Sunday, December 23
Daily News Stuff 23 December 2018
Tech News
- Juul is helping save six million lives per year. (Tech Crunch)
That's five times as many as die from malaria. Tech Crunch hates this, because Juul is making a profit selling people things that Tech Crunch thinks they shouldn't be allowed to want.
- With America's government in shutdown (again) private citizens have turned to crowdfunding to perform its basic functions like securing the borders. (Tech Crunch)
In this case, they're trying to raise a billion dollars to build the wall on the southern border.
Laughable? They've raised $15.6 million in six days which is more than Congress has been able to do.
What you won't find in that Tech Crunch piece is a link to the GoFundMe campaign for anyone to verify any of their claims.
Is the campaign genuine? Well-intended but doomed? Just trying to make a point? Blatantly fraudulent? I don't know, and I wouldn't give any significant amount of money to it.
But Tech Crunch gets today's CNN Journalist of the Year Award for 2014.
- Can regional governance solve the Bay's housing crisis? No.
- Can AI predict the next area to gentrify? Well, considering this is largely a self-fulfilling prophecy, sure, why not?
- The latest tech support scam freezes Chrome and tells you to call a fake tech support line. (Bleeping Computer)
Reason #1167 why a browser monoculture is bad. The scam doesn't affect Firefox.
- Two people have been arrested for using drones to shut down Gatwick airport. (Axios)
As far as I can tell, this story is factual and Axios didn't screw it up, but it's possible it was aliens.
Picture of the Day
Note to self: Photoshop this to say Patreon.
Posted by: Pixy Misa at
04:20 PM
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1
FWIW, the wall GFM is run by a guy with a blue check on Facebook/Twitter.
Posted by: Rick C at Sunday, December 23 2018 04:45 PM (Iwkd4)
2
I won't hold that against him. 
Posted by: Pixy Misa at Sunday, December 23 2018 05:05 PM (PiXy!)
3
The wall gofundme guy appears to be legit having done other activities in the past. He's also run into the Facebook mafia twice shutting down his prior ventures on their platform. Fox News did an interview with him.
That said, there is a significant issue in this: Congress must set up a law authorizing the Federal government to use the money for this purpose or the money goes into the general fund to be used by Congress as they see fit.
Side note, there is actually a fair amount of history of citizens donating for major public projects in the pre-FDR times. The pedestal for the Statue of Liberty and the 1925 renovation of the USS Constitution being two examples I can think of off the top of my head.
Second side note: A counter gofundme to build an escalator over the wall was also setup. It's been orders of magntiude less successful.
(disclaimer: I donated to the go fundme in question. Likely money down a hole in the end, but there is at least a chance that if enough money is raised, it might start making some Congresscritters think with their campaign purse strings enough to offset the big money special interests a bit)
That said, there is a significant issue in this: Congress must set up a law authorizing the Federal government to use the money for this purpose or the money goes into the general fund to be used by Congress as they see fit.
Side note, there is actually a fair amount of history of citizens donating for major public projects in the pre-FDR times. The pedestal for the Statue of Liberty and the 1925 renovation of the USS Constitution being two examples I can think of off the top of my head.
Second side note: A counter gofundme to build an escalator over the wall was also setup. It's been orders of magntiude less successful.
(disclaimer: I donated to the go fundme in question. Likely money down a hole in the end, but there is at least a chance that if enough money is raised, it might start making some Congresscritters think with their campaign purse strings enough to offset the big money special interests a bit)
Posted by: StargazerA5 at Monday, December 24 2018 08:55 AM (Q7Wqc)
4
Yeah, I can totally see giving $20 to Wall Guy to prove a point, just not $500.
Posted by: Pixy Misa at Monday, December 24 2018 12:41 PM (PiXy!)
5
"I can totally see giving $20 to Wall Guy to prove a point, just not $500."
That's kind of what I was thinking, too, although the average donation is $60, and there've been about 9 that are 5 figures (including one of $13,337).
That's kind of what I was thinking, too, although the average donation is $60, and there've been about 9 that are 5 figures (including one of $13,337).
Posted by: Rick C at Tuesday, December 25 2018 12:46 AM (Q/JG2)
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