pickHonestly, a much easier and more straightforward read than I thought to was going to be.
It definitely brings the facts and the stats, and not all of them are encouraging, but in proposing better ideas for the future it helps to present, and properly frame, the mistakes and misconceptions of the past.
An overwhelming proportion of this book is about money and work, but that makes a great deal of sense, from at the very least a subjective 1/?
pickA planetary perspective on the machine learning technologies now collectively referred as “AI.” The author addresses inherent biases and exploitative labor practices. This could‘ve been dry, but I found it quite readable.
pickCan't say that I completely understood everything Lanier said, but I did get the main message: social media is ruining the world and we are its slaves. Not Litsy.
pickI'm not sure if this short book was compelling on its own or just along with my other reading/experiences, but it definitely struck a chord for me. A Silicon Valley insider, Lanier makes a distinction between social media that uses what he terms BUMMER algorithms to target and manipulate users and other, less insidious types of online interaction. I don't like his Solitary/Pack terminology, but aside from that, it's a very convincing read.
"What if listening to an inner voice or heeding a passion for ethics or beauty were to lead to more important work in the long term, even if it measured as less successful in the moment? What if deeply reaching a small number of people matters more than reaching everybody with nothing?"
As one whose passion for blogging diminished with the push to focus on SEO and who's feeling odd about using IG to promote voiceover work, this quote resonates.
Even as a #longtimefed I didn‘t know or realize everything that other feds do. I was often frustrated by indifference to admin/support staff and the observation that it‘s the type of work that‘s only really noticed when it‘s done poorly or not at all. Yet here I am taking the work of other feds for granted. While
I write about my own experiences/observations as they pertain to the current situation, I recognize it‘s a much bigger picture.
pickEstablished before the #metoo movement, Bates‘s Everyday Sexism project gave women a place to voice their issues with predatory behavior. This book is more like a compilation of what she has learned through research, activism, & her own experiences, as well as the experience of other women around the globe through their tweets, quotes, emails, and interviews. It‘s upsetting to hear all the horrible things men do.
Stay safe, Littens
This is a perfect example of why we need to keep DEIA here in America. It‘s never been about race or sex as much as it has been about points of view. How can a group of all white men possibly know what a Black female soldier needs? How can a group of physically fit people make decisions for disabled people without knowing that experience?
By removing DEIA we‘re not eliminating “wokeness”we‘re eliminating multiple views of the world.
Stay safe
Read in December 2024...
17 Books
Five 5-Star reads this month:
• The Life Impossible
• James
• Illuminations: A Novel of Hildegard von Bingen
• One
• The Echo Chamber
![[tagged book]](https://image.librarything.com/pics/litsy_webpics/icon_taggedBook@3x.png){kind=icon}
I appreciate the book ending in a kick in the pants aimed at the Left/'underdog socialists', the man knows his mostly likely audience and is eager to ensure action by again pointing out what hasn't worked, and in inspirational fashion, what could. 3w
3w