Mueller: "We were not allowed to charge the president with a crime, so we didn't. But we also couldn't say he DIDN'T commit a crime. Instead we documented all the data, charged everyone around him and, as the constitution and department policy dictates, we leave any charges to the congress *wink*"
Everyone else: "We're not sure what he's saying"
This conversation (in the attached video) is so disingenuous and totally missing the point.
Facebook should NOT be pulling down 'fake videos' and deciding what is "fake news" and what is "appropriate speech".
It's the news media (generally) that so often editorially and deliberately produces misleading and clickbait headlines. It is media outlets like Fox News who spew propaganda and willfully misinform the population. I'm not seeing them getting raked over the coals by congress.
Facebook, on the other hand, is NOT in the news business. They are a communications tool that allows people to express themselves.
Their new strategy of annotating suspicious content with judgements from independent third party organizations is the exactly right and balanced approach.
The alternative is having a private company dictating what is appropriate speech. I, for one, don't want any company as powerful as Facebook dictating what people can and can't say in the world.
You know what frustrates me no end? Injustice, ignorance and surface-level analysis that misses the point. Here are just a few examples...
1. Bernie Sanders - unlike any other politician - is consistent and prescient for 20 years. He finally gets his message to break through into the popular zeitgeist and spawns a generation of young, successful democrats. Along the way he finally makes a little money selling a book on the topic so, instead of hailing him a hero, people and the media fixate on his bank account and call him a hypocrite. So frustrating.
2. After creating a generation of scared, irrational and uneducated people resulting from decades of under-education in schools, misinformation from fox and desperation from a lack of healthcare and economic security we blame social media for the public discourse instead of the true root causes. So frustrating.
3. In the face of Trumpism, liberals are still eating their young when it comes to ideological purity instead of hailing any decent, progressive candidate as a force for good in the war to save democracy. So frustrating.
Any other examples that drive you crazy?
It's no longer "comments on" it's "breaks silence"
It's no longer "released" it's "leaked" (even when it's official release)
It's no longer "criticizes" it's "attacks"
Do you have any other examples?
As you get older, it gets harder to make new, deep friendships.
But every once in a while, if you're very lucky, a new person comes along who you feel an instant bond with who shares your values, makes you laugh hysterically and is generous with their time, advice and even material things.
Marcus Segal has been such a person for Aliya and I. And we are very grateful for it!
As we finish out the final days staying in his beautiful home in San Francisco, we just wanted to give him a big shoutout for being so kind, hilarious and generous with us both.
Hope to host you again in Australia mate!
The Big Bang Theory finale was perfect.
All the audience wants is a predictable and sentimental payoff to the narrative through-lines they've been watching for however many years. Anything else is just serving the vanity of the filmmakers.
You know you're in the land where dreams come true when you can order fried chicken, scrambled eggs and gravy from UberEats while they're filming a movie or TV show outside your airBNB
The outrage news cycle is one of the most corrosive things in society today
Priceless earned media time. He's on fire and has all the right ideas and talking points
**GOT spoilers**
Game of Thrones last night was mind blowing. 10s of minutes of heartbreaking carnage and character betrayal without the comfort of music or other typical adornments that remind us it’s “just a TV show”.
I think the ultimate moral of the story of GoT will be to reveal to us how easily we, as an audience or an electorate, can be convinced...
1. To root for a wannabe dictator
2. That the bad guys are actually the good guys.
The fact is that Daenerys has never been a good person.
Her goals have never been benign. She has always wanted to be the undisputed ruler of the land. She’s wanted absolute power and along the way she’s been happy to summarily execute her enemies with glee.
And yet we rooted for her anyway because she was beautiful and powerful and we were manipulated to empathize with her cause.
Draaaagons!
Well last night we saw what it looks like when unchecked power reigns down from the sky and a superpower can do whatever it/she wants.
In reality no one should sit on the iron throne and all power needs checks and balances.
The answer should be true democracy and accountability.
Brilliant.
More of these kind of perspective shifts need to happen in the real world about real issues.
I said it years ago: The next great form-factor is wireless earpiece w/ AI assistant
Today is the Uber IPO.
It’s exciting and been a long time coming.
However, for me, working in Silicon Valley generally and at Uber specifically has never been about money.
It’s always been about impact and the chance to learn and grow. It’s been about living my best life and living up to my own potential.
And boy did I learn and grow at Uber. It was the hardest and most thrilling time in my life.
I’m glad all the employees who hustled so hard can soon access their monetary rewards, but for my part I’m most grateful for having worked with amazing people who taught me so much.
I won’t be able to name everyone but shoutouts must go to Travis, Adam, Bob, Jahan, Yuhki, Charlyn, Alex, Alex, Yuanzong, Ben, Manik, Jay, Joe, Hilary, James, Diego, Ty, John, Devin and anyone on the Dev Platform team.
Uber on!
Seeing so much over the top righteous outrage in my Feed lately. No perspective & empathy.
Things are rarely ever black and white. We can't fight extremism and a lack of civility with the same. That's what liberalism is all about.
Every individual is going through their own difficult journey. Everyone makes mistakes. Every company is made up of individuals.
I love Colbert's response to the outrage about his controversial trump joke:
Wow. Barr has nothing left to stand on. Muller has called him out and he's lied about the report and the letter about his lies.
Running through silicon valley to see friends and startups is easily one or the most exhilarating things I've ever done. Love it.
** Avengers Spoiler Review **
- I feel like this is the first time they used the academy award winning actors in the cast to their full acting potential. Many of them made me tear up all throughout the movie.
- Further to point 1, the way Pepper Potts handles Tony's death was brilliant, heart breaking, and pitch perfect. She didn't rush over like a panicked girlfriend. She handled the situation like a deeply experienced and competent wife and partner. She gave him the peace he needed
- Wow those cameos from big name actors
- Wow what a culmination of 10 years of characters and narrative arcs
Nitpicks
- Why is Thanos and his sword so strong? He can deflect the most powerful beings in existence without any stones. What gives?
- Thor was mostly annoying
- Why can Hawkeye and others hold the stones without consequence?
The thing I’m working out about Pete Buttigieg is that he’s basically smarter than everybody and his special skill is actually being patient enough to help the ape like idiots around him to understand the world as clearly as he does.
