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probablyasocialecologist · 1 year

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The biggest reason that the last two hundred years have seen a series of conflicts between the employers who deploy technology and workers forced to navigate that technology is that we are still subject to what is, ultimately, a profoundly undemocratic means of developing, introducing, and integrating technology into society. Individual entrepreneurs and large corporations and next‐wave Frankensteins are allowed, even encouraged, to dictate the terms of that deployment, with the profit motive as their guide. Venture capital may be the radical apotheosis of this mode of technological development, capable as it is of funneling enormous sums of money into tech companies that can decide how they would like to build and unleash the products and services that shape society. Take the rise of generative AI. Ambitious start‐ups like Midjourney, and well‐positioned Silicon Valley companies like OpenAI, are already offering on‐demand AI image and prose generation. Dall‐E spurred a backlash when it was unveiled in 2022, especially among artists and illustrators, who worry that such generators will take away work and degrade wages. If history is any guide, they’re almost certainly right. Dall‐E certainly isn’t as high in quality as a skilled human artist, and likely won’t be for some time, if ever—but as with the skilled cloth workers of the 1800s, that ultimately doesn’t matter. Dall‐E is cheaper and can pump out knockoff images in a heartbeat; companies will deem them good enough, and will turn to the program to save costs. Artists who rely on editorial and corporate commissions will see rates decline, all because the companies unleashed a disruptive technology without soliciting input from existing workers. If ordinary humans and working people are not involved in determining how these technologies reshape our lives, and especially if those outcomes wind up degrading their livelihoods, time and again the anger will be acute and far‐reaching. And if workers cannot even legally organize with one another to cushion the blow, there is liable to be nowhere to turn at all, no option but to dismantle that technology. The same rage fueled (and may have helped inspire) a fictional contemporary of the Luddites too. When Mary Shelley dreamed up Dr. Frankenstein’s monster in 1816, she imagined him not as a simp, the way he would be portrayed in the movies, but as a thoughtful and articulate creature who ends up chafing, violently, against his impoverished, man-made existence. The Luddite rebellion came at a time when the working class was beset by a confluence of crises that today seem all too familiar: economic depression and stagnant trade, rising inflation and high prices, excessive taxes for an unpopular war, and a government that strands unions, rules out serious relief for the poor, and declines to uphold industry regulations. And amid it all, entrepreneurs and industrialists pushing for new, dubiously legal, highly automated and labor‐saving modes of production.

#luddites #technology #automation #gig economy

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historyhermann · 2 years

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2022 Webcomic Roundup: Disability Pride Month Edition!

Graphic created with Canva

It’s the middle of Disability Pride Month, but that doesn't mean there should stop the focus on characters with disabilities. The eight webcomics featured in this month’s roundup celebrate various relationships, and stories, of characters with physical and mental disabilities. Webcomics featured are mainly from WebToon* and elsewhere.

Reprinted from The Geekiary, my History Hermann WordPress blog on Jan. 17, 2023, and Ghostarchive. This was the forty-sixth article I wrote for The Geekiary. This post was originally published on July 19, 2022.

In June, I reviewed animated characters with trauma and previously examined socially awkward characters in anime. This post is an extension of those articles but only focuses on webcomics. You may remember that I reviewed 16 webcomics for the "Wednesday Webcomics" segment from October 2021 to February of this year.

This month I'm covering for Brahidaliz Martinez who has artfully written prior webcomic roundups. So, without further ado, let me begin with these comics which fit with Disability Pride Month.

RWBY Quest

Screenshot from issue 10 of RWBY Quest, with Yang shown at the bottom of this image

This interactive fan comic ran from February 2014 to May 2015, for a total of 1000 images. Based on the RoosterTeeth series, RWBY, it was a hit in the fandom at the time. The comic, which is for mature audiences and themes, features the show's characters like Ruby Rose, Lie Ren, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xiao Long. The latter has a prosthetic arm.

This is also shown in the animated series which features Neopolitan, a mute antagonist, and Professor Ozpin, who often uses a cane. These characters, and others appeared in the anime spin-off, RWBY: Ice Queendom, which began airing earlier this month.

Assigned Male

Stephie reveals she is autistic in an April 2018 issue of Assigned Male

This webcomic, by Sophie Labelle, a trans woman and cartoonist, features Stephanie "Stephie" Bondu. She is an 11-year-old trans girl, with the comic showing her exploration of this identity. She is autistic and later comes out as bisexual. This webcomic was originally posted on Tumblr, then re-posted under a new title, Serious Trans Vibes, by Labelle on Line Webtoon.

Nimona

Screencap of the first page of Nimona.

Originally a webcomic, and later printed as a graphic novel, this fantasy webcomic is by ND Stevenson, who recently came out as Nate. He is known for his role as showrunner of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. This webcomic follows the story of a shapeshifter named Nimona who joins Ballister Blackheart, with both working to destroy an over-controlling institution. Ballister has a prosthetic hand throughout the comic, which mixed technology and magic. The comic was recently adapted as an animated film that will premiere next year on Netflix.

Adventure Time: Princess Robot

Finn shown with a flower growing out of his arm in issue 10.

While there are various Adventure Time fan comics online like ones on Simon Abadeer, one sticks out: Adventure Time: Princess Robot. By Hierogriff and posted on Line Webtoon in 2017, it follows the story of Marceline the Vampire Queen and Princess Bubblegum as they go to a kingdom run by a robot despot. At the end of the comic, Finn is shown without an arm and a flower growing out of it.

This is consistent with the series which showed him with a grass sword growing out of his arm, then a robotic prosthetic arm later in the series. It is similar to the fan comics for series like Final Space, which show Gary with a prosthetic arm like in the series.

AspiGurl

A comic by AspiGurl about the life as an autistic girl

In searching for comics to add to this post, I came across an article about an autistic artist named AspiGurl illustrating her daily reality in 50 comics. What she draws is very relatable to people who are autistic.

AspiGurl's official website describes the comic as expressing the voice of autistic people through "anecdotes or reflections from everyday life", with suggestions from autistic readers for future comics. She also has a Patreon to fund the webcomic.

Skye

The cyborg first makes its appearance in the second episode of this webcomic

In this fantasy webcomic by Cynthia J. Schmitz on Line Webtoon features a cyborg named Cora. Also, the protagonist, Skye, has clear mental strife, as the equivalent of an evil demon is living inside of her. Cora becomes good friends with Skye and seems to have a crush on her, with their closeness growing over the course of the webcomic. Characters who are visually impaired also appear.

Da Yomanville Gang

Layla (right) and her mom (left), who came back into her life in a recent episode.

In this fantasy webcomic by Jason King on Line Webtoon, Layla makes new friends and deals with old ones as she goes through family and interpersonal conflict inside and outside the schoolyard. She has a scar over her left eye, covered by hair at the beginning of the series, which has the effect of impairing her sight out of that eye. It is later uncovered as she becomes more sure of herself.

Hazbin Hotel

Vaggie lays out the deal they are extending to Angel Dust

Vivienne Medrano's indie animated smash hit, Hazbin Hotel, currently in development for a full animated series, is mostly known for its animated pilot. There is also an accompanying webcomic. In the webcomic entitled "Chapter 1: Dirty Healings", (presumably written by Medrano) Charlie and her girlfriend Vaggie are able to convince a pornstar named Angel Dust to stay at their hotel, which attempts to redeem those who've sinned.

Like in the pilot, Vaggie has no eye and it is replaced by an eyepatch, which is reflected in the new designs for the series. Some have also guessed that the pilot has autistic characters, but that hasn't been confirmed.

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Do you know of any webcomics which feature characters with physical or mental disabilities that you’d like to recommend? Feel free to comment below. I’d love to hear from you!

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*My mentionings of any platforms on this post are unsponsored.

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tonkimidwest · 2 years

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Sprout tv shows

#SPROUT TV SHOWS SERIES#

#SPROUT TV SHOWS TV#

New! You can sort the channels by number or name by clicking on the table header. Channels with numbers are available in HD (High Definition). Channel availability and location may also vary by market. Retrieved 11 January 2022.Here’s a list of HD channels from Frontier Communications available in California, Florida, and Texas. Local HD channels (502-549) may according to market so check your TV guide. Archived from the original on 9 September 2017.

#SPROUT TV SHOWS TV#

^ "TV Listings: Find Local TV Listings for your favorite Channels, TV Shows and Movies- Zap2it".^ "Holly Hobbie™ to be Produced as Live-Action Kids Original Series".^ "PBS Kids Sprout on Demand Launches on Comcast"."The Ollie and Moon Show: Official Season 1 Trailer | Sprout". ^ "Industrial Bros., Jim Henson see more Dot".

#SPROUT TV SHOWS SERIES#

^ "DHX MEDIA HEADS TO MIPTV WITH UP IN THE AIR, NEW TWEEN GYMNASTICS SERIES FROM CREATOR OF THE NEXT STEP".

"Universal Kids' 'Powerbirds' Leave the Nest Jan.

^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "🍉It's Cocomelon Time on Universal Kids #SoCute🍉".

^ "Trolls: The Beat Goes On! | Universal Kids".

^ "Watch a First Look at Universal Kids' New Series Remy & Boo".

The programming blocks below were all shown under the Sprout banner.

2 Former programming (along with PBS Kids Sprout and Sprout programs)įormer programming (along with PBS Kids Sprout and Sprout programs) Original programming Animated Title.

#Sprout tv shows

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