Krishnan Viswanathan @matungawalla@transportation.social

They are privileged, lucky and in some cases good at tech innovation. They are not wise.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/07/17/elon-musk-technology-leaders-influence/

Crashes kill 43,000 people per year in the US.

Self-driving car companies claim to have the solution.

In Slate, I call bullshit.

https://slate.com/technology/2023/07/cruise-autonomous-vehicles-safety-waymo-self-driving-cars-ad-new-york-times.html

#autonomousvehicles #avs #cars #sanfrancisco

A major issue in the entertainment industry strikes now -- and in many other strikes that will be coming in other fields -- is fears of jobs being destroyed by AI. And these unions are absolutely correct to be taking firm stances on this.

i like how "illegal in the EU" means it probably violated a human right and "illegal in florida" means it probably is a human right

My new social media app is called Grouse. You can only post criticism of the 3,000 other new social media apps.

Posts are called “Gripes.” No likes or reposts—just one button to “Commiserate.” If a Gripe receives enough Commiseration it’s elevated by the algorithm into a “Complaint.”

Also there’s an academic version called “Faculty Meeting.”

it is with a heavy heart that I regret to inform you that the tech bros have invented sails

SCOTUS struck down AA b/c it’s allegedly discriminatory. Here’s the Facts:
•AA benefitted white women more than all other groups COMBINED—plaintiffs never complained about that
•43% of white Harvard students are legacy or athlete students, of which 75% would not be admitted otherwise—plaintiffs never complained about that
•Asians are 6% of the population & 26% of Harvard admissions—plaintiffs never complained about that

This SCOTUS ruling is 100% anti-fact & 100% anti-Black racism.

There is nothing stopping Harvard, Yale, & the other Ivy League schools from announcing today that they will end legacy admissions. They will not, however. Because those legacy admissions are central to their core conception of themselves and of their role in our society.

All good blessings to the kid on my train seeing bumper to bumper traffic on the inbound bridge into DC and saying "Boooo! Booooo driving! Boring in traffic! It's 100 degrees!" And kudos to their parent who probably explained to them why they take the train versus drive.

One way to understand how Putin’s Russia operates more like an organized crime syndicate than a conventional state is through their systematic doping programs in sports. See Icarus on Netflix for wild window into that world: https://www.netflix.com/title/80168079

Let’s get this right. Scientists didn’t fail to communicate the risks of #climatechange, they have been warning us for a century. Our policies are failing because after knowing the risks, fossil fuel companies spent billions of dollars blocking meaningful action on #climate.

https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/4057045-catch-22-scientific-communication-failures-linked-to-faster-rising-seas/

#DOT Researchers Suggested a Way to Make Big #Trucks Safer.

After Meeting With Lobbyists, Agency Officials Rejected the Idea.
==

The Department of Transportation allowed #trucking lobbyists to review an unpublished report recommending a #safety device that could save lives by preventing #pedestrians & #cyclists from getting crushed under large trucks.

“PLEASE delete any mention of a recommendation to develop … any regulation,” the DOT supervisor wrote in an email.

https://www.propublica.org/article/dot-rejected-truck-side-guards-trucking-lobbyists-safety?utm_medium=social&utm_source=mastodon&utm_campaign=mastodon-post

Republicans Declare Banning Universal Free School Meals a 2024 Priority | The New Republic https://newrepublic.com/post/173668/republicans-declare-banning-universal-free-school-meals-2024-priority

I want to live in a world where 500 migrants lost at sea evokes more concern than 3 millionaires lost in a vanity submarine.

I'm laughing at memes about billionaires who can't pull themselves up to the surface by their own bootstraps, but in reality I'm furious.

I'm furious I was accused of human smuggling by FRONTEX (European border agency) for being part of a sea rescue operation that saved 1000+ lives of refugees fleeing war & terrorism.

I'm furious at the money and international effort being spent to rescue these billionaires when operations like ours cost so little and save so many lives, but are punished.

The Supreme Court Upheld the Indian Child Welfare Act. The Long Struggle to Implement the Law Continues.
==

A recent ProPublica investigation showed how #ICWA was being unevenly applied in some states, breaking up #NativeAmerican #families that should have received additional protections under the law. There’s still room for improvement, advocates say.

New, by @lussenpop

#Parents #Children #Kids #SouthDakota #SCOTUS #SupremeCourt

https://www.propublica.org/article/scotus-icwa-decision-questions-native-american-families?utm_medium=social&utm_source=mastodon&utm_campaign=mastodon-post

Who called it Generative AI instead of Plagiarism as a Service?

Maybe the poor souls trying to cross the Med in janky, home-made, substandard equipment should rebrand themselves as "Explorers" for more sympathetic media coverage.