Month: November 2024

Troy Closson, reporting for The New York Times (gift link):

The optional curriculum, one of most sweeping efforts in recent
years to bring a Christian perspective to more students, would
test the limits of religious instruction in public education.

It could also become a model for other states and for the
administration of President-elect Donald J. Trump, who has
promised to champion the conservative Christian movement in his
second presidential term. […]

Religion makes up a relatively small portion of the overall
content. But the lessons delve into Christianity far more often
and in depth than they do into other faiths, religious scholars
say and a review of the materials by The New York Times found. In
kindergarten, for example, children would be taught that many
religions value the Golden Rule, but the lessons would be focused
on the Christian version, and introduce students to Jesus and his
Sermon on the Mount.

The Times runs an excerpt from the curriculum, which reads:

The Sermon on the Mount included many different lessons. Some of
these included do not judge others; do not seek revenge, or try to
get even with someone; and give to the needy. Beyond the Sermon on
the Mount, there are many rules included throughout the Bible.
Jesus said that the Golden Rule sums up all of the important
teachings from scripture. “So in everything, do unto others as you
would have done unto you.”

“Do not judge others; do not seek revenge, or try to get even with someone; and give to the needy” — the very words that Donald Trump himself lives by.

See Also: Related coverage from The Onion: “Christian Right Lobbies to Overturn Second Law of Thermodynamics”.

 ★ 

Troy Closson, reporting for The New York Times (gift link):

The optional curriculum, one of most sweeping efforts in recent
years to bring a Christian perspective to more students, would
test the limits of religious instruction in public education.

It could also become a model for other states and for the
administration of President-elect Donald J. Trump, who has
promised to champion the conservative Christian movement in his
second presidential term. […]

Religion makes up a relatively small portion of the overall
content. But the lessons delve into Christianity far more often
and in depth than they do into other faiths, religious scholars
say and a review of the materials by The New York Times found. In
kindergarten, for example, children would be taught that many
religions value the Golden Rule, but the lessons would be focused
on the Christian version, and introduce students to Jesus and his
Sermon on the Mount.

The Times runs an excerpt from the curriculum, which reads:

The Sermon on the Mount included many different lessons. Some of
these included do not judge others; do not seek revenge, or try to
get even with someone; and give to the needy. Beyond the Sermon on
the Mount, there are many rules included throughout the Bible.
Jesus said that the Golden Rule sums up all of the important
teachings from scripture. “So in everything, do unto others as you
would have done unto you.”

“Do not judge others; do not seek revenge, or try to get even with someone; and give to the needy” — the very words that Donald Trump himself lives by.

See Also: Related coverage from The Onion: “Christian Right Lobbies to Overturn Second Law of Thermodynamics”.

Read More 

Mishaal Rahman, reporting for Android Authority:

While both Android and ChromeOS have seen huge success in
different markets, they’ve struggled to compete in one product
category where they overlap: tablets. The high-end tablet market
is dominated by the Apple iPad, and no matter what Google has
tried, it has failed to change that. However, a source tells
Android Authority that Google is working on a multi-year project
to fully turn ChromeOS into Android, and the end result could be a
platform that finally bests the iPad.

Probably not. Frankly it’s kind of weird that Android is a peer to iOS when it comes to phones, but not at all when it comes to tablets, even though iPadOS remains just a big-screen version of iOS. There are zillions of tablets out there that run Android, but they’re all crap and everyone knows it. “Flagship Android phones” are a thing; “Flagship Android tablets” are not. And iPads are a huge business for Apple, and the iPad is now solidly established as a piece of our cultural firmament. Everyone knows what an iPad is.

To better compete with the iPad as well as manage engineering
resources more effectively, Google wants to unify its operating
system efforts. Instead of merging Android and Chrome OS into a
new operating system like rumors suggested in the past, however, a
source told me that Google is instead working on fully migrating
ChromeOS over to Android. While we don’t know what this means for
the ChromeOS or Chromebook brands, we did hear that Google wants
future “Chromebooks” to ship with the Android OS in the future.
That’s why I believe that Google’s rumored new Pixel Laptop
will run a new version of desktop Android as opposed to the
ChromeOS that you’re likely familiar with.

So they’re not “merging” the two OSes as rumored, many times, in the past, but they’re “fully migrating ChromeOS over to Android”. The only way that really makes a lick of sense is that they’re shitcanning ChromeOS and working to make Android not suck on devices other than phones, like laptops and tablets. Good luck with that, given that even Apple has struggled to make iOS/iPadOS a good laptop OS. OS platforms are just hard — hard to design, hard to engineer, hard to evolve. And Apple, for one, seems more committed than ever to the idea that MacOS and iPadOS remain very different platforms.

And, somehow, there’s no mention of Fuchsia in Rahman’s piece. Fuchsia is supposedly Google’s OS of the future, but which more and more is smelling like Google’s Copland or Pink — a sprawling “next-gen” OS project that collapses under the weight of its own ambition and lack of practical focus, spinning its wheels for years “in development” whilst the world moves on.

 ★ 

Mishaal Rahman, reporting for Android Authority:

While both Android and ChromeOS have seen huge success in
different markets, they’ve struggled to compete in one product
category where they overlap: tablets. The high-end tablet market
is dominated by the Apple iPad, and no matter what Google has
tried, it has failed to change that. However, a source tells
Android Authority that Google is working on a multi-year project
to fully turn ChromeOS into Android, and the end result could be a
platform that finally bests the iPad.

Probably not. Frankly it’s kind of weird that Android is a peer to iOS when it comes to phones, but not at all when it comes to tablets, even though iPadOS remains just a big-screen version of iOS. There are zillions of tablets out there that run Android, but they’re all crap and everyone knows it. “Flagship Android phones” are a thing; “Flagship Android tablets” are not. And iPads are a huge business for Apple, and the iPad is now solidly established as a piece of our cultural firmament. Everyone knows what an iPad is.

To better compete with the iPad as well as manage engineering
resources more effectively, Google wants to unify its operating
system efforts. Instead of merging Android and Chrome OS into a
new operating system like rumors suggested in the past, however, a
source told me that Google is instead working on fully migrating
ChromeOS over to Android. While we don’t know what this means for
the ChromeOS or Chromebook brands, we did hear that Google wants
future “Chromebooks” to ship with the Android OS in the future.
That’s why I believe that Google’s rumored new Pixel Laptop
will run a new version of desktop Android as opposed to the
ChromeOS that you’re likely familiar with.

So they’re not “merging” the two OSes as rumored, many times, in the past, but they’re “fully migrating ChromeOS over to Android”. The only way that really makes a lick of sense is that they’re shitcanning ChromeOS and working to make Android not suck on devices other than phones, like laptops and tablets. Good luck with that, given that even Apple has struggled to make iOS/iPadOS a good laptop OS. OS platforms are just hard — hard to design, hard to engineer, hard to evolve. And Apple, for one, seems more committed than ever to the idea that MacOS and iPadOS remain very different platforms.

And, somehow, there’s no mention of Fuchsia in Rahman’s piece. Fuchsia is supposedly Google’s OS of the future, but which more and more is smelling like Google’s Copland or Pink — a sprawling “next-gen” OS project that collapses under the weight of its own ambition and lack of practical focus, spinning its wheels for years “in development” whilst the world moves on.

Read More 

Jason Koebler, writing for 404 Media:

According to the filing, which was first reported by our
friends at Court Watch, Said was an aspiring ISIS
graphic designer who was working with ISIS’s second-in-command
graphic designer. That person told Said that ISIS’s chief
designer gave him the nickname The Nightmare because of the
extensive notes and revisions that were required before any
piece of propaganda he worked on was pushed out. The DOJ
document suggested that The Nightmare himself had many revisions
for Said’s graphic design work.

“You can call me the Dawlawi [ISIS] designer or you can call me
as the brother used to before. He used to send his designs for me
to modify and because of the many changes, he used to be scared of
me so he would call me ‘the nightmare,’” a message from The
Nightmare to Said published by the DOJ said. […]

The FBI obtained what it says are notes on one propaganda image
allegedly created by Said and which The Nightmare tore apart
because it had so many design elements that it was not very
legible or effective as a piece of propaganda, and suggested that
Said should both simplify it and add blood effects to parts of it
to better get the point across.

If the Trump 2.0 administration goes full fascist, I think I’ve found my role in the resistance.

 ★ 

Jason Koebler, writing for 404 Media:

According to the filing, which was first reported by our
friends at Court Watch, Said was an aspiring ISIS
graphic designer who was working with ISIS’s second-in-command
graphic designer. That person told Said that ISIS’s chief
designer gave him the nickname The Nightmare because of the
extensive notes and revisions that were required before any
piece of propaganda he worked on was pushed out. The DOJ
document suggested that The Nightmare himself had many revisions
for Said’s graphic design work.

“You can call me the Dawlawi [ISIS] designer or you can call me
as the brother used to before. He used to send his designs for me
to modify and because of the many changes, he used to be scared of
me so he would call me ‘the nightmare,’” a message from The
Nightmare to Said published by the DOJ said. […]

The FBI obtained what it says are notes on one propaganda image
allegedly created by Said and which The Nightmare tore apart
because it had so many design elements that it was not very
legible or effective as a piece of propaganda, and suggested that
Said should both simplify it and add blood effects to parts of it
to better get the point across.

If the Trump 2.0 administration goes full fascist, I think I’ve found my role in the resistance.

Read More 

Filipe Espósito, writing at 9to5Mac:

Apple introduced the “Hey Siri” command with iOS 8 to let users
easily interact with the virtual assistant without having to press
any buttons. However, over the years, this has resulted in Siri
being mistakenly triggered when the command is spoken on a TV ad.
But Apple is finally working on a fix for this. […]

The new AdBlocker framework is linked to ShazamKit, which is the
API for apps to use Shazam — the song identification platform
acquired by Apple in 2018. At the same time, the framework also
links to the process responsible for managing the “Siri” and “Hey
Siri” voice commands on Apple devices.

Code suggests that “AdBlocker” will download audio fingerprints
from Apple’s servers and then use the Shazam API to match them
against audio captured by the device’s microphones using the Hey
Siri API. When certain audios match, the new framework will
temporarily disable Siri’s trigger commands.

Clever clever.

 ★ 

Filipe Espósito, writing at 9to5Mac:

Apple introduced the “Hey Siri” command with iOS 8 to let users
easily interact with the virtual assistant without having to press
any buttons. However, over the years, this has resulted in Siri
being mistakenly triggered when the command is spoken on a TV ad.
But Apple is finally working on a fix for this. […]

The new AdBlocker framework is linked to ShazamKit, which is the
API for apps to use Shazam — the song identification platform
acquired by Apple in 2018. At the same time, the framework also
links to the process responsible for managing the “Siri” and “Hey
Siri” voice commands on Apple devices.

Code suggests that “AdBlocker” will download audio fingerprints
from Apple’s servers and then use the Shazam API to match them
against audio captured by the device’s microphones using the Hey
Siri API. When certain audios match, the new framework will
temporarily disable Siri’s trigger commands.

Clever clever.

Read More 

Joanna Stern returns to the show to talk about our new best friends, AI chatbots, and I chime in with how the Voight-Kampff test got it all wrong.

Sponsored by:

WorkOS: The modern identity platform for B2B SaaS — free up to 1 million monthly active users.
Squarespace: Make your next move. Use code talkshow for 10% off your first order.
Memberful: Monetize your passion with membership. Start your free trial today.

 ★ 

Joanna Stern returns to the show to talk about our new best friends, AI chatbots, and I chime in with how the Voight-Kampff test got it all wrong.

Sponsored by:

WorkOS: The modern identity platform for B2B SaaS — free up to 1 million monthly active users.
Squarespace: Make your next move. Use code talkshow for 10% off your first order.
Memberful: Monetize your passion with membership. Start your free trial today.

Read More 

My thanks to Upgraded for sponsoring last week at DF. Upgraded’s basic premise is simple: it’s like Apple’s iPhone upgrade program, but for MacBooks. Through Upgraded, you can get a new MacBook every two years with low monthly payments, AppleCare+ coverage, and effortless upgrades.

You don’t have to pay for your device all at once. With Upgraded’s program, you spread the cost over 36 low monthly payments. You can upgrade to a new device once you’ve made 24 payments, or pay it off over 36 months if you want to keep it instead. You also have the option to leave the upgrade program by returning your device after 24 payments.

It only takes a minute to apply. Your upgrade program is financed by Citizens Pay with APRs starting at 0%, based on creditworthiness. You can check if you’re eligible without impact to your credit score. Once you’ve joined, you can keep track of your upgrade schedule and new releases, chat with support, and more on Upgraded’s website.

 ★ 

My thanks to Upgraded for sponsoring last week at DF. Upgraded’s basic premise is simple: it’s like Apple’s iPhone upgrade program, but for MacBooks. Through Upgraded, you can get a new MacBook every two years with low monthly payments, AppleCare+ coverage, and effortless upgrades.

You don’t have to pay for your device all at once. With Upgraded’s program, you spread the cost over 36 low monthly payments. You can upgrade to a new device once you’ve made 24 payments, or pay it off over 36 months if you want to keep it instead. You also have the option to leave the upgrade program by returning your device after 24 payments.

It only takes a minute to apply. Your upgrade program is financed by Citizens Pay with APRs starting at 0%, based on creditworthiness. You can check if you’re eligible without impact to your credit score. Once you’ve joined, you can keep track of your upgrade schedule and new releases, chat with support, and more on Upgraded’s website.

Read More 

Leah Nylen and Josh Sisco, reporting for Bloomberg:

Top Justice Department antitrust officials have decided to ask a
judge to force Alphabet Inc.’s Google to sell off its Chrome
browser in what would be a historic crackdown on one of the
biggest tech companies in the world. […]

The antitrust officials pulled back from a more severe option
that would have forced Google to sell off Android, the people
said. […] The antitrust enforcers are set to propose that
Google uncouple its Android smartphone operating system from its
other products, including search and its Google Play mobile app
store, which are now sold as a bundle, the people said. They are
also prepared to seek a requirement that Google share more
information with advertisers and give them more control over
where their ads appear.

It’s hard to say from Bloomberg’s second-hand reporting — from people familiar with the matter — what exactly the DOJ is specifically going to ask for. But based on this report, I have to say, neither of these proposals makes much sense.

With Chrome, effectively what the DOJ is saying is that Google, as the monopoly search engine, should be disallowed from making its own web browser (which itself holds a monopoly share on web browsing — which share would be overwhelming if not for Safari). But Chrome, in and of itself, isn’t very valuable to anyone other than Google itself. The value Chrome holds to Google is inextricably tied to Chrome’s default integration with Google search and other Google web apps.

If Google were forced to sell Chrome, who’d make the default web browser for Android? Android can’t ship without a default browser. And the DOJ wants Google to “uncouple” Android from the Google Play store? Allowing Google to keep Android but not make its own web browser or app store is just nonsense. It might make some measure of sense to declare that Google has to sell the desktop version of Chrome — the apps for Windows and Mac — but then what happens to ChromeOS, which is not a monopoly, but is a significant competitor to Windows, MacOS, and iPadOS?

Chrome is not a standalone business. Android is not a standalone business. They’re both just appendages of Google that serve only as distribution channels for the advertising Google shows in search results, and the money it makes from advertising and game commissions in the Play Store. It’s like saying I have to sell my left foot. It’s very valuable to me, but of no value to anyone on its own. (Well, other than spite.)

See Also: Techmeme’s roundup.

 ★ 

Leah Nylen and Josh Sisco, reporting for Bloomberg:

Top Justice Department antitrust officials have decided to ask a
judge to force Alphabet Inc.’s Google to sell off its Chrome
browser in what would be a historic crackdown on one of the
biggest tech companies in the world. […]

The antitrust officials pulled back from a more severe option
that would have forced Google to sell off Android, the people
said. […] The antitrust enforcers are set to propose that
Google uncouple its Android smartphone operating system from its
other products, including search and its Google Play mobile app
store, which are now sold as a bundle, the people said. They are
also prepared to seek a requirement that Google share more
information with advertisers and give them more control over
where their ads appear.

It’s hard to say from Bloomberg’s second-hand reporting — from people familiar with the matter — what exactly the DOJ is specifically going to ask for. But based on this report, I have to say, neither of these proposals makes much sense.

With Chrome, effectively what the DOJ is saying is that Google, as the monopoly search engine, should be disallowed from making its own web browser (which itself holds a monopoly share on web browsing — which share would be overwhelming if not for Safari). But Chrome, in and of itself, isn’t very valuable to anyone other than Google itself. The value Chrome holds to Google is inextricably tied to Chrome’s default integration with Google search and other Google web apps.

If Google were forced to sell Chrome, who’d make the default web browser for Android? Android can’t ship without a default browser. And the DOJ wants Google to “uncouple” Android from the Google Play store? Allowing Google to keep Android but not make its own web browser or app store is just nonsense. It might make some measure of sense to declare that Google has to sell the desktop version of Chrome — the apps for Windows and Mac — but then what happens to ChromeOS, which is not a monopoly, but is a significant competitor to Windows, MacOS, and iPadOS?

Chrome is not a standalone business. Android is not a standalone business. They’re both just appendages of Google that serve only as distribution channels for the advertising Google shows in search results, and the money it makes from advertising and game commissions in the Play Store. It’s like saying I have to sell my left foot. It’s very valuable to me, but of no value to anyone on its own. (Well, other than spite.)

See Also: Techmeme’s roundup.

Read More