Posts by JMarkOckerbloom@mastodon.social
(DIR) Post #AQg0aT17K2jvhtebOC by JMarkOckerbloom@mastodon.social
2022-12-16T20:45:09Z
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@internetarchive The book reader seems to be glitching (at least on my Firebox browser). Two-page spreads are putting up little bits of what looks like code in the upper corners; and I don't see pages at all when I switch to single-page view. Example: https://archive.org/details/narrativejournal01scho/page/n5/mode/1up
(DIR) Post #AZE0XHx6lLGIxWNxmC by JMarkOckerbloom@mastodon.social
2023-08-29T13:55:19Z
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The extended Internet downtime at Michigan, which appears to be a lockdown after a security intrusion, appear to me to highlight some issues with the Handle system, the underlying technology for DOIs, identifiers in repository systems like Dspace, and volume links in #Hathitrust.The Handle protocol is pre-REST, and typically uses its own ports (usually 2641 or 8000). If you're locking down a network, it'll probably be a while before you get to start unblocking specialty ports like those. Plus…
(DIR) Post #AZvsrKBhNAFSgLQ7wO by JMarkOckerbloom@mastodon.social
2023-09-19T17:58:40Z
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@brewsterkahle Thanks for the book link! Adding that one to my online books catalog.
(DIR) Post #AbT64LANExQhyPxclE by JMarkOckerbloom@mastodon.social
2023-11-04T13:50:41Z
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"You can now find Indivisible national accounts on Threads, Bluesky, and Mastodon. Each may have its own issues, however, ALL of them are far better, safer, and more viable platforms [than X] for the work we need to do now — and in the years ahead."They're not leaving X entirely, but they're "stepping back", only using it for limited purposes and no longer promoting a presence there. It's a nuanced, thoughtful take I hope other institutions still on X will consider: https://indivisibleteam.medium.com/were-stepping-back-from-the-increasingly-dangerous-and-dysfunctional-x-and-we-re-sorry-it-s-a15524fab070
(DIR) Post #AcbrmJB0RgxhgrcCFE by JMarkOckerbloom@mastodon.social
2023-12-08T19:37:32Z
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@internetarchive Thanks! Can you fix the bit about sound recordings on the contest guidelines, so folks don't accidentally reuse still-copyrighted recordings? (Currently sound recordings published up to December 31, 1922 are public domain; on the upcoming January 1 that will change to sound recordings published up to December 31, 1923. 1928 isn't a relevant year when it comes to sound recordings.)
(DIR) Post #AdK54ylvmO90rRoVEW by JMarkOckerbloom@mastodon.social
2023-12-18T16:43:20Z
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"Nationally, the wastewater viral activity level for COVID-19 is currently Very High." says the CDC. That's up from the "High" level it was a few weeks ago when I first saw the dashboard. In some areas levels are at or above the peak of a year ago. Charts: https://www.cdc.gov/nwss/rv/COVID19-nationaltrend.htmlNow's a good time to make sure you've got up to date boosters ( https://www.vaccines.gov/ ) good quality masks, and test kits (free ones available from https://www.covid.gov/tools-and-resources/resources/tests ; and you can also buy tests in stores).
(DIR) Post #AdWuE2vt6fsVvk4S92 by JMarkOckerbloom@mastodon.social
2024-01-05T00:45:52Z
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Since I'm still seeing some confusion about it, here's the best writeup I've seen about what you can and can't do now with Mickey and Minnie Mouse, by Jennifer Jenkins, a professor of law at Duke University: https://web.law.duke.edu/cspd/mickey/(In particular: There's no problem with using the name "Mickey Mouse" in your own original creation, as long as it's clear that your creation is not a product of Disney. "Trademark rights cannot be used to block the freedoms that the expiration of copyright allows.")
(DIR) Post #ApawMu3B6ku0hGRRaK by JMarkOckerbloom@mastodon.social
2024-12-31T01:20:28Z
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@pbinkley Thanks for this! This article is in the public domain (in the US at least). Here's a link to a non-paywalled scan: https://archive.org/details/sim_american-library-assoc-ala-bulletin_1936-06_30_6/page/495/mode/1up
(DIR) Post #AqVsHsIuMfysoXglcG by JMarkOckerbloom@mastodon.social
2024-12-25T18:41:27Z
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More than funds, what Wikipedia really needs is more good editors. The number of people who regularly edit articles in English Wikipedia hasn't grown substantially in years, while the number of articles has, and editor demographics remains skewed. The foundation itself largely stays away from editing, leaving it to volunteers. While articles that get a lot of attention are often good, it's not hard to find ones with biased and promotional content in less-visited topics, and in other languages.
(DIR) Post #AqVsHxcEcFPZHvllw0 by JMarkOckerbloom@mastodon.social
2024-12-26T17:59:05Z
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It's clear from the many replies to yesterday's post that lots of people have tried to edit Wikipedia but been put off by how admins and other editors treat them.Some persist. Some are 'old guard' that patrol their own turf but repel newcomers. Some have had some success banding together in projects like Women in Red and Wiki Edu. Some I know are paid to edit by nonprofits (respecting WP rules for that, e.g. disclosing who pays them and avoiding conflict of interest edits). But... (1/2)
(DIR) Post #AqVsI2OaqOTE74QRrk by JMarkOckerbloom@mastodon.social
2024-12-26T17:59:38Z
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...there aren't that many of them. Those who persist in editing in the spirit of Wikipedia's mission have had some success, including defending against small-scale bad actors, but by a process that also pushes out good actors.The big risk I see for WP is *large*-scale bad actors (like those who fund dark money superPACs and buy and ruin social media sites) now seeing it as a tempting target. *They* can afford to motivate allied editors to persist, and eventually overwhelm the old guard. (2/2)
(DIR) Post #AuckiMveu1Ag0xSbTM by JMarkOckerbloom@mastodon.social
2025-05-29T13:13:01Z
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The White House's "Make America Healthy Again" report cites papers that appear not to exist:"Epidemiologist Katherine Keyes is listed... as the first author of a study on anxiety in adolescents. When NOTUS reached out to her... she was surprised to hear of the citation. She does study mental health and substance use, she said. But she didn’t write the paper listed."NOTUS couldn't find the paper in the cited journal, and I've verified the claimed DOI doesn't resolve: https://www.notus.org/health-science/make-america-healthy-again-report-citation-errors
(DIR) Post #AuckiS1rwM6rpfP8LY by JMarkOckerbloom@mastodon.social
2025-05-29T13:16:21Z
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While I can't say for sure at this point how the report was written, the fabrication of nonexistent papers (as well as the citation of actual papers for claims they don't support) is a common behavior of "AI" large language model-based text generators. (Such applications can be very good at outputting convincing-sounding text, but cannot be considered reliable or scientifically supportable.)
(DIR) Post #AyoACaNNEFjRk4rFVg by JMarkOckerbloom@mastodon.social
2025-10-01T10:38:09Z
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The ADL took down its glossary of extremism after Trump-aligned figures objected to its description of Turning Point USA: https://www.mediaite.com/politics/adl-deletes-extremism-database-after-receiving-backlash-for-including-charlie-kirks-turning-point-usa/The Wayback Machine has a partial copy of the glossary, at least for now. It doesn't look like they crawled everything (and the search doesn't work): https://web.archive.org/web/20250403100909/https://extremismterms.adl.org/searchThe ADL's description of TPUSA elsewhere has also changed significantly. Comparepresent version: https://www.adl.org/resources/backgrounder/turning-point-usa with a December version: https://web.archive.org/web/20250121192850/https://www.adl.org/resources/backgrounder/turning-point-usa
(DIR) Post #AyoACgdXx2EZ9yTFYG by JMarkOckerbloom@mastodon.social
2025-10-02T19:04:03Z
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Looks like the other ADL website link on TPUSA on my post yesterday now also doesn't work (it now just redirects to ADL's home page). The two Wayback links I had still work, and here's a Wayback copy of the ADL's second page on TPUSA (revised after Charlie Kirk's murder) as it appeared when I made my post yesterday: https://web.archive.org/web/20251001164747/https://www.adl.org/resources/backgrounder/turning-point-usa
(DIR) Post #AysJB0nDiVp5JU6yCO by JMarkOckerbloom@mastodon.social
2025-10-03T21:50:36Z
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In which I point out how the agreement the White House wants universities to sign on threaten not only their faculty and research centers, but their libraries as well: https://everybodyslibraries.com/2025/10/03/will-universities-let-trump-dictate-what-their-libraries-can-do/ #AcademicFreedom #HigherEd #USPol
(DIR) Post #AzCVRDkCPuYEj3OO5Q by JMarkOckerbloom@mastodon.social
2025-10-14T13:09:36Z
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@overholt In situations like this, I recall the line from the musical _1776_ where John Adams, tired of dealing with requests for changes to potentially "offensive" passages in the Declaration of Independence, cries out "This is a revolution, damn it! We're going to have to offend somebody!"
(DIR) Post #B0YCSWG2NA1cNQiHQG by JMarkOckerbloom@mastodon.social
2025-11-02T13:19:42Z
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One of the reasons I turn off generative-AI "features" as soon as I notice them in software and websites that I use is that I suspect I may find them dangerously addictive.Cafe Bedouin's "Mirror Problem" post has a usefully concise statement of *how* it can be addictive, how folks like me can be particularly vulnerable to it, and how it differs from other forms of computer-mediated addiction we may have learned to resist: https://cafebedouin.org/2025/11/01/%F0%9F%AA%9E-the-mirror-problem-a-warning-about-ai-and-your-mind/ It also has some tips on weaning oneself off.
(DIR) Post #B0YCSawiwOXyuyiQVs by JMarkOckerbloom@mastodon.social
2025-11-02T17:32:32Z
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Ironically, the poster of the piece I linked to now tells me it was "Written by Claude".As is often the case with LLM-generated articles on frequently discussed topics, the main point of the piece is one also stated in various other places. But some of its specific points are suspect, and had I known its origin, I likely would not have posted or linked to it. As the poster says, "The problem with A.I. is half of it is great and half is trash. It is often very difficult to tell the difference."
(DIR) Post #B2ie0JDRm4suNsVtAm by JMarkOckerbloom@mastodon.social
2026-01-27T17:00:58Z
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@brewsterkahle I've never needed an app of any sort to get into a taxi at an airport. (Eventually I'll need to pay, of course, but I can either do that with cash or by using the taxi's credit card machine while I'm riding in it.) Is it different in the Bay Area?