Gala Token Price Pump Could Be Short-Lived

[chickenkurage]

Hey wouldn't it be funny if teen!Alan did end up introducing the sticks to his mom after talking to teen!cs!Alan and being told he could ask for money from Vic? So he does end up asking and then offers to introduce him to his mom and Vic agrees. Alan has to try to explain their backstory to his mom in the least worrying way possible while revealing the fact that there are sentient stick figures on his computer and that there's a stick figure society.

teen!Alan after getting permission from the sticks to introduce them to his mom: *nervously* hey mom, there's something I've been meaning to tell you.

Jennifer: alright?

teen!Alan: it has to do with the computer. I'll show you. *brings her the computer in his room where the sticks are waiting to meet her*

Jennifer: ... What?

teen!Alan: so the four with the hollow head shape are ones that I created. The first one is Vic, I created years ago. Right before the power shut down on my birthday... He went to a place called the outernet where there's a stick figure society. Ended up creating a powerful company and even managing to amass some human currency *intentionally ommiting why he did that*. Until recently I thought he'd died back then, but we've reconnected now. He wants to help us.

Jennifer: *stunned*

LMAOOOO THAT MAKES EARNING MONEY EASIER I GUESS XDD

Man, don't we all want a stickman that can provide us money, huh? But good for T!Alan for trusting his mom enough to introduce her to his digital stick family :)) Although, Jennifer might need to sit down for a while and listen to her son explain - JM